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is the symbol of
Magic Kingdom geodesic sphere is the symbol of
Epcot is the symbol of
Disney-MGM Studios is the symbol of
Disney's Animal KingdomWalt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks, many themed hotels and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of
The Walt Disney Company, it is located in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Florida, Florida, outside the city limits of Orlando, Florida. The property often is abbreviated
Walt Disney World,
Disney World or
WDW.
Construction began in 1967, less than a year after Walt Disney's death. It opened on October 1,
1971, with the
Magic Kingdom theme park, and has since opened
Epcot (on
October 1,
1982),
Disney-MGM Studios (on May 1,
1989), and
Disney's Animal Kingdom (on April 22,
1998).
The 25,000 acre (101 km²) property is the world's largest theme park resort, although significant land has been sold off for housing and other developments, including land now occupied by the Disney-built (but not owned) community of
Celebration, Florida. It once covered approximately 30,000 acres or 47 square miles (120 km²), about the size of
San Francisco, California or Manchester, or twice the size of Manhattan.
It is accessible from Central Florida's Interstate 4 via Exits 62B (World Drive), 64B (U.S. Highway 192 West), 65B (Osceola Parkway West), 67B (
Florida State Road 536 West), and 68 (
Florida State Road 535 North). In addition, in 2006 a new western entrance opened from Exit 8 on
State Road 429 (Florida), the Western Expressway. It also runs a bus line that connects the resort to
Orlando International Airport and the Disney Cruise Line terminal in Port Canaveral.
Meg Crofton was named president of the resort in August 2006, replacing Al Weiss, who had overseen the site since 1994.
History and development
In 1959, the Walt Disney Company, under the leadership of
Walt Disney, began looking for land for a second resort to supplement
Disneyland, which had opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. Market surveys revealed that only 2% of Disneyland's visitors came from east of the Mississippi River, where 75% of the population of the United States lived. Additionally, Walt Disney disliked the businesses that had sprung up around Disneyland (the "neon jungle"), and wanted control of a much larger area of land for the new project.
Some rumors, told as legend to incoming Disney World cast members, suggest that Disney wanted the large amount of land so that visitors could be better isolated from the trappings of the real world. Most common of these is the story of a family that left Disneyland early because they saw building
rush hour traffic on the Santa Ana Freeway from the Skyway ride.
Walt Disney first flew over the
Orlando, Florida site (one of many) on
November 22, 1963, the day
John F. Kennedy was assassinated. He first flew over and appealed to the
Sanford, Florida city council to allow him to build Disney World in Sanford, but his appeal was declined. The citizens of Sanford did not want the crime that was sure to come with tourism. He saw the well-developed network of roads, including
Interstate 4 and
Florida's Turnpike, with McCoy Air Force Base (later Orlando International Airport) to the east, and immediately fell in love with the site. When later asked why he chose it, he said, "the freeway routes, they bisect here." Walt Disney focused most of his attention on the "Florida Project" both before and after his participation at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, but he died on December 15,
1966, five years before his vision was realized.
To avoid a burst of land speculation, Disney used various
dummy corporations and cooperative individuals to acquire 27,400 acres (110 km²) of land. The first five-acre (20,000 m²) lot was bought on October 23, 1964, by the Ayefour Corporation (a pun on
Interstate 4). Another dummy corporation name which land was bought under was RETLAW which spelled backwards is WALTER. Others were also used with a second or secret meanings which add to the lore of the Florida Project.
In May 1965, major land transactions were recorded a few miles southwest of Orlando in
Osceola County, Florida. Two large tracts totaling $1.5 million were sold, and smaller tracts of flatlands and cattle pastures were purchased by exotic-sounding companies such as the Latin-American Development and Management Corporation and the
Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation. In addition to three huge parcels of land were many smaller parcels, referred to as "outs."
Much of the land had been
platted into five-acre (20,000 m²) lots in 1912 by the
Munger Land Company and sold to investors. In most cases, the owners were happy to get rid of the land, which was mostly
swampland. Yet another problem was the mineral rights to the land, owned by
Tufts University. Without the transfer of these rights, Tufts could come in at any time and demand the removal of buildings to obtain minerals.
After most of the land had been bought, the truth of the property's owner was leaked to the Orlando Sentinel on
October 20,
1965. A press conference soon was organized for November 15. At the presentation, Walt Disney explained the plans for the site, including Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (concept), the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which was to be a futuristic city (and which was also known as Progress City). Plans for EPCOT would drastically change after Disney's death. EPCOT became EPCOT Center, the resort's second theme park, which opened in 1982. Concepts from the original idea of EPCOT would be integrated into the community of
Celebration, Florida much later.
The
Reedy Creek Drainage District was incorporated on
May 13,
1966 under Florida State Statutes Chapter 298, which gives powers including
eminent domain to special Drainage Districts. To create the District, only the support of the landowners within was required.
Walt Disney himself died on December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized. His brother Roy O. Disney postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the resort, passing away in December 1971, barely two months after it opened.
and
Mickey MouseOn February 2, 1967, Roy Disney held a press conference at the Park Theatres in Winter Park, Florida. The role of EPCOT was emphasized in the film that was played, the last one recorded by Walt Disney before his death. After the film, it was explained that for Walt Disney World to succeed, a special district would have to be formed: the Reedy Creek Improvement District with two cities inside it, the Bay Lake, Florida and the
Reedy Creek, Florida (now the Lake Buena Vista, Florida). In addition to the standard powers of an incorporated city, which include the issuance of tax-free bonds, the Improvement District would have total immunity from any current or future county or state land-use laws. The only areas where the District had to submit to the county and state would be property taxes and
elevator inspections.
The laws forming the District and the two Cities was signed into law on
May 12, 1967. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that the District was allowed to issue tax-exempt bonds for public projects within the district despite the sole beneficiary being The Walt Disney Company.
Construction of drainage canals was soon begun by the Improvement District, and Disney built the first roads and the Magic Kingdom. Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Resort, and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground were also completed in time for the park's opening on
October 1,
1971. The Palm and Magnolia Golf Courses (located across the street from the Magic Kingdom) were actually opened a few weeks before.
Roy O. Disney, Walt Disney's older brother, dedicated the property and declared that it officially would be known as "Walt Disney World" in his brother's honor. In his own words: "Everyone has heard of
Ford cars. But have they all heard of Henry Ford, who started it all? Walt Disney World is in memory of the man who started it all, so people will know his name as long as Walt Disney World is here." After the dedication, Roy Disney asked Walt's widow, Lillian Disney, what she thought of Walt Disney World. According to biographer Bob Thomas, she replied, "I think Walt would have approved."
Walt Disney World had its own
aircraft runway located just east of the Magic Kingdom parking lot. When the resort opened in 1971, Shawnee Airlines began regular passenger service from Orlando's McCoy Air Force Base (now Orlando International Airport) directly to Disney World's STOLport (Short Take Off and Landing) on a daily basis, with flights lasting only a few minutes. Today, the runway is mostly used as a staging area for buses and is no longer in service for aircraft.
Development timeline
{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
| 1965| Walt Disney announces Florida Project|-| 1967| Construction begins|-| 1971| Palm and Magnolia Golf Courses
Magic KingdomDisney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Polynesian ResortDisney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground (Treehouse and Vacation Villas)|-| 1973| [Shades of Green (later Disney Inn, now
Shades of Green)] (permanently closed)|-| 1975|
Disney's Village Resort (Fairway Villas)
Walt Disney Village Marketplace (now
Downtown Disney (Florida))|-| 1976| Disney's River Country Water Park (permanently closed in 2001)] (permanently closed)
Disney's Village Resort (Club Lake Villas)] (now Epcot)]
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
[Disney's Typhoon LagoonPleasure Island (Disney World)|-| 1990| Disney's Disney's Yacht Club Resort and Disney's Beach Club Resort Resorts
Walt Disney World Swan
Walt Disney World Dolphin
[Disney Vacation Club Resort, now Disney's Old Key West Resort (now Port Orleans Riverside)
[Bonnet Creek Golf Club
[Disney's Wilderness Lodge
[Disney's Blizzard Beach
Disney's Fairy Tale Wedding PavilionWalt Disney World Speedway, renovated as [Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney's BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas
[Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
Downtown Disney (Florida)|-| 1998|
Disney's Animal KingdomDisneyQuest
[Fastpass|-| 2002| [Disney's Beach Club Villas|-| 2004| [Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa|-| 2008| [Disney-MGM Studios will be renamed
Disney's Hollywood Studios|}
Properties
A popular misconception is that the resort exists in
Orlando, Florida. In fact, the entire Walt Disney World property is outside Orlando city limits; the majority sits within southwestern Orange County, Florida with the remainder in adjacent Osceola County, Florida to the south.
Most of Walt Disney World's Central Florida land and all of the public areas are located in the cities of
Bay Lake, Florida and
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, located southwest of Orlando, Florida and a few miles northwest of Kissimmee, Florida.
The creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is separate from any other municipality, has allowed Disney to influence governmental powers over the area and not be impeded by local governments. For example, Disney rides cannot be closed down by the state's Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002340112_thrill18.html and are exempt from state safety inspections , though this is not to imply that they are not inspected or are unsafe. Residents largely live in timeshares and cannot vote for the Reedy Creek board allowing Disney influence of the board that it helped to create.
Features
Walt Disney World Resort features four theme parks, each represented by an iconic structure:
Other attractions include:
- Typhoon Lagoon
- Blizzard Beach
- Disney's BoardWalk Resort
- Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
- Downtown Disney (Florida)
Downtown Disney consists of three sections, Marketplace,
Pleasure Island (Disney World), and West Side, that contain many shopping, dining, and entertainment venues. They include the DisneyQuest indoor arcade, a House of Blues restaurant and nightclub, a Planet Hollywood restaurant and a Cirque du Soleil theater and original production,
La Nouba.
Golf and recreation
Disney's property includes five golf courses. The four 18-hole golf courses are the Magnolia, the Palm, Lake Buena Vista, and Osprey Ridge. There is also a nine-hole walking course called Oak Trail, designed for young golfers. Additionally, here are two themed miniature golf complexes, each with two courses,
Fantasia Gardens and
Winter Summerland.
Catch-and-release fishing excursions are offered daily on the Walt Disney World Resort lakes. There is an extra charge associated with these excursions but a Florida fishing license is not required because it occurs on private property. Cane-pole fishing is offered from the docks at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney's Port Orleans Resort.
Employment, maintenance and statistics
When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort employed about 5,500 "cast members". Today it employs more than 61,000, spending more than $1.1 billion on payroll and $478 million on benefits each year. The largest single-site employer in the United States , Walt Disney World Resort has more than 3,000 job classifications.
The Walt Disney World Resort also sponsors and operates the Walt Disney World College Program, an internship program that has American college students live on site and work for the resort, providing much of the theme park and resort "front line" cast members. There is also the Walt Disney World International College Program, an internship program that has college students from all over the world. Living, working and learning.
In a March 30, 2004, article in
The Orlando Sentinel, then-Walt Disney World president Al Weiss gave some insight into how the parks are maintained:
- More than 5,000 cast members are dedicated to maintenance and engineering, including 750 horticulturists and 600 painters.
- Disney spends more than $100 million every year on maintenance at the Magic Kingdom. In 2003, $6 million was spent on renovating its Crystal Palace restaurant. 90% of guests say that the upkeep and cleanliness of the Magic Kingdom are excellent or very good.
- The streets in the parks are steam cleaned every night.
- There are cast members permanently assigned to painting the antique carousel horses; they use genuine gold leaf.
- There is a tree farm on site so that when a mature tree needs to be replaced, a thirty-year-old tree will be available to replace it.
There is a fleet of Disney-operated buses on property, branded
Disney Transport that is available for guests at no charge. In 2007 Disney Transport started a guest services upgrade to the busses. GPS systems controlling new public addresses systems on the buses give safety information, park tips and other general announcements with music. They are not to be confused with the Disney Cruise Line and Disney's Magical Express buses which are operated by Mears Transportation. Taxi boats link some locations.
Walt Disney World has the seventh largest navy in the world with over 200 watercraft ranging from guest operated (rented) boats to Disney operated guest transportation craft.
Walt Disney World Monorail System also operate at Walt Disney World Resort linking the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian resorts, and the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). An express monorail line connecting the TTC and the Magic Kingdom also exists.
According to Disney's
MouseMail e-mail newsletter, 150 truckloads of holiday decorations adorn the Walt Disney World Resort and 300,000 yards of ribbon and bows drape over 1,500 Christmas trees during the yuletide season. A popular attraction during the holiday season is The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights, which displays over 5 million lights located in Disney-MGM Studios. Walt Disney World pastry chefs use more than 1,049.4 pounds (476 kilograms) of honey, 99.2 pounds (45 kilograms) of sugar and 48.5 pounds (22 kilograms) of dark chocolate to bake gingerbread houses and other items for the holidays.
In 2006, the Walt Disney World Resort and its employees donated more than $22 million to Central Florida organizations and charities, along with 200,000 hours of service through the
VoluntEARS program. Disney gives more than $22m in 2006,
Orlando Sentinel, 2007-01-12
Hotels
On-site Disney hotels
There are 32 resorts located on the
Walt Disney World Resort property. Of the 32, 22 are Disney owned and operated resorts. The Disney resorts are classified into five categories: Deluxe (priced from $205-$805), Moderate (priced from $139-$199), Value (priced from $79-$127),
Disney Vacation Club (priced from $269-$1,790), and Campground (priced from $39-$319).Another notable aspect is the large number of hotel resort complexes on the Walt Disney World property. The non-themed hotels are owned by private, non-Disney hospitality companies such as
Starwood (Westin and Sheraton), Holiday Inn, Best Western, and Hilton Hotels Corporation.
Guests arriving at the
Orlando International Airport can be transported to their Disney resort (or Vacation Club resort) from the airport using Disney's Magical Express program, and have their bags picked up and transported for them through a contract with Baggage Airline Guest Services. Guests board custom motor coaches, watch a video about the Walt Disney World Resort, and their luggage is later delivered directly to their rooms.
Themed resorts and opening year
On-site Disney Vacation Club resorts and opening year
On-site non-Disney hotels
- Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort Hotel (formerly known as the Travelodge Hotel and the Viscount Hotel)
- Doubletree Guest Suite Resort (originally known as Pickett Suites and formerly the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel)
- Regal Sun Resort (formerly known as the Americana Dutch Inn, Best Western Grosvenor and The Grosvenor Resort)
- Hilton, located in the Walt Disney World Resort
- Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World Resort (originally a Howard Johnson's and formerly a Courtyard by Marriott)
- Royal Plaza (formerly known as The Royal Inn and The Royal Inn Plaza)
- Shades of Green (formerly The Golf Resort and The Disney Inn; named because of its location between two golf courses; it is owned by the United States Department of Defense and used for vacationing active and retired military personnel, their families, and DOD civilians only)
- Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa (formerly Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa)
Future resorts on Disney property
- Four Seasons Hotels: On March 1, 2007, Disney announced plans to convert its Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge golf courses into a new 900-acre luxury resort that will include a Four Seasons Hotels hotel, an 18-hole championship golf course, plus single- and multi-family vacation homes and fractional ownership vacation homes. The hotel is estimated to open in 2010.
Never-built Disney resorts
Attendance
The April 2007 issue of trade magazine
Park World reported the following attendance estimates for 2006 compiled by Economic Research Associates in partnership with TEA (formerly the
Themed Entertainment Association):
- Magic Kingdom, 16.6 million visits (No. 1 worldwide)
- Epcot, 10.5 million visits (No. 6)
- Disney-MGM Studios, 9.1 million visits (No. 7)
- Disney's Animal Kingdom, 8.9 million visits (No. 8)
Name and logo
No official documentation exists to show that the Walt Disney World Resort was originally to be spelled "Disneyworld". It was going to be very different from "Disneyland". Walt Disney referred to the Walt Disney World Resort as both "Disney World" and "The Disney World" using the same font as Disneyland's.
After Walt Disney's death, the name "Walt Disney World" was chosen by Walt's brother and business partner, Roy O. Disney. The name was presented in a modern font instead of the original Disneyland font. To reinforce the updated name and image, Walt Disney World's official symbol was to be an oversized "D" with the face of Mickey Mouse depicted as the lines of latitude and longitude of this new World.
While Disneyland has kept its original font, it has lost nearly all references to its official symbol. Walt Disney World put an end to use of both its original font and official symbol at the conclusion of its 25th anniversary in 1996. The official symbol can still be found in many places around the resort as well as in recent merchandise that uses it once again. Inexplicably, the old logo still remains on the head float of the SpectroMagic parade, even though the parade was rehabbed extensively before its return in 2001, well after the January 1996 logo change. The 1971 logo is still used on the trip backdrop on
The Price Is Right. The original "D" logo can still be seen on the front car of each of the 12 monorails and on flags flown at several sites across the property.
See also
References
External links
- Walt Disney World Resort official site
- Shades of Green - military hotel at Walt Disney World Resort
- Travel guide at wikitravel.org
is the symbol of Magic Kingdom geodesic sphere is the symbol of
Epcot is the symbol of
Disney-MGM Studios is the symbol of
Disney's Animal KingdomWalt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four
theme parks, many themed hotels and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt Disney Company, it is located in
Lake Buena Vista and
Bay Lake, Florida, Florida, outside the city limits of
Orlando, Florida. The property often is abbreviated
Walt Disney World,
Disney World or
WDW.
Construction began in 1967, less than a year after Walt Disney's death. It opened on October 1,
1971, with the
Magic Kingdom theme park, and has since opened Epcot (on
October 1, 1982),
Disney-MGM Studios (on
May 1,
1989), and
Disney's Animal Kingdom (on April 22, 1998).
The 25,000 acre (101 km²) property is the world's largest theme park resort, although significant land has been sold off for housing and other developments, including land now occupied by the Disney-built (but not owned) community of Celebration, Florida. It once covered approximately 30,000 acres or 47 square miles (120 km²), about the size of San Francisco, California or Manchester, or twice the size of
Manhattan.
It is accessible from Central Florida's
Interstate 4 via Exits 62B (World Drive), 64B (U.S. Highway 192 West), 65B (
Osceola Parkway West), 67B (Florida State Road 536 West), and 68 (Florida State Road 535 North). In addition, in 2006 a new western entrance opened from Exit 8 on
State Road 429 (Florida), the Western Expressway. It also runs a bus line that connects the resort to Orlando International Airport and the Disney Cruise Line terminal in
Port Canaveral.
Meg Crofton was named president of the resort in August 2006, replacing
Al Weiss, who had overseen the site since 1994.
History and development
In 1959, the Walt Disney Company, under the leadership of
Walt Disney, began looking for land for a second resort to supplement Disneyland, which had opened in
Anaheim, California in 1955. Market surveys revealed that only 2% of Disneyland's visitors came from east of the
Mississippi River, where 75% of the population of the United States lived. Additionally, Walt Disney disliked the businesses that had sprung up around Disneyland (the "neon jungle"), and wanted control of a much larger area of land for the new project.
Some rumors, told as legend to incoming Disney World cast members, suggest that Disney wanted the large amount of land so that visitors could be better isolated from the trappings of the real world. Most common of these is the story of a family that left Disneyland early because they saw building
rush hour traffic on the
Santa Ana Freeway from the Skyway ride.
Walt Disney first flew over the
Orlando, Florida site (one of many) on
November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. He first flew over and appealed to the
Sanford, Florida city council to allow him to build Disney World in Sanford, but his appeal was declined. The citizens of Sanford did not want the crime that was sure to come with tourism. He saw the well-developed network of roads, including Interstate 4 and
Florida's Turnpike, with McCoy Air Force Base (later Orlando International Airport) to the east, and immediately fell in love with the site. When later asked why he chose it, he said, "the freeway routes, they bisect here." Walt Disney focused most of his attention on the "Florida Project" both before and after his participation at the 1964-1965 New York
World's Fair, but he died on
December 15, 1966, five years before his vision was realized.
To avoid a burst of land speculation, Disney used various dummy corporations and cooperative individuals to acquire 27,400 acres (110 km²) of land. The first five-acre (20,000 m²) lot was bought on October 23,
1964, by the
Ayefour Corporation (a pun on
Interstate 4). Another dummy corporation name which land was bought under was RETLAW which spelled backwards is WALTER. Others were also used with a second or secret meanings which add to the lore of the Florida Project.
In May 1965, major land transactions were recorded a few miles southwest of Orlando in
Osceola County, Florida. Two large tracts totaling $1.5 million were sold, and smaller tracts of flatlands and cattle pastures were purchased by exotic-sounding companies such as the Latin-American Development and Management Corporation and the
Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation. In addition to three huge parcels of land were many smaller parcels, referred to as "outs."
Much of the land had been
platted into five-acre (20,000 m²) lots in 1912 by the Munger Land Company and sold to investors. In most cases, the owners were happy to get rid of the land, which was mostly
swampland. Yet another problem was the mineral rights to the land, owned by Tufts University. Without the transfer of these rights, Tufts could come in at any time and demand the removal of buildings to obtain minerals.
After most of the land had been bought, the truth of the property's owner was leaked to the
Orlando Sentinel on
October 20, 1965. A press conference soon was organized for November 15. At the presentation, Walt Disney explained the plans for the site, including Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (concept), the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which was to be a futuristic city (and which was also known as Progress City). Plans for EPCOT would drastically change after Disney's death. EPCOT became EPCOT Center, the resort's second theme park, which opened in 1982. Concepts from the original idea of EPCOT would be integrated into the community of
Celebration, Florida much later.
The
Reedy Creek Drainage District was incorporated on
May 13,
1966 under Florida State Statutes Chapter 298, which gives powers including
eminent domain to special Drainage Districts. To create the District, only the support of the landowners within was required.
Walt Disney himself died on
December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized. His brother
Roy O. Disney postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the resort, passing away in December 1971, barely two months after it opened.
and Mickey MouseOn February 2, 1967, Roy Disney held a press conference at the Park Theatres in
Winter Park, Florida. The role of EPCOT was emphasized in the film that was played, the last one recorded by Walt Disney before his death. After the film, it was explained that for Walt Disney World to succeed, a special district would have to be formed: the
Reedy Creek Improvement District with two cities inside it, the
Bay Lake, Florida and the Reedy Creek, Florida (now the Lake Buena Vista, Florida). In addition to the standard powers of an incorporated city, which include the issuance of tax-free bonds, the Improvement District would have total immunity from any current or future county or state land-use laws. The only areas where the District had to submit to the county and state would be property taxes and
elevator inspections.
The laws forming the District and the two Cities was signed into law on May 12,
1967. The
Florida Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that the District was allowed to issue tax-exempt bonds for public projects within the district despite the sole beneficiary being
The Walt Disney Company.
Construction of drainage canals was soon begun by the Improvement District, and Disney built the first roads and the Magic Kingdom. Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Resort, and
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground were also completed in time for the park's opening on
October 1,
1971. The Palm and Magnolia Golf Courses (located across the street from the Magic Kingdom) were actually opened a few weeks before.
Roy O. Disney, Walt Disney's older brother, dedicated the property and declared that it officially would be known as "Walt Disney World" in his brother's honor. In his own words: "Everyone has heard of Ford cars. But have they all heard of
Henry Ford, who started it all? Walt Disney World is in memory of the man who started it all, so people will know his name as long as Walt Disney World is here." After the dedication, Roy Disney asked Walt's widow,
Lillian Disney, what she thought of Walt Disney World. According to biographer Bob Thomas, she replied, "I think Walt would have approved."
Walt Disney World had its own
aircraft runway located just east of the Magic Kingdom parking lot. When the resort opened in 1971, Shawnee Airlines began regular passenger service from Orlando's
McCoy Air Force Base (now Orlando International Airport) directly to Disney World's STOLport (Short Take Off and Landing) on a daily basis, with flights lasting only a few minutes. Today, the runway is mostly used as a staging area for buses and is no longer in service for aircraft.
Development timeline
{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
| 1965| Walt Disney announces Florida Project|-| 1967| Construction begins|-| 1971|
Palm and Magnolia Golf CoursesMagic KingdomDisney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground (Treehouse and Vacation Villas)|-| 1973| [Shades of Green (later Disney Inn, now Shades of Green)] (permanently closed)|-| 1975|
Disney's Village Resort (Fairway Villas)
Walt Disney Village Marketplace (now Downtown Disney (Florida))|-| 1976| Disney's River Country Water Park (permanently closed in 2001)] (permanently closed)
Disney's Village Resort (Club Lake Villas)] (now Epcot)]
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
[Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
Pleasure Island (Disney World)|-| 1990| Disney's
Disney's Yacht Club Resort and
Disney's Beach Club Resort Resorts
Walt Disney World Swan
Walt Disney World Dolphin
[Disney Vacation Club Resort, now
Disney's Old Key West Resort (now Port Orleans Riverside)
[Bonnet Creek Golf Club
[Disney's Wilderness Lodge
[Disney's Blizzard BeachDisney's Fairy Tale Wedding Pavilion
Walt Disney World Speedway, renovated as [Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & SpaDisney's BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas
[Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
Downtown Disney (Florida)|-| 1998|
Disney's Animal KingdomDisneyQuest
[Fastpass|-| 2002| [Disney's Beach Club Villas|-| 2004| [Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa|-| 2008| [Disney-MGM Studios will be renamed
Disney's Hollywood Studios|}
Properties
A popular misconception is that the resort exists in Orlando, Florida. In fact, the entire Walt Disney World property is outside Orlando city limits; the majority sits within southwestern
Orange County, Florida with the remainder in adjacent
Osceola County, Florida to the south.
Most of Walt Disney World's Central Florida land and all of the public areas are located in the cities of
Bay Lake, Florida and
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, located southwest of Orlando, Florida and a few miles northwest of
Kissimmee, Florida.
The creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is separate from any other municipality, has allowed Disney to influence governmental powers over the area and not be impeded by local governments. For example, Disney rides cannot be closed down by the state's Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002340112_thrill18.html and are exempt from state safety inspections , though this is not to imply that they are not inspected or are unsafe. Residents largely live in timeshares and cannot vote for the Reedy Creek board allowing Disney influence of the board that it helped to create.
Features
Walt Disney World Resort features four theme parks, each represented by an iconic structure:
- The Magic Kingdom (Cinderella Castle)
- Epcot (Spaceship Earth (Disney))
- Disney-MGM Studios (The Sorcerer's Hat; formerly the Earful Tower)
- Disney's Animal Kingdom (The Tree of Life (Disney))
Other attractions include:
Downtown Disney consists of three sections, Marketplace, Pleasure Island (Disney World), and West Side, that contain many shopping, dining, and entertainment venues. They include the
DisneyQuest indoor arcade, a
House of Blues restaurant and nightclub, a
Planet Hollywood restaurant and a
Cirque du Soleil theater and original production,
La Nouba.
Golf and recreation
Disney's property includes five golf courses. The four 18-hole golf courses are the Magnolia, the Palm, Lake Buena Vista, and Osprey Ridge. There is also a nine-hole walking course called Oak Trail, designed for young golfers. Additionally, here are two themed miniature golf complexes, each with two courses,
Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland.
Catch-and-release
fishing excursions are offered daily on the Walt Disney World Resort lakes. There is an extra charge associated with these excursions but a Florida fishing license is not required because it occurs on private property. Cane-pole fishing is offered from the docks at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and
Disney's Port Orleans Resort.
Employment, maintenance and statistics
When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort employed about 5,500 "cast members". Today it employs more than 61,000, spending more than $1.1 billion on payroll and $478 million on benefits each year. The largest single-site employer in the United States , Walt Disney World Resort has more than 3,000 job classifications.
The Walt Disney World Resort also sponsors and operates the
Walt Disney World College Program, an internship program that has American college students live on site and work for the resort, providing much of the theme park and resort "front line" cast members. There is also the Walt Disney World International College Program, an internship program that has college students from all over the world. Living, working and learning.
In a
March 30,
2004, article in
The Orlando Sentinel, then-Walt Disney World president Al Weiss gave some insight into how the parks are maintained:
- More than 5,000 cast members are dedicated to maintenance and engineering, including 750 horticulturists and 600 painters.
- Disney spends more than $100 million every year on maintenance at the Magic Kingdom. In 2003, $6 million was spent on renovating its Crystal Palace restaurant. 90% of guests say that the upkeep and cleanliness of the Magic Kingdom are excellent or very good.
- The streets in the parks are steam cleaned every night.
- There are cast members permanently assigned to painting the antique carousel horses; they use genuine gold leaf.
- There is a tree farm on site so that when a mature tree needs to be replaced, a thirty-year-old tree will be available to replace it.
There is a fleet of Disney-operated buses on property, branded Disney Transport that is available for guests at no charge. In 2007 Disney Transport started a guest services upgrade to the busses. GPS systems controlling new public addresses systems on the buses give safety information, park tips and other general announcements with music. They are not to be confused with the Disney Cruise Line and Disney's Magical Express buses which are operated by Mears Transportation. Taxi boats link some locations.
Walt Disney World has the seventh largest navy in the world with over 200 watercraft ranging from guest operated (rented) boats to Disney operated guest transportation craft.
Walt Disney World Monorail System also operate at Walt Disney World Resort linking the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian resorts, and the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). An express monorail line connecting the TTC and the Magic Kingdom also exists.
According to Disney's
MouseMail e-mail newsletter, 150 truckloads of holiday decorations adorn the Walt Disney World Resort and 300,000 yards of ribbon and bows drape over 1,500 Christmas trees during the yuletide season. A popular attraction during the holiday season is The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights, which displays over 5 million lights located in Disney-MGM Studios. Walt Disney World pastry chefs use more than 1,049.4 pounds (476 kilograms) of honey, 99.2 pounds (45 kilograms) of sugar and 48.5 pounds (22 kilograms) of dark chocolate to bake gingerbread houses and other items for the holidays.
In 2006, the Walt Disney World Resort and its employees donated more than $22 million to Central Florida organizations and charities, along with 200,000 hours of service through the VoluntEARS program. Disney gives more than $22m in 2006,
Orlando Sentinel, 2007-01-12
Hotels
On-site Disney hotels
There are 32 resorts located on the Walt Disney World Resort property. Of the 32, 22 are Disney owned and operated resorts. The Disney resorts are classified into five categories: Deluxe (priced from $205-$805), Moderate (priced from $139-$199), Value (priced from $79-$127),
Disney Vacation Club (priced from $269-$1,790), and Campground (priced from $39-$319).Another notable aspect is the large number of hotel resort complexes on the Walt Disney World property. The non-themed hotels are owned by private, non-Disney hospitality companies such as Starwood (
Westin and
Sheraton), Holiday Inn, Best Western, and Hilton Hotels Corporation.
Guests arriving at the
Orlando International Airport can be transported to their Disney resort (or Vacation Club resort) from the airport using Disney's Magical Express program, and have their bags picked up and transported for them through a contract with Baggage Airline Guest Services. Guests board custom motor coaches, watch a video about the Walt Disney World Resort, and their luggage is later delivered directly to their rooms.
Themed resorts and opening year
On-site Disney Vacation Club resorts and opening year
On-site non-Disney hotels
Future resorts on Disney property
- Four Seasons Hotels: On March 1, 2007, Disney announced plans to convert its Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge golf courses into a new 900-acre luxury resort that will include a Four Seasons Hotels hotel, an 18-hole championship golf course, plus single- and multi-family vacation homes and fractional ownership vacation homes. The hotel is estimated to open in 2010.
Never-built Disney resorts
- Disney's Asian Resort - early 1970s (canceled because of 1973 oil crisis)
- Disney's Persian Resort - early 1970s (canceled because of 1973 oil crisis)
- Disney's Venetian Resort - early 1970s (canceled because of 1973 oil crisis)
- Disney's Mediterranean Resort - early 1990s (canceled because of unsuitable building conditions)
Attendance
The April 2007 issue of trade magazine
Park World reported the following attendance estimates for 2006 compiled by Economic Research Associates in partnership with TEA (formerly the Themed Entertainment Association):
- Magic Kingdom, 16.6 million visits (No. 1 worldwide)
- Epcot, 10.5 million visits (No. 6)
- Disney-MGM Studios, 9.1 million visits (No. 7)
- Disney's Animal Kingdom, 8.9 million visits (No. 8)
Name and logo
No official documentation exists to show that the Walt Disney World Resort was originally to be spelled "Disneyworld". It was going to be very different from "Disneyland". Walt Disney referred to the Walt Disney World Resort as both "Disney World" and "The Disney World" using the same font as Disneyland's.
After Walt Disney's death, the name "Walt Disney World" was chosen by Walt's brother and business partner, Roy O. Disney. The name was presented in a modern font instead of the original Disneyland font. To reinforce the updated name and image, Walt Disney World's official symbol was to be an oversized "D" with the face of Mickey Mouse depicted as the lines of latitude and longitude of this new World.
While Disneyland has kept its original font, it has lost nearly all references to its official symbol. Walt Disney World put an end to use of both its original font and official symbol at the conclusion of its 25th anniversary in 1996. The official symbol can still be found in many places around the resort as well as in recent merchandise that uses it once again. Inexplicably, the old logo still remains on the head float of the SpectroMagic parade, even though the parade was rehabbed extensively before its return in 2001, well after the January 1996 logo change. The 1971 logo is still used on the trip backdrop on
The Price Is Right. The original "D" logo can still be seen on the front car of each of the 12 monorails and on flags flown at several sites across the property.
See also
References
External links
- Walt Disney World Resort official site
- Shades of Green - military hotel at Walt Disney World Resort
- Travel guide at wikitravel.org
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