Walt Disney World

Working in the WDW Monorail system. A fairy tale wedding Disney-style. Some of the most fabulous restaurants on the planet.

Quick Tips:

Stay in one of the many themed resort hotels to maximize your visit. Resort guests have lots of extra privileges including early entry to parks, late stays to Magic Kingdom, paid parking, free use of transportation, exclusive use of facilities, etc.

TIP: Book early for hotels, especially during summer & holiday peak periods. Book "Priority Seating" for sit-down restaurants & dinner shows as far as 60 days in advance at 407-WDW-DINE.

If visiting in the summer, wear light clothing as Florida heat is brutal! If going on rides that involve water, wear aerobic wear or swimsuit under shorts. Expect long lines for popular rides (see Fast Pass tip) & restaurants. Exercise patience and your visit will be rewarding.

Best Way To Get Around:

In all parks, you will do a lot of walking so wear comfortable shoes. Disney has a great transportation system (monorail, busses, boats) - learn it's workings to maximize efficiency. Sometimes using a car is best, since parking is free for hotel guests.

The best (& most expensive) hotel, next to the Magic Kingdom, is my personal favorite. I''ve stayed there 3 times and it was the site of my wedding in 1995. The hotel is a replica of the Royal Poinciana, a great railroad hotel built by Henry Flagler at the turn of the century for the wealthy visiting Florida. While most of the hotels of that era are gone, it''s gabled roof & gingerbread trim reminds me of the Belleview Biltmore/ Mido which still stands in Clearwater.

Walk into the 5-story high lobby and you go back in time to the era of Victorian elegance. There''s even a grand staircase and cage elevator. A veranda wraps around the back of the main building. Beautiful landscaping abounds with many colors of roses. Makes me want to grab a parasol and go for a stroll. All 900 rooms are luxurious, most recently renovated with Victorian wallpaper & other touches. I preferred the old bed linens (shades of green & peach, fluffy & soft) to the new (faux-Victorian with Alice In Wonderland characters worked into the design.) The best feature - the 2 fluffy bathrobes in each room closet for use during your stay!

TIP: For a splurge, request a room in the main building or building six (concierge)or rooms with a lagoon or Magic Kingdom view - worth the extra $$$. There are 2 pools - the newest just opened & features a winding rock slide. Get pampered with the wonderful spa treatments.

Choose from 5 restaurants (see individual views) including a tea room. There are serveral small shops in main building.

Open for dinner ONLY. This is the restaurant that replaced the old Italian family-style Flagler's on the second floor of the hotel. It's definitely a step up. Billed as the largest of the hotel's restaurants featuring market fresh cuisine from the South of France. I would say the market fresh part is correct, but to me the cuisine is along the New World/Fusion style - fresh ingredients combined in innovative & surprising ways. Guaranteed to tickle the taste buds. Not only is the food a departure from the hotel's Victorian theme, but so is the decor - open and bright with modern geometric designs.

We arrived right as the restaurant was opening for the evening. Our table faced the working kitchen. For a starter, we had a fresh cream of broccoli soup that was ladled over seared jumbo scallops garnished with cheese & chives. Beef carparria followed by seafood filled ravioli in a light broth. For dessert - gingerbread with apple sorbet (all make right there in the restaurant) with carmelized apples. Every course was a total taste treat!

Nice wine selection (we had a '97 Chinon). Go! Enjoy!

One of two casual table-service restaurants on the first floor of the hotel that serve all 3 meals. Sunny windows overlook the pool and rose-laden courtyard. Peach & cream Victorian garden-style decor with marble topped tables and wrought iron backed chairs.

Food is casual and has gone through some changes since opening. American breakfast entrees such as eggs, pancakes, Mickey waffle, eggs Benedict. Try the cappuccino - regular or flavored. Japanese style breakfast also available. Lunch - features speciality sandwiches and salads (try the Grand Floridian Sandwich topped with yummy thin onion rings!) Floribbean cuisine was tried for a while, but according to my mother-in-law who ate there recently, that has changed to include some new entrees for lunch & dinner such as shrimp scampi. Service is well-paced. Be prepared for a short wait at the height of meal times.

Overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon, this restaurant got it's name from a small town near Orlando. When first opened, features Florida cuisine - fresh fish & seafood native to Florida waters, as well as gator. The smoked gator spread was to die for!), chicken, etc. The menu was changed a couple years back to feature more American-style foods with less fish and more adapted to tourist palates. I liked the original concept better as there's something to be said for fresh fish. While I didn't eat there on my most recent visit (June 2001), I understand there has been a return to featuring fish & seafood on the menu once again. Hurray!

If you are not full after your meal (& if you have several people in your party) try the Seven Scoops dessert - seven scoops of different flavors of ice cream & sherbet, sponge cake, whipping cream & toppings. It's so huge, I laughed the first time I saw it! A real belly buster that very few can finish (except NFL players)! Our whole extended family finished one and got it free! (Don't know if they still do that.) Great bar for drinks including the yard of beer.

Snack bar open 24 hours - Has yummy mini pizzas, ice cream, frozen coffee drinks & fruit smoothies as well as the usual drinks & snacks. Great for my husband to get a light breakfast before his 6:30 am fishing cruise. The kids will love it!

A perfect & romantic finish to our wedding day in October, 1995. At that time, there were only 2 settings nightly (6 & 9pm). Now they phase reservations in at 15-minute intervals, but there are no more than 60 diners at any one time. New feature is a table that seats 6 amid the action of the kitchen. Ladies are given a long stemmed rose & you also receive souvenir menus of the evening's selections. They have a good wine list and wine pairings are mentioned on the menu.

The first time we dined here in 1995, we had vension consomme followed by an entree of lamb with vegetables. Following was a course of a pear poached in burgundy wine, Stilton cheese and port, then dessert. Meal is prix-fixe, wine is extra.

The second time we dined there was in October 1996 to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. Again the food was fabulous, we selected venison as the entree, again with the wine-poached pear, Stilton cheese & Austrialian port. Since it was our anniversary, the waitstaff mentioned it through the meal as well as presenting us with a little cake.

TIP: Dress well (jackets required for men) for an elegant multi-course dining experience with impecable service. Leave the kiddies with hotel babysitter unless they are well-behaved - screaming, free running ones will spoil the experience for yourself and other diners. I have actually seen a couple of mature well-mannered children while dining there.

Victoria & Albert's was recently given AAA's 5 Diamond Award, the only restaurant in Orlando and only one of 3 in Florida to earn this rating.

A Victorian Tea Room located at the back of the lobby at the Grand Floridian. Open 2-6pm daily, featuring old-fashioned English-style tea and all the goodies. A peaceful place to relax, overlooking the rose garden. Menu has packages for fixed price & a la carte selections. Recommendation: Select a package for value. Everything is served on elegant china.

There are a assortment of teas to choose from. Loose tea is brewed in a china pot and you pour it through a filter into your cup. We were taking tea as a light lunch & selected the basic Tea for Two which included tea sandwiches for each of us - Egg Salad on potato & chive bread, Watercress on multi-grain, salmon spread on pumpernickel & chicken salad with almonds on marble (this latter sandwich could be improved with a better bread).

We also had the Gentleman's Tea Platter which consists of a duck liver pate, crab corsini, and berries. Next came a wonderfully moist raisin-packed scone with devonshire cream (yum!) & a jam tart, followed by a choice of 2 from the dessert tray - I had a swan-shaped cream puff filled with fresh whipped cream (that hinted slightly of amaretto), a round slivered almond candy-like cookie that had chocolate on the bottom. My husband had the chocolate-cream filled eclairs. Other dessert choices: strawberry mousse, coconut cake, flat almond cookies, chocolate dipped strawberries. Extras on the menu include a tea package with a choice of sparking wine or port, trifle, strawberries & cream, tea bread, & coffee. What a lovely way to spend a part of the afternoon. Suggestion: Great setting for a bridal luncheon!

Bet not many of you knew you could fish in the fabulous lakes at Disney World! You can, but only via one of the guided fishing cruises. Both Bay Lake & the Seven Seas Lagoon are stocked with 70,000 bass. It's strictly 'catch & release', but what fun! My husband looks forward to this every time we stay at Disney as it's the only time he fishes all year.

Advance reservations are required (call 407-WDW-PLAY). Five people can be accommodated per boat. Guides make guest pick ups at Fort Wilderness (originating point), Contemporary, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge & Grand Floridian hotels. You can bring your own gear or it can be provided. Bait is provided.

There are two mornings excursions and one late afternoon one. Trips last 2 hours, but you can book an extra hour if there is not another trip booked following yours. Drinks & light snacks are served.

Other fishing excursions are available at Dixie Landings, Yacht/Beach Club & Boardwalk.

Self fishing is permitted in the waterways of Fort Wilderness. Fish may be kept by guests staying at Fort Wilderness with cooking facilities only. Canoes & gear can be rented at the Bike Barn.

Any sunny day these mini speed boats can be seen darting across Bay Lake, Seven Seas Lagoon & in Lake Buena Vista. (Guests in the past may remember they have had the other names of Aqua Larks & Water Spirits). Due to their small size, you can feel every bit of the 22-mph speed.

Boat rentals are available at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Fort Wilderness, Yacht & Beach Club, Carribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, & Downtown Disney Marketplace marinas.

Restrictions: Must be 12 years of age and/or at least 5 feet tall to rent. Kids under the minimum age may ride with a adult (but not drive the boat). Boat holds 2 people.

Life jackets are provided and required as the 'dead-man' switch plugs into the jacket. While you can go almost anywhere in the lakes, restricted & no-wake zones are posted. Interferring with the Magic Kingdom ferries & other guest transportation watercraft is prohibited. The waters are patroled and violators will be escorted back to marina of origin (boats are color-coded). Warm days from 10am-4pm are the busiest. Wear bathsuits or other such attire as it is possible to get wet.

Sailboats are also available for rent at the Contemporary, Polynesian & Grand Floridian to experienced sailors. Models accommodate 2 to 6 people & range in price from $12 to $20 per hour.

We chose the Wedding Pavilion at Disney World for our October, 1995 wedding because I had worked there for almost 5 years and my husband is a big Disney fan! It certainly was different and attracted many of our out-of-state relatives who combined it with a vacation.

You work with a wedding planner and they cater to your every need (well, almost, but that's another story). We are talking fantasy here - no detail is left to chance. Pre-wedding consultations even included tasting samples of selected champagne & cake (good thing since my husband didn't like one of the cake fillings). The theme was a combination of Victorian Wedding with ice skating touches since I am a ice dancer & skating judge.

The rehearsal dinner was a clam bake buffet at the Yacht Club. Guests could listen & dance to a jazz trio. Lucky for us we enjoyed the additional treat of fireworks from MGM!

The day of the wedding, I had an expert hair stylist & make-up artist make me into a fairy princess for my special day. At the pre-wedding photo shoot, we realized the bridesmaids silk dupioni skirts & Victorian lace blouses matched the hotel decor.

I was the center of attention in the main lobby as more photos were taken. One ltttle girl thought I was Cinderella & asked for my autograph!

I rode with my flower girl to the wedding pavilion in grand style in a Victorian open carriage. As we approached, Monorail Silver stopped over us & the passengers waved - a special treat arranged by my husband as a salute to me as an ex-Monorail driver.

The wedding ceremony was held in the sunny Victorian-style chapel overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon. (Some hidden Mickeys here so look for them!)

We rode back to the Grand Floridian in the carriage for the reception. Guests drank iced lemonade & listened to a bagpiper. We made our entrance & enjoyed a luncheon based on Victorian food of cream of asparagus soup & stuffed rolled chicken breast.

The cake was delicious, consisting of alternating layers of white cake with amaretto cream filling (the favorite!) and chocolate cake with raspberry filling. Buttercream frosting was trimmed with chocolate-flavored frosting ribbon swags & roses (I had requested real chocolate be used, so this was goof!), and topped with a real chocolate mold of Mickey & Minnie dressed in Victorian skating costumes complete with skates (based on figures I lent them). Champagne & sparkling apple cider were the toast drinks.

We exceeded the limit Disney set for reception food cost, and were awarded a free honeymoon room for our wedding night.

Is it expensive? It can be, depending on the size of your wedding and your desires. I had worked for Disney as well as doing a large convention once so I knew how to keep costs down, yet get what I desired.

TIPS: Know what you want. High on the list that Disney does well: the food, especially the cake. They also have a list of clergy, photographers, videographers, etc if you are our of town. Keep accurate records of all paperwork & phone calls. Check the final bill. Be creative and you can have a fairy tale wedding too!