A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about our favorite experiences to do by ourselves. And while the article was fun and provided great advice for solo goers, we felt a little guilty. As we mentioned, Disney has always advertised itself as a place where families can come to create memories and experience the magic together. Part of the experience is embracing the other members of your party and especially watching children fall in love for the first or umpteenth time. So let’s put family at the center of this article and say:
Welcome to Believe Vacations’ Weekly Post where this week, we are going to look at the Top Ten Experiences Best Done with Family. For this list, our agents were asked what experiences they enjoy the most with the entire family. No restrictions were put on the answers as we all have our own suggestions for what “musts” we have when taking the family to Disney. And with that, we give you the most popular answers starting with:
10) Water Parks
If you have last week’s list in front of you, you’ll notice we said it would be awesome to do water parks solo. Now we’re saying to do it with your family. So which is it? The answer is to do the water parks anytime you’re at Disney. As a family, you have access to water thrills and aquatic activities for all ages. From the multi-story plunges to your simple water playgrounds, there is something for everyone’s swim level and will allow you to create wonderful memories in your favorite swimsuit.
9) Mini Golf
While playing a traditional round of golf is best done solo, grab the family and a putter and hit the mini links. As long as there are places to go on vacation, there will be mini golf courses and Disney is no exception. Whether it’s the whimsical scenes and skillful greens of Fantasia Gardens or the dual Summer and Winter seasons of the appropriately named Winter Summerland golf course, it’s a wonderful sport and outing for all ages!
8) Bowling
Located at beautiful Disney Springs, well within the confines of air-condition no less, Splitsville gives you access to bowling, billiards, brews and bands. But these are “luxury lanes” which means 2 floors, a sushi bar, 5 traditional bars, 30 lanes and hours of fun with plenty to spare! Speaking of Disney Springs…
7) Disney Springs
Disney has some of the best shopping, dining, entertainment and extracurricular activities in the world and many of them can be found in one place. Disney Springs is a destination for many locals to enjoy the nightlife and party atmosphere outside Orlando. For vacation goers, it’s a great first day at Disney place to go upon arrival or even during a scheduled “down day” break from the parks. With stores from your favorite brands to iconic restaurant franchises and the above mentioned Splitsville, Disney Springs should always find some time during your family’s vacation schedule.
6) Fireworks
Fireworks during any major holiday are experienced in large crowds. So it makes sense that you would want to be around loved ones when viewing the incredible explosions in the sky. Like most routine things, Disney makes it just a little more exciting and with fireworks, you can be sure the entire family will be smiling under the show, pageantry and immense size of the displays!
5) World Showcase
In our Best Done Solo article, we mentioned Drinking around the World Showcase was a fun loner experience. Making its return for the Family article is the World Showcase and there are plenty of reasons. Start with the fact that kids can interact with Cast Members of those countries and get passport stamps as they go around the entire thing. Then, you have incredible quick and table service restaurants that will have something for all ages. There are Disney Characters, photo spots, live entertainment, movies and even the Frozen Ever After attraction. Take the family and travel around the world!
4) Characters
Our final double entry that we suggest you can do alone or with family is to meet those crazy characters. Looking back on my own photos with the characters, the ones that bring me the most joy are the ones with my entire family or several members and a classic. I love our picture of the 5 of us with the (then talking) Mickey, my wife and kids with Baloo and King Louie, my children with Gaston and more. Individual encounters are fun but family encounters will last a lifetime…
3) Character Dining
…even if the meals shared with family and characters will only last until the next meal. Especially with children, dining with a favorite character is an amazing experience. Who wouldn’t want to eat and then have Mickey, Goofy, Sophia the First, etc. come say hello? Luckily for families, it also makes for another awesome memory shared by all ages.
2) Attractions
Think about these all-time favorites and you tell me if you think it’d be more fun alone or with family – Toy Story Midway Mania, Mad Tea Party, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Tomorrowland People Mover, Kilimanjaro Safaris, etc. Part of the fun of taking the family to Disney is that moment when the attraction ends and everyone asks each other “What did you think?” You want validation from everyone that an attraction was amazing. You may even do it again. But it’s a shared experience and that alone makes attractions fun for families.
1) Castle Pics
The most iconic picture spot in Central Florida has to be Cinderella’s Castle, right? Think of every picture in front of the castle you remember seeing. Did you remember seeing entire families or a single person? More than likely, it was an entire family. The bonds and love we have for each other are at the heart of family so it’ fitting that Cinderella’s Castle is the heart of the Magic Kingdom. The family and the Castle were meant for each other.
Did we miss anything? What are experiences you believe are best with family? Thanks for reading and remember that there’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!
