Skip to main content

WDW Parks

Please remember that I am a local, so the information contained here will not have hotel information.

The Parks - General information to keep in mind: Disney allows you to carry in backpacks, so pack those wisely.  Bottled water, rain ponchos, and some kind of snack (cereal bars, fruit, nuts) should make your visit much more enjoyable (and affordable).
  • Epcot - Geared toward adults, Epcot offers the most diversified entertainment experience.  World Showcase is home to restaurants and shops from around the world, but for some of the nicer restaurants, you may want to make reservations ahead of time.  Electric Umbrella is our favorite fastfood spot due to the reasonable prices for burgers and fries and the option to refill your soda before leaving.  For a healthier quick eat, the cafeteria-style options in The Land are great.

    If you plan to go on Soarin', head to The Land as soon as you get into the park.  You may be able to hop right on, but if you can't, grab a fast pass for later.  It's worth it, trust me!  Epcot also offers a SCUBA diving experience, so book that early to reserve your spot!
  • Magic Kingdom - MK always seems to have construction going on lately.  They are making wonderful improvements to the park, and this shouldn't get in your way while you are there.
  • Animal Kingdom - It seems that the best time to experience Kilimanjaro Safaris is in the morning because the animals are more active.  One thing we really like about AK (especially when visiting with young children) is the continuous availability of characters in Camp Minnie-Mickey.  There are four different areas, and typically there are 2-3 characters available at any given time - Minnie, Mickey, Goofie, the Chipmunks, etc.  The lines aren't normally all that long relative to some of the other character spots so this area is worth a visit.
  • Hollywood Studios - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was recently revamped with new graphics and new ride alternatives.  Love this one.  As a roller coaster fan (being from Ohio), I do like Aerosmith's Rock N Roller Coaster, BUT I cannot go on that ride any longer.  If you have experienced neck or back problems, this ride is especially rough so take a pass.  If you are good to go, get there early or use the fast pass option here.  There are a lot of other great things to see at HS, but be sure not to miss the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show.
Downtown Disney
  • Ghiradelli - Home of free samples and amazing ice cream concoctions!
  • Cirque du Soleil - If you are a Florida resident, please call the ticket window directly to see if they have special FL rates for that time.  We went for my husband's birthday in mid-September, and the FL Resident rate was only $50 per ticket up to 6 people.
  • The Christmas Store - If you are planning to have an ornament personalized, allow at least 24 hours during the busy season.
Events
  • Epcot's Annual Food & Wine - Normally running from end of September to mid-November, this wildly popular event is included with your park admission tickets.  Before you enter World Showcase, you may want to purchase a pre-paid, re-loadable debit card to be used on your food and drink purchases.  Plan to put down between $20-25 per person when you purchase the card...you can always add more money to it later.  We like the re-loadable card because there's no need to worry about cash or constantly swiping your credit card at each location.
  • Holidays at Disney - Each park has a beautiful display for Christmas, which they begin setting up around Thanksgiving - over-the-top fantastic in some areas!  Don't forget about the Osborne Family Light Show in the Streets of America (Hollywood Studios), because it really is a sight to behold.  If you want to experience the holidays without having to pay park admission, either park at a hotel or downtown Disney and tram- and bus- hop your way around to the different resorts.  The Grand Floridian's life-size gingerbread house is beautiful, and I've heard wonderful things about the Animal Kingdom Lodge's displays.  I call it hotel-hopping:)  Along the way you can stop for snacks or meals - it's a frugal way to spend a Disney day!
Labels:
Location: Orlando, FL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Celebrity Solstice - Dawes Glacier, Alaska

If you've ever booked a cruise during the pandemic, you know how frustrating it can be.  In 2019, we booked our Alaska cruise for May 2021. Well, May 2022 was our make-up cruise for the cancelled 2021 sailing.  Better late than never, right? Dawes Glacier - Endicott Arm Pre-cruise First, I’ll hit our pre-cruise stay in Seattle.  We hailed a Lyft from the airport ($50 + tip).  You need to cross the sky bridge and go down one level until you see the green barriers.  The signage was actually great, but several escalators to get there were on the fritz.  Our Lyft dropped us at the Fairfield Inn & Suites near the Space Needle.  The hotel seems newly updated and the front desk staff were very friendly and helpful. For dinner, we took the advice of the front desk staff and visited Thomas Street Warehouse .  The prices are actually really great for downtown, and they have a cool cocktail menu.  In the morning, we grabbed breakfast tacos at Jack’s BBQ on 9th. The brisket was the best,
Post a Comment
Read more

Willamette Valley, OR

What is a year without a second trip out to wine country?  Honestly, this was an add-on trip for me as the hubs actually scheduled this for work.  We brought another couple with us so I could have some travel buddies - bonus that it was also an early birthday trip for one of them.  Too bad it rained the ENTIRE time so no great photo opportunities.  I love this area in the Fall, so at the very least, I was able to enjoy the brilliant leaf colors. I don't blog non-travel related things so I want to add a note here.  I started a very part-time gig (like no more than 10 hours per week) at my local wine and liquor store.  We are reviewing current inventory and looking to revamp our offerings, so I turned this into a quasi work trip for me.  I'll be sure to tag the ones that were more of an industry visit as they may not fully represent a normal experience. Also, the COVID visit to Willamette required two new things (to me): reservations and proof-of-vaccination at some places.  Stup
Post a Comment
Read more

Carnival Magic - Bahamas

After three cancelled cruises thanks to this thing called a pandemic, we booked a couple months out for a 4-day cruise on the Carnival Magic from Port Canaveral, Thursday - Monday.   Good price and easy for us to get to from central Florida.   We purchased the beverage package for this trip since we were planning to stay on the ship most of the time. Parking A very rare occasion, we parked at the port for easy in and out.   Usually we’d book off-site for about half the price, but I didn’t want to deal with a shuttle.   Turns out that the port wasn’t busy – at all! – and the parking was so easy!   Not a bit of traffic, plenty of parking, and a VERY short walk to the ship.   Definitely worth it this time.   We paid at the end of the trip at self-pay kiosk. Room We booked cabin 7347, because if we got quarantined for any reason, I wasn’t about to have an interior room.   Our cabin was a perfect location. Close to an elevator and stairwell, mid-ship.   Easy to get to Alchemy and th
Post a Comment
Read more