We are off to a great start on Florida Adventure with JC & Bev. Our first stop was Walt Disney World for a week. Prior to arrival we purchased deeply discounted four day hopper passes at the military base in Charleston S.C. on our way to Florida. This turned out to be a great bargain.
We also used a book called the Unofficial Guide to Disney by Bob Sehlinger to help us plan each of our days. For the OCD tendencies in some of us this book is a dream. The author claimed if you followed the plan you could save about three hours of wait time in line each day. You definitely visit the park in a rather illogical manner with some back tracking, however, our wait times were very minimal. We saw far more of each park than in previous visits.
We visited all four parks. However, John missed out on seeing Magic Kingdom due to a very bad cold. As I write this blog it amazes me how much we were able to see. It was a fun filled, action packed visit. We had such a good time. Here are a few of the highlights.
Our favorite park was Disney Hollywood Studios with Animal Kingdom coming in for a close second.
Best ride - Toy Story Mania at Disney Hollywood Studios. Under the Sea, a new ride in Fantasyland, in Magic Kingdom was a close second.
Best fireworks – Wishes Nighttime Spectacular show at Magic Kingdom.
Our favorite parade - Animal Kingdom. The book helped us find the perfect viewing place for all of these. 
Best show – Finding Nemo at Animal Kingdom (amazing puppetry)
Most jaw dropping event- The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights with over 5 million individual lights at Disney Hollywood Studios. Words really cannot express the beauty of this super spectacular display. The buildings along Streets of America are covered with rows and rows of lights and it all comes alive at night to music. We really were spellbound and will certainly include this in our next visit.
The food at the parks was for the most part expensive and disappointing. We did have one nice candlelight dinner in Epcot San Angel Inn and a fun lunch at Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney.
Best shopping – Downtown Disney (need a tiara or castle…they’ve got it)
There is a lot more to follow. Be sure to check back again soon. Our next stop is Rainbow Springs State Campground in Dunnellon. An exciting swim with the manatees is planned along with some kayaking down the beautiful Rainbow River..
"Clipped" this post to my Evernote File for future reference when we visit Disney. . .thanks for all the great tips!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a terrific time. We've always visited between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the parks are decorated for the holidays, and the festivities are in full swing, but the crowds are relatively small. The Osborne Family Spectacle is indeed amazing; we really enjoyed seeing that extravaganza.
ReplyDeleteFrom the photos, it looks like an awesome time was had by all. You do look a bit nippy in the photo in front of the Christmas. Enjoy your week.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying Disney. It makes up for all the hard work over Christmas, huh?
ReplyDeleteWe've been thinking of buying some Florida resident passes to Disney. We can get either 3 or 4 day tickets. I guess you'd recommend the 4 day one?
We just have to figure out when we can get there, when the weather is warm and the snowbirds have left.
Wow! Looks like you all really covered some ground! What a fun time at Disney! Great post.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a lot has changed or been added since i've been there in 2005. Now due to your blog post I NEED TO GO BACK!
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