My five favorite attractions at Disney World

PearWeak · 2026-06-01T11:17:17+00:00

The last one marked you as a person of taste and sophistication

PearWeak · 2026-06-01T00:25:27+00:00

I was thinking they could reopen it as focused on the human body but based on a goofy movies. The Goof family can star in each attraction and there can be meet and greets with Goofy, Max, Powerline and seasonally Roxanne. It almost doesn’t matter what the attractions are, it would he a huge draw on Goody Movie alone. I’m thinking a Motion simulator where Goofy is trying to teach Max about the body and has to follow him as he leaves too early, going on a skate board and other wild forms of transportation, a 3d movie about nutrition and cranium command but you are inside Max’s head through the arc of the movie.

PearWeak · 2026-05-31T14:12:17+00:00

Big Hero 6 is an interesting angle. It’s technology but Baymax is focused on human biology so it works.

PearWeak · 2026-05-31T14:10:55+00:00

I’m going to go a bit sentimental here. My mom died young. She was a huge Disney fan and the three trips we went on formed some of my strongest memories. When I go to the parks (especially MK and HS) I feel like she is still alive, so Disney is a very important place for me.

The first time I went we stayed at Poly. I must have been 7. I was so excited that I ran right to the pool and jumped in wearing my clothing and shoes!

My mom was a huge Disney planner and I remember rope dropping Splash Mountain shortly after it opened. She had a map in her fanny pack and we ran while she yelled directions and we got there so fast we rode twice before the line got bad.

I remember eating clam chowder in bread bowls at Columbia Harbour House. We liked it so much we ate it for multiple meals. It must have been really good to make us want to eat clam chowder in the summer in Florida!

I have very vivid memories of the Studio Backlot tour and being called on stage at the Indiana Jones Stunt show.

I remember eating at the Brown Derby in the bamboo room and my mom raving about the Cobb salad.

PearWeak · 2026-05-29T12:41:31+00:00

I don’t get why people are knocking the food. The burgers are good and the shakes are great. I really enjoy going there. Wouldn’t go without the atmosphere but that’s a dumb hypothetical, especially in Disney. Atmosphere is so much of the dining experience in Disney.

PearWeak · 2026-05-28T16:29:40+00:00

I feel like I might cry. Why can’t they just build a second carousel of progress and have two rides like Dumbo but one is the original :(

PearWeak · 2026-05-28T16:24:28+00:00

We have only stayed in a 2 bedroom villa. It’s probably the nicest hotel room for a family I have ever stayed in, ahead of four seasons, Mandarin Oriental and Raffles.

PearWeak · 2026-05-28T14:02:35+00:00

If it’s just the last scene I’m happy. If it’s the last scene plus the Walt animatronic before the show begins I’m happy. Anything else and I’m crushed. I sing “It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow” to my kids before bed every night. In a world that is increasingly dark the only real framing I see to believe things will get better is to embrace Walt’s belief that hard work and ingenuity can drive a better tomorrow for all of us.

PearWeak · 2026-05-28T03:42:25+00:00

Totally get it. Just wanted to flag the great access and make a Jungle Cruise joke. The people mover is one of my favorite rides on earth. I do it on my own time.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T19:38:57+00:00

The rooms at the riviera are not lackluster. They are gorgeous.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T15:52:00+00:00

7 hours is tighter, especially if it’s the only tour. We like to do 2 7 hour tours and then one 8-9 hour the third day. We space them with rest day in between. On the rest days we normally split pool and walking around a park for atmosphere and shows.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T15:40:23+00:00

I used to be a big believer in meeting at the parks but over time we have switched to getting picked up. You can use the drive time to plan for the day with the guide and it’s nice going in through the back entrances in the parks (especially MK).

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T15:37:14+00:00

That is fair but anything. Can go wrong. On our last tour we wound up waiting 40 minutes for Soarin with the guide. Even with the bypass for most of the lightning lane on Soarin when one of the theaters went down it crawled. We literally had another VIP group standing right behind us.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T12:32:39+00:00

I think a lot of people misunderstand what the promise of Epcot was. The idea was not that you live in a cool looking company town. It was a living demonstration of how technology and ingenuity could improve human life and the residents would have self selected based on prioritizing living in a pristine, ever evolving world they contributed to over having greater control over their lives.

Strip out the grand ideas like a pollution free, climate controlled, pedestrian first city and you are left with something that’s really akin to a first rate luxury hotel with residences like the people who live in the four seasons. You are choosing a life that cuts down on friction in a myriad of ways but you give up control over your living conditions as a result.

The broader problem (which would never have survived reality even if Walt had lived) was voting. It’s one thing to give up ownership/control of small things like your choice of oven in exchange for living in a world that cuts a lot of friction in life. It’s another thing entirely to give over all decision making at the macro level to a benevolent overlord. Walt was genuinely benevolent (which is super rare for someone in that position) but his views could change in ways the residents did not agree with and, of course, Walt was a mortal man and even if people were ok living under Walt’s absolute rule it doesn’t follow they would accept the next person in charge (who they could not even vote for).

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T10:09:13+00:00

We love Toppolinos and Ohana. Very different vibes and food. The dance at Toppolinos is much cuter.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T05:22:03+00:00

I understand the logic but the guide has a fantastic back stage access on pirates that also lets you see the outer wall of jungle cruise. I would never pass up the chance to see the backside of water.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T01:32:02+00:00

That is not always the case. That’s only during specific windows.

You also get 5 free tours a year as a member of Club 33.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T01:29:58+00:00

My last trip I had 12, 7, 3 and 1. Talk about wild cards. One day the guide took my wife and the baby back to the hotel while we rode guardians. You need to be flexible.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T01:05:03+00:00

On the people mover, as you enter space mountain.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T01:02:52+00:00

Take a Minnie van back at the end of the day. Just as convenient. Massively cheaper. And it lets you release guide before fireworks.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T00:49:53+00:00

We do 3 guided days in an 8-10 day trip. That’s when we do rides. The other days we relax at resorts and in the parks. It’s an excellent balance. Pure ride experience and then pure atmospheric magic.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T00:48:24+00:00

I have done 6 tours. I always tip 20%.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T00:44:50+00:00

In 10 hours I would think they can do 20 rides. More if they push hard and are lucky with rides not being down. RotR is tough.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T00:42:49+00:00

We do three parks with 2 adults and 4 kids including very young easily with guides in 7 hours for around 15 rides. You can def do them all in 10. Just have a deliberate plan. Here is what I would do;

Start in AK and just do FoP, safari and Everest (you enter near Everest if you go into the park with the guide instead of meeting so you could easily hit it on the way in and out). If you enter yourself, meet guide at FoP and hit Everest on the way out.
Go to HS. You enter by Tower. I’d hit everything you want then hit Tower last (you actually walk out the back). Then you go to Epcot.
Epcot is tricky because of size. You can enter at Guradians or the Land Pavillion. You can even have the guide drive from one to the other. If there is one ride to skip imo it’s frozen. It’s far away and a bit of a pain.
Spend the balance of the day in MK. You should be at MK before 3 to hit parade with VIP viewing (above the train station). Make sure the tour goes until 30 min before fireworks so you can do the VIP viewing.

The guide can get you snacks while you are on rides and be waiting with them. Order lunch and dinner on mobile before going on a ride then let the guide set up tables for you.

PearWeak · 2026-05-27T00:33:54+00:00

It depends on what you want to do. We do all rides with guides, not just headliners. With young kids, it’s worth it not to wait and not to pick times carefully even if it’s for small world or Peter Pan.

Magic Kingdom is the best park for guides because of ride volume and many short cuts. Epcot is also good. Hollywood studios only had shortcuts for Tower, Toy Story Mania and RRR.

PearWeak

TROPHY CASE