Disney World Vacation Guide

Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, is an expansive resort area that encompasses more than 40 square miles. It includes theme parks, water parks, animal habitats, cultural exhibits, live entertainment, shops and restaurants. Careful planning is the key to getting the most out of your Walt Disney World vacation; there are so many available options and activities, you'll want to consider them all beforehand to make sure you don't miss out.

Parks and prices

1. There are four theme parks at Walt Disney World in Florida---the Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom Park and Disney Hollywood Studios. It also has two water parks---Disney's Blizzard Beach and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, with water slides, raft rides, wave pools, snorkeling and a shark reef. As of 2010, single-day theme park ticket prices were $79, or $68 for children (under 9). Multi-day ticket packages are available. Check disneyworld.com for updated ticket information.

Theme park rides

2. The Magic Kingdom Park's popular rides include It's a Small World, a boat tour of the world's nations; Splash Mountain, a water ride with a five-story drop at the end; Space Mountain, the mostly dark indoor roller coaster; and Pirates of the Caribbean, a boat ride through an animated pirate country. Epcot's iconic feature is the Spaceship Earth Attraction, a 16-minute-long omnimover ride, and Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park features the Expedition Everest roller coaster and the Kali River Rapids.

Theme park activities

3. The Magic Kingdom Park features Cinderella Castle, Main Street, U.S.A., Mickey's Toontown and The Pirates League, where kids can receive a complete pirate makeover. Epcot theme park allows you to experience the culture and cuisine of 11 different countries. Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park is home to more than 1,700 animals over 500 acres, and Disney's Hollywood Studios offers a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood, as well as the interactive American Idol Experience.

Disney World sports

4. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World is a 220-acre facility with nine venues---including baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and football and soccer fields---and is the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves. The complex has a video game pavilion, a restaurant and snack carts. Disney World is also home to five golf courses, two of which host an annual PGA Tour event.

Dining and shopping

5. Disney's Boardwalk covers more than 9,000 square feet of restaurants, shops and night clubs, all surrounding Crescent Lake. The boardwalk is a lively place, with street performers, food vendors and midway games. Downtown Disney comprises three sections---Downtown Disney West Side, Downtown Disney Marketplace and Pleasure Island. The area has restaurants, live shows, the world's largest Disney character store and many other specialty shops.

Lodging and airfare

6. Disney World has many of its own lodging options that it classifies as "deluxe," "moderate" and "value." There are eight deluxe resort hotels, eight deluxe villas, five moderate hotels and four value hotels. Many of the nearby non-Disney hotels, such as Celebration Suites at Old Town, cost a fraction of the Disney hotels, are less than two miles from the parks and offer free shuttles to and from Disney World. For the best rates on hotels and airfare, avoid peak times such as summer, spring vacation weeks and holiday weekends.