It is the travel dream of almost all children and also many adults. Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is not only the largest and most famous amusement park in the world, it is also by far the most popular.
Every year over 17 million visitors flock through the gates of the Walt Disney World Resort, that is the equivalent of 46,000 people a day; more than many German small towns have in terms of residents. The gigantic dimensions of the Disney world, which can justifiably be called the “city within the city”, ensure that it doesn’t get tight. After all, the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando (about 34 kilometers from downtown) takes up a floor space that is comparable to that of Paris.
So it’s no wonder that most visitors don’t just come for one day, but rather register for longer. Even if you come for a week, you don’t have to leave the park for a second. They have their own hotels, restaurants and even a currency. The US dollar is exchanged one for one for the “Disney dollar”. Visitors really have to be careful that they don’t lose their sense of reality at some point between all the Donalds, Mickeys and Cinderellas.
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One of the biggest tourist attractions – prepared well in advance
The founder Walt Disney must have had this sense of reality for all his artistic genius. When the first Disney Park in Anaheim reached the limits of its growth, Walter Elias Disney didn’t want to repeat the mistake he had made in California. He hadn’t expected the park’s huge success and bought too little land. That should be different at the new, second location. Anonymous buyers have been buying cheap land around Orlando, Florida, for him since the early 1960s. To the public it initially looked as if some weirdos who had nothing to do with each other were spending money on unusable marshland. But there was a master plan behind it and when it leaked, there was no stopping Orlando. The economically battered city was not only happy about Walt Disney’s investments, but soon saw other leisure giants at the negotiating table. The competition was aware of the potential pull of a new Walt Disney world.
Today there are another 50 theme parks in and around Orlando and the city is still booming. In terms of tourism, it has only one competitor in the world; New York. This is largely due to the fact that there are only two places in the world that are visited more often than the Disney world in Florida. At number one which is Times Square in New York, second place take the Memorial Park in Washington and third place belongs to Uncle Scrooge and his associates.
The whole world in one adventure center with several theme parks
Of course, the days when Walt Disney was “only” equated with cartoon characters are long gone. The company has long been a giant in the film industry and one of the most dominant forces in Hollywood. That’s why a visit to Walt Disney World Resort Orlando means more than an encounter with comic characters, parades and pink fairy tale castles come alive. Four theme parks and two exciting water parks ensure that there is something for everyone on vacation.
Magic Kingdom
In the “ Magic Kingdom ” for example, a theme park about 30 kilometers outside of Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, visitors experience strange, magical worlds. Among other things, the world-famous Cinderella Castle (“Cinderella Castle”), which was modeled on Neuschwanstein Castle and is not missing in almost any advertising for Disneyland, is located there. But there is also a haunted castle, tree houses, a science fiction mountain and over 40 other attractions. They are all connected to one another by a park railway.
Epcot
” Epcot “, that huge silver sphere, takes you into the world of the future. The themes of international culture and innovative technology have been brought together as “Spaceship Earth”. Here you can catch a glimpse of the world of tomorrow and at the same time experience how other people understand and shape themselves and their environment.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
There ‘s always a lot going on in theme park number three, Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As the name suggests, the big Hollywood productions come to life in a very special way. There are, for example, regular performances of scenes from “Ariel, the little mermaid”. “Beauty and the Beast” is brought to the stage in a quality that rivals Broadway. There are virtual games all about the “Toy Story”, stunt shows à la Indiana Jones, and, and, and. Movie buffs can spend whole days in this theme park, because the list of attractions is endless. By the way, there are various offers that are tailored to certain age groups, so that even small children can really enjoy themselves here.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
“ Disney’s Animal Kingdom ” is the fourth and youngest theme park. Different aspects of the animal world are made visible and tangible on seven islands. That might sound dry, but it was implemented in the best, entertaining Disney manner. Both living animals and animations, animals from bygone times such as dinosaurs or animals of the imagination, such as the unicorn, have their place here. Beware, children don’t want to leave this theme park anytime soon.
Planning is everything
This also applies to the two water parks that the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando has to offer. If parents sometimes wonder what to do with their children while on vacation, a completely different problem arises in Orlando: How do you get everything under one roof? This can only be achieved if you carefully examine the attractions of the resort in advance and then plan your visit based on the age and preferences of the children. Disney itself helps insofar as it offers themed hotels and meal packages at different prices.