Trip Tales: May 2025, pt. 1
Reminiscing on our first two days, as well as some pre-trip insights and tips
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Happy Monday, readers! We’ve been back from our trip to Walt Disney World for a lil’ over a week, and I’ve got lots to chat about. I wasn’t too sure how I wanted to document and share about our visit but in this instance, a long-form post seems like the best way to do so. I might dabble in vlog-style videos or recorded trip reports in the future, though. We’ll see!
Alright, we’ve got quite a bit to cover so grab a nice snack and/or beverage and let’s dive in!
The trip digest
Trip dates: Saturday, May 3rd to Friday, May 9th, 2025
My travel party: I was with my husband 95% of the time, but seven members of my immediate family were also there
Resort(s) we stayed at: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (one night) and Animal Kingdom Lodge — Jambo House (five nights)
Overall weather conditions: Warm, sunny, and sticky
Theme of the trip: “We’re doing everything, baby - eating, riding attractions, relaxing, shopping, resort-hopping, you name it!”
Number of days using Lightning Lanes: Every park day, which ended up being five days
Walking mileage: A whoppin’ 62 miles
Times we got rained on: Only a few times but one instance was…kinda brutal
The week leading up…
If you don’t already know this about me, I can be sort of intense about planning. (My husband would likely says that this is…an understatement). I have spreadsheets, daily lists and schedules, and timelines to keep my head on straight in the weeks and days leading up to a trip. I can get super frazzled really quickly if I don’t have structure, so I wanted to touch on some ways that I set myself up for success beforehand just in case they might be helpful for you too.
First things first, I always begin pulling items and tossing things into my suitcase a couple weeks before leaving. I’m a very visual person, so this helps me see everything that I know I’ll need to consider and pack. Plus, it’s nice to have everything congregated in one area once I truly start the packing process.
Secondly, I always use this trip planning spreadsheet to plan my days, dining reservations, Lightning Lanes, outfits, packing, and even groceries we might need during our stay. It’s perfect because it’s accessible from almost anywhere. I can check items off as I’m packing at home and review our daily schedule from the bus on the way to the park. It’s always with me!
We chose to invest in Lightning Lanes (“LLs”) — both Single and Multi Pass — for this trip, and that booking window begins seven days before your check-in date at 7 a.m. EST. I created a priority list based on a general schedule for each park day and referred to it during the booking process. This was immensely helpful because I knew which attractions to pick (including alternates) and when to book them. The process can be a lil’ stressful because you only have five minutes to keep and pay for your each day’s picks once they’ve been selected. Having a list, however, removed a lot of the decision fatigue and made the process much more efficient so I could put my phone down and crawl back into bed.
Additionally, I use some other tools to help prepare myself (and my husband) for a trip:
I already use the Reminders app multiple times a day for life-related tasks but boy, does it get a workout in the days leading up to a vacation. I’ll use it to remind me of any last-minute to-dos or items to purchase, flight check-ins, and things to grab (i.e. toothbrush, contact case, etc.) before heading to the airport. It’s saved me many, many times.
My husband and I use Google Keep to track household tasks that need to be done before we leave, such as checking the batteries in our indoor and outdoor security cameras and preparing a list of instructions for our cat sitter. We can both add and check off items from the list, so it’s a simple way to coordinate between multiple people.
For managing content creation tasks, I use Notion. It’s a very customizable, intuitive platform, and the mobile app is super handy to use while on the go. There’s lots going on during a trip so I always make a list of everything that I’d like to capture — photos, videos, reviews, etc. — while on property. Any note-taking app would also be great for this!
When working a full-time job and juggling life’s normal responsibilities, these tools — especially when used together — significantly increase my efficiency and decrease my stress in the weeks leading up to a trip. If you’ve got any tips or methods for how you also achieve this, let us know below!
Day one: Arriving in Orlando, hoppin’ around resorts, and visiting Disney Springs
Our day started dark and early. Like, really early. My husband and I woke up around 2 a.m. to get ready and then swung by my parents house closer to 3 a.m. to pick up my mom. We arrived at the airport at 4 a.m. and after parking in the garage, checking our bags, and standing in the TSA security line for 10-15 minutes, we grabbed some Starbucks and breakfast tacos, made our way to the gate, and started activating vacation mode. Oh, yeah.
Luckily, I already had all my Spotify playlists and YouTube videos downloaded on my phone (thanks to this post!) so I had just enough time to scarf down some breakfast before boarding our flight at 5:30 a.m.
The flight was smooth and we landed in Orlando ahead of schedule around 9:15 a.m., which was the biggest perk of waking up at a truly ungodly hour. Our bags were some of the first to appear on the baggage carousel, so we grabbed those and called an Uber so we could head to the Disney bubble.
On our previous trip, we used a private car service to pick us up from the airport and drive us to the resort. While I really love this option for ease and comfort, I had some Uber gift cards to burn (thanks, Costco!). We navigated weekend traffic on I-4 and finally arrived at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort an hour after landing.
This resort is a ton of fun. I love the colorful, in-your-face theming and — maybe mostly importantly — that it’s on the Skyliner route. Staying here for one night was a very intentional choice because we had big plans for the next day at Hollywood Studios (more on that below).
Anyway, this was our first time staying at Art of Animation and even though we originally booked a Little Mermaid room, we were upgraded to a Cars suite! I’ll expand more on this in another post but for now I’ll just say that for three people, it was roomy, excellently designed (read: perfectly kitschy), and incited a whole lot of “ka-chow!” from us.
But before we got nice and comfy in our suite, we had to wait for it to be ready. Art of Animation has a 3 p.m. check-in time so we left our bags with Bell Services, grabbed our refillable resort mugs ($22.99) at the Ink & Paint Shop, and passed the time by taking the Skyliner to the nearby Disney’s Riviera Resort to do a lil’ shopping, grab some lunch at Primo Piatto, and soak up the sun.
Primo Piatto is an elevated quick service restaurant on the ground floor of the Riviera Resort adjacent to the main swimming pool. My husband and I enjoyed breakfast here on a previous trip (the Blueberry-Lemon Pancakes are a must) but this was our first time trying lunch. We split the Hummus Platter ($8.99), Pepperoni Pizza ($13.29), and Chicken Caesar Salad ($11.99) and found all three to be flavorful and a great value! The restaurant has a Coke Freestyle machine so make sure you bring your refillable resort mug for all the fun, bubbly drinks, as well as coffee, tea (iced and hot), and hot chocolate.
A lil’ note: Once the refillable mug is scanned by a Cast Member (“CM”) upon purchase, it expires in 14 days. It’s not tied to a specific resort, so you can use it across property (excluding the parks and water parks). This is especially helpful if you like to resort hop or have a split-stay during your trip.
Much to our surprise, we were notified around noon through the Disney World app (often referred to as the My Disney Experience app, or “MDE”) that our room was ready! We weren’t quite up for heading back though, so we grabbed some drinks from Bar Riva and parked ourselves in some comfy chairs outside the restaurant.
A couple hours later, we packed up and headed toward the Skyliner station. It was a quick, three-minute walk from where we were lounging and we were back at Art of Animation shortly after. Upon arriving to the room, we noticed that our luggage had already been delivered by Bell Services which was such a nice surprise after having been awake for over 12 hours at that point. We were exhausted.
I filmed a room tour video (coming soon!), and then we got ready to head over to Disney Springs for dinner. We had a 6:45 p.m. reservation at Summer House on the Lake, which is located near the big, white Cirque du Soleil tent on the West Side.
It was our first visit here, and I had pretty high expectations because everyone speaks so highly of both the restaurant and the in-house Cookie Bar. Disney Springs was packed this evening, so we waited about 20-30 minutes before being seated.
Crowd context: Not only did we visit Disney Springs on a Saturday (one of the busiest days of the week), but a cheer competition was going on that weekend at the nearby ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. These events take place throughout the year and can increase crowd levels at the parks and resorts. If you want to be in the know about when they occur, check the official calendar of events. Sometimes the calendar isn’t updated even several months out, so I’d also recommend looking at this crowd calendar for the estimated dates.
Once we were at our table, we ordered some drinks and an appetizer. My mom got the Frozé ($14.00) and both my husband and I ordered the Orlando Spritzer ($15.00).
All three drinks were delicious and refreshing. I love spritzes, and I would certainly order that one again! Shortly afterward, we absolutely demolished the Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip ($17.95 - pricey, but so good), and followed up with crunchy house salads with protein ($26.90-29.90) for our entrées. We also ordered a side of Truffle Fries ($15.95), which were flavorful and perfectly crispy.
By the time we wrapped up, we just wanted to grab a cookie to enjoy later. Luckily, the Cookie Bar offers both table service and to-go orders, so we ordered a Sea Salt Chocolate Chip cookie ($4.95) and headed out. I tasted it a bit later and thought it was alright, but it was pretty sweet and doughy for my liking. For context, I prefer my cookies to be a smidge underbaked while slightly crispy on the edges but this one was chewy in a I’m-eating-cookie-dough sort of way. If that’s your vibe, you might really enjoy these!
Since I was almost at the point of hallucinating from being so tired, I totally forgot to take photos of our main dishes, fries, and cookie. Oops. But I did get a picture of the dessert we went out of our way to try — the Made-To-Order Artisan S’mores ($8.50) from The Ganachery. This was delightfully decadent…and a lil’ messy. But it was still so delicious! I loved the ooey-gooey dark chocolate with sea salt melted into a thick and perfectly sweet marshmallow. The only thing that I would’ve changed is the graham cracker. It was a bit too soft for my liking, and I wish it had more of a crunch to balance the texture of the s’more. Despite that, I’m definitely ordering another one the next time I’m at Disney Springs!
After devouring our dessert, we walked to the bus stop to head back to the resort. We waited around 20-30 minutes alongside a hoard of people before a bus arrived. This, unfortunately, can sometimes be a reality for guests of value resorts, especially during busier times of year. We boarded with standing room-only and crawled back to the room once we arrived.
Luckily, we were in building three so it was a quick walk but since we would be switching resorts the next day and arriving at Hollywood Studios prior to early entry, we had to pack our bags and ensure everything was ready to go for drop off at Bell Services before heading to the park.
Day two: Braving Hollywood Studios, switching resorts, and meeting some pals at the Polynesian Resort
Ah, another glorious morning! The sun is down, the birds are sleeping, and the power washers are blasting…at 4:45 a.m…right outside of our window. My husband and I were up and at ‘em so that we could drop our bags off at Bell Services by 6 a.m. for transfer to the resort we’d be at for the rest of our trip, Animal Kingdom Lodge — Jambo House.
A lil’ note: If you have a split-stay during your trip, there’s a few different ways you can transport your luggage across property: move it yourself if you brought or rented a car, take a ride-share service (i.e. Uber, Lyft, etc.), or use Disney’s free internal luggage transfer service at your resort’s Bell Services desk (open 24 hours). The downside of the latter option is that you don’t really know when your bags will show up at your new resort. It’s usually by early to mid-afternoon but the CMs might not be able to guarantee a specific arrival time so it’s always a good idea to communicate with them to make sure the service is right for you.
Our building was maybe 50 steps away from the desk so we quickly handed them off and made our journey across the resort to the Skyliner. This is our favorite mode of Disney transportation because it’s efficient, fun, and basically a ride in and of itself. It opens one hour before Early Entry begins, and we were lined up with lots of other nerds guests by 6:30 a.m.1
At this point, you might be thinking — okay, but why so early? Well, it was May the 4th (aka Star Wars Day) at Hollywood Studios. This park is home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which not only features attractions, shopping, restaurants, and experiences related to the out-of-this-world franchise but also some fun, exclusive offerings on this day to celebrate the story and characters we love so much.
Crowd context: Obviously a day like this would draw large crowds. With new treats, limited-edition merchandise, and special events, we knew it would be crowded. Park reservations for Annual Passholders (“APs”) were maxed out at least one month prior to our trip. But honestly, it wasn’t too bad since we had LLs. I think a lot of locals showed up early to purchase the popcorn buckets, grab a snack, and head out.
The Skyliner opened at 7 a.m., which was also when the virtual queue for the May the 4th Merchandise Event opened for park guests. Similarly to attractions that require a virtual queue, this one was accessed through the Disney World app. After some heart palpitations and one heckuva quick thumb, we got Group 22 which had an estimated wait of 150 minutes. Perfect.
We arrived at Hollywood Studios around 7:15 a.m. and began queuing outside the park alongside a throng of people. We entered the park at 7:35 a.m. (25 minutes before Early Entry was supposed to begin) but since we booked LLs for everything in Galaxy’s Edge, we decided to head to Toy Story Land first and “rope drop” Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers.2 This worked out beautifully and we had little to no wait for each. Afterwards, all eyes were on Batuu!
By this point, we were building quite an appetite so we placed a mobile order at Ronto Roasters for the Rising Moons Overnight Oats ($6.99) and Ronto Wrap ($13.99), as well as at the Milk Stand for Blue Milk ($9.29) and the new Kessel Run Rations ($5.99).
All of these were delicious. In fact, I could’ve gone for seconds of all four offerings. The overnight oats have an interesting texture but are a fantastic option for those who want something chilled and fruity, a lil’ lighter, and meatless. The wrap is a wonderful combination of textures and savory flavors with a hint of acidity, and the Kessel Run Rations are basically a sharable pain au chocolat (or chocolate croissant) with a sprinkle of sea salt. So, so good!
Alright, I have to admit something. Prior to this trip, I had never had either of the “milk” offerings. The visual kind of freaked me out because I don’t love cow’s milk, but I’m happy to report that I finally read the menu and — drumroll, please — it’s not actually a milk-like consistency. Instead, it’s a slightly-sweetened, creamy slush made from a blend of coconut and rice milk. The Blue Milk is more fruity and the Green Milk is more citrusy, and honestly? I love them both. We did swing back by the Milk Stand later to grab a limited-edition Coaxium Sipper which included one of the milk options, so we chose the Green Milk.
After chowin’ for a lil’ bit, we ran walked with purpose to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run to escape the rain. Two guests in our group asked the CM if we could ride the attraction with “Chewie Mode” and she obliged! It was super fun and, admittedly, much more enjoyable to have Chewbacca yell at you than Hondo Ohnaka.
Although the rain let up while we were experiencing the attraction, we were met with more shortly after exiting it. Much, much more.
Remember that May the 4th Merchandise Event I mentioned earlier? Yea, well…our group was conveniently called during this deluge. My husband made his way over to Stage 1 Company Store at Muppet’s Courtyard to check us in while I grabbed us some ponchos right around the corner at Tattooine Traders. Once we made it through the line (in the rain), we weren’t super impressed with most of the merchandise offerings but we both still grabbed the commemorative pin and a box of two limited-edition mystery pins to open later (check out the unboxing below!).
Luckily for us, it was a short walk to our next LL attraction — Star Tours — The Adventure Continues. Unluckily for us, all of the CMs got to witness us looking like drowned rats.
Our next adventure was a tried-and-true favorite — drinks and snacks at Oga’s Cantina. The lighting is dim in this lounge so I didn’t grab too many photos, but believe me when I say that everything looked and tasted wonderful. This is a highly-sought after experience — especially on May the 4th — with limited seating, so each party has a time limit of 45 minutes and each person can enjoy a maximum of two drinks.3 Here’s what we got:
Round one: We each got a Fuzzy Tauntaun ($19.00), which contains vodka and liqueur and is peach, orange, and tangerine-flavored with a “tingling foam” placed on top
Oga’s Obsession ($8.25), which is basically a chilled, cotton candy-flavored gelatin treat with blueberry popping pearls and popping candy
Round two: I ordered a Nysillin and Bubble with Brub Berry Essence ($18.00) which is a gin and elderflower liqueur cocktail, and my husband grabbed a Jedi Mind Trick ($18.00) which contains vodka, two types of liqueur, and grapefruit bitters
The Umbaran Cheese Roll ($12.00), which is a warm, spice-dusted pretzel roll with herbed cheese and a dipping sauce, and is absolutely delicious!
Any time at Oga’s is a good time. DJ R-3X is always tearin’ it up in the booth, and the vibes are just impeccable. This is usually a must-do experience for us, and I highly recommend it if you’re a Star Wars fan.
Afterward, we continued snacking around Galaxy’s Edge. I love popcorn but had never tried the varieties offered at Kat Saka’s Kettle, so we grabbed a bag of the Buttered Blue Grains ($6.99) and a Cold Brew Black Caf ($5.99). We were severely unimpressed the first and only time we tried the renowned cold brew but I’m happy to report that today’s was infinitely better. It was smooth and perfectly sweet, and the popcorn was a salt-lover’s dream.
We then walked back to Toy Story Land to redeem a Toy Story Mania! LL, and then grabbed some lunch at Woody’s Lunchbox. We love this spot for breakfast but hadn’t tried it for lunch or dinner until this visit. We ordered “Totchos” ($10.49) and The Clawwww! Lunch Box Tart ($4.99), which hit the spot. I prefer the normal raspberry tart over the key lime-flavored one but with that soft filling and buttery crust, it was still very enjoyable.
By this point, it was around 2 p.m. so we moseyed on over to our final LL attraction of the day, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The rain we experienced earlier was long gone so there wasn’t any threat of lightning, which can often shut down this attraction. However, Rise of the Resistance can be a lil’ temperamental regardless of weather and we only made it to the hallway after the Stormtrooper room before we got evacuated and given Experience Redemption Passes to use later that day.4
Unfortunately, we weren’t planning to hang around Hollywood Studios much longer so we stopped by a Guest Experience Team station to see if we could move our newly acquired LL to a different day.5 The CM we spoke to was super helpful, and we were able to reschedule it to the day of our choosing later in the week. Huzzah!
After sorting that out, we grabbed some iced, caffeinated beverages from The Trolley Car Café (aka Starbucks) on Hollywood Boulevard and headed to our next destination — Animal Kingdom Lodge — Jambo House.
You might recall that we dropped our luggage off at Art of Animation’s Bell Services desk almost 12 hours prior. Well, it had already been delivered to our new resort, and we got a notification right as we walked into the lobby that our room was ready. Talk about incredible timing!
Anytime my family vacations at Disney World, we stay in a Grand Villa. We’re a large family and we need (read: need) space otherwise…it won’t be pretty. My parents — and now my husband and I — are Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) members, so this is a great use of our points every other year. We’ve stayed in a variety of rooms at both Jambo House and Kidani Village and they’re all wonderful and, if you ask me, entirely underrated. We love this resort.
For this trip, we were assigned a villa on the fifth floor of Zebra Trail overlooking the edge of the Uzima Savanna, which is closest to the pool and many resort amenities. I filmed a room tour of the space so stay tuned for that but for now, I’ll just say that it was gorgeous, spacious, and feels like home. Aside from the, you know, greater kudu and flamingos right below our balconies.
We had dinner plans in a few hours so we got ourselves situated, took showers, and got ready to head toward the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Around 6:30 p.m., we took an Uber to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort to meet some friends for dinner at ‘Ohana. We’ve dined at this resort multiple times at various restaurants, but we’ve only enjoyed breakfast at ‘Ohana once before. Meals are served family-style here, meaning the server brings the table an array of items to split and replenishes them throughout the meal until you finally waive the white flag.
Breakfast is a character experience with pretty standard American fare ($33-53.00, per person) while dinner features a Mixed Greens Salad, Signature ‘Ohana Bread, Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings, Garlic-Chili Pork Dumplings, various wood fire-grilled proteins with Asian-inspired noodles and stir-fried veggies, and — if you still have room — the famous ‘Ohana Bread Pudding ($42-65.00, per person).
I’ll reiterate what so many people have said before me: arrive hungry, especially if you want to get the most value out of this meal. It’s pricey for dinner but also pretty darn good. My favorite items were the salad, dumplings, stir-fried veggies, grilled chicken with a guava-pineapple glaze, and the bread pudding. I don’t think I’ll need to revisit anytime soon but if you enjoy Asian-inspired dishes and an all-you-can-eat sort of menu, definitely consider ‘Ohana.
A few tips and tidbits for ‘Ohana:
This is one of the Disney restaurants that serves pineapple-orange-guava (or “POG”) juice. If that’s your vibe (raises hand), get you some.
We had absolutely no problem booking our reservation at the 60-day mark.6 All time slots were open throughout the day we booked for, but I did notice that there was very limited availability when I checked several days later.
If you’re an AP or DVC member, be sure to let your server know so they can apply a 10% discount to your bill.
If you can’t get a reservation and/or want to save a lil’ money, Tambu Lounge is right next to ‘Ohana and serves many of the same items on the dinner menu from 4-10 p.m. These seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis though, so plan accordingly!
After a very filling dinner, we joined our friends down at the outdoor seating area of Capt. Cook’s, the Polynesian Resort’s quick-service restaurant, to chat and soak up all that beautiful, evening ambiance. It was a movie night at the resort, so the “hot crustacean band” from The Little Mermaid just added to the glorious yea-I’m-on-vacation vibes. We could also see the fireworks from Happily Ever After in the distance which was a perfect nightcap of sorts.
It was a long, long day and by the time we got back to the resort, we were ready to crash. But nothing’s quite better than falling asleep absolutely exhausted with another Disney day just around the corner.
Whew! That was a lot, and we’re only two days into the trip (disappears into the bushes Homer Simpson style). Buckle up, pals.
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Early Theme Park Entry is a perk for guests staying at Disney Resort hotels or other select hotels and allows them to enter a Disney theme park of their choice 30 minutes prior to the official opening time. This perk will continue through 2026.
I haven’t tried this yet myself, but I’m pretty sure you can grab a third drink to-go and enjoy it in and around Batuu.
An Experience Redemption Pass is issued if an attraction or experience is unavailable during a LL Single or Multi Pass reservation window. In this case, even standby riders were given a pass so that they could return once the attraction was up and running again. It works the same way as a LL but isn’t tied to a specific time.
The Guest Experience Team can be found under the marked blue umbrellas across property, and they can help you with matters related to the parks (i.e. directions, LL information, Disney World app support, etc.).
Guests of a Disney Resort hotel are able to make Advanced Dining Reservations (“ADRs”) 60 days from their check-in date beginning at 7 a.m. EST. Depending on the restaurant, some ADRs can go very quickly and might require calling Disney so if you really want to eat somewhere (i.e. Cinderella’s Royal Table, Topolino’s Terrance, etc., be sure to do your research beforehand.
This is quite the itinerary! Sounds like an incredible trip.
How did i not know the Galaxy's Edge milk wasn't cow's milk?!