Thoughts on Disney… a very long day by day review!
Now that I’m back and fully rested, I would like to share some details from my trip. This was the first time I booked a Disney trip myself, and the first as an adult with my husband. I used to go to Disneyland with my sister and family a lot when I lived in California, but have not stayed at Disney World since I was teenager in a vocal competition.
Below is my review. Please pardon any typos. I tried to catch them, but this turned into a novel and I have short, chubby fingers.
I planned as best I could in advance and I think it really payed off! Here are my details and how it went.
Day 1: Arrival day and Disney Springs
When the hubs and I landed in Orlando, the magic express bus was very easy to find. Took about 30 minutes of waiting in line before we got on the bus. When we arrived at the All Star Movies resort, there was a line in both online check in and regular and the regular line went faster. So much for trying to speed things up. However, once we got to the desk, they were super friendly and our concierge helpfully explained how our Disney dining worked and the layout of our hotel.
The hotel is basic, but the decor is cheerful and they add little magic touches, like having your name displayed on movie posters as you walk through the lobby.
There are also cheerful statutes and fun Disney character scattered throughout.
Once we got to our room (853 in the Toy Story block, very close to the pool and food court, but on the quiet side of the building with a view of foliage), we quickly freshened up and headed to Downtown Disney - now called Disney Springs - , where we had a dining reservation at Raglan Road.
Disney Springs is similar to a designer mall. It’s mostly shopping, however there are small entertainment shows (jugglers, musicians, etc., ) and performances ongoing around the area. We decided to head to the giant Disney Store and knock out a lot of our shopping. I got an adorable Minnie purse, which I ended up using during park visits and a very cute cardigan with Minnie designs on it that I will totally wear in the ‘real world’. We also bought souvenirs, our ‘ears’ and our first pins of the trip (and we would end up buying many more pins!).
After checking out a few more shops, we headed to Raglan Road, an Irish pub and restaurant that features live music and step dancing. The place was built in Ireland and brought to Orlando. My husband, who is of Irish descent, was delighted with the place. We were sat in the back of one of the bar rooms, but still had a view of the stage. One thing I noticed (and would continue to notice for the rest of the trip) was how big all the tables are in Disney.Being from NYC, where tables are cramped in small restaurants, it was really pleasant to stretch out. The food was excellent, particularly the soda bread that came with a Guinness infused dipping sauce. The entertainment was fun and included and Irish punk-folk band and step dancers who set up in various places. At one point, they were directly next to our table. My husband and I each got beer flights (not included in the DDDP, but worth the extra money)
I HIGHLY recommend Ragland Road, especially if you arrived late in the day like we did and are not quite ready to get to the parks. It’s really gets you into a fun mood as it falls somewhere halfway between the real world and Disney.
Day 2: Magic Kingdom
We got up bright and early on Monday and arrived at MK about 20 minutes after it opened at 8am.. Following the advice of several trip guides, we headed straight to Peter Pan’s Flight, which only had a 15 minute wait (later in the day it was always more than an hour). Before you get on the ride, you walk through the Darling house, which is delightful. After PPF we walked straight onto It's a Small World. That ride really got us into the Disney spirit! Again, new magic touches had the ride say goodbye to DH and me by name. Very sweet. Before lunch we managed to ride Mickey’s Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and visit the Tiki Room. I used my first fast pass of the day - Splash Mountain.
For lunch I had managed to snag a last minute reservation at The Crystal Palace - thank you WDWmagic forums for suggesting I keep trying! The food was just fine. Nothing to wrote home about, but plentiful and tasty. I particularly enjoyed the pierogies, green beans and fresh turkey. My husband had roast beef with assorted veggies and potatoes. We both had salad, too which there really wasn’t much to put on other than cucumbers and carrots. The desserts were excellent!
Piglet, Eeyore and Pooh all visited our table and took pictures with us. My husband was grinning from ear to ear and my face hurt from smiling so much. It wasn’t the best food we had on the trip, but it was the best fun!
After lunch we headed to Tomorrowland and rode Space Mountain with our 2nd FP. Tomorrowland ...how do I say this….looked quited dated. I used to love that part of the park, but now it is by far the most dingy area. Shame. We rode Carousel of Progress, which got stuck and we saw one “room” twice and visited Monster, Inc. Laugh Floor and then left the area as Buzz Lightyear had a huge line and Stitch was down.
We headed back to Fantasyland, where we got in the longest line in the day, which was 45 minutes for Winnie the Pooh. The line has a play area for kids designed to look like Rabbit's Garden, with activities and things to climb and play on, so they were all well occupied and we made friends with the 20person group ahead of us! I can’t imagine going with a 20 person group, but they seemed happy enough!
After Winnie the Pooh, we saw the Country Bear Jamboree, went on Journey of the Little Mermaid and walked around. We saw two parades on Main Street and decided to play the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - a fun card game similar to Magic the Gathering, that has you running around the park fighting the villains through ‘magic portals”. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/sorcerers/
With this game you get to keep several souvenir SotMK cards. It’s free and I suggest it for those who like D&D and “geeky” games. We checked out more of the new Fantasyland (the additions of Beast’s castle and Rapunzel's Tower is awesome and so, so pretty)and then we shopped before dinner at Navigation Jungle Co.
Dinner was fantastic!! While our waitress was not as goofy or funny as some of the others, the food and ambiance more than made up for it. The steak I ordered was amazing. Perfectly cooked and topped with avocado and a lovely green sauce. The starter bread was just ok because the honey dipping sauce could not be compared to our Guinness sauce the night before.
After dinner we rode Jungle Cruise and then used our third FP on Seven Dwarfs Mine before riding Pirates, Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World one more time before heading out.
I have to say, I had been concerned that 1 day would not be enough, but we got super lucky with wait times. We also had extra magic hours in our favor since there was not a Halloween Party that night.
One small note of annoyance...we used photopass to get a nice photo of ourselves in front of the castle, but we ended up not purchasing any despite the fantastic quality because people behind refused to stop standing directly between us taking selfies. It’s a shame, b/c I would have loved to buy them, but this darn couple is between hubs and I with their dang cell phone out in every single one.
We ended up getting a decent shot at night taken by a friendly stranger, but we were careful not to be in anyone's way! I wish people would be a bit more aware of the world around them. If the couple behind us had waited a minute, I would have been happy to take the photo for them!
Day 2: Epcot and Anniversary
What can I say? Epcot is great. It’s exhausting and huge but wonderful fun. We arrived again about 30 minutes after opening and started off the day by going straight onto Test Track. We chose single rider to save time and the wait was only about 10 minutes. Afterwards we used our first FP of the day at Mission Space. This was THE ride I was most terrified of. A) I have a fear of space (don’t ask) and B) had let the horror stories get into my head. This was part of why i used a FP, so I wouldn’t psyche myself out before getting on the ride. Without spoiling it, we were put in a 4 person team, my hubs and I and another couple, who only spoke Spanish. My Spanish is muy mal, however the other lady and I bonded silently in our fear before getting on. The ride was amazing. Different. It dropped my stomach to the floor and feel like someone had dropped a bowling ball into it, but it was - literally - breathtaking. The woman next to me was less than happy. My Spanish is limited, but I heard her say “No, no no, make it stop. Get me out!”, however she did just fine, even if she never pushed her correct buttons, but she also never let got of her seat.
Hubs was a bit off, as was I, but we got some ginger ale with our rapid refills and did Ellen's Energy Adventure (a 37 minute ride!) to chill out. We then used 2nd FP and rode Soarin’, which I have to say, was not as fun as its CA. counterpart. Frankly, the whole thing looks a bit bent and the screen is smaller, so I was able to see the edge of it the whole time
We then decided to test out luck and head to Frozen Ever After, and since the wait was only 30 minutes (I know, crazy huh?), we got in line on standby. The que is adorable and we actually enjoyed the line experience quite a bit. Lot’s of fun stuff to of at and read while in line. Kids might get a bit bored, but we had fun. The ride itself was surprising as it had few more dips and turns than i would expect for a Frozen ride, but using the old Maelstrom track, i suppose they had to. Here is the kicker, we got through the WHOLE ride and were at the very end, with Anna and Elsa and Olaf singing when the ride got stuck. Like really stuck. We were there ten minutes and then the sound turned off and cast members came out They had to drain the ride and push our boat up, which didn’t make it all the way to the exit, so people had to climb to the turnstiles. We didn’t feel bad about it though,b/c we did see the whole ride and got stuck on the last bit. When we got out a CM gave us all a FP to come back. I felt bad for the other groups in boats who were stuck deeper in the ride and for those in line, but to use it was a funny experience and while I never take photos on rides..I could not resist snapping a few shots while stuck. Let’s just say “In Summer” will be stuck in my head for the next month.
After FEA, we finished up Future World rides, including Spaceship Earth, which was my favorite ride of the day.
The it was time to enjoy Food and Wine Festival. We used our snack vouchers from our DDP to enjoy such treats as escargot (me) and French onion soup (hubs) in France, and Irish cheese plate, Canadian steak from LeCelier, Belgian waffles and an American lobster roll. No line was longer than 3 minutes to get food.
As we walked through each country we ate, explored and shopped. It was honestly the day that hurt my feet the most, but what a day it was! In the late afternoon hubs and I split a plate using a quick service voucher in Morocco at the Tangerine Cafe. We couldn’t each do a full meal after all the snacks, but it was probably the best quick service meal we had all week. After that we claimed our Frozen FP and rode it again without a hitch!
Highlights of Epcot featured walking in the Canadian garden, meeting Alice in England and drinking beer in Germany. We also quite enjoyed the Chinese acrobats and the Japanese drummers.
We had a dinner reservation in the San Angel Inn, so after riding the Gran Fiesta Tour - which never had a line and that is a shame because it’s a delightful ride. We watched Illuminations in Mexico area, and then checked in for our 9:30 dinner. We chose a late dinner, because we had been eating all day and wanted to digest a bit before dinner. The place is lovely and very romantic. They kindly took our request to seat us near the water and the food was pretty good. I got the chef's plate, which a tamale, an enchilada and a steak and DH got the mole chicken.
Our waiter was very kind, but he did accidently double charge us for the champagne we purchased. He thought the magic band didn’t work at first due to low wi-fi and had me “swipe” twice and now I have to call customer service next week to clear it up. It’s only $35, but still...a bit annoying.
Epot was also an extra magic hours day, so that was how we were able to have the late night dinner. Overall it was a very magical anniversary!
Day 3: Hollywood Studios
First day having breakfast at the resort, I finally had Mickey waffles and DH had a breakfast sandwich and bacon before heading to the park at about 9am.
So what's Hollywood Studios about? Star Wars, Star Wars and more Star Wars! But seriously, so much Star Wars. To be noted, this was recovery day for us. HS is under a LOT of renovation currently. The new Star Wars area being updated and Rizzo’s pizzeria make a lot of areas inaccessible, however if you are a Star Wars fan you cannot help but have fun.
We started the day by watching the March of the First Order, which is super cool. They do this throughout the day, so it’s hard to miss.
After saluting Cap. Phasma we rode Rockin’’ Roller Coaster, Muppets 3D, the Great Movie Ride and Toy Story Mania. TSM only had a 30 minute ride and we went against all advice and didn’t FP it or go first thing in the morning. The Force must have truly been with us. It was an adorable line, filled with giant toys, so we enjoyed that line experience as well. It’s a smaller park, so even though we zig zagged around, it wasn’t nearly as brutal as Epcot the day before.
We had our final table service reservation at the Hollywood Brown Derby. This is a fine dining place that takes its time, so if you are in a rush this is not the place to be. Our lunch took 1.5 hours. As adults, this was great for us, but I would think twice before bringing small children. Also to be noted, since this is fine dining it counts as two dining credits per person to eat there. We knew this going in and explained to our server that we only had two credits left on TS. She was a star and promised to put the most expensive items on DDP. I ended up ordering the filet mignon worth $40 amd husband got the chicken which was $19. We shared dessert, which was 3 small items and was by far the best dessert in all the places we visited. Our bill ended up being about $25 only! Not bad for fine dining! The lunch also included seats for Fantasmic, so we didn’t have to worry about that at all!
After lunch we did Star Tours, followed by Tower of Terror, both FP reservations and very fun. After rides, we explored the Star Wars Launch Bay and while there is not much there for the kiddos other than meeting Chewbacca and Kylo Ren, there is a lot of fascinating movie props on display for the fans. We particularly enjoyed visiting the Cantina, where a naughty Jawa stole my husband's candy. He eventually returned it, but it was hilarious.
We rounded out the late afternoon by seeing the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Husband got called up to be an ‘extra’ and it was so much fun!
We were going to hop on Tower of Terror a second time since the wait was only 20 minutes, but seeing that they were letting people into Fantasmic early, we hopped back outta line and got some snacks (using more snack vouchers! Got a coffee,a cookie and a popcorn) for the show and our reserved seats. The ‘reserved’ area is a huge section and lots of people have access to it. The place was packed. We got lucky, with a 2nd row seat in the very center. Yes, we got misted with water. No, we didn't mind.
Fantasmic is wonderful. Nuff said
It lets out ahead of the Star wars fireworks, so while we waited for the bus, we were treated to the finale of that fireworks display.
Since HS closes at 8-8:30pm, we were able to get in a swim at the Fantasia pool for about 40 minutes before it closed at 10pm. We then had a late QS meal, which we took to our room to eat. We ended up staying up until 12 am, but that was fine for us.
Day 4: Animal Kingdom
We slept in until about 8:30 as our first FP wasn’t until 10:30am. We used more snack credits for breakfast since it was our last day and we still had three left! I had saved a cookie and banana from the day before and we headed to the park at 9:30am. Other than Main Street, Animal Kingdom is my favorite entrance to a park. With the animals out and about, the jungle foliage and the wide pathways, it’s is like another world.
We rode the Kilimanjaro Safari as our first FP at 10:30 followed by a visit to Conservation Station, which features an awesome etting area, where you enter an enclosure and can groom goats and sheep. After getting back on the train, we headed to Kali River Rapids. We got soaked! Like, really, really soaked. Even INSIDE my bag got soaked. It was nuts. I’ve been on a lot of rapids rides and never got that wet. I was almost peeved, but blamed myself for not putting my purse in the lockers nearby. Thank goodness our cellphones survived, although all the paper inside my zipped and closed purse did not.
After that nonsense, we got lunch at the Yak and Yeti QS restaurant. So. Much. Food. I got a burger and husband got rb tips. For sides we had an egg roll and chicken fried rice, which was saved for a late afternoon snack. During lunch we were treated to a view of the spider monkey area, where the monkeys were all VERY active and cute.
We then visited Dinoland which is like a carnival for kids. We left and visited It’s Tough to be a Bug, which had potential, but missed the mark as far as we were concerned. We then went on Expedition Everest, which was rad. Best coaster in the parks! After the coaster we saw Flights of Wonder, which is great if you love birds as my DH does.
We also visited all the animals areas and did the Maharaja Jungle trek and the Gorilla walk.
Topping off the day, we saw Festival of the Lion King. We barely made the 5pm, show, but still had great seats as the theater is divided in four sections and there is not really a bad seat in the whole thing.
Before we left, we rode the Safari again and saw different animals than the first time and went on EE one more time as I shamefully had missed seeing the Yeti in our first go.
We left at about 7:00m, as we were fairly tired and it was our last day. Before leaving we used our final snack credits to get falafel bass and the famous Dole Whip (available at only one place in AK- Tamu Tamu in Africa).
We got in another swim in the pool when we returned to ASM and I had a lovely salmon QS meal and Hubs got a burger.
The next day we had to get up at 4am which was awful, but Disney does like to take you 3 hours ahead of your flight to the airport so that they can avoid any liability if you miss your flight. Needn't have worried….we had a hellish time getting home between flight, delays, cancellations and detours...but that’s a story for another time.
Overall it was an exhausting, but wonderfully fun trip.
A few helpful notes about staying at Disney:
If you have DDP, the quick service meal includes 2 snacks! We didn’t know this until our last day there! Snacks can be gummies and candy which you can take home….had we know we would have stock piled everywhere! Ended up with quite a few take home snacks, but we would have taken mre to give to friends had we known...oh well…Some of those snacks saved us on our horror flights home
Did you know that the resort gift shop also sells booze and cigarettes? I didn’t, but we saw it on our final night. They have beer, wine, and hard liquor. It’s crazy, but I guess good for adults on long trips who need a night cap
The bus can take anywhere between 20-40 minutes to get to the park, so allow time if you have reservations.
For ADR’s you can arrive 15-20 minutes early but you’ll still have a to wait a few minutes for a seat. If you don’t like waiting, just show up on time. Arriving early gives you only about a 5 minute advantage.
Finally, take all advice with a HUGE grain of salt. Some advice was spot on and other tips were totally wrong. We rode Frozen (2x!) and Toy Story Mania with no issue- in the middle of morning!- but Fantasy and does indeed get papcked in the middle of the day. We were advised not to zig zag around the parks, but we totally did and it was fine. I had apps that told me wait times and if something was less than a 15 minute wait, we rode that sucker even if we had t walk to another area. Now, we are adults and can move around with ease, but with kids, I might make a much simpler plan and not try to jam pack in as much as we did. Do what works for you.
I am excited to go back in the future with children. It’s magical place and everyone should visit. I am tired, but very, very happy.
Now that I’m back and fully rested, I would like to share some details from my trip. This was the first time I booked a Disney trip myself, and the first as an adult with my husband. I used to go to Disneyland with my sister and family a lot when I lived in California, but have not stayed at Disney World since I was teenager in a vocal competition.
Below is my review. Please pardon any typos. I tried to catch them, but this turned into a novel and I have short, chubby fingers.
I planned as best I could in advance and I think it really payed off! Here are my details and how it went.
Day 1: Arrival day and Disney Springs
When the hubs and I landed in Orlando, the magic express bus was very easy to find. Took about 30 minutes of waiting in line before we got on the bus. When we arrived at the All Star Movies resort, there was a line in both online check in and regular and the regular line went faster. So much for trying to speed things up. However, once we got to the desk, they were super friendly and our concierge helpfully explained how our Disney dining worked and the layout of our hotel.
The hotel is basic, but the decor is cheerful and they add little magic touches, like having your name displayed on movie posters as you walk through the lobby.
There are also cheerful statutes and fun Disney character scattered throughout.
Once we got to our room (853 in the Toy Story block, very close to the pool and food court, but on the quiet side of the building with a view of foliage), we quickly freshened up and headed to Downtown Disney - now called Disney Springs - , where we had a dining reservation at Raglan Road.
Disney Springs is similar to a designer mall. It’s mostly shopping, however there are small entertainment shows (jugglers, musicians, etc., ) and performances ongoing around the area. We decided to head to the giant Disney Store and knock out a lot of our shopping. I got an adorable Minnie purse, which I ended up using during park visits and a very cute cardigan with Minnie designs on it that I will totally wear in the ‘real world’. We also bought souvenirs, our ‘ears’ and our first pins of the trip (and we would end up buying many more pins!).
After checking out a few more shops, we headed to Raglan Road, an Irish pub and restaurant that features live music and step dancing. The place was built in Ireland and brought to Orlando. My husband, who is of Irish descent, was delighted with the place. We were sat in the back of one of the bar rooms, but still had a view of the stage. One thing I noticed (and would continue to notice for the rest of the trip) was how big all the tables are in Disney.Being from NYC, where tables are cramped in small restaurants, it was really pleasant to stretch out. The food was excellent, particularly the soda bread that came with a Guinness infused dipping sauce. The entertainment was fun and included and Irish punk-folk band and step dancers who set up in various places. At one point, they were directly next to our table. My husband and I each got beer flights (not included in the DDDP, but worth the extra money)
I HIGHLY recommend Ragland Road, especially if you arrived late in the day like we did and are not quite ready to get to the parks. It’s really gets you into a fun mood as it falls somewhere halfway between the real world and Disney.
Day 2: Magic Kingdom
We got up bright and early on Monday and arrived at MK about 20 minutes after it opened at 8am.. Following the advice of several trip guides, we headed straight to Peter Pan’s Flight, which only had a 15 minute wait (later in the day it was always more than an hour). Before you get on the ride, you walk through the Darling house, which is delightful. After PPF we walked straight onto It's a Small World. That ride really got us into the Disney spirit! Again, new magic touches had the ride say goodbye to DH and me by name. Very sweet. Before lunch we managed to ride Mickey’s Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and visit the Tiki Room. I used my first fast pass of the day - Splash Mountain.
For lunch I had managed to snag a last minute reservation at The Crystal Palace - thank you WDWmagic forums for suggesting I keep trying! The food was just fine. Nothing to wrote home about, but plentiful and tasty. I particularly enjoyed the pierogies, green beans and fresh turkey. My husband had roast beef with assorted veggies and potatoes. We both had salad, too which there really wasn’t much to put on other than cucumbers and carrots. The desserts were excellent!
Piglet, Eeyore and Pooh all visited our table and took pictures with us. My husband was grinning from ear to ear and my face hurt from smiling so much. It wasn’t the best food we had on the trip, but it was the best fun!
After lunch we headed to Tomorrowland and rode Space Mountain with our 2nd FP. Tomorrowland ...how do I say this….looked quited dated. I used to love that part of the park, but now it is by far the most dingy area. Shame. We rode Carousel of Progress, which got stuck and we saw one “room” twice and visited Monster, Inc. Laugh Floor and then left the area as Buzz Lightyear had a huge line and Stitch was down.
We headed back to Fantasyland, where we got in the longest line in the day, which was 45 minutes for Winnie the Pooh. The line has a play area for kids designed to look like Rabbit's Garden, with activities and things to climb and play on, so they were all well occupied and we made friends with the 20person group ahead of us! I can’t imagine going with a 20 person group, but they seemed happy enough!
After Winnie the Pooh, we saw the Country Bear Jamboree, went on Journey of the Little Mermaid and walked around. We saw two parades on Main Street and decided to play the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - a fun card game similar to Magic the Gathering, that has you running around the park fighting the villains through ‘magic portals”. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/sorcerers/
With this game you get to keep several souvenir SotMK cards. It’s free and I suggest it for those who like D&D and “geeky” games. We checked out more of the new Fantasyland (the additions of Beast’s castle and Rapunzel's Tower is awesome and so, so pretty)and then we shopped before dinner at Navigation Jungle Co.
Dinner was fantastic!! While our waitress was not as goofy or funny as some of the others, the food and ambiance more than made up for it. The steak I ordered was amazing. Perfectly cooked and topped with avocado and a lovely green sauce. The starter bread was just ok because the honey dipping sauce could not be compared to our Guinness sauce the night before.
After dinner we rode Jungle Cruise and then used our third FP on Seven Dwarfs Mine before riding Pirates, Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World one more time before heading out.
I have to say, I had been concerned that 1 day would not be enough, but we got super lucky with wait times. We also had extra magic hours in our favor since there was not a Halloween Party that night.
One small note of annoyance...we used photopass to get a nice photo of ourselves in front of the castle, but we ended up not purchasing any despite the fantastic quality because people behind refused to stop standing directly between us taking selfies. It’s a shame, b/c I would have loved to buy them, but this darn couple is between hubs and I with their dang cell phone out in every single one.
We ended up getting a decent shot at night taken by a friendly stranger, but we were careful not to be in anyone's way! I wish people would be a bit more aware of the world around them. If the couple behind us had waited a minute, I would have been happy to take the photo for them!
Day 2: Epcot and Anniversary
What can I say? Epcot is great. It’s exhausting and huge but wonderful fun. We arrived again about 30 minutes after opening and started off the day by going straight onto Test Track. We chose single rider to save time and the wait was only about 10 minutes. Afterwards we used our first FP of the day at Mission Space. This was THE ride I was most terrified of. A) I have a fear of space (don’t ask) and B) had let the horror stories get into my head. This was part of why i used a FP, so I wouldn’t psyche myself out before getting on the ride. Without spoiling it, we were put in a 4 person team, my hubs and I and another couple, who only spoke Spanish. My Spanish is muy mal, however the other lady and I bonded silently in our fear before getting on. The ride was amazing. Different. It dropped my stomach to the floor and feel like someone had dropped a bowling ball into it, but it was - literally - breathtaking. The woman next to me was less than happy. My Spanish is limited, but I heard her say “No, no no, make it stop. Get me out!”, however she did just fine, even if she never pushed her correct buttons, but she also never let got of her seat.
Hubs was a bit off, as was I, but we got some ginger ale with our rapid refills and did Ellen's Energy Adventure (a 37 minute ride!) to chill out. We then used 2nd FP and rode Soarin’, which I have to say, was not as fun as its CA. counterpart. Frankly, the whole thing looks a bit bent and the screen is smaller, so I was able to see the edge of it the whole time
We then decided to test out luck and head to Frozen Ever After, and since the wait was only 30 minutes (I know, crazy huh?), we got in line on standby. The que is adorable and we actually enjoyed the line experience quite a bit. Lot’s of fun stuff to of at and read while in line. Kids might get a bit bored, but we had fun. The ride itself was surprising as it had few more dips and turns than i would expect for a Frozen ride, but using the old Maelstrom track, i suppose they had to. Here is the kicker, we got through the WHOLE ride and were at the very end, with Anna and Elsa and Olaf singing when the ride got stuck. Like really stuck. We were there ten minutes and then the sound turned off and cast members came out They had to drain the ride and push our boat up, which didn’t make it all the way to the exit, so people had to climb to the turnstiles. We didn’t feel bad about it though,b/c we did see the whole ride and got stuck on the last bit. When we got out a CM gave us all a FP to come back. I felt bad for the other groups in boats who were stuck deeper in the ride and for those in line, but to use it was a funny experience and while I never take photos on rides..I could not resist snapping a few shots while stuck. Let’s just say “In Summer” will be stuck in my head for the next month.
After FEA, we finished up Future World rides, including Spaceship Earth, which was my favorite ride of the day.
The it was time to enjoy Food and Wine Festival. We used our snack vouchers from our DDP to enjoy such treats as escargot (me) and French onion soup (hubs) in France, and Irish cheese plate, Canadian steak from LeCelier, Belgian waffles and an American lobster roll. No line was longer than 3 minutes to get food.
As we walked through each country we ate, explored and shopped. It was honestly the day that hurt my feet the most, but what a day it was! In the late afternoon hubs and I split a plate using a quick service voucher in Morocco at the Tangerine Cafe. We couldn’t each do a full meal after all the snacks, but it was probably the best quick service meal we had all week. After that we claimed our Frozen FP and rode it again without a hitch!
Highlights of Epcot featured walking in the Canadian garden, meeting Alice in England and drinking beer in Germany. We also quite enjoyed the Chinese acrobats and the Japanese drummers.
We had a dinner reservation in the San Angel Inn, so after riding the Gran Fiesta Tour - which never had a line and that is a shame because it’s a delightful ride. We watched Illuminations in Mexico area, and then checked in for our 9:30 dinner. We chose a late dinner, because we had been eating all day and wanted to digest a bit before dinner. The place is lovely and very romantic. They kindly took our request to seat us near the water and the food was pretty good. I got the chef's plate, which a tamale, an enchilada and a steak and DH got the mole chicken.
Our waiter was very kind, but he did accidently double charge us for the champagne we purchased. He thought the magic band didn’t work at first due to low wi-fi and had me “swipe” twice and now I have to call customer service next week to clear it up. It’s only $35, but still...a bit annoying.
Epot was also an extra magic hours day, so that was how we were able to have the late night dinner. Overall it was a very magical anniversary!
Day 3: Hollywood Studios
First day having breakfast at the resort, I finally had Mickey waffles and DH had a breakfast sandwich and bacon before heading to the park at about 9am.
So what's Hollywood Studios about? Star Wars, Star Wars and more Star Wars! But seriously, so much Star Wars. To be noted, this was recovery day for us. HS is under a LOT of renovation currently. The new Star Wars area being updated and Rizzo’s pizzeria make a lot of areas inaccessible, however if you are a Star Wars fan you cannot help but have fun.
We started the day by watching the March of the First Order, which is super cool. They do this throughout the day, so it’s hard to miss.
After saluting Cap. Phasma we rode Rockin’’ Roller Coaster, Muppets 3D, the Great Movie Ride and Toy Story Mania. TSM only had a 30 minute ride and we went against all advice and didn’t FP it or go first thing in the morning. The Force must have truly been with us. It was an adorable line, filled with giant toys, so we enjoyed that line experience as well. It’s a smaller park, so even though we zig zagged around, it wasn’t nearly as brutal as Epcot the day before.
We had our final table service reservation at the Hollywood Brown Derby. This is a fine dining place that takes its time, so if you are in a rush this is not the place to be. Our lunch took 1.5 hours. As adults, this was great for us, but I would think twice before bringing small children. Also to be noted, since this is fine dining it counts as two dining credits per person to eat there. We knew this going in and explained to our server that we only had two credits left on TS. She was a star and promised to put the most expensive items on DDP. I ended up ordering the filet mignon worth $40 amd husband got the chicken which was $19. We shared dessert, which was 3 small items and was by far the best dessert in all the places we visited. Our bill ended up being about $25 only! Not bad for fine dining! The lunch also included seats for Fantasmic, so we didn’t have to worry about that at all!
After lunch we did Star Tours, followed by Tower of Terror, both FP reservations and very fun. After rides, we explored the Star Wars Launch Bay and while there is not much there for the kiddos other than meeting Chewbacca and Kylo Ren, there is a lot of fascinating movie props on display for the fans. We particularly enjoyed visiting the Cantina, where a naughty Jawa stole my husband's candy. He eventually returned it, but it was hilarious.
We rounded out the late afternoon by seeing the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Husband got called up to be an ‘extra’ and it was so much fun!
We were going to hop on Tower of Terror a second time since the wait was only 20 minutes, but seeing that they were letting people into Fantasmic early, we hopped back outta line and got some snacks (using more snack vouchers! Got a coffee,a cookie and a popcorn) for the show and our reserved seats. The ‘reserved’ area is a huge section and lots of people have access to it. The place was packed. We got lucky, with a 2nd row seat in the very center. Yes, we got misted with water. No, we didn't mind.
Fantasmic is wonderful. Nuff said
It lets out ahead of the Star wars fireworks, so while we waited for the bus, we were treated to the finale of that fireworks display.
Since HS closes at 8-8:30pm, we were able to get in a swim at the Fantasia pool for about 40 minutes before it closed at 10pm. We then had a late QS meal, which we took to our room to eat. We ended up staying up until 12 am, but that was fine for us.
Day 4: Animal Kingdom
We slept in until about 8:30 as our first FP wasn’t until 10:30am. We used more snack credits for breakfast since it was our last day and we still had three left! I had saved a cookie and banana from the day before and we headed to the park at 9:30am. Other than Main Street, Animal Kingdom is my favorite entrance to a park. With the animals out and about, the jungle foliage and the wide pathways, it’s is like another world.
We rode the Kilimanjaro Safari as our first FP at 10:30 followed by a visit to Conservation Station, which features an awesome etting area, where you enter an enclosure and can groom goats and sheep. After getting back on the train, we headed to Kali River Rapids. We got soaked! Like, really, really soaked. Even INSIDE my bag got soaked. It was nuts. I’ve been on a lot of rapids rides and never got that wet. I was almost peeved, but blamed myself for not putting my purse in the lockers nearby. Thank goodness our cellphones survived, although all the paper inside my zipped and closed purse did not.
After that nonsense, we got lunch at the Yak and Yeti QS restaurant. So. Much. Food. I got a burger and husband got rb tips. For sides we had an egg roll and chicken fried rice, which was saved for a late afternoon snack. During lunch we were treated to a view of the spider monkey area, where the monkeys were all VERY active and cute.
We then visited Dinoland which is like a carnival for kids. We left and visited It’s Tough to be a Bug, which had potential, but missed the mark as far as we were concerned. We then went on Expedition Everest, which was rad. Best coaster in the parks! After the coaster we saw Flights of Wonder, which is great if you love birds as my DH does.
We also visited all the animals areas and did the Maharaja Jungle trek and the Gorilla walk.
Topping off the day, we saw Festival of the Lion King. We barely made the 5pm, show, but still had great seats as the theater is divided in four sections and there is not really a bad seat in the whole thing.
Before we left, we rode the Safari again and saw different animals than the first time and went on EE one more time as I shamefully had missed seeing the Yeti in our first go.
We left at about 7:00m, as we were fairly tired and it was our last day. Before leaving we used our final snack credits to get falafel bass and the famous Dole Whip (available at only one place in AK- Tamu Tamu in Africa).
We got in another swim in the pool when we returned to ASM and I had a lovely salmon QS meal and Hubs got a burger.
The next day we had to get up at 4am which was awful, but Disney does like to take you 3 hours ahead of your flight to the airport so that they can avoid any liability if you miss your flight. Needn't have worried….we had a hellish time getting home between flight, delays, cancellations and detours...but that’s a story for another time.
Overall it was an exhausting, but wonderfully fun trip.
A few helpful notes about staying at Disney:
If you have DDP, the quick service meal includes 2 snacks! We didn’t know this until our last day there! Snacks can be gummies and candy which you can take home….had we know we would have stock piled everywhere! Ended up with quite a few take home snacks, but we would have taken mre to give to friends had we known...oh well…Some of those snacks saved us on our horror flights home
Did you know that the resort gift shop also sells booze and cigarettes? I didn’t, but we saw it on our final night. They have beer, wine, and hard liquor. It’s crazy, but I guess good for adults on long trips who need a night cap
The bus can take anywhere between 20-40 minutes to get to the park, so allow time if you have reservations.
For ADR’s you can arrive 15-20 minutes early but you’ll still have a to wait a few minutes for a seat. If you don’t like waiting, just show up on time. Arriving early gives you only about a 5 minute advantage.
Finally, take all advice with a HUGE grain of salt. Some advice was spot on and other tips were totally wrong. We rode Frozen (2x!) and Toy Story Mania with no issue- in the middle of morning!- but Fantasy and does indeed get papcked in the middle of the day. We were advised not to zig zag around the parks, but we totally did and it was fine. I had apps that told me wait times and if something was less than a 15 minute wait, we rode that sucker even if we had t walk to another area. Now, we are adults and can move around with ease, but with kids, I might make a much simpler plan and not try to jam pack in as much as we did. Do what works for you.
I am excited to go back in the future with children. It’s magical place and everyone should visit. I am tired, but very, very happy.
