A Quick Trip

It’s nice to visit Disney World for a leisurely 5 to 7 days but you can get a lot in on a quick 3 day trip as well. My family and I (two daughters, one son-in-law, two grandkids, ages 2 and 5) took a short trip to DW from May 5 - 8. The first week in May seems to be a good time to go. The ‘spring break crowds’ are done and the ‘schools out for the summer’ rush hasn’t yet begun, so not too crowded. The Lawn and Garden Show is on and it’s beautiful. Amazing topiaries and flower arrangements all around but especially at Epcot. The weather was perfect! Mid-80’s with no humidity and no rain the whole time we were there.

We got in late on Monday night, so no parks that day. We were not leaving until late on Thursday night so still had 3 full days at the parks. The first day was Hollywood Studios where we enjoyed a delightful character breakfast at Play N Dine at Hollywood and Vine. The Little Einsteins and Jojo and Goliath thrilled the kids and there was much dancing in the aisles. We loved it! We got in a quick ride on the Tower of Terror and my 5 yr. old grandson was very proud of himself for going on it this time. We hit all the usual rides, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Rock N Rollercoaster etc. The family enjoyed the Playhouse Disney Show and met several characters by the ‘hat’. Chip or Dale tried to walk away with our 2 year old. It was fun.

The second day we hit Epcot. Beautiful as mentioned before and again all our favorites were seen. We went on the Nemo ride at The Seas and saw Turtle Talk with Crush, rode Soarin, Figment, Test Track, and the Three Caballeros at Mexico and went through a lot of countries. Some had fish n chips for lunch, others had sushi. We walked over to the Boardwalk and ate dinner at the ESPN Club. Another full and fun day.

Our last day was supposed to be part Animal Kingdom and part Magic Kingdom. We ended up going to just Magic Kingdom. This was the park that was the most crowded and most difficult to get through. We waited on-line for about 30 minutes for Pirates of the Caribbean. All the rides had 50 or 60 minute waits. We split up and my daughter and her husband waited in line for the Haunted Mansion, while my other daughter and I took the kids over to Tomorrow Land and she and my grandson went on Buzz Light Year. My grandson had to go on the Tomorrow Land Transit twice and then his favorite ride, the Monorail. We took that to the Polynesian Resort and caught a bus to Downtown Disney where last minute souvenirs were purchased. Then it was back to the resort to gather our luggage and head for the airport.

As for the stroller dilemma, I purchased a wonderful Maclaren Volo which looks just like an umbrella stroller folded up but folds out to a perfect fit for a 43 lb. 5 yr. old. It’s very lightweight and even has a strap to sling it over your shoulder. The 2 yr. old used her small fold-up stroller and all worked out fine.