Your Guide to the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom - Late 1980

I wrote about a Magic Kingdom guide that my family actually used during a March, 1981 visit to the parks, however that guide was actually published in early 1980 and the one pictured here published later on. How do I know? Because this guide shows Big Thunder Mountain Railroad on the park map and the Mickey Mouse Revue has been removed. Big Thunder opened in the Magic Kingdom on September 23, 1980, while the Mickey Mouse Revue closed in Florida on September 14, 1980.

The early and late 1980 guides are essentially the same other than those two attractions and advertising different Disney movies inside the back cover.

Walt Disney World Vacation Guide - 1980

The Walt Disney World Vacation Guide was a regular Disney offering for years in the pre-Internet days. A comprehensive guide to everything in the resort, with color photographs and details about each on the Disney resorts, as well as shopping, dining, recreation, and more.

This issue was published in 1980 and includes a 12 page Vacation Information packet stapled inside the center of the large color brochure.  There is a mention of the soon to be completed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad inside the guide, and one of the more visually interesting maps of the full resort in the back of the magazine.

Your Guide to the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom - Early 1980

I visited Walt Disney World in March, 1981, and by that time Disney had separated the single all-encompassing guidebook that they offered during my first visit (in 1979) into different guides for the Magic Kingdom (still the only park open in Disney World at that time) and for the resorts and other activities on property. There's a brief mention of the rest of the "World" in this guide, but it focuses on the park.

The structure of the guide changed a bit, too, as "Tips for Your Magic Kingdom Visit" now appears right in the front of the book, but it is otherwise similar to what older guides.

Here is the full version of Your Guide to the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom from my 1981 visit.

[NOTE: This guide was actually published in early 1980, before the Mickey Mouse Revue closed and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened. We also had another guide from later in 1980 during the same 1981 visit.]

[ALSO NOTE: Apologies to the collectors out there for the markings inside the book. We actually used this guide back while in Florida!]