Where can I eat at Walt Disney World?

There are more than 100 places to eat at Disney World to suit any picky eater and their parents’ wallets. It’s just one more of the wonderful things about the Disney theme parks. Some restaurants are themed, like the 50s Prime Time Café, some serve foods of certain cultures, like the Lotus Blossom and San Angel Inn. And if all your little ones will eat are hot dogs and SpaghettiOs, well, then, you can get those, too. No kidding! [Read more…]

Where can I find Disney Photo Spots to take Digital Pictures?

You’ve probably been planning you’re trip to Disney World months – maybe even for a year now. You’ve researched everything and tailor-made your trip for you and you family: the hotel with theme rooms for the kids, when to hit the rides for the shortest lines, where and when to eat for the best and/or least expensive meals. With all of your planning, you’ll likely want to be taking home some things to remember your trip by. Sure, personalized Mickey Mouse ears are de rigueur, and souvenir place mats are kind of cool, but while you’ll see them again and again (perhaps on the floor or the bottom of a toy box), the best memories are likely to be the photos you snapped yourself.
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Where is Walt Disney World Located? Is Walt Disney World in Kissimmee, Florida?

Most people believe that Disney World theme parks are located in Orlando, Florida. Unfortunately, for many who book their hotels there hoping to be close by, they’ll find that the Disney theme parks are actually located in the town of Kissimmee, which lies about 20 miles southwest of Orlando. So when checking out lodging, the lower prices of Orlando might seem like a great deal, but the 20 miles of congested freeway traffic and the frustration and annoyance that goes with it might make it more trouble than it’s worth. [Read more…]

What is the Walt Disney World Fastpass? What is the Universal Studios Express Pass?

Disney’s Fastpass is an electronic ticketing system that allows guests to make a reservation to return to an attraction at a later time in the day. When you return with a Fastpass in hand, you’ll use the much shorter Fastpass line instead of the ride’s regular lines. To get a printed Fastpass ticket, you’ll run your park admission ticket through an electronic Kiosk that is near the entrance to the ride.

You can get a fresh Fastpass for a different attraction every two hours. The bad news is that there are only a specific limited number of Fastpasses printed for each attraction each day. When they’re gone, they’re gone. If you don’t get a Fastpass, you’re stuck standing in line with the other regular folks.
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Should I take my children out of school to visit Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida?

If your children are age 8 or younger, you’ll benefit greatly by taking your Orlando vacation while other kids are in school. In the lower grades, you’ll not usually have any objection from teachers when you say little Johnny and Jill will be missing school for a few days – and your kids can easily pick up the slack when they return to school. And, your kids will be forever grateful for missing school!

We have a child in middle school so I understand your problem. At higher school grade levels, it’s not easy to play hooky for a trip to Orlando, but it’s not entirely impossible, either. Ultimately, the parents and teachers know best whether or not this is a good idea. If your child is a good student, you can ask the teacher if he or she has any objection to your child’s absence. Often a teacher can adjust the student’s homework and make specific recommendations for dates when your child’s absence will have the least impact on class work.

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Where do I find Walt Disney World Collector’s Pins?

Most people, young and old, collect things. These collections can be anything, and often they are tailored to circumstance. For instance, if you vacation yearly at the beach you might gather sea shells or beach glass. If you own a particular antique automobile you might seek out miniatures of said car. Disney trips are no different. Sure, you’ll take pictures of your kids on rides or with characters, or gather up placemats from the restaurants where you dine. You can even save your ticket stubs. But there’s one type of item at Disney World that are truly collectable: they frequently come out in limited editions in all sorts of different mediums: enamels, flocked, sliders, light-up, epoxy, die cast, dangle, cloisonné, and the list goes. They’re Disney Pins and are coveted by collectors world wide and trading has become a pursuit unto itself.
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How much does Walt Disney World Cost?

Disney World is a great family vacation destination, but unlike renting a hotel room at the beach or simply going sightseeing in a city you’ve never been to before, you’re unlikely to encounter the major surcharge of a Disney vacation anywhere else: tickets.

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Universal Studios Orlando and other things to do near Walt Disney World

So you’ve been up and down Disney World: you’ve seen the Magic Kingdom, rode the monorail, gone on all the great rides, and the characters! Well, when you’ve had enough Mickey, Goofy, and all the gang, there’s plenty more for you and your gang to do in the Kissimmee/Orlando area other than Disney. [Read more…]

What should I know about the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

Disney World has done a wonderful job of constructing magical icons that represent each of their theme parks. I mean, you can’t think of the Magic Kingdom without visualizing fireworks spraying spectacularly over Cinderella’s Castle. The silver dome that is known as Spaceship Earth basically is Epcot. So when Disney set out to build their newest theme park, Animal Kingdom, they knew they had to rise to the occasion.

So they installed The Tree of Life. [Read more…]

Which Car Rental Companies are actually at the Orlando Airport MCO (not off airport)

Sometimes you may prefer to rent your car directly from a car rental company that is on Orlando Airport property because off-airport car rentals can be a hassle having to wait for shuttles to the car rental and from the car rental when you return.

You probably know that you will get a cheaper car rental if you do *not * rent from the on-airport car rental agencies and rent from the off-airport car rentals that have free shuttles.

Below is a list of car rental agencies that rent cars from the parking lot directly at the Orlando International Airport, MCO. Click the links below to visit each of their websites for a car rental quote.
Alamo 1-800-327-9633
Avis 1-800-831-2847
Budget 1-800-527-0700
Dollar 1-800-800-4000
L and M Car Rental 1-800-277-5171
National 1-800-227-7368