Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks; two water parks; twenty-three 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 southwest of Orlando, Florida. The property is often abbreviated Walt Disney World, Disney World or WDW, and is often referred to by locals as simply Disney.
It opened on October 1, 1971, with the Magic Kingdom theme park, and has since added Epcot (on October 1, 1982), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (on May 1, 1989), and Disney’s Animal Kingdom (on April 22, 1998).
Walt Disney World Resort’s - 4 Main Theme Parks
Walt Disney World Resort features four theme parks. Each park is represented by an iconic structure:
* Magic Kingdom - Cinderella Castle
* Epcot - Spaceship Earth
* Disney’s Hollywood Studios - The Sorcerer’s Hat
* Disney’s Animal Kingdom - The Tree of Life
The Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom - Enchanting entertainment, classic attractions, beloved Disney Characters and spectacular parades and fireworks in a place where fairytale dreams can come true.
The Magic Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The first park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1971. The park saw an estimated 17 million visitors in 2008, making it the most visited theme park in the world.
Designed and built by WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering), the park’s layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California.
While there is no individual dedication to the Magic Kingdom Park, the dedication by Roy O. Disney for the entire Walt Disney World Resort was placed within its gates.
” Walt Disney World is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney… and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney’s dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place… a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn - together. ”
- Dedicated this 25th day of October, 1971. Roy O. Disney.
Epcot
Epcot - Attractions and entertainment dedicated to technological innovation and the culture and cuisine of 11 nations.
Epcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The park is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was named EPCOT Center until 1994.
In 2008, Epcot hosted approximately 10.93 million guests, ranking it the third-most visited theme park in the United States, and sixth-most visited in the world.
The park consists of two sections: Future World and World Showcase. Both are patterned after the kinds of exhibits which were popular at World’s Fairs in the first two-thirds of the 20th century, in particular the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Epcot has become essentially a permanent display of the world’s nations.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Hollywood Studios - Shows, attractions and tours offering behind-the-scenes glimpses of Hollywood-style action.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres (546,000 m²) in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. The third park built at the resort, it opened on May 1, 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios.
In 2008, the park hosted approximately 9.61 million guests, ranking it the fourth-most visited amusement park in the United States, and seventh-most visited in the world.
The park is represented by The Sorcerer’s Hat, a stylized version of the magical hat from Fantasia. It replaced the Earful Tower as the park’s icon in 2001.
“The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood-not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was-and always will be.”
-Michael Eisner, May 1, 1989
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom - The world’s largest animal-themed park full of attractions, adventure and fantastic animals.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than 500 acres (2 km²).
It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely around animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, meaning they have met and exceeded the standards in Education, Conservation and Research.
Shortly after the park opened, Disney advertised the park using the fictional word “nahtazu”. Pronounced “not a zoo,” the word emphasized that the park was more than animal displays found in a typical city zoo. Disney stopped using the phrase in January of 2006.
In 2008, the park hosted approximately 9.54 million guests, ranking it the fifth-most visited amusement park in the United States and eight-most visited in the world.
“Welcome to a kingdom of animals… real, ancient and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs and dragons; a kingdom of balance, harmony and survival; a kingdom we enter to share in the wonder, gaze at the beauty, thrill at the drama, and learn.”
-Michael Eisner April 22, 1998
Walt Disney World Resort’s - 2 Water Parks
Walt Disney World Resort features two themed water parks. Each park is represented by an iconic structure:
* Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon - Miss Tilly (wrecked shrimp boat on mountain)
* Disney’s Blizzard Beach - Mount Gushmore
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon - Attractions for the whole family—from fast waterslides to a children’s area with pint-sized raft rides. Catch 6-foot waves in the Surf Pool and snorkel Shark Reef—with real sharks!
Typhoon Lagoon is a water park located at the Walt Disney World Resort.
The park, which opened on June 1, 1989, is home to the world’s largest outdoor wave pool. The theme of the park is the “Disney legend” of a typhoon that wreaked havoc upon a formerly pristine tropical paradise. Ships, fishing gear, and surfboards are strewn about where the storm flung them. The centerpiece of the park is “Miss Tilly,” a shrimp boat impaled upon a mountain named “Mount Mayday” that erupts a 50-foot (15 m) geyser of water every half hour, right before the bells of the watch sound on Miss Tilly. The parks’ mascot is named “Lagoona Gator” who is related to Blizzard Beach’s mascot Ice Gator.
In 2008, the park hosted approximately 2.06 million guests, making it the most visited water park in the world.
Disney’s Blizzard Beach
Disney’s Blizzard Beach - Featuring one of the world’s tallest and fastest waterslides, as well as slides and rides for the whole family. Blizzard Beach is a water park located at the Walt Disney World Resort.
The park opened on April 1, 1995 and was the third WDW water park after River Country and Typhoon Lagoon. The theme of the park is the “Disney legend” of a freak snowstorm in the area, leading to the construction of Florida’s first ski resort.
Naturally, the snow didn’t last long, leaving behind a collection of waterlogged but snow-less ski jumps and chair lifts. The failed resort was in the process of closing for good when an alligator was seen sliding down a flume and splashing into a pool of water, screaming “Yahoo!” Thus the “ski resort” was reborn as a water park, with the alligator (named “Ice Gator”) as mascot.
In 2008, the park hosted approximately 1.89 million guests, ranking it the second-most visited water park in the world, behind its sister park, Typhoon Lagoon.
The majority of the major attractions at the park are hosted atop of Mount Gushmore, an artificial hill with an elevation of 90 feet (27 m), making it the fifth highest point in Florida. Mount Gushmore is split into three colored slopes to aid guests navigating around the park: Green, Red and Purple.
The “Mountain” also serves to hide the park’s pipes.
All water areas are heated (at approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit) with the exception of the melting snow in the ice cave of Cross Country Creek.
Walt Disney World Resort’s - Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney - is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex located at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Downtown Disney is open to the public, requires no admission fee and offers entirely free parking and transportation to all Disney resorts.
The large outdoor complex is divided into three areas: the Marketplace, Pleasure Island and the West Side. Each area features a selection of entertainment venues, shops, restaurants and themeing.
Notable attractions include Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, Disney Quest Indoor Interactive Theme Park, the House of Blues, Planet Hollywood, Virgin Megastore, the Lego Imagination Center, World of Disney, AMC Pleasure Island 24, and Rainforest Cafe.
Downtown Disney’s - 3 Main Attractions
Walt Disney World Resort’s - Downtown Disney features 3 main attractions besides the shopping and dining experiences. Each attraction has separate admission:
* Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba
* Disney Quest - 5 Story Indoor Theme Park
* Characters In Flight - Flying Adventure
Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba
Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba in Downtown Disney West Side is must-see evening entertainment.
Along with opulent sets, brilliant choreography, theatrical lighting and provocative music, La Nouba features a mix of mesmerizing high wire and flying trapezes, stunning acro-gymnastic performances and other dynamic displays of coordination and strength.
La Nouba is a Cirque du Soleil show, which, like most Cirque du Soleil shows, is a circus-like performance featuring acrobats, gymnasts, and other skilled performers.
Its title derives from the French phrase faire la nouba, meaning “to party” or “to live it up”. La Nouba is in permanent residence in a specially-made arena at Downtown Disney’s West Side at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Disney Quest
DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive theme park is a one-of-kind gaming experience in the Downtown Disney area. Discover 5 floors of cutting-edge technology, virtual reality and 3D encounters fueled by Disney innovation and imagination, as well as favorite videogames from your past.
DisneyQuest is an “indoor interactive theme park” located in Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort. DisneyQuest is housed in a five-story, windowless building; guests enter the first-floor lobby and are brought via elevator to the third floor atrium as the start of their visit.
DisneyQuest contains several virtual reality attractions, classic and recent arcade video games. It is popular with locals, who can get an annual pass for less than the cost of three daily admissions.
Characters In Flight
Characters in Flight operated by Aérophile takes you up in a giant tethered balloon 400 feet above Downtown Disney Area! Board the balloon’s gondola from a specially designed platform for a breathtaking, 360–degree view of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
The balloon the Aéro30 was built by Aérophile S.A., a company with headquarters in Paris, France. It is billed as the world’s largest tethered gas balloon, and is attached to a gondola that is 19 feet in diameter and holds up to 30 guests at a time.
Downtown Disney guests will get a bird’s-eye view of Walt Disney World Resort as they soar to new heights in a new attraction now open at Downtown Disney’s West Side near Pleasure Island.
Characters in Flight, operated by Aerophile, is a giant tethered gas balloon with a whimsical Disney design featuring a dozen of Disney’s animated flying characters in silhouette such as Mary Poppins, Peter Pan and Dumbo. Characters in Flight will rise 500 feet into the sky carrying up to 30 passengers to a height of 400 feet.
Flight times and availability will depend on weather conditions. Riders can catch flights 7 days a week, adults $16, and $10 for children ages 3-9. Availability is on first-come, first-serve basis.
Walt Disney World Resort’s - Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex - a 220-acre sports facility in Walt Disney World Resort, hosts nearly 200 amateur and professional events each year, can accommodate more than 50 sports-from aerobics to wrestling-across 9 venues-and is the Atlanta Braves spring training home.
The latest addition-new in 2008-to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex is the Jostens® Center, which can be configured to house:
* 12 volleyball courts
* 6 basketball courts
* 2 roller hockey rinks
* and more in a sprawling 75,000 square-foot facility
The other 8 venues at this premiere place for competitors and fans alike are:
* Champion® Stadium
* Milk House
* Hess® Sports Fields
* Baseball Quadraplex
* Cross Country Course
* Diamondplex
* Tennis Complex
* Track and Field Complex
The complex hosts numerous amateur and professional sporting events throughout the year.
Walt Disney World Resort’s - Disney’s BoardWalk
Disney’s BoardWalk - contains more than 9,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and nightclubs. It encompasses Crescent Lake and is “a village on the water” near many Disney Resort hotels in Walt Disney World Resort. This quarter-mile entertainment, dining and shopping area is also conveniently close to 2 Disney Theme Parks.
