Disney World Parks

Walt Disney World Parks are the backbone of the Walt Disney World Resort. They are what draw us to Orlando. In fact Disney is what turned Orlando from a sleepy little tourist trap Florida town into the meg-gigantic tourist trap Florida city that it is today.

There are six Walt Disney World Parks, four Theme Parks and Two Water Parks. Each park is huge. The Magic Kingdom is probably the smallest and you will walk 3 to 5 miles per day getting around.

Yes, I know most of you know how big Disney World is, but you'd be surprised how many times I've see the question, "How long will it take to walk from Dumbo to Chef's de France" or something similar. A lot of people don't understand just how big Walt Disney World is.

The Magic Kingdom - Where it all began

The Magic Kingdom is the original Walt Disney World Park. In fact, a lot of people say Disney World when they mean The Magic Kingdom. It opened in October of 1971 to large crowds that continue to this day. Every year, The Magic Kingdom is the number one tourist attraction in the world in terms of visitors.

Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom Photo by Joe Penniston

Several of Uncle Walt's classic attractions play to long lines even to this day. Rides like the Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Space Mountain and more have been thrilling guests for almost 40 years.

New arrivals like Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin, Splash Mountain, and all of Mickey's Toontown Fair have given the park a new look and feel.

The Magic Kingdom is divided into "lands". Each land has a unique theme. The lands are;

• Main Street USA - The entrance to The Magic Kingdom. Modeled after Walt's boyhood home.
• Fantasyland - A place of Princesses and magic. Full of timeless classic attractions.
• Liberty Square - The birth of the United States is heralded.
• Frontierland - Westward Ho. See the wild, wild west in action.
• Adventureland - Step into the tropical, exotic home of pirates and tiki gods.
• Tomorrowland - The future that never was and should be.
• Mickey's Toontown Fair - See the big guy and his friends in the homes.

Disney calls The Magic Kingdom "The Most Magical Place on Earth". I can't argue with them.

Dad's Magic Kingdom page

Epcot - Environmentally Planned Community of Tomorrow

Explore the future of cities, that was Uncle Walt's dream for EPCOT. But alas, Uncle Walt died and Epcot didn't turn out like Walt planned. The Imagineers planning EPCOT struggled for a long time, arguing between two totally different concepts. Finally they pushed the 2 models together and EPCOT was born.

Mission Space at Epcot

Today Epcot is the most diverse of the Disney World Parks. It's also the most educational. Every pavilion was developed with an educational purpose.

Epcot is divided into 2 distinct and completely unique areas. They are;

• Future World - A look into today's technologies. There are exhibits about cars, oil and gas, the oceans and space.
• World Showcase - A slice of the world. The World Showcase gives guests a taste (both figuratively and literally) of 11 different countries from around the world.

Epcot is different from the rest of the Disney World Parks. The other parks are built on fantasy but Epcot deals with the world as it is.

Dad's Epcot page

Disney's Hollywood Studios - The Hollywood that never was

The Sorcerer's Hat from Disney's Hollywood Studios Photo by Jeff_B.

Walk through a working movie studio. That was the original concept of Disney's Hollywood Studios. At one time it even included a working animation studio with glass windows where you could actually watch artists creating Disney animation movies.

Somewhere along the line all of that went away. Today's Disney Hollywood Studios is a fictionalization of the movie industry. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun, but real movies aren't made here anymore.

Disney's map for the Studios divides this Disney World Park into 4 sections. They are;

• Hollywood Boulevard/Echo Lake - The entrance area around to Indiana Jones. It includes Star Tours, The Great Movie Ride, Sounds Dangerous and American Idol.
• The Streets of America - Includes the Muppets, the Backlot Tour, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set, and Lights, Motors, Action.
• Pixar Place - Home of Toy Story Midway Mania, One Mans Dream, Voyage of the LIttle Mermaid and The Magic of Disney Animation.
• Sunset Boulevard - Rock-n-Roller Coaster, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Beauty and the Beast Show, and Fantasmic are the blockbuster attractions of the park and they are all in this area.

Some of the best attractions Disney has ever developed are in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Dad's Disney's Hollywood Studios page

Animal Kingdom - The Zoo of Dreams

Disney's Animal Kingdom is an amazing place. Is it a theme park or a zoo? The best answer to that question is, yes, it's both. Disney has created a hybrid theme park. They've take a zoo and added great attractions and shows and come up with a truly unique experience.

Divine at Animal Kingdom by Joe Penniston

Like the rest of the Disney World Parks, Animal Kingdom is divided into sections. They are;

• The Oasis - The entrance area. There is sometimes some entertainment in this area and some great scenery.
• Camp Minnie Mickey - Character interaction area and home of The Lion King Show.
• Dinoland USA - Step way back in time and see how the world developed.
• Discovery Island - The little island in the middle.
• Africa - Journey into an African village complete with a Safari.
• Rafiki's Planet Watch - See how the animals are cared for.
• Asia - Thrills, spills and bats are highlighted in the Asia section.

Only Disney can find a way to turn fish being caught into a great musical. Check it out at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Dad's Animal Kingdom Page

Blizzard Beach - Florida's only Snow Skiing Resort

A freak snow storm in Florida. Someone spends a billion bucks and develops a ski resort. Pretty far fetched. But it's a great introduction into the most imaginative Disney World Park.

Disney's Blizzard Beach is a great water park. Even the Travel Channel lists it as one of the top 5 water parks in the country. Summit Plummet is one of the most celebrated water slides ever built.

There is some real imagination at work here. Check out the ski lift that takes you up to the top of the "ski slope" where you can choose a water slide to return to earth on. It's great.

Take your sun glasses and your sunscreen and head to the slopes.

Dad's Blizzard Beach page

Typhoon Lagoon - Yes, Hurricanes do reach this far inland

Typhoon Lagoon

Enough of the freak storms already. Who really believes that a hurricane could hit Orlando and bring a fishing boat all this way.

What? A hurricane really did hit Orlando? You gotta be kidding. OK, so it really happened, how many fishing boats were planted on top of pseudo mountains? Yeah, take that.

Typhoon Lagoon was Disney's second try at building a water park. The first, River Country still sits abandoned in Bay Lake.

Disney learned a lot from River Country and applied it to Typhoon Lagoon. They build great big water slides that can accommodate large numbers of guests.

They also added the first "swim with the sharks" attraction that was safe for guests of all ages.You can even learn how to surf at Typhoon Lagoon.

Dad's Typhoon Lagoon page. It's cool dude.

Dad's Bottom Line

The Disney World Parks are the number 1, 2, 3 and 4 tourist attractions in the world. There is a good reason for that. They really must be experienced.

Extra Video

Here is some video of the attractions in Walt Disney World. Sit back and see how many attractions you can pick out of this 3 minute video.

Disney World Parks information

Dad's Guide to WDW

Table of Contents

Dad's Disney World Home Page - The center of the Dad's Guide Universe. This is where it all starts. Come on over and check it out.

Disney World Hotels - Walt Disney World is home to some of the most beautifully themed hotels in the world. (Disney calls their hotels resorts.) There are more than 20 magically themed Disney Resorts at Walt Disney World. All of them are well designed, well maintained, clean, and a great place to sleep at night.

Disney World Restaurants - The restaurants at are as much a part of the whole "Disney" experience as the Resorts. It's amazing to see fast food restaurants that are themed to match the area that they are in. There are some amazing restaurants in the parks, in the hotels, and even at Downtown Disney. Come on in and check out Dad's favorites.

Theme Parks - Walt Disney World Parks are the main reason to visit. These are the most attended theme parks in the world. They have some of the best entertainment on the planet. The four theme parks produce some of the most imaginative family entertainment you will find anywhere. There are also 2 of the most innovative water parks in the world. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

Disney World Hours - It's important to know when the parks open and when the close. It's also good to know when the parades and shows happen. Dad'll help. Dad has monthly calendars that show the hours each park is open.

Disney World Tickets - Dad is an expert on Disney World Tickets. (Someone needs to be.) Disney has numerous ticket options some of which are very confusing. Let Dad help you sort out the best ticket option for your magical vacation.

Disney World Crowds - Crowds can turn the best dreams into nightmares. Dad has created guides to help you deal with crowds at Walt Disney World. You'll find calendars that will let you know when the crowds will be at the parks, and tons of information on how to avoid crowds.

Walt Disney World Videos - A picture is worth... Yeah, right, show me the video any day. Dad has gathered several videos about the parks, the hotels and much more. Come on over and check them out.

Disney World Special Events - The one thing that sets Disney World apart from all the other theme parks is their special events. Walt Disney World is almost always having a special event. Find out about the FREE concerts, the special shows, and all the events that Disney schedules throughout the year.

Christmas at Disney World - Christmas is a very special time of year. It's a time when everyone is dreaming of something. Disney knows how to put on a show, and they put on some of their best at Christmas time. Let the dreams begin.

Dad's Disney World Stories and Tips - Do you need to know how to get reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table? Dad knows. Are you looking for acronyms that everyone is using? Check out Dad, he knows. Dad knows lots of stuff, and shares it with you through his Stories and Tips page. Come on over and check it out.

Making Disney World Reservations - Making travel reservations for a dream Disney World vacation is hard work. Dad has some tools that will help. Come and check them out. They will save you money.

Information about other destinations - Check out Dad's Travel Friends. (Sorry Uncle Walt) There are other places you might want to vacation. Dad wants to give you some information on these places. These are links to some sites that Dad enjoys and thinks you will too.

Discount Theme Park Tickets - There is more to Orlando than Disney. See where to get tickets to those other Theme Parks and attractions.