Our First Family Disney Trip… Take Two! - May 2024 PTR (Update 4/28 - Epcot Must-Dos)

[SimplyGoofy]

That's so cute!

Thank you! M loves pulling off a ring every night. She said this morning that time seems to move faster when we have a countdown chain… sounds good to me!

So exciting! Hoping Topolino's comes through for you soon too!

Thanks! I keep checking multiple times a day but nothing yet, although I have seen a few pop for other mornings that week. If nothing else, people do seem to change their plans the night before so I have a somewhat decent shot to move up the breakfast once we’re there.

Love your countdown chain! You're right, there is a lot of characters with yellow.

Thank you! I couldn’t believe how many included yellow. Rapunzel, Belle, The Incredibles, Dory… the list goes on and on!

That's great that you were able to switch to the Pre-Party. It should work much better for your girls.

Yes, I’m so relieved. M (and probably L) will love eating the desserts. I don’t think they would’ve enjoyed it at all after 9:30 - I wouldn’t be surprised if L is asleep!

What a cute chain. That sort of planning is what makes the trip so fun and will always stay in her memory!

Thank you! She was so excited about the countdown chain and even more excited to pull off a ring every night. My husband was at a work conference this week so I’m sure she’ll love showing it to him at bedtime tonight.

YAYYYY for pre-party ADR! We have never done one so I can't wait to read about it.

I was surprised and VERY excited to find that ADR. It will work so much better for us!

I’ve done the dessert party three times before, but all were between 2013-2016 when they only had the single seated dessert party in Tommowland Terrace. The pre-party will be different with eating before going to the reserved seating in the hub, but I felt the front-and-center seating made the most sense with the projection-heavy show. It will be my first time seeing HEA and I am VERY excited!

 

[ambula603]

It will be my first time seeing HEA and I am VERY excited!

IT IS AMAZING! There is a reason everyone rioted when they took it away. Be ready to cry!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

IT IS AMAZING! There is a reason everyone rioted when they took it away. Be ready to cry!

Oh no, don't tell me that! I cry even when things aren't very good or heartwarming... I'm doomed!

(I do appreciate the warning! And yes, I'm sure I'll love it!)

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Magic Kingdom Must-Dos
a.k.a. The Attraction and Restaurant Edition

First, some trip planning updates…

It only took about 150 attempts (err, perhaps not an exaggeration?), but I SCORED A BETTER TIME FOR TOPOLINO’S! We’re now eating two hours earlier and I am SO excited! This will work out so much better for us and gives our younger daughter a better chance to enjoy the Beach Club pool.

*I will note that I found that ADR myself without any dining alerts. In fact, I did put in a dining alert notification with a third-party and never received a notification about the ADR I found nor the one I released. To be fair, I chose the free rather than the paid version, but it doesn’t give me much faith in third parties’ ability to find ADRs anymore since Disney changed their ADR system.

Another big update is I have bag after bag arriving from Etsy, Gap, and Target with cute Disney outfits for the kids.

I commented on @Mollydolly334 's PTR that I don’t plan Disney outfits… apparently that doesn’t transfer to my girls! I had so much fun finding clothes that coordinate with our plans (and somewhat with each other) and will be sure to share once they all roll in. Our older daughter is SO excited about several of her outfits – I was sure to get her input to make sure she would wear everything!

Now onto some Magic Kingdom must-dos!

I did a list of park must-dos back in my 2015 PTR and was inspired by Molly’s recent PTR posts of her must-dos to do another round of my own!

Magic Kingdom (along with most of Animal Kingdom) is the easiest for me to plan as the least has changed. Hollywood Studios has two new lands and other new attractions and Epcot has tons of new things! Magic Kingdom only has one new attraction (for now!) and is minus one parade, so I have a good handle on what everyone in my family will like.

In no particular order, here’s what we’re most looking forward to in Magic Kingdom!

Starting in Adventureland, one must-dos includes seeing the backside of water on the Jungle Cruise:



I don’t think it will be anyone’s favorite attraction, but we need to do it at least once!

Another favorite of mine (which hopefully won’t scare the kids?) is seeing these guys:



I love classic attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean! I think M should be fine overall as we’ve watched this ride a ton on YouTube, but some of the cannon noises may startle her. I have no idea how L will react. I hope both of them like it enough that we can ride it twice!

As for the remaining Adventureland attractions, I’m willing to try several if our group is interested. I actually like the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse and it’s a fun way to get great views of the park. Dumbo is my priority in MK, but I’d also be willing to ride the Magic Carpets of Aladdin if the girls want to ride.

The only attraction we’ll likely skip is the Enchanted Tiki Room. I know it’s classic Disney, but it’s never been my favorite and I worry the “thunderstorm” will freak out both girls.

Tomorrowland also has several must-dos. One of my favorite Disney attractions is in Tomorrowland, and no, it’s not Space Mountain!



I LOVE the Carousel of Progress and my older daughter has known the words to “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” since she was very young. I can’t wait to introduce it to my family, soak up the air conditioning, and sing along with M!

Another must-do is the Tomorrowland tour, also known as the Peoplemover:



My only regret is that as a foursome it will be difficult to put my feet up on the other seat!

Although I may not like it as much as the Carousel of Progress, I would love one ride on Space Mountain (and I think my husband would, too!):



Another favorite attraction in Tomorrowland that I think is often overlooked is the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor:



If you’ve not visited Mike, Sully, and the rest of the monsters here you must give it a try on your next trip! I regretfully waited until more recent trips to try this one and was pleasantly surprised how funny it is. I think my whole family will enjoy it!

Our last must-do here is the newest MK attraction, TRON. Our girls are too short but we’ll take advantage of ILL and my husband and I can each try it.

I’d like to pretend the Tomorrowland Speedway doesn’t exist (especially since L is not tall enough), but I’m sure my arm can be twisted once I’m in the middle of the magic. Or maybe G can take M!

Moving to the land of MANY must-dos, Fantasyland!

Honestly, there’s not much we won’t do in Fantasyland. However, I’m most looking forward to seeing poor Donald get pummeled by a group of instruments in PhilharMagic:



I’m also pretty excited to see the new Coco scene. (Still need to watch that movie before our trip!)

I also love the classic attractions of Peter Pan’s Flight and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh:



I think both girls will love both attractions.

M is also VERY excited about It’s a Small World – it’s what she’s looking forward to the most in Magic Kingdom!



I am excited to see my favorite drunken hippo.

M will also love a spin on the Mad Tea Party teacups:



We may try including L in the teacup – who knows what she’ll think of all these rides?! The only one who will not join us is my husband – G does NOT do spinning rides as they make him feel terrible. He can’t even ride the carousel (I think even Dumbo will be a question mark?) so the teacups are definitely out). Thankfully I still love spinning rides, so me it is!

(continued in next post)

 

[SimplyGoofy]

(continued from prior post)

Other must-dos in Fantastyland also include Journey of the Little Mermaid and Dumbo. I haven’t ridden Dumbo during the day in years, so it will be fun to do something different!



Although they’re not as high on the list, I think it’s very likely we’ll also take a spin on Prince Charming’s Carousel and show the girls Enchanted Tales with Belle.

Our remaining must-do (and ride barometer) is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train:



We learned M was not an immediate coaster fan after a somewhat disastrous experience at our local theme park. Thanks to YouTube M is now interested in multiple “thrill rides” including Big Thunder Mountain, Tower of Terror, and Expedition Everest. I told her we’ll start with 7DMT and move forward from there.

Liberty Square and Frontierland have one must-do each.

Liberty Square is probably obvious… of course, it’s Haunted Mansion!



I LOVE Haunted Mansion and fell even more in love with it on my last Disney trip. It was the only attraction I told M she had to go on even if she wasn’t interested – it’s slow-moving and I figured she could close her eyes and plug her ears if necessary. Thanks again to YouTube, M is now pretty excited about Haunted Mansion, especially to see the new Hatbox Ghost! (Thank you, Disney, for installing the Hatbox Ghost!)

I mean, is a Disney trip really complete until you see this creepy bride?



Until Tiana opens* the only must-do for us in Frontierland is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We’ll see how M does on Mine Train before we bring her on Thunder Mountain, but perhaps it’s possible she might surprise us and really enjoy it? My sister certainly thinks so (and M and my sister are very similar).

*I’m SO GLAD it seems Tiana is not doing previews until June (as per the most recent updates and guesses). I feel for those who are disappointed, but I wasn’t looking forward to explaining why we couldn’t ride it to my five-year-old. That said, I can’t wait to ride it next time – I LOVED Splash Mountain and can’t wait to experience the new attraction!

The other attraction I’m excited to experience with my family is the Walt Disney World Railroad. My husband LOVES trains and all of us love a good train ride. The train is absolutely a must-do!

Along with the attractions, I have a few more must-dos (or love to-dos). We have tons of character dining planned to avoid standing in lines, but I’ll make an exception for Rapunzel. M LOVES Rapunzel (one of the Etsy dresses I ordered is a Rapunzel design!) so we’ll do that early in the day or with a lightning lane when she’s wearing her dress. Plus, Rapunzel is so much fun to meet!

None of us are much for shopping (except for M and her stuffie obsession), but I’m sure we’ll wander through a few of the Magic Kingdom shops. The Emporium is practically yelling M’s name with their stuffie surplus!

I also can’t wait to show my family this fantastic parade:



I love the Festival of Fantasy Parade and think everyone in my family will love it, too.

Funny story – I had the parade running on YouTube while home with L. I wasn’t paying attention to it and didn’t make any comments about the characters. L looks at the screen and sees Donald waving… and she waved back!

I died.

Perhaps the 18-month-old will love Disney even MORE than I thought!

I’m also very excited to see Happily Ever After, which I’ve never seen before! It will be great to have the prime viewing area on the hub to avoid waiting for hours with young kids. I’m still grateful I found that earlier dessert party slot!

Finally, I’m pretty excited about our Magic Kingdom dining. I’m most excited about my favorite character breakfast in Disney World* :



*Can Topolino’s Terrace knock Crystal Palace off my #1 slot? We’ll see!

I adore Crystal Palace and have eaten there for breakfast every trip since 2012. I know the menu has changed (goodbye, Pooh’s puffed French toast!) but I’m sure we’ll still find plenty to eat.

As much as I lament the menu changes (my mussels – they were so good!), I am excited to see the inside of Be Our Guest again:



I think both girls, especially M, will LOVE eating here. As long as the food is passible (and heck, they still have my French onion soup!) I think we’ll enjoy our meal.

We’re also eating at a new-for-me restaurant, Skipper Canteen, which I’m very much looking forward to!

Finally, I'm sure they'll be a few things that will turn into must-dos along the way... character sightings, the Rapunzel bathrooms, and perhaps the splash station near Dumbo? It will be fun to see what became our Magic Kingdom favorites!

This turned into a long (two-part!) post – there’s a ton to do in Magic Kingdom!

If there are any other must-dos I missed, please let me know!

Up Next: Epcot Must-Dos

 

[ambula603]

I LOVE the Carousel of Progress and my older daughter has known the words to “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” since she was very young. I can’t wait to introduce it to my family, soak up the air conditioning, and sing along with M!

It is the absolute best! Even my girls now love it, which makes me so happy.

I’m also pretty excited to see the new Coco scene. (Still need to watch that movie before our trip!)

Definitely watch Coco before, but the new Philarmagic is also such a highlight for us!

L looks at the screen and sees Donald waving… and she waved back!

I died at the thought of this. Absolutely adorable. When we watched the parade in DL we were right behind some little kids and the characters all stopped and showed them attention and it was a highlight for our family just to witness!

 

[jrmint427]

It only took about 150 attempts (err, perhaps not an exaggeration?), but I SCORED A BETTER TIME FOR TOPOLINO’S!

Woohoo!! I had a feeling you would!

I’m also pretty excited to see the new Coco scene. (Still need to watch that movie before our trip!)

Oh you have to watch that asap!! It’s one of my favorites! The new scene with Coco is really great.

You have a lot of great things planned for MK!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Ahhhh thanks for the shout-out, girl!! Loved reading about your must-do's! Also I'm SO glad you got better ADR times for the dessert party and Topolino's! Nothing sounds better than an early breakfast with Mickey and the gang, then spending the day at Stormalong Bay

 

[vamassey1]

Love your MK list. So many favorites. There is just too much to do in MK. We did catch the parade on Sunday. We stood between the Hall of Presidents and the market area. There is a nice covered area but it's not up on the rope. It ended up being a great area to catch the parade because its near where it turns, giving the characters lots of room to dance around and act up. It's also an area without trees so Maleficent can breath fire. She can't spew the fire near any trees.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It is the absolute best! Even my girls now love it, which makes me so happy.

That’s wonderful! That attraction always makes me happy.

Definitely watch Coco before, but the new Philarmagic is also such a highlight for us!

We definitely will! We have Family Popcorn Movie Night every Friday, so it’s planned in the next few weeks. Watching Coco will make PhilharMagic even more fun!

I died at the thought of this. Absolutely adorable. When we watched the parade in DL we were right behind some little kids and the characters all stopped and showed them attention and it was a highlight for our family just to witness!

It was so sweet and unexpected! I hope L is not overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds but I think she’ll find things to enjoy. I’m looking forward to my family’s reactions almost more since I’ve already seen so much of it myself!

Woohoo!! I had a feeling you would!

It’s a miracle I found that slot as I’ve not seen another one since! (I’d love to shift the time about 30 more minutes earlier… but absolutely no ADRs have appeared for that week the few times I’ve looked.) It’s hard to break the habit of looking but I think I’ll give up and just check the evening before.

Oh you have to watch that asap!! It’s one of my favorites! The new scene with Coco is really great.

Yes, we will for sure!

You have a lot of great things planned for MK!

There are so many great things to do in MK. I realized my list encompasses nearly every attraction in the park, but there are so many that are great!

Ahhhh thanks for the shout-out, girl!! Loved reading about your must-do's! Also I'm SO glad you got better ADR times for the dessert party and Topolino's! Nothing sounds better than an early breakfast with Mickey and the gang, then spending the day at Stormalong Bay

You’re welcome, Molly! I love hearing about all of your must-dos… my food and drink list keeps growing because of you.

Our earlier times will work out so much better. I’m really looking forward to experiencing Stormalong Bay - it looks so fun! I’m glad we have two full days to enjoy our resorts and their pools.

Love your MK list. So many favorites. There is just too much to do in MK. We did catch the parade on Sunday. We stood between the Hall of Presidents and the market area. There is a nice covered area but it's not up on the rope. It ended up being a great area to catch the parade because its near where it turns, giving the characters lots of room to dance around and act up. It's also an area without trees so Maleficent can breath fire. She can't spew the fire near any trees.

There are SO many great attractions in MK! There is absolutely too much to do. We’re planning two full days (minus a rest break) plus an additional evening, so hopefully we’ll be able to experience most of our list.

Thank you for the tip on the Festival of Fantasy parade! I’ve watched it from Main Street but my favorite spot is also between Frontierland and Liberty Square. It’s much less crowded and easier to get a last-minute spot. I’m crossing my fingers we’ll get to see Malificent breathe fire - my daughter spotted that in a YouTube video and would LOVE to see it in person!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Epcot Must-Dos
a.k.a. Bring on the flowers!

I’ve always loved Epcot.

I know Magic Kingdom has dozens of attractions and Hollywood Studios is chock-full of thrill rides, but Epcot is such a lovely park. It’s also full of one of my favorite Disney things – food!

I’m especially excited about our visits to Epcot due to the Flower and Garden Festival. My last visit to Walt Disney World was in early May and was my first experience at an Epcot festival. I LOVED all the decorations (and the food booths!) of Flower and Garden and am so excited to share it with my family.

I mean, how can you not love views like this?!

With Disney shortening the Flower and Garden Festival this year we have only one day to fully experience the park with all the flower fun. I’m sure some of the topiaries will stick around but I also want to walk through the butterfly garden:

And would love to try a few things at the food booths:

This is the cider-braised corned beef that I enjoyed at a booth back in 2016. It was delicious!

As I've mentioned a few times, this will be my first visit to Disney World in eight years so there are several new-to-me attractions that I'm very excited to experience. (As a bonus, due to my long absence I missed years of Wall-cot - you lose some, you win some!)

At the top of this list is Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind:

(photo from Google)

I’m ridiculously excited to ride this roller coaster! My plan is to ride this with M to test it out for my husband – he loves roller coasters but feels terrible after spinning rides*. I’ve read that this spins and I need to be able to explain the ride to him to decide if he should try it. He may be willing to wear motion sickness bands but is unlikely to take any medication.

*G’s motion sickness issues are tough to pinpoint. He loves regular roller coasters (although avoids ones with inversions) and did just fine on Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure a few years ago. However, any ride that spins or goes in a circle makes him dizzy and feel off for hours. Of course, he avoids rides like the teacups but doesn’t even do well on a very gentle carousel. If you have any feedback on how he might do on Guardians (or tips to make it a good experience) – I’d love them!

I (and especially M) are also very excited about riding Remy’s attraction:

(photo from Google)

Our stay at the Beach Club Villas will be to our advantage for knocking this out during early entry. Fingers crossed!

Another “new-to-me” attraction is Frozen Ever After:

(photo from Google)

I enjoyed the original Maelstrom so it will be fun to see the Frozen overlay. Despite the changes to the ride I'm glad they kept this guy around:

I've always loved this troll! This would be a great place to get a picture of the girls and to capture their growth changes over the years. It seems the appropriate spot given their Norwegian heritage!

We’ll also want to see the new (to me) Frozen sisters meet and greet – M LOVES Frozen so this is a must. It’s always fun to meet with both of them, but especially Anna:

The final “new-to-me” experience I’m looking forward to is Moana’s Journey of Water:

(photo from Google)

I know this is a simple walk-through attraction but it looks like SO much fun. We’re big Moana fans and know we’ll enjoy searching for the characters in the rocks and making the water react. Part of me hopes we’ll be able to do this twice!

There are also a few more attractions I’m thrilled to ride again.

M is very excited to ride Soarin’ and it will be my first time seeing Soarin’ Around the World. I will miss Soarin’ Over California but happy the soundtrack is similar and VERY happy they kept this guy:

Hi, Patrick!

I also think my family will enjoy Test Track:

I’m pleased we’ll get to ride it before it shuts down, but also very excited to see a reimagined Test Track! I liked the original much better and am interested to see how they incorporate World of Motion.

The other attractions in World Nature (ack, I’m not used to these new land names!) will be big hits with my girls. We’re looking forward to The Seas with Nemo and Friends:

Chatting with Crush at Turtle Talk:

And singing “One Little Spark” with Figment:

I know my husband will especially enjoy Living with the Land. I’m going to enjoy seeing the special Flower and Garden overlays.

This is me during my last visit when I tried the Behind the Seeds Tour. It was a lot of fun!

We’ll also definitely ride Spaceship Earth as it’s another attraction L can experience:

One ride that may get the chopping block is a favorite of mine – Mission Space:

I’m one of five people who loves Mission Space: Orange , but that will be a no-go for my family. G will sit this one out due to the spinning, but I may talk M into giving the green version a try. We’ll see!

Other “fun-to-try” but less important attractions include the Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico and perhaps the American Adventure in America. I’d also love to see Canada’s new movie (the old one was my favorite World Showcase movie), but we’ll see if the girls would tolerate it:

The other item that may be missed this time is Epcot’s nighttime spectacular, Luminous. There are only so many late nights we can do with two young kids and the Magic Kingdom fireworks and Fantasmic take priority. That said, I’m hoping to see just a bit of Epcot at night because it’s beautiful there at night:

I also hope to spend some time wandering around in World Showcase. I don’t know how patient the girls will be to wander through the stores, but I especially love the stores in Germany, Japan, Morocco, and France. I hope to use the topiaries as a reason to explore the countries!

Our dining plans in Epcot will be fun, too. I’m really looking forward to trying breakfast at Garden Grill as I haven’t been to this restaurant in years. I wish they still had the cinnamon roll skillet, but the rest of the breakfast still looks pretty good. Plus, the characters are great – yay for Chip and Dale!

My Epcot must-do restaurant made the list as well – I can’t wait to introduce my family to Via Napoli:

Our final Epcot restaurant, La Hacienda de San Angel, should be perfect for our girls. I know this restaurant is often overlooked (there are so many great choices in Epcot!) but I’ve always enjoyed my meals here. I still remember this sweet corn ice cream dessert I enjoyed back in 2013… it was unusual and VERY good!

I also look forward to quite a few Epcot snacks, but that is for another post.

What are your Epcot favorites? Is there anything else new I should add to our list?

 

[jrmint427]

It's exciting to hear how much of Epcot will be new for you this trip! That is a lot to look forward to!

G’s motion sickness issues are tough to pinpoint. He loves regular roller coasters (although avoids ones with inversions) and did just fine on Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure a few years ago. However, any ride that spins or goes in a circle makes him dizzy and feel off for hours. Of course, he avoids rides like the teacups but doesn’t even do well on a very gentle carousel. If you have any feedback on how he might do on Guardians (or tips to make it a good experience) – I’d love them!

This is a tough one. The cars don't spin around in circles like teacups but there is a lot of whipping back and forth and the track goes in a circular motion at times. For me, it's similar to Forbidden Journey in that both make me feel a little woozy when I first get off, but I'm not ruined for the day. I think it's a good idea for you to ride first as you'll probably know better how it will impact him.

The other item that may be missed this time is Epcot’s nighttime spectacular, Luminous. There are only so many late nights we can do with two young kids and the Magic Kingdom fireworks and Fantasmic take priority. That said, I’m hoping to see just a bit of Epcot at night because it’s beautiful there at night:

If you're going to skip any nighttime show, Luminous is the one to skip of those three. It's a good show and if it works out, that's great, but I would also prioritize the other two.

 

[cindianne320]

I'm sure you are aware of child swap, but haven't seen it specifically mentioned, but it's one of the best things about having to "sit out" of rides- and if your older child likes the ride, they can ride twice! Especially on big rides like Guardians, even if you don't think hubby can handle it, get the Child Swap!!