Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [2]
888/273–1311
SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and
Aquatica Phone Numbers
SeaWorld
351–3600
Discovery Cove
877/434–7268
Aquatica
800/327–2420
Other Helpful Phone Numbers
Alamo Car Rental
800/462–5266
American Airlines
800/433–7300
Avis Car Rental
800/331–1212
Budget Car Rental
800/527–0700
Delta Airlines
800/221–1212
Dollar Car Rental
800/800–4000
Hertz Car Rental
800/654–3131
Mears Shuttle Service
423–5566
National Car Rental
800/227–7368
Orlando Visitors Bureau
800/255–5786
US Airways
800/428–4322
HELPFUL WEB SITES
Walt Disney World
www.disneyworld.disney.go.com
The Disney Corporation
www.disney.com
The Disney Cruise Line
www.disneycruise.com
Universal Orlando
www.universalorlando.com
SeaWorld
www.seaworld.com
Discovery Cove
www.discoverycove.com
LIST OF MAPS
Walt Disney World
On-Site and Off-Site Hotels
The Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Typhoon Lagoon
Blizzard Beach
Downtown Disney
Universal Studios
Islands of Adventure
LIST OF QUICK-GUIDE REFERENCE TABLES
On-Site Hotels
Off-Site Hotels
Magic Kingdom Attractions
Epcot Attractions
Hollywood Attractions
Animal Kingdom Attractions
Full-Service Restaurants in the Magic Kingdom
Full-Service Restaurants at Epcot
Full-Service Restaurants at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Full-Service Restaurants in the Animal Kingdom
Full-Service Restaurants in the WDW Hotels
Full-Service Restaurants in the Rest of the World
Universal Studios Attractions
Islands of Adventure Attractions
ABBREVIATIONS, TERMS, AND ICONS
Abbreviations and Terms
Downtown Disney
A shopping, dining, and entertainment complex
Hollywood
The Disney’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park
Water parks
Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
Major parks
The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Off-season
The less crowded times of the year—specifically those weeks between September and May that do not flank major holidays
On-season
The most crowded times of the year—specifically summers, holidays, and spring break
Off-site
Any resort or hotel not owned by Disney
On-site
A Disney-owned resort
TTC
Ticket and Transportation Center: The monorail version of a train station, where you can transfer to monorails bound for Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, or monorail-line hotels. You can also catch buses at the TTC bound for the parks and Downtown Disney.
Icons
Helpful Hint
Insider’s Secret
The Scare Factor
Hidden Mickey
Money-Saving Tip
Time-Saving Tip
Preface
How Has Walt Disney World Changed?
The simple answer is, it’s gotten bigger. And they’re still building.
In the 23 years since I first began researching this guide, Disney has added one major park, three minor ones, eight hotels, a cruise line, and more attractions and restaurants than I can count. It was once possible for a fleet-footed and well-prepared family to see most of Walt Disney World during a four-day stay. But that’s no longer true. As the Disney complex expands, it’s more vital than ever that you target what you want to see, work these priorities into your schedule, and then relax. Anything beyond that is pure gravy.
Sometimes I’m asked if the prevalence of travel guides makes them less useful to their readers. After all, if everyone knows about a “secret tip,” is it still a secret?
Good question, but even with all those books on the market, a relatively small number of WDW visitors actually make advance preparations. Most people still show up late and wander around aimlessly, so anyone with any sort of touring plan at all is automatically a step ahead of the crowd.
It’s tempting to treat Orlando as if it were a kiddie version of Las Vegas—you go there to play the numbers, and a family that hits 24 attractions in a day must, by definition, be having twice as much fun as a family that sees 12. Not so. You’ll find a lot of crying kids and exasperated parents by mid-afternoon, largely because everyone is frantic with the idea that this trip is so expensive they darn well better