Have you ever wanted to share your love of Disney with others? I’ve been a Walt Disney World fan all of my life, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than sharing that love with other people. This year I had the opportunity to travel to Walt Disney World with my boyfriend, Vinnie. It was his first trip in over 15 years, and as we know, lots has changed since then!
I had been talking about us taking a trip together for over two years, so when the time finally came for us to go, I was unbelievably excited to share the place I love with him so much, but I was also very nervous that it wouldn’t live up to his expectations. I had talked it up as being the greatest place on earth (cause it is!), but I was a bit apprehensive; I didn’t know how he would take it all in. Would he feel like a little kid again? Would he love the rides, the entertainment, and the food? Or would he hate the heat and the crowds, and want to go home?
Luckily, my worries were all a waste of time! Our only trouble was not having enough time to show Vinnie everything he needed to see. Since he hadn’t been since he was ten, I had to show him the highlights in our long-weekend trip. We packed four parks into two days, which was no easy task! We had a rest day in between to relax at the pool and do some souvenir shopping at Downtown Disney, but the rest of our park touring was commando-style. With extended park hours during the summer, we had no trouble hitting:
- at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, The Great Movie Ride, and The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.
- at Epcot: Soarin’, Test Track, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Living with the Land, all the countries in the World Showcase, and Illuminations.
- at Animal Kingdom: Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids, and DeVine.
- at the Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, Mickey’s Philarmagic, Carousel of Progress, and Summer Nighttastic Fireworks.
All of that in just two park days — can you believe it? We even went back to our resort for a midday swim each day!
I tried hard to make sure that Vinnie had the most magical vacation, which isn’t too hard when you’re in a place like Disney. We had a few delicious meals — including the kitchen sink at Beaches & Cream and my first lunch experience at Chefs de France (yum!) — a few fun nights on the Boardwalk, and amazing park days. I can’t wait to go back for a longer stay and soak up even more park time — and more importantly, neither can Vinnie.
Are you planning a commando trip? Here are my tips:
- When you’re not in the parks, get some rest. Our heads hit the pillows as soon as we got back to the room each night, and if we weren’t napping on lounge chairs at the pool on our midday breaks, then we certainly were soaking up some air conditioning in the room!
- Don’t make a lot of dining reservations. Our one reservation, at Chef’s de France, was the only place we felt pressure to be at. When your days are stacked with dining reservations, there is so much less room for flexibility in your touring plans, which is exactly what you need when you have two days to see hundreds of attractions!
- Stay on property, and stay near the parks. We stayed at the Boardwalk Villas, and I can’t stress enough how much time it’s central location saved us! We could walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, and could ride the boat at the end of a long night. Not having to wait for buses gave us more control (and again, flexibility) on getting to and from the parks.
- Have fun! The long days and nights running around are sure to exhaust you and make even the happiest person a bit cranky, but just remember — you’re in the happiest place on earth, so relax, smile, and have fun!
Author: Allie Leo
Allie is a member of the Chip Panel an elite group of Disney Guest Bloggers featured on the Chip and Company site. If you love Disney and enjoy writing you should apply to the Chip Panel..Along with being immortalized on Chip and Company Website you will be entered in a drawing for a free $25 Disney Store Giveaway!
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