Kelly at Pure Magic Vacations

We are 29 days out from our flight to Orlando and I have approximately fourteen browser tabs open at any given moment.

This is normal for me. This is, in fact, how my brain works best, which is something I understand a lot better now (thank you adult ADHD diagnosis).
Hyperfocus on a thing I love is genuinely one of my superpowers, and planning a Walt Disney World Resort trip for my family is the thing I will hyperfocus on above almost anything else.

Miss L and Miss E already have opinions about every meal. Miss E has asked me three times this week which water park we are doing on our first check-in day (we're doing a split stay so we get 2 complimentary water park visits). Miss L has a list. I also have a list. Our lists overlap in some places and conflict in others, and I love that about us.

We are also coming off a full competition dance season, with recital still ahead of us, which means I have been planning this trip in the margins of a very full life. In the parking lot of the dance studio while I wait. On my phone at 11pm after everyone is in bed.

The honest truth is that I am my own client. I plan our family's trips the same way I plan trips for the families I work with: with more detail than most people think is necessary and a genuine belief that the right preparation is what makes the magic actually land.

Twenty-nine days. I cannot wait!

If your family has been thinking about a Walt Disney World Resort trip and you are not sure where to start, send me a message. The planning is my favourite part.

There are three things I want every single person to know about before they walk through the gates at EPCOT, and none of them are the ones that usually make the "don't miss" lists.

First, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. I will not stop talking about this ride until every family I know has been on it at least once. It is an indoor coaster with a rotating ride system, which means you're always facing the action, and the soundtrack is genuinely one of the best parts. It doesn't feel like a theme park attraction, it feels like you are on an epic mission through space.

Second, Karamell-Küche in the Germany Pavilion. You can smell it before you see it, and that is not an exaggeration. Fresh caramel, made right there in the shop. The caramel corn alone is worth the walk around World Showcase. Don't forget to grab a caramel square (or two, or more). You'll thank me later.

Third, end your night at Luminous: The Symphony of Us. The nighttime spectacular over World Showcase Lagoon is one of those experiences that sneaks up on you. The music, the fireworks, the fountains, and you're standing there surrounded by families from all over the world, and it just hits. Every time. It is the perfect way to close out a day at EPCOT.

What's your non-negotiable at EPCOT? The thing you'd never leave without doing? Drop it below, I love hearing what's on your must-do list.

If your family is obsessed with The Lion King like mine is, the Lion King Family Suites at Disney's Art of Animation Resort are where you want to stay.

The second you walk in, it feels like you’ve stepped straight into the Pride Lands with Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa everywhere you look. Between the bold colours, jungle-inspired details, this suite honestly feels like part hotel room, part Disney experience.

And can we talk about the space for a second? These family suites sleep up to 6 people, which makes a HUGE difference for families who do not want to feel like they’re climbing over suitcases and each other after a day at the theme parks.

This is one of those resorts where the Disney magic doesn’t stop when you leave the parks… it follows you right back to your room. 🐾

The Mexico Pavilion is one of our favourite stops at EPCOT, and we never just pass through once. We end up back there multiple times every visit.

Stepping inside that pyramid is its own experience. The atmosphere shifts the moment you walk in, and it feels genuinely different from the rest of World Showcase.

We have ridden the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros ore times than I can count, Donald has met my girls more than once outside the pyramid, and we stop every time the Mariachi Cobre is performing. Every single time.

If you do one table service meal in World Showcase, make it San Angel Inn. Your table sits alongside the water where the Gran Fiesta Tour boats sail past throughout your meal. Watching other guests float by while you eat adds a layer of fun that I haven't found anywhere else on property.

Where do you start your World Showcase loop, Mexico or Canada?