Adventure Awaits Your Family

This is by far our favorite park. From Main Street to Tomorrowland and everything in between, Disney does an excellent job of creating an experiential visit for all of its guests. It can be daunting to plan if you haven’t been so here are our favorite rides and places to eat! While it adds to your ticket price, we highly recommend the Geneie Plus addition to your park pass. It allows for easier access to rides and significantly cuts down on wait times so it is worth every penny in our opinion! 

RIDES NOT TO MISS: 

We usually begin our day in Adventureland. Here we ride Alladin Magic Carpets and Pirates of the Caribbean. Jungle Cruise is here too, but usually reserve this as our last ride so we can do it in the evening and then head out as its relatively close to Main Street. 

We then move along to Splash Mountain which is probably the most iconic ride in the park. While it is being refurbished now, it features animatronics inside, followed by drops and the final large drop at the end – prepared to get wet! 

Another must-do ride for our family is Big Thunder Mountain. This rollercoaster is right next to Splash Mountain. It offers twists and turns and you head through a themed mineshaft. There is a height requirement so check ahead of riding if everyone in your party is tall enough. If not, Disney offers rider swap! 

Haunted Mansion is another family favorite of ours. It is spooky but not too scary – however little ones may not enjoy it as much as older kids. This is a ride-through tour that features Doom Buggies that take you through a haunted mansion complete with all its ghost visitors. 

We usually grab lunch at a quick service and keep moving on to ensure we get to ride everything we want! 

In Fantasyland, we always ride It’s a Small World which is a personal favorite and has been around since the park opened. It is an easy ride to cool off in and witness hundreds of dolls dance and sing from all around the world. We try to hit up Peter Pan’s Flight while over here, but it can have long lines so try to use your Genie Plus to schedule a time. An underrated ride here is Goofy’s Barnstormer. It is a rollercoaster perfect for little ones and we try to hit it up before heading over to ride the classic Dumbo ride. This is a great ride for all ages. 

Last, we spend our evening in Tomorrowland. We are pretty tired by now, so stick to favorites including Tomorrowland Speedway which allows kids to drive their own hot rod. Another ride we like that we didn’t even know about until our 6th time visiting is the People Mover. This ride gives your feet a break and allows you to see the backside of rides and an aerial view of the park and castle. The Carousel of Progress provides another ride to rest should you need it and it takes a look at the 20thcentury to see changes in technology – all four of my kids enjoy this one. 

Fan favorites are Space Mountain and Buzz Light Year’s Space Ranger Spin. Buzz Light Year is a great ride for Toy Story fans as it allows you to fire lasers to defeat the evil Zurg while competing against people in your group. I always seem to have the lowest score ☹. Space Mountain is a fast paced rollercoaster filled with twists and turns…..in the dark! I sometimes sit this one out, but all four of my kids love t his one (as does my husband). 

As mentioned before, we end our evening with a night ride on Jungle Cruise. This is a boat ride through the jungle navigated by a skipper who brings witty humor and jokes to every ride. Usually each ride is different as you rarely have the same skipper twice. 

WHERE TO EAT: We have tried most restaurants at Magic Kingdom. We usually opt for quick service at Liberty Tavern for lunch as its where we usually end up around lunchtime. However, you can find food that fits whatever your tastebuds are looking for. For dinner, we usually will grab Casey’s Corner if not sitting down. There are kids meals at all quick service as well. A must and staple of the park is enjoying a Dole  Whip from Aloha Isle!

Our favorite sit down restaurants that require reservations ahead of time are: 

· Breakfast: The Crystal Palace - great character dining and a good buffet

· Lunch: Tony’s Town Square - offers American Italian food menu that pleases everyone in our family. Nice place to rest your feet and reset for your afternoon and evening. 

· Dinner - Jungle Navigation Company Kipper Canteen (Adventureland). This was one we tried for the first time on our last trip and we loved it! It featured bold and flavorful cuisine of Asia immersed in the thematic of Jungle Cruise expeditions. 

To be honest, this was a park that we didn’t visit right away mostly because we weren’t sure if our young kids could ride the rides or if they would enjoy. However, this has become one our favorite parks thanks to its amazing food, themed countries and the rides offered. Also, invest in a lanyard and a basic set of Disney pins as this park is all about Pin Trading which is super fun for the kids! 

Below are our favorites and must do rides:

Guardians of the Galaxy:  Cosmic Rewind - a newer ride here but a must do if you can get a ride time secured or don’t mind long lines. This ride takes you on an interactive race through space and time. It reminded us a little of space mountain, but even more interactive! 

Test Track: This a great ride for those who love speed and cars! You get to design your own vehicle, which then races against others on a test track. We try to ride this at least twice during our visit!

Turtle Talk with Crush: This is a kid favorite. Crush, from Finding Nemo, leads an interactive group chat. He will call out kids by asking questions as well as parents and reply with witty banter back and forth that leaves the audience in stitches. 

Frozen Ever After: Calling all Frozen fans! This ride is for you. You take a boat ride through the world of “Frozen” complete with character sightings throughout. 

Remy’s Ratatouille: This is a new favorite as it opened recently. You ride along as if you are Ratatouille through a 3D adventure that puts you in the heart of the movie experience. 

Soarin’ Around the World: this ride simulates flying through different iconic locations around the world such as the Eiffel Tower, Yosemite National Park and the Great Wall of China. You experience sights and smells as well! 

WHERE TO EAT: We love Epcot for the FOOD! We have eaten our way through the different countries and it is the easiest park to find something that pleases everyone. While we usually prefer to eat at stands throughout the countries, we have also eaten at La Hacienda de San Angel which has amazing Mexican food options and is a great place to watch the World Showcase Light show if you eat later!  

This park has grown and expanded since we started coming almost two decades ago. It has some pretty epic rides and dining experiences. 

Below are our top attractions: 

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway: this is a newer ride that takes you through a fun and cute ride of a cartoon world. It is great for all ages!

Star Tours: I actually have never gone on this ride as I usually don’t feel great with motion simulated rides. However, my kids all swear it is a great one to experience so if your equilibrium allows, go for it! 

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Show: this show has been around a long time and it is exciting every time we pop in to watch. It is under a covered pavilion so great to escape the sun, or rain during the day! 

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – this is a fan favorite and for good reason. It feels as if you are a character in the movie smack dab in the middle of a battle between the First Order and Resistance. The room with the storm troopers is amazing! 

Millenium Falcon: again, another motion simulated ride I opted to sit out, but my kids and husband said it was worth the line! 

Slinky Dog Dash: this is a great roller coaster designed with Toy Story elements throughout. It is perfect for kids of all ages since height requirement is just 36”. 

Toy Story Mania: this is the perfect family ride and reminds me of the Buzzlight Year ride at Magic Kingdom. It is an interactive 3D ride to score the most points. 

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: this attraction was closed the last few times we have been to Disney, but it is a high speed roller coaster through the dark with twists and turns. It is fast from the start, and blasts you off to loops and turns that cannot be seen, or expected. Plus there is great Aerosmith music that plays as you ride. 

Tower of Terror: we always make it a point to do this ride. You take an elevator up 13 floors and then, well……you drop. And not just once. It is a scream-worthy ride not to be missed. 

FOOD: Again, this is a park we focus more on getting through the rides so quickservice options work great for us.  That being said, we have eaten at The Brown Derby (The cobb salad is delicious!) several times for dinner. The restaurant décor exudes the feeling of old Hollywood style. Other sit down restaurants on our list to try and with good reviews include the 50’s Prime Time Café, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater and Hollywood & Vine. 

This is probably the park we have visited the least. We have been here a handful of times and the only reason I can think it hasn’t been a top park for us is because of the number of rides offered. However, the rides that are there, are incredible and so its worth a visit (or two!). 

Top rides include:   

Na’vi River Journey: this is an easy boat ride through the Na’vi River. The scenery is amazing and they captured every detail in the landscapes BUT it is not a thrill ride. If you are looking for an easy ride for the whole family, and there isn’t a long line, this is worth a try. 

Avatar Flight of Passage: this is a relatively new addition to the park and one not to be missed. And I say that even though it is a 3D simulated ride! Flight of passage takes you on the back of a mountain banshee for a thrill and experience you wont soon forget. 

Kilimajaro Safari Ride: this is probably the ride you have heard about when you discuss Animal Kingdom. You hop into a jeep with a tour guide/driver who takes you on a ride through the African savanna where you will see lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos and more! The line for this also moves quickly. 

Kali River Rapids: this is a ride you WILL get wet on! It is fun for the whole family as you ride on a raft through rapids that will definitely soak you. We like to go when it’s hot and the sun will dry us all quickly afterward! 

Expedition Everest: this thrill ride takes you to the top of Everest. This fast-paced roller coaster will wind through the Hilalaya;s to escape the Abominable Snowman. What we didn’t expect the first time was that this ride goes forward AND backward! 

FOOD: While we haven’t been here as many times as the other parks, we have definitely done sit down dining more here. 

Restaurants we like are: 

· Yak and Yeti – the menu here is inspired by various areas of the continent. We loved the firecracker shrimp and usually all choose a different menu item and share – because, that are that good! 

· Satu’li Canteen: while you order in a quick service line, there is a dedicated dining room to enjoy and take a break during our day at Animal Kingdom. 

· Rainforest Café: we ate here multiple times when our kids were little. The food is good and there is a ton to look at between the animatronic wildlife and animals to the oversized fish tanks filled with tropical fish.