6 surprising things you may not know about Disney World

Even if you haven’t been yourself, if we told you that Walt Disney World, Florida, was the happiest place on earth it probably wouldn’t surprise you.

Boasting a host of attractions and rides for the young and old, food options galore, the chance to meet your favourite characters, and magic to no end, Disney World has a lot going for it.

But even if you have managed a trip to Orlando yourself, there are a few things about Disney World that might still surprise you.

One thing we learned on a recent trip is that every single thing you see in any of the four theme parks, two waterparks, or 33 resorts, was designed that way on purpose.

Nothing you see is random. From the cracks in the floor at the garage-themed lunch spot, to the layout of each park. Everything has been considered.

While hanging out with Mickey and his friends, here are a few things we learned.

Twice the size of Manhattan

Covering nearly 40 square miles (104 square kilometres), Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando is about the size of San Francisco, or two times the size of Manhattan island.

Of the nearly 25,000 acres, a third is designated as conservation land.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the largest of the four theme parks covering a total of 500 acres. It’s so big, that the other three parks (Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT) can all fit inside it.

Everyone is a cast member

More than 75,000 people work for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and every single one of them is called a Cast Member.

Whether you work in entertainment, are friends with Mickey Mouse, work at a food outlet, as an engineer on a ride, in the resorts, as a bus driver, or as a cleaner, you are a Cast Member.

Not surprisingly, Walt Disney World Resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States.

Well-dressed Mickey Mouse

The man of the hour Mickey Mouse has more than 136 different sets of duds, ranging from a scuba suit to a tuxedo.

Minnie Mouse’s wardrobe contains more than 100 outfits, including everything from a cheerleader ensemble to evening gowns.

The pair’s latest look is to celebrate Mickey’s 90th birthday (and he’s looking better than ever). The white suit and dress are covered in colourful confetti-like patterns and pom-poms, and the party hats are next-level.

Hidden Mickeys everywhere

As if there wasn’t enough to see throughout Walt Disney World, we also discovered that there are hidden Mickeys strategically scattered across every park, resort and shopping district.

Rumour has it the hidden Mickey’s were started as in inside joke of the Disney Imagineers. It’s not exactly known how many there are, but the list definitely stretches to the thousands.

You never know when you’ll come across one of the iconic Disney World Hidden Mickeys. We managed to spot a few around Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and in the curtains and carpet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

More than just a cleaner

One thing you will quickly notice is that all areas of Walt Disney World are spotless. That’s thanks to the crew of dedicated cleaners that are constantly doing the rounds and picking up any stray rubbish.

But some of the cleaners, it turns out, have been harbouring a hidden talent. They will be given extra time during the day to use their trusty broom and bucket to draw Disney characters all around the parks.

They could pop up anywhere at any time. We spotted this guy in Tomorrowland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom and his ‘water drawings’ were very impressive.

He even let the kids have a go themselves.

Let the credits roll

As we’ve mentioned, everything in Walt Disney World was designed that way for a reason.

And just like you have at the end of a movie, Disney decided to ‘roll the credits’ at the end of everyone’s day in the park.

So when walking down Main Street USA, on the way out of Disney’s Magic Kingdom, we found the credits of those involved strategically placed in the windows of the shops and buildings all the way along the street towards the exit.

Yahoo Lifestyle was a guest of Walt Disney World.

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