Disney Trip 2019

I am such a Disney lover!! My family and I really started obsessing over Disney in 2016 when I graduated from college. My sister and I wanted to do a fun graduation trip and thought of Disney. We didn’t really know what to expect because the last time we went was when we were 12 years old! As you can probably tell, we ended up loving it!

This trip was super special because it is right before I get married! My dad is already talking about our next trip….this time with Andrew! So cute.

What We Did

For the first time, we decided to get Park Hoppers. Park Hoppers allow you to explore all of the parks in one day, where normal tickets allow only one park per day. This was something we have always wanted to try. It was fun and very refreshing to spend the morning in one park, take a much needed mid-day break to rejuvenate, and then hop on over to a new park for the evening!

Day 1

My cute dad surprised my sister and I with these plushes that we have been wanting for a bit now. They’re part of the Disney Franchise Duffy and Friends but Disney World in Florida has stopped selling them. Now, they can only be found overseas or in Hawaii…obviously we can’t go there anytime soon! I got StellaLou (the dancing bunny) and my sister got Gelatoni (the painting cat). SO ADORABLE. We brought them on the plane with us and a super kind flight attendant told me that he LOVED Duffy and Friends. It was such a cool moment and a great way to start the trip.

We hopped off the plane, went on the Magical Express, and then jammed on over to our hotel. After dropping our plane carry-on items off, we immediately went to Epcot to meet up with our family that joined us on the trip! Epcot is such a fun park to explore. We especially love the World Showcase pavilions. The Frozen ride is AMAZING, too.

Day 2

We woke up super early, had some resort coffee & bagels while watching Mickey Cartoons, then went over to the best park, Magic Kingdom! I was soooo excited to wear my new Princess shirt, polka dot skort, and my handmade Tiana ears! Tiana, in my opinion, is the most underrated Disney Princess! WE NEED MORE MERCH.

The Magic Kingdom is soooo pretty during the fall. They just put out all of their Halloween and Fall decorations, so it was super magical. After taking too many pictures of pumpkins, we went on some of our favorite rides, took even more photos, and then ate at Skipper Canteen with the whole family.

After around 2pm (when the park gets really crowded and people get really fussy) we headed back to our hotel to kick back, refuel, get coffee (or a drink hahah) and recharge. For dinner, we took full advantage of our Park Hoppers and headed over to Epcot for an amazing dinner at Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canada Pavilion. SOOO good. The Cheddar soup was extremely excellent. I also wore my Bridal ears, which was super fun!

Day 3

Hollywood Studios Day!! One of my favorite parks because the rides are just so much fun. We rope dropped Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Rollercoaster because those are sooo fun and right next to each other. The theming for both rides are so cool. After going on a few rides, we went to our reservation for lunch at the SciFi Dining Theater. I was so impressed with the restaurant and it just might be a new favorite. It is themed like the old drive in movie theaters where you sit in a car (with tables of course) and watch old 1950s programs. My sister and I split the Classic Burger and an Oreo Milkshake. SO GOOD.

After that, we shopped around a little bit at the park and then headed back to our resort (sensing a pattern yet?) to recharge. Then, at around 5, we headed over to Magic Kingdom for shopping, rides, and dinner! We ate at Tony’s Restaurant that is themed like Lady and the Tramp. I also saw one of my friends from college there which was SO cool! She works at Disney…goals right?!

Day 4

We started Day 4 with a yummy breakfast at The Grand Floridian (the hotel we stayed at) to say goodbye to our other family members that were at Disney, too. It was sooo good. I always get the Mickey Shaped Waffle because…when in Disney! This is also the day that we had the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party which gives us access to the park starting at 4pm, so we had the whole day free! After breakfast, we went over to other resorts to shop and pin trade.

For the Party, my sister and I got these ADORABLE costume aprons from this store. They are super affordable and beyond practical. It is sooo hot in Orlando. Not only is it hot, but also insanely humid. I don’t know how people where full-on costumes. These aprons were adorable and so light weight it didn’t even feel like I was wearing a costume. We got so many compliments on them, too. I highly recommend getting one if you are going to MNSSHP or the Princess Run in February.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a special ticketed event where Mickey basically throws a huge Halloween Party. There is a special Villains themed parade, Halloween fireworks, tons of merchandise, treats, trick-or-treat-ing down Main Street, and shorter wait times. It definitely gets you in the Fall Spirit!

Day 5

Our last day! We spent the morning in Animal Kingdom and were able to ride Mt. Everest 3 times in a row!!! We could have gone more, but we decided to keep exploring the park instead. That was so fun. It was crazy how there was no line for the ride!! We took a snack break that was SO good. My sister and I split a Mickey Shaped pretzel (super yummy) and then shared a Pineapple Rum Dole Whip (highly recommend)!!

After our mid-day break at the hotel, we went over to Epcot to meet my mom’s best friend growing up and his wife. They live in Florida, so it was easy to meet there! After a bit of mingling, my sister and I left them to hang out while we boogied on over to Magic Kingdom. Park Hoppers coming through!!

At Magic Kingdom, we walked down Main Street, took more pictures, and got this yummmmmy ice cream treat. It was such a fun night for my sister and I. We finished the night watching Magic Kingdom fireworks from our hotel then went straight to bed!

Disney World Tips

When traveling to Disney World, it can feel like there are so many things you “need” to do and it can be very overwhelming. Here is a list of tips and tricks that really help with planning.

• Get the Disney World app. This makes planning so much easier and its almost needed to do anything. You can book reservations, look at the Disney World map, see bus times, wait times, shop, book fast passes, and see photos.
• Book Fast Passes! This is a no-brainer. Wait times can be so long and every person gets 3 free fast passes….so why would you pass that up? PRO TIP: You can only book 3 passes at a time. You cannot schedule a new fast pass until you have used up all 3. SO, we always book our fast passes back to back and first thing in the morning. That way, when we recharge for lunch, we can try to book more fast passes for the evening hours and get more out of our day instead of wasting it in line. We also like to rope drop rides that fill up quickly and we don’t have a fast pass for because wait times are generally less. Your fast pass is good for an entire hour!
• Take breaks. No matter how “energy-filled” you think you are, breaks are NEEDED and necessary. Being in the humid heat all day is beyond draining and everyone gets so crabby by the end of the night. Get to the park early (beat the rush of people and enjoy cooler temps). Around 2pm, the crowd starts getting bigger, wait times get longer, and the sun gets hotter. Additionally, Orlando is infamous for the 3pm showers. Avoid those. That’s the perfect time to leave the park, explore your hotel, get an iced coffee, and give your feet a break. Then, around 4 or 5, head back over to the park for your dinner reservation (needed!), a few more rides and fireworks.
• Make Meal Reservations: Planning on just showing up to a restaurant and waiting 10 minutes? THINK AGAIN. Even with a reservation, you still wait for your table. Restaurants book up quickly, so when you get the go-ahead on your Disney Experience page to start booking fast passes and restaurant reservations, DO IT. Set a timer and do it!! You can always edit your reservations, but it can be hard to near impossible to add when it gets too close.
• Bring a backpack. Purses get annoying and with walking around all day, you want something comfortable. I also reallllly enjoy putting my backpack on in front of my body….might look funny but man it is comfortable and makes it easy access to grab your phone for a quick picture!
• Eat breakfast before the park. If you have a character dining experience for breakfast, obviously this doesn’t apply. But do not skip breakfast or wait in line for a quick service meal at the park! We always get up, head over to the quick service cafe at the hotel to get our coffee and breakfast, then eat that while getting ready for the day. This way, we have something light in our tummies so we aren’t hangry!
• Plan out what you want to buy. I know this sounds unromantic, but it is so helpful and good for budgeting. I know every time I go to Disney I am going to want a new Disney mug, a couple pins, and most likely a plush and a t shirt. Because of this, I can plan for how much that will cost so there are no surprises. Because we went to the Halloween Party, I knew I would definitely want a Halloween Party shirt and pin. When I got there, I didn’t second guess or battle with myself.
• Go Pin Trading. We had no idea what it was until a couple trips ago and now we are HOOKED. It is so fun and is almost like a scavenger hunt. PRO TIP: Stick to collecting one or two types of pins. Of course you can collect all the pins you like, but when it comes to tough decision making, having a goal really helps you not go overboard. For example, I collect mostly princesses and Duffy pins. While I have tons of other characters, these are the ones I hunt for!
• Stay on property. Yes, there are tons of good hotels nearby, but they won’t have the true Disney Experience. Magic Bands don’t work at non-disney hotels, you can’t use the Magical Express (free buss transportation to and from the airport) and going to parks and resort hopping is really difficult. There are some surprisingly super affordable resort hotels and Disney always has deals going on, so research!

I officially have Disney Brain and Disney Depression. All I can think about is Disney and I just want to go back!!