Disney trips can seem overly tiring. And they probably are. In comparison to traveling other places, where you might spend time sleeping in or slowly strolling around a city, a Disney trip forces you to keep moving most of the time, especially if it's your first time or you don't visit often. For years, it's been about seeing all the main sights within a short amount of time. After all, if you only have a few days once a year to hit your favorite attractions, sometimes more than once, you probably don't want to waste your time. So, as my best friends became quickly aware of, there is no rest at Disney World.
This past trip, however, I found myself slowing down a bit. I didn't feel the need to see all the major attractions, although there were definitely a few that are always Must Dos for me (Spaceship Earth, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story Midway Mania, and so on and so forth). I didn't really want to run back and forth the whole trip (although I definitely did some running regardless).
Instead, I found myself seeking out some of the calmer attractions, many of which are perfect for the hot summer days that Florida is so well known for. My personal favorite, of course, is the PeopleMover, which I probably ride almost as often as Spaceship Earth. It's a calming attraction, and while the lines have steadily been growing longer over the past couple of years, the breeze is nice and you do get to sit down for the entire attraction. Perfect for hot days when everything else at Magic Kingdom has a 45 minute wait.
At Epcot, I spent a lot of time walking around World Showcase, which usually ends with a lot of standing, but if you really take your time and do it right, you can try a lot of food, see a lot of sights, relish in a lot of air conditioning, and even sit down. The films in Canada and China aren't particularly popular, and while you do have to stand there, there are rather comfortable seats in the French film as well as in The American Adventure. Speaking of which, The American Adventure pavilion is perfect for hot days, since you can cool off in the waiting area to listen to the Voices of Liberty before even going into the half hour show. And then there's music groups that perform on the stage outside too, so really you could spend an hour or more there alone.
Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are harder with all the construction, but I'm positive that as the new additions to each park open that will change. Meanwhile, Disney Springs is now a spectacular spot to spend an entire evening or, as it continues to develop, an entire day. It's free to visit, which makes it even better, and there's so much to explore without constantly running here, there, and everywhere.
I guess I've realized over the past couple of trips that there's much more to Walt Disney World than meets the eye, and relaxing throughout the entire resort can be just as much fun as hitting all the E-Ticket attractions. I mean, just because Ellen's Energy Adventure is outdated and sort of long doesn't mean it's not a great place to hang out when the air gets too hot and you want a break! Sometimes a 45 minute attraction in air conditioning where you get to sit the whole time is exactly what you want!
Have a magical day!
