by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor
I guess you can figure out where Curtis and I spent our vacation in September, Walt Disney World. (WDW). We had sunshine, 80% humidity and the temperature was in the 90’s. Its was HOT but its was still a happy place for us.
Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) is a world – renowned entertainment complex located in Orlando, Florida. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, drawing millions of visitors each year.
Walt Disney World Resort is a significant economic driver for the state of Florida. It generates substantial revenue and has a significant impact for the local economy in various ways.
Thanks to our charge cards, we spent our share of “Benjamin’s” on park tickets, accommodations, dining, shopping, transportation and other tourism related expenses which benefited the local businesses and the state’s economy.
This is Curtis’s first trip to the Sunshine State. My 8th time to WDW.
I started planning our trip after the ski season. I subscribed to Ear Shots YouTube videos. Read all the blogs on Facebook and tried to understand what people do to plan for their trips.
We picked a week after Labor Day when all the kiddies were back at school and of course we went during the hurricane season. ( Less crowded) What are the odds of Hurricane Ian 2022 hitting land again? We got lucky, no hurricane in sight. We had the occasional thunder shower downpour.
We used my miles to fly down to Florida. We purchased advance park passes for 4 full days. DING $99.00 a day for the theme parks which includes. Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Just like a ski resort, walk up ticket prices were $150.00 a day. OUCH!
We spent 14 hours in the park. We did rent a car and drove to the parks – DING $25.00 a day for parking. We walked 26,000 to 28,000 steps a day, that’s 11 to 12 miles. Good sneakers are advised.
OUT is the traditional Fast Pass. IN is the Genie + – A reservation system for select rides. The plus side of Genie + is the lines were shorter and the wait was quick. I think Genie + was worth it. DING $15.00 – $20.00 a day per person, depending on the park.
Curtis was a champ in reserving the rides. Believe me, we did not miss a thing. We rode almost all the rides and seen all the shows and attractions.
We stayed at my friend’s time share, Club Wyndham at Bonnet Creek, which was on the Disney property but not a Disney affiliated accommodation. DING $80.00 a night / a bargain. 10–15-minute ride to the parks.
The disadvantage is we cannot go into the park 30 minutes earlier. We did go to the park early for rope drop (7:30am-8:00am)– this means we were there at the front of the line when the parked opened up. Once the rope drop we did our power walk to our first ride.
The 4 parks offer various shows, parades, character meet and greet. At the end of the night, the fabulous fireworks show took place at 9:00pm – People were already waiting at their spots at 7:00pm.
Epcot has the new Guardian of the Galaxy roller coaster ride plus the international food festival.
Magic Kingdom has the Tron Light cycle ride- A ride on an individual motor cycle. See Video
Hollywood Studio has the Star Wars theme rides.
Animal Kingdom has the Pandora – The world of Avatar. Fly on the back of a mountain Banshee.
(Watch the Avatar Movie and you will understand what a Banshee is.)
We packed sandwiches for lunch and we carried a lot of snacks with us. We each had our own Camel bak so we were hydrated throughout the day. Plus, Florida tap water is nasty.
I had my smoke Turkey Leg on steroids. It was tender and not dried at all.
Epcot had their annual food festival around the park. Different kiosks had different types of food.
Again, Curtis researched and ate and drank his way around Epcot.
We invested in the Disney photo pass package. DING $169.00. Photographers were stationed all over the parks to take your pictures. Standing in line, we got our pictures in front of various place like Cinderella Castle and the Millennium Falcon. We didn’t do take too much pictures with the Disney characters – a long wait and we had no time for that. We did get one picture with Mickey Mouse. There were 275 photos of us from the package, in addition to our own pictures.
We had one day of rest after 2 days in the parks. We just laid by the pool and walked around Disney Springs and had dinner there.
Overall, It was a fun,, well planned trip. You definitely need to plan ahead. We were like 2 kids running around from ride to ride. Did we get dizzy on the rides? Not really, but some of the ride effects were amazing. If anyone wants to take a magical trip to Walt Disney World, send me an email and I’ll share my notes with you.
Here are some pics taken by the Disney photo pass Package.
