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Disney World 2022: Magic Kingdom + Animal Kingdom

written by Parita Leave a Comment

I’ve been sitting on this Disney post for a while now! I thought I’d type it all out before I forget some of the important details.

Ok, first and foremost, some context about our group. We went with two other families, so there were 10 people total in our group – six adults and four kids (7 yo, 5 yo, 4 yo, and 3 yo).

Where we stayed

We rented a house in the Reunion Resort in Reunion, FL. We decided to stay off property because we 1. wanted to stay altogether and not in separate rooms 2. we inserted a ‘free’ day in between our two park days and figured a house would allow us to relax and have fun (we had a pool), and 3. we preferred having a kitchen and buying groceries to eating out the whole time (a big perk was being able to eat breakfast at home and then pack simple lunches for everyone to eat at the park).

The house we rented sleeps 16, so we had plenty of space. The kids slept in bunk beds (boys in one room, girls in another) and each of the couples got a spacious room to themselves. Everyone had their own bathrooms too.

Free day

Before I talk about Disney itself, I have to say that inserting a free day between park days was the best idea because it allowed us to rest, recuperate, and then go hard one more day. If we had done back to back park days, I think our group would’ve been exhausted and a littler miserable. Even though we went in early October, it was still hot, and I was definitely a sweaty mess at times! We spent our day by/in the pool (in our backyard), and it was so much fun!

Genie, Genie +, Lightening Lanes, and Rider Swap

Ok, so this whole Genie/Genie + thing brought up a lot of discussion as we were planning out our days. I didn’t truly get it until the middle of day 1, so don’t feel silly if you’re like, “What the heck is this?!”

I’m going to share a simple analogy that our group came up with…

Genie is a FREE app and it’s like a highway – everyone is allowed, anyone can access, and in fact, it’s sort of must download and use kind of thing. It tells you what the wait times are for certain rides, it has restaurant info on it, it has a map, etc. The Genie app is basically your one stop shop for all things Disney.

Now, Genie Plus is like the HOV lane. You have to pay to get this service. Essentially, you can reserve your arrival time in advance for one ride at a time using the Lightning Lane. Once you’re checked in for a ride, you can use Genie + to reserve your next ride. It’s not AS simple as that, but it’s a great resource to have when you’re trying to do lots of things in one day. Genie + is not free. I believe we paid $15 per person per day for it. I would highly recommend purchasing this for everyone in your party.

And just to add on another layer to this puzzle, there are rides at each park that have their own lightening lane pass. HOWEVER, if you are not staying at a Disney resort, you can only access this via the app at 8 am (not 7 am like with Genie +). At Magic Kingdom, the ride was Mine Train and at Animal Kingdom it was the Avatar ride/experience.

One little hack that helped us with getting everyone on Avatar was a rider swap. So we had six adults in our party. The three girls basically stood in the regular line for Avatar (about 1 hour and 45 minutes long). We rode the ride, came out, and the guys got to go through the lightening lane line (which was much shorter). While we were in line waiting, they took the kids on another ride. All we had to do was let the attendants at the front know that we wanted to do a rider swap. They did something in our app to get everything to register correctly, and we were good to go.

Pixie Travel

Truthfully, I wasn’t involved at all in booking the parks and all that came with, but my friend Samir (and my friend Monica who went in September) worked with Pixie Travel to build our itinerary. If you’re looking to make the planning process more efficient, I recommend checking them out.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom was the first park on our itinerary. While we were all exhausted after our day at the park, all of us also had a blast!

Here are the rides/experiences we did…

  • It’s a Small World
  • Pirates of the Carribbean
  • Mine Train*
  • Dumbo
  • Big Thunder Mountain*
  • The Barnstromer* (great beginner roller coaster)
  • Tomorrowland Speedway (would’ve been fun except I was leading our lane and got stuck behind a slow poke!)
  • Jungle Cruise (Kaiden and I didn’t go on this one)
  • Stage show (we happened across this at the castle on our way to a different part of the park)*
  • Parade (this was a fun break for the kids/adults!)*
  • Nighttime fireworks*

*The rides I highly recommend!

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom was an absolute blast! We had so much fun exploring and taking in all the different sights and sounds!

Here are the rides/experiences we did…

  • Lion King show*
  • Finding Nemo show*
  • It’s a Bug’s Life*
  • Safari*
  • Everest* (a roller coaster)
  • Gorilla walk*
  • Avatar* (an immersive roller coaster like experience)

Soooo as you can see, I recommend it ALL! The shows are a great way to be entertained and rest your body and/or cool off from the heat. The rides/experiences are just so well done and fun. Even the simple Gorilla Walk we went on while waiting for our lightening lane time was interesting for everyone!

Overall impression

The last time I went to a Disney park, I was a teenager. Going back as an adult, I didn’t know if it would appeal to me as much as it would to Kaiden. But I was so wrong! They really do know what they’re doing. From the rides, to the customer service, to the cleanliness of the park, to just about everything. The magic that’s present and created throughout is so fun.

Misc. tips

Strollers – If you’re renting strollers at the park, which I highly recommend you do, even if you think your kid can walk the whole time, definitely figure out how the strollers work beforehand. And try to do all the adjustments beforehand as well. It’ll save you time when you get to the park.

Dole Whip – Dole Whip is as good as they make it sound! Unfortunately, they were out of the pineapple kind while we were there, but I tried the strawberry, and it was delicious. They also have alcoholic versions…just saying!

Magic Kingdom nighttime fireworks – While this was an amazing fireworks show, and super cool to see at a Disney park, my personal advice is to leave a little early and not stay for the whole thing. You could even position yourself near an exit and watch from there and then jet out. We got out semi-early, and the crowd behind us was insane. Not something I wanted to get stuck in with a tired kid.

Pack food and take coolers – There are plenty of restaurants and fast food type places in the parks, but you can bring your own food and I would highly recommend doing this. We packed PB&J sandwiches, snacks, fruit, and water/drinks for everyone. Hunger could hit while you’re waiting in a long line, and while that’s fine for adults (for the most part!), for kids it’s just not. I’m so glad we did this!

Freeze water bottles and/or any drinks the night before – This was a handy little tip someone shared with us. Freeze water bottles the night before so that when you’re ready to drink them at the park, they’re nice and cold and stay that way the whole time.

That about sums up our Disney trip! Let me know if you have any questions. Happy to help!

Written on November 9, 2022 Related:Friends, Life, Travel, Uncategorized

Girls Weekend in Asheville

written by Parita 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Asheville with six of my girlfriends, and it was an absolute blast! We laughed, we talked, we ate, and we slept. Glorious!

In addition to it being a girls’ weekend, we were also celebrating two of our friends 40th birthdays! So this was an extra special trip!

We chose Asheville because it’s a short (ish) drive from Atlanta. There’s great food. And if you’re into it, the hikes and natural beauty of the city and surrounding area are majestic!

Also, and maybe most importantly, the spa at The Omni Grove Park Inn is quite spectacular. We thoroughly enjoyed our half day of hanging out and getting massages.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at The Omni Grove Park Inn because that’s the only way to access the spa right now. The property itself was beautiful and definitely had a lodge feel to it. The grounds are also well kept and really pretty. The rooms were just ok in my opinion. They felt a little outdated, but they were clean and sometimes that’s all you can ask for! I will also say that this hotel has quite a lot of original features – paintings, memorabilia, and even elevators that are manned by someone. It was a fun experience overall!

What We Did

Biltmore Estate – As soon as we arrived in Asheville we had lunch and then. headed straight to the Biltmore Estate for a wine tasting. Priorities! We then drove over to the Biltmore House and walked around the gardens before dinner.

A quick note – if you want to see more of the Estate, plan to spend 6-8 hours on the property. We didn’t have that kind of time, so we chose a couple of things and stuck to those.

A hike – There are so many beautiful hikes of all levels in and around Asheville. We wanted something low key and chill that got us out of the hotel and moving. We hiked Richmond Hill Park and enjoyed it. It’s not the most scenic hike but it was enjoyable. Definitely do your research and get out there if you can.

The Omni Grove Park Inn Spa – This spa experience is what our whole trip revolved around. We checked in around noon on Saturday and left at 5:30-6pm. It was just the medicine each of us need to feel pampered and relaxed. We indulged in most of the spa’s pools and rooms (re: sauna, etc.). We also each got an amazing massage, that if I do say so myself, was the highlight of the trip (well, the whole spa experience)! If you’re staying at the OGPI, definitely don’t skip the spa!

Elaine’s Piano Bar – Elaine’s is located in the OGPI, so it was an easy after dinner activity…and fun too! There was plenty of space, and the two pianists were a blast to watch as they dueled their way through different songs. And while you can put in requests, I will say that most of the music fell on the country side of the spectrum, so don’t expect anything too wild and crazy!

Where We Ate

White Duck Taco Shop – Tacos of all kinds (vegetarian options were plentiful), delicious and refreshing drinks, and lots of fun sides to indulge in too. I especially liked the low-key, fun vibe of this place. 100% felt like we were in Austin (one of my favorite foodie cities!). Definitely time your visit right because the lines can get long at peak times.

Plant – This was one of my favorite meals of the trip. Plant is a vegan restaurant that serves delicious, fresh, and unique dishes that anyone and everyone will love. HIGHLY recommend checking this place out. Oh and don’t skimp on the dessert – it was DELICIOUS!

Curate – I wanted to love Curate but honestly found it mediocre. The menu includes a good number of vegetarian tapas, however, the food was nothing to write home about. It was good but not great. One positive thing – you can’t beat the location – right in the heart of DT Asheville.

RosaBees – Rosa Bees was one of my favorite brunch experiences EVER! It’s a Polynesian restaurant so definitely didn’t know what to expect, but everything we ordered was scrumptious! The egg dishes were perfectly balanced, the biscuits were buttery and so soft, the banana French toast was sweet, dense and dessert like, and the drinks were super refreshing. HIGHLY recommend making a reservation here.

And now I miss my friends and our fun weekend in Asheville! I hope this is helpful if you ever visit the city and need help planning.

Written on September 1, 2022 Related:Friends, Travel, Uncategorized

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