The Wonderful World Of Disney - Whirlwind Visit With Family

Orlando, FL (86 degrees, blue skies, hot)
(Note:  Due to my limited ability to type with my cast, I'm now catching up with a few posts about our recent travels)  

We had a fun filled visit to all four parks with my brother, sister in law, and niece at the Disney World in Orlando. My brother was there for a pharmacy convention and we met up with them after he finished. John was able to use a  retired military benefit and purchased a four day hopper pass for $159/person for all of us.  What a great benefit for active/retired military, however, tickets must be purchased at military base or Shades of Green (military hotel in Orlando) prior to your visit.

Walt and Mickey in front of the castle

Magic Kingdom was all decorated for Halloween.  It looked great and even Minnie wore a cute orange Halloween dress...of coarse.

For our visit we used a great book (Unofficial Guide to Disney World) to plan our visit.  This was a busy time to visit due to the Columbus Day holiday.  The book has plans you follow for each park and it can save you about 2-3 hours each day in line.  It's also packed with all kinds of information about hotels, shopping, and restaurants.  

We won't go into all the details of our visit but would like to share with you some of the highlights.  No visit would be complete without a visit to a Princess.  Alison and her friend really enjoyed meeting four of them.  

Our favorite princess

No visit is complete without a character breakfast.  We did this years ago when Alison was very little. Reservations can be made at each park (way in advance as a rule).  Thankfully Jackie thought to make reservations in advance and we went to a restaurant in Animal Kingdom.  The buffet was excellent and the characters stop at your table and of coarse pose for pictures.  

Character breakfast in Animal Kingdom

The evening fireworks/parades at each park are fantastic and we'd recommend including them in your visit.  Taking a break in the afternoon if possible helps you stay awake for them.  :)  Except during peak times the evening shows are not always held every night at each park, so plan accordingly  We used our hopper pass to go to another park for the evening show.  

Illuminations (Hollywood Studios)

Electric Parade (Magic Kingdom)

Wishes (Magic Kingdom)

Wishes (Magic Kingdom)

EPCOT

There was a Food & Wine Festival going on at EPCOT.  You could eat your way around the world stopping at each country to sample their cuisine and beverage.  It is a very popular, crowded, month long event.  We stopped at two countries and the food was delicious.  

We had a great time and it was "magical" to spend time with my brother and his family.  We sure were tired at the end of our three days and John said he's planning his next visit when he turns 80. LOL!

Favorite Park: Hollywood Studios.  It has great rides and an amazing evening show.  However, Magic Kingdom was a close second.  

Best Evening Show:  Wishes (Magic Kingdom)

Best Live Show:  Finding Nemo (Animal Kingdom) - IMHO worth the price of admission.  It's an awesome show and my personal favorite

Best Rides:  Tower of Terror (Hollywood Studios), Splash Mountain (Disney), Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom)

Tips:  

• Having a day off in between parks would be ideal.  
• Arrive prior to the opening of the park to get ahead of the crowd.  Plus, when you return at night your parking spot is close by. 
• Be sure to make reservations way in advance if you want to eat dinner in the park (other than fast food).

Great Campground:  Bill Frederick Park.  It's a beautiful city campground and park near Turkey Lake and Universal Studio, with great rates.  There are some full hook up sites.  The only site which may get satellite reception is #34 (water and electric). Bathrooms are it's weakest link but the manicured grounds are lovely with nice trails and a Frisbee golf park.  Reservations are a good idea.

Whew!  It was fun to reminisce about our visit again.  Being with my brother and his family was priceless.  Disney World is a great family destination and with all the pixie dust floating over the parks I'm sure you would have a good time too.  

THE END