Food, DIY, Chicago Mom Blogger
Today, I’m sharing ten tips for navigating Walt Disney World on a rainy day.
And I’m bringing these tips to you in a video. π
I hope you enjoy it!
P.S. You can read all of my Disney World posts here. I’m currently recapping our most recent trip to Disney World.
A special thanks to MomTV for sponsoring this fun Disney video! I love Disney World and can’t wait until our next Disney vacation. I promise I won’t forget to bring the ponchos! π
Iβm recapping our trip to Disney World! We’re on Day 5. If you’ve missed day 1, 2, 3, or 4, Β just click on the links below in our Vacation Schedule to read those posts.
Our Vacation Schedule
Day 1: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Day 2: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Day 3: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Day 6: Magic Kingdom
Day 7: Magic Kingdom
Day 8: No parks. We checked out of our resort and tried to make it to our reservation at Chef Mickey’s. It was not meant to be…I’ll share the details as to ‘why’ in my Day 8 post. π
Day Five: Our second day at Epcot
We started our second day at Epcot by taking those signature Spaceship Earth pictures. Somehow I missed getting a picture of myself, but we did get great pictures of Ruben and the kids.
Here’s Isaac…
Β I love that the kids were all wearing their Mickey ears this day. It took a few days to find the right ears for each kid. We found Breanna’s ears at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and we found the perfect ears for the other kids at our resort gift shop.
Β Breanna was also wearing a stylish Minnie Mouse shirt.
TIP: If your local mall has a Disney Store, be sure to check out the clearance section throughout the year. You could find some real deals that way. My favorite finds have been Disney flip flops and t-shirts.
Β The weather was great for picture taking.
Β David is adorable. I love this picture of him.
This is a great picture of Ruben and Isaac, too.
Free Character Meet & Greet (for Disney Card Holders)
Before we decided to head over to Epcot World Showcase, we hung out in Future World until we could get in line for the free character meet and greet at Innoventions West. When 1:30pm rolled around, we got in line to meet Mickey and Pluto! The kids got autographs and hugs from the characters, and we took a family picture, too. I love that Disney offers this for free to Disney card holders.
DID YOU KNOW:Β Everyday between 1:30-4:30pm, Disney Card holdersΒ can visit Innoventions West at Epcot Future World for an exclusive character visit and FREE 5×7 photograph! Just be sure to bring your ID and Disney credit card with you.
World Showcase
After visiting with the characters, we walked over to World Showcase. I love World Showcase, because the pace is so much more relaxed in this part of Epcot. We took our time taking in the sights and didn’t feel rushed. We strolled through the different ‘countries’ in World Showcase, stopping when we wanted to eat, see a show or go on a ride. And of course, we took lots of pictures along the way.
Don’t forget your camera when you visit World Showcase. There are so many great things to snap photos of — from live performances toΒ breathtaking scenery.
We were there just after Christmas, and the holiday decorations were still up. I’m glad Disney lets the decorations hang around until at least early January. We were there from January 2nd to January 9th.
Oh, and besides Christmas decorations, we also saw plenty of lizards. These little lizards were a lot of fun for the kids to try to get a quick look at before they ran for cover. The lizards, not the kids. π
We noticed that the Hall of Presidents would be having a show soon, so we decided to stay in that area until showtime.
While we waited, we used some of our snack credits to enjoy Kaki Gori treats! Kaki Gori is basically Japanese-style shaved ice, and it’s delicious. We all loved the Kaki Gori, especially Elisabeth, our baby girl.
After we’d finished up our snack, we went inside the Hall of Presidents building and took a tour of the little indoor museum. We also took pictures and saw a little pre-show that’s performed by Disney cast members. Disney cast members are also know as Disney employees.
When it was about time for the show to begin, we entered the large theater and found seats. The show is really neat, and it’s another one of Disney’s educational experiences. I love all the learning Disney builds into your vacation. π BUT if you’ve spent most of the day walking around Disney, you may be ready for a nap by the time you see the Hall of Presidents show. Two members of our family actually fell asleep!
One of the members of our family, who couldn’t keep their eyes open while the presidents of our country (past and present) put on a terrific performance, will remain unnamed, but um, I’ll just say that it was one of the adult members in our party.
The other person in our family that fell asleep was David, our then 3-year-old son. While he slept, Elisabeth had a blast wearing his Mickey ears. We decided not to buy Elisabeth her own ears on this trip, because we knew she wouldn’t leave them on for long.
We toured more countries, and we rode Maelstrom in Norway. The kids also collected a stamp in Norway at one of the Kidcot fun stops.
DID YOU KNOW: Kidcot fun stops keep kids engaged and excited about the different countries they’re visiting in Epcot World Showcase. Basically, the child picks up a Duffy the Disney Bear and carries him around to the different countries, stopping at the fun stops to get Duffy stamped. Duffy ends a being a great souvenir, just be careful if you have little boys…because then Duffy may double as a cool ‘bear-sword.’
One of our favorite things to do in the country of Mexico was meeting Donald Duck! I love Donald’s festive Mexican sombrero and pancho!
We finished up our time at World Showcase, and on our way out of the park, we stopped at Future World so that we could ride Soarin’ one more time.
Our day at Epcot was full and happy. I can’t wait to go back. It’s truly one of my favorite Disney parks, because of the more relaxed pace you can take while you’re there.
What’s your favorite Disney park or your favorite vacation spot?
…stay tuned for Day 6 at Magic Kingdom!
Iβm recapping our trip to Disney World! We’re on Day 4. If you’ve missed day 1, day 2, or day 3, Β just click on the links below in our Vacation Schedule to read those posts.
Our Vacation Schedule
Day 1: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Day 2: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Day 3: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Day 5: Epcot
Day 6: Magic Kingdom
Day 7: Magic Kingdom
Day 8: No parks. We checked out of our resort and tried to make it to our reservation at Chef Mickey’s. It was not meant to be…I’ll share the details as to ‘why’ in my Day 8 post. π
Day Four: Epcot
Just as we did every other day of our vacation, we tried to get up as early as we possibly could to get to whichever park we’d planned on visiting that day. We were pretty tired by day four of our trip, but we were at Disney World, so we made every effort to rise and shine! π
Here’s the view that day from our resort room window.
Is that amazing or what? I love how incredibly themed Disney has made their value resorts. Even the garbage cans are themed. I love it, because you feel like you’re completely immersed in the Disney experience. It’s so much fun for the kids, too. We stayed at the new Art of Animation Resort in a Cars family suite.
At the Park
Once we got to the park, we went straight for The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride. I like this ride because it’s great for kids of all ages. It’s slow moving, and it’s a fun experience overall. You basically get into a seashell and the rides moves you through a fun Nemo & Friends adventure scene…when the ride ends, you can get in line for one of the best interactive experiences at Disney — Turtle Talk with Crush!
Turtle Talk with Crush is great, because it’s different every time. Crush picks real kids and adults in the audience to talk to. It’s so neat.
Here’s the video we took that’ll show you what I’m talking about. π (It’s a little shaky.)
After Turtle Talk with Crush, we went to explore the park some more. I snapped this picture of the kids while Ruben went to get our double stroller.
TIP: When you can’t bring your stroller inside, look for the nearest ‘stroller parking lot.’ There’s often a designated area for stroller parking around different attractions in all of the parks. At Epcot though, you’re likely to have to park your stroller more often, because many of their main attractions/rides are indoors. Oh, and if it’s raining or looks like it’s going to rain, be sure to cover your stroller with a poncho or plastic covering. Don’t forget to pack ponchos for your family, too.
Next, we went to ride Journey into Imagination with Figment. This is such a fun ride, and it’s actually a learning experience for kids (learn about the five senses). They love it, and they even picked up a few special souvenirs after the ride. As you can imagine, some of the rides at Disney let you off right in front of a gift shop. We don’t really mind. It’s fun looking at all the different Disney stuff for sale. The kids know that Mama’s not buying a lot of souvenirs, so they choose theirs very carefully.
Next up was Living with the Land, The Circle of Life, and the amazing Soarin’Β ride!
Soarin’ is one of my favorite rides at Disney. You literally feel like you’re soaring high above the earth and below you are different scenes you’re flying over. You feel the wind blowing, and there’s a light orange-y scent in the air. This is definitely a ride you may need toΒ FastPass, because it’s extremely popular.
DID YOU KNOW: FastPasses allow you to skip waiting in long lines.Β You simply insert your ticket into the FastPass machine and out comes your FastPass to a particular attraction. With your FastPass in hand, you can go on and enjoy other areas of the park and skip waiting in line for an hour (sometimes more). You simply return to that ride or show during your fast pass return time and get ushered into a shorter, faster moving line.
We had lunch at Sunshine Seasons using our quick service dining plan. Sunshine Seasons is a great choice to eat at Epcot, because not only is there a lot of seating, there’s also a lot of variety as fas as food choices.
After lunch, we stopped by Club Cool, where we got to sample pop flavors from around the world! It’s a neat experience.
TIP: The flavorΒ Beverly is gross. Feel free to use this tip to surprise other members in your party with Beverly and take a look at their faces after one sip. π
Once we’d had enough pop and bought a coca-cola piggy bank souvenir for David, we moved onto the giant golf ball Spaceship Earth!
If you didn’t already know, Spaceship Earth is an actual ride. It’s a slow-moving ride that is not only fun but also educational. You learn about how we got our modern day alphabet and other interesting facts in history. It’s a great experience, and if you’ve got a baby with you…well, baby may just be fast asleep by the end of the ride. Bonus!
After Spaceship Earth (and probably a few other rides/attractions – I can’t remember), we needed a snack. We decided to use our snack credits on a crazy-big ice cream sandwich, brownie parfaits, and an iced coffee.
Β Yum!
After we had our treats, we spent a little more time in the park and then called it a day, so that Ruben and Breanna could go to DisneyQuest, an interactive video game theme park. We had received two free vouchers for DisneyQuest with our Disney vacation package, and because this indoor theme park is mainly video games, we knew we didn’t want to pay extra money to go as a family.
So we went back to the resort, and I chilled out with the kids, while Ruben and Breanna went to Downtown Disney, where DisneyQuest is located.
They spent around two hours there and then returned back to the resort. Once we were all together again, we headed to the Landscape of Flavors, our resort’s food court. After a late dinner and some Disney cartoons, we finally went to bed so that we could get up early and do it all over again the next day. π
Have you ever been to Epcot? Did you know that Spaceship Earth was actually a ride?
Stay tuned for Day 5 and our second day at Epcot!
Iβm recapping our trip to Disney World! We’re on Day 3. If you’ve missed Day 1 and Day 2, just click on the links below in our Vacation Schedule to read those posts.
Our Vacation Schedule
Day 1: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Day 2: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Day 3: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Day 4: Epcot
Day 5: Epcot
Day 6: Magic Kingdom
Day 7: Magic Kingdom
Day 8: No parks. We checked out of our resort and tried to make it to our reservation at Chef Mickey’s. It was not meant to be…I’ll share the details as to ‘why’ in my Day 8 post. π
Day ThreeΒ
As you can see from our schedule, day three was another exciting day of exploring Disney’s Hollywood Studios.Β We spent two days at Hollywood Studios and still didn’t see and experience everything we wanted to, however, we made the most of the time we spent there.
When we got up that morning, we tried to get to the park as soon as we could, so we didn’t really eat breakfast (unless leftover Disney desserts count? ;)) and instead decided to have an early lunch at the park. We knew from previous experience that if we wanted to have a comfortable lunch at the park and be able to sit down as a family of seven, that we needed to have lunch early, if possible.
JEDI TRAINING
After we entered the park, we headed straight for the location where we could sign Breanna up for the Jedi Training Academy. This is a neat show where kids get to be Padawans in training and put on a show for people in the audience. We got in line and found out that she’d be part of the show that started around 1:20pm.
TIP: If your child wants to be a Padawan-in-training, make sure to sign them up right after you enter the park. Otherwise, they may miss their chance. Slots gets filled up very quickly.
LUNCH
After we had gone through the process to get Breanna signed up to be a young jedi, we separated, and Ruben took the three oldest kids to ride Star Tours. I took our two youngest kids to the Backlot Express, where we’d have lunch after Ruben and the other kids joined us.
DID YOU KNOW? The Backlot Express has a ton of seating, so it’s a great option for large groups or familiesΒ to sit down and eat, especially during the busy season at Disney. There’s also neat areas in the restaurant where you can take fun pictures of your kids.
I’m glad we decided to eat at the Backlot Express. While we waited for Ruben and the kids to meet us there, my two youngest and I explored the restaurant and took pictures.
David absolutely loved this part of our trip.
Β We had lunch using our Quick Service Disney dining plan, which is one meal per person (except for Elisabeth because she’s under 3 years old), one drink, and one dessert. It was a little chilly and rainy this day, so we opted to make some of our drinks hot chocolate.
After lunch, we decided to get in line to meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear!
The line was a little long, but it didn’t matter because it went quickly and there were lots of great photo opportunities while waiting.
Disney is so creative. I love how they can even make waiting in line fun and memorable.
As we continued to wait in line, I started to think we might not make it back in time forΒ Breanna’s jedi training appointment, so we decided to split up again. Ruben stayed in line with the boys, and the girls and I went to check Breanna in for her star wars training.
THE JEDI TRAINING THAT WASN’T MEANT TO BE
There had been a light misty rain coming down for almost the entire day, so I wasn’t sure if the training was going to take place or be cancelled. I didn’t want to disappoint Breanna, though, so we went through the motions to see if it would be a go.
Now, here’s where I’m going to say that Disney kind of disappointed us. We got back to the place where we needed to be for the training. There were LOTS of other parents and kids there, too. Just picture a bunch of parents wanting to make their kids’ day, and a bunch of kids happily and anxiously awaiting to become young padawans-in-training.
GOOF UP
We were all there for the same training time, and instead of the Disney cast members telling us that training had been cancelled due to the rain and tell us to all go on our merry ways, they did something quite different.Β They had us go through ALL the motions (picture kids getting a fun pep talk while getting all excited) and act like the show was going to be taking place.
Then we walked over to the stage area in Hollywood Studios where the show takes place…still no one says that the show has been cancelled…we’re told that one parent was allowed to get in a line with their child while the other parent waited a short distance away (to look on as the show would be performed on stage).
As we waited in line and as this whole process went on, my ears were listening, trying to overhear the talk between cast members. I was catching parts of what they were saying, which is why I was not thrilled, because it seemed like they were pretty certain the show was not going to go on.
We continued to wait in line…
Then,Β finally, we are told that the show isn’t going to go on. A loud recorded voice is heard making the announcement that the show has been cancelled.
Children are completely devastated.
Okay, not really, but they were disappointed. Parents were definitely not happy. Some even voiced how disappointed they were at how the whole situation was handled to a Disney cast member.
There was a bit of consolation, though. The kids didn’t get to be padawans-in-training, but they did get to be ushered into a very dark area where they got to meet Darth Vadar, another jedi, and some storm troopers. We got a few pictures. Breanna was handed a certificate, and that was that.
She didn’t get to be a young jedi that day, but at least we tried. We went on with our day and had fun exploring the rest of the park. π
By the time the whole jedi training situation was over, Ruben and the kids had made their way back to where we were in the park. I was happy to hear that they enjoyed meeting Woody and Buzz!
Since we were so close to Star Tours (a favorite ride for some people in our family), Ruben took the three oldest kids to ride it again.
We uploaded a movie to YouTube with part of their experience. π
After that, we explored the park some more.
We met more characters…Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope.
Characters from The Incredibles
Green Army Soldier from Toy Story
We packed a lot into this day, and one of the highlights was definitely getting to ride Toy Story Mania! again. We’d gotten fast passes for it earlier in the day.
But the highlight that really made my jaw drop, literally, was the AMAZING light show that we saw as we got ready to leave Hollywood Studios. At some point in the near future, we’re going to upload a video to YouTube so that you can see what I’m talking about, but for now, I have this picture.
The lights and the show were spectacular. Seriously, spectacular. I wasn’t expecting to see something like this, and, well, it makes me want to book another trip to Disney right now.
Oh, how I wish I could…
Anyway, we wrapped up our day by taking more pictures as we made our way out of Hollywood Studios.
All in all, it was a terrific day, and we can’t wait to go back!
I can’t remember now, but I’m pretty sure we had dinner back at the resort that night. I don’t have any pictures to verify, though. π
Writing these posts makes me really miss Disney, but they also bring back a flood of happy memories.
Have you ever been to Disney’s Hollywood Studios? If you have any Disney tips, be sure to share those, too!
Stay tuned for Day 4 at Epcot! I promise to try to get that post up sooner than later.
