Welcome back to another Disney Top 5.
I just returned from yet another amazing and magical 5 days at Walt Disney World. I’m both exhausted and rejuvenated. This time, we ticked off another hotel on the list and stayed at Old Key West for the first time. I’m going to make a bold statement and say that this was my favorite room of any Disney resort that I have stayed in, and I’ve just about stayed in them all! We had a 1-bedroom for the four of us, and it was massive. Plenty of room, super comfortable, a great view with the river right outside our huge balcony. I had some other issues with the resort, but those are addressed in another upcoming article, so please keep checking back if you’re considering booking there. Nothing too negative, don’t worry.
So, as I’m slowly unpacking and going through my bag of pins that I scored trading throughout the resort, I thought I’d get some thoughts down. Each year, for almost all of my 17 years on MousePlanet, I’ve posted an updated look at where I think the resort stands in its massive history and what I’m enjoying or loving the most. We’ve been down there quite a bit the last two years, especially now that our sons are cast members. We love to visit them and…well…that’s where they are! They work there and live nearby, so it’s a win-win for everyone!
So, where am I now? What have I been thinking most about when it comes to my favorite place to vacation? Let’s take a look at my annual Top 5 Walt Disney World opinions: August 2025 edition.
5 – The Cake Bake Shop is Awesome and Worth a Splurge
I have to say, from the get-go, I was thrilled that the ESPN Club was leaving Disney’s BoardWalk. I get its appeal to a certain audience, and I’m obviously not their demographic. I just felt that it was out of place there. I’ll never forget staying at the BoardWalk Inn. We had a wonderful, classic Epcot day and were walking back to our room when what was the first thing that greeted us? It was a Sunday, and it was fall, and that meant that the place was literally spilling out onto the Boardwalk with drunken football fans screaming at giant screen TVs. Once again, this isn’t to say that those guests aren’t entitled to their fun and their thing, but it was completely intruding on our fun and our vibe. So when it closed up…I didn’t shed a tear. When I heard it was being replaced with a bakery, I was intrigued and perplexed. Would a bakery fit there? Would I go? Then the menu was finally posted online, and the Disney fan community, including yours truly, went nuts when we saw the prices. $25? For a slice of cake? I was pretty darn skeptical. I watched it slowly get built and finished, and then I decided I had to see exactly what I was getting for the high prices. We booked lunch and checked it out.
Our thoughts? All three of us loved it. The place is stunning inside. It’s one of the nicest dining rooms on Disney property. The staff was incredible, showcasing the classic Disney treatment only amplified. But what about the food? Well, the food was delicious. The Ham Rosemary and Goat Cheese Quiche, the Chicken Salad Croissant, and the Blackberry Avocado Salad were ordered at our table, and each of us raved about the freshness and flavors. And then we had to order a slice of cake. I’m just going to copy and paste the description of the Millionaire Cake from the actual menu:
“Three layers of French Valrhona chocolate cake are filled with a layer of silky Callebaut Belgian chocolate ganache and Madagascan vanilla bean buttercream. Each layer is flooded with house-made salted caramel and our homemade all-butter shortbread cookies. Our cake is then frosted with our signature dark fudge frosting and topped with even more salted caramel and more homemade shortbread cookies.” I can’t improve on that description. It was as good as it sounds. Was it a cheap lunch? No. But nobody at the table thought we had overpaid. We paid more, and it was worth it. I’ve since been back in the restaurant once and back to the bakery as well. I can’t begin to tell you how good the Lemon Blueberry Cake and the Raspberry Champagne Cake are. The slices are tremendous and are not for one person, thereby justifying the cost. 3 people can absolutely split a slice. Will we always eat there when we visit? Probably not. However, it’s completely worth it, and I, for one, feel that it fits in so much better than the ESPN Club ever did.
4 – World Celebration in Epcot Looks Fantastic
Once again, many out here on the internet have mourned the loss of Future World in Epcot. We lived with walls and construction for so long in this part of the park, and when they finally came down, lots of Disney fans complained. On the positive side, let me say that I think the center of the former Future World, now known as World Celebration, looks fantastic. Do I prefer the Creations Shop over MouseGear? Absolutely not. Do I miss the Fountain of Nations? Yes, sometimes I do. I’d say that when they were active, we rarely went into Innoventions West or East, so I don’t really long for them. There are things that I miss and things that I don’t. But overall, I like the aesthetic of World Celebration much more. I think the gardens are beautiful. I think the nighttime lighting is beautiful. I think it’s much more cohesive and ties into Spaceship Earth more effectively. I love all the various outdoor seating options. My new favorite spot to sit in a rocking chair is now in the World Celebration Gardens. I’m not crazy about the blaring music out of Communicore Plaza when a show is happening. I think it detracts from the vibe in that area, but thankfully, shows and music are not constantly playing. Dreamers Point is a major plus at Epcot, featuring a wonderful statue of Walt overlooking the park, and it has quickly become one of my favorite spots on Disney property.
I can end by saying this; this past February we were there for the Festival of the Arts and at one point, quite unexpectedly, I wandered into World Celebration Gardens at night and I suddenly heard Rainbow Connection being played and looked up as the new lights on Spaceship Earth danced along to the music…and I was stopped in my tracks. I had an overwhelmingly magical Disney moment right then and there, and it was because the whole area came together – the lights, the sound, the peacefulness – it was everything I had hoped for when I’m at Disney.
3 – Crescent Lake is My Second Home
This won’t be the first time I’ve extolled the virtues of the Crescent Lake area at Walt Disney World. If you know me well enough, you know that the Yacht Club, to me, is the best place to stay in all of Walt Disney World. If I can’t get a room there, I would certainly take the Beach Club, and if I can’t stay at either, the BoardWalk Inn is no slouch. In 2025, we will stay at Old Key West, the Yacht Club, Port Orleans Riverside, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. To be perfectly honest, there’s not a loser in that bunch. As I mentioned above, I loved my huge room at Old Key West. As far as Animal Kingdom goes, it was awfully cool sitting on my balcony watching the giraffes meander by. And Port Orleans Riverside is where we, as a family, fell in love with Disney World, so it has a very special place in our hearts. But whenever we are down at Disney, even if we aren’t staying there, we make sure we head over to the BoardWalk area for a walk around the lake, and as soon as we do, it just feels like home. It’s hard to explain.
This past weekend, we were in Epcot and had an amazing late afternoon and evening there. My wife and I took the back entrance out and took a stroll around Crescent Lake, and it just hits both of us as soon as we get to the top of that rise and see the resorts in front of us. It’s calming. It’s beautiful. And it just defines he whole experience for us. I’m sure many of you out there feel the same way, or you feel that way about whatever your favorite spot is. It’s one of the unexplainable things that keep us coming back time after time.
2 – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is the Best Ride in Walt Disney World
Strong statement? Yes, it is. Is it my favorite Disney ride? The little kid in me wants to say Peter Pan, and it will always be Peter Pan. In last year’s version of this article, I wrote that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the best Disney attraction ever built. So, what’s the difference here? I think Rise of the Resistance is the total experience. It’s different. There are many components to it. Different ride vehicles. Total immersion. Guardians isn’t about that. What Guardians is about is an absolutely killer ride experience. There’s just nothing else like it. It’s technically a thrill ride, of course, and experiencing it is a major thrill! You cannot come off of this thing without a smile beaming across your face. At least that’s our experience. We’ve been on it a few dozen times, I guess, and it never gets old, never gets tired, and never ceases to be amazing. I’m a huge music fan. Music, after my family, is probably the most important part of my life. So the fact that great music plays such an important part in Cosmic Rewind makes it that much more special.
Let’s do a mini Top 5 right now, here within a Top 5: What are my Top 5 Cosmic Rewind Songs? Easy. Number 5 would be “Disco Inferno.” “I Ran” by Flock of Seagulls is number 4. 3 would be “Conga.” Number 2 is “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” And I have to put “September” and “One Way or Another” tied at number 1.
If you want to see me smile, stand by the exit platform of Cosmic Rewind after I’ve just been through the ride when “September” was playing. I can feel my cheeks hurting from smiling afterwards.
1 – Lots of Losses but Great Things on the Horizon
As far as taking an amazing walk on Disney property, the Rivers of America walkway in Frontierland comes in at a close second to walking around Disney’s BoardWalk for me. I rarely, if ever, walk through the main thoroughfare of Frontierland, preferring to walk along the water instead. It was still open this past week, so I made sure to take a potentially last stroll along the river, which was almost completely drained as the Imagineers have begun work on transforming this area. It was indeed sad to see. If you examine the concept art for the new Cars area, it doesn’t appear that this beloved walkway will survive. Things do change, so there’s hope, I suppose. And that’s what I’m thinking when it comes to recent closures in Walt Disney World: the hope that what is to come will be incredible enough to make me not mind the drastic change. The loss of the current Muppets area in Hollywood Studios and the Rivers of America in Magic Kingdom is a crushing double whammy to my Disney consciousness. I do, however, subscribe to Walt’s philosophy that the parks’ canvas will be ever-changing and that they will never be complete. So, I’m hopeful that the future additions headed our way will be great.
The Cars addition to Frontierland does look intriguing. Avatar and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge are proof that Disney can still hit home runs when it comes to design and immersion, so I’m going down this road with them and staying positive. The same goes for Villains Land out beyond Big Thunder Mountain. This new land has the potential to be a surefire winner and is long overdue. As much as I’m going to miss my beloved Muppets Courtyard and MuppetVision, I’m way into the idea of Monstropolis being built, and ever since I saw Monster’s Inc. for the very first time, I’ve said, “Holy cow…they need to build a door coaster!” No offense to Aerosmith (I’m actually a fan of the rock and roll legends), but I was never sure what the Toxic Twins were doing in a Disney park anyway, so I’m thrilled that the Muppets will be taking over. The same can be said for Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. I’ve always enjoyed this attraction, but I’m ready for Indiana Jones to take over. And I really have no issues at all with Dinoland going away and Encanto moving in. I’m eager to see what they do back there. Most recently, we received word – and yes, as a major Star Wars fan, I’m writing this sentence – that Star Wars Launch Bay will finally and thankfully close its doors. In its place, we’ll be treated to an area honoring Disney animation, which is pretty much the reason the entire resort exists. So, that’s a tremendous positive. So, while I do mourn a few losses, I’m also very excited for what is to come at Walt Disney World over the next few years. I think there are some truly incredible things on the horizon.
So after 5 more days in the magic, this is what I came home thinking about. No surprise, I’m still a huge fan of what goes on down there. I have to give an honorary mention to the Disney cast. I try not to sound biased, as my twin boys are, in fact, current cast members, but I think the cast members as a whole have been extraordinary. I think they always have been, but maybe it’s because of my sons, or maybe I’m just noticing it more, but the magical Disney cast members that we have all grown to love are still alive and well and making magic for all of us. They take things to the next level and always have a smile on their faces throughout what I’m sure are some very trying days and times. Take a moment to thank them and let them know you appreciate all that they do. That goes a long way.
I know I just returned, but, as always, we’re looking forward to our next trip down there. It can’t come soon enough as far as I’m concerned. Walt Disney World still gets me. I had some truly magical “Disney” moments during my last trip. That night, walking around the BoardWalk. Dinner and drinks over at Three Bridges at Coronado Springs. Rob, our fantastic waiter at Grand Floridian, who misses the Shrimp and Grits as much as I do! Having breakfast each morning with my family outside of Good’s to Go at Old Key West. Watching the boat to Disney Springs chug past us from our balcony. I could keep going on and on, but if you know…then you know. I’ll be back there soon enough, and I’ll keep reporting back to you just as I always have.
That’s all for this time. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time with another Disney Top 5.
