Walt Disney World Guide Part II

Disney World or Disney Land? What is the difference between the two? Which ride is in Disney World and which ride is in Disney Land? Disney Land is in California, but since you arrived at this article you must be looking for Disney World, which is outside Orlando. Disney World in Orlando has tons of enchanting and thrilling attractions for you and your kids. This guide will detail the Disney World Orlando Attractions.

Magic Kingdom

* Fantasy Land



Fantasy Land is located right behind Cinderella's Castle, right in the north, middle area of Magic Kingdom. Fantasy Land might be the park that most will say is the most Disney-esque. It incorporates the Worlds of Disney's most famous and memorable movies. Three Princesses from Disney live right in Fantasy Land. The Little Mermaid, Belle, the princess from Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella make appearances for autographs and photo opportunities. Ariel can be found in Ariel's Grotto, where she sports her mermaid tail. Cinderella makes an appearance in Cinderella's Castle which is located in Fantasy Land. The Castle is the iconic image of Disney World. Make sure to get a picture with you and your family right in front of the Castle. Also located in Fantasy Land is Cinderella's Golden Carousel, a revolving Cinderella themed Carousel ride. Kids ride horses in the colors of the rainbow, while the carousel spins revolutions that last two minutes.

Fantasy Land is also home to one of the more old school Disney Rides: Dumbo the Flying Elephant. In this classic Disney World ride, kids and their parents ride little Dumbos. The Dumbos "fly" as he does in the movie. The Dumbos are attached to a rotating center which takes the Dumbos in circles. Joysticks that can be used by the kids in each Dumbo control how high each Dumbo flies. Another ride based on a Disney classic is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The guests travel in honey pot vehicles. It is a rather gentle ride; the kids past through various sets illustrating scenes from the classic book and movie. The storybook rides continue in Fantasy Land with Snow White's Scary Adventures. Despite the ominous name, the ride just tells the story of Snow White, complete with its happy ending.



Remember the famous tea scene in Alice in Wonderland? This scene inspired the famous ride, Mad Tea Party. Kids spin around in giant tea cups. Be warned! Don't eat or drink before this ride, as the constant spinning can cause motion sickness. And what kind of visit to Fantasy Land is it without a visit to the world famous It's a Small World ride. Yes, it is located right here in Fantasy Land. Parents bring some earplugs; the song is played on loop throughout the 15 minute ride. Bring extra. Your kids might need some too after a while. Before you leave Fantasy Land, make sure to check out Mickey 3-D show, Mickey's PhilharMagic. This show features images that seem to pop right out of the screen, water that seems to splash from the screen and a lot of other really cool effects. Take the kids here for a show that they will be amazed at.

* Liberty Square

Liberty Square is one of the six themed mini-lands located in the North West area of Magic Kingdom. It is sandwiched between Fantasy Land and Frontier Land. Liberty Square aims to replicate the era of American Independence. The square contains replicas of the Liberty Bell and Tree. It is also famous for the Hall of Presidents, which features animated robots of every United States President speaking on their history. Another equally famous ride in Liberty Square is the carnival classic: the Haunted Mansion. Upon entering the gates of the Haunted Mansion, quests are prepped for what they expect to find inside. They pass by a cemetery complete with animated, robotic tombstones and moving eyes. The guests then ride in buggies around the Haunted Mansion. I don't want to spoil the surprises of each room, but be warned: 999 ghosts are said to live in the Mansion. Before you leave, Disney artists are scattered all over Liberty Square ready to draw your caricature.



* Tomorrow Land

Tomorrow Land takes up the complete eastern space of Magic Kingdom. The theme of Tomorrow Land is the "future" and there are many space themed attractions in this park. It is serviced by the Tomorrow Land Transit Authority, a fictional "train system" designed to represent mass transportation of the future. The ride takes guests around Tomorrow Land and its attractions giving guest sneak peaks at parts not seen from the initial attraction.

Tomorrow Land is home to one of the most famous and popular (average thirty minute wait time) roller coasters in DisneyWorld: Space Mountain. As this is a roller coaster, there is a height requirement of 44 inches. I do not want to ruin the ride, but rest assured there are plenty of spacey and extraterrestrial objects to view on the ride before its end, which takes place in complete darkness. Continue the ride into space with the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Here guests take control of a laser gun and shoot targets for points as the ride progresses in the space universe of Buzz Lightyear. It is quite a fun combination of arcade shooting with a Toy Story Twist. You and your family can come up close to an alien in Stitch's Great Escape! It is an interactive show featuring the titular character from Disney's Lilo and Stitch. Stitch obviously escapes and through the use of special effects, the audience feels that Stitch is crawling right over them!



Tomorrow Land also features the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Here real life voice actors voice animated monsters that appear on the screen. Since live voice actors perform the voices, each show is unique and will include references to people in the audience. To your kids, it will seem like the monsters are "real" and can actually see them! Finally come back down to Earth with Tomorrow Land Indy Speedway, a ride that lets your children do what they always wanted: drive a car.

Walt Disney World Unofficial Guide Part I

Walt Disney World is a place that seems magical. It is a world set apart from the real word where childhood reigns over all. Yet, Disney World can be daunting for any parent who takes their children on a Disney World Adventure. Therefore I present my Walt Disney World Unofficial Guide to help the parents find their way around. The Walt Disney World Unofficial Guide contains information on the theme "lands," the rides and the must sees in each area.

Magic Kingdom

The Walt Disney World Unofficial Guide starts off with the most famous, iconic and majestic of the four theme parks: the Magic Kingdom.

* Main Street USA



Upon entrance to the Magic Kingdom, you will find yourself on the streets of Main Street, USA. Main Street is the center of it all. This one street branches out to the six mini worlds of the Magic Kingdom: Adventure Land, Frontier Land, Liberty Square, Fantasy Land, Mickey's Toontown Fair, and Tomorrow Land. Cinderella's Castle is at the center of it all. On Main Street, you and your family can take a railroad ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad line. This railroad has stops in Frontier Land and Mickey's Toontown Fair. Main Street USA is also the site of parades. During the Daytime, there are the Main Street Trolley Parade and the Disney Dreams Come True Parade. At Nighttime, there is the SpectroMagic Parade. This parade features bright floats that light up the nighttime sky as well as lively music that echoes throughout the park. This is a can't miss event! Of course your favorite Disney characters make appearances. The Genie from Aladdin and Sebastian from the Little Mermaid all appear on the floats as well as classics such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

* Mickey's Toontown Fair



Mickey's Toontown Fair is located in the North east section of Magic Kingdom between Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land. There is a stop here on the Walt Disney World Railroad. You can board this railroad to Frontier Land or Main Street USA. The Toontown is the home of all toons, so have your camera ready. Famous cartoon characters such as Goofy, Donald, and Mickey are bound to make an appearance here. You and your family can take a tour through Mickey Mouse's House or ride a mild roller coaster on "The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm."

* Frontier Land



Frontier Land is located on the West Side of Magic Kingdom sandwiched between Liberty Square and Adventure Land. The Walt Disney World Railroad line has a stop in Frontier Land. Frontier Land features one of the more famous attractions in the Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain. The guests ride a log flume 52 1/2 feet into the air and then drop down at a 45 degree angle. As the log drops from such a high location, there is a 40 inch height requirement. The log drops into a pond called Briar Patch. Riders in the front usually get soaked the most, but lookout! There have been reports of the whole log getting soaked. How about a indoor roller coaster ride to dry you and your family off after Splash Mountain? Enter Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The ride takes place on cars resembling locomotives and features locales both indoors and outdoors on a huge mountain and abandoned mining town. After these big thrills, it is best to sit down, relax and watch a show: Country Bear Jamboree! The Country Bear Jamboree features robotic, but real-looking bears that sing country folk songs for the whole family. Once the merry show has ended, the family can take a raft to Tom Sawyer Island where they can enjoy an incredible walk through attraction featuring elements from pirate and Tom Sawyer lore. And obviously who kind of Frontier would it be without a little arcade shooting range? Experience the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade with 97 targets and 35 shots from the infrared rifle for one dollar.

* Adventure Land



Adventure Land is located on the south west of the Magic Kingdom. The theme of Adventure Land is the far away worlds seen in such Disney movies as Tarzan and Disney properties such as Indiana Jones. Adventure Land takes you to the jungles and deserts of Africa and Asia. Here, you and your family can board the Jungle Cruise Ride. This ride simulates being on a riverboat in the rivers of the Amazon. Along the ride, robotic animals, resembling the animals found in the Amazon in real life, are found along the shore of the river. Next, you can visit The Enchanted Tiki Room. This is a short ten minute show hosted by two birds from Disney Lore, Iago from Aladdin and Zazu from the Lion King. After sitting down and enjoying the show, your family can be well rested for The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Your kids can get into little vehicles that resemble the Magic Carpet from Aladdin. These carpets are attached to a center that lifts the vehicles up into the air and turns them around and around like a merry go around. The ride that inspired the movie Pirates of the Caribbean is found right in Adventure Land. And obviously enough, this ride is called Pirates of the Caribbean. This is an indoor boat ride as guests float through spectacular pirate scenes featuring cannon blasts, buried treasure and other surprises that I won't spoil here. Beware: there are two hair-raising drops on this ride!

Cheap Disney World Trips

The summer vacation season is here and your kids have been begging for one thing: a Disney World Vacation Trip! Trips to Disney World have been an integral part of the American family life for decades. Everyone remembers the time when they first met Mickey Mouse, dropped down the Tower of Terror, and the majesty of Cinderella’s Castle.

First of all, all cheap Disney World Trips involve planning. You don’t want to wait till you get to Disney World to find a hotel. Create a budget. Plan everything out. Write and estimate expenses.

Travel

Are you going to drive or take the plane? With the high gas prices, it actually might be cheaper to fly than drive. Calculate the mileage and figure out how much gas money you will have to pay. Will the drive take more than a day? Calculate hotel fees. Usually highway hotels run about 150 a night for a family for four. Figure food expenses in as well. Traffic around the highways near Disney can also be messy. Remember, you are not the only ones driving down to Disney! The upside for driving is that you have a car to get around. You will not need to rent one.

Food

What are you going to eat on the trip? If you’re planning a cheap Disney World trip, you might want to eat off Disney World. Most of the dining in the park is of the fast food type: pizza, chicken fingers, burgers, etc. However, this does not mean fast food prices. A simple burger meal (typical McDonald’s fare) will set you back around $10, almost twice the cost of a McDonald’s value meal. A good way to eat cheap in Disney is to divide your dining choices. If you are living in an off site hotel, it is usually a good idea to go to the supermarket and get some groceries for breakfast. Maybe get some bread and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast. Lunch, however, is the tricky part. You don’t want to leave the park for lunch. Therefore it is recommended and unavoidable to have lunch in the park. The food’s not that bad. However, for dinner, the family can choose to go to a restaurant off site. There are many family restaurants around the Disney area, such as Denny’s or Pizza Hut. You can also choose to prepare food yourself if your hotel has facilities such as a kitchen or microwave.

Hotels and Lodging

Are you going to stay on the Disney World Resort or off the resort? Obviously staying on the Disney World resort has its perks. If a family decides to stay in Animal Kingdom’s lodging, they are treated to free safari tours (giraffes, monkeys, etc.) right in their own backyard. However this comes at a premium. A cheaper alternative would be to stay in an off site hotel, say in Kissimmee, which is 15 minutes away by car. There are tons of discount coupons found in vacation hotel ad books in service stations on the highways of Florida. Want to go on cheap Disney World Trips and still have the Disney Resort Experience? Divide your time between the Resort and an offsite hotel. There are onsite Disney resorts for a reasonable price. These resorts are called “Value” and have rooms that are priced at $82 a night. People who stay on Disney World Resorts can also participate in “Extra Magic Hours.” These are times when certain theme park attractions are available to those who stay on Disney Resorts.

Tickets and Admission

Buy tickets in advance online. Plane tickets are much cheaper when they are brought months in advance. Same thing with Disney World tickets. Don’t wait to buy the tickets when you get to the park. Buying tickets online also saves you line waiting time. With your tickets already in hand, you and your family can zip by the lines and enter right into the park. Disney offers “Magic Your Way” tickets. The price per day of these tickets get cheaper the more time you spend at Disney World. Usually, these tickets allow you to visit one of the four theme parks per day. There are additional packages that you can add on. However for a cheap Disney world trip, some of these add-ons are not needed. There is a “Park Hopper” add-on that allows you to visit more than one park per day. However, that is not needed as one park is really enough for one day. There are more than enough attractions in each park for one fun day in Disney. Regrettably you will have to be selective about what you see and what you ride. Look online before you go. Plan out what shows you and your kids want to see. Plan out what rides you must ride.

All this planning will make for a fun and cheap Disney World vacation trip!