Around the World in Many Ways

If there is one question I get asked more than any other, it is, “Why Disney?” Obviously, this question is not coming to me from the readers who frequent the Gazette, but more from people who have never truly experienced what Walt Disney World has to offer. The short answer is that Disney, all things Disney, but specifically Walt Disney World, captures my imagination. It is the stories, the nuanced details, my love of past, future, and transportation.

In the Spring 1981 issue of Disney News the article Around the World in Many Ways, showcased just how many ways there were to navigate the World and mentions pieces of history that have since become extinct. While the article is brief, it is enough to take me back to one of the many reasons I find myself drawn back, time and again, to Walt Disney World. Presented below is the full article.

Ever since opening day at the Walt Disney World Vacation Kingdom, resort guests have found that traveling to and around our World is both convenient and fun. WED Transportation Services, Inc. provides transportation for all Walt Disney World guests, and includes monorails, ferryboats, motor launches and motor coaches. The service also includes shuttle bus transportation to and from resort areas, the Magic Kingdom and the shopping-dining-entertainment community of Lake Buena Vista. In fact, visitors here can park their cars and put away their keys until they prepare to return home.

Probably the most impressive and recognizable feature of the transportation in the Vacation Kingdom is the monorail system, our primary link between the Contemporary and Polynesian Village Resort Hotels, the Magic Kingdom and the main parking area.

Passengers on these sleekly designed vehicles are silently and smoothly whisked via an air suspension system over water and land, and through the magnificent Contemporary Resort Hotel for a breathtaking inspection of its muraled lobby.

Another highly visible component of the WED Transportation Services system is a fleet of boats and ship – comprising the fifth largest navy in the world.

Biggest ships ii the fleet are two 600-passenger ferryboats which carry incoming guests from the main entrance of the Magic Kingdom to the Park itself.

Out on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, a flotilla of turn-of-the-century navy launches provide efficient service to the Contemporary and Polynesian Village and to the Fort Wilderness Campground Resort.

Boats also provide transportation along the winding waterways of Lake Buena Vista. Guests staying in the luxury villas and townhouses of this secluded nook of the World can “cast off” for the stylish shops, restaurants and night spots of Walt Disney World Village. And everyone can experience the romance of starlit Flote boat cruises.

In addition, vacation adventurers can chart their own courses for excitement via Disney sailboats, mini-speedboats, water skiing boats, canoes and pedal boats.

With so many ways to explore the Vacation Kingdom, it’s easy to see why we can say, “Put your cares – and your car keys – away!”