Working our way up from the "ordinary" (at least ordinary in terms of WDW) Disney offers an unusual but interesting aside for many of its guests. WDW’s Wonders of the World offers inquisitive guests behind-the-scenes views of the WDW complex through a number of educational seminars. Many of these programs are for children but WDW offers not less than a handful of great behind-the-scenes tours for adults as well.

Most of these programs are 4-hours in length and are educational walking tours but communicating and marketing workshops are also available.

Now, remember that picnic you can get a the Gourmet Pantry in WDW Village? Here is the perfect place to eat that perfect picnic – Discovery Island. Originally called Treasure Island, today, Discovery Island is an adults getaway from the theme parks and theme motifs of hotels to an island of tropical splendor with flora and fauna galore spread out over a 12 acre/45 minute walk that could take you the better part of a day if you chose. In addition to the many free roaming animals and fantastic floral forests you are likely to spend time at Avian Way, Bamboo Hollow, Cranes’ Roost, Flamingo Lagoon, Parrots Perch, Pelican Bay, Tortoise Beach and Trumpeter Springs.

Though not for everyone, few people who take the time to visit Discovery Island regret the boat trip from Seven Seas Lake through Bay Lake to the island – and this really is a pretty romantic place for an afternoon picnic.

Should you and your spouse be into water parks – you guessed it – WDW has some of the best around. Typhoon Lagoon is WDW’s more traditional 50+ acres water park with truly state-of-the-art water facilities.

Just as The Magic Kingdom has its railroad to encircle the park, Typhoon Lagoon has Castaway Creek. You hop on a tube (free) and the slow moving current glides you around nearly a � mile of water course that, during its 30 minute ride, gives you an overview of the entire facility. You drift along at a snails pace but it is thoroughly enjoyable and (of course) there are a number of places you can leave Castaway Creek and return later.

Typhoon Lagoon itself is a 2.75-million gallon swimming site positioned on 2 � acres of tropical, Caribbean-styled paradise – including all the white sand beach you would want and two connecting tidal pools for the more docile among us.

There are two speed slides and three body slides plus three whitewater rafting rides to keep you from dozing off, but, if you really want to have a spectacular adventure (something you just don’t find in your usual water parks) SHARK REEF is it! Grab a snorkel (supplied free) and jump into a 15 minute adventure you WILL remember. Here 262,000 gallons of seawater surround a WDW coral reef with 4,000+ live fish, etc. swimming around you – which, of course, includes any number of live SHARKS. The sharks are small and of the docile "we don’t eat humans" variety but the swim – the reef – the fish – the sharks – the fun – is nothing less than a WDW top notch event!

In typical Disney fashion Typhoon Lagoon offers immaculately kept changing rooms (with coin lockers) for its guests.

As if Typhoon Lagoon wouldn’t be enough or would leave something out WDW also offers River Country, a Disney imagineered fantasy land of swimming holes (with one of the largest in the state and it’s heated) and going from there to mountain stream slides, high speed water chutes, flumes, and something as simple and rewarding as the old-fashioned rope swings out over the water – WDW once again does it all (of course.)

River Country is really a part of Fort Wilderness the WDW version of a camp ground. This camp ground however is truly Disney with 650 acres of forested land, with nearly 1,200 excellent campsites, plus tennis and volleyball courts everywhere, a marina with boat and canoe rentals, stables, a beach, jogging trails, electric cart rentals and bike rentals, hayrides and trail rides and more and more and more – plus all you have to do is take the 25 minute ferry ride to the Contemporary Hotel and you are in the heart of WDW.

For those couples who are sports enthusiasts and want to combine a honeymoon adventure with a favorite sport WDW has it covered. There are 27 top notch tennis courts scattered throughout the properties right at WDW; there is boating of all types including speedboats, sailboats, pontoon boats, canopy boats, paddle boats, and canoes; there is fishing, horseback riding, and water skiing…but…you just may have to forego some of these things to have time for WDW itself.

By now you should be getting the picture of why I said you should allow at least a full seven days to visit WDW. Assuming you are planning to take time to relax and take things at a leisurely pace, to eat, sleep and enjoy each other’s company (this is a honeymoon trip, right?) you would be hard pushed to get all of this in over a TWO WEEK timeframe, no less during just one week! But one of the things that makes Orlando the #1 vacation destination in the U.S. is the diversity of the area – so –

Now that you have a feel for WDW and the diversities it can offer the honeymoon couple I want you to know that WDW is only a part, albeit a major part, of the Orlando experience.

Universal Studios Florida is the "other" studio attraction in Orlando but many consider this studio a little better than Disney/MGM. At Universal most of the must see attractions are all great rides. They include the top hit, Back To The Future, Earthquake, Jaws, and King Kong. Then there’s the 3-D virtual adventure of Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time and the Alfred Hitchcock based suspense attraction – however – unless you really have the time (another full day) and unless you really have the money ($40 per person) you may want to save this for another trip (and once you’ve come here once you will want to come again.)

Then there is Sea World of Florida and the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tours, both just a few minutes from WDW.

About 45 minutes out of Orlando is where The Romance River Cruise Lines offers cruises on the beautiful St. Johns River. A dinner cruise is available on Friday’s and Saturday’s throughout the year.

On a daily basis full day excursions (tours or just shuttle rides) are available to the Kennedy Space Center, Bush Gardens, Silver Springs and Cypress Gardens.

But this is just a thumbnail view of the city and its potentials. In Orlando you can have anything from aquariums and planetariums to museums and antique centers – from the opera, ballet, theater and concerts halls to Church Street Station? That’s right! For those of you who just can’t find enough to do and the Pleasure Island nightlife scene just isn’t exciting enough to satisfy your late night party moods, then Church Street Station is obviously for you.

Church Street Station is another Pleasure Island-type of entertainment and dining complexes but with a bit more reality and a bit less Disney. There is a cover charge of about $15 per person to get into this facility. Church Street Station is better known for its atmosphere and music than for its food. You can enjoy Dixieland with can-can dancers, bluegrass and folk music, full blown shows with top entertainment, nostalgic 50’s music, modern disco and a little of everything else.

Here is my personal favorite – and – if you happen to be into hot air ballooning or if you have ever thought you might like to try hot air ballooning or if you believe, like I believe, that a hot air balloon trip with fruit, cheese, pastries and (of course) champagne, could be one of the most romantic days of your honeymoon – this might just be for you. While hot air balloon rides are NOT inexpensive (figure $300+ for the two of you) they are spectacular and may be the one and only thing that could out do your WDW experience.

In the Orlando area there are a number of good, qualified, reputable companies to select from – when you first get in ask at your hotel for their preferred choice and make your reservations as far in advance as you can. Allow at least � a day (starting just before dawn) for your ballooning adventure.

Now, armed with a pretty thorough overview of WDW and the surrounding area here are some tips and considerations for you to look at before finalizing your honeymoon or anniversary trip to WDW.

The best time to visit WDW is NOW – from early September through the 15^th of December, then from January early January (after the Christmas Holiday rush) to mid February (when the winter tourist season gets into full swing in Florida) and then again from the week after Easter (when the winter tourist season ends) until the middle of May (when many schools start letting out for the summer.) During these times of year rates are likely to be low, lines at the theme parks will be MUCH shorter or non-existent, which in itself means you will save anywhere from two to four hours a day of waiting in lines, and flights tend to be less full and less expensive.

Once you have decided on a date and how long you will be able to stay – plan ahead – as you can tell from this month’s and last month’s article on WDW there really is more to do than you are likely to have time for and while the last thing you want is a strict schedule to follow you will want a general idea and overview of how and what you are planning to do when you get to WDW.

WDW has single-day and multi-day passes plus a mix of one-theme-park-a-day and go-as-you-please passes. You just have to work through a general itinerary to determine what’s best for you.

Then, depending on when you plan to travel and how long you plan to stay you may find a WDW packaged vacation that saves you big bucks while satisfying your needs. By all means take the time to check with a travel agent or honeymoon specialist to see what’s out there – and make sure your agent has personal, current knowledge of WDW.

A routine that has worked well for me over the past number of years is as follows:

1. The day of arrival I don’t go to any of the theme parks. I usually arrive in the afternoon and like to check out the hotel, talk to the concierge to see what’s new and what’s news, relax, do some of the non-Disney things then have a great dinner and get to bed at a decent hour so I can start early in the morning – this usually beats the crowds and I see more in less time. Besides, WDW passes are not cheap and why pay for a day and spend less than half a day there?
2. The first full day at WDW I get up early enough to be at the theme park of my choice (usually the Magic Kingdom is first just to get the full impact of the Disney experience) before it is officially open. What many visitors don’t realize is that the park actually is open to the public one hour before the attractions open. You can go in, stop for coffee at one of the cafes (always open early) and get to the area of the park you want to start at before the rush hits – doing all of this at a leisurely pace – "leisurely" should be the operative word when you go to WDW.
3. When you are ready for a break, if you are at the Magic Kingdom or Epcot Center just jump on the monorail and get off at one of the three hotels on the monorail line for a cocktail or milk shake or whatever. Then return to the park at your leisure.
4. For at least two days of my stay I like to plan my "big meal of the day" for Epcot’s great restaurants and then I plan to eat either very early or very late (reservations are an absolute MUST and very tough to get for the rush hours, either at lunch or dinner.) If you are staying at a Disney hotel or at one of the hotels at the Disney Village Hotel Plaza you can make reservations by phone up to three days in advance, otherwise as soon as you enter Epcot you should first go to the WorldKey Information System in Earth Station. Here you can make your dining reservations for the day – but be early, most of the restaurants are fully booked by 10 AM.
5. Around the traditional lunch hour the lines are the longest at most attractions so this is a good time to either have a reservation to eat, leave the park for a brief respot at one of the hotels along the monorail line and/or take a break and return to your hotel for a few hours.
6. In general, the most leisurely way to enjoy WDW (for me) is to do the early morning thing when the crowds are the smallest; then take a midday break, when the crowds are the largest; and return late in the afternoon to continue my journey into the evening (once again when the crowds have become smaller.)
7. I am ALWAYS amazed that no matter how leisurely a pace I set for myself, by the end of my WDW stay I am beat. There is something to do from dawn to early morning (as in 2 AM) EVERY DAY – so – take your time, take breaks, set a leisurely pace and enjoy yourself. If you don’t do this you are likely to remember arriving, leaving, and one day in between; the rest of the time could be nothing more than a blur!

When you look at all of the potential options you will have and all that WDW and

Orlando have to offer, you can see why this is the #1 vacation destination in the U.S. Further, once you take the time to look at WDW in depth you will start to realize that from this one destination you can be nearly anywhere in the world you want to be. You can visit far off lands, historic times, fantasy lands and more, all from this one central location – WDW.

While most people wouldn’t think of a "Disney" destination as a romantic place to go – don’t kid yourself – you would be hard pressed to find a nicer, prettier, cleaner, more friendly destination with more options and more people who really are there to cater to you.