Disney is so much more than just the four unique theme parks. With more than 40 square miles of resort space you didn't think Disney would just sit still now did you? Here are some of the best of what Disney and the magical city of Orlando have to offer.
Downtown Disney
In this ever-growing stretch of shops, restaurants and entertainment the options are practically limitless. In the original Village Marketplace the stores reign supreme. Here you will find the world's largest Disney Store as well as a hands-on Lego store. The area is anchored by the erupting Rainforest Cafe volcano on one end and after a string of shops and quick eats (including the chocolate paradise Ghirardelli's fountain shop and a fully-themed McDonald's), Pleasure Island awaits. By day the "island" is a quiet strip of boutiques and the world's largest Planet Hollywood. By night the area commands a cover charge as seven sleepy buildings get pumped to life as distinctive nightclubs. Don't miss The Adventurer's Club for interactive character play but also dance the night away at Mannequin's or laugh it up at the improvisational Comedy Warehouse.
The newest West Side addition merges the best traits of the other two sections. Themed restaurants like House of Blues and the Gloria Estefan-owned Bongo's sit alongside a huge 24-plex AMC Theater with great stadium bench seating and retractable armrests and a Virgin record superstore. Cirque du Soleil performs here nightly in a popular -- yet expensive -- live show. DisneyQuest offers a collection of high-tech video games and virtual reality experiences over five floors. There you can design your own rollercoaster, then ride it. Go through a virtual jungle cruise. The best attraction? Probably the Pirates attraction where you go hunting for gold with a skeletal twist. It's a pay-one-price venue.
The real challenge here is the fierce parking situation at night. While there is valet parking by Planet Hollywood, the traffic congestion just to get there can test even the most patient of souls. If you are staying on Disney property, take the free shuttle buses. If you are staying off-site arrive before Pleasure Island's 7pm club openings and even then be prepared to have to scour for a parking spot.
Food
Yes, you will find food in Disney. The good, the bad and the ugly are all served in more than 250 dining locations on Disney property. For that something extra special you will probably want to try at least one Character Meal. While Disney cuisine in the parks can be an oxymoron at times, you will typically find great eats at Epcot's World Showcase and the more upscale resort hotels. Then again, just about every chain imaginable is right outside Disney property on West Irlo Bronson (192) or International Drive.
Water, Water, Water
Disney has three themed water parks and if the climate is right you should probably hit at least one. The newest is Blizzard Beach and it's collection of water slides and even a family inflatable raft slide, make this a great choice. The theme is a tropical paradise that got wedded to an unexpected snowstorm. Or is it the other way around! No matter, the massive Summit Plummet is the fastest ride in Disney as fearless sliders shoot down a practically vertical slope at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. There is a great kids area too with smaller slides and shallow water areas. You can also relax, grab an inner tube and gingerly float around the park in a lazy river. Typhoon Lagoon is also chock full of slides and a lazy river but while they are not as dramatic the park also has an intense wave pool and the only snorkeling area in Disney (complete with live fish and coral, even though you are rushed along and the water can get quite cold). River Country was the original water park, but this "old-fashioned watering hole" has been closed for a couple of years.
Beyond the parks the Disney resort hotels have some pretty interactive pools, the best being Stormalong Bay at the Beach & Yacht Club (though you must be a guest at the resort itself to enjoy the free pools). You can also rent watercraft, from pedal boats to motorized launches to the thrilling two-seater Mouse Sprites speedboats, at the deluxe resorts and at Downtown Disney.
Sports
Disney has a few world-class golf courses on site. If you like your greens miniature, try Fantasia Gardens, Disney's putt-putt course right by Disney's Boardwalk or Winter Summerland (by Blizzard Beach). There is also the new Richard Petty Driving Experience where, for a steep price of about $150, you get to circle a track, riding an authentic race car. Disney's Wide World of Sports offers interactive sporting exhibits as well as a great minor league baseball stadium where the Orlando Rays (Tampa Bay's AA ball club) play.
More traditional athletic diversions can be found elsewhere. At Fort Wilderness you can go horseback riding. Some hotels offer lighted tennis courts. You can rent bikes at Dixie Landings and Port Orleans and pedal your way around the area. From a spectator perspective Disney's Wide World of Sports offers Atlanta Braves spring training games, Harlem Globetrotter showcases and a plethora of sporting fun along with an Official All Star Cafe. Whatever activity you are looking for, odds are Disney has a place for you to do it.
Beyond Disney
While you could probably spend a couple of weeks and still not have time to do everything Disney has to offer you also have some vibrant offerings just a few miles away. Universal Studios Florida, and it's multi-billion dollar thrill-park in construction, Islands of Adventure, and Sea World are the big three. Follow the links above for more information on Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. As for Sea World this is the ultimate marine park. From killer whales to acrobatic dolphin shows the park has now evolved to a complete experience with fun (a great fireworks show and a carefree Key West area) and thrills (the new water coaster, Journey to Atlantis, to go alongside with its simulator Wild Arctic). All of the parks charge the same as Disney, $44.52 including tax for a one-day adult ticket. While steep, millions of annual parkgoers can't be wrong -- and these parks are also more likely to offer coupons, discount or promotional offers (like a free second day).
This is also the city of family dinner theater. You probably know Midievil Times, the nightly feast as six knights compete in a series of staged events. You can also take in Sleuths (murder mystery), Capone (gangster), Pirates (swashbuckling), Arabian Nights (horse pageantry) or Wild Bill's (Western). These are scattered along Kissimmee's 192 or Orlando's International Drive. The grub is typically so-so yet abundant while the shows, especially Pirates, can be downright amazing. Disney has a few too, with a saloon-themed Hoop De Doo at Fort Wilderness and a luau at the Polynesian Hotel.
Both Kissimmee's 192 and Orlando's International Drive are lined with tourist traps, mostly allegedly discount souvenir shops. There are a few quality attractions. Old Town has a string of pedestrian shops with carnival rides at each end. Even a decent-sized rollercoaster, The Windstorm, rests out back and embedded between the country stores is a walk-though haunted house, bumper cars and even a slingshot ride. Even better than Old Town's haunted house is Terror at Church Street in Orlando, and the new Skull Kingdom. If you want traditional dark attractions, Mystery Fun House has, unfortunately, closed forever.
Other indoor interactive attractions include Ripley's Believe it or Not, Wonderworks and the Orlando Museum of Science, the latter two well-done science-based exhibitions. At Wonderworks you can strap on goggles and experience hurricane force winds or play video games which capture your image as the protagonist.
Oh, and that's not all of course. Some of the best miniature golf courses, more ambitious than even Fantasia Gardens, are scattered about. Doused thrillseekers may very well prefer Wet & Wild to Disney's offerings and Water Mania is a second-tier water park but usually less crowded than the others. If you enjoy motion simulator rides, Movie Rider has a few offerings in its revolving library of features.
All this and we haven't even begun to fill your shopping bags. Belz Outlet Center is a bargain-hunter paradise. Church Street Station, with no relation to the haunted house, has shops and a Pleasure Islandesque collection of varied nightclubs. And, while you may not appreciate the bait and switch havens that advertise a zillion t-shirts for $10 only to point out how that is for a limited line on a bare rack in the back of the store, it is part of the local color of the area, so you might as well walk into one for amusement purposes.
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