Haz23
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2015
Hello DISners! I've just joined the forum and what better way to use my first post for a trip report?
DBF and I have just returned from a two-week trip of a lifetime to Walt Disney World. He had been years ago when he was younger, but this was my first time, having only visited Disneyland Paris a couple of times. We booked it a year in advance, and used the My Disney Experience app to secure dining reservations and FastPasses before we went. I had done a lot of research prior to our trip - reading websites such as wdwinfo and TripAdvisor, as well as talking to friends who had been before and asking them for tips. We had all but one day planned out and we were ready to go!
Since we were travelling from the UK, the flight was 9 hours and felt very long, so we were pretty relieved to land in Sanford and get our transfer to the hotel. We stayed at the All-Star Sports Resort and I can't even begin to express how great it was. The rooms were cosy with comfy beds and a nice shower. The pools were fun and weren't too crowded, and the food court had a great selection of meals (I miss the burgers already!). We also liked the poolside bar, which was a nice place to relax after a long day in the parks. The water and Diet Coke tasted different to what we are used to, so I mostly drank milk to start with but got used to the taste towards the end. We stayed in the Touchdown building which was really close to everything. I loved the theme and detail of the resort, great fun for all ages and DBF is a huge sports fan so he was happy! We hadn't originally planned to purchase the refillable mugs, but after talking to others we realised they were definitely worth the money for our length of stay, especially for people like us who drink a lot in the heat. Plus they make a nice little souvenir! The transportation system between the parks worked really well, the longest we ever had to wait for a bus was about 20 minutes, though some of them go between all three All-Star resorts which can get a bit crowded sometimes.
Magic Kingdom - We spent several days here, purely because of how amazing it is. We went to the opening on our first day, and I'll never forget walking down Main Street and seeing the castle for the first time. I'm normally quite good at hiding my emotions but I couldn't help but shed a tear or two at how magnificent it was! Because the park was relatively quiet for the first hour, we managed to walk straight onto the popular rides like Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, and loved riding them again later in the day with our FastPasses. Our favourite ride was the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, which we didn't mind queuing for long periods of time as we thought it was worth it. It's especially fun in the evenings when it's dark and the fireworks are happening right next to it. Plus the pictures that go on your photopass are brilliant - we loved returning to our room every night and seeing the pictures from the day. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was so much fun but it broke down every time we went on it! We enjoyed shows like Mickey's Philharmagic and The Hall of Presidents, plus they were a nice escape from the heat. For lunch, we ate at places such as Casey's Corner and Pecos Bill. I loved trying all the Disney exclusive snacks like the Dole Whip and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches (I think I had about 6 in total throughout the trip!) and the smoothies from Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland were amazing! For evening meals we went to The Crystal Palace, Tony's Town Square Restaurant and Be Our Guest. We enjoyed the food and experience at BOG so much that DBF was lucky enough to get us another reservation a few days later (the grey stuff is indeed delicious!). On our last day we had breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table, which was a lovely way to meet some of the princesses. I especially loved seeing the looks on some kids faces when they met their favourites. We tried to meet as many characters as possible, my personal favourites being Merida and Mickey at the Town Square Theatre, and I loved seeing DBF meet Gaston. Our favourite way to finish the day was by watching Celebrate The Magic and Wishes. We stood by the carousel in Fantasyland a few times to get the full effect from the fireworks which was fun and very magical. The shopping was fantastic, we got some great souvenirs and treats from the Emporium. Magic Kingdom was our favourite park by far, the atmosphere was great and the cast members were friendly and helpful. It's Disney at its best!
Epcot - Our plans for Epcot changed when DBF was unfortunately struck down with a sickness bug, which we think was a result of delayed jet lag and not being used to the heat. We managed to ride Spaceship Earth before he became so unwell that we went back to the hotel for the rest of the day, and I can thank the helpful cast member who cancelled our dinner reservations so we weren't charged. We returned the next week though and got FastPasses for the rides, with TestTrack and Soarin' being particular highlights. We were absolutely mesmerised by The Seas with Nemo and Friends and could have spent hours watching the dolphins. I was really impressed with the World Showcase Lagoon and enjoyed walking around it, skipping from one country to another. France was beautiful and we got to meet Belle by the pier. We had dinner in Mexico at La Hacienda de San Angel after getting a last-minute reservation and watched the sunset over the lagoon. Illuminations firework display was amazing but definitely make sure you get a good spot, we had to peer over a very tall family to see!
Hollywood Studios - So on our first planned day in Hollywood Studios I had caught the same sickness bug that DBF had a few days before! I managed to survive Star Tours and the Frozen parade before caving and going to see a first aider who advised me to get out of the heat and sleep it off. I felt terrible as I felt I was ruining the day for my BF, plus we had to cancel our reservation at the Sci-Fi Dine-In which we were really looking forward to. Like Epcot, we went back the following week and got some new FastPasses. Having been on the Tower of Terror and RocknRoller Coaster in Disneyland Paris I knew what to expect and enjoyed them just as much. Much to DBF's delight we went on The Great Movie Ride (I had to leave the line twice the first time as I was so ill!) and sat front-row for the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and got a great view of all the action. Beauty and The Beast Live was also thoroughly enjoyable. Toy Story Midway Mania was a long queue time but it was definitely worth the wait. Fantasmic was our highlight of the park, it was incredible and I'm slightly sad we didn't get a chance to see it again before we left. We went to meet Mickey in Disney Animation and felt slightly disappointed with the experience, only because the photographer clearly didn't want to be there and Mickey barely acknowledged us! We watched the Frozen fireworks before heading back to the hotel, and loved the fake snow at the end!
Animal Kingdom - We headed to Animal Kingdom after we had both fully recovered from our sickness bug, which was by far the hottest day of our trip so we were drinking water and standing at cooling stations like no other! We rode the big rides like Dinosaur and Expedition Everest which were great, and we loved the safari where we got to see elephants and giraffes and the Bug's Life show. DBF was fascinated by the gorillas and we spent a good amount of time watching them and then saw them get called in by their keeper. Kali River Rapids was huge fun, you get soaked but it was lovely and refreshing after walking around in the humidity all day. We had lunch at Tusker House buffet, my stomach was still a bit fragile so I unfortunately couldn't eat much of the amazing food that was on offer, but we got to meet some characters during the meal which was fun. Festival of The Lion King was fantastic, and as soon as we came out it started pouring it down so we decided to call it a day!
Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach - The water parks were great fun, and a nice way to relax but at the same time still have as much excitement as you do in the other parks. Typhoon Lagoon has some really fun tubing water slides - our favourite was Crush n' Gusher which we rode so many times I lost count. I loved snorkelling in the shark reef too, it was pretty cool to see a giant stingray swimming just a few feet below you! The wave pool is pretty fun but after you get hit by the waves a few times it really knocks the energy out of you. Blizzard Beach has the tall water slides like Summit Plummit, DBF went down it but I was too chicken so I opted for the Slush Gusher instead - both slides have amazing views of Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney and hotel resorts from the top. We preferred Typhoon Lagoon for rides but thought Blizzard Beach had better food choices.
We were extremely sad to leave Disney yesterday. It gave us the chance to forget about the world, not worry about any responsibility and enjoy being young. There's something that really tugs at the heart-strings when you walk up Main Street and take one final look at the castle before you leave. We are already thinking about our next trip, there really is nothing more special than the happiest place on Earth!
DBF and I have just returned from a two-week trip of a lifetime to Walt Disney World. He had been years ago when he was younger, but this was my first time, having only visited Disneyland Paris a couple of times. We booked it a year in advance, and used the My Disney Experience app to secure dining reservations and FastPasses before we went. I had done a lot of research prior to our trip - reading websites such as wdwinfo and TripAdvisor, as well as talking to friends who had been before and asking them for tips. We had all but one day planned out and we were ready to go!
Since we were travelling from the UK, the flight was 9 hours and felt very long, so we were pretty relieved to land in Sanford and get our transfer to the hotel. We stayed at the All-Star Sports Resort and I can't even begin to express how great it was. The rooms were cosy with comfy beds and a nice shower. The pools were fun and weren't too crowded, and the food court had a great selection of meals (I miss the burgers already!). We also liked the poolside bar, which was a nice place to relax after a long day in the parks. The water and Diet Coke tasted different to what we are used to, so I mostly drank milk to start with but got used to the taste towards the end. We stayed in the Touchdown building which was really close to everything. I loved the theme and detail of the resort, great fun for all ages and DBF is a huge sports fan so he was happy! We hadn't originally planned to purchase the refillable mugs, but after talking to others we realised they were definitely worth the money for our length of stay, especially for people like us who drink a lot in the heat. Plus they make a nice little souvenir! The transportation system between the parks worked really well, the longest we ever had to wait for a bus was about 20 minutes, though some of them go between all three All-Star resorts which can get a bit crowded sometimes.
Magic Kingdom - We spent several days here, purely because of how amazing it is. We went to the opening on our first day, and I'll never forget walking down Main Street and seeing the castle for the first time. I'm normally quite good at hiding my emotions but I couldn't help but shed a tear or two at how magnificent it was! Because the park was relatively quiet for the first hour, we managed to walk straight onto the popular rides like Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, and loved riding them again later in the day with our FastPasses. Our favourite ride was the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, which we didn't mind queuing for long periods of time as we thought it was worth it. It's especially fun in the evenings when it's dark and the fireworks are happening right next to it. Plus the pictures that go on your photopass are brilliant - we loved returning to our room every night and seeing the pictures from the day. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was so much fun but it broke down every time we went on it! We enjoyed shows like Mickey's Philharmagic and The Hall of Presidents, plus they were a nice escape from the heat. For lunch, we ate at places such as Casey's Corner and Pecos Bill. I loved trying all the Disney exclusive snacks like the Dole Whip and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches (I think I had about 6 in total throughout the trip!) and the smoothies from Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland were amazing! For evening meals we went to The Crystal Palace, Tony's Town Square Restaurant and Be Our Guest. We enjoyed the food and experience at BOG so much that DBF was lucky enough to get us another reservation a few days later (the grey stuff is indeed delicious!). On our last day we had breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table, which was a lovely way to meet some of the princesses. I especially loved seeing the looks on some kids faces when they met their favourites. We tried to meet as many characters as possible, my personal favourites being Merida and Mickey at the Town Square Theatre, and I loved seeing DBF meet Gaston. Our favourite way to finish the day was by watching Celebrate The Magic and Wishes. We stood by the carousel in Fantasyland a few times to get the full effect from the fireworks which was fun and very magical. The shopping was fantastic, we got some great souvenirs and treats from the Emporium. Magic Kingdom was our favourite park by far, the atmosphere was great and the cast members were friendly and helpful. It's Disney at its best!
Epcot - Our plans for Epcot changed when DBF was unfortunately struck down with a sickness bug, which we think was a result of delayed jet lag and not being used to the heat. We managed to ride Spaceship Earth before he became so unwell that we went back to the hotel for the rest of the day, and I can thank the helpful cast member who cancelled our dinner reservations so we weren't charged. We returned the next week though and got FastPasses for the rides, with TestTrack and Soarin' being particular highlights. We were absolutely mesmerised by The Seas with Nemo and Friends and could have spent hours watching the dolphins. I was really impressed with the World Showcase Lagoon and enjoyed walking around it, skipping from one country to another. France was beautiful and we got to meet Belle by the pier. We had dinner in Mexico at La Hacienda de San Angel after getting a last-minute reservation and watched the sunset over the lagoon. Illuminations firework display was amazing but definitely make sure you get a good spot, we had to peer over a very tall family to see!
Hollywood Studios - So on our first planned day in Hollywood Studios I had caught the same sickness bug that DBF had a few days before! I managed to survive Star Tours and the Frozen parade before caving and going to see a first aider who advised me to get out of the heat and sleep it off. I felt terrible as I felt I was ruining the day for my BF, plus we had to cancel our reservation at the Sci-Fi Dine-In which we were really looking forward to. Like Epcot, we went back the following week and got some new FastPasses. Having been on the Tower of Terror and RocknRoller Coaster in Disneyland Paris I knew what to expect and enjoyed them just as much. Much to DBF's delight we went on The Great Movie Ride (I had to leave the line twice the first time as I was so ill!) and sat front-row for the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and got a great view of all the action. Beauty and The Beast Live was also thoroughly enjoyable. Toy Story Midway Mania was a long queue time but it was definitely worth the wait. Fantasmic was our highlight of the park, it was incredible and I'm slightly sad we didn't get a chance to see it again before we left. We went to meet Mickey in Disney Animation and felt slightly disappointed with the experience, only because the photographer clearly didn't want to be there and Mickey barely acknowledged us! We watched the Frozen fireworks before heading back to the hotel, and loved the fake snow at the end!
Animal Kingdom - We headed to Animal Kingdom after we had both fully recovered from our sickness bug, which was by far the hottest day of our trip so we were drinking water and standing at cooling stations like no other! We rode the big rides like Dinosaur and Expedition Everest which were great, and we loved the safari where we got to see elephants and giraffes and the Bug's Life show. DBF was fascinated by the gorillas and we spent a good amount of time watching them and then saw them get called in by their keeper. Kali River Rapids was huge fun, you get soaked but it was lovely and refreshing after walking around in the humidity all day. We had lunch at Tusker House buffet, my stomach was still a bit fragile so I unfortunately couldn't eat much of the amazing food that was on offer, but we got to meet some characters during the meal which was fun. Festival of The Lion King was fantastic, and as soon as we came out it started pouring it down so we decided to call it a day!
Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach - The water parks were great fun, and a nice way to relax but at the same time still have as much excitement as you do in the other parks. Typhoon Lagoon has some really fun tubing water slides - our favourite was Crush n' Gusher which we rode so many times I lost count. I loved snorkelling in the shark reef too, it was pretty cool to see a giant stingray swimming just a few feet below you! The wave pool is pretty fun but after you get hit by the waves a few times it really knocks the energy out of you. Blizzard Beach has the tall water slides like Summit Plummit, DBF went down it but I was too chicken so I opted for the Slush Gusher instead - both slides have amazing views of Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney and hotel resorts from the top. We preferred Typhoon Lagoon for rides but thought Blizzard Beach had better food choices.
We were extremely sad to leave Disney yesterday. It gave us the chance to forget about the world, not worry about any responsibility and enjoy being young. There's something that really tugs at the heart-strings when you walk up Main Street and take one final look at the castle before you leave. We are already thinking about our next trip, there really is nothing more special than the happiest place on Earth!
Last edited:
