what year did walt disney world open in florida?
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Disney World opened its doors and welcomed guests to its Magic Kingdom
Disney World, the largest theme park in the world, welcomed its first guests on Oct. 1, 1971. Over the next five decades the park — which covers more than 40 square miles in central Florida — grew into an entertainment complex that includes four theme parks, two waterparks, golf courses, a shopping destination and 27 resort hotels.
Before Disney World and Disneyland, amusement parks had existed for centuries. But Walt Disney came up with a new concept, the theme park, and it connected deeply with visitors.
“You always get that feeling in your belly when you come through the gates. It’s exciting every time, no matter how old you get,” says Paulette Stinson, who has been to the park some 20 times.

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Disney wanted to capture the East Coast theme park audience
When Disneyland opened in California in 1955, it quickly became a big success, but the company soon realized that only 2% of visitors came from east of the Mississippi River. Walt Disney went looking for an East Coast location and eventually settled on Florida.
Rick Foglesong, professor emeritus at Rollins University and author of the book, Married to the Mouse, says the interstate highway system drew him to Orlando.
“Roads were all important to the Disney company because they wanted to build a park that would be 10 times the size of Disneyland in California,” Foglesong says. “That meant, that if they were going to build such a big park, they would have to import tourists from afar, from down the East Coast, from the Midwest.”

Disney World proved that theme parks could be vacation destinations
The creation of Disney World changed Florida, and it also changed theme parks and the entertainment industry. Carissa Baker, an assistant professor who studies theme parks at the University of Central Florida, says Walt Disney pioneered the concept of synergy.
“He creates…the Disneyland TV show in 1954, which kind of sells the idea of the Disneyland Park,” Baker says. “But all of these movies and TV shows that are on the Disneyland TV shows were of course his previous properties. So now, you’re kind of tying all this together.”
Baker says Disney World also showed that by adding hotels and more attractions, theme parks could become vacation destinations, a place where families can spend a week or more without ever leaving the Disney bubble.

IMPORTANT OPENING DATES AT DISNEY WORLD
Year | Openings |
---|---|
1971 | Magic Kingdom – October 1, 1971 Disney’s Contemporary Resort – October 1, 1971 Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – October 1, 1971 Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground – November 19, 1971 |
1975 | Disney Springs (originally called Lake Buena Vista Shopping Area) – 1975 |
1982 | Epcot – October 1, 1982 |
1988 | Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – June 28, 1988 Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort – October 1, 1988 |
1989 | Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly called MGM Studios) – May 1, 1989 Typhoon Lagoon – June 1, 1989 |
1990 | Walt Disney World Swan – January 13, 1990 Walt Disney World Dolphin – June 1, 1990 Disney’s Yacht Club – November 5, 1990 Disney’s Beach Club – November 19, 1990 |
1991 | Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter – May 17, 1991 Disney’s Vacation Club (DVC) is launched – December 20, 1991 Disney’s Old Key West Resort (DVC) – December 20, 1991 |
1992 | Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside (originally called Disney’s Dixie Landings Resort) – February 2, 1992 |
1994 | Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort – April 29, 1994 Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – May 28, 1994 Disney’s All-Star Music Resort – November 22, 1994 |
1995 | Blizzard Beach – April 1, 1995 |
1996 |
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn & Boardwalk Villas (DVC) – July 1, 1996 |
1997 | Disney’s Wild World of Sports Complex – March 28, 1997 Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort – August 1, 1997 |
1998 | Disney’s Animal Kingdom – April 11, 1998 |
1999 | Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort – January 15, 1999 |
2000 | Disney’s Boulder Ridge Villas (DVC) (originally called The Villas at Wilderness Lodge) – November 15, 2000 |
2001 | Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – April 16, 2001 |
2002 | Disney’s Beach Club Villas (DVC) – July 1, 2002 |
2003 | Disney’s Pop Century Resort – December 14, 2003 |
2004 | Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (DVC) – May 17, 2004 |
2007 | Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo (DVC) – Summer 2007 |
2009 | Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani (DVC) – May 1, 2009 Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs (DVC) – June 1, 2009 Bay Lake Tower (DVC) – August 4, 2009 |
2012 | Disney’s Art of Animation – May 31, 2012 |
2013 | Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (DVC) – October 23, 2013 |
2015 | Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (DVC) – April 1, 2015 |
2017 | Disney’s Copper Creek Cabins at Wilderness Lodge (DVC) – July 17, 2017 |
2019 | Disney’s Riviera Resort (DVC) – December 16, 2019 |
2022 | Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser – exact date tbd |