On 17 July 1955, Walt Disney opened Disneyland, "The Happiest Place on Earth." It was Walt's dream come true -- a place where families could go together and be immersed in a realm of fantasy.
Disneyland was constructed near Anaheim, California, within easy driving distance from the Disney Studios in Burbank. But the parcel of land that the Company could purchase was just barely large enough for the park, a hotel, and parking lots. It wasn't long before Walt realized that his many ideas and plans would quickly fill the limited available space, and there was no room for expansion.
Although Disneyland was a huge success, Walt resolved to open another park, and to do it right this time. In the mid-sixties, the Company secretly purchased huge tracts of land in central Florida, south of Orlando. Soon, DisneyWorld was announced to the public, and work began in earnest on this bigger, better theme park.
Unfortunately, Walt died in 1966. His brother, Roy O. Disney, who inherited the company leadership, insisted that the project continue. In honor of his brother, he renamed the park Walt Disney World. And on 25 October 1971, Roy Disney welcomed the public to the official dedication of what was to become the world's most popular vacation destination.
When it opened (its first day was actually 1 October), the developed area of Walt Disney World was not much bigger than Disneyland. The resort consisted of a single park, a lagoon, a lake, and two hotels. The park was, of course, the Magic Kingdom, modeled closely on the original Disneyland Park. The original hotels were the tropical-themed Polynesian Resort and the 15-floor, A-frame Contemporary Resort. A monorail track -- based on the one installed at Disneyland -- circled the Seven Seas Lagoon, stopping inside the Contemporary, at the parking lots, at the Polynesian, and at the Magic Kingdom. Bay Lake, like the Lagoon an artificial body of water, lay to the other side of the Contemporary. Within a year, a third resort -- the Fort Wilderness campgrounds -- opened up on the shores of Bay Lake.
In 1982, Disney opened EPCOT Center some distance southeast of the Magic Kingdom. A brand new monorail track was built to connect EPCOT with the old route. EPCOT's name -- an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow -- was borrowed from one of Walt's never-realized projects. EPCOT Center bore little resemblence to Walt's vision of an artificial community of the future where real people would live and work. Instead, it consisted of two distinct areas -- Future World, where corporation-sponsored pavilions introduced guests to the history and future of technology -- and World Showcase, where 9 (now 11) nations were represented via authentic architecture, people, and food, with related attractions. In 1994, EPCOT Center was renamed Epcot '94, with the year incrementing until, in 1996, the park became just Epcot.
1989 saw the opening of Disney-MGM Studios. On the surface, it's a film- and television-oriented theme park, but contained within is a working animation studio, along with several operating sound stages and other production facilities. 1998's Mulan, for example, was completed primarily at Disney-MGM Studios. Visitors can take a "backstage" tour of the production areas and backlot, made more exciting with some extra Disney magic. The park as a whole showcases primarily Disney characters and productions, but Lucasfilm has an important presence, as do the Muppets and of course, MGM.
Most recently, in 1998, Disney opened Disney's Animal Kingdom. A somewhat unusual amalgamation of Disney attractions with live animals, the Animal Kingdom is divided into several sections. The entrance area contains shops and restaurants, along with the gigantic artificial Tree of Life. Dinoland USA is home to all manner of ancient, extinct creatures. Asia (opened in 1999) and Africa are themed around those continents, with nature preserve-like exhibits featuring live animals. Africa has the centerpiece wildlife attraction, a Disney-style safari through simulated African terrain, with no walls between the vehicles and the animals. Conservation Station is a long train ride away from the main park, and has indoor exhibits, extensive information and presentations, and all of the backstage animal-handling facilities. Finally, there's Camp Minnie-Mickey, with lots of kid-oriented shows and attractions.
In addition to the four main parks are three water parks, Typhoon Lagoon, River Country (at Fort Wilderness), and Blizzard Beach.
South of Epcot is Lake Buena Vista, where the Lake Buena Vista Village (later known as the Disney Village Marketplace) operated for many years, with shops, restaurants, and boating. In 1989, Disney added Pleasure Island (named after the isle in Pinocchio), where every night is New Year's Eve; it featured several nightclubs, a movie theater, and more shops. When more shops and restaurants, (which later included DisneyQuest, a Planet Hollywood, and Cirque du Soleil) were added on the other side of Pleasure Island in 1997, Disney renamed the whole shebang Downtown Disney.
Of course, Walt Disney World has added many more resort hotels since it opened. Joining the original three are Disney's Grand Floridian, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Boardwalk Inn, Disney's Boardwalk Villas, Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's Beach Club Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort, Disney's Old Key West Resort, the Walt Disney World Dolphin, the Walt Disney World Swan, Disney's Coronado Springs, the Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's All-Star Resorts (Sports, Music, and Film), and the new Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney's Pop Century Resort. Coming soon are the Yacht Club Villas.
Other things to do at Walt Disney World include golfing (both normal and miniature), boating, going to a spa, participating in programs at the Disney Institute, visiting Discovery Island, and watching athletic events at Disney's Wide World of Sports.
Walt Disney World helped open up Central Florida to development and made it one of the busiest vacation areas in the country. The most popular nearby attractions are Sea World Orlando and Universal Studios Florida (with Universal Studios Islands of Adventure). Also not too far away is the Kennedy Space Center, from where the space shuttles are launched.
The Walt Disney World resort lies just off of Interstate 4, which runs from Interstate 75 in the west to Interstate 95 in the east; take whichever one is closer to you, then get on I-4 and follow the signs. The resort is open year-round; prices are cheaper at off-peak times (January through April, September, and November until Thanksgiving).
I used Disney: The First 100 Years by Dave Smith and Steven Clark as a reference, mostly to confirm dates.Last updated 21-Aug-2002 (added reference to the Yacht Club Villas).