Recently my fiance and I had the opportunity to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In order to maximize our time, we planned ahead. This is a sample of my itinerary for July 3rd. It was a busy day in the park, but we were still able to see a lot of the attractions.
Started at 11:30 AM. First made our way toward Adventureland to eat lunch at the quick service eatery El Pirata y El Perico Restaurante. Located across from the Pirates of the Caribbean, the menu includes tacos, veggie taco and a taco salad. I had the taco sald, which was really good.
We then got the FASTPASS for Jungle Cruise and made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean. This is Disney’s system that reduces amount of time you spend in line. It is free and you put your park pass into a machine near an attraction with FASTPASS-noted in your map. It will give you the time you can return and when you can get another FASTPASS. With a fast pass you usually only have to wait 5 minutes for a ride you would normally be standing in line for for an hour. The Pirates of the Caribbean is a slow, dark boat ride featuring appearances from Jack Sparrow and Barbossa.
We then crossed over from Adventureland and Frontierland to Liberty Square and rode the Haunted Mansion.
This is a dark track doom buggy ride that takes you inside the world of grinning ghosts. This may be too intense for young children.
When at the Magic Kingdom, you have to ride the classic rides. We headed towards Fantasyland and rode It’s a Small World. This ride was first introduced in the 1964 New York World’s Fair and has been a hit since. This is a 11 minute boat ride through various rooms with animatronic dolls depicting different cultures.
Afterwards, we quickly headed back to Frontierland to grab a FASTPASS for Splash Mountain and then returned to Fantasyland to see Mickey’s PhilharMagic. This is a great 10 minute 3-D show featuring Mickey who is the conductor of a concert. Variety of favorite Disney characters appear, including Donald who is quite mischevious.
We then head towards Tomorrowland and see Stitch’s Great Escape in which you can see Stitch and also interract with him. There are a variety of sound, lighting, and tactile effects. We go across the way to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, which invites guests into a comedy club. Based on the movie Monsters Inc, the storyline involves collecting laughter to power Monstropolis. Various onscreen monsters like Mike Wazowski can interact with audience members.
Just as we finished with the shows, we are in time for another FASTPASS and we get one for Peter Pan. Now we are feeling fatigued from all of the walking and the humid heat of Florida so we make a stop at Adventureland. We eat pineapple Dole Whip floats at the Aloha Isle. It is the perfect way to cool down and satisfy your sweet tooth.
We cooled down further by going to Liberty Square and seeing the Hall of Presidents. Every U.S. President including the newest president Obama is represented in audio animatronics.
Now we are ready to take advantage of our FASTPASS for Splash Mountain. It is a wet flume ride with a steep drop at the end.
Our feets are starting to ache so we take the Disneyland Railroad to Tomorrowland. We get off at Mickey’s Toontown Fair and take a look at the shops as well as Mickey’s Country House and Judge’s Tent.
Then we headed back to Tomorrowland to experience the Carousel of Progress. It is an interesting theater since the seats move when scenery changes. We make a quick stop to get another FASTPASS for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
After running around enjoying all of the attractions, we had quite an appetite. We went to Cinderella’s Royal Castle (which we reserved 2 months in advance due to popularity) for dinner. Through the stain glass windows we are able to see the 9 PM Fourth of July in the Sky Fireworks show. It is spectacular.
After dinner it was time to redeem all of our FASTPASSES. First we rode Peter Pan’s Flight in Fantasyland. This is a very popular ride since you feel like you are on a pirate ship flying through the clouds and over Neverland. Our next FASTPASS was for Buzz Lightyear. This is a great train ride where guests are space rangers trying to defeat evil Emeperor Zurg by shooting laser pointers on electronic targets. Our last FASTPASS is for the Jungle Cruise at Adventureland. It is a relaxing boat ride through the rivers of the world with none other than a silly skipper as your tour guide.
After a long day it is time to head back to our resort. We go through the stores on Mainstreet and get a glimpse of the SpectroMagic evening parade (lights and music) as we exit the park.
Total Attractions: 9
Total Show: 5
