Fantasia Gardens miniature golf at the Walt Disney World Resort has always been one of those, "I really want to try that out, one day" activities.  Well, we finally took advantage of our "one day" and golfed the Fantasia Gardens side of the Fantasia Gardens mini golf course!

Yes, Fantasia Gardens has two courses, very similar to the Winter Summerland mini golf course near Blizzard Beach.  You have the Fantasia Gardens side -- a more classic mini golf course with dancing hippos, marching broomsticks, and Sorcerer Mickey from the Fantasia movie -- and Fantasia Fairways; a challenging mini golf course that's been built to resemble a real golf course with open fairways and sand trap hazards.

We went around 11AM and had to wait about 10 minutes to play our round.  This is the first time we've ever waited for Disney mini golf, as we usually come during the weekday afternoons, so we asked about the wait.

First, we were there on a weekend, so that was part of the issue, however, be forewarned that the Disney Cast Member informed us that in the evenings, Fantasia Gardens becomes a mad house!  You could wait up to 2 HOURS for your turn to play a round!!  Keep this info in mind the next time your on a Disney vacation.

Disney did a great job, though spacing us out.  Even though we had to wait about 10 minutes to start, I didn't feel pushed to keep up a quick pace, the kids got to hit the ball a few times before they got just the right one (my son would only accept holes in one), and no stress.  A fun, relaxing day with your favorite Fantasia characters and a round of mini golf.

Now, I will say that the Fantasia Gardens course is one of the more challenging mini golf courses that I've played, so be prepared for some high scores.  Nonetheless, the creativity of each and every hole will reduce all care and concern for score....at least it did for me.

Watch the video to see more detail on the course and the theming.

Both Fantasia Gardens courses are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.  Although subject to change, prices are $12.00 USD per 18-hole round for adults, and $10.00 USD for children 3 to 9 years of age.

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Disney's Top Performer in 2009 and #1 travel agent in the WORLD for Universal Vacations, our travel partner, Destinations In Florida Travel, can help you book and plan your Central Florida vacation!

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One of coolest features of the new Bay Lake Tower is the bridge connecting it to Disney's Contemporary Resort. The Bay Lake Tower bridge provides fantastic views of the Magic Kingdom and Bay Lake.

This is a great place to watch the monorail going through the Contemporary Resort on it's way to or from the Magic Kingdom, watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks, or to see the Electrical Water Pageant parade on Bay Lake.  You can also see the Bay Lake Tower water park/pool from here and more.

It's a really cool structure that doesn't function as much more than a connecting bridge, but can be a fun distraction.  

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort is one of Disney's newest Deluxe Villa Resorts for the Disney Vacation Club.  Even though it's a DVC property, you can still book the Bay Lake Tower just like any other resort at Disney World.

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Disney's Top Performer in 2009 and #1 travel agent in the WORLD for Universal Vacations, our travel partner, Destinations In Florida Travel, can help you book and plan your Central Florida vacation!

The official shop for all things Disney. Click the banner to get all your official Disney Store souvenirs and goodies!

With all the theme parks, dining, and recreation available at Disney World, guests seldom slow down enough to just relax.  Disney offers lots of options when it comes to relaxing.

You could hang out in the hammocks at the beach at Disney's Polynesian or Grand Floridian, lay out at any of the pools, or visit the butterfly garden at Disney's Contemporary Resort (bet you didn't even know Disney had a butterfly garden).

We like to just ride the monorail.  You can hop on at the Ticket & Transportation Center, ride around the Seven Seas Lagoon and then transfer over to the Epcot loop and ride that one, too!  It's like an adventure ride for kids while mom and dad get to relax and enjoy the views.

If going for a boat ride is your idea of relaxing, you could hop on a water taxi at Disney's Fort Wilderness and ride the whole resort loop as it takes you to the Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary Resort, and back to Fort Wilderness.  Since you're already at Fort Wilderness, you could wet a line with a fishing pole and enjoy a beautiful Florida afternoon.

The options are literally endless.  Relaxation needs to play a key role in your vacation planning.  We frequently advise guests to take an afternoon break from the parks.  This refreshes you for the evening and prevents your vacation from becoming a recovery period due to overdoing it the first day.

Our friends at Destinations In Florida Travel did a quick little video of one of our favorite locations to relax that we have yet to mention.  Take a look and enjoy.  Maybe it will be your next Disney "hidden gem" on your next Disney World vacation.

Anytime a tropical weather system moves close to Disney, we get several people asking about how Disney World handles tropical storms and hurricanes.  Should we cancel our vacation?  Will Disney close the parks?  What do we do?  With Tropical Storm Nicole making it's way across Florida, today, we thought this would be a great topic to tackle.

The short and simple answer is to come prepared for rain and go to the parks!

On very rare occasion, Disney World has closed the theme parks for a hurricane.  It's less than 10 times!  In fact, Disney may be one of the safer places to be located during one of these tropical systems.  The cast members ensure that anything that's not tied down is moved, so that there's little chance of flying weapons like you will likely have in any other location.  The landscaping is meticulously maintained, so the likelihood of a falling tree or branch would be extremely rare.  The buildings are strong, solid, and often concrete, so you're safe inside Disney buildings.  I'd rather be there than at home.

Additionally, unless the storm is passing right over Disney World, all you'll notice is a lot more rain and some wind.  This is a perfect opportunity, if you're prepared, to visit the parks!  Grab your raincoats or ponchos, hop on a bus, and head to the park.  There will be very few crowds and no lines!  It makes for a very fun day, especially if you have kids like mine that like to play in puddles.

Here's a video we took a few years ago when Tropical Storm Fay passed almost over the top of Disney World.  It actually passed a bit south of the parks, but it gives you a good idea of what the conditions are like when tropical storms come through.

You can see that the rain was pretty normal for Florida and the wind had picked up a little bit.  We went to the parks for almost the whole day and enjoyed the short lines for everything.  Also, the wind and rain actually cooled it down a bit so we weren't suffering through the hot and humid Florida weather.

Hurricanes and tropical storms occur most often in August and September, so you're more likely to deal with this issue in those months.  Also, hurricane season runs all the way to the end of November, so be sure to keep that in mind when planning your vacation.  Although most storms happen in August and September, many guests have been caught off-guard when a random storm hits in late November.

Would a hurricane or tropical storm stop you from visiting Disney World?  Will Tropical Storm Nicole keep you away?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments, below.

Just a few minutes northeast of the Disney World Resort, you can see manatee, baby manatee, and alligators in the wild at Blue Springs State Park!

The Florida manatee, Florida’s state marine mammal, is a large aquatic relative of the elephant. They are grayish brown in color and have thick, wrinkled skin on which there is often a growth of algae. Their front flippers help them steer or sometimes crawl through shallow water. They also have powerful flat tails that help propel them through the water. Despite their small eyes and lack of outer ears, manatees are thought to see and hear quite well.

Blue Springs State Park is open year round and has activities that include camping, hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, and picnic areas.  The best time to see the manatee is during the winter season from November 15 through March 1.  During this "manatee season" the springs are closed to all water-based activities, including swimming.

Here's our video from a visit last spring when over 200 manatee were counted in the springs on this day.

You'll note in the video that I mentioned that alligators do come up into the springs.  Many guide books make the claim that the gators don't like the 72 degree water and won't come up into the springs.  As you can see in this video, this just isn't true, so if you do plan to swim, snorkel, or scuba in the springs you must still be aware of this hazard.  All the video of the gators was taken well into the springs and not the St. Johns River.  Just as a side note, I've snorkeled, swam, and scuba dove in many Florida springs and never had an issue with alligators.

**Please note: West Indian manatees in the United States are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. West Indian manatees are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. Violations of these federal or state laws can be met with civil or criminal convictions associated with monetary fines and/or imprisonment.

This week, our travel partner, DestinationsInFlorida.com, is running a Disney World Transfer Special and you could save up to $500 on your Disney World vacation!

Here's more information about the special --- what it is, how long, how to get the money off your Disney World vacation, and so on.  The one thing I would note: The Disney World transfer special must be booked, this week to save the money!

From Destinations In Florida travel blog:

One week a year, we host aDisney World Transfer Week for Disney World Packages. Starting today, we kick off Transfer Week at Destinations in FloridaTravel.

What is Disney World Transfer Week? We know that a lot of guests find us after they booked their Disney World Package with Disney by phone or online at Disney World.com. We get emails everyday asking if we can still help them plan their Disney World vacation. The answer is yes!  During Transfer Week at Destinations in Florida Travel, you can save up to $500 on your Disney World Package, by just transferring it to us.

What Do I Get for Transferring My Reservation to You? Depending on your package features and total, you can save up to $500 on your Disney World Package when you transfer it to us.  As an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, Disney allows us to transfer any reservation directly booked with Disney to our agency. This way, you get our amazing free Concierge Services and free perks our agency offers, including Magical Rewards and “I'm Going to Disney World” packs.

One of our free perks, called Magical Rewards, gives you free Magic Dollars to spend on Disney World merchandise, before you leave for vacation. It is free shopping for Mickey Mouse ears, autograph books, Dooney & Bourke purses, and much more. Another free perk called the “I'm Going to Disney World” pack is a welcome kit including the Know Before you Go Guide, Disney Theme Park Guide Maps, personalized autograph pictures of Mickey Mouse for your kids, and extra vacation planning information. All of these perks are free and only available with our agency.  If you transfer your reservation to us, you will save money and get these free perks.

How Do I Get the Discount? You can save up to $500 on your package, when you transfer to us. The $500 discount is based on your package total. If you only paid a deposit on your reservation, this discount will be taken off your package total. If you are already paid in full, this discount will be in the form of a Disney Gift Card, that you will receive before you leave with your Magical Rewards. You can then spend this Disney Gift Card during your Disney World vacation on meals, souvenirs, recreation, shopping, and more.

How Do I Transfer my Reservation? Transferring a reservation is quite easy. We email you a form and you sign the bottom and fax it to Disney. It takes Disney about 2-3 days to transfer the reservation to us. When they transfer the reservation, Disney is just adding our name as the agency. Everything else on your reservation stays the same.  The only change is that our agency name is added to your package.

Are you ready to save money on your already booked Disney World vacation? Contact us at info@destinationsinflorida.com with more details. Hurry – Transfer Week ends on Tuesday, September 14. Take advantage of these incredible Disney World Transfer Week discounts for this one week only!

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park has had a significant impact on the Central Florida travel picture for 2010.

July saw a 6.8% increase in the number of rooms booked versus July of 2009 with an additional 3.6% increase in the average cost of a room night.  Hotels and resorts near the new Harry Potter park saw room bookings closer to 90% filled for July!

I know this is a lot of "inside baseball" talk, but it really made me wonder about the impact that the Wizarding World has had on Disney World.  The resorts and hotels in and around Universal Orlando have seen significant decreases in room vacancy, in spite of significant increases in average cost per room night.  Although the Disney World area has seen similar increases, they can't compare to the the Universal area.

I knew the day Wizarding World opened, it was going to hurt Disney, especially in light of the fact that they have very little in the pipeline to generate the kind of excitement that we've seen for Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Universal went all out on this one and it shows.

What are your thoughts?  Has Wizarding World hurt Disney?  If so, how much and for how long?

Did you know Disney World has a kennel?  That's right!  You can let Fido have a vacation of his own right along with Pluto and the gang.  Each of the 4 Disney World theme parks has a kennel near the front entrance, with an exception at Magic Kingdom where the kennels are located at the Ticket and Transportation Center.  There's also one located at the Fort Wilderness Campground.

With the exception of seeing-eye/guide dogs, pets are not permitted in Disney World theme parks, resorts, or Disney buses.  They can, however, stay in a beautiful air-conditioned kennel.

Kennel fees are per animal, per day. Overnight boarding is also available. At the Transportation and Ticket Center, Epcot and Fort Wilderness locations, the rate includes two walks and two feedings per day. At Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom, guests are required to walk and exercise their pets 2 times daily.

You must make separate reservations for your pet -- a Disney resort reservation does not guarantee a kennel space for your pets. Although reservations are not technically required, we strongly suggest you get one!  Guests should call each kennel for reservation and rate information.

Disney's Animal Kingdom 407-938-2100
Disney's Hollywood Studios 407-560-4282
Epcot 407-560-6229
Magic Kingdom/TTC 407-824-6568
Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground 407-824-2735

Here are a few pics from the Magic Kingdom Kennel to give you an idea of what they look like.

No, this isn't going to be a post about remembering to bring your clean underwear to Disney.....although you should do that, seriously.

This is about all those things that we always forget to bring on our Disney vacations.  Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and some other oft left behind items.

1. Hats! Yes, hats.  With the Florida sun shining nearly every day of the year, it's critical to bring along your own "shade."  I like Columbia boonie-type hats, but anything that provides some cover for those beautiful, delicate features of your face will suffice.  It doesn't matter how much sunscreen I put on my daughter's face, she still manages to get a little red under her eyes if I don't put a hat on her noggin.
2. Water! I prefer to bring along a Camelbak on our Disney vacations.  You may prefer some other way to cart around some aqua-relief.  This is one few people think about bringing along, yet makes a huge difference!  I find it's also a convenient way to carry the camera and other odds & ends into the park without carrying a full-size backpack.  You end up getting through security faster and aren't feeling exhausted from being weighted down all day.
3. Sunscreen.  This is not a make or break item.  Disney does sell sunscreen, everywhere.  However, you will pay a bit more for it at the resort, rather than buying it at home and bringing it along.
4. Swimmies. People often forget this one.  We've been stuck in the resort not able to let the kids swim because we have no way to even buy swim diapers, anywhere or travel to a store that sells them.  Imagine, stuck in a resort room, kids REALLY wanting to go swimming, and no swim diapers!  Talk about awful.
5. Medicines.  Children's Tylenol or Motrin, Children's Benedryl, pain reliever for you.  You get the idea.  You don't want to be without these when your kid wakes up with a fever or your legs are killing you from the bataan death march you took through Magic Kingdom.
6. Band-Aids.  You don't need a full first aid kit, just a few Band-Aids for the kids.  I don't know about you, but our kids can be saved by a single Band-Aid.  The crying and fussing over a minor scrape all stop with the application of a strip of plastic with a gauze pad.
7. Shoes.  You'd be surprised how many people bring along only one pair of shoes on their Disney World vacation.  You'll be doing A LOT of walking.  Bring a few pairs of shoes along to assist in adding to your comfort level.  Oh yeah, you may want to bring along a pair that can get wet, too.
8. Clothes that can get wet. Even if you don't plan to go to a Disney water park, the parks include lots of opportunities to get wet.  Rides, water jets, and water features spread throughout the Disney World Resort attract you and your kids with relief from the Florida heat.  Be prepared to get wet and bring some clothes along for the occasion.
9. Batteries. Again, like sunscreen above, you can buy these when you get to Orlando, but you'll pay a premium to get them and they may not have the ones you need.  Last time my batteries died in the park, I needed a 9-volt and couldn't find one, anywhere.
10. Memory cards. This one used to be film, but now, you have to make sure you have enough memory for your pics.  Plus, those little SD cards can break, very easily.  Have a back-up.
11. Plastic bags.  Ziploc bags and garbage bags come in very handy.  Storing that sticky candy for the flight home, separating out your dirty clothes, medicines and colognes that may leak, and on and on.  It's easy to include and uses are endless.
12. An extra suitcase/bag. You're coming home with souvenirs.  Accept it and plan for it.  Bring along an extra duffel bag or something to bring it all home.
13. Sunglasses.  Not so much for you, but we always forget to bring along sunglasses for the kids!  Make sure everyone has their shades before they walk out the door.
14. Kids activities.  A Nintendo DS, your iPhone or iTouch, a Leapster...whatever it takes to keep the little ones busy during the waits in lines.  We're not just talking about the rides -- waiting to check-in, waiting on the bus, food, the never-ending Disne-line that starts at the departure airport.

Hopefully, our short list of often forgotten items will help make your Disney World vacation a little more enjoyable.  Have a magical time!

A couple days ago, Disney extended the "Kids Stay and Play Free" promotion to September and part of October.  It looked like this may be the extent of Disney's fall promotions, as we kept hearing rumors about a Free Dining Plan promotion, but never saw anything solid to confirm the rumors.

Well, today Disney finally released the much anticipated "Free Dining Plan" promotion, but only for Disney Visa cardholders.  Don't worry, it should be released to the general public, soon.  Either with a Disney Visa or without, you'd better book yours, FAST!  When we first called to confirm that the discount was available at 7AM, this morning the wait time was just a few minutes, but as word spread, the wait time had increased to 30 minutes to 45 minutes by 8AM!

The travel dates are August 15-October 2.  If you stay at a Disney Value Resort, you will get the Quick Service Dining Plan for free.  If you stay at a Disney Moderate or Deluxe Resort, you will get the Basic Dining Plan for free.

You will also save an extra $25-100 if you book your Disney World vacation with our travel partner at Destinations in Florida Travel. Just mention INSIDER when pricing and booking your package.

Contact our travel partner, Destinations In Florida Travel, at info @ destinationsinflorida.com or 877-918-8941 to book your Disney World Free Dining vacation package, today and get your extra discount!

Little Tip: If you are not a Disney Visa Cardholder, you can still request a quote.  The price will be the same for you.  If you would like to get prepared for this release date for the general public, request a quote so you know your package price.  When the promotion is released to the general public, they will book it for you!