Walt Disney World Resort

Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks, many themed hotels and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues.Construction began in 1967, less than a year after Walt Disney's death.

It opened on October 1 1971, with the Magic Kingdom theme park, and has since opened Epcot (on October 1 1982), Disney-MGM Studios (on May 1 1989), and Disney's Animal Kingdom (on April 22 1998). Walt Disney World Resort features four theme parks, each represented by an iconic structure:
The Mag ic Kingdom-Cinderella Castle
Epcot-Spaceship Earth
Disney-MGM Studios-The Sorcerer's Hat; formerly the Earful Tower
Disney's Animal Kingdom-The Tree of Life

In 1959, the Walt Disney Company, under the leadership of Walt Disney, began looking for land for a second resort to supplement Disneyland, which had opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. Walt Disney first flew over the Orlando site on November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. A press conference soon was organized for November 15. At the presentation, Walt Disney explained the plans for the site, including EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which was to be a futuristic city (and which was also known as Progress City). Plans for EPCOT would drastically change after Disney's death. EPCOT became EPCOT Center, the resort's second theme park, which opened in 1982. Concepts from the original idea of EPCOT would be integrated into the community of Celebration much later.

Walt Disney himself died on December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized. His brother Roy Disney postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the resort. On February 2, 1967, Roy 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, the last one recorded by Walt Disney before his death.

Roy O. Disney, Walt Disney's older brother, dedicated the property and declared that it officially 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 replied, "I think Walt would have approved."

Walt Disney World had its own aircraft runway located just east of the Magic Kingdom parking lot. When the resort opened in 1971, Shawnee Airlines began regular passenger service from Orlando's McCoy Air Force Base (now Orlando International Airport) directly to Disney World's STOLport (Short Take Off and Landing) on a daily basis, with flights lasting only a few minutes. Today, the runway is mostly used as a staging area for buses and is no longer in service for aircraft.

Guadalupe Balza