Unique swimming pools scattered throughout Disney's new Pop Century resort, are a welcome break after a long day of walking. They're well staffed by lifeguards and open late into the evening. -- Photos by Tom Bogart, Sun Media

It seems that the $5 bill my nine-year-old, scary-ride expert caught blowing across the London airport parking lot was a good omen after all.

By the time our Air Canada flight from Toronto had landed in Orlando, the six-week pummelling Florida had been taking from four hurricanes was over and the Sunshine State was living up to its hot, dazzling reputation.

Flying into Orlando International Airport, my son, Lauchlin, looked out the window, noticed the devastation many stands of trees had suffered and wondered why so many houses had those blue roofs -- the bright tarps thousands of Florida homeowners had lashed over their houses to protect them from the elements until a contractor could be found to repair damage left by hurricanes Charley, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne, which had pounded Florida from the Keys to the Panhandle since late summer.

"Welcome to Hurricane Alley," declared the bus driver on the way to Walt Disney World's new Pop Century resort, stirring images of the Magic Kingdom caught in a witch's weather curse.

But a short 25-minute bus ride, a quick check-in with Disney representatives and a stroll out the lobby and into the Pop Century grounds quickly dispelled any such fears.

"Whoa!" Lauch declared as his eyes adjusted to the sun and he took in the scene that looked like a giant child had scattered his toys around a massive, flower-shaped pool.

Brightly coloured, four-storey-tall yo-yos and six-storey bowling pins stood like bookends, enclosing stairways at the ends of four-floor guest residences.

The handle bars of a Big Wheel trike "big enough to seat an 887-pound (402-kilo) child" towered over a row of trees. And everywhere, huge flower cutouts, catch-phrases of two generations and a host of icons from four decades -- including that gorgeous '60s Corvette Stingray -- offered a nostalgic look back at some of the fads and crazes of 20th century pop culture.

My last trip to Disney World had been nearly 20 years ago, when the Magic Kingdom in 1971 and Epcot (about a decade later) were pretty much it for Walt Disney's East Coast fantasy getaway. Today, millions of people a year visit the sprawling 122-square-km Disney World site.

"We believe in our idea: A family park where parents and children could have fun -- together," the late Disney declares on a plaque below a statue of himself and his premier character, Mickey Mouse, leading into Magic Kingdom Park.

He certainly had that right, except his "park" is now its own city, with more than 50,000 employees tending to four theme parks, two waterparks, about two dozen guest resorts and hotels (not including the non-Disney owned hotels within the park) and five championship golf courses, two of which have hosted PGA events.

It's come a long way from Steamboat Willie -- later Mickey -- whistling his way down the river in that 1928 black-and-white theatre cartoon.

Of course, California's Disneyland -- the original -- Walt Disney World and their European and Asian cousins have always catered to kids and kids at heart.

But corporate officials say they're introducing more initiatives to make the Disney experience easier and more enjoyable for families in the theme parks and in the guest resorts.

Pop Century grounds look as if a giant child scattered toys everywhere. The theme park showcases the fads and crazes of the 20th century -- from catchphrases to Corvettes.

Pop Century has added 2,880 rooms to Disney's "value" category accommodations, which already included the almost 6,000 rooms at the All-StarMovies, All-StarMusic and All-StarSports resorts, which were started in the mid-1990s.

A range of industry incentives may be necessary to keep Disney fans -- and Florida tourists in general -- coming back after this tough season.

A poll published in the Orlando Sentinel early this month showed one in four of 800 respondents were less likely to visit Florida between July and September 2005, and 22% might avoid the entire hurricane season, which can last into October. Some hotels have reported large numbers of cancellations for this October and November.

Fortunately, we weren't among them. Each of the four days of a promotional tour sponsored by Disney and Air Canada started early and ended late just to cover a fraction of the attractions to be had.

Here are some of the highlights we discovered:

GREETINGS: A statue of Walt Disney, with his best-loved character, Mickey, welcome visitors to Walt Disney World in Florida. Walt Disney World is now its own city, with more than 50,000 employees tending four theme parks, two waterparks, about two dozen guest resorts and hotels and five championship golf courses.

- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios theme park. This thriller doesn't just drop you 13 storeys, it accelerates you down on a random up-and-down program.

- Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, with Aerosmith blasting in the dark, which rockets from zero to 100 km/h (60 mph) in 2.8 seconds before taking riders on a wild ride of loops, twists and turns.

- Animal Kingdom and the Kilimanjaro Safari, a 32-passenger, open-side vehicle ride through 44.5 hectares of "wild African savannah" and glimpses of free-roaming, exotic wildlife in about as natural a setting as you could hope for -- this side of the Atlantic.

- The Tree of Life, a giant bilboa tree whose roots are carved with animal frescoes, and which houses the 3D It's a Bug's Life, an entirely entertaining look at the world from an insect's point of view. (Don't let yourself get too comfortable in your seat.)

- On a hot, sunny day, Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach water parks. We chose the latter and spent a great afternoon hurtling down the 36.5-metre, 60-degree-drop Summet Plummet (Lauch), or the somewhat less terrifying Slush Gusher (me), catching our breath on the Runoff Rapids, Teamboat Springs and Downhill Double Dippers, and taking a lazy lap around the park on Cross Country Creek, where you just wade in, climb aboard an empty inner tube and drift away.

- The Disney-MGM Studios Back Lot Tour: An intriguing look into just some of the tricks of movie-making magic.

- Mickey's PhilharMagic, another of Disney's delightful 3D adventures starring Mickey Mouse and "a symphony of surprises."

- Epcot's Mission: SPACE, for the tummy-turning sensation of a roaring liftoff on an Earth-to-Mars adventure.

- Dazzling nightly fireworks.

- Also, check out the monorail and the Park Hopper transit system to easily get around the resorts and theme parks, the Fastpass ticket system to reduce those annoying waits in line for ride, the Extra Magic Hour for resort guests to start their day at selected theme parks an hour early and Magic Kingdom E-Ride Nights for special "after-hours" access.