Pop Quizzes: Magic Kingdom [Part 2]

I conclude my informal interviews with Magic Kingdom Cast Members. How well did they do? 

Pirates of the Caribbean

Older gentleman: “I can tell you anything you’d like to know...”
Young lady: “This attraction opened in... Disneyland’s opened in...”
Young man: “This attraction has a great history...” 
(Each offered accurate history and many accurate facts.)

Pirates of the Caribbean merchandise 

Me: “When did this ride open?”
Group of five Cast Members: “Ummm... Not sure... Probably a long time ago.... Like years ago...”
Me: “So do any of you know if it’s new or not?”
Group: “At least five or six years old... Maybe when the park opened... Maybe like 1980.”
Me (asking one of them who has worked at Walt Disney World for over ten years): So was it here when you started?”
Lady: “Ummm... yeaaah. Yeah.”
Me: “Was it based on the movie?”
Group: “No.”

Liberty Square River Boat 

Me: “Is this the same as Disneyland’s Mark Twain?”
Young man: “Similar with the following differences.... Meet me up at the door of the wheel house and I’ll tell you more.”
Me: “EXCELLENT.”
(Up at the Wheel House)
Young man: “Come on in. You can ride in here. This is the Captains Quarters and up those stairs we have the Wheel House. We steer the wheel for show but the boat is guided by an underwater track. Would you like to sound the whistle and ring the bell?”
Me: “Do I!”
Young man: “Here’s the procedure. We sound the whistle and ring the bell for different scenarios...”
Me: “I’m from California and love Disneyland but would like to learn more about Magic Kingdom.”
Young man: “Absolutely. What would you like to learn about?”
(Excellent and memorable experience full of accurate history.)

Jungle Cruise

Me: “Were there ever live animals on this ride?”
Young lady (at the entrance): “No, although Walt Disney intended on using live animals at Disneyland.”
Me: “Did Walt Disney design this park?”
Second young lady: “Yes. All of it.”
Me: “I’m sure plans for this park changed a bit after his death, right?”
Second young lady: “I don’t think so.”
Me: “Did Walt design Epcot?”
Second young lady: “Yes he did.”
Me: “Not Epcot the theme park though.”
Second young lady: “Yes. Have you been over there? That was Walt’s dream for his Florida property.”
Me: “I think he wanted E.P.C.O.T. the city, not Epcot the way we know it today.”
Both young ladies: “NO. The theme park. The whole park was based on his ideas.” (It really wasn't.)

Adventureland Egg Roll Cart (Near the old Plaza Swan Boat waterway.)

Me: “Where were the Swan Boats?”
Gentleman: “I don’t know.”
Young man: “Around here somewhere.”
Lady: “There were two Swan Boat rides. One was by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The other shared a dock with Jungle Cruise.”
Me: “Two, huh? I hear they circled the Treehouse. Is that true?”
Lady: “No. There’s nowhere for them to go around the Treehouse.”
Me: “Looks like there’s a waterway right there.”
Lady: “No. It wouldn’t have worked.” (It did work.)

Pop Corn Stand at Big Thunder Mountain

Me: “Have they begun the new additions to the Big Thunder queue?”
Young man: “The what?”
Me: “The queue.”
Young man (looking to young lady): “You know what that is?”
Young lady: “No.”
Me: “The line you wait in to get on the ride.”
Young man and young lady: “Oh. No, they haven't.” (They had.)

Frontierland Merchandise Stand

Me: “Where were the Swan Boats?”
Two young ladies: “The what? No clue.”
Older lady: “They went around the moat.”
Me: “Only the moat?”
Older lady: “Yes.” 
Me: “What can you tell me about Walt Disney World history?”
Older Lady: “Anything you’d like to know. I’m like a walking encyclopedia. There are names on Main Street windows.... Walt wanted to acquire all the land he could in this area...” (Provided mostly-accurate information about the Florida property.)

Parade Audience Control in Frontierland

Me: “Where’s Carousel of Progress?”
Lady: “Behind the Castle.”
Me: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean the Carousel, I meant Carousel of Progress.”
Lady: “I’ve never heard of it.”

Hall of Presidents

(Those guys knew everything about everything, especially their attraction.)

Mickey’s PhilharMagic 

Me: “What was here before?”
Two young ladies and one young man: “Don’t know.”
Me: I remember something from when I was younger...”
Young man: “We probably weren’t even born then.”
Young lady (after hitting young man): “That’s so rude. You just called him old.” (I’m 32 years old.)
Second young lady: “Something to do with Lion King.”
Older gentleman: “Mickey Mouse show and maybe a Finding Nemo show but I’m not sure.” (He meant Mickey Mouse Review.)

Merchant of Venus gift shop:

Me: “Can you tell me about that model city visible from the Peoplemover?”
Young man (Operating Participant, non-Disney): “Yes, it represents Walt Disney’s idea for a city called E.P.C.O.T. I don’t know much about the model itself but I can tell you about the E.P.C.O.T. city concept...” (Provided accurate information.)
Young lady: “And Disney ended up building a city eventually. It’s called Celebration.”
Me: “That’s not even close.”

Casey’s Corner

Me: “When did this park open?”
Older lady: “I don’t know.”
Me: “What about Epcot?”
Older lady: “I don’t know.”
Me: “Do you know?”
Young lady (dancing behind the food counter): “Um, this park opened in 1971.” (Continued to dance around instead of getting me my corn dog nuggets.)

City Hall

Me: “I’d like to know more about the Progress City model I saw from the Peoplemover.”
Guest Relations lady: “No one here will know about that. Sorry. The morning people know more than the night people.”
Me: “Was that model moved here from Disneyland?” 
Guest Relations lady: “No.” (It was.)
Me: “Wasn’t that city supposed to be built instead of EPCOT Center?”
Guest Relations lady: “Well Walt did design EPCOT Center.”
Me: “Not really.”
Guest Relations lady: “Yes because international CPs work in the different villas.” (Did she mean World Showcase pavilions?) “Ask a tour guide at Chamber of Commerce. They’ll know.”

Chamber of Commerce

Me: “Who can tell me about that model city?”
Older lady: “My manager.”
Manager: “I don’t know much about it. Come back in the morning. The tour guides know more.”

I can't say I was too surprised. Having worked in a variety of Magic Kingdom frontline roles, I saw countless coworkers incorrectly answer even the most basic questions. As many people on Twitter have mentioned, it's policy for Cast Members to say, "I don't know the answer to that, but I can help you find the answer". Sadly, this almost never happened on my little tour. Even worse, I was often told false information. It appeared that many quizzees felt it was better (and perhaps faster) to give an answer, albeit false, than to say "I don't know" then be required to help find an answer.  

I must mention I was pleasantly surprised a number of times when Cast Members went above and beyond. They answered questions accurately then took it a step further. The River Boat experience, for example, is something I had not previously experienced. I rode the entire trip around Rivers of America in the Wheel House.  It will be something I'll remember throughout my life. Kudos to everyone who cares enough to accommodate the nerdy inquiries of people like me.

NEXT TIME: Pop Quizzes: Disneyland

Pop Quizzes: Magic Kingdom [Part 1]
Pirates of the Caribbean Like You've Never Seen It
A Look at the Progress City Model- Then and Now
Magic Kingdom Map Found in a Main Street Wall
Swiss Family Treehouse Model

Pop Quizzes: Magic Kingdom [Part 1]

I worked at Disneyland after graduating high school in 1998. I have fond memories of training and orientation that taught us newbies all sorts of stuff about the park. We learned the importance of knowing the history, policies, and procedures of every part of Disneyland. In recent years I’ve often wondered just how much park Cast Members are expected to know. I went around Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and asked basic questions and wrote down the answers.

Journey of the Little Mermaid (Former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Me: “What used to be here?”
Young man and young woman: “No idea.”
Me: “I think it was a submarine ride.”
Young woman: “No, not to my knowledge.”
Young man: “It was a bare field of land.”
Me: “I remember a submarine ride.”
Young man: “Oh, ‘Leagues Under the Sea’?”

Storybook Treats (Across from former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Me: “Where’s the submarine ride?”
Young man: “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Older man: “Umm... Don’t know what that is.”
Middle-aged man: “Never heard of one.”
Me: “I loved it when I was a kid. I know it was here.”
Manager: “Maybe it was in a different park. Are you sure you rode one here at Magic Kingdom?”
Me: “Positive.”
Different manager arrives: “It was called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it was my FAVORITE as a kid. I loved it. It was right over there. It was a large ride and was just beautiful. I miss it a lot. What would you like to know about it?”

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Across from former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Me: “I remember a submarine ride. Where was that?”
Young lady: “Umm I don’t think there was one.”
Me: “I think it was over there.”
Another young lady: “I think that was always just nothing.”
Me: “What was this place before it was Winnie the Pooh?
Both ladies: “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”
Young man arrives: “I can help you. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea... Mr. Toad... 1971... The following books and videos might interest you... Let me write them down.” (Several minutes of intelligent conversation after which I learned he had already clocked out for the night.)

Stroller Parking near “it’s a small world” (Former site of Skyway to Tomorrowland tower)

Me: “What was here before?”
Man: “Empty space.”
Lady: “Skyline ride.”

Yankee Trader gift shop (Next to former site of Skyway to Tomorrowland tower)

Me: “What was out there before all that construction?”
Lady: “Nothing.”
Other lady: “Glider ride.”
Me: “What are they building?”
Lady: “They didn’t tell us.”

(Later that day)

Me: “What are they building out there?”
Man: “A new ‘Tangled’ area that will offer great places to rest.”
Me: “Like restrooms?”
Man: “Not only that, but places to sit and charge your phone and other devices.”

Haunted Mansion

Me: “What can you tell me about the history of this ride?”
Two young ladies and one young man: (Each knew all sorts of history about the attraction and the surrounding area).

Columbia Harbour House Restaurant

Me: “Question. Did Walt Disney ever eat here?”
Young lady: “I... don’t know... Well he never lived to see the park open...”
Me: “But I’ve seen photos of him on rides and stuff.”
Young lady: “Well maybe he did live to see the park built.” 

Frontierland Mercantile

Me: “Where’s Carousel of Progress?”
Lady: “Ummmm. Peoplemover?"
Me: “No. Carousel of Progress.”
Lady: “I don't know what that is.”
Older lady: “It shows different areas. I mean eras. Walt saw live people acting it out in the 1940s and said he wanted to make that but with animatronics.”
Me: “Where did Walt see it?”
Older lady (asking a young man): "Where was that place Walt went to get ideas?"
Young man: "Queens. It was a World's Fair" (Rolled his eyes.)

Country Bear Jamboree 

Me: “I’d like to know about the history of this attraction.”
Older gentleman: “Well, this location opened in 1971 and was...” (Continued with many fascinating and accurate facts.)
Young lady inside: “Disneyland’s version opened after this one...” (Proceeded with the history of the attraction in both locations including Disneyland's dual theaters.)

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe (Near Splash Mountain)

Me: “Is that open?” (Pointing to Splash Mountain)
Lady: “No. They are fixing it.”
Me: “What's it called?”
Lady: “I don’t know.”
Me: “What happens in the ride?”
Lady: “They have boats and the boats crash down.”

Now does everyone working in the parks need to know the history of everything? I don't think so. Should they know a few basic things about their location? Yes. If they don't know the answer to a question, should they try to find an accurate answer? My group in 1998 was taught to do this.

Now many Walt Disney World College Program interns had arrived less than seven or eight weeks prior to my quizzes. I tried to avoid quizzing too many CPs for this reason. But had they been properly trained, wouldn't they have had some fresh history in their minds? Many of the people who didn't know a single answer had been working at the park for years. A few actually mentioned that Walt Disney World is no more than a job to them. What happened to putting on a good show, "Cast Members"?

COMING SOON! Part 2. Plus Pop Quizzes: Disneyland.

Related posts:

Story Time
Disney Management Apathy / Hockey Analogy
Little Box of Treasures
THEN AND NOW: MK Fantasyland [Part 1]
Matterhorn for Magic Kingdom Fantasyland

What Remains of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair?

In my last post I shared some Then and Now photos from my visit to the site of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. In this post I share a few things from the World's Fair that still remain on the site today.

The site is now a New York City public park called Flushing Meadows Corona Park. 

The park located in Queens was once the site of the Corona Ash Dumps which were characterized as "a valley of ashes" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In the 1930s the dumps were cleaned up to make way for the 1939 New York World's Fair. Two World's Fairs on one site!

I was in Manhattan for the first time in a long time and decided to take the 7 train out to Flushing Meadows. The experience of arriving at the nearby train stop and seeing the iconic Unisphere is incredible. It's like arriving at Epcot and seeing Spaceship Earth. Once inside the park it's easy to spot the large sphere from almost anywhere.

The water pools from the fair still stand today. I imagine when it's not Winter they are actually full of water. Here we see the "Fountains of the Fairs".

I couldn't help but wonder if all the joggers, tennis players, and soccer players at the park knew the historical significance of the land they were enjoying.

These beautiful tile mosaics were exciting to discover. They have clearly seen better days. Turns out they aren't all that old. I believe they were added in the late 90s.

Take a close look at what I've circled here in front of General Electric's Progressland pavilion (home to Carousel of Progress). Drinking fountains and benches.

Some of them still stand today!

Several street markers still grace the curbing of the streets. Many of the World's Fair streets and their names remain unchanged.

"Court of the Universe" and the "Pool of Industry".

The most prominent structure from the fair that still remains is the New York State pavilion. It may look familiar if you've seen Men In Black or Iron Man 2. 

We see here how grand the pavilion looked during the fair.

Today it's closed to the public, rusted, full of weeds, and of course all of the colorful plexiglass tent panels are long-gone.

Apparently a bunch of cats have taken over. Distant cousins of the wild cats that live in Disneyland?

Just inside one of this gates I spotted this little sign. There's been much debate about what to do with the structure. 

The towers once offered World's Fair guests some amazing views of the fair grounds. Guest accessed the platforms via two "Skystreak" exterior elevators.

We learn the following from Queens Crap blog:

"After the fair ended in 1965, the steel-and-glass capsules were left at the mercy of decay and vandals - as one rusted away in a pit beneath the pavilion, and the other was stuck mid-rise at 150 feet. The city Parks Department stripped the pods off their cables in July 2008, fearing parts might blow off in strong winds. At the time, both were largely intact."

Sadly they are not "largely intact" anymore. I got a small glimpse between gaps in the fence at what remains of at least one of the elevators.

Across the path the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company buried a time capsule as part of their in exhibit it 1965. And get this. They buried a similar time capsule just ten feet away in 1938. Both were placed 50 feet into the ground.

A short walk away another piece of both fairs still stands. The building that is now the Queens Museum of Art was built to house the New York City Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair. The building was home to the New York City Pavilion once again at the 1964-64 World's Fair.

I must thank @EPCOTExlorer for insisting I tour the Queens Museum of Art. I came upon a sign saying the museum was closed to the public that day and only open to school groups. I entered a side door to ask if I could use the restroom. The security guard said the main-level restrooms were closed due to some museum renovations. He was nice enough to point to an old-looking elevator and sent me to the upper-level restrooms. Inside this large elevator I was thrilled to find this model of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

I took only a couple photos. I figured I'd quickly use the restroom and make my way out of the closed museum without overstaying my welcome.

But of course I couldn't help myself. After returning to the elevator I decided to photograph the entire model the best I could.

Cute little Sky Ride.

General Electric's Carousel of Progress there in the center and Pepsi-Cola's It's a Small World on the lower right.

Ford Pavilion and its Magic Skyway.

State of Illinois and Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.

I then decided to photograph something else that had caught my eye off in the corner. A small collection of World's Fair memorabilia. I think I'll recreate that metal directional sign for my office. 

This wonderful concept art (framed on the right) shows part of General Motor's "Futurama" model of a futuristic city. Though none of this was built by Disney, it's often confused with what would later debut at Disneyland as the "Progress City" model. What's the dishwasher thing on the left? I don't know.

More info about the small museum exhibit.

On my way out I snuck into a large room to see something breathtaking. I had seen photos of this large panorama many times but didn't realize it belonged to the museum in which I was wandering. When I finally made it back to that side door I thanked the security guard and said, "I must pay admission because I enjoyed far too much of your museum." He said, "Not necessary but I can't let you leave without seeing the best part." He took me to a door that led to a much closer view of the New York City panorama. Could the model in the elevator be connected to this panorama?

Needless to say, the entire experience was somewhat sacred for this student of distant Disney history. I'm sure many little remnants of the World's Fair and Walt Disney's contribution to the fair remain at Flushing Meadows. Go find them!

Related posts:

THEN AND NOW: 1964-65 New York World's Fair
Tomorrowland '67 [Part 3]
Carousel of Progress Like You’ve Never Seen It