I haven’t been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida since I was just out of college. Needless to say, it’s been a few years, because Epcot hadn’t been open long. So it was a big surprise to see how much Disney had expanded when I recently attended a conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

One evening, we went to Downtown Disney for dinner and a little site-seeing. I didn’t even know there was a Downtown Disney! In the middle of this complex, I was surprised to see a giant balloon that was giving rides in a large gondola. “Characters in Flight” rises to 400 feet in a helium balloon, carrying 30 guests at a time. The tethered ride takes about 10 minutes, with 5 at the very top. From the view at the top, you can see all four of Disney’s parks. This view was taken with my iPhone as we walked around after dinner.