Celebrate with us!  Disney Parks

Walter Elias Disney was born in 1901 and is considered a pioneer in animated cartoons.  In 1928, he created the character Mickey Mouse for a silent film, Plane Crazy.  He went on to create the first feature length cartoon, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. 

                      Walt's creation, Mickey Mouse         Walt Disney 1901-1966

Walt Disney was a man of great visions and in 1955 the doors to a huge theme park in Anaheim, California opened, Disneyland.  Today Disneyland is considered a compact park nestled in a business area near Los Angeles.  Another theme park, Disney California Adventure Park opened in 2001 just adjacent to the original park.  There are three award winning hotels at Disneyland Resort and plenty of shopping, dining, and entertainment at the Downtown Disney District.  Disneyland is about the size of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and is considered a more intimate Disney experience.

In the early 1960’s, Walt Disney wanted to create another Disney theme park and he had a vision of an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, EPCOT.  This vision was a real city where people could work and live with the latest technology.  So he began the “Florida Project” by purchasing thousands of acres of swampland just southwest of Orlando Florida.  He used a fake name to keep the land cost from escalating.  When he had finished, Walt owned 43 square miles of land about twice the size of Manhattan for a cool five million dollars.  When Walt Disney died in 1966 so did his vision of EPCOT, but his brother Roy was committed to creating a Disney theme park and naming it Walt Disney World.

Today,Walt Disney World Resort is acres of magical fun including 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 23 Disney Resort hotels, 6 golf courses, world class shopping, and dining experiences from family friendly to award winning restaurants.  Disney Travel Company offers many choices for designing your unique travel experience.  Additionally, other tour operators can package Disney trips with air, hotel, park tickets, and ground transportation.  Flights from the Baltimore-Washington area are about two hours and can be non-stop making Orlando an easy flight destination with children of any age.  In recent years, vacationers have had the opportunity to custom make their park passes by selecting the number of days, if you wish to hop from park to park (hopper option),  yes or no to water parks or admission entertainment venues.  Disney has even added a dining option to their packages.

Magic Kingdom Park is a world of fantasy with seven enchanted lands.  This park is a huge favorite for the younger children, yet visited and enjoyed by kids if all ages. EPCOT is really two themes in one park by mixing the World Showcase and innovative technology attractions.  Explore the eleven nations clustered around a man made body of water and save time in the evening for the fireworks and laser spectacular, IllumiNations.  Some vacations need two days to thoroughly enjoy all the sights at Epcot.  Disney's Hollywood Studios brings all the adventures found in your favorite movies to life.  Catch the excitement on one many thrill rides or entertaining shows.  Animal Kingdom Theme Park is Disney’s latest park and offers the Disney caliber thrill rides and shows along with an opportunity to see and learn about animals up close and personal.

When the heat of the Florida sun is too much to bear, grab your swimsuit and explore one of Disney’s two Water Parks. Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach are the places to race down a flume ride, navigate the twist and turns of unique water rides, catch a wave in the wave pool or just relax under a palm tree. 

           Celebrate a Very Merry Mickey Christmas    

Walt Disney World Resort offers 23 different hotel accommodations ranging from the Value to the Deluxe Resorts, Vacation Clubs, or even the Fort Wilderness Resort located on Disney property.  There are many other name brand hotel accommodations located in Downtown Disney or near the famous International Drive Area.  These hotels offer transportation to the Disney attractions.  No matter the size of your family, there are many choices where to rest your head and have those sweet Disney dreams.

Many styles of dining are found throughout the entire Disney Resort complex along with entertainment galore, particularly at the Wide World of Sports Complex and the newly renovated Downtown Disney area.

Keeping with Walt Disney’s tradition, Disney Travel Company expanded their sights in 1998 by launching Disney Cruise Lines and introducing us to the Disney Wonder and the Disney Magic.   A Disney cruise offers so many unique qualities not found on other cruise ships including cabins designed for a family of five and Disney entertainment for families of all sizes and ages.  Itineraries currently being offer include 7 night cruises alternating between the Western and Eastern Caribbean and 3 or 4 night Bahamian cruises.  A highlight of any of the itineraries is a day long stop at the Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.  Soak in the sun on the beaches or enjoy the turquoise waters.  Don’t miss the Black Pearl from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean anchored at Castaway Cay.  Both ships sail out of Port Canaveral located just an hour drive from Orlando.  If you can’t decide between a cruise or land package, Disney offers vacationers a 7 night land and sea combination package to enjoy the best Disney has to offer. For the summer of 2011, the Disney Cruise Lines will be sailing to Alaska providing travelers the chance to see the glaciers in Disney style.  In January of 2011, the newest ship Disney Dreams will set sail with Bahamas itineraries.

Within the past several years Disney Travel Company created yet another travel alternative for vacationers. Adventures by Disney answers the need of a one of a kind Disney family vacation to exciting destinations.  Travel in style to London & Paris or Ireland.  How about Spain, Italy, Costa Rica or the Wild West Wyoming?  With each tour, Adventure Guides will make sure your entire trip is everything you dreamed of including top notched accommodations, ground transportations, most meals, activities & entertainment, and even local experts.  Disney focuses on the needs of all travelers especially the kids or Junior Adventurers.  To learn more about Adventures by Disney, contact our office for a detailed brochure and descriptive CD.

Walt Disney was a man with an imagination and numerous visions to entertain people through his movies and theme parks.  Even though Walt has been gone for over 40 years, The Disney Travel Company and their subsidiaries continue to be innovative with their visions to provide fun and entertainment to people of all ages.  So when you want to “do Disney” either by land or sea, a few hours away of even further, call us at Bay Winds Travel Agency and we will help you find that perfect Disney vacation.

                   Walt Disney strolls into Disneyland, late 1950's