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W e had a package deal for two adults and two children aged 3 and 5, chartered flight through Sunwing, car rental and Comfort Suites accommodation in Orlando for the week of April 1 to 8th. It started with a shortened night of sleep, airline limo (with no car seats) picked us up 3:30 am, waited for the U.S. customs to open at 4:45 for our 6:10 flight.

The flight was short, and we picked up the rental car at the airport, upgraded to a mid-sized SUV, which I think is really necessary if you have 2 strollers and 2 car seats. Our hotel room wasn't ready, so we headed for Disneytown, not the theme park but an open-to-the-public section. After this intro to Disney World, we headed back to the hotel for some rest and use of the swimming pool.

We geared up early for Disney week, first the Magic Kingdom. Early morning seems to be the busy hour, so there was some waiting in line for the tram to get us to the gate. We opted for the 5-day pass, which is US$800 for 2 adults and 2 children. There is homeland security at the gate, all bags are checked, so less is better.

You can enter the Kingdom via monorail faster, or go via the ferryboat-line-up, which was our choice. Finally we are in the Mecca of all family vacations. With Cinderella's castle in the background, Main Street was roped off for the must-see parade. Even at this early hour, I see stressed looks on the faces of some of the parents because the kids can't get close enough, they wave and yell out the Disney names ... priceless.

Now for the photos and rides. The Disney people have made this process efficient to reduce the wait time. Pick the ride/show you want and get a fast pass at a designated time and return to avoid the line up!!! The photo spots have photographers ready to take your memorable family shots and transfer them directly onto the website, you just get a card and accumulate the memories at the photo shop or when you get home online free for 30 days or purchase. I spotted a shady, quiet spot by the river covered with benches and camped out while our 3 year old took a nap. Mother and daughter took this time to see Disney shows on stage and check out some rides. So on it went, we decided to take it easy on this first full day, meaning no fireworks at 10:00 pm.

Tuesday was Animal Kingdom. Parking and entry were a little easier and not as hectic as the Magic Kingdom, but not quite as child-oriented as the focus is more on Africa. This would be the weak link of the four parks in my opinion, although others I spoke to felt otherwise. To me, it was not much different than African Lion Safari in Rockton, Ontario, the Toronto Zoo or the CNE, you get the idea. The agenda and message was Disney parade and meet the characters, save the rainforest, donate to the wildlife fund. It does get quite tiring putting in eight hours at the park, so we headed for the beach Wednesday. Clearwater seemed close, but it took close to two hours and parking was difficult. Very nice beach and the water was also nice so we spent a very leisurely pleasant day, capped off with a meal at a beachfront restaurant listening to a live blues/folk band.

Thursday was the Epcot Center. I think this is more family than just focused on kids as it felt little more leisurely and not as hectic as the Magic Kingdom. We could experience a variety of countries around the world and meet the Disney characters, and each centre has a live act, like the Beatles in London. We saw a short set by Paul Revere and the Raiders. I particularly liked the Germany pavilion, where we were able to have a full buffet dinner while all the kids danced to the polka band, and we even managed to stay up for the 9:00 pm fireworks.

Friday, the final day of the quartet was devoted to the MGM theme park. We thought about skipping this one, but it turned out to be quite good for the kids. Many TV shows and the characters were represented, and it was not too crowded with easy parking, entry and exit. We saw the usual Disney parade, etc. and then we decided to make an early afternoon/evening exit. For the finale we headed back to the Magic Kingdom on Saturday, and perhaps this was overdoing it a bit, as we had a full dose of rides and shows and stops at the playground areas.

W e also discovered at one of the theme restaurants that reservations are fully booked for weeks in advance, but there are many familiar foods at reasonable prices available. It would be hard to go hungry here -- even the popsicle stands take credit cards, so carrying cash wasn't much of an issue. You can get a Disney credit card or Disney cash as well -- this is not a place to watch your budget. We wanted to stay up for the 10:00 pm fireworks display, but the kids fell asleep after a full day, and as it was a particularly cool night, we had to find some warm shelter, which hindered the spectacular fireworks in which Tinkerbell flies out the castle. Sunday morning we flew back uneventfully, both parents and children were very tired.

In summary, it's probably one of our more memorable family trips, even though it's not as relaxing as an all-inclusive resort vacation. In hindsight, if better direct flights were available we wouldn't have gotten off to a tired start, and another day at the beach would have been nice. Getting meals was also an issue, and I think a resort-style meal plan would have been nice. All this I am sure is available, but even though we did some reading beforehand (the CAA Florida edition was useful), there were a number of things it would have been helpful to know beforehand. It's definitely one for the memories, but be ready for a lot of line-ups while you are there.

Relevant Notes

• Henry's package deal (air, hotel, car) was about $3,000.

• Park tickets came to about $1,000

• Recommended budget for other expenses: $1,000

• Henry's comment on expenses: " We spent more I am sure, although not thinking about it while you are there helps you enjoy it."

• Thumbs up on the Orlando Airport: "We just followed other people who have been there before. Hotels are everywhere, it seems the entire Orlando area is hotels. Disney is the attraction, and off the major highway, we were 10 minutes away."