Disney, by the Numbers…
While every mega Disney fan can definitely name all of the princesses, a slew of trivia-worthy info about the great imagineer Walt Disney himself and how to navigate the park like a pro, how much of the history and day-to-day offerings of the kingdoms have you truly mastered? In other words: do you really know Walt Disney World by the numbers? Considering this oasis in Florida was designed and intended to be a break from reality, there was a lot of work, time and dollars that went into the creation of the masterpieces. The fascinating aspect of Disney’s largest park is that while already massive, impressive and interactive, teams are always looking for new and innovative way to bring wonder and inspiration to visitors.
Get ready to have your jaw drop at this look at WDW by the hard-cold facts:
Magic Kingdom
When Magic Kingdom opened in October of 1971, the final price tag for the creation of the park came in around $400,000,000, with 8,000 employees on payroll on opening day. There are six lands that compose the park – Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland – all with varying themes and entertainment. In total, you can ride or experience 37 attractions, 10 shows and performances, eat at 25 dining spots with various cultural menus or shop at 23 shopping locations. It’s probably no surprise, given that Magic Kingdom is more than 100 acres in size, but five Disneylands can fit in this area alone. As for their infamous nightly parade that illuminates the sky, attracting ‘ooohs’ and ‘aahhs’ from adults and children of all ages? The lights add up to 530,000 bulbs and more than one million firework shells each year. Just make sure to hang onto your kiddos when you visit, since around 15 children get lost every single day in Magic Kingdom, causing quite the stir for worried parents.
Epcot
It was a sunny day in 1982 when Epcot opened it’s doors, revealing an opportunity to immerse tourists in more than just the splendor of Disney, but learn about the world, space, science and much more. This creation didn’t come cheap though, with estimated final cost around $1.4 billion (ahem, even though the budget was roughly $600 million). It also took a team of 3,000 designers to ensure every nook-and-cranny was branded in a special way, tying together a cohesive destination for guests to learn and engage. At its centerpiece is the infamous ‘gold ball’ – which if you did the math, an athlete would have to be 1.2 miles tall to make a good swing (and the target would need to be 417 feet in diameter for a hole-in-one). When you’re touring around Epcot, give yourself permission to be picky about your food, since they specialize in exploring different cultural flavors and menus, with 31 food locations and 40 foot carts. And for gifts to send back to your pals and family back home? Take your time there, too, since 55 shopping spots give you a plethora of options.
Disney Hollywood Studios
Making up 231 acres (with 77 of them for parking), Disney’s Hollywood Studio Park cost a whopping $500 million dollars to create in 1989. Known for traditional, well-reviewed dining options and of course, history lessons on how animations and movies are created at Disney, six different streets make up this kingdom. Whether you’re touring around Mickey Avenue, New York Street, Echo Lake, Animation Courtyard, Hollywood Boulevard or Sunset Boulevard, you’ll find something to munch on. In fact, there’s plenty of chowing down here, since 190 orders of meatloaf and mashed potatoes are made daily and 31,000 Cobb salads are mixed each year. You can visit 19 attractions in this area of Walt Disney World, where 25,000 costumes are made each year, which would total to 3.4 miles of buttons if you stacked them together. And that noteworthy water tower? It would take 300,000 gallons to fill it, but it’s empty.
Animal Kingdom
The youngest kingdom at Walt Disney World is Animal Kingdom, which revealed it’s jungle-and-safari glory in 1998. It took eight years of planning, three years of construction and $800 million dollars to make this vision come to life, complete with seven lands and 17 attractions. For every attraction, there’s a dining option, as well as seven shopping centers, but the real intrigue of this park is the wildlife. Here, you can find more than 250 species and 1,700 animals, including 5,000 specimens of fish and 2,000 specimens of insects. Each and every single day, 4.5 tons of food is fed to the animals to make sure they’re healthy and happy, resulting in 150 different animal species bred since opening day. (And fun fact: that adds up to 40,000 samples of animal poop that’s been analyzed by the lab.) In addition to the animals, there are also four million trees, vines, shrubs, plants and grasses from each continent (except Antarctica).
Ready to Book?
You can experience all of these kingdoms when you let one of our specialized Disney travel agents plan your family getaway. Contact us today – to make some memorable numbers for yourself – aka, the number of laughs your children have during your vacation!