Friday, July 3, 2015

1987 Walt Disney World Information Channel

By Keith Mahne



One of my favorite things about staying in a Walt Disney World Resort hotel is the wonderful Information Channel. Whenever we first arrive to our room, I immediately turn the TV on and watch and listen to the station as we begin to unpack. It's one of those magic feelings that hit you and your brain goes, "Yep! I'm in Disney World!" Something that's especially fun to do is to watch old WDW Information Channel programs from the past. I'd like to share with you one of my particular favorites from 1987. Join us today as we travel back to a Walt Disney World Resort hotel in 1987, flip the TV on, and embrace the magic that is the vacation kingdom of the world...







Before we start the show, let's talk about all the wonderful things WDW was experiencing in 1987. WDW was in the process of a huge expansion. Construction was underway all over the property on projects that would change the face of the resort forever. Disney’s new CEO, Michael Eisner, was intent on making WDW a full-service destination that could keep a family occupied for an entire vacation without stepping foot off the property. One of his very first contributions to the resort complex was Disney-MGM Studios, which was put into development at this time to head off a possible new Universal park in Orlando, and to support Eisner’s big-time movie production ambitions. Some other notable projects in development were Typhoon Lagoon, which would open two years later, was intended to counter the elaborate water parks that had sprung up elsewhere since River Country’s opening, and Pleasure Island sought to keep adults on property at night. Adding to all of these amazing projects, something from the Card Walker era would open a year later in the incredible Grand Floridian Beach Resort and EPCOT’s Norway pavilion.







Now, let's talk about all the wonderful things you're about to see in this truly amazing, 1987 WDW Information Channel broadcast, much of which is long gone. For starters, it does a terrific job of showcasing all of the resorts on property. We'll see the original Polynesian Village Resort lobby including the beloved waterfall. We'll see the Disney Inn, Discovery Island, River Country, and the WDW Shopping Village (Downtown Disney today). Also during this time, the resort was still celebrating it's 15th anniversary which included the “15 Years of Magic” parade. It's a true testament to what Walt Disney World is all about...the place so many of us originally fell in love with and the one that keeps us coming back for more. But enough talking about what you will see in this fantastic video from Walt Disney World's past, it's now time to flip the TV on and take a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Enjoy my friends...

(Please pause the Disney Avenue Music Player in the top left-hand corner prior to playing the videos below if you are on a desktop computer.)













 
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Keith Michael Mahne is the owner and editor of Disney Avenue and the host of the Disney Avenue Podcast. He has made countless trips to the Walt Disney World resort since his first trip in 1989 at the age of four.
 



Keith has a strong passion and respect for Walt Disney, the parks and resorts, and the men and women who help create them. He started Disney Avenue as a way to inform and entertain readers and to repay all those who make dreams come true every day.
 




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