Walt Disney World Resort

Disney World or Walt Disney World, officially known as Walt Disney World Resort, is the world’s most visited entertainment complex. Located in Florida near Orlando and owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, it opened in 1971 and is attended by millions of visitors annually. Spanning almost twenty-five thousand acres or around forty square miles (about the size of San Francisco), about 12 percent of Walt Disney World property is devoted to gardens and maintained landscapes. The complex boasts four theme parks (including Magic Kingdom, the original and most visited theme park), over twenty-five themed resort hotels, two water parks, and four golf courses. It also includes a camping resort, shopping district, wedding pavilion, boardwalk entertainment district, ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, and activities such as fishing excursions, watercraft rentals, fireworks cruises, and other attractions. In May 2020, Jeff Vahle was named president of Walt Disney World Resort.

Brief History

The concept for the Walt Disney World Resort began in 1959 when Walt Disney Productions considered opening a second theme park to complement Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had launched in 1955. The project was to be spearheaded by the creative mind of Walt Disney. Since the new theme park, which Disney called "The Florida Project," was to cover a large area of land, Walt Disney personally flew over sites for consideration, ultimately selecting a site near Bay Lake, Florida, in 1964. He had a clear vision for the theme park, including its own unique set of rides. To avoid media scrutiny and public speculation about a second park, dummy corporations were used to buy tracts of land while real estate negotiations were conducted under strict secrecy. Although Walt Disney had originally planned to reveal the Disney World project in November 1965, the story was prematurely leaked in October when Emily Bavar, editor from the Sentinel, authored an article predicting that Disney was purchasing land for a second theme park. As a result, Disney was pressured to officially reveal to the press his intentions to build the second theme park.

Disney passed away from lung cancer on December 15, 1966, before his vision became reality. Roy Disney, his brother and business partner, took over the reins and oversaw construction of the resort’s first phase. The resort’s first theme park, Magic Kingdom, opened on October 1, 1971. Magic Kingdom includes rides inspired by films such as Dumbo and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The resort’s second theme park, Epcot Center, opened in 1982. While it approximated Disney’s original vision for a Progress City that showcased new technology, much of Disney’s original concept was abandoned in favor of a concept closer to a world fair. The third theme park, originally called Disney-MGM Studios but renamed Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008, opened May 1, 1989. The fourth theme park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, opened April 22, 1998. Spanning 403 acres, it is the largest theme park and boasts a fourteen-story high, fifty-foot wide centerpiece called the Tree of Life. In 2017, Pandora—The World of Avatar opened at the park, offering guests attractions based on the popular film Avatar.

Overview

On lists of the most visited theme parks in the world, each of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks regularly ranks in the top ten. The complex also includes more than twenty-five resort hotels that embody different themes and styles and which are classified into four price categories: deluxe, moderate, value (budget), and Disney Vacation Club Villas. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is considered the most luxurious of all the deluxe resort hotels.

Walt Disney World’s two water parks are Typhoon Lagoon, which opened in June 1989, and Disney’s Blizzard Beach, which debuted in April 1995. The property also includes three eighteen-hole golf courses, one nine-hole walking course for youngsters, and two themed miniature golf courses called Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland. Some free attractions include Disney Springs, formerly Downtown Disney, an outdoor dining, shopping, and entertainment complex with free parking that is open year-round. Disney Transport offers Walt Disney World resort guests free transportation via water taxis, buses, a monorail, and gondolas to and from the site.

When the Magic Kingdom first opened in 1971, Walt Disney World employed 5,500 staff or cast members. The United States’ largest single-site employer, the company employed more than 77,000 people in the early 2020s and offered internships for American and international college students who work at the resort. Using a distinct theatrical jargon, company employees are called cast members, rides are called attractions, visitors are guests, and jobs are referred to as roles.

Prices for Walt Disney World tickets and passes change annually with new discounts, deals, and packages. Tickets and passes can be bought in advance, at the gate, and at all the resort hotels. In general, one-day tickets offer the least value, while more days (i.e., four-day, seven-day, or ten-day passes) allow guests more flexibility to hop between theme parks and water parks, to take a break during the day and return, to spend most of their time on rides, to spend all their time at one theme park, or to purchase an add-on to a base ticket. The Park Hopper option allows guests to enter and exit at will any or all of the four major Walt Disney World theme parks, while the Park Hopper Plus option allows guests additional admission to either of the two water parks. Ticket prices per day vary depending on the season of the year (i.e., peak, regular, and value seasons). Annual passes are also available. Annual pass holders enjoy benefits such as free parking, hotel and entertainment discounts, and savings at Disney World restaurants.

Each year, Walt Disney World Resort opens new shops, rides, eateries, waterfront entertainment, musical spectaculars and concerts, and attractions for guests of all ages. It also boasts world-class natural landscapes and human-made wonders and features light shows, firework displays, parades, and other attractions. Walt Disney World Resort even provides one-of-a-kind pet hospitality services that include doggy day camps, pet grooming, and pampering services.

In 2015, it was officially announced that one of the biggest and most highly anticipated new additions to Walt Disney World Resort, an immersive land including rides, shops, and dining themed according to the Star Wars film franchise, had been planned. Construction on the land, named Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios began in 2016, and the new land opened in Disney's Hollywood Studios in August 2019.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Walt Disney World Resort experienced significant financial setbacks when it was forced to close its doors for several months, followed by attendance restrictions limiting the number of guests allowed in the resort at one time. By early 2022, however, the resort had relaxed most of its preventive measures, such as wearing facial coverings, and attendance neared pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, over 48.7 million people visited Walt Disney World Resort's four theme parks.

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