Full Exploring Walt Disney World Vacation Planing DVD 2016 HD Movie Trailer Film - Magic Kingdom WDW
The Walt Disney World Resort, informally known as
Walt Disney World or simply
Disney World or shortly
WDW, is an entertainment complex in
Bay Lake, Florida (mailing address is
Lake Buena Vista, Florida), near
Kissimmee, Florida and is the flagship of
Disney's worldwide theme park empire. The resort opened on
October 1,
1971 and, according to
Forbes, is the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an attendance of 52.5 million annually.
Disney World is owned and operated by
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of
The Walt Disney Company. The property covers 27,258 acres (11,
031 ha; 43 sq mi), in which it houses 27 themed resort hotels, 9 non–Disney hotels, four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, one nine-hole walking golf course for young golfers (no electric carts allowed), two themed miniature golf courses, one camping resort, one residential area, and additional recreational and entertainment venues.
Magic Kingdom was the first and original theme park to open in the complex followed by Epcot,
Disney's Hollywood Studios, and
Disney's Animal Kingdom, which opened later throughout the
1980s and
1990s.
Designed to supplement
Disneyland in
Anaheim, California, which had opened in
1955, the complex was developed by
Walt Disney in the
1960s, though he died in 1966 before construction on "The
Florida Project" began. After extensive lobbying, the
Government of Florida created the
Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special government district that essentially gave The Walt Disney Company the standard powers and autonomy of an incorporated city.
Original plans called for the inclusion of an "
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow", a planned community that would serve as a test bed for new innovations for city living.
Despite marketing claims and popular misconceptions, the
Florida resort is not within
Orlando city limits, but is actually about 21 miles (34 km) southwest of downtown Orlando, much of it 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 Reedy Creek Improvement District. The 27,258 acres (11,031 ha; 43 sq mi)[6] 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), and
Exit 8 on
SR 429, the
Western Expressway. At its founding the park occupied approximately 30,
500 acres (12,343 ha; 48 sq mi). Portions of the property have since been sold or de-annexed, including land now occupied by the Disney-built community of
Celebration. Now the park occupies 27,258 acres (11,031 ha; 43 sq mi),[6] about the size of
San Francisco, or twice the size of
Manhattan.