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The WDW Resort offers ninety-nine holes of what Disney calls the world's greatest golf. The resort offers five championship eighteen-hole courses and a nine-hole walking course. In addition to the golf courses, The WDW Resort contains three full-service pro shops, four driving ranges, and four practice putting greens. If you don't feel like packing up your own clubs and bringing them with you to Orlando, all Disney courses rent Callaway golf clubs and FootJoy shoes. Private golf instruction from Disney's PGA Professional staff is available by appointment, but you'll want to schedule your lessons as far in advance as possible. Keep in mind, proper golf attire is required on all of Disney's golf courses. Shirts with collars and Bermuda-length shorts are part of the dress code.
Whether you're looking for a quick bite or a full sit-down lunch or dinner, there are many dining opportunities available in the main Universal Studios Florida theme park area, plus plenty of ther restaurants in the CityWalk area. Reservations are accepted at some of the Studios' full-service restaurants. For a comprehensive list of Universal Studios' most popular restaurant locations, visit our Universal Studios dining guide.
Where: Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom How much: Lunch: $10-$15, Dinner: $10-$20 When: 11:30-3 & 4-9pm. This colonial style eatery, located in Liberty Square features nightly Disney character dinners. Menu is fixed price offering a hearty selection of regal foods including salad, entree and beverage. Fresh baked desserts are extra. Casual dress.
Where: Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom How much: Lunch: $9-$17, Dinner: $10-$20 When: 8:05-10:30am, 11:30-2:45 & 4-9pm. Left of Main Street USA, this stunning, beautifully designed glass palace features a family-oriented all-you-can-eat buffet. Salad, pasta and dessert bars compliment entree selections of freshly roasted and carved meat. Disney characters appear. Casual Dress.
Want to amaze and astound your friends and family members? Learn how to perform magic tricks just like a professional magician. This store is staffed by highly skilled magicians who offers demonstrations and perform short magic shows. Even if you don't plan on shopping here, it's a great place to visit for a few minutes if you want to enjoy watching magic tricks and illusions performed right before your eyes.
Where: Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom How much: Lunch: $11-$16, Dinner: $19-$26 When: 8-10am, 11:30-2:55 & 4-9pm. Diners can experience the grandeur of royalty from a setting inside the legendary Cinderella's Castle. The menu features prime rib, beef pie, roast chicken, barbecue and other comfort foods. Particularly popular for its Disney character breakfast, the eatery is a favorite dining spot in the Magic Kingdom. Casual dress.
Where: Downtown Disney How much: Lunch: $9-$18, Dinner: $12-$24 When: 11am-11pm In an old Havana setting, the restaurant displays the flair of traditionally Cuban South Beach. On the menu is an enticing mix of soups and sandwiches as well as chicken, pork, and beef preparations. A favorite is churrasco, a skirt steak marinated in a Cuban sauce. Casual dress.
Dueling Dragons is a thrill ride in every sense of the term, so if you don't like high-speed and turbulent roller coasters, you'd best skip it. Since this is one of the most popular attractions within the park, expect a long line. It's best to check out this coaster first thing in the morning or during peak mealtimes. The coaster has a capacity of 3,264 riders per hour, so while the line may seem long, it moves constantly. It's a favorite among thrill seekers!
Gangplank Falls, Keelhaul Falls, and Mayday Falls are the thrill rides offered at Typhoon Lagoon. Guests ride on various types of tubes as they plummet down waterfalls and other white-water terrain. Water slides at Typhoon Lagoon provide for extremely wet and fast-paced experiences that nobody who rides them will soon forget. Humunga Kowabunga is a 214-foot slide that includes a 51-foot drop, allowing guests to travel upward of 30 miles per hour. The Storm Slides are a bit tamer, but not by much. These fiberglass slides are 300 feet long and allow guests to slide down at 20 miles per hour.
Plenty of free parking is available in front of Disney's West Side, Pleasure Island, and the Marketplace. Valet parking is also available for $7 (free to guests with physical disabilities). Free valet parking is also provided to WDW Resort hotel guests. From anywhere in The WDW Resort, follow the signs to Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island. Buses run constantly to and from Disney's resort hotels and theme parks to Pleasure Island, the Marketplace, and Disney's West Side areas.
All of the Disney theme parks are known for their daytime, character-oriented parades. Disney's Animal Kingdom is now the home to Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade, a fifteen-minute extravaganza featuring Mickey, Minnie, Rafiki, 13 other Disney characters, and a cast of over sixty dancers and performers. Complete with an African jungle theme, this parade features original music and a format that encourages guest participation along the parade route. Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade is definitely suitable for the entire family.
As you plan your time at Disney's Animal Kingdom, pace yourself--lots of walking is required. Since some of the park's most popular attractions involve seeing live animals, keep in mind that many of the animals tend to be more active and visible to the public in the mornings and late afternoons when the temperature is cooler. The majority of the animals are allowed to roam freely in their habitats, so at times they may not be visible to guests, simply because they're napping in the shade. Thus, try to experience the live animal attractions early or late in the day.
This full-service restaurant is a re-creation of the Brown Derby in Hollywood, where some of Hollywood's biggest and most famous stars used to dine. This is one of the very best restaurants located anywhere in The WDW Resort. While it's rather expensive, it's a wonderful place to enjoy lunch or dinner. Reservations are strongly recommended, and a children's menu is available.
This full-service theme restaurant simulates a 1950s drive-in movie theater. The tables are in the shapes of popular cars, and fiber-optic special effects are used to simulate stars on the ceiling as guests dine and watch a movie screen that shows continuous science fiction movie trailers and cartoons from the 1950s. Lunch and dinner are served daily, and popcorn is always served as an appetizer. Reservations are strongly recommended.
This 1950s-style diner features television monitors located throughout the restaurant that show black-and-white clips from popular 1950s sitcoms. Instead of serving food on traditional plates, the meals, while cooked fresh, are presented like old-fashioned TV dinners. Hamburgers, turkey burgers, roast beef sandwiches, salads, and other staple diner items can be found on the menu of this theme restaurant, which will appeal to the entire family.
Limited edition Disney animation cells, original Disney artwork, and other collectibles are available here. This gallery is located in the Animation building. While most of the artwork and collectibles are rather expensive, you can also purchase books and posters. Even if you're not in the buying mood, if you're interested in Disney animation, you'll want to drop into this air-conditioned gallery and enjoy what's on display. A Disney animator/artist is usually on hand to answer questions and to demonstrate how animation cells are created. This gallery will appeal more to adults, Disneyana collectors, and Disney animation fans.
For $140 per person, guests can participate in two very special tours. The Dolphins in Depth program is three-and-a-half hours long and allows guests to interact directly with dolphins and meet the researchers who work at The Living Seas pavilion. For those who are certified scuba divers, DiveQuest allows guests to rent scuba-diving equipment and explore the 6-million-gallon tank with a guide. Advanced reservations are required to participate in either the Dolphins in Depth or DiveQuest programs.
To go against the crowds and thus cut down the amount of waiting time you'll experience at each attraction, consider visiting Future World in the afternoon or evening, when it is the least crowded. The best time to visit the pavilions in the World Showcase is as soon as this part of the park opens in the morning.
As you leave one of the many Disney theme parks, be sure to have your hand stamped as you exit in order to be granted readmission into the park later that day or evening. In addition to the hand stamp, be sure to retain your ticket stub. The hand stamps are designed to be water-resistant, so don't worry if your hand gets wet if you choose to return to your hotel in the middle of the day to go swimming, and then want to return to the parks later that evening. Try to refrain, however, from scrubbing your hands clean with soap until your day's visit to the park is complete.
Located between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, Ariel's Grotto is where you'll usually find Ariel and possibly other characters from Disney's The Little Mermaid, who are on hand to meet guests, take pictures, and sign autographs in an area that's designed to look like Ariel's undersea home. If you're traveling with kids, stopping by this area provides for an excellent photograph and autograph opportunity, and the line typically is not too long.
Due to the turbulent, thrill-ride nature or themes presented within some of the rides and attractions within The Magic Kingdom, some simply aren't suitable for young kids under the age of six. Some of these rides and attractions include Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Space Mountain, and the Mad Tea Party. As a parent, you'll need to make a judgement call based on the information you know about the attraction and how well you know your kids.
Besides the many attractions your child will be sure to love at Fantasyland and Mickey's Toon Town, there are several others scattered throughout the Magic Kingdom for them to enjoy. In addition, all of the parades and shows will appeal to the younger crowd. If you're traveling with kids, the following rides, shows, and attractions should not be missed: Astro Orbiter (Tomorrowland), Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (Tomorrowland), Country Bear Jamboree (Frontierland), The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (Adventureland), Swiss Family Treehouse (Adventureland), Tomorrowland Indy Speedway (Tomorrowland), Tom Sawyer Island (Frontierland).
Lockers are available for rent within all of the Disney theme parks. These are excellent for storing an extra change of clothing, jackets, or camera equipment during the day until they're needed. While visiting the parks, you'll want to keep your hands as free as possible. Storing items you bring into the park or that you purchase is an excellent strategy. Renting a locker is a lot more convenient than running back and forth to your parked car or hotel room, which will typically require a long walk and/or tram ride. The daily charge for unlimited use of a locker within each of the Disney theme parks is $7 (plus a $1 refundable deposit).
Within the theme parks, stroller rentals are available for $8 per day (plus a $1 refundable deposit). A two-passenger stroller can be rented for $15 per day. The rental locations are near the entrances of The Magic Kingdom, at the base of Spaceship Earth in EPCOT, within Oscar's Super Service at the Disney MGM Studios, and at the entrance to Disney's Animal Kingdom. When renting a stroller, be sure to keep the receipt with you at all times. If you park your stroller in order to experience an attraction and your stroller is gone when you return, simply go to a stroller replacement center or the main rental area for a replacement. Ask any Disney cast member for the location of the nearest replacement center.
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream at the Disney MGM Studios features a short film of Walt Disney's life that explores the extraordinary hardships he overcame. "He is an individual, not an icon," according to Disney Imagineer Roger Holzberg. The exhibit adds, "This tells the story of Walt the man, and we hope that guests will be moved by the scope of his imagination, what he accomplished, and what he inspired." Anyone who truly appreciates the accomplishments of Walt Disney as a television and motion picture producer, animator, and theme park creator will enjoy this museum-like exhibit, which is not particularly kid-oriented. The entire experience lasts about 25 minutes and is entirely indoors.
In addition to being the home of the world's largest Planet Hollywood restaurant, Disney's West Side also features two Planet Hollywood merchandise shops. This is where you can pick up official Planet Hollywood Orlando and Planet Hollywood America apparel, toys, and other logoed merchandise. You'll discover that some of the limited-edition clothing is endorsed by big-name recording artists and pop groups.
Three massive floors in this store offer thousands upon thousands of music CDs, cassettes, videos, laser discs, DVD movies, computer games, video games, magazines, music accessories, and books. There's even a cafe located on the top floor. Throughout the store, you'll find CD-listening stations, computers to try out the hottest new games, and over twenty video/laser stations for previewing movies. Live musical performances, author appearances, and other special events are held regularly at this location.
Lovely handmade glass and crystal merchandise is sold here, and not all of it has a Disney theme. This is a beautiful shop to browse through, but keep a close eye on your kids. The items on display here are extremely fragile. Many of the gift items can be engraved while you wait. In the center of this shop is an area where a glassblower demonstrates how some of the products in this shop are made.
Sports fans will feel like they're in heaven when they step foot into this giant sports bar, which offers dozens of sporting events shown on monitors throughout the club. Live ESPN radio and television broadcasts originate from here, so guests often get to meet their favorite ESPN personalities and sportscasters. A full and pretty inexpensive menu and bar service are available. Food entrees range in price from $7.95 to under $15, and include burgers, hot dogs, tuna salad, and Caesar salad. There's no admission charge to hang out at the ESPN club.
While the children are enjoying the personalized attention and the dozens of activities designed specifically for them, parents and adults traveling without children will be able to enjoy the ship's adults-only areas, including a nighttime entertianment complex that offers three themed nightclubs and shopping. There's a rock-and-roll club, a comedy club, and a piano/cappuccino club. A special adults-only alternative restaurant, a separate adults-only swimming pool, and a fully equipped day spa facility are offered.
Located between these two exciting theme parks is CityWalk, a unique dining and shopping area that by day is family-oriented, but by night offers exciting nightlife activities for adults, featuring dance clubs, bars, live entertainment, and an overall party atmosphere. In addition to a state-of-the-art movie theater, CityWalk offers a handful of themed restaurants, plus several fine-dining restaurants, mixed with unique shops.
As you'll see, depending on your length of stay and which parks you plan on visiting, there are a variety of different ticket options available. If you'll be in the Orlando area for multiple days and you plan to visit Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, you can save money by purchasing a multiday/multipark pass. After pu7rchasing your admission ticket, if you decide you want to stay longer or upgrade your admission for additional days, special discounts are offered at the Customer Service counter near the entrance of the park. You must upgrade your ticket the day it's purchased, however.
It's a good idea to do a bit of preplanning in order to help ensure you make the most of your vacation and stay within your allocated budget. After all, unless you'll be staying in Orlando for a long period of time, it's impossible to see and do everything. Thus, you need to make decisions about how you'll spend your time. As you plan your itinerary, make sure to obtain input from everyone you'll be traveling with. Also, leave plenty of flexibility in each day's schedule. Allow ample time to explore and enjoy experiences as they happen, without worrying too much about staying on a timetable and getting to the next preplanned activity. In most cases, creating an itinerary with plans down to the hour or minute might make you more organized, but it will also create a tremendous level of stress during your vacation as you run around trying to stick to your pre-determined schedule. Be sure to leave time in your schedule for travel between destinations, meals, and rest.
From the early days of America's space program, the Kennedy Space Center has played a pivotal role. Through the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space shuttle programs, the NASA mission control and launch facility has captured the world's attention. Home of the legendary Launch Control Center, where NASA engineers have guided launches since the Apollo program of the early 1960s, Kennedy Space Center boasts the Vehicle Assembly Building, which is one of the largest buildings in the world, plus the space shuttle launch pad.
Back in the mid-1960s, Bay Lake, which is located on Disney property, was stocked with over 70,000 bass. Well, those fish have multiplied, making for a wonderful fishing opportunity. If you want to participate in the fishing activities, you must sign up for one of the Fishing Excursions that take place throughout the day. Reservations are required.
When Walt Disney first began designing Disneyland and later The Walt Disney World Resort, he dreamed of creating an actual town. Well, in 1996, Walt's dream became a reality when the town of Celebration, Florida, was officially founded. The first phase of this massive construction project included 350 residences, two office buildings, fourteen businesses in the town center, a 150-bed medical center, a school, a teaching academy, and a golf course (which is open to the public). After the completion of this first phase, additional phases were subsequently built, transforming this into a thriving community.
Champion driver Richard Petty has teamed up with Disney to offer the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Walt Disney World Speedway. Now you can experience what it's like to drive an actual two-seat stock car around a professional track at speeds of up to 145 miles per hour. The basic Riding-Along Experience ($89-$125) allows you to be in the passenger seat of a two-seat stock car as a professional driver takes you for three laps around the track. The Rookie Experience ($349-$499) puts you in the driver's seat for eight laps around the one-mile tri-oval track, in a car that can reach 125 miles per hour. This is a three-hour program. The King's Experience ($749-$1,199) offers sixteen laps of driving divided into two eight-lap sessions. The Walt Disney World Speedway is open to spectators, who can watch nonprofessional races, free of charge, between 9AM and 5PM daily (weather permitting).
Reservations are recommended for many of the full-service restaurants located in Pleasure Island, the Marketplace, and Disney's West Side. Check with the restaurant of your choice directly, or call (407)-WDW-DINE. WIthout a reservation, be prepared to wait up to two hours to be seated. Most of the full-service restaurants will give you a beeper, allowing you to walk around the area and shop until your table is ready. Reservations for the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney must be made in person.
Plenty of free parking is available in front of Disney's West Side, Pleasure Island, and the Marketplace. Valet parking is also available for $7. Free valet parking is also provided to WDW Resort hotel guests. From anywhere in The WDW Resort, follow the signs to Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island. Buses run constantly to and from Disney's resort hotels and theme parks to Pleasure Island, the Marketplace, and Disney's West Side areas.
• The same company that designed the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at the Disney MGM Studios designed Goofy's Barnstormer in Mickey's Toontown Fair. • When Aerosmith came to WDW to preview Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Steve Tyler and Joe Perry rode it 12 times in a row!
In case you're interested in learning about the Disney Vacation Club timesharing facilities offered at The WDW Resort, you can drop into this information office at Disney's BoardWalk to schedule an appointment or obtain literature. Timeshare vacation opportunities are extremely popular in the Orlando area, so be prepared to hear a sales pitch.
Located a short walk from Epcot, Disney's BoardWalk offers another alternative for adult-oriented evening and nighttime entertainment. There is no admission charge to enter the BoardWalk area, although several of the clubs have a small cover charge. This half-mile stretch of nightclubs, restaurants, shops, and activities is located along Crescent Lake and is modeled after the boardwalks of the 1920s and 1930s. While the shops and restaurants in this area are open during the day, Disney's BoardWalk is most enjoyable after dark, so you can experience the lights and festive atmosphere. If you happ[en to be a guest at Disney's BoardWalk Villas hotel, then the excitement of Disney's BoardWalk will happen all around you.
Live jazz music is performed throughout the night in this club, which also sells cigars and offers a full bar service. The crowd here tnds to be a bit older and more sophisticated compared to the people you'll find at the other clubs. Plenty of small tables and chairs are available, so plan on relaxing, having a few drinks, and enjoying some great classic jazz.
This interactive, high-tech attraction provides fun and exciting entertainment and dining opportunities for the whole family. When guests step into this flashy-looking 100,000-square-foot pavilion, they're taken on a virtual journey to places that could be only dreamed of. Combining video games, virtual reality, motion simulator rides, and other high-tech forms of entertainment, DisneyQuest is an indoor theme park unto itself that will appeal mainly to teenagers and young children.
In addition to the Disney water parks, if you have access to a rental car, there are several independently owned water parks in the Orlando area that are worth checking out, especially for the young people in your group. There's Wet 'n Wild on International Drive, and for people who enjoy scuba diving and would love a chance to swim with dolphins, SeaWorld's Discovery Cove offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When consulting older tourist guides, be sure to keep in mind that Water Mania on Highway 192 has been closed indefinitely.
When visiting Typhoon Lagoon, guests are asked to imagine a small resort village that just got hit by a typhoon. While if this happened in real life it would be a disaster, when it's done Disney style, the result is a 56-acre water park that offers a great time. The main Typhoon Lagoon swimming area is a massive wave pool that contains almost 3 million gallons of water. Along the coast of this pool is a sandy white beach. Meanwhile, Castaway Creek is a 2,100-foot-long river that allows guests to enjoy a fun-filled tubing ride that takes them through a series of themed areas.
Blizzard Beach opened in 1995 and has a winter, ski-slope theme. If a 66-acre ski slope existed in the middle of Orlando, what would happen if all of a sudden the weather went from below freezing to the mid-80s and all of the snow on the mountain began to melt? That's the premise for many of the attractions at Blizzard Beach, which features some of the world's fastest water slides.
This entire shopping area is dedicated to everything Disney, but there are also plenty of shops that offer unique non-Disney merchandise. It's easy to spend an evening here browsing, shopping, and enjoying the festive atmosphere, whether or not you plan on making purchases. In addition to the shops, restaurants, and activities available at the Marketplace, there are also dozens of kiosks that sell unique handcrafted souvenirs and snacks. The Marketplace is open daily from 9:30AM to 11:00PM.
If you're leaving from The WDW Resort to the cruise ship, your baggage will be picked up at your hotel early in the morning on your day of departure and be delivered directly to your stateroom aboard the ship. The bus ride from The WDW Resort to Cape Canaveral is about one hour and fifteen minutes. During the bus ride, an entertaining video will introduce you to shipboard activities and prepare your for your high seas journey.
Wyland is a world-renowned artist who specializes in painting and drawing dolphins, whales, and other sea life. You can see (and purchase) his work at this stunning gallery located in the heart of Disney's BoardWalk. The art on display is beautiful, so be sure to drop in to browse. Another Wyland Gallery is located in Celebration, Florida. If you can't afford the actual artwork; postcards, posters, books, and other merchandise featuring Wyland's work are also on sale.
Experience the world's largest Disney Store, featuring all sorts of Disney clothing, toys, gifts, souvenirs, plush toys, collectibles, kitchen items, and other Disney-character-based products. This store is divided into twelve different rooms. In the center of the store there's an information booth manned by Disney World cast members who can help you locate any type of Disney merchandise available anywhere at The WDW Resort, The Disney Stores, and the Disney Catalog.
One of the highlights of a Disney Cruise Line vacation is the stop the ship makes at Disney's Castaway Cay, a 1,000-acre private island in the Abacos. During the one-day stop at this private tropical paradise, guests enjoy an authentic island experience that features the Bahamas' best attributes, such as a half-mile-long beach area and a wide range of water sports and activities for families. There's also a secluded mile-long pristine beach that provides the ideal place to relax and unwind, plus an adults-only beach where older people can go to enjoy quiet time. Snorkeling, sailboat and kayak rentals, bike riding, massages on the beach, and live entertainment are among the ways guests spend their time on the island.
Why travel to a tropical rain forest when you can enjoy a wild meal in a rain forest setting, complete with live wildlife and Audio-Animatronic creatures! Inside the restaurant you'll find huge salt-water fish tanks. Lunch and dinner are served daily. This is an extremely popular restaurant at the Downtown Disney Marketplace, so be prepared to add your name to the waiting list and then have plenty of time to shop before your table becomes available. The prices here are reasonable, and a wide assortment of American cuisine and seafood is offered. This is a wonderful family-oriented restaurant that's unique and offers a very different dining experience than the many themed restaurants nearby.
This colorful LEGO superstore and activity center is like a magnet for young people. Throughout the store (and outside) are giant statues made from LEGO. In the courtyard that's just outside this shop, kids can walk up to the varioius kiosks and build their own LEGO creations. The LEGO playground is a great place for young people to hang out and have a blast (as long as they're supervised by a parent or guardian). This is one of the coolest activities for kids in the Downtown Disney area. Here you can purchase virtually every LEGO play set currently available, plus LEGO-themed clothing and souvenirs.
Pleasure Island's newest club offers nonstop Top-40 music. This club features a casual party atmosphere and live DJs. Local Orlando residents, off-duty Disney cast members, and tourists alike gather here for great nighttime entertainment. While Mannequins Dance Palace appeals to a slightly older crowd, those over eighteen will find that this club offers a great atmosphere for socializing and dancing.
Lunch and dinner are served daily. This is the place to eat if you're looking for an upscale environment and fresh seafood from around the world. The food here is rather expensive, but delicious. You and your children can also join popular Disney characters at Fulton's Crab House for breakfast every morning between 8:00AM and 10:00AM. Lunch is served from noon to 5:00PM. Dinner is served from 5:00PM until midnight.
Modeled after an adventurers club from the 1930s, this club features live stage shows and actors who roam around (in character) and mingle with the crowds. The humor is a bit dry and rather sophisticated, and the decor of this club is rather unusual. Full bar service is available. This club tends to attract an older crowd.
For a fine-dining experience, Portobello Yacht Club is one of the few nontrendy, nonthemed restaurants located in the Downtown Disney area. While the food is a bit pricey (between $21 and $35 per person), what you'll find here is award-winning Northern Italian cuisine that includes seafood, pasta, and chicken dishes, along with wood-burning-oven pizzas and some incredible desserts. Lunch is served starting at 11:30AM, and dinner is served until midnight daily.
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