Winter is just about in full swing, and many family’s are getting readying to take their winter orlando vacations. And one of our favorite places to visit is Orlando FL, Disney World. Which is also considered theme park capital of the world. When we visit there we also like to visit SeaWorld and Universal Orlando, which are loaded with fun as Walt Disney World.

So if your planning a vacation, plan it for Walt Disney World Orlando, FL. The lines are almost a guarantee to be shorter because of the recession, which means you can get to just about everything that is being offered. And while your there make sure you check out the SeaWorld and Universal Orlando. All three theme parks have new rides just opened this year. Most of these rides have been in the works for years. So if you can afford the trip take it, you’ll love it, I guarantee it.

I will not claim to be an absolute expert on a trip to Disney World but we have gone many times so I have a few tips to offer.

We have done the trip where we stayed off of Disney property, rented a car, left Disney to eat meals (to save money), etc.  We have also done the trip where we stayed on a Disney property and this is by far the much better option for us.

A few of the benefits we love include:

1. Free pick up at the airport.  They get your luggage from the airplane, take it right to your hotel room, etc.  You do not have to worry about a lugging all of your stuff through the airport.
2. After you get picked up at the airport you can go to your hotel to check in and then head right off to the parks using the free transportation.  They take you from one park to another and to all of the various resorts.
3. We love the Magic Your Way dining plan.  You pay a fee to have this added to your package.  Each day you get a meal at a sit down restaurant, a meal at a quick service restaurant and a snack.  The meals each include an appetizer, your main course and dessert.  The food is way more than enough.  You save an incredible amount of money doing it this way.
4. We also love the park hopper tickets.  You can visit several parks in one day.  You can start your day out at Animal Kingdom when the animals are most active and end your day at Epcot with the spectacular lights show.
5. Each day there will be a park that will open early or stay open late for Disney guests.  The lines are short and the crowds are small.  This is reason enough for me to stay at a Disney hotel.

You can also choose to stay in one of the downtown disney hotels. When we went on our honeymoon that is where we stayed- and we can an amazing time! Although it wasn’t actually on Disney property it was still fun.

There are several times of year when the crowds are considerably smaller and we are coming in to that season right now.  Hurry on over to Disney and start planning your next trip.

Back during the summer my husband and I were planning a trip to Disney World with my family.  We had the dates all set and were ready to make our reservations.  Then some things came up for one of the groups who was supposed to be going.  We tried to make it work out and to figure out when everyone could go, but it just didn’t happen.  So, now whenever I see people talking about their Disney vacations I start to feel sad thinking about how we are not going.  I had even started doing a series on how to plan your Disney trip since we have been a few times.  Now I don’t want to finish the series because it makes me depressed. Maybe we’ll just get an RV and an rv extended warranty and hit the road ourselves!

Several years ago we took a family vacation to Las Vegas.  We had an absolute blast.  It was much more family friendly than I thought it would be.  We spent most of our time visiting the various Vegas hotels and checking out all of the free shows.  And of course there was the fabulous food that you always hear about.  It really was a great time- a Vegas vacations is something I would highly recommend.

Now you know all about the various hotels you can stay in while you’re at Disney World.  And you know about all four of the parks as well as the two water parks.  What else is there to know about?  Food, of course.

I most definitley recommend that you purchase the Magic Your Way Plus Dining package.  Eating at the parks in Disney World can be very expensive- but with this package it is completely affordable.  Having to leave the park every time you want to eat is very time consuming, so you waste a lot of time if you plan to leave the parks for every meal.

How does the dining package work?  If you purchase the basic package (my choice)- for each night you stay in Disney you will receive this:

• One quick service meal
• One table service meal
• One snack

For your quick service meal and your table service meal you will get an appetizer, your meal, a dessert and a drink.  Your snack can be used for treats like ice cream or can even be used for small breakfast items.  This package is way more than enough food and you’ll need to take best diet pills when you get home!

There are other choices for food packages, be sure to visit 2009 Packages to see the other options.

So, now that you’re all excited about all of the parks that there are to visit in Disney World I’m sure you’re thinking about where you want to stay while you’re there.  I would highly recommend staying at a Disney property hotel- and I covered my reasons for that back in my first post of this series- Disney Tips.  If you’d like to take that advice- here are some choices that you pick from in choosing your hotel.

There are value resorts you pick from which start at only $82 per night and there are four different themed resorts to pick from. The next level of resorts are the moderate resorts and they start at $149 per night and there are five different themed resorts to pick from. The deluxe resorts start at $225 per night and have eight different themed resorts you will be able to pick from. Finally there are nine different themed resorts to choose from in the deluxe villa resorts and they start at $265 per night. So, as you can see there are choices in all price ranges. If you’re interested in having plasma tvs in your hotel you can look up that information too.

If you’d like to see a comparison sheet you can check that out at the Disney site where you will be able to see what the different levels of resorts have to offer as well as the prices of each choice.

On your next trip to Disney I highly recommend that you visit Blizzard Beach.  No need to bring your laptop, it’s a water park. Like all of the Disney attractions, Blizzard Beach has been amazingly decorated according to its theme.  The theme being a beach in the winter time.  And when you are visiting Florida in the hot summer this is the perfect place to spend a day.  When you visit make sure you check out these attractions:

1. Cross Country Creek- you get to plop into an inner-tube and float all the way around the park.  You can stay on as long as you want.  It’s the perfect way to relax.
2. Tike’s Peak- a fun area for the little ones to play.
3. Teamboat Springs- the whole family can hop onto a family sized raft for a fun trip down the mountain.
4. Summit Plummet- You get to slide down a 12 story tall water slide- an amazingly exciting water slide!

Check out the Blizzard Beach site to plan out your entire day.  And, since the water parks close early you’ll be able to head on over to one of the other parks for the evening.

When you’re planning your Disney trip you can’t forget about going to the Water Parks.  If you are there during the hot summer months you may want to spend the majority of your time at these amazing water parks.  First up, I’ll cover Typhoon Lagoon- a fun filled day of wet rides.  You have to see these attractions:

1. The wave pool- and this is nothing like any wave pool you’ve ever seen before.  It’s one of the largest in the world and waves are huge.
2. Castaway Creek- you get into an inner tube and float around the park.  You can stay on this ride as long as you want and it is incredibly relaxing. glass tile
3. Ketchakiddie Creek- a fun play area, perfect for the little ones.
4. Shark Reef- you get to enjoy some amazing saltwater snorkeling where you’ll see tropical fish.

There is a lot more to see, so make sure you check out the Typhoon Lagoon site.  The water parks close earlier than the other parks, so once you finish your day there you can head to one of the other theme parks for the evening.

Now when most people think of Disney World they automatically think of Magic Kingdom and that is definitely one of my favorite places in the world to go, it is certainly very magical.  I think you have to spend at least two days at Magic Kingdom in order to see everything you want to be able to see.  Here are a few of my favorite things that you just have to see at Magic Kingdom:

1. Space Mountain is a must do for any roller coaster lover.  It’s inside, in the dark making you feel like you’re in space. Halloween invitations
2. Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor is a comedy show that really involves the audience- it was hilarious when we were there.  Although they do pick on people in the audience- so keep that in mind if you don’t like to be the center of attention- you never know if you might be the one to be picked on.
3. It’s a Small World is a relaxing cruise where you get to see sites from all over the world.
4. Wishes Nighttime Spectacular is an amazing fireworks display that you just have to see before you head back to your hotel for the night.

There is so much to do in Magic Kingdom that you just have to check out their site to find all that there is to do.

The next park I am going to cover in my series of planning your Disney World trip is the Hollywood Studios park.  Now I love all of the parks in Disney World, but Hollywood Studios is my least favorite.  I still love it, I just love it a little less than all of the other parks.  The other parks we could spend a coupld of days at each one and with Hollywood Studios we can be finished with everything we want to see in just 1 day.

When you visit Hollywood Studios, make sure you visit the following attractions:

1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is perfect for any thrill seeker.
2. Lights, Motor, Action stunt show is an up-close look at some amazing stunts.

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3. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a great choice for anyone who loves roller coasters.
4. There is a new attraction called Toy Story Mania that we have never been to but it looks like something worth checking out.

Be sure to visit the Hollywood Studios  website to plan your fun filled day.