Disney diversions too numerous
CHRISTINE HICKS- USTA Travel
With just a little time and options galore, choosing a diversion in Orlando can be daunting. First-timers nearly always head for the parks at Walt Disney World. Its size alone requires preplanning and strategy to make the most of tickets since they aren't a small purchase. There are one-park tickets, one-day tickets and "park hopper" tickets, not to mention a variety of tours from which to choose. And is there such a thing as "discounted" tickets to Walt Disney World?

On a recent visit to Orlando, my tightly packaged schedule allowed only for an afternoon visit to one park. Turns out discount tickets are available through www.orlandoinfo.com or at one of the official visitor centers which populate the area. My one-park, after 2 p.m. admission ticket to Epcot, for example, cost $49.77 ($53.01 with tax). Indeed, discounted tickets are available here to most every theme park in the area, with additional discounts offered to those attending meetings and conventions (like me). There is a possibility for even greater discounts on select park options with advance purchase from the Internet site at www.orlandoticketsales. com.

Admittedly, I have not been in a Disney theme park in more than a decade. It bears mentioning that I do not have children. Ergo, living a life absent compulsion to fulfill what some perceive as the American birthright, what little appeal Disney holds for me is insufficient to lure me. Nonetheless, given an afternoon, a discounted ticket, and friends with whom to experience a park, I was game.

Our choice of Epcot likely had more to do with our age than anything else as no one was below 50. Unsurprisingly, twirling teacups and "toontown" held marginal appeal, making a stop at the Magic Kingdom extrinsic. MGM had possibilities, though I had just finished a trip to Universal Studios. And there was no getting anyone on the Tower of Terror that close to lunch or dinner. Animal Kingdom was possible, though the unspoken prospect that dinner loomed meant positioning for something more grown up in fare. For dinner in the parks, there is no better place than Epcot.

Our stay was dotted by small tragedies. Stormy weather closed Test Track. The lineless "Ellen's Energy Adventure" was marred by equipment failure at the end. We "FastPassed" for tickets at Mission: SPACE, however, time spent at these previous ventures shrunk our window of opportunity significantly. While we secured FastPass tickets to Test Track for a later time (having waited the requisite one hour between FastPasses), the park closed earlier than our ability to navigate back in time. Frustrating…

Dinner at Marrakesh was the highlight of our visit, though it's not entirely clear whether it was the food or the belly dancer. After her initial performance, she engaged several adorable children to join her on the dance floor, where they unabashedly mimicked her dance, movement by movement. Cute and thoroughly engaged, the kids were a showstopper. Huh … maybe that's the magic of Disney.

(Christine Hicks-Usta has enjoyed more than 30 years of globe-trotting as a member of the travel industry. Direct questions to her at Bee Group Newspapers, P.O. Box 150, Buffalo, NY 14231-0150.)