Walt Disney World the district was allowed to issue tax-exempt bonds for public projects within the district, despite the sole beneficiary being Walt Disney Productions. The district soon began construction of drainage canals, and Disney built the first roads and the Magic Kingdom. The Contemporary Resort Hotel and Polynesian Village were also completed in time for the park's opening on October 1, 1971. The Palm and Magnolia golf courses near Magic Kingdom had opened a few weeks before, while Fort Wilderness opened a month later. 24 days after the park opened, Roy O. Disney dedicated the property and declared that it would be
Disney Magic was for March 12, 1998. In January 1997, the first ticket for "Disney Magic"s first trip was raffled off on the cable television channel Lifetime, while ticket sales would begin in September 1997. Continuing delays on the MS "Rotterdam" kept additional workers from "Disney Magic", thus by November 1997, the cruise line rescheduled the ship's initial voyage to April 30, 1998. Further delays, from suppliers and weather conditions, at Fincantieri forced back the maiden voyage of "Disney Magic" a few more months. The bow was towed to the Marghera shipyard where the halves were joined. With livery and design evocative