5. The estimated annual attendance at Disney’s Magic Kingdom® Park is 17 million, followed by Epcot with 10.9 million, Disney’s Animal Kingdom with 9.6 million and Disney's Hollywood Studios with 9.5 million.
6.Cinderella Castle is the tallest structure in Disney’s Magic Kingdom® Park at 189 feet, followed by Space Mountain at 183 feet.
8. The 180-foot-tall Spaceship Earth at the entrance to Epcot weighs approximately 16 million pounds.
9. The Haunted Mansion uses state-of-the-art Omnimover vehicles called “Doom Buggies.”
10. The jolly headhunter who shows up near the end of the Jungle Cruise is known as “Trader Sam.”
Disney World Video
11. In conjunction with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men’s Chest, the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park was renovated to add several characters from the movie such as Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa.
12. The icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, The Tree of Life, stands 14 stories, features more than 300 animal carvings and is 50 feet wide.
13. Built in 1917, Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel in Fantasyland was once located at Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey.
14. The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios is housed in a replica of Mann’s Chinese Theater.
15.Astro Orbiter first opened in Tomorrowland in 1974 as Star Jets.
16. The Hall of Presidents had its origins as an audio-animatronic exhibition called “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which premiered at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.
17. Originally known as the “Tropical Serenade,” the Tiki Room in Adventureland was once sponsored by Florida Citrus Growers.
18. The 60-foot-tall Swiss Family Treehouse in Adventureland weighs approximately 200 tons and is made of concrete and thousands of polyethylene leaves.
19. Cinderella Castle, the centerpiece of Disney’s Magic Kingdom, features 18 towers and 13 gargoyles.
20. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at Fantasyland is located on the site of the former Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
21. The “Spirits of America” statues in The American Adventure at Epcot represent Adventure, Compassion, Discovery, Freedom, Heritage, Independence, Individualism, Innovation, Knowledge, Pioneering, Self-Reliance and Tomorrow.
22. Towering four stories over DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Dino-Sue is an exact replica of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered.
23. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland features six trains: I.B. Hearty, I.M. Brave, I.M. Fearless, U.B. Bold, U.R. Daring and U.R. Courageous.
24. The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios launches you at a speed of 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds.
25. A swinging suspension bridge leads from Tom Sawyer Island to Fort Langhorne, which was named after Samuel Langhorne Clemens (better known as Mark Twain).
26. The replica of the Liberty Bell that can be found in the center of Liberty Square was built from the same authentic cast as the original in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
27. The exit to Haunted Mansion features crypts with humorous names inscribed such as I.M. Ready, Rustin Peese, Pearl E. Gates, Manny Festation, Dustin T. Dust and Asher T. Ashes.
28. The Walt Disney World Railroad, which serves approximately 1.5-million passengers annually, is an authentic 1928 steam-powered train.
29. The Mission: SPACE thrill ride at Epcot is so authentic that motion sickness bags are available just in case of emergency.
30. Mickey’s Toontown Fair was once known as both Mickey’s Birthdayland and Mickey’s Starland.
31. Sonny Eclipse, an “intergalactic lounge singer,” performs daily at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in Tomorrowland.
32. In order to rank as a “Galactic Hero” at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, you must score 900,000 to 999,999 points.
33. The audio-animatronic dog in the Carousel of Progress is named “Rover.”
34. Astronauts Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper and Jim Irwin were present at the grand opening of Space Mountain in 1975.
35. Stitch’s Great Escape in Tomorrowland lies at the former site of ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, which closed in 2003.
36. One of the original attractions at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway was once known as Grand Prix Raceway.
37. Renamed The Seas with Nemo & Friends in 2006, The Living Seas pavilion opened at Epcot in 1986 and was originally sponsored by United Technologies.
38. “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience,” a 3-D film at Epcot, is located in Future World at the former site of “Captain EO,” another 3-D adventure that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starred Michael Jackson and Anjelica Huston.
39. Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus was the first champion at the Walt Disney World Open Invitational, which made its debut in 1971.
40. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority was originally called the WEDway People Mover (WED standing for Walter Elias Disney).
41. Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, which encompasses approximately 107 acres, is itself larger than Disneyland, which only covers 80 acres in Anaheim, California.
42. The design of Main Street U.S.A. was loosely based on Walt Disney’s hometown of Marceline, Missouri.
43. The Swiss Family Treehouse is of the species Disneyodendron eximus or “Out-of-the-Ordinary Disney Tree.”
44. The 189-foot-tall water tower icon at Disney's Hollywood Studios is known as the “ Earffel Tower.”
45. Jungle Cruise riverboats include Amazon Annie, Bomokandi Bertha, Congo Connie, Ganges Gertie, Irrawaddy Irma, Kwango Kate, Mongala Millie, Nile Nelly, Orinoco Ida, Rutshuru Ruby, Sankuru Sadie, Senegel Sal, Ucvali Lolly, Volta Val, Wamba Wanda and Zambesi Zelda.
46. Splash Mountain in Adventureland features a five-story, free-fall plunge at a 45-degree angle into a splash pool at a speed of 40 miles per hour.
47. The 8,500-acre Disney Wilderness Preserve, which lies 15 miles South of Disney World, features a Conservation Learning Center and hiking trails.
48. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is located at the former site of If You Had Wings in Tomorrowland.
49. The three “talking heads” who introduce the Country Bear Jamboree are named Buff, Max and Melvin.
50. Approximately 46 million people visit Walt Disney World – including Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Downtown Disney Area – annually.
Top 10 SeaWorld Orlando Attractions 1. Manta
Swooping over sea and sky, Manta inspires riders with incredible underwater animal habitats, then soars them face-down, in a horizontal position, aboard a manta-inspired flying coaster.
2. Kraken
An exhilarating roller coaster, Kraken speeds up to 65 miles per hour and reaches a height of 151 as it loops its way ...
Don’t Miss New Year’s Eve at Disney World! Walt Disney World Resort will host a fantastic lineup of fun-filled activities to help bring in the New Year 2010! Mark your calendar for the following Disney World events:
Bay Lake & Seven Seas Lagoon
The Electrical Water Pagaent (9 PM; plays to Magic Kingdom entrance area at 10:25 PM)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Mickey’s ...
Haunted Mansion Videos
Haunted Mansion at Disney's Magic Kingdom
Haunted Mansion at Disneyland
Haunted Mansion at Tokyo Disneyland
Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris
Haunted Mansion: The Making of a Masterpiece
Grim Grinning Ghosts
Leota
Madame Leota Tombstone
Haunted Mansion History, Part 1
Haunted Mansion, Part 2
Haunted Mansion Commercial
Thurl Ravenscroft Interview
Celebrity Narrators Announced for Epcot Holiday Event Celebrity narrators have been announced for the Epcot Candlelight Processional, which will take place November 27 through December 30, 2009. The Candlelight Processional, which includes a mass choir and 50-piece live orchestra, will take place at America Gardens Theatre nightly at 5 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:15 PM.
Celebrity Narrator Schedule
November ...
Newest Disney World Restaurants
Contempo Cafe - Disney's Contemporary Resort
Kouzzina by Cat Cora - Disney's Boardwalk
Paradiso 37 - Downtown Disney Area
T-Rex Cafe - Downtown Disney Area
The Wave
For more information about Disney World restaurants, visit www.orlando-florida.net.
