October 2008

Halloween in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 28, 2008

Most theme parks these days are extending their traditional summer time high times with holiday specials. While parks in the northern states close for regular business by October, and only open for Halloween & Christmas on the weekends, Disney World of course is open year round, thanks to the beautiful sunny & warm weather Florida has to offer.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom does celebrate Halloween though! Not with frightful ghouls and goblins, meant to scare visitors, like some theme parks have catered to. Instead Disney allows visitors to purchase exclusive tickets for Halloween at the Magic Kingdom, where the younger guests won’t be so scared, and can trick or treat around the Magic Kingdom in their costumes with Mom & Dad.

On certain days during the months of September and October Disney’s Magic Kingdom shuts down to the general public at 7 p.m. Once the gates shut, then the Halloween fun begins! Children are given special trick or treat bags, and the shops within the Magic Kingdom, along with characters and the staff all get into the spirit of Halloween with the children. Disney’s “Not So Scary Halloween Party” is definitely a treat for the kids.

From about mid-September until the end of October, the park is decorated in Halloween attire, too. From the pumpkin statues that greet you as you enter the gates, to the staff’s very “Halloween Themed” uniforms, it’s easy to see that the Magic Kingdom goes all out for this fun holiday. There’s even special character statues around the center garden area in front of Cinderella’s castle. From Donald Duck, to Mickey & Minnie Mouse, each has it’s own bronze looking Halloween statue.

For the special Halloween entrance to Disney’s Magic Kingdom for Trick or Treating, check out the Disney World’s event page.

What Makes Up Disney World (Part 3)

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 27, 2008

For the more active side of a family vacation, Walt Disney World can offer a lot! From golf to baseball, hiking to racing a stock car, believe it or not, there’s a lot more to Walt Disney World than Flying Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear and Mickey Mouse. In this 3rd and final part of “What Makes Up Walt Disney World“, we’ll take a look at the more “active” side of a vacation at the different attractions that make up Disney World.

Disney’s Wide World of Sports:

Want to get your game on? Well Disney’s Wild World of Sports is just the place to do it. with over 220 acres of state of the art competition and training areas you can’t miss. Disney’s Wild World of Sports includes a 9,500 seat baseball park, a field house, areas dedicated for softball, tennis, track & field, beach volleyball, baseball and a slew of other sports. In the late winter and early spring, Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex is home to the Atlanta Braves as they go through training camp. The only thing about Wide World of Sports to keep in mind is, unless you are coming to see a competition, the only way to use the facilities (paying of course) is scheduling organized competition.

Walt Disney World Speedway:

Got a need for speed? Even when you are on vacation? Well if you are itching to test out one of those NASCAR vehicles you see on Sunday’s, the Walt Disney World Speedway might be a great place to check out. Here you’ll find the Richard Petty Driving Experience, where you can ride as a passenger in a 2 seater stock car, or if you’re up to the challenge you can drive a stock car for 8, 18, or 30 laps. Course are by reservation only at this part of Disney, and you have to be 18 with a valid driver’s liscense to sign up. Oh, and you better learn to drive a stick shift, too, otherwise, you’ll be in the passenger’s seat!

Walt Disney World Golf:

Over the past few years, Walt Disney World Golf has been going under some changes. At one time Disney had 6 golf course, now there’s 5. Even more intriguing and old golf course will be replaced by a new one come 2010. For now though the Magnolia, the Oak Trail, Lake Buena Vista Golf Course and the Palm are all unaffected. Where visitors will see some major changes is over at Bonnet Creek Golf Club. Osprey Ridge is slated to close in 2010 to make way for a new course. One thing visitors know is that all of these courses are expertly designed and meticulously maintained. These course play host to the PGA Tour and the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

Disney Wilderness Preserve:

The only part of Disney World that isn’t exactly in Disney World, is the Disney Wilderness Preserve. This real wetlands-conservatory is operated by The Nature Conservancy in conjunction with Disney. The Disney Wilderness Preserve is about a 60 minute drive south of Walt Disney World, and has 12,000 acres dedicated to wet-lands. For a step away from the theme parks, the Disney Wilderness Preserve offers hiking trails, guided weekend outings and an interpretive center.

What Makes Up Disney World (Part 2)

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 26, 2008

In our last piece on “What Makes Up Walt Disney World” (Part 1) we covered the 4 major theme parks in the Disney World area in Orlando, Florida. Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Epcott, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are the most popular and visited places in Disney World. But there is a lot more than just these 4 theme parks, from sports to shopping, Disney World has something to please everyone. In this 2nd installation of looking at Walt Disney World, we’re going to take a look at shopping, entertainment and even some ways to cool off from the Florida heat.

Disney World Water Parks:

If you’re looking to escape the heat and enjoy the fun of cooling off in the water, that’s not at your hotel, Disney has not one but two water parks for the entire family to enjoy. Water slides, wave pools, lazy innertube rides or white water rafting type adventures can all be found at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach:

The theme around Blizzard Beach is snow, winter, and well, more snow! Winter in the middle of Florida? Well not exactly, but it sure makes visitors feel like they are in the middle of a wintry snowland all while enjoying the warm water filled rides. From Runoff Rapids to Tobaggan Racers, and checking out Melt-Away Bay, visitors are treated to a theme of winter fun, complete with ski lifts to take you to the top of the slides.

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon:

Close to the size of Blizzard Beach, Disney’s other water park is a theme of “Typhoon”, in fact guests to the park are greeted by entering the park through a misty rain forest! Like it’s counter part, Typhoon Lagoon offers water slides, wave pools and adventures on innertubes. From speed slides (Humunga Kowabunga), to cork screws (Storm Slides) and even water rafting (Keelhaul & Gangplank Falls), there’s something to satisfy everyone’s tastes.

Downtown Disney:

Downtown Disney is 120 acres of shopping paradise! From shops to lounges, spas and even entrainment, even Dad can tolerate a shopping adventure with Mom at Downtown Disney. Of the areas of Disneyworld that aren’t a theme park, Downtown Disney is one of the more popular places to head too. It’s comprised of 3 distinct neighborhoods, West Side, Market Place and Pleasure Island. Pleasure Island however, is due to shut down sometime in the near future.

Market Place:

The Market Place at Downtown Disney is primarily a dining and shopping area. However, you can still find a lot to be entertained here, too. A lakeside amphitheater features music artists, there are a few playgrounds for the kids, and even some funky interactive water fountains. Shopping wise, Market Place is home to the world’s largest World of Disney store, over 50,000 square feet of retail space dedicated to the largest stock of Disney trademark items. Lastly, but by no means, least on the list of things to check out at Market Place is the LEGO Imagination Center, which features amazing sculptures made up entirely of LEGO bricks.

West Side:

West Side is the newest add on to the Downtown Disney area, and includes the House of Blues. Visitors to the west side can also check out Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Planet Hollywood. If you’ve had your fill on food and you’re looking to be entertained you won’t be disappointed. The West side of Downtown Disney also includes a 24 screen AMC Movie Theater, and is home to Cirque du Soliel’s La Nouba. There’s even entertainment for the kids, DisneyQuest is an interactive theme parked housed in a building, something to keep the kids interested for hours.

Pleasure Island:

Pleasure Island is Downtown Disney’s night-time entertainment spot. During the day, shops and restaurants are open with no admission charge, but that changes when the sun goes down. Some of the more well known and trendy spots in Pleasure Island are Fulton’s Crab House, Portobello Yacht Club and the famous Raglan Road with features Irish food and live Celtic music. One note to keep in mind, Pleasure Island is slated for closing sometime towards the end of 2008.

Disney’s Boardwalk:

Step back into the 1930′s east coast beach boardwalk days at Disney’s Boardwalk. Not far from Epcot, Disney’s Boardwalk allows visitors to escape back in time with this waterfront theme resort. During the day, there’s no admission to its shops or restaurants, but returning at night you will be introduced to some cover charges to come of the clubs. The Boardwalk features Disney’s only brewpub, the Atlantic Dancehall and an ESPN Sports bar for your nightly entertainment.

What Makes Up Disney World (Part 1)?

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 11, 2008

The first time I went to Disney World, like most first time visitors, I constantly had to be correcting myself. I would refer to Disney’s Magic Kingdom as Disneyworld, when in fact Magic Kingdom, is just one of many parks that make up Disney World. Little did I realize just how huge Disney World really is! I wonder if Walt Disney really fathomed everything his dreams would become?

Disney’s Magic Kingdom

This park is of course, Walt Disney’s original theme park in Florida. Based off of his original Disneyland (which opened in 1955) in California, Walt Disney scoured all of Florida to find the perfect spot for Disney World, long before it would open, and unfortunately something Walt never got to see. The oldest of all the Florida attractions, it opened in 1971, and has been the main place people think of when they talk about Disney World. Magic Kingdom features 5 areas, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Tomorrowland, Mickey’s Toon Town, Frontierland and Main Street USA. Of course right in the middle of it all is the iconic and ever familiar Cinderella’s castle.

Disney’s Epcot

Disney World’s Epcot theme park first opened 27 years ago in 1982, to a bevvy of buzz. EPCOT was something Walt Disney had dreamed of creating long before his death in 1966, but people wonder what does Epcot really mean? Well it stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”. The next question people usually ask is “What is that huge round silver ball at the entrance?”

The attraction that was the centerpiece of Epcot soon became the theme park’s icon. Spaceship Earth is one of the many attractions in the Futureworld section of Epcot that gives visitors a glimpse into what tomorrow might bring us. This section of Epcot is divided into “Innovations East” and “Innovations West”. For those who’d rather keep their feet on the ground, and yet feel like they are traveling a bit, Epcot features World Showcase which surrounds World Showcase Lagoon. The space of this section is 1.2 miles and features food and entertainment, along with attractions featuring such countries as Mexico, France, Italy, Germany, America and a lot more.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Originally opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Grand Studios, this park invites visitors to step into the world of movie making and entertainment. From Narnia to ToyStory, Indiana Jones to Star Wars, and even fan of those old black and white movies, most visitor’s are likely to find a favorite section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios to make them feel like they can escape and enjoy for a while. At the center of it all is a giant replica of Mickey’s Magical Sorcerer’s Hat, but other sections of this theme park include: Hollywood Boulevard, Streets of America, Pixar Place and Sunset Boulevard.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

The newest of the 4 major theme parks that are part of Disney World, opening in 1998, Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is for those visitors that would love to have the experience of a safari, without the 10+ hour plane ride to get to Africa to do it. In size, Animal Kingdom is 5 times the size of Magic Kingdom. But don’t worry, most of the space in Animal Kingdom is reserved for our animal friends. When entering this theme park visitors are greeted with the Oasis area, but can then move on to Camp Minnie-Mickey, Discovery Island, Africa, Asia and last but not least Dinoland.

With four parks, you need more than a day to get to them all, but wait, those are just the theme parks, there’s even more to Disneyworld! Disney World includes water parks, sports complexes, shopping areas and a lot more. In part 2 of our series of “What Makes Up Disney World” we’ll be covering such other attractions as Typhoon Lagoo, Blizzard Beach, Downtown Disney, Disney’s Wide World of Sports and a bit more!

Welcome to FunInDisneyWorld.com!

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 10, 2008

This blog is all about all of the fun a family, a couple or even single travelers can have in Disney World. We’ll be highlighting not just the more popular parks that comprise Disneyworld in Orlando, FL, but also the rides and the restaurants, too.

We love Disney World, and all things Disney. From Mickey to Tigger, Buzz Lightyear to Pluto, Cinderella to Peter Pan, and where is the best times and places to catch up with all the characters of Disney’s expansive world, we’ll hunt down the most fun and deliver it to you a few times a week.

FunAtDisneyWorld isn’t limited to the parks, or the restaurants, we’ll be taking a look at various Disney Resorts, Disney Grand Vacation Club Resorts and various hotels, motels and special places to stay while you enjoy your time exploring all that there is to be had in Disneyworld. We’ll take a look at each accommodation’s amenities, best bargains for your dollar, what each hotel has to offer you the visitor, and great tips for booking with these places. We realize that you can’t have a lot of fun at Disney World if you don’t get a great night’s sleep, and with a little more dollars in your pocket you can buy and extra set of Mickey Mouse Ears.

So, if you are planning a trip to Disney, stayed tuned, we’ll have lots of articles coming your way!