01_043490 ffirs.qxp 10/27/06 2:33 PM Page iii Walt Disney World ® & Orlando FOR s DUMmIES‰ 2007 by Laura Miller 02_043490 ftoc.qxp 10/27/06 2:34 PM Page x 01_043490 ffirs.qxp 10/27/06 2:33 PM Page i Plan your trip with For Dummies Covering the most popular destinations in North America and Europe, For Dummies travel guides are the ultimate user-friendly trip planners. Available wherever books are sold or go to www.dummies.com And book it with ߜ Book airfare, hotels and packages our online partner, ߜ Find the hottest deals ߜ Get breaking travel news Frommers.com ߜ Enter to win vacations ߜ Share trip photos and stories ߜ And much more Frommers.com,rated the #1 Travel Web Site by PC Magazine 01_043490 ffirs.qxp 10/27/06 2:33 PM Page ii ™ to travel! The fun and easy way U.S.A. 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Go to www.dummies.com or call 1-877-762-2974 to order direct. 01_043490 ffirs.qxp 10/27/06 2:33 PM Page iii Walt Disney World ® & Orlando FOR s DUMmIES‰ 2007 by Laura Miller 01_043490 ffirs.qxp 10/27/06 2:33 PM Page iv Walt Disney World® & Orlando For Dummies® 2007 Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Frommer’s is a trade- mark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. Walt Disney World is a registered trademark of the Walt Disney Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 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For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2006834929 ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04349-3 ISBN-10: 0-470-04349-0 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/RV/RR/QW/IN 01_043490 ffirs.qxp 10/27/06 2:33 PM Page v About the Author Laura Miller is a freelance writer based in Buffalo, New York, though she’s spent countless hours scouring Central Florida’s theme parks over the years — both with and without her five kids. A family-travel expert who religiously makes an annual pilgrimage to the Land the Mouse Built, she’s the author of Frommer’s Walt Disney World and Orlando 2006 and contributes to Frommer’s Florida and Frommer’s Walt Disney World & Orlando with Kids. She’s currently researching and writing a guide to Florida for families. Author’s Acknowledgments Thanks to Amy Voss at the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau; Gary Buchanan at Walt Disney World; Taryn at Universal Orlando; and Jacquelyn Wilson at SeaWorld. Thanks also to all those who took the time out of their schedules to help me with this endeavor. A special thanks goes out to my family, most espe- cially my five children — Ryan, Austin, Nicolas, Hailey, and Davis — for all of their assistance in helping to research and write this book. Thanks as well to my agent, Julie Hill, whose constant encourage- ment, support, and enthusiasm keeps me going. And, of course, a special thanks to my editor, Naomi Kraus, whose continued support and encouragement as well as her extensive knowledge of all things Disney have made this book more than just a Mickey Mouse affair. 01_043490 ffirs.qxp 10/27/06 2:33 PM Page vi Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Editorial Composition Services Editors: Naomi Kraus, Project Editor; Project Coordinator: Lynsey Osborn Jennifer Moore, Development Layout and Graphics: Joyce Haughey, Editor; and Michael Brumitt, Stephanie D. Jumper, Production Editor Barbara Moore, Julie Trippetti Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball Proofreaders: Techbooks Cartographer: Guy Ruggiero Indexer: Techbooks Senior Photo Editor: Richard Fox Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Cover Photos: Front cover: © M. Timothy O’Keefe/Alamy Images, Incredible Hulk Coaster, Islands of Adventure. Back cover: Kilimanjaro Safaris™ attraction © Disney, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 02_043490 ftoc.qxp 10/27/06 2:34 PM Page vii Contents at a Glance Introduction.......................................................1 Part I: Introducing Walt Disney World and Orlando...................................................7 Chapter 1: Discovering the Best of Walt Disney World and Orlando ................................................................................9 Chapter 2: Digging Deeper into Orlando ......................................19 Chapter 3: Deciding When to Go ..................................................26 Part II: Planning Your Trip to Walt Disney World and Orlando .......................................37 Chapter 4: Managing Your Money ................................................39 Chapter 5: Getting to Orlando ......................................................47 Chapter 6: Catering to Special Travel Needs or Interests ..........55 Chapter 7: Taking Care of the Remaining Details ........................66