Headed to Disney World!

LJSDesigns

LJSDesigns

Sweet Shoppe Designer
I am leaving on Saturday to spend a week at Disney World.

I've been before, but am well aware that there are a lot of things I haven't seen or done yet and wanted to ask here what are some things that I should not miss? I would especially love to hear little nuggets of info on the flower and garden expo as it will be my first time there.

Finally, suggestions on what snacks to try. Beyond a Dole Whip, I haven't really had any snacks in the parks because the meal plan always kept me too full. Without the meal plan, there may be room for a treat or two. LOL

Lay any WDW advice on me that will make my magical vacation even more fun. Thanks. :)
 
Have a great time Lorie!

I can toss out a few thoughts. Since you have been before you know to make sure to bring good walking shoes, a hat, a tervis and some sunscreen. It is already hot as heck here. I often tell people to make sure they aren't bringing their favorite t-shirt as it will smell of sunscreen after the trip and you can't get that smell out. lol

We have not been to the Flower and Garden Show yet this year. We have been many times multiple times in the past 10 years. It is my personal favorite of the festivals held at Epcot. The flowers are lovely and there are tons of food booths. I would suggest planning at least a few days at Epcot to enjoy the sights and eats. If nothing else, hop over for lunch or dinner. The skyliner, mono-rail and buses are a easy means of transportation.

At the F&G show, make sure you pick up the passport either once inside the park or at any of the food booths. You could also look on-line at the different offerings while you are hanging out in the airport or on the plane. There are so many interesting choices. Good eats and good drinks. (alcohol and non).

Disney Springs also has a huge offering of food. If you are looking for snacks, Gideon's Bakehouse by far is our favorite. It is worth the wait! The cookies and cakes are yummy. The family loves the Peanut Butter Cold Brew (so much that we are doing a copycat recipe at home).

I would also suggest Salt and Straw - Ice Cream at Disney Springs. They have some unusual choices. You can also ask for a taste before buying it.

If you are looking for real food while at Disney Springs, The Polite Pig, Raglan Road and Earl of Sandwich are some of our favorites.

Magic Kingdom:
We like the Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich at Sleep Hollow Refreshments. The girls also like the warm cinnamon roll from Gaston's Tavern. The Friar's Nook has a good bacon, egg and cheddar breakfast sandwich. The girls would recommend a Cheshire Cat Tail from the Cheshire Cafe. It is a must for them.

Lunch and dinner at MK - Bacon macaroni and cheese tots from Friar's nook, corn nuggets from Cassie's or something from Cosmic Ray's or Pecos Bill's.

Hollywood Studios - A jack jack cookie yum yum from The Market - this is a family favorite. As far as dining, we tend to eat quick service while at HS. We have had them all. Probably Woody's Lunch Box is our favorite with the totchos or grilled cheese.

Ok I'll be back with more later today... Have a great time Lorie!
 
Have a wonderful time! We've been back for just over a month and I'm already dying to go back!

Favorite Snacks and we tried a bunch between the 5 of us.

Magic Kingdom - The Spring Rolls at the Adventureland Spring Roll Cart were amazing! We had the Cheeseburger and Pastrami, The Waffle Sandwiches from Sleepy Hollow. We also enjoyed the Cheshire Cat Tail. Casey's Corner Corn Dog Nuggets and the Mint Julep Lemonade were amazing.

Animal Kingdom -
We loved all the food in Pandora. The Nightblossom slush and the pineapple lumpia at Pongu Pongu were good and quick snacks. The bowls and desserts at Sautli Canteen were great too.

Hollywood Studios - The Ronto Wrap in Galaxy's Edge, I'd skip the cold brew and outpost popcorn, LOL! I didn't love those. The Lunch Box tarts at Woody's Lunchbox, as well as the Totchos were great in Toy Story Land.

Epcot - Fish & Chips in the UK, The Viking Coffee in Norway, the caramel butter bar in Germany. Rope Drop Remy if you don't want to wait in line all day.

Make sure you have the app on your phone, use mobile ordering, do Genie + at Hollywood Studios if you want to ride the rides!
Start with - Slinky Dog, Rope Drop Tower of Terror, and you should be golden from there.

Don't miss Gideon's Bakehouse in Disney Springs. If you go on the weekend, they will probably have a virtual que, go there first, get on the list and then go walk around, they'll text you when you can return. They have the most amazing cookies! We only waited like 15 minutes during the week, but on Sunday it was like a 3 hour wait. We straddled January & February, so we went twice so we could try their new monthly flavors. The peanut butter cold brew is awesome, also grab a side of frosting with your cookies! LOL!

The Daily Poutine was also great at Disney Springs as well as D-Luxe Burger.

I also made these little one page planning sheets to stick in my pocket so I wasn't constantly pulling out my phone to see what else I wanted to do. I have list of snacks we wanted to try on each of these too.
Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Hollywood Studios
Epcot

I also adored the Disney Food Blog's youtube channel. She shares food, but everything else too, Genie +, Ranks the rides, the parks, tells you the news, etc. I used her almost exclusively for planning this trip.

I'd also suggest each more snacks and quick service unless you're going with a smaller group or just adults. We did one table service (Homecomin') and it was good, but not as amazing as I would have hoped for the price, but were 5 of us. We'd also had a reservation for the Skipper Canteen, but decided to cancel when we decided we wanted to upgrade our last park day to a park hopper.

We all had more fun stopping at the little booths and trying different snacks, even if it was a couple bites between the 5 of us, than sitting down for a big meal.

I'd also consider the Individual Lightning Lanes if you want to ride some of those most popular rides without standing in lines. We worked it into our budget and rode Rise of the Resistance, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, Avatar Flight of Passage all with Individual Lighting Lanes, we scheduled our times, it was nice to know we those all set. And we did get a virtual queue for Guardians. I do get pretty motion sick and I was fine on that one, the one rides that really gave me trouble the 3D type ones, so the Flight of Passage and Star Tours. Guardians surprisingly I was good.
 
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LJSDesigns said:
I am leaving on Saturday to spend a week at Disney World.

I've been before, but am well aware that there are a lot of things I haven't seen or done yet and wanted to ask here what are some things that I should not miss? I would especially love to hear little nuggets of info on the flower and garden expo as it will be my first time there.

Finally, suggestions on what snacks to try. Beyond a Dole Whip, I haven't really had any snacks in the parks because the meal plan always kept me too full. Without the meal plan, there may be room for a treat or two. LOL

Lay any WDW advice on me that will make my magical vacation even more fun. Thanks. :)
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We are annual passholders, so we've been 5 times this year already. :thumbup: Our last trip was a couple days ago (I'm exhausted... but my teens drag us around LOL)

If you're going to Epcot, make sure to get the WDW app and join the Guardians of the Galaxy virtual queue... the line opens at 7am. You have to click to join it exactly at 7 to get on the ride! You only get to ride once, but it is the VERY BEST ride at Disney. Not scary at all, I belly laughed the whole time. Unbelievably fun.

The best treats in Epcot are at the France Pavilion... Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie! Everything we've tried from there is *chef's kiss* and a bonus is riding Remy's Ratatouille Adventure before or after eating there. :wub: Our faves are their creme brulee, strawberry tart, and the big raspberry lime macaron.

Our favorite spot for lunch is in Mexico, La Cantina de San Angel, their nachos are such a great deal for what you get and there's a little-known HUGE air conditioned dining room that's around the corner from the counters behind two big doors. They close it at 1:30, so come to lunch early... get some Mexican Sangria (the best!) and cool off. :)
 
Great suggestions from Vanessa and Brook.

I'll add a little more:

Epcot - Can't believe I forgot to mention Eppel Cake and the Viking Coffee in Norway. That is the favorite treat of my husband. He also really likes the caramel bars in Germany that Vanessa mentioned. The girls would say the Ice Cream shoppe in France. They love the mango ice cream.

When Epcot is having a festival, we tend to eat at the various booths, but it is in-between a festival, Fish & Chips in the UK are a must. I try not to get fried food, but toss that out the window for the Fish and Chips.

Animal Kingdom - family loves the grilled corn on the cob near the safari. Tusker House is our favorite place for breakfast, but it is a character and sit down meal. Family also likes it for dinner. Yak and Yeti has pretty good quick service food. Saurti Canteen has good desserts if looking for a sweet.

Oh if you are doing the safari (which I would recommend), try to do it earlier in the day before it is miserable hot. The animals tend to be out more in the morning's vs in the hotter part of the day.

Like Brook and Vanessa both said, try not to miss the Guardians of the Galaxy if you like rides. Be on the app before 7:00 am and be ready. Spots go fast. By 7:02 they will be gone. They do have another drop at 1:00, but I think you had to be in the park.

The parks are going to be busy next week since it is the start of Spring Break for the locals. I would recommend knowing your must do's and focusing on those early in the day. Be prepared to long waits for rides or spend the extra money on the individual lightning lanes and/or genie+ for your must dos.
 
Yes, totally agree w/ Melinda on the Safari, we rope dropped the Safari, basically walked on, and then went to Expedition Everest from there. Most people head to Pandora first from what I gather.

If you are planning on purchasing Genie +, watch some videos or read up on how to use it if you haven't already. Purchase it before 7 am, it sold out for the first time ever on President's Day. Know which rides are important to you, if they are and which ones tend to fill up first, so you can try to get those first.
 
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Also, I've also found that Remy's at rope drop isn't the best. You will bust your BOOTY trying to literally sprint to the furthest distance from the park entrance. The lines are really not bad at all if you wait until second wave or even lunchtime... mid day. We rode Soarin' first (less than 15 min wait) then headed to France when all the "rope drop riders" were done riding and it was perfect. We waited 30 min, which wasn't bad at all. Remember, the formulaic approach is what EVERYONE does. Best ride at rope drop, etc. It's almost better to anticipate that and do the opposite. The best time to ride stuff at any park is during a parade, always plan for one that families tend to ride (ie Dwarves Mine Train) for that time and be near it when everyone starts picking spots for the parade.
 
Keep in mind, I'm also not a maximizer when it comes to the parks. I don't plan every minute. I like to respond to how I'm feeling that day and be a bit spontaneous. I also like some breathing room for just enjoying whatever comes. Sometimes my feet are sore and I stop at a cute little spot for a snack even if I didn't plan it, it's one of the ways we discover new favorites. No matter what, you cannot do everything in one day. It's just impossible. If anything, plan a few new things you'd like to ride or eat and work around those "must-do's"
 
I should add that I love the MK parade and fireworks at both MK and Epcot.... but if they aren't your thing (or you did them already) ... it is a great time to do those longer wait time rides like Book mentioned.

If you are doing a parade and want a spot in the shade (a must for me), you gotta grab your spot way early. We tend to end up by Pecos Bill, but lots of great spots in the shade along the parade route.

The Parks are still celebrating the 50th anniversary, so you get to see the decorations. The 100th merchandise is also in the stores, so you get the best of both worlds.
 
YepBrook said:
Keep in mind, I'm also not a maximizer when it comes to the parks. I don't plan every minute. I like to respond to how I'm feeling that day and be a bit spontaneous. I also like some breathing room for just enjoying whatever comes. Sometimes my feet are sore and I stop at a cute little spot for a snack even if I didn't plan it, it's one of the ways we discover new favorites. No matter what, you cannot do everything in one day. It's just impossible. If anything, plan a few new things you'd like to ride or eat and work around those "must-do's"
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Exactly! Well said.
 
We didn't rope drop Remy. We did manage to get a virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind, so I purchased Genie + so we could do Remy w/ no fuss, except literally the last thing we were doing in Epcot was to ride Remy, 6:30 - 7:30 Lightning Lane, walk to it and it's down! It finally came back up, but it ended up making a long day, longer.

I will say, if you get a Genie + at Epcot, be careful how you use it. we rode everything there, but I did a terrible job with how we actually used it. The whole guardian's virtual que thing throws you off a little, because you have a rough idea when you'll get called back, but it could change. Like ours said 4:30 originally and it ended up being like 12:30, so we were midway through World Showcase, and walked all the way back to the front. We did a lot of jumping back and forth that day, I had blisters, I walked from France to the parking lot in my socks. I think we were just over 10 miles on the day. We didn't originally plan on getting Genie +, I only did it because we had the budget since we got our virtual que for guardians.

We easily skipped things, had plenty of downtime, I think I just made a point as someone that doesn't go that often of knowing what was there, so I didn't feel lost and overwhelmed once I got there. It has been 5 years since our last trip, so I tried to know as much as I could and it'll probably be 5 before our next. We'd wanted to see so much more in World Showcase, but ended up doing so many more rides, Friday was suppose to be just a Magic Kingdom only day, but everyone really wanted to go back to Hollywood Studios, so we upgraded our tickets and hopped back over there.

You've been before, so you know the best laid plans don't always work! LOL!




YepBrook said:
Also, I've also found that Remy's at rope drop isn't the best. You will bust your BOOTY trying to literally sprint to the furthest distance from the park entrance. The lines are really not bad at all if you wait until second wave or even lunchtime... mid day. We rode Soarin' first (less than 15 min wait) then headed to France when all the "rope drop riders" were done riding and it was perfect. We waited 30 min, which wasn't bad at all. Remember, the formulaic approach is what EVERYONE does. Best ride at rope drop, etc. It's almost better to anticipate that and do the opposite. The best time to ride stuff at any park is during a parade, always plan for one that families tend to ride (ie Dwarves Mine Train) for that time and be near it when everyone starts picking spots for the parade.
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Oh, we also got basic magic bands this trip, even though we stayed off property, they were so nice for the photo pass, scanning into the park and lighting lanes. Even my husband commented after how much he loved having them.
 
I've heard from several people that the new fast passes aren't worth the money. It's hard having specific return times for rides. Your Guardians virtual queue will change time drastically... each time we were estimated to ride at around 3-5pm and actually rode at 11-1pm :blink:

I really think Epcot needs an internal transportation system like Magic Kingdom's steam train. That walk from France and back is brutal. We did the same thing and hustled all the way there only to have it break down 30 min into our wait. They escorted us out of line and gave us a lightning pass to return whenever we wanted. It was actually one of 3 rides that broke down while we were in line that day! The other two we left before wasting another minute as soon as they announced it was delayed. :(
 
At Hollywood Studios absolutely it was worth, Epcot, we didn’t need it. Other than Frozen and Remy, the rides really had no wait.

Magic Kingdom it was a toss up, I used the previous Fast Pass Plus system on our last trip in 2018, and it works in a similar way and if you figure out how to stack things, it works well, but we also went in February intentionally so the crowds aren’t as bad, I think in a busier time, it would be more limiting. It was helpful, but there aren’t enough things I’d be sad if I missed at MK. We mostly did it for my SIL and her boys, it was their first time and probably, so we were trying to show them all the things. 😂


And I didn’t get one at Animal Kingdom. Just for the Avatar Flight of Passage one

I completely agree on the Epcot transportation, Sean and the boys had even more miles that day than Keira and I too, once we thought Remy was down, they went all the way back to China and we were about to the American Experience. Keira & I went to Japan and of course it came back up and thy had to hike all the way back over to meet us. .


YepBrook said:
I've heard from several people that the new fast passes aren't worth the money. It's hard having specific return times for rides. Your Guardians virtual queue will change time drastically... each time we were estimated to ride at around 3-5pm and actually rode at 11-1pm :blink:

I really think Epcot needs an internal transportation system like Magic Kingdom's steam train. That walk from France and back is brutal. We did the same thing and hustled all the way there only to have it break down 30 min into our wait. They escorted us out of line and gave us a lightning pass to return whenever we wanted. It was actually one of 3 rides that broke down while we were in line that day! The other two we left before wasting another minute as soon as they announced it was delayed. :(
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Last post, Snacks I wanted to try but we didn’t get to.

Mr. Kamal’s fries in Animal Kingdom and the Buffalo Chicken Chips at Trilobites at Animal Kingdom.

And my we all loved the Kakigori either in Animal Kingdom or the Japan Pavilion. Keira said she preferred it at Animal Kingdom.
 
We were there 3 years ago so lots of changes as it was right before Covid, but have so much fun! Look for a Dole Whip float. The Moana one was my favorite treat of the trip.
 
I can't offer advice because our last trip was in late 2019, and I know a lot has changed since then. Have an amazing time!
 
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