Living your Disney Dream in Orlando

Orlando, Florida: Who doesn’t think of fun in the sun? For the world’s capital of amusement parks, fun is a serious business! 13 theme parks are to be found in the greater Orlando area which make Orlando one of the most visited destinations worldwide.

Although I’m not so much of a theme park person, I’m a huge Disney fan – and therefore you wouldn’t have to ask me twice to visit Disney World – a place that has been on my list for so long 😀

1. ICON Orlando

Not really a theme park but a ride on the ICON Orlando is a good way to get an overview of all the lakes and parks in the surroundings. There are shops and restaurants and even an aquarium nearby – so it’s a nice place to spend half a day and escape the hot and humid climate.

2. Magic Kingdom

Oh sigh, the Magic Kingdom ❤ Of all the four parks of Walt Disney World, the Magic Kingdom with the famous Cinderella castle is probably the signature park everybody knows of. It’s such a perfectly curated, manicured and well-maintained fantasy world unlike any other place in the world. There are six different themed “lands” like Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and so on – each with its own character and attractions. We only had one day to explore the Magic Kingdom and we didn’t make it to every land. Not only the space is so big, but the lines are usually long with wait times from 30 to 120 (!) minutes per ride. I can only advise visitors to get the WDW App and make use of the fast pass which gives you priority access to three attractions of your choice per day!

After you’ve spent a couple of hundred dollars on admission (a one-day-ticket comes at a minimum of 102 USD, depending on the season) you’ll most likely throw your budget plans over board and keep spending money on food and souvenirs. The food at Magic Kingdom isn’t the greatest but if you pass by the Aloha Isle inside Adventureland, don’t forget to refresh yourself with a delicious pineapple float!

Also you shouldn’t miss one of their daily parades and admire the carefully crafted displays and costumes!

A visit to Disney World would be incomplete without a meet-and-greet with some of the Disney characters! But the real highlight is seeing the reactions of all the kids being face to face with their favourite characters – priceless and adorable alike 🙂

When evening comes, people start flocking into the Main Street to catch good view of the grande finale of a fantastic Disney-filled day. The daily firework show is something Disney isn’t kidding with. For about 15 minutes the pyrotechnicians fire the hell out while blasting some of the most popular Disney tunes. It’s a show you won’t forget too soon!

3. EPCOT

The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow is the second park within Disney World we visited. Focusing a lot on food and travel it was a no-brainer for us: This gigantic park is divided into Future World and World Showcase – and the themes are ranging from space, land, underwater and there are 11 pavilions placed around a lake which represent 11 countries. And if that isn’t enough, EPCOT hosts different festivals throughout the year, like the Flower & Garden Festival or the Food & Wine Festival.

While Future World consists of a few rides (some of them being the most spectacular of all Disney World), we spent much more time at the World Showcase, traveling through Mexico, Norway, Italy, France, China, Japan, France, Morocco, UK, USA and Canada within a couple of hours!

For example, you can visit a Mexican plaza at night…

… and stroll through a Norwegian village…

… where I met Anna and Elsa from one of my favourite Disney movies “Frozen” #fanmoment
You can also meet Belle in France, Snow White in Germany, Mulan in China and Jasmine in Morocco btw.

Each pavilion comes with a range of restaurants (self-service, buffets and table service – some of them require a reservation!) and souvenir shops that sell more or less authentic foods and items from that particular country. We tasted our way through and were positively surprised about the quality of the food which is far better than at the Magic Kingdom. And for those who like to wash it down with a cold beer or cocktail there’s even better news: Unlike the other parks, EPCOT sells lots of alcohol which makes the park the most adult-friendly of all of them 😉 The selection is quite overwhelming and it would take weeks to try everything but I’ve heard from several sources that Werther’s Karamell-Küche at the German pavilion is a must-try but we also couldn’t resist the Bratwurst with Sauerkraut (the taste of home got me…) 😛

After some snacks and miles on your feet, a rest is a welcome change. Keep your eyes open and you’ll find some quiet spots to recharge like here in Japan. Japan also has some of the best stocked souvenir shop with lots of cute stuff and interesting snacks.

All of the pavilions are very well made with incredible detail, however the Moroccan pavilion was outstanding! It felt like you’re in the middle of a Medina like in Aladdin. Btw, even the staff is hired from these countries, so you’ll find French staff in the French pavilion, German staff at the German pavilion etc. – so the concept is pretty brilliant!

Walking through a traditional British town after Morocco? It’s just a block away!

Back to Future World, we paid a visit to the “Finding Nemo” themed aquarium (with real scuba divers!) and EPCOT’s symbol “Spaceship Earth”. There was much more to see which we didn’t have enough time for unfortunately (but you shouldn’t miss “Soarin” – it’s amazing!)

Similar to the Magic Kingdom, also EPCOT doesn’t fail to end the day with a spectacular show! My conclusion after two action-packed Disney days: While it might cause a hole in your wallet, there’s hardly any better escape from reality! If you can fully engage with the artificial, cotton-candy world, you’ll experience a magical time no matter what age you are! And if you grew up with Disney movies and cartoons, what are you waiting for?? You’ll have a blast!

4. Useful information

• Walt Disney World really is a world on its own: The complex includes four amusement parks (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT), a big shopping mall, two water parks, resorts and its own transportation system with buses and a monorail that connects every site with each other. Considering the vastness, one day isn’t enough for EACH of the parks but with some planning you can cover quite a lot. The most useful resources are the phone app, paper maps and of course their website. The fast pass that comes with every ticket is a brilliant idea and you should use it for the most popular attractions (up to three per day) where the wait times are usually long. The number of fast passes per attraction is limited, so the earlier you decide the more options you have. Don’t worry: The fast passes can be easily cancelled or changed.

• Most people drive on their own to Disney World but you might be surprised that parking fees are NOT included in the already expensive ticket price. On the other hand, cabs and apps like Uber or Lyft are really cheap in Orlando (we usually paid around 15 USD for a 25-minute ride) and especially if you had a few drinks in EPCOT, you’ll be glad that you haven’t parked your car there 😉

• The Florida heat can be brutal and although Disney does its best to keep the wait times as bearable as possible, you should equip yourself with sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. There are free water fountains (the water tasted a bit strange though) and lots of refreshment spots to keep you hydrated.

• Check ticket prices for seasonal deals and special offers on their ticket site. Of course public holidays and school holidays are peak season and drive the ticket prices up, at the same time it attracts the biggest crowds. Also the more days you’ll buy, the cheaper the ticket gets per day. Stick to one park per day as park-hopper tickets are also more expensive.

• You’ll find a list of all theme parks in Orlando here.

Are you looking for guided tours and activities in Orlando? You can download GPS supported itineraries to your smartphone through GPSMyCity.

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