Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

Led by

Josh D'Amaro Josh D'Amaro is an American businessman who has served as Chairman of Disney Experiences since 2020. Prior, D'Amaro was employed with the Walt Disney Company for 22 years in roles specialized in the company's resorts sector. Education and ear ...

, the company's theme parks hosted over 157.3 million guests, making Disney Parks the world's most visited theme park company worldwide, with United Kingdom-based

Merlin Entertainments Merlin Entertainments Limited is a global entertainment company based in London, England, which operates a number of theme park resorts and other visitor attractions. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until November 2019, when it was ...

coming in second at 67 million guests. It is Disney's largest business segment by employee headcount, with approximately 130,000 of the company's 180,000 employees as of 2015. In March 2018,

Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Experiences segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Consumer Products and I ...

was merged into Parks and Resorts and renamed Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. In September 2020, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products laid off 28,000 employees in wake of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Background

Originally, entry into the theme park and travel business was a side project of Walt Disney himself. As the Disneylandia project started to become a reality,

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

at Walt's request set up Disneyland, Inc. (DLI) in 1951 and agreed to a design deal in March 1953 with WED Enterprises (WED),

Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter (name), Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Anderson (American football) (born 1952), American football official * Walt ...

's personal corporation, which then included what would now be called

Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc.—commonly referred to as Walt Disney Imagineering, Imagineering, or WDI—is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construc ...

. * With the WED concept designs and prospectus for Disneylandia, Roy Disney in September 1953 met with TV networks in a deal for Disney-produced TV show and Disneyland investment.

American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres American Broadcasting Companies (originally United Paramount Theatres, and American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc.) was the post-merger parent company of the American Broadcasting Company and United Paramount Theatres. History United Par ...

(AB-PT) agreed to the Disneyland, Inc. investment. Joining AB-PT as Disneyland investors were

(WDP),

Western Publishing Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was an American company founded in 1907 in Racine, Wisconsin, best known for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also ...

and

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

. Walt Disney Productions had the option to repurchase the Walt Disney, WED and Western Publishing shares (31%) by May 1, 1959, for $562,500. With a need for the Disneyland Hotel nearby and no funding available for Disney to build it, Walt Disney approached

Jack Wrather John Devereaux Wrather Jr. (May 24, 1918 – November 12, 1984), was an entrepreneur and petroleum businessman who became a television producer and later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties. He is best known for p ...

to build the hotel who agreed.

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

, changed from Disneylandia, was announced in by Walt to be opened in .Walt Disney, by Jim Fanning, 1994. Page 100.Walt Disney – Hollywood's Dark Prince, by Marc Eliot, 1993. Page 223. On , the Disneyland park opened with five themed "lands" containing eighteen attractions with double the expected guests.Walt Disney, by Jim Fanning, 1994. Page 102. WED owned Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad opened, too. On June 29, 1957, Disney Production exercised its options to purchase all but AB-PT's common stock outstanding. This allowed WDP to consolidate DLI into its 1957 annual accounting statements adding four months' worth of net profits, $511K. In June 1960, Walt Disney Productions completed the purchase of AB-PT's share of the company for nearly $7.5 million and its TV contract, and the theme park became a fully owned subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions.

History

Beginning in 1958 with the contracting of Economics Research Associates (ERA) to find a location for another Disney resort, Disney Productions moved beyond a single park. ERA recommended Florida; another study in 1961 named

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most popul ...

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

in Florida as possible locations. In , Walt Disney made a trip to Florida for final site selection.Walt Disney – An American Original, by Bob Thomas, 1994.^{:333, 334} In 1962, Disney Productions purchased

Celebrity Sports Center Celebrity Sports Center (CSC or Celebrity's) was a family-oriented entertainment business and landmark in metropolitan Denver. Celebrity's was located in Glendale, Colorado at 888 South Colorado Boulevard near East Kentucky Avenue. It opened ...

(opened on September 17, 1960, in Denver, Colorado) from its owners, including Walt Disney,

Art Linkletter Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of '' House Party'', which ran on CBS radio ...

, and John Payne, to use as a staff training center for its second resort. In 1963, Roy made plans to buy from , which was carried out in 1964, amassing by .Building a Company – Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire, by Bob Thomas, 1998. Pages 278, 279, 281–282.Walt Disney – An American Original, by Bob Thomas, 1994. Page 337. Plans for the Florida project that would eventually become

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

were announced to the public in November 1965. Legislation forming the

Reedy Creek Improvement District The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), is the governing jurisdiction and Special district (United States), special taxing district for the land of Walt Disney World Resort. It ...

, the

Reedy Creek Improvement Act The Reedy Creek Improvement Act, otherwise known as House Bill No. 486, was a law enacted in the U.S. state of Florida in 1967 establishing the area surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort (the Reedy Creek Improvement District) as its own coun ...

, was signed into law by Florida Governor

Claude R. Kirk, Jr. Claude Roy Kirk Jr. (January 7, 1926 – September 28, 2011) was an American businessman, politician, and Marine Corps veteran who served as the 36th governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971. A member of the Republican Party for most his career, ...

on May 12, 1967, allowing Disney to build the infrastructure for the second park. Ground breaking followed for the future Reedy Creek park on May 30. In Roy O. Disney's last act as CEO in 1968, he officially named the second park

.^:357 Disneyland International was incorporated on November 20, 1961. The next year,

The Oriental Land Company The , also known as Oriental Land is a Japanese leisure and tourism company headquartered in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan where it also owns and operates the Tokyo Disney Resort. The company operates in three segments, divided as theme parks, hotels, ...

contacted Disney about building a theme park. In 1959, the WED-owned Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System began operations at Disneyland. The first

Audio-Animatronic Audio-Animatronics (also known simply as AAs) are a form of Mechatronics, mechatronic animatronics puppetry created by Walt Disney Imagineering and Trademark, trademarked by The Walt Disney Company for use in designed shows and attractions at Disn ...

attraction,

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is an attraction located in Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort and in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and previously in Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort. First opened on June 23, 1963 at the Disneyl ...

, opened at

in 1963. Disneyland's first new themed land, New Orleans Square, opened in . Tomorrowland was revamped in 1967 with seven new attractions. The design and architectural group and the WED Enterprise name was purchased from Walt's corporation, renamed as Retlaw Enterprise. Disney expanded into attractions at the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activ ...

with

It's a Small World It's a Small World (stylized in all lowercase and in quotations or with exclamation mark) is an Old Mill boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks around the world. Versions of the ride are installed at Disney ...

and costumed character appearances. When the characters proved a hit at the 1964 World's Fair, Walt wanted another outlet for "live" characters; thus, Disneyland put on ''Disney on Parade'', a self-produced live arena show starting in 1969. Small World and its famous song lasted two years at the fair; it was then moved to Disneyland as an expanded major attraction in 1966 and later duplicated in the other Disney theme parks. In 1965, Walt Disney won a bid with the

US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

to develop

Mineral King Mineral King is a subalpine glacial valley located in the southern part of Sequoia National Park, in the U.S. state of California. The valley lies at the headwaters of the East Fork of the Kaweah River, which rises at the eastern part of the val ...

as a ski resort. The

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

sued in to stop the development, which was granted by the federal district judge. The Forest Service appealed and won at the appeal and the Supreme Court. This ruling opened the possibility of refiling to the club. In the next round of lawsuits, the same district judge blocked the redevelopment. The injunction and the passage of the

National Environmental Policy Act The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law designed to promote the enhancement of the environment. It created new laws requiring U.S. federal government agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of ...

led to Disney backing out. $40 million worth of Walt Disney Productions Convertible

Debenture In corporate finance, a debenture is a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money, at a fixed rate of interest. The legal term "debenture" originally referred to a document that either creates a debt or acknowle ...

s were sold in to fund Disney World (WDW). The next year in February, an agreement was made with multiple labor unions, in which the unions exchanged the right to strike for regular pay increases during the first building phase. By 1971, chairman of the Park Operations Committee and vice president of park operations Dick Nunis was appointed executive vice president of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

began operation on , with the

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

park at a cost of $400 million. The Magic Kingdom had six themed lands: Main Street, Adventureland,

Fantasyland Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at all of the Disneyland-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed after List of Disney animated films based on fairy tales, Disney's animated fairy tale feature films. Ea ...

, Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Tomorrowland. Additionally, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort campground and two hotels, Disney's Contemporary Resort and

Disney's Polynesian Village Resort Disney's Polynesian Village Resort (formerly Disney's Polynesian Resort from 1985 to 2014) is a Disney-owned and operated resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort' ...

, also opened. Disneyland expanded in 1972 with a seventh themed land, Bear Country, replacing the Indian Village of

Frontierland Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company, Disney around the world. Themed to the American frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home to cowboys and Settler, pioneers, ...

, and later renamed Critter Country. In 1979, the Disneyland crafts and maintenance union workers went on strike for 15 days, at first, rejecting and then accepting the park's contract.

Space Mountain Space Mountain is a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at five of the six Disneyland-style Disney Parks. Although all five versions of the attraction are different in nature, all have a similar conical exterior façade that i ...

opens at Disneyland in 1977. Two more hotels opened in 1973 at Walt Disney World: the Golf Resort and the Gold Resort; Disney opened the Buena Vista Club golf club in Lake Buena Vista on .^:71 Lake Buena Vista Village, the shopping area, opened on and was renamed Walt Disney World Village in 1977.^:280 Celebrity Sports Center, Disney World's training center, was sold on March 29, 1979. At Walt Disney World, the Treasure Island nature preserve pens opened on April 8, 1974,Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1998.^:569 renamed Discovery Island in 1977.^:126 On , the

WEDway PeopleMover The PeopleMover is an attraction in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Designed as an urban mass-transit system of the future, vehicles take passengers on a grand circle tour of the realm of ...

opened in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland.Disney Magazine, Summer 1999. Page 85. The first water park, River Country, opened on at Disney World.Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 1997, by Hearst Business Publishing, 1996.^:22 EPCOT Center's groundbreaking occurred at Walt Disney World in May 1979.Walt Disney World, by The Walt Disney Company, 1994?. In 1979, Oriental Land and Disney agreed to build a Japanese theme park.

Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney park t ...

opened on on in

Urayasu, Chiba 260px, Old Urayasu is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 170,533 in 81,136 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Urayasu is best known as the home of Tokyo Di ...

, Japan.

Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division

With the retirement of

Donn Tatum Donn B. Tatum (January 9, 1913 – May 31, 1993) was an American businessman and the first non- Disney family member to be an executive of Walt Disney Productions. Tatum held senior leadership positions with Disney for 25 years, becoming presiden ...

as Walt Disney Productions' Chairman and CEO on June 3, 1980, three divisions were formed, including the Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division, of which Disney Legend, Dick Nunis was named division president.The New York Times
June 4, 1980
. Page D1. Disneyland started using

Disney Dollars Disney Dollars is a form of Scrip, corporate scrip previously sold by The Walt Disney Company and redeemable for goods or services at many Disney facilities. Similar in size and design to the paper currency of the United States, most bills bea ...

on May 5, 1987,Canadian Coin News, July 21, 1987, Volume 25, Number 6. Page 2. while Walt Disney World parks started with Epcot on October 2.Canadian Coin News, October 27, 1987, Volume 25, Number 13. Page 1. A renegotiated Disneyland Japan royalty agreement in April 1988 by Chief Financial Officer

Gary L. Wilson Gary L. Wilson is an American business executive. He served as chairman of the board of Northwest Airlines, chief financial officer of Walt Disney Company and chief financial officer of Marriott Corporation. Early life Wilson was born and raised ...

netted Disney US$723 million in cash in exchange for lower royalty payments.Forbes
March 6, 1989
, Volume 143. Page 42. The steam railroad and monorail at Disneyland were purchased from

Retlaw Enterprises Retlaw Enterprises, originally Walt Disney Miniature Railroad, then Walt Disney, Inc. (WDI), and then WED Enterprises (WED), was a privately held company owned by the heirs of entertainment mogul Walt Disney. Disney formed the company to control ...

, formerly WED Enterprises, in 1982. Bear Country was renamed Critter Country on November 23, 1988.'' Disneyland: Then, Now, and Forever'', by Bruce Gordon and Tim O'Day, 2005. Page 99. Tishman Company's plans for two Walt Disney World hotels were rejected by the new CEO

Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner ( ; born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film ...

on September 30, 1984, marking a change in Disney architecture. New plans for the Dolphin and Swan hotels were submitted by Michael Graves in July 1986;Building a Dream – The Art of Disney Architecture, by Beth Dunlop, 1996. Pages 63,66. ground breaking took place on January 28, 1988.The New York Times, January 28, 1988. Page C1. The first non-Disney owned hotel, Pickett Suite Resort, opened in Disney World Village on March 15, 1987.Disney A to Z – The Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1996. Page 387. On June 1, 1982, the Walt Disney World monorail line was extended to EPCOT Center from the Transportation and Ticket Center.^:338 The EPCOT Center theme park opened on October 1, 1982, at a building cost of US$1.2

billion Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions: * 1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is now the most common sense of the word in all varieties of ...

, with two areas, Future World and World Showcase.Walt Disney – Hollywood's Dark Prince, by Marc Eliot, 1993.^:272 Plans for a Hollywood-style theme park were announced in April 1985 for the Walt Disney World resort at a project cost of US$300 million.Prince of the Magic Kingdom, by Joe Flower, 1991. In April 1985, Disney signed a licensing agreement with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

(MGM), giving Disney the right to use the MGM name, logo and movie library for this third park. Construction of the

Disney-MGM Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. Based on a concept by Marty Sklar, Randy Bri ...

theme park began in 1986.Walt Disney World – 20 Magical Years, by the Walt Disney Company, 1991/2?. Disney-MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989,Page D5. The New York Times, May 1, 1989, Volume 138, Number 47857. along with a Pleasure Island entertainment area;Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 1997, by Hearst Business Publishing, 1996. Page 18. its second water park,

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Disney's Typhoon Lagoon is a water park, water theme park located at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida near Orlando, Florida, Orlando, and is one of two operating water parks at the resort. It is the se ...

, opened on June 1.Orlando Attractions, Summer 2009. Page 33. In 1983, Walt Disney World Village's name was changed to the Disney Village Marketplace.Disney A to Z – The Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1996. Page 132. A new themed area, Mickey's Birthdayland, opened in the Magic Kingdom near Fantasyland on June 18, 1988.Disney A to Z – The Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1996. Page 324. In 1987, Disney and

Ron Brierley Ronald Alfred Brierley (born 2 August 1937) is a New Zealand investor and corporate raider, chairman and director of a number of companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He founded Brierley Investments, R.A. Brierley Investments Ltd (BIL ...

's Industrial Equity (Pacific) Ltd., already a 28% owner of the Wrather Corporation, agreed to purchase the remaining Wrather Corporation stock with a 50% share each. Wrather Corporation owned the Disneyland Hotel and operated the Queen Mary and

Spruce Goose The Hughes H-4 Hercules (commonly known as the ''Spruce Goose''; registration NX37602) is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a transatlantic flight transport for use durin ...

tourist attractions. In March 1988, Disney purchased Industrial Equity's half of Wrather Corporation. In 1985, Premier Cruise Line became the licensed partner cruise line with Disney. This allowed Disney characters on their ships and combined cruise, hotel, and theme park packages. (use archival url as original info was replaced.)

Walt Disney Attractions

The Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division was incorporated as Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. on August 10, 1989. In January 1990, Disney CEO Eisner announced plans to expand both Disneyland (by 20% in 10 years)The New York Times
January 13, 1990
. Page 37. and Walt Disney World (WDW). The plan would have WDW add another theme park and 16 new attractions in Disney-MGM Studios.The New York Times, January 16, 1990. Page D8. Disney and

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is lis ...

agreed to a 15-year marketing contract on January 25: Coca-Cola products would be exclusive in Disney theme parks, and Coca-Cola would use some Disney characters in their ads.The New York Times, January 26, 1990. Page D4. On March 16, 1990, Attractions president Nunis announced a 25-year plan for a development in Osceola, Florida, with homes, shopping malls and industrial buildings.The New York Times
March 17, 1990
. Page 37. In 1990, the possibility of a West Coast version of Epcot Center was placed in development.Business Week

. Page 58. This was announced as

WestCOT Westcot is a hamlet in the civil parish of Sparsholt, in the Vale of White Horse district, in Oxfordshire, England, about west of Wantage. Westcot Camera was situated here, a property of the Templars and later of the Hospitallers until th ...

in 1991, to be placed at the Disneyland Resort. On July 31, 1990, a new ocean-themed park and resort, Port Disney, was announced for Long Beach. Port was to have a cruise-ship terminal, five hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas, costing $2 billion to build.The New York Times
August 1, 1990
. Page D4. On December 12, 1991, Disney selected only one California project to go forward with, Disneyland Resort, which was to include the WestCOT Center, hotels, a shopping mall, and a lake.The New York Times, December 13, 1991. Page D1. Port Disney was abandoned in March 1992, and Disney canceled its leases on the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions picked up from the Wrather Corporation.The New York Times

. Page 49.

Mickey's Toontown Mickey's Toontown is a themed land at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, two theme parks operated by Disney Experiences and The Oriental Land Company respectively. At Tokyo Disneyland, this land is named Toontown. A similar land existed at the M ...

, a new themed land at Disneyland, opened on January 24, 1993.Walt Disney – Hollywood's Dark Prince, by Marc Eliot, 1993. Page 279. Disney canceled its plans for WestCOT in mid-1995 due to financial issues at

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...

and the park's projected high cost. That park was then replaced by plans for the California Adventure park, hotels, and a retail district. At Walt Disney World, Mickey's Birthdayland closed on April 22, 1991, then reopened on May 26 as Mickey's Starland.Disney A to Z – The Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1996.^{324, 329, 333} In order to expand Disney World on wetland, on April 23, 1993, the company agreed to form an wilderness preserve in Florida, known as the

Disney Wilderness Preserve The Disney Wilderness Preserve is a 11,500-acre nature reserve near Kissimmee, Florida. It was created through an agreement between The Walt Disney Company, The Nature Conservancy, and the state of Florida. It is located fifteen miles south of ...

.Disney Magazine, Summer 2001. Page 39. The Disney Inn hotel was leased starting February 1, 1994, by the US Army, then purchased on January 12, 1996, and later renamed Shades of Green.¹³⁰

Planet Hollywood Planet Hollywood International Inc. (stylized as planet Hollywood, planet Hollywood observatory and ph) is a themed restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. The company is owned by Earl Enterprises corporation. Earl E ...

opened a location in Pleasure Island on December 17, 1994.''The Disney Magazine'', Fall 1995, Volume 30, Number 4. Page 43. The third water park at Walt Disney World,

Disney's Blizzard Beach Disney's Blizzard Beach is a water theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. All water areas are heated to approximately , with the exception of the melting snow in the ice cave of Cross Country Cre ...

, opened on April 1, 1995.Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 1997, by Hearst Business Publishing, 1996. Page 192. The Magic Kingdom's

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Tomorrowland (Disney Parks), a theme land at a number of Disney theme parks around the world * Tomorrowland (festival), an annual electronic dance music festival in Boom, Belgium * ''Tom ...

was completely refurbished and reopened in June 1995.Building a Dream – The Art of Disney Architecture, by Beth Dunlop, 1996. Page 192. Taking up a corner of the Magic Kingdom parking lot, the

Walt Disney World Speedway Walt Disney World Speedway was a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida, Orlando. It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indian ...

opened on November 28, 1995.Walt Disney World Speedway
. Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1998. Page 597. In 1996, the

Disney Institute Disney Institute is the professional development and external training arm of The Walt Disney Company. The company showcases 'the business behind the magic' through seminars, workshops and presentations, as well as programs for professionals fr ...

opened on February 9,Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 1997, by Hearst Business Publishing, 1996. Page 181. and Disney's BoardWalk opened on July 1.Boardwalk
. Page 62. (1996). Disney A to Z – The Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith. The first of the

World of Disney The World of Disney is the flagship chain of specialty retail stores owned and operated by the merchandise division of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Currently, there are four locations that sell Disney products. B ...

stores opened in the Disney Village Marketplace on October 3.Smith, Dave
World of Disney
. Page 62. (1999). Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia. The Downtown Disney district opened in November 1997, combining Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island.Disney Magazine, Spring 1998. Page 31. A fourth theme park,

Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division, it is the largest theme park in the worl ...

, opened at Disney World the week of April 20, 1998. The first Disney Vacation Club Resorts, Vacation Club Resort, opened on October 1, 1991, and was renamed Disney's Old Key West Resort in January 1996. These vacation club hotels were operated by Disney Vacation Developments, Inc. as vacation

timeshares A timeshare (sometimes called a vacation ownership or vacation club) is a property with a divided form of ownership or use rights. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple parties hold rights to use the proper ...

.The Disney Magazine, Spring 1996, Volume 31, Number 2. Page 18. *Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1998. Page 584. The first off-resort vacation club hotel was Vacation Club Resort, which opened on October 1, 1995, in

Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about south ...

."Vacation Club Resort, Vero Beach, Florida"
. Page 584. ''Disney A to Z – The Updated Official Encyclopedia'', by Dave Smith, 1998. Vi

. In 1993, Premier Cruises discontinued its partnership with Disney for one with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

After failing to reach agreements with

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

or Royal Caribbean, Disney announced in 1994 the formation of its cruise line. The

Disney Cruise Line Disney Cruise Line is a cruise line operation that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The company was incorporated in 1996 as Magical Cruise Company Limited, through its first vessel ''Disney Magic,'' and is domiciled in London, Englan ...

launched with the Disney Magic ship in 1998 along with its exclusive resort island port of Castaway Cay. Disney reportedly had plans to build a park named

Disney's America Disney's America was a proposed Disney theme park in the early 1990s. A site was selected in Haymarket, Virginia, approximately from Manassas National Battlefield Park and west of Washington, D.C., accessible from Interstate 66. Disney's Ame ...

. The park was to have been located in

Haymarket, Virginia Haymarket is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,545 as of the 2020 census. History Haymarket is built on land that used to be hunting grounds of the western Iroquois nations, who came from the New Y ...

; of property were purchased from Exxon in 1993.Work in Progress
, by Michael Eisner, 1998. Page 321. The history-themed park was announced on November 11, 1993. The plans for the called for a amusement park, a campground, a golf course, of office/commercial space, and 2500 homes.The New York Times

. Page A14. With projections indicating that the park would operate at a loss and with opposition in the press, Disney canceled the project on September 15, 1994.''Disney War'', by James Stewart, 2005. Page 190.

created Disney Fair, a U.S. traveling attraction, which premiered in September 1996. The fair was poorly attended and was pulled after a few stops. Disney Entertainment Projects (Asia Pacific) Inc., a new Disney Asian Pacific subsidiary, selected a renamed fair called DisneyFest as its first project, taking it to Singapore to open there on October 30, 1997. In November 1995, Disney announced the building of

Tokyo DisneySea is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, just next to Tokyo. It opened on 4 September 2001, at a cost of 335 billion yen. The Oriental Land Company owns the park, and licenses intellectual prope ...

, to be owned by Oriental along with Tokyo Disneyland. Oriental and Disney signed the DisneySea licensing agreement in November 1997; the theme park was scheduled to open in 2001 at a cost of $2.6 billion. In December 1998, Walt Disney Attractions added

, Disney Regional Entertainment and

to its portfolio, which already held Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. Chairman Dick Nunis retired at the same time. On October 31, 1999, Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. was merged into Walt Disney Attractions, LLC. On June 19, 1998, Disney Regional Entertainment opened its first DisneyQuest, a location-based entertainment venue, at Downtown Disney West Side in Walt Disney World. The first DisneyQuest outside of a resort was opened in Chicago on June 16, 1999, with plans for more locations worldwide. In 1999, plans were announced for a new resort in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (abbreviated HKDL; also known as HK Disneyland or Disneyland Hong Kong) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It opened to visitors on Monday, September 12, 2005, at 13:00 H ...

, as a joint venture, Hong Kong International Theme Parks Ltd., between the Hong Kong Government and Disney Resorts. The ''

Disney Wonder ''Disney Wonder'' is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line. It was the second ship to join the Disney fleet on entering service in 1999. ''Disney Wonder'' is of the same class as . The other four ships in the fleet are the , , , and . The ...

'' cruise ship began operation on August 15. Disney World's Discovery Island was closed on April 8, 1999.

Disney Destinations

Walt Disney Attractions, LLC changed its name to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, LLC on April 14, 2000, then to Disney Destinations, LLC on April 25, 2006.

Tokyo Disney Resort The (local nickname ''TDR'') is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. The resort is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, the Oriental Land Co., a subsidiary of the Keisei Electric Rai ...

opened on September 4, 2001. The Walt Disney Company in selling its Japanese and US chains decided to keep the

Disney Store The Disney Store is a chain of specialty stores created on March 28, 1987, and sells only Disney-related items, many of them exclusive, under its own name and Disney Outlet. It is a business unit of the Disney Experiences division of The Walt Disn ...

s in Europe, along with the store in Manhattan, which was converted into a

store run by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2004.

Downtown Disney Downtown Disney (officially the Downtown Disney District) is a lifestyle center located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It opened on January 12, 2001; a component of the Disneyland Resort expansion project alon ...

opened at the

Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Experiences division and is home to two theme parks (Disneyland and Dis ...

on January 12, 2001, between Disneyland and the future California Adventure.Pages 23,28
Disney Magazine
. Fall 2000. Accessed on April 18, 2016. *Page 16. Disney Magazine, Winter 2000–2001.

Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California ...

opened at the

on February 8, 2001, with three major areas: Paradise Pier, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and the Golden State. In California Adventure on October 6, 2002, A Bug's Land area opened.http://kpolsson.com/disnehis/disn2002.htm Disney Magazine, Spring 2003, Volume 8, Number 2. Page 29. Parks and Resorts chairman Jay Rasulo announced at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California on September 12, 2009, that Walt Disney World's Fantasyland would be overhauled and increased in size by 2013.Orlando Attractions
, Winter 2010. Page 33. Accessed on April 18, 2016. A $1 billion expansion/renovation of

was announced in 2007 to be completed by 2012. River Country water park closed on November 2, 2001.Disney Twenty-three, Fall 2011, Volume 3, Issue 3. Disney-MGM Studios is renamed

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. Based on a concept by Marty Sklar, Randy Br ...

in January 2008. Pleasure Island's core remaining six nightclubs were closed down in late 2008 to change the area to match the family friendly make-up of the other two sections of

at Disney World.

Walt Disney Studios Park Walt Disney Studios Park ( French: ''Parc Walt Disney Studios'') is the second of two theme parks built at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. The park opened on 16 March 2002, and it is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company t ...

opened March 16, 2002, as the second theme park at the renamed

Disneyland Resort Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...

. The first park was renamed Disneyland Park (DLP).Disney Magazine
. Winter 2001–2002. Page 22. *Disney Magazine, Spring 2002. Page 28. *Disney Magazine, Winter 2002, Volume 8, Number 1. Page 54. *Stewart, James (2005). ''Disney War''. Page 387. *Jody Revenson (editor), 2006. Disney Insider Yearbook 2005 Year in Review. Page 81. Accessed on April 19, 2016. DLP Paris opened in August 2000

Toy Story Playland ''Toy Story'' Land (known as ''Toy Story'' Playland at Walt Disney Studios Park) is a themed land at Walt Disney Studios Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The area is based on the Disney·Pixar fil ...

with three attractions.Orlando Attractions
, Fall 2010, Volume 3, Number 4. Page 22. Accessed on April 19, 2016. Construction on Hong Kong Disneyland began on January 12, 2003, then opened September 12, 2005.
, Summer 2005, Volume 10, Number 3. Page 33. Accessed on April 19, 2016. *Jody Revenson (editor), 2006. ''Disney Insider Yearbook 2005 Year in Review''. Page 5. Groundbreaking occurred at Hong Kong Disneyland in December 2009 for a three land expansion:

Mystic Point Mystic Point () is a section of Hong Kong Disneyland that officially opened to the public on 17 May 2013. Prior to that it had a soft opening for a selected audience. It is set in a dense, uncharted rain forest surrounded by mysterious forces an ...

Grizzly Gulch Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by Disney around the world. Themed to the American frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home to cowboys and pioneers, saloons, red rock buttes and gol ...

, and

Toy Story Land ''Toy Story'' Land (known as ''Toy Story'' Playland at Walt Disney Studios Park) is a themed land at Walt Disney Studios Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The area is based on the Disney·Pixar f ...

.Orlando Attractions
. Spring 2010, Volume 3, Number 2. Page 61. Accessed on April 19, 2016. In June 2005, Disney Magic made the first cruise outside of the Caribbean, by moving its port for the summer to Los Angeles with a Mexican Riviera schedule. Disney Cruise Line ordered a new 2 ships class from

Meyer Werft Meyer Werft (; ) is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Papenburg at the river Ems. It was founded in 1795, as a builder of small wooden vessels. It has been owned and managed by the Meyer family for seven generations. Since ...

shipyard in Germany by February 22, 2007.Oars & Ears
. December 2006, Volume 7, Number 9. Page 7. Accessed on April 19, 2016. The Magic in May 2007 transferred its homeport to Barcelona, Spain, for the lines' first summer Mediterranean itinerary then returned to its permanent port in September. The Chicago DisneyQuest location was closed in September 2001. Disney Parks started the

Adventures by Disney Adventures by Disney Travel Services, Inc. (ABD) provides group guided family vacations to various domestic and international destinations. The company is a subsidiary of Disney Experiences's Signature Experiences division. Disney experiences is ...

tour vacation business in 2005. Disney entered a float, "The Most Magical Celebration on Earth", into the 2006 Pasadena

Tournament of Roses parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

.Jody Revenson (editor), 2006
Disney Insider Yearbook 2005 Year in Review
. Page 5. Accessed on April 19, 2016. In October 2007, Disney announced plans to build a resort at Ko Olina Resort & Marina in

Kapolei, Hawaii Kapolei () is a New town, planned community in the Honolulu County, Hawaii, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States, on the island of Oahu, Oʻahu. In 1977, the government designated it as the "second city" of Oʻahu, in relation ...

, featuring both a hotel and Disney Vacation Club timeshare units. The 800-unit property, named

Aulani Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, is a beachside resort hotel at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. It is one of Disney's "stand-alone" hotels, situated in a location without any adjacent theme parks, alongside Disney ...

, opened in 2011 and joined the other resorts not associated with a theme park, such as

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is a Disney Vacation Club Resort and vacation rental accommodation located in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Alongside Disney's Vero Beach Resort and Aulani, the Hilton Head resort is one of Disney's ...

in South Carolina. With the

Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration The Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration was an event at the Walt Disney World Resort as part of millennium celebrations held around the world. Running from October 1, 1999, to January 1, 2001, the celebration was primarily based at Epcot, ...

starting on October 1, 2000, sanctioned

Disney pin trading Pin trading is the practice of buying, selling, and exchanging collectible pins as a hobby. This often takes place in amusement parks and resorts such as Walt Disney World and Disneyland, SeaWorld, Universal Resorts. Sporting events, including th ...

was started.
Orlando Attractions
''. Volume 2, Number 1. Page 32. December 2008. Accessed on April 18, 2016.''Eyes & Ears''. Volume 29, Number 38. Page 5. September 23, 1999. Accessed on April 18, 2016. In 2001, the

Themed Entertainment Association The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment. It is also noted for its Thea Awards, which were founded in 1995 and a ...

gave Disney Parks and Resorts the Thea Award for Breakthrough Innovation for the park's FastPass system.Strodder, Chris. (2008).
The Disneyland Encyclopedia
''. Page 166. Accessed on April 19, 2016.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was incorporated on September 29, 2008, and took over the parks and resorts business segment. Disney Parks and Resorts reorganized in early 2009 which included layoffs in all units due to recession-induced falling attendance. 600 U.S. managers in January were buyout packages. Worldwide Operations was formed under President Al Weiss in 2009. Worldwide Operations would take over various back-office functions previously performed by both Disney World and Disneyland including training, procurement, menu planning, and merchandise development. While its Walt Disney Imagineering subsidiary combined its three development units. In November 2009, Disney received approval from the Chinese government to build a

Disneyland resort The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Experiences division and is home to two theme parks (Disneyland and Dis ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Pudong Pudong is a list of administrative divisions of Shanghai, district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu River, Huangpu, the river which flows through central Shanghai. The name ''Pudong'' was originally applied to the Huangpu's east bank (g ...

district. The resort opened on June 16, 2016. California Adventure completed its overhaul in 2012 adding two new lands:

Cars Land ''Cars'' Land is a themed area of Disney California Adventure, inspired by Pixar's ''Cars'' franchise, and Route 66 in America. The area, built as part of Disney California Adventure's $1.1 billion expansion project, opened on June 13, 2012, a ...

and

Buena Vista Street Buena Vista Street (formerly known as Sunshine Plaza) is a themed land at Disney California Adventure amusement park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, United States. Though named for Buena Vista Street, the real-life Burbank thoro ...

. The overhaul also included a re-themed of several attractions plus a pair of classic dark rides. In July 2017, it was announced that

Paradise Pier Paradise Gardens Park is a themed land at Disney California Adventure. The area opened as Paradise Pier in 2001 along with the rest of the theme park. In 2010, World of Color and Silly Symphony Swings were added. To complete the Paradise Pie ...

land would be replaced by Pixar Pier, with four neighborhoods, and the remainder not in Pixar Pier would be replaced by Paradise Park. Pixar Pier opened on June 23, 2018. ''Star Wars'': Galaxy's Edge, a themed land for both

and

announced at the

D23 Expo D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, also known as Disney D23 or simply D23, is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Eve ...

on August 15, 2015. Construction began at both locations on April 14, 2016. The lands at both parks opened in 2019. The New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom opened on December 6, 2012. It is the biggest upgrade to the theme park since its opening in 1971. Announced along with its new Star Wars Land expansion at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015, Hollywood Studios was slated to have a version of

. Holz became president of New Vacation Operations of Parks & Resorts reporting to Al Weiss, president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. by April 2008. In February 2009, Holz returned to the presidency of Disney Cruise Line in addition to his continuing as head of New Vacation Operations, which was primarily

. As an extension of the "One Disney" initiative and the resignation of Weiss, Disney Vacation Club was added to New Vacation Operations. While Holz and Meg Crofton joined Disney Parks and Resorts executive committee in July 2011. At that time, Crofton was transferred from Disney World president to president of operations in the U.S. and France, a new positions. The ''Disney Dream'' ship began service in January 2011 and

(DCL) announced the maiden voyage of the ''

Disney Fantasy ''Disney Fantasy'' is a cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Entering service in 2012, she is the second ship of the Dream-class, and the line's fourth vessel overall; the other five shi ...

'' to be March 31, 2012. The Dream deployment allowed Disney Wonder to be stationed at Port of Los Angeles for Mexican Riviera cruises, but initial served in the short Alaska cruise season. Magic moved to New York for Canadian or Bahama cruises starting May 25, 2012.Cruise Travel
. July 2011, Volume 33, Number 1. Page 36. DCL's Magic was refitted in late 2013. The first of three expansion theme lands at Hong Kong Disneyland,

, opened on November 18, 2011.

opened at Hong Kong Disneyland on July 13, 2012. The final land of this expansion,

, opened at Hong Kong Disneyland on May 17, 2013. On February 5, 2015, it was announced that Tom Staggs had been promoted to Disney Company

Chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

but would continue as chairman of Parks and Resorts until his successor was named. On February 23, 2015, Robert Chapek was named chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts effective that day. On April 29, 2015, the Walt Disney Company, through the subsidiary, Carousel Holdings Eat LLC, has purchased Carousel Inn & Suites hotel in Anaheim, from Good Hope International for $32 million. The purchase was considered a strategic purchase; the hotel would not be considered a part of the Disneyland hotel portfolio and would operate independently. Disney indicated in August 2016, that the company would be closing the Carousel Inn in October 2016 in preparation for razing it as part of plans to construct a new parking structure, transit plaza and pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard. On February 10, 2017, Disney revealed a deal to purchase

Kingdom Holding The Kingdom Holding Company (KHC; ) is a Saudi conglomerate holding company, based in Riyadh. The KHC is a publicly listed company on the Tadāwul (Saudi stock exchange). The KHC consists of a team of experienced investment specialists dire ...

Co.'s shares of Euro Disney S.C.A. as the first step in purchasing the remaining shares held by others. Disney has offered about $2.12 a share, a 67% premium over the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange value as of February 9. The company expects the buyout and delisting to be finished by June. Plans are for the company to invest another $1.4 billion into Disneyland Paris after the buyout to counteract the recent Paris terrorist attack, which hurt a previous 2014 park hotel investment. If this buyout is successful, it would make the resort the only resort 100% owned and operated by Disney outside of the United States of America. On June 13, 2017, the Walt Disney Company reached the 95% threshold required for a mandatory takeover according to French law, owning 97.08% of Euro Disney S.C.A., paving the way for the Walt Disney Company to become the sole owner and operator of Disneyland Paris.

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products

As part of

's March 2018 strategic reorganization, Disney Consumer Products, and Interactive Media was merged into the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment and renamed Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products. Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek was named chairman of this new segment, who also previously served as head of Disney Consumer Products. At the time, the Consumer Products chairman position was vacant, as its former holder, James Pitaro, had been recently appointed as the new head of

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

and co-chair of

Disney Media Networks Disney Media Networks was a business segment of the Walt Disney Company that oversaw the company's television networks, cable channels, television production and distribution studios, and owned-and-operated television stations. The segment's p ...

. In March 2018, a Disney Parks West regional division was formed with Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World in Florida, and Disneyland Paris under Catherine Powell, outgoing Disneyland Paris president. This mirrors the Disney Parks East regional division consisting of Shanghai Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Attractions Japan and headed by Michael Colglazier. Imagineering was expected to take on the development of merchandise, games, publishing, and apps. Paul Gainer moved up from Disney Retail head to head up the new Global Product Management and Distribution unit, which includes Disney Retail, Global Licensing, and digital guest experience. New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line division was renamed Disney Signature Experiences along with a new president, Jeff Vahle, for the division in April 2018. On January 1, 2019, Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products changed its name to Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Disney Cruise Line purchased in early March 2019 another Bahamas destination, the Lighthouse Point property on the island of Eleuthera. In July 2019, Disney denied reports of plans to launch its own airline with the purchase of small regional airlines in the United States. With the

acquisition of 21st Century Fox The acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. by The Walt Disney Company was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition included the 20th Century Fox film and television studi ...

by August 2019,

National Geographic Partners National Geographic Partners, LLC is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns 73% of the company) and the namesake non-profit scientific organization National Geographic Society (which owns 27%). The company oversees all comm ...

' non-TV operations were transferred into its Disney counterpart with NG Media and National Geographic Expeditions moving to the segment's units, Disney Publishing Worldwide and Disney Signature Experiences, respectively. Powell supervised the two Star Wars-themed land, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, openings in May at Disneyland and August 2019 in Disney's Hollywood Studios. However, initial numbers showed an attendance dropped instead of the boost such an opening should have generated. In late September, Powell left the company with the Parks West regional division being dissolved, thus having those resorts' executives directly report to chairman Chapek. He denied that Powell was let go because of the low attendance issue from Galaxy's Edge, but instead, Powell's position was a temporary one to allow Chapek to focus on the

. Powell's departure from Disney was soon followed by a domino of executive appointments, as announced on September 26, 2019. George Kalogridis, then-president of the Walt Disney World Resort, was promoted as the president of segment development and enrichment. Kalogridis is replaced by Josh D'Amaro, then-president of the Disneyland Resort, as president of the Walt Disney World Resort. In turn, D'Amaro was replaced by Rebecca Campbell as president of the Disneyland Resort. Campbell transferred from the Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International segment where she served as the president of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Both D'Amaro and Campbell assumed these roles in November 2019. In addition, Michael Colglazier is also promoted as the president and managing director of Disney Parks International and will oversee Disneyland Paris as well as those under the Parks East regional division. In February 2020, Chapek was promoted from chairman of this segment to chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company under executive chairman Bob Iger. With the closure of all Disney parks in 2020 during the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Disney donated 150,000 rain ponchos usually sold at the parks to

MedShare MedShare is a national non-profit organization that recovers surplus medical supplies and equipment from U.S. hospitals and manufacturers and redistributes them to needy hospitals in developing countries. They process these donated materials and ...

, to be distributed in hospitals. In May 2020, CEO Chapek named new appointees under the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products segment. Succeeding Chapek as chairman of this segment is Josh D'Amaro, then-president of the Walt Disney World Resort. Jeff Vahle, then-president of Disney Signature Experiences, replaced D'Amaro as president of the Walt Disney World Resort. Thomas Mazloum, senior vice president for transportation and resort operations at the Walt Disney World Resort, succeeded Vahle as president of Disney Signature Experiences. In addition,

Kareem Daniel Kareem Daniel is an American businessman and former media executive at The Walt Disney Company. During his tenure at Disney, he held executive roles in charge of film and television, sports, streaming, theme parks, and consumer products. Prior ...

, former president of operations/product creation/publishing/games at Walt Disney Imagineering, was named president of consumer products, games and publishing. Ken Potrock replaced Rebecca Campbell as president of the Disneyland Resort; Campbell returned to the Director-to-Consumer & International segment as its chairman, replacing Kevin Mayer. On July 15, 2020, it was announced that Jill Estorino, then-executive vice president, global marketing and sales, replaced Michael Colglazier as president and managing director of Disney Parks International, supervising Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disney Resort. On September 28, 2020, D'Amaro announced the difficult decision to lay off over 28,000 employees in the parks division, many of them being part-time workers. D'Amaro cited the uncertainty of the ongoing

as well as California's continued reluctance to reopen Disneyland as factors. Nearly 6,700 Central Florida employees, including almost 6,500 Disney World workers, were also among those laid off. On October 13, 2020, Disney CEO and former Disney Park, Experiences and Products head

Bob Chapek Robert Alan Chapek (born 1959) is an American businessman and former media executive who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from 2020 to 2022. He joined Masimo's board of directors in 2024. Before becoming CEO, Ch ...

agreed to keep Disney World at only 25% capacity until the Center For Disease Control (CDC) issued new guidance and also stated that with regards to reopening Disneyland, "It's not much of a negotiation. It's pretty much a mandate that we stay closed." Disneyland Resort was finally allowed to reopen on April 30, 2021, after a 412-day closure. Historically, Imagineering and certain other Disney units merged into DPEP were physically headquartered in the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

(near the Walt Disney Company's

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and television divisions)—even as the rapid growth of Walt Disney World meant that by the start of the 21st century, most Disney U.S. domestic theme park jobs were based in Florida, not California. In July 2021, it was reported that approximately 2,000 DPEP positions would be transferred over the next couple of years to a new 60-acre corporate campus in the

Lake Nona Lake Nona is a mixed-use planned community within the city limits of Orlando, southeast of Orlando International Airport. Being developed by Lake Nona Property Holdings (owned by Tavistock Group), the Lake Nona Region is home to Lake Nona Gol ...

area of

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, and it was later reported that fall that as many as 90% of the transferred positions would be Imagineering positions. The relocation was reportedly motivated in part by $570 million in

tax breaks Tax break also known as tax preferences, tax concession, and tax relief, are a method of reduction to the tax liability of taxpayers. Government usually applies them to stimulate the economy and increase the solvency of the population. By this fis ...

from the state of Florida, as well as Florida's business-friendly climate, lower

cost of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...

, and lack of a

state income tax In addition to Federal government of the United States, federal Income tax in the United States, income tax collected by the United States, most individual U.S. states collect a state income tax. Some local governments also impose an income tax, ...

. The planned relocation was cancelled in May 2023 amidst a feud with Florida governor

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

Disney Experiences

On November 16, 2023, the division was renamed Disney Experiences. On August 10, 2024, D'Amaro hosted a Disney Experiences Showcase at

Honda Center Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, it w ...

as part of D23: The Ultimate Fan Event (formerly D23 Expo), in which he revealed how Disney Experiences planned to invest $60 billion over the next decade in adding new and improved attractions to its parks. He brought out

All-4-One All-4-One is an American male R&B and pop group best known for their hit singles " I Swear", " So Much in Love" and " I Can Love You Like That". The group is composed of Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all fro ...

to sing "

I Swear "I Swear" is a song written by Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers that became a hit for American country music artist John Michael Montgomery in 1993, and for American R&B group All-4-One in 1994. Released in November 1993, by Atlantic Nashvill ...

" to celebrate Disney's announcement that they will build four more cruise ships on top of four already under construction, bringing its fleet to a total of 13 by 2031. Disney executives did not address the increasing ticket prices at Disney parks over the preceding decade during the event. The pricing changes had rendered Disney theme parks largely inaccessible to most middle class consumers because the cost of one day and one night at a Disney theme park was now higher than what many people spend on vacation in an entire year. On August 16, D'Amaro responded to such criticism by stressing the broad range of Disney's ticket pricing and options and explaining that the company would "provide as much access and flexibility as we possibly can, so as many of our fans can experience these things as possible".

Leadership

, Chairman ** Lisa Becket, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing ** Jill Estorino, President and Managing Director, Disney Parks International *** Andrew Bolstein, President and General Manager,

Shanghai Disney Resort Shanghai Disney Resort ( zh, 上海迪士尼度假区) is a themed resort in Pudong, Shanghai, China. The resort opened to the public on June 16, 2016. It is the first Disneyland in mainland China. It is also the sixth Disney resort worldwide, aft ...

*** George Gross, Senior Vice President and Managing Director,

Walt Disney Attractions Japan Walt Disney Attractions Japan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney Experiences, one of four sectors of the American entertainment conglomerate The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1982, a year before the opening of the Tokyo Disneyland theme park ...

*** Michael Moriarty, President and Managing Director,

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built and owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited, a joint venture of the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the n ...

*** Natacha Rafalski, Présidente,

** Tasia Filippatos, President,

Disney Consumer Products Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Experiences segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Consumer Products and I ...

** Tami Garcia, Executive Vice President, Human Resources ** Alannah Hall-Smith, Executive Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs ** Kevin Lansberry, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer ** Douglas Leckie, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer ** Thomas Mazloum, President,

** Matt Penarczyk, General Counsel ** Ken Potrock, President, Major Events Integration ** Joe Schott, President, Disney Signature Experiences *** Sharon Siskie, Senior Vice President and General Manager,

*** Stephanie Young, President,

Disney Vacation Club The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Experiences, a segment of The Walt Disney Company. It allow ...

, Adventures & Expeditions, and Enrichment Programs **** Bill Diercksen, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Disney Vacation Club **** Nancy Schumacher, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Adventures & Expeditions ** Jeff Vahle, President,

** Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Creative Officer,

Current theme parks

Disneyland Resort

The Disneyland Resort was founded as a single park,

, and opened on July 17, 1955, in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

. Disneyland Hotel opened to the public on October 5, 1955. In 2001, the site expanded significantly and was renamed the Disneyland Resort with the opening of a second theme park,

, three hotels, and the

retail, dining, and entertainment complex. Disneyland was re-branded Disneyland Park to distinguish it from the larger resort complex.

Walt Disney World Resort

The Walt Disney World resort opened October 1, 1971, in

Lake Buena Vista, Florida Lake Buena Vista ( or ) is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being the mailing address for Walt Disney World, although almost all of the resort facilities, including all four theme parks, are physically loc ...

, with the

theme park and three resort hotels. It expanded with the opening of the theme parks Epcot in 1982,

in 1989 and

in 1998, in addition to the water parks

in 1989 and

in 1995. In addition the resort includes the

Disney Springs Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando. First opened in 1975 as Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, it has been expanded and rebra ...

retail, dining, and entertainment complex. The resort occupies overall, the largest (by area) and most-visited vacation resort in the world, with four theme parks, two water parks, 21 resort hotels, eight golf courses, the

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando. The complex allows families to combine tournaments and competition with a visit to ...

and additional recreational activities.

Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort, in

, Japan, opened April 15, 1983, as

. On September 4, 2001, the resort expanded with second theme park

. The resort includes six Disney hotels and several non-Disney hotels along with the

Ikspiari The (local nickname ''TDR'') is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. The resort is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Co., a subsidiary of the Keisei Electric Railway, under a license fr ...

retail, dining, and entertainment complex. Designed by

, the resort is fully owned and operated by

under license with the Walt Disney Company. Disney oversees all aspects of the resort and assigns Imagineers to it.

Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris opened on April 12, 1992 as Euro Disney Resort. Located in

Marne-la-Vallée Marne-la-Vallée () (English language, English: Marne Valley) is a new town located near Paris, France. Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park, Val d'Europe, University of Marne la Vallée, Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, ESIEE Par ...

in the suburbs of Paris, France, it features two theme parks, Disneyland Park and

(soon to be renamed Disney Adventure World), a golf course, the

Disney Village Disney Village is a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex in Disneyland Paris, located in the town of Marne-la-Vallée, France. Originally named Festival Disney, it opened on April 12, 1992, covering an area of approximately inside what w ...

entertainment complex, and seven Disney resort hotels, over . It is the only resort outside the United States fully owned and operated by

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened September 12, 2005. The resort is located in

Penny's Bay Penny's Bay or Chok Ko Wan () is a bay in north-eastern Lantau Island, and had been a port since the Ming dynasty. The bay has since been reclaimed and is the site of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which consists of the Hong Kong Disneyland t ...

. The resort consists of

theme park,

Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre Inspiration Lake (), officially known as Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre (), is a artificial lake located in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong. The lake, opened on 16 August 2005, was created as part of the development ...

, and three hotels, with land reserved for future expansion. It is owned and operated by

Hong Kong International Theme Parks Hong may refer to: Places *Høng, a town in Denmark *Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China *Hong, Nigeria *Hong River in China and Vietnam *Lake Hong in China Surnames *Hong (Chinese surname) *Hong (Korean surname) O ...

, a joint venture of the Walt Disney Company (48% ownership) and the

Government of Hong Kong The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the handover of Hong Kong. ...

(52% ownership). The first phase of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort occupies .

Shanghai Disney Resort

Shanghai Disney Resort opened on June 16, 2016. The resort is located in the city's

district and has one theme park, two resort hotels,

Shanghai Disneyland Shanghai Disneyland (; Pinyin: ''Shànghǎi díshìní lèyuán'', Shanghainese: ''Zaon-he Diq-zy-nyi Loq-yoe'') is a theme park located in Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The park is oper ...

, and the

Disneytown Disneytown is a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Shanghai Disney Resort in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It is the largest attraction of the resort outside of the parks, featuring many original and licensed market experiences. It is th ...

entertainment complex. It is owned and operated by Shanghai International Theme Park Company, a joint venture of the Walt Disney Company (43% ownership) and the Shanghai Shendi Group (57% ownership).

Future theme parks and experiences

Disneyland Abu Dhabi

In May 2025, Disney announced that they will develop a theme park and resort with

Miral Group Miral Group is an Abu Dhabi-based leisure and entertainment company. The company develops, manages, and operates various attractions on Yas Island and Saadiyat Island. Corporate Assets Theme Parks * Ferrari World Abu Dhabi * SeaWorld Abu ...

Yas Island Yas Island () is an island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates named after the Arabian Tribe- Bani Yas Tribe. It occupies a total land area of . It is a leisure island and one of the largest tourism projects in Abu Dhabi. Yas Island holds the ...

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. Similarly to Tokyo Disney Resort, the resort will be designed by

and owned and operated by Miral, under license with The Walt Disney Company.

Training

Each new employee ("cast member") at a Disney theme park is trained at a

Disney University Disney University (DU), formerly known as University of Disneyland, is the global training program for employees of the parks and experiences divisions at The Walt Disney Company also known as Cast Members. Many college students can participate ...

, founded by Walt Disney in 1955. Before training specific to the work they will perform, each employee attends the "Disney Traditions" course where they learn about the philosophies and history of Disney's guest services.

Abandoned and misreported concepts

Disney had plans to build

Walt Disney's Riverfront Square Walt Disney's Riverfront Square was a planned theme park in St. Louis, Missouri that would have been the second Disney park, after Disneyland. The park was in development between 1963 and 1965. History After the construction of Disneyland, W ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, but canceled the project in July 1965. In the 1960s, Disney initiated a plan for a ski resort at

in California. Opposition from environmental groups led by the

led to a temporary court injunction in 1969 and legal battles through the 1970s. The project's planning and scale changed multiple times, and in 1978, Mineral King was annexed into

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...

, ending any possibility of developing a resort there. Disney had plans to build a park named

, but abandoned the idea in 1994. On September 28, 1994,

announced Disney was canceling its plans after a bruising national media fight with Protect Historic America, and aggressive local opposition in Virginia from Protect Prince William and other citizen groups. Disney had plans to build a smaller Disneyland-style theme park in Sydney, Australia, between 2007 and 2008, with the proposed name " Disney Wharf at Sydney Harbour", but the concept was abandoned due to mixed responses in the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

. In early January 2011, conflicting reports emerged regarding Disney's involvement in a proposed entertainment complex in Haifa, Israel, whose plans include a small (30,000 square meter) amusement park scheduled to open in 2013. The project was set to be partially funded by

Shamrock Holdings Shamrock Holdings, Inc., or Shamrock, is a private equity firm founded as the Roy E. Disney family's investment firm; the Disney family remains its sole investor. Shamrock is a private corporation, and is fully owned by the estate of Roy E. Disn ...

, a Disney-affiliated investment firm. In the wake of reports from Israeli business newspaper, ''

Globes A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe o ...

'' and industry newswire ''Amusement Management'' that Disney itself would be involved in the project's development, a spokesperson for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts clarified to ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is an American business magazine published monthly in print and online, focusing on technology, business, and design. It releases six print issues annually. History ''Fast Company'' was founded in November 1995 by Alan Webb ...

'' that Disney did not have any plans to be involved in the building of the park.

Disney intellectual properties outside Disney parks

Due to its acquisitions of

Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...

in 2009,

Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in December 10, 1971 in San Rafael, California, and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It is best known for creating and producing th ...

in 2012 and

21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...

in 2019, some Disney-owned franchises are represented in its competitors' parks.

Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Super Hero Island Marvel Super Hero Island is an area at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure park in Orlando, Florida that is themed after popular Marvel Comics superheroes. The area opened in 1999, ten years prior to Universal competitor Disney's acquisit ...

, a themed land featuring characters and settings from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, has operated at

Universal Orlando Resort Universal Orlando Resort, often shortened to Universal Orlando, is a theme park and entertainment resort complex located in Orlando, Florida. It is the flagship of the Universal Destinations & Experiences theme park chain. Following the succes ...

Universal Islands of Adventure Universal Islands of Adventure, often shortened to Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, United States. It originally opened as Universal Studios Islands of Adventure on May 28, 1999, along with Universal CityWalk, ...

park since 1999, as well as the Islands of Adventure, cloned ride ''

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, also known as The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – The Ride is a 3D motion simulator and dark ride located at Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spid ...

'' at

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Destinations & Experiences, Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operat ...

from 2004 to 2024. Under Marvel's 1994 agreement with

Universal Destinations & Experiences Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX), formerly Universal Parks & Resorts, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates Universal theme parks and resort propert ...

in regional terms, none of the Marvel characters and other persons related to such characters (e.g., side characters, team members, and the villains associated with the

Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

, etc.) connected with Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Japan can be used at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disney Resort. The

, Walt Disney World Resort, and Tokyo Disney Resort also cannot use the Marvel brand name as part of an attraction or marketing and the Marvel-themed

simulator ride Simulator rides are a type of amusement park or fairground ride, where the audience is shown a movie while their seats move to correspond to the action on screen. There are many types but they fall into the heading of entertainment unlike the on ...

. This clause has allowed Walt Disney World to have meet-and-greets with Marvel characters not associated with the ones present at Islands of Adventure, such as

Star-Lord Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, the character first appeared in '' Marvel Preview'' #4 (January 1976). The son of human Mered ...

and

Gamora Gamora is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #180 (June 1975). Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the last ...

from ''

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...

,'' and

Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...

. Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris either have or planned to incorporate meet and greets as well as attractions relating to the Marvel characters, as well as using the Marvel name and the Marvel simulator ride.

IMG Worlds of Adventure IMG Worlds of Adventure is one of the world’s largest indoor theme parks based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located on Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road within the City of Arabia. The park is divided into six zones or 'worlds'. Two of ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

has a Marvel-themed section.

''Star Wars''

A ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

''-themed section of Legoland California's Miniland USA opened in 2011, with a similar version opening at

Legoland Florida Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself, the Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separately ...

in November 2012, just weeks before Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and the ''Star Wars'' franchise. However, the ''Star Wars''-themed sections at Miniland USA, Legoland Florida, and other Legoland areas closed at the start of 2020 before the 2020 theme park season due to the expiration of their contract with

20th Century Studios

Following Disney's

, which included properties from

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

and

20th Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

, in March 2019, ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' became the intellectual property of Disney. Like Marvel before it, ''The Simpsons'' is represented in Universal parks, with ''The Simpsons'' Ride having operated at

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and Amusement park, theme park located in Universal City, California, near Hollywood, Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketin ...

and

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...

since 2008, with accompanying themed areas based on the show's setting of Springfield. The Fox acquisition also made Disney responsible for the future of

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

's under-construction 20th Century Fox World theme park. The park's owner,

Genting Group The Genting Group is headquartered in Wisma Genting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Group comprises the holding company Genting Berhad (), its listed subsidiaries Genting Malaysia Berhad (), Genting Plantations Berhad (), Genting Singapore Plc () ...

, filed a $1.75 billion lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox in November 2018, accusing Fox of trying to back out of the deal for licensing the theme park. In the suit, Genting Malaysia alleges that Fox has taken steps to cancel the contract. The suit also names Disney as a defendant, contending that Disney executives, following the company's then-pending acquisition of Fox, were "calling the shots" on the project and that they were opposed to the park because they would have "no control" over its operations and that it would be adjacent to a casino, which would go against Disney's "family-friendly" image. Fox, in turn, referred to the suit as "without merit", stating that their reasons for withdrawing from the deal were due to Genting consistently not meeting "agreed-upon deadlines for several years" and that Genting's attempts to blame Disney for Fox's default were "made up". In July 2019, it was announced that Fox and Genting had settled their respective lawsuits. As part of the deal, Genting would be given "a license to use certain Fox intellectual properties" and that non-Fox intellectual property would make up the rest of the attractions in the park. The outdoor park would also no longer be referred to as 20th Century Fox World, but instead would be named

Genting SkyWorlds Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park is an 11 hectare (26 acre) themed amusement park at Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Malaysia. Initially, the park was to debut as 20th Century Fox World Malaysia, until The Walt Disney Company's Acquisitio ...

Adaptations

While Disney Parks generally adapt movies into rides, some Disney theme park attractions have been adapted into or have served inspiration for films, books, comic books,

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

television specials A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

and

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

s. Disney entered the television field with a network TV show named after

(which was then its only park, and was being built at the time), in order to fund the park. In this series, some episodes featured the park or a park attraction. The Walt Disney Company pioneered and is the only film company and theme park company to have converted theme park attractions to film productions. However, lackluster results were achieved for most of these films except for the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series.

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...

produced two ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' sequels in 2006 and 2011 that made approximately a billion dollars each at the box office. At first, Disney had merely dabbled with this type of film.

Disney Telefilms The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company, which was active from April 18, 1983 to 2003. Productions from ...

made the first movie-based-on-ride, '' Tower of Terror'', for the Wonderful World of Disney anthology television series in 1997. In 2000,

Touchstone Pictures Touchstone Pictures was an American film distribution label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featured ...

made ''

Mission to Mars ''Mission to Mars'' is a 2000 American science fiction adventure film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Jim and John Thomas, and Graham Yost, and suggested by Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. The film depicts the first ...

'' based on the closed ride of the same name.

took the

Country Bear Jamboree The Country Bear Jamboree is an attraction in the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort and Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort. It was formerly located at Disneyland, Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort. T ...

attraction and made it into ''

The Country Bears ''The Country Bears'' is a 2002 American musical road comedy film directed by Peter Hastings (in his directorial debut), produced by Walt Disney Pictures, and based on the Disney theme park attraction ''Country Bear Jamboree''. The film stars C ...

'' in 2002. In 2003, Walt Disney Pictures issued two ride-based films in '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' and ''

The Haunted Mansion The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride, dark-ride attraction located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The haunted house attraction features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called “Doom Buggies”, and a walk-through s ...

''. ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' launched a film series and a franchise. After four Pirates sequels, the franchise took in more than $5.4 billion worldwide.

Disney Publishing Worldwide Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints include Disney Edition ...

started mining Disney Parks with its

The Kingdom Keepers ''Kingdom Keepers'' is a series of children's novels written by American author Ridley Pearson. The ''New York Times'' Bestselling series is published through Disney Editions and Disney Hyperion, and the first book was released on August 29, 20 ...

series. The first novel of the series, ''Disney After Dark'', was released in 2005. A five-book series was laid out by Pearson, but was extended to seven with the first book's success. On March 31, 2015, the first novel in The Kingdom Keepers sequel trilogy series was released. Other Disney Publishing projects based on the Disney Parks include the ''Tales from Adventureland'' trilogy by Jason Lethcoe in 2017-2018, based around Adventureland attractions such as the

Enchanted Tiki Room Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is an attraction located in Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort and in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and previously in Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort. First opened on June 23, 1963 at the Disneyl ...

and

Jungle Cruise Jungle Cruise, formally named Jungle River Cruise, and currently named Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions, is a riverboat amusement ride located in the Adventureland themed section at various Disney theme parks worldwide. The attraction is a ...

, the ''Tales from the Haunted Mansion'' anthology series by John Esposito writing under the pen name of the Mansion's ghostly librarian Amicus Arcane, and the Shinji Takahashi books by

Julie Kagawa Julie Kagawa (born October 12, 1982) is an American author, best known for publishing and writing '' The Iron Fey Series'' consisting of 15 books including: ''The Iron King'', ''The Iron Daughter'', ''The Iron Queen'', and ''The Iron Knight''. ...

, which explores the Society of Explorers and Adventurers organization seen in various parks within the modern day. With the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as Disney Pictures' top franchise, the company had been looking for additional projects in this category for a decade. Disney Pictures took another push at additional adaptations in the 2010s. By November 2010,

Jon Favreau Jonathan Kolia Favreau ( ; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...

had been tapped to develop the

park into a "Night at the Museum" like film, with Strike Entertainment signed on to produce it after a script by Ronald D. Moore was turned down. Another Haunted Mansion film was in the works with

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

as of August 2012.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is a dark ride at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. It is loosely based on Disney's adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's '' The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), one of two segments comprising the animated package film '' The ...

ride film was in the works at Disney by January 2013.

, first to be loosely based on a theme park area, was announced in January 2013 for a December 2014 release. Also in 2013,

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...

had ordered a pilot based on

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a mine train roller coaster located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Park (Paris). In Tokyo and Paris, the attraction is named Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is ...

It's A Small World It's a Small World (stylized in all lowercase and in quotations or with exclamation mark) is an Old Mill boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks around the world. Versions of the ride are installed at Disney ...

was added to the list of known two projects in November 26, 2013 and April 22, 2014. Tower of Terror was given a theatrical treatment by

John August John August (born August 4, 1970) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist. He is known for writing the films '' Go'' (1999), '' Charlie's Angels'' (2000), '' Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003), '' Big Fish'' (2003), '' ...

under producer Jim Whitaker in October 2015, while the long-in-production

gained an actor. Marvel Worldwide with Disney announced in October 2013 that in January 2014 it would release its first comic book title under their joint Disney Kingdoms imprint. Running for six miniseries, Disney Kingdoms would feature adaptations of the unbuilt Museum of the Weird, two serials about Figment and Dreamfinder from Epcot's Journey into Imagination, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Haunted Mansion, and

's revived Disney Comics imprint first publication was the ''

'' graphic novel released on May 7, 2014 and based on the same name park attraction. In May 2017, Freeform cable channel aired a special documentary, '' Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings'', based on the services provided by Disney Parks and Resorts unit,

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons The Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons is a program offering wedding and honeymoon services to couples at the Disneyland Resort in California, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan, the Disneyland Paris ...

. With success of the May special, the show was picked up as a series with seven episodes in October 2017. However, another special, Holiday Magic, was aired on December 11, 2017 with the now six episode regular series starting on June 11, 2018.

Disney Signature Experiences

The Disney Signature Experiences division, which was formerly known as the Disney Cruise Line & New Vacation Operations, holds newer non-theme park travel units under president Thomas Mazloum. In February 2009,

Tom McAlpin Thomas Michael McAlpin (born 1959 in Miami, Florida) is the Chairman and former CEO of Virgin Voyages. He previously served as president and CEO of '' The World'', a privately owned residential ship. McAlpin also served as president of Disney Cr ...

left the Disney Cruise Line presidency and was replaced by Karl Holz as president of both Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations. New Vacation Operations included the

. The cruise line ordered three ships of a new class of ship, Triton, in 2016 and 2017. In April 2017, it was announced that Karl Holz would retire as president of Disney Cruise Line on February 15, 2018 and

Anthony Connelly Anthony Connelly serves as the Chief Financial Officer to the Villages; an Active Adult Retirement Community located in Central Florida. Prior to leading the Villages, Anthony was the president of New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line ...

would assumed the role of president on October 1, 2017. Soon after a March 2018 conglomerate wide reorganization that formed Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment division, Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations was renamed Disney Signature Experiences along with a new president, Jeff Vahle. Ken Potrock was promoted from Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Club to President of Consumer Products in May 2018. Disney Cruise Line purchased in early March 2019 another Bahamas destination, Lighthouse Point property on the island of

Eleuthera Eleuthera () refers both to a single island in the archipelagic state of the The Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahamas and to its associated group of smaller islands. Eleuthera forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. The island of Eleuthera incor ...

from the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

Government.

Disney Cruise Line

Formed in 1995, its fleet currently comprises six ships:

Disney Magic ''Disney Magic'' is a cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. She is the line's first vessel, later followed by the ''Disney Wonder'', ''Disney Dream'', ''Disney Fantasy'', ''Disney Wish'', ...

(launched 1998),

(1999),

Disney Dream ''Disney Dream'' is a cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where ...

(2011),

(2012),

Disney Wish ''Disney Wish'' is the fifth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. She is the largest ship in the fleet and the first of the ''Wish''-class. She entered service in June 2022 and was foll ...

(2022), and

Disney Treasure ''Disney Treasure'' is the sixth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Her sister ship, , was launched in 2022. ''Disney Treasure'' is the second ship of the ''Wish''-class (Triton class) ...

(2024). Two more ships, the

Disney Destiny ''Disney Destiny'' is an upcoming seventh cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, due to enter service on November 20, 2025. The first of Destiny's sister ships, the '' Disney Wish'', was l ...

and

Disney Adventure ''Disney Adventure'' is the upcoming eighth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, due to enter service on December 15, 2025. ''Disney Adventure'' is the first and only ship of the , with ...

, will be launching in late 2025. Five additional ships are planned through 2031, which will bring the total fleet count to 13. Disney Cruise Line also operates two private destinations in the Bahamas:

Castaway Cay Disney's Castaway Cay, or simply Castaway Cay (), is a private island in the Bahamas which serves as an exclusive port for the Disney Cruise Line ships. It is located near Great Abaco Island and was formerly known as Gorda Cay. In 1997, The Walt ...

and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

Disney Vacation Club

timeshare A timeshare (sometimes called a vacation ownership or vacation club) is a Real property, property with a divided form of ownership or use rights. These properties are typically resort Condominium (living space), condominium units, in which mul ...

program that includes 12 themed resorts within Walt Disney World Resort, 3 within Disneyland Resort, and 3 stand-alone locations: Disney's Aulani Resort,

, and

Disney's Vero Beach Resort Disney's Vero Beach Resort is a Disney Vacation Club resort located eleven miles north of Vero Beach in Wabasso Beach, on State Route A1A in Florida. Established in 1995, it was the first Disney Vacation Club resort to be constructed outside ...

. There are an estimated 220,000 club members.

Adventures by Disney

Launched in 2005, Adventures by Disney is a program of all-inclusive, guided vacation tour packages offered at predominantly non-Disney sites around the world.

National Geographic Expeditions

National Geographic Expeditions leads travelers to people and places on every continent, with access to scientists, storytellers, explorers, museums and more. National Geographic Experts and local guides share their knowledge so travelers are inspired by immersive expeditions that deepen their understanding of the world. With the

by August 2019,

' National Geographic Expeditions moved into Disney Signature Experiences.

Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort

A residential neighborhood located within the Walt Disney World Resort, consisting of 299 homes, the private Golden Oak Club, and the Four Seasons Resort Orlando resort hotel.

Storyliving by Disney

Master-planned communities that utilize Disney Imagineering and are staffed by Disney cast members. Cotino, in Rancho Mirage, California, is the first community under development, while Asteria, in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is the second community under development, with other locations being explored.

Disney Sports Enterprises

Disney Sports Enterprises, formerly called Disney Sports Attractions, is the unit of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products for Disney's sports functions and is made up of the

and the runDisney program.

DSE background

Disney Golf facilities date back to the opening of Disney World with two golf courses, the Palm and Magnolia courses. At the time, those courses started hosting the Walt Disney World Open Invitational, an annual PGA Tour event. In 1994, Disney held the Walt Disney World Marathon, its first road race added additional races later. Disneyland Marathon and 5K were run in 1995 three weeks after the LA Marathon on March 26, 1995. In 1995, Disney World had IMS Events, Inc. build the

Disney's Wide World of Sports The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando. The complex allows families to combine tournaments and competition with a visit to ...

opened in 1997 under executive Reggie Williams.

DSE history

By 1998, Williams was named vice president of Disney Sports Attractions, overseeing a newly created sports & recreation division. The first 10K Disney Classic race on October 3, 1999, kicked off Disney World's 15-month Millennium Celebration. On March 30, 2003, Sports Attractions held the first Disney Inline Marathon. On November 21, 2007, Reggie Williams retired as vice president of Disney Sports Attractions. His replacement was named on January 3, 2008, when Ken Potrock was promoted to Senior Vice President, Disney Sports Enterprises. On February 25, 2010, Disney's Wide World of Sports was renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex with some upgrades and new facilities. On September 25, 2011, Disney started the lease of its five Disney World golf courses (Palm, Magnolia, Lake Buena Vista, Osprey Ridge, and Oak Trail) to Arnold Palmer Golf Management to operate for 20 years while splitting the revenue. As part of the deal, Arnold Palmer would redesign the Palm course. The Orlando market for golf had a glut of course from the building boom then bust making profitability a challenge for any golf course. Disney hoped that Palmer's involvement and "Palmer Advantage" membership club would draw more attention to Disney's course. With the Osprey Ridge course sold to Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to build a hotel, which was delayed until 2014, the golf management company would run the course until hotel construction begins. While another golf course, the Eagle Pines, was closed several years ago to make way for a residential housing subdivision development called Golden Oak being built in 2011. In January 2013, Ken Petrock was promoted to Disney Vacation Club and Adventures by Disney senior vice president & general manager while Tom Wolber, Disney Cruise Line senior vice president of operations, was promoted to replace Petrock at Disney Sports. In late June 2015, the

was shut down. Sports marketing director Faron Kelley was promoted to vice president of sports in January 2016 and has responsibility for the water parks too. Senior vice president of Disney Springs and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Maribeth Bisienere was promoted to Senior Vice President of Parks in early March 2018. Rosalyn Durant moved over from ESPN to be appointed in February 2020 as senior vice president of operations for Disney Springs, ESPN Wide World of Sports and Waterparks.

runDisney

runDisney is the road race division of Disney Sports Enterprises. The division is designed to get runners to plan a "runcation", a vacation planned to coincide with the race they signed up for. Race weekends are currently held at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Additional Virtual race events take place throughout the year. Runners who complete a 10-mile or longer race at both resorts in a calendar year can complete the unDisney Coast to Coast Race Challenge.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{Authority control American companies established in 1971 The Walt Disney Company divisions Parks, Experiences and Resorts Amusement park companies Hospitality companies of the United States Entertainment companies based in California Companies based in Florida Companies based in Burbank, California Entertainment companies established in 1971 1971 establishments in California