Walt Disney World

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: For over thirty years, the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida has been the premiere theme park destination in the world. With four theme parks, two water park, twenty three hotels and an entertainment complex, the resort is a hit with visitors of all ages.

The dream of the resort began in the early in the late 1950’s. Walt Disney wanted a sister park to Disneyland in California but without the hustle and bustle of being on a major highway and the crime and degradation that went along with it. Disney and a group of investors began scouting for a location and settled on an area of Central Florida near where the Florida Turnpike and Interstate 4 were projected to intersect.

The Florida Project was in full swing. Using fictitious companies to avoid detection, the Disney corporation began purchasing parcels of land that would become the park. By 1965, the details of the project were leaked to the local newspaper and Walt Disney organized a press conference to release the plans. Disney called the site the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) and released the details of the futuristic city.

Walt Disney passed away in December of 1966 and never saw his dreams come to life. The project was then handed over to his brother Roy O. Disney who would oversee the project. The project was beginning to take shape and the first park, Magic Kingdom was nearing completion.

The Magic Kingdom held a grand opening ceremony on October 1, 1971. In addition to the park opening, the resort also opened the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Resort and the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.

The next major phase of the project was the second theme park, Epcot. Epcot features many of the same concepts that Walt Disney envisioned. Epcot opened to the public in 1982.

The resort continued to grow with Disney-MGM Studios opening in 1989 and Animal Kingdom opening in 1998. In addition to the theme parks, the resort built three water parks; River Country opened in 1976 but later closed, Typhoon Lagoon opened in 1989 and Blizzard Beach opening in 1995. They also have a entertainment complex (Downtown Disney), sports complex (Wide World of Sports Complex), motor sports complex (Walt Disney World Speedway) and five championship golf courses to round out the complete recreation package.

The resort features a total of twenty four themed hotels to complete the vacation package. The hotels are ground in subcategories of Value Resort, Moderate Resort, Deluxe Resort, Vacation Club and Campground/Cabins. Each feature comfortable rooms, heated swimming pools, dining options and transportation to and from the parks. The amenities increase as you upgraded categories with some featuring waterslides, water sports and more. There are other non-Disney hotels in the area, however the Disney hotels offer theme park perks including free transportation and Extra Magic Hours in which one park a day will open early or stay open late for hotel guests of Disney hotels, a definite plus if you are trying to get everything done in limited time.

All four of the theme parks have constantly ranked in the top ten theme parks worldwide in attendance. Magic Kingdom sees over 17 million visitors a year making it number one worldwide. Animal Kingdom is the least visited park with over 9 million guests.

As the demand for theme park attractions change, Walt Disney World has stayed in front of the curve. Adding new rides and re-theming existing rides has helped to keep the Disney look fresh. They continue to add hotel rooms to the property in an effort to remain the premiere travel destination.

For more pictures, click on the photo above or visit my Walt Disney World photo galleries.

Updated February 11, 2010

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