Happy Friday friends! We’re back at it this week and we are positively thinking about health. We WILL all be healthy and stay healthy. Anyone else a little over this whole flu/virus/allergy/overall yucky season?
But, let’s stay on that positive train of thought and reflect today on our family vacation to Walt Disney World last December. I’ve been super busy (I know, aren’t we all?) planning so many other families’ trips to Disney the past few weeks so I’m just now getting to my final post of wrapping up our trip. Thanks for your patience!
DISNEY WORLD IN DECEMBER
First, let me quickly recap for you. We spent five nights immersed in Disney World the first week of December. In the first post I shared about how I planned our trip, our first day at Magic Kingdom, and the first resort we stayed at, Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Then, I posted about how Hollywood Studios knocked our socks off in Four Points Mom Travels Disney World Part 2.
Seriously, Hollywood Studios was a wonderful surprise!
DISNEY WORLD PART 3!
After two very long days at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, we still had much to do in a short amount of time. So, when we were getting ready for bed after Hollywood Studios, my husband and I decided to do change up our plans for our third day in the parks. Yes, I might have had a slight panic attack thinking about having to “throw away” the planned FastPasses and initial plans. However, it was the BEST decision of us.
So, keep that in mind when you’re planning for a Disney trip. I certainly recommend a plan (and for many that might involve an outline of a daily schedule for the week). However, be flexible and pay attention to yourselves! An extra hour of sleep and a morning without rushing out the door was just what we needed!
This brings me to one of the biggest Disney tips I can give you: Plan for a no-park day! This allows for you to do a complete reset. Wake up later, leisurely spend the morning in your room. Let the kids watch some good ole Disney and just be lazy. Every resort on property has tons of breakfast options, so you can either schedule a character brunch at your resort or a nearby resort, or you can just grab some pastries and fruit. Then, you can hang at your resort’s pool and/or playground. This is exactly what we did! How beautiful is the Animal Kingdom Lodge pool?!?
We didn’t have a no-park day, but we just changed our original plan for a full day at Epcot to a half-day instead.
But, first, Parker was treated like a princess at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
First, let me tell you that we purchased the most basic package. The packages start at $79.95 and go up (with the exception of the Knight Package that just includes hairstyling and a sword). I wanted to save a little money with and buy a cheaper dress before the trip. We arrived in Anna’s dress and then changed into the real deal at BBB.
Parker’s fairy godmother was so sweet and chit-chatted endlessly with Parker. Plus, she and all the other fairy godmothers in the boutique had amazing skills at keeping the little ones entertained while detangling and styling hair and putting on eyeshadow!
I should’ve taken better notes!
How cute is Parker’s ball gown? I might be a little biased, but she just looked so precious, and we got tons of compliments on the dress. You can find it on Amazon here.
She was so proud of herself walking out of the boutique. She just knew she looked cute and this was was of those days in which I was totally okay to indulge her a bit.
The negatives of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique are that you do somewhat feel like you are in a never-ending freight train of little princesses coming in for their makeup. I don’t think Parker felt that way, but I certainly did. The biggest complaint I had was that after she got her makeup, hair, and nails done, she was then escorted over for her included photo session. I was super excited because we had the Memory Maker package and could keep all the photos. However, we ended up waiting nearly 30 minutes (AHHHH) for the photo session and the lighting and photo quality were both pretty poor. Here’s Parker not-so-patiently waiting.
I wish we just went outside and took our own photos instead of losing precious Disney minutes waiting for a 2-minute photo session.
We had reservations at the Disney Springs location which is much easier to get reservations at compared to the Magic Kingdom location. I think it worked perfectly for us because I didn’t want to overload us on our first Disney day at Magic Kingdom. Unless you have more than one Magic Kingdom day, I’d recommend doing the same and book at either the Grand Floridian’s location or the Disney Springs location.
The boys enjoyed some time walking around Disney Springs while Parker was being “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutiqued.” The Disney store and Lego store kept them busy for the hour and a half we were there. Plus, they found several places with great snacks and drinks. You could easily spend half a day there and I’d recommend you doing so if you’re able to plan for a non-resort day.
We all met up and then headed over to grab a bus to Epcot.
EPCOT
We actually got off the Disney bus headed to Epcot at the Boardwalk Resort which allowed us to get off the bus a few minutes earlier and enter the side entrance of Epcot. This worked out perfectly because we walked right in and immediately met up with a very special person.
Mickey!
I have to tell you that most of the character interactions our kids had were beyond what I could have expected. Each child felt so special, and Parker certainly got lots of extra attention when she was all dressed up.
For example, we even had another princess take a stroll with her.
Isn’t this just the sweetest?!?
Ahhh … these are some of my favorite photos and we wouldn’t have had them without MemoryMaker! Don’t forget to get it when you go!
If you haven’t been to Epcot, the park is really two separately-themed areas: the World Showcase and Future World. Future World is at the front of the park and is the area around the famous dome, housing the classic ride Spaceship Earth. At the back half of the park you’ll find the World Showcase which surrounds a big lake and takes you on a tour of the world with several countries represented. Each country has a fully-themed area with shopping, dining, and attractions that area authentic to that country.
We had late lunch reservations at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria in the World Showcase.
This was one of our table-service credits on our dining plan and it was AMAZING! This was probably the best meal we had at Disney World. The pizza was incredible plus the entire atmosphere is very fun. I wholeheartedly recommend it as a great family restaurant at Epcot. However, Epcot has tons of highly-reviewed restaurants so you can’t go wrong there. I now know several people who go with adults just to “drink around the world.” Who knew that was a thing?
After eating we headed over to Future World to do some rides.
I know many families who are under a time crunch choose to skip Epcot when traveling with children. However, I love Epcot and discourage discounting it. Yes, there aren’t as many kiddie rides, but it is so unique and my kids loved getting to experience the architecture, vendors, street shows, and food in the World Showcase. Plus, Future World has several fun rides!
We started at The Seas with Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush.
These two attractions are housed in the same building and the kids were happy to find a really great aquarium and indoor playground there. We had a FastPass for The Seas with Nemo but the lines were short all day so I don’t know that I’d waste a FastPass there again.
A delightful surprise was Turtle Talk with Crush! In Turtle Talk with Crush, Crush (the sea turtle from Finding Nemo) talks to a few children while telling them about the ocean and cracking jokes. Parker was selected to talk to him and she was over the moon.
(Tip: if you do Bippity Boppity Boutique, I recommend doing it early in the day so your knight or princess will have extra special attention on them the rest of the day. And, yes, there was a little jealousy from Foster about the attention but he was great and rolled with it pretty well.)
Next, the boys went to ride Mission Space which Parker was too short to do. No biggie – we just went and met one of her favorite characters, Joy from Inside Out.
This was a last-minute character greeting for us and it was so sweet.
We then jumped on Spaceship Earth. Disney just announced that this ride is closing soon and will be revamped. Although it’s sad to know this iconic ride won’t be the same, I have to admit an update is long overdue. I remember riding it as a kid and being overwhelmed with how futuristic things were. My kids just ate a popsicle and kept asking when it will be over. LOL.
We were able to snag a FastPass for Soarin’ next and we all loved that ride. It easily made our top 5 for the week. Parker and I headed straight to it when we realized it’s also at Disneyland last month. Don’t skip this one!
We next did Living with the Land which I could skip next time but the kids and Jarrod actually enjoyed it. Some of us aren’t as into ecology as others … lol.
A ride not to skip is Test Track. By the time we headed to Test Track it was almost dark and Parker was super tired.
She passed out in my arms and Jarrod and I switched off holding her limp body while we waited for nearly an hour in the Test Track line. The line was especially long that day because the ride had been down for quite some time. This apparently does happen frequently, so just keep that in mind when you visit.
The only thing we still HAD to do was ride Frozen Ever After in the World Showcase’s Norway. It did not disappoint even though it was a slow-moving boat ride. All four of us enjoyed it. Let me say that you can also meet Anna and Elsa nearby. We went by a couple times and the lines were over an hour. We might have taken advantage of the fact that Parker didn’t know that she could meet them, so we didn’t wait in line. We did meet them both at Disneyland in January, so don’t worry … Parker is just fine. 🙂 This is another great example of how things might not go as planned at Disney and it’s okay. Just go with the flow and enjoy yourselves!
By the time we left the park that night, the Epcot Forever fireworks show had started but we were done for the day and didn’t stop to watch it. Instead we told the kids to turn around in the stroller and see what they can. That way we made it to the buses before the crowds. Success!
By the way, I’m sorry for the lack of photos at Epcot! Looking back, I was obviously just taking a mini-mind break.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
We spent our last day in the parks at Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom has grown so much since the last time I was there about 12 years ago. I’ve read online that many people consider it a park you can just spend half a day at but I disagree. We couldn’t fit it all in and we were there for about 11 hours. There’s so much to do there!
When we first got to Animal Kingdom Jarrod and I were in serious need of some coffee. As a result, we waited in the longest Starbucks line I’ve ever seen. But, true to Disney form, it was efficient and moved quickly. This was when we decided to go with the flow and throw aside my detailed itinerary. We leisurely enjoyed a quick snack and caffeine and then meandered around the Tree of Life.
If you haven’t seen it, the Tree of Life is a HUGE man-made tree that is the center of Animal Kingdom. It is just beautiful and at night even more incredible because they light it up and sometimes even do a light show on it. There are several unique animal exhibits dispersed around the tree and you end up stumbling upon them as you walk around the trails. There are even some fun characters (like the little boy and the huge bird, Kevin, from Up) walking around out front.
The tree is so large that there is even a fun show, Tough To Be A Bug, within it. This is a show with the characters from It’s A Bug Life. There are very large, realistic spiders and other creatures so if you have a child that has a tendency to be scared of bugs, dark places, or loud noises, you might want to skip this one. Parker was a little scared but overall loved it. Foster thought it was awesome.
Within Animal Kingdom there are several locations where children can pick of Wilderness Explorer badges. Foster and Parker loved getting their badges to put in packets they picked up when first entering Animal Kingdom that morning. To get the badges, they would find the location on the map and then either do a short activity or be taught a short lesson from a cast member. Be sure to stop by the location between the Oasis and Discovery Island when entering the park in the morning to grab the packet!
Many people have asked me if Animal Kingdom is pretty much a zoo. I always answer with a big NO. There are plenty of animals but if that’s what you’re going there for, you might be disappointed. It’s a Disney park with a bonus of having lots of animals throughout it. The ride your big animal lovers will love, though, is Kilimanjaro Safari. We loved jumping in the big jeeps and driving through the safari. We were able to get very close with many of the animals (but don’t worry there are added layers of protection between you and the lions … ha ha). We lucked out in our ride and came within a few feet of rhinos who were crossing the road right in front of us. We also saw several giraffes, zebras, elephants, hippos, ostriches, and so many more. We had a FastPass for it, so we lucked out and avoided waiting in the over an hour-long wait. If you haven’t figured this out yet – FastPasses are awesome!
Kilimanjaro Safari is located in the Africa area of Animal Kingdom. This area was extremely crowded when we were there around lunchtime.
This place is packed with people and street performances!
In the future, I’d try to hit it up first thing or wait until later in the day. It’s just very crowded and with young children I was very stressed trying to keep track of them.
Another ride we had a FastPass for was Expedition Everest.
This was tied with Thunder Mountain as Foster’s favorite ride at Disney World. I really liked it too! Nearby you’ll find Kali River Rapids which could leave you soaking wet (and be a nice reprieve if you’re there in the summer). There is always that one person you see walking off a water ride that was obviously doused in water, making you question whether you want to continue on waiting in the line. Three of us walked off mostly dry. Foster walked out sopping wet, inspiring many “oh my’s” and “look at how soaked that kid is!”
If you have an artistic family member joining you, be sure to ride the Wildlife Train to head to the Animation Experience. Here you’ll sit with a real Disney Animator and be instructed on how to draw a popular Disney character. It was really neat and a nice break, sitting for a while in an air conditioned room.
The most popular ride at Animal Kingdom hands-down is Flight of Passage in Pandora.
We snagged a FastPass for it, but not until late in the afternoon. I’m so glad we kept it, though, because the line was over an hour and a half long all day. This ride blew my mind. It was awesome and worth the wait! I think it’s my favorite Disney ride. Plus, we ended up being in the Pandora area when dusk hit and watched the transition to night in this beautiful part of the park.
This land is incredibly impressive and absolutely gorgeous at night.
To celebrate the end of a fantastic week, we stopped in at Nomad Lounge before leaving the park. I am so thankful that one of our friends mentioned it as a great place to rest with the kids because it was perfect. Although it’s a lounge, you can order from the menu of Tiffins, next door. There were fun drinks for adults (yes, a happy hour was much-needed) and they had fun drinks for the kids too. Plus, the food was awesome. We had a great couch area on the outdoor patio which gave the kids extra wriggle room and we enjoyed the beautiful view overlooking the river. It was a perfect end to our last day in the parks.
We’ll have to head back to Animal Kingdom soon because we didn’t get to do SOOOOO many things I hoped to do there. Animal Kingdom is known for its incredible shows, Lion King and Finding Nemo-The Musical. We didn’t get to do either! Plus, we didn’t even make it to DinoLand. We also didn’t get to ride the second most popular ride, Na’vi River in Pandora. Like I said earlier, this is not a half-day park.
CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT
As I mentioned in my first post, we split our stay between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Coronado Springs Resort. On our Epcot day we checked out of Animal Kingdom Lodge, brought our bags to the bell service, and Disney transported them to Coronado Springs. You guys. How simple is that? When we initially planned our trip I thought I would have to somehow Uber to Coronado Springs to drop off our bags before starting our day. We saved over an hour not having to do that. Disney just thinks of everything.
We didn’t actually get to Coronado Springs until after we left Epcot that night. We stayed in a preferred room, but not in the tower. Our room was much smaller and barely fit the two queens. When we rolled in the double stroller we were pretty much locked in for the night. LOL.
That being said, it was super clean, updated and everything we needed for two nights considering we spent most of the time in the parks. Plus, our room was super close to the quick-service market at Coronado Springs and it was a HUGE leap above what was available as a quick-service option at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Breakfast was great – I can’t imagine an easier or better quick breakfast before heading to the parks.
I will say that it was a bit of a hike to get to the buses from our room even though it was a preferred room. If you weren’t in a preferred room you could have a very long walk to the buses which might be a pain with young kids. Also, I’ve heard that others felt like the vibe at Coronado Springs was too conference-y. Although there are conferences there and I did notice a lot of professional adults standing around chatting, I very much preferred the vibe at Coronado Springs to the vibe at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I have many plans to go back, though, and try out many other vibes at the other resorts.
Before we checked out on our last day, we spent a few hours at the Coronado Springs pool, playground, and arcade.
It was right after we ate breakfast so we weren’t necessarily in the drinking mood, but we could have ordered drinks and lunch to enjoy poolside.
All in all, it was a perfect way to end our trip.
AND NOW WE’RE ADDICTED TO DISNEY
Well, in case you can’t tell, we had an amazing week at Walt Disney World. There’s a reason Disney is on an entirely different level than other amusement parks. It’s Disney. It just is!
I wanted to leave you guys with a few GENERAL DISNEY TIPS if you’re thinking of heading to Disney World with your family.
1. Stay at Disney. You’ve heard it a million times, but Disney’s level of service and theming is truly exceptional and just can’t be beat. When you stay at one of their properties, you are fully immersed in the Disney experience the entire stay.
Does this mean you are surrounded by Mickey Mouse and bright colors? No, not necessarily! Their resorts are just high quality and you can find the right fit for you … whether it’s regarding room size, resort pools, elegance, or even value.
Plus, you have early access to FastPasses. On Disney message boards, I constantly hear people complaining that the popular rides aren’t available as FastPasses since they stayed off-site and don’t get to book them until 30 days in advance. FastPasses are a huge advantage and you certainly should consider that as a value when choosing where to stay.
And, finally, when staying on-site you also have a variety of FREE transportation methods. When we go back, we’re going to stay at a resort that’s either on the SkyLiner or the Monorail because that makes life so much simpler!
2. Try to avoid the busiest times of year. I can’t emphasize this enough! Disney crowds have been bigger than ever with the recent openings of popular rides and Galaxy’s Edge. If you’re heading there around a school holiday or during the summer, just keep in mind that there will be crowds. Take deep breaths and just embrace it! LOL. However, if you have the ability to go when everyone else is in school, you won’t regret it.
3. At least outline a plan – even if you decide to throw it away. There is so much to do at every park and if you don’t go in with at least a little bit of an idea of where things are and when you want to be at certain places, you likely will miss out on so much Disney has to offer. Plus, you’ll spend so much time waiting in lines without FastPasses and finding availability in restaurants without reservations.
4. Have a No-Park Day. I won’t go into too much detail again, but if you can swing an extra day, please do! This will allow you and your family to reset. You’ll have long, exciting days at the parks and you won’t regret a morning of sleeping in and just moving slowly.
5. Use a Travel Planner. Yes, I might be a bit biased. That being said, if you’re even the slightest bit stressed thinking about how much is involved in booking a Disney trip, ask an expert for help! By logging into the Disney Travel Agents website, I can find you the best available rate. I’ll be here to help explain the differences between resorts, rides, parks, transportation options, restaurants, dining plans, etc … There’s a lot to learn about Disney whether you’re a newbie or someone who goes every few years. Let me take some of that stress off your shoulders! Let me know if I can help you in any way!
Have a wonderful weekend lovely friends!
Angelique
