My visit to Kissimmee and Orlando, Florida, would not be complete without a trip to Walt Disney World. As I said before, my trip to Florida for the “chimpanzee” premiere, was my first time to Florida, let alone Disney World. I was so excited that I could hardly stand it. With a one day park hopper pass, I couldn’t decide where to begin, and where to finish. All I knew, was that I was going to have a blast. I really wanted to try and get to all 4 parks, and I came close. I will be saving Epcot for my next visit.
I started the day earlier with three of my housemates, who have now become some of my closest blogging friends: Mary from Couponers United (we are always roommates at blogging events), Brett from This Mama Loves Her Bargains, and Christie from Average Moms Wear Capes. We debated on where to begin, but I knew that I wanted to do Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. I was told the ride was amazing! Since we were at Animal Kingdom earlier in the week for the “chimpanzee” premiere, we decided to go there first and hit the Everest ride, eat some cupcakes, and head on to the next park. Brett went her own way and went on the Dinosaur ride, while the other three of us braved Everest! It was definitely fun, but there is some backwards stuff that didn’t sit super well with my stomach. There’s nothing to cure a stomach ache like a fabulous cupcake!!
Christie recalled a place in Animal Kingdom that served beautiful cupcakes, and I said that we MUST stop before moving onto the next park. I didn’t care if it was only 9:30AM – we were going to have cupcakes! We spotted Kusafiri with these fabulous animal themed cupcakes: The Elephant, The Zebra and The Monkey! The adorable server at Kusafiri was so sweet to allow us crazy bloggers to hold up the line and get a picture of her with their cupcakes.
Cupcakes, we did eat! Boy were they delicious, and so much fun! Kusafiri is a must-stop place at Animal Kingdom!
With our tummies full of cupcakes and beauty from Animal Kingdom, we headed for Magic Kingdom!
One of my favorite rides at Disneyland (which I know), is Space Mountain, so we had to give the Disney World version a whirl. Christie and I headed for that while Mary and Brett went to try something else. Tons of fun, but I did notice that if my memory doesn’t fail me, the Space Mountain at Disney World, is not as dark as the one at Disneyland. Has anyone else observed that same thing? So, if you don’t like the idea of pitch black rides, then it may be of some comfort to know that Space Mountain at Disney World is not pitch black. The picture of Christie and I does make it look pretty dark, but the ride has some lights on it.
For being Spring Break for many, I was completely surprised that the lines weren’t longer. As we made our way around Tomorrowland, we rode The People Mover (a first for me, and very relaxing), Carousel of Progress, and Danced with Stitch.
Some other stops we made while at Magic Kingdom, were some all-time favorites, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion made recent changes, which are fabulous. There is an interactive garden throughout the line, which helps keep the children and adults occupied, while waiting. The ending of the ride is slightly different as well, which I will let you find out for yourself! I don’t want to spoil it!
With a few hours left in the day, we decided we still wanted to attempt to visit all 4 parks, so we headed for Hollywood Studios.
We weren’t the only ones trying to get into Hollywood Studios – there was a family of ducklings, who also wanted in. They made it through the gates, and without a ticket too! They were adorable! Being my first time to Hollywood Studios, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Christie said the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster was a must, so we said, “let’s do it!”
On our way there, we passed the Tower of Terror. I thought about it for a second, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Disney’s California Adventure has the Tower of Terror as well, but I have never been able to ride it. I believe I am going to Disneyland and California Adventure in June, so I just may try it finally! Do you think I should?
The ride for Rock ‘n Roller Coaster was by far the longest, but so worth it! I think we waited over an hour, but it was awesome! The ride snaps a picture of you during takeoff, and I just HAD to snap a photo of it. I love all of our expressions. This is Mary, Christie and Me. Brett was sweet enough to wait outside for us. 😉 She waited so patiently too! Rock ‘n Roller Coaster was by far, my favorite ride! It takes you on a fast “car ride” through the California Interstates, while Aerosmith is blasting through the air. The ride is indoor, which adds to the awesomeness!
After Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, we made our way over to Star Tours. This is one of my kids’ new favorite rides at Disneyland, and it did not disappoint. After these two rides, we decided we needed food!
We had a luxurious and relaxing dinner, close to closing time, at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. The food was great, and our waitress was exceptional! We chatted about couponing with her, and she treated us to two giant Cupcakes! What a perfect way to end and begin our day at Walt Disney World – with Cupcakes!
Oh Disney World, how I miss thee! Epcot will be my first stop next visit! We almost made it, but next time…. I cannot wait until I can take my family!
Disney sent me to Florida for the red carpet premiere of “Chimpanzee”. Part of my trip included a day at Walt Disney World. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Some of the photos were taken by Moms Wear Capes.
Teresa says
cupcakes 🙂