Disney review!!

So I was that person who said “why the hell should I go to Disney?” and all these years thought I need $10k and a PhD in Disney to get there! I spent $3000 for 4 nights/4 park days and airfare.

I put a deposit down for Art of Music in March and when I saw there was a free quick dining plan promo I booked my flights in June for this past Rosh Hashanah weekend.

My daughters are in 8th and 10th grade so this was a very different experience than most of you with young children would have.

I have blisters on my feet still- we flew home yesterday morning. I kept them out of school only 1 day. We made rope drop 2 days but went back to room before dark 2 days as well.

My neighbor, this group, and a FB group was very helpful with fast pass selections and other tips/must dos. My older daughter was a pro at using the app and GPS. I am a single mom and was concerned about doing this trip on my own. BUT i have no complaints or regrets it was wonderful and my daughters were extremely gracious and grateful. We were prepared for heat and lines but had FUN! We probably wouldn’t choose to go back again not because it wasn’t great but because we made it a once in a lifetime feeling and got to do everything we wanted. We only waited on one 60 min line for Avatar. They want to go to Universal next time.

I had $200 “free” money by using the chase visa and declined the housekeeping. That was our souvenir $ and my drink $

I dont think there was much i would have done differently (maybe fly the night before since we had a 6am flight but it can be a waste of $ at hotel). We got the full Disney experience minus character dining. We got princess pics and other character pics. DDs went on 3 rides without me (i dont like the big thrill rides).

AOM was what I expected BUT it was a 10 min walk from our room to main lobby. Would have been nice for a food place on the far end of resort. We used pool 1x for an hour.

It rained but we never got stuck. All parks except epcot had shade, covered ride lines and AC breaks in the gift shops and movies/shows.

We tried to refill water bottles where we could so didnt spend any $ on water and didnt bother with Amazon delivery. MK was packed on Monday. AK was relatively quiet on Friday. Epcot had least shade and was the most uncomfortable in that way.

Favorite parts of trip were Soarin, Peter Pans flight, castle/fireworks and epcot int’l food and wine festival! What a treat that was!

Message edited 9/12/2018 10:44:27 AM.

Disney review!!

Yay! So happy you had a great memorable Disney trip with your girls! And yay for the free $200!

Re: Disney review!!

Sounds great! Universal is awesome too!

Re: Disney review!!

Yay! Thanks for sharing.

Yes do Universal. They'll love it!

Re: Disney review!!

Sounds like you had a great time and got to experience your dream Disney vacation!

If and when you're ready to plan a trip to Universal I'd be happy to help you. I am a travel agent with ET Family Travel specializing in Disney Destinations and Universal Studios. I absolutely LOVE Universal and could assist with flights, hotels, park tickets and extras.

vacationbynancy.com

Re: Disney review!!

So funny - I know that we were there at the same time and I had a different experience. I went Friday night late at night and came home late Tuesday. I agree it was a once in a lifetime thing - and IMO I don't want to go back (maybe to universal like you said). My kids liked it but had more fun sometimes playing in the pool. My kids are ride junkies (4 year old and 10 year old) and this is not the place for that. They loved FOP, the yeti ride, and tower of terror (I skipped that one since I don't really love rides). I am glad we went and we had great family time. I wish I would have done the international food festival but my kdis weren't into it and it was HOT and boring for them!