Countdown Commences!
Only one hundred forty-three days and counting until our family vacation to Disney! That may seem like a long time but I am so excited, I can't help myself! I love Disney World and I have absolutely no shame in admitting that. There's something carefree and youthful about Disney; I love that everyone turns into a child again when they visit. I totally had a dream the other night where I married a prince and lived in a castle. No shame.
Because I live on the east coast, my family has always visited Disney World and never Disneyland. One day perhaps I will visit my study abroad roommate in L.A. and we will go to Disneyland, but for now I'm content with Disney World.
This trip we are going on a three day cruise to the Bahamas and spending five days in the parks. Here are just a few of our past experiences and my thoughts if anyone is considering taking a vacation there or is just interested for the future! My family and I are Disney Vacation Club members, which can be slightly expensive but make our trips infinitely better. We've been members since about 2008 or so. When we visit the parks, we always stay in a Disney resort. We've been on two Disney Cruises before, one that included Key West and the other just the Bahamas. I've gone as a child, I've gone with family including children and grandparents, I've visited as a teenager with just my mom... You name it, I've pretty much done it.
Resorts: So far we've stayed at the Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge again, this time at Kidani Village. Some things about the resorts:
Cruises: I highly recommend the cruises if you've never been on one. I cannot say enough good things about the cruises! If you have to choose between the parks and a cruise (and you've done the parks before), I vote you choose the cruise!
Because I live on the east coast, my family has always visited Disney World and never Disneyland. One day perhaps I will visit my study abroad roommate in L.A. and we will go to Disneyland, but for now I'm content with Disney World.
This trip we are going on a three day cruise to the Bahamas and spending five days in the parks. Here are just a few of our past experiences and my thoughts if anyone is considering taking a vacation there or is just interested for the future! My family and I are Disney Vacation Club members, which can be slightly expensive but make our trips infinitely better. We've been members since about 2008 or so. When we visit the parks, we always stay in a Disney resort. We've been on two Disney Cruises before, one that included Key West and the other just the Bahamas. I've gone as a child, I've gone with family including children and grandparents, I've visited as a teenager with just my mom... You name it, I've pretty much done it.
Resorts: So far we've stayed at the Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge again, this time at Kidani Village. Some things about the resorts:
- The Boardwalk is extremely convenient, literally right across the lagoon from Epcot. My family spends a lot of time in Epcot so we liked the convenience to walking around the lagoon or taking the ferry. The pool is insane and kids have a ton of fun at that resort.
- Saratoga Springs was nice, but it's very spread out and the walk from your villa to the buses can be long. My grandparents had trouble making the long walk and there was a tram but it took a while. The resort was still extremely nice, as Disney standards demand but I wouldn't recommend it, especially when there are better places.
- Old Key West is beautiful. I would probably use the world"tranquil" as the best way to describe it. I'd recommend it to anyone with only adult guests. You do have to take buses to get anywhere, but the buses run fairly frequently.
- My mom and I stayed at Jambo House at the Animal Kingdom Lodge three years ago when we vacationed there. The rooms were gorgeous and we were able to see lots of animals from our balcony. Only a few complaints though: washer/drier and the distance to our room. My mom and I stayed in a studio suite, which meant no washer or drier in our room. We had to walk a long way to use one and people kept taking our things out of the machines! We learned our lesson and this time are staying in a one bedroom suite with a washer and drier. We had to walk a long way through the hotel to get to our room. We're talking a good fifteen minute walk or so down a very long hallway. You do have to take a bus everywhere like Old Key West but if you like tranquility like Old Key West, it's a gorgeous place to stay.
Parks:
- My family usually gets Park Hopper passes instead of Day passes. This let's us skip around to different parks whenever we feel like it. With the Day passes, you have to choose a park and then you are only able to visit that one park for the day. It's more expensive to buy the Hopper passes but my family doesn't always like to spend an entire day in say, Magic Kingdom. My mom and I loved the Park Hoppers three years ago because we were obsessed with Toy Story Mania. It's hands down the best ride ever! So we got up early for Magic Hours, got right in line for TSM, rode it a few times and then went to a different park for the rest of the day. My family and I also like that the Hoppers mean we can go to whatever park we want for fireworks at night. If you're tight on money then I suggest getting the Day passes and plan out what you want to do on any given day. If you can afford it, the Hoppers are worth it!
- If you've never spent time in Animal Kingdom, you're missing out. We're a family that loves animals so it's worth it for us but tigers and monkeys don't necessarily appeal to everyone. That in mind, Disney added the Expedition Everest (you can hear the screams on the opposite end of the park) and Kali River Rapids, which soaks every single person (great for a hot day). My favorite attraction though is the Kilimanjaro Safari. If you go right when the park opens, before the day gets too hot, the animals are still wandering around from feeding time. It's the best time to go, trust me.
- Epcot is probably my next favorite but that's because in addition to animals, my family loves diversity and culture. Epcot gives everyone a glimpse into a variety of different "countries" and cultures. In each "country" there are native people working there. I recommend stopping in China for lunch. Soarin' is worth the wait if you have the time. People who don't like heights be wary but it's designed with that in mind and isn't scary in the least.
- Magic Kingdom: a classic. Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Dumbo, It's A Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean - it's worth at least a couple hours of your time. If you have little kiddos, this is probably where you'll spend the majority of your time.
- Hollywood Studios is usually the least visited park by the public but they have added a lot of great additions over the past ten years or so. The Great Movie Ride is fun, Studio Backlot Tour is exciting, plus Muppets is always cute and The Tower of Terror is, well, terrifying. My sister walked out of that ride white as a sheet. It is definitely not a ride for the faint of heart. TOY STORY MIDWAY MANIA is the best ride EVER. You spin around a bit and the screens are digital but it's super fun and gets your competitive juices flowing. Three years ago there was an exhibit with a bunch of Narnia props, costumes and things, which I enjoyed as a big fan of the movies.
- My family visited Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach once but we found it was not really worth the money. We would have much rather have been at our resort pool or wandering the parks.
- Downtown Disney is always worth a wander at night. The Rainforest Cafe is a great place, especially for kids. It can be a bit pricey but totally worth it.
Cruises: I highly recommend the cruises if you've never been on one. I cannot say enough good things about the cruises! If you have to choose between the parks and a cruise (and you've done the parks before), I vote you choose the cruise!
- The boats themselves are bigger than you can imagine. It's like being on a floating hotel! You very rarely can feel the ship actually move, which is incredible. On our first cruise we returned in Hurricane Ophelia and even then, we barely felt it shift!
- The service is incredible and your waiters move from restaurant to restaurant each night, so they always know exactly what you like! They're funny and fun to be with every night. One of the things I love most is that like all of the other Disney employees, they're from all over the world. They speak many different languages and have incredible stories to tell. I actually still keep in touch via email with one of our waiters from our first cruise back in 2004!
- The crew members practically trip over themselves to get you what you want or need. My mom is lactose intolerant and they made a huge ruckus about finding her alternative options. If you need an extra pillow, they bring eight to your room.
- The food is always delicious, with tons of different options for everyone. Gluten free, nut allergies, lactose intolerance - you name it, they have an option for you.
- There's always something to do, whether it's a midnight screening of Toy Story 3 or trivia night in one of the lounges. My mom and I went to more than one midnight movie viewing during our five day voyage. Usually Disney shows new releases in their theaters, which is exciting (I saw Toy Story 3 before it opened in theaters and I saw it four times that trip). There are also several shops of course onboard of course, which is always fun! There's a spa and bar for the adults, three different clubs for kids based on age group, and a teen club with lots of activities. There's usually fireworks at some point and a "Pirate Party" up on deck with music and characters.
- If you only do one thing on your cruise, I recommend you go to the nightly shows. They are Broadway quality shows and I am an extremely harsh critic. They're fun and exciting for everyone of all ages, which is of course Disney's specialty.
- My family does tend to get a little seasick so if your family is the same or if someone is claustrophobic, I recommend you get a veranda. The porthole is not your average dinner plate size but the veranda gives you a better feeling that the cabins are larger.
- Key West is beautiful, but brutally hot and humid in the summer. You are in Florida, after all. We once took a tram tour - hands down the WORST DECISION EVER. We BAKED in the sun and were absolutely miserable. It's a beautiful place like I said but I don't recommend the tram tour.
- Nassau is entirely tourist-based now. The straw market there is by far one of the scariest experiences I have ever had. Imagine you are in a tube of toothpaste. You, my friend, are the toothpaste being squeezed through this tiny opening. That's what the straw market is like. There is merchandise from floor to ceiling, while you shimmy down the aisles barely wide enough for the average human being. People yelling and haggling prices, no to mention the intense heat of the Caribbean and incredible stuffiness. It's fun to look at from the outside but I don't recommend entering or you may not make it out again. There are a few other shops in town worth checking into, especially if you're interested in purchasing jewelry while you're there. My mom and I took a glass-bottom boat tour which would have been incredible if I wasn't super seasick. The boat was small so it bobbed like a cork and it was hard to enjoy all the fish and coral reefs when you're about to toss your cookies overboard. Sorry for the mental image.
- Castaway Cay is Disney's private island. The food there is simple but good. There are different beaches for everyone: adults only, children, families, teens only, etc. There's always places to change and bathrooms, plus areas for soccer or volleyball if you're so inclined.
- Blue Lagoon is considered an "excursion" offered by the cruise and it is totally worth it. You have to take a boat from the ship to the island, but it's not far and you pass lots of pretty mansions along the waterfront. You also pass the Atlantis Resort, if you're interested in that at all. It's really bigger than I expected. On the island, my mom and I got plastic chairs and just sat in the water for a few hours. The water is crystal clear, with sand like silk. There's a place for a dolphin encounter so you can play with the dolphins.
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