A Magical Day at Disney: Park Hopping to Magic Kingdom

Intro

This is the last entry to my Disney Park Hopping Day, and after Hollywood Studios, and Epcot, I was finally on the way to the OG park, Magic Kingdom. With this post I also close the Disney bubble, at least for this trip, with the couple of visits I did to Disney Springs. After this, I will jump to Universal and spend the rest of the days there, but for now, let’s see how I spent the rest of this amazing Disney Day!

From Epcot to Magic Kingdom

We got to the Disney’s Transportation & Ticket Center from Epcot on the Monorail. Once we arrived, one of the cast members was saying that the monorail transfer to Magic Kingdom was not working, so we should take the ferry boat.

We saw the monorail leaving, AND the ferry also leaving. Oh well. We had to wait for the next ferry, but once inside, the views of the sunset were amazing.

I was seeing the beautiful sunset but also the new Island Tower at the Disney’s Polynesian Village resort.

The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa always iconic on the sight. I think we did not make a mistake by taking the ferry, although we had a Lighting Lane waiting for us. I think we were just going to chill for the rest of the night.

Finally, we were making it through the Seven Seas Lagoon, and there it was, the Cinderella Castle in all its splendor. It’s always amazing seeing it from afar.

The last Lighting Lane

It was only 7:13 PM, and the park would not close until midnight, but even though I had secured a couple of more lighting lane selections earlier, I had the feeling the next one was going to be the last one. And thankfully, I had picked Space Mountain earlier in the day, while in Hollywood Studios, because now there was no more availability.

Space Mountain is always super fun! Riding it in the dark is always so thrilling!

Once outside of the ride, I had to try the Cauldron Cold Brew from Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies at Tomorrowland. It was one of the all day offerings for Halloween at Magic Kingdom, and not exclusive to Mickey’s not so scary Halloween. The coffee is just so amazing. The creaminess and sweetness of it feels great in this temperature.

The Beak and Barrel

The last dining reservation of the day (after Oga’s Cantina, and GEO-82, I know a record), was The Beak and Barrel, the new offering in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom.

The Beak and Barrel is a lively pirate-themed tavern where guests can eat, drink, and be entertained in true swashbuckling style. Founded by the legendary Captain Merry Goldwyn and her chatty parrot Rummy, this Caribbean-inspired hideaway offers flavorful small plates, tropical cocktails, and rum-filled delights for pirates of all ages. Visitors can enjoy storytelling, sing-alongs, and surprises that bring the world of Tortuga to life.

Even with the reservation (that was hard to get by the wait, the system broke literally), we had to wait for some time. But once inside, it kinda looked like a more disneyfied version of Das Stakehaus at Epic Universe (a compliment btw).

There were so many details. My favorite was the sinking ship lol.

Rummy, an animatronic Parrot, would come sometimes and do a whole show. It was cute and everyone followed through.

We were seated with 2 couples, so if you have some sort of social anxiety expect that. It’s giving sharing the table at the Dining places like in the Disney cruises. We ordered the Island Provisions (Plantain Chips, Blue Corn Tortillas, and Toasted Flatbread served with Mango Chutney, Garlic Chimichurri, Spiced Guava, and Zesty Cilantro Cream Dips)…

… and a Cook’s Corn Griddle Cakes with Chipotle-braised Chicken (basically arepas, Warm Corn Cakes stuffed with Melted Cheese, Lime Sour Cream, Chili Peppers, and Cotija).

We devoured those 2 dishes. Both were so good. The arepa was a little sweet. but just perfect for a last meal of the night. We had to run away from there, not only because we only could be there for 45 min max, but also because Happily Ever After was about to start.

Happily Ever After

We walked fast, but made it on time for Happily Ever After. The show was about to start.

Tinkerbell always brings me to tears…

Leaving Magic Kingdom

After the dazzling show, that brings me in tears, we tried to beat the crowds and go to Tron, but most people were already there. The line was almost 2 hours long, so we just started slowly leaving the park, even though it closed at midnight.

Conclusion – A Magical Day Across the Worlds of Disney

What a day this was — from the crack of dawn at the Disney Skyliner to the final fireworks of Happily Ever After! We truly experienced the full range of what makes Walt Disney World so special: adventure, nostalgia, storytelling, and of course, food. Starting strong in Hollywood Studios, we lived out our Star Wars dreams in Galaxy’s Edge and enjoyed some Disney classics like Tower of Terror and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster one last time before its big transformation. Then, Epcot brought a well-deserved change of pace — from the sleek calm of the new GEO-82 Lounge to the incredible flavors of the 2025 Food & Wine Festival, all under the glow of Spaceship Earth. Finally, ending the night at Magic Kingdom felt like coming full circle — sailing across the Seven Seas Lagoon at sunset, dining in pirate style at The Beak and Barrel, and standing before Cinderella Castle as fireworks lit the sky.

It was a long, magical, and at times chaotic Park Hop day, but every moment reminded me why Disney World remains the most enchanting place on Earth. No matter how many times I visit, there’s always something new to discover — and something timeless to feel.

Disney Springs

On the first night of this trip, and during our stay at Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort Area, we walked to Disney Springs to eat, and have some fun. We passed by Rainforest Cafe and it was on flames.

Boathouse is always a good idea, so even on a Saturday night, we chose to go here, lucky enough to get seated even with the Disney Springs crowds tonight.

We grabbed Steak, sliders, coconut shrimp and salmon. Everything was so good. The starters arrived after the entrees, so they were removed from the bill since they felt so sorry. We still gave a huge tip for the amazing food and service. We got to see the fireworks for Happily Ever After on this Saturday.

After that, we went to explore the rest of the park, just to digest all that food. We even went to the top of the Coca-Cola Store for views of Planet Hollywood, although, I really wanted those floats but we were full.

The last thing we did was to get cookies from Gideon’s Bakehouse. It started pouring so the lined disappeared. We waited at Wine Bar George while the Cast Member let us know when to come in.

The next day, after going to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, we went bowling at Splitsville Luxury Lanes at Disney Springs. We had plenty of fun! And our drinks were also free, they did not want to charge us again. We had been so lucky with the service these last couple of days.

From Disney Springs to Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter

The last day of our trip, we were craving some beignets, so we boarded the boats at Disney Springs to Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter. The ride was quiet and calm. It was pretty long too, so expect to be on the boat for quite some time.

We finally arrived and the whole resort is just amazing, with the architecture from New Orleans, a city that I still have in the list of places to go (one day soon!)

The hotel is just incredibly beautiful, and just inside, you can find the always famous…

Scat Cat’s Club – Café

Scat Cat’s Club – Café!!! with its famous beignets. It was packed! The line was long, but the waiting after ordering was even longer. The kitchen was not kept up with the cashiers.

My friend ordered the Mickey-shaped Beignet Sundae (Two Beignets served with choice of Vanilla or Chocolate Ice Cream, Salted Caramel or Chocolate Sauce, and topped with Whipped Cream and a Cherry). It looked and tasted incredible. Amazing, if you see this, please order it.

And for me, I went for the Ghoulish Mickey-shaped Beignets (Ghoulish Beignets. Mickey–shaped Beignets dusted with Cookies and Cream Powdered Sugar and a ghoulish Marshmallow Crème Drizzle). I loved them definitely, good for the season. Was giving Halloween vibes all over for sure.

We ate all this at the resort, while we walked around, and I loved seeing a model of one of the Disney Cruise Line ships.

And with this picture of the beautiful lobby, I finish my adventures at Disney. Not only spent a Day at 3 parks. but also went to the water park, Disney Springs a few times, and a few hotels. I think it was a very fruitful Disney part of this trip. But from now, we were going to focus on Universal!!!