The French are on another one of their hate America trips. In the past they have even trashed Disneyland Paris. France’s latest America bashing is over the New York arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges. But, Disneyland, c’mon, France, you can’t be serious. How do you trash the happiest place on Earth?
I just returned from 10 days with my wife and 5-year-old granddaughter at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and on a Disney Dream cruise to the Bahamas.
Walt Disney World is expensive. The cruise on Disney’s newest ship is expensive. Watching the never-ending smile on my granddaughter’s face? Priceless.
Families save up for years in order to spend four or five days or a week at Walt Disney resort. The cost can be anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000. With Disney, however, you know you are going to get a whole lot of bang for your buck.
Disney employees are called cast members. That equates to smiles all around. A tuxedo-clad Mickey Mouse escorted my granddaughter to the stage on our first night at Walt Disney World. She danced with Donald Duck and Pluto, got a noogie from Chip & Dale and was hugged by Cinderella. Best of all, she became part of the “Lion King” cast.
On the cruise, she road the water coaster, known as AquaDuck, four times with her grandfather. She spent long hours at Disney’s amazing Oceaneer Club for children 3 to 10. The venue also includes Disney’s Oceaneer Lab and a Magic PlayFloor, a cruise industry first that blends the latest in gaming technology with Disney’s flair for storytelling.
Dream, which had its maiden voyage in January, also has chill-out zones for tweens and teens. Teens have their own exclusive club with Vibe, a trendy 9,000-square-foot club for ages 14 to 17. The well-supervised club allows teens to create videos, play computer games and try their hand at mixing dance tracks. They even have their own outdoor area for sunbathing, deck games, wading pools and water jets.
“We have 1,500 children a cruise on average,” said Rachel Quinn, Dream cruise director. “Disney knows what to do with families. We know what children like.” Dream has a guest capacity of 4,000 and offers three-, four- and five-day Bahamian cruises departing from Port Canaveral.
Walt Disney World has four parks — Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot Center. That doesn’t even count the water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach), four superb 18-hile golf courses, miniature golf, Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk. It also has an incredible ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (on 220 acres) where the Atlanta Braves hold their spring training.
Epcot and Animal Kingdom are my two favorite parks, but Magic Kingdom is magic for children. The Magic Kingdom is pretty much a replica of California’s Disneyland on steroids.
Epcot is the adult park. Oh, there are some fun things for children at Epcot such as Spaceship Earth, Innoventions, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Soarin’ (the same one as in California Adventure) and Imagination. For adults, it’s a pub crawl around World Showcase, a group of pavilions that encircles World Showcase Lagoon (a body of water that is the size of several football fields). At each international pavilion you will find the country’s essence. Great cuisine and great libations mark this area of Epcot. The list of countries include Canada, United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, Mexico and the U.S. The UK’s Rose & Crown Pub was my favorite place, with a menu that includes fish & chips that can be washed down with a pint of Guinness.
Hollywood Studios has many of the same attractions as California Adventure, including the ever-popular Tower of Terror.
Animal Kingdom has one of Walt Disney World’s best rides, Expedition Everest, and one of any theme park’s great adventures, World Animal Trek.
Expedition Everest features an old tea train chugging and churning en route up and around snowcapped peaks. The train hurtles through caverns and icy canyons to its thrilling end. If you love thrill rides, you will love Expedition Everest.
Wild Africa Trek is a new Animal Kingdom experience. For $189, you can enjoy a guided expedition into the true-life world of African wildlife. The trek starts in the rain forest and ends with a safari truck ride though the savanna. The best part of the trek is the suspension bridge that rises high above the Nile crocodiles sunning themselves below. Advanced reservations are a must for this popular adventure.
Wherever you go within Walt Disney Resort’s self-contained city, one thing is certain — smiles all around.
If You Go
Low fair airline Southwest flies to Orlando out of most U.S. airports as do most other major airlines. Check with the airlines for prices.
Transportation around WDW
The transportation system at WDW includes boats, buses and the monorail. The monorail runs along a circular route near the Magic Kingdom stopping at the Transportation and Ticket Center, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom and Contemporary resorts. A separate extension of the monorail system connects the TTC to Epcot. Resort guests can bypass the TTC via direct buses arrive every 20 to 25 minutes.
Park Prices
Base ticket for ages 10 and up is $79 for one day; $68 for ages 3 to 9. Park Hopper tickets are an additional $52. You are going to want to see all four parks, making the Park Hopper ticket worth the additional $52. If you purchase a ticket for more than one day, the price goes down accordingly. For example, if you purchase a 10-day adult base ticket, the cost is $243, which is the equivalent of $24.30 a day.
Where to Stay
Walt Disney World Resort has a number of excellent accommodations — Grand Floridian (one of my favorites), Contemporary (the monorail stops inside the hotel), Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk and several others. All pricey. Call (407) 934-7639 for reservations. Disney does have a number of family package deals.
For more information about Walt Disney World, go to www.disneyworld.com. For more information about a cruise on Disney Dream, go to www.disneycruise.com.
All information is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.
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