Sehlinger: Hi. I'm Bob Sehlinger.
Testa: And I'm Len Testa.
Sehlinger: We're the authors of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.
Testa: Today we're in the magic kingdom; in Orlando, Florida. And we're going to take you on a tour of the park. As we do, we're going to provide tips that'll help you in any Disney theme park, anywhere in the world.
The [???] is a, is a step-by-step guide, that tells you the order in which.. you should.. see the attractions. To minimize your wait in line. And a lot of research goes into.. making that as easy as possible. For example, we have about two dozen researchers who live in the Orlando area. Who collect, uh, wait-times, from every Disney park, every day of the year.
A trip to a Disney park is a rite of passage for many children. So start slow, ride some attractions that you know won't frighten your children, gauge their reaction, and then move on to attractions that might be a little scarier.
One great tip for saving money in Walt Disney World is to bring food from either home or from a local grocery store. Finally another great trip is, if you've got small children, is to, uh, buy one meal and split it between them. Portion sizes at Disney theme parks -- especially the American parks -- are much larger than most people think and it's often easy to feed two children with one meal.
A real feature for most family is getting to meet the Disney characters. One thing that you might not anticipate is that the characters are about the size of a forklift. Have your child approach the character straight-on, 'cause the characters have limited field of vision, and almost no peripheral vision. That way the character will see your child, and be able to greet him properly. Tell your children it's okay to touch the character, to hug the character, to shake hands....
Parents are aware that it's very easy to lose a child at a big theme park. Consequently they really keep them reigned in -- by their side, or.. by their hand. Kids really need a place to blow off some steam. Behind me is Tom Sawyer island. A whole island of caves, rope bridges, and various obstacles the kids can explore... and climb on. They'll stay there all day if you let them. But I guarantee you they'll be in a better mood when they come back from Tom Sawyer's island.
A[The?] mistake that families make most often is to try to pack too much into their vacation. Particularly, if you have small children, you want to bring them into the park early in the day, and then take them back to your hotel for a swim and a nap, let them rest up, and then come back in the evening and enjoy the parks with the lights on and all of the festivities.
