Find time for Disney park attractions
It may be possible to do everything at Walt Disney World, but who has the time? You must prioritize.
A place to start is this bucket list featuring 25 experiences. And while everyone and everything has its price — including my dream of a monthlong stay in the Cinderella Castle apartment — sometimes you also need luck or a fairy godmother.
Here are loosely arranged categories in order of increasing expense, difficulty or likelihood. Some items are subjective.
MICKEY 101
>> Ride the Magic Kingdom double-decker bus.
>> Have a picture made with Mickey Mouse, but also meet Chewbacca at Hollywood Studios.
>> Take a selfie with the groovy 1970s animatronic scientist inside Spaceship Earth at Epcot.
>> Sit in the middle seat, top row, on Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios; sit in the middle section, top row in Soarin’ Around the World at Epcot.
>> Conquer Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach and/or Humunga Kowabunga at Typhoon Lagoon.
>> Join in the Candlelight Processional at Epcot.
>> Eat a Dole Whip, even if you don’t like pineapple.
>> Order the Kitchen Sink from Beaches and Cream at Disney’s Beach Club. (For the uninitiated, eight scoops of ice cream is only the beginning.)
>> Take the Express Transport option between WDW theme parks.
>> Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Epcot.
BYO PIXIE DUST
>> Order (and share) a Nautilus drink at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
>> Take a horse-drawn carriage ride at Fort Wilderness.
>> Take the Marceline to Magic Kingdom behind-the-scenes tour.
>> Eat or drink around the World Showcase at Epcot.
>> Watch fireworks from one of the water-vessel options at Epcot or Magic Kingdom.
>> Take the Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
>> Eat at Victoria & Albert’s, the hoity-toitiest restaurant on property — at the Grand Floridian.
>> Spend a night in a room with a savanna view at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
PAGING FAIRY GODMOTHER
>> Be selected as an actor in the Enchanted Tales With Belle attraction at Magic Kingdom.
>> Be selected as the rebel in the Star Tours attraction at Hollywood Studios.
>> Be selected as the grand marshal of a parade that goes up Main Street at the Magic Kingdom.
>> Experience an emergency evacuation at a major ride such as Pirates of the Caribbean or It’s a Small World, where you have to be “rescued” from your ride vehicle.
>> Be inside Space Mountain with the lights on.
>> Spend a night (or a month) in the Cinderella Castle apartment.
>> Pilot the monorail.