You can’t get much closer to a Disney World theme park than staying at the Contemporary Resort or on the Boardwalk. Disney’s Contemporary Resort offers views of the Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle, and is a short walk away from the Magic Kingdom. Disney’s Boardwalk hotels are just a boat ride or walk away from Epcot, and there is also transportation to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You can also take the monorail to Magic Kingdom, or take a bus to Animal Kingdom.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Resort offers a backyard view into the Animal Kingdom’s exotic savanna, leaving some guests with the feeling that they’re almost sleeping inside the park itself (disclaimer: nobody can actually sleep inside the park, so don’t try it or you’ll get in big trouble. :p )!

The theory I present to you in simple: less travel time, less time in the sun, more time inside the Disney World park attractions. See? Simple.

Highlights include:

More than 100 topiaries throughout Epcot, 75 of them Disney character topiaries. This year they also included Disney-Pixar characters as well, such as Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 characters.

Bambi’s Butterfly House (Presented by HGTV)- this year the popular house is more than twice the size, and has hundreds of beautiful butterflies and Bambi character topiaries.

Rapunzel’s Tower (Presented by Tangled), a beautiful photo location with a Tangled Magical Garden.

There are themed weekends as well. From the Disney blogs, upcoming weekends include:

Art in the Garden Weekend, March 25 to 27

Watch artists showcase their skills in multiple mediums—including pottery, painting and glass. You can also observe as “plein air” artists paint the scenic backdrop of World Showcase.

Fresh From Florida Weekend, April 29 to May 1

Discover Florida’s natural bounty—from Apalachicola to Zellwood! Featured growers are available to chat about fresh items from throughout the state, including produce and honey.

It’s a Disney·Pixar Weekend to Celebrate Cars 2, May 13 to 15

The festival’s final weekend is all about Pixar Animation Studios—and especially Cars 2, which debuts in theaters on June 24, 2011. Kids will love the Cars 2-themed scavenger hunt around World Showcase.

Part 5: DisneyQuest

Disney’s DisneyQuest is a fairly lesser-known mini ‘theme park’ located in Downtown Disney. It’s right next to Cirque du Soleil and near the (relatively new) hot air balloon ride. It looks pretty small from the outside, but it contains within its windowless walls 5 floors of rides, games, and restaurants. Most of it is based on virtual reality and simulations and there’s something to do for everyone, from younger kids to adults. These are our favorite rides.

First Floor

The Virtual Jungle Cruise

This is a must-do. Guests board an inflatable raft and navigate a prehistoric river using real raft paddles.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold

A captain steers a ship as up to 6 gunners destroy other ships with cannons, taking their gold.

Second Floor

CyberSpace Mountain

This is by far the best ride in all of DisneyQuest! Bill Nye the Scie- sorry, the Coaster Guy hosts this simulation. Guests design their own roller coaster, then get to try it out in a simulator. Guests can make it as extreme or as tame as they want- for me, the more barrel rolls, the better!

Third Floor

Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster

Two players ride in bumper cars that pick up and shoot foam cannonballs at other cars- if the car’s target is hit, it will spin out of control for about ten seconds. A lot of fun for all ages!

I’ll be honest- I don’t go on the attractions on floors four and five much. Instead I play the arcade games- such as Dance Dance Revolution (Supernova 2, for anyone wondering), SoulCalibur, Guitar Hero, and of course Pac-Man, Asteroids, and more.

Part 4: Animal Kingdom

This is by far the most unique theme park in Orlando. Although Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is similar to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in that they both have rides, both work in animal conservation, and both have live animal tours with savanna themes. However, Disney’s Animal Kingdom allows guests to see behind the scenes into their animal conservation methods, and their Animal Kingdom hotel is located right inside the savanna, allowing guests an up-close look at the animals. All Disney World theme parks have a central feature- Disney’s Magic Kingdom has Cinderella’s Castle, Disney’s Epcot has the giant ‘golf ball,’ Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a large wizard’s hat with Mickey’s hand and a wand on it, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom has what is arguably the most artful centerpiece- the gigantic Tree of Life, which has hundreds of animals ‘carved’ right into its trunk.

It’s Tough To Be a Bug!

This show is a comical 4-D experience featuring characters from A Bug’s Life. It’s a fun show and suitable for all ages; I usually don’t like a lot of those ‘4-D’ things but this one is definitely worth the trip. This one’s in Discovery Island. You can’t miss it- just look for the giant tree!

Festival of the Lion King

Yes, another show! This one is a spectacular live show set on a stage located in Camp Minnie-Mickey. This show is inspired by Disney’s The Lion King and is a beautiful performance with great acrobatics and wonderful music.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

This is more of a ride than a show. Located in ‘Africa,’ the safari drives guests through a realistic savanna teeming with wildlife.

Expedition: Everest

This ride is an exciting roller coaster; it shoots guests through the Forbidden Mountain. Beware the Yeti!

What’s your favorite Disney’s Animal Kingdom ride? Let us know in the comments!

As you will soon see, Epcot’s list is long enough to split into two posts- Epcot is, and has always been, my favorite of the four Disney World theme parks!

1: Future World

Spaceship Earth

It’s impossible not to find this ride- it’s located inside the giant Epcot ball! It features a look into the past, present, and future of communication- from cave paintings and papyrus to computers and cell phones, from radios to holograms. Very instructive, interesting, and most importantly- fun!

Universe of Energy

The storyline is hilarious, and as with all Future World attractions, very informative. Ellen DeGeneres has a dream in which she ends up on an episode of Jeopardy! alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Einstein. As she starts losing horribly to her longtime rival, Bill Nye the Science Guy shows up to teach her a thing or two about energy, taking her as far back as the dinosaurs.

Journey into Imagination with Figment

Figment, the dragon, and his inventor teach the audience a thing or two about imagination, as well as the other five senses- taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. A lot of fun, with a horrendously catchy song! Imaaagination, imaaaagination… Too bad I can never remember anything past the first line…

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Follow Nemo on his adventure through the seas as the characters swim along with the real fish in the large aquarium. It’s pretty cool to see the contrast between the real fish and the projected ones!

Up next: Epcot’s World Showcase.

There is more to Orlando than just the theme parks- there are several large shopping malls, such as the Florida Mall and the Millenia Mall. There are also many outlets for great deals on name brands, such as the Prime Outlets and Premium Outlets. We have many restaurants to choose from that fit any budget, occasion, and palate. For the city adventurer, there are many attractions scattered around the area as well- a sky diving simulation, hot air balloon rides, and dinner shows, just to name a few.

With The Orlando Vacation Store and Alamo car rentals, you can explore everything Orlando has to offer- after the theme parks, that is!

Every hotel on the Boardwalk has its own Christmas centerpiece, open to the public in the lobby: spinning carousels made entirely of chocolate, gingerbread houses with candy Mickey and other characters, lights and baubles decorating everything, and doors that open to a red field of poinsettias (forget holly and mistletoe- poinsettias are the ultimate holiday plant!).

The lights continue on down the entire Boardwalk, with garlands everywhere and streetlights decorated carefully. No detail is overlooked or carelessly rushed, and everything is perfectly done up for the holidays.

My favorite thing to do is get French fries at the small kiosk by the water, in front of the candy shop. If it’s not TOO chilly I would get vanilla ice cream to dip the fries into; every child’s favorite snack.

Of course, many things have changed over the years- new magic acts performing on the Boardwalk, restaurants replaced by much more delicious menus, and as I get older, I appreciate the little things far more; like the excitement in my aunt’s voice as we talk about visiting Disney for Christmas.

The event is definitely the highlight of many families’ Disney vacations! There are meet and greets with beloved Disney characters in full Christmas costume, and free hot cocoa. The parade is amazing every year, the stage show is a blast, and the fireworks are, as usual, mesmerizing. You can also extend your Disney vacation by showing up 3 hours early, at 4 pm. (That’s the earliest you can get  an event wristband.) That way you can ride the rides, take photos, and enjoy the park for an extra three hours before the party even starts! Take your kids on a Disney vacation they’ll never forget!

The Wild By Design tour is not included in Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park admission, but it is required to have an admission ticket in order to purchase the tour. As the Wild By Design tour takes place outdoors, guests are urged to check weather reports and to dress appropriately.

This tour’s focus is on the onstage areas of the theme park, and not the backstage aspects, such as the veterinary and technological facilities. To see those, guests are welcome to check out the Backstage Safari Tour.

The tour is a great way to feel more involved with the park’s efforts. It costs $60 per person, and remember, it’s 14 years and older. They have options for anyone with hearing or mobile disabilities as well.