Ladies Weekend 2016: Orlando Part 2

Last week, I shared a little about my friends and my adventures at Universal Orlando. I will say our day there was pretty amazing. We rode the Hogwarts Express, drank some Butterbeer, and even ventured outside of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to visit Dr. Seuss and Poseidon.

But, we knew that if anything was going to compete with that, it was going to be Walt Disney World. We went just as all out with our attire, taking inspiration from some very creative Disney-bounders.

Knowing that we had just one day, we attempted to make our way through all four parks plus Disney’s Boardwalk to hit up the best (and our favorite) attractions.

Here is everything we managed to squeeze in:

(1) Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This was my home park when I worked at Walt Disney World, and as such I was pretty excited to kick off our day there. We started the day with what I consider one of the best attractions in all of Walt Disney World – The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The theming always impresses me, and it’s just a little different every time. We managed to hit the Great Movie Ride and watch the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, but since Liz is an avid Star Wars fan…the new Launch Bay and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue were at the top of our must-see list.

(2) Disney’s Animal Kingdom

If you’ve never experienced Animal Kingdom, it’s a beautiful zoo-safari-theme park hybrid. Land-wise, it’s the largest park, but it somehow manages to feel cozy. With limited time and a two-hour wait for the attraction we were most interested in (Kilimanjaro Safari), we made a game time decision to cross the park off our list. It was a bummer, but we knew there was a lot left to see at our next stop.

(3) Magic Kingdom

The main event – a stroll down Main Street, USA and the iconic picture in front of Cinderella Castle, for starters. We are (obviously) princess fans, and there is no better place to meet a few than the new Fantasyland. After a quick bite outside of Cosmic Ray’s and a turn on Space Mountain, it was off to the land of princesses.

And also, this guy…

We enjoyed some Enchanted Tales with Belle (and some adorable and enthusiastic kids). We rode a Doom Buggy through the Haunted Mansion. We feasted on turkey legs and Dole Whips. And we got unfortunately wet on Splash Mountain and (surprise!) Pirates of the Caribbean. We were pretty cold…but it was worth it.

(4) Epcot

Over the course of my time working for Disney, Epcot became my favorite park. Sure, there aren’t as many thrill rides, but it’s spacious and beautiful…AND. THE. FOOD. My traveling companions could have done without it, but knowing that the night was ending at the Boardwalk, it seemed like the perfect last park to stop in – with dinner available from around the World [Showcase] and my favorite nighttime show, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. After rushing out of the Magic Kingdom and onto the monorail, we made it into the park just in time to grab food from the Mexico and Japan pavilions, and settle in for fireworks. Yes, I own the soundtrack. Yes, I get choked up every time.

(5) Disney’s Boardwalk

My most favorite place at Walt Disney World is Jellyrolls – a lively dueling piano bar located at Disney’s Boardwalk. As with most places, it’s special because of the time I spent there with my amazing friends, dancing and singing along. Even though I know it might never be the same as it once was, it will always be a special place to me…and as such, I wanted to share it with my new friends. By the time we got there, we were all pretty exhausted, but somehow still ended up staying until almost midnight. They’ve still got it!

All in all, it was a pretty amazing weekend with the girls. I might need one of those vacations-after-the-vacation to rest up, but it was well worth it. As Miles gets older, I’m seeing more and more how important it is to take care of myself, and an important part of that is not neglecting friendships.

Ladies Weekend 2017? Pinterest better get ready! Any recs?