Walt Disney World 2019 Trip!
There's a lot going on right now...too much and it's leaving me mentally drained. like I've never felt so scattered brain & lost in my life...
I will do a post about it...most likely
but that's not this post!
I want to talk about something that brings, brought me so much joy and the memories I will cherish for the rest of my life!
Yes I am finally, FINALLY doing a post on my WALT DISNEY WORLD TRIPS! That's right...TRIPS with an "s"
Can you believe my mom has been to Walt Disney World more than me? How did that happen...
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this is one my favourite photos taken on my 2023 trip, I wanted to take more aesthetically pleasing photos on that trip |
I wanna try and be organized with this post (again wrote out some points and everything) but I feel my excitement might get the better of me so there's a high chance I'll go off the rails and this might be a 2 part kinda post 😅
I'll start with my trip in 2019 and then my one in 2023. That's right! One before Covid & one after so buckle in! I'll be sharing my photos, experiences, maybe tips...I don't know, what would I know I've only been twice!
I really do hope it's an enjoyable read! I'm excited to talk/write about it!
ANYWAYYYYYY let's get started!!!
again no secret my love for Disney and since the beginning of time I have always wanted to go to the Disney theme park
except I didn't know there was more than one 😅
I realized recently that the park I've been dreaming to visit, the park that has always been on my mind...was Disneyland
this commercial was my EVERYTHING! I was going to go to a Disney theme park, meet Mickey and have this moment!
And I finally got the chance in 2019! But to Walt Disney World, not Disneyland lol
This was two years after coming back from Vancouver, starting and leaving my first job
I never did "vacations" or took breaks but when I found out that WDW (Walt Disney world, it's shorter so I'll be doing this from now) had a CANADIAN RESIDENTS DEAL?! How could I not??
I jumped on it so fast and dived right into my research!
My go-to for most of my information was this YouTube account, DFBguide
I'll be honest...I'm not 100% sure what DFB stands for but this account is super helpful, clear and the voice actress, AJ is really nice!
When I tell you these videos got me HYPE!
I took notes, I wrote down everything I wanted and everything I wanted to do and who I wanted to get gifts for.
I knew for sure I wanted to stay on resort, I didn't wanna break the immersion of the trip by leaving the park and returning to the "real world" in a hotel room somewhere and if you ever plan to go, I would recommend staying on resort for this reason alone, at least if you have the money lol
there were two resorts I had in mind (which should be pretty obvious)
I like theming so it was between All-Star Movies Resort
cause...duh...the movies
and the Art of Animation Resort
cause...duh...the animation
I didn't have the money for the Art of Animation Resort (which is hilarious to say now seeing as how expensive it was when I went in '23) so I choose All-Star Movies
And the deal was too good to be true! Honestly, it's hard to believe the total of my trip in 2019 and what we got versus my trip in 2023.
so let me explain what we got and the price for everything, not including plane fair, food, money for souvenirs, etc (but that wasn't too bad either)
We stayed for 7 days/ 6 nights at the All-Star movie Resort
And to get there from the airport, we got magical express
You have NO idea how much I miss this perk!
As this was my first trip and my first trip where I was leading, it was such a load off and started the magic early knowing there was a bus that would take us straight from the airport to our resort AND also at no extra cost
this meant so much to me and my mom and I loved it! I think I tipped our bus driver too much but he deserved it!
I really don't think Disney understands how much this adds to the magic of visiting a Disney park, especially for out of town guests.
we lost a lot of awesome perks because of the pandemic but this one hurts the most. I would give anything to have it back 😥
I had made dinner reservations for 4 locations,
1. Cinderella's Royal Table (this experience...was just...awesome)
2. Be Our Guests (oh boy...the story behind this one...)
3. Sci-Fi Dine-In (this location was so cool!)
4. Minnie's seasonal Hollywood+Vine dinner (this...costed me a lot more than I thought it would...)
I got FASTPASSES...! For these attractions and rides!
- Fantasmic (saw this show twice!)
- Beauty and the Beast on Stage (I love this show!)
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Phillar Magic
- Splash Mountain (remember, 2019 trip!)
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid (love this show!!)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid (lost count how many times we went on this ride!)
- Peter Pan's Flight
so as you can tell I had a particular taste & I wanted to make sure to do everything I wanted to do. My mom didn't really mention anything she wanted to do, she was just excited to go!
One thing you can tell from my list is that...they are all in two parks, Magic Kingdom & Hollywood Studios
I was CONVINCED we would need the whole 7 days to do everything in those two parks even with the fast passes. I had no interest WHATSOEVER in Epcot or Animal Kingdom even though my mom did and it was decision I regretted not too long after the trip.
We did end up trading one of Hollywood studios days for AK & I'm so glad my mom convinced me to do that.
I thiiinnkkkkk it was an extra cost but I don't remember & it probably wasn't a lot (again, 2019)
So the total of this trip for both my mom and I came up to: $1,502 USD when converted $2,017 CAD so divide that between two people....$988 CAD
$988 PER PERSON FOR 7 DAYS
PARK TICKETS PLUS RESORT
NO EXTRA COST FOR FASTPASSES!?
NO EXTRA COST FOR TRANSIT TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT!?
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I'M TELLING YOU??!!
gosh just remembering it now makes me upset with the state of the CAD dollar, the new "deals", the perks that don't exist anymore, the experiences they've removed...
If you told me this was possible back in the day I wouldn't believe you!
anyway!
I'm not going to go day by day, my memory isn't that good and my photos are scrambled so I'll try and talk about some key moments.
We went from Sunday to Sunday and the moment my mom and I touched down at the resort...I knew it was going to be a great trip!
We were walking to our room, by the pool and they were playing
STREETS OF GOLD FROM OLIVER AND COMPANY!
That's right! THIS GEM
This song is SO good! this MOVIE is so good! it's one of my top favourite Disney movies and the soundtrack is partly why (I love the voice acting, and story and the movie makes me cry every time)
Also 2019 DISNEY playing anything from their Bronze, Dark Age? When they had hits like Frozen, Tangled and could have played music from those?!
It just felt so right! it felt SO Disney! it was exactly what I wanted from this trip and I thought it was a great way to start it for an old time Disney lover like me ☺️
just writing this out...I wanna go back so badly! I want, NEED the escape
No complaints about the room, I have literally no photos of the room but I thought it was fine. The "welcome jolly's" on the TV when we walked in was a really nice touch! we were kinda in the far back but it was fine. Honestly it wasn't as bad as our little mermaid room! I'll touch more on this in my 2023 trip post
we didn't spend too long in the room, we looked around our resort for a bit and then got on a bus to head to Hollywood studios
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I'm glad that they showed hunchback of Notre dame and not trying to hide the movie you know? or be shamed of it |
the bus transportation from the resorts to the parks is great. I have no complaints about that either. I get that the monorail train is faster & the skyline is super cool and also really quick but I don't mind the buses and would recommend taking them if you have no other option
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
so we headed off to Hollywood studios, I'm not quite sure what we did first...I think we got something to eat lol, but one thing I noticed was they played a lot of Star Wars music. I am not a Star Wars fan so this was disappointing but it's Hollywood studios, it's the movies so I guess...?
eventually we escaped from all the start wars stuff & used our first fast pass at the voyage of the little mermaid!
I wasn't sure what to except all I know was that, anything the little mermaid I had to see it/ ride it!
what confused me is where the show is located is called animation courtyard...but there's nothing that has to do with animation in that area.
there was a Star Wars gift shop, some Disney channel kid meet & greet. It was so incredibly disappointing and confusing
Oh will you look at that! Disney just released some news about that area...
it's a link, official Disney link, click on it ☝️
anyway! lol I love voyage of the little mermaid and I thought the show was great!
the giant Ursula was so impressive! and I've heard they kept her since doing the refrub! thank goodness! cause she really was the show stopper!
I honestly I could have seen this show again but I didn't wanna bore my mom 😅
We checked out a few of the walk through attractions, I think that's what they were called.
there was walk though show, called Walt Disney Presents
I thought it was great! it was great to read up on Walt and his creations and the miniature model of the park?! I mean come oonnnn 🥹
NOW the really bummer...
I had made a dinner reservation at Minnie's seasonal Hollywood+Vine dinner, and I didn't realize it was all you can eat, that was a nice surprise and the food was good! I really my mom loving it!
what was surprising was the characters that came around!
I don't really wanna show a picture of myself, so I'll just share a photo of my mom and you should get it
that was a nice surprise! what wasn't...was the BILL
I had no idea eating there would be so expensive because of the meet and greet! I was not ready! If you have kids and/or want to guarantee you'll meet some character, totally recommend, if you don't have kids, don't care about characters, pass on this place! I don't really think it's worth the price
The trip had just started and I was already down over $100 because of dinner and tipping our driver
but it was okay cause we ended off the night seeing the show to close all shows, the show to end them all...
FANTASMIC!
from what I heard, WDW always got flack for having the discounted fantastic and honestly after seeing videos of the one in Disneyland...fair! I mean look at the maleficent dragon in her PRIME!
while WDW got a head on a stick...but hey...at least the WDW version didn't burst into flames never to return 👀
I pray and hope that's not the case! I would give anything for them to bring back the maleficent dragon at Disneyland cause there's like true Disney magic there!
but anyway, the show was great! we needed up seeing it twice and I would ABSOLUTELY recommend! for the kids, for the adults, it's really for everyone! it's a must! in my opinion, you haven't visited WDW if you haven't seen a nighttime show on the castle or fantasmic!
That pretty much ended our day first day. Our following day we were back at Hollywood studios again
this time we had a lunch reservation at the sci fi diner. what I love the MOST about this place is that it's themed to a Drive in. You sit in a car like you would if were attending a drive in with a screen at the front of the building with short black and white films playing, I think cereals. it was so much fun!
the food is nothing special, your usual burger and fries, you know outdoor movie drive in theatre kinda of food and the price was too bad either (sorry I don't have number on those)
It's another location I would recommend, the theming is great and the menu isn't anything out of the ordinary where your kids wouldn't like anything on the menu. Just great all around
SO...
I just remembered during this time, my mom and I were wearing pins that said "first time" so maybbbeee that had something to do with all the great service we were getting but still...it was nice lol
Then we went to go see a couple of shows...
And now that I think about it, I realllyyyy....didn't plan this out well.
We sent to sci fi dinner and then went to see the beauty and the beast stage now...that was all the way over on the other side of the park!
And then after that we went to watch the Frozen show, again! on the other side of the park! gosh I really had my mom walking up and down...🥲
Both shows were great! I personally preferred the Beauty and Beast Show because obviously I would enjoy the classic one more but I will say the Frozen show had better effects and being inside a nice AC building was great!
Oh also the humour in the frozen show was great, I'll also give them that, I did chuckles a couple of times and my mom loved it!
I think after that we saw my favourite ANYTHING at Hollywood studios!
The Indiana Jones Stunt Show Spectacular!
I'm so sorry for the wind in this video, it's pretty bad 🥲 |
This was the most movie, movie making anything in the park called HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS and I ADORE it! I love watching the making of movies and this was like watching it being recorded and it really was great!
I don't think it's a show that will get the kids bored...I mean it might until end, but I feel it's last little bit of movie making left and I need it to stay!
something I forgot to point before was that I LOVED that they used the audio from the movie, there's no voice actor trying to mimic the OG voices, I love that touch!
oh! We went on the tower of terror!
Geez....I hated this ride...
I don't like being dropped! I don't like getting that feeling in my tummy!
but of course...my mom loved it...
also let me clarify, I love this ride, totally classic but I get chills every time I go on it
And then we ended off the day again with another showing of Fantasmic!
the following DAY...!
We were headed to MAGIC KINGDOM! FINALLY
MAGIC KINGDOM!
here are videos of my mom trying to catch up with me!
she couldn't do it! I honestly don't even remember this moment, it really was a blur, I just couldn't believe it and I don't think I've ever been happier!
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| I realized now I was so OVERDRESSED! |
After taking in the castle and The Walt Disney & Mickey statue, which is really... just something,
our first stop was the little mermaid ride! Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, the problem was...I didn't know how to get there ðŸ˜
but you won't believe who stepped in to save the DAY!
...
so I had to take a break writing this and got hit with some more bad news...
I now need to look for a new car...
IT IS ALWAYS SOMETHING !
I swear I'll make post about everything currently going on...just allow me this post.. I need it 🥲
okay where was I...
right! we got lost! BUT we had help!
we ran into Peter Pan! My first character experience! I honestly had no idea how to talk to him! I was so scared!
TIP: Talk to them about their movies, the worlds they live in. They respond and have more fun with that!
But he helped us! took us right to the ride!
I am so glad my hands were not sweating! I was so nervous and excited and just...aaahhhh!!! XD just remembering it! oh goodness!
so...I love this ride! the little mermaid one! I do wish it was a water ride, I feel it makes more sense giving the story but it's okay. I noticed I had soft spot for the classic Disney rides/attractions and because this ride is also a Disney princess one?! chef kiss!
The queue is great! I absolutely love it and could stand in it all day!
The Ursula animatronic is really great! I wish I could have seen it in her prime with more fluid movements but she's still great!
I also just love that general area!
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| really terrible photo of the Gaston statue, my bad |
Throughout that same day and the next we went on a few more rides and attractions,
Went on the Winnie a Pooh one
I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan of this one. I think this replaced...Mister Todd WildRide or...I'm not 100% but I know whatever was there before I would have enjoyed a lot better
we went on the mad tea party spinning cups
yeah I'm not sharing that footage...
we saw Cinderella's evil stepsisters
there's also a Cinderella water fountain near by and if you look it jusssttt riighhttt....
you can place her crown on her head just like in song
"Cinderella, you're as lovely as your nameCinderella, you're a sunset in a frameThough you're dressed in ragsYou wear an air of queenly graceAnyone can see a throneWould be your proper place"
🥹
I adore these small details
the rest of the trip was pretty much spent at Magic Kingdom,
we went on space mountain,
again no footage found...cause my head hurts thinking about that ride
We went on the Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin, Peter Pan's Flight was awesome! I was so scared when we got to the part where we were over London! It really is so magical!!
We went on Haunted Mansion and around Tom Sawyer's island, it's a small world, Big thunder mountain, Splash mountain, Aladdin's carpets!
oh gosh! The Pirates of the carribean ride!!
that was AWEEESSSOOOMMMEEEE!
Ummm...I can't find the footage that I took while on the ride, so weird
I think it would have been easier to name the rides we didn't go on lol
We didn't go to the Tiki room though we were enoucouraged and it was one of my biggest regrets!
We didn't get fastpasses for Jungle Cruise and I also regret that, we stood in that line for what felt like an enternity, I felt so bad for my mom
now there's really 3 experiences I want to talk about and they all have to do with Castles
I made a Dinner reservation at Be Our Guest at Beast's castle & and I was so excited!
We got there early, not that much early than our time stated on our reservation. There was a cast member (she was an older lady, looked like a mother of 2 or something) at the front who was so rudeee. I don't think she understood my excitement. I wasn't being rude, I was just excited but she seemed like she had one or two means guests already and was taking it out on us, no patience at all.
I didn't like that at all and it put a bad taste in my mouth so I asked for her to remove our reservations, she was rude and I just didn't wanna be around that area anymore. My mom thought so as well. It was the only bad experience I've...ever had at the park when it came to a cast member.
but thank goodness one dining reservation did work out! And honestly it was the best!
Lunch at Cinderella's Castle!
I love her so much 🥹
But the food...was a little much for me and by much I mean like it was very formal for lunch, like it was really hard to me to pick something on the menu I liked (but I guess that make sense, we're eating in Cinderella's castle!) I don't remember what I ended up picking, I think was something that was similar to French toast but wasn't...I don't remember but I know it was hard to finish. My mom like her dish though, which I wasn't shocked about. The menu was more up her alley.
the drinks were great though! A+
Happily Ever After on Cinderella's Castle was just...everything
I can't begin to express how this show made me feel
I felt hopefully, inspired, moved
and when they started playing Out There from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and then Go the Distance from Hercules??!!!
I almost lost it! I'm pretty sure you could hear me singing along in a couple of people's videos!
Happily Ever After is THE best night time show! I'm so sorry I think it tops Fantasmic for me
this show just really meant a lot to me 🥹
ANIMAL KINGDOM
My mom did convince me to switch one of the Hollywood studios day to animal kingdom and I'm glad we did, it was fun!
We went on Expedition Everest!
The ride scares me cause I hate heights but gosh is the ride ever fun! I really love it!
We went on it twice! literally back to back! that was kind of a mistake 😅
Also the queue for this ride! AMAZING!
I started doing research cause I truly believe everything I was seeing! It's just so detailed
We saw the lion king show
my mom LOVED it!
We went on Dinosaur ride...
and I will NEVER go on this ride ever again! not because it scared the living crap out of me...cause it did, I cling to my mom like white on rice! (it's a saying she says...Jamaican parents...)
oh no no, the ride was so ROUGH!
If I was pregnant, I would have lost the baby! I'm not joking! I was honestly kind of shocked with how rough the ride was!
....
mmmm...the more I write about my time there, the more I realized how much photos I'm missing 🤔
Now the Avatar area!
STUNNING! Truly! I really did feel immersed in this part of the park
And HER!
The navi animatronic is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!
Her movements?! I just blown away and thought she was really for a second!
Visiting AK was truly worth it!
Don't make the same mistake I almost did and miss it!
the thing I wish I did miss was it's a bug's life attraction
By the time I post this, it would have already closed and good riddance! I'm sorry I know it's classic and I get that, truly. But I HATE spiders and if you have seen this show...you KNOW what happens!
Big spiders come down from the sky!
Oh and that's not all! you have ants/bugs moving in your seat!
It felt like it was going up my butt! I can still feel it!
the rest of the trip was great! we got a few things, I got a lightsaber for a friend at the time, I got a jungle book pin for my sister (Jungle Book was the first Disney VHS she ever owned) I got a cool Disney cup for my Dad and I got an awesome Aladdin piece of art work! I love it so much!
I got myself a lollipop I didn't eat...I still have it, I kid you not! 😅
Honestly, I look back so fondly on this trip!
It was first ever Disney trip that I was able to go on and pay for myself! I did (almost) everything I wanted (at the end of the trip I really regretted cancelling the Be our Guest reservation but oh well...)
Everyone! and I mean EVERYONE! was so kind! not just the cast members but the families, parents and kids. It's almost like if you wanna find the most kindest people, they're there at Walt Disney World! It was so refreshing and it just felt good
I really didn't want to leave, it was so great!
I seriously considered moving down there! I started looking at possible rentals, what I could do for work. I just wanted to be near the parks.
Oh! one thing before I forgot!
We went the last week August, into September...
If you can avoid it, DON'T go around that time! That's Florida's hurricane season and even though it's Disney World, it's still kinda scary. I would not recommend it
It's cheap to go around that time and now I understand why. For a second we thought we wouldn't make our flight back home so book at that time at your own risk!
Overall I enjoyed this trip so much, out of 5 stars it was a solid 4.5/5! It was just that perfect!
One thing I wish I did was go to WDW sooner, knowing I can't ever really get that experience back because some of those offers, rides & attractions don't exist anymore. That I won't see those same cast members because Disney made some serious cuts during the pandemic, it's just really sad to think about
but I don't wanna think about that now!
This was fun to write and it was SO needed! Sorry if it felt a little rushed at the end 😅
I'm gonna write about my 2023 trip too (I have too! it really was a different experience!)
I don't think it will be as long as this one but who knows, look how many times have I said that and the post ends up being twice as long?!
I hope this was a fun read! Please if you have tips, tricks, or if you've ever been to WDW please share down below!
With the new rides, shows and attractions that have come and are coming, the new version of the voyage of the little mermaid (I NEED to see it!) & Tiana's Bayou Adventure? I'm coming for you! And now a new animation courtyard?! THANK HEAVEEENNNSSS! I know for sure I wanna head back soon, I don't think it's going to be anytime soon if the Canadian dollars stays the way it is though ðŸ˜
But anyway, stay tuned for next post! ☺️
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