Last month we did the unthinkable – packed the kids in the car, brought enough clothes, snacks & fun for a week and drove from Chicago to Orlando. That’s right, we drove to Disney World without any plan whatsoever – no character meals, no schedule. One caveat, we were able to stay with family, so lodging was taken care of. We didn’t drive 18 hours through – no 4-year old can handle that, so we made fun stops in towns on the way, driving about 6 hours each day. We got to Disney on Christmas Eve. This was my first trip to Disney World (and yes, DisneyLand is a lot more manageable now that I know the difference), and it was the first for the kids. They were beyond excited. The magic of Disney combined with the magic of the holidays is special. And that’s what everyone told me before we left. One thing they did not tell me was NOT to go NOW. They mentioned long lines and big crowds. But nobody tried to stop me and say “stop the madness, never, never go to Disney around Christmas with little kids”. I wish someone did, because that would be my advice. For the price of the ticket – about $400 for a family of 4 – you’ll get to go on 4-5 rides if you’re lucky. Waiting in lines is what you’ll do most of the day and the day will end early, before all the magical fireworks. However, if you go off season – February or October – the best times to go to Disney World – you’ll enjoy the magic of Disney that much more. I would also recommend waiting until your kids are at least 8 years old – they’ll be able to walk around without the bulky strollers and have more patience and stamina for the rides and the lines. Now there is a FastPass option, which allows you to get a fast pass (and skip the lines) for a specific attraction/ride. You have to get it at the attraction and ride it during the time specified, you can also not get any fast passes until this one expires. Here’s a great link on using Fastpass at Disney. This proved a little difficult for us. It took a long time to navigate the crowds to get to each fast pass kiosk and once we did, the ride time specified was too late in the evening, so we couldn’t use it at all. Of course, were you to get to the park and the kiosks early in the morning, you would get a better time. I definitely recommend getting to the park early, since parking will be easier and lines will be shorter. But we were on vacation, so a little extra sleep was needed. Disney is testing some new fast pass kiosks, for those staying at their resorts, so that’s a move in the right direction, I think. What would be even better is having fast pass kiosks for all attractions throughout Disney World, so kiosks are universal and you get a fast pass for any ride at any of kiosk. I’m not sure of the logistics, but I think it would make the parents’ job easier. Now let me tell you about the parks and the rides we really enjoyed.
Day one – Magic Kingdom
You have to start with this park, especially if your kids are young (mine are 4 and 7 right now), which with all the castles and decor is the perfect introduction to Disney World. The ride into the park is fun too – as you pass the mile markers, the excitement grows. Note that those staying at Disney resorts will get to arrive quickly on a monorail, which my kids labeled the “train from the future”. Monorails connect various resorts and Disney parks making it a somewhat quick and convenient ride. Since we didn’t stay at a resort, we drove into the park and felt like it was a scene out of “Plains, Trains and Automobiles”. Well, no planes, but definitely cars, boats and trains. You have to plan a good amount of time before you’ll actually set foot in the Magic Kingdom. First, you’ll park in the parking lot, then the trolley will take you to the front of Magic Kingdom. There you will have an option of taking a ferry boat or a monorail to actually get in the park. Monorail, though fun-looking, takes a little longer, since it stops at the resort on the way back. The boat was nice – a pleasant experience being near the water on a warm day and the approaching view of the Cinderella castle and the Grand Floridian resort on the side is stunning. It was also entertaining to see how brave the seagulls were, accompanying us to the park.
Once you set foot in Magic Kingdom, you may be lucky to see the characters doing a little show in front of the train station – you are guaranteed to see them if you arrive at the opening of the park. Many of the characters walk around and you’ll have plenty of sightings, though less likely during a busy time like the Christmas weekend we picked. As soon as we walked in, Mary Poppins walked by and told my daughter she’s going to have “a lovely time”, this was a beautiful start to the day. Though rain was promised, we got lucky with the weather, but you can always get a poncho for the rain, plus many rides and activities are indoors. I suggest you take the Walt Disney World Railroad, so you can ride to and through Frontierland and Fantasyland and get a first glimpse of the Magic Kingdom park sections (to help you decide where to go first). You can get off at any of these stops to explore them right away. Or, you can start by walking down Main Street, USA, right towards the Cinderella’s Castle. This park is a lot larger than Disneyland, so be prepared for a lot of walking, and strollers are available for rent if you don’t have one. We were treated to a beautiful show at the front of the castle, with princes and princesses and the scary witch.
We started off in Fantasyland which is home to most of the characters we wanted to see. Regal Carousel is fun for kids and adults (the one place you can definitely ride on rather than along). We explored the castle and proceeded to the “It’s a Small World” ride. Despite the fear of forever keeping the song in our heads, we all enjoyed the ride even with the hour long wait.
We loved Under the Sea and meeting Ariel in her Grotto. This was a particularly long wait for a 5-second photo, but for our mermaid fan, it was worth it. I have to say that all the princess-loving girls coming to Disney should dress up too and bring an autograph book, it will make this that much more memorable.
If you are smart and lucky to make an appointment in advance, stop by the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – a fun experience for a budding diva. Mad Tea party was another ride we enjoyed, and this ride never had a long line throughout the day. I used the Disney wait times app to see which rides had better wait times, though connection is spotty at the park.
As you can imagine, there are plenty of food options at Magic Kingdom and we stopped at the Pinocchio Village Haus, to stick to our fantasyland theme. The service was amazing and fast, which applies to all of Disney World. Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a fun ride too, with just enough thrills for everyone in your party.
Our next stop was Tomorrowland, with enough adventure for all the space enthusiasts. We started off at the Transit Authority PeopleMover, which is a nice introduction to Tomorrowland, as you get to see and ride through some of its attractions. I have to warn you, even parts of this ride get dark (as you go through a section about Space Mountain), so little kids may get scared. Of course, Space Mountain is a major attraction here, and if your kids are brave enough to ride it you’ll want to get a fast pass early – Space Mountain, just like Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, is one of the more in demand rides at Disney World. Astro Orbiter is as thrilling to ride as it is to look at and every space loving kid will have a blast here.
At Adventureland, little kids will enjoy the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and Swiss Family Treehouse, and at Frontierland – Country Bear Jamboree, though we didn’t get to Adventureland or Frontierland during our busy day at the Magic Kingdom. The fireworks are late, so you can leave and come back to the park after rest/nap. One last note, it was a lot of fun getting impromptu performances throughout the park, even at this busy time. We especially enjoyed the big bands.
Day two – Epcot
A lot of the guide books say this is the park for adults. I agree, adults will enjoy this more than any other of the DisneyWorld parks. However, I think Epcot is the perfect park for little kids. The World Showcase is the reason why. But let me start with the fun rides first, which are situated at the front in the part called “Future World”. The whole Epcot park looks futuristic, perhaps because you can see the big sphere (Spaceship Earth) right from the entrance. Getting here is simple and it only takes one trolley ride.
As with the rest of Disney at Christmas time, the lines at Future World are long and you do get ahead by getting fast passes for the rides you want as early as possible. One of our favorites for the little ones was The Seas with Nemo & friends. The line for this ride does start in a dim grotto, and most of the ride is dim, so be prepared if any of your little ones are afraid of the dark. Inspired by Disney’s “Nemo”, this ride will take you on an animated adventure with Nemo and friends. You’ll board a little shell (“clam mobile”) and see a fun and funny parade of characters and beautiful animation. It’s very realistic and (spoiler alert!) there will be sharks popping out at one point on the screens in front. This was definitely a fun under the sea ride.
Another slow ride we enjoyed with the kids is called Living with the Land. You’ll get into a boat which will take you through different lands, environments, and greenhouses. At times it was boring for the kids and at times it was fascinating. I do recommend it and you can get a fast pass for it. Grab your lunch in The Land and come back for the ride.
Perhaps, one of the most popular rides at Epcot and a favorite of my 1st grader, was Soaring. In this ride, you’ll soar over the beautiful peaks, forests and waters of California, high in the air. The impressions are real and the ride is just exhilarating. There are many other rides in the Future World – from the popular Mission Space where you can blast into space to the Test Track where you can design and test your own concept car. We skipped the rest of the rides to fully explore the World Showcase, which ended being the kids’ favorite of the day. All the attractions here are situated around the lake where you can see a gorgeous Illuminations show at night. You can walk around the World Showcase or you can take the boat into the middle of it, if that’s where you’re headed.
World Showcase gives you a glimpse of each country, along with its architecture, music, art, food and so much more. It’s a mini trip to each, which was perfect for the kids – they loved exploring each land and moving along to the new one. Since it was Christmas, we got to hear about the holidays in different countries and see little performances about each one, which was very interesting.
The walk to France is beautiful – the bridge and the view of the Eiffel tower are so authentic, and so are the few little streets in the little town very closely resembling France. We stopped for a delicious lunch along with baguettes, cheese and of course chocolate. We were treated to a fun show by Perre Noel and heard a little bit about French traditions – to hear more, definitely stop at the Impressions of France show inside. A little tip – France in Epcot is also home to a large arcade, and bigger kids will really enjoy it. As you can imagine, there are artists by the water that will be happy to draw a picture or a caricature of you and the kids, but it gets pricey.
Our next stop was Morocco and I have to say it was one of our favorite spots at the World Showcase. First, the sheer beauty of the architecture, second, the delicious smells of food, the unique spice shop, but, most importantly, the performance outside.
The kids absolutely loved the show outside – the music, the story, the belly dancing, and enjoyed participating in and playing the various drums.
We thought the structures were simply magnificent in Japan.
We stopped on the steps to sip some yummy green tea and take in a show of Taiko drummers. It was an interesting exploration of Japanese culture. We also stopped inside to look at the museum, and kids asked a lot of “why” questions – my favorite, since it develops their curiosity and desire to learn about the world.
Our next stop was the American Adventure, and along with a beautiful square, this is home to the Hall of Presidents – something both adults and older kids would really enjoy. We enjoyed the story of Hanukkah – the narrators at Epcot are absolutely wonderful!
Italy was our next stop and the delicious pizza smells made me wish we had lunch here. The square is beautiful as are the fountains – they captured Italy perfectly in this Epcot section. You could really feel that Venetian charm.
The narrator here told a Christmas story of La Befana and it was perhaps the best we heard – people in the audience were moved to tears.
My train-loving kids had a blast in Germany and many families spend a lot of time around the miniature town with little train tracks criss-crossing the ways.
Our next stop, China, was quite an experience. We were awestruck by the architecture and the attention to detail. The kids had a lot of fun watching the fish at the koi pond.
What we loved the most was the famous acrobats show – my little gymnast was especially impressed. This alone is worth the price of your admission to Epcot.
Our final stop that day was Norway – this beautiful land of vikings held a surprise we truly enjoyed – the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Epcot overall is a great place to have a nice sit down meal and The Royal Banquet Hall offers a meal with Disney princesses. You should reserve this in advance but we were lucky to get in without an earlier reservation.
At the Royal Banquet hall you are treated to a 3-course buffet meal, which was excellent, and you got to meet many Disney princesses.
My kids got to walk around with them, talk to them, take pictures with them. We got a nice keepsake picture at the end too. This was truly a memorable experience and I highly recommend it. Little princesses should definitely dress up for the occasion!
Day three – Legoland
After a few days of Disney World, we decided to take a drive to Legoland, which is in Winter Haven, about 40 minutes southwest of Orlando. There are numerous Legoland Discovery centers, including one in the Chicago area. Legoland parks are different – each situated on over 100 acres and offering over 50 rides. One of those parks is in Winter Haven, Florida, and it just happens to be the largest in the world. Yet, even with the holiday crowds, it seemed very spacious and manageable. Florida’s Legoland has 10 different zones designed for a variety of ages – even 2-year olds will be entertained here and older kids will love the thrill rides. My kids had a great time, since the park offered rides, time for exploration and naturally some lego building fun.
Start your visit with a ride up the Island in the Sky. As long as your kids are not afraid of heights, this ride is safe for even the littlest ones. You will sit down and the slowly rotating top will take you up for a birds’ eye view of the entire park – a great sight and also a nice chance to see what appeals to you most. I also found it very relaxing and it set the mood for the rest of the day.
Nearby is also the carousel, which amazingly has 2 levels – all the kids were pleasantly surprised by this and of course everyone wanted to be on the 2nd level. The wait for this is longer in the beginning of the day. This, as all the other rides at Legoland, had a lego building table, so you could patiently wait in line as the kids played with legos and then boarded the ride once you’re at the front. This made the wait much easier for everyone! The waits are longer at the roller coasters and shorter at the rides for smaller kids.
One of the most fascinating parts of Florida Legoland is Miniland USA. We got the first glimpse at it from the nearby pizza restaurant – eat outdoors and you get a first look at the little lego replicas of the Kennedy Space center, South Beach, Daytona Speedway, Las Vegas, Golden Gate bridge and much much more.
Take your time strolling around Miniland. The amount of work that goes into each area is as always with Legoland centers, beautifully detailed – great inspiration for budding lego builders.
Another fun zone in Legoland is Lego Kingdoms. One of the rides my kids really enjoyed at Legoland is called the Royal Joust – they were riding the track on Medieval lego horses with spears by the side. It’s a nice track and an unusual experience for the little ones. The Dragon is a fun roller coaster in this kingdom. Here, as in other zones, there are plenty of treehouse-like areas for the kids to burn some more energy.
Land of Adventure is the zone that was home to another thrill roller coaster we loved – the Coastersaurus. Easy enough for preschoolers, it still packs a punch with the sudden turns and quick drops and ascends. I can attest to the thrill level personally.
Finally, the zone where we spent perhaps the most time was the Lego City zone. If you don’t have a lot of time in the park, head there first – there is plenty to see and do. Start with the Ford Driving School – because they’ll want to go back to it again and again.
There is one for little kids – junior driving school and one for those over 6. Kids maneuver the lego cars on the tracks and it was fun to watch and definitely fun for them to ride. Notice a real size Ford SUV nearby made entirely out of lego bricks! We had to check the undercarriage to make sure they didn’t just glue legos over the car – no, it was the real deal with lego bricks top to bottom.
Next to the driving school, you’ll find the Flying School (more suitable for older kids) and the Boating School. The kids will enjoy both, especially on a hot day. Note, that there is also a Legoland water park at the end of the park, but it was closed during the holidays, since temperatures were too cold for swimming.
Another fun ride at Lego City was Rescue Academy and this required some muscle! We boarded a fire truck and pumped the lever to make it move to the wall. Then, everyone had to get out and pump the water to put out the fire. Then, you quickly boarded the fire truck again and worked hard to get it back. This was quite an adrenaline rush!
Virtually anywhere in the park, you’d notice Project X – a thrilling roller coaster where you’ll quickly go up, down and sideways in a life-size Lego-Technic car. We weren’t brave enough for this but it definitely looked exhilarating.
There are many other zones at LegoLand, but those were our favorites. You can catch a water ski show at the Pirate’s Cove – a nice chance to relax and take a break from the sun. Don’t forget to play with lego blocks – there are plenty at the Market Restaurant – a nice coffee and snack stop.
Finally, anywhere you go in Legoland, you’ll see life-size Lego people sculptures. They are not only whimsical, they also talk when you approach – it’s hilarious.
