Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World
IndustryEntertainment, hospitality
FoundedOctober 1, 1971 (53 years ago) (1971-10-01)
Founders
HeadquartersBay Lake, Celebration and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States
Key people
  • Jeff Vahle (President)
  • Jason Kirk (SVP, Theme Parks)
  • Maribeth Bisienere (SVP, Resorts)[1][2]
Number of employees
77,000+[3]
ParentDisney Experiences
WebsiteWalt Disney World
Walt Disney World
Theme parks
Water parks
Other attractions and areas
Resorts
Affiliated services
Transport

The Walt Disney World Resort (also known as Walt Disney World or Disney World) is an entertainment resort complex located about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres (39 sq mi; 101 km2), of which half has been developed.[4] Walt Disney World contains numerous recreational facilities designed to attract visitors for an extended stay, including four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, conference centers, a competitive sports complex and a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Additionally, there are 19 Disney-owned resort hotels and one camping resort on the property, and many other non-Disney-operated resorts on and near the property.

Designed to supplement Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had opened in 1955, the complex was developed by Walt Disney in the 1960s. Walt wanted to build a new park because Disneyland in California was limited from expanding by the establishments that sprung up around it. "The Florida Project", as it was known, was intended to present a distinct vision with its own diverse set of attractions. Walt Disney's original plans also called for the inclusion of an "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" (EPCOT), a planned community intended to serve as a testbed for new city-living innovations. Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966, during the initial planning of the complex. After his death, the company wrestled with the idea of whether to bring the Disney World project to fruition; however, Walt's older brother, Roy O. Disney, came out of retirement to ensure Walt's biggest dream was realized. Construction started in 1967, with the company instead building a resort similar to Disneyland, abandoning the planned community concept. Magic Kingdom was the first theme park to open in the complex in 1971, followed by EPCOT (known then as EPCOT Center) in 1982, Disney's Hollywood Studios (known then as the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park) in 1989, and Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998. Roy insisted the name of the entire complex be changed from Disney World to Walt Disney World, to memorialize his brother.

In 2018, Walt Disney World was the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an average annual attendance of more than 58 million.[5] The resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States,[3] the flagship destination of Disney's worldwide corporate enterprise[6] and has become a staple of American popular culture.

  1. ^ Reed, Molly (July 20, 2021). "More Disney World resorts, restaurants reopen after a year of updates". WKMG. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "New Leadership Team Announced At Disney Parks, Experiences And Products" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. May 18, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Fact Sheet" (PDF). Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. February 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "Walt Disney World Fun Facts" (PDF). Walt Disney World News. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2018 Report was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Disney Profile". Hospitality Online. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2007.