Taking off Travel blog

This year, why not try something different for the Christmas season? Whether you have kids or you’re just a big kid yourself a visit to Disney World can add something special to the holiday season. It’s no secret that I’m a big Disney fan – not so much the company itself but the vacation experience they provide ‑ so for me it wouldn’t be a hard sell to spend part of the holidays there.

Okay, so it won’t be warm but on the other hand it may be far less crowded. Although you can’t completely count on that now that many people have woken up to the magic of the Magic Kingdom at Christmas you can still experience much of the joy by going just before or just after the peak Christmas Eve the New Year’s Eve period when you will still get to experience much the festivities. There’s definitely something special about Disney at this time of year.

An extra ticket will get you entrance to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party with the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade where Santa himself appears.  Everywhere you look there are fabulous Christmas decorations. Being Disney, this is done on a large scale. There are thousands of lights on the huge Christmas tree on Main Street and  Cinderella’s Castle has 200,000 white lights. The Small World ride has special decorations for Christmas as well as a seasonal version of the well-known song. There’s also a Haunted Mansion with seasonal replacements for the usual attractions. The parade which takes place several times daily is transformed into a Christmas Fantasy Parade and there’s a huge firework show just for this holiday season.

Check out this Christmas lights at Disney World video to see what it’s like.

With snow, hot chocolate cookies as well as the standard Disney magic there’s no better place to be for the holiday season.

Amusement parks seem likely to be big again this summer, after a downturn, says a report in the Sun Herald.  The report states that while amusement parks are “often thought to be recession-proof” that wasn’t the case in 2008 and 2009: “attendance and revenues at many big parks flattened out or fell, and several companies made moves to sell parks in order to pay off huge debt.”

Last year saw an improvement and that’s expected to continue this year, especially if the weather is great. Disney was one of the few losers last year, affected by competition from Universal’s new Harry Potter ride, though the last quarter of the year saw sales pick up.

In other Disney news, AOL Travel has published a report on Five Lost Disney World Rides. These are once popular rides that no longer exist. For example, Toad of Wind in the Willows lost out to Winnie the Pooh. Check out the report for the others.

PS: Even if thrills are back, there’s no way you’re getting me on another roller coaster, especially not one like the Dania Beach Hurricane.

I have to admit that I’m an Orlando fan. Sure, millions of people flock to the city, which can make its world famous attractions rather overcrowded in the height of summer, but it’s still one of the best places I know to have fun. Flying into Orlando Airport, parking my bags in a hotel and heading out to the streets is my idea of a good time. Even if you’re on a business trip, there’s no reason that your layover in Orlando International Airport (MCO) has to be dull. There’s plenty to do within easy reach of the airport and, yes, that does include Disney.

Doing Disney

Admittedly, you will need a long layover if you plan to immerse yourself in the Disney experience. It’s not so much getting there (all the Disney attractions are within 20 miles of the airport), but you may not want to leave once you finally get inside. With four theme parks and two water parks,  Disney World offers a lot of choice. When I visited last year, I had to take my four year old for protective cover, but the truth was that I was just as excited to see the characters in the Magic Kingdom, to go on safari in the Animal Kingdom and to enjoy the water slides at Blizzard Beach. Next trip, I plan to visit Epcot, Disney MGM Studios and Typhoon Lagoon. Read more »