I was able to do a lot in this five-day trip. I went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, The Orlando Eye (Ferris Wheel), Sea Life, had dinner out twice with two sets of families, and managed to sleep in till noon on one of those days.
After writing a two-part recap of the trip, I ‘m going to give you a little sneak peak of the planning process and my personal thoughts on the trip. I hope you enjoy.
Related:
- Weekend At Walt Disney World Recap | Part 1 Magic Kingdom & Epcot
- Weekend At Walt Disney World Recap | Part 2 Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom
- 10 Must-See Shows At Walt Disney World
//Planning Process
The planning process pretty much started once one of my best friends Kat got into the Disney College Program over the summer. I had no plans to go to Disney in 2017, but she and I had always planned to do this trip together and last fall was a perfect time. It was earlier than expected, but I knew that I wanted to go to Disney with her and I’d never get an opportunity like this.
I’m going to be honest, I put booking the trip off for so long because it was kind of daunting. This was going to be my first trip without my family. I ended up going to South Carolina with my friends the weekend before my trip to Disney, but when I started planning for the Disney trip in late July, I assumed that this would be my first.
I put off buying tickets and getting ready for this trip for as long as possible. Kat and I discussed dates for awhile and decided that the first weekend of Thanksgiving break was the best time, so she got on the list to get those two days off. (Thankfully, she did). She also had enough work hours to give me free tickets for both days because her family has annual passes to Disney World and wouldn’t need them from her. I had assumed that I would have to buy my own tickets (using her discount), but I was grateful that she was able to offer me the tickets.
I pretty much told my parents about the trip after everything was pretty much planned (October). They were fine with it, so I didn’t have to put up much of a fight. It wasn’t like this was a spur of the moment thing and they knew that I had already set up accommodations and everything. After a bunch of questions, they were good. I bought the plane ticket pretty soon after that.
(I personally find telling my parents about trips to be the most stressful because they get worried and might try to stop me from going. My parents are thankfully very reasonable, but it still stresses me out. Can any of you relate to that feeling?)
//Where I Stayed
I have family in Orlando, so I gave them a call to ask if I could stay with them. They were super excited and were happy to host me for those five days.
I spent my first night in Orlando with them. We had a lot of fun together and they took me to visit a few attractions. We enjoyed our time together and we had dinner with another set of cousins who moved to Orlando recently.
I spent the next two days at Disney World with Kat. The night in between those days was spent at Kat’s apartment because it made more sense for me to stay there than to go back to my aunt’s house and be picked up there again the next morning. DCP cast members aren’t usually allowed to have guests sleep over, but Kat had special circumstances, so I was able to sleep in the spare bed.
Then I spent the last two days at my cousins’ house again. Those final two days were a lot of fun and I was able to relax after two straight days of walking.
//Transportation + My First Time On A Plane
I decided to fly to Orlando from Atlanta. This was my first time on a plane for all intents and purposes. (I was really young the last time I was on one.) I was both nervous and excited.
I used Skyscanner to find the cheapest flight for the dates I was going. I found a flight to Orlando at a good price on Spirit Airlines for $95. That airline charges an extra $50 to add a carry-on and I wasn’t about to pay that much money. Spirit only allows a personal item that is 18″ by 14″ by 8.” Backpacks count as a carry-on, so I couldn’t take that. Those measurements are the dimensions of a laptop bag.
I ended up packing for a five day trip inside a laptop bag. I wish I had taken a picture because that was quite a feat. I took my camera apart and wrapped the lens and body in clothes to keep them from breaking. I couldn’t bring a purse because Spirit would’ve charged me for another bag, so I wore my jean jacket, which has a lot of pockets in it, to keep my phone and tickets when I got on the airplane. I also wore the only pair of jeans I brought and tied a sweatshirt around my waste. I was not planning on getting charged for a bag.
That’s pretty much how I was able to buy a plane ticket to Orlando for under a hundred bucks the weekend before Thanksgiving. (My uncle visited us at around the same time and had to pay over $200 for his ticket)
I didn’t have to spend any money on Ubers or public transportation. My aunt and cousins picked me up and dropped me off at the airport and Kat brought her car down to Orlando when she joined the Disney College Program, so she was able to pick me up and drive to the parks. I had rides to anywhere I needed to go.
//Budget
I know that money is a very taboo thing to talk about online, but I love it when bloggers publish their monthly budgets, how much they spend on groceries, debt repayment plans, etc, so I thought I would share this. It’s not super complicated and I was able to save a lot of money. This isn’t representative for everyone, but this is how much I spent on this trip. Keep in mind that I was able to get a lot of discounts and things for free due to the fact that my friend worked at Disney, so this isn’t representative of everyone.
Flight: $95 – I already talked about how I got a cheap flight for a holiday weekend above.
Accommodations: $0 -As I said before, I had arranged to stay with my family and my friend, so I didn’t have to pay for a hotel.
Disney World Tickets: $0 – Kat got two free guest passes through her work, so I didn’t have to spend a dime on tickets. Originally, I was going to get a discount on the tickets, but she said that she had enough passes for me and I wouldn’t have to buy them. (The regular Park Hopper tickets price $104.50 per day for the weekend. I don’t know how much the discounted tickets would’ve cost, but for regular price, I’d have paid $209 for those two days.)
Food: ~$50 – This was for two days at Disney World. Kat and I took turns paying for each other’s food and she also had a few coupons for free snacks and discounts she had been saving from her job.
Souvenirs: $17 – I bought a plush stitch stuffed animal as a souvenir for the trip. I’ve wanted one since I was a kid and held myself back from buying one of the giant ones. I bought a medium sized Stitch and since Kat had a 40% holiday discount, I gave her the cash and she went to the cashier to buy it using her ID. We took advantage of her perks, which is one of the ways I saved so much money on this trip. All of my other souvenirs were free (Ex. My 20th birthday pin)
Other: ~$30 – If you read my Disney Recap, you know that my memory card got corrupted and I had to buy a new one. While I was at Walmart, I also bought gifts for my cousins because I wasn’t able to pack any for them from Atlanta. The bill was around $30.
(I’m not including the money I spent recovering the photos from the first day because I did that a few weeks after the trip)
//Going With A Friend Vs. Going With Family
The last two times I went to Disney World were very family oriented. The last trip in 2016 consisted of 15 people and the trip in 2015 had 10. That was a lot of humans to keep track of. I definitely enjoyed those trips, but there was something refreshing about going with just one other person.
Kat and I have been friends since we were fourteen, so we understand each other’s personalities really well. She was a great travel companion and I didn’t have to stress about losing people in a large group. It was much more relaxing only having one person to bounce ideas off of who was my equal compared to a large group of uncles, cousins, and nephews. I was also able to tailor the trip to exactly what I wanted to do because Kat practically lives there and let me decide. I didn’t have to think about other people’s desires, which is something I do whenever I travel to Disney with family.
//Going As A Kid Vs. As An Adult
I enjoy going to Disney infinitely more as an adult than I did as a kid. I think that’s why I keep going back every year. I appreciate the details a lot more and am old enough to ride everything. I also don’t tire out as easily, so I’m able to spend more than twelve hours walking around. Planning the trip is also half the fun for me and I wasn’t able to do that as a kid.
I’m also more of a Disnerd than I was as a kid. That’s a big factor to why I love it so much more.
//What I Wish We Had Done Differently
Kat and I are very familiar with Disney World (We didn’t even use a map!), so we were able to get a lot done in the short amount of time I was there, but there is one thing I would’ve changed.
I wish we didn’t wait around so often discussing what we were going to go next. If I were to do it again, I would be more okay with waiting in longer lines for bigger attractions instead of deciding they weren’t worth it.
I also wouldn’t have put off buying the plane tickets because I could’ve gotten them for much cheaper.
//What I Would Do Again
I definitely would choose the same weekend to visit. Even though the parks were more crowded the weekend before Thanksgiving, there were a lot of events going on and I didn’t have to worry about homework or red-eye flights like I would’ve if I had gone on a regular weekend during the semester. Because if this, I was able to stay longer. During those five days, I got to spend time with my family and do some other touristy stuff in Orlando. I also had time to rest, so it actually felt like a vacation. Spending five days there instead of just the weekend was 100% worth it.
I would do almost everything the same. I think Kat and I paced ourselves well and managed to go to all four parks in two days, which is a huge feat.
//Reflection
I can’t describe how I felt during this entire trip. I was on a high the whole time I was there. I’ve talked about this already, but there was a moment in the morning at Magic Kingdom where it hit me that I was on a trip that I had dreamed about just a few short years ago. I was consciously grateful for every moment for the next few days because I was truly appreciating every second traveling with one of my best friends. This trip was unforgettable.
This was also my first time on a plane. I wasn’t actually afraid of the flying part. I was more afraid of going through TSA and security and getting from Point A to Point B. I managed to get to where I needed to be without any difficulties. I was finally able to relax once I got on the plane.
It was also great to spend time with my family down there alone. I actually had one-on-one time with all of them, which I’ve never had before because I’ve always gone with my immediate family. It was nice to have long conversations with everyone. It was also great being treated more as an adult than as a niece because there was a difference between how I’m treated when I travel alone versus with my parents. (This applies to my trip to Bangladesh too.)
Overall, the trip was great. I love traveling to Orlando and going to Disney World. I’m glad that everything worked out the way it did.
Also, shout out to Kat, the sweetest person I know. Thanks for making this trip happen because I wouldn’t have gone otherwise. I love you <3
Okay. Here’s another resolution for 2018. I will not go back to Disney this year. Triasha, you went in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Travel somewhere new!
Okay, this is my last Disney post for a while. I will eventually write an actual guide to planning a College Disney Trip, but I hope this answers any of questions about my stay in Orlando.
I will start posting about my trip to Bangladesh next week. Check out my Instagram for tons of travel pictures. I’ll see y’all on Monday.
Have you ever been to Disney World? What is your favorite part about it? What’s your process when it comes to planning trips?