Did you know?

[Main Street Jim]

Did you know:

1) Magic Kingdom (107 acres), EPCOT (300 acres), *and* Disney's Hollywood Studios (89 acres) can *all* fit inside Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park (over 500 acres) - at the same time? Magic King alone can fit inside the "footprint" for the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction.

2) Magic Kingdom's "Wishes" and EPCOT's "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" fireworks are launched by compressed air? The computer-controlled system uses differing air pressures to launch the pyrotechnics at varying heights.

3) The Walt Disney World Railroad uses real steam trains? The locomotives and tenders were originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA between 1916 and 1928. They operated hauling sugar cane in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico before being sent to a scrap pile, where they were discovered by Disney "scouts" in 1968.

4) On Seven Seas Lagoon, near the Polynesian Resort, there used to be a surf/wave machine? The machine operated for a very short period of time (less than six months) very early on in Walt Disney World Resort history (late 1971-early 1972). The machine was turned off for good after determining that it caused too much "beach erosion".

5) that the original Walt Disney World Preview Center still exists today? Along Hotel Plaza Boulevard, near Downtown Disney, is the American Amateur Athletic Union headquarters (about halfway between Downtown Disney and the SR 535/CrossRoads intersection). This building, opened in February of 1970, housed the original Preview Center that guests traveling along Interstate 4 could visit before their stay at the "new" vacation destination.

[Donald]

Cool! Thanks for the information!

[EllieMae]

Very cool! I love learning new WDW facts

[Elias1901]

Great information! Cool new idea, Jim!

[Main Street Jim]

Did you know:

1) Ferry boat or Monorail? Usually the first choice guests have to make after arriving at Walt Disney World, especially at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Actually, during peak times, when all three boats are operating, and five monorails on the Express loop, they're "about the same speed". The ferry boats can carry up to 625 guests straight across the Seven Seas Lagoon. The Monorail holds 325 guests, and "swings out" around the lagoon. Both forms of transportation arrive at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. Since the ferry carries twice as many guests as the Monorail, but at a much slower pace; and the Monorail has to "swing out and around" but carries half as many guests as the ferry boats, they both actually take just about the same amount of time.

2) Guests in the Magic Kingdom are actually on the "second floor" of the park? When Florida's Magic Kingdom was designed and built, tunnels - commonly referred to as "Utilidors" by Cast Members - were actually built at ground level, so that Cast Members could access areas of the park unseen by Guests (unless, of course, you take the "Keys to the Kingdom" tour). Fill was used to "build up" around the tunnel system, and that "hole" where the fill came from became the Seven Seas Lagoon.

3) That the Tomorrowland Speedway "race cars" were patterned after a 1968 Corvette? The original Autopia cars at Disneyland had outlived their "futureness" of the late 1950s and through the 1960s, and ride-vehicle designer Bob Gurr wanted something more "racy" for the Florida park. He looked to the Corvette for inspiration. In 1969, Disneyland's Autopia received the new-look sports cars, and they debuted at Florida's Walt Disney World with the opening of the Grand Prix Raceway in Florida. The cars there sported authentic racing decals, including Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), NASCAR, and United States Auto Club (USAC) decals.

4) There was actually a fifth Walt Disney World Railroad locomotive purchased, along with the four that are seen today by guests. However, the fifth train was deemed too far gone to be salvageable, and was sold for scrap. In the mid 1980s, another "fifth locomotive" showed up, this time, in a trade from Sandusky, Ohio's Cedar Point amusement park. This "second fifth train" was actually named - to the Ward Kimball. However, it was too small to haul the large coaches at the Florida park, and was put on display at EPCOT Center for a time. It was then traded again for yet another locomotive, which made its way west to Disneyland - and *that* locomotive became Disneyland's fifth train - the Ward Kimball. Kinda confusing

5) That Space Mountain - the frenetic, in-the-dark, scare-your-pants-off roller coaster....goes a *whopping*....*twenty-seven miles an hour*. Because of all of the tight and twisting turns, and the thrill of being in the dark, guests' experiences feel like the rockets are a LOT faster. The main lift hill carries "astronauts" seventy-seven feet above the floor, and the biggest drop, about two-thirds of the way through the two-and-a-half minute space excursion, is a hair-raising *twenty-three* feet. Oh - and even though the rockets are numbered 1-31, there is no #13, leaving fifteen rockets (thirteen on track at max capacity, and two "spares") for each side - Alpha and Omega.

[Elias1901]

Good to know about the monorail and ferry boat.

[Elias1901]

It was then traded again for yet another locomotive, which made its way west to Disneyland - and *that* locomotive became Disneyland's fifth train - the Ward Kimball. Kinda confusing.

Does the Ward Kimball actually come out and haul coaches on the tracks? Any pics of this locomotive?

[indytraveler]

Did you know:


5) that the original Walt Disney World Preview Center still exists today? Along Hotel Plaza Boulevard, near Downtown Disney, is the American Amateur Athletic Union headquarters (about halfway between Downtown Disney and the SR 535/CrossRoads intersection). This building, opened in February of 1970, housed the original Preview Center that guests traveling along Interstate 4 could visit before their stay at the "new" vacation destination.

My very first recollection of WDW was this preview center. When I rediscovered this building several years ago as an adult I was amazed at how far it was from Downtown Disney. But if we knew what and where the Preview building was/is can we call it Lake Buena Vista instead of Downtown Disney?