{"id":2338,"date":"2018-10-01T01:09:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T01:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/expedia.blog.au.local\/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-walt-disney-world\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:27:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:27:02","slug":"5-things-you-didnt-know-about-walt-disney-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-walt-disney-world\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things you didn\u2019t know about Walt Disney World"},"content":{"rendered":"

The wonderful world of Walt Disney has captivated the hearts of kids both big and little for generations. If you ever sang along to Under the Sea<\/em> when you were young, or perhaps more recently spent a road trip with the kids requesting How Far I\u2019ll Go<\/em> the entire way, you\u2019ll know what I mean. The magic of Disney seems to know no bounds. And that\u2019s just the movies. If you haven\u2019t been to Walt Disney World, you\u2019ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. What I am really talking about? Here are 5 things that take this all-ages holiday to the next level:<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s a world, not a park.<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s clear something up. You won\u2019t be flying all the way to Florida for just one day. Walt Disney World is comprised of six different venues \u2013\u00a0four theme parks and two water parks. Think of it like the entire fun-seeking Gold Coast. Each theme park is a world of its own, with separate sections. Take Magic Kingdom. You\u2019ve got Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Mainstreet, Frontierland and Liberty Square. And of course, Cinderella\u2019s Castle. Each land has its own rides, restaurants, displays, characters and of course, shops. The brave will take on more than one park in a day. The sensible will dip in and out, ideally spending at least one day at each park. From now until the end of the year, Expedia has a great\u00a0buy 4 get 6 day passes \u2013 to be used right up until 31st<\/sup> December 2018. That will give you a few extra days up your sleeve for free, letting you have all the time you need to check out Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.<\/p>\n

2. You can ride on the back of a banshee<\/h2>\n

Gone are the days when Walt Disney World was just about Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. High tech machinery and millions of dollars goes into creating state of the art experiences. Inside Animal Kingdom, you\u2019ll find the otherworldly Pandora, the world of Avatar\u2019s floating mountains and luminous rivers painstakingly recreated by Disney\u2019s Imagineers. The Flight of Passage is a true sensory experience, where you\u2019ll literally ride on the back of a banshee, soaring over Pandora, swooping under trees and over oceans.<\/p>\n

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Step into Pandora \u2013\u00a0The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where you can ride on the back of a banshee. Image by Kent Phillips and walt Disney World<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Skip the queues<\/h2>\n

Savvy travellers will book their tickets, but won\u2019t wait until they arrive to work out which rides they want to go on. Fast passes are your best friend when it comes to making the most of the experience. Each ticket is preloaded with three FastPass+ selections, which can be booked in three months before your entry date. Make sure you book your three passes close together, because once all three have been used, the allocation resets and you can use them on three more rides, and so on, throughout the day. Download the app in advance so you can allocate your passes in the park while you\u2019re on the move. If you want to check out the newest rides, make a beeline for Hollywood Studios, where Toy Story Land has just opened \u2013 the Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster is a big hit for kids of all ages! Don’t forget to book in your FastPass+ though!<\/p>\n

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Check out the brand new Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Image by Matt Stroshane and Walt Disney World<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Wine and dine<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s right, Walt Disney World has alcoholic beverages. Pick up a Himalayan Ghost\u00a0frozen cocktail after riding the Everest rollercoaster inside Animal Kingdom (you might need it if you spot the Yeti!) or head into Animal Lodge where the fine dining Jiko \u2013 The Cooking Place has a world renowned collection of South African wines to choose from. In fact, it\u2019s the largest collection of South African wines in the country. Now, the Mickey Mouse waffles and Dole Whip ice creams might be the most famous food items on the menu, but Walt Disney World has plenty of fantastic restaurants, even inside the parks. Beauty and the Beast fans will want to prebook their table at Be Our Guest Restaurant well in advance of their visit \u2013 make sure you save room for the famous “Grey Stuff” dessert. For something a little more nostalgic, grab a table at the Hollywood Studios Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. Table is a loose definition \u2013 you\u2019ll sit in car-shaped booths eating burgers and drinking shakes while watching old school movies on the big screen.<\/p>\n

5. Sleepover safari<\/h2>\n

After a big day in the parks, and a big meal at the Jiko Place, the last thing you\u2019ll want to do is leave the majestic Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Like staying inside a supersized safari lodge, this is the hotel when you really can have an overnight safari, without leaving your room. The wings of the hotel look out upon wide range animal enclosures so you might wake up to see zebra eating their breakfast right outside your balcony.<\/p>\n

Whether you want to see all the shows, hop on every ride or just dip your toes in Walt Disney World, there\u2019s never been a better time to go. Take advantage of Expedia\u2019s buy four and get six day passes so there\u2019s never a reason for the \u2018my parents never took me to Disney World\u2019 scenario! Check it out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Wake up with the animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Image by Walt Disney World<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The wonderful world of Walt Disney has captivated the hearts of kids both big and little for generations. If you ever sang along to Under the Sea when you were young, or perhaps more recently spent a road trip with the kids requesting How Far I\u2019ll Go the entire way, you\u2019ll know what I mean.… Continue reading 5 things you didn\u2019t know about Walt Disney World<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5,4,20],"tags":[228,161,483,484],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-2338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destination","category-family","category-type-of-holidays","category-usa","tag-america","tag-florida","tag-orlando","tag-walt-disney-world","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 things you didn\u2019t know about Walt Disney World - Expedia AU Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-walt-disney-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 things you didn\u2019t know about Walt Disney World - Expedia AU Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The wonderful world of Walt Disney has captivated the hearts of kids both big and little for generations. 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