What Would Walt Do?: An Insider's Story about the Design and Construction of Walt Disney World (Paperback)

by D. Miller (Author)
Key Phrases: loop course, drill rigs, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Billy Ray (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Before Walt Disney died in December 1966, he assembled a dedicated team to create a new theme park near Orlando, Florida. Walt's brother Roy would eventually name the attraction Walt Disney World so that no one would ever forget whose dream it was. People who had worked for Walt since the 1950's designing, building, and operating Disneyland in Anaheim, California anchored the team.

Team members were guided in the years after Walt's death by asking each other, "What would Walt do?"; This question was asked countless times during the design and construction of the huge theme park. It was asked about issues involving quality, creativity, safety, and the guest experience. The team usually knew the answer would be that Walt would have done the right thing. The team knew what that right thing was, and they always did it, regardless of cost.

This book chronicles the experiences of a young Florida engineer who served the team during construction of Walt Disney World from 1968 to 1971. Mr. Miller suggests that Walt Disney World may be the highest quality construction project ever built.

About the Author
D. M. Mike Miller is a professional engineer. He was graduated from the University of Florida in 1966, and has had a diverse career in civil engineering design and construction. His experience includes significant management positions during the construction of Walt Disney World, Epcot, and Universal Studios Florida. Mr. Miller lives in Brevard County, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (March 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595172032
• ISBN-13: 978-0595172030
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #183,197 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Really an autobiography about the author - not about WD, December 26, 2001

By	Michael Herman (Middletown, DELAWARE United States) - See all my reviews

The book was an easy read BUT was really an autobiography of the author and his life. It's about his working days, especially while working on the constrction of WDW. Besides the very infrequent mention of the title "What Would Walt Do" there was next to nothing in the book about Walt's philosophies, work ethic and thought processes. Not what I exptected or what the title infers.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Well... what would Walt do?, December 25, 2001

By	W. Lund "wbl2745" (Provo, UT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"What Would Walt Do" has very little to do with the design and contruction of Disney World and more to do the author's personal remembrances of his career. Fully three-quarters of this short book deals with the author's personal history outside of Disney World. All of the information found here dealing with Disney World can be found elsewhere in more detail. I do not recommend this book.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What Would Walt Do? The Author never really answers this, October 18, 2001

By	Paul V. Dunn "akaharry" (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Obviously a self-published pamphlet, no proof reading done with the manuscript at all! D.M. Miller poorly recants small stories about his life, a few of them include checking out the construction of Walt Disney World, and several of them are repeated again and again through out the book, to fill space. Extremely poorly written, many mistakes. Not worth the paper that the book is printed on. Skip it!