Epcot® ResoBy Magic Maker® Brenda Wenk

A few weeks ago, Magic Maker® Brenda Wenk wrote an article to help those experiencing Walt Disney World® Resort for the first time. Here is ‘part two’ to her First-Timers Guide to Walt Disney World® Resort!

Walt Disney World® Resort is a destination unlike no other.  It is massive in size and scope but no detail has been overlooked.   Walt Disney was a master storyteller and that storytelling spills forth into all aspects of the parks and resorts.  Your experience will be immersive from the moment you arrive at your Walt Disney World® Resort hotel, to each dining experience, to the rides and attractions in the theme parks.  The sights, sounds and smells draw you into each story told.  Enjoy being a guest in the “show” that is Walt Disney World® Resort!

There are many often overlooked details in Magic Kingdom® Park.  As you walk down Main Street, USA® Area, look up at the shop windows on the second floor.  These windows give credit to major players in the creation of the Magic Kingdom® Park.  Walt Disney’s window is at the corner above the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor giving him a permanent view of Cinderella’s Castle.  Inside the castle is a mosaic that tells Cinderella’s story.  Note that as you go from one land into another that the landscaping, hardscapes, buildings and music help you transition smoothly.  The lands of Magic Kingdom® Park were actually built as the second story of this park.  Ground level contains the “Utilidors.”  This tunnel system runs under the park and houses the workings necessary to operate the shops, restaurants, rides and attractions.   Cast members collect their costumes and proceed to a behind the scenes entrance into the land in which they are working.  Cast members never cross into another land wearing a costume that does not belong there – you will never see someone in a Tomorrowland® Area costume walking through Adventureland® Area!

Walt Disney originally envisioned Epcot® as a self-contained city.  His death in 1966, changed the direction of this park to what it is today – Future World and World Showcase.  The details worth noting in this park are numerous.   The Fountain of Nations in Innoventions Plaza contains water from bodies of waters around the world.  Note that Spaceship Earth was designed with a runoff system so that no rain reaches the ground but is directed so that it empties into World Showcase lagoon.   The ride in Universe of Energy is powered by solar energy.  You may enjoy seeing the hydroponics method of plant growing in The Land.  Needless to say, the buildings, shops, and eateries in each represented country in World Showcase are filled with native costumes, food and architecture.  The American Pavilion at center stage plays host to countries on either side.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios® represents the golden age of Hollywood when anyone could become a star!  Watch out for starlets hoping to be discovered and directors ready to give wannabes their big break.  If possible, see Walt Disney:  One Man’s Dream in Animation Courtyard.  You will see much of Walt’s memorabilia.  Streets of America will give you a great example of forced perspective, a technique used to make structures appear taller, larger or farther away by decreasing scale of the objects.  This technique can be seen throughout the parks.   Most of the buildings in Disney’s Hollywood Studios® were inspired by actual California structures.  You will see 1928 on many buildings – a nod to the year Mickey Mouse debuted!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park may have a plethora of animals but it is not a zoo.  The details necessary to combine the natural world and the magic of Disney are played out richly in this park. Tree of Life® Attraction is a study in detail in itself!  How many animals can you spot in this carved wonder?  The benches throughout the park are made of recycled milk jugs.  Stumps, rocks and water features have been used to disguise feeding stations and the like in order to attract the wildlife and offer better viewing opportunities for guests.  Check out the Tibetan prayer flags hanging in Asia.  Keep an eye out for DiVine, an actress that is part of the landscape.  The village, Harambe, closely resembles the area in Africa that served as its inspiration.  This park is ideal for meandering and taking in the many details.

The creative geniuses behind each experience are called Imagineers due to their combined artistic and engineering abilities.  A roller coaster is more than a ride – each is an experience.   Each roller coaster in Walt Disney World® Resort have a theme and a story to tell.  For example, Rockin’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith, tells the following story:  a group has arrived at a recording studio where Aerosmith is working.  Their manager informs the performers that they must leave for a concert appearance.  Steven Tyler suggests that the group watching in the studio come along!   “Stretch limos” arrive to transport you to the concert.  The freeway is jammed but your “driver” floors it and manages to get you to the concert!  Check out the themes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad® Attraction in Frontierland® Area in Magic Kingdom® Park and Expedition Everest® Attraction in Asia® Land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park!  Each of these rides is themed from the queue in which you stand to wait your turn, to the holding area, to the vehicle in which you ride.

These creative folks sign their work with hidden Mickeys.  These hidden Mickeys can be found in chair backs, carpets, on walls and can be quite obvious or truly “hidden.”  Books are available to help you if you choose to search for these and cast members can often point to some.

The details I have noted are a tiny sampling of the many things Walt Disney represents and what each aspect of Walt Disney World® Resort has to offer – just enough to whet your appetite!  Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”  Walt and his legacy of Imagineers dreamed and the result is this magical place you are about to visit!