35 - Christmas Around the World Part II

35 - Christmas Around the World Part II

Author: Lake Buena Vista Historical Society December 12, 2017 Duration: 1:31:40
Welcome to Episode 35 of the Retro Disney World Podcast: "Christmas Around The World - Part II" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows. Corrections & Listener Mail As always, we start off with corrections and listener mail. This month we had some really fun notes, letters, cards and messages. We start off the show with some amazingly comical stories from Dreamflight. In 1991, listener Brian had a fellow rider exit the ride too quickly, claiming the ride was on fire! What a story! We also got some information about the Grand Central Air Terminal, which is actually the bus depot from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. If you look below at a screen grab from the movie, and an old postcard, you can see exactly what we're talking about. Thanks for the note Kevin and everybody else that sent us facts about this space. How also brings up a conversation he had with Tony Baxter regarding 20,000 Leagues and if the reference to Mr. Baxter is referring to him. The answer might or might not surprise you..... Brian has a correction from two years ago, Christmas related. The small railroad in Germany has a different origin than we originally thought. This is not a Christmas attraction! Reese wrote in asking about the colors on the sides of Universe of Energy. She is wondering why these changed and if there was some specific reasons on the color choices. Brian and How help us out and give us some backstory on the colors. Rob wrote in about the hot air balloon and powered glider show, asking how long it was in production and if it was related to the electrical water pageant. How chimes in on how this was an opening day special and gives us some other facts. Finally, we hear from Wayne regarding a Nestle chocolate chip cookie tin, with special magnets. Well Wayne took it upon himself to do a hard target search and we can't wait for you to hear how he found his magnet... Thank you for all the emails, tweets and comments you have sent our way. We try to respond to almost everything and do our best to pick unique questions for the show.  For questions, comments and concerns, please write us - podcast@retrowdw.com. Audio Rewind Our audio rewind this month turned out to be SpectroMagic, the piano version! The winner is Brandom Fitzgerald, winning the 1autographed picture of Corinne, from Horizons! Great job and thanks for the entries. If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind puzzler, email us! podcast@retrowdw.com - This month the winner will get a Disney Christmas Vinyl LP Record, Disney's Christmas All-Time Favorites from 1981. All entries due 1/8/2018 and a random winner will be selected. Even if you don't win, you will gain an entry into the NEW PRIZE POT! The new prize pot already has one item, which are some EPCOT Posters. Best of luck to our 2018 Part 1 Prize Pot contestants!  Prize Pot The time has come to give away our Fall/Winter 2017 Prize Pot!  JT heads to the basement to fire up the old computer again, but runs into some technical problems... Our lucky winner is........ John Marado! Here is what John will receive: Life Magazine - 1971 (Courtesy of David) Look Magazine - 1971 (Courtesy of David) WDW Easter Egg Hunt Invitation - 1986 1991 Magic Kingdom & MGM Theme Park guidebooks (Color Coded) Vintage Epcot Center World Showcase postcards EPCOT Cooler Bag from D23 RetroWDW Embroidered Hat - 1 of 5 made!   Main Topic Christmas Around The World & The 1978 Christmas at WDW Special Brian takes the lead this month for another amazing round of Christmas Around the World. Part 1 took place way back in 2015 on Episode 14, if you would like to listen back, click here. We discuss the 1978 special in detail this month, which offers up an amazing look at lots of our favorite vintage things at WDW.  We highly recommend you take a look either before or after you listen to this episode.  We go into such great detail about everything from

The Retro Disney World Podcast from the Lake Buena Vista Historical Society is a deep, conversational dive into the layers of history embedded in the Vacation Kingdom. Each monthly episode gathers four hosts with a shared passion for peeling back the contemporary veneer to examine what came before. Their discussions are less about listing facts and more about reconstructing the experience of a place in time, focusing on the architectural choices, attraction designs, and overall atmosphere that defined eras from the ambitious pre-opening plans up through the resort's evolution roughly twenty-five years ago. This isn't just a nostalgia trip; it's a thoughtful look at how the park's physical and imaginative landscapes were built, changed, and live on in collective memory. You'll hear detailed recollections and analysis of spaces that are now closed but whose influence persists, understanding why certain elements resonate so powerfully. The podcast operates at the intersection of cultural study, travel memory, and societal observation, making it a unique resource for anyone who believes the story of a place is found in its details, transitions, and vanished corners. Tune in for a consistently engaging and richly specific exploration of Walt Disney World's past, thoughtfully preserved in audio form.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Retro Disney World Podcast
Podcast Episodes
104 - Orange Bird [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:52
Find out all about the Orange Bird, the former mascot of the Florida Citrus Growers who once appeared on merchandise everywhere around Florida and at the Sunshine Tree Pavilion at Walt Disney World. We'll talk about his…
101 - Downtown Disney West Side [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:19:05
Take a walk around Downtown Disney West Side as it was on opening day in 1997. The Virgin Megastore dominated the corner block, but there were fun smaller stores too like Magnetron and Starbillias. West Side was a ‘90s d…
102 - The Bicentennial at WDW [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:47:18
Step back with us to Walt Disney World during America’s 1976 birthday celebration, when the parks were dressed to the nines for the United States Bicentennial. We relive the sights and sounds of the era—patriotic parades…
99 - Orlandoland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:15
This month How leads a discussion about the selection process that brought Walt Disney World to Orlando, the different sites in the area that were considered for purchase, and some of the alternate locations that were co…
98.5 RetroMagic June Update [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:12
This episode of the RetroWDW Podcast is somewhat unique and calls for a different type of introduction. Our team has been hard at work planning for RetroMagic, which will take place from September 26th to September 28th,…
98 - The Disney Difference [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:31:11
This one has been in the works for quite some time, and we are excited to bring it to you. Years ago, Disney was just a different type of place to vacation, and we all have our memories of things we have lost over the ye…
97.5 - RetroMagic 2025 - Sept. 26-28, 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:22
In this mini-episode (or is it an infomercial?), we discuss our upcoming RetroMagic 2025 event, coming to the Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World the weekend of September 26-28, 2025. Tickets are available at ht…
97 Music of EPCOT Center [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:15:12
Take a deep dive into the music of the original EPCOT Center, including: How the Epcot entrance loop ripped off music from rock bands Alan Parsons Project and Trickster Hear the original, longer version of "Closer to You…