I feel like I could write five blog posts just about Disney, but I will try to do this in three instead. 😉 I wanted to share our experience, lots of fun photos, and tips! In this post I will share our first two days in the parks, which were Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.
With this trip, the boys not only got to go to Disney World, but we took them on their first flights! We were able to use points (with a layover), and it was honestly really nice. Ridge wasn’t the best flyer ever, but I think they did really well overall.
USE A DISNEY PLANNER
First, let me just say this for all of you Disney rookies. I was a Disney rookie, and I am SO glad that we used a Disney planner. Josephine, who is also a beautiful fashion and lifestyle blogger her in Charlotte, was such a giant help to us. She booked the rooms, called Disney, suggested a stroller company, gave us packing tips, wrote out itineraries for each day, told us how the Magic Bands worked, helped us figure out meal plans, booked meal reservations, and was available to answer questions. So thankful for her!
RESORT
We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, and we really enjoyed it. Our parents all stayed there as well. We took a bus to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, used the Minnie Lyft van once, and used the boat shuttle to get to places like Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary. We did go to the pool a couple of times at our hotel, and ate there some, too. We would stay there again!
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
We started off in Hollywood Studios, because our first day was a national holiday, so we knew that Magic Kingdom would be extra packed! Josephine suggested getting our fast passes done in the first half of the day so that we could potentially get more for the afternoon. We met Olaf, did Star Tours, met Goofy, rode Toy Story Mania, and did the Frozen sing-along. We also watched the Star Wars show and used a quick service meal at ABC Commissary.
Davis had a fever that day (and every day actually), so Todd and the boys and I headed back to the hotel early in the afternoon.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
For day 2, we had a full day booked in Animal Kingdom. Davis was a total trooper and had the best attitude ever, even though he was sick. We did everything we had planned, and then crashed that night. We started off in Rainforest Cafe for breakfast. Breakfast was great, but Ridge was a little freaked out by all of the sounds and animals.
Our fast passes included the Kilimanjaro Safari, the N’avi River Ride, and Everest Expedition. All 3 were great! I loved the Everest ride, and had fun going on that with my parents. Because Ridge couldn’t go on all the rides, we just took turns. We also rode the triceratops ride in Dinoland that is very toddler-friendly, and the boys played in the dinosaur bone playground. It was a little shady, and really so fun! We stopped for a Dole Whip while we were in Africa as well, and looked at all of the animals carved into the Tree of Life. After our fast passes were finished, we went to the Nemo show, and finished the day with a 4:30 character dinner at Tusker House!
Lindsay says
What a fun trip! Would you say that you had a favorite meal while on this trip? Do you plan to do a recap of the resort you stayed at? I think for me, I stress the most about where to stay at while visiting Disney … there seem to be so many options and each one seems to be different. What do you think were the benefits of where you stayed??
Lindsay says
I’m so sorry for the delay! I enjoyed each character meal, but I think the overall favorites were Ohana for breakfast and Chef Mickey’s for dinner. As far as where we stayed, we chose the Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge because we wanted a separate area for our kids to sleep (we weren’t in completely separate rooms, but there was some privacy so that they could go to sleep before us). We also needed a kitchen, because my son had strict food intolerances when we booked the trip. The Wilderness has access to the ferry, which can take you to Magic Kingdom and to the Contemporary, where you can catch the Monorail to other resorts. It was nice to not have to wait for the bus every time. We heard that the bus to some of the other resorts can involve a really long wait. We did take the bus to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. We could also see the fireworks at night from our resort, and the pools were great. I hope that helps!