The Happiest Place on Earth...

Well, so Walt Disney World claims to be.

When the planning for our trip first began my sister was adamant that we go to Disney World (this being the one in Orlando, FL - not to be confused with Disney Land in California). I, however, was skeptical. As a child I most certainly would have loved to visit a Disney theme park, but as an adult I couldn't help but wonder whether it would have anything of interest to me. As I eventually discovered when we stepped off the Disney Magical Express, I was wrong (and I owe my sister an apology for doubting her. Sorry F!)

The first thing you notice when entering the Disney property aboard the Disney Magical Express bus is how incredibly big this place is. In fact my assumptions of all the individual theme parks being within walking distance of one another could not have been more wrong! Each park is a good 10 or so minute drive from each other, and have their own attached resort areas. We quickly realised a hire car was needed ASAP!

We had the great pleasure of staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. F had spent months raving about how great this place was going to be, all African themed with native African wildlife roaming around on the trails behind the hotel. I, of course being a skeptic, did not believe her and was not remotely looking forward to our stay. But I was so wrong...

From the beautiful African wood carvings and the cosy, warm fire pit in the hotel lobby, to the wonderful staff - many of whom are originally from Africa and so well equipped to explain and introduce their wonderful culture to guests - this place is absolutely incredible!

This is how incredible the staff are, housekeeping make little animals out of wash cloths!

In case I needed any further proof that Disney World can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike, we spent our first day at Epcot.

This theme park brings together cultures from around the world, and has little "tastes" of different countries. There was Canada:

And the United Kingdom:

As well as Italy, France, Japan, Germany, Morocco, China, Norway and Mexico. Unfortunately our pictures of these areas didn't quite turn out due to human error.

Epcot is a park that not only has a world showcase but brings to life Walt Disney's vision of a "future world". The greatest thing about this theme park is that it is all about the food and experiencing the different cultures (even the immigration officer that processed us at LAX agrees). As such it is very much a theme park for adults (with hardly any "kiddie" rides in sight!). I only wish there had been more hours in the day... you can truly get lost in this place.