Skip to content

Keelboat stuck on sandbar 1971

Keelboat stuck on sandbar 9 71
Keelboat stuck on sandbar 9 71,
originally uploaded by UFG8R.

I’ll admit that I’m a relative newbie when it comes to Walt Disney World history. I learn new things all the time. The opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 is of particular interest to me. This was the first time Disney Company and WED Imagineering was building a theme park in the post-Walt era. What decisions did they make? Which ones worked and which ones went through some changes?

For instance, I knew that they had a preview center up for WDW. But I had no idea that they offered Keelboat rides through the 7 Seas Lagoon as opening date neared. I would have been on that cruise every week if I was a kid growing up in Orlando.

Flickr user UFG8R posted this pic of a Keelboat stuck on a sandbar from 1971 and a host of other pics from pre-opening days. He’s also put up some ephemera from the early days of the resort. A real treasure trove.