A Day at Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios has never been my very favorite of the Walt Disney World parks -- that honor goes to Magic Kingdom, followed closely by Epcot -- but I was looking forward to our visit there even more than usual. That's because it would be our first time at Toy Story Land, with two rides we had never before seen.

Even though we arrived at Hollywood Studios some 30 minutes after opening, the bag check and entry was a breeze and we were soon in Toy Story Land. The new coaster, Slinky Dog Dash, was the best of the new rides. It was full of ups and downs, and not just the hills. Edith and Atticus had been looking forward to it for weeks, then got more and more scared as we got closer to the front of the line. But by the end of the day, they said it was their favorite ride at the park! After seeing Atticus's face (I would describe it as a constant state of eek), I was surprised by the proclamation.

Tower of Terror was not a favorite for them, but they were good sports. We also saw almost all of the shows and did all of the rides, plus Edith met Doc McStuffins and Sophia the First. The only character in all of Disney World that Atticus had any interest whatsoever in meeting was Olaf, so we made sure to say hello to him, too.

Around 6 p.m. we loaded the kids in the stroller with cartons of popcorn and made the 30-minute walk to Epcot. It was pleasantly scenic, along the lake and boardwalk. So after a full and fulfilling day at Hollywood Studios, we ended up eating supper at Epcot's France pavilion, followed by snacks and a couple of rides on Gran Fiesta at Mexico. A lovely end to an already fun day.

A Day at Animal Kingdom

A yummy Dole Whip to share.

We arrived at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom even before it opened at 9 a.m. on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and headed straight for Pandora, the park's land based on the movie "Avatar."

Pandora wasn't open when we visited WDW two years before, so we were looking forward to some new rides. Edith and I rode Flight of Passage first thing (although "first thing" still meant an hour or two wait). It's an intense 3-D ride, kind of like Epcot's Soarin' except you're on a bicycle-like seat instead of a glider. Edith hated it, and I enjoyed it much more when I rode it again in the afternoon so I could concentrate on the effects instead of comforting a scared daughter! (This was one of the few rides that Atticus was too short for.)

Outside of Pandora, neither Edith nor Atticus much cared for the Dinosaur ride -- and really, neither did I. I think I rode it when we went to Disney World in 2006, but it was broken on our Animal Kingdom day in 2016, so I didn't remember much of it at all. Luckily, we all enjoyed Pandora's Na'vi River Journey (new to us all) and the Finding Nemo musical. And the kids liked the safari of course -- and the Dole Whip snack!

We stayed til 7 or so, taking a walk through Pandora at night and then watching some of the special effects on the park's centerpiece tree. I was surprised to stay so late -- the park closed at 8 -- when we left when it was still daylight two years ago.

Pandora

2+ Days at WDW's Epcot

Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park often gets a bad rap for kids, and I don't understand it. Most of our family's favorite attractions are there, not to mention a wide range of princesses and other characters and THE BEST food in all four theme parks. Luckily we had more than two full park days to experience it all when we visited WDW after Thanksgiving.

Paul wanted to watch the Ohio State-Michigan football game on our second full day in Florida. While I too would normally be glued to the TV during the big game, that's not the case when Epcot is so nearby! Atticus stayed with Paul, but Edith and I headed to the park for a few hours there on our own. We fit in several of the major attractions, including Frozen Ever After and Soarin', met Elsa, Anna and Belle and had a delectable meal (including Anna's Birthday Cupcake -- a rich chocolate cupcake -- in World Showcase's Norway and chocolate mousse in France) before meeting up with the boys at Disney Springs for supper.

We spent more than 12 hours at Epcot as a family a few days later, doing nearly all of the attractions except the movies. We rode Soarin' twice, and by the end of the last ride even Atticus said the giant movie/ride in which you seem to be flying above notable locales around the world was "scary fun." The small Gran Fiesta boat ride at the Mexico pavilion ended up being one of the favorite rides throughout the entire trip (and Atticus sang the Three Caballeros song for days, if not weeks after), along with a "magic paintbrush" attraction at Innoventions toward the front of the park. We picked up the few attractions we missed a few days later, and repeated all of our favorites.

Magic paintbrushes!

We also ate around the world at World Showcase, picking up a meal or snacks in Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Japan, Morocco, France and Canada. Thank you, free meal plan! After a day at Hollywood Studios, we even walked to Epcot for supper.

Some kind of alcoholic green tea slush.

France is the best pavilion for desserts!

While Magic Kingdom is my favorite Disney park, Epcot is not far behind -- even with a 3- and 6-year old!

A Magical Three Days at WDW's Magic Kingdom

I'd feel lucky to have one day at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and a two-day visit there is nearly ideal. But to spend three days at Magic Kingdom? That was luxurious.

We arrived at our Disney hotel late on Thanksgiving Day, and some 12 hours later we were walking down Main Street toward Cinderella's Castle. We knew the park would be crowded on a holiday weekend, so our expectations were low. In fact, we rode hardly any of the "big" rides, concentrating on the high-occupancy attractions like the Tiki Room and Carousel of Progress. Nevertheless, we fit in about 20 or 21 rides and attractions, starting with the carousel right outside of the castle (where we got a surprise visit from Cinderella's stepsisters!). I also got to fulfill a lifelong Disney dream of eating in the restaurant right next to Small World, sitting at a table overlooking the boat launch. (Lucky break, as a group was leaving just as we arrived.) Atticus loved waving to the people below.

Dream fulfilled! Lunch overlooking It's a Small World.

On our second day at Magic Kingdom, Atticus rode his first roller coaster (Barnstormer) followed by his second (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) a bit later. He wasn't a huge fan of roller coasters, but by the end of the trip he agreed that rides with hills can be "scary fun." He's not too enthusiastic to repeat the experience though. Edith felt similarly on our Disney trip two years ago, so it was a pleasant surprise to find that she liked them during this trip. But not so much that she's asking to ride them!

I've long thought that two days at Magic Kingdom was enough, but adding the third day made each day there leisurely. By the end of the second day, we hadn't even been on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or repeated very many of our favorite rides. Plus we often arrived after rope drop and left before closing without feeling guilty (solely my guilt, since the vast majority of our days were 12+ hours, with some closer to 14 hours).

I love closing out a Disney trip with one last full day at Magic Kingdom, and this was no exception. We repeated all of our favorites -- the carousel, Peter Pan, Small World, Splash Mountain and Enchanted Tales with Belle. Paul and Atticus headed back to the hotel around 10 p.m.-- Atticus was exhausted, and Paul was happy to catch the end of the Big Ten championship football game that night. (Ohio State won.) Edith and I stayed til 11 p.m., riding Small World and Peter Pan one last time and catching the day's last ride on the carousel. (Edith managed to ride the exact same horse three times that day and named her Julia.) Then we took our time walking down Main Street back to the hotel buses. We got back at midnight, and Edith fell asleep standing up on the bus ride home. No regrets!

Edith and "Julia"