The fam and I have been to Disney many times in the summer so we feel like old pros when hitting the parks during their ‘melting point’. Packing the essentials like hats, cooling cloths, neck fans, and wicking clothes is a no-brainer but also making sure we plan for plenty of pool time and midday breaks is a requirement. Every year it gets hotter and hotter and we sweat more and more, but we still have a blast and make some incredible memories. Late June of this year was no exception and, while it was well over 100 with the heat index, we had so much fun!

Our home base for this trip was Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge resort. We’ve stayed here several times, including during our pre-cruise stay in March. This time we had a one-bedroom villa in a fantastic spot right near the entrance to the villa building. These rooms are incredible and have been recently renovated. They feature a master bedroom with a king bed and a living room with a wall pull-down queen bed. The wall pull-down beds are being installed in a lot of different room types at Disney and are MUCH more comfortable than the old-style sofa beds. These have one single piece mattress instead of a mattress that folds and has bars underneath to support it. We also had a full kitchen, washer and dryer (very useful in the summer, I probably did 10 loads of laundry!), and a huge master bathroom with a water closet, large walk-in shower, two separate vanities, and a large soaking tub. Two patios (our room was a ground floor room, otherwise we would’ve had two balconies) completed the comfortable accommodations.

Wilderness Lodge is located in the Magic Kingdom area with resort boat service direct to the park. Bus service is available to the other three parks and Disney Springs. The Lodge does share buses with the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness resorts from certain parks, but I think that’s fun because you get to see other resorts that you might not ever visit. The boat service is very peaceful and a nice breezy ride; we were even fortunate to see Magic Kingdom fireworks from the dock and on the boat as we were leaving one night (in the pouring rain!) We spent a good bit of time in the villa pool at the resort which was a welcome respite from the heat. Plenty of chairs and tables are available here as well as free cabanas available on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s also super easy to mobile order lunch from Geyser Point Bar and Grill or Roaring Fork at the hotel and walk over to grab it in minutes. There is a second, larger pool at the resort and it features a water slide, daily activities, and a water play area for children. We chose the quieter option and spent our pool time floating and relaxing. The lobby of the Lodge is truly stunning with gigantic totem poles and a creek that flows from the lobby to the outside. Since Wilderness Lodge often comes in at a lower price point than some of the other deluxe resort options, this is a favorite of mine and my clients.

As far as the parks, we skipped Animal Kingdom this time as a last-minute decision. We had a longer trip planned but had to cut it a bit short due to a sick kitty at home so Animal Kingdom got booted. Hollywood Studios was a highlight this time as we returned to Savi’s Workshop and the kid built another of their custom lightsabers. I tell you, those get cooler every time! Savi’s has updated their pieces available for the builds so, if you’ve built one before, you might need to go check out the new pieces and build another! If you do build a lightsaber, or purchase a legacy lightsaber from Dok Ondar’s, be sure to get plenty of pictures in the daylight and after it gets dark. The PhotoPass photographers are great at helping you pose just the right way to show off the blade in the dark and come away with some nice shots. We were in Star Wars Launch Bay (great place to go inside to beat the heat) and a PhotoPass photographer came in with some of the legacy sabers and was offering to take pictures of guests with those. That was a lot of fun to see and the kid took advantage of that as well. Watching how the photographers pose the guests with the sabers also gave me tips when it came time to take my own pictures. This is great if you want lightsaber shots but don’t want to shell out the cash to buy your own.

While in Hollywood Studios, we were able to try the new Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant. There was a bit of a wait before we were seated and the holding area for the restaurant is in the sun, very hot. I hope they put some umbrellas and more fans out in the future. Once inside the restaurant though, we had so much fun. The food was great and it is all-you-care-to-eat. I will say, vegetarians should just skip the plant-based platter, unless you’re really into the meat substitutes. I’m not and that essentially all went to waste. However, the sides, biscuits, and desserts were divine. I’ve already got reservations to go back on our next trip. The macaroni and cheese there is the best! Disney macaroni and cheese normally leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion but this was perfection. There are no characters here but the theme is super fun and we had great service.

Epcot was also in our plan, as it always is being one of our favorite parks. We had lunch at Space 220, which we’ve done before, and find the restaurant to be constantly evolving. In the past, when you ordered a kid’s mocktail, you were given fun trading cards based on parts of the restaurant. Those are no longer available, which is a bummer. However, the mocktails and cocktails are really good so I wouldn’t skip those. I just would’ve liked the cards as we have been collecting them. The menu changes from time to time too and I enjoy the food and theme but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I liked Roundup Rodeo better. The fam would likely disagree with me on that but that’s my take. I also feel like Space 220 is a long experience and you can easily spend two hours in there without realizing it, which hampers getting other things done in the park if you’re short on time. We watched the Epcot Forever nighttime show, which returned recently, and enjoyed that much more than Harmonious, the show that just ended.

One of our main to-dos on this trip was the Keys to the Kingdom tour in Magic Kingdom. This tour is a separately priced add-on and takes about 5.5 hours of walking in the park. Lunch is provided, as are plenty of breaks, and guests have to be age 16+ to participate. We went on the tour years ago before the kid was born and we had been waiting for her to turn 16 so we could go again. Then COVID happened, tours were stopped, and now that she’s almost 19, we finally got it scheduled. Life. (And maybe I should stop referring to her as ‘the kid’ since she’s an adult now… hmm…) The tour takes you around the park, both on-stage in guest areas and backstage where only Cast Members are allowed. We were able to ride Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion during the tour and also see various backstage areas including the famed underground utilidors. I won’t include any spoilers other than to say that if you’re a Disney fan and have been to Magic Kingdom more than a few times, this tour is superb. We had dinner one evening in Magic at Crystal Palace, known for the Pooh and friends characters that come around during the meal. While we no longer need character dining, we still find ourselves at character meals from time to time and quite enjoy Crystal Palace. I will say that it often seems to run behind schedule so that can be a pain. One of the biggest thunderstorms blew in while we were eating at Crystal Palace though and our delayed start to the meal was quite welcomed.

I got the hubs, who is prone to extreme motion sickness, on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind while in Epcot which was no small miracle. Alas, I think that was his last time on the ride and I’ll be a single rider from now on. Guardians is my most favorite ride of all and really revolutionized the concept of the roller coaster, but it also makes the hubs and the kid turn green. Phooey. We all rode Tron in Magic Kingdom again and I swear, one day I’ll ride it in the dark. All of the times we’ve been on it so far have been in the daytime and I totally forget about riding it in the dark until after we’re back home. The ride is a lot of fun for all but looks extra special in the dark with the lighting on the lightcycles when they come out of the ride building at the start of the experience.

Oh yeah, torrential downpours. You’re going to have those in Florida most of the year, especially in the afternoon in the warmer months. That triggers lots of people to leave the parks but you’re better off to hunker down somewhere and wait for the storm to pass. If it is an extended rainstorm, and we’ve hit tons of those, get an umbrella and keep going. Outdoor rides will close but anything indoor will remain open as will the shops and shows. People really tend to panic when it rains but just tough it out and you’ll be fine. We bought one of the best umbrellas in Epcot in China at the House of Good Fortune shop during one such rainstorm. It is a very large golf umbrella with a padded handle and no logos or anything on it. From what I recall, it was only like $20 and $20 very well spent. We still use it at home now. I saw lots of other guests putting on ponchos when the rain hit but there was no amount of rain that was going to make me put on a poncho this time. I already felt like a piece of bacon in the sun and certainly didn’t need to add to that by wrapping myself in plastic. Getting rained on felt pretty darn nice and, as long as I don’t get soaked completely through, I’m good to go. Shoes can be an issue in the rain, which is why I recommend to my clients that they pack two pairs of shoes in case one gets soaked and needs time to dry out.

Another fabulous Disney trip in the books and looking forward to the next one this fall!

xoxo,

Amber