Walt Disney World is a resort and home to four theme parks located southwest of Orlando, Florida in the City of Lake Buena Vista and a few miles north of Kissimmee, Florida. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, this park opened on October 1, 1971 and contains the Magic Kingdom, Epcot (originally named "EPCOT Center"), Disney-MGM studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom. Also located on the property are three water parks, several golf courses, and a district for shopping and entertainment.
Walt Disney's idea of Walt Disney World was for a larger, more expansive version of Disneyland; a place that could constantly expand and not be as constrained by the need for land that Disneyland suffers from. Walt Disney World also was to be a sort of "Disneyland of the future" where breakthroughs in science and technology could coexist with the original Disney vision of themed entertainment.
Walt Disney also envisioned this project as incorporating a working community where his ideas about urban planning could be tested. He called this concept the "Experimental Prototype Community (or City) of Tomorrow," or EPCOT. The theme park that eventually opened under the Epcot name bore little resemblance to this vision, though the neighboring town of Celebration, which was founded by the Walt Disney Company, incorporates a few of the ideas.
Although he particiapted in much of the planning for the project, Walt Disney himself never got to see the realization of his vision as he died in 1966. The resort was originally to be named "Disney World," but before its opening Walt's brother Roy renamed it to "Walt Disney World" in his honor.
The land within Walt Disney World is part of the Reedy Creek Improvement District which allows the Disney Corporation to exercise quasi-governmental powers over the area.
Walt Disney World has four major theme parks, each with a main atraction that serves as its symbol:
- The Magic Kingdom (Cinderella Castle)
- Epcot (Spaceship Earth, the giant golfball)
- Disney-MGM Studios (the giant Mickey sorcerer's cap, though formerly the 'Earful Tower' watertower represented it)
- Disney's Animal Kingdom (the Tree of Life)
There are also three water parks:
- Typhoon Lagoon
- Blizzard Beach
- River Country (currently closed indefinitely)
The Downtown Disney outdoor complex consists of three areas:
- Marketplace, with the Lego Imagination Center, World of Disney, Once Upon A Toy, Ghirardelli, Fulton's Crabhouse, Rainforest Cafe, and other stores and restaurants
- Pleasure Island, with the Adventurer's Club, the Comedy Warehouse, the Jazz Club, and other nightclubs, dance halls, and shows
- West Side, with a Virgin Megastore, an AMC 24 theater, Cirque du Soleil, House of Blues restaurant and show auditorium, the DisneyQuest "indoor theme park", and other shops
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 Marriott and Hilton. The themed resorts include:
- Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney's All-Star Music Resort
- Disney's All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney's Beach Club Resort
- Disney's Beach Club Villas
- Disney's BoardWalk Inn
- Disney's BoardWalk Villas
- Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney's Old Key West Resort
- Disney's Polynesian Resort
- Disney's Pop Century Resort
- Disney's Port Orleans Resort French Quarter
- Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside (formerly named Dixie Landings)
- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (opening late Spring 2004)
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge
- Disney's Yacht Club Resort
- Shades of Green (named because of its location between two golf courses; it's currently leased by the United States Department of Defense and used for vacationing active and retired military personnel and their families)
- The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
- Walt Disney World Dolphin
- Walt Disney World Swan
The Walt Disney World resort also includes five world-class golf courses. The five 18-hole golf courses are the Magnolia, the Palm, Lake Buena Vista, Eagle Pines, and Osprey Ridge (the last two are part of the Bonnet Creek Golf Club). There are two miniature golf courses, Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland.
Walt Disney World paved the way for many other theme parks and attractions in the area, including Sea World and Universal Studios, and helped make Orlando a popular tourist destination for people from all over the world.
Popular Rides
- Magic Kingdom
- Epcot
- Test Track
- Mission: SPACE
- Disney - MGM Studios
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
- Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
- Disney's Animal Kingdom
- DINOSAUR (formerly named Countdown to Extinction)
External Links
