Disney World. Disneyland on steroids, 4 separate parks, an entire transportation hub and system, multiple resorts within 33,100 acres of land, and the hot and humid Florida climate add up to an impressive paradise. The rides are astoundingly themed and the thrill rides have just the right amount of thrill, so no matter your fear level, you can bear it. The scenery is beautiful and is just as grand and majestic as in the stories and movies, and every single park has their specialty must-go show: a live performance, one with fireworks, a parade, or even a light-show! Each park has its own unique feature that will keep you playing or watching until the park closes. Or maybe even after that, with the after-hour tickets! The only fault to this seemingly flawless paradise are the crowds. I can easily state that even on weekdays which are not holidays, there are swarms of people in the park. The most popular rides are jam-packed, as are the shows. I can tell you this: If you don’t go to a show early, you may not be able to get into the theater. And all of the roller coaster rides’ wait times are sure to be more than one hour if you don’t go early in the morning or late at night. But on holidays, there is no avail. Hordes of people clog the park, and you won’t stand a chance to catch multiple rides. You would be lucky to get 3 a day. But if you travel at the right time, you might stand a chance. According to an anonymous local Uber driver, January and February are just the right months to go. Since it’s after Christmas, those large swarms of people are not likely to come back so early. Also, the relentless Florida heat lets go during this time. A helpful tip for any of the lands you may visit is to download the My Disney Experience app, which helps you check ride times and lines remotely, which can prove vital in planning your day. Finally, staying at either Disney Hotel Swan or Dolphin will grant you one hour of early access, allowing you to get to the rides that you want ahead of the crowd. So, with the vacation month planned, it’s time to explore the parks. Hollywood Studios has been the most recent park to get an update, with Black Spire Outpost, or as I like to say, Star Wars Land. There are two new attractions, Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance. I recommend Rise of the Resistance first thing in the morning, and Smuggler’s Run later, but you should request for the role of pilot, or else the simulator ride is no fun. I also recommend Toy Story Mania, which is an extremely fun arcade shooter game. The Rock and Roll Roller Coaster is also a scary G-force roller coaster that goes upside down at some parts, and finally the Hollywood Tower of Terror, which is a drop tower. As a pedestrian in the Hollywood Studios said: “It feels like you’re one of those cartoon characters in those comedy shows, falling from [the sky] as the floor disappears!” And it certainly does! As for the shows over there, the best by far is Fantasia, which is a live show involving fire on water, Mickey Mouse, and all of the Disney classics characters and sing-alongs. Another great show is Indiana Jones. You see how they made some of the most iconic scenes in the movies. Be sure to come 15-20 minutes early though, or else you might be left with limited-view seating, or even not be let in! Finally, Slinky Dog Dash is a ride that I do not recommend for 100+ minute wait times. This ride’s line can be deceiving, with me personally spending roughly over 3 hours in the line of this ride. However, to avoid this disaster from occurring, you should try the longer wait-time rides at night, especially the popular ones such as Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, Rise of the Resistance, and the Hollywood Tower of Terror. This can enable you to avoid the unreasonably long wait times of the midday and still enjoy some of the best attractions in the park. The second theme park I’m featuring is Animal Kingdom, which in my opinion, is highly underrated. The reason I’m saying this is really because most kids, or people, don’t really appreciate the beauty of the natural world, which this park amplifies. This park, somewhat like EPCOT, is based on the sights, sounds, smells and feels of the park. Not exactly its rides. But I’m not saying that its rides are bad either! For a truly natural ride, you should take the Kilimanjaro Safari! It has a relatively short wait time in the morning, and its tour of the African Savannah is a good chance to take photos as well as educational because of its tour guide’s commentary. Another great one is DINOSAUR, which is the highlight of Dinoland U.S.A. It is an open ended roller-coaster-type ride, so if you have any bags, you better hold them tight! Luckily, it doesn’t go that fast, it rather just shakes you left to right. However, the crown jewel of the entire park, or in my opinion, the entire Disney World! Avatar: Flight of Passage! This ride is a thrilling 4D simulator that puts you on a banshee, or a flying animal in Pandora, the imaginary world of Avatar. You ride on it as you explore the wonders of Pandora! Nothing can prepare you for this ride. The sights, smells and sounds make it a truly 4D experience. The queue is dotted with all sorts of scenery that will keep you captivated during the wait. Do this nearer to the end of the day, because even in the morning, the wait times exceed 75 minutes. But remember. This ride is a must-go. Now, with Animal Kingdom, there aren’t really any nighttime shows, but
Young Bloggers
Sistories Ep. 1 By Maryam and Nour Abdur-Rahman, 8 & 10
Sistories is a brand new podcast about travel hosted by two sisters–Maryam and Nour! https://stonesoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Sistories-1.m4a Welcome to our new podcast, Sistories! My sister and I love to travel, and we want to inspire you to travel too. My name is Nour, and I’m one of your hosts, along with my sister Maryam. I am ten years old, and I love to travel. My family has been to many places near and far. We have a mini Goldendoodle named Lulu who sometimes gets to go with us on trips. My name is Maryam the Magnificent. I am eight and a half. I love to travel, and I also like sports like swimming and soccer. One of my favorite spots to travel is Grenada. I was born in Houston, but my family was from Grenada and Egypt. I have lots of family there. Today’s topic is why you should travel. Why? My sister and I will both talk about some reason we love to travel. Nour is up first! Here are my two top reasons to try out traveling. Reason 1: you should travel a lot so you can see the lifestyles of locals and notice how they may do things differently than we do in the United States. One year my family visited St. Maarten, a beautiful island in the Caribbean. When you’re driving there the sides of the road that you drive on can change. Why? Because one side of the island is Dutch and the other side is French. You have to drive on the opposite side of the road depending on which part of the island you’re on. Another year, my family traveled to Grenada where my dad is from. We went to a restaurant that was right on the beach. When the server came she told us if you’re hungry in Grenada, you shouldn’t come to a restaurant. It took a really long time for our food to arrive because all of the ingredients are fresh and prepared right then. Reason 2: You can explore new places and try new things. Like when we went to Mexico City and walked to the city square. We saw smoke and wondered what it was. My dad’s uncle explained to us that they were using incense to cleanse you. The incense is supposed to make you feel better. My dad’s uncle said it made him feel like he could fly. We ended up trying it, and it was great! Another place our family went was Egypt. When we were there we got to snorkel in the Red Sea, which is very clear. As I was watching my dad scuba dive, I jumped off the dock; I could see my dad below me with all the beautiful fish. We also got to visit the pyramids on horses and camels. It was a bumpy ride, but I recommend you try it. Now it’s my turn. I have 2 more amazing reasons you should travel. Reason 1: you should travel so that you can be amazed. One time my family and I were in Boston. We went on a boat ride with my cousin. It was a big boat. We were going whale watching. When we were far from land, we saw a whale wagging its tail in the ocean and slapping the water. It was giving itself a high five! Then we saw 4 whales swimming together, and they blew out water. Next, a gigantic whale jumped out of the water and twirled in the air. It was pretty and cool because the water droplets were surrounding it. I wanted to see it again, but it was time to go back. Reason 2: You should travel to take a break from your stressful life! Kids who have to deal with school, activities, homework, impatient and annoying friends, and your chores. When you travel you can go to places like Grenada and put all of it behind you. Grenada is my favorite place because it has a magical beach that can change your life. And you can also pick off mango from the trees, and you can walk on the beach all around. It’s just one of my favorite places. Thank you so much for listening to our podcast, Sistories! Come back again to listen to our new podcast topic: how to pack for an awesome trip. Have a great trip!
Wink, Reviewed by Arjun Nair, 11
Ross Maloy couldn’t have been put against a harder challenge. With middle school being extremely tough to conquer as it is, a rare eye cancer just sharpens the sword. He must remain resilient to defeat the deadly disease. It wouldn’t be a piece of cake, but rather, a tough cookie. Wink by Rob Harrell is an inspiring novel that shows how the light in the darkness may be brighter than one would think. With no great aspirations, Ross intended to sneak his way past seventh grade slowly. Ross had lost his mom years back to cancer, but he was able to get through that hurdle with his dad and step-mom. To keep a memory of his late mother, Ross, an exceptional artist, uses one of his mom’s old sketchbooks to express himself. With his “non-noteworthy” B grade average and a small friend group, everything was in place until cancer knocked its giant fist on the door. After being diagnosed with one of the rarest eye cancers, Ross had many more problems to face: from wearing funny hats and dealing with disgusting eye goo to the possibility of losing his sight forever or worse. Due to his unfortunate circumstance and “winking” eye, rather than helping him beat the disease, other kids at his school bully him. Yet, every cloud has a silver lining. Along his treacherous journey, Ross picked up the guitar, an instrument he began using as an outlet for his emotions. Throughout the book, he grows as a character, understanding the world through a new lens. While he has to endure the challenges that cancer brings, he doesn’t have to do it alone. With help from his friends and family, Ross fights with a determination completely unrivaled. “I walked out of there like a boss. I was going to go through a difficult surgery and eight weeks of radiation and lose the sight in one of my eyes…and yet I felt like a million bucks.” I would recommend this book for children around the ages of 9-13, but this wonderful story can be read by anyone. In my opinion, this novel would be mainly directed towards a middle school audience because of the connections they may be able to make with Ross. Wink is a meaningful story that continued to sink deeper within me as I flipped each page. At some points, there was a feeling of resolution until another problem sprouted from beneath the pages, prompting me to read more. Author Rob Harrell did an exceptional job creating this novel, outlining every detail with a layer of happiness, humor, and, sometimes, sadness. Wink by Rob Harrell. Puffin Books, 2021. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
