I have been to Disney World more than a few times in the last 5 years, but this is the first time I’ve taken the time to blog my trip! This is also my first Disney trip in October! This time I went with my best friend Holly and 3 of her 4 kids. We left the baby, Fox, at home because he is so little we knew it would take away from the other kids’ experience and we had the luxury of leaving him behind with his Father. It was an awesome trip! I adore Holly and her kids. Oh! My Mom came along too because I think she thinks it’s a crime for me to visit Disney without her. She also got to play grandmother to human children and she loved that (She is Nana to her granddogs of course).
I like to have goals with each trip I take to Disney, because it’s impossible to do it all. My goals for this trip were to enjoy Disney with small kids, give Holly, Finn, Charlee and Mark Kate an unforgettable experience, see Galaxy’s Edge, and take some sweet sixteen photos of Mary Kate. We accomplished all the goals!
My favorite moments of the trip mostly had little to do with Disney attractions or shows. My favorite moments included:
- Holly hugging me and thanking me for planning this trip for her and the kids. Also, seeing my Mom and Holly becoming close friends.
- Seeing the sheer joy and amazement in the eyes of all three kids, even the 16 year old, when they experienced Disney magic.
- Finn, who is five, telling me constantly “I’m gonna put your butt in your face” and wearing his Buzz Lightyear wings literally everywhere we went.
- Charlee, who is 8, holding my hand and telling everyone “I’m riding with Sarah!” at the start of every ride.
- Mary Kate crying when she saw Mike and Sully. Also, seeing her get excited and feeling pretty when I ask her to model for me.
The trip was chaotic at times, mostly because Finn is a boy and so full of energy he may explode at any given moment. Also because of, to put it nicely, teenagerdom. It was also more emotional than usual and probably my favorite Disney trip to date. There is simply nothing like seeing Disney through the eyes of kids. It really reaffirmed my desire to try for children some day.
Disney in October Details
As far as our Disney experience it was epic as always. We used touringplans.com (My favorite Disney planning site) to look at the crowd calendar and determine which days were best to visit each park. We ended up deciding this order: Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom + Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party, Rest Day at the pool, and lastly Animal Kingdom. I’m going to do an entire blog post about how I plan a Disney trip in the near future. I’m planning a trip probably for Feb/March!
We stayed at Animal Kingdom Jambo House and it was so amazing. We could literally walk out on our balcony and see Zebras, Giraffes, and so many other species. The accommodations were excellent in our 2 bedroom condo. This was the first time I rented Disney Vacation Club points to book the trip and I highly recommend it! It was a lot less expensive and so much more space for the whole family.
Galaxy’s Edge was AMAZING! I’m a HUGE STAR WARS FAN! My Dad introduced me to the series when I was little and I’ve always loved it. It feels more like a fantasy epic than a sci-fi flick to me. There are so many details it truly feels like you are walking around the planet of Batu. We drank the blue milk and waited to ride the Falcon for about 1 hr after arriving at the park at opening! I’m planning my repeat trip just so I can ride the new ride that wasn’t open when I was there. I can’t wait! And yes, I loved Rise of Skywalker! Let me know if you want a blog post about all my Star Wars thoughts!
I had never been to the Halloween party and it was so much fun! I loved seeing all the different costumes people were wearing. The trick-or-treating was fun for the kids and all the special spooky snacks were super fun to try. The parade was pretty epic, the kids really enjoyed it, and the Fireworks show blew my mind. Somehow a 12 foot tall Jack Skellington WALKED in front the castle.
However, if you get tickets for the party in hopes there will be less people there you will be disappointed. There were MORE people at the park during the party than during the day. This is probably more obvious to me however because I specifically chose to go to MK on a Halloween party day because the crowds are historically very low. This is because people who have party tickets don’t go to MK during the day because they already have tickets for the party and most other people don’t go to MK on a party day because it closes early for regular ticket holders so it’s less bang for your buck. I think spending the extra $60 per person is worth the incredibly thinner crowds during the day.
Again, more to come about my very strategic Disney planning in a future post. Let me know if you have any specific questions below!
All in all it was an unforgettable trip! Disney is truly one of my favorite places on the planet because of the nostalgia. It makes me feel like a kid again and reminds me to believe that my life is truly an adventure and full of possibility if I have the courage to pursue my dreams. If you enjoyed this post about me going to Disney in October be sure to check out the rest of my blog!
