A week at a Disney resort is a week away from the ordinary, even if it is ‘part of the job.’ In this three-part series, blogger Tony Mayer, a travel counselor for AAA Washington, shares the knowledge gained after a familiarization trip to Disney World in Florida.

Walt Disney’s enduring love for animals and their protection was finally and spectacularly made manifest with the 1998 opening of Disney World's Animal Kingdom. This jewel of a theme park, Disney’s largest single park worldwide, is now my favorite of the four in Florida for several reasons.

Many themes and icons from The Lion King (my favorite Disney movie) resonate throughout the park. The iconic Tree of Life towers 145 feet above Discovery Island at the center of the park and features over 300 intricate animal carvings of all types. Like Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom, the way the Tree is lit up after dark casts a fantastical, otherworldly radiance across the entire terrain. I can’t slap enough superlative labels on this crowning feat of Imagineering – it’s your first whoa moment at the park!

Simba, Timon, Pumbaa and the gang are the stars of the rollicking Festival of The Lion King show near the park entrance. You’d never guess Disney could fit 1,200 people into a theater the size of a shoebox, but they manage to pull it off six times a day. This is the quintessential good-times-for-all-ages performance – be sure to practice your lion growl, your warthog snort, or whatever that noise is a giraffe makes before you arrive!

Another huge reason Animal Kingdom rockets to the top of my chart are the Kilimanjaro Safaris. This 20-minute trek uses open-sided, oversized Jeeps to roll through the habitat of dozens of major African species on an off-road track. The entertaining and informative guide clicks off the species one by one … Look over there, it’s the giraffes … quick, fling your head to the other side for hippos … just over that ridge are ostriches with big, big eggs … keep a sharp eye out for the lions … around the bend, the elephants pose a challenge for a perfect photo because they’re huuuuge! Gorillas and a dozen other animals are found on a separate exploratory trail next door to the safari entrance, or board a train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch to see the petting zoo and educational displays on animal conservation.

For the first 30 years of my life, I hadn’t really enjoyed roller coasters. Last year on my honeymoon at Disneyland, my wife and I waded our way into the joy of thrill-seeking with Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. Now in Florida, I wanted to ratchet up the degree of difficulty. Enter Expedition Everest – its singular peak in the distance warning of an encounter with the dreaded Abominable Snowman. By the time my friends and I approached the coaster car, we were committed, and then WOOOSH … sharp banking turn left, glad I didn’t have a big lunch, wait it’s slowing down, I wonder why … now it’s taking us backwards!?!? Ahhhhhhhh! Consider me sufficiently ratcheted – next stop, upside-down coasters.

In addition to those amazing highs, we were able to squeeze in the A Bug’s Life 4D show plus a stroll through DinoLand USA (including the Dinosaur ride that’s executed a bit better as the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland) in just over three hours. The main reason for this was Disney’s Extra Magic Hours, a huge benefit open only to guests of WDW resorts. Every day of the year, one of the four Disney parks opens an hour early and another park stays open up to three hours past public closing time.

Deluxe Resorts Deliver
If your idea of a vacation is more about fine dining and spa treatments and less about standing in line to meet Pooh and Tigger, Disney’s Deluxe- and Deluxe Villa-class resorts are the way to go. These AAA Three- and Four-Diamond properties serve up the Mouse’s best in guest service and the options are limitless. Standard room types give way to more specialization – for instance, families may find a better value renting out a one- or two-bedroom suite, complete with kitchenette. Couples may find rooms with Jacuzzi tubs at the highest levels. In many cases, just ask yourself: What theme are you after?

Head to Animal Kingdom Lodge and you may just get to peer at a giraffe at eye level! All manner of savannah creatures walk between the villa buildings at Jambo House and Kidani Village – cranes, zebras and impalas (the non-Chevrolet kind) are here, too. The lobby’s African motif sets the scene as soon as guests step foot inside, and the rigorous styling continues in the guest rooms (carvings of Mufasa in the furniture, for example). Two excellent restaurant ideas are Sanaa at Kidani Village (African with Indian flavors) and Jiko at the Lodge itself (African and Mediterranean with a dash of Indian).

Step back a hundred years to witness the splendor of Disney’s Victorian resort, the Grand Floridian. Its lobby is emblematic of the grand scale Disney puts into the public areas of its signature resorts – complete with a piano player. The resort features a wedding chapel and WDW’s only Five-Diamond restaurant, Victoria and Albert’s (you best reserve a table a couple months ahead of your trip).

Alternately, transport yourself to the great lodges of our national parks at the Wilderness Lodge. Step into the lobby here and the grand wooden atrium evokes classic architectural wonders at Yellowstone and Yosemite. The Lodge even features its own set of waterfalls (sadly, no buffalo wandering willy-nilly through the parking lot).

For something more contemporary, may I suggest the Contemporary Resort? Built as one of the original WDW hotels in 1971 (the Monorail runs inside the building itself), this spot plays with colors delightfully in its suites. The interval-ownership Disney Vacation Club's latest offering is the Contemporary’s brand-new wing, Bay Lake Tower with unparalleled views of the Magic Kingdom. The Contemporary also plays host to my Florida foodie friends’ favorite flavor purveyor (try saying that three times fast!), Disney’s California Grill.

My favorite of the Deluxe Resorts is the one I at which I stayed, the Yacht Club. Besides all the stuff about the room and its proximity to Epcot, yada, yada, yada … I must share the most wonderful thing I saw on the entire trip, the legendary Kitchen Sink! This monster of a dessert is served at one location only – Beaches ‘n’ Cream – the 50’s-era soda jerk at the adjacent Beach Club Resort. It contains EIGHT scoops of ice cream (egads), four Oreos, brownie and angel food cake bits, fudge, caramel and chocolate sauces. Then add an entire can of whipped cream and about 20 or 25 cherries on top for good measure – wow! It’s a $25 dessert, but I can’t think of a better birthday present for the average nine-year-old!

Also in this series:
An Overview of Epcot   
Disney's Hollywood Studios, Value Resorts and Nightlife

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