On Thursday of last week we went to Magic Kingdom and then to Downtown Disney. Magic Kingdom was the first theme park. It's amazing in its architecture and totally unique. But to be honest, we felt it was showing its age a little. It IS a magical world. It IS an amazing sight. But on the day we visited, two of its main thrilling rides were closed (including one which broke down that day). I understand that the roller coasters are not as fear-inducing as those at Universal, but there's no doubt that younger children will be totally wowed by the experience. And while we DID enjoy it a lot—we just didn't find it quite as enjoyable as some of the other parks we'd visited.

This may be a Disney heresy, but I have a confession to make. My children and I were thrilled more by Downtown Disney, and in particular DisneyQuest, than Magic Kingdom! Please don't shoot me. Please let me out of the country tomorrow! Why did we like it so much? At DisneyQuest you have this large arcade with simulators, all kinds of games, and some animation all included in the admission price. We loved the simulator roller coaster, which allowed you to design and ride your own track. We managed to persuade someone to teach us how to produce one with 13 inversions! (We have a DVD to prove it!) 

A significant portion of our last weekend in America was spent at DisneyQuest. We spent some time at Typhoon Lagoon, which was a much better water park than Wet and Wild in our opinion. We were also much braver on the slides. I conquered my fears and rode the worst ones in the park. It was made much easier because the climbs to the slides were all on rock steps rather than on open metal staircases. The slides were also enclosed rather than open mostly, so the irrational fear of falling wasn't really there!  We also made a second visit to Hollywood Studios, our favorite Disney theme park.

We will be flying home overnight this evening and arriving in the early hours on Tuesday morning.