I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time mostly because I haven’t been to Orlando in a long long time… 7 years… and I really wanted to go on the new rides as well as refresh my memories of those I have been on… For those who don’t know… Orlando, Florida is what I deem as the fun capital of USA and it’s always been one of my favourite places to go on holiday…
But before any fun begins let me just mention the amount of trouble you have to go through if you want to go there on holiday from this part of the world… firstly it’s a gruelling 24 hour flight well technically we took a 21 hour flight from KL to Stockholm to Newark which then spend the night and then took a 2 hour 15 minutes flight from Newark to Orlando… remember security in the US is tight… they are in code orange and require all items like toothpaste and lotion to be placed in a small zip bag, no liquids from before the security check point to be brought on the plane and they even require you to take off your shoes for scanning now… but I believe it’s worth it!! The stop in Newark was a rather dissapointing one for me because New York was right there but I could only see it through the little window in the plane… in both cases of flight to and from Orlando…
The Sheraton Airport Hotel we stayed the night in Newark
Day 1
We arrived in Orlando in the afternoon of 10 December and with some very bad navigating skills from my part but also partly because the instructions given to be were unclear we arrive at the World Quest Resort which would be our home for the two weeks we stayed in Orlando… They it was off to the Orange County Tourist Information Centre to collect of Disney World passes and then to Walmart to get supplies… Later we picked up my elder sister who flew in from London to join us on the vacation…
At the World Quest Resort
Day 2
Predicting that we were still jetlagged from flying and would not last very long in the day, my dad decided that we should visit the Disney-MGM Studios first as it has probably the least thing to do amongst all the other theme parks, even though I thought Animal Kingdom had less stuff to do… Let me remind you that we were travelling with kids the ages of 4 and 5 so naturally we had to head towards the less harmful attractions…
Rides & Attractions: The Great Movie Ride, Star Tours
Shows: Playhouse Disney Live On Stage, Voyage Of The Little Mermaid, Muppet Vision 3-D, The Magic Of Disney Animation, Disney Stars & Motor Cars Parade, Beauty & The Beast Live On Stage
Things we missed: Twilightzone Tower Of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” Movie Set Adventure, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Lights Motor Action Extreme Stunt Show, ATAS Hall Of Fame Plaza, Journey Into Narnia: Creating The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe, Sounds Dangerous starring Drew Carey, The American Film Institute Showcase, Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, Fantasmic
My recommended attractions: The Great Movie Ride, Twilightzone Tower Of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Fantasmic
And to my dad’s prediction we did not last very long through the day and had to bypass a lot of stuff… but no worries because we bought 7 days (1 park-1day) no expiry tickets…
Day 3
After much pestering from my youngest sister… we were off to the Magic Kingdom… The one thing I LOVE about the Magic Kingdom is that you can never visit everything in one day so it keeps you on your toes…
Rides & Attractions: “It’s A Small World”, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Mickey’s Country House, Minnie’s Country House, Peter Pan’s Flight, The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, Mad Tea Party, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Stitch’s Great Escape, The Barnstormer At Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm, Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Tree House, The Haunted Mansion, Walt Disney’s Carousel Of Progress
Shows: Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Disney Dreams Come True Parade, Wishes Nighttime Spectacular
Things we missed: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Cinderella’s Golden Carousel, Country Bear Jamboree, Donald’s Boat, Dumbo The Flying Elephant, Fantasyland Play Area, The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Magic Carpets Of Aladdin, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Astro Orbiter, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, Fronteirland Shootin’ Arcade, Cinderella Castle, Liberty Square River Boat, Main Street Vehicles, The Hall Of Presidents, Tom Sawyer Island, Walt Disney World Railroad
My recommended attractions: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Walt Disney’s Carousel Of Progress, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Pirates Of The Caribbean… the ride that inspired the movie NOT the other way round… has been updated with Captain Jack Sparrow, Davy Jones and Captain Barbossa…
Day 4
We thought that 3 days straight of Disney World might be a little too much so we decided to go to Universal Studios instead… And to our much much surprise there was practically no one there… but then again schools in the US were not out yet which might explain why… but anyway… it was good news for us…
Rides & Attrations: Shrek 4-D, Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast, Men In Black Alien Attack, Back To The Future The Ride, Jaws, Earthquake, E.T. Adventure, Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, Fievel’s Playground
Shows: Animal Actors On Location, A Day In The Park With Barney, Macy’s Holiday Parade
Things we missed: Twister… Ride It Out, The Blues Brothers, Terminator 2: 3-D, Universal Horror Make-up Show, Lucy – A Tribute, Fear Factor Live, Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue, Curious George Goes To Town, Revenge Of The Mummy The Ride
My recommended attractions: Shrek 4-D, Men In Black Alien Attack, Back To The Future The Ride, Jaws, Earthquake, E.T. Adventure, Revenge Of The Mummy The Ride
Men In Black is awesome… it’s an interactive thrill ride where you pick up a gun and battle aliens as you go spinning around the city of New York…
Day 5
We returned to Universal again but this time to the Islands Of Adventure… home of the best thrill ride in the world… or at least that’s what the critics say… The Amazing Adventures Of Spider-Man…
Rides & Attractions: The Amazing Adventures Of Spider-Man, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripshaw Falls, Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, Jurassic Park River Adventure, The Cat In The Hat, Caro-Seuss-el, The High In The Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
Things we missed: Incredible Hulk Coaster, Dr. Doom’s Fearfall, Me Ship The Olive, NBC’s iVillage Live, Jurassic Park Discovery Center, Duelling Dragon’s, The Eighth Voyage Of Sinbad, Poseidon’s Fury, The Flying Unicorn, The Mystic Fountain, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, If I Ran The Zoo
My recommended attractions: The Amazing Adventures Of Spider-Man, Jurassic Park River Adventure, The Cat In The Hat, Incredible Hulk Coaster, Duelling Dragons
Spider-Man is not only a thrill ride but also uses 3-D and visual effects that makes you feel like you are in the middle of a real Spider-Man adventure…
After we were done at Islands Of Adventure we went back to Universal Studios as my youngest siblings were itching to go on some of the rides there which meant that we could trry our luck with the Revenge Of The Mummy The Ride which was suffering technical problems the day before… and let me tell you… oh boy… I wouldn’t want to be stuck in there when the ride breaks down… it’s dark and scary and there’s loads of fire… but it was awesome…
Day 6
After two days of no Disney… my youngest sister was getting a little annoyed as well as annoying so we went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park… the newest park in Disney World… besides we woke up rather late… The plan was to finish early then go back have some rest and take a shower then go to Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party…
Rides & Attractions: Expedition Everest – Legend Of The Forbidden Mountain, TriceraTop Spin, It’s Tough To Be A Bug, Kilimanjaro Safaris, The Tree Of Life
Shows: Finding Nemo – The Musical, Festival Of The Lion King, Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade
Things we missed: Affection Section, Conservation Station, Discovery Island Trails, Habitat Habit, Maharaja Jungle Trek, Pagani Forest Exploration Trail, The Oasis Exhibits, Dinosaur, Dino-Sue, Fossil Fun Games, Kids Disovery Club, The Boneyard, Wildlife Express Train, Kali River Rapids, Primeval Whirl, Cretaceous Trail, Flights Of Wonder, Pocahontas & Her Forest Friends
My recommended attractions: Expedition Everest, It’s Tough To Be A Bug, Finding Nemo – The Musical, Festival Of The Lion King, Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade, The Tree Of LifeExpedition Everest is the newest attraction in Animal Kingdom and it is way awesome… it is a roller coaster ride that takes you into the mountain for an encounter with the yeti and this roller coaster unlike the ones before not only takes you forward but backwards as well… so make sure you hang on tight…
And the guess what… as we were leaving it started raining… and it did not stop the whole night… which meant we couldn’t go for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party which cost us and extra US$39 each…
Day 7 & 8
As part of our weekend avoid the crowd plan… we decided to go to SeaWorld where most of the attractions are just shows and then to spend the rest of the time shopping…
Rides & Attractions: Penguin Enounter, Dolphin Cove, Shamu’s Happy Harbour, Hospitality Center
Shows: Believe, Blue Horizons, Clyde & Seamore
Things we missed: Kraken, Journey To Atlantis, Wild Artic, Odyssea, Pet Ahoy, Fusion, Manatee Rescue, Pacific Point Preserve, Shark Encounter, Dolphin Nursery, Stingray Lagoon, Turtle Point, Clydesdale Hamlet, The Oyster’s Secret, The Waterfront, Game Room, Key West At SeaWorld, Sky Tower
My recommended attractions: Believe, Blue Horizons, Clyde & Seamore, Kraken, Journey To Atlantis, Wild Arctic, Dolphin Nursery
After that it was pretty much shopping for the rest of the weekend…
Day 9
Last of the Disney World parks but not the least… Epcot! I do enjoy Epcot very much… I always never manage to go on everything I want to though… Oh and the most important thing is that this is where we got replacement tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party…
Rides & Attractions: Mission:Space, Test Track, The Seas With Nemo & Friends, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, “Honey, I Shrunk The Audience”, Body Wars, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Innovations: The Road To Tomorrow, Cranium Command
Pavillions: Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, The Land, USA, Wonders Of Life
Things we missed: Soarin’, Kidcot Fun Stops, Spaceship Earth, The Living Seas, Maelstrom, United Kingdom Pavillion, Circle Of Life, EL Rio Del Tiempo, ImageWorks – The Kodak “What If” Labs, Impressions de France, Living With The Land, Mission: Space Advane Training Lab, O’ Canada!, Reflections Of China, The American Adventure, The Making Of Me, Leave A Legacy
My recommended attractions: Mission: Space, Test Track, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Innovations, Soarin’, Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom, the World Pavillion
Mission:Space the newest attraction in Epcot simulates a flight from Earth to Mars for a space mission… there are two queues in this ride the green lane for those who do not deal well with a lot of motion… and the orange lane where the ride spins to recreate the effects of G-force that makes you feel like you are on an actual rocket… As for Test Track… this is a ride where you are the crash test dummy and you are put through a series of tests like the ones they to do test real cars…
Day 10
Shopping!
Day 11
We all woke up early to make sure we had enough time at Busch Gardens in Tampa which was about an hour’s drive away and get back in time for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party…
Rides & Attractions: Congo River Rapids, Cheetah Chase, Serengeti Railway, Skyride, Rhino Rally
Things we missed: SheiKra, Gwazi, Kumbu, Montu, Scorpion, Stanley Falls, Tanganyika Tidal Wave, American Beat, Friends Forever, KaTonga, Mirage Canteen, Mystic Sheiks Of Morocco, Pirates 4-D, King Tut’s Tomb, Land Of Dragons, Bird Gardens, Birds Of Prey, Edge Of Africa, Lory Landing, Serengeti Plain, Myombe Reserve, Clydesdale Hamlet
My recommended attractions: Congo River Rapids, Cheetah Chase, Rhino Rally, SheiKra, Montu, Tanganyika Tidal wave, Gwazi
Actually I don’t even know why on earth we went to Busch Gardens… but it does have some good roller coasters… I would say it’s more for those above 9… and remember to bring your poncho for the water rides unless you don’t mind getting wet…
Later that night Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party was basically about the Christmas Parade and the fireworks spetacular…
Day 12
We initially wanted to go back to Universal Studios but realiased that our 7-day ticket had expired by one day… so we went back to SeaWorld to see the shows again… we just needed something to fill in the time before we sent my elder sister to the airport… This time around we managed to go on the Wild Arctic as well…
Day 13
My dad decided we should go back to Disney-MGM Studios as we didn’t really get to explore it the first time around… This time we manage to catch Twilightzone Tower Of Terror, Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” Movie Set Adventure as well… However when we were waiting to watch Fantasmic it started to pour like crazy and because it was an outdoor stadium and it was a water show… it was cancelled… to our much dissapointment because we really wanted to see it…
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World Quest Resort
Website: World Quest Resort
At the moment it is very very new… but for a family like mine aka large… it’s more convenient as well as cheaper to stay in a plae like this that offers serviced apartments of 3 bedrooms and a very large living room space… The location of this resort it very strategic and they also include a continental breakfast everyday as well as snack during tea time and supper… However things are still rather new and their system is a little unsettled but not too much of an inconvinience… and the place is just a little difficult to find at first because it’s kind of hidden but there are landmarks to help you out…
Shopping
Shopping in Orlando is GREAT!! Firstly there are A LOT of outlet stores around which means that you can get branded stuff at a reasonable price… secondly there are shops everywhere that sell everything… and thirdly lets just say the have American sizes… We spent most of our time shopping at the Florida Mall, the Premium Outlets, the Lake Buena Vista Outlets, and the Prime Outlets…
Getting Around
Be warned if you are a stranger to American roads… Roads signs are not a frequent as some other countries which makes it difficult to find your exits because exit warnings are placed very closed to the exits themselves… and they are small…
Food
If you are ever in Orlando and you are dying for some really good spicy food try Thai Thani… It’s a really authentic Thai restaurant that lets you choose how spicy you want the food and let me tell you… you can get it REALLY spicy… and it’s really really good… try the green curry and phad thai… Also there are these few selected McDonalds restaurants that are the larger branches that serve a wide choice of breakfast… if you don’t want to cook you own breakfast and your hotel does not provide it… go to one of these McDs… you can get anything from the usual Egg McMuffin with hash brown to Eggs Benedict Panini to pancakes to Belgian waffles to enchiladas…
