Report: Walt Disney World Kicks Off It's 100 Years of Magic Celebration
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Walt Disney World Resort President Al Weiss
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Al Weiss: Walt loved trains. From the grain heavy trains that rumbled through his hometown of Marceline, Missouri to the half-mile toy train he rode around in his backyard to the classic steam trains we see right here designed to circle this theme park. For Walt trains were a lifelong fascination.

Thank you for joining us here at what I’m sure would’ve been one of Walt’s favorite spots at the Magic Kingdom, the Walt Disney World Railroad station. A train station is filled with the excitement of possibilities. It is a place of arrival. It is a place of departure. So it is especially appropriate that we meet here today as we arrive at an important milestone for Walt Disney World and depart on an exciting new adventure.

The milestone we reach stretches back for 30 years. On October 1, 1971 we opened a theme park that was originally to be known as Disney World but after Walt’s death in 1966 his brother Roy O. Disney changed that. "It’s going to be Walt Disney World" Roy declared "so people will always know that it was Walt’s dream." He spoke of his brother again when he officially dedicated the Magic Kingdom. "Walt Disney World is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney and to the talents, the dedication and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney’s dream come true." We have with us today some of those same people to whom Roy Disney referred and before we go any further I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the Cast Members who have played their role here at Walt Disney World for thirty years or in some cases even longer. On the 30th anniversary of the Walt Disney Resort I ask you to join me in congratulating them on their contribution.

Through the last three decades these Cast Members have seen many changes. I’m a 29-year Cast Member so I’ve seen many of those changes myself. One theme park has grown to four. Two hotels have become 18. We’ve added three water parks, a sports complex and an entertainment district. Walt Disney World is home to many award winning gourmet restaurants, five championship golf courses and a world-class collection of architecture.

Some things, however, have never changed. Walt Disney’s vision for his theme parks, for instance, guides us still today. A Disney theme park, Walt said, should be a happy place, a place where adults and children can experience together some of the wonders of life, of adventure and feel better because of it. I’m never prouder to see our cast uphold that vision than during times of uncertainty like those we face now. Because no matter what is happening around us it is certain that time together with family and loved ones in a place like Walt Disney World is truly well spent.