8 Fun Disney Facts You Need To Know

The Sheer Size

The Disney World Resort is a whopping 30,500 acres, which is about the size of San Francisco! Magic Kingdom itself is 107 acres, which is 4 times larger than Battery Park on the tip of Manhattan!

Many people visit Walt Disney World but did you ever learn how many in total?!

Approximately 48 million people visit Disney World per year! That’s 4 million per month or about 920,000 that might be there on your next one-week vacation!

Discovery Island- A Mysterious Disney World Secret

If you have been a fan of Disney World secrets, then odds are, you have heard of Discovery Island. No, we are not talking about the section of Animal Kingdom Park with the same name.

Before the opening of Animal Kingdom, the large Island in the middle of Bay Lake was a small wildlife park for guests to visit. The park cost about $12 for adults and was operated from 1974-1999. Inside the park, you could find large aviaries with many species of birds. Discovery Island was mainly known for its emphasis on birds and plant life.

Once Animal Kingdom was finished and opened, all the wildlife on the Island was relocated, and Discovery Island was left abandoned.

Years passed, and guests soon forgot about the overgrown aviary oasis in the middle of Bay Lake. Trees overtook the aviaries, the pathways began to collapse, and the plant life, once on display, overtook them. Today, the trees have grown tall enough to cover it all, but you can still see the remnants of what was the Island.

The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom holds many secrets. 

Within one of the roots that extend past the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom has something hidden inside..a sculpture of an ant. This might seem like just another addition to the tree, but this ant is the reason behind the tree! It is said that this ant planted the seed for the Tree of Life, hoping to grow a tree and attract even more animals to the land. 

There are over 300 animal carvings on the tree, including a dinosaur and a hidden mickey! 

But another interesting secret is the fact that each artist only had six to 10 hours to complete a single animal sculpture before the plaster was too hard to manipulate further. 

Lastly, Inside the Tree of Life, you might be surprised to find the structure is made of an upside-down oil rig.

 Now that’s recycling at its best!

The oldest attraction in Walt Disney World might surprise you.

Prince charming regal carousel -constructed in 1917, is the oldest attraction in Walt Disney World. The attraction began life as the Liberty Carrousel at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. Disney purchased the carousel, which has been a staple at Walt Disney World Resort since 1971.

The lagoon that premiers the show Fantasmic in Hollywood Studios is only 1.5 feet deep!

Talk about incredible illusions and special effects! 

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