Tom Sawyer's Island

Tom's Island is my new favorite Disney spot. On a hot crowded day,it's such a great place to slow down and cool off. The island is full of dark caves and caverns,a great fort, and picnic tables tucked under a wonderful canopy of shade trees.

To get the island you will board a wood "raft"in Frontier Land.The dock is opposite the enterance of Splash Mountain and Big Thunder.

It's the perfect place for a picnic. There are two old fashion picnic tables near a play area that is a parent's dream. The kids can play and you can rest. Another great spot on the island is the fort. After crossing the bridge you find 2 paths. One path will lead you straight into the fort. The second path will take you to the fort's back door but you will first pass a great little water front nook with two comfy rocking chairs and a great view of the Big Thunder train rumbling by.

Another great spot to picnic is in the rocking chairs on the deck of the closed Aunt Polly's. I didn't travel to the island while Aunt Polly's was up and running so I can't say if it is missed or not. There are a few vending machines offer some quick snacks. From the deck you can watch the crowds on the opposite bank.

Journey Into Imagination with Figment

Journey into Imagination with Figment is a great little ride at Epcot. It is located next to the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show. The ride is hosted by Figment a cute purple dragon that has a mischievous side. The ride has large oversize cars that make it really comfy, even for 5 or 6 riders.

This ride is great for small children. There is no height requirements. At Epcot sometimes it can be challenging to entertain little ones. This is a ride the whole family can enjoy.

The greatest part of the ride is the exit! The ride exits into a fun interactive imagination lab. There is all types of fun games for the kids to entertain themselves with. If you're traveling with a group with various ages this is a great place to entertain younger kids while the bigger members of the family enjoy rides with height restrictions.

TIP: This ride rarely has a long wait, if any wait at all!
TRICK: Let the little one sit in front for the best view.
TIDBIT: Figment has been entertaining audience for years but the ride was revamped in 2002 for a fresh look. If you haven't seen Figment in awhile then the ride is worth a visit.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

The Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a must for all the little mermaid fans! The show is located in Animation Courtyard at Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios). The show combines footage from the movie, puppets, actors, and water to create a unique and fun show.

The attraction is rather dark and when Ursula makes her appearance it can be a little scary for younger children. My kids have never been to frightened to cry but both have hide their eyes from time to time over the years.

Songs from the movie including "Under the Sea" are performed in the show. You will also see King Triton turn Ariel from a mermaid to a human. It's a real "wooow!" moment with my kids even after seeing it a handful of times. The show also has a flurry of bubbles at one point that seems to be a favorite with all kids.


Tip: DON'T SIT IN THE FRONT FEW ROWS! I know that sounds like odd advise but especially if you have small children, you should sit farther back in the audience. The stage is a little high and small kids could have a hard time seeing Sebastian .
Trick: While waiting for the doors to open to the theatre, watch King Tritons staff. It's hanging on the wall between the doors. It will glow from time to time!
Tidbit: There are over 100 black light puppets in the show.

The American Film Institute Showcase

The American Film Institute Showcase has a wonderfully bad attraction at Hollywood Studios. At Villains : Movie Characters You Love to Hate you will be able to see costumes and props from movies from across movie history. There are current (8/2008) displays of the popular villains Darth Vadar, Queen from Narnia, Davy Jones' organ, plus many many more.

The Back lot Tour ends at the front door of AFI Showcase so you can quickly view the villains before re-entering the park. You do not have to go through the back lot tour to visit the showcase though.You can find the AFI Showcase on all the Hollywood Studios maps.

Tip: It is rather dark inside the AFI so it may be harder to take a good picture without the flash.
Trick: If you don't have time for the 40 minute Back Lot tour, you can still visit the Villains.
Tidbit: The exhibits change often. So even if you visited the AFI before it's worth another visit to see the newest villains added to the showcase.

Walt Disney World Railroad

The steam train in the Magic Kingdom is a great way to move around the kingdom. There are 3 different stations around the Magic Kingdom: Main Street, Frontier Land, and Mickey's Toontown Fair.

The Main Street station is at the front of the park. You will actually walk under the station upon entering the park. There is quite a few steps to climb to the station. At the top of the stairs you will find not only a beautiful steam train but great views of Cinderella Castle.

The Frontier Land station is located just between Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. Again there are some stairs to climb to and from the train. This is actually the station we board at the most because our families routine is FantasyLand, Frontier Land, then Toontown Fair. The train takes us directly to Toontown Fair and we save our feet.

The station at Mickey's Toontown Fair is located at the outside edge of the area. It's just behind the Chip & Dale play yard. This station is the easiest to board since it is at ground level--NO STAIRS!!!

It is more than just a mode of transportation, the ride has some fun scenes set up along the route. Between the Main Street station and the frontier station you will pass Indian camps, an old outpost, and some neat views of Splash Mountain.

Tip: You can take personal strollers onto the train but Disney strollers have to be left at the station. You simply take your name card and personal items and a new stroller will be waiting at the next station.
Trick: Be a guest conductor! When the gates open, make a beeline to the back of the train and ask. My son has done this before. He got to announce "All aboard!", ride in the back of the train with the cast member and at the next stop he was presented a "Guest conductor certificate" for a keepsake.
Tidbit: the trains only go in one direction. The stops always go Main Street to Frontier Land to Toontown Fair to Main Street to frontier Land.....etc. There is no back tracking between the stops. So you can't go from Frontier Land to Main Street directly. You will have to go all the way around past Toontown Fair to get the Main Street station.

Pocahontas & Her Forest Friends

Pocahontas & Her Forest Friends is great little show in Camp Mickey Minnie at Animal Kingdom. It's located next to The Festival of the Lion King. The show takes part in an outside theatre so weather can effect not only your comfort but also the show times. This is a show geared for young children. If you are going with teens or all adults this probably would not be a crowd favorite.

During the show Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow chat with a new character Sprout about the animals and trees of the forest. Throughout the show a variety of forest animals visit the stage. The live animals are big hit with the kids. The show includes some songs from the movie and is finished off with a flutter of falling leaves over the audience. The first 3 rows of the theatre is reserved for children (like Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot). I love when shows have children seating. There's no worries about if everyone can see.

Pocahontas & Her Forest Friends are at the end of run at Animal Kingdom. The show is scheduled to close in late September of 2008. If you visiting Animal Kingdom make sure you visit the show before it closes.

Tip: Pocahontas also makes an appearance during Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios. So there will still be a Pocahontas fix for all the fans after the show's closing.
Trick: Since children have reserved seating, it can be confusing reuniting after the show. If you arrive a little early then you can sit directly behind them or across the isle so it's easier to reunite your group.
Tidbit: Pocahontas & Her Forest Friends has been running in the Animal Kingdom for 10 years.

Primeval Whirl

The Primeval Whirl is a roller coaster ride inside Dinoland at Animal Kingdom. The area has an old fashion carnival feel but this ride is not for little kids. There is a height restriction of 48" and taller to enjoy the attraction. Our first visit, we assumed that the attraction was like Goofy's Barnstormer at the Magic Kingdom and suitable for smaller kids. It's take 2 years for our oldest to reach the height requirement for this coaster.

The whirl has 2 lines that make the wait somewhat quicker. Each "time machine" has 4 seats. However, the seats are on the small side so 3 may be a more comfy fit. While in line you will have huge fans cooling you down as you look at the scientist working out the machines kinks.

The roller coaster is an open air coaster so you don't have to worry about dark areas or closed in areas. Each of the "time machines" is a free moving independent car so each one can turn and spin in its own unique pattern. The coaster combines spinning and dips to put a smile on your face.

Tip: .If you have tall, larger, or all adults then splitting into smaller groups will make the ride more comfortable.
Trick: There are 2 separate lines to this line. The left line is suppose to be have a shorter wait. You be the judge!
Tidbit: this ride has fastpasses. Grab a fast pass then head off to the triceratops spin or to play some games.