Walt Disney always said there could never be enough of Disneyland, and in a sense the sister park that he would set up in Florida was not so much a Disneyland copy as an expansion on the theme. Disneyland was relatively small, and Disney no control over the surrounding neighborhood — even the hotel right next to the park would not be owned by them for a generation. On the East Coast, as Walt learned from several early experiments, the demand would be just as great, but the scale could be grander.

On this day, May 27, in 1969, construction began on the Walt Disney World park in Florida, on land purchased incrementally by Disney for the better part of a decade. Disney World would not only be bigger in size and able to accommodate larger crowds than Disneyland, but also own the surrounding hotels and picnic grounds.

Walt Disney World opened with a three-day celebration starting in October of 1971. Celebrities and Disney alums turned out by the dozens: Bob Hope, Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, Jonathan Winters, Annette Funicello and Fred MacMurray were just a few. General admission to the park was $3.50, but that did not include any of the rides and attractions. Rides were ticketed separately, and a book of seven “adventures” cost  $4.75 for adults,  $4.25 for junior and $3.75 for children. Eleven-ticket adventure books cost a dollar more.