A close friend told of watching a group of young children, all visually impaired, bump and whirl along the Animal Kingdom's Kali River Rapids, getting refreshingly wet and feeling the wild abandon of (almost) going over a waterfall. "I thought to myself, 'They seem to be having more fun than my own kids,' how wonderful! And, you know, that was my big thrill of the day." Going with children, being a family together in unusual surroundings and experiencing often-strange circumstances, can bring out feelings you never knew you had. What do you say when face to face with a hippo, a tiger or some fruit bats, then noting that the children are watching your reaction as much as you are theirs?
Rooms From $29.95 Up & All-Star Rooms
And you can "do" Disney world, particularly The Animal Kingdom, without spending big bucks. A good place to look for bargains, especially if you have a car, is Kissimmee, a few miles southeast of Orlando, which glories in its role as the bigger city's "bedroom." Hotels out of season (late April up to just before Memorial Day, then Labor Day to just before Christmas, and finally, the first three weeks of January) can be as low as $29.95 and up for two persons in a room (with kids in the same room free). There's a central reservation number you can call, set up by the Kissimmee Visitor's Bureau, at 800/333-5477, to let you book before you leave home. Their Web site is www.floridakiss.com. Among the popular establishments with low, low prices for rooms here are the Best Western, the Days Inn Maingate (from $29.95 to 31 May), the Knights Inn Maingate (from $29.95 to 13 June) and the Sleep Inn, all on highway US 192, also known as the Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway. And if you want to show you know your way around, don't pronounce the name of the town "KISS-a-me." The right way is "Kih-SIH-me."
If the cheap rooms I mentioned above and others marked down in special sales are gone, consider the three All-Star Resorts, right in Walt Disney World. I love these places for their family-based themes and relatively low prices (from $77 to $124 per room, depending on room type, location and/or the season). The price is for two adults, with children under 18 staying free in the same room. If your family consists of more than two adults, the charge for an extra adult per night is only $10. The rooms are on the smallish side even though the complex covers nearly 250 acres. There are free parking at all three resorts.
The All-Star Movie Resort, the newest of the three, has plenty of Disney characters from the films scattered about its decor, as well as more than 101 Dalmatians, it would seem. A large swimming pool, a widely varied in cuisine food court, plenty of children's' activities and baby-sitting are available. Phone them at 407/939-7000 or 407/WDISNEY.
The All-Star Music Resort has nearly 2000 rooms, as do the other two hotels, plus two swimming pools, a food court, playground, video arcade and more. Phone 407/939-6000 or 407/WDISNEY.
The All-Star Sports Resort has the same amenities as the other two places, but the decor is themed to baseball, tennis, you-name-it-we-got-it sports activities. Phone them at 407/939-5000 or 407/WDISNEY.
If you have your own camping equipment and there is space available, you should also consider the Fort Wilderness Campground, where sites range from only $34 per night all the way up to $314. The sites, scattered around a 75-acre area laced with streams and lakes, have electrical outlets, picnic areas and playgrounds, as well as two restaurants (Trails End and Crockett's Tavern), a musical theater revue, two swimming pools with a beach, horseback riding, fishing, boat rental, jogging trails, golf courses, and a video arcade, to mention only some of the many amenities. The Fort Wilderness Resort hotel itself is too pricey for our budget taste, but the Disney-themed breakfast here is well worth the trip (see Dining With Real Characters, below).
The Web site for Walt Disney World, where you can check out everything about the complex, is www.disneyworld.com. Hotel information is available when you click on Resorts & Spas. When planning, don't forget to prepare for an 11% tax on accommodations.
There are distinct advantages to staying in a Disney-owned property such as the All-Star Resorts or the Fort Wilderness Campground. These include (1) free transportation to and from all three parks (including Magic Kingdom and Epcot), (2) free parking, as well as early and late parking privileges beyond the normal times (two hours earlier and two hours later) (3) reduced-price children's menus in most restaurants and (4) a guest service desk where you can buy tickets and get all sorts of information.
Disney World Tickets
There's a wide range of prices, almost confusing if you don't study them carefully. They range from as little as $8.70 (kids $6.81) for the Wide World of Sports complex up to an annual pass costing $469 for adults (kids $399). Adults for the purpose of Disney World tickets means aged 10 and over, kids aged 3 to 9. (Under 3 is free.) You'll probably want a one-day, one-park ticket for $48 (children $38). This entitles you to visit the Magic Kingdom OR Epcot OR Disney-MGM Studios OR Disney's Animal Kingdom. Then there's a four-day Park-Hopper, costing $192 for adults ($152 for children), that allows to you to visit all four parks on any four days, any combination of parks on a day. (There are also 5-, 6- and 7-day tickets.) There are Theme Park Annual Passes (and special rates for Florida residents, more than 15% off), as well as one-day Water Parks passes, for instance, at $29.95 or Cirque du Soleil tickets at $67. The most expensive pass (short of an annual pass) is the Park-Hopper Plus Pass, good for five days and costing $247 ($197 for ages three through nine). You get admission to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom on any five days, any combination of parks on a day, plus two visits to your choice of Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, River Country, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or Disney's Wide World of Sports. (There are also 6-day and 7-day plus passes, at higher prices, of course.)
Eating Out
If you have a car, there are plenty of cheap places to eat in the Orlando-Kissimmee area. Chains with several branches along International Drive, such as Ponderosa, Shoney and Sizzler, to mention only three, serve breakfasts from about $5, lunch from about $9, dinner from about $10. There are varying discounted prices for children, usually about half the adult cost.
Dining within Disney World, especially at the themed restaurants, can be fun and not expensive if you are careful. Inside, the no-smoking rule applies (you can smoke on terraces). In The Animal Kingdom, I prefer the Rainforest Cafe, which is a sit-down restaurant with a wide variety of main courses from $6 and up. You could also eat at Tusker's, in the Africa section, with many grilled chicken dishes, for even less. Cheapest is the Restaurantorsaurus, in DinoLand USA, with fast food items, such as hamburgers and hot dogs.
If you don't want to wait in line for a restaurant table (and who does?), you should book ahead, as far as possible during the busy summer months and around holidays. Phone for priority seating (like a reservation, but not for a specific table) in Disney properties at 407/WDW-DINE. (You can also arrange for kosher meals at this number, with 24-hour advance notice.) Otherwise, try to get priority seating when you arrive at your lodgings, by using the resort's guest desk or phoning the restaurants directly.
One of the features of dining at Disney World that I like is the availability of instant information on food ingredients. This is especially helpful to people with food allergies. Just ask the manager, who will pull out a big binder, look up the dish you want and then tell you whether or not your allergenic ingredient is part of the meal. Why can't all restaurants do this?
Dining With Some Real Characters
If you want to take the kids to a meal where Disney characters come around and talk to them, prepare to spend about $15 at breakfast and lunch ($8 for kids aged 3 to 11, free for 2 and under) or $20 at dinner ($10 for kids). You need to reserve well ahead for these "photo opportunities," as professional photographers call them. The closest such attraction to The Animal Kingdom is at the Artist Point in Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger are the stars at a big buffet breakfast here from 7:30 to 11 daily. Cheaper eats with the characters can be had at Chef Mickey's Restaurant on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Resort with similar hours.
Save Orlando-Wide
The Orlando/Orange County Visitors Bureau has a nifty little Magicard (good through February 28, 2003), a free laminated card and accompanying guide that lists about 100 attractions, hotels, restaurants, car rental companies and shops promising savings of from 10% to 50%. Some hotels, even, offer 50% discounts if your timing is right. You can phone ahead of your trip to 800/551-0181 or go to their Web site, www.orlandoinfo.com, or write to the CVB at PO Box 690355, Orlando FL 32869, and they'll mail you the card. If you forget to do that, just pick up a card when you get to Orlando, by going to the Visitor Center at 8723 International Drive (corner of Austrian Row).
The Animal Kingdom
Although you have a world of choices--The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, River Country, the Disney-MGM Studios and more--The Animal Kingdom is at the top of my list for its empathetic approach to nature. Yes, the tigers are behind glass for security reasons, and sure, the Tree of Life (about 130 feet high) looks too plastic (it's composed of animal depictions, after all). But here, you can wander for hours if you wish, taking in the sights and sounds of hundreds of animals, stopping for a meal or a snack, behaving as you would in a really good zoo back home or on an exceptionally nice picnic. (You can bring your own goodies in a basket, too, if you wish.) The park covers 500 acres, so wear good walking shoes and bring or buy bottled water. Expensive ($12.50), though really refreshing, are the water bottles with battery-operated, rubber-bladed fans that you can buy here.
The Kingdom, which opened in 1998 and was finished only last year, is divided into six parts:
Africa--You cross a bridge into the quite authentic-looking village of Harembe, with its resident craftsmen and a colorful marketplace, then choose between the Kilimanjaro Safari ride and the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (or do both). The safari consists of a truck ride (with no springs on the vehicle, it would seem) through a pretty good imitation of a jungle, with animals right up close (giraffes included). The forest trail, on the other hand, lets you walk at your own pace down a path, getting close to alligators and tropical birds, as well as gorillas. There's an intriguing underwater view of the hippos, too, that makes the whole trail trip worthwhile.
Asia--In addition to the Kali River Rapids, mentioned earlier, you should try Flights of Wonder, a wild bird show. It's as much fun for adults (at least for me) as for children, with hawks and parrots doing their things, some flying low over the audience from perches in the back up to the outdoor stage. A third attraction is the Jungle Trek (based on south and southeast Asian themes), where you can observe Bengal tigers and an aviary with lots of fruit bats (the latter without any protective glass between you and them).
Camp Minnie-Mickey--This is strictly for the children, but you will enjoy their reactions to the many Disney characters that allegedly "vacation" here. The highlight is the Festival of the Lion King, quite similar to the stage show it is patterned after. The presentation takes place around the audience, and is a wild jumble of huge puppets, fast music and parade techniques. Then, line up with the kids at the Greeting Pavilions, so they can meet and speak with the various characters created by Disney, from Mickey and Minnie to Donald Duck and all the rest.
DinoLand USA--You go back in time when you enter here, under a reconstructed dinosaur. The most fun experience in DinoLand is at Conservation Station, where you get to see how employees care for the animals in the park, and have a little hands-on time with some of the tamer critters. There's also the Cretaceous Trail, with animals that have been around since the age of the dinosaurs, and a Boneyard, through which kids can crawl. There's a ride called Countdown to Distinction, but I recommend counting it out, because it's just plain boring.
The Oasis--At the entrance of the Kingdom, this is a relatively calm area, with gardens, pools and streams, as well as quite a few of the quieter animals.
Safari Village--The kingdom's central theme, The Tree of Life, is here. The best thing about it is the Garden Path that meanders through its roots, a cooling, shaded walk where you can observe all sorts of birds (including cockatoo parrots) and small animals (otters and turtles, for instance). There's also a River Cruise for just relaxing, and a Bug Show (involving 3D) in a theater inside the Tree of Life. Also here are the shops, quite a few of them.
You should note that there are height requirements for the rides throughout Walt Disney World, usually (but not always) around 43 to 46 inches.