After my move to Central Florida to attend college I was super enthused to be able to visit all the tourist locations I visited on vacation as a kid. There were so many free options for a poor 90s college kid to enjoy: Old Town, Church Street Station, Disney Hotels, Mercado, Pointe Orlando, and the Disney Village Marketplace. During many of these early adventures I had my camcorder with me, documenting the shenanigans of my friends. I will probably post other Central Florida escapades in the future. This video features a very young me on my own for the first time. During that first month I went to so many places and I thought, “I can’t believe this is my life now. I can’t believe I live down the road from Disney World!”

In this video you will see Disney’s Contemporary Resort’s Food ‘n Fun Center which used to be the Fiesta Fun Center. It turned into The Wave in 2008 and then Steakhouse 71 in 2021. After that we are hanging out on the lobby stairs which lead to the third floor, which are pretty much the same except for the carpet. Then we are playing around in the Ballroom of the Americas lobby. A sign in there is advertising the Disneyana Convention, which took place on Sept. 3-7, 1996.

Food ‘n Fun Center. Located on the first floor of the Contemporary’s main tower building, this massive arcade was located around the corner from the check in desk. Quick service food was served next to the arcade. The Contempo Cafe on the 4th floor now serves quick service food. When the Contemporary opened in 1971 the arcade area was an extra convention room named the Sunshine State Exhibitorium. Air hockey and pool tables were added to the area to give guests something to do after the parks closed and in 1973 the Fiesta Fun Center opened there. The massive red, orange, and yellow room featured ski ball, billiards, air hockey, shuffle bowling, and many pinball machines. In the back corner was a $1 movie theater. There was also a shooting gallery with guns that shot light beams which activated animatronic figures. The Fiesta Fun Center closed in 1995 for refurbishment and reopened as the Food & Fun Center. The big shooting gallery was replaced with a prize redemption counter. Popular games were: Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Mad Dog McCree, Crossbow, Tail Gunner, Punch Out, Time Machine, Battlezone, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Burger Time, and a Morgana fortune teller machine. In 2007 the games were moved to the 4th floor to a new arcade called Game Station (previously Fantasia gift shop) and the 1st floor space became The Wave restaurant. On October 1, 2021, for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, Steakhouse 71 opened in that spot, replacing The Wave.

Disneyana Convention. The event being held shortly after this video was the 5th Disneyana Convention. The first one was in 1992, at the Contemporary. The next year it was held at Disneyland and in 1994 it was back at the Contemporary. Two conventions were held in 1995 on both coasts. The last convention held was in 2002. The Disneyana Convention is similar to the D23 Expos held now. Large numbers of Disney fans congregated to hear guest speakers, watch special entertainment from Disney Legends, and purchase limited merchandise and collectables. I only went once in 2002, and only went to the public vendor hall, not the actual convention. I bought some old guide maps and had Dave Smith sign my Disney A to Z book.

Convention Center. The Ballroom of the Americas convention center space was part of the original 1971 Contemporary Resort. Across from where we were playing in the video was the location of Richard Nixon’s Nov. 17, 1973 television press conference where he delivered his famous “I’m not a crook” speech. The next year he resigned from the presidency. On Nov. 11, 1991 an additional convention center, Fantasia Ballroom, opened next to the resort.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort. U.S. Steel built this 14-story resort, which opened Oct. 1, 1971. Using modular construction, the rooms were built nearby at the same time as the hotel’s 150-foot frame. When the rooms were completed with all their plumbing, lights, air conditioning, bath fixtures, mirrors, doors, and Gideon’s Bible, they were slid into place by crane into the hotel “like a chest of drawers.” Once the hotel settled, the rooms were not able to be taken back out. During this 1996 video more contemporary colors like purple and red had replaced the Southwestern motif of the 70s and 80s. Even though Mary Blair’s “Pueblo Village” mural remained, the warm earthy colors of the Grand Canyon Concourse had changed.

REFERENCE:
Hidden Treasures of Walt Disney World Resort Hotels, Jim Korkis, 2021, Theme Park Press
Yesterland: “The Wave…of American Flavors” https://yesterland.com/thewave.html
RetroWDW Episode 47: “A Room Full of Fun” https://www.retrowdw.com/podcast/podc...