Disney World 2023

We just got back from a trip to Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida.  I won't call it a vacation because nothing about going to WDW is relaxing.  We walked an average of eight miles per day which is a lot when you're 63 years old.

We arrived on Sunday and checked into our resort.  The military runs a resort there named "Shades of Green".  It is really quite nice and is located right by the Magic Kingdom, Polynesian Resort, and the Grand Floridian.

Our first stop was the resort's sports bar because the Chiefs were playing the Broncos.  That's an inhouse rivalry for us which I have become accustomed to losing over the last several years.

This is the view from the balcony of our room.  An absolutely beautiful view of the golf course.  During the day it was filled with golfers and at night it was filled with deer and wild turkeys.

One of the many reasons I would never choose to live in Florida--not to mention the banned books and crazy governor.

On our first day we drove to Port Canaveral to pick up Dana, Adam, and Georgie from their Disney cruise.  After dropping them off at the Contemporary Resort Irv and I went over to Disney Springs to do a little shopping and lots of people watching.  It was hot!  My hair goes completely limp and gets frizzy in humid conditions.

The next day we visited Animal Kingdom.  We're a nerdy family who likes to have matching shirts sometimes when we travel.  Here we are outside the Pandora ride.

Pretty soon the rest of the group arrived.

There is lots of stopping for drinks and snacks when it's hot...also breaks to rest the feet.

Disney does a great job of keeping things looking very nice.

Here we are at the end of the day waiting for our bus back to the resort.  

The next day was Hollywood Studios.  I didn't take any photos, but I did get a couple shots of the Rise of the Resistance holding areas.

I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I love the Storm Troopers.

If you've never been to Disney World let me tell you how it works.  You pay for your entrance tickets.  We purchased a 4-day park hopper ticket at the military rate which is about half the cost that normal people pay.  Every morning you have the option to purchase Genie+ which allows you to enter select rides through the lightening lane and avoid the long lines.  Genie+ varies in price each day depending on how crowded the park is--$15-$22 per person per day.  Then for the most popular rides you pay an additional fee to enter the lightening lane--$14 per person per ride.  It seems like Disney nickels and dimes those who are able to pay.  Irv and I like Genie+ because you can bypass most lines, but a large family couldn't afford all these extra fees.

The next day was Magic Kingdom day.  Irv and I took the monorail over to the Contemporary Resort to check it out.  Georgie's door was all decorated for Halloween.

The Magic Kingdom was all decked out for fall.

Cinderella's castle and hoards of people.  When it rained it got so hot and muggy.

Neither Georgie or I have the thrill gene so while the others went off to enjoy the roller coasters we got to hang out together.  We had way more fun than they did.

Then it was off to the castle for a late lunch.  Lots of princesses stopped by to greet our little princess.  This is Aurora also known as Sleeping Beauty.

Then there was Jasmine.

Arial.

And Merida.

Then it was time to go back to our hotels and get changed for the Halloween party taking place at the Magic Kingdom.  Our theme was the Toy Story movies with Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, Buzz, Bo Peep and one of the monster toys.

Georgie was bribed to go on the Seven Dwarfs roller coaster.  I figured I needed to be brave and go along too.  I did not enjoy it.

Everyone got to trick or treat at Disney even the adults.  They don't just give you a piece of candy at each stop, they give you an entire scoop full.  I think we each got about 4 lbs. of candy.  

Dana made reservations for us at the dessert party which included a great viewing area for the night's fireworks.  It included a buffet of every type of dessert you can imagine plus an unlimited bar with beer, wine, and champagne.

No trip to WDW is complete without a trip through It's a Small World.

The fireworks were amazing!

Disney is so creative.  The way they light up the castle is mind blowing.

I loved it!

The last day was spent at EPCOT.

EPCOT is the park for adults.  We rode a couple rides, but the Food and Wine Festival was going on so we mainly walked through the World Showcase and tried the various offerings.

Dana got us dinner reservations that included a fireworks viewing area.  We ate and drank some more until EPCOT closed for the night.

It was kind of nice walking through EPCOT after all the huge crowds had left.

This is probably my last visit to Disney World.  I enjoy a different kind of vacation these days and I'm just too old for all that walking.  It was very nice of Adam and Dana to invite us to join them.  

I was never so happy to get home after a trip!