North, South, East, or West....An Adventurer's Life is Best!

The reason I didn’t have a post yesterday was because I was having computer issues. There was a strange beeping noise filling my room and by the time I got to the keyboard and typed in the number sequence (4-8-15-16-23-42) it was too late. There was a computerized female voice yelling “SYSTEM FAILURE” at me, the sky turned purple and then white, and the next thing I knew I was waking up naked in a forest on some mysterious island. Needless to say because of all that I wasn’t able to get post up. Either that or our school’s internet was out and so I didn’t have any internet access. Either way I will be posting on Saturday as well. So yeah…..

47. That’s the number of square miles of land that make up the Walt Disney World resort. That’s twice the size of Manhattan. With four theme parks, two water parks, a downtown district, and 25 hotels, the Walt Disney World is the largest vacation resort in the world. And you know what? It will all belong to you. That’s right, when you get your pass to the world (your I.D.), you will have access to everything within those beautiful purple gates. But one of the things that I noticed on my program was that many of the CPers that were on four month and seven month programs would not visit any of the resorts saying, “Why would I want to go walk around a hotel when I could be riding Space Mountain or Living With the Land (hey it has its own special fan base)?” And that’s a real shame because some of the neatest things at Disney can be found in the resorts. Here are a few of my favorite resorts and what I enjoy doing:

Polynesian/Fort Wilderness Camp Grounds- I mention these two together for one reason….they both have amazing dinner shows (and you get discounted tickets). But if you wanted a suggestion as to which one, I would probably recommend the Hoop Dee Do Revue at the camp grounds primarily because I enjoy the food (chuck wagon style) a little bit more than at Spirit of Aloha (though the pork at Ohana’s is AMAZING). They both feature great shows as well. Obviously Hoop Dee Do Revue is a western themed dinner show full of slap stick comedy and great cowboy songs while Spirit of Aloha features hula dancers and fire twirlers. You can’t go wrong either way.

Saratoga Springs- Are you a runner? No. A jogger? No. How about a walking enthusiast? Okay fine, if your answers to these were no then you can go on to the next one but if you do enjoy throwing on those running shoes and going out, then this is the place for you. Located conveniently within walking distance to Disney’s Downtown area (literally like a fifty foot path drops you right in the middle of the action), the Saratoga Springs resorts offers both long path ways and all the peace and tranquility you can use. Personally I am not much of a runner but I did get dragged here by a few of my “Can Do Attitude” friends and I have to admit it wasn’t terrible (again, I am not a fan of running so that’s high praise coming from me). The place is large enough that you are not back tracking. It is a visually appealing resort and best of all it has a lot of benches (again, not a runner). Plus when all is said and done you can cool off at Downtown Disney where you can also catch a bus back to Vista or Chatham. (Great Fact: Downtown Disney is the closest Disney attraction to the housing complexes, keep that tidbit in mind when you are trying to figure out where the complexes are.)

Contemporary Resort- All I really want to say about this place is that I came here often to grab a newspaper and a pastry before I walked into the Magic Kingdom (or after a shift). (Great Fact: If you are working at the Magic Kingdom and you need to catch the bus back home at night, it is so much easier to change into street clothes and catch the monorail to the TTC and get on the bus home from there. You will learn quick that at around closing time, you could watch three or four Vista buses fill up behind the Magic Kingdom before you get a chance to get on one)

Boardwalk- I feel as though I had to save Boardwalk for last because it is by far my favorite Disney resort. Located conveniently within walking distance to the back entrance to EPCOT, the Boardwalk resort has the look and feel of a turn of the century seaside well….Boardwalk. It houses an impressive array of shops and restaurants. You can watch football games on the ESPN Club’s 200+ televisions, enjoy an Ice Cream cone (or awesome milkshake) from the bakery, or enjoy some great music at one of the Boardwalk’s two dance clubs. But what was my favorite thing to do? Well I think first I should remind those of you at home that I worked the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT and most of the time I worked closing shifts. That meant that by the time I got off work everything was closed except, that’s right, the Boardwalk. I would walk the path from France, through the gate and onto that wooden pier almost every night. The Boardwalk would be lit beautifully with turn of the century music playing. Even on the hottest days, the weather always seemed to be perfect. I would grab a slice of pizza and an orange soda from the Spoodle’s To-Go window and eat it by the water while I watched the Guests come and go to wherever it is they were going. And I would just sit there for a couple hours. Not a care in the world. There truly is nothing like it anywhere. (Great Facts: The Boardwalk really does come alive at night so if it is your first time going there, definitely see it for the first time at night)

This post is getting kind of long so I may do a continuation on another day but really, the one thing I want you to pull from this is that there is more to do at Disney than riding Splash Mountain or enjoying the Hall of Presidents (again, special group of fans).

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

P.S.
That was a LOST reference at the very beginning.