The Walt Disney World Resort is an
entertainment resort complex in
Bay Lake and
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States. The resort is located within
Orange and
Osceola counties, and located closest to the cities of
Winter Garden and
Kissimmee in
Greater Orlando. 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.[5] Walt Disney World contains four separate theme parks, two water parks, two mini-golf courses, and four golf courses, a competitive sports complex and three shopping, dining, and entertainment areas. There are twenty-one Disney-operated 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 make sure Walt's biggest dream was realized. Construction started in 1967, with the company instead building a resort similar to Disneyland, abandoning the experimental concepts for a planned community.
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 Disney-MGM Studios) in 1989, and
Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998. It was Roy who insisted the name of the entire complex be changed from Disney World to Walt Disney World, ensuring that people would remember that the project was Walt's dream.
In 2018, Walt Disney World was the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an average annual attendance of more than 58 million.[7] The resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States,[4] the flagship destination of Disney's worldwide corporate enterprise[8] and has become a
popular staple in
American culture.
History
Planning and construction
Conception
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 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.[9]
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 the east, Disney selected a centrally located site near
Bay Lake.[10] The development was referred to in-house as "The Florida Project".[11] To avoid a burst of land speculation, Walt Disney Productions used various
dummy corporations to acquire 27,443 acres (43 sq mi; 111 km2) of land.[10] 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 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 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.[12]
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 the extent of their intentions, and they were able to negotiate numerous land contracts with some landowners, including large tracts of land for as little as $100 an acre.[13] 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.[14]
Early rumors and speculation about 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.[14] 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 which he claimed a $50 million investment was in the works for Disneyland, and that he had no interest in building a new park.[14] 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 the story.[14] 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.[14][15] Three days later, after gathering more information from various sources, the Sentinel published another article headlined, "We Say: 'Mystery' Industry Is Disney".[14][16]
Walt Disney had originally planned to publicly reveal Disney World on November 15, 1965, but in light of 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".[14] The official reveal was kept on the previously planned November 15 date, and Disney joined Burns in Orlando for the event.[14]
Roy Disney's oversight of construction
Walt Disney died from circulatory collapse caused by smoking-related
lung cancer on December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized.[17] 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: 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.[9] The legislation forming 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.[18] 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 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.[19][20] 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 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.[21]
Admission prices in 1971 were $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for juniors under age 18, and one dollar for children under twelve.[19]
1980s–2020
Much of Walt Disney's plans for his
Progress City concept were abandoned after his death and after 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 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 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.[22] The Walt Disney Company provided additional funds for landscape restoration and wildlife monitoring.[23]
In October 2009, Disney World announced 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.[24]
George Kalogridis was named president of the resort in December 2012, replacing
Meg Crofton, who had overseen the site since 2006.
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 a single hotel instead of some managing multiple hotels.[25]
In 2019,
Josh D'Amaro replaced
George Kalogridis as president of the resort. He had previously held the position of vice president of Animal Kingdom.[27] 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.[28]
March 2020–present
On March 12, 2020, a Disney spokesperson announced that Disney World and
Disneyland Paris would temporarily shut due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, beginning March 15, 2020.[29]
In 2020, Disney World laid off 6,500 employees and only operated at 25% capacity after reopening during the
COVID-19 pandemic.[30][31]
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.[33] Four days later,
Epcot and
Disney's Hollywood Studios for operation at 25% capacity to the public.[34] 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.[35]
In November 2020, 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.[36] By mid-June 2021, temperature checks and mask mandates (except while on Disney transportation) had been lifted.[37] In late July 2021, mask mandates were reinstated for all attractions and indoor areas in light of new guidance issued by the
Centers for Disease Control as the
delta variant drove a significant increase in local cases. These reinstated mandates were lifted in February 2022.[38] In April 2022, following a court decision ending the federal mask mandate for public transportation, the mask mandates on Disney transportation were lifted.[39]
Starting on October 1, 2021, the resort honored its 50th anniversary with "The World's Most Magical Celebration",[40] which lasted for 18 consecutive months ending on March 31, 2023.[41]
Disney's Magical Express, a complimentary transportation and luggage service offered to Walt Disney Resort guests that began in 2005, ended in January 2022.[42] 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+, a system starting at $18 to $35 per day with the option of adding "Lightning Lane", which will be used for top-tier attractions, for an additional charge. The pricing range depends on the crowd and day of purchase.[43]
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.[44] The new law also officially abolished The
Reedy Creek Improvement District which 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.[44] The law went into effect in June 2023.[45][46] 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.[47]
Disney-MGM Studios opens, and divided into Backstage Studio Tour and Theme Park, including Production Center, Hollywood Boulevard and Lakeside Circle. *However, Production Center is later renamed Animation Courtyard, Lakeside Circle is later renamed Echo Lake, later divided into Commissary Lane, New York Street and Mickey Avenue, New York Street is later renamed Streets of America and Mickey Avenue is later renamed Pixar Place at Disney-MGM Studios.
Disney's Animal Kingdom opens, including the Oasis, Safari Village, DinoLand, U.S.A., Camp Minnie-Mickey, Africa and Conversation Station *However, Safari Village is renamed Discovery Island and Conversation Station is later renamed Rafaki's Planet Watch at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Hurricane Floyd closes the resort for the first time in its history on September 15.[48]
Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration began on October 1 at Walt Disney World Resort. *
Journey into Imagination Pavilion is renamed Imagination! Pavilion, which includes Journey Into YOUR Imagination, in Future World at Epcot. *IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth (until it was renamed IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth) debuts in World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT.
The
Skyway closes at Magic Kingdom on November 10.
Soarin' closes in the Land Pavilion at Epcot on January 4.
Streets of America closes at Disney's Hollywood Studios on April 2.
Muppets Courtyard opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios on April 3.
The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic debuts in Discovery River Lagoon at Disney's Animal Kingdom on May 26 until hold its final performance on September 5.
Soarin' Around the World opens in The Land Pavilion at Epcot on June 17.
Hurricane Matthew closes the resort for the fifth time on October 7.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex hosts the
NBA Bubble from July 22 through October 11.
2021
Epcot Forever holds its final performance in World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT on September 28.
Happily Ever After holds its final performance at Magic Kingdom on September 29.
Walt Disney World Resort and Magic Kingdom celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 1, as Walt Disney World: The World's Most Magical Celebration. *
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure opens in France Pavilion at EPCOT. *
Disney Enchantment debuts at Magic Kingdom. *Future World closes permanently and divided into World Celebration, World Discovery and World Nature and the makeover of World Showcase at EPCOT. *
Harmonious debuts in World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT. *Disney KiteTails debuts in Discovery River Lagoon at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
World Celebration Gardens opens in World Celebration at EPCOT, and divided into Dreamers Point as a newly designed central spine, Inspiration Gardens, Creations Gardens, Connections Gardens and CommuniCore Gardens. *Walt the Dreamers as a statue of Walt Disney, debuts in World Celebration at EPCOT.
The resort has a number of expansion projects planned or ongoing, including:
Enhancements at
EPCOT continue, including a new 1-level festival pavilion as CommuniCore Hall and Plaza and new meet-and-greet locations as Mickey and Friends in World Celebration.
Location
The Florida resort 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, 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 km2).[10] 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 km2)[5] (larger than Manhattan, New York City, which is 22.7 sq mi). The company acquired nearly 3,000 additional acres, in separate transactions, between December 2018 and April 2020.[51][52][53]
The two courses at Fantasia Gardens are Fantasia Garden and Fantasia Fairways. The Garden course is a traditional miniature-style course based on the "Fantasia" movies with musical holes, water fountains and characters. Fantasia Fairways is a traditional golf course on miniature scale having water hazards and sand traps.[54][55]
The two courses at Winter Summerland are Summer and Winter, both themed around Santa. Summer is the more challenging of the two 18-hole courses.[54]
Other attractions and areas
Disney Springs, opened March 22, 1975, an on-site shopping, dining, and entertainment complex.[56]
Disney's Boardwalk, located outside of the Boardwalk Inn, functions as an entertainment, dining, and shopping district.[57] The area includes Atlantic Dance Hall and Jellyrolls Nightclub.[58]
Flamingo Crossings, a new shopping and dining complex on property, similar to Disney Springs, currently opening in phases
Disney's property includes four golf courses. The three 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 is also a nine-hole walking course (no electric carts allowed) called Oak Trail, designed for young golfers. Oak Trail also has a
Footgolf course. Palm, Magnolia, and Oak Trail are connected and share one entrance near Magic Kingdom, while the Lake Buena Vista course is located near Disney Springs.
The Magnolia and Palm courses played home to the PGA Tour's
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. Walt Disney World golf courses are staffed by third-party Arnold Palmer Golf Management.[62] A former course on property known as Eagle Pines & Osprey Ridge Golf Club was transformed into Tranquilo Golf Course after Four Seasons Resort was built on the course and opened in 2014. The course is open only to guests staying at Four Seasons.[63][64] Waldorf Astoria Golf Club is open to all guests and is located in the Bonnet Creek Resort Area.[65]
Discovery Island – an island and former ticketed attraction in Bay Lake that was home to many species of animals and birds. Guests would access the island via boat from Fort Wilderness. It opened on April 8, 1974, and closed on April 8, 1999.
Disney's River Country – the first water park at the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on June 20, 1976, and closed on November 2, 2001. It was demolished after years of sitting abandoned to build the now canceled Reflections resort.[67]
Walt Disney World Speedway – a racetrack at Walt Disney World that included the Richard Petty Driving Experience. It opened November 28, 1995, and closed on August 9, 2015. The area was demolished and a retention pond put in its place.
Pleasure Island (1989–2008), a former gated section of Downtown Disney, centered on late-night entertainment. Most of the area was demolished upon the transformation of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs.
Walt Disney World Airport, a small landing strip built for private aircraft. The airway stopped being used in the 1980s. It is located off Vista Blvd and World Drive and used as a storage area.
DisneyQuest – an indoor interactive theme park that featured many arcade games and virtual attractions. It opened June 19, 1998 as part of an unsuccessful attempt to launch a chain of similar theme parks. It closed on July 2, 2017, and was demolished to build the NBA Experience & CityWorks Restaurant.[68]
NBA Experience, located at Disney Springs. (2019–2020) [69]
Crossroads Shopping Center, originally developed by Disney in the 1980s and located near Disney Springs, the shopping and dining center was popular for guests and cast-members, built at a time when there was few dining options in the area. Disney later sold the land, and in 2021 the entire center was demolished using
eminent domain for the
Interstate 4 Beyond the Ultimate reconstruction project.[70][71]
Spirit of Aloha at Luau Cove, a dinner show that included
fire performance at the Polynesian resort, located between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. The outdoor theatre space and facilities were demolished in 2022 to build a new Disney Vacation Club addition to the Polynesian. The show was last performed in March 2020 and never reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic closure.[72][73]
Fort Wilderness Railroad (1974–1980), a railroad attraction built inside Fort Wilderness, closed permanently in 1980.
There are currently 20 on-site Disney-owned and separately staffed resorts on Walt Disney World Property. Several of these properties have subdivisions relegated solely for
Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members. All Disney-operated resorts are considered private property, with 24-hour gated security controlled access. Informally known as the "Disney Bubble", staying on property is considered an immersive experience.[74][75]
There are many other resorts located on or near property that are owned and operated by other companies.
While all of the Deluxe resort hotels have achieved an AAA Four Diamond rating, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is considered the highest-tier flagship luxury resort on the Walt Disney World Resort complex.[76]
Best Friends Pet Care operates an on-site pet hotel for guests traveling with animals.[77]
Club Level Nine resorts at Walt Disney World include club-level rooms. For an added-charge, these rooms include special access to a club lounge that offers personalized concierge-services and serves fresh
hors d'oeuvres and appetizers.[78][79]
Polynesian Village Resort - King Kamehameha Club
Coronado Springs Resort - Chronos Club
Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kilimanjaro Club
Wilderness Lodge - Old Faithful Club
Beach Club - Stone Harbor Club
Yacht Club - Regatta Club
Contemporary Resort - Atrium Club
Boardwalk Inn - Innkeepers Club
Grand Floridian - Royal Palm Club
Massage and Health Spas - located inside Walt Disney World
Lake Buena Vista – Disney originally intended this area to become a complete community with multiple residences, shopping, and offices, but transformed the original homes into hotel lodging in the 1970s, which were demolished in the early 2000s to build
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Walt Disney World has several departments that handle various activities and events that are offered throughout the year. These departments include:
Disney Imagination Campus - operates
Magic Music Days, Disney Performing Arts, Festival Disney, The Dreamers Academy, and other youth programs providing opportunities for youth to learn and perform inside Walt Disney World.[85][86]
Disney Meetings and Events - schedules large meetings, events, and conferences at Walt Disney World.[87]
The Disney Institute - offers professional development, team-building and networking opportunities using Disney models and principles.[88]
Disney Weddings - schedules and plans weddings at various locations inside Walt Disney World, including locations inside the parks or at the wedding pavilion.[89]
Disney Internships and Programs - operates various internships geared toward college-age students, including the
Disney College Program (DCP),
Disney International Programs (ICP), Disney Hospitality Leadership Program (DHLP), Cultural Representative Program (CRP), Brazilian Summer Super Greeters, Disney Culinary Program, and Professional Internships (PI).[90]
Campus
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.
Team Disney - the central location of corporate offices at Walt Disney World.
Disney University - the central location of training for castmembers.
Mickey's Retreat - a Disney-employee only recreational complex located on Little Lake Bryan.[91]
AdventHealth - operates two emergency rooms, located on the east and west of property near Disney Springs and in Flamingo Crossings. Guests with serious conditions and injuries are transported to the larger
AdventHealth Celebration.
YMCA of Central Florida - operates two locations on property that provide daycare and educational programs for children of Walt Disney World employees.[92]
The Center for Living Well - provides health services for Disney employees, operated by Premise Health.[93]
Disney Aspire - offers free college tuition to eligible employees of Walt Disney World. Launched in 2018, the program offers select academic tracks in partnership with certain schools and degree programs.[94]
Voluntears - Disney's in-house volunteer program. Disney castmembers volunteer their time for local non-profit and environmental causes.[95]
Disney Unions and employment
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 17.00 dollars per hour, with additional premiums available for select roles. Union membership 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.[96]
List of Walt Disney World Unions
Local 362 - chapter of the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) Represents roles in Attractions, Custodial, and Vacation Planning.[97]
Orlando Area Theatre (OAT) - local chapter of
Actors' Equity Association (AEA) Represents members performing under contract at Walt Disney World, including casts of Festival of The Lion King, Voices of Liberty, The Dapper Dans, Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire, Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, the Hoop-Dee-Do Review, and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond.[101]
When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the site employed about 5,500 "cast members".[103] In 2020, Walt Disney World employed more than 77,000 cast members.[104] Walt Disney World has more than 3,000 job classifications with a total 2019 payroll of over $3 billion.[4]
Attendance
In the first year of opening, the park attracted 10,712,991 visitors.[105] 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 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.[7] By October 2020, maximum Disney World attendance was still allowed to only remain at 25% capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31] A recent study found that reducing Magic Kingdom park capacity to 25% would result in 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.[106]
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 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.[120]
Disney Transport also operates 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 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.[122][123] Some of the unique advantages that the Minnie Van Service offers over a normal ride share 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.
Energy use
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.[124] In addition to relying primarily on fossil fuels and nuclear energy from the state's power grid, Walt Disney World has two
solar energy facilities on property; a 22-acre (0.034 sq mi; 0.089 km2)
Mickey Mouse-shaped
solar panel farm near Epcot, and a 270-acre (0.42 sq mi; 1.1 km2) facility near Disney's Animal Kingdom.[125] 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 the
Reedy Creek Improvement District, respectively.[125]
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 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 the bus stops. Guests arriving via Magic Kingdom Resort boat launch are bag checked on the arrival dock outside Magic Kingdom.[126]
The land where Walt Disney World resides is part of the
Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), a governing jurisdiction created in May 1967 by the State of Florida at the request of Disney.[127][44] RCID provides 911 services, fire, environmental protection, building code enforcement, utilities and road maintenance, but does not provide law enforcement services. The approximately 800 security staff are instead considered employees of the Walt Disney Company. Arrests and citations are issued by the
Florida Highway Patrol along with the
Orange County and Osceola County sheriffs deputies who patrol the roads. Disney security does maintain a fleet of security vans equipped with flares, traffic cones, and chalk commonly used by police officers. These security personnel are charged with traffic control by the RCID and may only issue personnel violation notices to Disney and RCID employees, not the general public.[128][129]
Despite the appearance of the uniformed security personnel, they are not considered a legal law enforcement agency. Disney and the Reedy Creek Improvement District were sued for access to Disney Security records by Bob and Kathy Sipkema following the death of their son at the resort in 1994. The court characterized Disney security as a "night watchman" service, not a law enforcement agency, meaning it is not subject to Florida's open records laws. An appeals court later upheld the lower court's ruling.[130]
In late 2015, Disney confirmed the addition of randomized secondary screenings and dogs trained to detect body-worn explosives within parks, in addition to metal detectors at entrances. It has also increased the number of uniformed security personnel at Walt Disney World and Disneyland properties.[131]
Disney Security personnel in Florida have investigated traffic accidents and issued accident reports. The forms used by Disney Security may be confused with official, government forms by some.[citation needed]
The
Orange County Sheriff maintains an office on Disney property, but this is primarily to process guests accused of
shoplifting by Disney security personnel.[132]
Although the scattering of ashes on Disney property is illegal, The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2018 that Walt Disney World parks were becoming a popular spot for families to scatter the ashes of loved ones, with the
Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom being the favorite location. The practice is unlawful and prohibited on Disney property, and anyone spreading
cremated remains is escorted from the park.[133]
On April 22, 2022, the Walt Disney Company's self-governing authority of all the area surrounding Walt Disney World came to an end after Florida Governor
Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation requiring Walt Disney World's Reedy Creek Improvement District to come under the legal jurisdiction of the state of Florida on June 1, 2023.[44][45][134]
Closures
Walt Disney World has had twelve unscheduled closures, ten of which have been due to hurricanes:[135]
November 9–10, 2022, phased closure from the evening of November 9 until noon of the next day, due to
Hurricane Nicole
Like
its sister resort, parks at the resort may close early to accommodate various special events, such as special press events, tour groups, VIP groups, and private parties. It is common for a corporation to rent entire parks for the evening. In such cases, special passes are issued which are valid for admission to all rides and attractions. At the ticket booths and on published schedules, the guests are notified of the early closures. Then, cast members announce that the parks are closing, sometime before the private event starts, and clear the parks of guests who do not have the special passes.
In October 2020, it was revealed that full capacity attendance was still not permitted, following the COVID-19 closure which occurred earlier in the year.[31] In July 2021, Disney World announced that all its staff workers in the US would have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to return to work. It also announced that those who are unvaccinated would have a period of time to get their shots and aimed to return to full capacity for people who are immunized.[140]
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