Disney World  Report

There is one spot that is quickly passed up when you enter the Magic Kingdom.  It is the Town Square Hall.  On your right as you go in.  Nice restaurant attached also.

Here are Lori and I exploring the many different faces of Disney World.  Lori is hamming it up at one of the picture sets that are in the Town square exhibition hall ,Tony's Italian restaurant shares the same building, right next to the train station.  There are all kinds of picture sets towards the back of the hall.  A nice surprise also found in the back of the exhibition hall is a small movie theatre showing old Mickey movies.  This is a good spot to sit and rest away from the crowd. Nice and cool and believe it or not.

As a plus, there are even rocking chairs on the porch ala Cracker Barrel.

I'm just hanging out in the Animal Kingdom looking for a bargain. 

 We stayed at the All Star Sports resort.  For us the hotel is where we sleep and plan.  We didn't feel the need for luxury or special services.  The budget resorts fit that to a tee.   All Star Sports is the first stop on and off for all the All Star resorts.  That gives you a little advantage.  The pools at the All Star resorts varied from incredibly busy to quiet depending on the time of day and which group of teens was present at the time.  We discovered the food court was dead at 4:30 pm.  We were coming back from the Animal Kingdom to rest for a while and we were amazed at how quiet it was.  The pace can be hectic.  I overheard one stroller pushing mom berating her husband for being to slow.  "We're wasting time!"  If you get a fast pass and then go to another attraction and stand in line it will all work out.  Just figure your start for the day the night before.  That can definitely make life easier and cause fewer meltdowns.     

The food is Mall court type food.  You won't want to eat there too much.  but it is convenient. There is a game room next to the food court. Lots of noise.                           

For adults go to the pool bar and hang out.  The kids stay away.

The bus rides to and from the All Star resorts were an adventure in themselves at times.  We did like being able to zone out  on the  ride back in the evening and not have to worry about driving to our hotel. The buses run frequently.  Of course the first run in the morning is the most crowded.  Avoid the ferry ride back to the parking lot from the Magic Kingdom it not as pleasant as it looks from afar.

One nice trick to look out for are the casual character photo opportunities.  Here we saw Donald at EPCOT by the Mexico building.  There was a line of maybe 3 people.  If you went to the official character photo spot it was an hour wait.  If you want  a picture and you see the chance take it.  Epcot is loaded with these little side spots for photos.  the characters never say no if see them around the park.

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

  We hit the Expedition Everest coaster first with a fast pass and then walked around the park to kill off the fast pass.  The Pangani Forest Exporation trail  was one of my favorite things at Animal Kingdom.  The photos below are from the trail.

                               The ruins along  the trail lent a very unique feel to walk. 

       You didn't have that typical zoo experience.

                           The fruit bats were really large.    Birds are everywhere.    The Marmoset

THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Main Street

Main Street is basically about shopping and watching the parade.  This photo is the view from the train platform.  People stake this area very early.

These 2 pictures are taken from precisely dead center main street at the far end, standing next to the flag pole.  The classic spot to watch fire works.  A really good spot also is the causeway from Main Street to Tomorrow land.  There you can see the full flight of Tinkerbell from the top of the castle to behind Space Mountain.

One spot I would like to try and watch the fireworks is the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. The daytime view is below.

Just another castle in the Magic Kingdom 

 Tomorrowland

I really like the retro futuristic style.  Space Mountain still thrills although it has been eclipsed by Mission Mars at EPCOT. 

            Another great spot to relax is the TTA or WED Way people mover. 

For about 10 minutes you get to look down on the masses and go behind the scenes of Space Mountain. 

Lori kickin' back on the people mover.    

EPCOT

It's a really great walk around the lake taking in the different countries buildings.  The Mexican  Gran Fiesta tour boat ride is Disney old school retro fun.  The Chinese exhibit is very good.   The display was of  Smithsonian quality.  The artifacts were really interesting.  We were there during the International Food and Wine festival.  There were some very tasty delights to sample ... for a price.  We also caught a free concert.  Definitely check the concert schedule.

        Smithereens in concert

Don't eat and drink to quickly.  Remember you have to go all the way around the world.

This is the best park for taking pictures. You can really get some great views on the different county settings.

 Fool all your friends into thinking you were in Europe.

 Italy        China           Germany                           

              Norway          Canada                 Italy again          China again  

 Lori's favorite ride was Test Track, my favorite was the Mission to Mars.  The Spaceship Earth ride is definitely worth trying.  It is old school Disney, but has been upgraded.   The longest line was for Soarin'.  It was good but made Lori a little dizzy.  If you like Imax shows you will really like Soarin'.

                We would advise riding these two rides before doing the Tower of Terror or Rockin' Roller Coaster.  They might seem a little tame after the only two real thrill rides at Disney.

                The  moderate thrill rides would be Space Mountain and the Thunder Mountain coasters.  The roller coaster that seems to fall in between moderate and real scary is Expedition Everest.

For more Florida info about NASA and the Villages and what-not click on the picture below