Day Two: WDW Camping Trip

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: An early morning awaited us as we decided to try and cram a visit to Epcot into our busy schedule. We woke up early and quickly broke down camp so we could take advantage of the Morning Magic Hours at Epcot.

Since we didn’t have a lot of extra time, we opted to drive over to Epcot. What a great decision. We secured a great parking spot in the first row. As we headed to the gates, we hit a mass of resort guests also taking advantage of the early opening for resort guests. This was the first time we tried to use the magic hours, we typically avoid them to avoid crowds. In the future, I’m sure we will continue to avoid them because other than us working on a tight schedule it wasn’t worth the crowds.

We headed straight to Test Track as soon as the park opened. It had already accumulated a 20 minute wait by the time we got through the turnstile. The ride was completely renovated from the last time we visited the park. While the ride track remained the same, the entire concept was redesigned. Instead of observing the testing phase of automobiles, the new ride focuses on the design concepts. During the ride pre-show, you get to design a concept car. Then those designs are loaded into the ride vehicle and your concept gets tested throughout the ride. At the end of the ride, you can see how your concept performed among other concepts. While the ride concept is much more interactive, the old version was a little better in my opinion.

After we finished looking around the newly designed Test Track pavilion, we rode Spaceship earth and then headed towards the exit. That was the quickest park day we ever had, leaving before the park officially opened to the public. But that was all we had time for since my wife had check-in at her convention.

On the way over to the convention center, we stopped by McDonald’s near the All-Star Resort for a quick grab and go breakfast. The McDonald’s is a hidden gem tucked away over by the All-Star Resort. It’s a great place to grab a quick bite to eat and avoid the high Disney prices without leaving Disney property. 

After my wife checked in at her Scentsy Convention, we had a little extra time before the convention started. It was too long to sit at the convention center but not enough time to head to a park so we decided to head back to Fort Wilderness and explore the campground. We got to see all the stuff we missed during other visits to the campground. We took a walk around the Meadows area to visit the pool, playground, bike barn, and trading post. The we stopped by the paw park.  Our last stop was the Settlement which is home to Pioneer Hall, Tri-Circle-D Ranch, marina, another trading post and playground.  The only guest amenity portion of the park that we did not visit was the Swimming Hole.

Then it was time to head back to the Orange County Convention Center for my wife’s Scentsy Spring Sprint convention. This was where she learned about the new products and scents that will be offered during the Spring/Summer sales session. For those of you not familiar with Scentsy, it is an alternative to candles. It uses a scented paraffin wax that is heated in a warmer with a light bulb that produces the fragrance. It’s a safe alternative to candles that produces a great scent with no risk of fire, burns or soot. It is great for houses with kids and pets. To learn more or purchase, visit my wife’s website at https://julienne.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home.

With my wife at her convention, my son and I headed over to Orlando International Airport to photograph some planes. Our last adventure to MCO was a nightmare. We got lost and didn’t know where to go near the airport. We spent an hour driving around and never photographed a plane.

So this time, I solicited the help of my good friend and fellow aircraft photographer who is familiar with MCO. I met him at Airport Lakes Park just north of the airport. What an amazing place. We photographed almost a hundred planes during our time there ranging from small private jets to a large UPS cargo jet. While I am new to the planespotting hobby, this was by far the best place I have been. I can’t wait to go back.

After a few hours at the park, it was time to head back to the convention center to pick up my wife and then take the three hour drive back home. Man if I had it to do all over again, I would have added Wednesday to our trip because we were all due back and work and school the very next day after the late night and long drive.

The trip was a nice break. She had her convention and we made a trip out of it so the whole family could enjoy. While I would have loved to spend more time in Central Florida, budget did not allow. We will be back up again, but I highly doubt we will stay at Fort Wilderness. It was not what I had envisioned. The campground was loud, there was no privacy between sites and the staff wasn’t very friendly. If you are camping in Central Florida and want to visit Disney, I would choose one of the great Florida State Park campground before choosing Fort Wilderness.

I will also stick to my guns with only visiting one park per day and avoiding Extra Magic Hours. As Florida residents, we can be more flexible with our touring schedules. By sticking to these two simple rules, you can avoid much of the crowds and fully enjoy the experience. Take the evening to enjoy Downtown Disney, your resort or the rest of Central Florida.

We do not have another trip planned yet, but I speculate that we will be back up again before May when it gets too hot and our passes get blacked out for the summer.

Until then, check out the photos below from day two of the trip.