10 Things You Never Knew About WDW

[TinkerbellT421]

So, this morning while reading the news online and drinking my Coffee....I see this article:

Gillian Telling , Budget Travel – 7 days
10 crazy things you never knew about Walt Disney World
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Scott Audette / Reuters
Fireworks go off around Cinderella's castle during the grand opening ceremony for Walt Disney World's new Fantasyland in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Dec. 6, 2012.
Walt Disney sure had some grand plans when it came to building the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Fla.

He not only wanted it to be a fun theme park, but also to include an experimental prototype community of tomorrow (EPCOT) that would be a real working futuristic city, utilizing the latest push-button technology ala "The Jetsons."

The visionary sadly died in 1966, several years before Disney World opened in 1971, and EPCOT eventually just became another theme park incorporated into the larger resort in 1982. But did you know it was once meant to actually be lived in?

Below are a few other fun facts that you might never have guessed about the Happiest Place on Earth.

1. It's huge. Like, city-huge
The size of the entire Walt Disney World resort is 40 Square miles, or the size of San Francisco. You heard me. The same size as the city of San Francisco.

2. They cut a lot of checks
It's not easy keeping the magic alive. Disney World employs 62,000 people, making it the largest single-site employer in the country.

3. It can operate as a Sunglass Hut
Every single day, more than 200 pairs of sunglasses are turned in to the Lost and Found department at Disney World. Good luck sifting through that pile if your aviators go missing over in Toon Town.

4. Talkin' turkey
Giant turkey legs were first introduced at Disney World the 90s, and became such a popular item that they were quickly introduced to the other parks. More than 1.6 million turkey drumsticks are consumed at the resort every year, and you can even buy all sorts of gear (t-shirts, hats, etc.) with pictures of turkey legs on them.

5. It's sustainable!
Who would have thought? More than 30 tons of fruits and vegetables are grown each year at EPCOT's Land Pavilion and used in the resort's restaurants and cafes.

6. Papa Oak
The Liberty Oak, which stands in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom, has spawned over 500 young oak trees via its harvested acorns.

7. Sleep like a princess
There's a hotel suite tucked away in Cinderella's Castle that can sleep up to six and has flat-screen TV disguised as magic mirrors. Unfortunately, you can't just make a reservation—overnight guests are winners that are chosen at random by the park each day.

8. Holy inflation
When Disney's Magic Kingdom first opened in 1971, adult admission cost $3.50. Today, it's $89.

9.Captain 'Godfather'

Captain Eo, the 3D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson that was shown at Disney Parks in the 80s and 90s, was directed by none other than Francis Ford Coppola, and produced by George Lucas. The movie returned to Disney World after Jackson's 2010 death.

10. It's eco-friendly ... sort of
Fifteen miles south of Disney World is the Disney Wilderness Preserve, which is a 12,000 acre wetlands mitigation project that Disney company bought it in the 90s. Disney provides funds for restoration and wildlife monitoring in order to offset the lands impacted by the development of Walt Disney World. Fair enough.

I guess Ian is a Princess! How cute!

[roses]

Fun facts!

[SBETigg]

I knew most of these, which is awesome. I think a lot of us do. But I love seeing articles like this out and about. It certainly beats the articles that seem to be there just for Disney bashing.

Also, missing fact, it's one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in the US. In some years, it has been the number one honeymoon destination in the US. So, take that, people who think you can only enjoy WDW as a family with kids (which certainly isn't any of us, we all know better).

[TinkerbellT421]

I knew most of these, which is awesome. I think a lot of us do. But I love seeing articles like this out and about. It certainly beats the articles that seem to be there just for Disney bashing.

Also, missing fact, it's one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in the US. In some years, it has been the number one honeymoon destination in the US. So, take that, people who think you can only enjoy WDW as a family with kids (which certainly isn't any of us, we all know better).

amen!!!

[magicofdisney]

#3...They're not kidding.

My son and I lost our sunglasses on the same day. Knowing how lost and found works, I waited a couple of days to go there. My son's glasses were there but not mine. I wear glasses so I buy sunglasses that fit over them. There were several pair like mine there, but they were all a size or two larger than what I wear.

[Main Street Jim]

200 pairs of glasses? Yeah....maybe in the Magic Kingdom alone...LOL... :P

Fifteen miles south of Disney World is the Disney Wilderness Preserve, which is a 12,000 acre wetlands mitigation project that Disney company bought it in the 90s. Disney provides funds for restoration and wildlife monitoring in order to offset the lands impacted by the development of Walt Disney World. Fair enough.

I like how even the local media refers to the Magic Kingdom as "Disney World". That 12,000 acres is actually *part* of the entire Walt Disney World resort property, nearly one full half (the entire property is 27,000 acres). You can visit there by going south on Poinciana Boulevard (south off of US 192) and follow the signs They have nature trails and even a "swamp buggy" thing to take you out into the wilderness. If you Google "Disney Wilderness Preserve", you'll see all kinds of links

[vizsla]