Picture this, you’re walking down main street on the paver road listening to the happy music play. You’re eating a mickey shaped pretzel about to get in line for Space Mountain. Sound familiar? If not, then I am here to give you the full rundown of all things Disney parks. Whether you have been going since you were a child or you’re new to Disney let me give you my advice and fun stories to make your trip memorable.
Since I was born in California my family had annual passes to Disneyland and we didn’t live too far so we went every chance we could. Even after we moved away we still managed to go because it is one of those things we love to do as a family, even now that we’re older. Now I live in Florida and we go to Disney World. My sister and I still get so excited to go!
I know what you’re thinking….Which park is my favorite? Well that you’ll never know;)
I have been going to Disney since back when Fast Passes were a thing. Comment down below if you remember those. That just unlocked some memories for me. Now the parks are doing a thing called Genie+. I will explain how that works in another post:)
Last time the family and I went to Disney World after I studied up on Genie+ we gave it a shot. It’s $25 a person for the whole day and let me tell you, it’s worth it. You sign up for rides on the app and it gives you a time to return to that ride. So it’s like an advanced fast pass. There are other rules too for it but like I said, that’ll be a seperate blog.
If you are just traveling to Disney then I would definitely get Genie+ so that you can make sure you get on the rides you wanna go on. If you live in the state or have a pass, it’s up to you if you wanna get it because you can always go back anytime. I know when I go I’ll probably end up doing it and I have a pass to the park. That’s only because the little kid in me wants to ride everything.
Speaking of rides, let’s talk about those. Last time I was at Disney World I rode the Tron ride. HIGHLY recommend, if you can get on it then do it. It’s kind of like a faster Space Mountain but on a motorcycle. Also if you’re at Disney World there is the People Mover which is a ride that goes around Tomorrowland. It’s a great ride if you just need a break or if you wanna try and get on it during the fireworks. It gives you a great view of the castle for a brief moment. The workers are really nice too and let you go again if you want.
Disney World also has a great kids area. Besides Fantasyland there’s another one called Storybook Circus….(I believe that’s the right name.) This is where Dumbo is and there’s a cute little Goofy roller coaster and an awesome gift shop with really cool candy and gifts. It’s in a circus tent so you can’t miss it.
Let’s talk about the ride It’s a Small World. I went on this at Disneyland once or twice and I went on it at Disney World once. It was actually a week before that weirdo went and hung out in that ride. Talk about creepy. Anyways, to be honest I don’t ride it but if I have little kid’s with me I will. I would say I prefer Disneyland’s over Disney World only because it goes outside and it doesn’t seem so congested and squished.
Haunted Mansion at Disneyworld
Haunted Mansion at Disney World and Disneyland I would say are about the same. The outsides are different and there’s probably a few things that are a little different from each, but it makes each of them unique. Why is that ride so cold though? Don’t get me wrong it feels nice but I think 72 degrees will be just fine. It doesn’t have to be 60. I’m just exaggerating of course.
Next we have Pirates of the Caribbean, one of my favorite rides. I haven’t seen the movies though…sshhh don’t tell anyone. They are both freaking awesome. However, Disneyland has two drops where Disney World only has one but it’s still so good.
My absolute favorite ride at Disneyland is Indiana Jones. Unfortunately Disney World doesn’t have it:( But they do have Tron hehe
Disneyland has California Adventure which has Cars Land. Girl, I love Cars Land it is so cute. The best part is it looks exactly like the movie. Radiator Springs is the pull to California Adventure. The racing ride is better than the one we have here mainly just because of the theme. In Epcot we have a ride called “Fast Track.” It is still a very fun ride but I love the theme of the one at Disneyland better because you get to race cars that actually look like the Cars movie. That’s just the kid in me because I love that movie.
Girl, let’s talk about food, the most important subject of this blog. The corn dog carts are always a good idea. They are literally just delicious. The iconic turkey legs I have never had because I’m not a big turkey person, but I hear great things. If your looking for a good Fine Dining experience I’ll give you the ones I have tried and loved.
The first one is The Blue Bayou, that fancy restaurant in the middle of Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s only at Disneyland but it’s the best food I have ever had not even exaggerating. I had the salmon with vegetables and this really good hollandaise sauce. It is literally heaven. The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice it’s a candlelit dinner and some tables sit right by the water which is where I would recommend sitting. There is a similar Mexican restaurant in Epcot in Florida which was good but it’s not the Blue Bayou.
The other one would be Be Our Guest. Yes, the restaurant you have heard all about. The Beauty and the Beast themed one. I was so excited to go. I will say the food was amazing and the atmosphere was AMAZING. However, our waiter was not good. That’s all I’m gonna say about that. The Beast walks around which is super cute although, I was kind of hoping the Beast and Belle danced and there was a little bit more entertainment. We sat in the Ballroom which I recommend. If I go again I plan on sitting in the Rose Room to get a different feel. They let you walk around and see all the rooms which I thought was super cool. It’s a little bit more of a dark feel. Overall the food was really good and I’m glad I went. If you have tiny kid’s it’s so fun, The Beast bows at any little girl he sees. So for Fine Dining out of the one’s I have tried these are my favorites. I can’t wait to try more and report back.
I’m gonna give Disney World its moment for a second. Yes there are 4 parks. The 4 parks are Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. My personal favorite would be Hollywood Studios only because that’s where Tower of Terror is. Don’t try to argue, it is the best ride. It also has Star Wars land which is the draw to the park. I built a custom droid and it was so fun for me and I’m not even big into Star Wars. My dad built a custom lightsaber and if you go it is a must. The whole experience they do makes it really special, it is not overhyped at all the experience is worth it.
Epcot is fun because it has Soarin around the World. It also has different countries with different shopping and food that is specific for that country. It’s not my personal favorite but I will still go to it because it’s unique and good if you want a more relaxed day. If you like drinking then this is your park. Try to go to this park when they have the Food and Wine festival because that’s when they bring all the good food out.
Animal Kingdom I have only been to once. We looked more at the animal zoo part of it as opposed to going on the rides. Mainly because we had to get to the airport. For this park I can’t say too much. I need to go back and spend a whole day there. The draw to this park is the Avatar Land. It is done very well it looks just like the movie and they included the Tree of Life. I really want to go on the rides, however the lines are usually the longest wait so these are good rides to get Genie+ for.
Finally we have Magic Kingdom which is most similar to Disneyland. This is where your Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland etc. will be. The iconic Mainstreet. The one with the castle that makes you feel like a kid again. This is the park you think about when people say Disney World. I recommend doing this park last if your going to multiple parks for multiple days, only because it’s the most magical and the firework show is the best one to end off your trip.
The nice thing about Disney World is they took everything Disneyland has and split it up into 4 parks so that you can get through one park in a day and not feel like you missed anything. They also have some unique stuff just to Disney World because they have a lot more space out here. All 4 parks do fireworks and all the shows are different.
A little side note, At Disney World most of the lines are inside or under shade because of the heat and humidity.
Park hopping is a little bit more of a challenge though and takes longer than park hopping at Disneyland. Disneyland is convenient because you just walk right across. Disney World you have to get on the monorail or a tram or something to get to another park and it’s a little bit more time consuming. In my opinion Park Hopper tickets aren’t worth it at Disney World. Just spend one day at each park to really get the most out of what each park has to offer.
Congrats you made it to the end! Both parks are amazing and I can’t wait to create even more memories. Don’t forget to just have fun while you’re there and really soak in all the magic. Take that castle picture and wait in line to see Winnie the Pooh because you deserve it. Comment down below your favorite Disney park or a Disney park you wanna go too. I really wanna go to Tokyo Disney. See you soon Beautiful Humans xoxo.
