And it was amazing!!!!
My kids had an excellent time in Disney World. We hit up all 4 Disney parks and Downtown Disney and they truly enjoyed each one. I'd have to say that they're favorite park was easily the Magic Kingdom, so much so that we spent two days there compared to the single day of attention the other 3 parks recieved. That's not to say they didn't enjoy the other parks, b/c they did, very much so, just not as much as the Magic Kingdom. I'll break down what they enjoyed most from each park in-case anyone else here is looking to take their kids to Disney World.
Magic Kingdom - Just about everything!!! Really. We started our first day in the Magic Kingdom w/ a Character breakfast in the Crystal Palace (it's a buffet style resturaunt) which featured the Pooh characters walking around from table to table to spend time with all the kids. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone as it wasn't all that expensive, about $20 per adult and $15 each kid, and they got to spend quality time with the characters and get pictures and autographs for their books and all that good stuff. From there, and on our other trips into the Magic Kingdom, at various times we caught the "Year of a Million Dreams" show (which the YoaMD was the theme for this year throughout Disney World) at Cinderella's Castle which was very nice w/ high production values. From there we went to Tomorrowland and caught Buzz Lightyears Shooting Gallery ride (can't remember it's real name but it was a....blast (HA) as well as Monsters Inc. show, rode the "People Mover", and grabbed Fast Passes for Space Mountain (more about Fast Passes later). After Tommorrowland we headed into Fantasyland and rode the Teacups, Dumbo, Snow Whites Scary Adventure and Small World which the kids really enjoyed everything there. From there we moved into Adventureland where we rode Aladins Magic Carpets, Pirates of the Caribean, and the Jungle Cruise which again, all were greatly enjoyed.
Epcot - Alot more was here for the kids then you would think. It used to be that Epcot was the place that had the least amount of neat stuff that kids would enjoy, but no more. Here we caught the Nemo ride (can't remember it's name) which was capped off with an EXCELLENT show called Crush's Chat (or something, again I forget it's real name). Crush's Show was REALLY funny for Adults and especially for the kids as it was interactive. The kids sat down in front of the screen on the floor and Crush asks them questions and vice-versa. And my daughter Arianna got called on by Crush but she came down with a case of extreme shyness when called on, but she still got a kick out of being called on. Then we went and got a Fast pass for the Soarin' ride and ate some Brunch while we waited. After eating it was time for our Fast Pass and we got right on after a 5min wait and it was GREAT. It was a hang-glider simulation in which you fly over California and it truly felt like you were flying, great fun for everyone. Then we got in an hour-long line to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale, which again was very worth it as those couple characters don't walk around the parks anymore and that was the only way to meet them. From there we went to the Universe of Energy which featured Bill Nye the Science Guy and Ellen Degenerous (Ellen=BAAARF). With the exception of Ellen, who I can't stand btw, the ride/show was really good. The animatronic dinosaurs were very well done and the narrative really makes you think. We also caught the Honey I Shrunk the Audiance show, which was 3-D and an awesome experience that shouldn't be missed if you ever go to Epcot. Disney has a knack for making phenominal 3-D shows that just can not be missed under any circumstances.
MGM - Again, not much to really do at MGM, but everything we saw there was again, excellent. The real highlight of MGM was the Muppet show, called Muppet-Vision 3-D. The show was updated since I saw it about 10 years ago, and even if you don't like the Muppets at all, this show is definately one of THE things to see in ANY of the Disney parks. it's very funny and well done w/ high production values and the 3-D effects are some of the best you will ever see ANYWHERE. Then my wife and I Fast Passed the Star Tours ride (Star Wars) which was really, really neat. Of course I'm slightly biased being a Star Wars nut, but even my wife enjoyed it and she could care less about Star Wars. While we were on Star Wars, my parents took my kids to see The Little Mermaid show, which all four of them really enjoyed, surprisingly.
Animal Kingdom - The Bugs Life show here was excellent. It was another 3-D show that had physcial aspects like all the other 3-D shows, things like being sprayed w/ liquid when a character sneezes, or releasing stinky smoke when a stink-bug lets loose, or being poked in back and butt as bugs move around near you. DO NOT MISS THAT SHOW. We also went on the African Safari which featured an abundance of Animals from all over Africa which we all loved. There were also exotic petting zoo which featured semi-exotic cattle, goats and sheep, as well as a HUGE python and a few other animals. We also took a neat train ride through parts of the park which showed a little behind-the-scenes peek at how the staff cares for their animals and such. We personally didn't catch the Lion King Festival or the Finding Nemo Musical Shows, but my parents and the rest of our family did and they said they were spectacular if you are old enough to appreciate them, which my kids weren't which is why we skipped them.
Downtown Disney - This is a HUGE shopping/boardwalk type area w/ alot of specialty shops and restraunts. It was here that the highlight of my Daughters trip took place....her make-over @ the Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boutique. They did her hair, nails and makeup and dressed her up in a princess dress complete w/ crown and sash all the while treating her like the Princess she is. They offer a variety of options at different price levels and it isn't as expensive as you might think. The plans range from $35-$145 and offer varying degrees of service. The plan we picked was the middle teir which offered hair, nails and make-up, and we brought our own dress and accents (which saved us about $100). She absolutely LOVED the entire experience and seeing the my princess all made-up and treated royally was worth the cost of admission. The entire rest of the trip all eyes were on her and all Disney employees made sure to treat her like royalty, it was really neat. She also got to keep everything they didn't use on her like the leftover make-up, nail polish and face-sticker...things. After the make-over we went to dinner at the Rainforrest Cafe which was a great experience for everyone and the food was to die for, although our waiter sucked but not so much that it ruined everything. I should also mention that earlier in the week we ate @ Planet Hollywood, also in Downtown Disney which is supposed to be the biggest and best of all the Planet Hollywoods anywhere, and it showed. It was my wifes 30th B-day and instead of singing they put her name up on every single monitor and screen in the place, which there were at least a hundred of em including one that spanned all 5 floors of the resturaunt. The food was really good and it was another great experience.
We also hit up SeaWorld, which was great, but I won't go into detail b/c if you've ever been there you know what to expect. One note on SeaWorld, they RUINED the Shamu Show. It used to be really, really neat as it was all about Shamu jumpin around, playing with and splashing the audiance....but no more. Shamu was only part of the show for like 10 minutes, the rest was the trainers singing (of all things) and telling their life stories....NO ONE CARES, WE WANTED TO SEE THE WHALES YOU FOOLS. It was a serious let-down.
Now some tips about Disney - Whenever you see a ride that has the Fast-Pass feature, grab one for everyone in your group, go ride or see something else and go back at the appointed time. You will walk right by everyone waiting on line that did not get a Fast-Pass and your whole wait will be no more then 5-10 mins. Only the most popular rides in each park feature the Fast-Pass system, and you can only get one Fast-Pass per hour, but it saves so much time stop and get one for the good rides that they are the single best addition to Disney possibly ever. What most people don't seem to get is that the Fast-Passes are included with EVERY park admission for free. Again, it's only available for the bussiest, most popular rides, but it will save you HOURS of waiting and is totally worth it.
Well, that about sums up the trip to Disney World. Tommorrow, or the next day I'll talk about what we did after we left Disney and went to Tampa for a few days to stay with family, which was also really great. See ya then!
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