Walt Disney World – Orlando
If you don’t like crowds, then Walt Disney World in Orlando is a place to avoid. There is virtually no way to avoid crowds, so go to the beach or your hotel pool instead and wait for everyone to come back and tell you what a great time they had. If you decide to join your family at Disney World, watch out for all the electric scooters; too many of them travelling at speeds that could endanger a child in the large crowds.
Personal research and the Disney phone app are necessary if you don’t want to stand in line so long. Speaking of research, I found that Undercover Tourist had the best prices on tickets of all the web sites I researched. They are very legitimate and the ticket number you get from them allows you to start booking fast pass rides and dinner reservations within Disney’s regular rules. This will be the company I buy tickets from when we go to Disneyland in Anaheim in 2020 (after the Star Wars crazies thin out). The individual Disney World parks are very far apart so in hindsight we found the “hopper” pass to be a waste of our money, because we never used the “hopper” function and paid extra for that ability. Be aware there are “peak” Disney periods that will cost you more. Use the calendars here to see the fluctuating daily ticket prices based upon Disney’s projected guest count. You may decide to alter your travel dates if your travel plans are flexible.
We visited the week before Christmas 2018 and used The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for our planning. If you have never read one of those books, you will be pleasantly surprised. I first found out about the Unofficial Guides when traveling to Las Vegas decades ago. There are lots of sample planning calendars in the back based upon your desired style of visiting and family structure. Is Dumbo’s ride on your kids list of things to do? Or are you an adult-only gathering?
Our 5-day Disneyworld visit did not include roller coasters or other “extreme” rides, and here is an overview of our experiences.
Day 1-2: Epcot and the World Showcase
Visiting this area was the primary reason for our visit. Even with a map in hand we found Epcot surprisingly easy to get lost in during the first day. Disney signage is abysmal and Disney needs to include more directional signage in every park whenever you need to make a decision of which direction to take next. It seems almost purposeful to make you wander around.
The World Showcase did not open until 11am (published time) each day we were there, so we spent that early time bouncing between the 2 sides on either side of that giant globe (Spaceship Earth). There are locker rentals available in this area if you find you are carrying too much.
If you have children, do not miss Turtle Talk with Crush. And have them sit in the designated section in front of the main seating. With any luck, Crush will talk to them individually and even ask if they have any questions.
Closely watch the “wait time” signs when standing in line for a ride. While usually very nice, we found that most Disney Cast members are clueless about ride details. Apparently, the Test Track had broken early in the morning and about 15 minutes after we got into the standby line, the wait for individual riders went from 10 minutes to 55 minutes and the standby line went from 55 minutes to 120 minutes while just standing there. It is hard to believe that Disney has no accurate algorithm for a ride’s revised wait time after a ride breakdown. We walk away if any line is more than 75 minutes. Guess what we did after the wait times changed? And never to return, either.
We enjoyed every show in the World Showcase, even if they occasionally seemed lacking a bit in content. One of the biggest surprises was that the individual countries sold merchandise mostly manufactured in that specific country with some “Made in China” merchandise mixed in. So pay attention to labels if that matters to you. If you are a wine drinker, France has some fantastic wine values if you know the difference between Chardonnay and a white burgundy (trick question). And you can take bottles back to your hotel room. So, don’t forget your wine opener at home.
Day 3: The Magic Kingdom
Plan a full day here even if you have been to Disneyland in Anaheim. Several of the rides are different on the inside especially if you know Peter Pan’s Flight. There are many rides in Anaheim that are not included in Orlando. Likewise there are features in Orlando that are not included in Anaheim like Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. Make sure you have a good knock-knock joke ready.
The biggest disappointment was the Winnie the Pooh ride with an extremely long wait due to a poorly designed load system. We would never ride this again because of the long wait time coupled with a disappointing ride experience.
Gaston’s Tavern has counter service with decent quality hoagies for $10 and includes a bag of chips if you need some good food.
Day 4: Hollywood Studios
It was raining this day so we only spent 3 soaking hours here in our ponchos. However, standby lines here were only 5 minutes wait time. We felt like we got our fill in a few hours, but that may not be true after the Star Wars addition is finished in 2019. This is a comparatively small park (which is probably why they are putting Star Wars here) that you could otherwise easily visit in less than 8 hours.
You didn’t bring extra footwear, a poncho, or umbrella? 3 days later and our shoes are almost dry. Want smaller crowds? Visit any park on a rainy day and be prepared with equipment to keep your body and feet dry. But the Animal Kingdom was closed early on this day due to the excessive rain.
Day 5: Animal Kingdom
This was the biggest positive surprise and not one to visit on a rainy day. This is a park that is enjoyable to wander around and ironically the directional signage seems better than other parks.
The weather was good with a few small showers, but the rainy day before cleared out the park according to some cast members. There are lots of outdoor rides and you will get wet waiting in the uncovered standby lines even if the ride is indoors. The Kilimanjaro Safari is the only ride we have ever seen that is actually driven (by a Disney Cast Member) and not on a fixed rail/track. The rhinos came within 15’ of the vehicle and the ride can easily be different every time you ride it. These are live, not animatronic, animals. Unless you like seeing only glowing eyes in the dark, this ride is probably best avoided after dark. Also, the driver gets a good heater and A/C system so sitting directly behind the Cast Member who drives can be somewhat of a bonus.
The Na’vi River Journey was visually beautiful, but not worth a long wait. We didn’t ride Avatar Flight of Passage, but the wait time stayed at 3 hours most of the day. In our opinion, there is no Disney ride worth a 3 hour wait time.
The Dinosaur ride is equivalent to the Indiana Jones ride in Anaheim that is missing from the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Indiana Jones has a better story line despite its age. Also, there is nothing like having a giant boulder roll over you.
The Dino Diner is apparently the only place you can get churros in Disneyworld. Although I have been told they can be found at other food outlets; I didn’t find them. Try Mexico in the World Showcase area?
By far, the biggest surprise in this park was Tiffins restaurant. This was actually the best restaurant in all the parks. If you like fine dining (with the accompanying price), this is a not-to-be-missed place. We reserved the prix fixe (get a dictionary) Rivers of Light package for an excellent price. It included a 3-course dinner with your choice of items on the full menu for each course and special seating to watch the Rivers of Light show. It is a beautiful show and dinner is worth the time if you are like us and enjoy a 2 hour dinner. The food and excellent wine list made this the best meal we have had at a Disney resort including the Carthay Circle restaurant in Anaheim. Tiffins restaurant deserves a Michelin star for its food quality and service.
Photos from Rivers of Light show in Animal Kingdom
ORLANDO LODGING
There are many options when deciding where to stay nearby. We stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek which had excellent restaurants and a great free shuttle. The front desk has a shuttle schedule which indicates times and locations for both directions you will need to travel. A cab will probably cost a fortune.
There are lots of Disney properties from which to choose as well as cheaper options in the area. Some Disney properties are serviced by the Disney monorail which is a feature for which I might be willing to pay. I never got to ride the monorail from the Disneyland hotel to the Disneyland Park in Anaheim and now it is gone.
NEARBY RESTAURANTS
Since everything is so far apart, make sure your hotel choice has restaurants you would enjoy. Otherwise, you may need to eat at Walt Disney World. The Bonnet Creek Hilton had lots of choices for us. And the Waldorf Astoria “next door” would have probably been a good second choice if the Hilton was not up to our food standards. But that was never an issue. I have written individual restaurant reviews for this Hilton on Trip Advisor. Click on the owl logo on the home page to see all my reviews. They will not typically appear in these blog posts.
