Carol loves Disneyland and Disney World, and she loves to do it right. She spent many hours researching the best time to go, the best days of the week to visit which parks (there are companies that gather statistics), the best places to stay, where to eat, how to best deal with lines for rides and attractions, etc. Carol is the expert.
Last November we picked the date. We knew we were going to take the girls out of school for a week because there was no way we wanted to go to Disney World during a school break. Carol's research told us the first week of May would be uncrowded and was likely to have good weather.
We arrived at the Orlando airport at 10:30 in the morning on Sunday. Carol's parents Mary and Dennis had driven across the country from Arizona to Florida to join us and they picked us up.
Universal's Islands of Adventure
We drove directly to Universal Studios to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure. On Carol's reading nights with the girls (Carol and I alternate reading nights) they have been making their way through the Harry Potter books. They are just about to finish the 5th book. So a visit to the Harry Potter world, albeit exorbitantly priced, was required.
The main ride in the Harry Potter area, The Forbidden Journey, is fantastic. As soon as we got off after riding it the first time Carol said, "That was worth the price of admission right there." Audrey loved it, too. We were worried she would be scared but as we were coming to the end of the ride she exclaimed, "That was the best ride ever!" We went again.
Charlotte didn't ride the Harry Potter ride but we found rides she liked in Seuss Landing next door. We also visited the wand shop and then the girls decided we should have dinner at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmead (the village reproduced from the books and movies). It was a great day.
Oh, I also got my roller coaster mojo back. I hadn't ridden one for 15 years at least and had developed a fear of them from lack of practice. Carol and I rode the Dragon Challenge and we both thought it was a blast. We would ride several more coasters during the week.Saratoga Springs Resort
We stayed at the Disney Saratoga Springs Resort. It was the first time either Carol or I have ever stayed at a Disney property and it definitely has its perks. The pool was big and shallow enough for Charlotte to enjoy and had a great slide that Audrey loved. When we weren't at a theme park or sleeping we were in the pool (at Audrey's insistence). Much of the time there were activity coordinators at the pool leading games or dance contests or showing evening outdoor movies. We also used the Disney transportation to get to the parks - the bus stop was about 50' away from our room - and the system was very convenient.
Epcot
Monday morning we got up bright and early to be at Epcot when it opened. Audrey loved Soarin' and Mission:Space and Charlotte loved Nemo and both girls loved Spaceship Earth so much that we rode it several times. They also liked Universe of Energy.
Later in the day we mode our way to the second part of Epcot: World Showcase. We rode the boat rides in Mexico and Norway. Then we had a delicious dinner in Japan where Audrey discovered she likes udon. The casual Japanese restaurant was off the beaten track at the back of a garden and felt peaceful. The girls loved it.
After dinner we walked the rest of the way around the lake in time to find a spot for the nightly fireworks. Carol and the girls held the spot while I fetched ice cream. The fireworks were cool. Afterward we made a dash for the bus stop and arrived back at the room after 10.
Magic Kingdom
We were up at 7:00 the next morning for the first of two days at the Magic Kingdom. When the gate opened we made a beeline for Peter Pan which develops the longest line later. During those two days we rode dozens of rides: The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Tom Sawyer Island, Tomorrowland Speedway, Space Mountain (Dennis, Carol and me), Snow White, It's a Small World, Swiss Family Treehouse, the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Fantasyland Carousel, the Carousel of Progress and probably a bunch more I can't remember. The lines were generally short (we never waited more than 20 minutes and typically 5 minutes or less) and we also used Fast Passes.
The girls' favorite ride at Magic Kingdom turned out to be one most people probably never even ride: the People Mover. The one at Disneyland was removed but the Magic Kingdom (the Florida version of California's Disneyland if you're not Disney savvy) still has one. It travels fairly slowly around Tomorrowland and passes through several of the buildings. We rode it many times because it is calm and shady and cool, it never had a line, and the speed was just right for the the girls. The best part (for me, at least) is that is passes through Space Mountain. Several times during our visit Space Mountain was closed to address some problem and the lights were all on inside so we could see the entire track and structure. The main feature of Space Mountain (a roller coaster) is that is it almost completely dark the entire ride. It was cool to see what it looks like: a big industrial machine.
On Wednesday evening Dennis and Mary babysat the girls and Carol and I returned to the Magic Kingdom for a date night. We got to ride Space Mountain several times as well as the new Barnstormer kids' roller coaster (part of a big new Storybook Circus area that is under construction). We also had dinner at Pinnochio's Restaurant that has windows overlooking the loading area for It's a Small World. We stayed for the nightly light show and fireworks. The light show on Cinderella's Castle is pretty amazing - the castle gets "painted" in a bunch of different color schemes (including one that makes it look like a cartoon) as well as animations (one looks like it is on fire), photo montages of guests, etc. If anything, the show is too long! And they do it every night! Disney must own a fireworks company.
Animal Kingdom
On Thursday we visited Animal Kingdom. Carol's research told us to head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and do the same deal: get a fast pass for later and then get on the ride. The safari is cool: we saw several type of antelope; elephants; rhinos; hippos; crocodiles; giraffes and a lion. What I found most fascinating is how well hidden the "enclosures" are - I could rarely see what was keeping the animals separated from the vehicles. There are also two "nature walks" at Animal Kingdom where you can see apes, tigers and other animals up close. That part of Animal Kingdom is like a fancy zoo.
Two other rides we really enjoyed were the Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest. On the river rapids you ride in a raft that seats 12 people. After being lifted up a ramp the raft floats downstream for a bit and then goes over a "waterfall" (really a sloped slide). The signs before the ride say "You will get wet. You may get soaked." We got soaked. Charlotte doesn't really like thrill rides yet and she was very ambivalent but she mustered the courage to ride it. Carol told her, "If you're scared, just scream!" So when we came to the waterfall they all screamed and immediately after Charlotte was laughing and exclaiming, "Again!" We rode it again. We got soaked again. But the temps were in the low 90s so getting soaked felt pretty good.
Expedition Everest is the Florida version of the Matterhorn. It was a blast. I think Dennis and Carol and I rode it three times and Mary rode it once. Audrey was seriously thinking about it. She asked lots of questions about what it was like. Next time we go she'll be all over the roller coasters.
We made a discovery about Audrey a day or two into the trip. She was getting cranky and soon it became apparent that it was because she was hot. We started watching for water fountains and splashed our faces and arms. That was like magic for Audrey - she would be instantly cheery and ready to go again.
Hollywood Studios
We spent Friday at Hollywood Studios. When the gates opened we made a beeline for Toy Story Mania and also got Fast Passes so we coud ride again right away (after that the line is an hour long all day). Audrey and I rode Star Tours several times and everybody rode The Great Movie Ride (the the girls weren't freaked out by Alien!). We saw a live show of Beauty and the Beast and the girls played for a long time in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground (inside giant ant hills and on giant bugs and plants). Dennis and Carol and I rode the Tower of Terror (not so terrible!) and Dennis and I rode the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster (Carol chickened out!).
The highlight of the day was lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater. It's a replica of a drive-in theater (but indoors). Patrons sit in booths shaped like 1950's cars, facing a large screen that shows trailers for 1950's sci-fi movies as well as "News of the World." The food was average (and overpriced!) but the experience was cool.
Epcot Again
On Saturday we returned to Epcot. We hit the favorites again several times (Soarin', Mission:Space, Nemo, Universe of Energy and of course Spaceship Earth. The girls also went on a secret agent mission in China. And at the end of the day we returned to Japan for a repeat of our favorite dinner. Then it was back to the hotel for a couple of hours in the pool.
Soon after you get on Spaceship Earth you pass a camera that takes your photo. At the end of the ride a computer display in your vehicle presents several questions and your answers are used to construct an animation that features your faces. Here are a bunch of ours (who knows how long these links will be valid):
- Charlotte/Carol 1
- Audrey/John 1
- Charlotte/Carol 2 (Japanese)
- Audrey/John 2
- Charlotte/John (that's fake crying)
- Mary/Dennis
Last Day: Magic Kingdom
Alas, all good things must come to an end and Sunday we were scheduled to depart back to Boston at 3:00. We decided to spend our last morning at Magic Kingdom. We hit all of our favorites: Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and of course the People Mover. We saw the robot trash can again and did some souvenir shopping. Then we met Dennis at our hotel and he chauffeured us back to the airport.
We were very sad for the vacation to end. The whole week was non-stop fun and it was hard to think about returning to everyday life. Now it's time to plan and save to go back! Probably in three years.
Further Reading
While there I spent some time reading about the history of Walt Disney World. Some parts I found especially fascinating were:
- The original concept for Epcot
- The municipality that Disney created to avoid local zoning laws: Reedy Creak Improvement District
- The Disney World Monorail System
Don't miss the video!
