Disney Done Right!

Wow, where to begin. A week at Disneyworld is an exercise in excess – too loud, too bright, too much to eat, and too much fun! We loved it! Lol. 

We arrived at the Ft. Wilderness campground around noon on Sunday, 11/13, but our site wasn’t ready yet. Rog stayed with the rig in the parking lot while I drove Randi and Ryan over to the All Stars Movie resort to get checked in. They decided to head over to Epcot where we’d meet up later, do some rides, and have dinner.

For those who are not familiar with all things Disney, Walt Disney World in Orlando is actually four separate parks – The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. We had arrived on the last weekend of Epcot’s annual Food & Wine Festival – lots of special eats and treats – so we decided to start our Disney adventure there. 

Epcot is divided into two parts, Future World which has most of the rides and the World Showcase which is situated around a huge lagoon. The World Showcase has permanent pavilions featuring exhibits and restaurants from eleven different countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, America, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. For the Food & Wine Festival there were special exhibitions and 24 additional food kiosks from around the world. Yummmmm!

By the time Rog and I arrived, Randi and Ryan had already walked the entire World Showcase once. No small feat. This park is large and you can walk miles and miles (which we did). We hit some of the rides and for dinner decided to take advantage of the small plates offered as part of the Food & Wine Festival and eat our way around the world. Lol. It was tasty! We finished off the evening watching Epcot’s nightly Illuminations show on the lagoon.

Now keep in mind that Randi had started the day with an impressive set of blisters and after being on her feet for another six straight hours, she was in a world of hurt. She tried mole skin, switching out shoes, soaking her feet at night, and lots of Tylenol – but her sore footsies really put a crimp in her style. She was a solid trooper though. She did not complain and kept up even though it’s no fun walking on blistered feet. There just isn’t any way around putting in miles if you want to cover even a part of what the Mouse has to offer.

Spaceship Earch viewed through the Torii Gate at the Japanese Pavilion

Pagoda at the Japanese Pavilion

Detail of the carving on the Stave Church at the Norway Pavilion (photo: Randi)

Great perspective at the Italian Pavilion (Photo: Randi)

O Canada!  Canadian Pavilion at Epcot. (Photo: Randi)

Chinese Pavilion (Photo: Randi)

Mexican Pavilion at night. (Photo: Randi)

Randi got a great shot of the super moon.

Spaceship Earth at night. Just gorgeous!

On Monday, we hit the Magic Kingdom at 8am to take advantage of the “magic hours” when the parks are open only to resort guests. We had one hour before the park opened to the public and it was great to hit some of the rides without waiting in long lines. In the afternoon, we came back to the RV; Randi took a brief nap and we all enjoyed a break. Then it was back to the Magic Kingdom for dinner at the Jungle Canteen and the nightly fireworks spectacular, Wishes. Disney really does do a great job with that!

Cinderella's Castle by day...

... and at night.

Wishes is the Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks spectacular.

Tuesday was dedicated to Hollywood Studios, which has some of our favorite Disney rides – Star Tours (Star Wars ride), Toy Story Mania, The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror (ok, Randi may object to calling the Tower one of her favorites! Lol).  We snagged last minute reservations in the Italian pavilion at Epcot for dinner – excellent pizza! – and then came back to Hollywood Studios to see Fantasmic!, a 30 minute musical show with fireworks and water projections. So nice to be able to sit and watch the show. Lol.

The Tower of Terror... probably Disney's best "thrill" ride.

A fun roller coaster and Randi's very first "big" coaster when she was 11. Memories! :)

Randi & Ryan outside Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. 

On Wednesday we spent the day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The centerpiece of the park is the "Tree of Life". An impressive 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide at the base, it has over 300 meticulously detailed animal carvings. I could spend hours just exploring it and Randi & I had a blast taking way too many photos. Animal Kingdom is smaller than some of the other parks, but you can put in a lot of miles if you walk all the paths to see the animal exhibits. We opted to skip some of that and enjoy the “safari” tram ride and see more of the shows. 

Randi likes the water rides, so the Kali River Rapids was a hit with her and we did that twice. (I really want to know how she manages to avoid getting soaked! lol) The new Expedition Everest coaster is fun too – it goes backwards for part of the ride which is a bit unsettling. We had dinner in the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Boma – an Africa themed buffet that is ridiculously delicious. So much fun getting to sample dishes that you just don’t see anywhere else – watermelon rind salad, anyone? (It’s really good!)

The Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom. (Photo: Randi)

The detail and way they intertwined the animal carvings with the tree is just facinating. (Photo: Randi)

Randi & Ryan and another perspective of the tree.

No animatronics here,! Real animals on the Kilimanjaro Safari tram ride. (Photo: Randi)

Who you lookin' at??    (Photo: Randi)

One of the stars in the "Flights of Wonder" show.  (Photo: Randi)

Looooong ascent on the Expedition Everest coaster - the part I HATE most! Lol. 

Oh no! The Yeti has destroyed the tracks! From here you backwards fast... wheeeeeee!

And then Thursday finally arrived – our designated “do what you want day”.  A chance for Randi and Ryan to hang out together without Mom and Dad (and vice versa. Lol.)  We started off together with a late breakfast at the Kona Café and then the kids opted to visit Disney Springs – an area full of shops and restaurants – and more importantly, Disneyquest, five floors of arcade nirvana.  Unfortunately, by this point Randi’s feet were done and they headed back early to their room to just relax for the evening.

Rog picked his bike up at the shop and then we explored some of the walking trails around the campground. There are deer everywhere! We had dinner at the RV and hoped to turn in early and catch up on some much needed rest. We were reminded there is a downside to staying on the Disney property – leaving the parks doesn’t mean you can escape the Mouse’s madness. Our site was close to the marina and the loud speakers (emphasis on LOUD) for the nightly electrical watercraft parade seemed to be right above us! Every night, as late as 10:45pm a horrible synthesized Disney mashup would begin and last for 10-15 minutes. We could hear the banjo music from the restaurant and the boat horns started every morning at 6:45am and lasted well into the night. UGH!

Herds of deer roam the campground.

Lovely walking trail. A relief after the crowds and chaos of the parks. 

Friday morning, we went back to Epcot to pick up some of the rides we’d missed and then did 18 holes at Disney’s Fantasia Garden Miniature Golf Course. That was a lot of fun and a nice change of pace. Our last meal together was at my personal all-time favorite restaurant on the Disney properties – a tiny little soda shop called Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort. The food is good and reasonably priced and the “No Way Jose” sundae is to-die-for. Lol. Yes, after this we are ALL going back to a healthier diet!

Randi tees off at the Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course.

An incredible, edible gingerbread carousel at the Beach Club Resort. No, we didn't eat any of it!

Beaches and Cream - the "No Way Jose" sundae is my favorite. And yes, I did eat all of it!!

The kids had a 7am flight to catch on Saturday, so we called it an early night. Hard to believe their visit has flown by so quickly. Rog and I drove over to their resort in the evening to drop off some stuff and say our final good-byes. I was sad to hug my baby good-bye, but really happy that Disney was providing a shuttle so I didn’t have to get up at 4am to take them to the airport. Lol.

Rog and I weren’t checking out until Sunday, so we had a leisurely Saturday morning. I decided to pop over to Disney Springs while Rog did some biking and running. We hit Hollywood Studios for their holiday show and some last minute shopping. We also got a huge kick out of the Christmas decorations that some of the campers put up – Wow, talk about your full Griswold!

This is only part of one person's display! 

Sunday morning, 11/20, we leave the Mouse behind. We’re planning a one-night stay at a state park in Hobe Sound and then we have reservations for a week at Markham Park in Sunrise, FL.  We’ll use that as a base to visit the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks.  Looking forward to getting back to nature and working off some of the extra pounds we’ve packed on… I know, easier said than done with Thanksgiving just around the corner. Lol. 

Since my next post won't be until after the holiday.... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!