Livin' in the Trees

Some things can make you feel old.

Take for instance the story that popped up on mouseplanet yesterday about the Treehouse Villas being reborn (you can visit the story here)

Old timey Treehouse

New-fangled above-the-flood-plane Treehouse

When I was a kid, we spent three or four vacations back in the Treehouses. They were completely secluded back in this woods that Disney had carved out. There was a real sense of being away from everything.

At the time, I had mixed feelings about them, because they were so far off the beaten path. It was a real production getting anywhere. With one exception: Disney Village.

Back in the 80' and early 90's you could rent an electric golf cart if you stayed in any of the villas and drive--across golf course paths, public roads, and sidewalks--all the way up to Disney Village. And it wasn't like there was just a little parking pad when you first got there. We would drive all the way around to the Empress Lilly and park right in front. There were even little quad boxes where you could plug in your ride while you went shopping, dining, etc.

Back when there was a paddlewheel...

There was a such a feeling of freedom associated with the carts and the Treehouses, the whole Disney Village Resort area.

By contrast, things now are so heavily programmed between the village, Saratoga Springs and the whole DVC machine. Disney characters are everywhere. So are chain restaurants and traffic snarls. The Treehouses may be coming back but it is in name only. Disney can't buck their own trends.