Among the many choices in every arena of the gigantic fun machine that is Walt Disney World, you may not have thought all that much about how you will tour the park on each day of your itinerary. If you are like me, you may want to give it a little thought.
Editor’s note: Please welcome our newest writer, Jolie, to The Affordable Mouse writing staff. Jolie is planning a Disney vacation as a single mom, and will be sharing her planning experiences here in a new monthly column. She has some great stories to tell and…well…I think I’ll let her tell you herself. 🙂 Take it away Jolie!
Happy Friday, my Disney friends…or friends-to-be, I should say. Hi, I’m Jolie, the newest writer for The Affordable Mouse, and I am just thrilled to be here, sharing what I know and what I’m learning!
I’ve had a lifelong love of Disney. I was fortunate enough to go as a child, and again as a teen with a musical theatre group. I grew up with the dream of becoming a character at Walt Disney World, and my parents, being the wonderful, amazing people they are, gave me that opportunity when I was barely 20. I flew down (my super-supportive Dad came along, of course!), auditioned, even made it to the costume fittings (I was JUST the right size for Tweedle-Dum and Dee, go figure), and in my final dance, wearing the costume…FELL. FELL! On my Tweedle-Dum bum. Not only did I FALL, but I fell right on top of a giant Mickey-ears hat, and of course…it broke. Thank goodness my faithful father was there to support the mass of tears that came out of the audition room! I was offered a wonderful position at the Boardwalk’s ESPN Club, and I just loved it there.
Note from Nancy: I am a pretty well-documented Ride Wimp. Brenda offers a different perspective today…along with some great information on some of Disney’s most scary…er, exciting….rides. Enjoy! 🙂
Are you a thrill-seeker or a ride wimp? For me, the answer is yes! My favorite rides at Walt Disney World are the highest, fastest, and craziest — and yet, I break out in a cold sweat if I have to ride Dumbo and I won’t even get near the Astro Orbiter.
I used to think I was afraid of heights because I get very nervous on high bridges and Ferris wheels; but I love Space Mountain, Rock N Rollercoaster, and Expedition Everest, so that can’t be it. Then, I decided I was afraid of falling — but the fact that the Tower of Terror is my all-time favorite nixes that idea as well.
So, I’ve decided that I have a fear of “falling out.” Surprisingly, I think I may have recently found out why. I was talking to my oldest sister recently; she is 8 years older than I and she was talking about a time when our parents had taken us to an amusement park. She was 11 at the time, my middle sister was 6, and I was 3. She said we rode on a ride that we sat down in and it went up in the air and flung us around. She spent the whole ride terrified because my sister and I were nearly flying out and she was holding onto us for dear life. She said it was the worst experience of her life and she has hated rides ever since. I don’t consciously remember that ride, but I am pretty sure something in my subconscious does; and I think it affected me enough to make me afraid of falling out of rides in the air — at least those on which I can see the ground.
My husband always teases me saying, “It’s not the falling out that you fear, but the sudden stop at the end of the fall.” Thanks, honey!
Somehow, being in the dark psyches out my mind, I mean I realize I am up high and the danger is still there but it doesn’t bother me if I can’t see the ground. It is the same with outdoor rides that drop; I cannot ride them at all, but I absolutely love the Tower of Terror.
I decided to write this blog for anyone out there who is preparing to visit Walt Disney World for the first time and who may be a ride wimp from a fear of heights, falling or “falling out.” I wanted to try to give you a heads-up on some rides you might be unsure about. My main goal is to make sure that no one misses out on a great ride at Walt Disney World for fear of not being able to handle it. I decided I would give you a list of each “questionable” ride in each park and whether or not this thrill-seeking ride wimp will ride it.
Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — love it with the hands in the air the whole time. It does go up and down but not high in the air and it is fast and loads of fun. Sometimes it is a wild ride but it has a good safety bar and it is perfectly safe.
Splash Mountain – love it. There are several drops on this ride and, of course, the last one which is up very high. It is really beautiful inside so don’t miss it. Plus, the way I look at it, if the ride doesn’t even require a safety bar then how dangerous can it be?
Space Mountain – love it. I love rollercoasters as long as they are in the dark. Somehow darkness psyches out my mind and even though I know I am up in the air I am ok because I can’t see the ground.
Astro Orbiter – no way. Aside from the fact that the ride itself goes up in the air like Dumbo, it is already on top of a building. You have to take an elevator up to the platform to get onto the ride.
Barnstormer – like it. This ride is what some (ok, most) people call a kiddie rollercoaster. It is a lot of fun; the only problem is that it doesn’t last long enough.
Peter Pan’s Flight – like it. Even though I fear falling out, the seat is so large that I can move a good distance from the side. Looking down isn’t scary because everything is so beautiful to look at and the ride was marvelously designed to tell the story of Peter Pan.
Dumbo – no thank you, unless I am with a newbie. Dumbo goes up in the air and I do not feel comfortable on this ride at all. In fact, I get extremely nervous and break out in a cold sweat. However, if I have a first-timer on the trip with us, I will ride it as this is a Disney icon after all. When we don’t take a first-time visitor with us I avoid the sweet elephants.
Magic Carpets of Aladdin – no thanks. These flying carpets go up in the air like Dumbo. This is not my idea of a good time.
Swiss Family Tree House – no thanks. When my kids were young, I would reluctantly go in the tree house, across the “wooden” bridges that are up 6 stories in the air. I remember being rather panicky when crossing them. Now that my kids are older and they don’t want to go on it anyway, we just walk on past.
Epcot
Soarin’ – love it. If you are afraid of heights or prone to motion sickness, don’ be scared off by the warnings at Soarin’ as it is such a wonderful ride I would hate for you to miss it. Soarin’ is not a traditional ride. It does “take off” but it only goes up a certain amount and then stops there for the rest of the time. Just don’t look down. If you are terrified of heights, just ask to be in row 3 as it rises up the least. Personally, I love row 1 (which goes to the top). Please give this ride a try; it is beautiful and the sensation of flying is totally awesome!
Test Track – love it. This is an awesome fast ride. You cannot see how far up you are and this ride is so much fun. Don’t miss it.
Animal Kingdom
Expedition Everest — love this ride. It is so fast and fun! There are high drops and riding backwards fast in the dark. It is very exciting. If you have a fear of falling out or a fear of heights, just do what I do and look at your lap or keep your eyes closed when going up the steep trek to the mountain. Oh, and I never sit in the very front seat. I did it once and once was enough. Other than that I love this ride.
Primeval Whirl — like it. This is like a roller coaster combined with a tilt-a-whirl. It spins and dips and even though the drops are steep, they are only about 20 feet. Sometimes you tackle the drops facing forward, sometimes facing backward, and sometimes you spin while falling. Should you ride it? If you are afraid of heights, then maybe not. If you’re afraid of falling, then maybe not. If you are afraid of falling out, then maybe not. But, I am able to ride it because it is so much fun. I have some anxiety but I really enjoy the spin factor.
Tricera Top Spin – no thanks. These dinosaurs go in the air like Dumbo. I don’t have small children and my children don’t feel the need to ride this one because they consider it a kiddie ride. I don’t feel the need because I could fall out and I would have palpitations that I can do without.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Tower of Terror – LOVE IT. This is my all-time favorite ride and you can get an inside glimpse as to why by reading my previous blog about my favorite ride here.
Rock N Rollercoaster – love it. This is an awesome rollercoaster in the dark with lots of neon accents. It goes very fast, does some loops and twists, and goes upside down; all the while playing great Aerosmith tunes right into your ears. It is fantastic fun!
Downtown Disney
Characters in Flight Balloon Ride? Uh, emphatic NO! Enough said.
Please keep in mind that I am not offering a professional opinion. Fears are very real and you should ride whatever you are comfortable riding. I just thought that, if you are like me, you might find this information helpful.
If you would like to read about the rides from another ride wimp’s point of view, check out Nancy’s article from Chip & Company here.
My family and I haven’t had any trouble making our different ride styles work for us. My husband has a fear of falling so he will not ride Tower of Terror with me at all. He watches all our stuff and enjoys people-watching while we are on the ride. My oldest is not afraid of any rides but likes the dark coasters least. He also will not try Mission Space because my husband and I both experience vertigo issues after we rode it years ago. We have not tried the tamer version because we don’t want to chance it. My middle child is not afraid of any rides at WDW. My youngest is not afraid of anything and the bigger the thrill the better. I have ridden Dumbo with the kids and I will continue to ride it only when we take first-timers as this is a true Disney icon that every first-time visitor must ride and I want them to share the experience with at least one of us. While my family rides the Astro Orbiter I usually people-watch, ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin or go into the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. Dealing with our differences and having a great time at the parks has been no problem at all; we just go with the flow.
Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.
I am so thrilled to be writing for The Affordable Mouse. Each Tuesday and Thursday I will be sharing as 
many ideas and tips with you as I can. I decided that for my introductory piece, I would invite you into my home so I can share one of my biggest time-savers with you. It is a large plastic bin I keep up in one of my closets and I call it my Disney Trunk. The contents of this box have been very important to me over our last ten years of traveling to Disney World, so I am going to give you a private look inside.
All of the reusable items we take on our annual trips can be found in here. Since we are a family of 5, you might guess that there are five of each item in the box:
Backpacks
We each have a backpack made of lightweight but strong prolypropylene with a drawstring closure and straps. They weigh less than an ounce when empty and are 15” high by 13” wide. Each person carries one loaded with the items below needed for a day in the parks.
Insulated Lunchbags
We pack our lunch in the mornings on the days we will eat in the parks. We usually pack a juice box, sandwich, bag of chips, fruit, snacks such as nuts, fruit rollups, etc. and maybe even a surprise special treat that I pull out in the morning. Whenever everyone decides they are ready to eat lunch, we can pick a couple of benches and people-watch while we have our lunch. An alternative would be to rent a locker and put all the lunchbags in it and then go to the front of the park when you are ready, but we like to just stop and drop.
Lanyards
We have lanyards to use during Extra Magic Hours (EMH), which is a special privilege for all Disney resort guests. Our lanyards each have a card holder attached for our key to the world (room key) which you must show at each ride during EMH. This saves us the time and trouble of taking out our key at each ride. We have even graduated to extra special ones with blinking lights so I always know where my family is if we accidentally get separated during nighttime EMH.
Rain Ponchos
I purchase these at my local Dollar store a few weeks before our trip but always have extras in the box because we have been blessed with great weather during most of our trips. They are sold two for $1.00 and I usually buy 2 packs for each person. Since most of the time, we may have to use only 1, or at the most 2, we usually have some left over. We keep 2 ponchos in each backpack – one just in case the other breaks.
Ziptop Bags
We use ziptop bags for a couple of reasons and every day we place two in each backpack. One holds our cell phone, camera and anything else we want to keep dry. The second is carried as an extra to put a wet poncho in, if necessary. We can also use the spare if we have any leftover chocolate anything from a meal so we can take it with us for a snack later. If you know me, you know I NEVER waste anything chocolate.
Cell phone pouches
Every person in my family has a cell phone, which I am sure you can understand since my kids range in age from 17 to 25. They can easily get dropped and broken if carried loose in a backpack, so each person has a soft cover pouch. The only time we use our cell phones at Disney is at night (during our chill time at the hotel) or to contact each other if we split up for a while. These pouches keep them from getting damaged hopping onto and off of rides all day. The only time we use these pouches is at Disney World so when we return home they get put right back into the trunk.
Carabiners
We have a carabiner with a water bottle holder ring for each person. Each of us carries a bottle of water in addition to the drink in our lunch kit. It can always be replenished at the drinking fountains around the parks and, don’t forget, you can also get FREE ice water at any of the quick service locations at any of the parks. We hook the carabiner to the drawstring cord at the top of our backpack.
Air Freshener
I always take a spray can of air freshener with us. I am sure you can understand why. Five people (3 males and 2 females) sharing one bathroom — need I say more? Since we are there for only ten days, we usually have enough in the can for the next visit. I replenish this item as needed.
Shoe Organizer
I have an over-the-door shoe organizer I like to use for the bathroom. The organizer has 6 rows of 4 “shoe” slots each. So, for five of us, each person gets a row. That is 4 large slots each to use for our personal bathroom necessities: deodorant, toothbrush, hair gel, hairspray, makeup, face cleanser, etc. It has been very handy to keep us organized since the resort bathroom areas are usually not equipped to handle such a large number of items and, especially, since I don’t want anyone to have to live out of a suitcase for 10 days. I use the bottom row for other items such as bandaids, pain and fever reducer, lotion, etc.
Body Glide/Monistat Soothing Care
These products are used to prevent and combat chafing (like on the inner thigh area). When my kids were young I went ahead and put it on them to keep them from having any discomfort from walking all day, getting wet on rides then taking a while to dry out, etc. We now take them just as a precaution but if we need it, we have it.
Germ-X, sunscreen, lipbalm
We have been carrying Germ-X with us for years, long before Disney installed the antibacterial soap dispensers. We still each carry one out of habit, as well as necessity. I know it is not necessary since the Disney installation but I am a moderate germaphobe so I will not even go there. I also keep sunscreen in my backpack as well as a lipbalm for each person, just in case.
Keeping all of these reusable items organized and in one place throughout the year keeps me from having to fumble around for them when our time finally arrives to go back to Disney World. About five weeks before the trip, I take out the box to see what needs to be replenished. As I was reviewing this article I had to laugh at the sound of having my grown kids put their phones in the pouches and keeping lipbalm in my bag for them. It sounds hilarious, especially when I think of my oldest son who now has his own mortgage, but the thing is that we have been doing it this way for so long that it’s just natural – and when the system works, why change it? Believe me, I don’t pack their suitcases for them and I don’t hold their hand on the way to the bus stop (even though I really miss that).
One thing we all agree on and are very thankful for is that during the Free Dining offer, we get to go to the parks without having to pack a lunch and sometimes we don’t even need to take the backpacks. Free Dining makes everything easy. But, when we are really watching the budget and there is no free dining, these items have saved us time, trouble and lots of money.
I sure hope this look into my Disney trunk will help to make your trip a little easier. Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas to share!
Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.
This is part ten in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.
I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.
On our first visit to Disney World with our then 7 year old daughter, we made the decision to take the train. I had grown up traveling by train when I was young and loved the sense of adventure. And since we live in the Baltimore/Washington area, we had the ability to use Amtrack’s Autotrain, which allowed us to take our car with us. We wanted to have a car, and found out that doing this was a great way to help us have an affordable Disney vacation. We took the train down, and drove home at the end of our trip and found out we loved the train! On our second trip we again used the Autotrain, only this time we drove down and took the train home (it was VERY nice to relax and not worry about driving at the end of a Disney World vacation!).
So if you are interested in doing this and you live on the East Coast of the US, what should you know?
First of all, you will have a couple of options as to trains as well as seats/accommodations. If you choose the basic train, you will make a number of stops along the way, so be sure to look at the travel time on Amtrak’s schedule to see how long it will take…and realize that it may actually take a bit longer than estimated. It is nice if you can time the trip for overnight so you wake up the next morning in Florida, ready to go! There are several stops that are close to Disney World: Sanford, Orlando, and Kissimmee. From each of these stations you can arrange for a taxi to take you to your hotel, or from Sanford and/or Orlando, you can rent a car.
For the Autotrain, it goes from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL in about 15-16 hours, departing around 4 p.m. and arriving the following morning. While this version may seem pricier, it will include the cost of transporting your car, as well as dinner and continental breakfast the following morning. Plus you have the added bonus of being able to bring with you as much “stuff” as you want for no additional charge, provided it can fit in your car. 🙂
With both options, you have the choice of just buying a seat, or a compartment. While seats are clearly the least expensive option, you will want to make sure you will be comfortable sleeping pretty much upright for the night, and that you don’t mind not having any real privacy for the duration of your trip.
But if you plan ahead, a compartment may be an affordable option. Compartments come in various “sizes” to accommodate different family needs, often including toilets, and always including dinner and continental breakfast. This is what we chose and it was so much fun and very relaxing. We brought games, read, talked, enjoyed the scenery, and watched dvds.
If you decide to go by train, be sure to watch Amtrak’s site regularly, and check out their specials. Once you book, continue checking, since if your cost goes down, they will usually refund the difference.
Traveling by train is a totally unique experience, and can really help you have an affordable Disney vacation. If you have never done it before and have the chance, I highly recommend it! 🙂