1986 Magic Kingdom Guide Book

This was nearly identical to the 1985 guide book, other than minor formatting changes to fit more words on the pages of some of the "land" detail pages and cutting the Photo Tips section from two pages to one page. This allowed for the inclusion of a section titled, "Disney Learning Adventure," which promised to "sharpen your photo skills right on the spot." In addition to instruction from a "Kodak-trained photo specialist," this three-hour session also included a 108 Kodak guide to 35mm photography.

This is the guide book my family used when we visited the Magic Kingdom in late March, 1986.

 

1985 Magic Kingdom Guide Book

For decades Disney has used brochure style/sized guides/maps to their parks. Earlier designs were wider and more booklike, but this new style guide was established beginning in the mid 1980s. The contents were very similar to previous guides, even using many of the same graphics, but the park map was moved to a foldout section in the front of the brochure and the map itself became a less stylized more utilitarian design that many readers will remember from their early Disney World visits.

These guide books including similar sections devoted to each "land" than were part of previous guides. Also included were nearly identical resort maps and discussion of recreation, shopping, and other things to do around the Disney World property. The photo tips section remained, though in a different format, as the park's photography sponsorship shifted from Polaroid to Kodak.

This is the guide book my family used when we visited the Magic Kingdom in late March and early April, 1985.

 

 

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.

Your Complete Guide to Walt Disney World - 1975

The 1975 version of "Your Complete Guide to Walt Disney World" is very similar in structure and content to what was once contained in the Walt Disney World Information Guide and would later appear in a different looking Complete Guide. The brochure begins by highlighting some of the ways the Magic Kingdom celebrated the bicentennial, including a description of America on Parade and promoting the fact that Hall of Presidents, previously an E-ticket attraction, would be available to all park guests for free in 1975 and, "continuing through the summer of 1976."

The section on Magic Kingdom admission pricing is expanded from earlier guides, with additional ticket books offered, including one encouraging 2 day visits, though with less specificity on how many of each category of tickets are part of each ticket book. The sections describing the Magic Kingdom is consolidated, so attractions, shopping, and dining are all listed together for each land, while the detailed maps for each land that appeared in older guides have been removed, replaced by a detailed foldout map of the entire park, located in the center of the guide. Sections titled, "Tips on Your Visit," and "Helpful Information," which continued into future guides also appear in this brochure, as do four full pages of GAF Photo tips.

The Guide also includes detailed descriptions of each Disney resort, starting with the Polynesian Village (which previously was listed after the Contemporary), followed by the Contemporary Resort Golf Resort, Fort Wilderness, and Lake Buena Vista. The descriptions of the amenities at the larger resorts also now include information about which floor to find restaurants, shops, and other important locations in each hotel's main building. The concludes with a whimsically draw map of the full Walt Disney World property, accompanied by transportation information, along with ads for Disney's big theater release of No Deposit No Return and for the park's photography sponsor, GAF.