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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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).
*written by Sarah Llewelyn, who was a guest of Walt Disney World
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