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Random Thoughts About My Trip to Disney World

I got home from my 6 day 5 night trip to Disney World in Orlando a few hours ago.  I was there with The Wife, The Boy and both grandmothers (they had a separate but adjoining room), and we met another couple and their two kids down there.  Our itinerary was pretty packed and very well planned by The Wife.  By the time we settled down the first day it was 1 or 2pm, so we just hung out at the pool (we stayed at Riverside New Orleans, a Disney resort).  The second day started bright and early when we hit Magic Kingdom ALL DAY.  Our third day we split the time between Hollywood Studios in the morning, and Epcot in the afternoon (into the night).  Our fourth day (Friday) was spent at animal kingdom with a luau dinner that night.  The Fifth day was another bright and early day at Magic Kingdom then back to the hotel for lunch and then back to Magic Kingdom for some rides and the light parade.  Our sixth and last day was mainly just a morning which we spent at the pool with my cousins who drove up from Tampa Bay.  Told you it was packed!

While there I had some mostly unrelated thoughts that I wanted to preserve:

  • First and foremost, The Wife plans an awesome vacation.
  • While I had an amazing time it was no where near relaxing and it took me a day or two to adjust to what my definition of a a “vacation” is/may be in the future
  • The boy cared much more about meeting the characters than the rides.  I thought this was a very interesting discovery
  • Watching the pure joy in his eyes was completely amazing
  • My least favorite park was Magic Kingdom
  • For someone who likes to see everything (like I do) a half day at any of these parks is just not enough time.  I am very bummed I didn’t really get to explore Epcot and Disney Studios like I wanted to
  • With regards to running a theme park/resort Disney has it down to a science!
  • If you are thinking about the meal plan…completely worth it if you are smart about it!  I don’t want to bore those that aren’t familiar with the plan, but I had X amount of snacks, X table services and X quick service meals.  A snack could be a banana or it could be a $8 cake pop from the main street confectionery.  That inefficiency is found at every meal.
  • The amount of pure crap that people bought without regard is amazing
  • There are obvious pros and cons of traveling with other people whether they be friends or family
  • I am not sure it’ll ever happen with a set amount of time in a place like disney but I would have liked a little bit more down time at the pool.  I talked to The Wife about this and we both agreed we would have just fit in another park or allow more time at a full park.
  • I am lucky to have a wife that loves planning larger than average vacations (and is responsible enough for me not to have to worry about anything)

I am sure I will continue to add to this list throughout the week as I think back on my experience (and I get some sleep)

 

I knew I would come back to this list:

  • I am not sure why people without small children would find themselves in Magic Kingdom.  The rides are eh in terms of excitement.  The other parks make sense to me to visit if you don’t have kids with you.
  • Walking around Epcot and Animal Kingdom I was shocked to see people buying ethnic gifts.  That rug you got from “Africa” in Animal Kingdom is not really from your trip to Africa! Just seems silly.

 

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7 COMMENTS

  1. I’m a little concerned about the snake part. That doesn’t seem like a good meal or even a payment system. They couldn’t call it Mickey Meal Money or something?

    It just occurred to me that maybe you mean snack, in which case, it makes more sense.

    I always try to build in a decompression day or two after an “active” vacation vs. say an Aruba-like relaxing vacation.

  2. I got tired just from reading your account of a Disney vacation. Does the term vacation from your vacation mean anything? Sounds like a lot of running around, busy time and zero rest. But I guess a family vacation is never about you rather the family as a whole.

    • After the first day I said to The Wife, “This isn’t my vacation. My vacation is in Vegas this August for a Bachelor Party.” I regret saying b/c the vacation was really FUN but no where near relaxing. I think the definition of vacation has to change when you have a 3.5 year old who just wants to play from the moment he opens his eyes to the moment they shut.

  3. It always amazes me how many people buy the crap at amusement parks or those light up swords and toys at concerts and events. Unless it’s something you can wear, like a hat or tshirt or something, it’s inevitably going to wind up as clutter you have to deal with as soon as you get home.

    • Couldn’t agree more Stefanie! It is frustrating fighting the uphill battle of crap that a 3 year old wants lol

  4. I totally agree! My dad, 14 year-old son and 8 year-old niece have planned to spend one day of our beach vacation at Epcot in the morning, MGM in the evening. We visit Disney every year (sometimes twice) and these are our favorite parks. I’ve made up an Epcot Snack Crawl for this year!

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