The Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando, is a massive entertainment complex that is approximately 27,000 acres (43 square miles or 110 square kilometers) making it about the same size as the city of San Francisco or twice the size of Manhattan.
This area includes four main theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach), four professional golf courses, and more than 25 Disney-owned and operated hotels and resorts. It also features numerous other attractions like Disney Springs (a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex), ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and various recreational facilities.
To put it in perspective, Walt Disney World is the largest single-site employer in the United States, with over 77,000 employees (called “cast members”). It’s one of the most visited vacation resorts in the world, attracting millions of visitors annually. The sheer size and scale of the complex allow Disney to create an immersive experience where guests can stay entirely within the “Disney bubble” for their entire vacation.
Putting The Numbers into Perspective
30,000 acres is a huge number by any measure. In fact, Disney World is so big that it has its own autonomous government, which used to be called the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID). Things have changed a little, but for the most part it the newly named “Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) picks up where RCID left off and serves now as the governing jurisdiction and special taxing district for this area. Disney World is bigger than the five smallest independent nations in the world – COMBINED. These five are Monaco, Nauru, San Marino, Tuvalu, and Vatican City. The Walt Disney World Resort is twice as big as Manhattan and the same size as San Francisco. Alongside the four theme parks and two water parks, Disney World has enough land for more than 25 hotels and resorts, the Disney Springs shopping district, an enormous private transportation network, four golf courses and so much more. And yet, there are still plans to expand the parks and continue to grow. Disney World receives more than 58 million guests annually, so their expansion plans are certainly justified. It’s officially the most visited resort in the world. The two water parks alone boast a combined total of 4.274 million attendees per year:
- Typhoon Lagoon Water Park – 2,271,000
- Blizzard Beach Water Park – 2,003,000
How Many Acres Is the Magic Kingdom?
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom sits on 107 acres of land. It’s the smallest theme park in size at the resort, yet by far the most popular. It boasts a massive 20,859,000 visitors each year. That’s all down to its 34 attractions that include rides, adventures, fantasies and so much more. The new TRON Light Cycle Run, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean are just a few of the flagship attractions that should not be missed!
How Many Acres Is Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
Spanning 135 acres, Disney World’s Hollywood Studios is not the biggest either. But it attracts an impressive 11,258,000 visitors annually! Designed to celebrate Disney’s contributions in film and television, the park is divided into six different-themed mini-parks. Guests get to enjoy up to 20 rides and shows. Commissary Lane, Echo Lake, Grand Avenue, Hollywood Boulevard, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Sunset Boulevard, and Toy Story Land are always among the most popular places to visit while at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios.
How Many Acres Is Epcot?
Epcot is going through a massive renovation and update. But even still, with a current total area of 305 acres, Disney World’s EPCOT is nearly three times the size of the Magic Kingdom. It plays host to a number of live shows, musical performances, food and wine exhibitions, rides and other attractions. The thing with EPCOT is that its shows and festivals are constantly rotating and changing as Disney discovers new ways to entertain its guests. As such, what you find today might not be the same thing you find the next time you visit. That makes EPCOT one of the most fascinating destinations at Disney. No wonder it hosts roughly 12,444,000 visitors each year.
How Many Acres Is Disney’s Animal Kingdom?
Of all the theme parks, Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is the largest – by a long stretch. It sits on 540 acres, roughly the size of all the other three parks combined. Surprisingly, with an annual visitation of 13,750,000, it’s not the most popular. That award goes to the Magic Kingdom, which attracts up to seven million more guests. That said, Animal Kingdom is home to some of the best spots at Disney. They include the new(ish) Avatar-movie inspired Pandora with Flights of Passage (which is arguably THE best ride in the entire Walt Disney World Resort!) and Na’vi River Journey, Expedition Everest, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Conservation Station, and many others!
How Much Bigger Is Disney World Than Disneyland?
We know that the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando is roughly 30,000 acres. So how does that compare to Disneyland in California? Well, Disneyland – which is located in Anaheim, California – covers roughly 500 acres. To put that into perspective, you can fit roughly 60 Disneylands in the same space as the current Walt Disney World in Orlando. While Disney World boasts four theme parks and two water parks, Disneyland contains the original Disneyland Park and the Disney California Adventure. Alongside those two theme parks is Downtown Disney which offers hotels and resorts for visitors. In terms of visitors, Disneyland attracts roughly 18 million guests per year. That makes it the second most popular theme park in the world after Disney World. Even so, the 18 million guests are barely as many as what the Magic Kingdom alone manages to pull. But Disneyland is still a fun-filled, magical place! It has over 60 attractions, which include rides, shows and exhibits. The ones that you should never miss while there include Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Disneyland Railroad Main Street Station, Disneyland Railroad Mickey’s Toontown, Haunted Mansion, The classic “It’s a small world”, Jungle Cruise, Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade, Mickey’s Mix Magic, and the original Pirates of the Caribbean.
How Much of Disney World Land Is Still Undeveloped?
Currently, less than half of the total land resources available at Walt Disney World are actually in use. In more precise terms, and according to CFTOD records, 62% of it is either completely undeveloped or open space. Only about 1100 acres are devoted to the four theme parks. Disney has put away a chunk of the undeveloped land for conservation, which includes 7,500 acres which Walt Disney himself set aside in 1970. That portion of land is used exclusively to preserve cypress trees and offer a habitat for the area’s natural inhabitants.
