23 Fun and Interesting Facts about Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World Resort is an amazing place full of detailed design, mind-boggling complexity, and deep history. These are things that sets Disney Parks apart from other theme parks. If you love Disney or are trying to understand why everybody else does, I put together a list of interesting things and fun facts about Disney World that you might not know.

I created a huge list of awesome trivia, but I cut it down to 23 facts because the Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 and because I didn’t want to bore you with 100 ideas. I broke it up into the design of the parks, the operation of the parks, hidden secrets, and history. Hopefully these Disney World facts do justice to this amazing place.

Design

1. Smellitizers Make Disney World Smell Nice

If you’ve ever been to Disney World, you’ve probably noticed it smells nice. My favorite smells are the Coronado Springs and Beach Club lobbies, but it goes far beyond that. When you pass the candy and ice cream shops or a popcorn vendor, you’re not smelling their products, you’re smelling the smellitizers.

Here I am, just smelling the Beach Club lobby, also checking in, but mostly smelling.

And this is more than just air freshener. Disney knows how the brain works. The brain will take constant stimulus like noise, smell, or light and dim your awareness of it. The smellitizers blow out the smell and suck it back in, repeatedly hitting you with a fresh batch of awesomeness.

2. How Tall is Cinderella’s Castle?

Disney built the castle to be 189 feet tall (57.6 meters) if you include the moat. In 1971, that was the tallest you can build a building without putting a blink red airplane light on it. Since then, the FAA raised the max height allowed to 200 feet (60.7 meters). Because of this new rule, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom both stand at 199 feet (60.65 meters). These three are the tallest buildings at Disney World because they didn’t want to distract from the magic with a blinking light. I guess airplanes fly 10 feet higher than they used to.

There’s the top 125 feet of the castle.

Bonus fact: Tower of Terror in Disney's Hollywood Studios is pink so that it blends in with the Morocco pavilion in EPCOT. If you’re looking at Morocco from across the lake in EPCOT you can see the tower in the distance. That way it doesn’t detract from the aesthetic.

The Tower of Terror, the tallest building at Disney World, though some claim Everest is 6 inches taller.

3. EPCOT Aquarium

The EPCOT aquarium at The Seas with Nemo and Friends Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the world other than the Atlanta aquarium (my hometown). It’s so big that Spaceship Earth (the EPCOT ball) can fit inside of it.

My wife filming my toddler enjoying the EPCOT aquarium.

4. Trash Cans and Trash System

Disney demonstrates great innovation and attention to detail even in its behind-the-scenes design. At Disney World, you are never more than 30 feet from a trash can. Walt himself calculated this distance based on the maximum number of steps people were willing to walk before throwing their trash on the ground. People will walk farther to use them as tables though.

The innovation doesn’t stop there. Magic Kingdom uses a system called AVAC, or Automated Vacuum Collection, to suck trash out of the park to a compactor behind Space Mountain, where it is then removed from the park. Oddly, Magic Kingdom is the only park that uses this.

5. Walt Disney World is Massive

The full property of Walt Disney World is 30,500 acres or 48 square miles, which is roughly the size of San Francisco or two Manhattans (the island, not the drink). A large portion of it is intentionally left undeveloped for conservation reasons.

But preservation wasn’t the only goal. One of Walt’s regrets with Disneyland was that when you went up high on roller coasters, you could see the outside world. When he conceived of Disney World, he wanted to make sure you could see only Disney World for miles (and so they could control the aesthetics of future development).

6. Liberty Square brown path Liberty Square Oak Tree

One of the most interesting places you probably haven’t thought about is Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom. The goal was to make this area as authentic as possible to colonial America. There are no bathrooms Liberty Square because they didn’t have plumbing then. To go even farther, they added a path that stained brown to look like the remnants of raw sewage as it would have run down the streets of a colonial town. Luckily, they didn’t go so far as to engage the smellitizers here.

No bathrooms until you return get to Rapunzel’s bathrooms, Crystal Palace, or Adventureland. The square is at the end of this path.

Liberty Square also has an oak tree as its centerpiece. The acorns from the Liberty Oak have planted over 500 other oak trees all over the Disney property.

Finally, one of the main attractions in Liberty Square is the Hall of Presidents, where you can learn about each American president. Inside the attraction is a presidential seal. It took an act of Congress to allow Disney to use it. There are only three authorized seals—Liberty Square, the American Adventure pavilion in EPCOT, and the Oval Office.

Walt was extremely passionate about U.S. history and Abraham Lincoln in particular. When he was in junior high, he would dress up as Lincoln and recite the Gettysburg Address to his classmates on Lincoln’s birthday every year. The Hall of Presidents (and it’s Disneyland counterpart, Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln) is a reflection of that passion.

Operations

Here’s a few interesting facts and figures about the day to day operations at Disney World to impress people with (or annoy your spouse with) while you’re at the parks.

7. 58 Million People Came Through Disney World in 2022

It’s estimated that 58 million people came to Disney World in 2022. While estimates are a little lower for 2023, that’s more than the population of most countries. It’s mindboggling to consider the amount of traffic preparation, wear and tear, food, technology, sanitation, and merchandise that has to be managed in order to accommodate that many people.

8. 285,000 lbs. of Laundry

Speaking of a lot of logistics, Disney World has to do more than 285,000 pounds of laundry in order to keep things running. From linens, to costumes, to table napkins, to those four pool towels you didn’t use, Disney World has tons of loads going.

9. Fireworks

Disney World has multiple fireworks shows almost every night. All of these explosions make Disney the largest purchaser of explosives other than the U.S. military. That’s a lot of bang and a lot of bucks.

One of the many fireworks shot off every day.

10. Harmony Barber Shop

The Harmony Barber Shop is a quaint hidden gem on Main Street that provides haircuts, beard trims, and first haircuts for small children. But did you know that when the cast members aren’t cutting your hair, they are tending to the attractions such as the hair for the It’s a Small World dolls and the Pirates of the Caribbean. For you conspiracy theorists, the doll hair doesn’t grow; it just gets replaced.

My little guy just after his first haircut, hanging out with the Dapper Dans.

For more info on Harmony Barber Shop, check out this post.

11. No Chewing Gum

If you’ve read this far, you know that Disney values cleanliness. In order to preserve cleanliness, they do not sell gum at the parks. I don’t know why people can’t keep it in their mouths or spit it in a trash can 30 steps away, but I’m sure you know the disgust of stepping on a recently spit wad, or remember getting it stuck on your hands on the bottom of your desk in Algebra class.

Disney doesn’t go as far as my teacher Mrs. McCauley did when she passed out detention in middle school, so you won’t in trouble if you bring your own gum into the park.

Easter Eggs and Traditions at Walt Disney World

Easter Eggs, or hidden surprises in the park, are one of Disney’s specialties. Whether it’s hidden mickeys (a hidden Mickey is a Mickey Mouse shape you can find in various structures or decorations) or nods to former rides, like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride or 20,000 leagues Under Sea referenced in the Winnie the Pooh ride, there is plenty to find. In fact, they are one of the many things that make standing in line more bearable.

12. Frontierland Land Wooden Leg

In Frontierland, you’ll find a wooden prosthetic leg with the name “Smith” written on it. This is a nod to the Mary Poppins scene when Burt says, “I know a man with a wooden leg named Smith.” To which Uncle Albert retorts, “what was the name of his other leg?” This an exceptional dad joke, great easter egg, and brings attention to the tragedy of misplaced modifiers.

13. Suspicious Chemical Pipes

The Dinosaur Ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom has yellow, white, and red pipes running through the ceiling with chemical formulas on them. The chemical formulas are ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. This is because the ride was originally sponsored by McDonald’s. It’s still random and weird but makes a little sense now—just a little.

14. Goodnight, George

Rumor has it that an Imagineer named George tragically passed away while Disney was building Pirates of the Caribbean. Rumor also has it that he was a welder and not an Imagineer. Anyway, rumor has it that cast members say “Goodnight, George” at the end of the night to keep the ghost of George from giving the ride technical difficulties the next day.

My personal opinion, since George doesn’t have a last name, and there’s no news clippings sharing the details from the 1960s or 70s, I don’t believe it. But…I think they should keep wishing him goodnight just in case.

History

We’ll finish up this list by giving you some interesting facts about the history of Disney World. You can pull these out to show how big of a Disney nerd you are.

15. Walt Used Fake Companies to Buy the Land

When Walt Disney decided to purchase the land for Disney World in Central Florida in Bay Lake and what would become Lake Buena Vista, he used dummy corporation names to hide the Disney identity. Disney as a company was already wildly successful, so if landowners knew who they were selling to, they would jack up the prices.

Disney used names like Bay Lake Properties, Reedy Creek Ranch Corp, and Retlaw (Walter spelled backwards). They were able to buy up considerable amounts of swampland for roughly $200 an acre. Once the Orlando Sentinel reporter Emily Bavar finally uncovered the truth, Disney came clean, and prices went up to $80,000 an acre.

16. Roy Disney Finished the Park

Walt Disney tragically died of lung cancer in 1966 and was unable to see his grand theme park come to fruition. In order to make sure it happened, Walt's older brother Roy came out of retirement to finish the project. This is why there’s a statue of Roy and Minnie Mouse in the middle of the Main Street Roundabout. He’s holding Minnie’s hand from underneath to symbolize how he supported his brother so many years. Roy O. Disney passed away a few months after Disney's Magic Kingdom opened.

My daughters posing with Roy and Minnie. The statue is called “Sharing the Magic.”

17. The Beatles and Beach Boys at Disney World

There’s also a bit of music history that happened at Disney World. First, John Lennon signed the papers that officially dissolved the Beatles while staying at the Polynesian Resort for Christmas in 1974.

On a happier note, the Beach Boys recorded their music video for the hit song “Kokomo” at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa in 1988. It was part of the soundtrack for the Tom Cruise movie Cocktails, and Tom Cruise is featured prominently in the video. Strangely, John Stamos is playing steal drums and congas in the video as well. Stamos was actually friends with the band and played several concerts with them after he met them trying to hide from cheerleaders who knew him from General Hospital. The many cameos of the Beach Boys in Full House makes more sense now.

18. Some of the Magic Kingdom Rides are Older than the Park

While there are still many rides that were original to opening of Magic Kingdom in 1971, some of the rides predate the park. Carousel of Progress was originally an attraction created by Walt for the New York World’s Fair in 1964. It was relocated to Disneyland in Anaheim, and then moved to Disney World in 1975. It’s the only ride at Disney World that Walt participated in constructing.

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel was originally built in 1917 for a park in Detroit, Michigan, then moved to a park in New Jersey before Disney bought it in 1967. The name has two Rs because Cinderella is a French-inspired tale, and that’s the French spelling. Carousel of Progress has one R because that’s the English spelling.

POV: I just learned the horse I’m riding on is over 100 years old.

The four locomotives that go around Magic Kingdom were built between 1916 and 1928, and were restored, ironically, to look as if they were from the 1880s.

19. Record Breaking Roller Coasters

Disney World is no stranger to groundbreaking technology and record setting. When Space Mountain opened in 1975, it was the first roller coaster to be entirely controlled by computer. It was also the first roller coaster to be housed completely indoors.

When Expedition Everest opened in 2006 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it was the most expensive roller coaster ever built, costing roughly $100 million dollars to construct.

The entire mountain is manmade. That sounds expensive. Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom.

Universal Studios surpassed it in 2019 with Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at $300 million. Disney regained the expensive lead with Guardians of Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in 2022 ($500 million). I should point out that neither of the latter two rides cost anywhere near what their respective movie franchises made on the movies.

My wife and daughter enjoying all $500 million of the Guardians roller coaster.

20. Mickey’s PhilharMagic History

Mickey’s PhilHarmagic, a show at Magic Kingdom that incorporates several Disney movies and songs, all while Donald Duck is destroying everything with magic, has some history to it. All but five of Donald’s lines were gleaned from archival recordings of Disney legend Clarence Nash in order to honor the deceased Disney legend.

21. Joe Rohde Pitches Animal Kingdom

Imagineer Joe Rohde tried unsuccessfully to get the Disney heads to green light Animal Kingdom. He finally succeeded when he brought a live tiger to the meeting. The way he tells it, the board members saw the awe and wonder of live animals. Either that, or they were afraid the tiger would eat them if they didn’t agree.

22. EPCOT History

One of Walt's dreams for Disney World was to create a planned community built around a lot of his ideas for technology, sustainability, and society. He called it the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow or EPCOT. This never came to fruition, but Disney as a company tried to partially honor his wishes with EPCOT. It's one part technological advancement and one part global community, two things Walt was extremely passionate about.

23. First Hotels at Disney World

The first Walt Disney Resort Hotels at Disney World were the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village Resort, and Fort Wilderness. All of these opened with Magic Kingdom in 1971 and are considered Magic Kingdom resorts due to their proximity to the park.

The view from our room at the Polynesian Village Resort, one of the first Disney World resorts.

The first non-Disney hotels on property were the Travelodge (which is now Drury), Dutch Inn (which is now Wyndham), the Royal Plaza (which is now the B Resort), and the Howard Johnson (now Holiday Inn). All of these resorts opened in 1972 and are located near what is now Disney Springs.

The newly refurbished Drury Plaza at Disney Springs was once the Travelodge, which opened in 1972.

And of course Disney has continued to expand from there to accommodate all of the Disney fans. Now it would take 81 years to stay in each of the hotel rooms.

Conclusion and Further Reading

Hopefully you’re now armed with Disney trivia in order to awe or annoy people on your next trip to Disney or when it comes up in conversation. If you want to know more about Disney facts, history, and trivia check out my articles about the history of Castaway Cay, Harmony Barbershop, and What is Disney.

What’s your favorite Disney World fact or secret? Let us know in the comments.