In the mid-1960s, Walt Disney’s dream was to build a family resort destination like no other. The dream became a reality when Walt Disney World Resort opened in 1971 featuring Magic Kingdom as the centerpiece. Today, Walt Disney World Resort and its Cast Members deliver one-of-a-kind experiences to millions of Guests who come from around the world to enjoy vacationing at the resort.
Spanning 40 square miles, Walt Disney World Resort is a world-class entertainment and recreation center featuring:
- Four theme parks
- Two water parks
- Twenty-four resort hotels, including seven Disney Vacation Club properties
- Five golf courses
- ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
- Downtown Disney
New Developments
Just as Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland will never be completed,” Walt Disney World “will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” New projects are always in development and on the horizon, including:
- Construction is underway for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, which will feature 1,120 family suites themed after “The Lion King,” “Cars” and “Finding Nemo,” and 864 themed rooms in “The Little Mermaid” wing. Animation themes will carry throughout building exteriors and room interiors and feature larger-than-life icons from the animated films in courtyard areas. Crowned by a 35-foot-tall model of King Triton, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will be located next to Disney’s Pop Century Resort and open in phases starting in 2012.
- Fantasyland is undergoing the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history. When complete in 2013, the expansion will nearly double the size of Fantasyland and be a celebration of what Disney does best: storytelling through deeply immersive entertainment and interactive experiences featuring beloved characters from classic Disney stories, including a new “Journey of the Little Mermaid” attraction featuring Ariel and all her friends, new ways to interact with favorite Disney princesses, an exciting new family coaster, a double dose of Dumbo and more.
New Experiences
Disney Parks offer new immersive experiences and updates to several Guest favorites. Here’s what’s new:
- “Star Tours -The Adventures Continue” (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – A new Dolby 3-D version of the tremendously popular Star Tours attraction is now open. Based on the iconic Lucasfilm Star Wars films, the attraction delivers a vivid and realistic experience utilizing motion simulator-based technology. With a dramatic music score and immersive new elements, the ride features more than 50 story combinations, so Guests can find new adventures each time they experience the attraction.
- “Let the Memories Begin” (Magic Kingdom) – As part of the new “Let the Memories Begin,” Disney Guests become the stars of a nightly spectacular show, “The Magic, The Memories, and You,” which features photos taken in the park during the day as larger-than-life projections on Cinderella Castle. This groundbreaking new experience celebrates the family vacation memories created in Disney theme parks every day.
- “Enchanted Tiki Room” (Magic Kingdom) – This Guest favorite is scheduled to reopen in late summer 2011 in a version reminiscent of the original show (called Tropical Serenade). The attraction has been entertaining Guests since the theme park’s opening day Oct. 1, 1971. Its winged hosts — Jose, Fritz, Pierre and Michael — lead 200 other birds, tikis and flowers in an entertaining Polynesian revue.
- New interactive queues (Magic Kingdom) – Children and families can now play in the transformed, fully immersive queue of the “Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh.” The entry to this classic Fantasyland attraction entertains youngsters with drum playing and gopher surprises in Rabbit’s Garden, tiny playhouses to climb through and amazing special effects at Pooh’s Hunny Hives. Guests who dare to enter “The Haunted Mansion” will find frightful fun in a new courtyard queue that brings them into an expanded, interactive graveyard featuring a ghoulish organ, a wall of unusual musical instruments guests can “orchestrate,” a chance to complete a rhyme with the Decomposing Composer and photo opportunities with favorite spirits from the beloved attraction.
- “Wild Africa Trek” (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) – Guests wanting to venture off the beaten path have the chance during a new, immersive, add-on experience that takes a small group of adventurers on personalized, expert-guided treks through unexplored areas of Harambe Wildlife Reserve. During the three-hour adventure, Guests navigate through forests on a bushwalk, clip into a safety harness to cross seemingly precarious rope bridges and cliff-hang over waters that are home to hippos and crocodiles and board a customized open-air vehicle to explore and observe wildlife in a wide-open savanna.
- “Disney Junior-Live on Stage!” (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – a favorite among children ages 2 to 7, the show includes performances from characters on current Disney Channel shows, such as “Jake and the Never Land Pirates,”"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Handy Manny” and “Little Einsteins.”
- New meet and greet experiences (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – This summer, Guests will be able to take part in an energetic and fun-filled meet-and-play experience with Phineas and Ferb from the popular television show of the same name . With the help of Guests and movie director Cletus Filmore, the duo will recreate some of their favorite moments… unless they are taking a break to meet with their adoring fans, signing autographs and taking pictures. Guests can also cruise by a “Cars 2″ meet-and-greet with Lightning McQueen near “MuppetVision 3-D.”
- Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun! (Disney’s Hollywood Studios ) – Favorite Pixar pals perform in an all-new parade showcasing appearances by four characters not previously featured – Remy and Emile from “Ratatouille” and Carl and Russell from “UP.”
New Niche Rooms Add Magic at Disney Resorts
Over the next year, new Walt Disney World Resort hotel rooms will enable Guests to sleep like visiting Disney royalty during their vacation.
- In spring 2012, new Royal Guest Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside will take Guests on a vacation getaway to Princess Tiana’s guest house where her friends have also come to visit. Continuing the popular “storybook” room concept launched in 2009 at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, 512 rooms at Port Orleans are being renovated with a new theme centered on Disney princes and princesses. The rooms offer Guests the royal treatment as they immerse them in their favorite Disney stories amid ornate décor and specially-designed beds that includes headboards with special effects.
Customization and Personalization
Walt Disney World Resort Guests can personalize and customize their vacations like never before:
- “Magic Your Way” ticketing and packages allow Guests to create their own Walt Disney World vacation. Ticket-holders can customize their Walt Disney World theme park visits by adding components to the base ticket such as park-hopping, water parks or other vacation fun. The savings grow the longer a Guest stays.
- Specialized vacation planning tools addressing topics such as “Traveling With Little Ones” and “Affordable Vacation Options” can be found on www.disneyworld.com. This resource has special offers and helps Guests customize their vacation itinerary to suit interests as well as considerations such as age, height restrictions and medical needs.
Technology
Technology enables Walt Disney World Resort to continue to take storytelling and Guest service to new heights:
- Disney’s Handheld Assistive Technology Device shares the magic of Disney Parks with Guests who have hearing and visual disabilities. This first-of-a-kind Disney-designed device uses wireless technology to combine handheld captioning, video-captioning activation, amplified audio and detailed audio description into one small, easy-to-use resource that seamlessly works with show elements in select attractions. Newly enhanced with an interactive audio menu, the device fits in the palm of a Guest’s hand.
- International visitors to Walt Disney World Resort are able to take advantage of a personal translation device called Ears to the World, Disney’s Show Translator. These units are lightweight headsets that utilize cutting-edge wireless technology to provide synchronized narration at several popular theme park attractions in five languages. Wireless signals throughout key attractions trigger digital audio recordings in each unit – providing real-time translation in French, German, Japanese, Portuguese or Spanish.
- Using the latest digital equipment and Disney-engineered technology, photographers take photos of Guests throughout the theme parks. Instead of receiving a paper claim ticket, Guests receive a Disney’s PhotoPass card that links all of their vacation photos taken by Disney photographers together into one online account. Guests can customize their photos, add some of their own and create special albums online at www.disneyphotopass.com.
- Disney’s FASTPASS continues to be popular with Guests. Offered at a selection of popular attractions in all four theme parks at no charge, FASTPASS enables Guests to receive a ticket with a designated one-hour-long window of time when they can return and skip the regular line.
Resort Hotel Benefits
In all, there are 24 themed, Disney-owned-and-operated resorts, ranging from value to deluxe villas. While Walt Disney World Resort provides magical moments for everyone, Guests staying at these Walt Disney World Resort hotels are able to take advantage of special perks:
- An Online Check-In Service, designed to simplify and streamline Guest arrivals, is complimentary and available to Guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels and Disney Vacation Club resorts. Within 10 days of their arrival, Guests are able to provide check-in information, advise the resort of their arrival times and request room preferences. Guests can also register the names of all the people in their party and provide a credit card to
cover charges. Upon arrival at their resorts, Guests visit a special welcome location where their room keys and other registration materials are waiting for them. - The innovative Disney’s Magical Express service offers airport shuttle, luggage delivery and airline check-in for Disney hotel guests. Guests can check their bags at their home airport, bypass baggage claim at Orlando International Airport and board state-of-the-art motorcoaches to Walt Disney World Resort, where their bags “magically” appear in their room upon check-in. A growing list of airline partners enables passengers leaving Orlando on domestic flights to check their luggage and receive a boarding pass before departing their Disney hotel.
- The Walt Disney World Transportation System of buses, monorails and boat launches combines to connect virtually all areas of the Vacation Kingdom. With the convenience of “door-to-door” service throughout the resort, many Guests enjoy their Walt Disney World vacation without a car.
- Guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels can add fun to their day with the Extra Magic Hours benefit. Each day, one of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks opens one hour early or stays open up to three hours later for Disney resort Guests, providing extra time in the parks to experience select attractions.
- Guests who prefer to include dining in their vacation packages can choose from several Walt Disney World Magic Your Way vacation packages that include a Disney Dining Plan, Disney resort hotel accommodations and Magic Your Way tickets. The Disney Dining Plans feature a variety of meal and snack entitlements – both in terms of the type of restaurants Guests can visit and the number of meals and snacks included with the plans.
Dining
From fast casual to five-diamond, there are more than 300 places to dine across Walt Disney World Resort and more than 6,000 food items available for Guests. The resort also is the largest single-site purveyor of wine in the world and has more sommeliers than any other company in the world.
Merchandise
Whether it’s an unforgettable souvenir or an extravagant gift for someone special, Walt Disney World Resort is a shopper’s paradise of more than 300 unique stores. Package pick-up located near the front entrance of each theme park and hotel delivery is available at no charge.
Services for Guests with Disabilities
Guests with disabilities are able to utilize many special services and facilities available to them throughout Walt Disney World Resort. From handheld captioning for the hearing impaired to unique ride vehicles at Toy Story Mania that provide access for Guests using wheelchairs, Walt
Disney World Resort is focused on meeting the needs of all Guests.
