On the second day of our trip to Orlando of our Mommy + Me trip {see Day 1 here}, we took a day trip to Walt Disney World and visited all four parks in one day. Now, I’m not going to sit here and say that it wasn’t exhausting. I mean, I know that I wore my mom out from all of the walking that we did. But it was such a magical experience, and it went on to prove that Disney is not just for the children but us adults too.
We started off our day at Animal Kingdom where I snagged my rose gold Mickey ears. It was quite busy getting there at 10AM – but there was still so much to do and see.
Now, my family and I went to Walt Disney World when I was in fourth grade. So when we decided to take this day trip to all four parks, we established an overall goal list of characters that we wanted to meet, things we wanted to do, and rides that we had to get on.
So, when we arrived at Animal Kingdom, I made a straight beeline for Pandora since it was not there when we originally visited.
Pandora (from Avatar for those who aren’t familiar) is a magical place. It literally looks like the islands are floating and the scenes and sounds just make you feel as if they brought this amazing world to life. We weren’t able to get on the rides this time because the line had a long wait and we had a schedule to keep to, but when you plan to visit Disney World, I HIGLY recommend using the FastPass option that secures your place in line. It makes things so much easier.
We also visited Africa while at Animal Kingdom which was very fun since we were able to see some of the animal care processes that they do at the park.
But of course, one of the most magical moments that took place while we were there was my sister’s meeting with Rafiki. My sister is obsessed with Rafiki. Back when my family first visited, my sister ran off from the group when she saw him. This time, she was just on the biggest lookout for him and when we found him, she didn’t even speak but just ran into the line, and then continued to tell me that I could not be in the picture with her.
After the Animal Kingdom, we decided to venture over to Epcot where we would be having lunch. A great thing about Walt Disney transportation is that they have buses that come every 20 minutes that will transport you between parks. So, if you drive, you can just park your car at one park instead of consistently moving it.
Epcot is a great place to get a small experience of the cultures of the various places around the world. We decided to have lunch in China and then after lunch traveled around the world by doing a mini “drinking around the world” experience.
It is very easy to get lost in these mini-worlds with the drinks and the food. And I thought it was absolutely amazing that you can meet some of the Disney characters that are from each one of these countries. For example, when we went to Morocco, Princess Jasmine was there to do a meet and greet.
And each country had their own signature drinks that were quite amazing. We didn’t get a drink at every country, but stopped quite frequently (about every two countries) to get a new drink and try a new flavor.
Once we took a long food and drink experience at Epcot, it was time for a quick visit over to Hollywood Studios.
My goal at Hollywood Studios was to go on the Tower of Terror ride. When we took our original family vacation, that was literally the one ride that I had to get on because it was one of my favorite movies on Disney, at the time. But we didn’t get to go because of other plans that we had made. But this time, it was my mission to go. A goal that I had since I was in fourth grade finally was able to be fulfilled.
Sis and I got on the ride, and though we waited for a long while, it was truly worth it. It is an unexpected ride that I don’t want to give too much information about because you have to experience it yourself. And if you don’t want to wait in line, make sure to FastPass online prior to your visit.
While at Hollywood Studies, we had dinner at Mama Rosa’s – a little Italian restaurant in a hidden corner of the park. And on that note, I want to make a quick recommendation. Before we arrived, I had made reservations at these restaurants for lunch and dinner because I have heard horror stories about the wait. Now, you have to think that many of us get hungry around the same time and there is only a limited amount of restaurants that you may have a taste for. The process to reserve is very easy. You just go online, pick which park you want to eat in and reserve. Your table is held through a valid credit card that you won’t be subject to use after your meal. It’s just to verify that you will be coming to the restaurant as they are holding your table.
After dinner, we finished off our day at Magic Kingdom. My goal was to meet my most favorite princess of them all – Belle – and we were able to find her in a very unconventional meet and greet situation which was “Stories with Belle”. You can check out the full clip of that experience in my Orlando video diary below or through my Youtube channel.
At the end of the night, Magic Kingdom finished off the night with a firework show in front of the castle which mom, sis and I watched from the boat. And then off we went home after this magical but exhausting day.
Thank you to Walt Disney World for hosting us on this magical day! Thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
