I'm not what you might think of as a "Disney person". You won't catch me hanging Disney quotes in my house, I have seen very few of the newer movies, and while I really enjoy Disney World, the castle that I primarily flew down to Orlando to see was Hogwarts, not Cinderella's. That being said, I think there is something at Disney for everyone to love and I am a big fan of all four main parks, and with Universal Studios just up the road for a less G-rated experience (at least PG!), it's hard to choose just which parks to hit and how to schedule all of it.
I had never been to Orlando as an adult (twice as a kid and once as a teenager), so this was my first venture in planning a Disney/Universal vacation on my own. There are many experts out there who may have better insider tips, a firsthand account of every food joint and fancy restaurant, a map of Disney complete with underground tunnels seared into their brain, and a soul-binding contract with the Godfather of Mice himself, but I'm here to give you advice as a casual Disney-goer (but an always neurotic trip planner).
2004 throwback photo on Main Street USA
Let's start with the parks themselves and follow with some tips- things we did well and things we did poorly causing avoidable stress and monetary loss.
Planning an Itinerary
Starting with the basics, how many days do you have and which parks are you most interested in? Are there any special events happening during your visit (such as the Halloween ones we attended)? And how much energy do you have to jam pack each day full of fun that becomes less fun the more exhausted you are?
I like to make the most of any time off I have, so we planned one park a day (with one exception where we fit in two) but took it pretty easy and didn't get there at open for anything. I like sleep too, specifically in the morning hours.
Our only focus was Disney & Universal, so if you are looking into SeaWorld or LegoLand or anything like that, there's even more to consider. We ended up planning Universal as a two park/one day pass to fit in the whole of Harry Potter World, and we left out Hollywood Studios. I would like to point out that I, in fact, LOVE Hollywood Studios- the Tower of Terror was probably my favorite ride as a kid and I insisted my parents take me back as a teenager to revisit that Honey I Shrunk the Kids park (is that still a thing? I hope they at least incorporated it into Toy Story Land or I'll riot), BUT with the new Star Wars area joining the park just a year from now, I figured it would be the one to save for next time.
I also cross-referenced quite a few free crowd calendars I found online (calculated by the aforementioned devotees to the Church of Mickey) which were very helpful in deciding which days to schedule which parks. For instance, I never would have known that Epcot was hosting their annual Food & Wine Festival which causes huge surges in local crowds on weekends- therefore, we went on a Tuesday instead.
As for accommodation and transport, I know that the suggestion is to stay at the resorts for the convenience factor and all-encompassing experience- let Disney seep into your bloodstream etc etc. We, however, had already spent too much money on park entry and are more used to slumming it in hostels anyway, so we found a cheap place on Air BnB conveniently located right in between Universal and Disney off International Drive. It had a bunch of space- bedroom, living area, kitchen, and balcony- albeit basic furnishings, free parking, reception desk if we needed anything, towels replaced daily, TVs with HDMI cables to stream The Office on Netflix from my laptop when we got home at the end of the night... all we needed.
There was also a free shuttle to the parks which was an awesome inclusion considering the outrageous $22 parking fee at each of them (because $100+ for entry isn't enough to cover a parking spot). The downside to this was that it only left for Epcot twice a day and Universal once. To match the times we kind of needed, it didn't work out for us aside from the first day at Epcot, but considering the amount of cultural alcohol we consumed there, it was much appreciated.
We rented a car with Alamo, anyway, so we sucked it up and paid for parking four times throughout the trip. "What's an extra $44 each lost in the 1000 some dollar big picture, right?!" I cry into my empty wallet as the smiling Disney toll booth servant collects my final dollar bill for the Bank of the Mouse God.
Epcot
I should have known I was going to end up a traveler when my favorite Disney park at age 15 was Epcot. I just loved the different countries and cultures and atmospheres. I was very excited to go back as an adult and enjoy them all in liquid form.
We took the late shuttle to the park at 11:50 AM. If we hadn't been relying on the free shuttle, I would have definitely gotten there earlier. Epcot doesn't close until late, but I didn't anticipate spending 4 hours on rides before getting to the country-hopping, so we could have managed time better.
We hit up the Epcot ball first (travel through the progress of humanity at a grandmother-friendly pace), waited way too long for Test Track- I mean only like an hour but I really don't think the ride was all that, then did Mission Space which we hopped right on with about a 10 minute wait. Mission Space was the first of so very many 4D movie rides we would encounter over the week as it seems to be the new thing now. It was probably my favorite of the three Epcot rides but that isn't saying a lot. What I didn't find out until after we left was we entirely missed a pretty awesome ride (so I hear) called Soarin' since it was 4 PM and pouring rain by the time we left Future World East and we bypassed the Land & Sea area (thinking nothing was really there after un-thoroughly checking the map) to go straight to the World Showcase. Bummed.
We did pop into the festival grounds for the International Food & Wine Festival where they had a wine section, Ghirardelli exhibit, craft beer bar (treated ourselves to a couple flights), and mimosa stand. The rest of Epcot had additional food stands everywhere as well covering tons of countries not included in the World Showcase. I had an awesome cheese bread at the Brazil stall to hold me over until dinner and wish I had known that the sit-down meal in Germany would be over $40 for a buffet (dinner in Norway was over $60 and I assume the other featured restaurants were all comparable) and we were going to skip out on that... if I had, I would have been snacking my way through the whole park.
As it was, we waited out the downpour by watching the 360 degree Canada movie, then we got our drink on.
We had (not quite) pints at the English pub- Black Velvet (Guinness & Strongbow) for me- and heard some Billy Idol by a cover band at the gazebo...
...very overpriced tiny pinot noirs in France where we enjoyed views of the also undersized Eiffel Tower in the distance...
...decided to downgrade to splitting one drink per country to halve our spending after that...
...shared a Moroccan beer, wandered the markets, and were photographed with a princess (Jasmine, specifically) in Morocco...
...had the best freaking drink of the day when we ordered a violet saki in Japan (all I remember was it had saki and plum juice in it, I promise it was delicious)...
...ordered a Limoncello cocktail in Italy which is when Huntington bank decided to freeze my irresponsible spending out of concern for my lightning fast round the world travel, and Lewis and I sat beside the least crowded Italian fountain we have ever been to...
...were so offended at the $40+ asking price for our intended German buffet dinner that we bypassed the country altogether without even getting a stein (also it was getting dark and we were spending a fortune)...
...had the worst cocktail of the day in China when I ignored Lewis's request not to order the Chinese liqueur and coconut drink because I thought it would be most authentic...
...split a chocolate pretzel and alcoholic Viking coffee in Norway as well as paid tribute to the gods (or, visited their little informational hut, whatever)...
...and decided to splurge and each get our own margaritas in Mexico where we sat by a fountain in the indoor marketplace and borrowed sombreros for a photo op.
As intended, I was a bit drunk at this point, so after we watched the fireworks exploding out of the world in the lake, we grabbed some pretty decent Mexico food and went out to catch the 10:30 PM shuttle back to our place (I may have passed out laying on the sidewalk waiting for it).
Blizzard Beach
Right, right. Of course you're thinking, "Why are you wasting your precious time in Orlando visiting an old water park?" Lewis had rose-tinted memories of his time at Blizzard Beach from his last visit 13 years prior, and since I had never been to a Disney water park, he insisted we go so my mind could be blown.
I mean... it was nice and chilled out, but... it was still just a water park. We definitely had a relaxing day, and the best part was, it was practically empty! There was no wait at all for any slides, and the majority of beach loungers throughout the park were free. I did like the ski resort theme with the fake snow and the chairlift up to the tall slides, but most of the slides were like what you'd find at any water park. Entry was $65 but parking was free at least.
The racer slide was probably my favorite along with Slush Gusher, the second tallest which was very fast and had a few dips on the way down. I surprisingly did not really enjoy the intense free fall Summit Plummet with its 360 foot near vertical drop, and I'm a thrill seeker. The reason for my downvote is that it's actually quite painful. You can reach speeds of 50-60 mph, and that is seriously rough on your shoulders, back, and butt as the water becomes a stinging wall of hurt.
We spent about 4-5 hours here and it was more than enough time for us to ride everything, hang in the wave pool, cruise around the lazy river, and go on a couple slides twice. We were out driving home at 3 PM. What I would like to check out is Volcano Bay, Universal's new water park. It looks pretty serious. Maybe next time.
Halloween Horror Nights
I was easily most excited about our two Universal adventures, the first of which was Halloween Horror Nights. After we got back from the water park, we showered, changed (no costumes allowed so I tried to look appropriately dark and goth), had a great dinner down the street at the ornate and gorgeously decorated Thai Thani, and were off to Universal at 7.
So, we messed this up. I had definitely wanted to be there at 6:30 sharp, but by the time we got back after eating and got organized, we were already a half hour past that. I also did not anticipate just how outrageously crowded the park would be. It was only a 15 minute drive to Universal, but by the time we got through the heavy traffic, parked, navigated through the CityWalk, and then waited in like a 10 minute queue just to get in the park (with our tickets pre-purchased), it was 8:00.
Not that getting there on time would have remotely helped us to see everything. We just might have gotten a couple more houses in. Universal pissed me off in their organization of this event. Ticket prices were over $100 (although thankfully I managed to get a work discount for $53 or so for each of us), yet they almost force you to buy a fast pass at well over $100 on top of that if you actually want to hit every house. Queues for the popular houses were 1-2 hours long, and even the others were 40+ minutes. The thing is, they let people with fast passes pretty much steadily walk right in while holding up the entire standby line. It was pretty ridiculous, and these queues were hot and provided no entertainment. I was mostly upset because I was really freaking excited about these haunted houses but quickly realized we'd be lucky to see half of them.
Which is what ended up happening. We saw exactly 5 out of 10 between 8 PM-1 AM. We also had just about no time to walk through any of the scare zones aside from the monster zone we saw on the way in and the very cool Vamp 85 area which was just crawling with old-school 80s vampires in leather jackets with big hair and mutated faces. We caught one of the Thriller performances which was fantastic. I declared that this must be what heaven is like. A retro vampire dance party.
Despite my complaints on queue times and the unfairness of only being able to do a fraction of what we came to an event for, the haunted houses we saw were unbelievable. The Purge/Happy Death Day house was probably my least favorite of them, and that was still good with the first half being a never-ending loop through the same college dorm as a baby-faced killer pops out with a knife to kill you, and the second half being an industrial style Purge.
Poltergeist was a supernatural maze with the rooms devolving into increasingly mind-melting states with furniture against the walls, corridors of filmy white curtains, dolls and white noise TVs.
Carnival Graveyard surpassed my expectations with no stereotypical clowns at all. Instead it was like a gigantic beautifully put together steel warehouse of discarded carnival items- large signs, doll heads, carny types in suits and bowler hats popping out, and bodies strung up with Trespasser signs on them.
Scary Tales was tied for my favorite house, and by some stroke of luck, we walked on with about a 15 minute wait. The sets were stunning, the first room being inhabited by a flying Wicked Witch, then passing through forests and fairy tale stories with twisted versions of characters like pig men and Alice looking momentarily confused before psychotically stabbing a rabbit. I may have also taken a wrong turn here at the end and tried to go through a black curtain, running straight into a witch who scared the shit out of me and caused me to whip my head back and crack Lewis straight in the nose (clearing up any confusion about which of us is the horror fan, Lewis was hidden behind me through every house hugging my waist).
And finally, the most popular house of the year was my other favorite, Stranger Things. I wasn't entirely sure how scary it would be as I find the show more nostalgic sci-fi than horror, but it delivered. The interior was so detailed and well done. There was the Byers house just like in the show complete with Christmas lights, the school, child actors who looked JUST like the cast making cameo appearances, and stepping into the Upside Down which was just breathtaking- it even had the particles floating around you. Demogorgons and scientists with bleeding eyes were popping out everywhere, and at the last turn you get Eleven throwing down some supernatural power just as one last demogorgon jumps out. So awesome.
I was even more impressed by how scary I found the houses considering they just have everyone continually move through in one big single file line. You have people in front of and behind you the whole time, and worse than that, there are regular staff in black clothes every few feet impatiently waving you on if you stall for more than 5 seconds to look at a set piece or stop shaking from the last jump scare. If they ran these like a normal haunted house (space out the entries, eliminate the non-scare actors from the inside), they would be terrifying. I really think Universal should limit ticket sales for a better experience because the houses themselves and the actors in them are top notch.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
On the other end of the Halloween spectrum, you've got Mickey's kid-friendly wholly inoffensive costume party at Magic Kingdom. I like all things Halloween, scary or not, and I love dressing up. This is the only event at Disney where you are allowed to wear costumes, but they have some pretty strict rules in place you should check before going. For instance- no masks (for those over a certain age), no capes past the waist, apparently no posing for photographs for other guests, just some odd things. I played it safe and got out my old Mad Hatter hat and an accompanying outfit- I'm always down for anything Wonderland related anyway.
We had to do a quick shop for Lewis because I wasn't going to let him show up in street clothes. He picked out a pirate outfit and we found him a white rabbit hat too so we could have compatible costumes.
We weren't allowed entry into Magic Kingdom until 4 PM, so we were able to take a day of rest and fine dining at IHoP. We had learned from the mistakes of our prior day like evolved humans and actually arrived at the park on time. I'd like to point out here as well that Disney's system of, well, everything is a million times more efficient than Universal's. This is very apparent in the parking lots where you are neatly directed into a spot so as to fill the rows in order then taken to the front gate on a tram and returned at the end of the night. No 30 minute traffic jam, no jostling crowds to get to the gate. Efficiency.
We took the monorail to the entrance (returned on the ferry), and it was just so fun to see the park all decorated for Halloween. Pumpkins everywhere, autumn wreaths on the poles, special performances throughout the night, themed food specials, and guests everywhere in costume.
Best of all, daytime park guests are kicked out at some point between 4-6:30, and so we practically walked onto the rides. It was less than a half hour wait for everything we went on- Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, Pirates, Peter Pan... it was a 0 minute wait for It's a Small World (one of my faves for the nostalgia), we just hopped into a boat. Same with the teacups (a must-do in our Alice gear). A few of the rides switched over to a Halloween theme after 7- we rode Space Mountain which turned off all of the stars so it was just pitch black.
We had time to loop around the whole park, have a leisurely meal at Pecos Bill's in Frontierland (they have a vegan burger and a nacho bar! And they were serving worms in dirt which I ordered like I was an 8 year old in the 90s again), ride almost everything that was open, see the fireworks, get photos with the Mad Hatter and Alice, and catch a bit of a performance in front of the castle put on by the Disney villains. All between 5-11 PM.
Can someone seriously please explain to me how this boy is so photogenic?
At 11:15, we settled down in a spot on Main Street to watch the final parade. An assortment of characters came out dancing and/or on floats at first to this obnoxious "Boo to You" song which thankfully switched over to "It's Good to Be Bad" as the Disney villains took over the tail end. The Mad Hatter even excitedly pointed to me in the crowd! I know we'd just met about an hour prior, but it was still very flattering to be recognized by one of my favorite Lewis Carroll celebrities.
We'd had a very happy and relaxed time throughout the evening, and I'd recommend attending this event for the reduced wait times as much as for the festive atmosphere.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
This was it. This is what I was here for. My letter got lost in the mail, you see... I like to think nothing horrific happened to my owl en route but maybe he merely got distracted by a tasty mouse on the ground and forgot to complete the delivery of my school invitation. It's fine. I'm over it. You'd think if Harry was important enough to have the school groundskeeper personally show up to a random shack in a rainstorm to collect him that they could have sent like a regular old follow-up letter for me, but whatever. It's cool. Totally over it.
Anyway, I donned my Slytherin gear and skipped my way into Universal Studios to start the day in my rightful world of magic. Lewis said he left his Gryffindor top in Scotland because it was "in for the wash" as if that's some kind of insurmountable obstacle and we have no washers in America, so he wore Batman. We got there around 8:30 and decided we had time to knock out some rides in the main park before disappearing into Diagon Alley for hours on end. Another money-grabbing move Universal made was to divide the Wizarding World into two separate parks, so you have to pay $170 for a one day park-to-park pass if you want to see it all... we figured we could get in some normal Universal and Islands of Adventure rides on top of the wizarding ones to maximize the value.
The good thing was that the lines in the main park were pretty much nothing. 20 minutes-ish tops. We rode the very cool Rip Ride Rocket with a totally vertical ascent and speakers that play a song of your choosing for the duration of the coaster, the fun special effects laden Mummy coaster, the Shrek 4D movie (we thought we had plenty of time to kill and I wish we had skipped this), the Jimmy Fallon 4D ride through NYC (ok but also would have cut it), and the ET ride which has a special nostalgic place in my heart much like the Peter Pan ride and It's a Small World at Magic Kingdom.
It was noon when we entered Diagon Alley, and I was totally entranced. It was everything I thought it would be and more! Unfortunately right down to the throngs of people invading every shop, but what can you do- wizards gotta shop.
We explored Sugarplum's Sweet Shop where I tried my first pumpkin juice and was absolutely enamored. It is, quite possible, the best non-alcoholic non-caffeinated drink I have ever tasted. I was ready to fill my suitcase with backups to take home. I was very tempted to try the million other confections available to me including but nowhere near limited to cauldron cakes, peppermint imps, butterbeer fudge, no-melt ice cream (literally just frosting in a cup-the dream), and so much more.
We wandered through Weasley's Wizard Wheezes where I strongly considered my need for a pygmy puff, admired the Firebolt in the shop window next door, bypassed Gregorovitch's wand shop (although to be honest it probably fits my character a bit more but I had to go with Ollivander's), perused the snakes, owls, cats, and toads at the Magical Menagerie, and browsed robes and apparel at Madam Malkin's.
I did purchase my very own wand at the jam packed Ollivander's, loaded floor to ceiling with wands of all styles. Many were themed after character's, and I chose a cool wand with what looked like engraved runes on it. I was anxious to find out whose I had picked up and was hoping for a character I enjoyed (not like, Lavender Brown, or worse, Harry Potter), and I realized it was fate when I was told that it was that of Sirius Black- ONLY MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN THE BOOKS. The wand chooses the wizard, right?! RIGHT?
Very pleased with my purchase and sleek black designer Ollivander's bag, we went through the wand selection ceremony through the back where a very stone faced and perfect Ollivander stand-in pulled one of the participants to the front and played through a wand selection process. It was a fun quick little activity.
We dined at the Leaky Cauldron, and I found my biggest irritation (aside from crowds and the need for a park-to-park pass) with the Wizarding World was the complete absence of vegetarian items on the menus. Listen, I know the UK isn't known for its veggie food, but I lived there for over a year and there's usually at least something I can eat. Scotland even offers vegetarian haggis, for Christ's sake. Everything here was meat- cornish pasties, bangers and mash, scotch eggs, etc. I had to ask at the counter and they offered me a veggie platter which basically had bread, salad, broccoli, beets (that was the only redeeming part), and tomatoes. Do better, Universal! Anyway, the Leaky Cauldron was not the dive bar it should have been- they took the creative liberty of turning it into a large sit-down cafeteria of sorts, but the decor was nice with big candle-lit chandeliers.
My favorite though was a trip down Knockturn Alley. It was dim and dank back there with dark magic objects in the shop windows and the coolest wares in Borgin and Burkes (including the Vanishing Cabinet, opal necklace, and Hand of Glory- not for sale of course). I may be a Slytherin but I'm no Death Eater... however, I may have walked out with a really bitching Dark Mark shirt. It's just fashion! ...is what I'll say as victims of the Dark Lord's regime corner me back on Diagon Alley.
We had wandered around for a few hours now and really needed to get on the Gringotts ride and head to the other park. Here's where we made another stupid error... or, well, I did. Lewis suggested we take the single rider line and I said "No, it's Harry Potter! Let's ride this together!" Stupid. We stood in that line for about 90+ minutes when we could have gotten on in 30 or less. Lesson learned. Go single rider.
The waiting area was very detailed and well done with a huge bank lobby featuring beautiful dangling crystal chandeliers and goblins at desks along the walls. Then you head downstairs and it's not as great and I was honestly too stressed about the time to enjoy it. The ride was good- we got goggles and sat in a mining cart, then we were taken through Gringotts on a tour by Percy Weasley and Griphook. Unfortunately, shit happens and we ran into Bellatrix and Voldemort halfway along and there was a whole ordeal with a dragon and some trolls- anyway, we escaped unscathed and rushed out of there to make up for time.
I had really desperately wanted ice cream from Florean Fortescue's (even moreso when I went in and read the flavor menu) but there was a line and it was 4:30 already and the park was going to close at 5. Sadly, we bypassed and went right to the Hogwarts Express.
This was nowhere near as cushy as our first class train ride on the REAL Hogwarts Express in Scotland- definitely no champagne and not even a coffee cart- but it was a ride in and of itself. After entering Kings Cross station and Platform 9 3/4 (they even have a cool effect where you do look like you are walking through a wall), you board the train and sit in a 6 person compartment. You can see the English and Scottish countryside go by out the window as you chug along, and there are also shadowy figures that look and sound suspiciously like Harry, Ron, and Hermione (they don't even go here anymore!) passing by and having conversations right outside your door. There's also some dementors that make an appearance but what would a Hogwarts train journey be really without some danger of losing your soul?
We arrived into Hogsmeade station and entered the town. The snow-covered shops and Hogwarts castle in the backdrop definitely make it more picturesque, but there is less going on than in Diagon Alley.
There are a couple butterbeer vendors (and we shared the non-frozen version which is a lot like a cream soda with heavy butterscotch cream on top), the owl post with (unfortunately not live) owls in the rafters, Dervish & Banges with apparel and Hagrid's infamous biting book, another Ollivander's (which is silly because there is NO BRANCH in Hogsmeade, whatever), and the bright and charming Honeydukes which is a superior sweet shop where I tried a pumpkin pasty (recommend) and took another pumpkin juice and chocolate frog to go.
You can dine at the Three Broomsticks, not quite as cozy and cute as I thought it would be from the books. It's also inexplicably attached to the Hog's Head pub which should be at the edge of town, but again WHATEVER. That was appropriately low-ceilinged and dingy. I had already tried a wizard's brew stout at Leaky Cauldron, so here at Hog's Head I opted for a Hog's Tea (their answer to a long island, basically) and a firewhisky which together left me pretty tipsy and trying to fight Jurassic Park dinosaurs with my wand on the way out of the park.
Three Broomsticks
Somewhere in all of this, we also rode Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey in the castle. The queue was extremely tolerable because most of it takes place in the castle and there is so much to look at! Statues, the house point columns (headmaster's pets Gryffindor in the lead, shocker), the Fat Lady, talking portraits (most notably the house founders), the History of Magic classroom where Ron, Harry, and Hermione tell you they'll be sneaking you out of your lesson, the sorting hat, and Dumbledore's office.
The ride itself was completely awesome, probably our favorite from any of the parks. You board a sort of coaster- four people in a row on your own so nobody in front is blocking your view. The Gryffindor trio then take you on a journey to escape the castle and attend a Quidditch match, except on the way you run into obstacles like the Whomping Willow, Aragog and his spiders in the Forbidden Forest, swarms of dementors... the Hogwarts usual. Finally you do make it to the Quidditch pitch and finally see the gorgeous Draco Malfoy on broomstick which I assume is your reward for your trials and tribulations. Anyway, it's a totally sweet ride with lots of spins and effects in 4D, and it's the better of the two Harry Potter offerings.
Having misjudged our time and wasted it by not riding single and attending dumb 4D shows earlier in the morning, we did not have any time for Islands of Adventure and just had to walk out of the park past all of the sweet coasters and thrill rides we were missing. The point of the day was Harry Potter though, and it was magical, and it definitely didn't make me bitter that I never attended a wizarding school or anything because I'm totally over that.
Animal Kingdom
So, our final day was spent in a very relaxed fashion at Animal Kingdom. We arrived around 11 AM and stayed until close at 8, and we had more than enough time to stroll around and fit everything in.
We hit up Asia where we smartly took the single rider line at Everest and were boarding in 5 minutes to be chased by yetis, did the jungle walk where we saw lizards, monkeys, and tigers, and Lewis dragged me on a rafting ride where I was not pleased at the prospect of having soaked denim shorts the rest of the day and luckily did not get wet.
Africa was next with its own animal walk featuring hippos, zebras, meerkats, and gorillas among others and the jeep safari which we had only about a 20-30 minute wait for and saw most of the animals around the reserve including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, and wildebeest. We had a delicious lunch (mine were these great roasted veggies over rice with some sort of yogurt topping- takes notes, Universal!) and caught the 4 PM Lion King show- my favorite Disney movie (I had saved my Hakuna Matata shirt for this day).
Lastly, we went back to Pandora which we had briefly checked out at the start of the day. I can't say I know of any Avatar fanboys or fangirls, and it is certainly not a popular enough franchise to have warranted someone suggesting it as a park, but the set they built is gorgeous with floating rocks, waterfalls, and fantastical fauna. At night, everything glows.
The rides were also some of Disney's best. There was the Na'vi boat ride which takes you through these glowing landscapes on the dark calm water, then there is Flight of Passage which is a whole other level of 4D experience. It was a long wait, but less than 2 hours, so better than I expected honestly. You end up on this stationary bike that is supposed to simulate whatever the Na'vi dragons are supposed to be called, and you tour their world on it. While you're flying around this immersive video, the wind is actually wildly blowing your hair in the direction you're flying, the creature simulator underneath you is heaving in and out to replicate breathing, and each new area smells like a completely different world. Very impressed!
We stopped to appreciate the tree of life in the center of the park changing colors at night and playing short films on the way out of the park, stopped for dinner near our place at the absolutely excellent Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant Selam (hospitable owners and delicious food- go there) then we said goodbye to our vacation and headed home the next morning.
It was a huge success minus some oversights, but you learn by doing, such is life. I know I said I was going to end with my tips, but you know what, if you read the blog you already know where we went right and where we went wrong, and my writings tend to get a bit lengthy as it is. To summarize- take the single rider lines, be on time to busy events/parks factoring in parking time, and just, overall, be smart in time budgeting so that you enjoy yourself stress-free. It's an expensive holiday, the point is to have fun. It's how your Lord Commander Mickey Mouse and his frozen creator would want it to be.
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