Misplaced Pages

#276723

107-569: There are some sources that suggest Walt Disney Company used the business as a training facility for its employees prior to deployment to Disney World . Walt Disney and the original investors built the Celebrity's complex at a cost of $ 6 million. The bowling lanes opened first in 1960 and the rest of the center opened in 1961. In 1979, a group of private investors led by Bob Leavitt and Neil Griffin purchased Celebrity's for $ 1.9 million. The three signature water slides that were visible from outside of

214-476: A Disneyland resort in Shanghai 's Pudong district. The resort opened on June 16, 2016. California Adventure completed its overhaul in 2012 adding two new lands: Cars Land and Buena Vista Street . The overhaul also included a re-themed of several attractions plus a pair of classic dark rides. In July 2017, it was announced that Paradise Pier land would be replaced by Pixar Pier, with four neighborhoods, and

321-535: A vehicle for hire service for a fee. The Minnie Van Service are Chevy Traverses dressed in a Minnie Mouse red-and-white polka dot design that can accommodate up to six people and have two carseats available to anyone that is within the Walt Disney World Resort limits. Cast members can install the car seats. Some of the unique advantages that the Minnie Van Service offers over a normal ride share

428-552: A $ 50 million investment was in the works for Disneyland, and that he had no interest in building a new park. In October 1965, editor Emily Bavar from the Sentinel visited Disneyland during the park's 10th-anniversary celebration. In an interview with Disney, she asked him if he was behind recent land purchases in Central Florida. Bavar later described that Disney "looked like I had thrown a bucket of water in his face", before denying

535-525: A 15-year marketing contract on January 25: Coca-Cola products would be exclusive in Disney theme parks, and Coca-Cola would use some Disney characters in their ads. On March 16, 1990, Attractions president Nunis announced a 25-year plan for a 4,400-acre (1,800 ha) development in Osceola, Florida , with homes, shopping malls and industrial buildings. In 1990, the possibility of a West Coast version of Epcot Center

642-562: A 54.1% reduction in annual attendance. This capacity limit causes less annual revenue, and may lower the number of visitors to the Orlando region. The Walt Disney World Resort is serviced by Disney Transport , a complimentary mass transportation system allowing guest access across the property. The fare-free system utilizes buses, monorails, gondola lifts, watercraft, and parking lot trams. The Walt Disney World Monorail System provides free transportation at Walt Disney World; guests can board

749-1003: A Japanese theme park. Tokyo Disneyland opened on April 15, 1983 on 200 acres (80 ha) in Urayasu, Chiba , Japan. With the retirement of Donn Tatum as Walt Disney Productions' Chairman and CEO on June 3, 1980, three divisions were formed, including the Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division, of which Disney Legend, Dick Nunis was named division president. Disneyland started using Disney Dollars on May 5, 1987, while Walt Disney World parks started with Epcot on October 2. A renegotiated Disneyland Japan royalty agreement in April 1988 by Chief Financial Officer Gary L. Wilson netted Disney US$ 723 million in cash in exchange for lower royalty payments. The steam railroad and monorail at Disneyland were purchased from Retlaw Enterprises , formerly WED Enterprises, in 1982. Bear Country

856-544: A U.S. traveling attraction, which premiered in September 1996. The fair was poorly attended and was pulled after a few stops. Disney Entertainment Projects (Asia Pacific) Inc., a new Disney Asian Pacific subsidiary, selected a renamed fair called DisneyFest as its first project, taking it to Singapore to open there on October 30, 1997. In November 1995, Disney announced the building of Tokyo DisneySea , to be owned by Oriental along with Tokyo Disneyland. Oriental and Disney signed

963-605: A competition to find a town to become twinned with. In December 2009, after Rebecca Warren won the competition with a poem, they announced the resort will be twinned with the English town of Swindon . George Kalogridis was named president of the resort in December 2012, replacing Meg Crofton , who had overseen the site since 2006. As of October 27, 2014, Walt Disney World is covered by a permanent FAA prohibited airspace zone that restricts all airspace activities without approval from

1070-602: A complimentary transportation and luggage service offered to Walt Disney Resort guests that began in 2005, ended in January 2022. In August 2021, the Walt Disney Company announced that FastPass +, which had been free since its introduction in 1999, would be retired and replaced with Genie+, starting at $ 18 to $ 35 per day. This new system includes the option of adding "Lightning Lane", which will be used for top-tier attractions, for an additional charge. The pricing range depends on

1177-835: A corner of the Magic Kingdom parking lot, the Walt Disney World Speedway opened on November 28, 1995. In 1996, the Disney Institute opened on February 9, and Disney's BoardWalk opened on July 1. The first of the World of Disney stores opened in the Disney Village Marketplace on October 3. The Downtown Disney district opened in November 1997, combining Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island. A fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom , opened at Disney World

SECTION 10

#1732845228277

1284-452: A cost of $ 400 million. The Magic Kingdom had six themed lands: Main Street , Adventureland , Fantasyland , Frontierland, Liberty Square , and Tomorrowland. Additionally, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort campground and two hotels, Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Polynesian Village Resort , also opened. Disneyland expanded in 1972 with a seventh themed land, Bear Country , replacing

1391-495: A design deal in March 1953 with WED Enterprises (WED) , Walt 's personal corporation, which then included what would now be called Walt Disney Imagineering . With the WED concept designs and prospectus for Disneylandia, Roy Disney in September 1953 met with TV networks in a deal for Disney-produced TV show and Disneyland investment. American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres (AB-PT) agreed to

1498-506: A division of The Walt Disney Company . The property covers nearly 25,000 acres (39 sq mi; 101 km ), of which half has been developed. 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

1605-576: 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. Disney Transport is also responsible for maintaining the fleet of parking lot trams that are used for shuttling visitors between the various theme park parking lots and their respective main entrances. In addition to its free transportation methods, in conjunction with Lyft , Walt Disney World also offers

1712-613: A joint venture, Hong Kong International Theme Parks Ltd., between the Hong Kong Government and Disney Resorts. The Disney Wonder cruise ship began operation on August 15. Disney World's Discovery Island was closed on April 8, 1999. Walt Disney Attractions, LLC changed its name to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, LLC on April 14, 2000, then to Disney Destinations, LLC on April 25, 2006. Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort opened on September 4, 2001. The Walt Disney Company in selling its Japanese and US chains decided to keep

1819-523: A licensing agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), giving Disney the right to use the MGM name, logo and movie library for this third park. Construction of the Disney-MGM Studios theme park began in 1986. Disney-MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989, along with a Pleasure Island entertainment area; its second water park, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon , opened on June 1. In 1983, Walt Disney World Village's name

1926-611: A resort at Ko Olina Resort & Marina in Kapolei, Hawaii , featuring both a hotel and Disney Vacation Club timeshare units. The 800-unit property, named Aulani , opened in 2011 and joined the other resorts not associated with a theme park, such as Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina. With the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration starting on October 1, 2000, sanctioned Disney pin trading

2033-519: A self-produced live arena show starting in 1969. Small World and its famous song lasted two years at the fair; it was then moved to Disneyland as an expanded major attraction in 1966 and later duplicated in the other Disney theme parks. In 1965, Walt Disney won a bid with the US Forest Service to develop Mineral King as a ski resort. The Sierra Club sued in June 1969 to stop the development, which

2140-417: A single hotel instead of some managing multiple hotels. On October 18, 2017, it was announced that resort visitors could bring pet dogs to Disney's Yacht Club Resort , Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, Disney's Art of Animation Resort , and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground . In 2019, Josh D'Amaro replaced George Kalogridis as president of the resort. He had previously held

2247-569: A three land expansion: Mystic Point , Grizzly Gulch , and Toy Story Land . In June 2005, Disney Magic made the first cruise outside of the Caribbean, by moving its port for the summer to Los Angeles with a Mexican Riviera schedule. Disney Cruise Line ordered a new 2 ships class from Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany by February 22, 2007. The Magic in May 2007 transferred its homeport to Barcelona, Spain, for

SECTION 20

#1732845228277

2354-529: A trip to Florida for final site selection. In 1962, Disney Productions purchased Celebrity Sports Center (opened on September 17, 1960, in Denver, Colorado) from its owners, including Walt Disney, Art Linkletter , and John Payne , to use as a staff training center for its second resort. In 1963, Roy made plans to buy from 5,000 to 10,000 acres (2,000 to 4,000 ha), which was carried out in 1964, amassing 27,443 acres (11,106 ha) by October 1965 . Plans for

2461-637: A variety of activities throughout the year, including runDisney marathon races and dance and cheer competitions in partnership with Varsity Cheer. It was also the site for the MLS is Back tournament . On July 11, 2020, Disney World officially reopened, beginning operations at 25% capacity at the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom , as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida . Four days later, EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios for operation at 25% capacity to

2568-437: Is 22.7 sq mi). The company acquired nearly 3,000 additional acres, in separate transactions, between December 2018 and April 2020. 12% of the site area is occupied by hotels and resorts, and 5% of the area is water. Disney's property includes four golf courses open to the general public. The 18-hole golf courses are Disney's Palm (4.5 stars), Disney's Magnolia (4 stars), and Disney's Lake Buena Vista (4 stars). There

2675-669: Is also a nine-hole walking course called Disney's Oak Trail , that features junior tees for younger golfers and a Footgolf course. Palm, Magnolia, and Oak Trail are connected and share one entrance near Shades of Green in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area, while the Lake Buena Vista course is located in the Disney Springs Resort Area. Walt Disney World golf courses are staffed by third-party Arnold Palmer Golf Management. The Magnolia and Palm courses played home to

2782-628: 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 Disney died at age 78 on December 20, 1971, less than three months after the property opened. Admission prices in 1971 were $ 3.50 for adults, $ 2.50 for juniors under age 18, and one dollar for children under twelve. Much of Walt Disney's plans for his Progress City concept were abandoned after his death and after

2889-709: Is not within Orlando city limits but is southwest of Downtown Orlando. Much of the resort is 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 Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (formerly Reedy Creek Improvement District). The 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), Exit 6 on SR 417 South ,

2996-425: Is offered to all Cast eligible at the start of employment. Each staff location on property has an official designated as shop steward , who bargains with Disney leadership when needed to defend the rights designated within the contract. In the first year of opening, the park attracted 10,712,991 visitors. In 2018, the resort's four theme parks all ranked in the top 9 on the list of the 25 most visited theme parks in

3103-726: Is renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios in January 2008. Pleasure Island 's core remaining six nightclubs were closed down in late 2008 to change the area to match the family friendly make-up of the other two sections of Downtown Disney at Disney World. Walt Disney Studios Park opened March 16, 2002, as the second theme park at the renamed Disneyland Resort Paris . The first park was renamed Disneyland Park (DLP). DLP Paris opened in August 2000 Toy Story Playland with three attractions. Construction on Hong Kong Disneyland began on January 12, 2003, then opened September 12, 2005. Groundbreaking occurred at Hong Kong Disneyland in December 2009 for

3210-545: Is the ability to be dropped off in the Magic Kingdom bus loop (instead of at the TTC like the other ride shares) and being able to ride to any point in Fort Wilderness. Walt Disney World requires an estimated 1 billion kilowatt-hours (3.6 billion megajoules) of electricity annually, costing the company nearly $ 100 million in annual energy consumption. In addition to relying primarily on fossil fuels and nuclear energy from

3317-597: The COVID-19 pandemic , beginning March 15, 2020. In 2020, Disney World laid off 6,500 employees and only operated at 25% capacity after reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic . In June 2020 , Walt Disney World was chosen to host the NBA Bubble for play of the 2019–20 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to resume at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex . The ESPN Complex, hosts

Celebrity Sports Center - Misplaced Pages Continue

3424-629: The Centers for Disease Control as the delta variant drove a significant increase in local cases. These reinstated mandates were lifted in February 2022. In April 2022, following a court decision ending the federal mask mandate for public transportation, the mask mandates on Disney transportation were lifted. Starting on October 1, 2021, the resort honored its 50th anniversary with "The World's Most Magical Celebration", which lasted for 18 consecutive months ending on March 31, 2023. Disney's Magical Express ,

3531-519: The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District , respectively. The entire Disney Transport bus fleet uses R50 renewable diesel fuel , obtained from used cooking oil and non-consumable food waste from the resort. Disney's security personnel are generally dressed in typical security guard uniforms, though some of the personnel are dressed as tourists in plain clothes. Since September 11, 2001 , uniformed security has been stationed outside each Disney park in Florida to search guests' bags as they enter

3638-666: The Disney Stores in Europe, along with the store in Manhattan, which was converted into a World of Disney store run by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2004. Downtown Disney opened at the Disneyland Resort on January 12, 2001, between Disneyland and the future California Adventure. Disney California Adventure opened at the Disneyland Resort on February 8, 2001, with three major areas: Paradise Pier, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and

3745-680: The Disney Wilderness Preserve . The Disney Inn hotel was leased starting February 1, 1994, by the US Army, then purchased on January 12, 1996, and later renamed Shades of Green. Planet Hollywood opened a location in Pleasure Island on December 17, 1994. The third water park at Walt Disney World, Disney's Blizzard Beach , opened on April 1, 1995. The Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland was completely refurbished and reopened in June 1995. Taking up

3852-553: The Magic Kingdom , EPCOT , Wide World of Sports , Animal Kingdom , or Disney Springs . Informally known as the "Disney Bubble", staying on property is considered an immersive experience. Additionally, 12 independently operated hotels are located on property leased from Disney, offering approximately 7,300 additional rooms. There is also an on-site pet hotel operated by Best Friends Pet Care for guests traveling with animals. Walt Disney World has several departments that handle various activities and events that are offered throughout

3959-822: The Queen Mary and Spruce Goose tourist attractions. In March 1988, Disney purchased Industrial Equity's half of Wrather Corporation. In 1985, Premier Cruise Line became the licensed partner cruise line with Disney. This allowed Disney characters on their ships and combined cruise, hotel, and theme park packages. The Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division was incorporated as Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. on August 10, 1989. In January 1990, Disney CEO Eisner announced plans to expand both Disneyland (by 20% in 10 years) and Walt Disney World (WDW). The plan would have WDW add another theme park and 16 new attractions in Disney-MGM Studios. Disney and The Coca-Cola Company agreed to

4066-535: 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 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. The legislation forming

4173-448: The Sentinel story, Disney asked Florida Governor Haydon Burns to confirm the story on October 25. His announcement called the new theme park "the greatest attraction in the history of Florida". The official reveal was kept on the previously planned November 15 date, and Disney joined Burns in Orlando for the event. Walt Disney died from circulatory collapse caused by smoking-related lung cancer on December 15, 1966, before his vision

4280-494: The federal government of the United States , including usage of drones . On January 21, 2016, the resort's management structure was changed, with general managers within a theme park being in charge of an area or land, instead of on a functional basis, as previously configured. Theme parks have already had a vice-president overseeing them. Disney Springs and Disney Sports were also affected. Now hotel general managers manage

4387-493: The "Ayefour Corporation", "Latin-American Development and Management Corporation", and the "Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation". Some are now memorialized on a window above Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom. The smaller parcels of land acquired were called "outs". They were five-acre (2 ha) lots platted in 1912 by the Munger Land Company and sold to investors. Most of the owners in the 1960s were happy to get rid of

Celebrity Sports Center - Misplaced Pages Continue

4494-405: The 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) called for a 150-acre (61 ha) amusement park, a campground, a golf course, 2 million square feet (190,000 m ) of office/commercial space, and 2500 homes. With projections indicating that the park would operate at a loss and with opposition in the press, Disney canceled the project on September 15, 1994. Walt Disney Imagineering created Disney Fair ,

4601-400: The 5th and final seed. The opening match saw Shady squeak out a narrow victory over fourth-seed Goebel with a score of 184-173. He followed up that victory with a 212-199 win over Odom, but he would fall to Bohn III in the third match of the show, 226-204. In the championship match, Bohn III was simply unable to find a consistent line to the pocket to score. As a result, he was defeated easily by

4708-623: The Central Florida GreeneWay and Exit 8 on SR 429 , the Western Beltway. At its founding, the resort occupied approximately 27,443 acres (43 sq mi; 111 km ). Portions of the property have since been sold or de-annexed, including land now occupied by the Disney-built community of Celebration . By 2014, the resort occupied nearly 25,000 acres (39 sq mi; 101 km ) (larger than Manhattan, New York City, which

4815-488: 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. The resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States,

4922-510: The DisneySea licensing agreement in November 1997; the theme park was scheduled to open in 2001 at a cost of $ 2.6 billion. In December 1998, Walt Disney Attractions added Disneyland Paris , Disney Regional Entertainment and Walt Disney Imagineering to its portfolio, which already held Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. Chairman Dick Nunis retired at the same time. On October 31, 1999, Walt Disney Attractions, Inc.

5029-600: The Disneyland, Inc. investment. Joining AB-PT as Disneyland investors were Walt Disney Productions (WDP), Western Publishing and Walt Disney . Walt Disney Productions had the option to repurchase the Walt Disney, WED and Western Publishing shares (31%) by May 1, 1959, for $ 562,500. With a need for the Disneyland Hotel nearby and no funding available for Disney to build it, Walt Disney approached Jack Wrather to build

5136-558: The Florida project that would eventually become Walt Disney World were announced to the public in November 1965. Legislation forming the Reedy Creek Improvement District , the Reedy Creek Improvement Act , was signed into law by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967, allowing Disney to build the infrastructure for the second park. Ground breaking followed for the future Reedy Creek park on May 30. In Roy O. Disney's last act as CEO in 1968, he officially named

5243-591: The Golden State. In California Adventure on October 6, 2002, A Bug's Land area opened. Parks and Resorts chairman Jay Rasulo announced at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California on September 12, 2009, that Walt Disney World's Fantasyland would be overhauled and increased in size by 2013. A $ 1 billion expansion/renovation of Disney California Adventure was announced in 2007 to be completed by 2012. River Country water park closed on November 2, 2001. Disney-MGM Studios

5350-706: The Indian Village of Frontierland , and later renamed Critter Country. In 1979, the Disneyland crafts and maintenance union workers went on strike for 15 days, at first, rejecting and then accepting the park's contract. Space Mountain opens at Disneyland in 1977. Two more hotels opened in 1973 at Walt Disney World: the Golf Resort and the Gold Resort; Disney opened the Buena Vista Club golf club in Lake Buena Vista on November 22, 1974 . Lake Buena Vista Village ,

5457-899: The PGA Tour's Walt Disney World Golf Classic from 1971 to 2012. Additionally there is a fifth course, the Tranquilo Golf Course , located at the Four Seasons Resort on Disney property. The course is open only to guests staying at Four Seasons. As of 2024 , there are 19 Disney owned and operated resort hotels and Disney Vacation Club (DVC) villas at the Walt Disney World Resort, along with one camping resort, Fort Wilderness, which includes traditional campgrounds and wood cabins. Together, they have approximately 23,000 rooms, 3,600 DVC villas and 500,000 square feet (46,000 m ) of conference meeting space. They are organized into three categories—Deluxe, Moderate, and Value—and five resort areas:

SECTION 50

#1732845228277

5564-438: The Walt Disney Company has used to run the area since May 1967, when then Florida Governor Claude Kirk signed into law legislation which granted the company special status. The law went into effect in June 2023. Along with this, as of May 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis has also been planning to target Disney's monorail system and let Florida's Department of Transportation inspect the privately owned system. The Florida resort

5671-489: The Walt Disney World monorail line was extended to EPCOT Center from the Transportation and Ticket Center. The EPCOT Center theme park opened on October 1, 1982, at a building cost of US$ 1.2 billion , with two areas, Future World and World Showcase . Plans for a Hollywood-style theme park were announced in April 1985 for the Walt Disney World resort at a project cost of US$ 300 million. In April 1985, Disney signed

5778-643: The basement. In the spring of 1991, the Celebrity Sports Center played host to the $ 125,000 Celebrity Denver Open for the Professional Bowlers Association Tour from May 21 to May 25. The final round of the tournament was televised live on ESPN. Left-hander John Mazza would go into the TV Finals with a 299-pin lead over the second-place qualifier Parker Bohn III . Curtis Odom qualified 3rd, Bryan Goebel 4th, and Mike Shady would take

5885-492: The building were added after Leavitt/Griffin purchase. In the early 1990s, Celebrity's was losing money and apparently in need of significant maintenance. In 1994, the complex was sold to Acquisition Corporation of the Rockies for $ 10.8 million, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company . The new owner demolished Celebrity's by March 1995. Today the 7.1-acre (29,000 m) site is a Home Depot store and retail space. Celebrity's

5992-405: The bus stops. Guests arriving via Magic Kingdom Resort boat launch are bag checked on the arrival dock outside Magic Kingdom. Disney Experiences Disney Experiences , commonly known as Disney Parks , is one of the three major divisions of The Walt Disney Company . It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of Walt Disney World . Led by Josh D'Amaro ,

6099-506: 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 , which opened in 1982 (renamed EPCOT in 1996). While still emulating Walt Disney's original idea of showcasing new technology, the park is closer to a world's fair than a "community of tomorrow". One of EPCOT's main attractions is the World Showcase, which highlights 11 countries across

6206-484: The company's theme parks hosted over 157.3 million guests, making Disney Parks the world's most visited theme park company worldwide, with United Kingdom-based Merlin Entertainments coming in second at 67 million guests. It is Disney's largest business segment by employee headcount, with approximately 130,000 of the company's 180,000 employees as of 2015. In March 2018, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media

6313-413: The crowd and day of purchase. On April 22, 2022, the self-governing status which the Walt Disney Company had in the area around Disney World for more than 50 years came to an end after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation requiring the area to come under the legal jurisdiction of the state of Florida. The new law also officially abolished The Reedy Creek Improvement District which

6420-447: The district and the two cities, one of which was the Reedy Creek Improvement Act , was signed into law by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967. The Supreme Court of Florida 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

6527-645: The east, Disney selected a centrally located site near Bay Lake . The development was referred to in-house as "The Florida Project". To avoid a burst of land speculation, Walt Disney Productions used various dummy corporations to acquire 27,443 acres (43 sq mi; 111 km ) of land. In May 1965, some of these major land transactions were recorded a few miles southwest of Orlando in Osceola County . In addition, two large tracts totaling $ 1.5 million were sold, and smaller tracts of flatlands and cattle pastures were purchased by exotically named companies, such as

SECTION 60

#1732845228277

6634-399: The extent of their intentions. They were able to negotiate numerous land contracts with some landowners, including large tracts of land for as little as $ 100 an acre. With the understanding that the recording of the first deeds would trigger intense public scrutiny, Disney delayed the filing of paperwork until a large portion of the land was under contract. Early rumors and speculation about

6741-484: The far left exit door. These mementos no longer exist at the Home Depot; the fate of the pin and the plaque are unknown.) Disney World 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 ,

6848-693: The first roads and the Magic Kingdom. The Contemporary Resort Hotel was completed in time for the park's opening on October 1, 1971, and the Polynesian Village Resort opened shortly after. The Palm and Magnolia golf courses near the Magic Kingdom had opened a few weeks before, while Fort Wilderness opened one month later. Twenty-four days after the park opened, 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

6955-476: The flagship destination of Disney's worldwide corporate enterprise and has become a staple of American popular culture . In 1959, Walt Disney Productions began looking for land to house a second resort to supplement Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had opened in 1955. Market surveys at the time revealed that only 5% of Disneyland's visitors came from east of the Mississippi River , where 75% of

7062-550: The formation of its cruise line. The Disney Cruise Line launched with the Disney Magic ship in 1998 along with its exclusive resort island port of Castaway Cay. Disney reportedly had plans to build a park named Disney's America . The park was to have been located in Haymarket, Virginia ; 2,300 acres (930 ha) of property were purchased from Exxon in 1993. The history-themed park was announced on November 11, 1993. The plans for

7169-434: The globe. Some of the urban planning concepts from the original idea of EPCOT would instead be integrated into the community of Celebration, Florida , 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. In the early 1990s, the resort was seeking permits for expansion. There was considerable environmentalist push-back, and

7276-624: The hotel who agreed. Disneyland , changed from Disneylandia, was announced in April 1954 by Walt to be opened in July 1955 . On July 17, 1955 , the Disneyland park opened with five themed "lands" containing eighteen attractions with double the expected guests. WED owned Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad opened, too. On June 29, 1957, Disney Production exercised its options to purchase all but AB-PT's common stock outstanding. This allowed WDP to consolidate DLI into its 1957 annual accounting statements adding four months' worth of net profits, $ 511K. In June 1960, Walt Disney Productions completed

7383-409: The hotel's ballroom floor. Early plans for the redevelopment of the site included a brass plaque to be "mounted somewhere on the new site to commemorate Celebrity's existence as the entertainment mecca that it was." The fate of this proposed plaque is unclear. (Pre-Home Depot the building housed a Builders Square location, which had an encased bowling pin from the CSC and a plaque underneath it by

7490-406: The iconic sign that stood outside Celebrity's. At least one of the 14-point stars from the sign has been preserved. Today it is used as a winter holiday decoration at the Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens in Denver . Additionally, the old bowling lanes at Celebrity's were preserved. Those lanes were reused during the restoration of the 19th-century Oxford Hotel in downtown Denver and now serve as

7597-495: 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

7704-579: The land purchases assumed possible development by NASA in support of the nearby Kennedy Space Center , as well as references to other famous investors, such as Ford , the Rockefellers , and Howard Hughes . An Orlando Sentinel news article published weeks later, on May 20, 1965, acknowledged a popular rumor that Disney was building an "East Coast" version of Disneyland. However, the publication denied its accuracy based on an earlier interview with Disney at Kennedy Space Center. In that interview, he claimed

7811-595: The land, which was mostly swamp at the time. 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. Working strictly in secrecy, real estate agents unaware of their client's identity began making offers to landowners in April 1964, in parts of southwest Orange and northwest Osceola counties. The agents were careful not to reveal

7918-467: The lines' first summer Mediterranean itinerary then returned to its permanent port in September. The Chicago DisneyQuest location was closed in September 2001. Disney Parks started the Adventures by Disney tour vacation business in 2005. Disney entered a float, "The Most Magical Celebration on Earth", into the 2006 Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade . In October 2007, Disney announced plans to build

8025-792: The monorail and travel between the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, including select on-property resorts such as the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian Village . The system operates on three routes that interconnect at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), adjacent to the Magic Kingdom's parking lot. Disney Transport owns a fleet of Disney-operated buses on the property, that is also complimentary for guests. A gondola lift system, dubbed Disney Skyliner , opened in 2019. The system's three lines connect Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT with four resort hotels. Disney Transport also operates

8132-610: The number-one seed Mazza, who threw 10 out of 12 possible strikes in a lopsided 269-190 victory to win the first-place prize of $ 18,000. CSC still evokes fond memories from many metropolitan Denver natives. The Denver Post called Celebrity Sports Center a "huge indoor funland," a landmark "uniquely Denver," and noted its demolition left a "void...that cannot be filled." Some tributes to CSC can still be found online. One such tribute even notes that CSC souvenirs and paraphernalia continue to appear on auction websites from time to time, and seem to sell for high prices. Patrons often remember

8239-480: The park's projected high cost. That park was then replaced by plans for the California Adventure park, hotels, and a retail district. At Walt Disney World, Mickey's Birthdayland closed on April 22, 1991, then reopened on May 26 as Mickey's Starland. In order to expand Disney World on wetland, on April 23, 1993, the company agreed to form an 8,500-acre (3,400 ha) wilderness preserve in Florida, known as

8346-478: The parks. Starting April 3, 2017, bag checkpoints have been placed at Magic Kingdom's resort monorail entryways and the Transportation and Ticket Center's ferry entry points prior to embarkation as well as the walkway from Disney's Contemporary Resort. Guests arriving at the Transportation and Ticket Center by tram or tour bus will be screened at the former tram boarding areas. Guests arriving by Disney Resort hotel bus or Minnie Van have their own bag check just outside

8453-526: The population of the United States lived. Additionally, Walt Disney disliked the businesses that had sprung up around Disneyland and wanted more control over a larger area of land in the next project. Walt Disney took a flight over a potential site in Orlando, Florida —one of many—in November 1963. After witnessing the well-developed network of roads and taking the planned construction of both Interstate 4 and Florida's Turnpike into account, with McCoy Air Force Base (later Orlando International Airport ) to

8560-492: The position of vice president of Animal Kingdom. D'Amaro was subsequently promoted to chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products in May 2020, succeeding Bob Chapek , who was promoted to CEO of The Walt Disney Company in February 2020. Jeff Vahle, who served as president of Disney Signature Experiences subsequently took over as president of the resort. On March 12, 2020, a Disney spokesperson announced that Disney World and Disneyland Paris would temporarily close due to

8667-460: 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,

8774-418: The public. Masks were required at all times (including outdoors, on attractions, and while taking photos), all guests were required to have their temperature taken upon entry, plexiglass was installed on various attractions and transportation offerings, and shows that drew large crowds, such as parades and nighttime shows including Fantasmic! and Happily Ever After were not offered. In November 2020,

8881-487: The purchase of AB-PT's share of the company for nearly $ 7.5 million and its TV contract, and the theme park became a fully owned subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions. Beginning in 1958 with the contracting of Economics Research Associates (ERA) to find a location for another Disney resort, Disney Productions moved beyond a single park. ERA recommended Florida; another study in 1961 named Ocala or Orlando in Florida as possible locations. In November 1963 , Walt Disney made

8988-474: The resort increased the guest capacity to 35% at all four theme parks, and on May 13, 2021, CEO Bob Chapek announced a further increase of capacity, effective immediately; however, he did not say to what capacity level it would be raised. By mid-June 2021, temperature checks and mask mandates (except while on Disney transportation) had been lifted. In late July 2021, mask mandates were reinstated for all attractions and indoor areas in light of new guidance issued by

9095-615: The resort was convinced to engage in mitigation banking . In an agreement with The Nature Conservancy and the state of Florida, Disney purchased 8,500 acres (3,400 ha) of land, adjacent to the park for the purpose of rehabilitating wetland ecosystems. The Disney Wilderness Preserve was established in April 1993, and the land was subsequently transferred to The Nature Conservancy. The Walt Disney Company provided additional funds for landscape restoration and wildlife monitoring. The resort's fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom , opened in 1998. In October 2009, Disney World announced

9202-576: The second park Walt Disney World . Disneyland International was incorporated on November 20, 1961. The next year, The Oriental Land Company contacted Disney about building a theme park. In 1959, the WED-owned Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System began operations at Disneyland. The first Audio-Animatronic attraction, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room , opened at Disneyland in 1963. Disneyland's first new themed land, New Orleans Square, opened in 1966 . Tomorrowland

9309-734: The shopping area, opened on March 22, 1975 and was renamed Walt Disney World Village in 1977. Celebrity Sports Center, Disney World's training center, was sold on March 29, 1979. At Walt Disney World, the Treasure Island nature preserve pens opened on April 8, 1974, renamed Discovery Island in 1977. On July 1, 1975 , the WEDway PeopleMover opened in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland. The first water park, River Country , opened on June 20, 1976 at Disney World. EPCOT Center's groundbreaking occurred at Walt Disney World in May 1979. In 1979, Oriental Land and Disney agreed to build

9416-548: The site employed about 5,500 "Cast Members". In 2020, Walt Disney World employed more than 77,000 Cast Members. Walt Disney World has more than 3,000 job classifications with a total 2019 payroll of over $ 3 billion. Almost all hourly guest-facing Cast Members work under union contracts . The most recent contract was negotiated and put in effect in 2023 and is valid through 2027, setting the starting hourly rate for part-time and full-time Cast at 17 dollars per hour, with additional premiums available for select roles. Union membership

9523-437: The state's power grid, Walt Disney World has two solar energy facilities on property; a 22-acre (0.034 sq mi; 0.089 km ) Mickey Mouse -shaped solar panel farm near EPCOT, and a 270-acre (0.42 sq mi; 1.1 km ) facility near Disney's Animal Kingdom. The larger facility produces enough solar energy to provide electricity to two of the resort's theme parks. The sites are operated by Duke Energy and

9630-491: The story. His reaction, combined with other research obtained during her Anaheim visit, led Bavar to author a story on October 21, 1965, where she predicted that Disney was building a second theme park in Florida. Three days later, after gathering more information from various sources, the Sentinel published another article headlined, "We Say: 'Mystery' Industry Is Disney". Walt Disney had originally planned to publicly reveal Disney World on November 15, 1965, but in light of

9737-661: The week of April 20, 1998. The first Disney Vacation Club Resorts , Vacation Club Resort, opened on October 1, 1991, and was renamed Disney's Old Key West Resort in January 1996. These vacation club hotels were operated by Disney Vacation Developments, Inc. as vacation timeshares . The first off-resort vacation club hotel was Vacation Club Resort, which opened on October 1, 1995, in Vero Beach, Florida . In 1993, Premier Cruises discontinued its partnership with Disney for one with Warner Bros. After failing to reach agreements with Carnival or Royal Caribbean , Disney announced in 1994

9844-460: The world: (1st) Magic Kingdom—20,859,000 visitors; (6th) Disney's Animal Kingdom—13,750,000 visitors; (7th) EPCOT—12,444,000 visitors; and (9th) Disney's Hollywood Studios—11,258,000 visitors. By October 2020, maximum Disney World attendance was still allowed to only remain at 25% capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study found that reducing Magic Kingdom park capacity to 25% would result in

9951-459: The year. These departments include: The campus of Walt Disney World includes numerous buildings and spaces used solely for corporate management, castmember only services, and castmember recreation. The Walt Disney Company also owns and operates a corporate office complex in Celebration, Florida, home to Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney offices. When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971,

10058-483: Was changed to the Disney Village Marketplace. A new themed area, Mickey's Birthdayland, opened in the Magic Kingdom near Fantasyland on June 18, 1988. In 1987, Disney and Ron Brierley 's Industrial Equity (Pacific) Ltd., already a 28% owner of the Wrather Corporation , agreed to purchase the remaining Wrather Corporation stock with a 50% share each. Wrather Corporation owned the Disneyland Hotel and operated

10165-462: Was formed under President Al Weiss in 2009. Worldwide Operations would take over various back-office functions previously performed by both Disney World and Disneyland including training, procurement, menu planning, and merchandise development. While its Walt Disney Imagineering subsidiary combined its three development units. In November 2009, Disney received approval from the Chinese government to build

10272-707: Was granted by the federal district judge. The Forest Service appealed and won at the appeal and the Supreme Court. This ruling opened the possibility of refiling to the club. In the next round of lawsuits, the same district judge blocked the redevelopment. The injunction and the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act led to Disney backing out. $ 40 million worth of Walt Disney Productions Convertible Debentures were sold in January 1968 to fund Disney World (WDW). The next year in February, an agreement

10379-476: Was home to 80 bowling lanes, more than 300 video games and pinball machines spread across three arcades, a 50-meter pool with three water slides, a billiard room, a full-service restaurant, the "Hofbräu" bar, bumper-car rides and a shooting gallery which were located in the "Fun Center" game room downstairs, the largest of the 3 arcade rooms, where there were ticketed games such as Skee ball or Boom ball to play for prizes . There were also 3 complete slot car tracks in

10486-417: 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

10593-484: Was made with multiple labor unions, in which the unions exchanged the right to strike for regular pay increases during the first building phase. By 1971, chairman of the Park Operations Committee and vice president of park operations Dick Nunis was appointed executive vice president of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World began operation on October 1, 1971 , with the Magic Kingdom park at

10700-517: Was merged into Parks and Resorts and renamed Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. In September 2020, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products laid off 28,000 employees in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . Originally, entry into the theme park and travel business was a side project of Walt Disney himself. As the Disneylandia project started to become a reality, Walt Disney Productions at Walt's request set up Disneyland, Inc. (DLI) in 1951 and agreed to

10807-533: Was merged into Walt Disney Attractions, LLC. On June 19, 1998, Disney Regional Entertainment opened its first DisneyQuest, a location-based entertainment venue, at Downtown Disney West Side in Walt Disney World. The first DisneyQuest outside of a resort was opened in Chicago on June 16, 1999, with plans for more locations worldwide. In 1999, plans were announced for a new resort in Hong Kong , Hong Kong Disneyland , as

10914-516: Was placed in development. This was announced as WestCOT in 1991, to be placed at the Disneyland Resort. On July 31, 1990, a new 350-acre (140 ha) ocean-themed park and resort, Port Disney, was announced for Long Beach. Port was to have a cruise-ship terminal, five hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas, costing $ 2 billion to build. On December 12, 1991, Disney selected only one California project to go forward with, Disneyland Resort, which

11021-551: 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. After the film, it was explained that for Disney World, including EPCOT, to succeed, a special district would have to be formed:

11128-649: Was renamed Critter Country on November 23, 1988. Tishman Company 's plans for two Walt Disney World hotels were rejected by the new CEO Michael Eisner on September 30, 1984, marking a change in Disney architecture. New plans for the Dolphin and Swan hotels were submitted by Michael Graves in July 1986; ground breaking took place on January 28, 1988. The first non-Disney owned hotel, Pickett Suite Resort, opened in Disney World Village on March 15, 1987. On June 1, 1982,

11235-526: Was revamped in 1967 with seven new attractions. The design and architectural group and the WED Enterprise name was purchased from Walt's corporation, renamed as Retlaw Enterprise. Disney expanded into attractions at the 1964 New York World's Fair with It's a Small World and costumed character appearances. When the characters proved a hit at the 1964 World's Fair, Walt wanted another outlet for "live" characters; thus, Disneyland put on Disney on Parade ,

11342-642: Was started. In 2001, the Themed Entertainment Association gave Disney Parks and Resorts the Thea Award for Breakthrough Innovation for the park's FastPass system. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was incorporated on September 29, 2008, and took over the parks and resorts business segment. Disney Parks and Resorts reorganized in early 2009 which included layoffs in all units due to recession-induced falling attendance. 600 U.S. managers in January were buyout packages. Worldwide Operations

11449-587: Was to include the WestCOT Center, hotels, a shopping mall, and a lake. Port Disney was abandoned in March 1992, and Disney canceled its leases on the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions picked up from the Wrather Corporation. Mickey's Toontown , a new themed land at Disneyland, opened on January 24, 1993. Disney canceled its plans for WestCOT in mid-1995 due to financial issues at Disneyland Paris and

#276723