Disney still a magical place for Baton Rouge travelers

• By STEVE WHEELER
• Advocate WHEELS editor
• Published: Apr 26, 2009

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If it’s been a while since you’ve packed up the kids and headed east to the magical kingdom known as Walt Disney World, now might be a good time to give it another shot.

Word is that crowds are smaller because of difficult economic conditions, but if the crowds are smaller, when could there be a better time to go? The waits at the Orlando complex in March weren’t unreasonably long.

But first of all, do you remember how long it takes to get there? By car, it is a 10-hour drive. Add in a few stops for gas and meals, and you’re looking at a 13 hours. When you get to Pensacola, you’re not even halfway there. The good news is that there is little Interstate road construction to slow you down.

The parks themselves are a marvel of coordination, from hotels to parking lots to lines at the attractions.

Disney is masterful at moving massive numbers of people around on its 40-square-mile property.

The Orlando complex has four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There are two water parks — Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon — 32 resort hotels and 99 holes of golf on six courses. You’ll need to plan on spending at least one whole day at each park, and, even then, you won’t see everything.

The Magic Kingdom, a family favorite since it opened in 1971, sits on 142 acres and has the Cinderella Castle as its centerpiece. The Kingdom is divided into seven “lands”: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown Fair and Tomorrowland. Be sure to end your day at Cinderella’s Castle, where Tinkerbell flies from the roof, just as the night’s fireworks display begins.

The 305-acre Epcot features Future World and the World Showcase, which has shopping and restaurants from 11 nations surrounding the giant World Showcase Lagoon. Nearby, the iconic Spaceship Earth sphere has been “re-imagined” by Disney.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a working studio that produces TV shows and feature films.

On occasion, you’ll find an area of the park closed because of filming. At other times, you’ll be able to watch as the film work progresses.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an up-close and personal experience with exotic animals. The park is divided into seven “lands”: Oasis, Discovery Island, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia and DinoLand U.S.A.

You can get married at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion, compete at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex or spend the evening at Downtown Disney — an entertainment, shopping and dining complex encompassing the Marketplace, the West Side and Pleasure Island.

Disney Quest, a five-story building packed with interactive games for all ages, opened in 1998. If you’re the arcade type and into interactive games, you could spend the day in there.