My family has visited Florida many times, both on vacation and to visit family there. But in 2009 we made the American pilgrimage to visit Disney World. I was ten, and my brothers were 7 and 4; in general, those were good ages to go. Most of the attractions are geared around that age, and none of us were really old enough to do the intense rides so no one was left out.
We went in early December, after Thanksgiving, so the Christmas decorations were up at the parks. Another good thing about that time of year is that it wasn't as busy as Christmas break or the middle of the summer. The lines weren't as long (it also helped that my little brother's in a wheelchair, so at the time, we got a fastlane--it has changed since then because some people abused the wheelchair line), and the traffic wasn't as bad. Plus, the weather was moderate to warm, not blazing hot like in the summer. All good reasons to go in the winter.
We stayed in the Contemporary resort which has an in-house Monorail stop and is one of the original hotels in DisneyWorld. The Contemporary has post modern feel to it with its trapezoidal shape and sleek, updated interior design. The resort has a Mickey Mouse shaped pool and lake front view with a beach. If you wake up early enough to go to the pool, you can turn on the fountains and slides with "magic wands" and Mickey hands from the staff. The lake hosts a parade of lighted boats at night for the holidays. Also within the hotel you can eat at Chef Mickey's Restaurant and have a character dinner including Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Pluto. It is a full buffet with Disney-themed desserts. One thing our family liked was watching the Monorails come and go from various parks.
We went to Magic Kingdom first in our visits to the parks. It was the least interesting park for all of the boys because it was more for princesses. The highlights were Tomorrowland with Buzz Light Year shooting of aliens, the parade and fireworks down Main Street U.S.A. at night with all the lit up floats and characters, and the Big Thunder Railroad Roller Coaster. Along Main Street there are multiple shops that we visited to get Mickey ice cream cones, see a glass blower, and look at swords. I wouldn't need to go back to this area, but my mom would go back to see the new Beauty and the Beast castle. Make sure you get Fastpasses in the morning or as soon as possible. Our family went later in the day and stayed later since we are night owls more.
The next day we visited Disney Hollywood Studios which we really enjoyed. Our family liked the Star Wars section of the park where we went on the Star Tours ride, and my brother and I participated in the Jedi Training Academy--I would highly recommend this for young Star Wars fans since you have a surprise opponent at the end of the training. The life-sized AT-AT and the Tatooine Traders make you feel like you are actually in Star Wars. We caught the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular which was worth seeing live stunts. There are many other shows and talent competitions that you can see, including Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid. We the night show on the water with the music, lights, and performances.
For me Epcot was the most fun in part because I like science, technology, and interactive exhibits. We spent two days there instead of going to Animal Kingdom since Epcot has basically two parts, the Innoventions where they have lots of cutting edge inventions and explanations of them and the World Pavilions where you can visit many different cultures. The stop in Innoventions was the Spaceship Earth ride (housed in the iconic geodesic dome) which takes you through invention in time and has interactive, virtual games underneath the structure. Be to send yourself a postcard of your picture on the ride! Addition to the innovations, they also have aeroponics and hydroponic labs where they grow food for the rest of Disney World that you can tour. The ride Soarin' flies you over California. The evening show was Illuminations and they always do a big light/fireworks show in Epcot too. There were many more rides and more to see so you could spend more time there. On the next day we went to the World Pavilions from Norway to Mexico to China and more. We took a GPS guided tour that took you into the exhibits with your phone or electronic device so you could learn more about the culture. Disney mirrors the architecture of the actual cities and sites of each culture so you feel like you are walking across countries. You can try different foods (for a price), learn about different customs, and watch awesome videos of the places.
In the future, if you have kids, go to the whole park since there's something for everyone. If you are a science family, Epcot is the best.
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