In the Magic Kingdom there are restaurants at which you and your family can sit down to have a meal, some with outdoor seating. And if you need to distract your children in order to get a mouthful of food into their mouth (or yours), many of these restaurants such as the “Once Upon a Time” breakfast at Cinderella’s Castle and the Winnie the Pooh – themed Crystal Palace buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offer character meals where Disney characters are there to entertain and interact with the kids during mealtime.

While many of the restaurants are your basic sandwich and salad fare, if you’re in the mood for a more formal, sit-down, or gourmet dining experience, or if you’re interested in some world class cuisine then look no further. Citricos – Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, situated on the Seven Seas Lagoon, serves up food with the flair of the South of France.

The trendy Flying Fish Café offers healthy fare while Jiko’s – located in Animal Kingdom – allows you the opportunity to savor African, Middle and Far Eastern, and Indian food. And if you plan your Disney vacation early enough, be sure to place your Victoria & Albert’s reservation six months in advance. That’s right – six months.

Ever since AAA bestowed their coveted 5-Diamond award on this first class eatery 10 years ago (the only Florida restaurant to receive such a rating), getting a table has become a tad difficult. Great to know: Most Disney restaurants offer children’s menus, which are available to kids ages 3-9. Children who are under 3 are may eat from their parents plate at no extra charge. How’s that for accommodating? “Lifestyle Diets” such as low-carb, low-fat, low-salt, vegan, and vegetarian, are easily available by calling 407-WDW-DINE. Kosher meals are available at most full service restaurants by calling 407-WDW-DINE. As all kosher meals are prepared in and flown in from Miami and therefore require 24 hour’s advance notice.

If you don’t have time to call ahead or if you’re not looking for the full-on restaurant experience, quick and less expensive kosher meals are available at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Magic Kingdom, World Premiere Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Intermission Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, End Zone Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Everything Pop Shopping and Dining at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, ABC Commissary at Disney-MGM Studios, Riverside Mill Food Court at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, and Pizzafari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Parties of more than 12 must make reservations. Holiday dining is also available.

Being your own photographer allows you to track the “inside” memories: those little things that made you and your family crack up again and again. Wasn’t it funny when your four-year-old got so excited to see Mickey that he ran and lunged at him and knocked the poor guy in the mouse suit down? Or how about the time dad got tangled up in the shower curtain and came stomping out of the bathroom like the swamp thing. I’ll bet you won’t find that on any Disney postcard. And it’s certainly worth a little more than a set of monogrammed ears.

But all of these things don’t mean anything if you’re going to spend your entire vacation with a camera stuck to your face. What fun is that? Besides, quirky, fun photos are great, but you don’t want to leave out the reason you came: DISNEY!!! Disney Maps come marked with what are noted as “Kodak Photo Spots,” and are also all marked throughout the parks with signs. These specially designed scenic “photo ops” which are wonderfully scenic and offer beautiful backgrounds ensuring that you and your family go home with all of the best parts of Disney captured on film.

Think about it: after surviving the trip with the kids all the way to Florida (“Are we there yet? Are we there yet?), do you really want to spend a half and hour or more every morning listening to the same thing?

When choosing your “home away from home” for your Disney vacation, consider a real “home.” Beautiful vacation rentals (such as those at www.mickeytown.com) are right in Kissimmee – a mere five minutes from the Main Gates of the Magic Kingdom and offer you a place of your own to really kick back and unwind each day. Complete with heated pools, themed kids’ rooms, and master suites you won’t have to share space with your kids or leave them to their own devices in a room of their own. Plus you’ll saving money by serving up some of your own meals during your stay. Some of the rentals have two master suites, so if you and another family like to vacation together you might actually save some money along with your sanity.

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.

Universal’s Express Pass is very similar to Disney’s Fastpass and is also printed in limited numbers from kiosks near the most popular rides. However, Universal also offers a daily plastic Express Pass Card that sends the holder to the front of most lines – without having to use the kiosks. Universal Studios on-property hotel guests can use their room card as a daily Express Pass and guests not staying at a Universal Hotel can BUY a daily Express Pass card for $15 to $25 depending on the season.

When a park opens, most guests rush into the attractions that are closest to the front gates. Do something different – as you enter the park, get an Fastpass (Express Pass) for the popular rides near the front of the park and immediately make a bee-line for the popular rides furthest from the entrance, where there are no guests and no lines. Ride the rides at the back of the park multiple times until the regular guests slowly filter to the back, then avoid crowds by traveling from the back of the park to the front. Use your Fastpass (Express Pass) to bypass the lines when you finally arrive back at the popular attraction near the entrance.

Many parkgoers prefer to not separate their groups on attraction rides. Those people stand in the regular line. Single riders sometimes go to the head of the line. If a line is long and you don’t have a Fastpass (Express Pass), ask the attraction attendant if there is a special line for single riders. While it may split up your group, it could get you on the ride in a fraction of the normal wait time.

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.

Many of us have no choice but to take vacations during school breaks. If you must visit during summer vacation, try the very end of August when crowds are typically smaller. Be aware, though, of the earlier park closings that kick in near the end of August and early September.

So where do you find, buy, and trade Disney Pins once you’re in the Magic Kingdom?

For between $6.50 and $8.50 you can purchase at gift shops throughout the park. There are limits on limited editions pins, such as commemorative pins for Disney anniversaries or millennium pins. In the case of special edition pins you are limited to two of each per day. If you’d like to trade your pin simply find a Cast Member sporting a pink trading lanyard, check out which pins that Cast Member has to offer, and make your trade right then and there! To make it easy, Cast Members must display only the pins they have for trade. To make the experience extra fun for kids, some Cast Members wear green lanyards. These are “kids only” traders.

Certainly, and I can’t emphasize this enough, if you love to trade and find that trading pins is a fabulous addition to you vacation, Bravo! But if you’re only going at it because it’s what people do there, or you hate pins, or it’s just not you’re thing, then enjoy the rides, or the shopping, or the food, or the monorail. Remember, this is your vacation.

Don’t get me wrong, Disney World is an awesome place for families as well as couples, but in order to really enjoy your time at Disney you need to work ticket prices into your vacation costs. And this is not the place to be cutting corners! The smartest thing to do is figure out ahead of time what attractions you and your party are interested in and buy your tix ahead of time, ensuring the best possible price.

Start by checking the official Disney website, Disney Online at www.disneyworld.disney.go.com, to get the current ticket prices. Then begin searching for discounts with travel agents and websites such a Expedia or Priceline. You can also cushion the ticket blow by saving money on travel and hotels. Flights to Orlando can be remarkably cheap – especially during the off season, and if you don’t mind eating in, you can save a little cash by having a picnic in your hotel room a couple of nights. It’s all a matter of priorities.

If your kids are still clamoring for theme parks then you shouldn’t miss Sea World Orlando Adventure Park. A little bit education and a whole lot of fun, Sea World is a place where your family can experience the wonders of the sea up close (including the world-famous killer whale, Shamu!), hand feed sea lions and stingrays, check out penguins in their very own icy environment, and of course, brave some fabulous rides.

Universal Studios Orlando offers an up-close look at big action Hollywood moviemaking at its most exciting best allowing you to walk through major motion picture sets. Of course, if you get tired of that, you can always check out the Universal Studio’s rides or head over to Islands of Adventure. These rides serve up the thrills! Set on five islands, Islands of Adventure theme park offers rides with speed, twists, turns, height, gravity defiance… or how about a man-made tornado or two?,

What if you’ve simply had it with rides, the lines, and the screaming children? How about some world class shopping? There’s more in Kissimmee and Orlando than just Musketeer ears and Disney pins! Get out your plastic because the The Buena Vista Lake Factory Stores (http://www.lbvfs.com/) and Kissimmee Value Outlet Shops offer discount outlet shopping the likes or which even seasoned pros have rarely seen Only Minutes away from Disney World, these discount shopping Meccas are homes to Borders, Converse, Eddie Bauer, Fossil, Gap, Jockey, Nike, Nine West, Old Navy, Osh Kosh, Sony, Bed & Bath, Vanity Fair discount outlet shops and dozens more. And if you still like to shop, but like a great bargain as well as the thrill of the hunt, check out the dozens of flea markets in the area. And you were worried about how much Disney World was going to run you!

If shopping is not exactly fun or relaxing for you, set up a tee time at one o the over 50 golf courses in the area or go for the education and excitement of a If you’re looking for a relaxing game of golf, there’s over 50 courses in the area for you to choose from!

Looking for some truly fun dining entertainment for all? Try Medieval Times! While you and your family enjoy a real four course medieval feast (no forks allowed!) you will be entertained by jousters (yes, on horseback!) and sword play. You and your family won’t be able to help but be caught up in all of the excitement! If you’re thinking that you and yours might find this fun then check them out at www.medievaltimes.com and buy your tix ahead of time as seats fill up fast.

So they installed The Tree of Life.

Nothing short of spectacular, this “tree” (it is, in fact, neither a tree, nor is it alive) took thousands of workers a year and-a-half to build. This 150 foot wide, 14 story tall behemoth’s branches, which span over 165 feet across, have over 100,000 leaves attached. To make it more like a tree, it was even constructed with expansion joints which allow it to sway in the wind! To see The Tree of Life from a distance is truly awe inspiring. But its artistic beauty can only be appreciated when one gets up close and personal.

Into the roots, trunk, and branches of this mammoth sculpture, 20 artists have carved a total of 320 animals – many of which are endangered species. You could spend hours just admiring the artistry and craftsmanship. Don’t miss it!

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