Visiting Disney World while on a Disney Cruise

Travel

Visiting Disney World while on a Disney Cruise - www.pencilshavingsstudio.com

Thanks to everyone for coming along on this little photographic Spring Break trip! Simon remarked the other day that going on a Disney cruise was the easiest trip to Disney we’ve ever done. We got off the ship at 8:15, promptly loaded onto the cruise-arranged shuttle from the port and we were deposited directly in front of the Magic Kingdom by 9:15. Easy peasy. No waiting in lines for tickets or the monorail – our room keys on the ship were also our entry tickets into the parks (and all of the parks, by the way). We were in the gates within a matter of minutes and happily singing “Yo ho, a pirate’s life for me” while grinning like fools on the Pirates of the Caribbean. Easiest. Trip. Ever.

On-the-way-to-WDW

Last year, I walked my tail off all over the parks, and even though we haven’t used a stroller w/ Jude in a couple of years, the one time to do it is while you are at Disney World. I didn’t want to mess with taking our own, so we just rented one at the parks so we could quickly zip from place to place, thus making more efficient use of our time (we were only there for a single day).  Please take note how we tried to ply Jude with churros below. TORTURE, I tell you — He was clearly not impressed by delicious cinnamony sugary treats allegedly from Mexico.

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Since we went last year, we were pretty laid back about what things we wanted to see. The main priority (other than Pirates and Peter Pan, bien sur) was to explore the new Fantasyland expansion.

Exploring the new Fantasyland at WDW - www.pencilshavingsstudio.com

Internet, here’s where I dork out, big time. As a child, I LIVED for Dumbo. Live, eat, sleep, breathe Dumbo.  ::mumbles:: I might have also written letters to Dumbo. Full disclosure.  SO. That being said, my inner 8 year old squealed, clapped, and danced up and down when I saw the new Fantasyland.

Part of what makes Disney so successful as a brand is that they’ve stayed true to their original core value of quality family entertainment. And they’ve done a killer job of keeping all members of the family happy, even when waiting in absurdly long lines for a ride that lasts 90 seconds. The new Dumbo exhibit, in particular, is brilliant because halfway through the wait, you’re deposited into a super-cool playground where the kids can run wild while the grown-ups wait with a buzzer (like in a restaurant!) until it’s your turn. BRILLIANT. Everybody wins.

DUMBO-RIDE

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HAPPIEST-PLACE-ON-EARTH

So after we had our fill of churros, Peter Pan,  Dumbo, and lots of Tomorrowland, we hit the road via Monorail over to Epcot (my personal favorite park).  Epcot was in full-on prep for the annual HGTV International Flower & Garden show that looks pretty spectacular. Who doesn’t like Disney-themed topiaries?

MONORAIL-TO-EPCOT

EPCOT-NATIONS

 

Jude’s favorite? Germany, of course! For the pretzels and teeny tiny trains —

EPCOT-JUDE-PRETZELS

 

By 8:00, we were stumbling around like fools, exhausted. Our cruise had shuttles running nonstop to head back to the ship, so we gratefully caught a ride from Epcot back to Port Canaveral.  Like I said, the easiest trip to Disney we’ve ever had.

EPCOT-NIGHT-EVERYONE

I hope you’ve enjoyed our crazy little family’s trip!  Thanks for joining along!

 

 

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with love,
Rachel

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