Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Kicks Off!
Happy 50th Anniversary to Walt Disney World! Today kicks off the World’s Most Magical Celebration, the 18-month long event in honor of the milestone. We’re in Magic Kingdom today, Epcot tomorrow, and the other parks throughout the rest of the weekend, but wanted to bring you a quick photo update.
On a quick personal note, the World’s Most Magical Celebration has already been a success. We were a bit (ahem) apprehensive going into the 50th Anniversary, as a lot of the celebration has felt focused on things unrelated to the rich history of the Vacation Kingdom of the World. On top of that, there have been a range of other announcements in the last few months that haven’t exactly been the best precursor to a joyous occasion.
Those concerns still exist. Some will be addressed in our reviews of Disney Enchantment, Harmonious, and the World’s Most Magical Celebration as a whole. Others we’ll be dealing with for months to come, with the inevitable rollout of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, After Hours events, and gradual restoration of stage shows and entertainment. Setting that aside, today is a cause for celebration–50 years of Walt Disney World is a huge deal.
Walt Disney famously once said: “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” Today has been another great reminder of that for us. It has been incredible simply wandering around Main Street and Magic Kingdom, talking to people and feeding off the collective energy of the crowd. The park has a great vibe today and almost everyone is in a great mood.
The first major celebration Sarah and I attended together as adults was back on October 1, 2011–for Walt Disney World’s 40th Anniversary. We had started this blog a few months prior to that, and had been in the community on forums and social media for a few years before that. That anniversary event is when it really coalesced for us–we spent the entire day with fellow fans and formed a few friendships that are still going strong a decade later.
Walt Disney World has introduced us to a community of like-minded people, inspired us to see the world in a different way, sparked our curiosities and passions–changing the trajectory of our lives in the process. None of that is even a remote exaggeration. If anything, we’re downplaying how much Walt Disney World has meant to us–it’s impossible to fully articulate the indelible mark it has left on our lives.
Being in Magic Kingdom today, seeing some old friends for the first time since before last March, and meeting several of you has been a wonderful reminder of this all. For those who haven’t yet said hello but see us in the parks these weekend, please see hello. I’m running on about zero sleep, am fully fueled by caffeine at this point, and planned on taking today off to fully immerse myself in the experience of “being there,” but thought I should at least drop in with a quick note.
Whether you’re visiting this weekend for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary kickoff or sometime in the 18 months to come, we hope you enjoy the World’s Most Magical Celebration. The last 18 months or so leading up to those point have been rough on everyone, which is a colossal understatement for many of you. Taking a step back, I think it’s fair to say we could all use a big bash that offers homage to the past while looking forward to the future. While it’s not everything we imagined it would be back when the ambitious plans were unveiled at the last two D23 Expos, it’s nevertheless a breath of fresh air right now.
We’ll be back with more coherent thoughts later this weekend or on Monday. For now, here are some photos from the last few days:
That’s a wrap on Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary for now. Again, lots of exhaustive coverage, reviews, and planning post updates coming once the dust settles on this weekend.
Whether you’re in Florida for the milestone or far away, we hope that you take a moment to reflect on the memories you’ve made and what Walt Disney World means to you! Maybe take some time to go through old photos, family films–or even watch a classic Vacation Kingdom television special or two.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Any thoughts of your own on Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary? Are you excited to experience the World’s Most Magical Celebration for yourself, or are you underwhelmed by its offerings? Does the substance of the celebration matter to you, or is it about the jovial atmosphere and guest energy? Do you agree or disagree with our perspective here? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hey Tom, love your Disney blog and all the great comments and pics.
Our family was in WDW 9/30-10/5 for the 50th anniversary celebration. We’ve visited WDW about 45 times in the last 25 years, mostly at Christmas week.
We loved this trip and I saw a lot of what you and Sarah saw. The wait times for rides was so low even though the park was packed with people. Where were all the people? Standing in lines a hundred deep to grab merchandise.
It was like a Black Friday sale. A money grab on Disney’s part. Why didn’t they shuffle people to one end of the park for buying the goodies? We were there three hours in the heat and couldn’t even buy water because of those lines and restaurants weren’t opened yet.
Another BIG disappointment was the mobile ordering. Pecos Bills. We ordered, said we were there, an hour later still nothing. Couldn’t do anything else in case our order came up. Checked repeatedly on order. You have to prepay so they have you on the hook. Staff kept saying “should be up soon.” Ya think?
After 90 minutes I sent my starving, cranky teenage daughter up to check. She works in a restaurant and hammered the staff til they admitted there was a computer crash, and all orders over one hour in the system were deleted with no way to advise those people.
I’ve been dozens of times to WDW at Christmas week. Disney knows how to handle crowds. Good and drink and long lines to even get water were a joke. I spent the day thirsty and always a little hungry. Wanted to leave the park and eat elsewhere and return later but staff said due to crowds, there was
No guarantee i could get back in.
Fireworks show. More show than fireworks. I thought the last show was much better than the new show. I had a good viewing area though. Just couldn’t relate to it.
Had a four day park hopper so ventured over two other days, and it was better.
Bus service ran great while we were there. Skyliner was awesome. We park hopped all four parks with no issues. Blizzard Beach one day and almost had the place to ourselves. No lines anywhere, including the ladies’ room.
My trip was a great trip, but Disney needs to fix this mobile app thing. It was great at the resorts but not at the parks.
Quick note before I leave town. After witnessing Kite Tails and yes it’s something you witness not watch, I left for Epcot parking there and taking the monorail over to MK in hopes of watching both Nightime shows in the same evening. My plans were foiled by MK doing the fireworks and yes it’s really just fireworks to mostly good music with a light show thrown in.
It was better the second time around. I would suggest watching it from the pit in front of the castle. The first night I watched from the town square to take in the new way they were going to utilize main street. If you need a quick exit that’s the spot otherwise the use of main street is not worth it and the show is better up close.
As for Harmonious it’s much better from the front where they had the specail seating. Believe it or not it’s a different show from the sides and the back because not all tacos are the same and the Stargate has to be seen from the front or the very back. The last song is not worthy of the rest of the show which is ok but just a little better than the fireworks at MK.
The biggest bust of the 50th celebration is how they did NOTHING TO HONOR WALT OR ROY (or Roy Jr for that matter). There was no presentation or ceremony opening the 50th anniversary to mark an iconic place and the Disney brothers who changed the face of the globe.
It would seem they spent all their time and efforts on cranking out the 50th merchandise. “Hey do you think we should make some remarks about the significance of these 50 years?” “No time. Keep making those pins.”
Tom and Sarah, I just came back from Disney world on September 30 after spending the best vacation there with my BFF for two weeks. For the first time enjoyed not having fast passes for the rides because you weren’t scheduled to be at a ride at a certain time and we walked leisurely around The park and jumped on every ride at any time we wanted.
We got to ride ROTR each day that we were at Hollywood studios with only a 40 minute wait around 3 PM. The only way This trip could have been better is if we had bumped into you and Sarah. And trust me we were looking for you, enjoy the times in the parks
Each day I was in Hollywood studios I got to ride or OTR with only a 40 minute wait in the afternoon.
We REALLY want to love Harmonious…sadly World of Color is better.
We flew in for the 50th celebrations Thursday and Friday and had a great time. Arriving at MK early the day of the 50th and also having dining reservations made all the difference with regards to managing our time in getting some day-of merch and eating (we heard horror stories of those who had to wait hours to enter Emporium and several more hours to get mobile food orders). We watched the Chapek interview on the green, and spent several hours back at Poly swimming, eating Ohana, and enjoying the free POG juice they were handing out (It was Poly’s 50th, too!). Highlights were the map and poster for everyone, as well as the quality of merch and the low wait times. Enchantment was what I expected it to be. Disappointments were the opening show, the lack of rare character implementation, and the outrageous wait times for food despite Disney knowing full well the number of people who would be in attendance (although I personally did not have to experience this). I was also disappointed in the organization/communication with regard to the virtual queues at opening (although we were among the first to get in them). Overall though, it was a magical day and it was so much fun being surrounded by other people who shared the love of Disney.
Spectacular photos! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Hamonious and Enchantment. This is definitely the best Disney blog out there! Always honest and fair, without the snark.
Hey Tom,
Any inkling on when Hoop de doo may open?