Walt Disney World- It's More Than Just Rides

Whenever I tell someone I'm planning a trip to Walt Disney World (or that I just got back from a trip) the first thing they ask is, "How long are you going for (or did you go for)?"  When I answer with a week, or 10 days, I know what's coming.  Inevitably, the person will ask, "What are you going to do all that time?"

My answer.. a lot!  We love the rides, shows and attractions and of course the food, but there is so much more to do.  Every trip we try to enjoy "something extra".  We've been to Disney a lot, so if we miss a ride but experience something new and extraordinary we don't mind- we'll get the ride next time!

Drew dueling with Darth Vader at the Jedi Training
Academy in August 2012

In the past, we went on a special evening safari and dinner at Animal Kingdom after the park was closed, Jason and I had a private photo shoot with Mickey Mouse when we got engaged at Walt Disney World, and Drew has participated in the Jedi Training Academy at Hollywood Studios a few times.

In March 2014, the boys tried the Pirates League
for the first time

When we went in 2014, Nathan and Drew tried the Pirates League at Magic Kingdom.  It was fun, not only for them, but also for the rest of us to watch!  At the Pirates League, you can get a pirate or mermaid makeover.  It starts with getting your pirate name, then you're brought in where a pirate uses makeup to turn you into Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates), Captain Jack Sparrow, Blackbeard, a skeleton or a mermaid.  They loved it so much, they had to go back during our most recent trip- and even Jason got in on the fun and got a pirate makeover.

In December 2015, all the boys got in on the fun!
Drew is in front, Nathan is in the middle and
Jason is in the back!

Your makeover ends with a photoshoot in a super top
secret location- so don't ask us where it is!!!

This is similar to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Cinderella castle in Magic Kingdom and at World of Disney at Disney Springs, where children can get a princess or knight makeover.  But at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, only children can get makeovers- not adults and the Pirates League is much less expensive!

While we were planning our recent trip, we decided we wanted to try more new things.  One of the stand outs of the trip was the Family Magic Tour.

Our tour guide telling us Mickey Mouse needs our help

Walt Disney World offers many tours- some lift the curtain to show you what happens behind the scenes, others let you swim with dolphins and others show you how Walt Disney's childhood is brought to life in the Magic Kingdom.  A lot of the tours are geared toward older children, teens and adults.  The Family Magic Tour is geared toward children and families.  It was basically a scavenger hunt through the Magic Kingdom! The story changes often, but when we took the tour, our tour guide told us at the start that Mickey Mouse needed our help.

A lord and a lady helped us on our way!

Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas had stolen all of Mickey's Christmas presents and had hidden them around the park.

Drew checking out the map to find where we should go next

I don't want to spoil the surprise for other families- but our search took us around the park, we interacted with a lord and lady, met Peter Pan, rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, played follow the leader and even got to meet the big cheese, Mickey Mouse, himself!

Nathan asking Peter Pan for some answers

The tour lasted 2 hours, required a lot of walking, and was $39 per person- worth every penny in my opinion!  If you have been to Walt Disney World a few times and are looking for something different to do with your kids, I highly recommend this tour.

We skipped the line and went right on
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

It was a great time for everyone- especially Drew.  He was so into the mystery and solving the clues.  He and the other kids (there were 3 families in our tour) were running through the park hoping to be the first to find the "presents".

Our tour ended when we returned all the presents to
Mickey Mouse!

Since Drew loved the Family Magic Tour so much, we decided to try Agent P's World Showcase Adventure at Epcot.  Drew has always hated the countries in Epcot, and would whine the whole time that it was boring.  Well, not this time!  In this game, kids sign up to help Agent P (from Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb) solve clues and catch bad guys in different countries around the world showcase.  Kids are given a phone and sent to a country-when they arrive in that country the phone will start giving you clues to solve the mystery.  While we were searching for clues, we were also learning more about the countries and interacting with the environment and getting an education.  Drew loved it so much, we added another Epcot day to do more missions in more countries!

We got all decked out for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

It was also the holiday/Christmas season during our trip.  There are a bunch of extras during the holidays.  We enjoyed the popular holiday attractions like Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, and the last year of the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios.

We were glad to see the Osbourne Family
Spectacle of Dancing Lights before it
left forever

We also decided to try something a little different and a lot less crowded.  We went to Fort Wilderness- the campgrounds on Walt Disney World property- and took a one horse open sleigh ride.  (It's actually a horse drawn carriage that looks like a sleigh, because there's no snow !).  During the sleigh ride, we took a 30 minute ride around the campgrounds to look at the Christmas decorations.  The people who stay at the campgrounds go all out decorating their campsites for Christmas.  It was fun, Christmasy, and laid back.

Our "sleigh" was all decorated and lit up for Christmas!

So, we stayed for 10 days and planned to also try out the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game, but we just ran out of time.  We'll try it next time.  Speaking of next time, if you ask me why we're going to Walt Disney World for so long, you'll know why!  No matter how long I go for, it's never enough!  I'm never ready to come home.