DEFINITELY DO DISNEY!
Anyone who has ever been to Disney can attest to the fact that every square inch is charmingly enchanted and magically alluring. It's like Tinkerbell wakes up each morning and sprinkle's fairy dust on every single visitor. I have to admit I was apprehensive about long lines, mediocre food, and spending too much money. However, it only took one look into my son's bedazzled gaze to realize that Mickey's mystical spell was a good thing. At a time when we were trying to convince our kids that Santa is real and a big bunny leaves a basket of goodies, Disney leaves no doubt that there is still magic in this world. Even with a group of nearly 20 people (which was our family) there was excitement for every age. It is the ultimate family vacation and surprisingly it doesn't have to cost that much.
My husband and two kids left a couple of days earlier than the rest of our group because our schedules didn't click. I was worried about the teenage daughter not having enough to do, but as luck would have it a friend of hers was there at the same time. Headache averted

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Breathtaking views on safari!

(well not totally, but that's for the "I don't understand teenagers" blog)!
My husband's mom had booked our stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort and it was lovely. I believe it is the largest resort at Disney and has an internal bus system that will take you anywhere you want to go on the grounds (I'm sure all the resorts do). Each area of the resort is named after an island in the Caribbean and the buildings surround a huge lake. I suppose like all the resorts it was emaculate and totally set up to cater to any of your needs. It certainly doesn't matter though. You will spend little time there. The food court was nice and had a lot to choose from when you just wanted to grab something quick. We also really enjoyed the sit down restaurant at Caribbean Beach. As we soon found out, reservations are a MUST for almost any sit-down dining at Disney (especially when you have 18 people).
It doesn't matter what resort you stay at, the fleet of buses that transport Disney guests to the individual parks is impressive to say the least. Around 300 buses support thousands of people

Bus stop

We never waited more than 10 minutes!

moving from resort to park or park to park and you never have to wait more than a half hour. Just read the signs on the front of the buses. If it doesn't say where you want to go...it doesn't go there.
Now I want to be clear when speaking of "value" in terms of the cost of a Disney vacation. Obviously what one person would think is cheap might not be the same for another. What people consider luxurious accomodations might differ also. I know people that rent condos close to Disney (for as little as $500 a week) and then you can save some on food and drink. I also know people that have stayed at the most expensive resorts and loved every minute of it. Do your research and find out what works best for you, but don't avoid the Disney packages because you think they are too expensive. There are many ways to save money.
We had the "Magic Your Way Plus Dining" package and I firmly believe this is the way to go when staying at a Disney property with little ones. This package includes "Disney's Magical Express" transportation to and from the airport

Alex & Todd at Rockin' Roller Coaster

"We rock more than you do!"

along with the resort bringing your luggage directly to your room if you want. Hopper passes between the four main parks are included (and you can add the waterparks if you like). The package also offers after hours passes to a different park each night that stays open until 2 am. Anything you buy in the park will be brought to your room for you so you don't have to carry it around, and lots of little extra discounts that will be explained to you in a packet before you ever leave for your trip. The cost for seven days at the Caribbean resort, all meals, snacks, and soft drinks were included (Plus a $200 gift shop voucher for each of our families because we had a large party) for around $1000 a person. Now don't get me wrong, I know that a grand a piece can get pricey when you start adding up people, but when you consider everything you are getting it's quite a deal. I would however, highly recommend anyone who goes the all-inclusive route do some SERIOUS planning before you go on your trip so you get the biggest bang for your buc. You get three

The Light Parade

A Don't Miss...

meals and two snacks a day included on your "key to the world card" that is loaded up with everything at the start of your vacation. It's important to note which restaurants are Quick service and Table service so you know what is being subtracted from your account. So if you stay for 7 days then you will have 21 meals and 14 snacks on each individual "key to the world card" that every person in your party gets. You can eat 4 snacks in one day and have 10 left or if you don't eat any one day they will stay there until you use them up or your departure date. At the end of your trip your card goes to zero whether you have used it all or not. So USE it all! The eating establishments are labeled at the parks so you know which place serves what kind of meal, but it takes a while to figure out what constitutes a Snack, Quick Meal, or Table Service. I can not stress the importance of making Table Service reservations for the park you are planning to spend that day at. This way you are not wasting time traveling

Maxx getting painted

to say Magic Kingdom to eat and then leaving to go to Epcot for the day or vice versa. You will also have access to some of the "Special Dining Experiences" that usually include eating with the Disney characters. Just note that reservations for most of these must be made months in advance (Eating with Cinderella in the castle is booked for up to two years) and these special reservations cost 2 or more table service meals off of your card. We had a special breakfast with Donald, Daisy, Minnie, and Goofy and it was a lot of fun. If you want photo ops with the characters you often have to wait in lines as long as the rides, so the table service meals with the characters is very cool for that reason alone. If it all sounds confusing don't worry. I promise if you look through the brochures before you go, check out reviews on-line, and reserve in advance you will be thrilled with the meal service plans.
Enough with semantics...let's get to the fun stuff! The parks are a riot! I will not lie and say that you don't have to wait in line for the rides

Pirate Rooms

Get up Maxx!

(even if you have the quick pass), but there isn't an attraction at Disney that doesn't have a ton of stuff to watch and do while you are waiting to get on (and EVERY attraction has a gift shop at the end of it). An hour can fly by with all there is to see pre-ride. Add in a handheld videogame and kids won't even know they are waiting. Again, planning out your attack on a park will really help. Find out what rides you want to go on (depending on the ages of who you are with) and comeback at closing for any that have trecherrous lines. At the end of the night we always rode the same ride two or three times in a half hour because there was no waiting. I also see there is a Disney App for Verizon and iphone customers that tells you about the wait times. That's pretty convenient but doesn't help much if where you want to go is at the other end of a park or another park all together. The biggest problem is that you just don't want to miss anything but be prepared...you could be there for months and

Grandpa Fuz and boys

At Animal Kingdom

not see everything Disney has to offer (and I sware I don't work for them and they certainly do not pay me!).
We went to Epcot the first day and fell in love with their "Soarin'" ride. You dangle out of your seats and get lifted above a huge moviescreen and virtually fly up the entire coast of California, real orange smells and water mist included. We also loved "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" because it was so realistic. Don't skip the shows either. It's a great way to cool down and relax in between the walking and waiting in line. If you want to snack all day Epcot is the place to do it. The entire world is at your fingertips and some of the best table-service restaurants are here.
Magic Kingdom delivers everything it promises. The look on my son's face when he saw that castle for the first time was enough to make me cry! At that moment I realized there was no difference between fantasy and reality to him. You can't get that kind of astonishment and wonder anywhere else. The light parade goes on twice a night and is definitely worth seeing more

Super Maxx!

than once. There is also an evening show at the Castle that is must-see, but you'll want to find a spot on the lawn quite some time before it starts. Space Mountain and The Runaway train are fantastic roller-coaster favorites and you can't miss It's a Small World along with the other classics.
Disney's Animal Kingdom was my favorite park for little ones. Who doesn't want to go on an African Safari? Dinoland, Camp Mini Mickey, and Discovery Island are all perfect if you have kids under 10 or toddlers. There is no shortage of exotic animals to see either. I saw babies all over this park pointing at the birds, monkeys, and all the other creatures. The landscape is beautiful with lots of trees, foilage and SHADE!!! Don't think that the grown ups won't have fun here too. One of the best new roller coasters in Disney is Expedition Everest. It's a fast past replica of the great mountain with snow and it's cool (literally) and very fast! My son was spellbound on the dinosaur ride at this park and it was all he talked about that night. It's just like you are in the Land of the

Caribbean Beach Resort

Fly like an eagle

Lost! We had a one year old with us so we didn't get to see the shows at Animal Kingdom but heard they were all fantastic.
Although all of Disney is an adventure, if you are a real thrill seeker than Hollywood Studios is where your imagination will be exhilirated! My nephew and son are the biggest Star Wars fans ever and they both got to FIGHT DARTH VADER on stage. The Star Wars ride is right next to this show and also well worth seeing. I wasn't sure if my son would be afraid of the Tower of Terror (dropping down an elevator shaft quickly while ghosts scare the crap out of you). He is only seven but he loved it along with Aerosmith's Rock and Roller Coaster. If you are a movie buff you will be in awe of this park. Down every street and alley you will find Disney players acting out scenes from movies. Often times they incorporate people in the crowd and you can feel as famous as the stars for a few brief Disney moments. If there is anything I regret about this trip it's that we didn't have enough time at Hollywood

Super Maxx

Do the mouse!

studios. The shows here are by far the best in the Kingdom and we didn't get to see them all.
Finally, Disney water parks are not like any other. We went to Blizzard Beach (snow everywhere in 90 degrees) and had a blast! They have the same amenities as the other parks but you will be slippery when wet all day! If you don't want to be drenched than this is not the place for you. I have to say that the wave pool made me a little nervous with the smaller kids (very crowded) but all of the rides, snacks, lazy river were packed with Disney creativity and there is a big water area for babies too. My nieces and nephews went to Typhoon Lagoon and said it was better than Blizzard beach. It must have been awesome because I loved playing in the snow when it was hot!
We never had a chance to go to Downtown Disney but heard that if shopping is your thing it's the place to be. There is no shortage of stores to buy souvenirs though. I honestly could go on forever about Walt Disney World and all of it's amazing

Epcot

How many can fit on that rope?

charm but the bottom line is that you have to see it to believe it. It has been over a year since we took this trip and my son woke up the other night and told me he had the most "awesome dream!" When I asked him what it was about he went over our Disney trip in perfect detail. There were a few eccentric embelishments (he sliced Darth Vader in half with his light saber) but his whole "dream" was everything that we actually did! I really think that says it all...the magic mouse has the stuff dreams are made of! If you want some quality family time where the smiles are plentiful and there is wonder galore...put Disney at the end of your rainbow...and fairytales will pop right out of your pot of gold!!!!!

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