I’ve been thinking about our last trip, and I wanted to talk about it a little. I guess part of the reason is that I don’t really have much else to say right now, and I’m studying, so I could definitely use a break from that for a while. But I’ve also found myself thinking back on the trip and remembering different moments, conversations, and little things that happened.

So, I thought it might be nice to talk about it, not necessarily because there’s anything specific I need to say, but because I’ve been thinking about it. Plus, honestly, I’m supposed to be studying right now, and I think I deserve a little break.

Disney World is basically its own city. I mean, it’s huge. The Walt Disney World Resort covers roughly the same amount of land as San Francisco, and it has many of the amenities you would expect from an actual city. At this point, calling it an amusement park almost feels like underselling it.

For example, Disney World has its own internal mail services, a unique ZIP code (32830), and actual collection boxes throughout the resort that send mail through the USPS. It has municipal-style services, including its own fire and emergency departments, water treatment and public utilities, an extensive transportation network, and its own roads and building infrastructure. It’s basically a small, privately operated city where the residents are mostly tourists, the public transportation is free, and everyone is constantly asking, “Where are we going next?”

And then there’s Epcot.

Epcot actually stands for something: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Walt Disney came up with the acronym in 1966 as part of an ambitious plan to create a real, futuristic, functioning model city. He envisioned EPCOT as an actual community where people would live and work, with new technology and innovative urban planning constantly being tested.

That original idea never became the real city Walt envisioned. Instead, we got Epcot the theme park. So, weirdly, Walt didn’t exactly build the city he imagined, but he did build a massive place with its own infrastructure, transportation system, utilities, emergency services, and enough people wandering around looking confused that it occasionally feels like a futuristic experiment.

I really liked Epcot. One of my favorite things was walking through the different “countries” in World Showcase. You get to walk from one part of the world to another without having to deal with passports, customs, or a 12-hour flight. The funniest part to me was that there is also a USA pavilion. I mean, we are already in the United States, but apparently America needed to represent America to the international visitors. And honestly, with how many international guests visit Disney World, I can see why they included it.

One piece of advice: do not go to Disney World in the summer unless you enjoy being slowly steamed like a dumpling.

I thought the humidity in Oklahoma and Texas was bad. Nope. Florida said, “Hold my drink.”

My mom has talked before about how much she hates the humidity in San Diego, and after going to Florida, I have to say: Mom, respectfully, San Diego has nothing on this. I was sweating at night after the sun had already gone down. The sun had clocked out for the day, and Florida was still working overtime.

And wear comfortable shoes. Seriously.

My Hokas were on my feet for about 15 hours a day. My feet and I basically became business partners. I was extremely grateful for those shoes by the end of each day. Thank you, Tommy, for buying me my shoes.

The one exception was Blizzard Beach, Disney World’s water park. Make a day for Blizzard Beach. It was such a nice break from all the walking and standing at the other parks. After spending days walking around Disney World, sitting in water starts to feel less like a recreational activity and more like necessary medical treatment.

The Disney World app is also incredibly useful. It has maps that know where you are, hello, GPS, and you can use it for just about everything. You can order food, manage Lightning Lanes, open your hotel room door, and link your park admission. If you have an iPhone, though, I recommend putting your Disney ticket in Apple Wallet. It makes it much easier to get to your ticket when you need it, especially when you’re trying to use Lightning Lanes.

On our second time riding Tron, Tommy and I didn’t have a Lightning Lane. We ended up waiting around 90 minutes. Thankfully, Tommy had games on his phone, so we entertained ourselves while standing in line. That’s one of the things about Disney: sometimes the attraction is the ride, and sometimes the attraction is seeing how creative you can get while standing in a line for an hour and a half.

We also didn’t use Park Hopper passes. Since we were there for six days, we dedicated a full day to each park. I think that was the right decision for us. You could probably combine Animal Kingdom with another park because it’s smaller, but I still liked having an entire day there. We actually left Animal Kingdom before dinner and had already seen everything we wanted to see, so it worked out well.

For transportation, I think the Disney buses were probably the best option. I also liked the Skyliner, which was a lot of fun and gave us a different way to get around. The buses can get packed, though, so be prepared to stand and hold on. There were definitely times when I thought, “Well, I guess this is what public transportation is like in Disney City.”

I was also very glad I brought my power bank. Charge it every night. You will use your phone constantly. Between taking pictures, checking maps, ordering food, managing Lightning Lanes, looking at wait times, and generally trying to figure out where on Earth you are, your phone battery is going to disappear faster than your patience in a 90-minute line.

And bring a water bottle. Fill it throughout the day.

I brought a full water bottle and two additional bottles of water with me, and somehow I had finished all of it by about halfway through the day. The funny thing was that I didn’t have to use the bathroom nearly as much as I expected.

I have a theory about that.

I sweated out every molecule of water I drank.

Also, bring snacks. You can bring your own food and snacks into the parks, which is great because food adds up quickly. We brought trail mix and dried mango. They were perfect for eating between meals when we needed a little extra energy. I didn’t eat much of the trail mix because it mostly made me want to drink even more water, but the dried mango was my favorite.

If I had to rank the parks, my list would be:

1. Magic Kingdom
2. Epcot
3. Hollywood Studios
4. Animal Kingdom

They’re all great, so this isn’t really a “good versus bad” ranking. It’s just my personal order.

Magic Kingdom reminded me a lot of Disneyland, which makes sense because they share so much of the same classic Disney DNA. I loved the nostalgia, the rides, and just being there. My favorite part of the entire day, though, was watching the parade and fireworks at the end of the night.

Karissa got emotional because she was so happy to finally be there.

That moment made the entire trip worth it.

Seeing my girls happy and finally getting to experience Disney was incredibly special to me. Kevin and I had planned to take Karissa to Disneyland for her fourth birthday, but he passed away before her birthday. After that, I didn’t have anyone who could take her and me to Disneyland.

So being there with her at Disney World carried a lot more meaning for me than simply going on vacation. It was something I had once imagined doing with my girls, and even though the circumstances were completely different, I was grateful that I finally got to see Karissa and Alexis experience the magic of Disney. Disney just seemed to be unobtainable. Even when we were planning the trip, I had a hard time believing that we were going.

Epcot was my second favorite because I loved walking through the different countries and experiencing the food, architecture, and atmosphere. And, of course, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was a huge highlight. That ride was so much fun.

Hollywood Studios was also a lot of fun. I liked the interactive rides, and Fantasmic at the end of the day was a great way to finish the park. There was something about ending a long day with a big nighttime show that made all the walking feel worth it.

Animal Kingdom had some really cool animals, and the rides were surprisingly fun. Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain was one of my favorites. The ride stops and then starts heading backward, which I was not mentally prepared for.

We also managed to wait out a thunderstorm there, which felt like an accomplishment in itself. And one of the funniest memories from Animal Kingdom was eating ube ice cream while it was actively raining on us.

Nothing says “Disney vacation” quite like trying to protect your ice cream from the weather.

Overall, I really enjoyed Disney World. It was exhausting, expensive, humid, crowded, and completely worth it. There is something kind of ridiculous about walking 15 hours a day in Florida heat, spending half your day figuring out transportation and food, and then willingly getting in line for another ride.

But there is also something really special about it.

For me, the best part wasn’t necessarily the rides or the parks. It was seeing my girls experience something they had been excited about for so long. Watching Karissa get emotional during the fireworks is something I’ll remember for a long time.

Hmmm. I was just given a cookie.

Alexis has biscochito cookies, and she gave me one.

While I do love when she gives me treats, I’m glad that it’s a once in a while thing. I shouldn’t be snacking on cookies when I’m trying to lose weight.

I’m going to study for a while longer and then get started on dinner. Tonight we are having lemon-herb chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli. I marinated the chicken after lunch. I asked Tommy what time he thinks they will be home so I can start the actual cooking process at 5:30. Dinner should be ready by the time they get home. Should I reflect on the cruise next?