The kids are now resorting to Santa to help make their Disney World dreams come true. One of them just plans to travel in a little more style than the other.
I have a feeling it will cost somewhere in between their dollar amounts and I absolutely know Santa isn’t going to bring it. (In fact, Santa may actually create a big dent in the Disney World fund.)
I’m doing all the research now on when to go, where to stay and what (if any) package plans to buy but it’s a lot to decide. Since I can’t write a letter to Santa to help plan this for us, I welcome and appreciate any advice from Disney travelers!
Best regards…I just love that Nia wrote that.
Are You Zhazha? 
Walt Disney World Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
For autographs for the kiddos as something to open on Christmas morning.
There’s also an android app for getting around the park called Walt Disney World by UPinPoint LLC with maps and wait times. It was super helpful. http://www.upinpoint.com/android/ (They have it for iphone too, but last time I saw you, you had an android.)
If I’m honest, no insult meant to your friends, I would not stay in a lowest end hotel like the All Stars. Go one tier up like we did because you will spend time at the hotel in the afternoon sleeping off the heat. It sounds silly, but you’ll want them to clean your room everyday and have a pool and snacks nearby. Those lowest end don’t clean your room everyday or have the nice amenities you’ll want/need. Port Orleans French Quarter was wonderful, but Coronado Springs looked really cool too – we went there to eat at the Maya Grill. The Port Orleans hotels are centered around ‘The Princess and the Frog’ movie. Coronado Springs didn’t seem to have a movie theme. We did Caribbean Resort when I was like 15. It was fine, and the pool was pretty rad. The rooms are slightly bigger.
Magic Kingdom has all the rides everyone remembers like Space Mountain, Country Bear Jamboree, It’s a Small World, etc. It would be totally awesome to have Nia do the Bibbidi Bobbidi Bootique, where they do princess makeovers. I think it was only like $60 and Noelle and I both wanted to do it but we were too old. Apparently over 18 is a no-no. They have a pirate one for boys too, which I would imagine costs around the same amount – it’s called the Pirates League. So other cool rides in Magic Kingdom: Swiss Family Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki Room (now with more Aladdin), Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Hall of Presidents, Dumbo the Flying Elephant. All should be more than kiddo appropriate. For a quick snogging session, you and Andrew could check out Haunted Mansion. To eat in Magic Kingdom, check out the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, Liberty Tree Tavern, and Cinderella’s Royal Table. Friar’s Nook is good too on a small budget.
Epcot will be awesome for you guys and the kiddos. Aaron and I drank our way around the world and then got elephant ears and then we watched fireworks in Japan. Okay, so this isn’t a whole lot of play park. There’s stuff to do, but not rides like elsewhere. The Test Track is awesome even for people who barf on rollercoasters (like Aaron). If you got to the Character Spot, there’s always a character there. I think the Nemo show was over here, and despite having not seen the movie, it was pretty awesome too. Mexico and Japan both have AMAZING food. The San Angel Inn Restaurante was fantastic and there’s a Donald Duck ride that was pretty funny too. Norway has a really scary troll in the store, so beware. Japan has the Teppan Edo restaurant, and it was beyond good. Also, there’s an awesome store underneath that is like everything Japanese from Hello Kitty to Domo Kun to real live kiminos. Mom and Dad loved the American Adventure. Apparently, it was a lot of singing. Me, Noelle, and Aaron when to Germany for beer while they did that LOL.
Depending on the pricing, it might be cool to take the kids to whatever Cirque show is going on. I did the one in Vegas and will probably do another one again here soon – that’s how good it was. Seriously, it was amazing. That’s in Downtown Disney where there’s also Fulton’s Crab House and the Lego Imagination Center. There’s tons of candy and Christmas shopping there. There’s even a Ghirardelli ice cream and chocolate shop. Too good.
Hollywood Studios has Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppet Vision 3-D, and Beauty and the Beast LIVE. They also have an awesome Indiana Jones stunt show – Lights, Motors, Action! Star Tours is a Star Wars hydraulic ride that Kirk adored at Nate’s age – maybe even littler. You can eat at the Toy Story Pizza place or the 50s Prime Time Cafe, where the waiters yell at you if you don’t eat all your veggies. It’s really funny.
The Animal Kingdom was super cool too. The safari was just out of this world. Way cooler than any zoo I’ve ever been too. Leaves you wondering how they convince the animals not to eat each other. It’s Tough to be a Bug is hilarious and has you jumping out of your seat. Dinoland was pretty awesome too. Flame Tree BBQ was great to eat at. The ribs are actually really good and relatively inexpensive. The actual Dinoland ride may be a little rough for Nate – it’s a little like being in Jurassic Park. Make sure the kids wear hats to this one – there’s not much shade there.
I might skip Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. I mean, they’re just water parks. I haven’t been there, but I’m sure Nate would love the Wide World of Sports complex though I don’t know much about it.
So here’s a couple of websites I used to plan ours:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/
http://www.mousesavers.com/
http://allears.net/index.html
I know it’s a lot to take in but if you have any questions, holla!