An Honest (Adult) Review of Walt Disney World

Back in January 2025, my mom and I took my 9-year-old cousin to Walt Disney World. We went with my cousin's wife and three-year-old daughter, my cousin's wife's mom, and her soon to be sister-in-law. There were 5 adults and 2 children. We rented a Dodge Caravan and let me tell you, we were packed in there like sardines. My cousin's wife, Karmen, and I took turns driving. 

Around 4:30am on January 16th, we left home and began the 580-mile journey to Orlando. For anyone who has ever traveled I-95, it's the worst drive ever! So many eighteen wheelers-nothing against eighteen wheelers, as my dad drove one for years-but it's just the way of life on I-95. Add that to the never-ending road construction, and let's just say, the drive is dreadful. We had entered South Carolina, stopped at Buc-ee's in Florence to fill-up with gas and grab breakfast, and passed the exit for Charleston-honk for my cousin, Brad, and his family. At this point, we were making progress. 

Then, the worst thing that could ever happen on a road-trip actually happened. I was passing an eighteen-wheeler, so I was in the left-hand lane, with the cruise set at 78 mph, when to my left and out of nowhere, ran a creature. None of us could decide what it was. One of us thought it was a coyote. Another thought it was a bear. We all agreed it was not a deer and if it was a dog, it was a mighty big dog! At any rate, I hit this animal going 78mph, never swerving or hitting my breaks. How could I? I was on I-95, passing an eighteen-wheeler, and traffic was behind me. I hit this poor animal on the passenger side fender. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw things flying in the air. I turned on my flashers and made my way to the right-hand lane and thankfully, we were several yards away from the exit for Walterboro, South Carolina. I pulled over on the shoulder and went to assess the damage. At least my tire wasn't flat! I could not believe. I wasn't sure, though, if the hissing noise I kept hearing was fuel leaking-me not knowing where the fuel pump was and having no knowledge of cars in general other than how to drive them! So... I called Enterprise, because thanks be to God, I purchased insurance. (Side note: if you ever pick up the rental and the staff offer you insurance, take it! I don't always pay extra for the insurance, but in this case with us driving over 1,000 miles round trip and it being us women, I thought I better bite the bullet). My choices were to wait for a tow, which could take hours, or try to drive it to an Enterprise location nearby and see if there was another van available to switch out. Thanks be to God, yet again, there was a location about 5 miles from where we were in Walterboro. I drove about 25 mph on back roads trying to get to this location. The van was making a noise like something was scrubbing the road, and all the while, I am praying to God to please get us there safely without further incident. 

And lo and behold! Would you believe that this small location had a van exactly like the one we had rented, only a different color!! I am telling you; God is so good! In about 35 minutes, the nice guy at the Enterprise in Walterboro, South Carolina, had us on the road again and he assured me that the coverage I paid extra for would take care of everything. I was never asked to provide my insurance information-so you see why it was worth the extra cost. You just never know when something could happen! Here is a picture of the van after it made contact with some poor animal! 

We made a couple of additional stops along the way for a potty break and lunch. We arrived at the resort in the early afternoon and got checked in to the resort. We stayed on the resort at Disney's Pop Century Resort, which was sufficient for us. Our room was in Building 3, Floor 2, Room 3214. Note, when we walked into the room, I was like there is no way two adults and one child are sleeping in a queen size bed. I called the front desk and was told that the table converts into another bed by pulling on the handle high up on the wall-okay!! Who knew!!! Our room had a view of Hourglass Lake, and we could see the Skyliner gondolas going back and forth, so not a terrible view. 

First recommendation: I do recommend staying on the resort. Back in 2009, my husband and I came to Walt Disney World (a lot has changed since then) and we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort which was also very nice. By staying on the resort, you get transportation to all the parks via buses, the Monorail, or the Skyliner, which to me, is very convenient. 

That evening, we took the resort bus to Disney Springs (which used to be Downtown Disney, or it was in 2009). We walked around and did a little shopping. We had reservations for dinner at T-Rex. I ordered the nachos which were expensive and just okay. The restaurant was, obviously, dinosaur-themed and quite dark. They also had an aquarium and an area where kids could "dig for fossils." After dinner, we had our next episode. My mom and I were shopping for Christmas ornaments in Disney's Days of Christmas. Mom picked up an ornament that apparently had been broken at some point and sliced her finger. I didn't think it would ever quit bleeding. So, she ended up sitting outside on a bench with her finger wrapped in a towel trying to stop the bleeding. Was this a sign? Two incidents already....

Friday was our first full day, and we had planned to spend it at Magic Kingdom. Before I go into all we did at Magic Kingdom, let me make another recommendation. Karmen had been to Disney the previous two years in a row, and she knew a lot more about the "Lightning Lane" passes. There is an upside and a downside, in my opinion, to these passes. I'll start with the downside. This is the one gripe I have about Disney World....the cost! It almost feels like a tourist trap. I honestly don't know how families afford this trip, but they do. Anyway, you pay for entrance to the resort, and we purchased the park hopper pass so that we could hop from park to park. In other words, we could go to more than one park in the same day. Our park hopper pass was for 3 days. Now, if you wish to have the "lightning lane" pass, you must purchase that also! You notice a trend, yet? What I will say, though, after having used the lighting lane pass, is it does save some time. You avoid longer lines by going through the designated lane for those with lighting lane passes. Now, not all rides are available on the lightning lane. But, for those that are, you select three rides or attractions, and you choose a time. I believe there was a 15-minute window of time for you to check in to the ride before you lost your slot. Once you complete the first ride or attraction, you can select another one. So, that is the upside-to avoid long lines. And yes, there were long lines. Most of the rides will have a sign that tells you how long the wait is, and some of them were over 1 hour, up to 2 hours! The website for Walt Disney World has videos and articles that explain this process, so check that out. Here's the link: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/?msockid=26982ad29f2e64a3054f3fe59e39654e

Now back to Magic Kingdom. Of the four parks, Magic Kingdom is the "most magical" in my opinion. It's home to my favorite ride, "it's a small world," which has been around since I was 6 years old and my parents took me to Disney World the first time. So, of course, that was our first ride! We also rode Prince Charming's Regal Carousel, The Barnstormer, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Mad Tea Party. The girls got a sprinkling of pixie dust and met Princesses Tiana and Rapunzel at Fairytale Hall. 

At this point, it was lunch time, and we had reservations for character dining at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Here's another gripe: this meal costed me over $70 and that was just for me! Our meal was a breakfast buffet, and yes, it had everything you could think of, but still...... And the kids got to see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, and Daisy, so essentially, you are truly paying for the experience of seeing the characters. And, I guess, if it's the only time you'll ever get to do it, fine, but gosh! 

Here we are enjoying our character dining....

After lunch, we headed back to Magic Kingdom via the Monorail. The kids got to meet Mirabel at Fairytale Garden. Then, we rode Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid. After that ride, the kids got to meet Eeyore and Winnie the Pooh at "Thotful Spot" and Daisy and Minnie at Pete's Silly Side Show. We rode the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Main Street Vehicles, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (which was very fun!), and Micha and I rode Space Mountain, another one of those rides that has been around forever! After that, it was getting dark, so we took a ride on the People Mover and got a little rest. We walked 11.04 miles that day and were able to watch Mickey's PhilharMargic Show and Monster's Inc! Laugh Floor.  

Our next day was spent at Hollywood Studios. The kids got to meet Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, and Doc McStuffins at Animation Courtyard. We rode Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and Toy Story Mania, which was a lot of fun. Then, the kids participated in Disney Junior's play and Dance where they got to see Vampirina, Mickey Mouse, Timon, and Doc McStuffins. The adults were able to sit and rest!!! We walked to Toy Story Land, where the kids met the toys, Woody and Jesse. I grabbed a hot dog for lunch while the kids waited in line at Echo Lake to meet Olaf. They also met Mickey and Minnie at Red Carpet Dreams. We had lighting lane passes for a Frozen sing-along called, "For the First Time in Forever" which was really good, and Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage. That one was really good as well, and I remember it from 2009 when Bobby and I went to Disney World. That evening we watched Fantasmic, which is an outdoor production on the water, and it is absolutely fantastic! Micah and I were dropped in the Hollywood Tower Hotel at the Tower of Terror ride-my first time-and the kids also got to see Joy and Edna Mode. We saw Muppet Vision in 3D, which was okay, and we walked 9.42 miles!

The third day was split in Animal Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon. It rained off and on that morning while we were in Animal Kingdom, so some of the rides were not operating. We did get to go on the Kilimanjaro Safari, which was a lot of fun. We saw tons of giraffe, antelope, ankole cattle, hippos, rhinos, flamingos, zebras, lions, and elephants. Then, we went to my favorite production, Festival of the Lion King. It's just stunning and the lightning lane pass works for it, too! We took the train out to Conservation Station at Rafiki's Planet Watch and we got to meet Timon and Rafiki. Afterwards, we watched the production of Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond. The kids met Donald and Daisy at Donald's Dino-Bash. We all rode DINOSAUR, which is a newer ride and probably not the best ride for kids, or at least kids under five. But the nice gentleman that was working in the gift shop, gave the girls a button that read, "I survived the dinosaur." It was like being in a jeep, off road, in the middle of the night. After that bit of a fiasco, we rested and waited for Kevin from the movie, "Up" so the kids could get a picture. We saw the Tree of Life and took the Na'vi River Journey. Then, we watched the film, "It's Tough to Be a Bug." Micha and I rode Expedition Everest. 

That afternoon, after eating pizza at lunch, we went over to Epcot. We rode Soarin' Around the World, which was a favorite. Then, some of the group went back to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks show. I stayed with Karmen and Sophia, and we rode Spaceship Earth, where Sophia fell asleep. Then, we watched "Luminous! The Symphony of Us." This is a light show that was quite good. As it was getting late, we walked through Canada and England, took a quick photo in the London phone booth, and got on the Skyliner back to the resort. Today, we walked 10.46 miles! 

On Monday, we made our way back home WITHOUT incident-well, other than Sophia getting sick in the car and we had to pull over to change her clothes and clean up her mess! We stopped for breakfast and lunch and made it home at the edge of dark. Bobby and I took the van back to the rental location and I was beat! 

It was a great trip and it's always fun to experience things through the eyes of a child. It's easy to see why kids think it is the "most magical place on earth." And I will give Disney credit; they do really cater to the children. One example: Sophia was having a meltdown while we were leaving Epcot. It was dark and she was tired, and one of the staff noticed she was crying, and came over to her and gave her stickers. She didn't have to do that! But the magic worked. 

My take: I think Disney is over-priced. I really do. Families spend a fortune, but I understand that parents want to take their children, at least once. But not everyone can afford to take this trip. I think they could have package deals that include the park hopper and lightning lanes at a discounted rate versus having to purchase the two separately. 

Another recommendation that I have is to look into the meal plans. We did not purchase a meal plan this trip, but Bobby and I did back when we went years ago. Their website does have various dining plans, but I did not research them this time. The above link for Disney's website will have the information about dining, what restaurants are included, and what packages are available. One thing I did not know until this trip was that Disney does allow you to carry in small coolers, bottled water, and snacks. That's surprising to me, but a welcome surprise. So, if you were like us, you can eat two meals a day, and have a snack for the third, if you want to save a little cash!

I will say their website is full of helpful information and will be worth your time to peruse.  

Another recommendation I have for those with kids is to purchase an autograph book. Amazon has them, and the characters will sign these books for the kids, which makes for an awesome keepsake of their time in Disney. Also, gift cards-if you are planning a trip, purchase Disney gift cards all along. You can buy them in Food Lion, Wal Mart, Walgreens, etc. And they work in the gift shops and most of the dining establishments. I think that is a great idea to help save a little money and you can buy them in advance of the trip because they don't expire. 

That is my take on Walt Disney World as it is in 2025. I have no plans to go back simply because I am older and would rather spend my money going somewhere I haven't been before. I am a fan of Sea World, but we didn't go there on this trip. Bobby and I did in 2009, and we loved it. We also went to Universal Studios and St. Augustine, Florida. Maybe, I'll get around to making a post about that trip one of these days. 

"Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown." ~ Anonymous