There’s so much to miss about 80s Disney World, including Horizons at Epcot, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, $25 park passes, and an easy day of park hopping between only the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Heck, I even miss the big hair (because it’s so hard for my hair to go straight) and the Jellies shoes. Fort Wilderness feels as though it is a remnant of the way we were in the golden days, but even it has evolved. For starters, the petting farm and pony rides have disappeared from the Settlement Area behind Pioneer Hall. If you haven’t been since the 1980s, here’s 14 other things that have changed.

au revoir to the peacocks

You  may recall the colorful peacocks (and one white one) who once strutted around the Fort Wilderness grounds, making perfect Instagrammable moments before there was an Instagram. They were allegedly relocated around 2005 due to their noisy ways and encounters with automobiles.

Camping Prices are reaching for the skies

An overnight value-season stay in a preferred site was $36 per night ($73 in today’s dollars) in 1989. These now start at $93, and go as high as $174 during prime time. A 6-sleeper trailer was $140 ($287 in today’s dollars). Cabins, with similar layouts, have replaced the trailers, and start at $333.

Dog lovers unite

This ranks at the top of good changes for so many of us. Back in the day, dogs were not allowed in any campsites, and now they are welcome at all campsites, and many cabins. 1980s dogs had to stay in the on-site kennel. There is also a newly-refurbished dog park across from Loop 500. Oh, and did you ever hear of Abby Jack Russell? She escaped at the Fort, roamed for weeks, and gained a small cult following.

see you later river country

Even though our beloved swimming hole closed in 2001 and became reclaimed by nature over the years, I suppose we always held out hope that it would re-emerge. Well, it’s not to be. In the past few months, its five slides, man-made rocks, and other structures have been completely removed. In its place will be a new DVC resort, Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge, set to open in 2021.

fall madly in love with wilderness lodge and geyser point

While some folks weren’t initially too excited about an uninvited guest joining Fort Wilderness on the south side of Bay Lake, Wilderness Lodge turned out to be perhaps the most enchanting Disney resort of all. It’s a quick boat ride to get there (usually there’s a walking trail, but it is temporarily closed). Once there you can relax in front of the giant fireplace, or have a tranquil afternoon at Geyser Point, the lakeside open-air lounge and grill.

a wild welcome to the One-Mile Walking/Biking Trail to Wilderness Lodge

This is another one of everyone’s favorite post-1980s updates, but it recently closed (temporarily, please) for construction of the Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge resort. The trail began near Pioneer Hall and wound nearly a mile on a paved path through virgin Old-Florida woods. Hopefully, it will make a grand return once the resort is complete.

Say sayonara to the Marshmallow Marsh

One unforgettable memory from the early 80s is taking one of two large canoes (each holding a couple dozen people) and racing through the canals to Bay Lake, where a marshmallow roast and music awaited at a special lakeside area. The marshmallow roast is now part of Chip and Dale’s Campfire Show, and no longer includes the canoe ride and cast member tales.

undiscovery island – You can’t get there from here

With the opening of Animal Kingdom back in the 1990s, Disney relocated the birds and flamingos of Discovery Island to the new park. The boardwalks and beaches have returned to the wild, and man has been banished from the former Garden of Eden.

don’t even think about swimming in the lake

Part of the old 70s and 80s down-home charm at Fort Wilderness was swimming in Bay Lake. However, the number of alligators in Florida has increased exponentially since those days, and swimming is strictly prohibited. In fact, the water is actually roped off. Nevertheless, Clementine is still a beautiful place for relaxing in a hammock, reading a book, watching the evening fireworks, or rating people’s attire on a 1-10 scale as they exit the boat launch pier.

there’s no place like fort wilderness for the holidays

Whatever campsite decorations you remember from the 1980s, multiply those by about 20 fold.  The sheer amount of lights is outlandish, and some campers appear to spend many thousands of dollars turning the campground into a North Pole of giant inflatables and elaborate structures. Halloween enjoys equal billing, and informal decorated golf cart parades add to the spirit. This has resulted in October, November and December becoming times in which it is very difficult to secure a site without reservations well in advance.

trading posts – bye-bye deli, hello souvenirs

While there is still a basic selection of grocery items in the trading posts, missing are the delightful delis of days gone by. If you recall, these had chicken, deli sandwiches, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and other quick bites. At least half of each trading post is now filled with Disney and Fort-themed t-shirts, sweatshirts, pins, magnets, and mouse ears. Can’t we have it all?

You can make your own pizza but you can’t make it here

Today, all meals at the popular Trail’s End (breakfast or brunch, dinner) are one-priced buffets. Back in the 1980s, you could actually make your own pizza starting a 9 pm, and enjoy nightly entertainment/singing. And Crockett’s Tavern serves bar food these days (nachos, wings) – gone are those $8 Prime Rib dinners.

we’re still in denial about Musket Mickey

The classic gun-toting, coon-hat wearing Mickey Mouse who was heavily featured in Fort logos for years has been replaced by one who carries a stick.  But the old version still appears on his own at Fort Wilderness, as few craftsmen independently sell large wooden signs featuring the former logo for campsite display.

Hop on the bus, gus – cause there’s no more tram, SAM

Open-air trams were a bus alternative within Fort Wilderness when we were all 25-30 years younger. Buses had replaced all trams by the early 90s. But hey, you couldn’t take a Segway Tour of the Fort back in the Reagan years. Nor could you call for a Minnie Van to pick you up at your campsite.