The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. They have mastered the art of making their guests feel welcome.
The Walt Disney World Resort employs over 40,000 full-time Cast Members and they are all trained and instructed to treat their guests with impeccable service with a smile.
They are the largest single site employer in the United States.
Their requirements for employment at the Walt Disney World Resort are very stringent allowing them to hire the very best in this service minded industry.
On your next visit to Walt Disney World, take time to visit with some of the Cast Members and you will find many have been with the company for years. You will also get a sense of the quality of the people they hire.
The city of Orlando has flourished since the opening of the Magic Kingdom on October 1st, 1971. Most people associate Walt Disney World with the city of Orlando but none of the Walt Disney World Resort is located within the city limits of Orlando, Florida. The resort is approximately 15 miles southwest of Orlando. On May 12th, 1967 legislation was signed into law forming the Reedy Creek Improvement District with the City of Bay Lake and the City of Lake Buena Vista within its borders. This allowed the district to have immunity from any current or future county or state land-use laws. The only areas the district has to submit to the county or state is for property taxes and elevator inspections.
Walt Disney World Resort is one of the cleanest places in our great Country and their attention to detail is unmatched. Every night the streets in all four theme parks are steam cleaned. They have over 5,000 Cast Members dedicated to maintenance and engineering including 750 horticulturists and 600 painters. It seems like something is always getting a fresh coat of paint. It is estimated that The Walt Disney Company spends over $100 million a year just to maintain the Magic Kingdom. It has been reported that the Magic Kingdom is the most visited theme park in the world with around 17 million guests a year. They must be doing something right!
THEME PARKS & ATTRACTIONS
There are four theme parks in Walt Disney World Resort.
Since the opening of the Magic Kingdom on October 1
st, 1971, Epcot opened on October 1
st, 1982, Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened on May 1
st, 1989, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened on April 22
nd, 1998.
The total attendance for all four theme parks together is over 45 million a year.
Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Boardwalk
Downtown Disney
Disney’s Wide World of Sports
Richard Petty Speedway
WHERE TO STAY ON (Walt Disney World Resort) PROPERTY
The Walt Disney Company makes it very attractive to stay on Walt Disney World Resort property. They cater to their guests by providing Free Transportation to all of their parks and most of the other attractions in the resort. They have a fleet of buses and water taxi boats large & small throughout the resort. They also have the Walt Disney World Monorail System. There are approximately a dozen monorail trains that operate on three routes that all meet at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) next to the Magic Kingdom parking lot. One line provides a non-stop link from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom, another line is a non-stop link from the TTC to Epcot, and the third line links the TTC to the Polynesian Resort, Grand Floridian Resort, Magic Kingdom, and the Contemporary Resort. Other amenities when staying on property include:
Disney’s Magical Express - Free Transportation to and from Orlando International Airport right to your resort destination. They also handle your luggage from your plane to your room. The only draw back to them taking care of your luggage is you may not get your bags for a few hours after you get to your resort so take that into consideration when planning your first day. You can elect to take care of your own luggage by not putting the Disney provided yellow tags on your luggage when you leave home. That way you can pick up your own luggage when you land in Orlando and take it with you to the Magical Express. Then you will have your bags with you when you check into your resort.
Disney’s Extra Magic Hours - The Extra Magic Hours are for resort guests only and each day one of the four theme parks open 1 hour early and one theme park stays open 3 hours later. This is the best time to catch the most popular rides because the lines are a lot shorter even during the busiest seasons. Check ToddsOrlando.com’s Disney calendar for AM or PM Magic Hours.
Free Parking – Disney resort guests get free parking at their resort and all other resorts. You also get free parking at all four theme parks, which is a $10 value.
Room Key Charging – Every Disney Resort guests has the option of using their room key card as a credit card. All Disney owned restaurants and shops that accept credit cards would accept the room key charge card. This allows you not to have to carry around a lot of cash when you are at the Walt Disney World Resort. When you go to the pool you only need your room key card and you can purchase anything you want. They do set a limit on the card when you check in and they will ask you what limit you want on the card. At check out you can confirm all charges, then they will charge your credit card in one lump sum.
Resort Package Delivery – As a Disney Resort guest you can purchase items in any of the four theme parks and have it delivered to your resort for free. They will deliver it to the main resort area and you can pick it up there.
Disney Dining Plan – If you are staying at one of the Disney Resorts you can purchase the Disney Dining Plan, which is a great way to save money. You are basically pre-paying for your meals and they have several options to choose from. Ask the operator for more information when making your reservations.
There are 33 hotels and resorts on Walt Disney Resort property. 23 of them are owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company. The Disney owned resorts are classified into 4 categories and the Campground. They have Deluxe Villa Resorts, Deluxe Resorts, Moderate Resorts, and Value Resorts. The Deluxe Villa Resorts are part of the Disney Vacation Club. If you would like our opinion on the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) click here.
Disney Owned Resorts On Property
Deluxe Villa Resorts
The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Deluxe Resorts
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Moderate Resorts
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort Riverside
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Value Resorts
Disney’s All Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
Disney’s All Star Music Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Campground
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
There are 10 non-Disney owned resorts on Walt Disney World Resort property. The Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin are included in the Epcot Resort Area and share water taxi service with the other Disney owned Epcot Resorts. They are operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Shades of Green is located adjacent to Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course and Disney’s Palm Golf Course. It is owned and operated by the United States Department of Defense and is used for vacationing active and retired military personnel, their families, and Department of Defense civilians only. The other 7 Hotel & Resorts on property are located just off of I-4 Highway close to the entrance to Downtown Disney. None of the non-Disney owned resorts on property can provide the Disney Resort Guest Benefits mentioned above.
Non-Disney Owned Resorts on Property
Walt Disney World Swan
Walt Disney World Dolphin
Shades of Green
Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort
Doubletree Guest Suites
Regal Sun Resort
Hilton Orlando Resort
Holiday Inn
Royal Plaza Resort
Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa
GOLF & RECREATION
If you ever hear someone say they went to Walt Disney World Resort and they were bored because there was nothing to do, you would have to question their sanity. If you look beyond the theme parks you will discover an array of things to do that could fill a month of Sundays. There are 2 large Water Parks, 5 Golf Courses, 2 Miniature Golf Courses, Horse Ranch & Farm, a Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Centre, 11 Marinas for watercraft rentals & Specialty Cruises, Fishing Excursions (no Florida fishing license is required because you are on private property), Tennis Courts with lessons available, 9 Health Clubs, a multitude of Swimming Pools, Bike Rentals, Sand Volleyball areas, and Playgrounds & Arcades to keep the kids occupied while you take a nap. Check with the operator for what recreational activities are available at the resort when making your reservation.
There are 5 Golf Courses located on the Walt Disney World Resort property. The Magnolia and the Palm have been host to the annual PGA Tour Event held at Walt Disney World Resort since 1971. Osprey Ridge and Lake Buena Vista are also 18-hole Golf Courses with Oak Trail being a 9-hole walking course designed for the young golfers and beginners. For tee times to any of these 5 Golf Courses call 407-938-GOLF (4653).
Golf Courses
Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course
Disney’s Palm Golf Course
Disney’s Osprey Ridge Golf Course
Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course
Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course
Water Parks
Disney’s Blizzard Beach
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon
Miniature Golf
Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course
Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course
Horse Stables
Tri-Circle-D Ranch & Farm
Watersports
Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Centre
HOW IT ALL STARTED
In 1959 Walt Disney began looking for land for a second resort to accommodate the eastern part of the United States. Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California in 1955 and market surveys revealed that 2% of the Disneyland guests came from east of the Mississippi River where 75% of the population of the United States lived. Walt also wanted to control a much larger piece of ground so his dream resort could grow for many years.
Walt Disney first flew over the Orlando site the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963. He liked the site because of the developed network of roads including I-4 Highway, Florida Turnpike, and the proximity to McCoy Air Force Base which later became the Orlando International Airport. In the last part of his life, Walt Disney focused on the “Florida Project”.
To avoid a land boom in the area Walt Disney wanted to build the new resort, they had to keep it a secret until they bought the necessary land. They used dummy corporations and cooperative individuals to acquire 27,400 acres with the first parcel closing October 23rd, 1964. In many cases the owners were happy to sell the property because it was mostly swampland. After most of the land had been bought for the “Florida Project” the secret new property owner leaked to the Orlando Sentinel on October 20th, 1965. A press conference was scheduled for November 15th, 1965 and Walt Disney explained the plans for the new site.
Walt Disney died on December 15th, 1966, 5 years before his vision opened in 1971. With the wheels already in motion for the resort, Walt’s brother Roy O. Disney postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the first phase. The Magic Kingdom opened on October 1st, 1971 along with Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The Magnolia & Palm Golf Courses opened a few weeks before Magic Kingdom. In honor of his younger brother, Roy O. Disney dedicated the property and declared that it would be known as “Walt Disney World”. Roy O. Disney died on December 20th, 1971, barely 3 months after Walt Disney World Resort opened.