Disney as an Adult

Spring Break Park Hopping

For as long as I can remember, well maybe not as long as I can remember, but the last 6 years or so, my spring break has consisted of snowboarding.  With starting a new job this fall we decided to forgo the season passes, since we did not know how much time I would really have off.  This decision left us spring break where we could go anywhere. We decided on Disney.  Well David decided on Disney since I was too lazy to think of anything else, and they had a great Florida resident rate of 3 days for $139.  Letting David pick our spring break destination is a decision I am happy with, since we had a fantabulous time.

So I look like my food?  Maybe you are what you eat after all.  

One major decision I did make for our vacation was where to stay.  I was adamant we stay in the Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney area).  While we did not make much use of Downtown Disney itself, the abundance of restaurants within walking distance and shuttle service to the parks was indispensable.  Traffic around Disney can get crazy busy, especially around park opening and closing times.  It was a blessing to just be able to sit and not have to think, while being worn out from such long days.  Since we only had 3 days passes, and not an annual pass, like we did for Universal Orlando, we spent much more time at the parks than we normally would.  

Speaking of the parks, the three we chose to visit were Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.  We had previously visited the Magic Kingdom together several years (almost 7 years) ago.  We based the days we visited each park off of one of the many predicted Disney crowd calendars available online, and our first stop was Hollywood Studios.

I love caramel apples, and this widow at Disney Springs was a feast for my eyes.  Later, one would deb a feast for my stomach.

I was especially excited for Hollywood Studios, because it is now home to Star Wars.  We mapped our entire day around getting to every Star Wars event.  Disney has a great new fast pass system that can be utilized through a phone, and I made sure one of our three allotted fast passes was for Star Tours, the Star Wars ride.  In hindsight this may have been a waste of a fast pass, since we were able to walk on several times without a wait very early in the morning and right before park closing.  I regret the decision not.  With over 90 uniquely different versions of the ride, I wanted to get on it as many times as I could.  Other highlights included the Star Wars Launch Bay, that has a documentary, exhibits, and character meet and greets.  Storm Troopers continually walk around the park, ironically with their own security, but to see Kylo Ren or Chewbacca a bit of a wait is required. I chose to see Chewie, as per my favorite Star Wars movies as a kid were the original three.  When it was our turn to go in the person guiding people said I seemed more excited than most of the kids.  I was really trying to contain myself, but I guess I wasn't doing a very good job.

Chewbacca gave me a hug!

Other than Star Wars, Hollywood Studios has most of the true thrill rides with the Tower or Terror and Aerosmith Roller Coaster.  We were only able to get on each of these once since the line was usually over an hour and a half.  We only got on with the fast passes we had booked weeks in advance.  The desperation of some to get on these rides was apparent when the park opened, and people literally sprinted towards them.  We used the early morning instead to go on some rides that have no wait early on that balloons to over an hour later in the day, like the Great Movie Ride.  

The Imperial March is one of the mini shows that play throughout the day at Hollywood Studios.

One downside of Hollywood Studios now is the amount of construction.  Star Wars and Toy Story land are both heavily under construction, meaning that some set pieces and shows are scattered randomly around the park.  Since essentially half the park is closed due to construction this also means that the park is somewhat tiny as of current.  It will almost double in size on the construction is complete in 2018.

I had to love the names of the restaurants and rides in Dinoland at Animal Kingdom.  I am a geologist after all.

Day two saw us visiting Animal Kingdom.  This was my first visit ever to Animal Kingdom, a little odd considering I am a life-long Floridian, aside from 4 years away for graduate school.  Getting to visit this park was one of the selling points of this trip, and I was not disappointed.  Animal Kingdom may not have as many big flashy rides as the other parks, but it makes up for that with an abundance of activities that don't require standing in line.  My favorite part of the entire day was earning Wilderness Explorer Badges.

Each page in the Wilderness Explorer handbook has an activity to be completed.  Once the activity is complete, you show it to the helpers in the par who put a badge (sticker in the corner) on the page.

Anyone who has seen the movie Up probably remembers Russel and his search for badges.  This is mimicked in Animal Kingdom where I got a booklet file with instructions on how to get badges.  Sometimes it required completing an activity, like a currency exchange, looking for a clue on a ride, or interacting with a person from another continent.  To earn my Africa badge, a person from Africa taught me how to play a drum.  In the end I was able to get all thirty-four badges, earning the title of Senior Wilderness Explorer when exiting the park.  This activity was built with kids in mind, but no one blinked an eye at two adults completing the badges.  We never stop learning, and I learned they feed the lions edible glitter to make scat samples easier to find.

The Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom.  The It's Hard to be a Bug show is beneath it.

The food at Animal Kingdom was surprisingly delicious and affordable.  The proprietary beers were comparable to a regular restaurant, and we got a giant plate of Ahi Tuna nachos, which was more than enough for two at the Yak and Yeti for about $15.

My sahara Mickey caramel apple.  It was all I had for lunch, I'll be it was probably 600 calories with the thick layers of caramel, white chocolate, and candy coating.

As for rides, the only significant attractions were Dinosaur and Expedition Everest, which are only scary by Disney standards.  Of all the attractions, my favorite was unexpectedly the 4D It's Hard to be a Bug. The first time we rode it just to see what it was.  The second time we completed it just to watch the audience.  I don't want to spoil the surprise for those that have not been on it, because there are definitely plenty of surprises in store.

Even animals from the Cambrian get a spot on the Tree of Life.

While a new park, Animal Kingdom was a brainchild of the man himself, Walt Disney.  Walt originally envision the Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom would have real live animals roaming freely, reminiscent of the Disney Nature film company.  It was decided that would be a logistical nightmare, and the animals on that ride were all animatronic in nature by the time it opened.  Disney Imagineers didn't give up, and I think Walt would be proud of Animal Kingdom.  It may be my favorite Disney park, and I can't wait to go back once the new area Pandora opens up.  Well I can wait, but not nearly as long as I did to visit Animal Kingdom in the first place.

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival was ongoing while we were there.  These littles food stands are set up in each country featuring cuisine of that country.  I ate at a few, and noticed all the employees at each stand were actually from that country.  One of the women serving at the France stand asked me for a translation for silverware.  

Our last day saw us at Epcot.  Fun fact Epcot is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.  Walt Disney wanted to build a utopia in the middle of Florida.  When he died, the idea was scrapped in favor of a permeant world's fair.  EPCOT had the oat to see and do of the three parks we visited.  Unfortunately, we were also drained of energy and had a three hour ride home at the end of the day.  So, we breezed through much of the park skipping many attractions.

This awesome mini train set was in Germany.  I wanted to eat at the Flower and Garden stall there, but the line was too long.

One attraction we made sure to not miss was the new Frozen ride.  This ride has notoriously long rides.  To avoid waiting in line for a few hours for one ride we got to the park before it opened and made the mad dash to the ride.  We kept enough dignity to walk, although quickly.  I saw more than a few people running, which was entertaining.  The ride is about a quarter of a mile from the entrance,  and not every one had the stamina to make it at a brisk pace.  It was like walking up Omaha Beach on D Day and having solders fall around you and they subsumed to enemy fire, except nothing like Omaha Beach or war.  In the end we wound up waiting in line for about ten minutes.  It was worth it. I love Frozen, and totally let go of my inhibitions on the ride.

As part of the Flower and Garden Festival, you can get a book in which to mark off all the activities you've done and places you've eaten.  It hunk you need a season pass to complete them all.

Probably my favorite ride at Epcot was mission space.  This simulator lets you experience what it was like to blast off in a space shuttle.  We hit mission space right after breakfast.  I was expecting your run of the mill simulator, but was surprised to see there were two versions of the ride, a more intense and less intense version.  The less intense version still had the massive list of reasons not to ride.  We chose the more intense version, because we don't like to half ass anything.  While standing in line, you have to hold a card that explains how intense the ride is, and that you can get out of line at any time.  I read the pamphlet as I pondered my just eaten lunch.  We then and to watch two different movies that portrayed the same information as the pamphlet.  It wasn't until we got into the ride however and I saw the barf bags stapled in between the seats that I felt a knot in my stomach.  The ride was true to its purpose and felt very realistic.  The motion simulator is mounted on graviton to give the g forces an extra push.  I would have ridden it multiple times if it weren't for our limited time.  Next time we go back, I'll make sure to make up for those extra rides on mission space.