TLDR. Have enough time to do all 4 theme parks?  Disney World is amazing!

Gabe:  So I thought it would be a good idea for you two to let our Mouse O'Clock Blog readers know what your favorite rides were in each of the Disney parks. and maybe why you think it's the best.

Zoey:   In Animal Kingdom, my favorite ride is expedition, Everest I really like that ride more than the shows and the safari.  I think it’s really cool to go backwards and see all that and then to go to the gift shop afterwards and see all the yeti things that are really cute. ​

Included in this VIP Experience is your park ticket, Unlimited Express Pass, front of the line access for all rides, VIP seating for the WaterWorld stunt show, snack/breakfast spread, full sit-down lunch, bottles of water throughout the day, special backlot tour access inside the movie sets, AND A GREAT TOUR GUIDE!  Here's their marketing image but I'll explain further.

Even though we had Express Passes, all the other rides in the park we were give "Front Of the Line" Access.  Our Tour Guide would take us around the line to get us right up to where the ride begins.  You definitely feel like a VIP when you skip 98% of the line to get on the rides.

If you've ever been to Universal Studios in Orlando you will recognize the majority of the rides.

We have done this tour twice in the last few years and both times we had INCREDIBLE Tour guides.  They gave us lots of info and taught us some pieces of movie magic throughout our whole tour.  You get A LOT more of that information during your Backlot Tour.  Our Tour Bus even had a cooler full of water bottles for us to enjoy along the way.

Now Universal Studios Hollywood is an actual working Movie Studio!  So there are actual functioning TV and movies being shot on the property.  Normal Park guests have a tram tour that they take through the Studio, but as VIP guests we had portions of the tour where we got off the bus and could walk around.

These two different spots on the tour were used in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film.  Jack Sparrow hides in that little alcove behind a statue (the statue is gone) and picks up his drunken friend surrounded by mud and pigs in the other.

After our VIP tour we took some time to visit Hogsmead in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  The kids took some time to practice their wand skills.

We donned our Mario hats while we waited to get in our Kart.  Once in the cart you attach the lenses like a VR goggle to the hat.  It was really cute but the game takes some getting used to.  Here was the video instructions for the Mario Kart ride.  It's easy to follow even without words.

Some people prefer Disney World, others prefer Disneyland.  I say, Why not enjoy both!  Both Parks have their strong suits, and some people really don't know what the differences are.  Follow me for a breakdown of each Disney destination, so you know which vacation you would like to plan for.

Clearly you can see the differences in the castles right from the gate.

Disney World is actually divided up into 4 major parks, as well as two water parks.  Disneyland is two parks nestled in Anaheim, California.  Which immediately gives the biggest difference:  How much time do you need to do everything in Disney?

Here you can see the map of Disneyland.  You can see that the two parks are right next to each other.  You can walk from one gate to the other in a couple of minutes.  Even it's hotels are located within walking distance, with an abundance of other hotels across their parking lot.  The city is literally all around the parks, so it's very easy to get in and around.

If you stay at one of Disney's many resorts you have access to Disney's many transportation offerings to get you around within Disney World.  Each resort has places to get food and some are even located walking distance from a park, but outside of your resort there is very little that would be considered walking distance.

Now if you want to visit Disney World, that's no small undertaking.  With 4 Parks, there is just SO much to take in. 

There are a few shows here that you have to stop and enjoy.  They are on a schedule, so you have to keep an eye out for when these shows start so you can get there early enough for a good spot.  You can't miss the Spider-man performance, as he webs flips his way over a few buildings.  And the Dr. Strange show is pretty spectacular.  Here are some clips from both.

And of course there is a Shawarma Cart located in the center of Avengers Campus.  Like the scene at the end of the first Avengers movie, where the heroes enjoy Shawarma after saving New York.

If you've got an MCU fan, there is plenty to see and enjoy at Avengers Campus.  It's only a part of Disney's California Adventure so you'll still have plenty during your visit to this park.  We had a Marvelous time.  Ask us about planning your own adventure over in Anaheim, California.  When it's time to plan for Disney: 

Disney Genie is a new feature that has been added to your Disney World and Disneyland Apps.  It's a feature that helps you set up and plan your priorities while at Disney.  You can go into the app and set preferences for what types of rides and characters you want to experience.  It's a pretty cool little system, but it takes some playing around with the app to understand it all.

Gone are the days of FastPasses, now it's all about the Lightning Lane (LL).  Genie+ allows you to be able to book time slots to use Lightning Lanes at MOST attractions.  I say most because at each Disney Park there will be 1 or 2 attractions that are not included in Genie+.  Of course these are the most popular rides that are separate as Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes (IALL).  These are purchased separately as an in-app purchase.  Each ride will cost between $7 and $15 per person.

Once you've selected your Lightning Lane you have a one hour window to get to that ride.  So your 11:55am LL is good till 12:55pm.  You can arrive a few minutes early, but I would avoid arriving late.   Important note:  You can only get one LL for each ride per day.  So once you have ridden Haunted Mansion using LL, you have to use the standby line if you want to go again.

Now that I've described the basics of Genie+ and Lightning Lane, now I'll break down the differences.

If you are using Parkhopper you can book Lightning Lanes at other parks, but keep in mind travel time from one park to the other before you grab LLs at different parks.

Many of the other rides in Future World have interactive areas for the kids to play in after the ride.  When you get off of Spaceship Earth there is a whole area with big interactive video games that my kids just love.  There are all sorts of hands-on activities exploring your senses at the end of Journey Into Imagination with Figment.  My kids just love these weird learning opportunities in Future World.  My son was mystified by how food is grown when we rode Living With the Land.

And I can never stop loving the goofiness that is Figment!  The kids get a kick out of him too!  Here's a moment from the Frozen ride, because you know the kids won't let you skip that one.

The World Showcase is where the adults get to have a bit more fun.  There's usually a lot of good food and drink to sample all around the world ESPECIALLY during any of Epcot's Annual Festivals.  The Arts Festival, Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, and the Festival of the Holidays are just loaded with extras that make Epcot worth a visit.  But that doesn't exclude the kids from the fun out here.

Each of the festivals also has a scavenger hunt the kids can participate in. The kids get a playing piece that has stickers that match to each country. During the Festival of the Holidays we were on the lookout for little Olaf statues; he would be holding an item that pertains to that country's Holiday traditions. The kids would mark the country with the matching sticker. In the end the kids get a prize for completing the Scavenger hunt. It changes from from Festival to Festival, but we have seen decorative bowls, lenticular cups, puzzles, and other such goodies.

Take in a little world culture while you're there. See some Taiko drummers and many other performances that happen all over the world showcase.  There's a lot to do in Epcot!

It's easy to fall victim to the old saying "Disney is for Kids." C'mon now, that's just toxic. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life. I'm here to tell you that YES, Disney is for adults and in fact, you can plan a kids-free Disney Adulting trip and still have a FANTASTIC time.
​I did, and here's how that went. . . 

Let me start by saying this was a Girl's Trip! My friend Daina and I decided we wanted a kids-free girls' weekend and thought Disney World was PERFECT for this. I know, you're thinking that going to Disney for a "kid-free weekend" is counter-intuitive because Disney is swarming with kids, right? Not necessarily true. There are quite a few perks and activities you can enjoy when you are sans kids.

Stay as Late as You Want - Especially for After Hours Events
​​Let's be honest, sometimes we call it a night because the kids are tired, but we could just keep partying! Some of the parks now have special evening hours when it is less crowded. For example, if you're staying at a deluxe Disney resort, both Epcot and Magic Kingdom have extra magic hours after the park closes. In these parks there are select nights when the park may close at 9pm but guests staying at deluxe resorts can stay till 11pm! That means an empty park for you to enjoy.

Another great opportunity to enjoy late nights is going to an After Hours party! We have partaken in Mickey's Boo Bash and Villain Night with the kids and didn't always make it to the end, but let me tell you, when I went with ADULT buddies we CLOSED DOWN THE PARK! This last trip, Daina and I did Mickey's Very Merriest After Party and it was awesome. There were tons of magic shot pictures, snow on Main Street USA, parades, fireworks, a dance party in Tomorrowland, a gazebo to meet Santa and even themed food and drinks. I have some amazing photos that you wouldn't believe are real! I'll have to do another blog JUST on that. It was so much fun, I went back to do it with Gabe and the kids, but it wasn't the same as doing it with Daina.

Adulting Disney Food and Drink
Disney isn't just churros and cupcakes. The parks and resorts are home to the full gambit of dining experiences from grab-n-go eating to fine dining. We chose to create our own Monorail Pub Crawl. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. After hitting Hollywood Studios for a couple of hours we took a bus to Wilderness Lodge to start off our drinking adventure.

Our goal was to drink our way back to our resort. For this mission we started in Wilderness Lodge at Geyser Point, took the boat to Magic Kingdom and road the Monorail around, stopping at each resort to sample drinks and appetizers. It was fantastic! We were able to get our drink on at Wilderness Lodge, The Grand Floridian, The Contemporary and The Polynesian Resort. While Wilderness Lodge and The Grand Floridian had one bar each, the Contemporary and Polynesian had at least 2, which made for quite a night and a variety of drinks. 

Another great adulting food and drink activity is going around the World Showcase at Epcot. You don't even have to ride any rides if you don't want to. In my adulting trips, we spend our whole Epcot day in the World Showcase going from one country pavilion to the next, shopping, grabbing something bubbly to drink and usually an appetizer-sized dish from the many festival booths to eat. When you're with kids, their focus tends to be on riding things, so you don't get a chance to really appreciate the detail that goes into each pavilion. You also rarely get to stay for an hour to do a tequila tasting in the Mexico pavilion or drink several kinds of sake in Japan.  Just the simple pleasure of trying the myriad of ales and lagers in Germany while eating a Mickey pretzel is priceless. These are all "boring" adult things that you can enjoy more easily when there are no kids around.
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