I’ve become a Disney Adult.

One perk of having a friend near Orlando is that Vacation Club trips to Walt Disney World are more than just a possibility. In the last 12 months, I’ve been to Disney twice. And Disney as an adult? It hits different.

As I mentioned before, being at Disney as a financially stable adult gives you a different freedom than as a kid. While you might understand more about how the Magic™ works, but that sense of wonderment is still very much present.

As a kid, EPCOT might seem a little boring, but as an adult? It’s my favorite park by far. While yes, there are fewer rides — which, I’d be remiss in not highly encouraging you to go ride Remy’s in the France pavilion. It uses the new trackless system and is just an amazingly fun, immersive experience. There’s the new Guardian’s ride too, which opened after my last trip. And of course, the classics are still there, even if some have been re-imagined. (It’s a toss-up whether Frozen Ever After is “better” than Maelstrom. I miss the nostalgia of the original, but enjoyed the update.)

Where EPCOT truly shines: the food! EPCOT features seasonal festivals (Festival of the Arts, Flower & Garden, Food & Wine, and Festival of Holidays). Each has a boatload of booths with quite amazing food and drink offerings. During my second trip, I spent two days at EPCOT solely for the food. I even made a reservation, which often I skip because there’s so many amazing booth offerings. I’m so glad I did not skip it. And honestly, make reservations for places throughout the parks. Disney can be such an amazing food trip if you want it to be.

One of the things that made our trips great: Dylan is an unnatural wiz at utilizing Disney’s apps and tools. Between individual attraction queues and Genie+, we managed to ride so many rides at both Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. If you or someone else is willing to frequent the app throughout the day, and you’re willing to cross the park to different attractions and rides, then it’s not too hard to manage. I also highly suggest utilizing Solo Rider lines. You get on so much faster, and you’ll just get paired up with strangers, so it’s honestly not bad.

(my mask in in my hand, btw)

While Disney still isn’t a cheap vacation, splitting hotel costs does help. Our first trip we stayed off-park in a condo, which was nice and cut cost even more. Our second trip we stayed at a Disney Resort and honestly, it was great and unless I’m doing a very long trip, I’ll likely do that again. Having access to the Skyliner just a very short walk from our room? Perfect. (And another perk of traveling as adults, is that we could schedule our trip to fit our needs, which meant picking off-peak times.)

While I’m not sure when I’ll next be able to go to Disney, honestly — mainly because I have a big trip planned for next year with my mom — I do look forward to heading back. I really want to hit up the Food & Wine festival, one of EPCOT’s biggest festivals of the year, and I want to stay at least once at a deluxe resort if I can. One day we’ll head west and do Disneyland together.

Oh, and yes, I do have a set of Disney-specific shirts and outfits just for these trips.

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