Five Insider Tips for Your Trip to Walt Disney World, Orlando

Here are some tips to help you make the most of your Disney vacation:

Meet and Greets
- Upon entering the park, resist the urge to walk with the crowds up Main Street, USA. Instead, take the Walt Disney World Railroad to the back of the park straight to Toon Town. Be first in line to meet and greet the princesses and fairies.
- Character Breakfasts in the resorts offer a great way to get pictures with the characters without wasting precious time standing in lines at the parks

Star in a Show
- Storytime with Belle (Magic Kingdom): Arrive early and sit up front. Before the show starts, find one of the assistants and let them know that your child would love to help Belle tell her story
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (Hollywood Studios): Stand up and wave frantically when the casting director asks for extras to volunteer. Making noise helps, too.

Top 3 Florida Getaways on a Budget

Enjoy the Sunshine State for less at these three affordable Florida locales:

Panama City
Visit during the rainy period between May and December for the best hotel rates at this historic coastal city. Local Latin fare is authentic and can be very wallet-friendly, and there are plenty of mid-priced hotels and budget-friendly bed and breakfast inns. Expect to take taxis around the city, but don’t worry—they’re reasonably priced.

Spring Break Shorts: Florida's "Grapefruit League"

Major League Baseball spring training gets underway in Florida on March 2 for a month-long series of practices and pre-season games that's known as the "Grapefruit League" (the West Coast's equivalent is the Cactus League, which takes places around the Greater Phoenix area over the same dates). The 2010 season sees 15 MLB teams traveling to Florida venues including Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, and Clearwater. The New York Yankees will be based out of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa; both the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins will be batting out of Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, a short drive north of Fort Lauderdale and Miami in Palm Beach County. Take advantage of pre-spring break flight and hotel deals, as well as affordable game-day tickets and better-than-usual access to some of he league's top sluggers. More info about the Grapefruit League can be found at www.floridaspringtraining.com.

Photo credit: Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida (courtesy, Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Orlando, Florida: Quick Trip Tips

Orlando, that vast, huge chunk of central Florida forever changed by a visionary named Walt Disney. But Orlando's not all about a talking mouse and a cast of animatronic characters. There is plenty of swank in and around the theme parks like the Peabody Orlando, but go further out and there are hotels and other properties catering to everybody else—plenty where families won't blow the bank, particularly in Kissimmee. Sure, there are larger-than-life Disney resorts, restaurants, clubs, bars, and golf courses. But beyond the crux of Orlando—the theme parks, that is—there's some stellar shopping, sporting, dining, lodging, and diversions vaguely reminiscent of theme parks but disguised as "attractions." Even Paris Hilton opened a…uh…theme night club here called...er...Club Paris. See what we mean? And we can't ignore Celebration, the planned community that seems as if it stepped right out of The Stepford Wives. You've got to see it. Orlando's a fun, dizzying place to be, especially if you motor up and down International Drive, the city's main drag on the outskirts of all the parks. Here you'll find neon-lit chain restaurants, motels, T-shirt shops, and places offering dubious discounts on park tickets—bypass those establishments. Wherever you choose to stay, whether at the retro-kitschy, the swanky, or offsite at the ultra luxurious, it matters not when you hit the parks.

Photo credit: Rays at SeaWorld, Orlando (courtesy, SeaWorld)

Orlando Day Trips: Lake Wales Ridge Recreation Area

Florida's Lake Wales Ridge Recreation Area is home to 554 lakes and more than 40 rare species of plants and animals. In fact, this protected wildlife refuge, situated just outside of Orlando and its major tourist attractions, has been called "Florida's attic" for its collection of unique flora and fauna.

Photo credit: Lake Weohyakapka, Florida (Corbis)

Orlando: City of Lakes

The city landscape of Orlando, Florida, is more than 7 percent water, rivaled only by Minnesota's Twin Cities for the number of natural lakes in its metropolitan area. Orlando sits among more than 100 lakes, and under the city lies a massive series of underground limestone caverns, making for plenty of outdoor adventures, above and below.

Photo credit: Orlando, Florida (courtesy, Orlando CVB)