Here it is: the first of my recaps on our recent Disney and Florida vacation.
As a Disney newbie, figuring out which parks to hit when was really overwhelming. Could I do two parks in one day? Would I need to take Mimi back to nap? Which parks has extended “magic” hours and which ones were doing special fireworks shows?
Thankfully, my well-seasoned Disney friends help me plan a very detailed itinerary which, for as much as Dr. G. made fun of it, was really helpful. It was like a big color-coded roadmap, and I liked seeing that on Tuesday we were scheduled to be in Animal Kingdom (purple) in the morning, followed by a rest time at the hotel, then dinner at one of the Magic Kingdom resorts, so we could walk over to the Magic Kingdom (yellow) after for the Main Street Electrical Parade. While we ended making some last minute tweaks, overall, it took a lot of the guesswork out of waking up in the morning and figuring out what we were doing that day.
But as far as our experience at the parks themselves, one thing was abundantly clear: My son is officially a roller coaster junkie. How many times did he ride Expedition Everett at Animal Kingdom? Three. Space Mountain? Six, maybe. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Two. And Aerosmith’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios? Four, even though he’s technically 1/8th inch too short for the ride and we snuck him on with some crafty shoe switcheroos and, yes, some begging (me) and tears (Buddy).
Here are our park-by-park rundown and highlights:
Magic Kingdom
I admit being a little underwhelmed by the park in general, but there’s no mistaking the magic of seeing Cinderella’s Castle.
We did all the “must do” rides: It’s A Small World (which Mimi loved), Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion (which I was so proud of Buddy for riding, since I know he was a little nervous), Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, etc. Mimi also loved Dumbo, The Voyage of the Little Mermaid (since Ariel comes in a close second to Minnie Mouse in Mimi’s heart) and the People Mover in Tomorrowland.
I’m not sure any one ride or attraction really stuck out to us, and it’s hard to compare some of these quainter rides with the thrill of, say, Expedition Everest or Mission Space, but it’s like a rite of passage; I remember riding It’s A Small World when I was a little girl, and there was something special about being able to share this moment with my own kids. But I was bummed that Alice’s teacups were closed for renovation! They were one of my favorites as a kid.
Animal Kingdom
Two words: Kilimanjaro Safaris. Awesome. The kids eyes widened as our bus stumbled along and they would excitedly point out the elephants and giraffes and zebras that were right there. Honestly, you could kind of close your eyes and imagine you were actually in Africa; there were no tell-tale signs of Disney.
We didn’t check out the Kali River Rapids, since Buddy is not a fan of getting soaked on rides and will complain incessantly about being wet, but he couldn’t get enough of Expedition Everest and I highly recommend checking out the Festival of the Lion King (especially if it’s a hot day). It’s a 30 minute indoors, live action show that tells the story of the Lion King with dancing, music and some pretty amazing costumes. My Lion King-obsessed kiddos were mesmerized.
Another plus? We were able to get through this park in just about half a day; I think we left by 2pm – after paying yet another visit to Minnie, of course.
Epcot
Loved it. And that’s not even taking into account the Flower and Garden Festival that we were lucky enough to experience while we were there.
All the rides people had been raving about – Soarin’, Mission Space, Test Track – lived up to the hype. However, I feel like we didn’t get to really enjoy the World Showcase. It was scorching hot the days we were there, the kids got antsy, and on top of it, Mimi had some tummy issues the entire time we were in Florida, and by the time we hit Epcot towards the end of our trip, she had developed a raging case of diaper rash. Poor girl. At one point, I changed her at a ladies’ room in “England” and apparently you could hear her screaming outside as I attempted to clean her up and slather on the diaper cream that Dr. G. had to make an emergency run for the night before.
But I will say Epcot definitely had the best food – and drinks – by far, but more to come on that later this week.
Oh, and do yourself a favor and stay for their Illuminations fireworks show. Incredible.
Hollywood Studios
Who would have thought that on our last day, when we asked Buddy which park he wanted to go back to before we had to hit the road, he would pick Hollywood Studios?
I think part of it was that he wanted to ride Aerosmith’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster again, but I think he also wanted to reminisce about this:
Yes, that is my Star Wars-obsessed son having a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader.
Actually, this happened the Monday of our trip, the first time we visited Hollywood Studios. We showed up just as the park opened, and I rushed Buddy down to the area where you could sign your kid up for their free “Jedi Training Academy.” Let’s say this is a popular thing to do. We got there at 9am, waited 40 minutes, and he eventually got a slot in the 4:40pm show.
Here’s the deal: Every 40 minutes or so, a group of about 10 kids are “trained” by a Jedi Master on a stage near the Star Tours ride. Lo and behold, suddenly Storm Troopers and Darth Vader appear! Each trainee then has to use their new Jedi skills to fight Darth Vader and resist turning to the “dark side.”
Buddy took this very seriously. After all, he was now officially a Padawan.
Honestly, the whole trip was worth it just so he could have that experience. And I was impressed that they even tried to include Mimi, giving her a Padawan robe and letting her march out to the training area with the big boys and girls.
Other Adventures
A few months before our trip, we learned about some of Disney’s recreational activities … including a Pirate Adventure cruise for kids. Basically, for less than $40, you bring your child to the marina at the Grand Floridian Resort, and he or she goes off on a boat with a bunch of other buccaneers and several Disney crew members, and they ride around Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon, listening to pirate stories, looking for treasure, etc.
Best part? Its for kids only. You don’t have to go. Best $40 we spent all week (and it includes juice and a snack)! I really recommend looking into this – Buddy had a blast and you can’t beat the price!
How do you know your kids had a good time at Disney?
Come back tomorrow for Part Two: Meeting the Characters … and how Mimi completely surprised us
Jane - MomGenerations.com says
This is SUCH a great recap! It looks and sounds like you guys had a BLAST!!
melissa at filling our bucket says
Awesome!!!! I can’t wait to take my son again in October! I LOVE the picture of Buddy at the Star Wars training! So awesome.
Michele C. says
LOVE this — the pictures, the adventure. The Jedi training is AWESOME! I cannot wait to bring our kids in a few years!!!
Jodi says
I need all of this information – thank you! I am in the beginning stages of planning our Disney trip and I haven’t been since 1983! I remember little so I am bookmarking this post! Thanks ๐
Sarah B says
I LOVE all your pictures, and this post made me want to start planning our next trip!
Heather @ Kraus House Mom says
I CANNOT wait to go with my kids.
Kristin Wheeler (Mama Luvs Books) says
My kids LOVED Stitch!!! Looks like a fun time! I miss DISNEY!!!
Alison says
I found your blog when I searched Disney World Fashion and read that post about your outfits and shoes. Then I clicked on this post. We are going to Disney World in June. Could your daughter go on the pirate adventure as well? It looks like it is for age 4 and up. I have a 3 year old and 6 year old.
Jessica says
Thanks for visiting!! She was definitely too young for the Pirate Adventure (she wasn’t quite 2 at the time). I think 6 is definitely a good age – old enough where they’re okay being without mom and dad for awhile and also old enough to be able to follow direction (since there are some safety instructions) and also really enjoy the pirate stories and adventure piece of it. It was nice, though, because while my son was on the adventure, we got to have some time w/my daughter, checking out some of the rides that are more geared toward the little kids (the things my son would claim are for “babies.”) Also, the Grand Floridian has gorgeous ground and an incredible pool area; I don’t know if you would have access to that, once you are on the property for the Pirate Cruise? I didn’t think about that until after we picked my son up. Seriously, it was the best money we spent the entire time we were at Disney. I hope you have a great time ๐