Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is the greatest complex of leisures of the Walt Disney Company. It is located at approximately 30 kilometers in the south-west of Orlando. The complex gathers several recreation parks, of many hotels and all the services associated. It is a true city based on tourism and worked by what Walt Disney then the Disney company called the magic Disney .

The field extends on more than 11.000 ha (110 km ²), that is to say more than Paris intramurally (10 000 ha) or twice the island of Manhattan (5 000 ha). The park was at the origin of the demographic and economic explosion of the town of Orlando, particularly of its airport and its hotel sector.

Walt Disney negotiated with the state of Florida so that the field can have a jurisdiction comparable with a city. It is the signature of the Reedy Creek Act which created in 1965 the equivalent of a commune directed by a privately held company, the first of the kind.

The park actually belongs to several companies very subsidiary of Walt Disney Company of which the Walt Disney World Company and the Walt Disney Travel Company. Walt Disney had organized important a " assembly financier" with companies screens in order to dilute the share of Walt Disney Company in this important project.

It has its own currency valid in all the field, the Disney Dollar, exchangeable at the rate of 1 per 1, with the American dollar.

History

See also: Historical of Walt Disney World

The history of the complex goes back to the years which followed the opening in California of the first park of the Disney company, Disneyland. Walt Disney would have liked to make of this park a Magic Royaume with the full direction of the term. But he realized that the neighborhoods of its kingdom attracted not very respectful promoters of the quality of the decoration which it wished. Then it decided to build another park of which it would control the neighborhoods.

The first park of Walt Disney World opened its doors in 1971. And since, thanks to the immense surface, the Walt Disney Company could open several other parks, of many hotels and a whole universe surrounding with the image " wanted by its créateur" , a world of illusion.

Closings

The first closing of the parks took place during the hurricane Floyd in 1999, which causes evacuations in all the area.

The whole complex of Walt Disney World Resort closed the September 11th, 2001 and reopened only a few days later. The hotels had remained open but the remainder of the field of leisures was closed in order to prevent that the visitors are the target of an additional terrorist attack.

The hurricanes Charley and Frances passed in the area during the summer 2004, causing two new closings. In the same way in 2005, several hurricanes made close the whole of the complex.

Economic aspect

See also: Economic aspect of Walt Disney World

Attractions

The complex includes/understands attractions to occupy the tourists: several parks with topics and various places of leisures. Moreover the Disney company wanted to extend its tourist offer by closely binding the complex to the Disney Cruise Line, a company of cruising whose Home port is to a hundred kilometers in the east close to Cap Canaveral.

Magic Kingdom

First part of the park completed in 1971 and realized on the model of Disneyland, its emblem is the Château of Cinderella . Seven “countries” compose it and gather by topic the most famous attractions of Disney.
Although they are oldest of the parks of the complex and also smallest, it is always the Magic Kingdom which attracts the most visitors. It is the only park which Walt Disney in the complex wanted to build, the others were decided after its death.

See also: Magic Kingdom

EPCOT

It is a permanent international exhibition, in two parts, open on October 1st 1982, Future World on the future and technologies, the other World Showcase presents eleven nations. The emblem is enormous a Géosphère called “Vessel Ground” ( Spaceship Earth ). The opening ceremony took place only on October 24th of very the année.
Many houses opened later of which Horizons just a year after, from now on replaced by Mission: Space. Unfortunately its very educational side does not make a place of entertainments of it. Moreover houses all were sponsored by great American groups what made feel with the visitors certain a faintness, a feeling of forced consumption. The sponsors disappeared gradually because they refused to renew their contracts with the company Disney, the price exceeded the returns on investment. The current leaders of Disney try however to renew the offer of the park by eliminating the unpleasing side a little.

See also: EPCOT

Disney-MGM Studios

It is a park on the topic of the movie studios, open in 1989. Its emblem was the Mann' S Chinese Theater then the water tower to the ears of Mickey but they were replaced by a giant version of the hat of Mickey in the sorcerer's apprentice (Fantasia).
This park leaves at the origin an idea house on the history and the techniques the cinema in EPCOT. The subject is very vast and it is almost an affront for a studio of production to make only one attraction. At the beginning the park is rather small and contains only one ten attractions but success arrived quickly. Attractions are currently many and spectacular such ques the Tour of Terror or Rock “Roller Coaster.

See also: Disney-MGM Studios, Disney-MGM Studios structures

Disney' S Animal Kingdom

It is a park with zoological vocation, open in 1997, its emblem is “the Tree of Life” ( Tree off Life ). The park contains five parts symbolizing various worlds: Asia, Africa or the dinosaures

See also: Disney' S Animal Kingdom

Other places of leisures

This park watery is based on the topic of a tropical island devastated by a hurricane
  • Blizzard Beach
This park watery is based on the topic of a ski station in Florida (permanent snow), a miniature golf is next to it.
  • River Country
This park watery is definitively closed for reason of nonconformity. it is within the camp-site (possible reconversion?)
  • Downtown Disney, it is a retail park cut out in 3 parts at the edge of a lake
    • Pleasure Island left on an island with night clubs
    • Marketplace left forest with many Disney shops, a Rainforest Cafe and enormous a McDonald's.
    • West Side left nearer Las Vegas with restaurants and attractions such as DisneyQuest, a permanent theater of the Cirque of the Sun…
  • Disney' S BoardWalk
It is a retail park integrated into a hotel, representing a pediment of a seaside resort of New England about 1930.
  • Disney' S Wide World off Sports
Center of drive and sports events open to the public.
  • Five golfs of world class of 18 holes, a sixth of 9 holes, 2 miniature golfs.

Lakes with their pedestrian or horse courses, their marinas, and many other activities:

It is interesting to note that in a expensive preoccupation with a history to the storyteller Walt Disney, many elements apart from the parks have an imaginary history explaining their origins and associating them in these places. It is the case of Pleasure Island, old factory, property of Mr. Merrywather Adam Pleasure, manufacturer of veil, which explains the industrial aspect of the island. The factory was abandoned because of the Second world war and a hurricane, that one even which created the park of Typhoon Lagoon. One icy winter brought thus the snow of the Blizzard Beach…

Hotels

Walt Disney World in addition to having several amusement parks is also an important hotel complex. It counts currently more than 20.000 hotel rooms. All the hotels are thématisés and take part in the environment developed by the architects of Disney. They have many activities and make it possible to the visitors to prolong their stays.

The complex has in its many hotels also center of congress to attract tourism of business.

See also: Hotels of Walt Disney World

Transport

In addition to transport inside the parks (with the image of Disneyland), the field includes/understands many means of transport in order to connect the various elements the component. This transport considered as public transport is free for the people having a ticket for one (them) park (S) or its resident's card of a hotel of Walt Disney World.

Lakes and rivers, as well as the forests also make it possible to make boat or horse. (attention not anyhow either!)

Monorail

Walt Disney World has as Disneyland a Monorail but here it is conceived like true means of transport. During a long time it was the only monorail to have this use. There remains the monorail more attended in the world. Only that of Las Vegas, increased in 2003 has a comparable network.

See also: Walt Disney World Monorail

Boats

Boats traverse also the system of drainage managed by the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Ferries permanently connect the Magic Kingdom to the carpark which is dedicated to him on the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon, near to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Others ferries connect this center of transport to the camp-site located on banks of Bay Lake, with a stop with the Disney' S Wilderness Lodge Resort.
A ferry connects EPCOT (since International Gateway) to the Disney-MGM Studios while passing by the Crescent Lake skirting the Disney' S BoardWalk Resort with its center of entertainment, Disney' S Yacht & Beach Club Arises, Walt Disney World Dolphin & Swan.
Another connects every 40 minutes Downtown Disney, on banks of the Lake Buena Vista, with the Disney' S Port Orleans Resort (Riverside and French Quarter) while skirting the Disney' S Old Key West Resort and recent the Disney' S Saratoga Springs Resort along the river Sassagoula.

Hirings of boats, jet skis or boats to make small excursions, races or fishing are possible on the majority of the lakes. Mini the outboard motor boat are called Wild Mouse .

Carparks

Each park has its own carpark, the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT have carparks of more than 8000 places, and nearly 5000 places for Disney' S Animal Kingdom and for Disney-MGM Studios. Which it is necessary to add approximately 3000 places for Downtown Disney and those of the carparks of each hôtel.
The carpark of the Magic Kingdom was partly amputee in order to build a track of race of car of the Indy type Because (cf Indianapolis 500), the Disney' S Speedway. Courses of control are even organized.

On the carparks of the parks a system of trams (comparable with the long trucks with several trailers of the Studio Tram Turn) makes it possible to take the visitors and to deposit them or to take them at the entry of the park or the transport system nearest. Thus on that of the Magic Kingdom the visitors are embarked/unloaded with the Ticket and Transportation Center which gathers a station of bus, monorail and a landing stage of ferries.

Bus

A fleet of bus operates on the property. It is managed by a subsidiary company of the Walt Disney Company and baptized Disney Transport , it is free for the visitors lodged by Disney or having entries with the parks.

Walt Disney World launched the May 5th 2005 a service named “ Disney' S Magical Express ” making it possible to the visitors to take a bus Disney as of the airport of Orlando directly for their Disney hotels. Their luggage are them also taken along directly in their rooms for those which wish it (paying option in the hotel fixed price). This easy way makes it possible to return the holidays at Disney " simple and facile" , although it returns the visits to the competitor parks of Orlando as Universal Orlando Resort or badly easy SeaWorld, to see impossibles.
Starting from September 23rd, 2005 the international airport of Orlando prohibited to the employees service Disney' S Magical Express to accommodate the visitors inside the hall of the air terminal because of skid. Certain visitors have seems it accosted and the employees would have proposed the service of bus to them directly in the hall what is compared to a rigorously prohibited canvassing. It should be recalled that this service paying and is subscribed at the time of the reservation.

Planes

According to the plans imagined by Walt Disney, an airport was to be built on the site, mainly in order to mitigate the absence at the time of international airport (that of Orlando was open in 1974). It was to be built where the Disney' S Animal Kingdom is currently located.

But an aerodrome named Lake Buena Vista Stolport existed a long time on the site. Located along the World Drive near the Disney' S Wilderness Lodge Arises and of the Transportation and Ticket Center, it is not indicated any more like credit since 2004, but was still named in 1998 like aerodrome deprived in regional documents but absent since 1976 of the list of the American airports. However in 2004 the additional track and buildings are always in perfect state.

Community activities or of leisures

Apart from the recreation parks and hotels it is possible to practice many activities of leisures or professional.

Centers of congress

Walt Disney World is one of the greatest places of congress of North America, with more than 77.000 m ². It is often quoted as being in competition with Las Vegas, and this without counting the so over-equipped area of Orlando it. The centers of congress are associated with the hotels:
  • Disney' S BoardWalk Inn 2.000 m ²

  • Disney' S Contemporary Arises 9.000 m ²
  • Disney' S Coronado Springs Resort 22.000 m ²
  • Disney' S Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 4.000 m ²
  • Disney' S Yacht & Beach Club Arises 7.300 m ²
  • Walt Disney World Dolphin & Swan 32.900 m ² distributed in the two hotels

Disney has also the Disney' S Garden Pavilions two rooms within the minigolf Fantasia Gardens.

Marriages

Since 1995, the Disney' S Fairy Tale Wedding Pavilion makes it possible to make a ceremony of marriage of A to Z. a vault, a room of reception and several places with the splendid panoramas are available for the various stages of the marriage. It is even possible to couple with a cruising on the Disney Cruise Line.

The golf

Walt Disney World according to the wish of Walt Disney, has several golf courses. With currently five golfs of 18 holes, one of 9, and three miniature golfs, the complex was called the Magic Linkdom .

See also: Golf in Walt Disney World

The sport

In addition to the golf, the complex of Walt Disney World allows the practice of many sports. One can quote fishing, the jogging, the water sports or tennis. The sports are organized in the hotels.

In 1997 Walt Disney World opened a sporting center, the Disney' S Wide World off Sports in the south of the property.

See also: Disney' S Wide World off Sports

Other services

Walt Disney World abounds in various services to conclude the immense complex of leisures, some are subsidiary companies of Disney and others not. Thus one finds gathered by zone:

Administrative office

The direction of the complex is installed in an important building located at the south of Downtown Disney: the TEAM Disney Building Orlando. Just at side the Walt Disney World Casting Center is who lodges the service of human resources.

Exchange Shop North

  • a center of repair of monorail and steam train.
  • a bunker for fires of artifices
  • of the zones of warehouses for closed attractions

Exchange Shop South

companies of construction or talks:

  • the Electrical Repair and Maintenance Company (ERMCO) * Coquina Engineering a company of construction specialized in the maritime construction industries and also the pediments, let us bridge, pedestrian ways and thick timber construction. The Disney company their also gave an authorization to carry out concrete constructions. It thus carried out the majority of the paths and the pavements of the parks and the hotels of the complex.

Other Zones

  • a processing center of the waste water
  • a farm of trees
  • a security service: Disney Security

External bonds

  • DLRP.fr All topicality of the Disney parks in the French world

  • Official site of Walt Disney World
  • the http://allearsnet.com/ site a site of very complete fan
  • French Official site of Disney

Simple: Walt Disney World Arises

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