Taking a trip to Walt Disney world in Orlando Florida with two kids is no pickle. I knew what I was getting myself into, but it was either now or wait till Christmas time. I just can’t bare the heat and humidity that comes after May in Florida. My favorite time to go to Disney world has always been around Christmas time but we couldn’t make it end of 2018 due to visiting family in another state. During Christmas time it’s the most beautiful and the weather is perfect. If you can go I would highly recommend during that time of year.

I had planned to go before February ended, but time always slips away and so I went ahead and booked a hotel for March. My goal was to avoid spring break for Floridans as much as possible but honestly it’s just not going to happen. My advice is avoid March overall because it’s crazy packed with tourists. Everyone comes during their spring break and it’s not worth it. Instead take time off from work and make it a stress free trip and save a little money along the way because that’s when everything is more expensive especially the hotels. The prices go high up during spring break.

I prefer to stay on Disney property when booking a hotel because the resorts and hotels offer shuttles to the park, that way after a long day of walking it’s just easier to get in a shuttle and relax a little. This time I booked a hotel closer to Disney springs as my goal was to go there the next day. ( next post will be about Disney springs and why I love it so much).

Another thing to mention is when I go to Disney with my kids we always have the park hopper pass. When I used to work for Disney I would save up my tickets. This time our tickets ended up being gifted which was so amazing and they ended up being the park hopper which I love especially that we only do the parks for one day.

This trip we went to magic kingdom first, wondered around by the castle, grabbed some snacks to eat like the Mickey Mouse pretzel, took some awesome shots. We waited to do rides after 5pm because I used my magic pass for the it’s a small world ride and Dumbo. Can’t remember what the third one was but we didn’t make it because it was getting to late in the evening. We spent the morning at magic kingdom and then hopped on a bus ( I believe was number 16 I could be wrong) and it goes to animal kingdom. It’s about 10-15 min bus ride because keep in mind the Disney property is huge. Animal kingdom is the only park that you can take a bus to. Unlike Epcot, magic kingdom and Hollywood studies which you have the option of taking a bus, monorail, or a water taxi and btw is all free.

Also if you don’t have the magic band it’s just easier to print your tickets and have them ready rather then going to will call or buying on the spot. Movement is key! If you want to see as much as possible manage your time as much as you can.

I’ve never been to animal kingdom and always wanted to go. Here’s my 2 cents if you plan to go there you need at least half a day but if your planning to do Disney for a few days then just spend a whole day there. It’s massive like a zoo with attractions and so much to see and do for kids. One of my favorites was dino land which is inside Animal kingdom. Think of a big play ground for your kids to crawl, slides to go down, a water wall for kids to splash and a really big sandbox for fossil findings. It’s really cute and my boys loved it. An hour can easily go by in there.

I really wanted for us to do the safari ride but again coming during spring break month is impossible to get in short lines. And most rides the fast pass can be reserved up to 30-60 days in advance if your staying in a Disney resort. Sad to not have experienced the safari ride but I wasn’t going to stand in a 2.5 hour line. With a toddler that is basically suicide. So next time we go it’s something I’m looking forward to doing.

Another awesome part that I loved was the small show right in front of the giant tree of life where they have gorgeous macaws flying through the crowds. That was fun to experience and I’ll need to add those photos as well.

Also a small tip if you want to get Starbucks at Disney because their cups are a little different and super cute. I recommend going to the one at animal kingdom. We had no wait time or lines inline the crazy line at magic kingdom which again due to high tourists season and spring break.

The kiddos and I ended up getting lunch at animal kingdom. It was at the market right where the lines are for the safari ride. The food the pretty good. Totally would go again.

After 3pm the boys and I headed back to the buses and went back to magic kingdom. As per my usual experience that is 3 parks in one day. I can’t seem to just go to 2 or stick it out and stay at one apparently I like to overwhelm myself lol.

We made it in time to see the parade, to go on the rides including the people mover which I can’t remember if we did that earlier in the day or not it’s all blurry now but the people mover is one of my favorite rides. Think of it like a mini train shuttle that takes you through tomorrow land. It also goes inside space mountain so you can see how that ride is which btw it’s in the dark I’ve been on it before and don’t care for it. It’s a lot of jerking on the ride which if you have a bad neck not fun. The people mover ride also goes through the buzz lighting ride so again you get a little glimpse. It’s about a 5-10 min ride super enjoyable you get great views of Tomorrowland, you can also see the castle. Perfect for those pictures that you want.

Dumbo is my absolute favorite ride. I’d you don’t do the fast pass which this time I learned it’s better not with kids because regular lines go inside where there is a playground for kids. While you wait your turn. I did that with my first when he was a toddler but ended up doing a fast pass this time and I regret missing out on the play area. So if you have kids especially small ones save your fast pass for it’s a small world which the lines can get so long. If you go during off season times usually in the evening after 8pm almost all the rides have very small wait time. Again this is great if you stay in a resort. Chill at the parks till closing time. Or spend half a day then go back to the hotel and rest for few hours. That’s what most folks end up doing because it is a lot of walking.

Magic kingdom is definitely my favorite park out of all the parks at Disney world because it’s so kid friendly. It’s also broken up into different parts like tomorrow land, liberty square and the circus (which is where the dumbo ride is) I love to walk and explore it all. We don’t stand in line to see the characters because honestly I think it’s useless to wait 30+ minutes for a stranger to sign a book but I get it some parents do it for the kids. Mine don’t care for it so yay for me haha.

As far as ticket prices go I do want to cover that part. The park hopper is $160 per person. Kids under 10 it’s a little cheaper. So if your doing multiple days skip the park hopper and stick to one park per day. If you only have one day and you want to see as much as possible get the park hopper but keep in mind you’ll need to split your time wisely to make it worth while.

The food at Disney is pricy. But not super expensive compared to your local chain restaurants. I spent about $100 max total on the whole day for food. We didn’t have 3 large meals instead had two meals and snacked during the day.

If you plan to park it’s about $20 per car. If you stay in a hotel that offers a free shuttle take advantage of that.

Also download the Disney park app it will be really useful to keep the map of the park handy. You can do fast pass on the app and also order your food at any of the restaurants which saves you time again from standing in line.

I’ve officially been to all 4 parks at Walt Disney world and to rate them top to bottom I would have to say,

1, magic kingdom hands down which I’ve already explained. If you watch the clock you can see the shows performed at the castle, also watch the parade go by, and the fireworks at 9pm.

2, animal kingdom especially with kids so worth it!

3, Epcot which I love going to without kids because it’s all food, restaurants and it’s just super pretty. Also they do the best fireworks at 9pm.

4, Hollywood studies. I wouldn’t even have this on my list I’m so not a fan. I don’t care for the rides they have the the haunted tower. To me it’s not worth seeing but that’s a personal opinion. I’ve went with kids and without and frankly wasn’t impressed.

I’m sorry this review has been so long I wanted to go as much in depth as possible especially for those that have never been to Disney world which btw is not like Disneyland that is in California. Totally different and I’ve been to Disneyland. Disney world is huge and offers so much. Also please don’t call Disney world, Disneyland I don’t know why but it bugs me and I always correct people. It’s like calling Seattle, New York. It’s different lol.

If you get a chance to eat at beasts castle in magic kingdom I highly recommend. It’s a favorite of mine. Also get a fast pass for the Snow White and the seven dwarfs ride. I wasn’t open the first couple times I went and this time there was no fast pass available. If you have little girls the little Mermaid is a cute ride. All it does is move you around in a shell to see everything. Nothing scary but I do recommend it. Also don’t want to sound repetitive but get s fast pass only for the rides that tend to get the busiest. Use up the first 3 fast passes early in the day so that you can add more rides. The fast passes go quick. No one wants to stand in a long line. Another favorite is the magic carpet ride but it’s identical to dumbo. Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies so I personally love it for that and it’s toddler friendly.

There is so much to see and you won’t see it all and do everything but planning is key. I would book the hotels 3 months in advance, purchase the tickets to the part so that way the big purchase are out of the way and you can enjoy Disney.

Stay tuned for the next post I’ll do about Disney springs! With tons of photos. If I missed anything on here I’ll do a part 2 Disney world. If you made it this far down wow congrats, you must really love Disney because I totally went all out trying to narrow down our trip! So high five, leave a comment below if you are planning a trip, leave questions below or maybe tips that I forgot.

Xx, Jules