Why Disney World Florida is a must do with kids

Do you ever wonder how Disney always manages to make you feel like you're on top of the world? And how they manage to create a kind of own universe where there is room for excitement, love and adventure and all this is done so carefully that it’s beyond fascinating. They respond to children's fantasies and stimulate them to dream and they encourage adults to do the same. Because our very own generation grew up with their main characters too. We have also dreamed and enjoyed, sung and imitated. So for us, Disney means being catapulted back to a carefree childhood and, on the other hand, experiencing that warm feeling of seeing your own children enjoying themselves, knowing that at that moment they are experiencing the carefree childhood that we sometimes nostalgically think back to. No surprise that we were determined to visit Disney World one day.

ANIMAL KINGDOM; JOURNEY THROUGH THE DISNEY JUNGLE

Disney World consists of four theme parks and two water parks. Animal Kingdom is one of the four theme parks and is actually a zoo. They kept the zoo as a base for a trip through the Disney jungle. You can see the monkeys of Tarzan, meet Shere Khan in person or walk through a colorful birdcage. The park is divided into different themed areas, each with their own (Disney-inspired)story.
To be completely honest; Animal Kingdom was not the most memorable visit we did here. It was too crowded and we were a tad tired. We spent half a day in the park and that seemed to be enough for the day.

MAGIC KINGDOM; WHERE FAIRY TALES ARE REAL

The place where children's dreams come true is Magic Kingdom. It’ all in the name. The magic and sparkling ambiance in this park can't be compared to anything else. Elodie was less than two years showed she was a number 1 Mickey-fan. On her "Mickey Mouse, where are you?" tones we explored the park. We found ourselves in a world where everything is possible and everything is allowed. I've never been a fan of parades myself. I don't understand the intent, I guess. But I will never forget the look in my daughter's eyes when the Ariel parade, covered with all the treasures of the sea, passed by. Although she had to pass many attractions because of her age, we really enjoyed it. When you visit this park with two children whose ages are quite far apart (6 and 2 in our case) you may have to split up sometimes, but despite this, we had a blast!

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS; WELCOME IN A MOVIE!

Enter the world of film and entertainment via Hollywood Boulevard. A little more compact than Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, this theme park also has its own atmosphere. It may not appeal to children's imagination at first, but there are some attractions not to be missed. We especially loved Toy Story Mania, while Bas loved the Star Wars experience!

WHERE TO STAY IN DISNEY WORLD?

You haven't seen Disney World in a day, it's huge. You can easily spend a whole week here and even then you won't have seen everything. Our time was precious on American soil, so we decided to spread our visit over three days and looked for suitable accommodation. Plan your visit well in advance, because our options were limited (thanks to our not always very organized approach, impulsiveness and love for deadlines).
We finally chose Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. This hotel is close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and 15 minutes by shuttle bus from Magic Kingdom.
The entrance hall is very large and the indoor fountain immediately attracted the interest of our kids. There was a nice atmosphere so we decided to have breakfast the first day in the hotel instead of in one of the parks. A breakfast here might be delicious, it was also a nice experience because everything was about the Disney characters, up to the shape of the pancakes and waffles! The rooms are rather outdated and small, but of course we didn't really plan to spend much time in the room. Below you can see some more examples that we like.

DISNEY WORLD VS. DISNEYLAND

Let's face it, we all know what Disney stands for and they're doing their job incredibly well. They make dreams come true and work out their themes to perfection. No expense is spared, both at Disneyland in Paris, and at Disney World, Florida. The biggest difference we find is the size of the set ups. Disney World is very American: more, bigger and better. We especially liked the atmosphere in Magic Kingdom. For some reason the American version appealed even more to the imagination. Everything down to the last detail, super clean and above all: so well organized!

Also the culinary offer (if we can call it culinary in an amusement park) was much more varied, extensive and simply better than in Paris. The tacos we ate at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe (yes, that's the name!) were so good! I would even dare to call it: highly recommended!