We Went to Disney World and Here's Our Top Picks and Tips!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Bags unpacked, laundry completed and groceries purchased, all signs that we are officially back from Walt Disney World. My husband and I are beat but have to admit we are still reminiscing with our kids about our favorite rides, shows and meals. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa was just the remedy for our daily jaunts to the various parks. We splashed in the water, played in the cascading waterfalls, and slid down the winding waterslide at the beachside pool. Even better, a monorail off the second floor of the lobby zipped us to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center.

We learned very soon that our ideal day consisted of arriving at a park around 9 a.m. and departing by 3 p.m., which left us time for the pool, showers, and a relaxing dinner. At the San Angel Inn at the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot Center, we enjoyed a boat ride and then dined under the stars listening to marimba music filling the air. I started with the Ensalada de la Casa (mixed greens with jicama, spicy pumpkin seeds, orange wedges, cilantro and mint) and then moved on to the Filete Motuleno (grilled beef tenderloin over black beans, ranchero sauce, poblano pepper strips and fried plantains). My husband enjoyed the “kick” of the Tostados de Jaiba (fried corn tortillas topped with shredded crab meat, mixed with chipolte mayo, red onions, cilantro, and lime juice), but found the Camarones al Ajillo (crispy shrimp with Guajillo sauce over potato salad) not so memorable. Feeling a tad full, we skipped dessert to walk over to the France Pavilion for crepes (yummy!) and to watch IllumiNations, a fireworks, laser and water show over the World Showcase Lagoon.

On our last night, we savored the fusion of French and Mediterranean cuisine with a Florida twist at Grand Floridian’s Citricos (the closest you can get to fine dining with kids in tow). I started with the Goat Cheese Truffles (tomato, cracked pepper and sesame "truffles" with arugula, frisee, Nueske applewood smoked bacon and peaches), but the sesame truffles were a little overpowering. For my entrée, the oven-roasted grouper with couscous, mushrooms and spinach was rich and well-portioned. And from our table, we took in the view of the Seven Seas Lagoon and watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks at 9 p.m. while enjoying dessert (the Warm Chocolate Banana Tart with vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas rocked my world).

The “magical” tip to visiting any of the major parks is to arrive when the gates open. Within the first two hours, you can enjoy about 4 to 5 rides and shows with no more than a 5 to 10 minute wait. By 11 a.m., the parks get busy, the temperature rises, and it is time to use the no-charge FASTPASS. Disney’s FASTPASS allows guests to make “reservations” for certain popular rides to avoid waiting in long lines. At a FASTPASS attraction, enter the FASTPASS distribution line to get your FASTPASS ticket with a designated return time. The assigned time will give you a 1 hour window to return. Keep in mind that there are restrictions as to how many passes you can have at once. Your FASTPASS will have the time that you can get your next FASTPASS printed on the ticket.

On our kids’ first trip to Disney World, we visited the 4 major parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Our 6 year-old and 4 year-old still cherish the pool, so we did not push the schedule. The most planning we did was every morning at breakfast we would mark the popular attractions and try to hit these first and then FASTPASS the ones we could not make before the crowds converged. So without further ado, here are our top picks:

· Magic Kingdom: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Space Mountain should have been on this list, but the ride is currently closed for refurbishment.

· Epcot: Mission: SPACE, Test Track, Maelstrom, Soarin'

· Hollywood Studios: Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Star Tours, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Toy Story Midway Mania (New!)

· Animal Kingdom: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest

As for the Disney Dining Plan, we found tracking our meals and snacks confusing and annoying. The plan is exclusive to guests staying at Disney resort hotels and allows you to pre-pay for most or all of your meals. For each night of your package stay you will enjoy 1 Table-Service meal, 1 Quick-Service meal, and 1 Snack. Note that alcoholic beverages and tips are not included in the plan. While the dining plan may be a good deal, we found that any savings did not outweigh the benefit to us of convenience – eating what we want, where we want, when we want.

Finally, for you non-planners, trying to make dining reservations after you reach Disney World will be tough. I strongly suggest that, in particular for some of the more popular sit-down restaurants and character dining experiences, you make reservations up to 90 days in advance. As for the noted character meals, we met Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom. We tried to reserve at Chef Mickey’s (featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofey and Pluto), but we could only get an 8 p.m. slot (ummm, no thanks). We could not get a reservation to Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom, but my daughter was more than ecstatic to see Belle, Arielle, Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty at Princess Storybook Dining in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot Center. We did reserve at 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian with Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland and Mad Hatter on our last morning, but we ended up cancelling. At that point, all my kids wanted to eat was cereal,, and all we wanted to do was go to Magic Kingdom for the last few rides and then hop on the Magical Express to head home.