The NYC Magic Traveler: Intro to Walt Disney World Resort
- 7 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
So, you have never been to Disney World and now you are planning your first trip ever? First, read this quick intro to Walt Disney World so that you have an idea of where you are about to go and what you are about to see.
If you’ve ever dreamed of going to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida , you're not the only one. Disney World is often on many dream lists officially and unofficially and possibly became a desired place to go with campaigns such as Super Bowl MVPs proclaiming that they're going to Disney World or child disease organizations gifting trips to patients and their families. With parents walking around with t-shirts proclaiming it to be The Most Expensive Place in the World instead of The Most Magical, it can be overwhelming, but keep check our blogs and social media for tips for making this the ultimate destination for you, too.
Just A Little Backstory...
Walt Disney World opened its gates on October 1, 1971, as Walt Disney’s dream to create a place where families could play together. However, Walt passed away before seeing his dream realized. He started the project and saw the construction break ground but his brother Roy Disney made sure the project came to life in his honor. Both Walt and Roy have statues in Magic Kingdom.
The resort started with just one park — Magic Kingdom, which has some similar features you'll find in Disneyland, and over the decades, it expanded into a massive vacation destination with four theme parks, two water parks, dozens of hotels, and countless dining and entertainment options. Disney World in Florida often pops up on the 10 most visited or the wish lists of the 10 places people want to visit. Whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth (and Disney is counting on those return visitors which enticing offers such as annual passes, vacation resort ownership [timeshare] and special rates for Florida residents ), Disney World continues to draw visitors with its mix of classic attractions, cutting-edge technology, and entertaining experiences. Honestly, no other company provides better entertainment with their shows, parades and nighttime spectaculars (and that's saying something considering that Universal Studios as a concept is actually older and is based on its film and television studios).
So, let's get into it:
1. Why is it called a resort? Because a loose definition of a resort is a property that contains lodging and other amenities to provide almost everything you may need without having to leave the property. Walt Disney World Resort is a true resort, in this blog's opinion. It spreads across more than 25,000 acres with beautiful landscaping, its own fire department, security team, bus system and roadways. A few years ago extra roads were built enabling visitors to access roads leading to US 192 and I-4 much easier without jamming the surrounding local streets. The entire property is the resort: hotels, theme parks, water parks, golf courses, mini-golf courses, and a shopping district. The amenities include: option for a dining plan at the resort's restaurants (plus you can dine at almost any of the other resort restaurants even if you're not staying there), pools, workout and fitness opportunities (some smaller hotels have a running trail, others have a workout room, spa, etc.), movies, resort activities and Disney Springs (see #3).
2. Where is it? Walt Disney World Resort is located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. If you fly, the nearest airport would be Orlando International Airport (code MCO). Spread across more than 25,000 acres, the resort is technically in Lake Buena Vista (Bay Lake). The nearest town, in addition to the city of Orlando, is Kissimmee, with excellent resources for more dining, shopping and lodging. Irlo Bronson Highway (US Route 192) borders the property, making it extremely accessible by car (or car service). City buses go into Disney Springs. If you fly in, you can rent a car at the airport or at the car care service center right outside of Magic Kingdom. They will pick you up at your resort. When you return the car, they will drop you off anywhere on the resort. From the airport, you have a number of options: car services, shuttles and Mears Connect, a paid bus/van service that kind of took the place of the former (free) Disney Magical Express. Mears Connect will take you directly to your resort, but they may make a few stops along the way. Fun Fact: Mears was the company that ran the Disney Magical Express buses.
3. What is there to do? There is more to the Walt Disney World Resort besides the 4 theme parks and the 2 water parks: you have lodging, golf, mini golf, sports, dining at the hotels and the shopping and entertainment complex known as Disney Springs. The four theme parks are Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom. The two water parks are Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach (be aware that both parks will close down at separate times for maintainence during winter months). However, people have been known to stay at the resorts without going to the theme parks at all. To get around the resort without a car, you can take the Disney Transport system: buses, monorails, skyline trams and boat launches. Those are free. There is also the Minnie Van system, a paid car service. Most routes are easy. However, you can only access Disney Springs from a resort, not the park. The NYC Traveler Tip for Your Trip: walk or take the boat from either Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios to the Boardwalk and take a bus from one of those resorts to go to Disney Springs. Do the same from Magic Kingdom to Contemporary, the Polynesian or the Grand Floridian. From Disney's Animal Kingdom, take the bus to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and take the bus to Disney Springs from there.
4. Where can I stay? There are literally hundreds of places to stay on and off the Walt Disney Resort property. Finding the right one can be tricky but keeping reading our blog articles or contact us and we will help to guide you. Disney owns many of the hotels on its property. There are four major categories: Deluxe Villa, Deluxe Resort, Moderate and Value. They also have what they call Disney Good Neighbor Hotels and Select Deluxe, such as The Swan & The Dolphin Hotels. Why? For one thing, they cannot house everyone that wants to visit. The resort is often sold out in peak times. For another, it is probably good business to be friends with your competitors. Some of the Good Neighbors, such as those at Bonnet Creek are actually, sort of, on Disney property, a cool thing. They offer some perks connected with Disney, like a concierge to help plan your time there, character dining, Disney merchandise and transportation to the parks (some are free, some are not).
5. How much will it cost? No doubt about it, Walt Disney World Resort can be pricey. But there are ways to maximize your dollar and have the time of your life. The minimal cost to spend, would be a ticket to one of the theme parks for one day. They can run more than $150-$225 per park, per day. However, there are small discounts if you buy a multi-day pass or if you buy a park-hopper pass, a ticket that allows you to go to a different park on the same day. You can also purchase tickets at a small discount through other methods, such as employee discount sites, retirement and auto club sites, etc. Then there are the many small booths lining the highways near Disney selling tickets. Make sure you understand all of the limitations and if you have to attend a (sometimes long) presentation and/or tour for a time-share or not. After your ticket, except for special events, almost every attraction is basically free. Disney now sells express passes so that you can go on a faster line. Look for prices for one attraction, a group of attractions or for all of the attractions (to ride each one time only). Check the website about Lightning Lane Passes.
6. Is Disney World the only Disney resort? The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is only one of several Disney theme park properties (the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc): Disneyland Resort in California, Disneyland Paris in France, Shanghai Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in China and Tokyo Disney in Japan. However, Disney World is the largest.
7. What is Disney Springs and does it cost anything to visit? Disney Springs, is the shopping, dining and entertainment district at the Walt Disney World Resort. It used to be called Downtown Disney (the name at Disneyland) and that is a fairly good description: an area with stores, restaurants, snacks, outdoor entertainment, bowling, movie theater and a few attractions. Entering Disney Springs is currently admission free, even the parking. The street entertainment will be free, as well. But like any other outdoor mall, everything else will cost, including the famous balloon attraction, the boats that look like cars to ride in the lagoon and a small carousel. Still, you can get the Disney World experience, including refilling your popcorn bucket and shopping at the flagship The Disney Store.
8. Is there something for all of the ages of my family at Disney World? Yes, there is. For teen-agers, prepare them that the thrill rides are scattered throughout the resort and they're not all in one park. Look for Tron Lightcycle Run and Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom, Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Hollywood Tower of Terror in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Expedition Everest and Avatar in Disney's Animal Kingdom or Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind and Test Track in Epcot. Each Walt Disney World Resort theme park has a children's area with rides for the whole family, so you don't have to stand on the side and just wave. Many attractions are wheelchair accessible or you can transfer to the ride when you get on the ride. And if you don't want to go to the water parks, get wet on the Kali River Rapids in Disney's Animal Kingdom or Tiana's Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom. Look for splash fountains and misting cooling stations in Magic Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot. For those who don't like tradition theme park rides, there are many attractions that are considered ride through experiences, such as It's A Small World in Magic Kingdom, Living With the Land in Epcot or the Kilimanjaro Safari in Disney's Animal Kingdom. In addition, there are Epcot's festivals, Magic Kingdom's and Hollywood Studios' special events and the famous nighttime spectaculars during normal times (events may either be postponed or scaled down during safety, health and weather situations).
9. Why doesn't Disney have extreme rides? Walt Disney wanted to design a park that the whole family could enjoy together, rather than have some family members continually sitting on the side, holding the packages, waiting for the kids to come off the ride. But there are some that will give you a little rush: Avatar Flight of Passage and Dinosaur in Disney's Animal Kingdom and the other thrill rides mentioned above. For just a pinch of a thrill, try Big Thunder Mountain in Magic Kingdom or Slinky Dog Dash in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Many rides that are mild will often speed up and spin around such as Ratatouille in Epcot, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway or Toy Story Mania in Disney's Hollywood Studios or Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in Magic Kingdom. The latter two are also video games, so you can hit targets and ride around at the same time.
10. Is it true that there is a lot of merchandising? Yes, there is. While Walt was the dreamer, his brother Roy was the realist. It was Roy's idea to tie in merchandising to the movies, the television shows, the characters, etc. But, Disney is smart to license their merchandising to outside vendors. You can buy authentic, less expensive souvenirs at stores off the property such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and the many outlets in the area. However, look for exclusive merchandise offerings such as the popular Loungefly Disney Parks backpacks, merch for special times of the year and the ever popular trading pins, which are exactly what they sound like: pins you can trade with other guests (politely, trust me, you'll know who they are) or with cast members, who may have them on a board at kiosks or stores.
Come back for more articles to help you plan and enjoy your Disney World trips. Scroll down for the Table of Contents.
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