If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that my family and I LOVE all things Disney. We are just such big fans of it all. I was born in California, so visiting Disneyland was something we did often. We love getting to go!
If you have never been to Disney World, I couldn’t encourage it enough. Honestly, I think it is even more fun as an adult. No matter how many times we go, there are always new things that we haven’t tried yet. Every time feels different. This blog post is full of what we did while we were there this time. If you have been to Disney, what is your favorite part?
Where We Stayed
We have tried a couple different resorts, but our favorite one is the Wilderness Lodge. This resort is super close to the Magic Kingdom, so if that is a park you love to go to, I would recommend. It also has the cutest theming! It’s all the outdoor, cozy cabin vibes.
How to Get There
Disney used to have an amazing service where you could hop on a bus and go straight to your resort (included with your visit). However, after COVID, they shut that down… probably to save them money. It’s sad. Now, we just called a Lyft/Uber to take us to our hotel. From MCO Airport, the drive is just about 30 minutes. We landed at around 2:30pm and were at our resort just a little after 3pm.
Day 1- Travel Day & Magic Kingdom
After we got off our plane, we headed straight to our hotel. After we set our things down and got settled in, we made our way to the Magic Kingdom. Because our hotel is one of the 3 located in Magic Kingdom, we were able to take a boat ride there! The boat ride is under 10 minutes and super nice!
Once inside, we made our way to the Plaza Restaurant right across from the Castle, where we had our dinner reservation for 5:30pm. The menu is super simple, but everything is very good. I had the Steak Salad and a glass of wine.
After dinner, we wanted to get the most out of our day! We went on a few rides and walked around. One of our favorites is always Pirates of the Caribbean and Thunder Mountain. I am low-key, SO excited for the new Tiana ride taking place of Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain was always my favorite ride as a kid, and Tiana is my favorite princess. It just makes sense :).
Day 2: Animal Kingdom, Pool, Epcot
My family is a big fan of the Park Hoppers. Honestly, with the crowds and heat… we like to break things up a bit. To start Day 2, we went straight to Animal Kingdom. There are a lot of fun rides in AK and the food is super yummy. We got breakfast sandwiches as a little kiosk this time, which was super yummy.
After about 5 hours in the park, we decided to take a mid-day break and go to the pool. It was so relaxing! Our resort has two pools and a pool bar! Andrew and I split the Bison Burger that was SO good. I highly recommend planning in relaxation time while at Disney. The parks always get super crowded around noon-4pm, so we always take a break during that time!
In the evening, we went to Epcot for dinner at Le Cellier steakhouse! AMAZING food located in the Canada pavilion. It was raining like crazy, so we are glad we made our reservation.
After dinner, my family headed back to the hotel and Andrew and I walked around all of the pavilions. My favorite, of course, is France! Each pavilion has food and stores that mimic the country they are from. Super cool and such a great experience. Andrew and I were able to ride the Frozen ride and Remy’s ride! Both are so cute.
Day 3: Epcot & Animal Kingdom
The 3rd day, we were starting to feel tired, but still ready for some fun. We went to Epcot super early. We were able to ride some rides in the morning and then we had a lunch reservation at San Angel Inn Restaurante. This place is beautiful and super relaxing. It is inside the large Aztec looking building and right by a river. The food is yummy, too.
We also tried these margaritas that are called a Fiesta Margarita. Super sweet, but really good, especially when you are hot!
In the evening, we went to Animal Kingdom! We had a reservation for dinner at one of our favorite places, Yak & Yeti. The food is super flavorful! Animal Kingdom Park closes fairly early, around 8pm, so we had a nice early night. Andrew and I ended our night by going to our hotel bar to just chill before going to bed.
Day 4: Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom
Oh, Hollywood Studios….one of my favorites! I love the theming and the entire atmosphere of this park. Unfortunately, we went to this park on a Friday…. it was CRAZY busy. We got there as early as you can to get as many rides as we could in.
Andrew is a big Star Wars fan, so we had a lot of fun walking around that part of the park. We even had a reservation at Oga’s Cantina, which looks like it is straight out of the movie! You do have to sit with other families when you get a table, and it is wildly crowded in there, but an experience for every Star Wars lover for sure! There is this scrumptious iced coffee/cold brew drink in Star War’s land called Black Caf. It’s out of this world ;).
We took another pool break in the afternoon and then made our way to the Magic Kingdom to end our trip! We were able to get a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table; something we have never done before! You get to meet Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora, and Snow White!! It is a 3-course meal and the princesses walk around to each table to chat and take a photo. I wish I would have done this when I was a kid! Little ladies and gentlemen get to have a prince/princess makeover before going into the dinning area. A DREAM!
Disney Tips 101
When planning your Disney World trip, it can be very daunting. There are so many opinions out there, travel agents, YouTube videos… it can be a lot! Here are some tips I have from visiting almost every year since 2016!
- Best times to visit the park are Sunday-Wednesday
- Plan breaks during your day. We like to get to the park when it opens and leave around 12pm when the crowds get unbearable. We go back around 4-close!
- Make the Reservations: They fill up quick. You really can’t go wrong with any restaurant!
- Disney Food: is GOOD. Honestly, some of the best food I’ve had at a restaurant and its in a theme park?! They do it right.
- Pin Trading: Ever since COVID, it hasn’t been the same.. but I’m hoping it picks back up again. Pin Trading is a Disney tradition that has been around since 1999. How it works: you get Disney Pins and then you can trade them with cast members. Have you ever seen those big pin boards with lot so different pins on them? You can take one pin you like, as long as you place one of yours on there for someone else. Limit is 2. This is a fun thing to do when you want a park break and you make so many memories. I personally like to collect Cinderella, Tiana, Sleeping Beauty, and Tinker Bell pins!
- Park Hoppers are great, but not needed!
- DRESS COMFY!! Ohhhh the sweat life is real. No matter what time of year you go! We have been in May, June, August, November, and December. All hot. November & December, the nights get a little bit cooler, but not much.
- Pack light in the park: I only bring a fanny pack with lip gloss, phone, wallet, sunglasses, and some extra sunscreen.
- Getting around: On the Disney Experience App, you can see bus, monorail, and boat times to help plan your travel. You can also unlock your hotel room from the app, plan dining experiences, and see park wait times!
What I Wore
What’s your favorite thing about Disney World?
