74 - Vacation Planning

74 - Vacation Planning

Author: Lake Buena Vista Historical Society March 1, 2022 Duration: 1:32:01

As we get started on our main topic, get out your old pamphlets, flyers, books, magazines, and leaflets. This month we are talking all about planning your Walt Disney World Vacation from the early years all the way up to the mid-90s. The ways this has changed over the years is fascinating when you dig into all the details and ways to book. Todd takes the lead for Episode 74, digging into old planning guides and comparing them to some of his own trips, especially his 1980 visit. Throughout this episode, you are going to notice a world of vacation packages that you might have never heard of before. Everything from small trips to massive all-inclusive style trips with camcorders and meals included. The inflation calculator is brought out often so we can get a somewhat accurate comparison to what we have nowadays. We were super curious if one of our listeners would be sitting down with their slide rule and spreadsheets to compare what the best deal was and when it took place back then...

Todd also digs into some tickets and options for each package back then, which we discuss how you went about booking in the 70s and 80s. There was no internet and there was no google to check on what was being offered. The options seemed to be always changing and always evolving, which isn't too different when compared to trips of today. As always, we also go off on a bit of a tangent about rental cars, vehicles in the 70s/80s, and of course the Chevrolet Citation. While we were talking, Brian remembered the old Citation commercial and he also reminisces a bit about his mid-80s rental car being an Oldsmobile Calais. This episode led most of us to dig into our ephemera boxes again to compare notes and also look at the various vacation packages that we seem to overlook for more exciting imagery over planning details. Do you have anything unique in your piles at home? Send them in so we can add them to the archive of ephemera on the site. Also, take a look at our gallery of ephemera that is loaded with tons of great stuff.


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: 138

Retro Disney World Podcast
Podcast Episodes
48 - The Timekeeper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49:22
Welcome to Episode 48 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "The Timekeeper" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows. Tonight we have a spec…
47 - A Room Full of Fun - Arcades [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:24:28
Welcome to Episode 47 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "A Room Full Of Fun" - 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 Our fi…
46 - Snow White's Adventure [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:30
Welcome to Episode 46 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Snow White's Scary Adventures" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows. Correct…
45 - Holiday Potluck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39:16
Welcome to Episode 45 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Holiday Potluck" - 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 Todd gets…
44 - Mickey's Birthdayland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:45
Welcome to Episode 44 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Mickey's Birthdayland" - 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 Eri…
43.75 - A Chat with Jim Sarno [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:35
We are still plugging along in the Episode 43 series, this time with 43.75. The crew welcomes Jim Sarno, an artist who has been all over the entertainment industry. Jim spent some time with The Muppets, Hannah-Barbera an…
43.65 RetroWDW Special Announcements [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:15
We interrupt your normal podcast, for a special edition of the podcast. This episode is filled with lots of news, updates and tour info; so here we go! Our Lake & Lagoon Tour: Discovery Edition is getting closer and clos…
43.5 - A Chat with Chris Debiec [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:19
Welcome to Episode 43.5! We are here tonight to chat with Chris Debiec, who plays a key role in the early days of Disney-MGM Studios. Todd, Brian & How are in attendance tonight and we start you off with some information…
43 - Game Shows at the Disney MGM Studios [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:52
Welcome to Episode 43 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "MGM-Studios Game Shows" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows. Listener Mail…
42 - Communicore West [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52:47
Corrections & Listener Mail Corrections The Chapeau Shop on Main Street has come up on the show multiple times, regarding the old time phone. We recently received word that the phone was broken...So sad. Hopefully it wil…