Middle of June already? There just aren’t enough days in the week to take our Summer Family Vacation Guide as far as it could possibly go. At least we have some big names still to look forward to.
Today, for instance, it’s going to be all Disney, all the time here at USA Travel Guide. Check back for a piece on the West Coast’s Disneyland later this afternoon, but for right now, we’re all about our #2 Amusement Park in America: Disney World!
Historic, iconic, maybe a tad notorious, Walt Disney World is more than just theme park fun. It’s important! The world’s largest, most-attended recreational resort with four major theme parks, two water parks, multiple concert venues, multiple shopping districts, numerous hotels, grounds totaling over 25,000 acres and combined sales topping 47 million tickets, Disney World is practically an industry, and by now it’s a ubiquitous part of American culture and heritage.
But you probably don’t care about all that. No, you’re looking at the prices right now and couldn’t care less about “cultural heritage” or whatever I was blabbering about. What you want to know is: is it worth it? While affordability isn’t a main selling point of the park, the answer, friends, is yes!
Walt Disney World Resort consists of four theme parks, two water parks and other assorted attractions, all operating independently and requiring separate admission (unless using a Park Hopper® ticket, more on that below). Veterans will likely know just what they want, and should take the opportunity to explore newer parks and features. On the other hand, first-timers owe it to themselves to stick to the classics. Here’s a little more on each park:
- Magic Kingdom – The original park and site of the world-famous Cinderella Castle. Popular attractions include the parades on Main Street U.S.A., Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion and “It’s A Small World”. If you don’t visit Magic Kingdom, it’s questionable whether you’ve had a true Disney World experience or not.
- Epcot – Oddly-named theme park known most for the Spaceship Earth, which is an actual ride (but is not the only ride, as I’ve heard people misunderstand before). Many rides and attractions at Epcot feature a futuristic-theme.
- Hollywood Studios – You don’t hear much about this park, despite attracting over 9 million guests a year. The biggest attractions here are the effects shows, thrilling nuggets of action and fun showing off a bit of movie magic.
- Animal Kingdom – Historically, Disney has promoted Animal Kingdom as not a zoo, but it is. It’s a zoo with rides, but it’s still a zoo and an excellent one at that. If you’ve got animal-lovers in the group, you can’t miss.
- Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach – Two water parks, because one wasn’t enough (they actually had three for a few years). While Typhoon is a bigger, more full-featured park, I dig Blizzard Beach’s unusual ski-resort aesthetic.
- Downtown Disney – This free-to-visit shopping, dining and entertainment district is a bit over-commercialized, leading to claims that it really exists to lure locals. Me? I like the atmosphere, the flash and dazzle, but it is an expensive place. It’s not at the top of the list.
Now the not so fun part: cost. As my hero, Alton Brown, often says, “Organization will set you free!” It is crucial that before you buy your first ticket, you think hard about what you want to see and do. Disney offers what they call Park Hopper® tickets allowing access to multiple parks per-day, as well as multi-day tickets, but think careful about what you’ll actually need.
Many people who pay the premium on Park Hopper® tickets don’t actually use them, and likewise, most people are only good for two or three days of strenuous park-walking. If you pay up for four or five days, make sure that’s really what you want. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re going to the park just because you already paid for the ticket. There’s so much else to do in the Orlando area (for less money, too), so why suffer?
(Here’s a helpful resource on Disney World ticket structures.)
Here at USA Travel Guide, we’re not big fans of the on-site resorts and hotels. You can find a good deal from time to time, but we tend to have greater luck staying a bit off-site and driving in. For that reason, we often look to nearby Orlando, Florida for accommodations.
One of our favorites is the Holiday Inn Orlando – International Drive Hotel. This property is exceedingly family-friendly, and their currently offering a Disney World vacation package with two free tickets (don’t scoff, that’s a $160 value!).
Have fun at Walt Disney World!
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Best Amusement Parks – Walt Disney World Resort
Middle of June already? There just aren’t enough days in the week to take our Summer Family Vacation Guide as far as it could possibly go. At least we have some big names still to look forward to.
Today, for instance, it’s going to be all Disney, all the time here at USA Travel Guide. Check back for a piece on the West Coast’s Disneyland later this afternoon, but for right now, we’re all about our #2 Amusement Park in America: Disney World!
Historic, iconic, maybe a tad notorious, Walt Disney World is more than just theme park fun. It’s important! The world’s largest, most-attended recreational resort with four major theme parks, two water parks, multiple concert venues, multiple shopping districts, numerous hotels, grounds totaling over 25,000 acres and combined sales topping 47 million tickets, Disney World is practically an industry, and by now it’s a ubiquitous part of American culture and heritage.
But you probably don’t care about all that. No, you’re looking at the prices right now and couldn’t care less about “cultural heritage” or whatever I was blabbering about. What you want to know is: is it worth it? While affordability isn’t a main selling point of the park, the answer, friends, is yes!
Walt Disney World Resort consists of four theme parks, two water parks and other assorted attractions, all operating independently and requiring separate admission (unless using a Park Hopper® ticket, more on that below). Veterans will likely know just what they want, and should take the opportunity to explore newer parks and features. On the other hand, first-timers owe it to themselves to stick to the classics. Here’s a little more on each park:
Now the not so fun part: cost. As my hero, Alton Brown, often says, “Organization will set you free!” It is crucial that before you buy your first ticket, you think hard about what you want to see and do. Disney offers what they call Park Hopper® tickets allowing access to multiple parks per-day, as well as multi-day tickets, but think careful about what you’ll actually need.
Many people who pay the premium on Park Hopper® tickets don’t actually use them, and likewise, most people are only good for two or three days of strenuous park-walking. If you pay up for four or five days, make sure that’s really what you want. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re going to the park just because you already paid for the ticket. There’s so much else to do in the Orlando area (for less money, too), so why suffer?
(Here’s a helpful resource on Disney World ticket structures.)
Here at USA Travel Guide, we’re not big fans of the on-site resorts and hotels. You can find a good deal from time to time, but we tend to have greater luck staying a bit off-site and driving in. For that reason, we often look to nearby Orlando, Florida for accommodations.
One of our favorites is the Holiday Inn Orlando – International Drive Hotel. This property is exceedingly family-friendly, and their currently offering a Disney World vacation package with two free tickets (don’t scoff, that’s a $160 value!).
Have fun at Walt Disney World!
Related Posts