Vanishing Walt Disney World, #1

For better or for worse Walt Disney World has been consistently doing what it was built to do: change. Although the passing of a major attraction or show will these days be greeted with a flurry of photos and video, so that we can rest assured that future generations will have good quality copies of El Rio del Tiempo to puzzle over, each month more and more original, minor establishments are quietly closed or remodeled into something newish.

It is in the spirit of these fleeting locations, which are often the ones which we most wish for extensive documentation of, that I offer this new feature, attempting to capture at least passable representations of recent losses or eminent ones, as well as provide a forum for the pooling of resources among readers of this Blog.

Impending Fatality: Concourse Sundries & Spirits

Although the nearby Fantasia shop has already gone the way of the dodo, Concourse Sundries & Spirits, a funky little alcove in the Contemporary Resort that feels as if it hasn't noticeably changed since 1971, is currently on the chopping block. This functional, minor and unpretentious store still feels, in 2007, like something more at home in an airport. Time has, in short, passed it by, and given that in recent years Disney has been aggressively upgrading its' resort facilities, time is clearly limited for Concourse Sundries & Spirits.

This neat sign is made of neon, but the plastic in front of it is printed with tiny dots, so when you get near the sign, the neon behind becomes "pixelated."

Two views from the door, to the left and right. Notice the tobacco and liquor is still kept in cases set into the point of sale - by 2007 Walt Disney World standards this is incredibly unfashionable. The area to the left of the M+M dispensers, which once stocked magazines and newspapers, is now all Disney publications and DVDs. It is indeed a sad day when a Sundries shop becomes just another Emporium. The M+Ms are covering up what was once a door into the Fantasia shop, now an arcade.

In the early 90's the Eisner administration made an effort to "Modernize" the Contemporary by making it over into a place with lots of swirly colors like Mauve, Purple, Tan, and Turquoise. As part of this effort Chef Mickey's was moved into the Grand Canyon Concourse, which was stripped of much of its' Southwest theme. The Top of the World nightclub also became the high-end California Grill, the only fully successful venue in the whole effort, so much so that the aesthetics of the California Grill are being extended to the entire hotel. This carpet is a significant leftover of Eisner's "Contemporary '94" design effort. It's a good example of how strange his ideas about "entertainment architecture" were. Regardless, this carpet is supposed to make you feel "fun" and is, besides all that, a historically significant item.

The back of the store, complete with a funky mailbox and a few coolers.

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RED ALERT ITEMS: Things I need a number of photos of, recently deceased.

Robinson Crusoe's, Polynesian Resort, 1971 - 2005
Captain Cook's Food Court
Robinson Crusoe's was a significant final holdout of the Polynesian Village of 1971 and primarily offered overpriced mens' wear in its' final years. It was located in what is now the arcade. Across the way, where there are currently spacious bathrooms, was a children's clothing store. Both were open air and remarkably untouched for 34 years. The 2005 opening of the large new BouTiki shop in the lobby made both of these outposts of the original Polynesian superfluous; Captain Cook's, originally a bar and then a food court, expanded and swallowed both up. Photo documentation of the last few years of all three of these locations desired.

News From Civilization
Another lost Polynesian Hotel shop, which sold a lot of generic Island themed junk and some Lilo & Stitch stuff in its' last few years, is currently a Wyland Gallery. Much like Concourse Sundries & Spirits, it was a functional hotel shop.

GENERAL ALERT ITEMS: Probably lost to the sands of time?

Interior photos of The Golden Galleon or Princessa de Cristal, Magic Kingdom Caribbean Plaza

Interior photos of Pecos Bill Cafe, pre 1998 refurbishment, Magic Kingdom Frontierland

Interior photos of the Tricornered Hat Shoppe, Magic Kingdom Liberty Square

Interior photos any pre-1996 Disney Village Marketplace establishment - the older the better!