50 Years Ago No. 3
Walt Disney World opens October 1, 1971, near Orlando, Florida.
On October 1, 1971, Walt Disney World1 initially opened what is now called Magic Kingdom2 as well as two resorts, Disney’s Contemporary Resort3 and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.4
Located near Orlando, Florida, Magic Kingdom began with twenty-three attractions. Three were new to the park and twenty were replicas of attractions at the original park, Disneyland in California. The theme park was laid out like a wheel with Cinderella Castle at the hub. Pathways led from the castle into six themed “lands:” Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Tomorrowland, and Main Street USA.
Magic Kingdom opened in October in the hopes that the first crowds would be small, unlike the July 17th, 1955, disastrous opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.5
While the Florida Highway Patrol had issued a statement that estimated as many as 300,000 people might try to be the first to visit Magic Kingdom, only about 10,000 showed up to be entertained and supported by 5,500 cast members and workers. This gave the theme park time to work out problems before official dedications and media events that occurred later in the month.
- “Walt Disney World.” Wikipedia as of September 17, 2021 edit. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia…Walt_Disney_World.
- “Magic Kingdom.” Wikipedia, as of August 31, 2021 edit. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Kingdom.
- “Disney’s Contemporary Resort.” Wikipedia, as of August 17, 2021 edit. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org…Contemporary_Resort.
- “Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.” Wikipedia, as of August 16, 2021 edit. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org…Polynesian_Village_Resort.
- Daubs, Katie. “Disneyland on Day 1 Was a Disaster They Called ‘Black Sunday.’” thestar.com, July 17, 2016. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://www.thestar.com…a-disaster-they-called-black-sunday.
It was a preview of sorts, meant for celebrities, press and various VIPS, with a live television broadcast. But tickets were counterfeited and the park was unprepared for the 35,000 that came.
Traffic jammed the freeway, and children were reported to be urinating in the parking lot because they had been trapped in their cars so long. Some rides weren’t ready, some broke down and vendors ran out of food. A plumbers strike in the weeks before the opening meant Walt Disney had to make a decision: the bathrooms were working, but not the drinking fountains.
