The Ultimate Disney World Bucket List

I’ve been visiting Disney World numerous times a year since I was 4 months old.

I’ve been a Disney Vacation Club member since 2010.

I’ve done the Disney College Program at Disney World 3 different times (Fall 2014 – Mission Space, Summer 2015 – Dinoland, and Fall 2015 – Fantasyland).

I was also an annual passholder in 2015.

I still have not done every single thing that is on this bucket list, but I’ve done majority of it.

So with that being said, here is the ultimate Disney World bucket list!

The Ultimate Disney World Bucket List

1. Visit all 4 theme parks in one day

I’ve done this a few times, with different groups of people.

Generally, I start at Animal Kingdom, then go to Hollywood Studios, then go to Epcot, then go to Magic Kingdom.

The order doesn’t really matter that much, but you want to start at the park that opens the earliest and end at the park that stays open the latest.

2. Stay at every Disney World Resort Hotel

The only places I haven’t stayed are Riviera and the Gran Destino Tower.

3. Dine at every table service restaurant

Every trip I try to add in new restaurants, but new ones come along all the time, so there’s always more places to try.

4. Dine at every quick service restaurant

Same as before, I try to add in new ones each trips, but there’s always something new!

5. Stay Club Level at any Disney World Resort Hotel

I’ve only stayed Club Level at the Yacht Club and it’s only because we were staying 1 night and we were chosen as “Family of the Day” so they upgraded us to Club Level.

They have free food and drinks all day long and turn down service!

6. Attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom

I did this every year in college and loved it!

Trick or treating, unique characters, a Halloween parade, and less crowds.

7. Attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom

I also did this every year in college and loved it.

You get free hot chocolate and cookies, plus you get to see the Christmas parade and fireworks shows.

8. Attend the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot

I’ve been attending the Food & Wine Festival since about 2010.

I was actually there on 11/11/11 and got my first bite exactly at 11:11 am.

9. Attend the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot

I absolutely love the topiaries and the spring-y foods & drinks at this festival!

10. Attend the Festival of Arts at Epcot

This is a newer festival that keeps Epcot interesting in-between other festival seasons.

11. Visit Disney World on your birthday

I spent my 21st birthday at Epcot and I spent my 20th birthday at Disney Quest and Blizzard Beach.

I later spent my 28th birthday at Fantasia Gardens and the Boardwalk.

12. Play mini golf at Fantasia Gardens

Speaking of Fantasia Gardens, this is a mini golf course next to the Boardwalk with 2 courses.

A whimsical, fun course, and a standard course.

13. Play mini golf at Winter Summerland

This golf course is in the Blizzard Beach parking lot and is open even when Blizzard Beach is closed.

14. Spend a day at Blizzard Beach

I love water park days at Disney World and more people need to add these to their itinerary.

15. Spend a day at Typhoon Lagoon

Typhoon Lagoon has the most epic wave pool and you used to be able to swim with sharks and stingrays.

16. Take a bus, boat, ferry, monorail, and Skyliner all in one day

I do resort hopping days at Disney World all the time where I just take different modes of transportation just because!

17. Drink water from every country at Epcot

This is inspired by my youngest sister.

When she was like 5 years old, she insisted on trying every drinking fountain at every country so she could taste water from around the world.

18. Get an alcoholic beverage from every country at Epcot

I think I’ve achieved this, but I’ve never really kept track.

My number one drink is Tipsy Ducks in Love in China.

It’s like coffee, chocolate, and some kind of liquor.

19. Get a non-alcoholic beverage from every country at Epcot

I’m not sure that I’ve completed this since I typically stick to water and maybe 1-2 alcoholic drinks, so that leaves rare opportunities for non-alcoholic drinks.

But I know Morocco has a good frozen tea that I think might have mint in it or something that I loved on my last visit.

20. Get a dessert or snack from every country at Epcot

Honestly this should be your goal every time you step foot in Epcot.

My favorites and non-negotiables are the sweet almond pretzel in Norway and the chewy caramel bar in Germany (which was my go-to long before it went viral).

In France I tend to get something different each time, but the Napoleon is my favorite.

21. Fill up an entire autograph book

I did this a lot as a kid!

22. Fill up an entire pressed penny book

I haven’t filled an entire book, but my brother and I still have our books from when we were kids.

We’ve been filling them with pressed pennies from other vacations too.

That may be going obsolete soon though, so do it now while you can!

23. Watch every night time show, parade, and fireworks show

At Hollywood Studios I’ve only seen Fantasmic, but other than that I think I’m caught up on all the latest night time projection shows and parades and fireworks.

24. Watch the Electrical Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon

This is such a fun, classic Disney World experience that most people don’t even know about.

25. Collect Disney pins

I started off collecting pins for each attraction I worked at during my internships.

Then I got a couple more random ones along the way that are inside jokes or relevant to whatever.

I’m very strategic with my pins!

26. Ride in the front row of a roller coaster

I’m sure I’ve done this lots of times.

27. Ride in the back row of a roller coaster

This is always the best!

28. Stay at one park from rope drop to closing

This is pretty much what I always do.

29. Spend the night in Cinderella’s Castle Suite

Hopefully one day!

30. Buy a pair of Mickey ears

I used to have the basic Minnie Mouse ears but I lost them at Hollywood Studios.

Then I had the Disneyland 60th Anniversary diamond ears because I was interning there at the time.

But they actually give me a headache after like 10 minutes so I don’t wear them very often.

31. Be chosen as family of the day at a resort or theme park

This is what I was talking about earlier for staying Club Level at the Yacht Club.

Also, if you book dining reservations for the very first opening slot, you’ll likely be chosen as family of the day!

We’ve had this happen at the Brown Derby and 50s Prime Time Cafe.

32. Take a VIP Tour

I’ve never done this at Disney World, but I did one for free as a cast member at Disneyland while tour guides were training.

33. Find every hidden mickey

I’ve seen lots of them, but I’m sure there’s even more I don’t know about.

34. Attend a movie screening at a Disney World Resort Hotel

These are called “Movies Under the Stars” and it’s one of my favorite perks of staying at Disney World.

35. Attend the Campfire Program at Fort Wilderness

This is like Movies Under the Stars on steroids!

36. Go horseback riding at Fort Wilderness

This is so fun!

I get the same horse every time – Cooper.

37. Go kayaking or canoeing at Fort Wilderness

This is one of the cheapest things you can do at Disney World.

38. Collect activity beads at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my favorite places to stay because they do these enrichment activities all throughout the resort every day and you earn little animal beads that go onto a necklace as you complete each activity.

39. Dine at Victoria & Albert’s Chef’s Table

I’ve never been, but I re-created 4 courses from the main menu from a few of my Disney World cookbooks and it was all so good.

40. Spend Christmas Day at Disney World

I did this throughout most of college since I was working there.

41. Spend New Year’s Eve at Disney World

The only time I’ve done this is when I was working at Magic Kingdom.

42. Watch a Superbowl Parade at Magic Kingdom

Years ago, I was there when Eli Manning was MVP and in the parade.

Then, when I was working at Disneyland, years later, I attended the parade and Peyton Manning was the MVP!

43. Spot a celebrity at Disney World

When I worked at Epcot, Chris Evans came through Mission Space and everyone was freaking out.

I didn’t know who he was.

But I’ve seen lots of celebrities since, especially for the Candlelight Processional and the concerts during Epcot’s festivals.

44. Spend Thanksgiving at Disney World

I did this all throughout college.

45. Spend Halloween at Disney World

I don’t think I’ve ever done anything in particular on the actual day of Halloween at Disney World.

46. Spend Easter at Disney World

I remember staying at Shades of Green one year over Easter Weekend and we could hear them holding a church service in the lawn, where they usually do weddings.

They also open up conference rooms at some of the resorts for Easter services.

47. Meet every character

There’s so many “rare” characters that this is a little bit hard to do, but not impossible.

48. Eat only Mickey shaped foods for an entire day

Mickey pretzels, Mickey ice cream bars, Mickey ice cream sandwiches, Mickey waffles, and I don’t know what else, but it would be fun!

49. Attend Bob Jackson’s Show at Port Orleans Riverside in the River Roost Lounge

This is a great show everyone should go to at least once.

He grew up in my hometown – Beavercreek, Ohio.

50. Get a pair of Mickey ears embroidered

I have one of the Mouseketeer type ears embroidered from when I was a baby and then I got another pair done during my first college program.

51. Get a haircut on Main Street USA

I’ve never done this, but it’s perfect for a “baby’s first haircut” moment.

52. Go surfing at Typhoon Lagoon

Before the park opens, you can take surfing lessons or do surfing on your own in the wave pool!

53. Take a fireworks cruise

They do these on little pontoon boats outside of Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

54. Run in a RunDisney event (5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon)

I’m not a runner, but event weekends and earning medals are always fun.

55. Spend a spa day at Disney World

I’ve had a manicure at the spa at Shades of Green, but a full spa day would be even better.

56. Visit the Gingerbread House at Grand Floridian during Christmas

They have all kinds of holiday treats for sale here too.

57. Try every drink at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar

I’ve had pretty much everything I would be interested in drinking.

I tend to get something different every time.

58. Sample every drink at Club Cool

I prefer the OG drinks – RIP to Smart Watermelon from China, but the new drinks are okay.

59. Sample every drink at the Coca-Cola Store (Disney Springs)

I did this with a group and it’s even better than Club Cool because there’s like twice as many drinks.

60. Ride Jingle Cruise – the Christmas overlay on Jungle Cruise

I’ve done this a few times and it’s nice to change up the ride a little every once in awhile.

61. Ride in the hot air balloon at Disney Springs

I don’t love heights, so I doubt I’ll ever do it, but we’ll see.

62. Purchase the $250,000+ crystal Cinderella Castle or Epcot ball

Manifesting this!

63. Find all the hidden Pascals at the Tangled restroom area in Magic Kingdom

This is a fun twist on hidden Mickeys.

64. Find the hidden mickey in The Little Mermaid queue that is only visible once per year

This one requires careful planning and a sunny day!

65. Ask Crush a question at Turtle Talk with Crush

My sister asked him once when his birthday was.

I think he said something like December 10th or 12th?

But I love all the viral videos of the unhinged things kids say now.

66. Try the Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop

I’ve done this twice, both with a group of 4-6 people and it is hard to finish, but delicious.

67. Stay in an overwater bungalow at Polynesian Village Resort

One day.

68. Design your future at Spaceship Earth

I try to pick different things every time, even if they’re not really what I would pick for myself.

69. Ride Spaceship Earth in every language

I ride it in French a lot, but I need to try out all the other languages.

70. Get every song on Guardians of the Galaxy

I haven’t been keeping track of this, but I know I’ve had at least 3 different songs for sure so far.

71. Get every song on Rock’n Roller Coaster

I guess we’ll see how this changes with the new Muppets coaster!

72. Ride Soarin’ in the front and center row

The only good view in my opinion.

73. Play the DuckTales World Showcase Adventure in every country at Epcot

This is so much fun and it’s perfect to do right at rope drop when everyone is rushing to the E Ticket attractions.

We’ve had China completely to ourselves!

74. Ride Tower of Terror at 8:05 pm on Halloween night

If you’ve seen the Tower of Terror movie, that’s the exact time that the elevators were struck by lightning.

75. Attend Dapper Day (and dress up for it)

Dapper Day is when you dress up in retro outfits, similar to what would’ve been seen on Disneyland’s opening day in 1955.

76. Be chosen as “That Guy” on the Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor

You have to be a guy, but there are plenty of other roles you could be chosen for in this show!

77. Max out the score on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

I’ve done this 3 or 4 times now.

But we’ll see how that changes with the latest updates.

78. Be the only person on a ride

I’ve technically done this, because on most attractions, cast members have to be the last one to ride it all the way through to make sure there’s nothing that got left behind and make sure everything is still working properly.

79. Watch a concert at Epcot

My favorites have been Simple Plan, Smash Mouth, Plain White Ts, and Sugar Ray.

I feel like there have been others but those are the ones that stood out to me the most.

80. Make a wish in the wishing well at Magic Kingdom

I probably did this as a kid, but maybe I’m due for a new wish.

81. Attend the Candlelight Processional at Epcot

This is done every night during Christmas season and it’s hosted by different celebrities each night.

The usuals are John Stamos, Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Gad, the different Disney Princess voices, and a handful of others.

82. Attend the Festival of the Holidays at Epcot

It’s hard to choose the absolute best time at Epcot, but this one is really high up there.

Each country has different holiday specific foods to sample.

83. Send mail from a Disney park

The post office boxes are real!

84. Get evacuated from a ride

I’ve had this happen on Carousel of Progress.

I think that’s the only one at Disney World I’ve actually been full evacuated off of.

Now Disneyland… I think I’ve been evacuated off of just about every ride at some point.

85. Try every Dole Whip flavor

Because why not.

86. See the Kiss Goodnight at Magic Kingdom

This is the very last thing that happens when the park closes for the night.

87. Get a Disney button

They have buttons for all kinds of celebrations.

For my 16th birthday I was collecting birthday buttons and having cast members from around World Showcase write “happy birthday” in their native languages.

88. Take a horse drawn carriage ride at Port Orleans

These go back and forth between the French Quarter and Riverside in the evenings and the guides can tell you anything and everything you’d want to know about the resorts and the horses.

89. Get married at Disney World

Again, because why not?

90. Buy a home in Golden Oaks

Yes please.

91. Get an annual pass

I had one in 2015 – unlimited everything for like $400.

92. Purchase a Disney Vacation Club timeshare

I’m technically a DVC Member, though my dad was the one that bought it.

Our home resort is Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village, but we’ve added on at the Grand Floridian and Polynesian when those were added.

93. Stay in a themed room at a Disney World Resort Hotel

I used to love the Princess rooms at Port Orleans Riverside and the Pirates rooms at Caribbean Beach.

94. Do a monorail bar crawl or snack crawl day

I actually just did this with my sister for 4th of July!

I highly recommend it.

95. Take someone to Disney World for the first time

I’ve done this lots of times!

96. Stay at Disney World during a hurricane

I’ve only done this as a cast member, but it would be fun to experience from the guest side.

97. Spend a day at the parks when it’s storming (and empty!)

These are the BEST days.

No lines for anything.

98. Ride Living With the Land at night during Christmas

The line gets insanely long, but the lights are worth it.

99. Go Scuba Diving at The Seas pavilion

I’ve never done this, but it would be so much fun!

100. Complete a Disney bucket list!

I haven’t completed this specific list, but I’ve done a lot!

The Wrap-Up: The Ultimate Disney World Bucket List

These are all the things I can think of that are worth doing at Disney World at least once.

I’ll probably add to the list as time goes on though!

How many of these have you done?

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