My Favorite Things I’ve Done At The Walt Disney World Resort

Let’s start by talking about what Walt Disney World has to offer. The Walt Disney World Resort is a self-contained vacation destination with something to do for everyone located in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The resort is always changing as Walt Disney himself once said about Disneyland that it “will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world (July 17, 1955)”

At the Walt Disney World Resort, there are: 

While the Walt Disney World Resort covers 43 square miles (27,520 acres), being roughly the size of San Francisco, roughly one third (⅓) of the land is reserved for wildlife conservation efforts including a designated wildlife management conservation area and other protected lands. This commitment to conservation was established by Walt Disney himself during the initial development of the resort. 

Here is my top 5 list of my favorite things that I have personally done at the Walt Disney World Resort

5. Spend time at the hotels

Some of my favorite memories, even before having a child, have been to slow down and enjoy the moment with the people I’m with (or even by myself). Whether that’s relaxing on the hub grass in Magic Kingdom or spending time at the resort, you can make some pretty incredible memories. 

If you haven’t read my hotel rankings, take a look there to see the ones I’ve stayed at and how I feel about each of them. Something that many people might not know about me is that I enjoy a nice hotel nap (when we stayed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas – I took a bubble bath and a nap while my family went out to eat). 

One of my favorite things to do with Disney is split stays to try the different hotels as there truly are a lot. I enjoy rest days in between the hectic park days and going back to the hotel mid day (especially in the summer months) to relax and refresh. There is so much to see and do at the different resort hotels. What’s your dream Walt Disney World hotel?

4. Character Dining

There are a variety of reasons that I love character dining – from meeting your favorite characters where they come to you to seeing my son light up as he meets some of his favorite TV stars. The reasons are different for everyone and honestly I typically like the food offered at these locations. Stay tuned for a list of my favorite Walt Disney World Resort restaurants (table service and quick service locations).

3. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom

“Take in spooky sights and Halloween delights at Magic Kingdom park – select nights from August to October”

The character meet and greets are incredible! Seeing all the costumes that people come up with – some of them are so creative. It truly is spook-tacular. There are exclusive magic shots and props, specialty sips & bites, the specialty merch, Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade and MORE (including treat trails)! I love seeing all my favorite characters and some that you typically can’t meet. Definitely one that I’m excited to do again!

2. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom

“Celebrate with festive entertainment, a storybook holiday atmosphere, sweet treats and more at this yuletide extravaganza—November through December”

Between the character meet and greets, the Seasonal Sights & Sweets, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade,  and the snoap on Main Street it’s truly the most wonderful time of the year.

I do prefer the Christmas party over the Halloween party just slightly and that may be because Christmas is my favorite holiday followed closely by Halloween. Another reason may be the weather. The Halloween parties are during Florida’s rainy/hurricane season so more parties are negatively affected by weather. It can also be pretty hot and humid. It really comes down to what your family prefers.

1. Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

“Embark on a privately-guided, VIP expedition full of close encounters with exotic African wildlife! Guests must be 8 years of age or older and at least 48 inches (122 cm) tall to participate.”

I did this while I was doing my Disney College Program in 2019. I happened to be at the park and started talking to the Cast Members at the stand across from the entrance of Kilimanjaro Safaris. I asked about what the different tours were and decided to see if there were any openings that day. To my surprise and delight, there was an open tour with NO ONE signed up. I ended up signing up for it, with the chance that other people may also sign up for that time slot. Nope. I ended up having my very own private Wild Africa Trek behind the scenes tour because I was the only one there. 

My guides were AMAZING to say the least. The pictures they took were incredible, being on the Savannah was truly magical watching the animals. We had an up close look at the Rhinos – who were blocking the path. The 2 cast members I was with said it was probably one of their favorite experiences that day on the safari based on how the animals were acting. 

If you love or even like animals and seeing how they interact in their environment – including the enrichment they get daily – this is definitely a must do. 

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If you want to learn more about any of these activities that I’ve mentioned, please reach out to me at courtney@remembermevacations.com or on social media @adventuresbybegley. Thank you so much for reading! Stay tuned for the list of activities that I haven’t done but hope to do. 

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Fun Fact: Did you know Walt Disney established a trash can placement strategy based on observed guest behavior? He specifically looked at how far people were before dropping litter. He implemented a rule to place trash cans no more than 30 feet apart to encourage cleanliness and minimize littering in his theme parks