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Orlando just for kids?!? I don't think so! As adults we have dreams and wishes too...
So off to the airport we went...2 adults ready to enjoy some down time and adventure in the Orlando area, with most of our time to be spent in the Walt Disney World area.
We flew Northwest out of Winnipeg to Minneapolis and then to Orlando. The flights were average, expect nothing for service and amenities and you will be satisfied.
Once on the ground in Orlando (around 11 :30 pm), we had to wait until midnight to pick up our car from Alamo, otherwise they would charge us an additional day.
"Let your dreams lead the way
and you're sure to arrive at a
magical place...where every
wish
you ever kept locked in your
heart is free to transform you." |
We made our way to the Country Inn & Suites in the Lake Beuna Vista area, about 1 mile from Downtown Disney.
The hotel was clean and quiet, it had an outdoor pool and a wonderful continental breakfast included with our room. Waffles, eggs, toast, muffins, juice, bagels, etc. We had breakfast here each day.
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TIP: Arrive early to avoid the
line-ups
at main attractions.
Disney Christmas Parade
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Our first full day we were off to the Magic Kingdom. The drive from our hotel was short, about 10 minutes, and upon arrival, we cashed in our voucher for our 7 days park hopper passes.
We traveled by boat from the transportation and ticket center to the Magic Kingdom entrance. There were a lot of kids dressed up in fairy and princess dresses and lots of Christmas hats on the parents...we found out why...the Disney Christmas Parade was being filmed that very day! We saw the celebrity hosts, Regis and Kelly, and then dashed away from the crowds to Fantasy Land.
It is important to arrive early if you want to beat the crowds. It was a beautiful morning, around 75 F, and so we headed straight to Splash Mountain for the wild water flume ride. Wild it was! We got quite wet but survived the 50 foot drop on the ride!
50 Foot Splash Mountain Plunge!
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We hit a few of the major rides early each day, and the longest we ever waited was 10 minutes, if the wait was longer, we chose to come back when there was no or little wait.
The whole resort was decked out in Christmas decorations beyond your wildest dreams! Disney style means to go all out and they do that!
Each of the 4 theme parks had theme Christmas trees and events throughout all hours of the day. It was hard to choose which park and which events to all take in. With the park hopper passes, you are able to travel to any or all of the 4 Disney parks through out the day.
Magic Kingdom Christmas Tree
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Pirates of the Caribbean Ride
Finding Nemo at Epcot's Aquarium
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At the Disney/MGM Studios, the Christmas highlight is the Osborne Family Christmas Light Spectacle. Over 3 million lights, 6 miles of rope lights and lights that dance to music create this magical experience. Oh yeah, it also snows, yes, snows, when the lights come on!
We spent a full day at the studios park. Lights, Motors, Action! is a new extreme stunt show where they actually film a short movie which involves various stunts, including numerous car chases.
It was a wonderful show, but get there early! The stadium fills up quickly, especially later in the day.
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Disney's Animal Kingdom combines fun and adventure with wildlife and nature.
As with the other parks, check out the main attractions early (Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, DINASOUR, Kali River Rapids).
The Animal Kingdom has a new roller coaster, Expedition Everest. The architecture of the mountain and ride in general, is astonishing, and hard to fathom on how they create such an attraction. Although we did not ride the coaster, the shrieks and screams we heard let us know that it must also be exhilarating.
The Tree of Life at the center of the Animal Kingdom hosts "It's A Bugs Life" 3D movie (well 4D...check it out, you will know what we mean). The tree is monstrous, and has many carvings on its trunk.
There are various shows and events including a live Lion King broadway style show, a live Finding Nemo stage show, and various other shows including birds and animals.
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The Kilimanjaro Safari was a highlight for us where we saw a wide range of animals on a safari ride. Disney has created a safari range where it appears that there is nothing between you and the beasts of the jungle.
TIP: Try the safari ride at different times of the day as the animal habits change and you may see a variation of species on each trip.
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Disney's Epcot is split into 2 parts, Future World and World Showcase.
Future World has numerous exhilarating rides and attractions, including Test Track, Mission Space, Soarin', and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience just to name a few. We also enjoyed the fountain at the center area which danced to music several times every hour.
World Showcase has attractions from 11 nations. You can explore their cultures and cuisine with great entertainment around every corner.
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Don't miss Disney at night! With the exception of the Animal Kingdom, each of the 3 other parks take on a new and special light as the sun drops.
The fireworks at Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Disney/MGM Studios that are presented virtually every night are spectacular!
At Epcot there is a light, laser, and music show Illuminations combined with video that is projected onto a large ball in the middle of the lagoon.
The Magic Kingdom presents Wishes, a nighttime extravaganza that starts with Tinker Bell flying from Cinderella's Castle, and continues with fireworks and music. It is truly magical.
Disney/MGM Studios offers a show that combines stage, water, fireworks and special effects in Fantasmic! Arrive early for this show, as seating is limited and fills in quickly. Bring a popcorn for while you wait.
NOTE: The popcorn at all the Disney parks was hands-down the best we have ever eaten! It was a daily event for us (sometime 2 or 3 times a day, haha!). Try the Mickey bars too, gourmet ice cream, well worth the $2.50.
TIP: Head back to your hotel for a break and supper, then go back to the parks for the evening. Your parking pass is valid at all the parks for the entire day and with the park hopper pass, you can enjoy 1 or all 4 of the parks on the same day too.
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Sea World was the other big park that we visited. We love animals and it is a special feeling to be up close with them and to be able to watch their behaviors including under the water.
Sea World's shows have changed slightly from the past and they are trying to be on the more entertaining side than the educational side. They still offer educational information at all their attractions, but the shows are done as more of an entertainment package. Interesting though, in 2 of the shows we saw, the animals were not fully cooperating and had to regroup and start over...shows who is really running the organization!
Sea World is very well laid out and you can pick up a schedule when you enter that lays out all the shows and the times that you can see them. It is fairly easy to experience most of the park in 1 day, provided you don't spend too much time waiting for a few of the busy attractions.
We had lunch at the Shark attraction, which is an aquarium full of sharks right in front of you! It was a great experience and was fun to watch the many, many sharks in the tank. This is the same aquarium that hosts the main shark attraction and used to be the general viewing area.
Shamu Stadium Show
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Sea World Main Entrance
Check the 2 Days for 1 Price Upgrade
which is offered various times of the year.
Shark's Underwater Grill
Sea Lion & Otter Show
Penguin Encounter
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We took in Cirque de Soleil's La Nouba at Downtown Disney. It was a whimsical production with a few strange twists. I thought there would be more aerobatics, so it was not quite what we expected.
Cirque De Soleil
There are a lot of shops and entertainment in the Downtown Disney area. A great place to stroll, sit and watch people, or shop. The area is open late every night and is beside Pleasure Island, the Disney street party that features numerous bars and clubs including 2 comedy clubs. The Rock & Roll Beach Club is my favorite, with live music every night.
Check out the Comedy Warehouse at Pleasure Island, improv comedy where the audience makes up the show...see it several times, and each show is different.
We also checked out Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum which was filled with interesting and sometimes unbelievable stories and artifacts. This is located on International Drive.
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Live Pinball at Disney Quest
Disney Quest is a 5 floor interactive arcade. Once inside, most games are included in the admission, including video games from the past and present. I was disappointed of the number of games that were not working properly and not tagged...not the Disney style in my estimation.
Lego Family at LegoLand Downtown Disney
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TIP: Prepare your game plan in advance.
This area is so packed with attractions that if you don't know what you want to see or do in advance, you might be somewhat overwhelmed.
Stop in and talk to our travel consultants or email me with any questions you may have scottb@southeasttravel.net.
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