In 2019, I was fortunate enough that I was able to travel to Orlando a total of five times to visit and explore Walt Disney World theme parks and resorts. Being a Vacation Specialist has its benefits! Back in May, we started to think about our next vacation as a family to stay on site for a week at Disney’s Riviera Resort, and we’re so excited that our time at this brand new resort is almost here!

Now that our family trip to Walt Disney World for 2020 is fast approaching, I’ve been thinking about the experiences that are top of mind for this next trip.

• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge—I’ve been inside this newest land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but my husband Graham and son Nate haven’t had the chance to explore it, yet. I’m also really excited for us to try out Rise of the Resistance, which opened just a few weeks ago. We’re not sure if Nate will be brave enough to experience it with us, so we may have to ride separately.
• Dining Experiences—We are using the Disney Dining Plan for this trip, and we have reservations for several restaurants we haven’t eaten at before, including Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Harvest Feast at Garden Grill inside the Land pavilion at EPCOT, Boatwright’s Dining Hall over at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, Riverside, Grand Floridian Cafe, Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast at Disney’s Riviera Resort, Boma, the amazing buffet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Olivia’s Cafe at Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Tusker House, which is inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
• Construction—Since Disney has turned its attention to many changes and upgrades taking place at EPCOT, I’m curious to see how demolition and construction is going there, as well as the progress being made on the new Tron: Lightcycle Power Run roller coaster inside Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, since my last visit.
• Attractions—My son Nate was disappointed when he wasn’t able to ride Test Track on our last visit to EPCOT, so I made sure we had FastPasses lined up for this ride, which we’re scheduled for on our first day in Orlando.
• Disney Skyliner—Although I have been on board “the most magical flight on earth” already, my husband Graham and my son Nate haven’t. We watched all last year as progress reports came in on YouTube and other social media platforms, and we’re really looking forward to being able to get from our resort to EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios quickly.
• Studio Accommodations—Our family has not yet had the pleasure of staying together in a studio, which features a kitchenette right inside the room. Having our own set of dishes, fridge, microwave, coffee maker and additional sink will be a lovely perk for us to take advantage of. Rooms of this type are available at Disney’s resort hotels that feature villa-style accommodations.
• Droid Depot—For Christmas, we gave Nate the surprise of a reservation to build his own droid at Droid Depot inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. After that, we’ll head over to our reservation at Oga’s Cantina for a drink.
• Resort-only Days—For the first time, we have a few days during our stay with little to no theme park plans. Instead, we plan to take advantage of the amenities and activities that Disney’s Riviera Resort has to offer, as well as enjoying a little bit of resort hopping for meals. I’ll save the “park warrior” experience for visits with my colleagues!

Those are the highlights! I’m planning to write a trip report throughout our stay, and I welcome your return to this site to continue to read along.

If you’ve dined at any of the restaurants listed above, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a message in the comments, below.