The television in a Walt Disney World Resort in the 1980’s (in our case the Polynesian Village Resort or Fort Wilderness) may have become as much of an attraction to the Dillos as anything in the Magic Kingdom or (as it was called then) EPCOT Center. I say this as if the whole family loved the endless loops that became the norm in the early part of the morning and the end of the evening.
Back then, it was only two channels. Channel 5:
And Channel 10:
Since then, WDW resort programming has endured several incarnations, with multiple channels added. I was particularly fond of a montage of ABC television shows that played in 1999 (and if anyone has that on hand, I would be grateful). But, for the last eight years, any WDW Resort guest… and, yes, even those who may or may not stay off site, have had a constant source in introducing you to your time at The Diz — especially if, for some bizarre reason, you weren’t really feeling all that enthusiastic about your stay.
Her name is Stacey Aswad.
Your host for the “Must-Dos” at Disney, Stacey pumps you with 30 minutes of enthusiasm like, as she would say, ‘a slingshot on steroids’. She hits all the parks. All the extras. She golfs. She dances. She rocks. She crushes on Mickey. She does it all.
Now, I know there are cynics out there about Stacey. Some say it’s too much. That it’s over the top. That it’s annoying and makes you want to turn off the television. And I might even say there may be some of us in this family that felt the same way at one point. And while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, perhaps, on occasion, said impersonations were done at the expense of someone else’s sanity.
But, truth be told, with the passage of time, Stacey has embedded herself in WDW folklore. There will be a whole generation of children that are already, and will continue to be, influenced by Stacey’s energy. And you know so many adults already are whether you like it or not. These kids will go around proclaiming they conquered the ‘Triple Mountain Whammy’, that the food in the World Showcase is ‘yummy, yummy, yummy…yummy’, and before the Rock & Roller Coaster kicks off proclaim, ‘In the name of all that rocks, let’s hit it dude.’ Her catchphrases and exclamations will become multi-generational… you can take that to the bank.
She’s infectious. And that ‘infection’ makes you remember the good times you had at the parks.
Even a few years back, when the 30 minutes of programming was altered with ‘mature’ wraparounds, you know you found yourself waiting for Stacey to get back to her journey through the attractions. And thank goodness for YouTube, where her greatest hits keep on keeping on.
I know some of you will never admit it but… if you just woke up in a resort, avoided a rainstorm in your room, or just tried to get in one last ‘Summit. Plummet.’ before heading home. You know that Stacey has put a smile on your face at least once.
Brother Dillo
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