One of the most frequent complaints we hear from Theme Park Tourist readers about Walt Disney World is that visiting the resort is too expensive. And, of course, it can cost many thousands of dollars to take a family vacation to Walt Disney World, particularly if you decide to stay in one of Disney’s on-site hotels.
To be fair, though, actually running Walt Disney World is expensive, too. The resort employs more than 60,000 Cast Members, and sprawls across more than 25,000 acres. It cost billions of dollars to construct over the last four-plus decades – and not all of that cash was spent on attractions, hotels and other elements that guests can actually see. Instead, a huge chunk of the money that was spent on building Walt Disney World, and to operate the resort, is splurged on systems that are largely hidden away from guests’ prying eyes. Many of these vast systems are overseen by the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Walt Disney World’s own government.
Let’s take a look at 10 examples…
10. The drainage system
It’s not always obvious to guests these days, but Walt Disney World is located on acre after acre of wet, boggy swampland. When construction began in April 1969, the Reedy Creek Improvement District’s initial challenge was how to make this land suitable for a gigantic theme park resort without utterly destroying the local environment. As Central Florida essentially floats on fresh water, any drainage systems implemented at Walt Disney World could potentially have an impact elsewhere. To manage the issue, more than 50 miles of canals and levees were constructed. Watergates help to control levels by floating open when the water reaches certain levels, and closing again when they subside. Not all of the canals are hidden from public view, of course. However, they are designed to look like natural streams, curving through the landscape rather than flowing down a straight channel.
9. The garbage collection system
The most famous element of the Walt Disney World garbage disposal infrastructure is the Magic Kingdom’s Automated Vacuum Assisted Collection system. Developed in Sweden, AVAC uses compressed air to propel garbage at 60 miles per hour to a central collection point behind Splash Mountain where it is processed (and much of it recycled). There are access points located all over the park, which can be used to “suck” trash into the tubes. The tubes themselves are 20 inches in diameter, with the vacuum being created by a system of motors and exhausts. There’s much more to the Walt Disney World solid waste disposal system than just AVAC, however. Fleets of vehicles collect trash, some of which is sent to a solid waste transfer station. A huge recycling system processes over 24,000 tons annually of aluminum, paper, steel cans, food waste, cardboard and plastic containers.
8. The control systems
Located roughly underneath Cinderella Castle is the Digital Animation Control System (DACS), a computer system that monitors almost everything in the Magic Kingdom. This includes lighting systems, stage curtains, fire protection systems, security systems and power systems. It also controls and sychronizes the movements of hundreds of audio-animatronic figures that feature in the park’s attractions. When EPCOT Center opened in 1982, it featured Epcot Computer Central at its heart. This ran nearly everything throughout the park, and was even the subject of its own attraction: CommuniCore. Similar systems are in place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
7. The utilidors
Walt Disney planned to locate many of the roads and utilities at his never-built Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) below ground, to avoid its residents having to deal with typical urban problems such as traffic and smog. After Walt died, his successors failed to fully deliver on his dream of a futuristic city. But they did incorporate elements of it into the design of Walt Disney World – including the creation of the utilidors at its first theme park, the Magic Kingdom.
The utilidors were among the first elements of the Magic Kingdom to be constructed, and are actually located at ground level (placing them lower would have caused many issues, due to the water table in the Orlando region). They were covered over using seven million cubic yards of earth that was excavated during the creation of the artifical Seven Seas Lagoon that is located in front of the park. The underground tunnels cover an incredible 392,040 square feet. They span most of the park, with the exception of the part of New Fantasyland that was previously Mickey’s Toontown, as this was added as an expansion in 1988.
6. The power system
Electricity is an essential resource in the modern world, and Walt Disney World requires a lot of power. To that end, the Reedy Creek Improvement District operates its own power plant, although this only supplies part of the resort’s needs (and is useful in the event of emergencies, such as hurricanes). The plant provides 55,000 kilowatts of net capability, with the district buying in the rest of its electricity.
A transmission system includes nine substations and an extensive underground distribution system, with the peak demand being 196 megawatts. The power plant is fired by gas, which is transported by Florida Gas Transmission Company pipelines to Walt Disney World’s own gas system.
5. The waste water treatment plant
Walt Disney World is said to require an equivalent level of infrastructure to a city with a population of around 300,000 people. The huge number of staff and visitors that are on site at any one time do, naturally, need to visit the restroom occasionally. And something has to be done with all that sewage. The solution? The Reedy Creek Improvement District operates its own wastewater treatment plant, which is so effective that the resulting water is actually safe to drink. Instead of serving it up to customers, Disney instead uses it to irrigate landscaped areas, such as golf courses, lawns and flowerbeds.
The plant can handle up to 15 million gallons per day, while an effluent disposal system features a 1,000 acre site containing 85 rapid infiltration basins and a reclaimed water system that can handle demand of 5 million gallons per day. Waste water and garbage aren’t the only things recycled by Walt Disney World. A huge composting facility mixes waterwater biosolids, wooden pallets and trash wood products, along with food waste from the resort’s many restaurants. The resulting compost is used to fertilize the resort’s grounds.
4. The water supply
Naturally, Walt Disney World needs a lot of clean water – and an enormous supply and distribution system fulfils this need. This includes 11 Floridan Aquifer wells and four pump stations, designed to distribute up to 60 million gallons per day (the average daily demand is 14 million gallons). Five above-ground water storage tanks can be used to augment this system, with a combined capacity of 7.95 million gallons.
Chilled water is provided for the air conditioning systems that are located all over the resort. This is generated by using 22 centrifugal chillers, and one absorption chiller, which are spread across three facilities. A five million gallon thermal storage facility helps to store this essential resource. Hot water, meanwhile, is partially generated using excess heat from the on-site power plant. The rest is heated using three gas-fired generators.
3. Central Shops
When Walt Disney World was first built, Central Florida lacked many of the facilities that would be needed to run the massive resort, so Disney simply built them itself. Many of them are located at Central Shops, north of the Magic Kingdom. This is capable of fabricating everything from trash cans to ride vehicles, and is divided into sub-areas such as the Metal Shop, Maintenance Services and the Paint Shop.
2. The laundry
There are more than 2,500 Cast Member costume designs in use at Walt Disney World, with a total of around 1.8 million pieces in the extensive wardrobe. Roughly 13,000 pieces are manufactured every year. Mickey Mouse has almost 300 different outfits, while Minnie has more than 200. That’s a lot of laundry. When Walt Disney World opened, it featured the world’s largest laundry facility. And in March 2014 it began the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility that is scheduled to open in spring 2015 and is expected to create 200 additional Cast Member jobs. It will be the fourth such facility on-site.
“The new facility will showcase some of the textile industry’s most cutting-edge features including conveyors and air suction tubes that quickly move linens and machines that automatically sort, separate and fold,” said J.R. Garcia, director of textile services at Walt Disney World Resort.
1. The tree farm
A few miles away from the wastewater treatment plant is Walt Disney World’s tree farm, where horticulturists tend the thousands of plants that are needed to landscape the resort. The resort features plantlife from every continent except Antarctica, many of which require three years of acclimation to Florida soil before being planted “on-stage”.
Take a glimpse behind the scenes
Want to get a glimpse behind the scenes at Walt Disney World or another Disney resort? Check out the range of tours that are on offer in this article.
