We had the BEST time on our Walt Disney World 2019 Vacation! Parks, resort hopping, food, and things you can do for free… This post is FULL of information and all that we did to have an amazing vacation in Walt Disney World 2019!
In five days we enjoyed Coronado Springs, visited 5 other resorts, ate at fantastic restaurants, spent the day at Hollywood Studios and saw Toy Story Land, and had a full and fantastic day at Magic Kingdom. It was a great trip!
It’s been one month since we got back, so I thought I better share all we did and some of the amazing experiences we would love to repeat!
Warning: This post is looong! However, it’s broken down into different experiences and, if you’re looking for something specific, you should be able to find it. I had thought about sharing our Walt Disney World 2019 trip as I did our 2017 trip where I broke things up into different categories or by day. In the end, I just wanted everything together. I think I’ll expand in future posts on Coronado Springs Resort, Raglan Road, our day at Hollywood Studies, and our day at the Magic Kingdom.
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Walt Disney World 2019
This was our first stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs, and we had a great experience as well as some happy mishaps I’ll tell you all about. Drama! Just kidding… we’re pretty drama free and it worked out great! We also thought the food was amazing!
We did more resort hopping on this trip than any other. We visited the resorts at the Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Trails End. We also took the most forms of Disney transportation ever! We took the Disney Magical Express, Disney buses, a boat from Hollywood Studies to the Boardwalk, the monorail, and a boat from Wilderness Lodge to Magic Kingdom! With all of that, we still manged to fit in a day at Magic Kingdom and a day at Hollywood Studios to see the new Toy Story Land!
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Surprise Walt Disney World 2019 Vacation!
As you know, we surprised the kiddos with this trip on Christmas morning. It was so much fun to reveal the surprise, but also to start getting the kids in on the planning. What a relief to have everything out in the open.
Thank goodness the trip was less than a month after Christmas. I don’t know if we could have waited much longer, but it actually seemed to arrive pretty quickly. I personalized our MagicBands and before I knew it, we needed to pack! I’ve told you guys before that we managed to pack our entire family of four in one suitcase. I’m still pretty proud of that one…
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Walt Disney World in January
We typically love to visit Walt Disney world in the Fall (we love the Disney during the holidays!) and we have also taken one trip over Spring Break in 2017. However, I haven’t been to Disney World in January since I was finishing up the college program in 2004. I do remember, after being there for 4 months, feeling a bit like a wimp in a Pooh coat (our affectionate name for the Fantasy Land jackets) and scarf during the first year of Wishes fireworks.
Weather
I was a bit of a wimp by Minnesotan standards, but it does get a bit chilly in January. During this trip we saw almost all the cast members bundled up in jackets while we were walking around in shorts. Our weather steadily increased from around the 40s/50s at the beginning of the trip to nearly 80 by the end.
Value Season
I’d say January is a pretty good time to visit crowd-wise. It didn’t feel as crazy as Spring Break and we were able to find some pretty good deals because we visited during the value season. When we visit in November we typically find times that are considered value season too. However, this time we were lucky enough to schedule our trip for a Sunday to Friday at a moderate resort, at a value price, and with an additional discount from a mailing we got from Walt Disney World.
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Disney’s Coronado Springs
We arrived at Disney’s Coronado Springs via Magical Express around 1pm. Luckily, we were able to get a room right away even though we were early. At check-in, they now ask if you would like room service or if you’d like to opt out. If you opt out, you will receive a Disney Gift Card that is something like $10 for each day of your stay, minus one. Although the offer of a gift card was tempting, we decided we wanted to feel like we’re on vacation and have our room cleaned. More on how this worked out later…
Coronado Springs is a pretty big resort. I think I’ll dedicate a post later on just to the resort. Walt Disney World Resort 2019 is even bringing a new tower and restaurants to Coronado Springs! Right now, let’s just say we took the wrong way around the lake and the furthest route possible from our room! When we finally got to the room it was beautiful! Of course, it didn’t take long for the kids to want to explore.
It was still a bit chilly, but we couldn’t resist changing into our suits and trying out the gorgeous pool. Thankfully, we made sure to pack our suits in our carry-ons because the luggage didn’t arrive from the Magical Express until after the actual check-in time. So, this is a great packing tip!
I think I’m going to have to have a whole post dedicated to the food at Coronado Springs! Let’s just say the rice bowls, breakfast bowls, and kids meals were so delicious we craved them during the whole trip! Also, there was plenty to share!
Disney’s Boardwalk
One of my favorite places at Walt Disney World is the Boardwalk! The feel of it all lit up, and all the gorgeous resorts located there, make it one of the best free ways to enjoy Walt Disney World.
When we took our first trip with the kids as babies (they were one and one month!), we stayed at the Swan and Dolphin on the boardwalk. My dad remembered that there was a gas station within walking distance, so we decided to take the opportunity to stock up on some snacks and a little Yuengling. I don’t know if I would recommend this… It was nice to have, but we probably should have just tried a grocery delivery service. In the past, we have always been able to bring our own food because we have driven. So, this trip was a challenge with food, and I’ll probably write a post about that as well.
We had a gorgeous night walking around the Boardwalk. I could frame these pictures and put them right on my wall! We even happened upon a performer in the Beach Club lobby! We also had the chance to take the boat that travels from Disney’s Hollywood Studies to the Boardwalk twice as we then took the bus from there to and from our hotel. So, it was a great way to spend the night without paying for the parks!
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Minnie Vans!
The next day we didn’t have any park plans yet, so we decided to do something I have wanted to do for so long – visit Animal Kingdom Lodge!
We thought we’d do something like take a bus to a park and transfer over again, so I talked to the cast members standing by the bus stop. They said it would be best to take the Animal Kingdom bus and transfer from there, but it will be a long ride. Little did I know, I was talking to one of the Minnie Van drivers and he offered a ride in the Minnie Van. Being the cheapskate I am, and not having a Lyft account, I politely declined saying I would love to but we have to take the bus.
To our surprise, he walked over to the kids and asked if they’d like to take a ride on Mickey Mouse! We got a Magical Moment, you guys! The thing you always hope for and never expect. The kids were flabbergasted! We took pictures outside the adorable car and everyone was excited. The kiddos were thrilled to hear they were old enough to sit in the back seats without car seats, which the Minnie Vans actually have for your convenience. We learned about how you can request Minnie Vans from all over the property at Walt Disney World in 2019 with the Lyft app, and they even include some pretty sweet extras for those who use it to and from the airport.
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Our Minnie Van driver was amazing and took us right to Animal Kingdom Lodge while giving us all sorts of great tips for our vacation. He dropped us off right out front of Jambo House and we finally got to see this amazing resort!
The lobby is massive and the enormous windows out the back call you right to the savanna. We headed right outside and were immediately greeted by giraffes, zebras, and other animals we learned about but I’ll never remember the names. There was also a cast member answering questions about the animals, which was so interesting!
We looked at the animals a very long time before exploring the resort further. The kids loved exploring the viewing areas and around the pool. When we found the playgroud, off they went, and hubby and I were able to just enjoy the scenery. Before it was time to go we decided to stop inside the food court and have a little Disney treat and we split a zebra cupcake and Mickey brownie with peanut butter frosting.
Disney Springs
After Animal Kingdom Lodge we took a bus over to Disney Springs to explore a bit before our early dinner reservation. Disney Springs has really changed in the past couple years! There are so many shops, but our favorite is still the World of Disney and the Lego Store. We actually didn’t do much more than exactly that before heading to Ragland Road for our early 4pm dinner reservation.
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Raglan Road
Raglan Road is a place I have wanted to go to for years. It was the first reservation I made for our trip. The biggest draw about this restaurant is the Irish band and dancers, so I wanted to make sure we had a good seat. The entertainment starts at 4:30, so I figured our best bet was to get one of the first reservations so we wouldn’t be waiting for a table to clear out. This plan worked out perfectly!
We were one of the first parties seated and I couldn’t be happier when we were placed at a table front and center. We were so close! We were able to make our decisions and place our order before the band started to play. Our beer flights and food came just as the entertainment started.
It was amazing! The kids were entertained the whole time, the food was incredible, and it was my favorite experience of our Walt Disney World 2019 trip! I will definitely be writing an entire post about this place – it’s a must! Just as we had finished our food and drinks the band was ready to take a break. So, again, perfect!
We finished up at 5:45, but we were so exhausted after that, we decided to head back. The kids forgot about getting a carousel ride, and I forgot about our yearly photo spot. However, it was a good thing because we had a day at Hollywood Studios planned for the next day and no Slinky Dog Dash fastpasses.
Hollywood Studios and Toy Story Land
Thank goodness for getting home early, but we still got into Hollywood Studios just at rope drop and not a minute earlier. Toy Story Land is new to Walt Disney World 2019 and the crowds get pretty crazy. So, we just trucked along with the stampede heading straight to Slinky Dog Dash. This is kind of your best option if you don’t have fast passes. It worked out just fine. We would have gawked at Toy Story Land anyway, so the hour went by very quickly. There are so many amazing details that we could have spent another hour pointing them out to each other. (Like the sticker sheet walls with stickers missing, thumbtacks holding the gigantic Christmas light, etc.)
We loved Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers just next to it, however was that ride short! The best part about it was that I ran into a blogging friend, who writes for This Messy Season – what are the chances!!! I was on a bit of a high from that as we saw the Little Mermaid show, Indiana Jones, and Muppet Vision next.
Afternoon
Around 1:30, as the park starts to get even more crowded, we took the bus back for a little hotel break. It’s so nice that Coronado Springs is so close to Hollywood Studios, although we always like to take a break on park days! After some swimming, we were back and feeling fresh again.
Unfortunately, we took such a long break that we missed the last show for Beauty and the Beast, but we headed right to Tower of Terror. It was the best! It’s been my favorite Hollywood Studios ride since I visited with a friend on Spring Break in high school. Our kids are 6 and 7, so some would say they’re a bit young, but it was so great! My husband and I kept watching the kids reactions during the drops. Little Lady had the most wide-eye look and, honestly, that expression didn’t change until we were off the ride and down the road. Finally she spoke for the first time and said she wanted to do it again! Haha! Priceless. We hit up Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, and one last nighttime ride on Slinky Dog Dash. It’s even better at night and we all wished we would have had another ride on Toy Story Mania – so fun!
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Disney Customer Service
I have to put a little nod in here to the Coronado Springs cast members, because we had quite the interaction when we got back to our hotel. Remember when I said you can opt out of housekeeping? We definitely did not do that and received no gift card, but our room hadn’t been cleaned during our trip. So, I stopped at the desk and the amazing cast member there confirmed that we had been marked as opting out, but saw that we didn’t receive a gift card. At that point, we were low on towels and lotion but figured we’d rather have the money, so she gave us a $40 gift card. But that’s not what makes her so amazing…
We also asked about some missing Minnie sunglasses our daughter left in the lobby bathroom. She couldn’t find them, but she gave us a voucher for a free pair from any store on the property! Little Lady was so happy! Even better, we received a call later that night that they sunglasses had been found. Everything worked out great!
Magic Kingdom!
It’s not a Disney World trip without the Magic Kingdom. It’s my happy place! I worked in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland during my college program, and it’s the park I know like the back of my hand.
Our entire Magic Kingdom 2019 day!
Morning
After our late night the night before, I had a heck of a time getting everyone up and out the door for rope drop. We go there just as the show was wrapping up and the kids wanted to try getting on Space Mountain rather than our usual plan, which works out much better! Space Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train both filled up so fast that we decided just to take it easy and head to our favorites. We hit Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Haunted Mansion, and Jungle Cruise, before our Pirates of the Caribbean fast passes at 11.
Pecos Bill
After that, we grabbed lunch at Pecos Bill because I had heard good things about the toppings bar. It was a good call! The kids got cheeseburger kids meals and I got a rice bowl kids meal. They each come with water bottles, cuties, and GoGoSqueeze apple sauce. Hubby got nachos and we all piled on the toppings! It was such a filling meal and we were able to put the sides and waters away for later.
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Afternoon
Next we saw Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, and Philharmagic (another one of my favorites!). We also stopped into Castle Couture for a little free pixie dust in Little Lady’s hair – you have to do it! So cute! After a meeting with Stitch, a Mickey Ice Cream Bar, and a ride on the Little Mermaid, we headed back to the hotel for a break once again.
What a difference it make! When we returned from that quick hour of swimming, the temperatures and the crowds were lower. It felt great!
We got to see the lights of the park from the People Mover before heading into the Carousel of Progress and heading right back out during the fireworks. This made it a perfect time to hop on Space Mountain at a 1/3 of the wait the rest of the day showed. At this point, it was after 8, so they started scanning bands for Extra Magic Hours. I always wondered how they knew who the resort guests were…
The kids and Hubby rode the teacups before another quick trip to Haunted Mansion and a 40 minute wait for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – much better than earlier in the day and this ride is fantastic at night! We made a mad dash to Buzz Lightyear for the last ride of the night and heading back to the bus. What a busy day!
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Last Day
After two jam-packed days back-to-back at the parks, the family was looking forward to sleeping in without me waking them up and pushing them out the door. Everyone slept until almost 10 – unheard of for our early-rising kids! At 11, we headed to the food court and the kids and husband spent some time at the pool while I worked on packing our stuff back up to fit in the one suitcase.
Trail’s End Buffet at Wilderness Lodge Campgrounds
Our only plan for the day was an early dinner reservation at Trail’s End at Wilderness Lodge. We took the bus to Magic Kingdom and switched buses there. We ended up with another fantastic driver who told us all about the restaurant and where to go.
The buffet was great! So much great food and perfect for kids because it has a homestyle American BBQ feel. I had a whole plate of just the salads, then onto the sides like the delicious mac ‘n cheese, baked beans, tomatoes, veggies and the BEST cornbread. They also carve prime rib and serve a bunch of tasty meats – the salmon and peppers and onions were my favorite. Then, the desserts… Wow! The kids and I took one of each with ice cream.
The playground is right next to the restaurant, so the kids loved playing there before and after dinner. This time we took the boat back to the Magic Kingdom, and from there we took the monorail loop for the kids. We made a quick stop at the Polynesian because Little Guy had his eye on a Stitch doll and we knew they’d have it there. When we got back on the monorail we were just in time to see the fireworks as we rode back. Perfection!
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Walt Disney World 2019 Vacation at an end
By the time our last day rolled around, we were ready to get home but not ready to leave. I won’t lie, we’ve been planning the next vacation since we were on the trip. We were up bright and early, caught the Magical Express, and said goodbye to Walt Disney World 2019. Until next time!
Are you planning a Walt Disney World 2019 trip? Tell me all about it!
Sounds like you had a fantastic trip! I love watching the fireworks from the monorail. Who am I kidding, I love watching the fireworks from anywhere that I can, but the monorail is one of my fave out of the park places! 🙂
It’s so much fun! It all looks so beautiful and we feel like you caught a special treat!
You have me missing Disney!! We had annual passes our first two years in Florida but decided not to renew. In another year or two, after we’ve explored and experienced more of the state, we’ll go back. Not sure if we’ll do another year of passes or just book a week’s vacation.
We stayed at Coronado Springs once for a long weekend. They were actually working on that building but offered passholders super cheap rates with the acknowledgement that it would be loud and under construction during the day. We were like…YES!! It’s not like you stay in your room during the day at all, especially with just a tween.
Exactly! We didn’t notice any noise at all. It was completely worth it! It would be so great to be so close to Disney… or just to live in Florida at all – we love it there!