Walt Disney World Facts

Walt Disney World, Florida, has been a major tourist attraction in the United States for more than three decades now. The popularity of the resort has increased manifolds over the period of time. Here are some Walt Disney World facts, which makes this place a popular destination for all people, irrespective of their age group.
Walt Disney World Facts
Walt Disney World is a recreational resort owned by the Walt Disney Company's Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment. The resort is located southwest of Orlando, Florida in the United States. With four theme parks, two water parks, 23 themed hotels to its credit, Walt Disney World Resort is one of the largest, and most visited recreational resort in the world.

When Did Walt Disney World Open
The history of Walt Disney World is quite fascinating. The resort opened on 1st October, 1971, with just the Magic Kingdom theme park to its credit, and the admission cost of only $3.50 for an adult. The opening day itself saw a crowd of around 10,000 guests. More than a decade later, on 1st October, 1982, Epcot, a theme park dedicated to international culture and technological innovation, was added to the resort. 1st May, 1989, saw the emergence of Disney's Hollywood Studios, while Disney's Animal Kingdom was added to the famed resort on 22nd April, 1998.

Walt Disney World Facts
The Walt Disney World Resort is also known as the Walt Disney World and Disney World. The resort is spread over an area of 30,500 acres, which makes it approximately of the same size as San Francisco. Here are some more Walt Disney World facts:
  • The Magic Kingdom Park located at the Walt Disney World Resort is itself spread over an area of 107 acres, which makes it larger than Disneyland California.
  • The E-ticket covers eight attractions at Disney's Magic Kingdom Park, namely Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Country Bear Jamboree, Jungle Cruise, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Hall of Presidents.
  • Approximately 46 million people visit the Walt Disney World Resort annually. Every year around 17 million people visit Magic Kingdom, 10.9 million people visit the Epcot, 9.6 million people visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom and 9.5 million people visit Disney's Hollywood Studios.
  • The tallest structure in Disney's Magic Kingdom is the Cinderella Castle, standing 189 ft tall. The honor for the second tallest structure goes to the Space Mountain, which is 183 ft tall.
  • The Spaceship Earth, which serves as the principle gateway to the Epcot theme park, weighs an awesome 16 million pounds.
  • When the blockbuster Hollywood flick, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men’s Chest released, The Pirates of Caribbean attraction at the Magic Kingdom was renovated, and several characters from the movie, such as Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa, were added to it.
  • The Swiss Family Treehouse in Adventureland, made of concrete and polyethylene leaves, stands 60 ft tall, and weighs approximately 200 tons.
  • The Spirits of America statues erected in 'The American Adventure' attraction at the Epcot theme park represents Adventure, Compassion, Discovery, Freedom, Heritage, Independence, Individualism, Innovation, Knowledge, Pioneering, Self-Reliance and Tomorrow.
  • Dino-Sue at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an exact replica of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex, which towers four stories over DinoLand USA.
  • The Aerosmith starrer attraction, The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, located at the Disney's Hollywood Studios accelerates from 0 - 60 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds.
  • The authentic 1928 steam engine powered train on the Walt Disney World Railroad serves around 1.5 million passengers every year.
Most of the people know when was Walt Disney World created, but not many know all these interesting Walt Disney World facts listed above. Owing to several vacation packages which are relatively inexpensive considering the sheer amount of fun you derive here, Disney vacations are gaining tremendous popularity among all age groups. There are so many things to do at Walt Disney World Resort, ranging from joy rides to informative artifacts, and all these things just make the resort a place to be visited at least once in a lifetime.

By Abhijit Naik
Published: 7/24/2009
 
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