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Magical Orlando Family Vacation
With an extra day of school this Spring we decided to plan a last minute trip to Orlando. 4 nights were perfect to enjoy two parks and a pool day with ideal Spring weather. We chose Epcot as our first stop since Mom and I had not ever been there and Dad had not been since he was my age. It just happened to be the Flower + Garden Festival during our visit which was a nice surprise.
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We also stumbled on Pluto along with Daisy, Mickey, Chip + Dale, Jesse, and Woody.
Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival
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The Flower + Garden Festival brings a lot of live sculptures and flower displays throughout the park. There was also a bird and butterfly display and themed food and drinks.
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Epcot consists of mainly motion simulator rides without any rollercoasters which is fine by me. I loved the Soarin’ ride and Remi’s Ratatouille Adventure. The aquarium was worth a look with stingrays, unusual fish, and sharks. We also tried several of the popular international treats throughout the park like the School Bread which is a cardamom and custard pastry and the macaron and ice cream sandwich in Paris.
In all, I would recommend Epcot if you are trying to avoid the crowds of Magic Kingdom and Universal and are ok without all the rides of the other parks.
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10/10 recommend planning a pool and Disney Springs day in the middle of your trip. It was so nice to sleep in, get some sun, and do some shopping in Disney Springs. We love the T-Rex Cafe for the fun (not the food) and the massive Ron Jon Surf Shop. The Lego displays are really cool too.
Disney's Hollywood Studios
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We originally planned on only visiting Epcot but we had so much fun that we ended up adding Hollywood Studios too! I think the best part of this park is right when you walk in. It’s so nostalgic and cute. The crowds at this park weren’t bad at all either which makes it so much more fun.
I highly recommend the Genie+ pass and booking Mickey’s Magic Railway as your first ride. It’s one of the first ones in the park and the BEST! More on the Genie+ pass later.
From there make your way to Toy Story Land where you are 100% going to feel like a kid again. Make sure to ride Toy Story Mania and get in line early for Slink Dog Dash! That line only gets longer as the day goes on. You can skip Alien Swirling Saucers if you’re a bigger kid. It’s not worth the 45 minute – 1 hour wait.
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If you can, time your Toy Story adventure with the marching toy soldiers and appearances by Buzz, Woody, and Jesse!
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Star Wars Land was our final stop. We were able to get a reservation for the Millennium Falcon through Genie+ which was one of my favorites because it was so interactive and you’re able to actually assist in the mission. We skipped Rise of the Resistance. Did I mention that I am not a rollercoaster girl? It was fun just walking around with the storm troopers but if you’re a super fan plan and book ahead to make your own light saber and droid.
Now for my pro tip! Get the Genie+ pass for $25-$35 per person. You’ll be able to book your first ride at 7 am on the day of your park visit and then throughout the day they will release new options to reserve rides. Save your reservations for the busiest rides like Millennium Falcon, Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania and Mickey’s Runaway Railway. If you book your first ride early in the day you should be able to get Express Lanes for most if not all the rides with the long lines.
Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek
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We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek– which is one of the most popular resorts at my Mom’s agency – Suite Match. We’ve been staying here since I was 5. It’s pretty awesome. There’s several pools, water slides, lazy rivers, putt-putt, a game room, hot tubs, and lots of restaurants all inside Disney gates. I love that I get my own room when we stay here and that we have a kitchen so we can just have pizza on the couch after the parks instead of going out to dinner.
We had a great time in what I would agree is at least one of the most magical places on earth.