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WALT DISNEY WORLD
Orlando, Florida
A popular misconception is that the resort exists in Orlando. In fact, the entire Walt Disney World property is outside Orlando city limits; the majority sits within southwestern Orange County, with the remainder in adjacent Osceola County to the south.
Most of Walt Disney World's Central Florida land and all of the public areas are located in the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, located southwest of Orlando and a few miles northwest of Kissimmee. The land within Walt Disney World Resort is part of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which allows the Disney corporation to exercise quasi-governmental powers over the area.
Walt Disney World Resort features four major theme parks, each with a main attraction that serves as its symbol:
* The Magic Kingdom (Cinderella Castle)
* Epcot (Spaceship Earth, the geodesic sphere.)
* Disney-MGM Studios (The Sorcerer's Hat, though formerly the "Earful Tower" NOTE: The earful tower is not a water tower.)
* Disney's Animal Kingdom (the Tree of Life)
There are also two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach (a third, River Country, is permanently closed), and the Disney's Wide World of Sports athletic complex.
The Downtown Disney area, consisting of three sections (Marketplace, Pleasure Island, and West Side), contains many shopping, dining, and entertainment venues. This includes DisneyQuest (an indoor "interactive theme park"), the House of Blues, and a permanent Cirque du Soleil show (La Nouba).
The Walt Disney World property is approximately 47 square miles, with only about 25% developed.
Another notable aspect is the large number of hotel resort complexes on the Walt Disney World property. The non-themed hotels are owned by private, non-Disney hospitality companies such as Starwood, Holiday Inn, and Hilton. |
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