Welcome back to another My Disney Top 5. Depending on when you read this article, I should either be deep into my summer trip at Walt Disney World or just recovering from an amazing week at Walt Disney World. This was a much-needed trip. (Aren’t they all?) We’ve had a very hectic year at work and school and we’re savoring the idea of being off together anywhere, especially in a place that we all love so much.
So, without the benefit of hindsight, I’m writing this article in anticipation of another fantastic vacation with my lovely wife and wonderful kids. That shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. We know we love it there and we know we’re going to enjoy ourselves. Obviously, given our choice of destinations, we wanted to get away from it all and step into another world. Walt Disney World is certainly that getaway. You can surround yourself in the Disney bubble and not surface at all while you’re there. I know that’s what we do. I have no intention of driving a car, reading a newspaper, going to a supermarket, watching the news or doing any of those things that I can otherwise do at home. We’ve been there enough now that we know what we like, we know what we’ve seen and want to see, and we feel that we know how to do it right—for us.
That said, we did want to do a few things differently on this trip. I’ve long said that one of the amazing things about a place as huge as Walt Disney World is that you can continue to find new things to do, unique places to see, different restaurants to eat in, and fresh experiences to treasure, no matter how many times you’ve been there. That was our goal. Let’s make this trip the same…but different. So once again, without any hindsight to aid me, let’s see what are my Top 5 Things I Hope Were Different About Our Trip to Walt Disney World This Summer:
5 – We Got the Kids Into Some More Rides and Attractions
C'mon boys. Let's go! Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Trust me, I’m right there on Peter Pan and Winnie The Pooh. They’re mainstays and we’ll always go on them. However, my wife and I like the big rides. Our daughter is not such a big fan and neither are her brothers. But this summer, I’m hoping that at least the 9-year-old twin boys will be a little more adventurous when it comes to rides and attractions. Last summer was a major breakthrough with Splash Mountain for both of them and Haunted Mansion for just one of them. They’ve progressed at their own pace and we’ve tried not to force them into anything. I will admit to dragging Alex onto the Haunted Mansion after his brother and sister backed out. He seemed like he was on the edge leaning more towards going and so…yes…I pushed him over that edge when the doors opened. I held him tight through the scariest part, the stretching room. After that, as many of you know, the ride is a piece of cake and a true Disney classic. Fast forward to this year when all he can talk about is going on his new favorite ride, the Haunted Mansion. So I hope that we all get to go on a few bigger things together, like Big Thunder Mountain for example. I don’t like splitting up so much. My wife and I end up going on some of the bigger rides like Everest or Space Mountain alone. I’d like my sons to be proud, or perhaps for laughs, be embarrassed of their father as he screams his silly head off tackling Disney’s mountains. They really need to witness that firsthand, don’t you think?
4 – We Made it to Blizzard Beach
Blizzard Beach is calling to us. Photo Courtesy of Google Images.
Some people can’t believe that after 9 trips in a row with the kids, we still haven’t made it to this Disney water park. We did spend a day at Typhoon Lagoon a few years ago and had a great time, especially in the wave pool. It’s not that we don’t like water parks. We do. We just haven’t seemed to find the time to make it to this one yet. We’re a big skiing family, so we’re hoping that the winter theme is going to be extra enjoyable for us. We didn’t add on the Water Park, Fun and More option to our tickets, so the possibility exists that Blizzard Beach may still evade us, but in the spirit of doing things differently, it’s on our to do list this time.
3 – We Dined at Different Restaurants
Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
There are so many choices in this category. Dining is always an adventure and Walt Disney World has tons of places to eat. There are plenty of counter service restaurants we haven’t tried. There are plenty of full service restaurants we really want to try as well. On this trip, we’re definitely having our first morning breakfast at the Crystal Palace with Pooh and his friends. That’s a tradition. But after that, we’ve tried to make reservations at places that have recently opened like La Hacienda in Epcot. Then there are places that we’ve just never made it to like ‘Ohana at the Polynesian or Raglan Road at Downtown Disney, and places that for one reason or another we haven’t been back to in years—like The Coral Reef in Epcot. Then again, we have a proclivity for cancelling dinner reservations and spending that extra hour or so at the pool with some counter service food or a pizza, so we’ll see what actually materializes when it comes to new restaurants. Sometimes living in the moment at Walt Disney World is much more important.
2 – The Girls Hit the Spa/ The Boys Hit the Lake
The Grand Floridian Spa beckons. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Halfway into our trip, my wife is celebrating her 40-somethingth birthday. She doesn’t know it yet, but I‘ve booked her and our 12-year-old daughter some spa time at the Grand Floridian on her birthday. Since we’re staying next door at the Polynesian, it’ll be super convenient for them. While the two girls will be getting treated like the Queen and Princess that they are, the King and his two Princes will be out tooling around in the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake on a rental boat from the Polynesian marina. They’ve always wanted to check out the spa, and we’ve always wanted to spend some time boating around the Magic Kingdom resorts. It’s high time we crossed these things off our list isn’t it?
1 – We Slowed Down Even More
A comfy hammock on the Polynesian's beach. Photo By Chris Barry.
A trip to Walt Disney World can be an exhausting endeavor, or it can be serene and relaxing. The choice is yours to make. Quite honestly, given the hectic year we are coming down from, I’m thoroughly looking forward to the kids playing in the volcano pool at the Polynesian while Diane and I sit nearby in a lounge chair or maybe one of those hammocks, frozen drinks in hand, quietly whiling away the afternoon. Sure, we’re going to hit all of the rides, shows and attractions that we love, but I’m more interested in visiting the spots off the beaten path that I always say I’m going to hit—and most importantly, slowing down while seeing them.
Turn right off Main Street and linger. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Less time trying to tick off attractions, more time checking out the details, less time with the crowds, more time relaxing with my family. My daughter Samantha is always an inspiration when it comes to this method of touring around Walt Disney World. She likes to stop and soak it all in. For example, when we’re in Animal Kingdom, she’ll stop and read all of the information for each animal we see. She’s a sponge, absorbing the information and the details that make the place so intriguing. Now that she’s into photography, she stops and photographs all of the details that she can find. She’s got her mother’s artistic eye and it shows in her photographs. My love, or perhaps obsession, with the Disney difference has certainly rubbed off on her. Spotting her reading about some animal, or capturing some small detail on Main Street is really a pleasure and I’m really looking forward to those slow-down-moments most of all.
We’ve made a habit out of trying to treat our Disney trips like that more and more each time and this year will certainly be no exception. In fact, I get the feeling that this may be the most laid back trip we’ve taken yet and I’m thrilled about that possibility.
With that in mind, these have been mere predictions of what our trip will hopefully be. We want to do some different things on this trip. That was our plan. The great thing about a trip to Walt Disney World, though, is that it can surprise you at any moment. I’m hoping that all of these different things happen for us, but if they don’t, or if Disney decides to take us in an even newer direction, we’ll be ready and we’ll go with it. It’s your reactions to those moments and how you choose to handle them that dictate your experience and we’re always ready for what Disney can throw at us. That’s always one of my favorite pieces of Disney trip advice. Plan ahead? Yes, for sure. But don’t lose sight of that sense of adventure and excitement that’s really at the heart of the world’s favorite family destination.
In these days of planning so far ahead, making dining reservations a year in advance and the general over-scheduling that can take place on a Disney trip, it’s refreshing to try and take things in a different direction and especially to live in the moment while you can. That’s the trip I’m looking forward to being on.
Will we succeed? I’m not sure.
Will we have an awful lot of fun trying? Of that, I can confidently answer a resounding yes.
In the meantime, if you’re in the planning stages of a trip to Walt Disney World, think about what you can do differently to make your experience that much more memorable. The “World” is your oyster, after all.
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