Disney World for You

Submitted by:

Robin

I love my family, honest! But sometimes you need to be alone. My favorite place to get away from the stress of being everything for everybody is Disney World. The great thing about going to Disney World by yourself is you can be alone if you want, but if you get lonely there are thousands of people you can talk to. After all, it is the happiest place on earth and from my experiences the friendliest too! Two wonderful things stand out in my mind as the best reasons to explore Disney alone.

 
Do What You Want
When you go to Disney World alone you don’t have to cram in everything everyone wants to see. You just have to decide what all you want to see and eat. For me this usually revolves around Animal Kingdom and Epcot. I’m not an action and adventure kind of girl. I like to stroll and watch the animals for hours in Animal Kingdom. At Epcot I like being able to stop and enjoy the cultural displays and talk to the people from other nations at the World Pavilion. When you don’t have to be in a hurry to get to the next ‘must see’ you can look around for the many hidden treasures to be found at Disney.

Go to the Head of the Line
I can’t tell you how many times I’d be in a ridiculously long line and then hear “We need one person, is anyone willing to ride alone?”  Me! Me! Me! Off I’d go to the head of the line with a big smile plastered on my face as I trotted ahead of some very tired families.

This little trick also works when you go out to eat. The hostess asks how many in the party and when I’d say “just me” I was seated within about five minutes without a reservation!
Many women I know are always shocked that I go to Disney World just for myself by myself. I can tell they think it is selfish of me but I know I’m a better wife and mother when I’m relaxed. I always come back from my Disney adventures feeling like a new person; a calm, centered, childlike person.
Does it make you feel guilty to take time for yourself? What do you do just for you.

Photo Credit: Bruce Tuten, Flickr Creative Commons License

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When visiting Walt Disney World and Epcot, I am most impressed by the grounds and the gorgeous, vibrant, flowers. If you love flowers as much as I do, you don’t want to miss the 15^th Annual Epcot Flower and Garden Festival held from March 15 through June 1^st at Epcot Center in Orlando. The festival is included with the regular admission to Epcot Center. With over 30 million blooms, this is sure to be a dazzling display this spring and summer.

Children who visit Walt Disney World and Epcot will also be dazzled by the displays as their favorite characters are created in topiary designs, surrounded by flowers. For example, the Goofy topiary is a whopping 14-feet tall. He is riding a surfboard on a wave which is made of flowers and more plants. You can see Goofy near the Spaceship Earth entrance.

• Walt Disney World’s Mickey and Minnie are also in on the fun; these topiaries (figures made from plants) are posing on a beach blanket made of flowers while relaxing on the beach. Speaking of playing on the beach, Donald and Daisy are around, too. These topiaries by the plant geniuses at Disney are playing volleyball.
• Walk along Imagination Walkway to see Peter Pan’s Neverland Garden. Kids will love the pirate theme all done up with plants and flowers. There’s a pirate ship with topiaries of Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, Tic Toc Croc and Peter Pan. I want to see that one!
• New this year, Donald Duck and friends celebrate their new Epcot Show in a topiary dedicated to the “Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros” in the Mexico pavilion.

• The Sweeping Future Flower Beds with nautical flags created with flowers. Can you decode the message that’s written with the flags? A secret message is created using the flags’ letters. The letters are Alpha, Bravo and Charlie, etc. If you visit Epcot, try to guess the message that is written with the flags’ letters. That should be entertaining.
• Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden with hundreds of screened in butterflies is a must-see! Children would love learning how caterpillars turn into butterflies in this interactive living exhibit.

Gardening experts will hold seminars and lectures during the festival and every night during the festival, visitors can dance to music from Flower Power Concerts.

We used to tease my grandfather by telling him that he should go and work for Disney. His hedges and trees were always perfectly trimmed. What do you think about the flowers and plants at Epcot? How do they keep them so immaculate?

Photos Courtesy of Walt Disney Word, used with permission.

Technorati Tags: Disney World,disney,epcot,events,flowers,topiary,topiaries,orlando,family vacations

Disney World is an entertaining, fun place to spend time with your family. It can also, however, be a difficult amusement park to navigate. It’s easy to be frustrated by the long lines, long walks, and unpredictable weather at Walt Disney World. Don’t fret. There are some guidelines that you can follow to help make sure that you and your family have a good time at Walt Disney World.

How to ride with young children
Those of you with very young children who are too young to ride on the rides can still enjoy Walt Disney World. You need to have two adults present. First, you or the other adult may ride with older children while the second adult waits in line. After the first adult enjoys the ride, the second adult can ride without going to the end of the line. The young child is supervised by an adult at all times. In essence, you are taking turns riding with your child.

Bring food and drinks
The food prices at Walt Disney World are rather pricey. Bring your own snacks and drinks to save money. Eat before you go to the park.

Plan your amusement park visit in advance
Know where you plan to spend the bulk of your time. The various Walt Disney World amusement parks are some distance apart. If you have passes to several parks, you will use your time more efficiently if you have a game plan. It’s also helpful to know which rides you plan to enjoy at the park. Check height requirements for rides before your trip, so you won’t waste time walking to a ride, only to find out that your child will not be able to ride.

Check the weather report
Just about every year that my family and I visited Disney, it rained. Florida is a tropical state; it tends to rain quite a bit during the summer, when most people plan trips to Walt Disney World. It’s a good idea to review the weather for the week you plan to visit. Bring ponchos and an umbrella just in case there’s a shower. Walt Disney World makes a killing on selling rain ponchos during the summer months!
You may feel that planning your Walt Disney World vacation is a job in itself. Trust me, the more you plan, the smoother your trip will be. You’ll have more fun and your family will appreciate the time that you spent to help make your Walt Disney World vacation a success!

Photo by Edward Russells, Flickr Creative Commons License