I have often said to people going on a trip to Walt Disney World, to research research and more research. Unless you have been there, you cant possibly realize how big the place is. To think you might be able to do it all in a couple of days is simply unrealistic! When you consider that all the theme parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are all individual and separate from one another, you are looking at an incredible amount property. I have often looked it up on Google Earth, and still can't fully appreciate how vast the property is. When I talk to friends on a local level, I can probably give examples of the distance from one local land mark to another. But when talking to people from other places its not so easy.
Let me give you an example. Lets say you rent a car to go to the Magic Kingdom. OK, so you go through the gate that says Magic Kingdom, you pay your parking fee, and then head for the parking lot. As far as the eye can see, there is the parking lot. You are still too far away from the Magic Kingdom to see the castle. You get out of your car, along with the literally hundreds of other people getting out of their cars, especially if you arrive first thing. In the parking lots, the are points where you can board a tram, which will take you to either the monorail entrance or the ferry. You still have to cross the seven seas lagoon to get to the Magic Kingdom. The ferry is a very scenic route to take. You can see the Grand Floridian Yacht and Beach resort which is beautiful, as well as the Caribbean beach club resort. Yes, that is how big the lagoon is...... Half way through you can see the peaks of the castle. Once off the ferry, then you head for the actual entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Have I given you an idea of just how big it is. As friend asked if she could walk from park to park. NO Way. Disney will provide transportation, and if you do think there is enough hours in the day to do two parks in one day, you can get the park hopper option ticket. I think this is a good option, cause lets face it, there are some parks that won't appeal to some as much as others. Epcot, for example, I love the grounds and scenery, but World Showcase is the main attraction there for me. And with the extended hours some parks offer on different nights, one can easily see what they want in one place and take advantage of the extended hours in another.
The main thing to do when planning, is know what you want to do. Don't wait until you get to the entrance and say, "now what" because you'll waste too much time. There will be lines, that is a given. You can certainly take advantage of the Disney Fast Pass, which is kinda like making an appointment to get on a ride. You put in your ticket, and you are given another giving you a time to come back. I did not take advantage of this. On most rides I didn't need to. And on some, the time was actually expired. What do I mean. Well, when in Animal Kingdom, we arrived about noon. The park closed at 5pm. We headed for Expedition Everest, and went right for fast pass, but all the times had been given out already! It had already been booked up until 5! But, the wait wasn't long anyway.
So, I guess the main tip I want to share is plan. Read everything there is to read. Look at maps on the Disney site. If staying off the Disney property, take into account the distance. Not familiar with the area, get a GPS system, you can rent it along with your car. Make your Disney vacation completely stress free, just like mine!!
No comments:
Post a Comment