Planning and construction Conception , his brother
Roy, and then Governor of Florida
W. Haydon Burns publicly announcing the creation of Disney World on November 15, 1965. In 1959,
Walt Disney Productions began looking for land to house a second resort to supplement
Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had opened in 1955. Market surveys at the time revealed that only 5% of Disneyland's visitors came from east of the
Mississippi River, where 75% of the population of the United States lived. Additionally, Walt Disney disliked the businesses that had sprung up around Disneyland and wanted more control over a larger area of land in the next project. The opening of Walt Disney World helped turn Central Florida into a major tourism destination and contributed to growth in the region. Walt Disney took a flight over a potential site in
Orlando, Florida—one of many—in November 1963. After witnessing the well-developed network of roads and taking the planned construction of both
Interstate 4 and
Florida's Turnpike into account, with
McCoy Air Force Base (later
Orlando International Airport) to the east, Disney selected a centrally located site near
Bay Lake. The development was referred to in-house as "The Florida Project". Early planning documents also suggest that the project was expected to have a strong economic impact on Florida even before construction began To avoid a burst of land speculation, Walt Disney Productions used various
dummy corporations to acquire of land. Working strictly in secrecy, real estate agents unaware of their client's identity began making offers to landowners in April 1964, in parts of southwest
Orange and northwest Osceola counties. The agents were careful not to reveal the extent of their intentions. They were able to negotiate numerous land contracts with some landowners, including large tracts of land for as little as $100 an acre. With the understanding that the recording of the first deeds would trigger intense public scrutiny, Disney delayed the filing of paperwork until a large portion of the land was under contract. Early rumors and speculation about the land purchases assumed possible development by
NASA in support of the nearby
Kennedy Space Center, as well as references to other famous investors, such as
Ford, the
Rockefellers, and
Howard Hughes. Three days later, after gathering more information from various sources, the
Sentinel published another article headlined, "We Say: 'Mystery' Industry Is Disney". Walt Disney had originally planned to publicly reveal Disney World on November 15, 1965, but in light of the
Sentinel story, Disney asked Florida Governor
Haydon Burns to confirm the story on October 25. His announcement called the new theme park "the greatest attraction in the history of Florida". According to the
Walt Disney Archives, during Disney's lifetime, he personally visited and toured the site only twice: on November 16, 1965, the day after the press conference, and again for a second time, on May 26, 1966. His brother and business partner,
Roy O. Disney, postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the resort's first phase. On February 2, 1967, Roy O. Disney held a press conference at the Park Theatres in Winter Park, Florida. The role of EPCOT was emphasized in the film that was played. After the film, it was explained that for Disney World, including EPCOT, to succeed, a special district would have to be formed: the
Reedy Creek Improvement District with two cities inside it,
Bay Lake and Reedy Creek, now
Lake Buena Vista. In addition to the standard powers of an incorporated city, which include issuance of tax-free bonds, the district would have immunity from any current or future county or state land-use laws. The only areas where the district had to submit to the county and state would be
property taxes and
elevator inspections. The
Supreme Court of Florida then ruled in 1968 that the district was allowed to issue tax-exempt bonds for public projects within the district, despite the sole beneficiary being Walt Disney Productions. The district soon began construction of drainage canals, and Disney built the first roads and the Magic Kingdom. The
Contemporary Resort Hotel was completed in time for the park's opening on October 1, 1971, and the
Polynesian Village Resort opened shortly after. The Palm and Magnolia golf courses near the Magic Kingdom had opened a few weeks before, while
Fort Wilderness opened one month later. Twenty-four days after the park opened, Roy O. Disney dedicated the property and declared that it would be known as "Walt Disney World", in his brother's honor. In his own words: "Everyone has heard of
Ford cars. But have they all heard of
Henry Ford, who started it all? Walt Disney World is in memory of the man who started it all, so people will know his name as long as Walt Disney World is here." After the dedication, Roy Disney asked Walt's widow,
Lillian, what she thought of Walt Disney World. According to biographer Bob Thomas, she responded, "I think Walt would have approved." Roy Disney died at age 78 on December 20, 1971, less than three months after the property opened. Admission prices in 1971 were $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for juniors under age 18, and $1 for children under twelve. The Walt Disney Company provided additional funds for landscape restoration and wildlife monitoring. The resort's fourth theme park,
Disney's Animal Kingdom, opened in 1998. In October 2009, Disney World announced a competition to find a town to become twinned with. In December 2009, after Rebecca Warren won the competition with a poem, they announced the resort will be twinned with the English town of
Swindon.
George Kalogridis was named president of the resort in December 2012, replacing
Meg Crofton, who had overseen the site since 2006. As of October 27, 2014, Walt Disney World is covered by a permanent
FAA prohibited airspace zone that restricts all airspace activities without approval from the
federal government of the United States, including usage of
drones. On January 21, 2016, the resort's management structure was changed, with general managers within a theme park being in charge of an area or land, instead of on a functional basis, as previously configured. Theme parks have already had a vice-president overseeing them.
Disney Springs and
Disney Sports were also affected. Now hotel general managers manage a single hotel instead of some managing multiple hotels. On October 18, 2017, it was announced that resort visitors could bring
pet dogs to
Disney's Yacht Club Resort,
Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside,
Disney's Art of Animation Resort, and
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. In 2019,
Josh D'Amaro replaced
George Kalogridis as president of the resort. He had previously held the position of vice president of Animal Kingdom. D'Amaro was subsequently promoted to chairman of
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products in May 2020, succeeding
Bob Chapek, who was promoted to CEO of the Walt Disney Company in February 2020. Jeff Vahle, who served as president of Disney Signature Experiences subsequently took over as president of the resort.
March 2020 – present On March 12, 2020, a Disney spokesperson announced that Disney World and
Disneyland Paris would temporarily close due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, beginning March 15, 2020. In 2020, Disney World laid off 6,500 employees and only operated at 25% capacity after reopening during the
COVID-19 pandemic. , Walt Disney World was chosen to host the
NBA Bubble for play of the
2019–20 season of the
National Basketball Association (NBA) to resume at the
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The ESPN Complex, hosts a variety of activities throughout the year, including
runDisney marathon races and dance and cheer competitions in partnership with Varsity Cheer. It was also the site for the
MLS is Back tournament. On July 11, 2020, Disney World officially reopened, beginning operations at 25% capacity at the
Magic Kingdom and
Disney's Animal Kingdom, as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Florida. Four days later,
EPCOT and
Disney's Hollywood Studios for operation at 25% capacity to the public. Masks were required at all times (including outdoors, on attractions, and while taking photos), all guests were required to have their temperature taken upon entry,
plexiglass was installed on various attractions and transportation offerings, and shows that drew large crowds, such as parades and nighttime shows including
Fantasmic! and
Happily Ever After were not offered. In November 2020, the resort increased the guest capacity to 35% at all four theme parks, and on May 13, 2021, CEO Bob Chapek announced a further increase of capacity, effective immediately; however, he did not say to what capacity level it would be raised. By mid-June 2021, temperature checks and mask mandates (except while on Disney transportation) had been lifted. In late July 2021, mask mandates were reinstated for all attractions and indoor areas in light of new guidance issued by the
Centers for Disease Control as the
delta variant drove a significant increase in local cases. These reinstated mandates were lifted in February 2022. In April 2022, following a court decision ending the federal mask mandate for public transportation, the mask mandates on Disney transportation were lifted. Starting on October 1, 2021, the resort honored its 50th anniversary with "The World's Most Magical Celebration", which lasted for 18 consecutive months ending on March 31, 2023.
Disney's Magical Express, a complimentary transportation and luggage service offered to Walt Disney Resort guests that began in 2005, ended in January 2022. In August 2021, the Walt Disney Company announced that
FastPass+, which had been free since its introduction in 1999, would be retired and replaced with Genie+, starting at $18 to $35 per day. This new system includes the option of adding "Lightning Lane", which will be used for top-tier attractions, for an additional charge. The pricing range depends on the crowd and day of purchase. On April 22, 2022, the self-governing status which the Walt Disney Company had in the area around Disney World for more than 50 years came to an end after Florida Governor
Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation requiring the area to come under the legal jurisdiction of the state of Florida. The new law also officially abolished The
Reedy Creek Improvement District which the Walt Disney Company has used to run the area since May 1967, when then Florida Governor
Claude Kirk signed into law legislation which granted the company special status. Along with this, as of May 2023, Governor
Ron DeSantis has also been planning to target Disney's monorail system and let Florida's Department of Transportation inspect the privately owned system. In August 2025, Walt Disney World officials described the resort as entering “an unprecedented era of growth,” announcing multiple new capital projects across its theme parks. == Location ==