I think my first Walt Disney World Girls’ Weekend kicked off an annual grandma-granddaughter tradition. It all started last summer. Chris and I lived in Porto, Portugal. We planned a 56-day trip that included stops in Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, and the United States. During the United States portion of our trip (July 31st to September 4th), Chris and his friends wanted to do their annual weekend at the cabin (August 25th – August 28th). It’s a very Minnesotan thing to do.
Spending a weekend at a cabin Up North is a tradition Chris and his friends have had on and off for around twenty years. If we lived in Minnesota, I would’ve stayed home and enjoyed some “me time” while he and his friends drank too many beers and reminisced about their high school days. Since our home was in Porto and I needed to be somewhere, I booked a trip to Orlando, where my daughter and her family live.
Walt Disney World Girls' Weekend #1
I love Walt Disney World, and my granddaughter, Audi, loves it. Chris and I visited Orlando earlier that summer for full-on family time without visiting the House of the Mouse. On this trip, I decided to turn my Orlando travels into a Grandma and Granddaughter Girls’ Disney Trip. I’m not a solo traveler, but making a Disney-focused trip (and booking a car service) took the stress out of traveling alone.
Last summer, when Audi was six, we stayed at Swan Reserve at Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort. Her parents made the lengthy drive from the suburb of Orlando, where they live, to bring her to me at the resort. In thanks for making the drive and for the fun of spending time with the whole family, I treated everyone to dinner at Il Mulino New York Trattoria. It’s one of many fabulous restaurants at the resort.
On that trip, we had two full Disney days. Audi and I went to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Her favorite rides were Slinky at Hollywood Studios and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at Epcot. Of the two Disney parks, Hollywood Studios was her favorite. While I loved Epcot, and there were a few rides she really enjoyed, I think six might be too young to fully appreciate what Epcot has to offer.
Note: During a week of family fun the previous year, we spent a day at Magic Kingdom.
Walt Disney World Girls' Weekend #2
This summer, my now 7-year-old granddaughter and I stayed at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort Riverside. She adores Princess Tiana, and Port Orleans Resort is themed around Princess Tiana’s movie, The Princess and the Frog. On this trip, we had three full Disney days. We visited Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom (the only one we hadn’t been to before). On the first two days, my granddaughter kept asking about going on the Remy ride. I explained that we’d have to switch from our Animal Kingdom plans to Epcot. Since we had the resort-plus-theme park package, we could change our plans at the last minute if we wanted to. When the time came to make a decision, she chose Animal Kingdom. It turned out to be a great choice because Animal Kingdom currently ranks as her second favorite park. Avatar Flight of Passage and Kali River Rapids were her favorite rides on this trip.
How to help young, anxious riders feel more comfortable on rides.
If someone in your party is anxious about rides, watch videos of the rides you want to enjoy before going to the park. At a non-Disney park, which shall not be named (hint), Audi wound up on a ride that terrified her. The experience made her more trepidatious about rides during this trip than she’d been in the past.
As we stepped into lines at several rides, we asked Disney cast members if there was anything scary about the ride. Each time, we were reassured. Despite this, on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (a fun, family-friendly, not-at-all-scary ride), there were tears as we started the journey. Happily, by the ride’s end, Audi wanted to go on again, and we did.
It took a day for my brain to generate an a-ha. If she could see and get a feel for the ride before going on, she might enjoy certain rides more. Before Animal Kingdom, knowing I really wanted to check out Kali River Rapids, I pulled up a video of it on YouTube. She watched it and said she’d go on it. It was our first ride that day, and she loved it so much that we went on it four times.
Beyond Walt Disney World's Rides
In addition to all of the theme park fun, I reserved our places at two Disney Princess experiences: Dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table and 1900 Park Fare’s Breakfast Buffet. Both enchanted us. Cinderella’s Royal Table is in Magic Kingdom castle, so we ended our day there with dinner. 1900 Park Fare is in Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel. I booked it for the day we checked out of our Disney hotel.
Travel Tip: Character experiences are popular, so reservations are a must. If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, you can make them 60 days prior to your resort check-in date. Otherwise, you can reserve your spot online 60 days in advance.
How Will We Disney Next Year?
I’m tempted to start my planning now. It’s typical. As soon as I return from Disney World, I want to go again. Next time, our girls’ weekend might not match up with my husband’s cabin weekend. Summertime in Orlando can be brutal. The parks might not be as busy in the summer months, but there’s a good reason for it – that heat! When I asked the Minnie Van driver who took us from Port Orleans to the Grand Floridian for our breakfast buffet, he recommended visiting between January and March. Walt Disney World Girls’ Weekend #3 might be in winter.
Are you starting to plan your Walt Disney World vacation? I can help. Let me know your travel dreams at Travel Like You Dream It.
Looking for more Disney details? Check out our other posts for hotel reviews, park tips, and magical moments.
- Dining at Disney: Unforgettable Meals at Walt Disney World
- Disney Packing List for a Stress-Free Girls’ Trip
- Swan Reserve Review: A Deluxe Disney World Hotel
- Port Orleans Riverside Review: Disney Hotel with Royal Rooms
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