June 13 - June 16

2011
William Rodzewich

Introduction
So youre reading this because you are about to go to the Disneyworld Resort in Orlando.
You are going to have so much fun over there. Theres so much to do, so much to see, so
much to eat, so much to experience. It doesnt matter whether youre young or old, fat or
skinny, white, black, Asian, or alien, you will have a blast.
Let me point out a few things before you go. You will need to have saved up a lot of cash
before going, even after you buy the ticket. Each meal will be from $15 to $30, unless you
eat snacks or go to the high-end places. YOU WILL GET THIRSTY. Bring water bottles from
home to sip on through the parks. Of course, there will be the occasional oh-my-gosh-Ijust-have-to-have-that item, so be prepared for some compulsive spending.
Second, the weather. In the summer, it is hot and humid. Temperatures are from 90 to
about 95 and the humidity levels are constantly above 70%, which makes the temperature
seem hotter. Prepare for this, and wear sunscreen. And, every afternoon, a short shower
pops up and rains for about 20 minutes. Either bring a rain-coat for those 20 minutes or try
to find a building when it rains. Its all up to personal preference.
Next, we address the hotels. If you stay at a Disney hotel or one close to Disney, be ready
to have to pay more for everything. My hotel did laundry for us, but it was $5 for a pair of
shorts! Expenses aside, the hotels are very nice. The beds are made every day while you are
gone and complimentary tea and coffee is provided in-room. But dont order room service;
the average entre is about $17, plus a $3 drink, plus a $3.50 fee, plus a %22 charge to ship
it to your room, plus tax. Thats (hold on while I get out my calculator) $30!
Last thing! People! Tons and tons of people! There are lines GALORE for everything: rides,
food, the get in, the cash register, and more. To help alleviate the lines, bring a friend or
something to do while in the lines. Or get a FastPass! A FastPass is a little ticket that you
grab at a rides entrance. This thing allows you to bypass the line almost completely, but
you have to wait until a certain time to use it. For instance, I might get a FastPass at 10:00,
but I cant use it till 2:30. Thats the idea. Be careful, though. If too many people get
FastPasses, you wont be able to get them after a certain time.
Well, thats all my advice I can give you. Oh right, HAVE FUN! You probably wont have any
trouble with that, though. Keep in mind, however, that a large majority of the attractions
are made for children 12 and under. That doesnt mean a 16 year old cant go on it, but he
or she might not enjoy it as much as a 7 year old.

Disneyworld, where dreams come true!

The following pages are specific reviews on the different parks and areas of Disneyworld: the Magic
Kingdom, Epcot, Disneys Hollywood Studios, Disneys Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney.

Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom. This is where the magic happens. This park is almost a replica of the
park is California, Disneyland, but is smaller and has fewer attractions. It has a Main
Street, containing shops and restaurants, and five other districts which have attractions.
The foods are characteristics of the districts they're in, and it tastes good. But first you
have to get there. The parking lot isn't directly connected to the entrance; you have to
take a monorail from the parking lot to the front gate and the lines to board at closing time
are HUGE!
Let's dive into the little districts that make up the Magic Kingdom. The first is Fantasyland,
the land of dreams. Many of the attractions follow the Disney movies, like Peter Pan, Snow
White, and Tangled, and a couple of shows are ones that tell you to follow your dreams.
Most of the rides are lookie rides, where you just watch the animatronics going on around
you, but there is the carrousel and the evil teacups. This is made for smaller children who
still can be told to follow their dreams.
The next section is Adventureland. This is all about trekking through jungles and uncharted
waters. A couple themes are Pirates of the Caribbean and Aladdin. There is also a jungle
boat ride that takes you through the rainforest with animals (fake, of course) and fun. A
good place to stop for a snack is called Aloha Isle. Pineapple is the star here: pineapple ice
cream, pineapple floats, and pineapple juice. It's the perfect snack on a hot summer day.
But be warned, the floats are humongous!
Frontierland is the next up. If you think about exploring the old west, you're on the right
track for this area. Two major attractions lie here. One is Splash Mountain, a water ride
that takes you through the antics of Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox that ends in a 50 feet drop.
The other is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a runaway train through an old mine that
surprisingly lasts a long time. If old west towns are your thing, Frontierland is the place for
you.
A small section is Liberty Square, an area showcasing New England. Not much to do here,
except to tour the Hall of Presidents and the Haunted Mansion (completely unrelated). A
place I do suggest to eat is the Liberty Tree Tavern, a little cafe which has old New England
classics like clam chowder and pot roast, plus really good rainbow trout. Be sure to ride the
riverboat also.
Finally, the land of tomorrow. Tomorrowland! (See what I did there?) Most of the thrill rides
are located here, like the star (for some people) of the Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain, a
fast roller-coaster completely in the dark. There is also a little racetrack containing cars
that stay on a track, but doesn't go very fast. A good show here is called Monsters, Inc.
Laugh Floor. It's stand-up comedy at its finest, and even includes some good audience
interaction. Tomorrowland is a fun place to go, and it's almost always filled with little kids
who are amazed by the future, but aren't we all?
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Of course, there's Main Street, U.S.A., the strip of shops leading up to Cinderella's Castle.
The Emporium is a large apparel and gift shop that extends halfway down Main Street. A
crystal shop and a jewelry shop also appear on the lane. A couple of candy shops filled with
goodies sweet and tasty are must-stops if you feel like something sweet. But apparently
they don't like pretzels here, because I couldn't find any in the whole park.
Magic Kingdom is all for the dreamers of the world. If you go to Disneyworld, you'll find that
each park has a different theme. You feel that you are actually in the zone of each ride,
like flying with Peter Pan or touring the Haunted Mansion. It's very magical there, because
it's the MAGIC Kingdom. I didn't cover Mickey's Toontown Fair, just because I know the
people reading this are not little kids. If you are looking for good magic or finding your
dream, then the Magic Kingdom is the place for you!

Epcot
Epcot, characterized by the big golf ball at the entrance, is a wonderland for scientists,
engineers, and explorers. It is personally my favorite park, just because I fit those criteria.
It's expertly laid out, featuring nice, wide walkways, beautiful plant life, and architecture
that is simply magical. There are two main sections of this amazing park: Future World and
the World Showcase.
First we start out in Future World, the land of science, thinkers, and epic journeys. It is
designed to get you interested in the sciences, especially astronomy and engineering. There
are not many thrill rides here, but the ones that are here are trips into the extraordinary.
Take Mission: SPACE for example. This ride puts you in the seat of an experimental
spacecraft on a mission to Mars. Each crew member in actively engaged in helping fly the
spacecraft, and you feel the simulated sensations of zero or extra gravity forces caused by
space and liftoff, respectively. It feels so real, some people are disoriented immensely, so
Disney also created a less intense experience, which has the same storyline, but has less
physics-related maneuvers. Overall, it is a very exhilarating ride and one of the most
popular in the park.
Other rides that stimulate your engineering side are Test Track, a simulated automobile
testing facility, the Advanced Training Lab, a part of Mission: SPACE that lets you help fix
certain spaceships and stuff like that, and Innoventions, an area where several activities
teach you the basics of physics and how things work, like a roller-coaster designer where
you test it in the end in a simulator. The park also emphasizes learning how to save energy
and the planet. A show called Ellen's Energy Adventure, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, teaches
children how to save energy in the future by going to the past with the dinosaurs.
I didn't forget about the big ball smack dab in the middle of Future World: Spaceship Earth.
It technically is a roller-coaster, but it goes really slow and it is more of a look and watch
ride. You start by going up to the top, seeing the history of inventions throughout human
history. On the way down, however, you get to customize your future on a touch-screen on
your car. It asks you a few questions about work preferences, and it presents you with a
video about your perfect future, featuring pictures of you, taken earlier. Once you exit the
ride, there is an arcade, which features mostly simulation-based games, like driving a car
and building a human body piece by piece. Nobody should miss this ride; it's the most
recognizable part of the park after all!
Future World is a wondrous place filled with cranial stimuli and thrills of the imagination.
There's attractions featuring outer-space, conserving the Earth, engineering wonders, and
even a flying ride which takes you all over California, called Soarin'. Everybody can find
something to do, something to watch, and something new to experience here in Future
World. Dining here is mainly American-style food, with burgers, sandwiches, and even a
little seafood. There is also a little place called Club Cool, featuring Coca-Cola products
from around the world! Even though it seems that Future World is teeming with an endless
stream of attractions, that's only half of it.
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The World Showcase. A prominent, exciting display of the entire world. On a curving street
partially surrounding the lake in the center of the park, 11 countries are displayed,
featuring shops, restaurants, and architecture located in those countries. For example, in
the United Kingdom area, old English houses and pubs characterize this section, and so on
with the other ten countries: Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States, Japan,
Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada, not to mention a little Outpost,
resembling an old American West town.
The restaurants offer the best cuisine of each country, to help you feel that you are
actually in their respective country. To enhance the experience, most of the employees
working in the restaurants hail from the country they work in, and that is what makes the
whole thing worthwhile. Oh, I forgot to mention that all the food they serve is very
delicious and is of the highest quality.
The buildings of the World Showcase really complete the experience of that country. I
mean, the buildings could be just any boring old building, but Disney built each shop,
attraction, and restaurant to the standards set by their respective countries. In some of the
countries, the buildings are mimics of famous architecture in that country, such as the
Eiffel Tower in France, Independence Hall in America, and the Forbidden City in China.
Other countries have architecture modeled around common architecture in that area, like
pagodas in Japan and a glockenspiel in Germany.
World Showcase is only half of Epcot, but a person could spend all their time in there. It is
a wonderful experience, allowing you to explore the whole world in about an hour, but it
will probably take at least a few. It really is an excellent view of the world, with traditional
food, buildings, and even a few history lessons about those countries. It's name tells exactly
what you will find: a showcase of the world.
The whole park is also environmentally friendly, featuring bottle and can recycling tins
throughout the park and several rides advocating saving the planet. One such attraction is
Living with the Land. It is a boat ride, but you won't be getting wet in this one. You start
out touring models of the rainforest and other climates, learning about the evolution of
agriculture. Then you tour some greenhouses, but these aren't your normal greenhouses.
These have a bunch of hybrid plants growing sustainably and in more quantity, such as
tomato trees. There is also a fish farm which has fish that can be easily raised yet are
environmentally safe. The range of plants is amazing, and they are all growing (and
thriving) in sand. Plus some of the foods grown and raised here are used in restaurants all
around Disneyworld.
Epcot, which stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, is really two
parks in one: Future World, a land exploring the sciences and stimulating the brain, and the
World Showcase, several sections of the Earth displayed for you to explore. It is more based
on learning and exploring, rather than just having fun, also a part of Epcot. No matter who
you are, Epcot is an amazing place and will teach you about the world, whether that be the
forces which run it or actually the physical land. It is a truly magical place, and you will
have the time of your lives here. Don't forget about the fireworks!
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Disneys Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios is a park devoted to the art of movie-making. If you are
interested in the art of movies or simply movie magic, this is the place for you! It is a
relatively small park, compared to the other Disney parks, and has few thrill rides, but it is
characterized by live shows, showcasing famous movie moments, stunt shows, and the like.
But first we delve in the few rides that the park offers.
The only roller-coaster in called the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, which stars the band Aerosmith.
You receive backstage passes to a concert of theirs, and you take a limo though Hollywood
to the concert. The coaster is completely indoors and mostly in the dark, and it shoots you
off like you were flooring the pedal. Aerosmith's music prominently plays throughout, of
course. Another thrill ride is The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, where you get in an
elevator, travel up 13 stories, then drop unexpectedly down all 13 stories, then head back
up, then down, then up, and so on. It is set in an old hotel, which adds suspense to the
experience. For a more kid-friendly ride, there is Toy Story Midway Mania! You are in
vehicle and you travel through a midway armed with a shooter, all digitized on a personal
screen. Oh yeah, and its 4-D.
The most famous ride, however, is Star Tours. It is based off the Star Wars series, and you
are in an intergalactic spaceliner caught up with the Galactic Empire. It is a flight
simulator, which is in 3-D, plus it moves around to give you the experience of actually
flying. The ship gets knocked off course and flies to a planet's surface and goes on a short
adventure. There is a Rebel spy on your ship, whom you must get back to a certain planet,
whose coordinates are given to you. Notice how I didn't say exactly what planet you go to.
That's because there are around 20 different scenarios you could end up with, chosen at
random. For example, you could get Tatooine and Geonosis one time, and a different time
could be Kashyyyk and Corsuscant. Be sure to ride this one at least twice!
Now the main attractions: live shows! It is Hollywood, after all. Approximately half of the
shows are about how movies work, like stunt shows and backlot tours. The other half are
story-based shows, more like short plays, including stars such as the Muppets, The Little
Mermaid, and the characters of Narnia: Prince Caspian. All of the shows are at least 15
minutes long, but can go up to 35 minutes. Most of the productions require direct audience
participation, like choosing people to act in special roles made for audience members
only. And you can also have a mock American Idol audition and performance for the whole
park! Most of your day will be watching these spectacular shows, unless you plan to wait in
line all day for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.
The dining option is All-American food, featuring burgers, salads, hot dogs, and soft drinks.
The park is filled with restaurants; half of the things there are restaurants! Of course there
are fancier places to eat with steak and seafood, but most of the places are American food
joints. A place to go is the 50's Prime Time Cafe, a quaint diner with a bar and classic foods,
like meatloaf and pot roast. The bar has all types of alcoholic drinks and wines, plus
fountain drinks with cherry or vanilla added. It has good, classic food in a nice atmosphere.
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Disney's Hollywood Studios is a fantastic place to go. It is filled with live shows showcasing
the best of what Hollywood has to offer, and is a blast for the whole family. There are also
a few rides, including Star Tours, but the shows are the main attraction. This park will
excite a new fire for movies, because now you know how all of it happens. The park may be
small, but it is packed with movie magic!

Disneys Animal Kingdom

Okay, I have to admit, our family wasnt originally supposed to go here. We had an extra
day, so we went for a few hours. I dont know that much about this park because I only did
one thing, but I do have a handy-dandy tool to help me write this: the map!
Disneys Animal Kingdom is a land with emphasis on animals. All of the attractions have to
do with animals, and the physical park seems like its in the middle of a rainforest. There
are plenty of animal exhibits here, from a safari trek to a bird emporium. If you are one
with animals, the Animal Kingdom is a good place.
The one ride I did ride was called Expedition: Everest. Its a runaway train ride through
Mount Everest and, of course, you encounter the Yeti. It is a very fun ride; you go forwards,
backwards, up and down, and straight through the Abominable Snowman! The line goes
fast, and, even if it is long, you tour a replica Sherpa outpost with climbing supplies and
such. It is one of the thrilliest rides in the entire four parks and it is worth riding, even if
it is the only thing you do here.
The range of animal exhibits is incredible, for a theme park. Theyve got a giant anteater,
lemurs, gorillas, Komodo dragons, and rare domesticated animals. Half of these are in their
natural habitats, only simulated here. There is also a muntjac. What the heck is that?
Thats why people come; to learn about new and exciting things, like animals.
I didnt eat here, so I cant comment on food, but according to the map, it looks like
American, except for a couple pan-Asian places near Expedition: Everest.
For the couple hours I was here (literally), it was pretty cool. I walked through a rainforest
halfway through the park and traveled through Nepal near my stop. Its a shame I couldnt
stay longer. It seemed like it wouldve been really fun. There is a giant tree in the middle,
which is pretty cool, but too bad its not real. It was a fun park for all I know, and I hope I
might spend more time next time. But I will ride Expedition: Everest again for sure!

Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney is not really a theme park at all. It is an area with a bunch of shops and
restaurants. Theres about 40 shops and restaurants down here, so anybody can find
something to do, plus there is a couple attractions, like a Cirque du Soleil show and
DisneyQuest, an indoor interactive theme park for the kids younger than 18. Downtown
Disney is split up into three parts: the West Side, Pleasure Island, and the Marketplace.
Over on the West Side, there is the Virgin Megastore, featuring all kinds of music, movies,
and multimedia products. Also dotting the West Side is a magic shop, a couple art shops, a
sunglasses boutique, a magnet emporium, and a few Disney-related merchandise stores.
There is also an R/C car store in which you get to build your car from scratch, starting with
a body, and then adding a motor, wheels, and accessories. Its a very cool experience, but it
can get expensive really quick (a body, motor, wheels, and one accessory was $83!).
Dining on the West Side is fairly sparse, compared to the other parts. Theres a House of
Blues, a bar/restaurant featuring the South (food and music), a Cuban caf, a Planet
Hollywood, which commemorates Hollywood, and a Wetzels Pretzels, a really good pretzel
shop. Wolfgang Puck is the star here, though. His restaurant has four parts: an express
menu, a lounge/sushi bar, a casual caf, and an upscale dining room. The food is excellent.
Pleasure Island is a small area compared to the other two, but has the most high-end stores
and restaurants. There are two Irish cafes, a fancy Italian restaurant, the T-Rex Caf, which
is kinda like the Rainforest Caf but set in prehistoric times, and Fultons Crab House.
Fultons is actually built on an old steamboat (non-functioning) and is serves high-end
seafood. Retail in Pleasure Island contains an upscale surf shop, a Harley-Davidson
merchandise store, and a fancy cigar shop.
The Marketplace is the largest by far of the boroughs of Downtown Disney, although it
consists of mostly shopping. Food here is good, but cheap in price. Theres the Rainforest
Caf, a seafood joint on the water, a sandwich shop, an ice cream parlor, and another
Wolfgang Puck place, this one serving Californian food. It is excellent food and it is
relatively cheap (get a pizza!).
Major shops in the Marketplace are the Lego Imagination Center (store), the World of
Disney, the ultimate Disney store, a crystal, etc. collectable store, a Disney pin store, a
boat rental (its situated on a lake!), and several other Disney-themed stores. If you have a
little girl, however, there is a place where she can get a full Disney-princess-themed
makeover!
Downtown Disney is a fabulous place, especially for adults, but kids can find stuff they want
to buy also. If you go to the Disney area, you dont want to miss it! There is also the largest
hot-air balloon in the world waiting for you to take a ride in it (it goes up 50 feet, then
lands). The biggest upside is that it is free and open to the public, so you dont even have
to have a Disney ticket to get in. Probably all the local Orlandoans shop here. Dont miss it!
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