From Delaware to Disney – Our Vacation in Review

It had been a long time since I was at Disney World. 14 years to be exact! We started planning this trip in February of 2020, and well, it took two years for us to feel comfortable going. But we made it from Delaware to Disney, and it was the most magical trip ever! From dining, to character interactions, and the entertainment, everything was an amazing experience.

This trip was a first for my husband and kids, so it was extra special. It was also jam packed with activities the whole time we were there! Michael didn’t want to miss out on anything for his first ever trip, and I truly don’t think we did. We planned five park days, with no rest days because of time constraints. I was absolutely exhausted after, but it was so worth it!

Delaware to Disney – A Review of our Magical Experience

Collage of images in Disney World featured in post about a trip from Delaware to Disney

My tips for visiting Disney World

•Bring the stroller, even for bigger kids. Our six year old would have been completely miserable without it

•Fill up a gift card and use it for snacks, meals, souvenirs, etc. this helped us keep track of what we were spending!

•Bring water bottles and fill them up every night at your resort so you have them ready for the next day. This saved us time and made sure we had plenty of water to stay hydrated!

•Don’t always trust the character locations on the app map! We (and others) waited for at least two different characters at the spots shown on the map only to have them go elsewhere and us not get a chance meet them

•Uptown Jewelers on Main Street only carries rings up to size 9, so if you are a wide fingered individual, like I am, don’t get your heart set on getting a ring and then be stuck crying on Main Street from disappointment

•Animal Kingdom is wildly under appreciated. My kids loved becoming Wilderness Explorers and seeing all of the shows and exhibits

•We booked one sit down meal per day, and I feel like it saved my sanity to have a break from the heat and crowds for a bit

•Do Rise of the Resistence as early as possible, because it breaks down like a million times a day

•Dinosaur was scarier than we anticipated ??

•I personally feel like Memory Maker is worth it for the ride photos alone. The other photos usually suck in quality, but seeing everyone’s faces after rides is hilarious

•Hollywood Studios was by far the hardest park to plan without running all over the place

•Not all kids get “Disney tired” (mine didn’t), so be prepared for you to be exhausted and them to want to keep going lol

•The resorts will hold your luggage after checkout so you can still do things until leaving for airport or wherever

Our Favorite Snacks and Restaurants

•Tiffins in Animal Kingdom

•Oga’s Cantina – Bespin Fizz was delish and my kids loved the Carbon Freeze and the Charcuterie tray

•Be Our Guest in the forbidden West Wing

•Cinnamon Roll at Gaston’s Tavern in Magic Kingdom

•Spicy Chicken waffle at Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom

•Ronto wrap in Star Wars area

•Pop tart at Andy’s lunchbox

•Caramel, chocolate, and jimmy covered apple from Zuri’s sweets shop in Animal Kingdom

•Seasoned fries at Mr. Kamal’s in Animal Kingdom (Philly moms, think Chickie’s & Pete’s, but maybe better ?)

•Empanadas from Choza de Margarita in Epcot

•Maple Popcorn in Canada in Epcot

Our Must-do Rides

Magic Kingdom

It’s a Small World – obviously a classic
Dumbo – such a fun waiting area!
Space Mountain
Seven Dwarves Mine Train
Peter Pan

Animal Kingdom

Expedition Everest
Flight of Passage – this was my favorite of all the parks!
Na’vi River Journey – great for the littles
The Boneyard – this is kind of tucked back, but my kids loved having a play and dino dig break!
Winged Encounters – ok, not a ride, but I’m adding it in because we loved it!

EPCOT

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – a slow moving and silly indoor boat ride
Spaceship Earth
Test Track – one of my 6 year old’s favorites!
Frozen Ever After – as a warning, this does have a surprising drop
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Hollywood Studios

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Slinky Dog Dash
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – such a cool immersive experience even for non-Star Wars fans (like me)
Toy Story Mania – we all had so much fun on this video game style ride!

Finally, everyone says that you will need a vacation after your Disney vacation, and while I was completely exhausted, I realized after getting home that, for the first time in a very long time, I was able to actually fully stop thinking about work and life outside of Disney while we were there, and I am so incredibly grateful for that experience.