Exploring Walt Disney World Tourism Essay
What is the largest and most visited resort in the world? Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida is the largest and most visited place in the world. The Walt Disney World Resort contains a variety of places to visit. Disney World offers four famous theme parks, two water parks, along with many other Disney themed attractions.
Walt Disney World has five golf courses total. Four of which are 18-hole courses. Those courses include, Disney’s Palm Golf Course, Disney’s Mangolia Golf Course, Bonnet Creek Golf Course, and Lake Buena Vista Course. Three of those courses are on the PGA Tour. Disney also offers one 9-hole course called Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course. The golf courses offer golf carts for guests to use. Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland are two of Disney’s miniature golf course.
Walt Disney’s water parks include Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon has the largest outdoor water park in the world. Typhoon Lagoon’s mascot is called Lagoona Gator. The legend of this park is, a typhoon came and flung fishing supplies, surfing gear, and ships all around the park. In the middle of the park is a shrimp boat, “Miss Tilly.” The shrimp boat is on a mountain that gushes water out every half hour for a waterfall. This park offers raft rides, waterslides, a wave pool, and even a shark reef. Teens and adults can go snorkeling with stingrays and sharks at shark reef. Typhoon Lagoon offers rides for the whole family.
Such rides at Typhoon Lagoon include Crush N Gusher which is a roller coaster water slide. Also there are single person flume rides known as Keelhaul Falls and Storm Slides. Mayday Falls is a curvy fun inner tube ride. There is also Castaway Creek, which is an inner tube ride that goes all through the park. This park offers a lot of excitement for guests to have fun in.
Blizzard Beach is the other water park at the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of the most unique water parks. The legend of this park is that huge snowstorms lead to the constructing of a ski resort that didn’t happen because the snow didn’t last long. As the resort was closing an alligator was spotted sliding down a flume. The ski resort was made into a water park with the alligator named Ice Gator as the mascot. This park has one of the largest free falling slides in the world. Many of the slides are from Mount Gushmore. Mount Gushmore is the fifth highest point in Florida. Blizzard Beach also has a ride called Teamboat Springs which is one of the longest family raft rides.
Walt Disney has four theme parks that are very well-known. Disney’s parks include, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. There are always parades or shows involving Disney characters for children and adults to enjoy. Disney characters are almost everywhere you look at the parks to take pictures with the guests. Every park has Disney related shops and restaurants.
Magic Kingdom is the most visited park in the world. The park is represented by Cinderella’s Castle. Magic Kingdom includes seven magical lands. The lands include, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Mickey’s Toontown Fair. Magic Kingdom has many Disney movie themed rides for the whole family. This park contains some of the famous rides such as Splash Mountain.
Adventureland is themed to resemble jungles in Asia, Africa, Middle East, and South America. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is at this part of Magic Kingdom. At Adventureland take a magic carpet ride on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Also guests can find the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse at this section of Magic Kingdom. Attractions such as Splash Mountain and the Country Bear Jamboree can be found in Frontierland. Frontierland is the more western part of the park. Tom Sawyer Island is a place that Walt Disney actually designed.
Liberty Square contains the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents. It is based on an American Revolutionary town. Guests can dance with Goofy and characters from Toy Story 2 at Goofy’s Country Dancin’ Jamboree. Main Street USA is the most popular area of Magic Kingdom. Many shopping areas and restaurants are found there. Cinderella’s Castle stands at the end of Main Street. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is a major attraction for young girls to get made over into a princess at Cinderella’s Castle. Many of parades happen sporadically at this part of the park.
Fantasyland is based on a carnival theme. Fantasyland’s main attractions include, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, “it’s a small world,” Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Mad Tea Party, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Mickey’s PhilharMagic is popular here, it’s a 3-D adventure. Tomorrowland features the well-known ride, Space Mountain. Also guests can interact with Toy Story characters at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
Mickey’s Toontown Fair is the last of the seven lands at Magic Kingdom. This part of the park is exciting because it contains places that belong to the characters. Guests can meet Tinker Bell and her fairy friends at Pixie Hollow. At Toon Park guests can interact with Chip and Dale. Guests can walk through Minne Mouse’s home in this section of Magic Kingdom. Mickey’s house is also at this part of the park. Donald’s Boat is another attraction here.
One of Disney’s other parks is Animal Kingdom. This is the newest park; it is also the largest Disney theme park in the world. Animal Kingdom allows animal encounters along with live entertainment. This park is themed around animals. The park contains 250 different types of animals making the park have more than 1,700 animals. Animal Kingdom has seven different areas which include, Oasis, Discovery Island, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, and Dinoland.
The Oasis is the main entrance to Animal Kingdom. This is where guests can encounter with animals such as wallabies, spoons, ducks, and giant anteaters. Rainforest Cafe is a big attraction at Oasis. It is an animal themed restaurant that has a welcoming environment. The parks Tree of Life is found at Discovery Island. Discovery Island is a main part of Animal Kingdom because it connects to all of the parts of the park besides Rafiki’s Planet Watch. The parks largest shops and restaurants are located at Discovery Island. Another main attraction of the section of Animal Kingdom is, “It’s Tough to be a Bug.”
Mickey and Minnie can be found at Camp Minnie-Mickey. At this section of the park there is a theatre that features “The Festival of the Lion King.” Africa’s main attraction is the Kilimanjaro Safaris. Guests will be able to see giraffes, hippos, elephants, and wild animals on the safari. Guests take a Wildlife Express Train to learn about animal habitats on Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Around that area there is a small petting zoo for people to interact with the animals.
Another part of Animal Kingdom is Asia. Asia contains the Maharajah Jungle Trek that guests can go through forests and see tigers, fruit bats, and komodo dragons. There is a river rapid ride located in Asia. There is also a roller coaster through the Himalayas at Expedition Everest. Dinoland has a Bone yard for kids to play in along with carnival games and gift shops. There are family rides and a roller coaster in this area of the park. One can also find “Finding Nemo – The Musical” here.
Another Walt Disney Park is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It is represented by The Sorcerer’s Hat, which is a symbol from the film Fantasia. This park is slightly different from the other parks because it is set up differently. It contains numerous amounts of buildings and streets. There is no defined layout. The park consists of six different areas that are, Hollywood Boulevard, Echo Lake, Streets of America, Animation Courtyard, Pixar Place, and Sunset Boulevard.
Hollywood Boulevard is Hollywood Studios main entrance. There are venues everywhere you look selling Disney items. Live entertainment is always happening at this part of the park. There is a replica of the Chinese Theater that contains The Great Movie Ride inside of it. The Great Movie Ride is a dark ride that features old movies such as The Wizard of Oz. Another part of Hollywood Studios is Echo Lake. It is a small oval shaped lagoon with attractions such as The American Idol Experience and Hall of Fame Plaza. Another attraction at Echo Lake is the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! Kids can interact with plants and toys at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure at Streets of America. This area of the park is where a lot of stunts are performed. Disney’s Toy Story Plant Pizza Arcade is at this area as well.
Animation Courtyard is where guests can meet Disney’s Pixar characters. Playhouse Disney and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid are live performances at Animation Courtyard. At the Pixar Place the attraction is Toy Story Midway Mania!, which contain all of the Toy Story characters. Guests are able to see animations in movies. Last but not least, Hollywood Studio’s Sunset Boulevard contains the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock and Roll Roller Coaster. Sunset Boulevard also features Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage.
Walt Disney World’s final theme park is Epcot. Epcot’s icon is Spaceship Earth. This park is focused on international culture and technological innovation. This park only has two sections which are, World Showcase, and Future World. This park is twice the size of Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Epcot has a variety of attractions from just a simple boat ride to fast thriller rides. Epcot has Kidcot stations which offer creations of one-of-a kind souvenirs.
World Showcase contains 11 pavilions that represent different countries. Every pavilion has shops and restaurants that resemble their culture. The pavilions include Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. An attraction at World Showcase is the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is in most pavilions. It is an electronic scavenger hunt using a type cell phone, presented by Verizon Wireless.
At the Germany pavilion characters from Snow White make appearances. In addition to Italy features Pinocchio characters. The Great American pavilion features all of the flags throughout the history of the United States. Guests take a tour through American history at this pavilion. The France pavilion shows a replica of the Eiffel Tower. There are shops that sell French items. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast make frequent appearances at the France pavilion. Characters from The Aristocats along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame also make appearances at France.
The United Kingdom has a Beatles tribute band known as The British Invasion who performs frequently there. In stores at this pavilion you are able to find Beatles souvenirs. Characters from Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, and Pirates of the Caribbean are usually at this part of World Showcase. Canada is a more outdoor pavilion. Characters from the Disney film, Brother Bear, appear in this pavilion.
The other section of Epcot is called Future World. Future World also has many pavilions. The pavilions of Future World are Spaceship Earth, Innoventions, Universe of Energy, Mission: SPACE, Test Track, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, The Land, and Imagination. The pavilions explore innovative technology. Each pavilion is sponsored by a corporation who helped fund its construction.
Spaceship Earth is one of the most known and recognizable structures that the Walt Disney World Resort has. It takes guests on a time machine experience that shows advancement in human communication. It has a timeline from how humans used to be, to how they are now. A German company called Siemens sponsors Spaceship Earth. Another pavilion in Future World is Innovations which deals with advancements in everyday life. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure, Club Cool, Segway Central, and SlapStick Studios are some of the exhibits this pavilion has to offer. Universe Energy itself was the attraction. It talked about battery powered cars and natural gas, petroleum, coal, and natural gas.
Mission: SPACE is a motion simulator ride; it gives off the feeling of an astronaut. Future World’s Test Track is sponsored by General Motors. Guests can actually drive the test cars around the track. The cars maximum speed is 64.8 miles per hour. Next to Disney’s Rock and Roll Roller Coaster, this is the fastest attraction Disney has made. The Seas with Nemo and Friends is a pavilion based on underwater discovery. It is the largest man-made underwater exhibit in the world. Attractions at this park include, Talk with Crush where kids can ask questions about the sea. The Land is a pavilion to show how we can use our land or destroy it. Nestle sponsors this part of Future World. The Circle of Life is performed here, from the film The Lion King. Eastman Kodak sponsors Imagination. An Attraction at Imagination is Honey I Shrunk the Audience.
The four parks are similar yet different. They each have different aspects and features about them. Each park has different icons and a different set up. They are alike because they all are Disney themed and have rides, shops, and food. The Disney parks are some of the most visited parks in the world.
After all of the parks are closed there is Downtown Disney. Downtown Disney is opened to the public. Downtown Disney is an outdoor shopping, dining, entertaining area. It has three sections, Pleasure Island, Marketplace, and West Side. The Marketplace has a lot of shopping places that include, Lego Imagination Center, Once upon a Toy, and Goofy’s Candy Company. The Marketplace has the largest Disney character store in the world.
Disney’s West Side has many large stores and nice restaurants. Attractions such as Planet Hollywood, The House of Blues, and Wolfgang Puck Cafe can be found here. Outdoor beverages and food can be found at Pleasure Island. The Orlando Harley Davidson is located at Pleasure Island. Also there is a lot of dancing that goes on at this part of Downtown Disney. One of the main attractions at Downtown Disney is Disney Quest.
Disney Quest is an indoor interactive theme park. It offers five floors of fun entertainment. The genie from Aladdin is the parks unofficial mascot. On the first floor the attractions are a Virtual Jungle Cruise where guests may get wet while dodging dinosaurs, and Pirates of the Caribbean where guests search for gold. The second floor features Sid’s Create a Toy from Toy Story where guests can make a toy then later purchase it. Radio Disney Song Maker allows guests to make a song and later purchase it. In addition to Living Easels, guests can draw something on them and later buy it. Guests can try to find the genie and collect gems on Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride.
The third floor of Disney Quest contains Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blaster which is bumper cars and Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam which is a giant pinball game. The fourth floor is a comic adventure. The fifth floor resembles the fourth floor. Disney Quest also has games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and many other arcade games. They also have games like skee ball and air hockey. They also have photo booths and claw machines.
There are over 20 Disney themed hotels within the Walt Disney Resort. There are different categories of the hotels which include, moderate, deluxe, campgrounds, value, and club villas. Most of these hotels contain a pool, shops, variety of food, room service, arcades, and playgrounds. Disney hotels are fun themed such as Disney’s All Star Movie Resort has characters from 101 Dalmatians and Toy Story. Pop Century hotel has Play-Doh and Rubik’s Cube figures to show the hotels toy, catch phrase theme. All Star Sports Resort has large statues of sports like basketball or cheerleading to make guests feel the sport theme.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has fun features like Pumbaa’s Fun & Games Arcade where guests can play new and classic games. Another feature this hotel has Hakuna Matata Playground where kids can play all day next to the flamingo habitat. At Disney’s campgrounds guests can go horse-back riding, fish, enjoy Mickey’s Backyard Barbeque, get involved with water activities, and sing with Chip and Dale at the fire. The Disney hotels are fun and have everything in them to accommodate guests the best they can.
The Walt Disney World Resort would not be here today if it wasn’t for Mr. Walt Disney himself. Walt Disney has inspired many of people. Walt Disney changed the lives of many people. He changed the entertainment business. He was a magical person. He has touched the hearts of children along with adults. Who knew that by starting out drawing cartoons that Disney would have came this far! He always had a dream of owning a theme park. Walt’s dream came true. Walt is popular all over the world. He loved history, and slowly introduced us to the future. He is a legend of the 20th century. He won seven Emmy Awards, fifty-nine Academy Award nominations, and twenty-six Oscars.
How did Walt get where he is today? Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901. He had three brothers and one sister. In Walt’s younger days he would sell paintings to local people to make extra cash. Instead of doing his school work, Walt would doodle sketches. He went to college to study art and photography. At night he attended a place to better his drawing abilities. Walt always had a thing for nature and wildlife. Walt was even involved in acting. He would sneak out at night just to go perform somewhere.
Walt’s father was somewhat stern at times. Walt’s mother and brother, Roy urged Walt to pursue his dreams. Walt was rejected because of young age from the military. He then went to France with the Red Cross. His ambulance had images of Disney cartoons on it. When Walt came back from France, he focused on comical art which led to animation. He produced short animations for local places. When Walt ran out of money, he packed up with The Alice Comedies and went to Hollywood. Walt married Lillian Bounds, an employee in 1925. They later had two daughters. He was not the typical Hollywood star. He didn’t care for socializing; the people that knew Walt were his family.
Soon after Lillian and Walt got married, Walt created Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse first made his appearance in Steamboat Willie. Steamboat Willie was the world’s first cartoon with sound. Walt produced the first colored cartoon known as, Flowers and Trees. Moving on, in 1937 Walt produced the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This film is a classic, and is still popular today. Right after Snow White came out, an unexpected death of Walt’s mother took place. This was one time Walt showed emotion.
Disney was hard at work and within five years he produced more full-length films such as, Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Bambi. In 1955, Disney’s dream of the amusement park came true. Disneyland was opened. After it opened, Walt Disney expanded. More and more parks popped up. Walt Disney died of lung cancer December 15, 1966 right before the Walt Disney Resort was opened. Walt Disney has changed the world today. New Disney movies keep coming out. Walt Disney created something that will never end. He was a true hero.
