“The most magical place on Earth.” I’m sure that phrase rings a bell. For my final fall break as an undergrad, I took a trip to Disney World. I had one day in the park, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. You may be thinking it’s impossible to experience the magic of Disney in a day but it is possible. All you need is a friend, good sneakers, and a can-do attitude. I’m going to take you through everything I did in one day at Disney, and hopefully, this will give you some inspiration for a Disney trip of your own!
We started off in Epcot; it never gets old seeing that ball in person. One of my dear friends at Disney is Pluto so I got to meet him in costume for the first time. Getting to watch him interact with little kids made me feel like a proud mom. As we said goodbye to Pluto, we heard the rhythmic sounds of drumming from the Jammitors. The Jammitors are a trio of men dressed in janitor costumes drumming and jamming out. Their happiness was so infectious and I found myself clapping and jamming along. They also did cool tricks like juggling the sticks and drumming one-handed. It’s a nice short activity to do when you have time to kill.Â
We ended our journey in Epcot by listening to the Voices of Liberty. They are an acapella group of eight people who switch their set list for every show. If you see them perform twice in one day, you will get two completely different shows which is super cool. I got to hear them sing songs like “America the Beautiful” and “Down by the Old Mill Stream.” It was absolutely breathtaking.Â
Next, we took the tram and headed over to Magic Kingdom. We stopped to listen to the barbershop quartet known as Dapper Dan. They also tap danced within their set which was super cool to witness. The second the performance was done, I saw the castle. This was something I had only ever seen on television so seeing it in person was nothing short of wonderful.Â
One of my favorite movies growing up was The Princess and the Frog so going on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure wasn’t just a want but a need. The ride started off as an experience where we got to see Tiana’s restaurant and letters between her and her family: a behind-the-scenes look into her life and then came the ride. For those who don’t know, this ride used to be Splash Mountain so it features four big drops and lots of water! The ride had life-size animatronics of Tiana, Mama Ode, and so many characters making you really feel like you were in the world. I definitely recommend a poncho for this ride!Â
We took a pit stop at the Country Bear Jamboree which featured, once again, incredibly detailed animatronics of bears singing famous country music tunes. This was followed by the Festival of Fantasy. This is the parade that features all of the Disney characters dancing and interacting with the crowd and each other. There’s even a fire-breathing dragon! After the parade, we rode Thunder Mountain Railroad which was just a fun way to get our adrenaline pumping before the next activity: the insanely fun Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I know I may sound like a broken record but the animatronics at Disney are top-notch, and this ride was no different. They have everything from a life-sized Jack Sparrow singing to wives chasing their husbands to dogs barking at their owners. It was slow so you could take in all the artistry but also fast enough to give you the ride aspect. It even featured a few splashes!Â
Our grand finale in Magic Kingdom was Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire. This was a show performed right in front of the castle featuring dancers and many characters including Tiana, Naveen, Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Mickey, Minnie, Elsa, Anna, and Olaf! It was cool because it had a short plot, so the characters lip-synced dialogue, lip-synced to some of their signature songs, and danced; such a great display of talent!
Last but certainly not least, we were in Hollywood Studios! We started in Toy Story Mania which is an experience based on the movie Toy Story. The ride was essentially a huge arcade where you would stop at different screens and shoot your targets; it’s like an arcade and ride all in one. We ended the night with the Star Wars-themed ride, Rise of the Resistance. When you entered the ride you were instantly transported as the workers treated you like you were in the movie: telling you where to put your bags, what color to stand on, and that the fate of the world was in your hands. The workers were in character from start to finish, and it really beefed up the experience. We moved through the space quickly in a shuttle-like contraption and were with life-size animatronics, a hundred stormtroopers, and fast drops that made us feel like we were truly on a space mission. It was an incredible way to wrap up my day at Disney World.Â
I hope this article gives insight into just how many things you can do in one day at Disney and gives you some recommendations for your next trip to the park!