Think you know everything about Walt Disney World Resort and its four world-class theme parks – Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Think again! Even the biggest Disney World fanatic will be amused, intrigued or surprised by some of the Disney World facts listed below:
1. The Magic Kingdom is actually on the second floor
The “underground city” network of not-so-secret tunnels really exists. Because Florida is at sea level and engineers couldn’t dig down, these “underground” tunnels are really at ground level and the park is built on top of them.
2. Disney World is the size of San Francisco or two Manhattans
Except with fewer hipsters, and cheaper rent.
3. Admission was only $3.50 on opening day
Got $3.50 in your wallet now? Congratulations! You can now buy a bottle of water at Disney World. But not the Smart Water, there’s an upcharge for that. Nowadays, a one-day ticket will run you $99 or $124, depending on which park you visit. You can go to multiple parks for an additional $60 fee, or purchase multi-day tickets for a discounted price. Which is still not cheap.
4. Dead people’s ashes are everywhere
No joke. I had a friend who knew a girl whose mom, upon her death, wanted to be cremated and spread from the top of the Dumbo ride. This sounded odd until I heard it happens all the time. The park apparently even has a special vacuum for such occasions.
5. It would take a lifetime to stay in every hotel room
If you spent one night in each hotel room in Disney World, it’d take you 68 years. And, no, they don’t rent by the hour.
6. Disney World is basically its own self-governing city
This should be frightening to the outside world. The land that became Disney World straddles Osceola and Orange Counties. And, all Florida stereotypes aside, neither had the resources to support the park’s construction back in the day. The solution? Designate Walt’s land as its own autonomous taxing district. This autonomy, however, does not seem to apply to the American rule of law.
7. Cinderella Castle is practically empty
Besides a restaurant, gift shop, and the ghost of Walt Disney’s would-be apartment, that is. Designers built an apartment for Walt into the castle plan, but he died before its completion. That space was later turned into a hotel room that’s literally impossible to get a night in.
8. EPCOT is an acronym, and an amalgamation
True Disney nerds will tell you EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and it was originally supposed to be a living, working city of the future. If you’d ever wanted to live in a Ray Bradbury novel, this would have been your shot. Sadly, Walt’s death detoured the original plan.
There’s a story, though, about the park’s odd genesis. Imagineers couldn’t decide between the future concept or the world showcase concept. Supposedly, one Imagineer had the brilliant idea to just push together the two tables with the separate park models on them, thus merging them into one mega park. Sounds legit.
9. Disney World is the largest single-site employer in the US
And employees aren’t just called employees — they’re cast members.
10. The Haunted Mansion isn’t the only place that’s haunted
The real ghost (not a typo) of a worker who died during the construction of The Pirates of the Caribbean allegedly haunts the ride.
11. Visitors consume close to 2 million pounds of those caveman turkey drumsticks each year
No word on how much Pepto Bismol is sold annually on property. But Disney World frequenters eat enough turkey legs to make even John Madden proud.
12. You can’t get a straw or cup lid at Animal Kingdom
Disney doesn’t trust the animals not to get their paws on straws or lids. Or, more likely, they don’t trust humans to not throw them where the animals can get them.
13. Disney World is where sunglasses go to die
More than 200 pairs of sunglasses are turned in to lost and found each day.
