Well, for my 1000th review, I figured I should write about something really exciting and fun. What place is more fun that Walt Disney World? Since we took our summer vacation there in June, everything is still fresh in my mind and it seemed like a great 1000th review. So, here goes!

My family of four vacationed in Walt Disney World this summer. It was the magical vacation we had all dreamed it would be. From booking to the actual stay to meeting the characters, everything went very well and proved to be thrilling and great fun for the adults and children alike.

It all started when my husband came home from work one day and said, "I think we should go to Disney World for our summer vacation." I thought he was just kidding and didn't take him seriously at first since I knew it would be a huge expense. We had been there on our honeymoon 12 years earlier but had never taken the kids and he thought it was time. Not only that, we had heard about the government stimulus checks we would be getting and he figured that with what we had saved and that check, we could do it so we just went for it!

Booking the Trip
I started my research on the web for the best deals and all of the information I would need. In the end, we decided to book our reservations right through the official Disney World website at:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index

Though we had checked out travel agencies and online virtual travel packages, we felt safest using the official site. Besides, in our research, there was little else that beat the prices for what we wanted anyway. The online travel places wanted us to add on stuff that we didn't really want. The real travel agency we visited jacked up the prices (to pay their fees, I imagine). We knew we wanted to stay on Disney property so going through other hotel websites was just not a viable option either.

Booking through the Disney website is actually very easy and fun to do. You choose your hotel, the packages you want and even dining and airline if that is what you need. We had planned to drive so we did not have to worry about airlines. We checked out the value resorts and the moderate priced resorts and settled on Coronado Springs, a moderate priced resort. We then chose our park tickets. We were staying at Coronado Springs for 7 nights but we chose 8 day park tickets. Adding that extra day to the park tickets only added a few dollars (literally) to the total price of the package so we figured even if we only spent a few hours on the first or last day, it would still be well worth it and it was! We were then able to choose the dining plan that met our needs. I have to say that I wasn't sure I was going to choose a dining plan at all but I am very glad that I did. It was definitely worthwhile and paid for itself!

The Trip
We arrived mid-morning of our first day and were able to get into our room at Coronado Springs right away. Everyone was so pleasant and helpful to us! We were able to go to the Magic Kingdom via bus on that first day and it was absolutely wonderful. In fact, the entire trip was really a great experience. Disney provides wonderful transportation systems and gets people from place to place very efficiently. The parks were immaculately clean and well maintained. The maps at the parks were easy to read and the daily time guides were helpful in determining when special events would be held and when other attractions would be opened and closed.

The Attractions
Disney World is made up of so many different things that it is hard to tell about everything. There are four basic theme parks that are part of Disney World. The Magic Kingdom is the original park in Florida and corresponds in many ways to Disneyland's park in California. There are some differences but they have many of the same attractions. Cinderella's castle is located here along with attractions such as Space Mountain, It's a Small World, and Dumbo, just to name a few!

EPCOT is the second park that opened in Florida. It has two main sections: Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is dedicated to showing many different technologies that may be used in the future as well as the ways of the past. World Showcase is dedicated to 11 different nations who share their cultures and attractions to guests. Each attraction, including restaurants, in the World Showcase feature cast members (i.e. employees are called cast members) from that country so you can get a real taste for the way it really is. This is a great place to dine as there are many authentic restaurants to try out.

Disney's Hollywood Studios features everything about the movies! The Great Movie Ride shows glimpse into many of the movies of the past. Other rides and attractions feature different characters such as the Muppets. Of course, for the daring, there is the Tower of Terror. I didn't try that out so I have no comments here! This park is geared towards adults in many ways but I know that my kids had fun here as well. There are playgrounds and other fun attractions for the kids as well as the adults.

Disney's Animal Kingdom is the newest park in the Walt Disney World complex. It is now just over 10 years old and I have to say that I was not terribly impressed with it. There were some fun parts such as the Kilimanjaro Safari that I enjoyed but overall, I felt that it was not very special. Disney Imagineers have some work to do in this park to make it as fun as the other parks.

In addition to the theme parks, Disney also runs two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.. They feature huge water slides, lazy rivers, and much more. These are all day water parks that are great on the hot Florida days, which are many!

Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island round out the choices of things to do. With shopping, dining, clubs, shows, an indoor theme park, and more, this area has a little bit of everything. It is a great place to go in the evenings when the parks are either closed or you are too tired to do any more parks. It is a great area to grab a bite to eat. There are many shopping opportunities as well and you can find just about anything Disney-related that you want here. There are even some non-Disney related stores such as the Lego store.

Our Experiences and some Tips
We spent 7 nights and 8 days in Disney World and enjoyed every bit of it. We stayed at Coronado Springs and felt that it was a great place to stay. The parks were all clean and fun places to be at. There were so many cast members all around that if you ever needed anything, they were always available to help. I really liked this about the Disney parks. Other places I have gone, there is no one around to help if you get lost or have a question.

I thought that it was great that they had different areas where different characters would hang out signing autographs. I understand that these can get a bit crowded but I also know that when they just used to walk around the parks, it was also really hard to "visit" with them. I think that this way, everyone knows where to go to meet the characters they want to see and even if you have to stand in line, you get to see who you want to see. These character spots are well marked on all of the park maps.

One thing I would definitely advise people visiting Disney World about is to try to go "off season." First of all the hotel/resort prices are cheaper and second of all, there are less crowds. But, whether you go on or off season, there will still be some crowds to contend with. Definitely do make reservations ahead of time for all of the sit down meals you will want to eat at the parks or resorts. These fill up quickly and you will not get in, especially in the peak seasons. In addition, consider character meals for a chance to meet 4 or more characters in one place at one time. Choose meals at restaurants where you know that the character are the ones you want to meet. The Disney website lists which characters are at which restaurants. In addition, consider meals in Epcot's World Showcase where the authentic foods are really good.

Additionally, when it comes to meals, consider eating at off-peak hours. We would eat a very light breakfast in our hotel room, things like granola bars and milk boxes for the kids and protein shakes for my husband and myself. Then, around 10:30 or 11AM, we would stop for a fast food lunch. The crowds were light and the lines were short. Then, we made dinner reservations for the earliest dinner times, usually around 4PM. Again, there were short waits and no crowds and no restaurant had run out of anything! We often had an evening snack at the resort and that was just perfect!

As for the rides and attractions, pick the most popular ones and the ones you really want to ride most and do those first thing in the day. They seem to be least crowded then and you will be able to ride with the least amount of wait times.

The Florida sun is hot and strong. Wear hats and a good sunscreen and re-apply often. Visit attractions where you can sit down, cool off, and relax as needed. There are some in most of the parks that are things like movies and shows usually. Take breaks as necessary and don't push kids too far or there will surely be melt-downs!

As for money saving tips, you will find that there are a ton that people will tell you. I really did not find many were that useful. The only thing I did find useful was to bring my own water bottles since water was very expensive at the parks. Bags are checked as you walk into the park but no one stopped me from bringing my water bottles or packaged snacks.

Recommendations
Kids love Disney World and this is a great place to visit. It is the most kid-friendly place around and the kids will have a blast. Plan wisely and everyone will be able to find much that they will enjoy on a Walt Disney World vacation. There is so much to do that the time seems so limited. Planning ahead is the key. It will be a magical vacation for sure!!