This post is the continuation of recapping my November Disney World vacation. If you missed Part 1, make sure you check it out!
Day 3 – the parks at night
Our third day at Disney actually involved leaving the resort and going out to the shore! I had never been to the ocean before so this was pretty exciting for me. That’s a story in itself, so let’s get back to Disney.
When we returned to Disney World it was evening time, and I had planned to head to Magic Kingdom for fireworks and extra magic hours.
Extra magic hours are when one of the parks either opens early or stays open late for resort guests. It’s another perk that comes along with staying on Disney property!
When we arrived back on property I decided to check the My Disney Experience app to see if any fastpasses were available before the fireworks. I found one, for Tower of Terror which yes, is not in Magic Kingdom. So I rushed out and caught the ferry to Hollywood Studios just in time!
It was fun to go to Hollywood Studios in the evening. I’ve only been there in the daytime before. I headed to straight for Tower of Terror, which was super fun, and all along the way there and back took in the lights and sounds of Christmas.
I didn’t really have time for anything else, so I left and went to the shuttle for Magic Kingdom.
At Magic Kingdom everyone was getting ready for Happily Ever After, the fireworks show. I learned from my last trip that many people will begin camping out for a spot to watch over an hour before the fireworks. Because it was only me, I was able to find a spot between some groups of people about halfway up Main Street.
Happily Ever After is a beautiful show and a must experience if you haven’t seen it. The last time I saw it we were fairly close to the castle. I think there are pluses and minuses to both being close and further away. Up close I think you can really see the projections, but if you are further down Main Street you can get more of a full picture of the castle and fireworks all at once.
If there are extra magic hours after the fireworks, be prepared to fight the crowds. The majority of people leave as soon as the show is over, so if you are wanting to get to rides it can be hard to get through. I found that if you go off to the side of Main Street and follow others, you’ll eventually find cast members guiding the crowds, at least that’s what happened this night.
I ended up deciding to ride Haunted Mansion. Truth be told, I’ve always been afraid to ride it. I know that sounds super lame but I think it goes back to my first ever Disney trip when I was five and thought Haunted Mansion seemed so scary. Well I finally rode it. By myself. At night. And guess what? It was super fun.
Before leaving for the night I grabbed a churro and hit up the Emporium for some souvenirs and a surprise Christmas gift for my mom.
Day 4 – Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs
The main restaurant in the Beach Club Resort is Cape May Cafe. There is a character breakfast buffet and a seafood dinner. I had wanted to do the character breakfast for a while because it looked really cute. Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy are all in their beach gear.
Character breakfasts may seem like they are only for kids, but it can be a nice way for anyone to meet characters and get pictures without having to wait in a long line.
The nice thing about going to Cape May Cafe was that it was in our resort. So we just headed downstairs when it was time for our reservation!
The buffet had a large variety of breakfast items (including Mickey waffles!) and there was also a build your own omelette station. It was really yummy and a fun meal.
We took the rest of the rest of the morning relatively slow. I had a couple of fastpasses for Animal Kingdom so we didn’t feel the need to rush. And truth: Animal Kingdom is my mom’s and my least favorite park.
This trip I managed to get a fastpass for Flight of Passage, which is quite coveted. I had heard so much about this ride, basically how it is the best ever, so I needed to check it out.
Something I think I should warn you of (even though Disney does warn guests, but if you’re like me you may ignore this warning) is that if you have motion sickness or vertigo, you shouldn’t ride. I get motion sick sometimes riding in cars but not on theme park rides usually, so I thought I would be fine. However, I did feel a little dizzy/sick after the ride.
Flight of Passage is really amazing. I get the hype. I feel like it’s kind of a hard ride to describe, but it essentially simulates riding on a banshee from the movie Avatar.
After Flight of Passage I had to grab a Night Blossom slush (also in the Pandora area). I discovered these during my last trip, and they are super good. They are VERY sweet though so if that’s not your thing, skip it.
We then headed over to Asia in Animal Kingdom, and I rode Expedition Everest. Everest is probably my favorite roller coaster at Disney. It’s fast and there are actual drops (which a lot of Disney coasters don’t seem to have).
For the evening we headed to Disney Springs. Dinner was our first priority and we decided on D’Luxe Burger. We went here in 2018 and it’s a great choice. As far as Disney pricing goes, I do think it’s quite reasonable, and the burgers are great!
After dinner we did a bit of shopping (Uniqlo is always a must for me because we don’t have them locally) and then went to the Ghiridelli’s ice cream shop for dessert.
Day 5 – Epcot
I did have a couple of evenings in Epcot at the beginning of the trip, but this was our only full day. It started with strolling through the World Showcase and meeting Winnie the Pooh. Pooh’s meet and greet spot is in the back part of the UK pavillion, and kind of easy to miss. Don’t miss it though! He is a really cute character to me because he really does act like a silly ol’ bear.
Epcot days tend to be the most low-key for my mom and me. We love to stroll the World Showcase and pop into shops. We were there during Epcot’s Food and Wine festival, so I tried a couple of things from Canada, including a fantastic filet mignon.
Epcot isn’t a big ride park for me, but I did ride my two favorites: Frozen Ever After and Test Track.
We weren’t sure what we would do for dinner that night, so I hopped on the Disney app to see if I could grab a last minute reservation. You actually can find dinner reservations the day of, however, you won’t have that many to choose from. I was able to find a reservation at the ESPN Club on the Boardwalk, which was super close to Epcot and our resort.
We had some time to kill before dinner so we spent it exploring the Boardwalk (in the photo at the top). This is a great resort to head to if you want to take some time away from the parks. There is plenty to do and a lot of great restaurants.
I don’t think the ESPN Club would have been my first choice restaurant because it’s more of a sports bar. Still the food was good and so was the service.
After dinner we walked to the Yacht Club Resort to explore yet another place. Yacht Club and Beach Club are quite similar, though to me, Yacht Club has a more “adult” feel.
And that was the trip! What is your favorite thing to do at Disney World? If you’ve never been, what sounds the most intriguing to you?
