After graduating from my English school, I decided to enjoy my last months in Toronto, especially by taking advantage of the proximity to some places on my bucket list. Disney World in Orlando, Florida, was definitely one of them, and it was also on my friend’s list, who was about to leave Toronto to return to Korea. Before she left, we planned to spend a vacation together, so we finally decided to visit one of my dream destinations!
Our flight direction Orlando
First of all, it seemed like our luck wasn’t on our side. We initially booked a flight from Toronto to Orlando departing at 7 AM, so we had to wake up at 2 AM! But in the end, our flight was delayed by an entire day.
The airport in Orlando was different for me, like futuristic, I already felt the athmosphere of amusement park.
But in the end, I think it was actually better to book directly at the park because they gave us special cards with Disney characters on them, and we were so happy about that!
Then, when we tried to book our two-day passes for Disney, we ran into more issues. We tried booking on every phone, and while I was able to pay using my friend’s phone, my other friend couldn’t complete the payment at all. To make things worse, our flight got delayed again.
Finally, first day in my childhood
We arrived at 2 PM at Disney World for our first day due to the delay, so we decided to spend the afternoon at Hollywood Studios. We started with the Star Wars attraction, which was absolutely incredible—such an amazing way to begin! The staff stayed in character throughout the experience.
First, we walked onto a kind of Rebel ship, and then we hopped on a ride filled with special effects. It felt so realistic, with a variety of scenes and interactions that made the whole experience unforgettable.
For lunch, we had mashed potatoes served in a cone—it was tasty but quite expensive, costing around $15 USD (just a heads-up: prices in the U.S. can be pretty high).
Next, we headed to the Toy Story attraction, which is super popular, and now I know why—it was so fun! But be prepared for a long wait. After that, we tried the Alien Swirling Saucers ride, where we literally flew off our seats at some points! It’s especially great for kids—super fun and light-hearted.We also caught the parade and the Festival of Lights projected onto the park’s main monument, which was magical. Of course, we couldn’t resist exploring all the shops in search of the perfect Mickey/Minnie headband for each of us.Last but not least, we rode the Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which reminded me of the one in Disneyland Paris. It’s always a safe bet if you’re looking for strong sensations and a classic thrill.
When we arrived at the Airbnb, the lockbox for the entrance code wasn’t working. We ended up stuck outside for over an hour, trying to figure things out with the host, who was quite peculiar. Eventually, we suggested that there had to be a spare key somewhere, and he finally opened the front door for us—which, according to him, shouldn’t have been used. I found that really strange, and honestly, I was scared of being stuck outside at night, especially in a neighborhood that turned out to be quite far from the city center.
It was the first time I truly felt this level of insecurity during a trip.
If I can give you one piece of advice: pay close attention to both the rental and its location. Even though hotels near Disney can be more expensive, they often offer helpful services like shuttles to the parks, while we had to rely on Uber for every single trip. Plus, staying closer is definitely safer, in my opinion.
The second day of dreaming
We woke up early to spend the entire second day in Magic Kingdom, famous for its grandeur.
Obviously, the first thing we did was take pictures in front of the beautiful castle, inspired by Cinderella’s Castle. I also wanted to snap a photo with the famous Mickey statue that pays tribute to Walt Disney.
A little bit of history…
Because I just mentioned Walt Disney, I feel compelled to take a brief pause and share a little history behind this iconic park:
For more sensation !
We started with the Tron attraction, and I was so scared because I saw people around me in the waiting line, screaming with excitement as they queued up for the ride. However, the experience turned out to be amazing—I have no regrets, as it was the best attraction I’ve ever experienced. I had never done anything like it before.
Afterwards, we decided to explore the park and select one or two attractions in each section of Magic Kingdom. For Tomorrowland, we had already experienced Tron; in Fantasyland, we rode Peter Pan’s Flight; in Adventureland, we took on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train; and we decided to visit Haunted Mansion as well.
We also took pictures with characters like Tiana and Rapunzel (note that even for character meet-and-greets, the wait can sometimes exceed an hour). We visited almost every shop, and no matter how many times we went, we always discovered something new. And of course, we made sure to attend every parade we could. It was incredible—each parade was magical, and we even felt like celebrities because our unique wristbands seemed to make the characters in the parades react to us every time!
I tried every thrill attraction, and even though I felt a bit scared at times, I pushed through and ended up loving each one. By the end, I was really proud of myself.
My thoughts
However, despite enjoying those two days, I couldn’t ignore the reality of the nearby city. I felt a twinge of guilt, as if I didn’t deserve to have so much fun while others seemed to be suffering. They didn’t appear happy at all. In the park, most of the visitors were American—which I understand—but I also sensed a certain disconnection among them. It made me wonder: are they really happy?
Of course, I tried my best not to dwell on these thoughts, especially since my two friends seemed completely oblivious to this aspect. Even though I don’t regret the experience, there were moments when I felt out of place.
If I can recommend at least something, it’s to go there in Winter, so in Florida at this time is 30°C, otherwise unless you are going there during the Summer it will be much more hot. Don’t forget your bottle of water !
Subscribe to our newsletter!