Disney World

Here's a little something about one of our favorite places to go...

Disney World, specifically Fort Wilderness, was a favorite trip for my people. For me, it was OK. Mickey’s Fort Wilderness really is pleasant but there’s not a lot for dogs to do except go on nice walks and enjoy a good chew on sticks or pinecones  around camp or sniff at aardvarks when they wander into camp. I didn’t care for the pet kennels because their air conditioning broke and, as you know, I’m very sensitive to heat. People are responsible for walking their dogs even if they stay in the kennel so

Mike decided I would be more comfortable in the motor home with the air conditioner on. He was good about coming back every four hours so I could go out and stretch my legs. We saw another dog who wasn’t so lucky. He was also left in his motor home and sat up on the dash in the hot window waiting for his people to come back. Even that night when we went for our last walk, he was still sitting there watching out his window. I think Lady, Tramp and Pluto would have been very disappointed in his people. Just so you know, pets can only stay at Fort Wilderness if their RVs are hard-sided, no popups or canvas sides. All people who travel with their furry or feathery friends are put in “pet” areas of the campground.

My people really seemed to have a great time, though. I hear them talk about how they sure would like to go back…

We did enjoy our stay at DisneyWorld. Fort Wilderness is really a nice place to stay because the spots are just beautiful, all the amenities are so clean (even after a big storm the clean-up crew is out immediately), and Disney transportation is so convenient, you can ride your bike to all the bus and boat pick-up spots. Here are some of the things we were able to squeeze in:

Animal Kingdom – Expedition Everest, “Festival of the Lion King” musical-theater show, “Finding Nemo” the musical, Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safaris

Blizzard Beach – great water park, loved the whole experience

Downtown Disney – Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba (Downtown is fun, with lots of places to spend your money. We enjoyed eating at Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant and Raglan Road Irish Pub.)

Epcot – Trying to eat at least one food item from each ‘country’, the Coral Reef Restaurant, Mission Space, Segue Tour and Test Track

Fort Wilderness – Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue Dinner, Mickey’s Backyard BBQ, and the pontoon ride to watch the night-time fireworks  

Grand Floridian Hotel – Perfectly Princess Tea Party at the Garden View Lounge. (It’s really expensive, a once in a lifetime event for most families, but worth the look on my granddaughter’s face as she mingled with the other little girls, Rose Petal the hostess, as well as Princess Aurora.)  

Hollywood Studios – 50’s Prime Time Café, Backlot Tour, “Beauty and the Beast” Musical, Great Movie Ride, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Rock & Roller Coaster (actually made me home-sick ‘driving’ down the imagined 101), Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (We also did Fantasmic, Star Tours and Tower of Terror but California has those, too.)

Magic Kingdom – Carousel of Progress, Hall of Presidents, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club, Tony’s Town Square, (Enchanted Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain replicated in California)

Wilderness Lodge – great swimming pool, Whispering Canyon Café (games along with great family-style BBQ)

The Disney Dining plan came with our RV package through AAA – the only way to go. We had more than enough food for our stay there. I think it actually saved us money, something you can’t say very often if it involves the Disney franchise.

Don’t know if we’ll ever get to go back as it’s kind of far. It’s something you should try to do at least once. We sure have wonderful memories about that trip!  -D