Fodors - Fodors Walt Disney World with Kids 2012

Author: Kim Wright Wiley
Editor: Laura M. Kidder
Editorial Production: Evangelos Vasilakis
Production/Manufacturing: Angela L. McLean
Design: Guido Caroti
Cover Photo: Disney

Copyright 2012 by Kim Wright Wiley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by Fodors Travel, a division of Random House, Inc.

Fodors is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

www.fodors.com

Every effort has been made to make this book complete and accurate as of the date of publication. In a time of rapid change, however, it is difficult to ensure that all information is entirely up-to-date. Although the publisher and authors cannot be liable for any inaccuracies or omissions in this book, they are always grateful for corrections and suggestions for improvement.

All products mentioned in this book are trademarks of their respective companies.

Twenty-Second Edition

ISBN: 978-0-307-92913-6

To all the families who have shared
their Disney stories
with me throughout the years.

All Orlando numbers have a 407 area code. Be sure to make all Disney hotel reservations by calling 9347639 (WDISNEY), and use the resorts direct lines only to report a delayed check-in, to call Guest Services (a.k.a. Guest Relations), or to reach a registered guest.

General Walt Disney World Information
Phone Numbers

General Information

8244321

WDW Resort Information

9347639 (WDISNEY)

WDW Dining Information and Advance Reservations

9393463 (WDWDINE)

WDW Recreational Information

9397529 (WDWPLAY)

WDW Golf Information

9394653 (WDWGOLF)

WDW Tour Information

9398687 (WDWTOUR)

Disney Cruise Line

800/9513532

Disney Travel Company

8288101

Walt Disney World Resort Phone Numbers

All-Star Movies

9397000

All-Star Music

9396000

All-Star Sports

9395000

Animal Kingdom Lodge

9383000

Art of Animation Resort

9347639 (WDISNEY)

Beach Club Resort

9348000

Best Friends Pet Care

877/4939738
(877/4WDWPETS)

BoardWalk Inn and Villas

9395100

Caribbean Beach Resort

9343400

Contemporary Resort

8241000

Coronado Springs Resort

9391000

Dolphin Resort

9344000

Fort Wilderness Campground

8242900

Grand Floridian Resort

8243000

Old Key West Resort

8277700

Polynesian Resort

8242000

Pop Century Resort

9384000

Port Orleans Resort

9345000

Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

8271100

Swan Resort

9343000

Wilderness Lodge and Villas

8243200

Yacht Club Resort

9347000

Universal Orlando Phone Numbers

General Information

3638000

Universal Orlando Resort Information

888/2731311

SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and
Aquatica Phone Numbers

SeaWorld

3513600

Discovery Cove

877/4347268

Aquatica

800/3272420

Other Helpful Phone Numbers

Alamo Car Rental

800/4625266

American Airlines

800/4337300

Avis Car Rental

800/3311212

Budget Car Rental

800/5270700

Delta Airlines

800/2211212

Dollar Car Rental

800/8004000

Hertz Car Rental

800/6543131

Mears Shuttle Service

4235566

National Car Rental

800/2277368

Orlando Visitors Bureau

800/2555786

US Airways

800/4284322

Walt Disney World

www.disneyworld.disney.go.com

The Disney Corporation

www.disney.com

The Disney Cruise Line

www.disneycruise.com

Universal Orlando

www.universalorlando.com

SeaWorld

www.seaworld.com

Discovery Cove

www.discoverycove.com

Downtown Disney

A shopping, dining, and entertainment complex

Hollywood

The Disneys Hollywood Studios Theme Park

Water parks

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach

Major parks

The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disneys Hollywood Studios, and Disneys Animal Kingdom

Off-season

The less crowded times of the yearspecifically those weeks between September and May that do not flank major holidays

On-season

The most crowded times of the yearspecifically summers, holidays, and spring break

Off-site

Any resort or hotel not owned by Disney

On-site

A Disney-owned resort

TTC

Ticket and Transportation Center: The monorail version of a train station, where you can transfer to monorails bound for Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, or monorail-line hotels. You can also catch buses at the TTC bound for the parks and Downtown Disney.

Helpful Hint

Insiders Secret

The Scare Factor

Hidden Mickey

Money-Saving Tip

Time-Saving Tip

The simple answer is, its gotten bigger. And theyre still building.

In the 23 years since I first began researching this guide, Disney has added one major park, three minor ones, eight hotels, a cruise line, and more attractions and restaurants than I can count. It was once possible for a fleet-footed and well-prepared family to see most of Walt Disney World during a four-day stay. But thats no longer true. As the Disney complex expands, its more vital than ever that you target what you want to see, work these priorities into your schedule, and then relax. Anything beyond that is pure gravy.

Sometimes Im asked if the prevalence of travel guides makes them less useful to their readers. After all, if everyone knows about a secret tip, is it still a secret?

Good question, but even with all those books on the market, a relatively small number of WDW visitors actually make advance preparations. Most people still show up late and wander around aimlessly, so anyone with any sort of touring plan at all is automatically a step ahead of the crowd.