The Vacation Kingdom of the World

Two great post cards today from the early days of Walt Disney World.  The first is from before the resort even opened and features a model of the resort property.  It was probably purchased at the Walt Disney World Preview Center and is postmarked from February 1971.  The second postcard is an actual aerial view of the property and is postmarked from November 1973.

A Complete Destination Resort

Guests will PLAY and also STAY in the Vacation Kingdom.  Resorts themed from around the world ring the picturesque lagoon, gateway to the Magic Kingdom Theme Park.  A unique transportation network - monorail, water craft, and special land vehicles - will link these attractions with complete year-round facilities for outdoor recreation and entertainment...daytime and evening.

Of course the model pictured above contains several aspects that were never realized including:  the Persian Resort in the far upper left corner behind the Magic Kingdom, the Mediteranean Resort just to the right of the Contemporary, and the Asian Resort located on the left just below the Magic Kingdom (and current home of the Grand Floridian).  In addition, one might note that the Polynesian, in addition to the longhouses, still features a tower building which was scrapped in the final design.

"The Vacation Kingdom Of The World"

Guests play and often stay in Walt Disney World.  Exciting theme resorts are located along the shores of beautiful Bay Lake and the picturesque Seven Seas Lagoon...gateway to the Magic Kingdom.  A unique transportation network - monorail, watercraft, and special land vehicles - links these attractions with complete facilities for outdoor recreation, entertainment, and year-round vacationing.

There are a couple of notable features on this card.  The most obvious is though the Asian Resort was never built, they were totally prepared for it from the beginning as can be noted with the giant square parcel of land jutting out into the Seven Seas Lagoon on the left side of the card.  Of course, this is where the Grand Floridian opened in 1988.  Next is the expanse of land between the Polynesian Village and the Transportation and Ticket Center which was used for subsequent expansions of the Polynesian.  And finally, on the right edge of the card, just south of Bay Lake, is visible the plot of land that since 1994 has been home to the Wilderness Lodge.