This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010) Coordinates: 28257N 813452W Walt Disney World Resort
Industry Amusement parks and resorts Founded October 7, 1971 Founders Roy Disney Headquarters Bay Lake, Florida, U.S. (actual) / Lake Buena Vista, Florida, U.S. (mailing address) Key people George Kalogridis (President) Owners The Walt Disney Company Website disneyworld.disney.go.com Walt Disney World Theme parks Magic Kingdom Epcot Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Animal Kingdom Other attractions Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Disney's Blizzard Beach Downtown Disney ESPN Wide World of Sports Disney's BoardWalk Resort hotels Walt Disney World Resorts v t e The Walt Disney World Resort, informally known as Walt Disney World or simply Disney World, is an entertainment complex in Bay Lake, Florida (mailing address is Lake Buena Vista, Florida), near Orlando, Florida and is the flagship of Disney's worldwide theme park empire. The resort opened on October 7, 1971 and, according to Forbes, is the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an attendance of 52.5 million annually. It is owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers 27,258 acres (11,031 ha; 43 sq mi), in which it houses 27 themed resort hotels, four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, one camping resort, one residential area and additional recreational and entertainment venues. Magic Kingdom was the first and original theme park to open in the complex followed by Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom which opened later throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Designed to supplement Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had opened in 1955, the complex was developed by Walt Disney in the 1960s, though he died in 1966 before construction on "The Florida Project" began. After extensive lobbying, the Government of Florida created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special government district that essentially gave The Walt Disney Company the standard powers and autonomy of an incorporated city. Original plans called for the inclusion of an "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow", a planned city that would serve as a test bed for new innovations for city living. Contents 1 History o 1.1 Timeline 2 Location 3 Attractions o 3.1 Theme parks o 3.2 Water parks o 3.3 Other attractions o 3.4 Golf and recreation o 3.5 Former attractions 4 Resorts o 4.1 On-site Disney resorts o 4.2 On-site non-Disney hotels o 4.3 Former resorts o 4.4 Proposed resorts o 4.5 Disney's Magical Express 5 Executive management o 5.1 Former executive management 6 Attendance o 6.1 Employment o 6.2 Corporate culture o 6.3 Maintenance o 6.4 Transportation 7 Name and logo 8 Twin town 9 See also 10 References 11 External links History
Cinderella Castle, the icon of Magic Kingdom
Spaceship Earth, the icon of Epcot
The Tree of Life, the icon of Disney's Animal Kingdom In 1959, Walt Disney Productions began looking for land for a second park to supplement Disneyland, which opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955. Market surveys revealed that only 5% of Disneyland's visitors came from east of the Mississippi River, where 75% of the population of the United States lived. Additionally, Walt Disney disliked the businesses that had sprung up around Disneyland and wanted control of a much larger area of land for the new project. [1]
Walt Disney flew over the Orlando-area site (one of many) in November 1963. Seeing the well- developed network of roads, including the planned Interstate 4 and Florida's Turnpike, with McCoy Air Force Base (later Orlando International Airport) to the east, Disney selected a centrally located site near Bay Lake. [2]
To avoid a burst of land speculation, Disney used various dummy corporations to acquire 27,443 acres (11,106 ha) of land. [2] In May 1965, some of these major land transactions were recorded a few miles southwest of Orlando in Osceola County. Also, two large tracts totaling $1.5 million were sold, and smaller tracts of flatlands and cattle pastures were purchased by exotic-sounding companies such as the Latin-American Development and Management Corporation and the Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation (some of these names are now memorialized on a window above Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom). In addition to three huge parcels of land were many smaller parcels, referred to as "outs". Much of the land acquired had been platted into 5-acre (2 ha) lots in 1912 by the Munger Land Company and sold to investors. Most owners were happy to get rid of the land, which was mostly swamp. Another issue was the mineral rights to the land, which were owned by Tufts University. Without the transfer of these rights, Tufts could come in at any time and demand the removal of buildings to obtain minerals. Eventually, Disney's team negotiated a deal with Tufts to buy the mineral rights for $15,000. [3]
Working under a strict cloak of secrecy, real estate agents who didn't know the identity of their client began making offers to landowners in southwest Orange and northwest Osceola counties in April 1964 - shortly after Walt Disney chose the site for his new theme park. Careful not to let property owners know the extent of their land-buying appetites, the agents quietly negotiated one deal after another - sometimes lining up contracts to buy huge tracts for little more than $100 an acre. [4]
Because they knew that recording the first deeds would trigger an intense wave of public questioning about what was going on, Disney's representatives waited until they had a large number of parcels locked up through options before filing their paperwork. Meanwhile, a rumor had popped up in California that Disney had his eye on Orlando. On May 20, an Orlando Sentinel article acknowledged the persistent rumor that "the land is being purchased for a second East Coast Disneyland attraction. But the paper discounted the gossip because Walt Disney himself had specifically denied it when interviewed during a visit to Cape Kennedy. Disney baldly lied in telling the newspaper he was spending $50 million to expand Disneyland in California and was not interested in another such venture at that time. According to author Ormund Powers' account in his book Martin Andersen: Editor, Publisher, Galley Boy , Walt Disney Productions attorney Paul Helliwell paid a visit to Orlando banker Billy Dial, who was involved in the negotiations, and said, "There's been a leak. If that leak gets publicized, it's going to kill Orlando's chances. "Let's go see [Orlando Sentinel Publisher] Martin Andersen, Dial replied. "That's the last man we want to see, Helliwell said. "That's the first man we want to see, Dial told him. Powers wrote that Dial and Helliwell visited Andersen at the newspaper. The newspaper publisher "called in his top people and said,`There is a big deal going on and while we don't know what it is, we have assurances it will be good for the community, and we don't want a line printed in this paper about it.' " Former Sentinel editor Danny Hinson told Powers for his book, Martin Andersen: Editor, Publisher, Galley Boy, that Andersen knew practically everything that went on in the Orlando area, and he thought Andersen was "more or less in on the Disney secret. The late Sentinel columnist Charlie Wadsworth said much later that "Andersen was such a good newsman that it would have been inconceivable [that] Disney could buy that quantity of real estate and Andersen not know about it, wrote Powers, who died in May. Longtime Disney publicity director Charles Ridgway told Powers he had heard from Disney executive Cardon Walker that Andersen knew "well ahead that Disney was the buyer, "but he kept it a secret. He did not disclose it. Still, years later, Andersen insisted that he did not learn the identity of the mystery purchaser until late October 1965. The first purchases, recorded on May 3, 1965, included one for 8,380 acres of swamp and brush from state Sen. Irlo Bronson. The deal had been made seven months earlier. The first newspaper account of the large-scale interest in Orange and Osceola county property ran the next day. The May 4 Orlando Sentinel story said the transactions "will undoubtedly increase rumors already afloat for the past year to the effect that a new and large industrial complex is about to locate in this area. Indeed it did. Because of the proximity to Cape Kennedy, much early speculation centered on space or aircraft technology, according to anthropologist Stephen M. Fjellman in his 1992 book Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America. Carmakers' names, especially Ford, also were mentioned. Speculation during the summer about the identity of the buyer included the Rockefellers, Howard Hughes and NASA's Manned Orbiting Laboratory Project. One day while Hinson was putting out the Evening Star, Andersen's afternoon paper, he got a phone call from a friend who said he had been in the office of a New York public relations firm and had been told the firm was helping Disney plan a big development near Orlando. "Hinson thought the `mystery industry' had been nailed down and rushed into the office of editorial director Red McGee, Powers wrote. " `You are not to touch that story,' McGee told him. "The story died right there. Within three weeks of recording the Bronson transaction, Florida Ranch Lands had wrapped up deals with 47 owners. Eventually, the firm negotiated agreements with 51 owners to buy some 27,400 acres for more than $5 million -- an average price of $182 per acre. Disney wanted to announce his ownership of the land and his plans for Walt Disney World on Nov. 15, 1965. But the secret wouldn't keep that long. In October 1965, Emily Bavar, editor of the Sentinel's Florida magazine, was in Anaheim for Disneyland's 10th anniversary celebration. During an interview with Walt Disney, Bavar asked whether he was buying up vast acreage in Central Florida. "He looked like I had thrown a bucket of water in his face, Bavar later told Powers for his book. "I have never seen anyone look so stunned. He was too surprised, but then he recovered and said no. But Disney's evasiveness, combined with other tidbits she picked up in Anaheim, convinced Bavar. On Oct. 21, 1965, a story by Bavar, written in the first person and acknowledging that she was sticking her neck out, predicted Disney would build a new theme park on the huge tract. After piecing together more information from various sources, the paper led its Sunday edition three days later with a story headlined, "We Say: `Mystery Industry' Is Disney." With the mouse out of the bag, Disney allowed Gov. Haydon Burns to confirm the next day, Oct. 25, that he intended to build "the greatest attraction in the history of Florida in Central Florida. Disney himself came to Orlando for the formal announcement with Burns on Nov. 15. [5]
Walt Disney explained the plans for the site, including EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which was to be a futuristic planned city (and which was also known as Progress City). He envisioned a working city with commercial and residential areas that also continued to showcase and test new ideas and concepts for urban living. Walt Disney died from lung cancer on December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized. His brother and business partner, Roy O. Disney, postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the resort's first phase. On February 2, 1967, Roy O. Disney held a press conference at the Park Theatres in Winter Park, Florida. The role of EPCOT was emphasized in the film that was played, the last one recorded by Walt Disney before his death. After the film, it was explained that for Disney World, including EPCOT, to succeed, a special district would have to be formed: the Reedy Creek Improvement District with two cities inside it, Bay Lake and Reedy Creek (now Lake Buena Vista). In addition to the standard powers of an incorporated city, which include the issuance of tax-free bonds, the district would have immunity from any current or future county or state land- use laws. The only areas where the district had to submit to the county and state would be property taxes and elevator inspections. [1]
The legislation forming the district and the two cities was signed into law by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967. The Florida Supreme Court then ruled in 1968 that the district was allowed to issue tax-exempt bonds for public projects within the district despite the sole beneficiary being Walt Disney Productions. The district soon began construction of drainage canals, and Disney built the first roads and Magic Kingdom. The Contemporary Resort Hotel, the Polynesian Village, and Fort Wilderness were also completed in time for the park's opening on October 1, 1971. The Palm and Magnolia golf courses near Magic Kingdom had opened a few weeks before. At the park's opening, Roy O. Disney dedicated the property and declared that it would be known as "Walt Disney World" in his brother's honor. In his own words: "Everyone has heard of Ford cars. But have they all heard of Henry Ford, who started it all? Walt Disney World is in memory of the man who started it all, so people will know his name as long as Walt Disney World is here." After the dedication, Roy Disney asked Walt's widow, Lillian, what she thought of Walt Disney World. According to biographer Bob Thomas, she responded, "I think Walt would have approved." Roy O. Disney died on December 20, 1971, less than three months after the property opened. Much of Walt Disney's plans for his Progress City were abandoned after his death, after the company board decided that it did not want to be in the business of running a city. The concept evolved into the resort's second theme park, EPCOT Center (renamed Epcot in 1996), which opened in 1982. While still emulating Walt Disney's original idea of showcasing new technology, it is closer to a world's fair than a "community of tomorrow". Some of the urban planning concepts from the original idea of EPCOT would instead be integrated into the community of Celebration much later. The resort's third theme park, Disney-MGM Studios (renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2008), opened in 1989, and is inspired by show business. The resort's fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom, opened in 1998. George Kalogridis was named president of the resort in December 2012, replacing Meg Crofton, who had overseen the site since 2006. Timeline
Walt Disney (left) with his brother Roy O. Disney (right) and then-governor of Florida W. Haydon Burns (center) on November 15, 1965, publicly announcing the creation of Disney World. 1965 Walt Disney announces Florida Project 1966 Walt Disney dies of lung cancer at age 65 1967 Construction of Walt Disney World Resort begins 1971 Magic Kingdom Palm and Magnolia Golf Courses Disney's Contemporary Resort Disney's Polynesian Resort Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground Roy O. Disney dies at age 78 1972 Disney's Village Resort 1973 The Golf Resort 1974 Discovery Island 1975 Walt Disney Village Marketplace 1976 Disney's River Country 1980 Walt Disney World Conference Center 1982 Epcot 1986 The Disney Inn 1988 Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort 1989 Disney-MGM Studios Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Pleasure Island 1990 Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort Walt Disney World Swan Walt Disney World Dolphin 1991 Disney's Port Orleans Resort French Quarter Disney Vacation Club Disney's Old Key West Resort 1992 Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside (Dixie Landings) Bonnet Creek Golf Club 1994 Disney's All-Star Sports Resort Disney's Wilderness Lodge Shades of Green 1995 Disney's All-Star Music Resort Disney's Blizzard Beach Disney's Fairy Tale Wedding Pavilion Walt Disney World Speedway 1996 Disney Institute Disney's BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas 1997 Disney's Coronado Springs Resort Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex Downtown Disney West Side 1998 Disney's Animal Kingdom DisneyQuest 1999 Disney's All-Star Movies Resort 2000 The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge 2001 Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 2002 Disney's Beach Club Villas 2003 Disney's Pop Century Resort 2004 Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa 2007 Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas 2008 Disney-MGM Studios is renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios 2009 Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort Treehouse Villas 2011 Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort 2012 Disney's Art of Animation Resort Phase 1 of New Fantasyland 2013 The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 2014 Phase 2 of New Fantasyland Location
Map showing the Magic Kingdom portion of the park.
One of four arches welcoming guests to the resort. Despite marketing claims and popular misconceptions, the Florida resort is not within Orlando city limits, but is actually about 21 miles (34 km) southwest of downtown Orlando, much of it in southwestern Orange County, with the remainder in adjacent Osceola County. The property includes the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake which are governed by the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The 27,258 acres (11,031 ha; 43 sq mi) [6] site is accessible from Central Florida's Interstate 4 via Exits 62B (World Drive), 64B (US 192 West), 65B (Osceola Parkway West), 67B (SR 536 West), and 68 (SR 535 North), and Exit 8 on State Road 429 (Florida), the Western Expressway. At its founding the park occupied approximately 30,500 acres (12,343 ha; 48 sq mi). Portions of the property have since been sold or de-annexed, including land now occupied by the Disney-built community of Celebration. Now the park occupies 27,258 acres (11,031 ha; 43 sq mi), [6] about the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan.
Attractions
Germany pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase (one of 11 country pavilions)
Typhoon Lagoon, one of two waterparks at the resort
View of Downtown Disney and Characters in Flight Further information: List of Walt Disney World Resort attractions Theme parks Magic Kingdom Epcot Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Animal Kingdom Water parks Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Disney's Blizzard Beach There are also many beaches around the area Other attractions Downtown Disney, opened March 22, 1975 Disney's BoardWalk, opened July 1, 1996 Disney's Wedding Pavilion, opened July 15, 1995 ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, opened March 28, 1997 Walt Disney World Speedway and Richard Petty Driving Experience, opened November 28, 1995 Golf and recreation Disney's property includes five golf courses. The four 18-hole golf courses are the Palm (4 Stars), the Magnolia (4 Stars), Lake Buena Vista (4 Stars) and Osprey Ridge (4 Stars). There is also a nine-hole walking course (no electric carts allowed) called Oak Trail, designed for young golfers. The Magnolia and Palm courses play home to the PGA Tour's Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. Arnold Palmer Golf Management manages the Disney golf courses. [7] Additionally, there are two themed miniature golf complexes, each with two courses, Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland. Catch-and-release fishing excursions are offered daily on the resort's lakes. A Florida fishing license is not required because it occurs on private property. Cane-pole fishing is offered from the docks at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney's Port Orleans Resort. Additional recreational activities include watercraft rentals, surrey bike rentals, and firework cruises that launch from several resort marinas. Former attractions Disney's River Country: The first water park at the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on June 20, 1976 and closed on November 1, 2001. Discovery Island: An island in Bay Lake which was home to many species of animals and birds. It opened on April 8, 1974 and closed on April 8, 1999. Resorts Of the thirty-four resorts and hotels on the Walt Disney World property, twenty-eight are owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. These are classified into four categories: Deluxe, Moderate, Value, and Disney Vacation Club Villas, and are located in one of five resort areas: the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Wide World of Sports, Animal Kingdom, or Downtown Disney resort areas. While all of the Deluxe resort hotels have achieved a AAA Four Diamond rating, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is considered the highest tier flagship luxury resort on the Walt Disney World Resort complex. [8]
On-site Disney resorts Name Opening Date Theme Number of Rooms Area Deluxe resorts Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge April 16, 2001 African Wildlife preserve 1,307 Animal Kingdom Disney's Beach Club Resort November 19, 1990 Newport Beach cottage 576 Epcot Disney's BoardWalk Inn July 1, 1996 Early 20th Century Atlantic and Ocean City 378 Disney's Contemporary Resort October 1, 1971 Modern 655 Magic Kingdom Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa July 1, 1988 Victorian seaside resort 867 Disney's Polynesian Village Resort October 1, 1971 South Seas 847 Disney's Wilderness Lodge May 28, 1994 Pacific Northwest, National Park Service Rustic 729 Disney's Yacht Club Resort November 5, 1990 Martha's Vineyard Resort 621 Epcot Moderate resorts Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort October 1, 1988 Tropical Islands 2,112 Epcot Disney's Coronado Springs Resort August 1, 1997 Mexico, American Southwest 1,915 Animal Kingdom Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter May 17, 1991 New Orleans French Quarter 1,008 Downtown Disney Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside February 2, 1992 Antebellum South 2,048 Value resorts Name Opening Date Theme Number of Rooms Area Disney's All-Star Movies Resort January 15, 1999 Disney films 1,920 Animal Kingdom Disney's All-Star Music Resort November 22, 1994 Music 1,604 Disney's All-Star Sports Resort April 24, 1994 Sports 1,920 Disney's Art of Animation Resort May 31, 2012 Disney and Pixar animated films 1,984 Wide World of Sports Disney's Pop Century Resort December 14, 2003 20th century American pop culture 2,880 Disney Vacation Club Disney's Old Key West Resort December 20, 1991 Early 20th Century Key West 761 Downtown Disney Disney's BoardWalk Villas July 1, 1996 Early 20th Century Atlantic City 530 Epcot The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge November 15, 2000 Pacific Northwest 181 Magic Kingdom Disney's Beach Club Villas July 1, 2002 Newport resort 282 Epcot Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa May 17, 2004 1880s Upstate New York resort 1,320 Downtown Disney Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas August 15, 2007 African safari lodge 708 Animal Kingdom Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort August 4, 2009 Modern 428 Magic Kingdom The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa October 23, 2013 Victorian Seaside Resort 147 Cabins and campgrounds Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground November 19, 1971 Rustic Woods Camping 800 campsites 409 cabins Magic Kingdom Residential areas Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort Fall 2011 Varies 450 homes Magic Kingdom
The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Walt Disney World's flagship resort
Disney's Polynesian Resort, a deluxe level resort
Caribbean Beach Resort, the first moderate resort at Walt Disney World
Fort Wilderness, Disney's campground and cabin resort
Disney's All Star Movies Resort, one of five value resorts On-site non-Disney hotels Hotel Name Opening Date Theme Number of Rooms Owner Area Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort Hotel November 21, 1972 None 325 Best Western Downtown Disney Hotel Name Opening Date Theme Number of Rooms Owner Area Doubletree Guest Suite Resort March 15, 1987 229 Hilton Hotels Corporation Wyndham Lake Buena Vista October 15, 1972 626 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Hilton Walt Disney World November 23, 1983 787 Hilton Hotels Corporation Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World Resort February 8, 1973 323 InterContinental Hotels Group Royal Plaza October 1, 1972 394 N/A Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa March 10, 1983 1,014 Blackstone Group Bonnet Creek Resort Various Various, 3,000 total Hilton Worldwide, Wyndham Worldwide Epcot Walt Disney World Swan January 13, 1990 Underwater & Seashore 756 Westin Hotels Walt Disney World Dolphin January 1, 1990 1,509 Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Shades of Green a Walt Disney World Resort February 1, 1994 Upscale Country Club 586 United States Department of Defense Magic Kingdom
Shades of Green Resort, owned and operated by the United States Military
The Walt Disney World Dolphin
The Walt Disney World Swan
Double Tree Guest Suites, located at Hotel Plaza Boulevard
The Hilton at Walt Disney World, located at Hotel Plaza Boulevard Former resorts The Golf Resort Became The Disney Inn, and later became Shades of Green. Disney's Village Resort Became the Villas at Disney Institute and then Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. The "Tree House" Villas were decommissioned for a time because they were not accessible to disabled guests. Until early 2008, they were used for International Program Cast Member housing. In February 2008, Disney submitted plans to the South Florida Water Management District to replace the 60 existing villas with 60 new villas. [9] The Treehouse Villas opened during the summer of 2009. Celebration (A town designed and built by Disney, now managed by a resident run association.) Lake Buena Vista (Disney originally intended this area to become a complete community with multiple residences, shopping, and offices, but transformed the original homes into hotel lodging in the 1970s, which were demolished in the early 2000s to build Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa) Proposed resorts Disney's Asian Resort Disney's Persian Resort Disney's Venetian Resort Disney's Mediterranean Resort Fort Wilderness Junction Disney's Magical Express
Disney's Magical Express logo.
The file above is being considered for deletion. See files for deletion to help reach a consensus on what to do. Guests with a Disney Resort reservation arriving at Orlando International Airport can be transported to their resort from the airport using the complimentary Disney Magical Express service, which is operated by Mears Destination Services as Walt Disney World is not allowed to transport guests off resort property. Guests can also have their bags picked up and transported for them through a contract with BAGS Incorporated. Mears operates custom motor coaches and luggage is delivered to the guests' rooms by BAGS. Disney Cruise Line buses are also operated by Mears. Executive management President, Walt Disney World ResortGeorge Kalogridis o Senior Vice President of Operations and Next Generation Experiences, Walt Disney World ResortJim MacPhee o Senior Vice President of Operations, Sales, and Alliance Development, Walt Disney World ResortGeorge Aguel Vice President, Magic KingdomPhil Holmes Vice President, EpcotErin Youngs Vice President, Disney's Hollywood StudiosDan Cockerell Vice President, Disney's Animal KingdomJosh D'Amaro Vice President, Downtown DisneyKeith Bradford Vice President, Resort Hotel OperationsKevin Myers Vice President, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex and Disney Water ParksKen Potrock Vice President, Transportation, Sports, and GolfJim Vendur Vice President, Global Relationship Marketing, Disney Destinations LLCGreg Albrecht Vice President Engineering, Walt Disney World ResortJohn Watkins Vice President, Animal Programs and Environmental InitiativesDr. Jackie Ogden o Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Walt Disney World ResortBrian Besanceney Vice President, Community Relations and Minority Business Development, Walt Disney World ResortEugene Campbell Vice President Government Relations, Walt Disney World ResortBill Warren Former executive management Former President, Walt Disney World Resort 19942006Al Weiss Former President, Walt Disney World Resort 2006-2013-Meg Crofton Former Executive Vice President of Operations, Walt Disney World Resort 19942006 Lee Cockerell Former Senior Vice President of Operations, Walt Disney World Resort 20062009 Erin Wallace Former Senior Vice President of Operations, Walt Disney World ResortKarl Holz Former EVP Marketing 19731996 Tom Elrod Former EVP Marketing 19962006 Linda Warren o Former Vice President, Magic Kingdom 20002001Erin Wallace o Former Vice President, Magic Kingdom 19871994Bill Sullivan o Former Vice President, Epcot 2011Rilous Carter o Former Vice President, Epcot 20092011Dan Cockerell o Former Vice President, Epcot 20072009Jim MacPhee o Former Vice President, Epcot 20012007Brad Rex o Former Vice President, Epcot 19941996Linda Warren o Former Vice President, Epcot 19871990Norm Doerges o Former Vice President, Disney's Hollywood StudiosMichael O'Grattan o Former Vice President, Disney-MGM-StudiosBruce Laval o Former Vice President, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Animal ProgramsDr. Beth Stevens o Former Vice President, Disney's Animal KingdomVal Bunting o Former Vice President, Disney's Animal KingdomKevin Lasnsberry o Former Vice President, Downtown DisneyKevin Lasnsberry o Former Vice President, Downtown DisneyDjuan Rivers o Former Vice President, Downtown DisneyKarl Holz Attendance
Magic Kingdom, the world's most visited theme park Year Magic Kingdom Epcot Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Animal Kingdom 2008 [10] 17,063,000 10,935,000 9,608,000 9,540,000 2009 [11] 17,233,000 10,990,000 9,700,000 9,590,000 2010 [12] 16,972,000 10,825,000 9,603,000 9,686,000 2011 [13] 17,142,000 10,826,000 9,699,000 9,783,000 2012 [14] 17,536,000 11,063,000 9,912,000 9,998,000 2013 [15] 18,588,000 11,229,000 10,110,000 10,198,000 Employment When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the site employed about 5,500 "cast members". Today Walt Disney World employs more than 66,000 cast members, spending more than $1.2 billion on payroll and $474 million on benefits each year. The largest single-site employer in the United States, [16] Walt Disney World has more than 3,700 job classifications. The resort also sponsors and operates the Walt Disney World College Program, an internship program that offers American college students (CP's) the opportunity to live about 15 miles (24 km) off-site in four Disney-owned apartment complexes and work at the resort, and thereby provides much of the theme park and resort "front line" cast members. There is also the Walt Disney World International College Program, an internship program that offers international college students (ICP's) from all over the world the same opportunity. Corporate culture Walt Disney World's corporate culture is based in some respects on that of its older sibling Disneyland, of which the most interesting is the use of a unique jargon based on theatrical terminology. This phenomenon is so well known that travel guidebooks have to include lists of common terms and abbreviations. [17][18] For example, park visitors are always "guests", employees are "cast members," rides are "attractions" or "adventures", cast members costumed as famous Disney characters in a way that does not cover their faces are known as "face characters", jobs are "roles", and public and nonpublic areas are respectively labeled "onstage" and "backstage". [17][18]
Maintenance In a March 30, 2004 article in The Orlando Sentinel, then-Walt Disney World president Al Weiss gave some insight into how the parks are maintained: More than 5,000 cast members are dedicated to maintenance and engineering, including 750 horticulturists and 600 painters. Disney spends more than $100 million every year on maintenance at the Magic Kingdom. In 2003, $6 million was spent on renovating its Crystal Palace restaurant. 90 percent of guests say that the upkeep and cleanliness of the Magic Kingdom are excellent or very good. The streets in the parks are steam cleaned every night. There are cast members permanently assigned to painting the antique carousel horses; they use genuine gold leaf. There is a tree farm on site so that when a mature tree needs to be replaced, a thirty-year- old tree will be available to replace it. Transportation
A Disney bus, one of the transportation modes within Walt Disney World A fleet of Disney-operated buses on property, branded Disney Transport, is complimentary for guests. In 2007, Disney Transport started a guest services upgrade to the buses. SatellGPS systems controlling new public address systems on the buses give safety information, park tips and other general announcements, with music. They are not to be confused with the Disney Cruise Line and Disney's Magical Express buses, which are operated by Mears Transportation. The Walt Disney World Monorail System also provides transportation at Walt Disney World. They operate on three routes that interconnect at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), adjacent to the Magic Kingdom's parking lot. One line provides an express non-stop link from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom, while a second line provides a link from the TTC to Epcot. The third line links the TTC and the Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian resorts. Disney Transport also operates a fleet of watercraft, ranging in size from water taxis up to the ferries that connect the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Additionally, it is also responsible for maintaining the fleet of parking lot trams used for shuttling visitors between the various theme park parking lots and their respective main entrances. The major roads within the resort (World Drive, Osceola Parkway and Epcot Center Drive) have segments that are built as freeways with full grade-separated interchanges. World Drive enters Walt Disney World from U.S. Route 192 and heads north to the Magic Kingdom Resort Area. Osceola Parkway heads east from the Animal Kingdom Resort Area to Interstate 4. Epcot Center Drive is a freeway for most of its route, running east from World Drive, past the Epcot parking lot to Interstate 4. Buena Vista Drive is a major surface street, running east from the Animal Kingdom Resort Area to Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Epcot Resort Area, and Downtown Disney. Name and logo During the resort's early planning stages, Walt Disney referred to the project as Project X, The Florida Project, Disney World, and The Disney World. Early visual references used the same medieval font as Disneyland. Walt Disney was very involved in the site selection and project planning in the years before his death. The secretive names were chosen because of the high confidentiality of the project during the initial planning. After Walt Disney's death, Roy O. Disney added the name Walt to Disney World as a permanent tribute to his brother. The original Walt Disney World logo featured an over-sized "D" with a Mickey Mouse-shaped globe containing latitude and longitude lines, with the property's name presented in a blocky, modern, sans-serif font. The original logo was retired during the resort's 25th anniversary celebration in 1996 and was replaced with the current logo, which features the "Walt Disney" portion of the logo in the typical Disney corporate signature font and "World" in Times New Roman font. Remnants of the original logo can still be found in many places throughout the resort, including the SpectroMagic title float, on the front car of each monorail, manhole covers, survey markers, and flags flown at several sites across the property. During the resort's 40th anniversary celebration in 2011, the original logo began to reappear on merchandise sold at the resort and can still be found on select items sold at various gift shops and stores at Walt Disney World. Twin town As part of a competition run by Disney for 2010, Walt Disney World has an unofficial twinning (sister city) with Swindon, England, since 2009. [19][20] Rebecca Warren's submission to the competition granted Swindon to be the twin town of Walt Disney World, which is famous for its intersection with six roundabouts. Warren and the mayor of Swindon were invited to a "twinning" ceremony, where a plaque revealing the connection will be placed. [21]
See also Disney College Program Incidents at Walt Disney World Rail transport in Disney Parks Walt Disney Travel Company Walt Disney World Casting Center Walt Disney World Company Walt Disney World Explorer Walt Disney World Hospitality and Recreation Corporation Walt Disney World International Program References 1. Fogleson, Richard E. (2003). Married to the Mouse. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-300-09828-0. 2. Mannheim, Steve (2002). Walt Disney and the Quest for Community. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. pp. 6870. ISBN 0-7546-1974-5. 3. Koenig, David (2007). Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World. Irvine, CA: Bonaventure Press. pp. 2526. ISBN 978-0-9640605-2-4. 4. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1993-05-30/news/9305280833_1_walt-disney- osceola-land-transactions 5. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2000-08-06/news/0008050172_1_walt-disney- andersen-central-florida/2 6. Walt Disney World News [dead link] Press Release on Resort Landscape Facts (2008) 7. Jason Garcia (August 24, 2011). "Disney golf: Disney World to turn its golf courses over to Arnold Palmer - Orlando Sentinel". Orlando Sentinel. Articles.orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved April 22, 2013. 8. "Grand Floridian Construction Project". Laughing Place. 9. "Treehouse Villas To Be Replaced By New Treehouses At Walt Disney World". Netcot.com. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2008-09-08. 10. "TEA/AECOM 2008 Global Attractions Report". Themed Entertainment Association. 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2012. 11. "TEA/AECOM 2009 Global Attractions Report". Themed Entertainment Association. 2009. Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2012. 12. "TEA/AECOM 2010 Global Attractions Report". Themed Entertainment Association. 2010. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2012. 13. "TEA/AECOM 2011 Global Attractions Report". Themed Entertainment Association. 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2012. 14. "TEA/AECOM 2012 Global Attractions Report". Themed Entertainment Association. 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2014. 15. "TEA/AECOM 2013 Global Attractions Report". Themed Entertainment Association. 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2014. 16. "Disney Profile". Hospitality Online. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-07. 17. Bob Sehlinger; Len Testa (2014). The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2014. Birmingham, AL: Keen Communications. pp. 1415. ISBN 9781628090000. 18. Mohney, Chris (2006). Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Walt Disney World. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc. p. 115. ISBN 9780470089880. 19. "Walt Disney World to become twin town of Swindon". BBC News Online. December 7, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2010. 20. Gammell, Caroline (2009-12-07). "Swindon twinned with Disney World". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved May 27, 2010. 21. Dewayne Bevil (December 9, 2009). "Disney World taps "twin town"". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 8 March 2012. Kellehe, Michael. "Images of the past: Historical Authenticity and Inauthenticity From Disney to Time Square". External links
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