The Parks at Walt Disney World
Magic Kingdom (MK)
The main one. When you think of Disney World, is Cinderella Castle with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck waving at you and fireworks bursting in the night sky filling up the air with color and pixie dust the first image that pops into your noodle? If not it does now, right? This is the park where most of those commercials you see are located. It is also the home of those iconic rides such Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and way more but you get the idea. Magic Kingdom is divided up into “lands” and each land engulfs you in that theme.
- Fantasyland
- Adventureland
- Frontierland
- Tomorrowland
- Liberty Square
- Main Street U.S.A.
Seems like alot of “lands” right? I have timed myself walking from one end of the park to other and it was 8 minutes, completely doable. I also highly recommend one of their fine dining restaurants at MK. Reservations go fast though, so make sure you have a plan before you go otherwise you might be waiting up to 2 hours and nobody wants that when you have a Fast Pass for Space Mountain in an hour!
EPCOT
Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow is the home of what some refer to as the huge golf ball and there is actually an attraction that you can ride inside of it. EPCOT is divided in two areas, Future World and the World Showcase, and this park is the host of so many festivals throughout the year such the Food & Wine and the Festival of the Arts. Popular rides here are Mission: Space, Frozen, Test Track and coming soon is the Guardians of the Galaxy in Future World and Ratatouille in the France pavilion. For all of those looking for a good drink, World Showcase is the home of over 10 pavilions each representing a specific country. I still cannot complete the unofficial Drink Around the World challenge, I usually get topped off in Japan but sometimes I can make it to Germany!
I don’t know where to start when it comes to food and drinks in this park. There is so much. I mean there are over 10 countries and the cuisine is so diverse here, I just can’t even. The restaurants are awesome and the food carts and kiosks are so freaking tasty, it’s hard to do both at this park. And when there is a festival happening that day, ahh! So much food, so much beverage, so much alcohol to choose from.
Hollywood Studios (HS)
Originally called MGM studios, was renamed to its current title in 2008. The original concept was inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood but lately Storm troopers have taken over. Iconic landmarks and attractions in this park include the replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and the recently opened Toy Story Land that has my new favorite ride at this park, Slinky Dog Dash. Step into Andy’s backyard and shrink down to the size of a toy and explore the land as if you were the size of an army man, make sure you stand aside when they come marching through too, you don’t want to get bumped by a Crayola crayon. Crayons are much more dangerous when you are only 4 inches tall. The attention to detail is ridiculous, they didn’t miss anything. The UNO Cards stand taller than me and trash cans look like they are built out of Legos. The best Pop-Tarts you will ever eat are located at Andy’s lunch box.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in HS, will take you to the outpost on the planet of Batuu, drink the blue milk (green too), build your own lightsaber and communicate with smugglers and bounty hunters. The first attraction ride to open will be Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run where you control the hunk of junk in a smuggling mission as a pilot, engineer, or a gunner. When I say control, I mean that you literally control the options on this ride. You have the potential to fail or pass this mission and the results could get you a reputation throughout the land of Batuu, I don’t have all the details on that part yet but I imagine that you might need Magic Bands for this interactive feature to work, I’ll look into that. But it’s Disney and I trust them for all my entertainment needs.
Animal Kingdom (AK)
I hear people describe this park as a zoo on steroids, I thinks it’s a little more than that but I will leave that up to you. The theme of the park is to emerge you in a natural environment whether its Earth’s horticulture or perhaps another world’s environment, all while having the focus on animal conservation but while having thrill rides, entertaining shows and immersive experiences that you can only have in one of the various “lands” and “continents” Animal Kingdom ‘s areas include:
- Africa
- Asia
- DinoLand U.S.A
- Oasis
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch
- Pandora-World of Avatar
The iconic Tree of Life stands at 145 ft and more than 300 sculpted and represented in the trunk of this tree. Popular attractions in Animal Kingdom include Festival of The Lion King, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain (the roller coaster goes backwards, it’s amazing!) and Flight of Passage where you experience flying on the back of a banshee after being matched up to an avatar through an awesome 3-D flying simulator. You can even experience the smells of the island as you soar through tidal waves, caves and a even fly up close to a stampede where the fresh small of grass and dirt draws you even more to being “in the ride”. If you want to ride Flight of Passage, get up early and arrive before the gates open to avoid waiting a long time in the line queue. If you have a FastPass+ already for Flight of Passage then you get to sleep in! yay!
Entertainment Districts
Disney Springs (DS)
Formerly known as Downtown Disney, this area was revamped in 2016 and consists of over 150 restaurants and stores including a movie theater, the NBA Experience and the 3 level Coca Cola store with a rooftop beverage bar. Other entertainment at Disney Springs guests may enjoy include:
- Aerophile Balloon Flight
- Marketplace Carousel
- Splitsville Luxury Lanes™ bowling
- Vintage Car Water Taxi Tours
- The VOID VR experience
- Special Christmas events
- Cirque du Soleil (Coming Soon)
Disney Springs charges no admission and is open to everybody. Parking in the garage is a fee. There are some great resorts near DS that offer a beautiful scenic route on the lake or you can use the complimentary bus transportation. There is a parking garage that charges a fee if you are not staying at a Disney resort. Dining Plan credits are also accepted and can be used at the restaurants and carts. Advanced Dining Reservations are strongly recommended through your My Disney Experience account. Don’t know where to start on your vacation? Guests who use my services for their next Disney vacation get my planning services at no extra charge. This means I can book your reservations for you and you don’t have to worry about it. All you have to do is show up. If you are thinking of a Disney vacation, I’d love to help you! Get a Quote
Disney Hotel Resorts
There are over 20 resort on Disney property and are divided into 3 classifications:
- Value: avg 260 sq ft | food courts | limited in-room food delivery | loud theming | basic furnishing
| 2 double or 1 king - Moderate: avg 315 sq ft| Table-Service Restaurants plus food courts and bars | luggage service | some swimming pools have slides | 2 queens or 1 king | 5th sleeper option | some boat transportation
- Deluxe: 344 – 440 sq ft | Tabel-Service | Character Dining | Room-Service | Lounges & Bars | themed pools & quiet pools | double sinks in bathroom | 2 queens or 1 king | 5th sleeper option | on-site childcare | valet parking | monorail resorts are deluxe | spas
You can view a list of all hotel/ resorts on WDW property here.
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