An Overview
We literally just got back from WDW on yesterday and I miss it already! Spending time and making those memories with my babies is always the best. We stayed for three whole days and visited Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot. Hollywood Studios did not make the cut this go round but I will definitely be making my way there in 2024.
Animal Kingdom
In 2021 for Christmas ,we went to Animal Kingdom and I will probably not do that again because the amount of people was insane. We’ll discuss that later on in this post of the best times to go and when to avoid Disney. But back to the topic, we have now rode every ride at Animal Kingdom! Animal Kingdom is my favorite park and I enjoy the scenery there, but I had an issue with one of the rides there.
Na’vi River Journey was very underwhelming to me. We waited for almost two hours and I swear the ride only lasted 30 seconds. Yes, I know the rides are not long, but I wanted them to give me more Avatars and Pandora scenery. This is just my opinion, because they gave it all and them some in Avatar Flight of Passage! Hands down my favorite Animal Kingdom ride.
Magic Kingdom
Now, this park here, is a lot. I don’t mean that in a bad way. You really have to be prepared for this one. This park had a lot of rides for my little people and here is where they rode majority of their rides. Of course, for the four of us the rode it, Space Mountain was a blast. I have rode this twice before this time and it still is very thrilling. We did wait for two hours for this one also, but it was definitely worthwhile.
I enjoyed all the rides at Magic kingdom, and the only one that I can say was underwhelming would be the Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s not boring or anything it is just not as action packed as I would have liked. This is just one of the parks you have to visit if you don’t go to another one.
We were here all day and I mean from 8:30 until 10:30. My little people wanted to stay to watch the Disney Enchantment Fireworks Show and it was really good. The shows and parades at this park are very entertaining and especially exciting for the little ones. Here is where we saw majority of our favorite characters.
Of course, it was packed to capacity and getting out of there after the fireworks was a mad house! So my advice would be to watch the show closer to the back and start heading out before the show ends. You might have to incorporate a walk and watch situation to avoid the chaos.
Epcot
We saved this one for the last day as I knew it was not going to be an all day park. I haver always used Epcot and MGM as park hopper days because of this. This time, we only did Epcot and rode three rides. We were trying to get in a fourth one, but I will explain further down why that did not pan out. Still, the three rides that we rode were enjoyable and the kids really enjoyed them.
In Epcot, we stood in line for two hours for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and it was a really fun ride. For the small kids, the had so much fun and it really made them laugh. Even the older two pre-teens enjoyed the theatrics of this one. I am impatient, and by the third day my legs were jelly so the wait was agonizing but that’s the price you pay in Disney World.
The Favorite and Least Favorite
Now, I hinted above to the rides I liked and ones I did not care for. I have rode quite a few rides for Disney and right now I can say my favorite is Avatar Flight of Passage. It has the same concept as Soarin’ over at Epcot. Yet, I really felt like I was over in Pandora riding a banshee. The water splashing up in my face really set the vibe. Then, the Na’vi River Journey will have to be my least favorite. It’s not the worse, I just wish it could be longer. Again, this is just my opinion so don’t try to debate my experience….Respectfully
How We Saved Money
The best part of this was the coin that was saved. This was done in two different ways. We were able to get tickets through military affiliation. Of course, the tickets were slightly discounted and saved us money! If you have any military affiliation, then start there when trying to figure out a way to lessen the cost. Honestly, we know Disney prices can get really high.
Next, we did not stay at a Disney resort. The value resort prices for Disney hotels has changed and I was not trying to pay $350.00 dollars a night for a room! That was gonna cut into my souvenir money, so we found an alternative. This was an awesome decision to save money, and the hotel was really nice!
Drury Plaza At Disney Springs
We stayed at the above mentioned hotel and LOVED it! It is a Disney partner hotel so you do get early access to the park. They also offer breakfast and it gets better! Every evening from 5:30 until 7:30, you were given the choice of dinner options free of charge. Well, it’s apart of your stay so it’s technically not free. Still, some of the options were chicken alfredo, meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, and hot dogs or nachos for the littles. We were not expecting the meal to be so fulfilling.
They even gave you three free drinks at the bar during this time. The drink I had didn’t have a lot of alcohol in it which is perfect for me since I don’t drink often. So it worked perfect for me! I cannot forget to tell you the spectacular view allowed us to see fireworks from Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Rating this hotel 10 out of 10 and we will be going back again.
When To Visit
A very important factor about making this trip is the time you plan to go. I knew that going in February was a good month, but going President Day weekend was not the best. So, if you take away anything from this post let it be this info.
Best Times To Go
- January 9th-February 15th
- March 31st-April 8th
- May 2nd-19th
- May 24th-27th
- August 22-31
- September 1st-October 5th
- During the week in October
- During the week in November( except Thanksgiving Week)
- During the week in December(except the week of Christmas and New Year’s)
Worst Times To Go
- School Vacation
- President’s Day
- Spring Break
- MLK Day
- Summer Season
- Week of Thanksgiving
- Week of Christmas
- Week of New Year’s
- Labor Day Weekend
- Memorial Day Weekend
- And of course any holiday
Again, take this advice and plan the trip on a less busy day if possible to get the most out of your Disney vacation!
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