Our Spring Break at Walt Disney World: Traveling to Orlando, Magic Kingdom & Disney Springs
Last week, my family and I had the most amazing spring break trip to Disney World in Orlando! We were accompanied by my two adorable kiddos, aged 3 and 1, as well as their grandparents. Growing up, I've been to Disney/Orlando countless times, but this particular trip was truly special and filled to the brim with exciting activities. There's just something about this age that made us never want to leave. Personally, I believe that experiencing the Disney magic at this age, especially for my 3-year-old, was absolutely perfect. Although our week away felt more like a "trip" than a "vacation," I'm certain that the memories we made will last a lifetime. I'm really excited to share our complete itinerary and some travel tips with all of you who are planning or considering a Disney vacation.
Traveling to Orlando/ Where we Stayed
Our kids' daycare was closed for Texas Spring Break this year, so we wanted to make the most of having them home for the week. To ensure the best balance of affordability and convenience, we opted for a mid-morning direct flight from Austin to Orlando. Since we travel with the kids quite often, they're used to flying and handle it really well. Fortunately, this particular flight was one of our smoother experiences, thanks to its direct route and short duration.
I previously wrote an entire blog post about how to entertain both toddlers and babies during flights, and many of the activities I listed still stand today. You can read the blog post, “What to Pack for the Plane: Flying with a Toddler and Baby” for all the details. Here are a few of our favorite items that we used on this flight:
Upon our arrival in Orlando, we rented a car for the week and made our way to our accommodations. We chose to stay at Sheraton Vistana Villages in a spacious 3-bedroom unit. Since my parents have a timeshare with Sheraton, we've had the opportunity to stay at this resort multiple times, and I can highly recommend it due to its fantastic location and range of activities. Not only were we conveniently close to all the Disney parks, but we also had easy access to numerous restaurants and other attractions. On the days we didn't visit a park, we made the most of the resort's fantastic amenities, including kid-friendly pools with zero entry areas, waterfalls, splash pads, water slides, and even a giant pirate ship. The numerous playgrounds on the property were a hit with our kids as well. Additionally, we enjoyed several meals from the pool bar and cafe.
Magic Kingdom
On the first full day of our Orlando trip, we visited Magic Kingdom with my 3-year-old son and his grandparents. We made the decision to leave my daughter behind so she could enjoy a relaxing pool day with her other grandparents. It turned out to be a great arrangement as it allowed her to adjust to the new time zone, recover from the travel day, and have some uninterrupted nap time. Meanwhile, we had the opportunity to spend quality one-on-one time with our son, who was at the perfect age to fully enjoy the Disney experience.
We arrived at the park right when it opened, and despite the spring break crowds, we managed to cover a good portion of the park and enjoy many of the rides. To make our day even smoother, we invested in a Lightning Lane pass (which I'll discuss further in an upcoming post) and found it to be a worthwhile choice.
Magic Kingdom proved to be a perfect fit for a 3-year-old, with plenty of age-appropriate rides to choose from. My son absolutely loved Jungle Cruise, It's A Small World, Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight, and Journey of the Little Mermaid. There wasn't a ride he didn't enjoy! However, his top two favorites were Mickey's PhilharMagic (he refused to take off the 3D glasses even after the show ended; we watched it twice, and he still talks about it) and Tomorrowland Speedway (because he got to drive the car).
In addition to the rides, Magic Kingdom offers so much more. My son was equally fascinated by the parade and the sight of the castle. The park's layout is quite convenient, with attractions in close proximity to each other, but we opted to rent a stroller for quick transportation from one point to another. Renting and returning the stroller was a breeze, and I would definitely do it again. We wrapped up our day around 4 pm (as the heat and lack of a nap were taking their toll) with a Mickey-shaped ice cream treat.
Looking back now that our trip is over, I can confidently say that Magic Kingdom was one of, if not the, highlight of our entire vacation. It truly provided the most age-appropriate and memorable experiences for my son (and there was something truly special about witnessing his first visit that he will actually remember). For our next Disney trip, hopefully next year, I would love to revisit Magic Kingdom. We didn't have a chance to thoroughly explore Frontierland or Adventureland, and we're eagerly anticipating the new Cars Land that's currently under construction.
Disney Springs
After an eventful day at Magic Kingdom, we decided to take off the next day as a day of rest and relaxation at our hotel's pool. Once again, our hotel was incredibly family-friendly, offering plenty of activities right on the resort.
In the afternoon, after our kids had their nap, we made our way to Disney Springs to explore and have dinner. Disney Springs is a fantastic place to soak in some of the Disney magic without the cost of a park ticket. Due to the time of year (spring break), Disney Springs was quite crowded in the afternoon. However, we still managed to enjoy our time there, visiting the World of Disney store to pick up some souvenirs and creating our own personalized blend of M&Ms at the M&M store, which my son absolutely loved.
For dinner, we had a reservation at T-Rex in Disney Springs. This prehistoric-themed restaurant offers an immersive dining experience. Since dining reservations at Disney open up 60 days in advance, we had planned this reservation well ahead of time. The planning was definitely worth it, as the dining experience was a hit with the kids, and the food was pretty good too. Regardless of where you choose to eat in Disney Springs, I highly recommend making a reservation in advance, as the wait times can be quite long.
Phew! Our first two days were packed with excitement. To keep things concise, I'll be sharing the rest of our trip in multiple posts. I'll chat with you about our adventures at Hollywood Studios, the delightful Character Breakfast we had, our memorable Mom/Dad Getaway, and other valuable tips and tricks for a Disney vacation, including our experience with Lightning Lane. Stay tuned for more updates! Until next time, XXX McKenzie