For Content Marketing Specialist Sarah Rowe, nothing has brought more magic to her life than Disney. When her parents suggested a couple years ago that the whole family take a trip to Orlando this fall, it was an easy yes! Sarah had been to Disneyland as a child, but this would be the first time experiencing Walt Disney World. She knew the magic would only be increased now that she has a child of her own to bring along, so after two years of planning and saving, she travelled with her husband, Tyler, four-year-old daughter, Daisy, her parents, and her sister’s family to enjoy a truly enchanting experience together!
They knew they’d only be getting three Disney days and so they decided to make the most of the three parks they were most excited for: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. Even one full day isn’t enough time to cover everything the parks have to offer, but the days were still a lot of fun! If you’re considering your own trip to the parks, some tips are here to help you make the most of your time.
Magic Kingdom
This was where they spent their first Disney day!
Magical Moments Tip #1
If you only get to pick one park in Walt Disney World, choose this one! You’ll enjoy the classic rides, characters, and experiences you expect from a Disney Park.
They started the day by taking the ferry to the entrance of the park. Cruising towards Cinderella’s castle is a great way to start building your excitement for the day! The moment they made it through the entrance, a parade was already getting started on Main Street, U.S.A., so they stepped aside to enjoy being greeted by some beloved characters!
Magical Moments Tip #2
Use the My Disney Experience app to keep track of when things like the parades will take place! If someone in your group is excited about seeing the characters, parades are the perfect time to do it. For Daisy, this was a great way to start the day!
After the parade, they got their quintessential castle photo op done. From here, they started the journey through every land in Magic Kingdom, kicking it off with Adventureland and ending with Tomorrowland.
Magical Moments Tip #3
Get in line for the rides and experiences you care about the most early on in the day. Lines are generally shorter at this time, but you can use your app to check on wait times as well so you can plan your day accordingly! Sarah’s family made sure to ride Pirates of the Carribean and It’s a Small World, as well as visiting Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, earlier on in the day since these are all family favourites. They love to see how Disney animatronics create a truly immersive experience!
Other rides they made sure to stop at were The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which had an interactive queue that was perfect for children, as well as the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Daisy’s favourite ride of the day. They didn’t get a chance to meet too many characters on this day since there is so much to do and see around the park, but they did find Peter Pan, as well as Anastasia and Drizella!
Magical Moments Tip #4
If meeting the characters is important to you, check the map when you first arrive. Sarah missed doing this, and many of the character meeting spots are indicated on the map so you can visit those first before the characters are done for the day!
One more highlight at Magic Kingdom was Mickey’s PhilharMagic, a 4D show that lets you feel like you’re inside several classic Disney films. But the best part of the day for Sarah, the thing she was most excited for, was the Happily Ever After Nighttime Spectacular.
Magical Moments Tip #5
Get to the square for the fireworks early! It gets pretty packed, so if you want a great spot to enjoy the show, you’ll have to get there long before the show starts. All those Disney fans watching together does add to the magic, though!
Among thousands of Disney fans gathered into the square outside the castle, they got to enjoy a beautiful display of lights, fireworks, and music showcasing many beloved characters and stories. For Sarah, this was a moment of true Disney magic, and it was capped by the appearance of her favourite Disney character, Tinkerbell, flying above the crowd to deliver one last bit of pixie dust. Sarah couldn’t wipe the smile off her face, though she did wipe a few tears before the show was done. Overall, this was the perfect first day of Walt Disney World magic, and Sarah and her family were ready for the next day to come!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The first stop of Disney’s Hollywood Studios was a no-brainer—they headed straight for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway! This was Sarah’s favourite ride in all of Walt Disney World. It has no tracks, so your car goes all over the place as you journey through the story of this runaway train, and the animation surrounding you is incredible! You are placed right inside a Mickey and Minnie cartoon, and it’s the perfect way to start another day of Disney magic.
A big priority for Sarah, Tyler, and Daisy today was finding as many characters to meet as possible, so Toy Story Land was the next stop of the day. After a delicious lunch from Andy’s Lunch Box and a bit of shopping, they got in line to meet Woody and Jessie.
Magical Moments Tip #6
It’s no secret that many lines in the parks are quite long. The line to meet Woody and Jessie was one of the longer ones they waited in, but they bought Daisy the Toy Story toys she was hoping for right before getting in this line up and this helped pass the time since she had something new to play with! Another way to pass the time in lines is to play games with the people in your party.
From here, they spent some time in Pixar Plaza where they got to meet Elastigirl and Edna Mode, and they also saw Joy, Frozone, and Sully! They had an autograph book for Daisy, and she was having a blast collecting autographs and photos with the characters.
Magical Moments Tip #7
Don’t miss Pixar Plaza! There were so many great characters here, and the line to meet Edna Mode is indoors. You get to admire the superhero outfits she designed while getting to cool off in the air conditioning.
The other ride they made sure to visit was Star Tours, and for Star Wars fans like Sarah and Tyler, it was very exciting to experience travelling through the galaxies with C3PO and R2D2! This 3D ride completely immerses you in a galaxy far far away. Simply walking through Galaxy’s Edge was also exciting, seeing things like the Millenium Falcon in person for the first time. Sarah’s niece enjoyed the droid building experience—you can create your own astromech that is remote control operated, giving you a little droid buddy to take home! There’s also an option to build your own light saber.
Sarah is a lifelong lover of The Muppets, so a stop to enjoy Muppet*Vision 3D was a must, and this show did not disappoint. They also watched the Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage show which had Broadway-style performances of songs from the movie. The actors on stage were flawless! And of course, with a Frozen-loving child, they couldn’t miss For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. They went to this one for Daisy, but it ended up being one of Sarah’s favourite parts of the day—there’s something really special about sitting in a room full of Disney fans all singing these favourite songs together! A few tears may have been shed again, especially for the special ending. Plus, on a 30-degree day, Elsa’s powers were a very welcome break from the heat!
Finally, no Disney trip is complete for Sarah without her favourite treat: churros. The mini churros with chocolate sauce were the perfect ending to another magical day!
EPCOT
For their final day in Orlando, they were excited to head back to Walt Disney World for the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT!
Magical Moments Tip #8
This is a great time of year to visit EPCOT! There are always great snacks to try from around the world, but the extra options during the festival were particularly tasty.
The excitement at seeing the familiar Spaceship Earth sphere as you walked into the park was big, and they couldn’t wait to start exploring. First up was the Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, and wow...Sarah says Disney has truly outdone themselves here! As you learn about the importance of water in our world, you get to work some of your own Moana magic, making the water move, create music, and splash all around. Characters from the movie were hidden in the walls around you as well, and this was really special for Daisy and Sarah who were dressed as Moana and Te Fiti for this day!
Magical Moments Tip #9
Make sure you visit the Sea Base! The Finding Nemo ride, Turtle Talk With Crush, and the aquarium are features your whole group can enjoy and it’s another opportunity to get out of that Florida sun for a bit.
As before, a priority on this day was meeting more characters so they made sure to get in those lines early on! Moana was excited to see a fellow master Wayfinder when Daisy walked up in her own Moana outfit, something Daisy loved. Mickey & Friends was the place to finally meet Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Minnie Mouse. Daisy enjoyed the first two, but walking up to Minnie was a highlight for her as she shared a hug with this special member of the Fab Five! Finally, they found Anna and Elsa in the Netherlands, and this was the perfect final character experience for Daisy.
Of course, with the Food and Wine Festival going on, they had to try some tasty treats. They enjoyed Italian Nachos in Italy and a Belgian waffle in Belgium. After a quick stop in France to cool off in the Beauty and the Beast sing along, they had to journey home to Canada to see how the poutines were. Answer: they were delicious! And although the Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 skipped right over Saskatchewan, it was still cool to see beautiful spots throughout the country in the 360 theatre! It was also Canadian Thanksgiving the day they were there, so it was a unique way to celebrate the holiday. Finally, they cooled off with some soft serve from the Refreshment Port. Sarah’s cinnamon apple ice cream was exactly what was needed to cap off the culinary journey!
After one final stop to shop at Creations Shop, they rode Spaceship Earth—this classic ride was truly the perfect way to end their magical Disney adventures!
Final Magical Moments Tips
Sarah is already dreaming about the next time she can go to the most magical place on Earth. While the experience she had was wonderful, she would make a few changes next time:
- Staying in a Disney resort. They stayed at an outside resort since the whole trip wasn’t just about Disney, but Sarah would love to be fully immersed in the Disney bubble next time. This would also make it easier to enjoy more of what the parks have to offer!
- More Disney days. Sarah can’t wait to go back and experience Animal Kingdom next time, as well as the water parks if the weather is nice enough! Park hopping might be on the list for next time as well, so she isn’t limited to just one day in each park—somewhere like Magic Kingdom has enough magic to fill several days, after all!
- Disney PhotoPass. Much of the trip was spent getting pictures with the characters since Daisy was so excited to see them, and there were quite a few moments the Disney photographers captured that Sarah and Tyler missed as they were focused on making the experience special! Something that is nice about these moments is that the photographers will give you a card that you can keep scanning throughout the day to collect all your photos, and you can choose to pay for them later if you decide you’d like to. This wasn’t part of their budget this time, but it is definitely worth it if you plan for it!
- Dining Experiences. Either booking a Disney Dining Plan or reserving one special dining experience would definitely be a must. The food they ate throughout the parks was delicious, but having at least one special experience, especially one with characters in attendance, would bring a little more magic to the trip!
Overall, Sarah’s trip was full of magic, and she can’t wait to go again! If you want to experience your own magical Disney trip, CAA Travel has consultants on our team who are experienced in planning with Disney, and they’d love to help you get there. Check out our website to get more info and start thinking about which Mickey ears you’ll be sporting when you enter the park one day soon!