Do you love Disney trivia? Here are 50 interesting facts about the Walt Disney World resort that make it the most magical place on Earth. How many did you already know?
1. Walt Disney World employs in excess of 60,000 cast members making it one of the largest single-site employer in the U.S.
2. Chewing gum is not sold in any of the Disney parks. If you see someone with gum or are a fan of it, you will have to bring your own.
3. Over 200 pairs of sunglasses are turned into lost & found each day at Disney World
4. More than 50 million cokes are consumed each year at Disney Parks. You will never find a Pepsi.
5. 14 feet below ground are the 9 acres of tunnels servicing the Magic Kingdom called Utilidors. The Ultildors are home to the massive costume departments, cast member break rooms, garbage chutes and more. The tunnels allows cast members to move between the different lands.
6. The brown winding path in Liberty Square is meant to represent raw sewage that flowed down the streets of Colonial America, since indoor plumbing wasn’t yet invented.
7. With that in mind, there are not any bathrooms located in the Liberty Square to keep up the authenticity of the time period of that area.
8. In Frontierland, you can see a wooden leg labeled “Smith.” This is a reference to Mary Poppins. In the movie, Bert says, “I knew a man with a wood leg named Smith,” to which Uncle Albert responds, “What’s the name of his other leg?”
9. At 5.7 million gallons, Epcot’s Aquarium of the Seas is the second largest aquarium in the U.S. It used to be the largest until the Georgia Aquarium was built.
10. Rumor has it that an imagineer by the name of George was killed during the building of Pirates of the Caribbean. The story is told that his ghost haunts the ride to this day and workers say “goodnight George” before they shut down the ride each night.
11. Disney’s Transportation System is the third largest bus system in the state of Florida with over 290 buses to transport guests all over the grounds.
12. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was an original ride when the Magic Kingdom opened and a park favorite. After it closed a tombstone was placed in the pet cemetery of the Haunted Mansion for J.Thaddeus Toad.
13. The “Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” attraction replaced the “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” attraction. You can see a painting or Mr. Toad handing the deed over to Mr. Owl in line for the ride.
14. You never have to pay for water in any of the Disney parks. Any quick service restaurant will be happy to give you a cup.
15. Disney has grown over 500 oak trees from acorns of the Liberty Oak found in Liberty Square.
16. It really took an act of Congress to install the Presidential Seal in the “Hall of Presidents” attraction. There are only three seals: one in the Oval Office in DC, one in the Liberty hall containing the Liberty Bell, and one in the “Hall of Presidents.”
17. While the World Showcase in Epcot may seem complete and full, there is room for 8 additional countries. Spain, Isreal and Equatorial Africa have been considered in the past.
18. Walt Disney World has only closed three times since it first opened in 1971. Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001 and a 2002 power failure. When the park closed due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it took less than 30 minutes to evacuate and close the parks. WOW!
19. The aquarium in The Seas is so large that the Spaceship Earth sphere can actually fit inside it with room to spare.
20. One of the most popular Disney souvenirs of all time is the Mickey Mouse watch. It was first introduced in 1933 and sold for $2.95. Walt Disney himself was presented with the 25th million watch in 1957.
21. In the Magic Kingdom Train Station after the Welcome Show, look closely for articles left by other “guests,” including Mary Poppins, Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters.
22. The Wedding Pavillion at the Grand Floridian Resort was designed specifically for fairytale weddings. The Bride and Groom are given a wonderful view of Cinderella’s Castle in the distance while saying their vows.
23. Every year over 3 million flowering plants are planted throughout the parks at Walt Disney World while the amazing horticulture staff maintains over 2 million shrubs, 13,000 roses and over 200 topiaries.
24. While the grounds are meticulously manicured on a daily basis, the lawn at “The Haunted Mansion” is left to grow out and die, to match the mood of the ride.
25. More than 1.6 million turkey legs are consumed at the parks every year. A huge fan favorite, you can buy turkey leg hats, t-shirts, key chains, auto air fresheners and other souvenirs.
26. Ever notice how clean the parks are? You are never more than 30 steps away from a trash can. Allegedly, Walt Disney himself went to other parks and watched how long people held on to their trash before dropping it on the ground and found that it was only 30 or so steps.
27. The Rolling Stones were first approached to be the starring rock band for the Hollywood Studios Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. When they declined, the opportunity went to the band Aerosmith.
28. Also, the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster was the first coaster at Disney World with inversions – 3 to be exact – and the first coaster to have a synchronized soundtrack.
29. Fourteen of the opening day attractions in the Magic Kingdom are still running. Those 14 original attractions are:
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
Peter Pan’s Flight- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- The Hall of Presidents
- The Haunted Mansion
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Walt Disney World Railroad
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
- “It’s a Small World”
30. If you visit the hat shop on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, you’ll see an old pay phone on the wall. Pick up the receiver and take a listen – you can eavesdrop on a pretty interesting conversation.
31. Mickey Mouse is more of a fashion statement than Minnie Mouse is. He has over 290 different outfits in his closet compared to her 200.
32. Devices called “Smellitizers” can be found all over Disney parks that emit scents in certain areas to match the surroundings. Have you ever noticed – the scent of baking cookies and vanilla around Main Street? The scent of the salty sea in line for Pirates of the Caribbean? The scent of resh citrus and pine on Soarin?
33. 2.6 million chocolate covered Mickey Mouse ice cream bars are sold every year at Walt Disney World.
34. The new Avatar section of Animal Kingdom is expected to open in 2015 at a cost in excess of $400 million dollars.
35. Thousands of Hidden Mickeys can be found everywhere throughout the parks. A hidden Mickey is the 3 circle silhouette of the head and ears of Mickey Mouse disguised and hidden by Disney Imagineers in decor, rock formations, and settings of all sorts.
36. Mickey Mouse was the first cartoon character to receive a “Star” on Hollywood Boulevard’s legendary Walk of Fame. Walt Disney has 2 stars – one for film and one for TV.
37. Disney World had 10,000 visitors when it first opened it’s gates in October of 1971. Today that number averages over 50,000 visitors per day with Magic Kingdom capacity reaching maximum of 100,000. The Magic Kingdom parking lot will close when it reaches 75,000 to allow park resort guests coming in from monorails, boats and buses.
38. Epcot’s gardens grow over 30 tons of fruits and vegetables every year for their restaurants.
39. Hollywood Studios’ Tower of Terror and Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest stand 199 feet tall. If either of these structures reached 200 feet tall they would be required to have a beacon with red flashing lights according to aviation rules.
40. The fastest ride at Walt Disney World is General Motors’ Test Track which can reach speeds of 65 mph.
41. It takes over 150 tractor-trailor loads of Christmas decorations to Deck the Halls for holiday celebrations. You would think it would cost a small fortune to light up all the parks for the holidays but it doesn’t cost the parks a single penny – they have their own power plant.
42. It only takes 20 minutes to fill all the area of Splash Mountain and it only takes 5 minutes to drain it completely.
43. There are 4 trains that are part of the WDW Railroad System. Each train has 5 cars and can hold 360 Guests and 2 wheelchairs. The train names are: Red: Walter E. Disney, Green: Lilly Belle, Yellow: Roger E. Broggie and Blue: Roy O. Disney. The trains travel at a touring speed of 10 mph. and carry 3 million guests per year.
44. Approximately 3.5 million famous Mouse Ears hats are sold every year at Walt Disney World. that is enough ears to cover the heads of every man, woman and child in Portland, Oregon. Again…WOW!
45. Even though it is illegal, hundreds of people attempt to spread ashes of their deceased loved one either on Disney rides or in Disney parks every year.
46. The next time you are in Liberty Square, pay attention to the second story windows near the Hall of Presidents. There are two lanterns that are a reference to a line in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem Paul Revere’s Ride – “One if by Land, Two if by Sea.”
47. The Dinosaur ride in Animal Kingdom has three pipes in the queue area that are red, yellow and white with chemical formulas printed on them. The formulas printed on the pipes are the formulas of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
48. The Walt Disney World Resort has 26 on-site resort hotels and offer guests over 27,000 hotel rooms.
49. Walt Disney World’s Costume Department has over 1.2 million pieces of clothing with at least 3 costumes per Cast Member. Walt Disney World has the largest wardrobe department in the world.
50. At over 43 square miles, the Walt Disney World Resort is 2 times the size of the island of Manhattan and is considered the largest of its kind in the world.
Visit www.capturing-the-magic.com for a preview of the stunning coffee table book, Capturing the Magic and purchase your copy today.
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