Orlando Car Rental Travel Guide - Walt Disney World

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“WALT DISNEY WORLD is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney ... and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney's dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place... a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn together.” - Roy O. Disney

- Dedication plaque on Main Street, USA -- October 1, 1971

In 1955 Disneyland opened in California and people came from all around the world to experience this first-of-it’s-kind theme park. It became the model for virtually every amusement park built after it. One thing was missing, however ... space. The land immediately surrounding the park became littered with tacky hotels, gift shops and billboards by the dozens. Walt Disney felt that this cheapened the effect he had wanted to create with his theme park. He wanted visitors to be able to shut out the real world and exist in a world of imagination and adventure. Walt Disney had not planned for the sudden urban sprawl around his California amusement park and it was too late to buy the surrounding area, so he sought land elsewhere to build another theme park ... Walt Disney World.

Six years before his death in 1966, Walt Disney began his search for land in the eastern part of the country. After a couple of studies, he had narrowed his list of possible locations to Niagara Falls and St. Louis, along with a few other locations. Negotiations were actually under way with the city of St. Louis until the reigning head of the Busch family convinced Disney that a theme park that did not sell beer would never fly in St. Louis.

He finally decided that Florida was the ideal location for Walt Disney World, because of the state's warm weather and extremely inexpensive land. Walt Disney wanted to avoid the coastal cities due to hurricanes and settled on Central Florida, buying massive quantities of land in the area.

If word had gotten out that Disney was buying all of the land, however, prices would have shot through the roof. Therefore, he utilized several different dummy corporations to acquire massive amounts of land in the Orlando/Kissimmee area at $80 to $180 per acre and named the operation “Project X,” later to be renamed “Project Florida.” By the time it was discovered that Disney was behind all of the land purchases, Walt Disney had acquired over 27,000 acres of land at a cost of just over $5 million. The day after the discovery was announced, land started selling for over $1,000 per acre. The first acre of land that Disney bought cost him $80. The last acre he acquired of what would become Walt Disney World was purchased for $80,000.

The amount of land that is part of what is now known as Walt Disney World is almost 43 square miles - the size of San Francisco, twice the size of Manhattan and 150 times the size of Disneyland in California! Only about a third of the land at Walt Disney World has been developed and a 7,500 acre parcel of land has been set aside as a forest preserve - never to be built on.

Orlando Car Rental Travel Guide Tip: There are certain days of the week that each Walt Disney World theme park has extended hours (called Disney Extra Magic hours) available only for park guests that are staying at one of the Disney resort hotels. Some of the days, Walt Disney World resort guests are given access to a particular park one hour earlier than the general public. On other days, Disney resort guests are given up to three extra hours at the end of the evening in a given park. These are always the busiest days of the week at each park and; consequently, we recommend pointing your Orlando car rental in another direction on these days if you do not have the advantage of being a Disney hotel guest.

Please keep in mind that Disney's hours are based upon anticipated crowds. Before hopping into your Orlando car rental and heading to Walt Disney World, we recommend visiting Walt Disney World's official site for the current hours of the park you will be visiting. And, if you haven't done so yet, reserve your Orlando Car Rental now!