Tips For Visiting Disney World

TIPS FOR VISITING DISNEY WORLD

We are getting ready to head to FL again in a few weeks and I have been re-reading my Tips for Visiting Disney World. I have added a few more things to the list also.

 I haven’t been so excited for a trip in a long time. Disney World. I swear it never gets old. The day started out a bit overcast, but it was great and kept us a bit cooler. We did get some direct sun later in the day and then just ducked into a few shows. Seeing the castle again is always the highlight for me. I’m gonna back up a little here and tell you where we stayed and why. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando.

The reasons being:

1. We don’t have “littles” and need to go back to our room for naps.

2. I wanted to be able to go back in the evening and have a nice relaxing dinner. The food was fabulous and the waiters very helpful and friendly. They have a few restaurant options here. We ended up eating at the bar area which is a lot of comfy couches and some tables. Perfect for when you have just had a long day and don’t want to go “dress up” for a fancier dinner. They know you just spend a day at Disney and want to hear all about it.♥

3. The pool… just look at it! It ended up being a great place to hang out and order some great food. I took this picture from our room one night.

The hotel is about 5 minutes from the parks and they have a free shuttle (a really nice bus actually) that takes you there. It was a little bit surprising that we then had to take a boat over to the front gate of Magic Kingdom. All in all it took less than an hour and the price difference for staying out of one of the Disney Resorts was substantial. Just to let you know, there are other options when you want a beautiful place to stay and get away from all the hype of the day. The next day, we did take an Uber that dropped us off right at the front gate and it was less than $20. There are 4 Disney parks in Florida: Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom & Epcot. We went to Magic Kingdom on day one and Hollywood Studios the next.

We lucked out with all the parades and got front row to all of them. I didn’t have to zoom in for any of these pictures! One thing that I was not aware of is that they no longer have the Electric Parade at night, but instead have a parade at 3 pm. Just a heads up, if you haven’t been there for awhile, this is the main parade called Festival of Fantasy Parade.

It wouldn’t be complete without Cinderella and Prince Charming, right?

Love all the classic characters. This is the parade to see to get all the oldies, but goodies.

Goofy was so close I could have touched him!

Later in the day we caught a second, shorter parade which was also a surprise! We had stopped on Main Street to do a little shopping and sit on the curb to give our feet a break when this one started up. There we were…front row again. I believe this parade occurred about 5 pm. It was really fun, full of loud music and all the characters getting everyone hyped up for a party. This parade is called Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party. It stopped in front of the castle. It’s pretty fun and had everyone dancing.

You can’t forget about the balloons and the ones with a balloon inside a balloon always amaze me.

I must admit…the food choices at the park are lacking unless you are into fast food options. We basically grabbed a hot dog to keep us going so we could have that relaxing dinner back at the hotel. (The food at Hollywood Studios was a different story! Great food and drinks. They are catering to an different crowd there and there are some pretty great restaurants.) We did find a Starbucks and that was a great find! I got to have my cold foam cold brew. It is located on Main Street.

By the end of the day the humidity wiped out my hair and I resorted to a hat. Best decision ever! I don’t know how my daughter succeeded in still looking absolutely adorable. Here we are waiting for the fireworks. We got there about an hour and a half early and just enjoyed the breeze that had come in and people watching. Again.

As the sun was going down the lights on the castle turned such a pretty purple. I imagined what it would be like to live in it and then decided that I wouldn’t want to clean it. Then again IF I could live in it I would be rich enough to hire out the cleaning. Hmmmm. Does your brain start wandering like this or is it just me? ♥

I was not prepared for the 3-D effect on the castle and all the color changes. I hope I’m not spoiling anything for you if you have never been or if it’s been years (like us).  You still get an amazing fireworks show, but now oh so much more. It is worth waiting for…please don’t leave early!

I still get the chills when I see these fireworks…there is a video of the Grand Finale at the end for you. (turn your sound up!)

Tips for Visiting Disney World

1. Carry a backpack (this is a great basic lightweight one) with essentials (like a light coat or sweatshirt for temps dropping at night) unless you have a stroller.
2. Pack some snacks (or your lunch) to keep you going while standing in line for rides.
3. Download the Disney App BEFORE you go and buy your tickets on there. Makes checking in faster.
4. Book your Fast Pass early (think days and weeks early) so that you don’t miss out on your favorite rides.
5. Don’t forget your sunscreen…it’s $$ if you buy it in the park.
6. Buy your Disney ears before you go. They are $28 in the park and I bought mine on Etsy for $10. Same with t-shirts.
7. Take a portable phone charger. You will take so many pictures all day and you don’t want to miss the fireworks pics!
8. Put advil in your pack.
9. This Waterproof Case for your phone is excellent! Perfect for those water rides when you want to get pictures. I use it out on the kayak all the time.
10. Wear your most comfortable shoes! These are the ones I am wearing this year 2020.

These are just a few things that worked for us…hope it has been helpful for you!

The most important: Have a TON of fun! After all…you are at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.

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