- The Walt Disney World Resort -
Walt Disney World is the east coast sister park to Disneyland. Disney World was the second park Walt started creating but sadly never saw finished. The weather can be unpredictable being in Florida, which is what can make Disneyland a better option if you aren't about the heat or rain. This park is crazy huge. We are talking 25,000 acres huge, which is a whole lot larger than the 200 acres at the Disneyland Resort. It is so huge that it spans three cities (Orlando, Kissemmee, and Lake Buena Vista) and two counties. HUGE! This means a lot of walking. Disney World does offer a lot more parks, activities and hotels when compared to Disneyland. There are four theme parks, two water parks, a downtown area, golf courses, and over 25 hotels.
It truly is its own world!
magic kingdom
The Magic Kingdom is like Disneyland on steroids. Some of the rides are the same, and some are different. This park is definitely on a much larger scale and is home to the gigantic Cinderella Castle. There are six lands in total consisting of Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. This park is fun for the entire family as there are rides for every age group, fun eateries, and "Happily Ever After" - my personal favorite firework show. The Magic Kingdom is the most popular of the parks and is the most northern point of the Disney World property.
EPCOT
Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow; otherwise known as EPCOT is probably my favorite of the Disney World parks. This park consists of two lands: Future World and World Showcase. World Showcase is home to the represented countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, America, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. This park is definitely geared towards an adult crowd as there is a lot of alcohol and places for adult type learning like the process of agriculture and the history of countries. Not to say kids won't enjoy the few rides and futuristic things that are offered, but they would rather enjoy the other parks because they have more "fun" things to do. EPCOT has the best food options and the best food festivals. This park is located as close to the center of the property as possible making for easy travel to and from all parks.
hollywood studios
Hollywood Studios takes you back in time to "the Hollywood that never was and always will be." Studios is located almost right next to EPCOT. This park is undergoing some major renovations as it has shutdown some of its already few rides, but is welcoming two new lands. The newest being Toy Story Land that opened summer 2018 and Star Wars: Galaxyβs Edge, which just opened December 2019. Even though it has the fewest rides it holds some of the most extreme rides with Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. The coolest things to do in Studios is the shows, photo ops, and the creative old school restaurants.
animal kingdom
The Animal Kingdom is for all guests seeking adventure and for the animals lovers out there. Animal Kingdom consists of six lands: Oasis, Discovery Island, Pandora - World of Avatar, Africa, Asia, and Dinoland USA. There are live animals throughout the entire park as well as animatronics. The Kingdom does have some of the most creative rides and they are suitable for all ages. This park is the farthest from all the other parks so definitely allow time for traveling between parks.
blizzard beach
This is seriously my personal favorite waterpark out of all the waterparks ever. If the name didn't give it away, the park is themed like the snowy mountains. Kind of a funny setting when you remember that you are in the middle of Florida. It is located almost right around the corner from the Animal Kingdom and makes it easy for transportation to that park or the surrounding hotels. They offer a lot of fun areas for families to relax, a huge wave pool, the big drop called Summit Plummet, racing slides, fun cruising slides, kid area, lazy river, and the awesome chairlift that takes you to the top of the mountain. It is too cute! (If you remember the 90's sing-a-long videos that Disney produced, they filmed the beach party video at both of the waterparks).
typhoon lagoon
Typhoon Lagoon has a really cool theming of a ship wreck and has seriously large pools. There are many slides for every adventurer with Crush 'n' Gusher being the most insane. The wave pool or Surf Pool is known for its extreme waves. If you are a morning person you can set up surf lessons in the surf pool before the park opens. If you have ever wanted to learn how to surf, but have been afraid of the ocean, this might be the best place to do so. The waves can be customized to the level of surfer and the instructors are amazing. This park is located way outside the theme park areas towards the south east side of the acreage almost out near Disney Springs. Make sure to plan for a long travel time when going to and from the Lagoon.
disney springs
Formerly the Downtown Disney District, Disney Springs offers amazing dining and nightlife experiences outside the park with no ticket required. All are welcome to dine and shop. The Springs has a wide variety of restaurants, shops and even activities like flying in a hot air balloon or driving in a boat car known as an amphicar. At every theme park and waterpark you really feel immersed in a world of Disney, but Disney Springs definitely makes you lose that immersive feeling. This is located way out of the theme park areas in the farthest east corner. Taking the bus from EPCOT (the closest theme park) was around a 20-30 minute ride that felt like an eternity.
