We have had a nice visit over the last couple of weeks of the 4 major Disney World theme parks. I really enjoy going to Disney World and experiencing what their parks have to offer. The parks are always clean, the service is great, and I have yet to come away with a totally bad experience at one of their parks.

Take advantage of the FastPass that is available at all of the Disney Parks. This can save you some wait time for the most popular rides. Try to go early, before the park opens if you have access to that, and head to the back of the park to enjoy those rides first. Then, as you work your way back to the front of the park you can hopefully benefit from shorter lines there as well.

I recommend a character breakfast if your budget allows. My favorite is at Magic Kingdom at Cinderella's castle. You can also take advantage of the character breakfast at Chef Mickey at the Contemporary resort (it is not necessary to stay at that resort to book the character breakfast there). I also enjoyed the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall breakfast at Epcot. You can check out my posts on the Disney FastPass and Character Breakfasts.

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Personally my favorite Disney World theme park is Epcot. I just enjoy the various attractions and the entertainment at that park. I also like the way it is layed and never seems as crowded as some of the other parks even though I know there are just as many people there.

After Disney Epcot, for me, it is basically a tie between Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom. Both of these parks are very enjoyable with plenty of attractions, entertainment and dining. I do find that these parks appear a little more crowded just based on the way they are designed. Also, I think a lot of people who travel to Disney World for the first time feel obligated to go to Magic Kingdom as that is the park they have probably seen and read the most about. Bringing up the rear of the 4 major Disney World theme parks is Disney Hollywood. (Remember this is just my opinion). Disney Hollywood is a nice park and it is worth your time to check it out. For a movie based theme park I prefer Universal Studios.

So, if you landed on this post as a first time reader, please take the time to go back and read all of my posts on Disney World as I think you will find them meaningful and helpful as you plan your first trip to Disney World. Also, I strongly recommend you make the investment in the "Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide". You will find a tab for it at the top right corner of this blog.

Tomorrow we will continue our trip to Orlanda with a visit to Universal Studios!

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Disney Animal Kingdom is a large park and there are many attractions to enjoy during your visit. I want to highlight some of the attractions that you can enjoy on your next Orlando Vacation.



Disney Animal Kingdom Attractions

• Expedition Everest - This is the newest attraction at Animal Kingdom. During my last visit this ride was actually under construction. This ride looks like it's a blast. It is basically a roller coaster type ride for the big kid visitors to Animal Kingdom. Sharp drops, hairpin turns, all wrapped around and through Mt. Everest.


• Kilimanjaro Safari - I talked about this attraction in yesterday's post. It is a must do ride at the Animal Kingdom and it is for all ages. See details on Kilimanjaro Safari.


• Kali River Rapids - Warning! You will get wet on this ride...and that's not necessarily a bad thing! This a fun river rapid type ride in a large circular raft. The ride is experiences a 90 foot drop and has lots of twists and turns. Watch out for the water fall! Did I say you would get wet? You will. Take advantage of the storage to keep your shoes and socks dry. Your clothes will dry quickly but it's nice not to squish for the next hour or so in wet shoes.


• Maharajah Jungle Trek - A walk through an Indian Jungle where you will encounter ruins and tigers and a few other exotic animals. This is an enjoyable attraction.


• The Tree of Life - This is very cool and another must do attraction at Animal Kingdom. This is located in the center of the park. You can't miss it. Inside the The Tree of Life is a theater where you will see the #d show It's Tough To Be A Bug! This is really funny with lot's of surprises. Everyone can enjoy this and it's good place to cool off and have a short respite during your day at the park.

There are many other attractions within Disney Animal Kingdom but these are my favorites and the most popular. You will need an entire day to visit this park. Tomorrow we will discuss dining and entertainment at the Animal Kingdom.

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Disney Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite Disney World theme parks. As you can imagine from the name the focal point of the Animal Kingdom is the opportunity to get unique viewing opportunities of animals normally found in Africa. The park is huge, covering more than 500 acres, and it is home to more than 1700 animals.

My favorite attraction at the Animal Kingdom is the Kilimanjaro Safaris. The ride takes you on an African safari where you get to see giraffes, elephants, lions, and many, many other wild animals in a very natural environment. You ride in a safari type vehicle (see picture), think large army type truck with rows of seats, that is open air allowing you many opportunities to photograph the animals. This is a must do ride and it is for all ages. My suggestion is to go to this attraction first. The animals tend to be out more in the mornings due to the cooler weather and also due to feeding times.

My favorites show in the Disney World Parks is also at the Animal Kingdom and that is the Festival of the Lion King. All I can really say about this show is WOW! Get there early and try to sit on the first row or two. If you don't that's ok because all of the seats are good. This is a 30 minute Broadway caliber show with amazing costumes, amazing singing, and amazing performances by the monkeys, the giraffes, Timon, Pumba, all of them. I will say this, if you only see one "show" in your entire trip to Orlando, see this one!

There are many dining opportunities, and we will talk about those in a future post, but my suggestion is call in advance and make lunch reservations for the Rain Forest Cafe located near the entrance to the park. It's a great place to cool off and the food is very good. And of course you have the entertainment inside the cafe as well!

Details tomorrow on the various attractions at Disney Animal Kingdom.

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Disney Hollywood studios will celebrate its 20th anniversary this month. The studio was originally known as Disney MGM Studios. The name was changed in January 2008 to Disney Hollywood Studio's.

I'm going to be right up front with you about this park. I like it but it is not my favorite. I actually prefer Universal Studios over Disney Hollywood. I will also admit I have only been to this park once or twice and it is actually number 4 on my personal list of the 4 major Disney Parks. Now, understand I'm not saying this is a bad park, quite the contrary, I'm just saying my preference for this type of park would be Universal Studios. That being said let's get to it.

Disney Hollywood is just that. A theme park wrapped around and covered up with movie and television related attractions and shows. It is a fun park to visit so if you have plenty of time during your Orlando vacation be sure to allow time to visit this park.

There are some must see attractions at Disney Hollywood.

Studio Backlot Tour - This is a very interesting tour that lets you in on some of "secrets" of making movies. You will be shown how sea storms and sea battles are created. You will encounter pyrotechnics. You will be taken through a prop warehouse where you will stage settings and props from shows and movies. Let's not forget the earthquake, the flash flood, and of course and a couple of really cool explosions.

Star Tours - This tour is not about movie stars. No, it's about Star Wars. And it is one of the better attractions inside the Hollywood park. This is basically trip through space Star Wars style and it is fun. You will be greeted outside by R2D2 and C3PO.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - This attraction is not for the little guys or the faint of heart. Experience a 13 story drop as you visit the once famous Hollywood Tower Hotel.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular - This is another very good show to attend while at Disney Hollywood. This is a 30 minute show that recreates many of the famous scenes from the Indiana Jones movies. Remember the giant rolling boulder? You will see it here! Also, you will learn how many of the stunts and special effects from the Indy movies were done.

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show - Another stunt show with automobiles as the main attraction. Cars flying through the air, explosions, fire and lot's of near misses. This is a 33 minutes long show that is also very good! Think of the movie Fast and the Furious combined with Evel Kneivel. Here is a short video clip!

Tomorrow we will look at in park dining as well as other things to do at Disney Hollywood!

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You have been looking forward to this day for some time now. You have planned and budgeted for the trip and the day has finally arrived. You are headed to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World!


Take the bus or your car to the Disney parking area where you will head to the Monorail station. Board the Monorail for your trip into the Magic Kingdom.


Secret Tip==> If you happen to be fortunate enough to end up in the front que for the 1st Monorail car ask the conductor if you and your children can ride in the engineers car with them. This is an especially awesome view at night. You have an unobstructed view going into to each stop and into the Monorail station at the Magic Kingdom.

Disney Tips and Tricks can be found here. It is worth the money!

Once you deboard the monorail at Magic Kingdom you will head toward the main entrance which is just a short walk. My suggestion to you at this point is to invest in an "Autograph Book" so that your children, or you, can collect the signatures of the various Disney characters that you will encounter at the various Disney Parks. (Tip>>>Bring a pen or two as the characters to do not carry pens with them. Also, some of them have a difficult time grasping a small pen because of their costume so you may want to bring one that is easy to grip.) Also, at this time I would suggest you obtain a park map so can navigate the Magic Kingdom. If you have older kids make sure you arrange for a meeting point at a certain place in the park at a certain time so you can regroup.


The park is divided into 7 different area's:


Mainstreet USA

Adventureland

Frontierland

Liberty Square

Fantasyland

Mickey's Toon Town Fair

Tomorrowland


Mainstreet USA is just that. You will find the Disney Railroad and the trolley cars. It is one of the first area's you encounter when you enter the Magic Kingdom. Ther are many shops as well. I suggest you make a quick pass through Mainstreen USA upon entering the park and head to one of the other areas that have rides. Mainstreet is also the headquarters for the City Hall, the bank (ATM), reserve dining privileges, pick up wheel chairs, strollers, etc.


Adventureland is an Adventure. The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean are just two of the many rides in Adventureland. You really must do the Pirates of the Caribbean. I can still remember the first time I rode this ride as a youngster. The cannon's firing, the smoke, the water, the waterfall drop. WoW! And it really is pretty tame and for the whole group!


Frontierland takes you back to the old west and the frontier life. There you will have the opportunity to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. Be sure you do this.


Libertyland is about the coming of age of our great country, along with a few other things. We always enjoy the Hall of Presidents. The animatronic presidents are quit good as is the animatronic narrator, Mark Twain. Also, another must do attraction in Libertyland is the Haunted Mansion. This is a really fun tour through the Haunted Mansion.


Fantasyland get's you more into the actual Disney fantasy adventures. It's A Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, and the Mad Tea Party are just a few of the rides in this area. I know it may be a little hokey for the adults, and you will be humming the song for the rest of the day, but you really must ride the It's A Small World ride. The music and the animated dolls are very good. Just think about this ride and how long it's been around and it's still good!


Mickey's Toon Town Fair is where many of the characters are located. There you can see the "homes" of some of the Disney characters. The main thing here is to keep your autograph book and camera handy as you should encounter Disney characters.


Tomorrowland is the future. Here you will encounter Space Mountain, Astro Orbit, Buzz Lightyear Ailen Encounter, and the Tomorrowland Speedway. I would recommend Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear in this area. Space Mountain is basically an indoor roller coaster (you are riding a rocket ship through space) and the Buzz Lightyear ride is interactive as you are shooting your "laser gun" at aliens scoring points along the way!


Parades and Fireworks


The "Dreams Come True Parade" is held every afternoon at 3pm. Find a place along the parade route where you can watch the parade and take pictures. This is a very colorful and exciting parade. I would recommend trying to get near the central hub on Main Streen to watch the parade because there is shade and you will be able to see the entire parade. Pick out a good spot and get there a little early to find you a spot.


The Disney Wishes fireworks show is held each evening at 10pm. This fantastic music and fireworks display is first class all the way. It basically wraps up the festivities for the day and shuts down the park each night. Be patient if you stay for the fireworks show. It will take a little time to exit the park, catch the monorail or other transportation and get back to your hotel.


Tomorrow we will discuss FastPass, dining in the park, and character breakfasts at Magic Kingdom.

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There are a lot of things to do in Orlando. Once you arrive and get checked into your hotel you will have a multitude of options. Hopefully you will have planned your itinerary in advance as this will allow you to make the best use of your time during your stay in Orlando. In this post we will give you a high level look at the various attractions and things to do. In following posts we will delve into the details of the larger attractions in the Orlando area.

Orlando Theme Parks

Disney World is THE primary attraction in Orlando, Florida. When most people say Disney World they really mean all the Disney related parks. These are the 4 big parks under the Disney umbrella:

Magic Kingdom - This is the oldest park and the park that most people think of when you say "Disney World". It is the one with Cinderella's Castle, Space Mountain, and of course Mickey Mouse.

Epcot Center - This park was built after the Magic Kingdom and it is an interesting park and one of my favorites. It contains Spaceship Earth. This the most notable visible icon of Epcot. It looks like a giant silver golf ball. This park contains a lot of information about technology and has World Showcase which allows you to "visit" several different countries around the world.

Animal Kingdom - The Tree of Life is the focal point of Animal Kingdom. There are lots of opportunities to see animals, especially on the Safari. In addition they have recently added a new ride attraction called "Expedition Everst".

Disney Hollywood - This park is about entertainment in the form of movies and television. There are live stunt shows and high speed rides. Don't miss the Tower of Terror and Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

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Universal Studios is one of my favorite parks if not my favorite. There are really two parks here. Universal Studios where you will visit movie sets and see live action shows, stunt shows, and adventure rides. After you finish up at Universal go next door (literally) to Islands of Adventure. This is for the thrill lovers and the folks that like rides. Multiple roller coasters like Hulk and Dueling Dragons and thrill rides like Spiderman (the BEST) and Jurassic Park (very good).

Seaworld is an old standby that is always good entertainment. Especially if you like animals. Some of the shows are very entertaining. Don't miss Shamu! Seaworld has worked on upgrading their park with some thrill rides. Journey to Atlantis is a very good ride.

In addition to the Theme Parks there are go-cart parks, water parks, and a Ripley's Believe It or Not. There are shows like the Blue Man Group and the Arabian Knights Dinner Attraction.

If your schedule permits and you are up for it drive over one day to the Kennedy Space Center. Not only is it educational it is very fun for the entire family. Who knows, if you are lucky you may be able to catch a rocket launch or even better a Space Shuttle launch.

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