Wonderful Week at DisneyWorld

Walt Disney World is truly a magical and wonderful place. It is a must see for the young and old alike. Plan a day by day itinerary. Make a list of the MUST SEES. We went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, Blizzard Beach and Typoon Lagoon.

I had always wanted to take my children there. I am a single parent. I either could not take the time off work or could not afford to go until this year. My children are now young adults - ages 20 and 22. We also took one of my son's best friends and my other son's fiance. I truly believe they appreciated it more at their age than they would have if they were younger.

Quick Tips:

Use the fast passes. It really does work! People would give us funny looks and sometimes down right mean looks when we were able to walk up to the front of the line because we had fast passes.

Plan on getting to the parks early and staying until they close down for the night.

If you want a great seat for any of the parades you need to plant yourself on the curb at least 2 hours prior to the parade for a good view. Same with Fantasmic at MGM - get to the ampitheater about 2 hours prior to the show.

Pack some moleskin to help prevent blisters and/or to help protect blisters once you get them. We also bought some gel insoles for our shoes!

You can not have too many cameras - and don't forget to take a water proof camera if you go to the water parks!

Best Way To Get Around:

We rented a mini-van and drove to Walt Disney World every day. Once we got to one park we used the Disney World transportation such as the monorail, ferry, and bus system to get between the parks. If you are going to one of the water parks it is better if you drive your car to that water park. We went to the water parks in the morning (free parking) and then drove to the theme park we were visiting that afternoon and evening. It worked out wonderful and we did not have to make a lot of "Disney" bus transfers in order to get to/from the water parks.

Best Things Nearby:
This place is close to all of the major attractions. Walt Disney World is only about 6 miles away. Also very close to Medieval Times, Al Capones, Boston Lobster Feast, and many other major attractions.

Best Things About the Resort:
The staff. They could not be friendlier or more helpful. We asked for extra pillows and received them in a matter of minutes. Need more soap? No problem. The place was clean and very well maintained.

Resort Experience:
We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. It had a screened in patio with a ceiling fan, table and chairs on the patio. The kitchen was very well equipped and large. Nice furniture throughout the condo. Jacuzzi bath in the master suite. King size bed in the master suite, twin beds in the 2nd bedroom. 2nd bathroom is off the hall so it is accessible without going into a bedroom. Living room has a sofa bed that opens up and sleeps 2. I was informed that it was just as comfortable sleeping on the sofa bed as it was in the bed.

The resort has a lot to offer in the way of amenities and activites. However, we were spent most of our time at Disney World, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, etc.

What was really wonderful about the resort was that we were able to go to the pool late in the evening/early morning to unwind, cool off and relax after a whirlwind day. The pool closes at 11:00 pm I think but as long as you are quiet and don't disturb the other guests they will let you use the facility after hours.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

When I heard and read about the Polynesian Luau it became a MUST SEE AND DO for me. I am so glad that we did despite the fact that it is a little pricy. The food was fantastic and the show was great! The service excellent and of course the Disney staff truly wonderful and magical! The young adult men in my group had their pictures taken with the hula girl dancers after the show. Were they ever thrilled. I too, of course, had my picture taken with the fire dancer guy and male dancers. The food is served to your table, but it is "all you can eat". The shrimp fried rice was our favorite!

We really enjoyed Medieval Times. The food was good and the show was great! They also make a very mean Pina Colada. Check out all the discount coupons they have in the papers and stuff. You can find coupons to save you money on the price of the dinner and show. I think we had a coupon for $5.00 off per person. Be prepared to eat with your fingers; no utensils provided. Eat, drink and be merry! They also have a wonderful gift shop.

Without a coupon I think the price is approximately $42.00 a person. There are coupons galore for 50% off. Take advantage of the coupon. We went to Al Capone's the first night we arrived in Orlando. It is an Italian Buffet. The food is good but not out of this world - except for the sausage and peppers which were out of this world. The show was really good and so cute! My family really enjoyed the show; which surprised me for young men ages 19, 20 and 22. But, they really loved it! Afterwards they had their pictures taken with the show girls.

Oh, beverages are included with the price of your meal. You can have unlimited beer or Sangria. That's a bonus in itself.

You'll love the procedure for admission to the building. Very, very cute!

Souvenir photos and of course other gifts for sale.

Don't miss Animal Kingdom. It is beautiful! Unfortunately, we only were able to see about a third of Animal Kingdom due to time constraints; but it was wonderful. Must sees at are the Dinosaur roller coaster, the Tree of Life, Its Tough To Be A Bug, the safari ride and the rapids ride. Sit back and enjoy the scenery. Listen to the animals and birds. Don't miss Tarzan Rocks. A wonderful show!

Great food, great gift shops. Lots of characters for greeting and autographs.

Before going to Walt Disney World I thought MGM Studios would be my least favorite theme park. Wrong! It is wonderful! Of course, it has that Disney Magical air about the whole place. Have your picture taken with Jessie, Woody, and Light Buzzyear. Ride the Aerosmith Rock N Roller Coaster. Take on the Twilight Tower of Terror. Watch the shows...Hunchback of Notre Dame, etc. Don't miss Indiana Jones Stunt Show or the Star Tours attraction. AN ABSOLUTE MUST SEE is Fantasmic. It was so wonderful that I cried afterwards. I was with 4 people who had cell phones and they were all calling someone back home to tell them how wonderful Fantasmic was - and we had not even left the park yet.

Epcot. What a thrill! People told me that all I would need would be 1/2 a day at Epcot. WRONG! I loved the place. I spent almost an entire day there and still was not able to ride all the rides I wanted to ride or see all the attractions and shows. Don't miss the Tapestry of Dreams Parade. It is really wonderful and different! Stroll along the Showcase of the World and sample foods in the different countrys. Make sure you see there show and fireworks display at the end of the evening. Truly wonderful, magical and spectacular.

We took dozens and dozens of photos and a co-worker who has been fortunate enough to travel the world told me that some of the buildings at Epcot in the different countrys were perfect replicas of the real thing.

Staff was courteous, kind, helpful, and always with a smile.

Get your beverage, snack, and find a good seat for the show at the end of the evening. I recommend finding your seat 2 hours prior to the show for best viewing.

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit 2 of the 3 water parks Disney has to offer. We went to Typhoon Lagoon one day and Blizzard Beach on another day. I really enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon and if I had to pick just 1 water park to go to it would be Typhoon Lagoon. They have a wave pool and Blizzard Beach does not. Plus, you can even go snorkeling at no cost. They even provide the gear! What more could you ask for? Not into the wild tube rides? No problem...lay back in an inner tube and float down the lazy river.

We started 2 different days out at a water park and then drove over to one of the major Disney theme parks. It worked out very good that way.

Oh my gosh...truly magical. From the moment you walk through the gates you are just awestruck. There is no better feeling than to stroll down Main Street USA towards Cinderella's Castle. Oh my gosh! How beautiful! Magic Kingdom and the whole Walt Disney World Resort was more than I ever could have imagined.

Of course I had to ride the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, It's A Small World, Pirates of the Carribbean, Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventure, and the Winnie the Pooh attraction. How could I pass up Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Astro Orbiter, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster, etc.

Don't miss the Hall of Presidents. Truly impressive. The young adults even got into it and were impressed and thrilled when they were able to see all of our Presidents up on stage at one time, nodding, moving, and speaking!

Don't miss Share A Dream Come True parade and Spectromagic Parade and fireworks. Get a good curbside seat about 2 hours prior to the parade and firework show. We staked out our place and then took turns guarding our seats while others went souvenir shopping and to get beverages and snacks for enjoyment while watching the parade.

We also bought a 2 day pass to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I really enjoyed Islands of Adventure and they have a lot of thrill rides there - wild coasters for the brave hearted. They also have areas similar to Epcot where they have little different worlds. We really enjoyed it. A definite must do again.

Spiderman is a MUST SEE ride! It was one of my favorite rides. The raft ride and the log ride are the best raft ride or log ride you will ever come across! Watch out - you will get soaked!

Universal Studios on the other hand was disappointing to most of us. I could not wait to get there to ride "Twister", "Earthquake", "King King", etc. What a disappointment the rides were. The Animal Planet live show was good! But, I would not spend the money to go to Universal Studios again.