A few weeks ago, my parents and sister visited Walt Disney World (WDW) for their first time (ever!!). As a WDW regular, having the chance to show my family around the Most Magical Place on Earth was one heck of an experience – and challenge. I loved seeing what lit up their faces and sparked their interests as they explored the resorts and parks. I also loved the challenge of planning the logistics and itinerary of our trip. 

Every family is different and each individual’s needs can vary (just like rehab – what a coincidence!). On top of that, what may sound good on paper may not be so good in practice (also like rehab – how funny…). That’s why for this week’s blog, I wanted to share both our adventures and challenges on our first trip to Florida together. With that said, let’s recap our trip!

Our (Somewhat) Disney Itinerary

Believe it or not, of our 4 days in Orlando, we only spent 1 day at the parks (and we certainly didn’t see all 4 parks). Although my family appreciates the Disney parks, they’re not huge Disney fans. I figured they wouldn’t want to see everything on this trip. Besides, that’s virtually an impossible task for 1 trip. On top of that, my family wanted to get a taste of both WDW and Orlando. They’ve also been to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure in the past, so given our limited time, I wanted them to see parks that were completely different: Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK).

What else did we do? At East End Market (happy 10^th anniversary, by the way!), we explored the local shops, grabbed some coffee from Lineage Coffee Roasting, and of course we had to get cookies from my favorite: Gideon’s Bakehouse. 

At the ever-so-charming Mount Dora, which sits at an astonishing 184 feet above sea level, we walked around the small town vibe with its large canopy oak trees and historic buildings. 

Hold on – Just because we weren’t at the parks the whole time doesn’t mean we didn’t have a Disney vacation!

Our Resort

We were fortunate to have a savanna view room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL). For my wife and me, this was our second stay here, and it never disappoints. Once we set foot on Disney property, I felt so much joy watching my family walk through the AKL lobby and then scan into their room only to find giraffes and wildebeests from their balcony with the Florida sunset in the background. Their jaws dropped. 

I must mention that you don’t have to be a resort guest to enjoy this feature! Many of the animals on property can be seen from right outside AKL’s lobby. If you ever find yourself resort hopping, visit AKL and find one of its many viewing points!

Flexibility is Key

Planning trips can be stressful, and although you make your plans according to what your family likes, your time frame, and the weather, something always happens to throw things off. This is why contingency plans are key!Take, for example, how I had planned for us to attend mass at Mary, Queen of the Universe Basilica and National Shrine – a stunning Church, outside and inside. Christian or not, I do recommend that you visit this Church just to appreciate its beauty. Guests can spend a lot of time marveling at the details of the Church and exploring its gift shop – which I didn’t expect my parents to do! So, we decided to forgo our original plans and instead head over to the town of Celebration to explore their weekly farmer’s market. The one thing my family loved about Celebration was how it had the Disney feel without being overtly Disney – a must-see if you’re ever in Orlando!

Another important tip: Disney Springs on just about any night is busy. It’s full of people that just got off work or guests that want a place to hang out after their day in the theme parks. On our first night at WDW, we made the mistake of expecting to find a place to dine at Disney Springs. Instead, every table-service (and some quick service) restaurants had long waits. If you plan to have dinner at Disney Springs, either arrive early or make reservations in advance.

One final tip: Being able to adjust your park-day itinerary is key. On our only park day, by the time we park hopped to Epcot at 2pm, I noticed my family losing steam. After all, we had 2 full days of activities prior, and we started our park day at 7:30am (thank you, Early Theme Park Entry). Finding slow-paced, relaxing attractions were the best way to move forward: Journey of Water inspired by Moana, Living with the Land, and Awesome Planet were great ways to rest before taking a leisurely stroll around World Showcase.

How About That Weather?

Lucky for us, we caught the five days out of the year that Orlando’s temperature stays below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

While we expected cooler temperatures for the evening, we didn’t expect how much cooler the weather would feel in the daytime. As it turns out, Florida’s humidity makes cool temperatures feel even cooler. Couple that with the frequent gusts of wind, and you get weather that really feels like it’s in the 50s.

Take for example day 2 when we attended the afternoon viewing of Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn to Life. (WARNING: I’m sidetracking here) This is a wonderful introduction to Cirque if you’re a Disney fan who has never seen a Cirque show. Their ability to combine Disney’s storytelling and aspects of animation with the thrill of their jaw-dropping acts makes for a truly unique experience. And hearing all the screaming from my mom and sister as the performers jump up and around a spinning contraption made to resemble Walt Disney’s The Old Mill? Priceless.

Back on topic: Prior to walking into the theater, the weather felt nice and warm. But afterwards, and on our way to dinner at Topolino’s Terrace, temps dropped and the wind grew stronger. And it was only more pronounced on the balcony as we watched Epcot Forever! Lesson learned: Stay up-to-date on the weather so that you can pack accordingly.

My Short Love Letter to Topolino’s Terrace

Needless to say, if AKL didn’t already do it, our experience at Topolino’s Terrace spoiled my family. Not only was the rooftop view overlooking Caribbean Beach Resort phenomenal as we watched the Florida sunset, our food was fantastic. My dad chose the all-time classic Rigatoni, my mom chose the Sea Scallops, my sister and wife dined on the Bouillabaise, and I decided to get the widely popular Sole Meuniere. While you virtually cannot go wrong with any dish here, the Sole was arguably the best seafood dish I’ve had – I had a total Ratatouille moment. 

I can confidently speak for my family here and say that what put Topolino’s (and Disney, really) over the top here is their incredible service. Our server (shoutout to Sami) was incredibly personable and easy to talk to. He even photo bombed our group picture!

Time flew by so quickly that before we knew it, it was time to watch Epcot Forever – from the Topolino’s balcony. I love how the music is piped into the speakers on the balcony so that we got the full experience of the fireworks. And since Epcot Forever relies only on fireworks and music, we felt like we weren’t missing anything by being inside Epcot.

Give Yourself Some Grace (and Time)

To put it bluntly, my family is very slow. This is the third vacation I’ve planned for my family. However, the first two trips I planned didn’t involve very strict time commitments. This WDW trip involved a Cirque show, 3 meal reservations, and of course, making the most of our single park day. Unfortunately, giving my family time deadlines didn’t do much in the way of following a schedule. Talk about anxiety-inducing.

What would I do differently? I would plan less activities. I would also take my expected schedule and add a 30-45 minute buffer. However, I would also have a short list of activities in my back pocket so that in the case that we find extra time for ourselves, we can fill it with fun!

Finding Time for Myself

Family trips can be stressful (and if they’re not stressful for you, that’s awesome and I’d like to hear what worked for you). That’s why it’s so important for me to find ways to relieve any pent-up anxiety. For me, this included hitting the gym early in the morning before sipping on Joffrey’s coffee in our room, winding down at night by reading a few pages of a book, finding little moments throughout the day to take a couple of deep breaths, and visiting the Victoria Falls Lounge late at night. 

Highlights

There’s so much from this trip I didn’t cover and I don’t want to overdo this week’s post, so here are a couple more highlights from our trip.

-Watching my family’s eyes light up at the big reveals for each park: Spaceship Earth and the Tree of Life.

-Sitting behind my family on Na’vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safari, and Living with the Land was very special. Watching them discover new things and go on an adventure made them feel like kids again.

-Watching my parents’ reactions before and after riding Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. I must say, neither of my parents are the thrill-ride type, and as bad as I felt for “tricking” them into riding a roller coaster that takes you backwards (I literally asked them if they wanted to ride a roller coaster that goes backwards… and they said yes), I did have a ton of fun watching and recording their pre- and post-ride faces!

Whoo! There was so much we covered here, and this was just a 4 day trip. However, there was a lot to describe for my family’s first ever WDW trip and a lot to learn from it! Hope you enjoyed reading!

If you like what you read, go ahead and like my post and share it with your friends. If you have any suggestions, comments, or ideas you would like me to blog about in the future, feel free to leave a comment down below!