Walts Island...is this true?

[*Robin*]

Today I was looking up Wilderness Lodge on Google Earth to show my parents. There is an island on the lake outside that has a note that says:

"This was going to be the site of Walt Disney's house after construction of the park had finished. However he died in 1966 so the family decided to scrap the plans. The Walt Disney Company later made this a preservation area, so it will never be built on."

Just wondering if anyone knows if this is true...

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I don't know if it is true but it would be cool if it were.

 

[Tinks]

A tour guide on our Wishes Fireworks Cruise told us this, too. So it must be true.

 

[KYMickey]

A tour guide on our Wishes Fireworks Cruise told us this, too. So it must be true.

Yes, we all know how accurate information given to us by bus drivers and tour guides is

 

[todd222222]

It was called Discovery Island before AK was built....

Here is some history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Island

 

[CanadianGuy]

Todd:

That's not the island I think they're referring to..

I think the island that has the story told about "Walt's Island" is actually this one..

http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&q=2...88,-81.572821&spn=0.005473,0.005729&z=17&om=0

 

[*Robin*]

Yep, that's the one Canadian Guy. If you go to google earth and type in "Walt Disney World, Wilderness Lodge" You'll see the note.

It really doesn't matter one way or the other, I was just curious.

Thanks for taking the time for the answers everyone!



(Oh, and Tinks, sometimes CM's DO know what they're talking about, just sometimes you also have to take it with a grain of salt...I like to think they always do their best! Then again, I just saw the wink...you probably knew this already!)

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

My guess is that this story of Walt Disney's plan for an island house is just a cast member myth. I've never seen this plan in any book or any article from a credible author.

Keep in mind that the Disney acquisition of land in Florida was announced November 15, 1965. Walt Disney died just eleven months later. Detailed planning for the site was just beginning. Early work included figuring out how the land would be reshaped to form lakes, islands, flood control channels, development areas, and natural areas.

Walt Disney's main interest in Florida was to build a demonstration city with actual residents.

Walt Disney World opened October 1, 1971 -- almost five years after Walt Disney died.

Walt Disney had a nice house in the affluent affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. He had an apartment over the fire station in Disneyland, and plans for a larger apartment in Disneyland's New Orleans Square.

Had Walt Disney lived longer, I have no doubt he would have had some sort of home-away-from-home on the Florida property. I just wonder if the island story has any truth to it (although I'm not claiming that there's zero chance that the story has some basis).

What has been published often is that a Disney family apartment was planned for Cinderella Castle. But those plans could have been made years after Walt Disney died.

 

[doconeill]

Yes, I would have expected Walt to have a place in the actual EPCOT city, since it would have been purpose-built for people (mainly employees) to live in.

If it was anywhere else, I might expect it to be within the Magic Kingdom like at Disneyland, where he could look over the park and see the people enjoying themselves.

 

[KYMickey]

I don't know if there's any truth to this rumor or not but that island is certainly in a neat place to put a house! Fast access to Magic Kingdom and to central ticketing to catch the monorail. Not to mention being able to take a boat to all the resort hotels!

 

[canwegosoon]

Well I know the preservation part is right...but I am not sure that island would be good for any type of foundation(but that doesn't mean that there couldn't have been a piling support. I don't know-what type of privacy do you think he would have really had?

 

[dronein7g]

A tour guide on our Wishes Fireworks Cruise told us this, too. So it must be true.

what is a wishes fireworks cruise? is that something small on site or is it an actual Disney cruise?

 

[episode]

Nothing I've ever read about early WDW and its construction ever made mention of this.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Wishes Fireworks cruises are something small ... in Bay Lake / Seven Seas Lagoon.

More info:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/recreation/fireworks.htm