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by Cara Goldsbury, Author of
The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World
So you’re headed to Walt Disney World ... but where to start?
Disney offers such a wealth of fantastic resorts, restaurants, and
top-drawer entertainment experiences it can be difficult to choose
which fantasy you wish to indulge. How best can you plan a visit
in which each day comes with the finest Disney has to offer? Here
are a few tips that can make the difference between a mediocre trip
and a fantastic one:
Best Time of Year for a Disney Vacation
If at all possible plan a trip to Disney during the slower seasons
of the year when you’ll find half-filled parks, little waiting
in line, and lower hotel rates. If you can stand the guilt and your
children are good students, take them out of school, whatever, to
avoid the busiest times of the year. If not, the summer months or
holidays are certainly better than nothing and, with a bit of planning
and a lot of energy, can be more than enjoyable. These are the least
busy times of the year: the second week of January through the first
week of February (avoiding the Martin Luther King holiday weekend
in January); the third week of August until the beginning of October;
the month of November excluding Thanksgiving weekend; the week after
Thanksgiving until the week of Christmas, a special time when the
parks and resorts are festively decorated for the holidays.
Best Deluxe Resort
Disney’s flagship resort, The Grand
Floridian, with its red-gabled roofs and Victorian elegance,
draws inspiration from the grand Florida seaside "palace hotels"
of 19th-century America’s Gilded Age. Just a short monorail
ride to the Magic Kingdom, it spreads along the shore of the Seven
Seas Lagoon, offering spectacular views of Cinderella Castle and
the Wishes fireworks display.
Best Home Away From Home Property
Disney’s Home Away From Home Resorts
are a great choice for those who want a vacation with all the amenities
including a full kitchen, living room, and a bath for each bedroom.
For outstanding atmosphere choose the Villas at Wilderness Lodge
with its Bay Lake location and national park character or the new
Beach Club Villas conveniently located next-door to Epcot’s
International Gateway.
Best Resort For Access to the Parks
Disney’s Contemporary, Polynesian,
and Grand Floridian Resorts offer monorail
access to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Ticket & Transportation
Center.
Best Resort For Nature Lovers
Wilderness Lodge is Disney’s dramatic
depiction of an early 1900s national park resort. In its awesome
eight-story lobby are walls of ponderosa pine logs, a massive 82-foot
tall fireplace, and two authentic 55-foot Pacific Northwest totem
poles. Outside is a breathtaking scene of sparkling waterfalls,
rushing creeks, towering pines, and Disney’s very own geyser.
And it’s all only a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom.
Best Resort Pool
Stormalong Bay, the eye-popping free form, mini-water park complex
at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club, is
simply divine. Three acres of winding, watery delight, it offers
sandy bottom pools, a giant "shipwreck" water slide, a
tidal whirlpool, bubbling hot tubs, a kiddie pool with its own slide
next to the beach, and enough waterway to float lazily in inner
tubes to your heart’s content.
Best Resort Lounge
California Grill Lounge on the 15th floor at Disney’s Contemporary
Resort offers unrivaled views of the Magic Kingdom and the Seven
Seas Lagoon along with cocktails, sushi, and a view of the Wishes
fireworks display.
Best Disney Attractions For Thrill Seekers
For a shot of adrenaline head to Disney's Hollywood Studios, where thrill
junkies beeline it to the Tower of Terror
for a 13-story bungee-style plummet. Next-door is the Rock
’n’ Roller Coaster that rockets from 0 to 60 mph
in less than 3 seconds then loops and corkscrews in the dark through
a Hollywood night. It’s a scream come true!
Best Way to Spend an Evening Without the Kids
If you’re a registered guest of a Disney resort, drop off
the kids at one of their child care centers for around $10 an hour
per child where they are given dinner along with classic Disney
movies, arts and crafts, and video games. If your child is under
4 or not potty trained, call Kid’s Nite Out at 407-827-5444
for in-room childcare. Then head to one of Disney’s world-class
restaurants. For fine dining in a stunning setting combined with
virtually flawless service choose Victoria and Albert’s at
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Here you’ll dine on
white linen covered tables set with Royal Doulton china and crystal
wine glasses to the strains of enchanting harp music.
Best Way to Spend an Evening Away From the Parks
The addition of the West Side and Pleasure Island to Disney Marketplace
created what is now known as the wildly successful Downtown Disney,
a combination of over 70 scene-setting restaurants, shops, and nightclubs.
During the day it’s a perfect getaway from the parks, but
at night after the parks close, Downtown Disney comes alive. At
Disney Marketplace you’ll find A-plus shopping, the largest
Disney Store in the world, and the volcano-smoking Rainforest Cafe.
Pleasure Island is a nighttime mecca with 8 clubs and a nightly
New Year’s Eve celebration. And then there’s the West
Side, loaded with dining and entertainment venues including Wolfgang
Puck Cafe, House of Blues, Gloria Estefan’s Bongos, Cirque
du Soleil, and Disney Quest.
Best Restaurant For Kids
Dine among crashing waterfalls, lush tropical foliage, and dripping
vines while being bombarded with thunderstorms and noisy Audio-Animatronic
wildlife at the Rainforest Cafe. Or head to the Whispering Canyon
Cafe at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for an all-you-care-to-eat
blow-out of rib-stickin’ barbecue served piping hot in iron
skillets accompanied by plenty of hootin’ and hollerin’.
Kids love the crazy show put on by the hobby horse-racing waiters
outfitted in western attire who can’t resist making a huge
production out of serving food, birthday celebrations, and those
unfortunate enough to leave for the restroom.
Best Disney Resort Restaurant
The California Grill on the 15th floor of Disney’s Contemporary
Resort is a definite highlight for any connoisseur of cutting-edge
cuisine. The immense windows present an unbeatable panorama of the
Magic Kingdom and the Seven Seas Lagoon and on many nights picture-perfect
views of the Wishes fireworks show. From pristinely fresh sushi
to the exceptional New American Cuisine to sensational desserts
and the outstanding California wine list, this place has it all.
Best Theme Park Restaurant
In Epcot’s France Pavilion is Bistro de Paris, a charming
Belle Époque dining room with an air of exclusivity. Filled
with gilded mirrors and crimson banquettes, its billowy white drapes
frame windows that overlook the World Showcase Lagoon. Servers with
delicious French accents roll out sensational dishes prepared with
only the freshest ingredients. Afterward order a dessert of crepes
prepared and flamed at your table while lingering over cordials
and coffee in anticipation of the nightly Illuminations spectacle.
Best Way to View the Epcot Fireworks Presentation
Each evening boatloads of visitors depart from the docks of Disney’s
Boardwalk Inn and Disney’s Yacht Club headed for Epcot where,
from a prime position under the bridge between the United Kingdom
and France, is a view of the Illuminations fireworks spectacular
that can’t be beat. Cruises are offered nightly with your
choice of either a pontoon boat seating 10 or a beautiful reproduction
of a 1930s Chris Craft accommodating 6-7 people. Although reservations
can be made up to 90 days in advance, they sometimes sell out on
the first day. Call 407-WDW-PLAY.
Best Way to Spend a Lazy Afternoon
When your muscles are aching and your body is screaming for rest
after days at the parks, sooth your jangled nerves at Disney’s
Grand Floridian Spa. Immerse yourself in luxury with one or two
feel-good treatments guaranteed to rejuvenate and swiftly get you
back on your feet and ready for another long day of walking. For
the ultimate in romance consider the Grand Romantic Evening where,
in a candle-lit couple’s room, each person receives an aromatherapy
massage.
Most importantly slow down and enjoy the magic. Resist the urge
to see everything at breakneck speed. You can’t possibly cover
it all, so think of this as your first trip to Disney, not your
last. There will be time to pick up all the things you missed on
the next go-round. Be spontaneous. If something catches your eye,
even if it’s not on your daily list of things to do, stop
and explore or else you may miss something wonderful.
Cara Goldsbury is the author of The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney
World: How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer available
at 800-247-6553, www.luxurydisneyguide.com,
Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
or your local bookstore. For more information visit her online at
www.luxurydisneyguide.com.
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