The Walt Disney World New York Resort, also called Walt Disney World New York, among other names, is an entertainment resort complex in Rome, New York, United States, near the city of Utica. The resort was opened on May 22, 1974, and is owned and operated by Disney Parks. The resort comprises four theme parks (The Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center, Disney-MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom) and 13 themed resort hotels. Several golf courses and other venues, including Disney Village Marketplace, are also on resort grounds.
Planning[]
The large success of Disneyland in Santa Ana, California, meant that many other theme parks were to be built. Surveys at the time revealed most visitors were from the west, while a majority of the United States population lived in the Midwest and the South. While only one park in the Northeast was initially planned, Walt Disney also planned a second Disneyland in the Chicago area and a Disney World in Fort Worth, Texas.
Initially planned to be in downstate New York, the massive growth of Upstate New York made Disney realize that an Upstate New York park would be more profitable. The plan was revealed in 1969, 3 years after Walt Disney's death, announcing a mid-1970s opening date, which would be Summer 1974 in Spring 1972 and then May 22, 1974 in December 1973.
On May 22, 1974, Disney World opened to the public. Admission prices in 1974 were $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for people aged 12-17, and a dollar for under 12s.