re: My Disney World Thanksgiving Trip Report

Things I would do again:
- Getting the stroller from a 3rd party so you can have it at the resort. Plus, the rented ones in the park look extremely uncomfortable. We went with a double BOB and that thing was amazing. Only issue it folding it up on the busses was a pain. Even folded, it was huge. Be prepared to apologize a lot to people.
- Getting breakfast and snacks delivered with Amazon Prime Now. This saved us both time and money. My family usually does light breakfasts at home, so this was no real routine change. Girls had Cheerios and muffins and my wife and I had bagels and cream cheese. Also ordered diapers which saved luggage space. Being able to do quick breakfasts put us ahead of all the people fighting lines in the food court in the morning.
- Hoop Dee Do Revue. Such a great show for both kids and adults. It is a pain to get there. We had to take a bus to the MK and then a boat to Fort Wilderness. Splurge for the Category 1 seating if you can. Our table was right up front and grabbed the kid’s attention right away. Fried chicken and sides were great. The ribs I could do without. And the bottomless beer and sangria is a plus. After the show, we opted for a Minnie Van.
- Minnie Vans. Because Hoop Dee Do finished so late (11:00), we didn’t have the energy to drag the kids back on the ferry to catch a bus. So, we opted to get a couple Minnie Vans. Requested it as the show was letting out and the vans showed up within 5 mins. He had car seats for the kids and set them up for us. Best $30 I’ve ever spent.
- Snack more in the parks rather than do meals. Some of the best things at Disney are the snacks. I budgeted for each of us to have 2 snacks a day and we didn’t come close to that because we ate so much at the table service meals.

Things I wouldn’t do again:
- Not as many table service meals. First, they are incredibly expensive especially for the kids. My 5 year ate mac and cheese the entire trip. Also, they are time consuming. We had to cut time in the park to get to a dining reservation. Looking back, Akershus and Ohana were probably not worth it. Akershus is just your normal breakfast fare and the princesses were not very personable. Ohana was just poor planning on my part. I was desperate to get a reservation, so we were stuck with 4pm. Completely killed our day at Hollywood Studios.
- Avoid the shows at the parks, like Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Nemo, etc. The girls really didn’t take to them. Plus, it’s hard to keep them engaged for 30-45 mins. Also, it’s a big time hog because even if you have a FP, you still end up waiting 20 mins for the show essentially taking up over an hour of your day.
- Animal Kingdom. I just don’t see the appeal of this place. The safari is just a zoo tour. The shows are meh. And don’t get me started on DinoLand. Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest are the only things worth doing here. I could see us skipping it next time easily.

I’m happy to answer any questions. I did a lot of preparation for this trip including reading The Unofficial Guide to Disney World and getting a TouringPlans.com membership. I’d highly recommend both!