Disney World 40th Anniversary: Share Your WDW Memories (VIDEO)

Work on the "Florida Project," as Disney World was called in its early stages, began in a swampy Central Florida after Walt Disney's death in 1966. Three weeks prior to the official opening, 100,000 Central Florida locals participated in trial runs. Come October 1, 22 park attractions were ready to go and 5,000 cast members were in costume to greet guests.

“Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland... the blessing of size,” Walt Disney once said. “There’s enough land here to hold all the ideas and plans we can possibly imagine.”

Roy Disney echoed his brother on October 1, 1971, as the Magic Kingdom's turnstiles clicked for the first time, referring to Walt Disney World as "this happy place," a phrase Walt had deployed during the opening of Disneyland in 1955.

Embracing that sentiment, Walt Disney World grew to encompass EPCOT (previously EPCOT Center) in 1982, Disney's Hollywood Studios (previously Disney-MGM Studios) in 1989, and Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998. Add to that a massive shopping, dining and entertainment complex, golf courses, two waterparks and a slew of resort hotels, and you've just begun to scratch the surface. And, as the park complex reaches its ruby anniversary, even more changes are afoot. A Fantasyland expansion will soon be open, plans for an Avatar-themed land are in the works and the new Art of Animation Resort will open in 2012.

To think: It all started with a mouse.

Brush up on your Disney nostalgia with the slideshow below, and share your favorite WDW memory with us.

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Comments

[Spuki]

03:26 AM on 10/04/2011

What a vision Walt had! Yeah, I know the commercialism of the parks, but it is still fun to go and just enjoy the "world" he created.

[trailerguy]

01:31 PM on 10/02/2011

used to go disneyland whenI was akid in60's walt was still alive. it used to have a bit of a soul. All though movies were mostly propgandes, brain in family guy meets Eisner at car was he give mouse hat and come disneyland bring money.

[JScott]

09:05 AM on 10/02/2011

I went once it was a duplicate of the one in Anaheim it seemed to me.

Altho it borders on kinda creepy-the only folks that 'live there' (aka in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lakes-the incorporated communities that it's in) are a few WDW execs and most of the 'government' is by the WDW dominated Reedy Creek Improvement Dist. (google all this) when they developed 'Celebration' they took that part out of it because they didn't want 'outsiders' to be snooping on the activities of RCID, LBV and BL government entities (GOOGLE all of this to find out more)

[pallasroma]

07:15 PM on 10/01/2011

What was the cost of admission back then?

[Andy Manor]

01:44 AM on 10/02/2011

You bought a ticket booklet of A-E tickets to use on various attractions. If I remember when I worked there the ticket booklet was about $5, but only had so many of each ticket.

[kjkal10bach]

05:56 PM on 10/01/2011

Was there opening day 40 years ago. Now live 15 minutes away. Will be attending the extended fireworks show this evening! Thanks Walt! Thank god you can't see what they did to your dream.
Your dream has turned into greed!

[Kevin Phillips]

08:27 PM on 10/01/2011

And Walt's "dream" was to not make money?

I'm a huge Disney fan...at least 5 trips a year, have been to ALL the Disney parks now except for Hong Kong.....and trust me....Walt DIsney's Dream was the same as the dream of the current Disney company. The dream is to make money.

[AlonzoQuijana]

03:07 PM on 10/01/2011

The Disney people of the 60s were geniuses. After they quietly bought up all the land with shell corporations, they got the Florida legislature and Orange County to allow Disney to create its own government: The Reedy Creek Improvement District. It has maybe 50 citizens (all Disney employees) and a five-member commission (Disney execs). RCID has taxing authority (one major taxpayer, obviously). Can issue tax exempt municipal bonds. Condemn property outside the district for improvements Build and maintain its own roads and utilities. And has its own fire department. It even exempted itself from Florida and Orange County zoning and land use laws.

Brilliant!

[JScott]

09:07 AM on 10/02/2011

Conservatives dream?

When they developed 'Celebration' they took that part out of it, so the folks that lived there wouldn't be elected to said district and demanding more transparency.

[Charles Vanderbilt]

01:48 PM on 10/01/2011

I took my 5 year old daughter (on her birthday)
to Disneyland in 1954. I will never forget the
excitement in her eyes as we strolled through
the park. We eagerly examined out A thru E
tickets and tried to figure them out.The Jungle ride
seemed to cap it all off. ChuckV

[Jackalheadedgod]

12:23 PM on 10/01/2011

Anaheim is far better. The pattern in Anaheim is attraction - retail - food & beverage - attraction, in that order. The pattern in Orlando is attraction - retail - food & bev - retail - retail - food & bev - retail - retail - retail - attraction. Kind of like a gift shop mall with some rides salted in. Landscaping is mature and far more varied in California. The plant palette in Orlando is limited, so flower planters are filled with coleus. No shade. Less detail in the facades. Plus, you have to go to many "gates" to see all the attractions in Florida provided you can survive the lightning strikes. Combine that with the ridiculous driving on I-4 and hooha what a thrill.

Save your money and go to Europe and see Neuschwanstein, heh heh.

Cheers,
Jack

[JScott]

09:10 AM on 10/02/2011

And they have improved the area around the Anaheim park so the difference between the Orlando and Anaheim parks is not as much as it used to be.

Plus in Anaheim you don't have so much heat with humidity to deal with.

[Jasper Neville]

12:21 PM on 10/01/2011

MK Ultra. Disney in mind poison for children.

[lkgilles]

12:51 PM on 10/01/2011

Did the aliens at Area 51 tell you? Better keep quiet, or big foot might get you!

[Jasper Neville]

01:02 PM on 10/01/2011

You sound confused: you are by intention. People who love tunes are tuned into Is rail raido.

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1148/788/Sorcha_Faal_Continues_To_Fool_The_Unwary.html

[Kevin Phillips]

08:32 PM on 10/01/2011

You must have watched a lot of Disney films in your childhood. Your mind has been so poisoned that you believe "Disney IN mind poison for children" is a sentence that makes sense to anyone other than yourself.

[Jasper Neville]

02:14 AM on 10/02/2011

i hope you feel good with your big ears on. you like like brainwashing. now you write something personally snarky back so you can feel good again.

[cornel]

12:08 PM on 10/01/2011

Now this should be on the front page. Walt did more for America than any modern politicians. Mickey is universally loved !

[Jasper Neville]

12:23 PM on 10/01/2011

mickey is a tool to lead children into a fantasy life chasing their desires while the government robs your family.

[PatientZeroBeat]

09:06 AM on 10/02/2011

I enjoyed seeing you on that Saturday Night Live sketch last night. I hope your stomach is feeling better.

[JScott]

09:11 AM on 10/02/2011

And that all little girls should aspire to be princesses and buy lotsa stuff.

Yup kinda creepy huh.

[BruntLIVE]

11:37 AM on 10/01/2011

Hard fact, Disney flourished because he didn't allow his dream to be taken over by money grubbers. I think we all know what I'm talking about.

[JScott]

09:11 AM on 10/02/2011

Until he died of course.

[lkgilles]

11:35 AM on 10/01/2011

Disney World rocks, love that place.

[Jasper Neville]

12:24 PM on 10/01/2011

most people who like elephants invest in other superfluous fantasies about life. You are the problem if you believe in elephants too... or donkeys for that matter.

[lkgilles]

12:26 PM on 10/01/2011

What? Liking Disney World is a problem?

Your post does not make any sense.

[Andy Manor]

01:48 AM on 10/02/2011

I may not agree with your politics, but I do agree that Disney World is a good time. Although today Magic Kingdom was crowded. I was expecting the crowd though, it's not every day the place turns 40.

[riverkwai1]

11:33 AM on 10/01/2011

My wife and I went there on our honeymon and had an amazing time. We got VIP treatment at some of the restaurants we went to because it was our honeymoon. Looking forward to taking my kids some day.

[Nim]

11:26 AM on 10/01/2011

Back in the day, Disney was a place that an average family can spend the day. But now the price is getting to the point where it is too expensive for a average family to go. Last time that I went, it was $100 per day just for the admission ticket then you add parking, food, hotel, rental car, etc. Framkly, as good as it is, it is not worth it. It's a shame, because I don't think that Roy Disney envisioned that his dream would be only attainable by just a few.

[ProCynic]

11:50 AM on 10/01/2011

I will disagree with you to a certain degree. Back in the day, entrance was rather cheap given the value of the dollar, but to ride the rides, you had to buy extra tickets and that could raise the price of your day. Comparing my father's salary back in '69 when we made our first trip to Disneyland with what it costs for a similar family now, I think it works out very close when you consider that there has been much more added entertainment added to the Disneyland park since then. (It used to be possible to accomplish 2 complete circuits of the park, riding EVERY ride, in one day, even with long waits and meals. Now they have squeezed in many more attractions, you're lucky to get 1 full circuit if you use fast passes and skip meals.)

[ZulMonster]

12:17 PM on 10/01/2011

I come from a very average, middle class family, and we go every single year. In fact my mom often takes the grandkids for additional weekend trips through out the year, although those are only as money permits. The whole entire family goes, and it costs probably around $2-3k for a family of 4... for our whole 10 day trip! You are not doing it right if it is too costly. Stay at the park hotels, and get rid of that rental car. Buy the World Hopper pass, and make your own meals mostly. It is perfectly affordable, and, given the sheer amount of attractions, WELL worth the cost.

[benji85]

11:25 AM on 10/01/2011

If you look at the statue of Walt and Mickey at just right angle, Mickey's nose is placed at a not family friendly spot.

To see you have to be from the Frontierland part of the cul-de-saq in Magic Kingdom.

[ProCynic]

11:59 AM on 10/01/2011

Congratulations, you have become "that guy" (as in, "Don't be THAT GUY.)

[Jasper Neville]

12:25 PM on 10/01/2011

Disney is MKUltra- wake up.