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 - 1981

This Walt Disney World Vacation Guide, published to detail activities around the resort during the time of the Tencennial celebration, covering the end of 1981 through most of 1982. The Guide is very similar to the 1980 version, with the notable addition of some discussion and promotion of the soon to be completed EPCOT Center, an insert encouraging guests to purchase the first edition of Steve Birnbaum's Official Guide to Walt Disney World, and replacing the colorful resort map at the end of the book with a more utilitarian rendering of the resort.

The Vacation Information packed inserted into the center of the guide also increased in size, to 16 pages. Some additions are somewhat mundane, with a discussion of the Car Care Center, the "Babysitting" heading changing to "Child Care," a new section talking about the Mouseketeer Clubhouse at the Polynesian and Contemporary, and a mention of on-site Rotary Club meetings. More significantly, ticket books are no longer mentioned, but a 1-Day "Unlimited Passport" has been added, offering access to all the rides in the Magic Kingdom as often as you wish to ride them. Also of note is an offer to tear out and mail-in an offer for a commemorative ticket to EPCOT Center and another new mail-in form encouraging guests to try Wonders of Walt Disney World learning programs.

A few other changes on the dining front are noticeable, including a new Moonlight Review, featuring "Specialty cocktails and appetizers with South Seas entertainment" added to the entertainment offerings at the Polynesian. Also at the Polynesian is a second character breakfast on property (joining Breakfast a la Disney on the Empress Lilly), Minnie's Menehune Breakfast, a sign of the increasing popularity of character meals around the resort.

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!]