Orlando, Florida (Disneyworld)

This was the vacation of a lifetime and I don't think I can adequately write about all we did. We took the kids to Orlando this past Febraury for a week at Disneyworld. Yes, we pulled them out of school, but it was well worth it. The weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded. I can't even imagine going in the middle of summer! We traded our timeshare week again and stayed in the villas behind the Marriott World Center-what a complex! We purchased a six day pass to Disneyworld, spending 1 day at each of the 4 parks and then letting the girls each pick their favorite for the final 2 days. Note that tickets are cheaper with each extra day you purchase. I think our 6 day pass was $800 for the 4 of us. I think it is easiest to break down our trip by each park, highlighting some of our favorite rides and shows. If you are taking kids with you, don't go without Walt Disney World for Kids by BirnBaum Guides. It is the perfect book to guide you through the park and it is kid friendly and full of space for autographs.

Animal Kingdom- What an amazing park! We spent 2 days here. As soon as you walk in and see the Tree of Life, you know you are in for a treat. The tree stands in the middle of the park and has animal carvings covering the trunk of the tree. It is spectacular! Make sure you get a fast pass for Expedition Everest-our favorite roller coaster in all of Disneyworld and Kilimanjaro Safaris-a amazing safari ride through Africa. Here are the other must sees:

-Finding Nemo The Musical

-It's Tough to be a Bug

- Festival of the Lion King

-Dinosaur

- Camp Minnie-Mickey for character photos

- Eating a turkey leg on Discovery Island

Magic Kingdom- Because we live in California and make frequent trips to Disneyland, we expected this park to be the same as what we have seen. Boy were we wrong! Yes, it had many of the same rides, characters and sites, but it was so much cleaner, more spread out and a very different experience. Cinderella's Castle was so much bigger, too. Take time to walk along Main Street and see the nighttime parade. Here is what we loved:

-Space Mountain - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Haunted Mansion

-Pirates of the Caribbean -Indy Speedway - Mad Tea Party

Hollywood Studios- We weren't expecting to find a lot to do at this park, but we wish we had another day here. There aren't as many rides, but the shows are amazing. There is so much variety, from the Disney-themed Beauty and the Beast show to the Hollywood-themed Stunt Show, Backlot Tour and Indiana Jones Spectacular. We also loved Star Tours, the High School Musical Pep Rally and the night was topped off with the amazing Fantasmic!
Epcot- Definitely the biggest and most diverse park at Disneyworld. We spent 2 days here, but could have spent another 2. The park is divided into two distinct areas, Future World and World Showcase. Future World features science of the land, seas, sky and outer space. We absolutely loved Soarin', Test Track and Ellen's Energy Adventure. Although Mission:Space was a once in a lifetime experience, it made Taylor and me sick for the rest of the day. It is a very intense ride on a rocket ship up to outer space and we had the worst motion sickness. I would recommend the less intense version.

World Showcase is a way to see the countrys of the world all in one place. We ate a German pretzel in Germany, ate Teriyaki Chicken in Japan, tried on sombreros in Mexico and visited with Belle in France. Make sure you ride Maelstrom in Norway, see the movie in Canada and watch the acrobats in China. It is such a spectacular learning experience for the kids. I didn't feel that guilty having the girls out of school! We ended the night with the fireworks show over World Showcase and wrapped up a wonderful trip!