Family Travel

I must confess that Disney-MGM Studios is my favorite family travel park in Florida’s Walt Disney World (and not just because the water tower has massive Mouse ears.)

It appeals to me and my husband as an adult movie buffs, to our teenage daughter who loves Aerosmith’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, to our young son on a variety of levels, and to all of us with its wonderful evening show, Fantasmic!

It is also relatively compact, which is such a relief after making vast footsore treks across the huge acreage of the other parks.

** This park summarized. The magic of movies for all ages. This park is also particularly strong in live shows. Remember, the Disney company casts a wide net, so there is everything here from Narnia to High School Musical to an ESPN Sports Weekend in March.

** Key tidbit. With just a little forethought, you can have a nice early dinner and then avoid standing in line forever as you sit down in an excellent seat in the Hollywood Bowl-ish theater to enjoy the multimedia, everything-Disney-but-the-kitchen-sink Fantasmic! nighttime show.

How?

Call (407) WDW-DINE and ask for the Fantasmic! Dining Experience package for the day you’re visiting. You’ll get a fixed price dinner and reserved dining time at one of the park’s sit-down restaurants (Brown Derby, Mama Melrose or Hollywood & Vine as of this writing.) We ate dinner at a rather ridiculous afternoon time at Hollywood & Vine because I didn’t call early enough and that was the only time left. Still, it was worth it to not have to wait two hours or more to get into Fantasmic!

Note: Unlike most “secret good deals,” which are usually laid out pretty clearly somewhere on the official Disney site, I could not find much/any info about this except on the unofficial Disney fan sites. Also, fair warning: this show may be too scary for very little kids.

** What to do as soon as you arrive. From previous posts in this series, you know the drill….if you want to get on the “screamers” like Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, get that FASTPASS time right away. The Star Wars Star Tours ride tends to get rather crowded as well.

** Entertainment. Lots of live shows here, plus fun street performers on Hollywood Boulevard. In the one park where your feet aren’t killing you, the sit-down options abound.

** Dining options. We had a hilarious meal at the 1950’s Prime Time Cafe, where the meatloaf is hot and Mom says to get your elbows off of the table. There’s even a groovin’ lounge next door, but we couldn’t figure out how to stash the kids in a potted palm or something, so that we could go enjoy a libation.

** Attraction that surprised us. The fact that, at last, we were in a human-scaled, manageable Disney property was our first pleasant surprise. We loved the peek-behind-the-scenes of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (complete with the giant rolling boulder,) and my young son couldn’t get enough of Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D (just like any Muppets show, there are plenty of inside jokes and fun for the adults.)

** Lodging. There are no Disney hotels in this park.

** Special Disney/Character Meals. Have lunch with a Disney Imagineer at the Brown Derby. Preschoolers will enjoy the Play n’ Dine special meal with characters from TV’s Disney Playhouse.

** More tidbits. The soundtrack during Aerosmith’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is actually a compilation of their songs; I couldn’t get it out of my head so I asked a Disney Cast Member which one of their hits was playing as we were screaming up and down, and she said that it was a medley.

We always saw Toy Story characters at Al’s Toy Barn in the Backlot area, if you like those autographs and photo ops.

Go behind the scenes on a special Backstage Magic tour — it actually starts in Epcot but includes Disney-MGM Studios and Magic Kingdom plus lunch in Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. A mere 7 1/2 hours, $200 per person, minimum age 16.

One more link: the Fodor’s Blitz Tour of the park.

Next in line (or in the queue, for my UK readers) is the Big Kahuna, the Magic Kingdom.

The Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) theme park, which was originally conceived as a futuristic community with people actually living in the park, has something of an identity crisis.

There are two sections to the park. Future World has excitement and G-forces, including a ride that occasionally kills people, but it’s combined with the fairly staid international destinations in the World Showcase.

Disney positions Epcot as a more appealing venue for adults — a permanent “World’s Fair” with special highbrow-ish events like the annual spring Flower and Garden Festival, plus the fall Wine and Food Festival (which gets an OK review here on Mousesavers; they generally like it but feel that the paid seminar-type sessions are overpriced.)

That’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of things for kids; mine had a great time. Then again, they’re both travel nuts and were really into the World Showcase pavilions of the different countries (comparing “Norway” to our actual visit to Norway was a treat.)

World Showcase venues often stay open later than the rest of the park since there are tons of different restaurants plus the nightly Illuminations fireworks/laser light show over the park’s lagoon.

Kids also like fun/educational rides like going deep into the sea on The Seas with Nemo & Friends, although you have to put up with Crush, the surfer dude Aussie turtle who is a takeoff on Sean Penn’s perpetually stoned “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” character Jeff Spicoli.

Like, totally, Mr. Hand.

** This park summarized: Disney for grownups and travel enthusiasts (but you’ll really need a map.) Be ready to do some walking, but the wide-open pathways make it stroller-friendly even in crowds. Once older kids have knocked out the thrill rides they may bug you to leave the park, but try to hit a little of World Showcase for their edification. Bribe them with the varied international gift shops if you have to.

** Key tidbit: This park may work best towards the end of the day, if you want to kick back a little. Ferry boats (FriendShip water taxis) across the big 40-acre lagoon can save aching feet from walking all the way around the semi-circle of pavilions. There are boat stops in Mexico, Canada, Morocco and Germany.

The Maelstrom water ride in Norway and El Rio Del Tiempo water ride in Mexico are mildly hokey but fun breaks that younger kids can usually handle.

** What to do as soon as you arrive: Get your FASTPASS times for Mission: Space, (blasting off in a rocket) Soarin’ (sort of hang-gliding above the sights in California) and Test Track (a racing ride.)

The thrill rides are the only ones with significant lines in this park. Read the restrictions carefully if you have medical problems, especially Mission: Space. They aren’t kidding about the G-forces.

Also grab a daily calendar for the park as you enter; there are lots and lots of small performances all day in World Showcase. We loved the Chinese acrobats and mariachi band.

If the front of the park is already packed, head to the back to start, just like I recommended for the Animal Kingdom.

[read on]

[Continue reading this entry]

Over the next few days, I plan to post a short series on travel with kids to ... [Continue reading this entry]

I do not usually plug specific companies, but I noticed that Smarter Travel is highlighting a $25 discount on some of Go-Today's packages. This ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Big Apple is one of my very favorite cities, and I've had a ... [Continue reading this entry]

Just to be a contrary old bat during the terribly cheery and determined New Year, there are a few travel destinations/stories/ideas that have really been flogged to death by major travel magazines and Web sites. It's a big planet; ... [Continue reading this entry]

Thanks to some post-a-day ideas from ... [Continue reading this entry]