As soon as your feet hit that green floral carpet, you know you’ve made it. You’re home! And, in this case, home is actually Disney World. No matter how many times you’ve been to the parks and resorts, it never seems to get old. With new foods to try, new attractions to ride, and new nighttime shows to admire, every trip is different.
But even a seasoned Disney professional runs into problems. Even a person who probably knows the parks better than their own hometown will make mistakes. So, what can go wrong on a simple Disney World vacation? What can go perfectly right? Time for a little trip report!
Let’s start with a few of the issues I ran into on my trip. Now, I’m going to preface this by saying that this is not just a list of my complaints. This is not a long rant about everything wrong with Disney World. Sure, we all have our gripes with Disney, but I’m sharing my trip problems to help you avoid making the same mistakes. Do as I say; not as I do!
The Case of the MISSING Umbrella
I took a trip to Disney World in mid-June. If you know anything about Florida, you probably know that is a horrible, horrible idea. In my defense, I wouldn’t have chosen that date if it were up to me. But when you’re in Orlando, you go to Disney World — even in June. Predictably, the weather was mind-numbingly hot, humid, and rainy.
Now, as a Disney expert, I’m no dummy. I packed my favorite rain jacket AND a small, compact umbrella. It was actually my favorite umbrella. It had little smiley faces on it. My umbrella was carabiner-clipped inside the water bottle pocket of my travel backpack. It was securely fastened. Or so I thought.
My backpack (and my umbrella) made it safely through the airport and off the plane. But somewhere between the airport and my hotel room, my umbrella disappeared. Vanished. Was it a huge deal? No. But on day two of my trip, when there was a torrential downpour, even my trusty rain jacket couldn’t really protect me. I was bummed. And if you see a cute little pink smiley-face umbrella in Orlando, call me.
14 Amazon Essentials to Survive Rainy Days in Disney World
RAIN
This brings me to my next point. The rain. I planned my trip to give myself a few park days and a few “rest” days, where I was hoping to relax by the pool and read my book. Sounds nice, right? Well, of course, the day Mother Nature decided to bring excessive amounts of rain to Central Florida was the same day I was planning a relaxing pool day.
My pool day turned into a resort day instead. Let this be a warning to you: even the best plans can go awry. Often, your day is controlled by things that are actually out of your control. You just gotta roll with it!
Our Tips and Tricks for Conquering Rainy Days in Disney World
The Long, Long Walk
I paid for a standard room at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. My room was clean, the pillows were soft, and my neighbors were nice and quiet. Overall, I truly had no complaints about my stay. OK, that’s a lie. I did have one complaint. I ended up in one of the furthest hotel rooms from the lobby. I was staying in building four of the Rock section of the resort, and my room was right next to the parking lot. In fact, I was right next to Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort!
In normal conditions (a.k.a. not 100° weather), I would have no problem walking back to my room. But when meteorologists are literally warning people about “dangerous heat,” trust me when I say that walking to my room felt like walking through the inside of a giant oven. It was brutal. If you get bothered by heat like me, you might want to try and make a room request before your trip.
EXTREME Heat
Speaking of heat, I need to talk about it some more. According to the Weather Channel, the temperatures during the first part of my visit hit the high 90s. But that wasn’t the worst part.
The “RealFeel” temperatures estimated that some days actually felt like it was over 100 degrees outside. On one particularly brutal day, my phone informed me that the RealFeel was 109°. YIKES.
⚠️WEATHER WARNING⚠️: Record Heat Predicted for Disney World
OK, now, to be fair, let’s talk about some things that made me VERY happy during my trip.
Hotel Groceries!
I placed an Amazon Fresh order and had a case of water bottles, a pack of Coca-Cola, some granola bars, and a bunch of bananas delivered to my hotel. This made it nice and easy to enjoy a quick breakfast in the morning and have something to drink both in my room and in the parks.
We LOVE to recommend some kind of grocery delivery service if you’re planning a trip to Disney World. It can save you some money AND a walk down to the food court.
Step-by-Step Guide to Ordering Instacart Grocery Delivery to Disney World
I was SO EXCITED to try the new Espresso Croissant at my hotel food court.
Good news — I loved it! It’s VERY sweet, but you can check out our full review below. Random new treats and limited-time desserts are so fun to discover. I keep a running list of some of my favorites and things I want to try, and it’s SO satisfying to check new items off my list.
REVIEW: I Cannot Emphasize This Enough. Please Go to Disney World And Get This AS SOON AS YOU CAN.
DUH — The Pool!
Finally, I had a lovely time at the pool. The pool was never very crowded, so I had plenty of chairs to choose from, and it was so nice to sit and RELAX after a busy day in the parks.
The pool is typically open until around 11PM, so it’s nice to come back to your resort pool after spending the day in the parks. Plus, it’s a GREAT way to keep cool in the hot hot summer.
Phew! Hope you enjoyed my little trip report. It’s always fun to take a quick trip down to Disney World, and I hope my fails (and favs) inspired you! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.
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