10 ways to celebrate with your family at Walt Disney World

7 September 2022, 00:01 | Updated: 7 September 2022, 14:15

Promoted by Walt Disney World

The big 4-0 is a milestone birthday filled with mixed emotions. So where better to toast the big day than the ‘happiest place on earth’ - Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

I have so many wonderful memories of visiting as a child that as soon as I had my own kids it was my dream to take them there.

So with Disney World also marking it's 50th anniversary, I decided it would be a great time to make the dream a reality.

After months of saving, extensive research, and the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, I finally got to walk down the famous Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom with my family in tow.

Here are ten things we did to make it the trip of a lifetime.

1. Staying on Disney property

   Yes, Disney is incredible, but the Polynesian Village Resort – located on site at Disney World - is my ultimate happy place.

   The location, tropical decor, the lush palm trees, the pools (the water is so lovely and warm!), the sounds, the smell, the people, the fruity cocktails and the dole whip, it's my favourite hotel in the world!

   

   Situated on the Seven Seas Lagoon, it’s very special being able to wake up across from the Magic Kingdom and see Cinderella's Castle each day and go to bed watching the spine-tingling Enchantment firework show.

   With three little ones under six, travelling in the peak summer heat, we wanted to make the trip as smooth and uncomplicated as we could.

   You can get to the Magic Kingdom by monorail (which was an adventure for the kids in itself!) or boat in less than ten minutes, enabling us to hop back and forth if we wanted to escape the heat.

   

   While the location was the biggest factor for us, staying on Disney World property has additional perks such as early entry to the parks, free transportation and early access to restaurant reservations!

2. Meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse

   Seeing my 17 month-old son, Raphael, high-fiving Mickey Mouse was another highlight of the trip for me.

   For anyone who worries their child may be too young, I'd encourage you to take the trip if you can.

   We got very lucky on the last night there by getting a rare picture opportunity with both Mickey and Minnie at the same time at the Magic Kingdom.

   

   We also had breakfast with the characters at Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort, which in my opinion offers the best character dining experience.

   The main five Disney characters - Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck and Goofy dance around the restaurant and visit your table two or three times throughout the meal for cuddles, pictures and autographs.

   Ruby, six, and Rocco, four loved the quality interaction they got – a very memorable moment of the holiday.

   Covid-19 has put paid to the breakfast buffets so instead they serve huge portions of food, family style in the middle of your table. There's no danger of going hungry, as staff will refill everything if you want them too.

3. The Keys to the Kingdom tour, The Magic Kingdom

   I’ve been a Disney fanatic for as long as I can remember so one of the things I really wanted to do to celebrate my landmark birthday was a behind-the-scenes tour (adults only!). And to do it with my dad, who had first taken me to Disney as a three-year-old, was very special.

   This tour goes behind the ‘magic’ at the Magic Kingdom, giving guests a brilliant insight into how the park operates.

   I don’t want to give too much away but our tour guide Biff was great, pointing out things I’d never seen before, taking us on a unique ride on the Jungle Cruise and a look behind-the-scenes in Frontierland.

   At the end of the five-hour walking tour we got to visit the famous underground tunnels that I’d been desperate to do.

   There was also the rare opportunity to ask pretty much any question you’ve ever wanted to ask.

   Be warned, the trip may spoil the magic for some people, but for me it just fuelled my fascination and curiosity even further. Bookings can be made online for this experience for an additional fee.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, EPCOT

   Simply, the best ride I have ever been on.

   Having my parents Jan and Derek along enabled my husband James and I a few opportunities to ride the more intense roller coasters while they watched the kids.

   The new Guardians of the Galaxy ride at EPCOT is Disney World's first ever reverse launch coaster - and also the first Disney World ride with Marvel characters.

   

   While it’s a high-speed ride, it’s also super smooth, swaying guests 360 degrees to look at the action going on around them. The soundtrack is really fun too.

   We purchased the Lightning Lane passes for $15 each so we could queue jump, but felt it was well worth the additional fee to save valuable time.

   We also loved the Food and Wine Festival that was taking place at EPCOT. Guests have the unique opportunity to sample food and drinks from pretty much anywhere in the world during a stroll around the 1.3-mile promenade encircling the 40-acre World Showcase Lagoon.

5. Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table, The Magic Kingdom

   Who doesn’t want dinner in a royal castle!?

   In the lead up to our trip, we had watched countless YouTube videos of Disney World and the kids always talked excitedly about the 'big castle'.

   

   So we surprised them one day by actually going inside the castle for a fairy-tale dining experience. Ruby loved meeting Cinderella and sitting by the big stained-glass windows in the banquet hall overlooking the Fantasyland carousel. The children were also given a toy sword and a wand gift at the end of the meal which they loved.

6. Watching the Harmonious spectacle at EPCOT

   Cuddling up to Ruby, I had a real pinch-me moment watching the new Epcot night time spectacular Harmonious - one of the biggest shows Disney has ever created.

   Replacing the iconic IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, Harmonious is a beautifully-crafted and powerful 20 minute show featuring new interpretations of classic Disney songs in more than a dozen languages, animated images projected onto a five storey water screen, huge LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, pyrotechnics and lasers.

   

   We coordinated dinner at The Rose and Crown pub, in the United Kingdom area of Epcot's World Showcase, shortly before the show started so we could view from the balcony and avoid the crowds.

   On another evening we watched the fireworks from Disney Springs, which was a surprise highlight of the trip. Formerly known as Disney’s Downtown Marketplace, the area has had a big makeover since my last visit in 2014. It’s a vast entertainment and shopping district with over 50 restaurants, the amazing Ghirardelli Chocolate shop and nightly live music.

7. Slinky Dog Dash Rollercoaster, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

   Before our trip, we had visited a number of UK theme parks to try and get the kids prepared for what was to come. Thankfully it paid off when James and I managed to take our two eldest kids on Slinky Dog Dash. It was a fantastic experience to ride the family-friendly coaster together and see their excitement!

   Queues for Slinky Dog Dash can be huge but we made it a priority booking with our Genie+ reservation system.

   

   Replacing the old Fastpass system, this paid ticket add-on is definitely worth the money if you are travelling with young children at peak times.

   The maximum we queued all holiday was 15 minutes which was a lifesaver in the searing heat. We really paced ourselves each day but this just helped secure the key rides and shows we wanted to do.

   The other rides we really enjoyed as a family were classic attraction It’s A Small World, 4D shooting ride Toy Story Mania!, classic runaway train Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

8. Dinner at Space 220, EPCOT

   If you ever wanted to get a feel for what it's like to be '220 miles above earth', then this is it!

   A new arrival for Disney's 50th, imagineers have really pushed the barriers with this themed dining experience.

   Boarding a 'stellavator' simulator, guests will then see EPCOT shrinking into the distance as they are blasted high into the sky for the g(astronomical) dining experience.

   

   Dining at the Centauri Space Station overlooking planet earth, guests will see astronauts conducting their business and various space shuttles flying across the giant windows.

   

   While the experience doesn't come cheap, the food and cocktails were delicious and the ambiance was very unique. Just make sure you put a note in your diary to schedule your reservation 60 days out from your trip as it's extremely popular.

9. Avatar Flight of Passage, Disney's Animal Kingdom

   Another amazing new addition to the parks for Disney World's 50th anniversary, this ride goes down as my second favourite Disney ride of all time.

   Guests will fly on their own ‘mountain ‘Banshee’ across the landscape of Pandora. The ride is thrilling and very intense, using stunning 4-D technology including amazing visuals, water effects and scents.

   

   The entire Pandora land is stunning and also includes slow-moving boat ride, the Na’vi River Journey.

   Later in the day we headed to the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck in the Asia section of the park to have a Yeti Sundae! It was one of Disney’s incredible snack options I’d been eyeing up during my research.

10. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

    I'll whisper it quietly but I've never really been a Star Wars fan.

    But the 2019 expansion of Hollywood Studios to open a Star Wars land is absolutely breath-taking.

    Walking around it’s difficult to truly take in everything that is going on around you as you are immersed on the planet Batuu. The attention to detail and ambiance is incredible – even down to the toilets, food and refreshments.

    Guests can build their own custom lightsabre, find out what Luke Skywalker’s famous blue and green milk really tastes like and even be involved in action scenes with characters including Darth Vader and Storm Troopers.

    

    New attraction Star Wars: Rise of The Resistance definitely lived up to the hype, however it was a trip to one of the galaxy’s most infamous watering holes Oga’s Cantina that I enjoyed the most. We enjoyed a toast over a delicious Yub Nub concoction and some of Oga’s Obsession jelly with blueberry popping pearls. Other offerings include the spicy Bloody Rancor, Jedi Mind Trick, the foamy Fuzzy Tauntaun or the fruity Carbon Freeze.

    Be sure to take a wander around to check out the tanks behind the bar and droid DJ R-3X spinning tunes on the decks!

    You truly are immersed in a galaxy far, far away. The perfect way to toast reaching 40!

For more information on booking a holiday to Walt Disney World go to www.disneyholidays.co.uk/wdw