2017 - Pandora Field Guide from Disney's Animal Kingdom

During soft-opening previews for Disney's Animal Kingdom, in addition to a guide to the new land, Disney also provided guests with these "Field Guides," which included information on Na'vi language along with descriptions of some plants and animals you can see and hear while visited Pandora. If you want to know the names of the local flora and fauna or play along with the Cast Members who are still committed to the idea that guests have left a theme park and are visiting a foreign world, then this guide is still useful today.

I acquired my copy of this Field Guide during a May 19, 2017 visit.

2017 - Pandora Preview Guide from Disney's Animal Kingdom

 Disney published a guide to Pandora: The World of Avatar, which was available to guests who attended soft-opening previews during May, 2017. I attended one of these previews on May 19, 2017.

The guide lists the attractions, dining, and shopping experiences that were open at the time.

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.

 

 

 

 

1972 Walt Disney World Ticket Brochure

Many Walt Disney World visitors have heard the phrase "E-ticket" used to describe a popular headliner attraction and most of those folks know E-tickets were the most expensive class of tickets back in the days when the parks required you to exchange individual tickets for rides on most of the attractions in the park. This brochure, which lists prices effective in October, 1972, shows the cost of books of tickets or general admission to the park in the relatively early days of the Magic Kingdom.

Also notable, on the flip side of the brochure, are promotions for some of the other activities around the Walt Disney World Resort, including cruises on the old side-wheeler steamboats and a nighttime water skiing light show, which must've been quite a spectacle (if you could actually see what was going on).

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney World Star Spangled Summer Brochure and Information Guide - 1985

Back in the old days, before you could read what was happening in the parks almost in real time, you had to write to Disney and ask them to send you marketing materials.

Fortunately for you, some of us saved some of these items, like this brochure highlighting what to expect from 1985's Star Spangled Summer in Walt Disney World!

But, wait, there's more. Disney also included a four page Information Guide, with some of the information that used to be included as an insert into older Vacation Guides and a list of prices for Disney resorts through the end of the year.

EPCOT Center Tips on Your Visit - 1983

While visiting EPCOT Center in March, 1983, Disney offered these tips for enjoying your visit to the newly opened park. They were helpful for us, as Future World attractions had long lines during the day, but weren't nearly as crowded in the evenings.

Also included was a list of all of the original dining options in EPCOT Center. It's not quite as extensive a list as we see now!

Walt Disney World 15th Anniversary Magazine Insert - 1987

Here's a title of a brochure you won't see anymore, as Disney used a popular song from Song of the South and Splash Mountain to promote the park's fifteenth anniversary. I don't recall where this particular item came from, but it appears to have been a magazine insert, from a time when "special pullouts" were popular. I've dated this as 1987, because while the actual fifteenth anniversary of Disney World was on October 1, 1986, the actual celebration lasted through the following year, and a couple of the advertisements show 1987 copyrights.

The publication promotes new attractions, like the Living Seas and Captain EO, while also highlight the giveaways for the 15th Anniversary celebration. Also prominent are ads for Sea World, Eastern Airlines, and Premier Cruise Lines, from a time when Disney was more inclined to partner with other companies and when they were happy to find someone else to pay for their promotions!

Here's the combined center of the insert, fully unfolded.