The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres, of which half has been developed. Walt Disney World contains numerous recreational facilities designed to attract visitors for an extended stay, including four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, conference centers, a competitive sports complex and a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Additionally, there are 19 Disney-owned resort hotels and one camping resort on the property, and many other non-Disney-operated resorts on and near the property.
The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Experiences, a segment of The Walt Disney Company. It allows buying a real estate interest in a DVC resort via a flexible points-based membership system. There are an estimated 220,000 club members.
Disney's River Country was the first water park at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida. River Country, located along the shores of Bay Lake and near Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, was themed as a rustic, old-fashioned swimming hole. Opening on June 20, 1976, the park closed indefinitely on November 2, 2001. On January 20, 2005, after roughly three years of closure, The Walt Disney Company announced that the park would remain closed, permanently.
Disney's Contemporary Resort, originally to be named Tempo Bay Hotel and previously the Contemporary Resort Hotel, is a resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Opened on October 1, 1971, the hotel is one of two original properties located at the complex alongside Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and is currently listed as a deluxe-priced resort. It is adjacent to the Magic Kingdom theme park, and is identified by its A-frame main building.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is an African-themed deluxe resort at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It opened on April 16, 2001. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Disney's Port Orleans Resort French Quarter and Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside are a pair of hotels at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida that form a single resort. They are themed to look like New Orleans and the Old South. They are in the Disney Springs area and are owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Disney's Wilderness Lodge is a resort hotel located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Opened on May 28, 1994, the resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. Disney's Wilderness Lodge is located in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area on Bay Lake. The resort is located near Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. A similarly themed resort, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, is located at the Disneyland Resort in California.
Disney's Pop Century Resort is a resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, opened on December 14, 2003. It is the fourth value-priced resort in the complex, following Disney's All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, and All-Star Sports Resorts in the 1990s. The resort is themed around 20th century American pop culture.
Disney's Beach Club Resort is a beach-themed resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on November 19, 1990. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is a Disney-owned and operated resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort's first two on-site hotels. The resort has a South Seas theme, and originally opened with 492 rooms. It was designed by Welton Becket and Associates and constructed by US Steel Realty Development. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is a resort located within the Walt Disney World Resort. It is located in the Epcot Resort Area of Walt Disney World, close to the water park Typhoon Lagoon and is classified as a moderately priced resort. The resort started operating on October 1, 1988 and is owned and operated by Disney Experiences.
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. The resort is the seventh Disney Vacation Club resort and is situated on the former site of the Disney Institute. It first opened on May 17, 2004 and was built in three phases. It is now the largest Disney Vacation Club resort. The resort was inspired by the city of Saratoga Springs, New York.
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is a resort hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort that opened on August 1, 1997. The resort is located in the Animal Kingdom Resort Area. Its theme is American colonial Spanish and southwestern American. This hotel is categorized as a 'moderate' resort. This was Walt Disney World's first attempt at a 'moderate' resort with a convention center. It is the only moderate level Disney resort with suites, a cafeteria-style restaurant, a formal dinner restaurant, a gift shop, an arcade, one large pool, three quiet pools, a salon, fitness center, and a dance club. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Disney's Asian Resort was a planned resort to be located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Its concept was developed in the 1960s and was expected to open in 1974, three years after its parent complex began operations. However, the 1973 oil crisis led to the cancellation of the project, in addition to Disney's Venetian Resort and Disney's Persian Resort.
Disney's Mediterranean Resort was a proposed Disney Deluxe resort to be located at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida that originally would have begun operation in the late 1990s. It was going to be themed after a small Greek island and be located on Seven Seas Lagoon. Land was cleared for the building, but due to very swampy and poor ground samples, the resort was never able to be built. The resort was to be a 5 star resort rivaling Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, also on the lagoon.
Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, commonly known as Bay Lake Tower, is a Disney Vacation Club resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort that opened in 2009. It is located in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area, adjacent to Disney's Contemporary Resort, Bay Lake, and Magic Kingdom.
Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort is a residential community within the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and is owned and operated by a newly formed Disney subsidiary, Golden Oak Realty within Disney Signature Experiences. The first phase of development is located southeast of the Magic Kingdom Park in Bay Lake. The area was named to pay homage to Walt Disney's Golden Oak Ranch in California. The first few home sites were available for purchase in late 2010 and completed in late 2011. Later on, a Four Seasons resort was opened north of the property with the company purchasing several properties to serve in its "private residences" initiative on the WDW property.
Reunion is a resort and master-planned community located within Four Corners in Osceola County, Florida, near Walt Disney World Resort. Developed by Bobby Ginn and the Ginn Family, owner and developer of several resort communities throughout the World. The Ginn Family also owned the NASCAR team called Ginn Racing, Reunion is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Reunion is situated on 2,226 acres (901 ha) and is a planned Development of Regional Impact (DRI) planned for 6,233 residential dwelling units, 1,574 hotel rooms, 140,000 square feet (13,000 m2) of office space and 484,000 square feet (45,000 m2) of retail space according to the Osceola County Planning Office. The resort presents an upscale vacation community for short-term guests and long-term residents; and includes comprehensive leisure facilities, restaurants, clubhouse and 5 acres (2.0 ha) private water park.
Disney's Riviera Resort is a Disney Vacation Club resort at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It was built by Disney Experiences between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. It is the first newly constructed resort to be served by the Disney Skyliner gondola system and the 15th Disney Vacation Club property to be built. The resort is themed after Walt Disney's trips and experiences in Europe and a love of the French Riviera and Italian Riviera. A collection of his travel images are incorporated into the resort's decor. Popular Disney characters are also painted into the overall theme of the resort including known characters' boat storage. It opened on December 16, 2019.
Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge was a planned Disney Vacation Club resort at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It was to be built between Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. It was to be constructed on the former site of Disney's River Country Water Park. The new hotel was to feature several Disney characters for each of the rooms including Bambi, Brother Bear, The Fox and the Hound, and Pocahontas among others. A lakeside restaurant featuring the characters from The Princess and the Frog was also slated to open along with the new resort.
