By Keith Mahne

Beginning in the late 1970s, if you happened to be in Central Florida and wanted a truly special meal, there was one place to go: the Empress Lilly. For 18 years, the regally appointed ship beckoned diners with one of the finest menus at Walt Disney World. Gourmets, park lovers, romantics agreed: The Lilly – named in honor of Walt's first lady, Lillian Bounds Disney – was always a delicious experience. Join us as we remember the Empress Lilly riverboat in today's new article...

By Keith Mahne

When Walt Disney World first opened its gates in 1971, the entire Vacation Kingdom utilized only 2,500 acres of the total 27,500-acre site owned by the Disney Company in central Florida. The 43-square miles of land represented a substantial opportunity, and an equally significant responsibility, for the Walt Disney Company to develop and enhance the lives of those that would live, work and visit there. Out of this need came the Disney owned Buena Vista Land Company. Let's take a look back at the organization originally responsible for the development of the Walt Disney World property and examine what plans it had back in 1972 in today's new article...

By Keith Mahne

From the Walt Disney World Vacation Kingdom dedication plaque in Town Square: "WALT DISNEY WORLD is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney and to the talents, the dedication and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney's dream come true..." Walt Disney's dream...what a dream it was: a complete vacation resort destination; a total environment that Walt himself referred to as "a new, different kind of world...big enough to hold all the ideas and plans we can possibly imagine." And the dream came to life and started to grow: the Magic Kingdom, resort hotels and villas, campgrounds, abundant facilities for recreation, shopping and entertainment; all set against a lovingly preserved and designed backdrop of rolling landscapes and winding waterways. And, as Walt had suggested, there was still plenty of space for the Disney-style thinking, tinkering and building called "Imagineering." Today, this 27,443-acre wonder stands as the leading vacation destination on earth and the first 10 years of its existence played a big part in that. Let's review Walt Disney World's first 10 years and discover why it remains as happy and joyous a place as the day it opened on October 1, 1971...

By Keith Mahne

The Disney Institute was a resort complex that offered a completely different kind of Disney vacation experience. When the resort's doors opened on February 9, 1996, Disney introduced a brand new vacation category to Walt Disney World thanks to former CEO Michael Eisner. At the Disney Institute, guests took part in more than 80 hands-on programs encompassing a wide range of interests, from rock climbing to topiary gardening to gourmet cooking and animation. This was going to be the area of WDW that wasn't just about meeting characters or riding attractions, but about learning and growing in a fun and entertaining way. Learn the history behind this short-lived Disney resort as we remember The Disney Institute in today's new article...

By Keith Mahne

In 1977, Walt Disney World resort guests would find a wonderful, complimentary magazine left inside their resort rooms that featured all sorts of information from every corner of the vacation kingdom of the world. This wasn't some flimsy little black and white pamphlet that they leave out now-a-days. This was a gorgeous, high quality booklet called World Magazine that featured an amazing overview of the resort, including the Magic Kingdom, other resort hotels on property, dining options, recreation activities, the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, and so much more. Seeing this magazine today allows us to have a nostalgic look back at the Walt Disney World Resort of yesteryear...

By Brittany Bell

It’s official: Downtown Disney is now Disney Springs. Over the course of the massive expansion, Downtown Disney went from the hub of night-life and adult fun at Disney to a family friendly shopping and dining area inspired by turn-of-the-century lakeside towns in Florida. The Disney Springs revamp doubled the restaurants and shops that were at Downtown Disney and now features over 150 venues, in addition to new pedestrian bridges, a connection to the highway and two five-story parking garages. In honor of Disney Springs becoming official, let’s take a peek at the history of Walt Disney’s World’s downtown…

By Keith Mahne

Before Disney Springs, Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island, there was once a quaint little village nestled at the southern end of Walt Disney World called the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village. Back in 1975, shopping took on a whole new meaning at Walt Disney World when the area opened with shops such as the Toys Fantastique, The Flower Garden and The Pottery Chalet. Wouldn't you love to take a trip back in time and see what the Disney Springs area was like originally? Well, let's do just that in today's new article as we take a look back at the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village...