Thrilled to have my client, Patricia McBride, share her family’s experiences with their first visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando. Enjoy!
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Dear Sheila,
Thank you so much for planning our 1st Disney vacation; my family and I had a great time. Five of us went (our daughter, my husband, my parents and myself) and five us came back completely exhausted but also wanting to go back again (some sooner than others).
As the parent to a five year old who is a huge fan of anything “princess” it was fitting that our first family vacation be to Disney World to get the full experience before she outgrows this phase of her childhood. She got to see all her favourite princesses (sometimes two or three times) and loved going to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to get her hair and nails done. They did such a great job and were extremely sweet to our daughter. They truly were “fairy godmothers”.
We stayed at the Port Orleans – Riverside which is a really great resort. It feels like a whole other world within Disney. The buildings, the layout, and the river that runs through the resort really made us feel like we were in a peaceful, relaxing place away from the noise and commotion of the Parks. It was a great place to escape to when it got really hot. The pools at the resort were great and there were so many to choose from. Our daughter was so excited to be staying in the Princess Tiana room. She loved the pictures of the princesses on the wall and the magic carpet on the floor and reading the note that Tiana left on the table. These special touches were great…she even got a message from Mickey Mouse welcoming her to the hotel. The best part though was when Grandpa figured out that there was a switch on the headboard that turned on a firework show and then proceeded to show her how it worked! Thank you Grandpa!
We had the privilege of having the free Disney-dining plan and we took advantage of it! You booked us into the best restaurants and we enjoyed every single one of them. Our first dining experience was at Cinderella’s Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom and our daughter was so excited to see the princesses that she almost fell out of her chair trying to catch of glimpse of Snow White. Best of all though, her favourite, Ariel was there. We really enjoyed our breakfasts at O’Hana’s, where Grandpa somehow had Stitch sitting in his lap (and yes, we have pictures) and Chef Mickey’s where the food and the selection was great and I got to meet Goofy (YEAH!). We also got to have dinner at Akershus where Belle was the hostess and surprise, surprise, Ariel was there too!! The best part about this meal was the small buffet of salad, cold meat, and cheeses that you could enjoy whenever you wanted. Our last dinner was at Teppan Edo in the Japanese Pavilion at Epcot and everyone loved it! Our daughter loved watching the food being prepared (our chef made a Mickey Mouse volcano out of onions) and she actually ate her entire meal using chopsticks (it was her first time using them and she did great). Oh and the ginger chocolate cake was to die for! She and I both loved it!
Getting the Park Hopper pass was fantastic as we could come and go as we pleased. We could visit Hollywood Studios during the day and have dinner at Epcot that night and not worry about entry passes. The shows at Hollywood Studios were fantastic and there was something for everyone. My daughter got to see “The Voyage of the Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage”. My husband was very happy because he got to go on Star Tours which is a great simulation ride and my parents got to see “Indiana Jones”.
The best ride by far though was going on Space Mountain! As the ride was coming to an end our daughter yells out “that was AWESOME!!!!”. She obviously had a blast.
We thank you so much for planning such a great and memorable trip for us. It was truly “magical”.
Sincerely,
Patricia McBride