Disney World

I've been to Disney World three times. Twice as a family vacation and once as a trip with the school band. Highlights of these trips include many of the rides (especially Carousel of Progress and Splash Mountain), the Disney All Star Music Hotel, and going around Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival.

Quick Tips:

Get to the parks as soon as they open and go straight for the most popular rides. Lines build up very quickly at these rides and don't get shorter until the end of the day, so you have to hit them early. I went once when Haunted Mansion had a 45 minute wait around noon, and it is only a moderately popular attraction!

Think carefully about when to visit. Summer is hot and crowded but you don't have to worry about missing school. Spring break isn't quite as hot, but it's surprisingly crowded. Going at a really strange time and missing school isn't a bad idea, but if that isn't an option, Thanksgiving is great time to go. Good weather and many schools don't give that full week as a holiday so crowds are much more manageable than at spring break.

If possible, stay on Disney property at one of their hotels. This gives you access to many perks and Disney Transportation to and from your hotel. You may pay a little more, but the extras are well worth it.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around is Disney Transportation, namely the buses. The buses drop you very close to the front of the parks and run constantly to and from the hotels throughout the day. Also, if you miss a bus, you'll only have a five minute wait since there are so many, instead of the thirty you would have at a hotel with only one bus per park.

We stayed in the Calypso themed area of the resort, which was great. It was very close to the breakfast area and the bus stop, which was a very good thing. Some of the rooms are a 10-minute walk from the bus stops, which isn't appealing at the end of a long day of walking around the parks. Requesting a room in a location that suits your needs is very important. The Calypso area suited our desire for minimal walking perfectly.

This is the cheapest Disney hotel, which is reflected by the extremely small rooms. The room was almost uncomfortably small at times, and any more than four people would not be able to handle it. Luckily, we were only three, so the room worked fine, but it did feel a bit claustrophobic at times.

This is one of the best hotels in the Orlando area. It is located on Disney property right by Downtown Disney. You can walk there within five minutes! Bus service to the parks is also very reliable, although not quite up to the service you receive at a Disney hotel.

The rooms are clean and spacious with comfortable beds. The TV had cable and showed the Disney station with information on the parks. Hotel amenities include dining, spa, pool, children's activities, and other such things. The restaurant was excellent for a hotel.

This hotel is great for people who want more value for their dollar than a Disney hotel would give them. It's also a good choice for anybody who wants to be on Disney property but not stay at a Disney hotel.

The Coronado Springs is a Disney moderate resort, which means it's a step up from the All Star and Pop Century, but a step below the ones surrounding the lake in front of the Magic Kingdom. It's worth the extra money compared to the budget resorts for the larger rooms and the far superior bus service.

Bus service is fantastic. Four stops around the resort make every room an easy walk to a stop. You never have to wait more than ten minutes for the bus you want, and this resort does not share bus service with any other.

The rooms are great. Spacious and clean, a family of four would have space to be comfortable. There is an ice machine and drink machine on every floor. There are three different areas of the resort, but the only difference in the rooms is the decor, which is tasteful and not distracting in every case.

A neat perk to staying at a Disney resort is the way they do room keys. You get a personalized credit card upon arrival that works as a room key, park ticket, and credit card anywhere on property. Makes everything very simple and prevents having to care around a bajillion things your entire vacation.

My only complaint about this resort is the distance of many of the rooms from the main building. As the main building is the only place to get breakfast, this can make for a long walk first thing in the morning. My advice is to look at a map of the resort and request a room in a building close to the main one. Disney is usually very accommodating to such requests.

I absolutely loved this restaurant! It's so much fun to eat at—with all the Hollywood decor and pictures of famous people around, who wouldn't have a great time?!

The best part is by far all the props from well-known movies and TV shows. It's so much fun to go around and see all the famous Hollywood props. When I ate here, one of my favourite shows was Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and they had her spell book on display. I flipped out and took several pictures of it!

The food is actually surprisingly good. Most themed places like this depend on the gimmick and not the food to attract customers, but Planet Hollywood is one of the few exceptions. I really enjoyed their spaghetti, and their garlic bread was delicious. Portions are very large, so be prepared to take some home with you!

Since most people know the basics of Disney World, I'm going to focus on two of my favourite attractions in the Magic Kingdom.

My favourite attraction is Carousel of Progress. Unfortunately, this isn't a very popular one, so it's only open during the busiest times of the year. This attraction is a show where you watch an animatronic family go through the years and discuss new technology around their home. It sounds boring and dry, but parts are very funny and it holds your attention surprisingly well. The song that plays during scene changes is very catchy - I have the whole thing memorized. A must-see attraction!

Another favourite of mine is Splash Mountain. This may look like a typical log flume ride, but it's nothing like one at all. It takes a full 7 minutes to go through the mountain, and you're being told a story the entire time. The story of Brier Rabbit grows darker and darker after every drop, and reaches its climax right before the big famous end drop. After the drop, you see the happy ending while Zip-a-dee-doo-dah plays in the background. The drop never loses its impact, so this is one log flume worth multiple rides.

From the moment you step into the Magic Kingdom, you know Walt would be proud. All the rides are creative, fun, and well-maintained. The park is kept sparkling clean and staff is always friendly, especially towards little kids. And of course, one thing makes the Magic Kingdom better than all the other parks in Disney World—that awesome castle that every little girl (and most big ones) wants to live in!

I've found that you have to be a little older to enjoy this park. It is really geared towards teens, with The Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster being the prominent attractions in the park.

I really enjoyed Tower of Terror, as I'm a big fan of free-fall rides. The theme of this attraction is awesome as well, with its creepy Hollywood Hotel decor.

Rockin' Roller Coaster is the biggest and scariest roller coaster in Disney World, and the only one that goes upside down. It's exhilarating and tons of fun.

Most of the other attractions in the park are live shows, which all have top notch talent. The best live show is Fantasmic, which takes place at night. It's an awesome spectacle of laser lights, sound, and live and animated characters.

This is the park where you feel Walt the least, but that doesn't mean it contains any less of the Disney Magic. It definitely holds up to the Disney standards. But, your opinion of this park will be based mainly on whether you like thrill rides and live shows or not. A bit of a shame, but true.

Epcot is divided into two separate sections called Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is designed to showcase the most modern technology available in today's world. This is also the section of the park where most of the rides are. World Showcase houses exhibits of various world countries, but very few have something to do within their pavilions besides shopping and food.

One of the most popular rides is Test Track, where you ride in a car going through a series of tests. Lines get long and the ride is frequently shut down for various reasons throughout the day, so see this attraction first if it's a priority.

Mission Space, where you are an astronaut, is another huge attraction that should be seen early in the day. This attraction is rough and induces motion sickness in even the strongest stomachs. I felt poorly for a good half hour after riding this and do not recommend it at all.

World Showcase houses two gentle boat rides and three panoramic movies within its many countries. The real attraction here is the food. Every country has at least one restaurant that serves native food. While often pricey, most are high quality and reasonably authentic. Live entertainment also goes on throughout the day, with the Chinese acrobats and Canadian rock band being particularly noted.

Epcot is wonderful and educational and is a great favourite of many, particularly adults. The average child under 10 would probably be much more impressed with the Magic Kingdom. Still, plan on spending a full day in this gigantic park no matter what your age. It's that cool!