Welcome to the Summer Break travel series: three travel stories featuring memorable moments from the destinations I’ve visited this summer. The first story highlights a trip to one of my favorite places in Florida: Disney World.

A few weeks ago, someone asked me what my favorite holiday was as a kid. My response: summer. I know it’s not a festive holiday in the traditional sense, like Christmas or New Year’s Eve, but I celebrated summer.

As a kid (and a teenager), not only was it a break from tedious schoolwork, but the start of summer usually meant the beginning of travel planning. I would be so excited to get on a plane that I would pick out my travel clothes the night before, arranging them neatly for the following day–a habit I still have today.

Even though I’m no longer in school, and summer isn’t an automatic 2-month vacation, I still look forward to traveling in this season, when the sun sets at 8 pm, and the nights are warmer.

In June & July, I spent 2 weekends at Disney World, visiting both EPCOT & Magic Kingdom. On the first weekend, we celebrated my friend’s 25th birthday, then I returned with my boyfriend to revisit EPCOT.

EPCOT 

EPCOT holds a special place in my heart because it’s the first Disney Park I visited as an adult.

The park’s design is a circle, with one half dedicated to the world showcase–a stretch of pavilions paying homage to music, food, architecture, and more from countries around the world–and the other half dedicated to futuristic thrill rides and innovative simulations that transport me into exciting virtual worlds.

On the indoor ride “Soarin Around the World,” we’re suspended several feet in the air in a seated hang gliding simulation. Seemingly, our glider is flying over several landscapes, and even though I know I’m not actually hanging over the Swiss Alps or above the Eiffel Tower, I still feel a rush of excitement.

At the Morocco pavilion of the World Showcase, there are maze-like alleys, horseshoe-arched walkways, and pillars patterned with intricate tile mosaic; a piece of Marrakesh recreated. There are also outdoor stalls selling Moroccan pastries and restaurants with menus offering Moroccan cuisine.

At each country’s pavilion, the aesthetic changes to represent a piece of that country’s culture. At the Japan pavilion, I eat Yuzu wings under the shade of waning cherry blossom trees.

I drink a bubbly, lightly sweet lager in Germany and enjoy a bag of sugary caramel popcorn. In France, rows of decadent pastry sit behind glass displays at the Boulangerie, near restaurants serving classic French cuisine.

In both my visits to EPCOT, I go through the entire park, suspending my disbelief and enjoying the whimsical make-believe world of Disney.

Magic Kingdom

I have a hard time choosing my favorite park at Disney World because I enjoy each one for different reasons. However, if I had to choose one, it would be Magic Kingdom.

This was the first park to open at Disney World, so nostalgia colors my love for it. Magic Kingdom celebrates the Disney characters I grew up enjoying in books and on television.

Facing the park’s entrance on Main Street is a charming Cinderella Castle. Its outer wall is a soft grey with gold trimmings; its inner walls are blush pink, topped with cobalt blue spires that rise above Magic Kingdom.

We arrive just in time to catch the daytime fireworks display from the castle and the Main Street parade that features timeless characters like Mickey & Minnie Mouse on colorful and expansive parade floats. I wave excitedly to the characters in front of me, giddy as I watch the floats go past.

When the parade ends, we continue our tour, going through as many theme rides and attractions as possible. We experience sharp drops and twists in pitch darkness on Space Mountain, speed through a bumpy gold mine on Big Thunder Mountain, and soar above Neverland to experience Peter Pan’s point of view in Peter Pan’s Flight, which I find delightful.

As the day stretches on, we walk through each section of the park, from Tomorrowland to Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Frontierland, stopping to eat, hydrate, and rest tired legs.

A crowd surrounds Cinderella’s Castle as it beams with light, and scenes from Disney movies spill onto its walls. Familiar soundtracks fill the night air. I sing along to the Tarzan soundtrack: “You’ll Be in My Heart,” and watch as sparkly fireworks illuminate the sky.

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Good To Know 

My favorite rides at EPCOT (in order): Guardians of the Galaxy, Mission Space, Soarin’, and Test Trac. 

My favorite rides at Magic Kingdom (in order): TRON, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Astro Orbiter, and Mad Tea Party.

Disney Blog Posts & Planning Resources: I have three blog posts featuring Disney World. You can find them HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Transportation: We rented a car only to drive from Miami to Orlando. We took Ubers to and from the parks. You can plan to keep your rental and drive it to the park, but you will have to pay for parking.

Accommodation: We stayed at an Airbnb in Kissimmee, which is ~15 mins away from Disney World. We loved this place! You can find it here.

Tickets: We booked tickets via the “My Disney Experience” app. I highly recommend using this app to plan your time at Disney World. 

Most Useful App Features: 

Genie+. This gives you access to Lightning Lane (LL). Particularly during peak periods (summer and Christmas holidays), wait times at the park can be 2hrs+. LL helps you get through lines much quicker. 

Park Map. This shows you a layout of the park. 

Virtual Queue. For some rides, you can join a virtual queue. You still have to wait in line (particularly during peak periods), but the wait time is shorter than it would have been if you did not join the queue. 

Wait Times. You can see wait times for all the rides. 

Photos. You can view and download photos from your ride experiences to your phone. Note: You’ll only have access to non-watermarked photos if you purchase Genie+. 

Staying Comfortable: It is almost always sunny and hot in Orlando, so I recommend sunscreen, hydrating often, and wearing a hat for shade from the sun. Wear the most comfortable shoes because there is often a lot of walking involved. On my last visit to EPCOT, I walked 20K steps.

Bonus Recommendations:

At Magic Kingdom, you can pick up “I’m Celebrating ________” or “First Visit” pins from the dark blue “Guest Experience” umbrellas. I got a pin to say “I’m celebrating life”

Disney Springs is a lovely destination to visit outside Disney World for shopping, restaurants, live music, or just an evening stroll. There’s also a tethered hot-air balloon ride here that’s fun. Grab a bite to eat at the Irish Pub: Raglan Road

In my opinion, EPCOT is most fun during the food & wine festival when the showcase is expanded to include many more countries. 

Stay for the fireworks at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. They’re wonderful!

As always,

thank you for reading!

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Same Footprints, Different Sands