50 Things You Didn't Know About Disney World
Author: Ryan Wiseman
Think you know everything about Walt Disney World Resort and its
four world-class theme parks - Disney's Magic Kingdom, Epcot,
Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom? Think again! Even
the biggest Disney fanatic will be amused, intrigued or surprised
by some of the 50 fascinating Disney World facts listed
below.
1. Walt Disney World encompasses 30,500 acres, making it
approximately the same size as San Francisco.
2. When Disney's Magic Kingdom first opened its doors on October
1, 1971, adult admission cost $3.50.
3. The opening day crowd at Disney's Magic Kingdom was
approximately 10,000 guests.
4. The eight "E ticket" attractions at Disney's Magic Kingdom
were Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion,
Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Jungle Cruise, It's a
Small World and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.
5. The estimated annual attendance at Disney's Magic Kingdom is
16.2 million, followed by Epcot with 9.9 million, Disney-MGM
Studios with 8.6 million and Disney's Animal Kingdom with 8.2
million.
6. Cinderella Castle is Disney's tallest structure at 189 feet,
followed by Space Mountain at 183 feet.
7. Both the Carousel of Progress and It's A Small World made
their debut at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.
8. The 180-foot-tall Spaceship Earth at the entrance to Epcot
weighs approximately 16 million pounds.
9. The Haunted Mansion uses state-of-the-art Omnimover vehicles
called "Doom Buggies."
10. The jolly headhunter who shows up near the end of the Jungle
Cruise is known as "Trader Sam."
11. In conjunction with the 2006 release of Pirates of the
Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest, the Pirates of the Caribbean
attraction at Disney's Magic Kingdom was renovated to add several
characters from the movie such as Jack Sparrow and Hector
Barbossa.
12. The icon of Disney's Animal Kingdom, The Tree of Life,
stands 14 stories, features more than 300 animal carvings and is
50 feet wide.
13. Built in 1917, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel in Fantasyland
was once located at Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey.
14. The Great Movie Ride at Disney-MGM Studios is housed in a
replica of Mann's Chinese Theater.
15. Astro Orbiter first opened in Tomorrowland in 1974 as Star
Jets.
16. The Hall of Presidents had its origins as an
audio-animatronic exhibition called "Great Moments with Mr.
Lincoln," which premiered at the 1964-65 New York World's
Fair.
17. Originally known as the "Tropical Serenade," the Tiki Room
in Adventureland was once sponsored by Florida Citrus
Growers.
18. The 60-foot-tall Swiss Family Treehouse in Adventureland
weighs approximately 200 tons and is made of concrete and
thousands of polyethylene leaves.
19. Cinderella Castle, the centerpiece of Disney's Magic
Kingdom, features 18 towers and 13 gargoyles.
20. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at Fantasyland is
located on the site of the former Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
21. The "Spirits of America" statues in The American Adventure
at Epcot represent Adventure, Compassion, Discovery, Freedom,
Heritage, Independence, Individualism, Innovation, Knowledge,
Pioneering, Self-Reliance and Tomorrow.
22. Towering four stories over DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney's
Animal Kingdom, Dino-Sue is an exact replica of the largest
Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered.
23. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland features six
trains: I.B. Hearty, I.M. Brave, I.M. Fearless, U.B. Bold, U.R.
Daring and U.R. Courageous.
24. The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Starring Aerosmith at
Disney-MGM Studios launches you at a speed of 0 to 60 miles per
hour in 2.8 seconds.
25. A swinging suspension bridge leads from Tom Sawyer Island to
Fort Langhorne, which was named after Samuel Langhorne Clemens
(better known as Mark Twain).
26. The replica of the Liberty Bell that can be found in the
center of Liberty Square was built from the same authentic cast
as the original in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
27. The exit to Haunted Mansion features crypts with humorous
names inscribed such as I.M. Ready, Rustin Peese, Pearl E. Gates,
Manny Festation, Dustin T. Dust and Asher T. Ashes.
28. The Walt Disney World Railroad, which serves approximately
1.5-million passengers annually, is an authentic 1928
steam-powered train.
29. The Mission: SPACE thrill ride at Epcot is so authentic that
motion sickness bags are available just in case of emergency.
30. Mickey's Toontown Fair was once known as both Mickey's
Birthdayland and Mickey's Starland.
31. Sonny Eclipse, an "intergalactic lounge singer," performs
daily at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café in Tomorrowland.
32. In order to rank as a "Galactic Hero" at Buzz Lightyear's
Space Ranger Spin, you must score 900,000 to 999,999 points.
33. The audio-animatronic dog in the Carousel of Progress is
named "Rover."
34. Astronauts Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper and Jim Irwin were
present at the grand opening of Space Mountain in 1975.
35. Stitch's Great Escape in Tomorrowland lies at the former
site of ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, which closed in
2003.
36. One of the original attractions at Disney's Magic Kingdom,
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway was once known as Grand Prix
Raceway.
37. Recently renamed The Seas with Nemo & Friends, The Living
Seas pavilion opened at Epcot in 1986 and was originally
sponsored by United Technologies.
38. "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience," a 3-D film at Epcot, is
located in Future World at the former site of "Captain EO,"
another 3-D adventure that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola
and starred Michael Jackson and Anjelica Huston.
39. Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus was the first champion at the
Walt Disney World Open Invitational, which made its debut in
1971.
40. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority was originally called the
WEDway People Mover (WED standing for Walter Elias Disney).
41. Disney's Magic Kingdom, which encompasses approximately 107
acres, is itself larger than Disneyland, which only covers 80
acres in Anaheim, California.
42. The design of Main Street U.S.A. was loosely based on Walt
Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri.
43. The Swiss Family Treehouse is of the species Disneyodendron
eximus or "Out-of-the-Ordinary Disney Tree."
44. The 189-foot-tall water tower icon at Disney-MGM Studios is
known as the "Earffel Tower."
45. Jungle Cruise riverboats include Amazon Annie, Bomokandi
Bertha, Congo Connie, Ganges Gertie, Irrawaddy Irma, Kwango Kate,
Mongala Millie, Nile Nelly, Orinoco Ida, Rutshuru Ruby, Sankuru
Sadie, Senegel Sal, Ucvali Lolly, Volta Val, Wamba Wanda and
Zambesi Zelda.
46. Splash Mountain in Adventureland features a five-story,
free-fall plunge at a 45-degree angle into a splash pool at a
speed of 40 miles per hour.
47. The 8,500-acre Disney Wilderness Preserve, which lies 15
miles South of Disney World, features a Conservation Learning
Center and hiking trails.
48. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is located at the former
site of If You Had Wings in Tomorrowland.
49. The three "talking heads" who introduce the Country Bears
Jamboree are named Buff, Max and Melvin.
50. Approximately 46 million people visit Walt Disney World -
including Disney's Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios,
Disney's Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney - annually.
About the author:
Orlando, Florida
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