My parents would take the family to both the Top of the World supper club show and the Polynesian Resort Luau when we would vacation at WDW back in the mid-1970s to mid-1980s. I remember having to “dress up” with a blazer and slacks, even as a kid, to attend the Top of the World evening show. WDW had a different sort of magic and vibe back then, and I am so grateful to my parents for taking us there to experience it.
August 13, 1971 start. Contemporary still had 18 story cranes up. Employees had to wear hard hats. 1st floor kitchen, than 4th floor, than 2nd floor convention center kitchen. We could serve 4,000 guests at a time. Top of the World supper club was my last It opened officially on New Years day 1972. The construction crew was entertained the night before. An extremely small kitchen wich caused a lot of injuries. They quickly went from supper club to normal service. By March 72 I was on the Eastern Winds Chinese junk, docked at Polynesian. Lots of good friends still from that Era. I only worked at WDW 15 months. Very intense time of my life.
Such wonderful memories of the Contemporary Resort. Like the time we saw Julius "Dr. J" Irving checking out as we were checking in, only to learn John Travolta was staying on our floor! Or 2 years ago, when a manager took us behind the entrance level façade and showed us part of the remaining orange tile wall that lined the original port cochere, before the lobby was extended outwards to encompass the old drive through check-in. Or the glorious Fiesta Food and Fun Center arcade that existed in the lobby where Steakhouse 71 now resides; I showed a pic of the old space to our waiter, and he could not have been more dis-interested! ;)
Going to see the original façade must have been pretty awesome. There are a few places around where you can see some original elements, and they’re always fun finds. And I have found that there is a bit of a lost connection to the history; when the pandemic was in full effect, a fair number of the CMs who had been around a long time left/retired and the company lost something more profound as the passed down legacy is not as strong. Did someone say the fiesta fun center? Episode 35: WDW game rooms ua-cam.com/video/_GPPD2w1dpI/v-deo.html
My parents would take the family to both the Top of the World supper club show and the Polynesian Resort Luau when we would vacation at WDW back in the mid-1970s to mid-1980s. I remember having to “dress up” with a blazer and slacks, even as a kid, to attend the Top of the World evening show. WDW had a different sort of magic and vibe back then, and I am so grateful to my parents for taking us there to experience it.
Indeed it did. That was a very special time.
August 13, 1971 start. Contemporary still had 18 story cranes up. Employees had to wear hard hats. 1st floor kitchen, than 4th floor, than 2nd floor convention center kitchen. We could serve 4,000 guests at a time. Top of the World supper club was my last It opened officially on New Years day 1972. The construction crew was entertained the night before. An extremely small kitchen wich caused a lot of injuries. They quickly went from supper club to normal service. By March 72 I was on the Eastern Winds Chinese junk, docked at Polynesian. Lots of good friends still from that Era. I only worked at WDW 15 months. Very intense time of my life.
Such wonderful memories of the Contemporary Resort. Like the time we saw Julius "Dr. J" Irving checking out as we were checking in, only to learn John Travolta was staying on our floor! Or 2 years ago, when a manager took us behind the entrance level façade and showed us part of the remaining orange tile wall that lined the original port cochere, before the lobby was extended outwards to encompass the old drive through check-in. Or the glorious Fiesta Food and Fun Center arcade that existed in the lobby where Steakhouse 71 now resides; I showed a pic of the old space to our waiter, and he could not have been more dis-interested! ;)
Going to see the original façade must have been pretty awesome. There are a few places around where you can see some original elements, and they’re always fun finds.
And I have found that there is a bit of a lost connection to the history; when the pandemic was in full effect, a fair number of the CMs who had been around a long time left/retired and the company lost something more profound as the passed down legacy is not as strong.
Did someone say the fiesta fun center? Episode 35: WDW game rooms
ua-cam.com/video/_GPPD2w1dpI/v-deo.html