Category — x. Personal Favorites

THE PERSONAL FAVORITES SERIES

This post is one in a series about personal favorites. See lower on the page for more about this series.

FAVORITE DELUXE RESORT: DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE

This site’s ranking of the deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World for first time visitors puts Disney’s Polynesian Resort first, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge second, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge third.

However, my personal favorite is far and away the Wilderness Lodge, with the Animal Kingdom Lodge my second favorite.

Why? [Read more →]

THE PERSONAL FAVORITES SERIES

This post is one in a series about personal favorites. See lower on the page for more about this series.

FAVORITE MODERATE RESORT: PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER

This site’s ranking of the moderate resorts at Walt Disney World for first time visitors puts Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort first, the Cabins at Fort Wilderness last, and Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort next to last.

However, Port Orleans French Quarter is my personal favorite among the moderate resorts, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness my next favorite.

Why? [Read more →]

FANTASMIC AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Fantasmic is a 25+ minute evening fireworks (and more) show in that takes place in the Hollywood Hills Amphitheatre at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios theme park.

It combines fireworks, projected filmed animation, live action, audio-animatronics, music, and flames into a delightful and continually surprising show.

Without giving the show away, the Fantasmic follows a dream of Mickey Mouse about good and evil.

Fantasmic is probably my favorite thing at Walt Disney World, and certainly is my favorite at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Because this high regard is shared by many, it is listed as a favorite on this site’s Comprehensive Guide to Rides. [Read more →]

THE PERSONAL FAVORITES SERIES

This post is one in a series about personal favorites. See lower on the page for more about this series.

FAVORITE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORT: OLD KEY WEST

This site’s ranking of Disney Vacation Club resorts for first time visitors puts the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge first,  the Treehouse Villas at  Saratoga Springs last, and Disney’s Old Key West Resort near to last.

However, Disney’s Old Key West Resort is my personal favorite among the DVC resorts, and the Treehouse Villas my next favorite.

Why? [Read more →]

THE PERSONAL FAVORITES SERIES

This post is one in a series about personal favorites. See lower on the page for more about this series.

FAVORITE ATTRACTIONS AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Based on what I do when I’m at Walt Disney World–even when I’m very busy doing research for this site, and have only an evening at the Magic Kingdom–I have four clear personal favorites at the Magic Kingdom:

• Peter Pan’s Ride
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

I find Peter Pan’s Ride continually charming.  A few simple design decisions–flight, and forced perspective–led to a (mostly) consistently wonderful show. 

The economy of the design is also striking–there’s not a lot to Peter Pan, and not much of a building to hold it in.  Yet even so it is a wonderful example of the theme park designer’s art.

A few parts were poorly imagined from the start, and/or have been showing their age for a while. 

The volcano/mermaids section is the best example.  Anyone have any aluminum foil and orange paint they could lend to Disney?

Otherwise Peter Pan is wonderful.

Space Mountain is what it is–see this for a review after its recent refurbishment.

Splash Mountain is the essential Disney: great setting, great audio-animatronics, great story, great weenie, great ride. 

Don’t let what you see from the outside put you off–95% of this nicely long ride is sweet and gentle. 

My 80 year old parents had been avoiding Splash Mountain for twenty years based solely on the water plunge you see from the outside. 

When I finally succeeded in talking them into riding it, they just loved it!

WALT DISNEY’S CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS

[Read more →]

Where to Stay    Resort Features by Price    Kid Appeal    Large Families

The Value Resorts   Pop Century    Movies   Sports    Music   Art of Animation

THE PERSONAL FAVORITES SERIES

This is the first in a new series about personal favorites.

The advice on this site—when to go, where to stay, what to do, etc.–is aimed at the typical family visiting Walt Disney World for the first time, unsure if they will ever return.

It is based not on personal favorites or my own taste, but rather on a combination of facts, analysis, inference and judgment about what would be best for such a family. 

My personal favorites can be quite different from my advice for these families–particularly because I’m older and hence traveling with twenty-year-olds, not little kids; have been to Disney World more than thirty times; and know I’ll be coming back!

I thought at least some might be interested to hear about some favorites…if for no other reason than so that they can argue, using the comment form below!

FAVORITE VALUE RESORT: ALL-STAR MUSIC

This site’s ranking of Value Resorts for first time visitors puts Art of Animation first and All-Star Music last.

However, All-Star Music is my personal favorite among the values.

Why?  [Read more →]