Most Shocking Disney World Facts

1. Disney World spans nearly 30,000 acres. It’s about the size of San Francisco.

2. Admission was $3.50 when Magic Kingdom WDW opened in October of 1971.

3. Disney uses “smellitizers” to pump scents into the air. You’ll inhale the aromas of baked goods on Main Street, cinnamon apple pie during Mickey’s PhilharMagic, and scents of nature (e.g., tangerine citrus and florals over the orange groves) when you’re Soarin’.

4. Every Disney Resort has a “smellitizer” signature fragrance! The Caribbean Beach Resort lobby scent is called “Monkey Farts,” which smells like banana taffy.

5. Animal Kingdom’s Dino Sue is a life-size model of the biggest T-Rex ever found.

6. EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth geosphere—the giant golf ball—weighs 7,760 tons.

7. Mickey would have to be 350 feet tall to fit in the 100 foot “Sorcerer’s Hat” at Hollywood Studios.

8. The Liberty Bell replica in Liberty Square was molded in the same cast as the original.

9. Real astronauts tested Space Mountain and attended the grand opening in 1975.

10. During WWII, the Navy used part of what is now Disney World property for bomb testing.

11. Cinderella Castle stands 183 feet tall and is built from steel, fiberglass, and plastic. Forced perspective makes it look taller than it really is.

12. Walt Disney World in Orlando currently employs approximately 77,000 people.

13. The Yeti at Expedition Everest can unleash more immediate force than a 747 jet. The animatronic is currently running in B-mode, however, so we’re unlikely to see its power in action.

14. Before 1989, the Hollywood Studios entrance was a colossal Hidden Mickey.

15. On occasion, guests spot gators in the parks. It used to be swampland. Professional trappers collect and relocate the gators.

16. More than 17 million visitors have been to Disney World.

. . . and there you have it: the most shocking Disney World facts.