*Disclaimer: I was provided tickets to attend a Disney park for 1 of our 4 days. All opinions are my own. (Thank you Disney!!)
2018 Disney Vacation Recap + Tips for the Best Trip Ever
Last month our family had a magical vacation that we’ve all been looking forward to for a few years! Our family usually goes to Disney once a year. Since pregnancy and having a newborn aren’t exactly the best times to visit, we put our annual trip on hold for a year.
Here’s a recap of our most magical Disney vacation so far and some big tips if you’re planning your own Disney vacation.
HOTEL:
We own a timeshare (through RCI) so we rarely stay on Disney property. This time we stayed at the Sheraton Vistana which was only a few minutes away from Disney. We didn’t really have time to take advantage of the amenities on site, but the rooms were clean, spacious and very comfortable for a family of 5! We went to the pool for about 2 hours one evening and the kids of course loved it. Overall it was perfect for a week away from home. I would definitely recommend if you’re staying off site.
We weren’t as prepared for HOT Days!
Coming from Colorado and visiting during our Fall break we were expecting temps to be in the 80s. (The 2nd week of October). I’ve visited Florida in October before, but usually the last week of the month when temps are cooler but still warm.
We were not expecting the heat that was still hanging around Orlando when we arrived! Temperatures were still in the mid 90’s with high humidity! We had appropriate clothes of course, we just were not prepared for the park days of sweating like it was the middle of summer. Lesson learned! Orlando is HOT even in October! (Real feel was 104 one day!!)
OUR DISNEY PLAN:
We decided to spend 4 full days, (one in each park) at Disney. No park hoppers, we just wanted to enjoy each day with no expectations and not feeling rushed. Each family member seems to love a different park. I personally love Epcot, my husband was excited for Avatar land in Animal Kingdom. The kids were excited for Toy Story land in Hollywood Studios and of course Magic Kingdom! Needless to say, each park did not disappoint.
PLANNING DISNEY TIPS YOU NEED:
While preparing for the trip, I found the BEST Facebook group called “Smart Mom’s Plan Disney” where I learned soooooo many useful tips to make the most out of our week. First off, since we never really stay on Disney property, we had no idea about all the cool character dining restaurants that are available in some of the hotels! HUGE benefit and time saver if your kids love the characters like mine.
If you’re planning a trip, be sure to join the facebook group and plan some fun meals on Disney properties during non-park days!
On this trip we visited a few hotel restaurants including Mickey’s Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness resort and a character breakfast at the Grand Floridian. We also spent a day at Disney Springs and visited the T-Rex Cafe (which the kids LOVED), and I have to admit it was pretty cool!
(Here’s a quick cheatsheet of all the Disney World Hotels that offer Character Dining! It’s a great way to experience the Disney characters without visiting the park!)
Disney Character Dining at the Hotels Cheat Sheet!
I recommend booking a few character dining meals to not only have more Disney fun, but to it’s also a timesaver while your in the parks! We skipped the 90 minute Mickey and Minnie lines because we had already met them! It was awesome!
We did manage to escape to the beach for a day to relax and enjoy the views in Coco beach.
Our go-to Florida beach. It was Pierce’s first time on the beach and he loved it! Totally a water baby!
Really you can’t spend in week in Florida and NOT visit the beach. It’s a must do!
The next day started our week in Disney with Magic Kingdom up first!
This trip we skipped the Halloween party to enjoy a full day in Magic Kingdom, which was perfect for us. We started the day off at the Be Our Guest breakfast. To be perfectly honest I would skip the BOG breakfast. It was in the castle which is a fun experience itself, but if you’re trying to get in for a meal….do Dinner in the BOG castle. We had a 9am reservation, (right when the park opened) and we were in the gates by 8:15. We got a few photos before the place filled up and we even got to ride the Mine Train before the line filled up! All before 9am!
TIP: Be sure to make an early breakfast reservation to get into the park early and behind the ropes! Even if you’re not riding a ride, the photo opportunity is great!
We had fast passes for the rest of the day and didn’t stand in line for any rides without one. The part seemed busy for October, and lines were 90 minutes for Space Mountain and splash mountain!
Here we are riding Jonny’s favorite, it’s a small world. 🙂
We took breaks to get out of the heat doing rides we don’t normally go to like the Country Bears jamboree and the Hall of presidents. Both we loved!
For dinner we ate at the Liberty Tree Tavern…which we all agreed on was our FAVORITE meal in Disney all week! If you’re in Magic Kingdom, this restaurant is a MUST! Be sure to make your reservation 6 months in advance to ensure you get a reservation….that’s what we did and we were glad we did! People were walking up and being turned away due to no reservations available! The food was like a Thanksgiving dinner, all you can eat, served to your table in family portion sizes. Yum, yum, yum! We will always go back to the Liberty Tree Tavern! (And I love the era themed restaurants.
The next tip that is a must is to bring or rent
A KEENZ STROLLER WAGON
My kids are ages 7, 4, and 8 months. A double stroller was not as appealing as a wagon was, and I heard so many great things in the Smart Mom’s plan Disney facebook group that I had to rent one to try out. The Keenz wagon stroller was a game changer for our trip! It was THE best wagon/stroller option for us. The kids felt tired, they would rest in it. They took naps in it. When the baby was tired of his stroller, he rolled around with them in it! We had a cooler with ice on it and brought our own water (that stayed cold) all day. We had ICE on hand all day!! (Lifesaver). When it rained, we had a waterproof cover that went over the wagon and everyone inside stayed dry! We had cup holders, storage and more! Overall it was awesome! If you don’t own one, rent one for your trip! TOTALLY worth it! (Now I want one for my own…I loved the Keenz!!)
Animal Kingdom
Day two was spent in Animal Kingdom to see Avatar land! My husbands must do on his Disney bucket list. I’m not a huge Avatar fan, I’ve seen the movies and they’re great and all….I just don’t really care either way about them. That was until I saw the land and rode the new rides! OMG they did an AMAZING job in Avatar land guys! It’s a must see for anyone, Avatar fan or not!
We ate at Tusker house and it was also a yummy place to eat! No characters or anything, just good food found in Asia near Everest.
My best tip for Avatar land is to try and get fast passes. The River Journey is great but the Flight of Passage is THE ride you want! If you can’t get a fast pass, head there RIGHT when the park opens. Get there early for rope drop and get on the Flight of Passage! It’s THE COOLEST ride I’ve EVER been on! EVER….EVER EVER!!
Also be sure to come back at night and visit Pandora land when it’s lit up! Disney did an amazing job making it feel like you’re actually in Pandora!
EPCOT
Day 3 was spent in Epcot for the Wine and Food Festival! Aka the BEST time in Epcot!
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We arrived when the park opened and went straight to the Frozen ride. It was only a 15 minute wait so we were able to get on with no fast pass quick! (I failed on getting fast passes on time for Epcot, so all our fast passes were at night).
If you go in the fall, the Food Festival is a must. Every land has foods and drinks you can sample for around $7 each! We always have a blast at the food festival so if you can, go! Be sure to visit the food booths early in the day. By the evening the park was much busier and lines were longer. We spent the evening on rides which was perfect! (With full bellies).
Don’t forget to find Baymax…he’s in Epcot and we didn’t realize it until this trip!
Hollywood Studios
Our final day was spent in Hollywood Studios to see Toy Story Land! It’s only been open a few month and it’s SUPER popular! We were lucky to get fast passes to Slinky Dog dash and waited for the other rides in the land.
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Again, visit this land at night to see it all lit up! Don’t forget to look around for the hidden Mickey’s all over and pay extra attention to detail. (Like the giant footprints on the cement…makes you feel like you’re a tiny toy as well).
Hollywood Studios has enough to see the whole park in a day, or do a 1/2 day and go see those must do rides! Fantasmic at night is one of the best productions I think that Disney puts on, so be sure to go early to get good seats! You won’t be disappointed.
Character Breakfast
On our last day in Florida our flight didn’t leave until 5pm. So we woke up and went to one more Character meal so the kids could meet Pooh! Everyone’s favorite bear!
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I’m not a huge buffet fan, but the 1900 Park Fare buffet at the Grand Floridian does not disappoint! Again, the food was GREAT and had a wonderful spread of options.
Overall it was SUCH a magical vacation, when we got home we all were happy to be home, but sad the vacation was over.
The kids are already asking to go back…lol. Until next time Disney!!