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Live Out Your Fantasies
and Ride the Movies in Orlando

By Carol Muse Evans

While Walt Disney World still holds the main claim on Orlando tourists, Universal Studios is gaining ground, where you can “ride the movies” on some of the best thrill rides in the country.

Walt Disney World has cast its spell on the vacationing public from all over the world, and it continues to be a favorite family destination because of the variety and value of the parks featuring “family entertainment” at its finest. There’s something for just about everyone, from the very young to the old “but young at heart.” Where else can you see stories like Peter Pan and The Lion King come to life, ride an African Safari, go back in time to when the dinosaurs lived, shoot into space in a rocket roller coaster, explore a haunted mansion, visit far away countries and even go forward in time, all in one place?

Universal Orlando, declared by Fodor’s as the “best theme part in the world,” has brought its own brand of magic to Orlando visitors by allowing them to put themselves in the movies, “ride the movies” and experience some of the most exciting thrill rides around. They haven’t forgotten the little ones, either, with Fievel’s Playland, Wood Woodpecker’s Kidzone, A Day in the Park with Barney and Curious George’s Playland, as well as a Dr. Seuss-themed area and rides.

Walt Disney World, once only home to the Magic Kingdom theme park, now is home to EPCOT, MGM Studios and the newest park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom, the most famous part of Disney World and sister to Disneyland in California, is home to the traditional Disney characters and stories, with several lands to visit, including Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland and Adventureland. It is also home to Disney’s centerpiece, Cinderella’s Castle.

Epcot, opened in 1982, was actually Disney’s first planned park in Orlando, conceived from ideas Walt Disney formed during the 1955 World’s Fair. EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), was originally planned to be a working city of the future. However, it has been built as a showcase of ideas and is flanked by the World Showcase, a presentation of other countries, cultures and foods from around the world.

In 1989, a third theme park opened, Disney MGM Studios, a tribute to the world of Hollywood magic and splendor. This Hollywood-flavored theme park salutes movies old and new and features some great excitement rides, such as the Hollywood Tower of Terror and the Rock and Roller coaster, Disney’s first time to turn its riders upside down.

A fourth park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, opened in 1998. It offers a safari-outback theme with tributes to Africa and Asia in both exhibits and themed rides and shows. The park’s centerpiece is the Tree of Life, a man-made, 145-foot tall tree with 325 animals carved into its trunk.

For those seeking more than rides and shows, there are three water parks at Disney: River Country, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, each with thrilling slides, cool pools, waves and ever tube rides and playgrounds.

If you want to stay “in the middle of the magic” during their whole visit to Orlando, numerous on-site hotels offer Disney guests special perks such as length of stay park passes, early admission days, character visits and more. Hotels from the value-priced All-Star Resorts, starting at around $79, to the mid-priced resorts such as the Caribbean Beach, starting at around $105, to the more upscale resorts, located along the monorail system, such as the Contemporary Resort and the Grand Floridian, starting at around $200, offer a way for just about anyone to stay inside the parks. There are also condominium-style vacation villas and even vacation ownership, right on the Disney grounds. And there’s even a campground, too.

In 1996, Walt Disney World celebrated its 25^th anniversary with a yearlong celebration, and in 2002, the parks are celebrating “100 years of Magic” in honor of Walt Disney’s 100^th birthday.

Universal Studios attracts people who want to go behind the scenes and straight into the movies. Thrills and chills are part of the rides featuring some of the favorite movies of all times. There’s “Men in Black Alien Attack,” where you ride through an interactive video game and shoot the aliens with special guns; “Twister,” the live spectacle of a five-story tornado, complete with flying cow; Jaws, “just when you thought you could go back in the water;” “Kongfrontation,” featuring everyone’s favorite giant, man-eating gorilla standing nearly four stories high; and the E.T. Adventure, where you ride a bicycle through the night sky above scenes from the movie in tribute to the beloved Stephen Spielberg movie. And there’s so much more, including tributes to Alfred Hitchcock, Lucille Ball and Hanna-Barbera.

Universal Studio’s second theme park, Islands of Adventure, is aptly named. In fact, Academy Award-wining producer/director Steven Spielberg was creative consultant for the park, home of some of the most technologically advanced rides ever. While Seuss Landing features some adorable but tame rides in tribute to the great children’s author, “Dr. Seuss,” Islands of Adventure is home to some major thrill rides, including Dueling Dragons, a roller coaster where two coaster paths are intertwined and each coaster moves at speeds around 60 mph toward the other, escaping crashing by mere inches; the Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster; Spiderman, an interactive 3-D movie/thrill ride featuring a “roving motion base simulator” to put guests “right inside the comic book;” Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw falls, the first water flume ride with a 75 feet drop;  and more. There’s also Jurassic Park, featuring a Discovery Center with interactive dinosaur activities, Camp Jurassic, a play area, and of course, the Jurassic Park River Adventure, an amazing thrill ride with the longest and steepest water drop ever built.

Universal has also followed suit in the on-site hotel business, now offering three Loew’s luxury resorts: the Portofino Bay Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel and opening soon, the Royal Pacific Resort. Not only does staying in these hotels mean transportation to the parks, but guests also enjoy the new Universal Express program, where all resort guests can bypass regular lines and essentially “go to the front of the line” in the theme parks.  Rooms in these hotels generally start at around $200, but check for specials and packages for possible discounts.

- Carol Muse Evans is an Alabama writer specializing in family travel.

IF YOU GO:

Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau
800-646-2087
www.orlandoinfo.com

Walt Disney World (parks, restaurants and accommodations)
407-W-Disney
www.waltdisneyworld.com

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