![]() In 1973 an additional departure from Fort Wilderness dock was advertised. “One and a half hours of leisurely cruising, live entertainment, and cocktails” the advertising promised. With no guests to transport from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom, the two ships saw evening service as “cruise ships.” Moonlight Cruises departed from the two hotel marinas on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday evenings. The Magic Kingdom and that resort area were all there was, and park closing time was usually six o’clock, except on weekends. The early days of Walt Disney World were quite different from the bustling 24-hour enterprise we know today. They were run by “Gallows A-Frame Walking Beam” engines, and highly authentic to their 19 th century precursors, including erratic oil-fired boilers and fussy steam engines. © DisneyĮarly transportation from G uest Parking to Magic Kingdom Park was on a pair of one-hundred-foot-long “Osceola-class” steam-driven side-wheel paddleboats, named Ports-O-Call and S outhern Seas. The sprightly Water Taxi as envisioned by Imagineering. ![]() A steam-driven, open-deck excursion boat is also in the planning for Phase One, and steam will be the motive power for half a dozen launches or water taxis for use in the various activities on the lake and lagoon.” They’ll be driven by steam and patterned after river boats of a hundred years ago. “On the water, there will be a pair of double-deck side-wheelers to cross the lagoon from the entrance area. Walt Disney World has always been “a world on the move,” abundant transit has been part of the show since day one-and Seven Seas Lagoon has always been alive with water traffic and activities.Ī 1969 Walt Disney Productions promotional brochure, A Complete Edition About Walt Disney World, offered many of the first public details about the project, including: With only one park and fairly limited operating hours by today’s standards, the amenities of the hotels and the activities on Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon were an important part of creating the “Vacation Kingdom of the World.” In the first days of Walt Disney World Resort, the waterways were a large part of the resort draw. The sparkling man-made waterway serves as a beautiful entry sequence for the magic kingdom and a romantic setting for resort hotels, and since its first days has also been a location for a variety of remarkable watercraft. In a recent post, the Imagineering of the remarkable Seven Seas Lagoon was featured.
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