My Disney World Review & Tips
We returned Saturday from 4 nights in Orlando to take our kids to Disney. The last time we went there was the week prior to the pandemic shutting down the world in March of 2020 when Henry was 4 and I was 6 months pregnant with Emma. I have THE most fond, magical memories of that trip – 1) it being the first time at Disney as a parent with a little boy who was blown away by the magic of it all and 2) it being the last trip we had as a family of three and also before the entire world changed.
This time was a little different. We used the same playbook essentially to slightly different results – I think partially because taking TWO kids of different ages and interests (and therefore different agendas) is very different than just one child, and also we are just different people with more stress in a very chaotic, scary world. So while it was a good trip with great parts, I’m not sure we will return to Disney anytime soon. As anyone who has been knows it is A LOT. Of everything.
I reached out last minute for help planning as it got too overwhelming for me and a longtime follower and friend of a friend Gina George (IG @yourgeniegina). I got SO MANY recommendations from you guys that I was also overwhelmed by that alone! There are tons of great planners, but Gina knows about our family from being a longtime follower and was so helpful- buying our park tickets, recommending types of “extras”, rides for each kid, booking our Lightning Lanes early morning and was available during the trip for questions. The one thing I will say is that if you are planning to stay at a Disney World Resort pick your planner first and let them book you as they get paid from those bookings and therefore most do not charge you to do your planning. If you book on your own / use miles to book, some planners will charge you for services as they don’t get their Disney commission. Still worth it, but just a heads up.
Speaking of, we stayed at the Four Seasons our first trip and I could not have raved more about it. And I still think it’s the best way to go if you are hoping for a little adult time/ vacation too as it is not crowded, not overly “Disney” and has great service, amazing pools/ kids clubs, spa and restaurants (including a Michelin star one). It is a relief to go back to a serene, theme free hotel after a day at the parks and not be assaulted by more Disney stuff! Our kids rushed to get back so they could have pool time there. They also do a great character breakfast that is so much nicer than those at the parks.
That said, there are some down sides to the Four Seasons. It is SO expensive. Like, the amount we paid for two regular rooms grosses me out. They did not connect, which was a pain in the ass. Also, if you stay at a Disney World Resort you get to buy your Lightning Lane passes 7 days prior to your visit, and for the Four Seasons it’s 3 days out. This means if you choose the option where you pre-book ride times, those times probably won’t be ideal and they may sell out prior your three day window (we had to change our planned day for Magic Kingdom because of this). Not a huge deal, but worth noting. If you are going to Disney to DO DISNEY- it may be better to embrace the chaos and stay at The Grand Floridian or Polynesian (both still pretty darn expensive BTW) for this reason and also the ability to easily get to and from the parks on the monorail or boat. From the Four Seasons you have to take a Lyft or MinnieVan, which can add more to the cost and is not as convenient. Also, your dining options are limited without taking another Lyft to Disney Springs or another resort, so we ate every night at the same place which got monotonous.
OK, onto the parks. First things first- no matter how old your kid is RENT A STROLLER. Not only to hold all your crap but no matter how old, they will start complaining about walking. DO not ignore this advice even if your kids is years out of using a stroller (Gina coordinated ours to be dropped off and picked up from the hotel). Secondly, I could not get over the ticket prices- essentially $800 a day for a family of four PER PARK without any “fast pass” upgrades. Eye watering.
Our first day we did Epcot because that is where the Frozen stuff is and Emma was laser focused on meeting Anna and Elsa. Also they had a princess lunch where she could meet a bunch of the princesses in one swoop and it was easier to book than the Magic Kingdom one (I missed the window on that). Epcot is HUMUNGOUS, I had forgotten, and a ton of walking for the kids with not many rides. We did the Lightning Lane regular passes for this so we pre-booked three rides but our times were really late in the day (5pm +) which sucked with tired little kids. I also spent half the day on my phone trying to re-book ride times and that was a bit stressful. Frozen Ever After and Guardians of the Galaxy (Andrew and Henry’s favorite ride of the entire trip at all three parks) had hour long waits and we did get to skip those long waits, which was worth it. The countries were fun to walk through though, and it was all and all enjoyable but a LONG, very hot day!
Second day was Magic Kingdom. A lot of you messaged me to do VIP tours and I looked into it and WHAT IN THE CARTOON HELL!? I was quoted between $750-$900 an hour with a 7-8 hour minimum? How are y’all affording this??? :) LOL. I opted for the still expensive but FAR less so option of Premiere Lightning Lane (which means you do not have to pre-select ride times you just get to use the Lightning Lane at every single ride). This was SO, SO worth it. Transparently, it was an extra $1,500 for the day which is insane, I know, but compared to the VIP Tour, a fraction of the cost with the same perks and no stranger tagging along with you all day (that I assume you also need to tip). If you can, this is an amazing option that saved us hours at the park waiting (except to meet characters- those do not have Lightning Lanes!).
Our last day we did Universal which was all for Harry Potter for Henry (and me, lets be honest). This was by far our most disappointing day. I paid for the Express Lane only to find out once I got there it did not apply to all rides, namely the ONE ride we wanted to do the most, Hagrid’s Motorbike- and that wait was 80-120 minutes ALL DAY, so we had to skip it as Emma couldn’t ride it and the wait would have been too long. Lesson learned- read the fine print. The Express Lanes were not super fast (they are half the posted wait times). They also split Harry Potter into two parts of the park so you have to buy tickets for BOTH parks for the day which feels like a scam. Diagon Alley was pretty amazing as was riding the Hogwarts Express, so that was great- but finding food for the kids felt like a real hassle (felt marketed to adults way more than kids) and doing both parks in one day was WAY too much. Also, most of the rides were for kids much bigger than Emma. I would advise you do Hollywood Studios instead if you have kids under 8-9. This park felt more Las Vegas than Disney.
One things that I noticed this time that I did not when I was a kid or even the last time we took Henry- every damn ride makes you exit through some kind of gift shop which causes so many arguments with the kids who want ALL THE THINGS! Can we not just have gift shops sprinkled throughout the park and not at the end of every ride? My lord, read the room- parents are tired and broke already!
OK, I feel like I just did a lot of cathartic complaining, but I will say- it really IS so special to see your kids believe in make believe and get caught up in their sense of wonder and amazement. I absolutely loved seeing their little faces light up (even Henry at 9) when Mickey or Minnie came by or they got to ride on a super fast rollercoaster (Emma was a real bad ass with no fear- she only cried because she got wet on Splash Mountain/ Tiana’s Adventure). But I am truly in a stupor over how much this cost, even if we didn’t do the fancier options, and how many people do it day in and day out. You can go to Europe for far less. Mind blowing.
And don’t get me started on Disney Adults- I just don’t understand it and I don’t think I could even with a detailed explanation. Emma and I were standing behind an adult couple on their honeymoon waiting to meet Anna and Elsa for an hour and then talking to them like they were real people and getting all teary eyed… I locked eyes with Anna like “WTF?” but those character actresses are pros, my goodness :)
Best Things I Wore/ Brought:
Quilted fanny pack/ cross body
The most comfortable sneakers ever for all day walking. TRUST.
Tennis dresses (this one has built in shorts you can pull partly down to pee without disrobing completely!)
I put this sunscreen on under my makeup and did not get burned once any of the days! Amazed.
The best cushioned no show socks.
My all-time favorite sunscreen (use on the kids too).
I did not pack this, but as soon as I got home I took a long soak with my fave epsom salts.
Browse:
Erin, did you read last year’s NY Times article about families incurring serious debt just to take their children to Disney? Eye watering indeed. You have every right to lament being fleeced by The Mouse. Cheers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/business/disney-vacation-debt.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Controversial take, but I think they should ban adults over the age of 25 unless they are accompanied by children.
My husband is adamantly anti-Disneyworld and will never do it. I’ve been thinking more along the lines of “some day when the kids are old enough to handle everything, and then that’ll be the ONLY time” and after reading your hilarious review, now I’m back in my husband’s camp with “Europe is cheaper.”
Maybe someday we’ll do Disney Paris and EuropaPark in one trip.
The Lightning Lane stuff is a fairly recent change, and it wasn’t as much of a disadvantage for booking offsite even last year. To be honest, staying at FS is still worth it even though the price is insane. I do love Disney but they are not truly in the hotel game, and I’ve had some bad experiences even at the Deluxe Resorts. (Twice in one year we switched rooms in the middle of the night because the people in the room one over were either loudly fighting or just loudly partying.)
We did a week at Disney/Universal when our boys were about 7 and 9. It was worth waiting. Agreed the gift shops / marketing is over the top. You might like a Disney cruise. Same attention to detail and great hospitality without having to schlep all over the hot parks!
We are going this summer and our kiddos are the same ages. So curious which stroller you rented that will accommodate a 9 year old boy. I was definitely going to make him tough it out and walk. Thanks!
Erin, thank you for keeping it real, as always!
One and DONE! That’s all I have say!
We did it with our 3 kids and I told them “enjoy every minute” I’ll never be back.
100% agree with all of this. Both the good and the bad (coincidentally I also wore those New Balance shoes to WDW and they are the BEST). We took our kids, 13yr old boy, 11yr old girl, for spring break last year. We stayed at the Contemporary, which was the cheapest on property hotel, but ended up being the best as you could just easily walk to Magic Kingdom. Booking lightening lanes, etc was a calculus problem every day, and I feel like we really didn’t fully figure it out until our 3rd full day there. I was truly shocked at the cost, and can’t fathom paying for the VIP experience!! I was also shocked at the crowds – how do all these people afford this on every day of the year?! We did Disneyland when the kids were 5&7 (I shrugged off the Disney planner’s strong recommendation to get a stroller, and then very quickly regretted it!), and it was an awesome 2 days, and then down to Pelican Hill for some chill time at the beach. Highly recommend that route. My in-laws are taking the whole family on a Disney cruise this summer. It wouldn’t have been my choice, but I’ve only heard 5 star reviews of a Disney cruise. We shall see. Either way – incredible memories made and I bet your kids had an absolute blast!!!
PS – We took our kids to London and Paris for Thanksgiving – pretty sure we spent less than Disney and it was the BEST trip!!
PPS – Also cannot understand why anyone would want to go to Disney with crowds and kids on a honeymoon
We went last October (senior citizens) since we were trying to use up time share units. We planned our trip as one day at a park, one day off and never going near a park on the weekend. Still, our first day at the Magic Kingdom just about killed us. We didn’t have lightning passes. We did for our next park, and it was only $27 each and very worth it. I finally made it to Diagon Alley (not willing to buy tickets for yet another park for the other half). I don’t think we need to ever do it again.
Maybe consider Disneyland in a few years? Grand California Hotel is literally feet away from the entrance of both Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park. The two parks are much smaller and more manageable than Orlando parks. You can spend two-theee days at Disneyland and feel like you saw everything…then go rent a car and spend the second half of the week in San Diego, Palm Springs, LA, etc. Our Disney trips always include someplace else in SoCal. It’s something for everyone! We’re New Yorkers and find longer flight to California is worth it. Just something to think about…
Great analysis!
I agree with your observation that it may be better to go all in and stay at a Disney resort. That was our experience; the Grand Floridian made getting back and forth to the parks very easy, and ability to make reservations earlier was a big plus. That said, I’ve stayed at the four seasons and would recommend this if you are traveling with kids who are teenagers and above because at that point they can manage the schlep a bit better, and have the stamina for random ride times. (Why did we do a teenager trip to Disney? With three kids, the last one was an inch too short for all the “good” rides when we made our last family pilgrimage, and we needed to clear up that “traumatic” memory once and for all.)
Great information. Will never get there, as add in flights from Australia and as you stated can go to Europe. I can’t get over the cost. Emma’s poses are to die for.
Been to Disney land and Disney world a couple of time each when I was young and with kids. It’s madness. Best thing we did with our kids was 4 day Disney cruise to the Bahamas. My boys were 7 and 12. It’s all the Disney magic but without the crowds and craziness. One of the best family holidays.
I feel like the worst scrooge but the sentence “you could go to Europe for much less” sums it up for me. I can’t bring myself to do a Disney trip when we could do so much more for so much less.
Sorry you had such a bad time! I have always had the exact opposite experience – and I can’t say enough about the castle meal at MK. Sorry you missed that. I agree that the Disney travel agents, staying on property, and planning ahead/research can really alleviate a lot of the struggles. Glad you still found some magic!
Shocking how much the upgrades cost! I’d much rather go to Europe! Luckily we live in LA and can do Disneyland every couple of years and keep it manageable. Totally agree that Disney adults are wacko and your last paragraph made me LOL.
Thanks for your recap Erin! I had a good chuckle when you talked about spending 1/2 day on your phone rebooking ride times. I share a similar experience with Disney. We took our son when he was little, and at the time the lightning pass (aka I believe called the fast pass back then) was free. You could book a ride in advance one at a time. Still spent a lot of time in the phone, but the I was annoyed they charge for it now!
We went again as a family of three in January, and while we had a great time with my young kids, it was very expensive and more logistically challenging (diff ages, diff genders, etc). I felt like I needed a manual to read ahead of time. Which in theory, automatically makes my head hurt for a “vacation” haha. Why make it so hard? We didn’t do Universal and that sounds even more deluded than Disney from your experience!