Month: September 2012

Long Gone Are the Days of the Westward Ho Hotel and Casino

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When I was young and single, flying out to Vegas for a week meant staying for as cheap as possible on a new college grad’s income. The first people I would turn to when looking for advice on Las Vegas was always my grandparents, who had made countless returns to the neon-mecca for decades.

While my grandparents were used to staying in pretty much all of the old-school casinos during their day, they always returned to the Westward Ho. I love how years later the old website is still up and running, although limited in content!

Westward Ho During the Day Circa 1984

Westward Ho Casino circa 1984. Notice the Denny’s sign in the background.

Located adjacent to the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, the Westward Ho remained trapped in the 1970’s, keeping a nights accommodation simple. The rooms were very basic motel style, with no frills seen in today’s mega-properties. But what would you expect for less than $75/night?

Favorite aspects that guests and locals enjoyed were the cheap eats available on the Westward Ho property. Guests could enjoy a Mega Dog (jumbo hot dog) for only $1.49. Or a 27 ounce Margarita for $0.99. Or what about an entire plate of strawberry shortcake for $1.49. The food remained a tremendous bargain for customers while drawing them into the casino in hopes of them spending a couple bucks gambling.

Westward Ho Nighttime

I unfortunately can not tie down approximately when this photo was taken. What I can tell is that the Denny’s sign no longer appears in the background. However, I can not find any documentation on when this may have occurred. For now all I know is the photo was taken at some point during the 1980’s.

I particularly used to love the affordable table limits on games such as Blackjack. I spent many late nights in this casino, just hoping to get on a lucky streak with my $100 budget. All I walked away with was this lousy postcard. 🙂

The Westward Ho Hotel and Casino officially closed their doors November 17, 2005.

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Audience Rewards Trivia Update for All Accounts (9-27-12)

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Good evening fellow Audience Rewards (AR) fans! This afternoon the Audience Rewards program slowly updated their questions.

Now, without further ado, we proudly present this week’s trivia questions.

  • True or False? The original choreographer of The Lion King on Broadway has not choreographed any other Broadway show. True (Repeat question from Starwood program 8/23/11.)
  • In what year was the book of The Phantom of the Opera published in English? 1911
  • True or False? Disney is producing Newsies. True (Repeat question from Starwood program 2/29/12.)
  • For what animated film was Ed Asner the voice of a main character? Up
  • In what theatre is Annie playing this season? Palace Theatre
  • What was the last musical to play the Longacre theatre? La Cage aux Folles
  • True or False? Christian Bale is reportedly NOT a fan of the Newsies film. True (Repeat question from US Airways program 4/18/12.)
  • True or False? Aside from the current revival, Annie has never been revived on Broadway? False
  • What legendary drama teacher-actress was in the original production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf on Broadway? Ute Hagen

For all things Audience Rewards, including all the latest free points and miles from the Points Play trivia questions, see our Audience Rewards page.

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1976 Complete Guide to Walt Disney World “America on Parade”

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I love digging into my grandparents archives of travel documents and seeing what I can find. Today, I present a copy of the 1976 Complete Guide of Walt Disney World.

Oh the memories…from before I was even born. 1976 marked the “America on Parade” celebration at Walt Disney World, 200 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence from the British Empire.

1976 also marked some historic days in Disney history as well.

– Dole Pineapple starts sponsoring the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland (January)
– Walt Disney World welcomes Susan Brummer, the 50-millionth guest (March 2)
– The River Country water park opens at Walt Disney World (June 20)
– Disneyland welcomes its 150 millionth guest
– The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland is expanded with seven new scenes and 31 figures, including “Gorillas in Camp” (December)

During the 1976 celebration, guests no longer had to present a special “E” ticket, as it was complimentary through September 6, 1976.

Some other interesting facts from this brochure…

Guests could house their pets at the Fort Wilderness Kennel for $1 per pet, per day, and it included one feeding. Today, pets may be boarded at the Best Friends Pet Care kennel across from Port Orleans Riverside.

Tickets cost were:
General Admission
Adults $6.00; Junior (12-17) $5.00; Child (3-11) $3.00

Adventure Ticket Book (8 tickets)
Adults $7.25; Junior (12-17) $6.75; Child (3-11) $6.25

Adventure Ticket Book (12 tickets)
Adults $8.25; Junior (12-17) $7.75; Child (3-11) $7.25

The Vacation Kingdom Ticket Book (18 tickets)
Adults $18.25; Junior (12-17) $16.75; Child (3-11) $15.25

Guided Tour
Adults $9.00; Child (3-11) $6.00

The following attractions were available, and their associated tickets.
Main Street U.S.A.
– Walt Disney World Railroad (C)
– Walt Disney Story (Free)
– Main Street Cinema (A)
– Penny Arcade
– Plaza Swan Boats (D)
– Horse Cars (A)
– Horseless Carriage, Jitney (A)
– Omnibus (A)
– Fire Engine (A)

Adventureland
– Swiss Family Island Treehouse (B)
– Jungle Cruise (E)
– Enchanted Tiki Birds (D)
– Pirates of the Caribbean (E)
– Caribbean Arcade

Frontierland
– Walt Disney Railroad (C)
– Tom Sawyer Island (D)
– Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes (C)
– Country Bear Jamboree (E)
– Frontier Shootin’ Gallery (B)
– Diamond Horseshoe Revue (Free)

Liberty Square
– The Hall of Presidents (Free)
– Liberty Square Riverboats (D)
– Mike Fink Keelboats (B)
– The Haunted Mansion (E)

Fantasyland
– Skyway, one way (D)
– Peter Pan’s Flight (C)
– It’s A Small World (E)
– The Mickey Mouse Revue (D)
– Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel (A)
– Dumbo, the Flying Elephant (B)
– Snow White’s Scary Adventure (C)
– Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (C)
– 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (E)
– Mad Tea Party (B)

Tomorrowland
– Grand Prix Raceway (D)
– Space Mountain (E)
– Skyway, one way (D)
– StarJets (D)
– WEDway PeopleMover (E)
– Carousel of Progress (Free)
– If You Had Wings (Free)
– Circle-Vision 360 (Free)
– Mission to Mars (D)

Take a look at some of the details called out in the 1976 Walt Disney World guidebook, and see if there is anything you remember that may no longer be present.

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Sources: Chronology of the Walt Disney Company

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