Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2017 | Page 57

Travel
By Terry Willey
Among the 17 million-plus people who visit Walt
Disney World in Orlando, Florida each year, you
will find many millions from the United Kingdom
who have shared the experience and in numerous
cases return regularly.
Somehow I had an impression
that it was very much a resort
for children, but when you
arrive it is clear that adults of
all ages from around the world
also book their holidays here.
The sheer magnitude of the resort is
breathtaking, with a land mass similar
to that of San Francisco – over 25,000
acres of theme park development, which
continues to expand each year.
It has now been operating for over 40
years, and I’m sure Walt Disney himself
never envisaged quite the extent of his
popularity worldwide. Sadly he died in
1966, having suffered with lung cancer,
and before the excavation of the Orlando
site had even begun. Could he ever
have envisaged that when he purchased
43,000 square miles of swamp land for
his dream of Disney World at around
185 dollars per acre, that 40 years later it
would be the world’s most popular resort
destination?
Disney does not stand still in any way,
and it is clear that no expense is spared
when it comes to developing the most
novel and thrilling experiences for adults
and children alike. An example being the
latest creatures at Animal Kingdom; the
Blue People of Avatar, a new section with
interactive 3D rides opened within the
last 24 months at a cost of around 400
million dollars.
Film stars and TV personalities regularly
attend the park to promote various new
rides and events and the continuing
development of Walt Disney Films brings
with it new characters to the parks each
year, supported by the celebrities who do
the voiceovers. Previously, TV shows have
been filmed at Disney Hollywood Studio
complex, such as the “Mickey Mouse
Club” featuring pop stars Britney Spears,
Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera.
Quite apart from the ‘all inclusive’
entrance fee Disney Corporation makes
its real money via the promotion and
sale of Disney products, and the many
hundreds of eating outlets spread right
across the site.
As Disney developed, new sections were
introduced such as Animal Kingdom
and Epcot, the latter gaining much
interest worldwide for its replication of
various countries and the opportunity
to experience on-site a whole range
of different cultures. I was particularly
interested to note that more than 30 tons
of fruit and vegetables are grown each
year within the Epcot landsite to supply
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