Google Earth Maps Walt Disney Theme Park In 3-D
Tourists planning their trip around Disney World can now take a 3D tour of the extensive Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando Florida before they set out for Florida, thanks to a new service from Google Earth.
Google Earth already permits users to explore 3D recreations of some major world cities, but Disney and Google have unitedly built an intricate virtual version of Walt Disney World Resort that lets computer users to explore the slice of the Magic Kingdom without leaving home.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worked with developers at Google Earth to produce a completely three-dimensional practical viewing experience — said to be the most advanced rendering Google has ever created.
There are about 1,500 3D points of attraction in the virtual tour of Disney. Users can click on images to get more knowledge about an attraction, purchase tickets, make reservations and map out their vacation.
Photographs, videos and commentary about locations within the park allow potential visitors to the 122-square-kilometre theme park complex to take a virtual tour.
“Guests and travel planners can now explore our world with just a few clicks of a mouse, and they can book vacations while being immersed in what the destination has to offer,” Disney resorts chairman Jay Rasulo said in a statement.
Users begin their online tour of Disney World with a stratospheric view of the globe and then skydive to a view of the Seven Seas Lagoon in the Magic Kingdom. From their users can fly through the street and explore the virtual 3D models.
To tour the virtual park, download Google Earth 4.3 and then launch it and search for “Disney World.” Click the gold Mickey ears to open an information window and click “Show Disney World in 3D.”
Even the park’s numerous statues, benches, lamp posts and banners are included.
“It is a virtual walk-through of the whole property…the most amazing virtual tour of any place in the world,” Rasulo, said ahead of its release.
“It was not enough to model the nearly 5,000 structures within the park, so Disney included significant amounts of real-world objects such as a monorail, picnic tables, benches, streetlights, signs and trees — lots of trees, as in thousands of them!” Google Earth Product Manager Bruce Polderman exclaims in his development blog.
The detail is so fine; you can even read the text on menus in some of the parks’ restaurants. “Click on a restaurant and the menu will appear.”
Eight photographers took about 100,000 shots of the four theme parks and 22 hotels.
“Zoom in on the map of the four theme parks and 22 hotels that make up Disney World and you will be able to see the rides and streets, as well as smaller details such as statues and horses on the merry-go-rounds.”
John Hanke, Google Earth maps director, described the project as “truly innovative and unique”.
“You know the phrase ‘next best thing to being there’? Walt Disney World Resort in 3-D is going to deliver on that,” promised Rasulo. “Guests and travel planners can now explore our world with just a few clicks of a mouse, and they can book vacations while being immersed in what the destination has to offer.”
The system, clearly designed with sales in mind, also gives you the option to click on any attraction or hotel and make a reservation on the spot.
The service covers Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and more than 20 Disney Resort hotels.
It currently only features the outside of buildings, but there are plans for an update that will allow virtual visitors to enter the attractions and hotel rooms.
Disney says that its digital mapping project will become the primary online travel guide for the park by integrating the Google Earth 3D experience with the planning features of Disney.com.
From the summit of Space Mountain to the watery confines of the Pirates of the Caribbean, we invite you to explore the Walt Disney World Resort in Google Earth. Now take a tour of Walt Disney World Resort in 3D