Walt Disney World, a "magical" world in Florida

If Florida is known throughout the world as a theme park paradise, it is primarily thanks to Walt Disney's intuition. Towards the end of his life, Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, wanted to create his "Enchanted Kingdom" from scratch, while also controlling the park's surroundings.

The search for available land began. In the heart of Florida, around the small town of Orlando, an area marked by lakes and marshes, oranges were the main crop at the time. Plots of land were not very expensive... and the Walt Disney Company took advantage of the situation to become the owner of an immense area of land!

Thanks to all this space, Walt Disney World, which opened its doors in 1971, has gradually added to its many universes. The park's dimensions are breathtaking: the surface area occupied by Walt Disney World attractions exceeds that of the city of Paris, and doubles that of Manhattan!

This extraordinary theme park is organised in an enclosed space, where everything is within easy reach so you never need to leave. There are several large integrated resorts with 20,000 rooms, shops selling every conceivable Disney souvenir, restaurants with themes even more varied than the attractions, and buses, boats, cable cars and monorails (!) to get you from one point to another in the park. Great art, Disney style!

With its 4 theme parks, there's plenty to keep you busy at Walt Disney World. Let's take a look at each world and its main attractions...

Magic Kingdom

With its huge Sleeping Beauty castle, we're in the middle of Disney World as everyone dreams of it.

Magic Kingdom was the very first theme park in the complex. It is built around Main Street USA, a shopping street inspired by the "ideal" American city, leading straight to Cinderella Castle, emblematic of a Disney park.

Around it, 7 "magical" lands make up the aptly named Magic Kingdom, all packed with sensational attractions (Space Mountain, Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.) and costumed characters from the great Disney classics.

Epcot

Epcot's symbol, a large sphere called Spaceship Earth, sets the tone. The theme of the park is the future and technology. Much less centred on the world of Disney cartoons, it reproduces a futuristic city as imagined by its creator, Walt Disney.

But with the visions of the future of the 80s a little out of date today, Epcot is equipped with more recent attractions. In the end, Epcot is undoubtedly Disney World's most atypical park.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios is one of the most attractive sections of Walt Disney World, answering the call of neighbouring competitor Universal Studios.

Based on the theme of blockbuster movies, the attractions are spectacular and full of thrills: the Towerof Terror, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, the adventures of Toy Story and, above all, those of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, which are one of the park's biggest successes.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

A kind of Disney-style zoo, this park is set a little apart from the others. The way it works is different, in that it offers more 'discovery' experiences of the animal world rather than a bevy of attractions.

It is divided into several areas, around its emblematicTree of Life: some imitate the real world (Africa's safaris with lions and giraffes, Asia and its thrill rides), others are extinct worlds (DinoLand's dinosaurs) or downright fictional: Pandora - The World of Avatar is the must-see attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

In addition to the four major theme parks, Walt Disney World offers a host of other activities, including two water parks, golf, boat trips, Disney character shows, fireworks - in short, all the magic of Walt Disney in one place!