Now that we’ve been to Disney a few times within the last year and a half, we have a pretty good feel for the property as a whole. (Again, we are no experts, but do consider ourselves pretty well-traveled.) Disney days are a marathon. You’re walking 10,000 steps or more a day. You’ve got kids in tow. It’s hot. There’s so much to see and do! Luckily, it’s all magical and amazing and worth every single early morning, late evening, and step taken. Here are some of our favorite experiences around Walt Disney World. Some are new favorites as of this trip! The best thing about Disney is that you can always discover and experience something new every single time you visit.
Magic Kingdom will always have my heart. There really is so much to do here, I would spend multiple days at this park (if you can fit it into your trip)! There are endless amounts of fun for all ages, and this park has the most rides. (Side note: check out this blog post on Must Take Photos at Disney World for some tips on how to get a great photo in front of the castle without the crowd!) For this trip, we had dinner at Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen in Adventureland, and it was really yummy! We had actually been there before and loved the experience, and I would recommend it again.
Best rides for kids in Magic Kingdom: This park is full of the most kid-friendly rides in Disney World. You really can’t go wrong! Our girls’ favorites are Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion (may be scary for little ones – our girls thought it was scary last year and amazing this year), it’s a small world (classic!), Peter Pan’s Flight, the People Mover (it’s a great one to give your feet a rest), and Journey of the Little Mermaid. One fun surprise this trip was Caroline now loves rollercoasters. She rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train a few times with her daddy and loved it!
There are a lot of fun things to do in Epcot with kids! Even though the World Showcase is geared a little bit more towards adults, it’s still fun to go through it with kiddos and it’s a totally family-friendly experience. Don’t skip out on the French Bakery (Les Halles) in France! You can meet Anna and Elsa in the Norway Pavilion (and then go on the Frozen Ever After ride). There is also a princess character dining spot in Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, which is a lot of fun for young ones. Turtle Talk with Crush is a fun interactive show to catch that all the little ones will love, and right in the same area are some really impressive aquariums where you can check out sea turtles, reef fish, sharks, and rays.
Best rides for kids in Epcot: Spaceship Earth, Frozen Ever After, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Soarin’ Around the World (some who are afraid of heights may want to skip but our whole family loves this ride). If you’ve got adventurous little ones, try Test Track (there’s no drops, it just goes really fast at the end – both the girls loved it) or Mission Space (Green Mission, the less intense mission).
This trip we discovered that there are lots of fun things for kids to do in Hollywood Studios! Many of which are shows and experiences. It’s a fun change of pace from all the rides (don’t get me wrong, there are still rides to be rode), and a nice break from the heat. Not to mention, we absolutely love the new Toy Story Land. If you’ve got some Disney Junior lovers in your family, you must check out the Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine character breakfast at Hollywood & Vine. Another new experience for us was the Disney Junior Dance Party. This is an absolute must-do with little kids! Super fun and interactive show with tons of your favorite characters that take the stage. Lots of dancing, singing, and even bubbles.
Best rides for kids in Hollywood Studios: Toy Story Mania, Alien Swirling Saucers, and if your kids are feeling adventurous – Slinky Dog Dash! Caroline particularly loved this ride and rode it three times!
The Festival of the Lion King show is our favorite show in Animal Kingdom. It’s got singing, dancing, acrobatics, puppetry, and animatronics. It’s got a wonderful mixture of the Broadway play vibes (think traditional African costumes with puppetry) and the animated characters. And, as expected, it is a quality production! We tried Yak & Yeti for the first time in Animal Kingdom and I have to say it was our favorite meal the entire trip! This pan-Asian restaurant served up some delicious flavors and was great for the whole family. If you’ve never tried this restaurant before, put it on your list!
Best rides for kids in Animal Kingdom: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Na’vi River Journey, and TriceraTop Spin.
We always make a visit out to Disney Springs each time we visit. We typically do it our first or last day, but it’s also a great idea to schedule your visit in the middle of your vacation for a little bit of a slower pace and to break up your park days. You can spend hours and hours in Disney Springs, but you can certainly take it easy and keep a slower pace. Disney Springs is a wonderful area of shopping, dining, and entertainment – no park admission required! We had a wonderful breakfast at T-REX Restaurant (the girls absolutely loved it). And you can’t miss the world’s largest Disney store – World of Disney!
The highlight of our time at Disney Springs was a visit to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The girls had experienced this before on our Disney Cruise last year, and the Disney Springs location was another amazing experience! Something about little girls getting fun hair and makeup just makes my heart so happy. If you’re unable to secure a reservation in Magic Kingdom, definitely go in Disney Springs. It’s just as magical and was a total pampering experience for the girls. They also have packages for boys where they turn them into little knights! It was so cute to see all of the boys getting “knighted” in the boutique.