The vacation kingdom of Walt Disney World is situated in Central Florida, some 15 miles west of Orlando. This new world includes the magic kingdom of Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Liberty Square and Main Street, USA.
It is also a massive and beautiful Contemporary Resort Hotel through which runs a monorail train, a campers paradise and a Polynesian Village. It is a world of smiling, eager staff members and coordination which is almost unbelievable. A visitor to Walt Disney World in December finds it hard to believe that opening day was October 1st.
Beneath the Magic Kingdom
I had an experience that most visitors to Walt Disney World will never enjoy. I went 4 beneath the Theme Park and saw first-hand, some of the things which keep the magic in the Magic Kingdom. I went to visit Bruce Siriani, manager, General Services Division, and his Printing Department Supervisor, Thomas A. Renick.
The printing department is located in what is referred to as “The Utilidor," a vast system of tunnels running beneath and connecting all sections of the Theme Park. Opening off the “throughways" of the tunnels are many of the support functions necessary to the day-to-day Operation of, not only the huge amusement complex above ground, but two large resort hotels, the campground, two championship golf courses, a vast security network, architects, designers, retail Stores and the general business Offices.
Today, December, 1971, Walt Disney World is in the first phase of its planned development. Mr. Siriani and Mr. Renick explained to me that support functions are planned to coincide with the phases of development of Walt Disney World. The printing department is in its Phase 1, and there are planned Phases 2 and 3 for it, also.
Emergency Service First
Walt Disney World's printing department was first conceived a year and a half before scheduled opening date. The feasibility determination for a printing facility in Phase 1 came from documented experience and personal guidance from the printing department at Walt Disney Studios in California. There, the printing department does most of the work for both the Studios and Disneyland. The first printing service planned in Florida was of the quick-copy type for bulletins, personnel changes and emergency forms.
The printing department of Walt Disney World was equipped for its Phase 1 with two offset duplicators, a camera-direct platemaking system, a darkroom with a vertical process camera and temperature controlled sinks, a flip-top platemaker, a backlighted iine-up table, a power drill, a power flat paper cutter, an automatic rotary collator and an automated high speed pfain paper copier with a 50 bin stack collator attachment.
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