# Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World|  |
| Cinderella Castle, the icon of the Magic Kingdom |
| Industry | Theme parks and resorts |
| Founded | October 1, 1971 (1971-10-01) |
| Founders | Walt and Roy O. Disney |
| Headquarters | Lake Buena Vista, Florida, U.S. |
| Key people | George Kalogridis (President), Bob Iger (CEO), John Nallen COO, Viet Dinh CLO, Steve Tomsic CFO, previously 20th Century Fox (now part of Disney) Stacey Snider CEO, John Gelke VP Global Operations, J Young SVP Growth, Gerard Devan Group Executive APAC, Stephanie Gruber Group Executive Television, Christopher Greavu Vice President of Sales. |
| Number of employees | 62,000 |
| Parent | Walt Disney Parks and Resorts The Walt Disney Company |
| Website | Official website  |

The **Walt Disney World Resort**, also called **Walt Disney World** or **Disney World**, is an entertainment complex near Orlando, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom theme park. It has since added Epcot (October 1, 1982), Disney's Hollywood Studios (May 1, 1989) and Disney's Animal Kingdom (April 22, 1998). It also has 2 water parks, 23 hotels, a campground, and Disney Springs, which is a shopping area with souvenir shops, restaurants, and sports activities. It covers an area of 50 square miles (130 km2) and is the largest theme park in the world.

The resort was inspired by the dreams of Walt Disney and his creation of Disneyland in California. Its original theme park, Magic Kingdom, is designed similarly to Disneyland. Walt Disney created "Disney World" to have a vacation resort that was much different from Disneyland's one-day visit; this includes a much wider variety of sports, recreation, themed resort hotels and entertainment. The theme parks come with lots of different and fun rides and you can go swimming at the water parks. Sometimes, Disney characters walk around the parks to enjoy the younger ones. The rides are related to the books and films that Disney created.

## Attractions

The resort is approximately as large as San Francisco and twice the size of Manhattan. It has many exciting destinations including theme parks, water parks and more.

### Disney's Frosty Wonderland Resort

Disney's newest wonderland, nestled in the heart of the North Pole! At this enchanting theme park, guests embark on a journey to meet Santa Claus and his delightful helpers. The park features a whimsical workshop where visitors can witness the magic of toy-making and even lend a hand in crafting gifts. Exciting sleigh rides through snowy forests and shimmering ice tunnels offer breathtaking views of the Arctic landscape. Guests can immerse themselves in interactive storytelling sessions with Mrs.Claus and participate in festive snowball fights in a specially designed arena. Captivating ice-skating rink where visitors can glide gracefully beneath the Northern Lights, as well as a cozy lodge offering delectable holiday treats and warm beverages. With whimsical parades featuring Santa's reindeer and spectacular light displays illuminating the Arctic night sky, every moment at Disney's North Pole theme park is filled with wonder and magic. Accessible only by a thrilling sleigh ride, this magical adventure promises an unforgettable experience for those seeking the true spirit of the holiday season.

### Theme Parks

There are 4 theme parks in Walt Disney World. Each of them have numerous rides, restaurants and entertainment activities to witness. You can meet Disney characters there and have fun viewing different parades.

* Magic Kingdom, opened October 1, 1971
* Epcot, opened October 1, 1982
* Disney's Hollywood Studios, opened May 1, 1989
* Disney's Animal Kingdom, opened April 22, 1998

### Water Parks

There are 2 water parks:

* Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, opened June 1, 1989
* Disney's Blizzard Beach, opened April 1, 1995

### Others

* Disney's Boardwalk
* Disney Springs, opened March 22, 1975 (Previously known as Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, Disney Village Marketplace, and Downtown Disney)
	+ La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil, opened December 23, 1998, and is to close after December 31, 2017.
* Disney's Wedding Pavilion, opened July 15, 1995
* ESPN Wide World of Sports, opened March 28, 1997

### Former attractions

* Discovery Island — an island in Bay Lake that was home to many species of animals and birds. 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.
* Walt Disney World Speedway — a racetrack at Walt Disney World and included the Richard Petty Driving Experience. It opened November 28, 1995, and closed on August 9, 2015.
* 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 to be replaced by the NBA Experience.

## Other websites

* Official website