Walt Disney World brings joy, inspiration and new knowledge to all who come to this happy place

Cinderella's Castle

The infamous Walt Disney never stopped dreaming and expanding his ideas, so after the success of Disneyland Anaheim he decided to get even bigger and better. Without the space in Anaheim to host his extensive plans, Walt bought 25000 acres in Orlando Florida, enough room to create the biggest and most popular theme park in the world.

Daffy duck in the daytime parade

Walt Disney developed this concept in the early 1960s, however he passed away in 1966 before construction began. His brother Roy Disney carried on with his brother's dream and founded Walt Disney World Resort, opening on the 1st of October 1971. With Magic Kingdom as the original theme park, Walt Disney World Resort has now expanded to include 4 theme parks, 2 water parks and 24 themed resorts. With so many things to see and do, expanding over such a large area and even with it's own post code, it's easy to see why 52.5 million people visit Walt Disney World Resort each year.

Disney’s Electrical Parade

The theme parks are spread out over various parts of the 25000 acres of land, with downtown Disney in the centre creating the shopping and restaurant hub. Free buses run between each theme park and resort, taking about 15 minutes each. There is also a monorail between magic kingdom and Epcot, or even take a lovely ferry ride from the carpark of magic kingdom to the entrance gate! With a park hopper pass, it's easy to see 2 or 3 different parks in a day. However I would recommend having at least 5 days to ensure you can enjoy every ride, show, parade and activity. There's just so much to do and see!

Princess Aroura

Based on the original Disney classics, Magic Kingdom is by far my favorite park, providing a world of enchantment and fantasy with all your Disney princess and character favorites. This park is based on the original "Disneyland" Anaheim. A fantastic park for families, where the little ones (or young at heart like me!) will be in awe meeting their favourite Disney princesses in Fantasyland, getting their autographs and photos. Don't worry, there's plenty for the whole family as well with Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Main Street USA, Frontierland and Liberty Square, providing countless rides, attractions, shows and restaurants.

Fireworks over Cindrella’s castle

The centerpiece of Magic Kingdom is Cinderella's Castle, which will leave you impressed each and every time you walk through the gates. From every angle, this fairy tale brought to life is stunning. Just wait until you see the fireworks as a backdrop. Disney doesn't hold anything back as they produce a spectacular display twice each night, there really is nothing more magical than seeing the trademark castle with fireworks exploding above as at the beginning of each Disney movie, brought to life!

Ancient Mexican ruins at EPCOT

Epcot is the second theme park to be built in 1981, and is double the size of magic kingdom! An acronym for 'Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow' it is dedicated to technological innovation and international culture. Walt Disney was always thinking way beyond his time in terms of innovation and technology, so he wanted somewhere to showcase these human achievements. There is an abundance of interactive experiments, showcases and rides.

EPCOT Spaceship Earth

An entire lake is surrounded by smaller sections representing various countries, with themed buildings, attractions and restaurants. Meet Mary Poppins and have fish and chips in England, dine inside the ancient Mayan ruins in Mexico or even celebrate in a beer Hall in Germany! Having been to Oktoberfest myself, I was impressed with how authentic this really is, with the band, imported German beer, a buffet of sauerkraut, sausages, potatoes and much more and even beer-wenches to serve you! A spectacular firework display is also presented over the lake, which you can watch from Paris, Japan or any other country featured! However I was disappointed to see there was no Australia, come on - who can pass up meat pies and lamingtons!

Beauty and the Beast the Musical

Hollywood Studios is a park dedicated to show-business, gaining inspiration from hollywood's finest era in the 1930s and 40s. This is where you will find breathtaking stuntshows, behind the scenes tours, and countless attractions based on Hollywood blockbusters.

Hollywood stuntshow

Don't miss the breathtaking Hollywood Stunt Show, with death-defying stunts leaving you on the edge of your seat the entire show! The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of my favourite rides, taking you into ‘another dimension’. With the initial tale giving you shivers as you enter the abandoned Hotel, it is followed by an adrenaline rush as you plummet 13 stories down the elevator shaft!

Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage

Disney's original 'Fantasia' story is brought to you by the Disney characters each night. Set in an arena by a man-made lake, the lighting and special effects make this show unmissable- with of course another fireworks display to finish off with a bang!

Make sure you also check out Walt Disney's museum, telling his remarkable journey from a poor boy from Wisconsin to becoming the celebrity he is today. This museum also showcases genuine artifacts including the desk Walt used to draw at, and even original sketches!

Man made tree of life

The final park to be added to Walt Disneyworld Resort (other than the water parks which I did not make it to this time) is Disney's Animal Kingdom. I was expecting to see a few animals in an attempt of creating a zoo, however my mind was blown away when I discovered just how large and fantastic this park is! Covering over 500acres, it is the largest Disney theme park and the second largest of any theme parks in the world!

Elephants playing in the water

Animal kingdom is not just a zoo. It is an adventure playground for the young and old themed around animal conservation, a philosophy Walt himself was passionate about. Animal Kingdom encompasses various ‘lands’ with animals from these continents, as well as rides and attractions built to give you the feeling you are actually in that area. With accreditation from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the highest standards of education, conservation and research have been met to provide a park which is not only fun but also educational and having a positive influence on the animals.

Up close and personal to the rhino

The African Safari has you journeying through what looks like the real plains of Africa in a Jeep, seeing the animals roam free amongst the huge enclosure. You can get so close sometimes its scary! I could not believe how much I felt like I had actually been to Africa that day. All the animals looked at home in their natural environments.

Hippos on the African Safari

 An entire day or more can easily be spent wandering the various lands, seeing and learning about the animals. Then there are still the rides and shows to be seen! River rapids, Dinocoaster, Jurassic Park and the Yeti roller coaster are just a few of the adrenaline pumping rides to enjoy. The Lion King interactive concert and Finding Nemo stage show will have you singing along and incredibly impressed with the creativity used to bring these movies to life on stage. I would pay to see these shows separately on Broadway!

Mickey and Minnie

I have to commend Walt Disney World on their strategies to ensure all visitors, no matter how many or what their age, can have a fun, hassle-free day when visiting Walt Disney World. Queues are massively reduced by having ‘Fastpasses’ for the major rides or to meet popular Disney Characters, meaning you can come back between a certain time and skip the line! Photospots are also a fantastic help, with Disney staff positioned to ensure you can get the best shots of yourself or the entire family. They are more than happy to take a professional photo on their camera which you can buy online, as well as one on your own camera! The only extras you will have to pay for once inside the parks are food and gift shopping, absolutely every ride and attraction is included in your ticket price!

Entrance Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World most definitely makes a trip to Orlando when you are next in the USA worth the visit. So pack your bags, and be ready to step back into your childhood thoughts and dreams.

“Walt Disney World is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney and to the talents, the dedication and the loyalty of the entire Disney organisation that made Walt Disney's dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring joy and inspiration and new knowledge to all who come to this happy place...a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn-together” (Plaque dedicated October 25, 1971 by Roy Disney).