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Orlando Theme Parks Guide

April 24, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I know that it can be difficult to narrow down where to go on vacation. So, I thought I would make an Orlando Theme Parks Guide to help people figure out which park is right for their trip.

Orlando Theme Parks Guide

When planning a family vacation to Florida, it can be difficult to know which destinations are worth your hard earned money and limited time. Having visited most of the area’s parks, I thought I would do a quick overview of each park and who it’s ideal for.

Magic Kingdom

First up, I’ll start with the busiest one – Magic Kingdom. It’s the OG, the first theme park in Orlando. It’s the one with the big castle. Ha! It’s located at the Walt Disney World resort and typically costs the most to visit on a single day. I think it has a reputation for being for children (given it has Fantasyland) but I think it’s great for everyone. It seemingly has the most to do for laid back types. The food in the park is a little lacking, but I can recommend Crystal Palace Character Breakfast. This park is great for those who are young at heart.

Epcot

Epcot, also at WDW, is seen as an adults park. It’s a food mecca with a plethora of options! There’s also lots of drinks to be had, if you are of age and into that. I love visiting when there’s a festival going on for even more food and drink options! This park also has some cool stuff for kids including the Frozen and Remy rides. It is great for history buffs to learn about different countries. Kids would probably enjoy Akershus Princess Breakfast or Garden Grill Character Dinner. Adults can just pick any restaurant in the World Showcase!

Hollywood Studios

This was originally similar to visiting the big studios in Hollywood. When it opened in 1989, it was supposed to give you a behind the scenes look at movies. It doesn’t do that anymore, but it’s still fun. It’s obviously great for Star Wars and Toy Story fans. Plus, the Fantasmic Dining Package is lots of fun for all ages. It has similar vibes to Disney’s California Adventure Park, if you are familiar with it.

Animal Kingdom

Opened in the 90’s, it’s WDW newest theme park. As its name implies, it’s perfect for animal lovers! You have to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari ride! The Caring for Giants Tour is also great for elephant fans. This park has several good food options: Yak and Yeti for adults or Tusker House Character Meal are just two good places.

Universal Studios Florida

Moving over to Universal Orlando Resort, there’s Universal Studios Florida. Opened in 1990, it’s an edgier park. I love the seasonal events held at this park. I highly recommend visiting during Mardi Gras. If you are into horror/Halloween, then Halloween Horror Nights is amazing as well! The rides here are more intense than the ones at Disney. However, they just added Minion Land in 2023 and DreamWorks Land is coming in 2024! My preferred meals here are at Minions Cafe and Today Cafe (unless the seasonal booths are an option).

Islands of Adventure

Almost a decade after opening USF, Universal opened Islands of Adventure. Personally, I spend way more time at USF than IoA. However, I make time to check out Grinchmas here during the Holidays. Lots of people like Jurassic Park here as well. I don’t have a go to food place here. I guess this one is best if you like the specific IPs represented here.

Epic Universe

The newest theme park in Orlando is Epic Universe! Opened in May 2025, it features another Harry Potter land, a Universal Monsters land, Super Nintendo World, Isle of Berk, and Celestial Park. I wrote a whole separate Universal Epic Universe Tips post with tips for visiting this park. As of August 2025, you still have to purchase a one day ticket to this park to visit it. However, it’s a great addition to the Orlando theme park space!

SeaWorld Orlando

If you have a big marine animal lover or a roller coaster enthusiast, then SeaWorld Orlando may be worth a day or two. My mom and I have done several animal add-on experiences here and loved each one! The Sharks Underwater Grill makes for a fun meal. They have lots of fun shows to watch and have been adding a new coaster about once a year for the past several years. In a few years, they will even have their own resort! So, this one is growing and will have even more to enjoy in a few years time.

Legoland Florida

Technically, Legoland Florida is in Cypress Gardens. However, it looks neat for the Lego fans in your life. I wish they were closer to an airport or provided a shuttle. You would probably need to rent a car to visit this one, but it looks fun. I’ve never visited, but I’m open to it.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

This is also technically not in Orlando. However, I know some people will rent a car to drive over to Tampa or ride a shuttle over. Busch Gardens Tampa is owned by the same company that owns SeaWorld. It is also great for animal lovers and coaster enthusiasts. My mom and I enjoyed our short visit here last year. You can read my Busch Gardens Tampa Animal Tours review for insight into some of their add-on experiences.

Orlando Theme Parks Guide

I attempted to cover the main “big” Orlando theme parks in this post, along with a few bonus parks. Which ones have you visited? Which one is your favorite?

Akershus Princess Breakfast Review at Epcot

February 6, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in December, my mom and I enjoyed the Akershus princess breakfast at Epcot for our Candlelight Processional Dining Package. In my earlier post, I promised a full review of the meal. So, here’s my post detailing that experience.

Akershus Princess Breakfast

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is a character dining experience located in Norway in the World Showcase at Epcot. They serve breakfast as well as lunch and dinner here. Breakfast is cheaper, as is usually the case with character meals. Regardless of the meal booked, you will be meeting five princesses. They tend to rotate the princesses, so you never know which ones you will be meeting.

The Food

Given that this restaurant is located in Norway, the food features a few Norwegian inspired dishes as well as some classic American foods. I think they strike a nice balance between giving you something new to try and pleasing the picky eaters that visit character meals.

Previously, this was a buffet meal. However, these days it’s a family-style meal wherein the food and princesses are brought to your table in quick succession. In fact, we had all of our food and had seen all 5 princesses within 30 minutes of arriving at our table!

You begin the meal with a plate of pastries and charcuterie. The pastries were pretty basic. Not bad, but nothing wowed us. I enjoyed trying some Norwegian cheese, along with a fish dip that I can’t recall what it was, and a lingonberry jam. We also received a bowl of fresh fruit at this point. This was quickly followed by a giant plate of the mains! We had Norwegian waffles, which actually tasted a little bit different than the regular Disney waffles! There was also scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon! Plus, there was a tasty potato and cheese casserole!

Since you are allowed to request extras, we ended up getting additional waffles. They were really good. The potato casserole was also a standout for me. It reminded me a bit of the potato casserole my family makes for the holidays. However, instead of using hashbrowns, they use chunks of potatoes and a fancier cheese. Overall, it was a pretty good meal that left my mom and I full.

The Characters

As I stated above, this is a fast moving meal! Within 30 minutes of being seated, we had seen all 5 princesses! Granted we are two adults who try not to take too much time with characters. However, they move at a quick pace! While I never felt rushed with the princesses, it wasn’t exactly a relaxing meal either. We enjoyed the banter with the princesses since they are face characters. In fact, we talked to Snow White above having seen the Seven Dwarfs at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party a few nights prior. So, that was a neat interaction! The princesses are lovely, but it’s not a leisurely meal.

Akershus Breakfast Overall

This is one of only two princess meals at Walt Disney World. The other is Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom and is even more expensive. So, if you have a big princess fan but want to save a few bucks, then this a good option. Additionally, it’s great to meet several princesses without having to wait in any lines. The food is also better than at some other character meals on property. Although, it does mean you will start your day at Epcot full of food. So, that is a trade off here. My mom and I enjoyed our experience here, even though it was a quick one.

Candlelight Processional Dining Package at Epcot Review

December 19, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

If you ever plan a trip to Epcot during the holidays, you will immediately discover that many people recommend booking the Candlelight Processional Dining Package. After dealing with site glitches and trying again closer to our trip, I secured us a breakfast reservation at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall! Here’s my review of that experience to help you decide if it’s worth it.

Candlelight Processional Dining Package

As I stated above, when the advance dining reservations initially opened up, the site was very glitchy. So I wasn’t able to secure the exact restaurant and exact time we wanted. However, I grabbed a lunch at Garden Grill with a seat for the 7 PM show with John Stamos! Then, a few days out breakfast reservations with the princesses started popping up. So, my first tip is: keep trying! Set up a reservation finder and be quick!

The Food

We had a breakfast reservation at Akershus. One of the reasons I switched it is because we had just eaten and done a Garden Grill dinner review earlier this year. So, we wanted to try something different this time. However, I will say that we enjoyed ourselves. It was also the fastest character meal I’ve ever had. All 5 princesses had visited our table and we had all our food within 30 minutes! So, don’t go into this expecting a leisurely meal. Ha!

I also enjoyed that each of the princesses had a little extra something added to their outfit for the holidays. Ariel had a golden starfish hair bow, Snow White had some greenery/berries added to her headband. Little touches that added to the holiday feeling without being over the top were nice.

The Show

We already had our Epcot day picked out when the schedule of celebrity narrators was announced. So, we were both tickled to discover our day was John Stamos. I grew up watching him on “Full House” and my mom also watched some of those episodes. So, it seemed like something we should really try to see. It would appear that lots of other people had the same thoughts as there was quite the line to see the show. We lined up a little under one hour ahead of the show as there was already a pretty long line to get in.

I had previously watched a different celebrity narrator online a few years ago and thought it was ok. However, the show was so much better in person! My mom and I thoroughly enjoyed this show. In fact, I had meant to record some of the show but I found myself so wrapped up in it that I didn’t get to. It is a beautiful way to get into the holiday spirit.

Of course, I expect that the narrator brings a lot the experience as well. I choked up when John Stamos mentioned losing Bob Saget and that pretty much set the tone of the show for me personally. It made me appreciate being there all that much more. So, I’m not sure that I would have enjoyed the show as much if there had been a different narrator.

Tips

Keep trying – if you can’t get the exact reservation time or restaurant you want, then keep checking back. About a week out is when I started noticing more cancellations.
Get there early – We went to the 7 PM show and got in line a little after 6. There was already a pretty long line at this point. So, get in line early for a good seat. If you can’t get a package reservation, you will need to line up hours in advance for a chance to see the show.
Wear layers – I wore a long sleeve shirt and ended up putting on my jacket while we waited in line. We felt a chilly breeze coming off the water. So, I recommend wearing layers for this nighttime event.
Get a reservation hours out – I wondered why I couldn’t book a dinner for the package. However, having done it now I understand why breakfast and lunch were offered. You have to arrive early to get a good seat and you don’t want to feel rushed at the meal. So, a lunch reservation might be ideal.

Is the Candlelight Processional Dining Package worth it?

All of the restaurants are expensive for the dining package. However, I think it’s worth it. This is the only way to guarantee you get a seat for one of the shows. Plus, you are going to have to eat anyways. I think it’s a splurge worth making if you are interested in the show and/or a specific narrator.

Have you ever booked one of these packages? Did you think it was worth it?

Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot Review

November 30, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

When my husband and I visited Walt Disney World last month, we booked a new to us experience, the Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot! Today I will review it and let you know who I think it’s good for and who should maybe skip it.

Behind the Seeds Tour

For those who don’t know, the Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot is a backstage look at The Land Pavilion! The Land Pavilion is where the Living with the Land ride and Garden Grill Restaurant is located. Having eaten at Garden Grill a few times and ridden the ride even more times, I was excited for a walking tour to see how Disney grows its own food!

I booked this tour 60 days out when I made our advance dining reservations. We paid $35/each. Thankfully, this was prior to Disney’s most recent resort wide price hikes. As of this writing, this tour has gone up in price and varies from day to day. It now starts at $39 and goes up to $45, depending on which day you select. There doesn’t appear to be a discount for children.

Very Informative

This one-hour walking tour is information heavy. The tour started out with a look at how Disney is fighting pests. Then, we moved on to the actual greenhouses. It was neat to see the ride from the other side. Boats rode by as we looked at squash and tried some cucumbers grown there! It was neat to see all of the different varieties of plants being grown, from coffee to vanilla beans! We even saw a picture of some Mickey shaped cucumbers they are working on.

Our guide was very knowledgeable about plants in general as well as what was in the greenhouses currently. We got to see the last of the pumpkins being grown and they were beginning to hang up the Christmas lights. The guide explained that the tours vary a little bit depending on the time of the year since they grow some food for the Epcot festivals here. So, it has a repeatability factor if you enjoy learning about different seasons.

Hands On Learning

There were a few other interactive aspects to the tour. The tour not only includes the four greenhouses, but also the fish farm. We learned about the fish and then got to feed them. They gathered everyone around the tank and we all put the food in at the same time. The fish went wild to get the food! It was neat.

We also got to pass around some spices to smell. It was fun to try and guess which spice we were smelling. The tour ended with a little picture session in front of the Mickey shaped tree.

Is the Behind the Seeds Tour worth it?

For $35, it was a neat experience. The new price hike gives me pause on value. $45 sounds a little steep to me, but I would probably still do it at least once. That being said I do not recommend this tour for children. It was a lot of information and I don’t think people with short attention spans would enjoy it. I suppose that’s why there’s not a discount for children.

Our group was mostly adult couples (think late twenties and up). It’s a good time for anyone interested in plants or seeing how Disney grows its own food. For thrill seekers, it’s best to spend time riding the rides. I also must point out that’s an hour long walking tour with most of that time spent standing or walking. So, if standing and walking for an hour doesn’t sound doable, it maybe best to avoid this one. Although, it is wheelchair accessible if that is of concern to you.

Have you done the Behind the Seeds tour at Epcot? What did you think of it?

Garden Grill Dinner Epcot Character Meal Review

October 5, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in February, I booked the Garden Grill dinner at Epcot for me and my mom. This is a review of that experience.

Garden Grill Dinner

There are a plethora of dining places to chose from at Epcot. In fact, it can be difficult to choose which restaurant to eat at. However, I know my mom prefers more classic or simple dishes. With that in mind, I booked the Garden Grill dinner on our Epcot day.

Technically, Disney calls this the Chip ‘n’ Dale Harvest Feast. It’s $55/adult and $36/child. The unique thing about this meal is that the restaurant rotates to give you views inside the Living with the Land ride! So, your view is constantly changing and giving you something new to look at.

The Characters

While dining here, you can expect to meet Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale! Mickey is adorable in his farmer outfit! The rest of the characters are in their normal attire. Each one comes to your table separately to take pictures and visit briefly. You are also given a card with their signatures on it (seen in my Instagram post below). They are all friendly, but move pretty quickly.

The Food

Most character meals, like in my Cape May Cafe Character Breakfast review, at Walt Disney World are a buffet. However, this one is a sit-down meal served family style. Due to that, I think the food is better. It’s not necessarily fancy food, but it’s consistently good. We also enjoy this variation because it’s less stressful than trying to grab a plate from the buffet while keeping an eye out for characters.

You begin the meal with a salad and rolls. The salad was ok, but I’m not a fan of dressing, so I wasn’t super into it. The rolls were good though.

Then, you are served a big pan of mains and sides. We received BBQ chicken, grilled beef with chimichurri, mashed potatoes, green beans, spoon bread, and a corn mixture. We also got a bowl of macaroni and cheese. We really enjoyed the chicken, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.

You finish the meal with a serving of berry short cake with whipped cream for dessert. My mom is super picky about fruits, but she likes most berries. So, this was the perfect ending to this meal. It was sweet without being too sweet.

Everything here tasted fresh. The quality of food was certainly better than what you would find on a buffet. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is tasty.

Is Garden Grill dinner worth it?

As always it’s difficult to determine somethings value. If you are looking for a character meal with better food, this is a great choice! If you have a picky eater, then again this is perfect! On the other hand, there are loads of more unique and interesting places to eat at in Epcot. So, if you want to try some new foods, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. Also, if you are on a tight budget, you should probably consider a quick service at Epcot or perhaps eat at a festival booth. Overall, it’s a fun character meal with good yet simple food.