Fun in the Orlando Sun

What happens when you send 4 college kids to Disney World right after classes end for the summer? 
The answer is they turn into 8 year olds. 

In May, my friends Adrielle, Michael, Brandon, and I set out for Orlando a few days after finals. We had never been so excited to be able to act like little kids again after roughing it out in the city working and studying for months. My friend Michael and I are Disney veterans and we knew exactly what excursions were necessary to attend. On the first day, we hit Hollywood Studios, one of the smaller parks in Disney World. My personal favorite ride is the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. To experience it in the comfort of your own home, I attached a video below for you guys:

The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is definitely one of the more popular rides in this park so there's always a line. To make our day run smoother, we got the fast pass wristbands and were able to sign up for a time slot online for when we can skip the line and go on the ride without having to wait 2 hours. If you're heading to Disney World any time soon, I highly recommend the fast passes especially for the more hyped rides like the roller coasters and water rides. 

The next day, we hit Magic Kingdom, the biggest park in all of Disney World. Here, the must hit rides in my opinion are Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, It's a Small World, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Caribbean. With fast passes you can only choose 3 rides per day to sign up for. If you plan on doing so, I recommend Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and if you want a picture with the esteemed Mickey Mouse, you must reserve a slot to meet him or you'll be waiting hours. Coming back to Disney World years later, I realize that a lot has changed. The characters used to just walk around Magic Kingdom and small lines would form for autographs and pictures, but now there's schedules and hour long wait times for 30 seconds with Mickey. Although if you're a Disney fiend like myself, it's a necessary attraction to hit. Check out my picture with the mouse himself below: 

Our last day in Disney World, we hit Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Epcot is amazing because of the culture and food. If you've never been to Epcot, you have to go because it truly is as if you're traveling the world. Everything is authentic which is really cool. The workers in each country are originally from that country. For instance, in Epcot, Japan, all of the workers are originally from Japan. It was so much fun walking from country to country and trying new foods from different cultures. Once we finished touring each country, we set off to Animal Kingdom. The top 3 rides in my opinion at Animal Kingdom are Expedition Everest — a really cool roller coaster that goes backwards, the Dinosaur ride — a spooky ride through a prehistoric forest with a ton of life like dinos that pop out at you, and most importantly, the Safari Ride — a jeep ride through the jungle where you can see elephants, giraffes, monkeys, and many more animals!

Overall, I didn't think I would have nearly this much fun as an adult in Disney World, but it was such a great experience and I definitely recommend it! If you're ever super overwhelmed with life and have the time and funds for a quick trip, Disney is a perfect trip. While it's always amazing to relax in the Caribbean after school gets out for summer, Disney is a place where you will never be bored and you'll get to release your inner child for a few days and completely unwind. Being 8 years old again never felt so good!