Day 1: Shopping for some strange reason came high on the priority list for the girls and provided a chance to overcome the journey. We really liked the shopping mall on International Drive, Orlando near Interstate 4 (I-4) Junction 64 exit. It was full of the latest trendy shops and boutique stores which were ideal for visitors and local people alike. Some well known brand items were good value and major stores had lots on offer.
Day 2: We decided to get up early to beat the traffic and queues for Disney world's Magic Kingdom arriving at around 8:30am in the morning, plenty of time to buy tickets and get past security. Parking was relatively straight forward and cost $14 for the day.Once we had our tickets, we walked up to the mono rail; there is also a boat you can take if you prefer a more leisurely trip across the lake to the main entrance. The rail takes around five to ten minutes max to reach the destination. Views are pretty impressive with the lakes spanning either side, plenty of lush greenery and in one instance we pass a Disney hotel, to only then literally 'go through' the inside of another Disney Hotel, quite cool. Picking up a copy of the park map confirms that it covers a vast area and there's going to be a great deal of walking. (Don’t forget water bottles, hats, sun cream etc.)
The main 'high street' is full of shops, restaurants and people playing music or singing. We headed towards the Pirates of the Caribbean, which is still a fun ride, off to our left as we moved through the park. There are plenty of opportunities to take photos and video clips of the Kingdom and we found people in America always happy to help. Next on our plan was the Jungle Cruise which was actually quite amusing with lots of animals and head hunters, albeit dummies in costumes but still entertaining enough. The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was a good little ride, queues weren't that long and on a sunny day the views are reasonably good. Mind you, it does move quite fast so you may find the ride is over before you start! The Liberty Square riverboat ride was good fun, relaxing and just a simple ride around the island on a large old fashioned boat. Seating is limited so best to get there early and after a hectic day of rides, rides and more rides it was a good way to unwind. The Buzz Lightyear ride was next - now that was fun for the boys! Everyone really enjoyed Space Mountain which was worth the wait where at times it was pitch black so you never knew when the roller-coaster was about to drop, twist or turn - cool if you like rides.
Day ?: I am not sure what day it is now as the time disappeared so quickly. We did not visit the theme parks every day but took a break of one or two days in between and relaxed or visited other regional places and attractions including Kennedy Space Centre which took about one hour from the International Drive area - if you use the toll roads remember you need cash
with you.
A one day visit to Universal Studios was included but generally we did not find this as good as Disney World although it did have quite a number of new rides. The Revenge of the Mummy ride was scary yet entertaining and we found the whole experience good fun. Some of the other rides like Twister or even the Simpson's were good but seemed to rely quite heavily on virtual reality. I know not everyone likes a whirly ride, twisting and turning, but I guess for those of us who love a good stomach churning just sitting and watching TV monitors is a tad boring. Universal was relatively easy to find off Interstate 4 (I-4). We needed a break from Disney World and roller coaster rides and visited the Titanic museum over on International Drive, where many other theme parks and attractions can also be found, which was really very interesting. We arrived at what looks like a giant warehouse and upon entry went through the shop. It costs around $20 per person, usually tours last around just under an hour and the guide is typically an Irishman to add to the effect - it worked!
Now where is our Disney World plan for next year?
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