Walt Disney World Parks & Recreation | Family Things To Do

Walt Disney World

There are so many things to say about visiting Walt Disney World. I grew up in Anaheim, California just 2 miles from Disneyland and my parents took me there throughout my entire younger years of my childhood. So with that being said, of course, I LOVE DISNEY! When my husband and I started having children and living here in the beautiful Tampa Bay area, we wanted to provide our boys with those same wonderful memories that I went experienced. If you’ve never visited Walt Disney World, all I have to say is it is a must! It is a must especially if you have children. Just to see their eyes twinkle and their faces light up with excitement says it all.

Please enjoy these photos of our Walt Disney World encounters! And if you’re looking for affordability, check this out.

Hollywood Studios

“Honey I shrunk the kids” is an interactive playground that children can have fun jumping on, sitting on, running about pretending that they are microscopic to the size of an ant. As you can see from our boys’ face, they are having a great time!

We made custom t-shirts for our family. Each of us was a character from “Winnie the Pooh.” When it’s a hot day in Orlando, one of the best treats you can get is ice cream! They are great to eat as you sit and watch the parade!

Disney Springs (formerly known as Downtown Disney)

If you want a leisurely morning, afternoon, looking for a bite to eat or unique shopping, Disney Springs is the place! Look at what we ran into. An R2D2 mailbox! We had to check it out. It was so cute and made for a great photo op!

Animal Kingdom

What are two things that kids usually want to do at a theme park? Ride the rides and meet the characters of course! Our two boys were having a little competition of who could get there first. Nowadays, you can reserve fast passes (a reserved time slot in which you can get on a ride) ahead of time on your mobile device or in the comfort of your home.

Our oldest son, Christopher, was having a blast playing this instrument. Nowadays, he is a talented musician playing the drums!

On downtime taking a break, our boys decided to be “Goofy!”

Magic Kingdom

If you go to Walt Disney World in the summer, bring plenty of water and patience. If you don’t have fast passes, the lines can be pretty long. You don’t want to get dehydrated and you don’t want cranky children. If you have really small children, bring something they can be entertained with while in line or even better, make up a game.

Hollywood Studios

Our family has been to MANY Star Wars weekend themes. Currently, they don’t have these weekends anymore. Instead, they are in the works of building a Star Wars land at one of the theme parks. I believe it’s going to be at Hollywood Studios, but I’m not certain. Now THAT is going to be a trip we plan to attend!

Meeting actors and voice-overs from many Star Wars TV series & movies were one of the main highlights of our trip to these special Star Wars Weekends. The stars were also a part of the parade. If you planned ahead, you could get an autograph & a photo with them.

During Star Wars weekends, there were many dressed up in costume. However, this was a cast member who looked identical to Anakin Skywalker! Amazing resemblance!

Disney Cruise

In 2006, we surprised our boys with a Disney Cruise vacation! It was one of my favorite all-time memories with our young sons. The cruise had an entire deck dedicated to children’s activities. It made a few island stops. One of them was Disney’s private island called Castaway Cay. You can find more information on this private island here: Disney’s Castaway Cay

St. Maarten is a beautiful island retreat with a laid-back atmosphere where you can just relax, shop and taste delicious food. This was one of the ports the Disney Cruise stopped at.