Disney Dream Holiday!
We decided to just stay in Disney and enjoy the parks this time and come back another time to do the Gulf Coast, Kennedy Space centre, Cocoa Beach, Miami etc etc...although we did squeeze in Seaworld and a day at Discovery Cove swimming with dolphins - Highly Recommended! We flew Virgin Atlantic economy class (my favourite airline) and we stayed at the African themed Animal Kingdom Lodge in a savannah room so woke up to giraffes walking past the window - How magical! The hotel has a fantastic pool area with pool bar, sloping beach style pool, waterslides for the kids, hot tubs and in the evenings there is a buffet style restaurant (which gets very busy early evening with all the families) but also Jiko's, a more upmarket african style restaurant - and the food is delicious. We travelled all over Disney going to different restaurants each evening and we have three favourites a) Jiko's for its food and atmosphere b) the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk as the fish is heavenly and you can sit at the counter and eat watching the chefs and lastly c) the Disney Character Dinner in Liberty Square - just for pure fun!
We of course visited all the Theme parks and my personal favourite is the Animal kingdom....be sure to get up early to go on the Kilimanjiro Safari as this is when the animals are active and the ride is less busy and Expedition Everest is a must - be brave and go on the front! There is also a rainforest cafe at the entrance to the park which is fun for the children.Magic Kingdom is fantastic, especially that feeling as you walk down Main Street and see the castle.... for big thrills do not miss Space, Thunder and Splash Mountains , Buzz Lightyear is also a real laugh. Epcot is interesting and fun, have a look through all the different lands, although more for the adults than the children... great rides are Mission Space, Test Track and Soarin'. MGM Studios is really good fun you feel as if you are in one big movie, the stage shows such as Indiana Jones and the Lion King and the Stunt show are really not to be missed and the Rocking Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror (more for the adults) are out of this world - but you need to be brave!
Out of the two water parks I prefer Blizzard Beach to Typhoon Lagoon, I like the beach area to relax after all the slides and there are also two crazy golf courses at the entrance to the waterpark which are great fun... be sure to go to Typhoon Lagoon once though to swim with the sharks - Warning - the water is very cold!!
We found lots of other things to do - we went up to Fort Wilderness Camp and went horse riding and we also played the challenging miniature golf course over at the Swan and Dolphin hotels, we did a backstage tour on my birthday - which was very exciting and we went to see La Nouba - the Cirque du Soleil production in Downtown Disney - I was mesmerised, it was absolutely fantastic - the best show I have ever seen! Worth paying extra for good seats.
We made full use of the free transportation from the Disney Express transfer from the airport to hotel through to the buses, mono rail, steam paddle boats and little ferry boats. You really can get from anywhere in Disney to anywhere else using free transportation.
Be prepared if it is your birthday, my husband persuaded me to wear my town hall birthday badge. I got stopped in the street by everyone, sung to by the barber shop quartet and had a really crazy day!
Disney is pure fun if you get it right and there really is something for everyone....old or young!