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Writer's pictureAndrea

Disney World Family Adventure: Tips and Tales from Our 5-Day Getaway

Updated: Jan 25

Disney parade in front of the Magic Kingdom castle with blue sky, white puffy clouds, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, crowds of people and a parade float with a balloon on top.
Disney Parade

Disney Getaway Tips!


Our family of 3 visited Disney World in mid-October. Our visit was 5 nights/4 days, which was the perfect amount of time for us. Our son just turned 5 years old so it was the perfect amount of time for him. We stayed at the Cabins in Fort Wilderness, which was closest to Magic Kingdom. We visited every park and took part in many experiences and adventures. What a fun place for people of all ages! Read on for all the details! These are our Disney getaway tips!



Pro's:


  • We loved having the privacy and space of a cabin, versus being in a hotel where you share walls with other people/families. You never know what your neighbors are going to be like (loud, obnoxious, slamming doors etc.) Also, the space was amazing! We had a separate bedroom with a queen bed and a set of twin bunk beds, a full bathroom with a lot of storage space, tub/shower combo, and then an open floor plan consisting of a fully stocked (utensils, plates, bowls, cups, etc.) kitchen consisting of 2 stove burners (no oven), full size microwave and full size fridge and freezer, plus dishwasher. They also supply a coffee maker and toaster as well. The living room has a love seat pull out couch, standard chair and then a dining table with enough seats for 5 people. They had a nice 55 inch TV as well with Direct TV. Outside, there was a nice deck with a full size picnic table and also a charcoal grill. We absolutely loved having all that space and ability to cook meals at our cabin! We would put our son to bed at night and then were able to watch TV in the living room without disturbing him or sit out on the deck and not have to worry about disturbing him either.

  • We loved being able to park our car right by the cabin, whereas at a resort, your room could be located pretty far from your hotel room resulting in a long walk to your car. This was a big convenience for us.

  • The amenities were amazing! 2 pools on property, multiple restaurants, trading posts aka stores with groceries, walking paths, bike rentals, fishing, horse and carriage rides, movies under the stars every night, camp fire sing a long with Chip and Dale (Wednesday-Sundays), smore makings every night before the movie. The best amenity for us was the boat ride over to Magic Kingdom. It was a pleasant and relatively short ride that dropped you off at the doorstep of Magic Kingdom. The boat runs every day from 7:30am-to one hour after the park closes. We utilized this amenity quite often.


Cons:


The only con in my opinion is they don’t want you driving your car around the resort. They prefer you rent a golf cart ($65-$85 per day), ride bikes or take the shuttle buses they provide to make your way around the resort. It appeared as though most people rented golf carts. There is plenty of golf cart parking at all the stops in the resort. The resort is pretty spread out so it would be a lot of walking for you to get from one place to the next.


Things to Know


Cabin and Golf Cart Decorations


Wood cabin in pine trees with a rich blue sky, pine needles on the ground, a deck, green door, and a spooky clown halloween decoration.
Cabin Decorated for Halloween!

Because we were there during a holiday (Halloween), they allow you to decorate your cabin and golf cart with decorations of your choice. We did not know that ahead of time so we didn’t come prepared, but we loved seeing all the decorations at other cabins, especially at night. Such a neat experience!!


Campfire Sing-a-Long with Chip and Dale!


Stage with cowboy, chip, and dale singing campfire songs at Disney world.
Campfire Sing-a-Long with Chip and Dale!

The Campfire Sing a long with Chip and Dale was really cute! Unfortunately we didn’t stay for the whole thing as our son was tired and wanted to go to bed, but they interacted with the kids and did the hokey pokey. You are able to bring your own s'more makings and roast marshmallows too. The kids loved it! After the Campfire Sing a long they play a Disney movie on a big screen.


Pool & Hot Tub


The pool at the Meadows was amazing! It had a splash pad area with small slides for kids under 45 inches tall with a lifeguard present. Our son loved that! Then they had a big pool that was only 3.9 feet deep with a larger water slide for the kids. That was definitely a favorite for all the kids! Multiple lifeguards were present throughout the pool area. There was also plenty of lounge chairs for families to sit. There was also a hot tub. Next to the pool was a snack stand/restaurant where you could order food and take to the pool deck. There was also a playground nearby.


Summary


All in all we highly recommend the Cabins at Fort Wilderness and would definitely return in the future!



Overview: Plan Ahead!


This was our favorite park by far! We found the rides at this park to be the most age appropriate for our son. I would recommend doing your research ahead of time, reading about the rides and deciding which ones your kids will like and which ones they won’t. That really helped me plan out our days. Otherwise it can be very overwhelming. I would definitely recommend spending more than one day at magic kingdom if you have younger kids that want to meet characters as well. That way, you can focus on characters one day and rides the next day or mix it up a little bit.


Recommendations and Rides


Characters / Character Breakfast


If your kids are into meeting characters and it fits in your budget, I would recommend doing character meals. This way, you get a handful of character meet and greets out of the way, your kids are also occupied eating and not having to stand in lines, etc. The most time you spend at a character meal is about 1.5 hours which flies by honestly. We only chose buffets so we had a broad range of foods to choose from. And we did breakfasts, as they were slightly cheaper. The character breakfast we did at Magic Kingdom was at Crystal Palace which included meeting Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeore, and Piglet. They spent a lot of time one on one with each table and signed autographs if you had an autograph book. It was such a neat experience and our son loved it!


Staying On-Property


If you stay on Disney property, you get access to extended hours before the park opens to the public. We loved that! It gives you time to take pictures without a ton of people in the background and head to your favorite ride before the general public arrives.



I would highly recommend purchasing the Disney Genie+ every day at Magic Kingdom!! This really cuts down on your time spent in line and is extremely helpful when you have young kids. The price varies daily and depends on the park you choose. You can also choose multiple parks which we really liked as we switched parks a couple days.



I would also recommend buying the Memory Maker photo service. Its a flat rate and allows you to download all the pictures that are taken of you during your vacation on rides, around the park, etc. Very much worth it in my opinion. That way you can get family pictures with everyone in them and not have to be constantly asking people to take your pictures. Professional photographers are all over all the parks with very cool backgrounds too.


Rides: 5 Years and Younger


  • I would recommend picking your top ride and heading there first. We chose the Jungle Cruise as it is very popular and usually has a long line all day. (We used our first Disney Genie+ selection on this ride).

  • Since that was in Frontierland, I then looked to see what other rides or shows were in the area so we weren’t walking all over the park. We rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride next which usually doesn’t have longer than a 15 minute wait. Our son loved that ride too.

  • After that, we just happened to be walking in front of the castle and the show Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire was about to begin in about 10 minutes. Lucky for us there weren’t many people waiting so we got right in the front and ended up having a great view for the show. It was a combination of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Daisy, with other friends mixed in. It was awesome and very entertaining! Our son loved it! Highly recommend.

  • Next we rode the Buzz Lightyear ride, which was our son's absolute favorite! I would recommend using Disney Genie+ on this ride as it's popular.

  • After that we rode:

    • Tomorrowland Speedway-driving your own old time car (also a favorite for us)

    • Carousel of Progress (we could take it or leave it). It was nice if you want to relax for a few minutes away from the sun.

    • People mover (easy going)

    • Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Show - funny and interactive. We all had a good laugh.

  • Next recommendation is to use Disney Genie+ for good viewing of the Festival of Fantasy Parade, which runs everyday at 3pm. We only did this one time as its the same everyday. You get special seating in front of the castle with no one pushing to get in front of you. It was perfect! Short parade with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, Daisy and a few other characters.

  • After that we rode the train, which boards right by the theater where Mickey is. It takes you around the park and is nice to sit and get out of the sun.


Bonus: Meet Mickey!


child hugging Mickey Mouse at a meet and greet with a red curtain, gold tassels, and a brown floor.
Mickey Mouse Meet and Greet!

  • Big recommendation: go right after the parade to meet Mickey at Town Square Theater. The line will be shorter since most people are at the parade or leaving the parade. We moved really quickly to get there, but the walk is short from the castle.


Other Rides for Younger Kids


  • Peter Pan’s flight (very popular, use Disney genie + early for this one)

  • Winnie the Pooh Adventures

  • Mad Tea Party (tea cups)

  • Dumbo (popular, use Disney genie +)

  • Under the Sea

  • It's a small world

  • Carousel


A Note on Pirates of the Caribbean: we took our son on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and it scared him. It’s dark and has a drop or two. He didn’t like the pirates mainly.


Fireworks!


Magic Kingdom fireworks show at night, with illuminated trees, smoke in the air, fireworks, and crowd of people observing the nighttime fireworks show.
Firework Show!

Fireworks recommendation: every night at 8pm they have fireworks (unless there is a special event going on). A lot of people will start getting settled about an hour before the show as there is a laser show on the front of the castle. If you don’t care about the laser show, you can watch the fireworks from anywhere in the park really. But if you want to see the laser show, I would recommend sitting along main street or somewhere near the front of the castle. I would stake out your territory about 45 minutes ahead of time and stand your ground as people will push their way through and around you.


TRON


If you want to ride Tron, get on Disney Genie+ ASAP in the morning (7am) and get in the virtual queue line to try and snag a spot. My husband was lucky enough to get on at the end of the night (that was after waiting since 1pm). He really enjoyed the ride and said it was worth it.



Tree of life at Animal Kingdom in Disney World with a bright blue sky and lush green vegetation.
Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom

The Perfect Amount of Time


We spent about 3 quarters of a day here and that was the perfect time for us. We arrived when they opened and left around 4pm.


Highlights


  • Before breakfast we enjoyed Dinoland, riding the Triceratops Spin ride which we all enjoyed and looking around at the games you could play.

  • Character breakfast at Tusker House with Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Mickey. The food was delicious, buffet style, and our son enjoyed interacting with all 4 characters and getting pictures and autographs.


Daisy Duck signing an autograph book at Disney World at a character meet and greet with African architecture and juice in a glass on a wood table.
Character Breakfast

  • At the last minute, we decided to take our son on the Dinosaur ride…big mistake!! It was completely dark inside, very fast and the dinosaurs jumped out at you. Yikes!

  • Next we rode Na'vi River Journey, (a much more calm ride) which we used our Disney Genie+ selection for as this ride is quite popular. It was a relatively dark, but not scary ride Kasvapan River of Pandora from Avatar. Very cool!

  • After that we made our way over to the Kilimanjaro Safari ride, also a Disney Genie+ selection. This ride takes you in a safari bus/van through different parts of Africa to see the live animals up close in their habitats. Very cool experience!

  • Once getting off the safari we watched gorillas playing together.

  • After that we saw 2 shows: the seas with Nemo which was awesome!!! And the festival of the lion king, which was also very good!

Avatar


  • My husband tried to get a pass to get on the Avatar ride but it was already sold out for the day. So note, if that ride is of interest, get a pass first thing in the morning!!'


Expedition Everest: Singles Line Alert!


My husband rode the Expedition Everest roller coaster which he loved! It definitely would have scared our 5 year old so we stayed behind and waited. Before you wait in line, like my husband did, consider taking turns or allowing the person who wants to ride the ride to take the single line. The singles line is minutes, compared to 30-minutes plus in the regular line.


Meet-and-Greet


Last, before leaving the park we stopped at the Adventure Outpost to meet Minnie Mouse, then headed back to our cabin.



Overview: Wish We Had More Time Here


We spent a whole day here and could have spent more if we had the time. Between the rides and visiting all the countries, there is so much to do. We started the day by riding rides since they are at the front of the park. We finished in the World Showcase.


Rides


  • Guardians of the Galaxy: My husband got a pass first thing in the morning to ride the Guardians of the Galaxy ride so my son and I got a quick breakfast while he did that. He absolutely loved the ride and recommends it to anyone who doesn’t scare easily. Ha!

  • Spaceship Earth: We then rode Spaceship earth which is inside the big ball when you come into the park. Very neat and chill ride. It ascends and then descends the inside of the ball while you sit in an interactive vehicle.

  • Mission Space: After that, we rode Mission Space (there are 2 sides, earth, which is more gentle and then mars, which is less gentle). We chose Earth since we didn’t want to scare our son….so glad we did as I almost got sick at the end from the motion. Very cool ride and our son loved it!

  • Soarin: After that we headed over to Soarin (a hang gliding experience) over California. What a neat and interactive ride, including scents! Use Disney Genie+ for this ride.


World Showcase


After this we made our way over to explore the different countries and their food and drinks. I highly recommend spending a day just on this part. We had to rush through this but still enjoyed our experience.


Mexico


  • We started at Mexico and worked our way clockwise around to the other countries. We ate lunch at the Cantina…the nachos and chicken tacos were delicious!

  • Biggest recommendation from Mexico though is the Avocado Margarita at La Cava del Tequila (inside the Mexico Pavilion) it is to die for!!!! The line can be long but it moves quickly.


Norway


  • Next we visited Norway and enjoyed a Norwegian Kringla (a pretzel with chocolate on top) and a frozen Viking coffee (has Baileys Irish cream in it). Both were delicious!!!


Germany


  • After, we visited Germany and enjoyed a flight of German beers, the favorite was the Prickly Pear Hefeweizen by far. The Riesling wine was delicious as well. We sampled the jumbo pretzel and the apple streudel which were both yummy.

  • While in Germany, we experienced and band playing to walkers-by who sang in both English and German. What a treat!


Italy


  • Our next stop was Italy for a frozen sangria and a piece of pizza at Pizza al Taglio, a small pizza window in the back corner. Very good!!


England


  • We had to skip all the way to England after that, as we were running out of time. My husband enjoyed a Harp draft beer.


Canada


  • Then we moved on to our last stop, Canada, and enjoyed some maple flavored popcorn. Very delicious!


Summary


As I said earlier, we could have easily spent 2 full days here with the rides and then eating and drinking our way through the countries. What a fun experience for all here!



Overview: Toy Story, Cars, and Star Wars!


We spent our final day at Hollywood Studios and were pretty exhausted by this point so we only spent a few hours here.


Highlights


Toy Story


  • Toy story Land was the biggest hit for our family. We enjoyed the Toy Story Mania ride (use Disney Genie+) and the Alien Saucer ride. The Slinky Dog Dash is very popular and would definitely need a Disney Genie+, booking first thing in the morning. Our son doesn’t like roller coasters of any kind so he did not want to ride it.


Star Wars


  • My husband used a Disney Genie+ selection to ride the new Star Wars ride, Rise of the Resistance, and really enjoyed that. My husband enjoyed the incredible 20-minute experience, stating it was very realistic. This ride includes park actors and automated storm troopers!


Cars


Lighting McQueen on a stage at Disney World illuminated in red with a Japanese cartoon commercial in the background on a large screen.
Lightning McQueen!

  • The other recommendation I have is to see the Lightening McQueen show if your child likes the movie Cars. It was very entertaining and features Lightening McQueen in person. You can also take pictures with a couple of the other cars from the movie outside the theater.


Sci-Fi Diner


Drive in diner at Disney World man and child sitting in a car waiting for food watching cartoons on a large projector screen with stars in the sky and other cars with other people.

  • A restaurant I recommend for lunch is the Sci-Fi Diner theater. You get to eat in an old time car, while watching old movies or cartoons on a big screen in front of you (like a drive in). Their menu is very kid friendly and features various burgers and sandwiches for lunch. Their classic cheeseburger was really good! And definitely substitute onion rings for fries! They are delicious!


Characters


Buzz Lightyear signing an autograph for a child at Disney World while people wait in line for an autograph.
Buzz!

  • We were lucky enough to get in line to see and meet Buzz Lightyear before he left. We also met Pluto. Woody and Jessie were in the park, but the line to meet them was very long! There were other Disney Junior characters there including Fancy Nancy, Vamperina, and Doc McStuffins, but our son isn’t interested in them so we didn’t wait on them.


Other Recommendations


  • Indiana Jones show

  • Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad (use Disney Genie +)

  • Fantasmic show and fireworks (8pm every night)

  • Meet Olaf


Older kids/adults


  • Tower of Terror ride

  • Rockin Roller Coaster

  • Star Wars rides



Trick-or-Treating at Disney World with a large bucket of candy and ice scoops full of candy.
Ice Scoops of Candy!

Overview


This is offered only on certain nights of the week from September until Halloween and sells out quickly. I would recommend booking asap when you know the dates you are going to be at Disney. We went on a Sunday night and it was perfect. It is from 7pm until midnight, however you can get into the park as early as 4pm. They just don’t turn the park over to halloween until 7pm. This was hands down worth every penny!!!! We absolutely loved this event!


Highlights


  • There were trick-or-treating stations all over the park and they were not stingy on the candy at all! We came home with more than enough candy for the whole family! Don't worry Mom and Dad, you get a trick-or-treat bag too!

  • Most rides were open so it was really cool to be able to ride the rides with short wait times.

  • There were character meet and greets all over the park with the characters dressed up in halloween costumes and other characters as well who aren’t normally there, like tweedle dee and Tweddle dumb.

  • They had a special Hocus Pocus show 4 different times that night.

  • 2 parade times: one at 9:15pm and the other at 11:15pm.

  • An AWESOME fireworks and laser show at 10:15pm.


Summary


All halloween based, and nothing was scary at all. The parade was amazing!! The fireworks were amazing! It was all just really well done. And the crowds are a lot lighter. I will say, we attended the later parade so it might have been more crowded at 9:15pm. We had no problem getting a seat at the last minute on main street so we could easily get out before the crowds. For the fireworks we stood to the left of the castle slightly and could see the laser show and fireworks just fine. We did not have to camp out at all ahead of time. I would hands down recommend this event to anyone and also recommend to come dressed in a costume (with no mask).


Would We Go Again?


Absolutely! We had an amazing adventure and would do this trip over again. If you're interested in planning a Disney trip, or any other trip for that matter, please contact me, checkout our plans, or fill out the trip questionnaire to discuss your ideal adventure!


Until next time!

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  • Andrea's Travel Adventures
  • Andrea's Travel Adventures

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