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Mickey and Minnie goofing around on the island, is only one of the many reasons why Disney World Resort in Orlando, could be the most magical vacation you ever spend. The famous entertainment complex is built in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, in Florida, United States, near to the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Be it the Disney Theme parks, water parks , the endless dining options or number of shopping complex – the Resort is a place where both adults and children can enjoy. It opened on October 1, 1971 and is owned and operated by a division of The Walt Disney Company. Its first operation was carried out by the Walt Disney World Company. The resort covers an impressive area of 39 square miles, but the tourism profits from half of the area only. That includes :
- four theme parks
- two water parks
- twenty-seven themed resort hotels
- nine non-Disney hotels
- several golf courses
- camping resort
- outdoor shopping centers, to name a few.
The resort was designed as a supplement to the Disneyland in California, that was built in 1955, and was a hit. Under the name ‘The Florida Project’, Walt Disney’s original plan was to include a variety of attractions, specifically the inclusion of EPCOT ( Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow). Government of Florida also developed a government district known as ‘Reedy Creek Improvement district’, which provided the Walt Disney Company rights and powers for an incorporated city. After the death of Walt Disney on December 15, 1966, the planned concept of building a community, shifted to the making of a Disneyland-like resort.
Here the Walt Disney World Resort map depicts the route you have to explore when you visit the well-known tourist destination. Some of the most popular theme parks and activity zones in the Resort:
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Magic Kingdom Park (first theme park that opened in 1971)
Exciting adventures await you at the Magic Kingdom Park. Fantasy meets reality when you watch the parade of you favorite Disney characters, or take a ride into a ghastly mansion. Click plenty pictures while goofing around with animated cartoons of the Disney World. In the evening you can enjoy the magnificent fireworks lightening up the sky.
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Epcot (opened in 1982)
The theme park was earlier planned as a community which becomes the zone of innovations and illustrates the urban lifestyle. But, after the death of Walt Disney, the concept was dropped, and they decided to build another theme park, with regards to the success of Magic Kingdom. However, the park still ensured that it depicts modern innovations of America.
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Animal Kingdom Theme Park (opened in 1988)
In the Animal Kingdom theme park, you can find creatures that have inhabited the planet, or even in our imagination, owing to the Disney movies. There is plenty excitement and people from around the world, love to explore the theme park.
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Hollywood Studios (opened in 1989)
The glamour of Hollywood is illustrated in numerous studios located in the resort in Orlando. You can experience the glitz of a center stage, and feel like a star amid the studio lights.
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Typhoon Lagoon Water Park (opened in 1989)
The twisted slides, thrilling rapids and the water roller coasters could definitely make you scream. It is one of the best water parks in the resort, enthralled with a shark reef, a cruise creek, and a beach. Even the little ones can enjoy rides built just for them.
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Blizzard Beach Water Park (opened in 1995)
Sustaining a snowy mountain top, Blizzard Beach Water park is a ski-resort where you can slide down the slopes of Mount Gushmore – which is in fact one of the tallest water slides in the world. There is also a white sand beach where you can relax after hanging out in the splashing waters.
Other attractions
- Numerous resorts around the Disney property, offer visitors diverse spa treatments.
- Disney’s Boardwalk, which is situated in the outskirts of Boardwalk Inn, is an entertainment, dining, and shopping district.
- Annual festivals are held in Epcot for few days, for example Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, and Epcot Festival of the Arts.
- Special ticket events are held many times in a year which includes the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
- Disney Springs have been attracting visitors since March 22, 1975.
- The Wedding Pavilion in the Disney Resort is also quite famous. It opened in 1995.
- ESPN Wide World of Sports, Is a place for sports related activities and it opened in 1997.
Golf
There are four golf courses included in the property. The three 18-hole golf courses are Disney’s Palm, Disney’s Magnolia and Disney’s Lake Buena Vista. Another nine-hole walking course – Oak Trail, is designed for amateur players. Arnold Palmer Golf Management is the company that manages these courses. You shall also find two complexes based for miniature golf experience, with two courses in the complexes named
- Fantasia Gardens: These are themed to the ‘Fantasy world’ for there are musical holes and water fountains. Challenges like water hazards, sand traps etc are placed for the folks looking for little bit of challenge in their game.
- Winter Summerland: Here the courses have a Santa-related theme, so we know how much the kids will especially enjoy.
Resorts
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – is the most luxurious resort in the area. It is only one of the exquisite 34 resorts located in the area. 28 of them, which are under the ownership of Walt Disney Parks are grouped into four categories — Deluxe, Moderate, Value, and Disney Vacation Club Villas.
On-site Disney resorts |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Opening date | Theme | Resort Area |
Deluxe resorts |
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| Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge | April 16, 2001 | African Wildlife preserve | Animal Kingdom |
| Disney’s Beach Club Resort | November 19, 1990 | Newport Beach cottage | Epcot |
| Disney’s BoardWalk Inn | July 1, 1996 | Early 20th Century Atlantic and Ocean City | |
| Disney’s Contemporary Resort | October 1, 1971 | Modern | Magic Kingdom |
| Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa | July 1, 1988 | Early 20th Century Florida | |
| Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort | October 1, 1971 | South Seas | |
| Disney’s Wilderness Lodge | May 28, 1994 | Pacific Northwest, National Park Service rustic | |
| Disney’s Yacht Club Resort | November 5, 1990 | Martha’s Vineyard Resort | Epcot |
| Star Wars Hotel | TBA | Star Wars starship | |
Moderate resorts |
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| Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort | October 1, 1988 | Caribbean Islands | Epcot |
| Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort | August 1, 1997 | Mexico, American Southwest | Animal Kingdom |
| Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter | May 17, 1991 | New Orleans French Quarter | Disney Springs |
| Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside | February 2, 1992 | Antebellum South | |
Value resorts |
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| Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort | January 15, 1999 | Disney films | Animal Kingdom |
| Disney’s All-Star Music Resort | November 22, 1994 | Music | |
| Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort | 2April 24, 1994 | Sports | |
| Disney’s Art of Animation Resort | May 31, 2012 | Disney and Pixar animated films | Wide World of Sports |
| Disney’s Pop Century Resort | December 14, 2003 | 20th Century American pop culture | |
Disney Vacation Club |
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| Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort | August 4, 2009 | Modern | Magic Kingdom |
| Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas | August 15, 2007 | African safari lodge | Animal Kingdom |
| Disney’s Beach Club Villas | July 1, 2002 | Newport resort | Epcot |
| Disney’s BoardWalk Villas | July 1, 1996 | Early 20th Century Atlantic City | |
| Disney’s Old Key West Resort | December 20, 1991 | Early 20th Century Key West | Disney Springs |
| Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows | April 1, 2015 | South Seas | Magic Kingdom |
| Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa | May 17, 2004 | 1880s Upstate New York resort | Disney Springs |
| The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa | October 23, 2013 | Early 20th Century Florida | Magic Kingdom |
| Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge | November 15, 2000 | Pacific Northwest | |
| Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge | July 17, 2017 | Pacific Northwest | |
| Disney Riviera Resort | Fall 2019 | Riviera | Epcot |
| Reflections-A Disney Lakeside Lodge | 2022 | Nature | Magic Kingdom |
Cabins and campgrounds |
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| Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground | November 19, 1971 | Rustic Woods Camping | Magic Kingdom |
Residential areas |
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| Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort | Fall 2011 | Varies | Magic Kingdom |
On-site non-Disney hotels |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel name | Opening date | Theme | Owner | Area |
| Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort Hotel | November 21, 1972 | None | Drury Hotels | Hotel Plaza Boulevard, close to Disney Springs |
| Doubletree Guest Suite Resort | March 15, 1987 | Hilton Hotels Corporation | ||
| Wyndham Lake Buena Vista | October 15, 1972 | Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | ||
| Hilton Walt Disney World | November 23, 1983 | Hilton Hotels Corporation | ||
| Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World Resort | February 8, 1973 | InterContinental Hotels Group | ||
| B Resort | October 1, 1972 | B Hotels & Resorts | ||
| Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa | March 10, 1983 | Hilton Hotels Corporation | ||
| Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort | August 3, 2014 | Four Seasons | Magic Kingdom | |
| Bonnet Creek Resort | Various | Hilton Worldwide, Wyndham Worldwide | Epcot | |
| Walt Disney World Dolphin | June 1, 1990 | Seaside Floridian Resort & Under the Sea | Sheraton | |
| Walt Disney World Swan | January 13, 1990 | Seaside Floridian Resort & Under the Sea | Westin | |
| Shades of Green | December 1973 | Upscale Country Club | United States Department of Defense | Magic Kingdom |
Proposed plans
- Star Wars Hotel — is planned for construction on the southern side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The theme park is opening in 2019.
- Disney Riviera Resort — This would be a 300-unit resort, and would be the 15th Vacation Club property of Disney. Planned to open in 2019, it will sustain the new Disney Skyliner gondola lift system.
- Tron-themed ride will also be set up in the Magic Kingdom theme park by 2021
Disney’s Magical Express Travel is easy for people with Disney’s Magical Express – a complementary service.
Guests having the Disney Resort reservation will be transported from the Orlando International Airport to their resort. Mears Destination Services carry the operation. Visitors also have the option to get their luggage picked, after they sign up the contract with BAGS Incorporated. Numerous resorts sustain the policy of Airline Check-in counters for those who are returning to the airport. This way, their bags will be checked thoroughly for the entire trip. Boarding passes will be printed before-hand. Some participating airlines are Delta, United, American, JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska Airlines.
Attendance
Owing to the magnificent attractions, Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited vacation resort in the entire world. More than 52 million people visit the resort on a yearly basis. Maximum attendance is witnessed by the Magic Kingdom Theme park. In 2017, resort welcomed 55,872,000 tourists, and the theme parks which most tourists enjoyed were: the Magic Kingdom where 20,450,000 people visited, 12,200,000 visited Epcot, 10,722,000 explored the Hollywood Studios and 12,500,000 visited the Animal Kingdom. The table below mentions the yearly attendance in the top 4 theme parks of Disney World resort:
| Year | Magic Kingdom | Epcot | Disney’s Hollywood Studios | Disney’s Animal Kingdom | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1,70,63,000 | 1,09,35,000 | 96,08,000 | 95,40,000 | 4,71,46,000 |
| 2009 | 1,72,33,000 | 1,09,90,000 | 97,00,000 | 95,90,000 | 4,75,13,000 |
| 2010 | 1,69,72,000 | 1,08,25,000 | 96,03,000 | 96,86,000 | 4,70,86,000 |
| 2011 | 1,71,42,000 | 1,08,26,000 | 96,99,000 | 97,83,000 | 4,74,50,000 |
| 2012 | 1,75,36,000 | 1,10,63,000 | 99,12,000 | 99,98,000 | 4,85,09,000 |
| 2013 | 1,85,88,000 | 1,12,29,000 | 1,01,10,000 | 1,01,98,000 | 5,01,25,000 |
| 2014 | 1,93,32,000 | 1,14,54,000 | 1,03,12,000 | 1,04,02,000 | 5,15,00,000 |
| 2015 | 2,04,92,000 | 1,17,98,000 | 1,08,28,000 | 1,09,22,000 | 5,40,40,000 |
| 2016 | 2,03,95,000 | 1,17,12,000 | 1,07,76,000 | 1,08,44,000 | 5,37,27,000 |
| 2017 | 2,04,50,000 | 1,22,00,000 | 1,07,22,000 | 1,25,00,000 | 5,58,72,000 |
| Total overall | 1,34,70,96,000 | ||||
