I visited Walt Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida, for 5 days as part of a travel agent educational trip.
We visited all the different Disney parks as well as inspecting many of the Disney Resort hotels. I had never been to a Disney park before and found it to be a magical experience that brought out the child in everyone!
The Theme parks are truly magical experiences with Disney characters everywhere (make sure you trade pins with them and other staff.) Almost every Disney / Pixar movie you can think of is represented by a ride or show - from Toy Story Shoot Out to the Lion King Show and Finding Nemo the Musical. As well there are more extreme rides for the adventurous such as splash Mountain, Space Mountain and the Tower of Terror.
Firework displays and light shows are on in each Kingdom every night and the new “Wishes” show on the castle in Magic Kingdom is a delight, featuring light displays including photos of park guests before the fireworks begin.
Visiting Downtown Disney was a great experience as the Disney shopping precinct offered not just a huge range of shops, but also a wide variety of restaurants (such as Planet Hollywood and TRex) and entertainment. We also saw the Cirque du Soleil show ‘La Nouba’, which was amazing!
The first two nights we stayed at the Disney's Contemporary Resort, which is in a great position right on the lake and situated next to Magic Kingdom which it is linked to by fast monorail to it and also to Epcot.
The last 3 nights we stayed at the 5 star Yacht Club Resort which is in the style of American Hamptons/Cape Cod houses with a very nautical theme. It is next door to the Beach Club Resort and they share a beautiful pool area.
All of the Disney Resort hotels are themed - we also saw the beautiful Grand Floridian, the Wilderness Lodge, Caribbean Resort, Pop Century (very brightly decorated with icons of the late 20th century), Animal Kingdom Lodge (where wildlife roam the grounds), and Coronado Springs (Spanish/ Mexican theme.)
A new resort is opening in May 2012 called “Disney’s Art of Animation” which features rooms around themes of Finding Nemo, Cars, The little Mermaid and the Lion King.
Disney Resort Hotels are the best places to stay as you not only get the full Disney Experience by being close to the action, but also benefit from:-Extra Magic Hours – each day one Park opens extended hours exclusively for Disney Resort Guests; Complementary return airport transfers on Disney’s Magical Express; Free transport between the resorts and all the parks, also including 2 water parks and Downtown Disney; plus Optional Dining plans available including Character Dining.
My top tips would be to allow at least 5 Days to visit all the Disney Theme Parks (although a few extra would be even better!) Purchase a Hopper Pass to allow you to vist more than one park in a day and take advantage of the ‘Fastpass’ System which lets you have a minimal wait time for popular rides and allowing more time for fun!
I have so much more to tell you about Disneyworld – so if you are thinking of going please get in touch with me!