Read on to see the items on my Disney Bucket List!
A number of years ago I sat down and wrote out my own Disney Bucket List, and shared it on the blog Come Home to Disney. But since then I’ve added things to the list and I wanted to give you updates on my progress for each item.
Even though I’ve been to Disney numerous times, there are still lots of things I really want to do there. Here is my list, including what I’ve already done from it… and I’m sure it will grow as time goes on too! In later blog posts I hope to share some details about the ones that I’ve checked off and what my experiences were like.
In addition, I am constantly adding to this list and modifying it – I’d also love to hear what’s on your own Disney Bucket List!
My Disney Bucket List:
Disney World:
1. Eat at every Disney restaurant
According to my calculations, I’ve been to 37 out of the 72 table service restaurants at Disney. I still have a lot to go! See how many you’ve done with this checklist.
2. Stay at every Disney resort
I’ve stayed at 15 so far (Art of Animation, Pop Century, All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, All-Star Sports, Port Orleans Riverside, Caribbean Beach, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, the Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans French Quarter, Contemporary resort, and Old Key West). There are currently 20 so I have 5 to go! However, in December that will go up to 21 when the Riviera resort opens. In addition, I made a checklist for this too!
3. Have afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian (check!)
Completed in February 2013!
4. Tackle the Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream (check!)
Completed in February 2013!
5. Visit during Epcot’s Festival of the Arts (check!)
Completed February 2019!
6. Complete a Run Disney event (check!)
Completed in February 2014!
7. Take 5 Disney tours (check!)
I’ve done Behind the Seeds, Wild Africa Trek, Walking in Walt’s Footsteps, Caring for Giants, and Backstage Magic!
8. Take 10 Disney tours
I’m up to the 5 above as well as Keys to the Kingdom. Hoping to add more in the next few years!
9. Go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (check!)
Completed October 2014!
10. Go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party/See the Osborne Lights (check!)
Completed December 2013!
11. Visit during the Food and Wine festival (check!)
Completed in October 2014!
12. Visit during the Flower and Garden festival (check!)
Completed in April 2013!
13. Do a photoshoot at a Disney resort (check!)
Completed in August 2013 at Art of Animation!
14. Drink around the “World” in Epcot (check!)
Completed in December 2013!
15. Play mini golf at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland
Would love to try this!
16. Have a waffle sandwich at Sleepy Hollow (check!)
Nutella and fruit – delicious!
17. Be an annual pass holder (check!)
Started in February 2013 and haven’t given it up since…
18. Visit Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk (check!)
Completed in September 2017!
19. Visit one of the Disney spas
I could probably convince myself to get a massage after a RunDisney event…
20. Attend a Disney wedding (check!)
Completed June 2013 – and another one in August 2013!
21. Visit Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club
Hopefully soon!
22. Get a haircut at the Main Street barber shop
No plans for a haircut soon, but definitely something to do someday!
23. Stay in a royal room at Port Orleans Riverside (check!)
They look amazing in the photos, and POR is one of our two favorite resorts.
24. Have a photo with all of the Disney princesses (check!)
Completed June 2013!
25. Take over 10,000 photos at Disney
I definitely have at least a couple thousand – for instance, I took 800 just on my last trip!
26. Attend Dapper Day
This unofficial Disney event sounds like a lot of fun!
27. Stay in a pirate room at Caribbean Beach (check!)
Completed in December 2013!
28. Do a monorail bar crawl (check!)
Completed in February 2018!
29. Take a private fireworks cruise
This would be an incredible event for a special occasion, in addition to just being a really cool experience.
30. Renew my wedding vows at Disney World
Perhaps for a 20th anniversary?
31. Beat my husband at Toy Story Mania
It’s gonna be tough.
32. Eat at the chef’s table at Victoria and Albert’s
Another one that will probably be saved for a big special occasion.
33. Dine with an Imagineer (check!)
Completed February 2014!
34. Meet all of the Disney Princes (check!)
Completed in August 2013!
35. Dine with An Animal Expert (check!)
Completed in May 2016!
36. Complete a Run Disney Half Marathon (check!)
Completed Princess in 2015, and more to come!
37. Complete the Disney Marathon (check!)
Completed in January 2017!
38. Complete the Dopey Challenge (check!)
A 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon… completed in January 2020!
39. Participate in Every RunDisney race weekend
I haven’t done Star Wars or Wine and Dine yet!
40. Stay at the Camp Wilderness campgrounds
We’ll have to rent or borrow a camper/RV, but I’d love to try this – especially at Christmas time!
41. Try everything on my Disney “must eat” list
There are so many things I want to try I had to write them all down.
42. Eat something from every booth at the Food and Wine festival (check!)
Completed in September 2017!
43. Be in Disney World on my Birthday
My birthday is April 12th, so one of these years I’ll have to plan an April trip.
44. Try all of the drinks at Trader Sam’s
Why not? I love it there.
45. Do a Disney VIP Tour
They’re expensive, but it would be cool to try.
Disneyland:
46. Visit Disneyland (check!)
Completed in September 2015!
47. Do an in-park Disney photo shoot (check!)
Completed in September 2015 at Disneyland!
48. Draw 5 different characters at the Magic of Disney Animation (check!)
I’ve done Donald, Daisy, Dale, Eeyore, and Rapunzel. I need to expand my goal now!
49. Draw 15 different characters at the Animation Academy
I’m up to 7, and I’ve heard there are many as 45 different ones that you can get!
50. Eat at the Chef’s Table at Napa Rose (check!)
Completed for our 4th wedding anniversary on September 3rd, 2015.
51. Earn my Coast to Coast medal (check!)
Completed in September 2015!
See more Disneyland bucket list ideas here!
Disney Cruises:
52. Take a Disney cruise (check!)
Completed in February 2016!
53. Sail on all 4 Disney ships
I’ve done the Magic, the Dream, and the Wonder. Just need to get on the Fantasy!
54. Take a Halloween on the High Seas cruise
Halloween would be so cool on board!
55. Take a Merrytime Cruise at Christmas
I can only imagine how magical it is around Christmas.
Other:
56. Watch every Disney full length animated feature (check!)
Working my way through and finally watching Bolt, I have achieved this goal in May 2020!
57. Visit Disneyland Paris (check!)
Completed in September 2016!
58. Visit Aulani
I would love to visit Hawaii, but it’s expensive! Perhaps later in life for a big anniversary trip.
59. Participate in the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon (check!)
Completed in September 2016!
60. Visit the Walt Disney Family Museum
It’s in San Francisco, but maybe I’ll get there someday.
61. Visit Tokyo Disney resort
Not sure when I’ll get to Japan, but it looks awesome.
62. Visit Walt Disney Studios in Burbank (check!)
We were able to do a tour and it was an amazing experience!
63. Visit Hong Kong Disneyland
Once again, this may not happen for awhile.
64. Visit Shanghai Disneyland
Also sometime far off in the future.
65. Take an Adventures by Disney trip
I’ll need to save up, but it would be fun.
Of course, everyone’s bucket list will be different, so on mine I only included things that would be appealing to me. For instance, I know that some people like the idea of “visit all 4 parks in one day”. But that isn’t really something I’m interested in doing because I feel like I’d be running around a lot just to say I did it, and not doing it because I’d actually enjoy it. But if that’s something that sounds awesome to you, then add it your list!
Thinking about a trip to Disney World? Check out my Ultimate List of Disney World planning resources to get you started. If you’d like the assistance of a travel agent at no extra cost to you, email me at beckyg@castledreamstravel.com and we can start planning and booking your trip!
Other blog posts of interest:
Disneyland Bucket List
I already know Disney, so why would I need a travel agent?
Free 10 page Disney vacation planning guide and workbook
Non-traditional things to do in the Disney parks
Non-traditional things to do outside of the parks
What do you have on your Disney bucket list?
Technically we did number 14 in Feb at the Grand! 🙂 But I think you could throw an anniversary shoot in there too! 🙂
Good point, you’re right! Well then, I’ll be getting a few in to check off on the bucket list! 😉
I need to make my Disney Bucket list! A lot of stuff I want to do is on yours! We are doing the wild africa trek for our honeymoon in october and I am SO excited!!!!! We are also taking the Undiscovered Future World tour at EPCOT too, which I heard is awesome! (I am obsessed with Illuminations, and I know they tour you closer to the illuminations ball and talk about the show during the tour so I am SUPER EXCITED for that one too!!!! *squee!!!*
We are dining with an Imagineer on this trip too and I cant wait for that. I am going to try and get a photo session done if I can afford it too as long as it dosnt book up before the trip. One of my friends who work in photopass has been training with the event photography so I am hoping I can request her as an assistant 🙂
I know one thing not on your list but that is one of my top Disney To Do’s is join the DVC! We have friends and family in it, and we did the open house while we were there last time and we are sold on it, we just need to wait a year or two for finances to be there, but the program is amazing from what we have seen and heard, and it would be wonderful to have it when we eventually have kids to take them to Disney every year! (Plus Becky, it would be a great way for you to stay in all the deluxe resorts 😉
I can’t wait to hear all about your honeymoon! It sounds like you have so many awesome things planned 🙂 We are doing our anniversary shoot in August with outside Disney photographers – David and Vicki Arndt, and I really love all of their work. Their rates are pretty reasonable (I think, I don’t know what Disney charges!), so that might be something to look into for the future if you don’t get your photoshoot this time around!
Oooh, I would love to join DVC… I just need to pay off my student loans first (boo!). I stayed DVC on my last trip thanks to Jason’s uncle who owns, and it was amazing!
The Kitchen Sink Sundae has been on my bucket list for years and I’ve never managed to squeeze it in! Definitely try to hit the mini golf courses on your next trip. Winter Summerland is especially fun. I love Disney Quest and would be very sad if it were to close. It’s always a must-do.
If you do the Kitchen Sink, don’t eat dinner first like I did, lol! And I’m eager to try Disney Quest, we might be able to squeeze it in on the next trip. I think my husband would particularly enjoy it, since he’s a big video game guy.
Oh no. How much of it did you manage to eat? Disney Quest is awesome- this coming from a girl who is not a huge video game fan. In addition to all of the unique games, there is a section of classic arcade games that your husband might get a kick out of. Last year, my boyfriend bought himself a vintage Pac-Man machine that sits in our living room. He never gets bored of playing on it. Men. 🙂
He loves classic video games so that is very good to know! As for the kitchen sink, between 4 of us we did end up eating most of it… but my tummy was definitely not too happy the rest of the night! 😉
Okay, you’ve convinced me…I need to get a group of friends together to fly to WDW and tackle the kitchen sink! Next trip, this will be checked off the list. Depending on the size of the group, the kitchen sink might be the dinner!
Very exciting to be doing the 10k! That is definitely on my bucket list!
I am looking forward to it! I just need to really keep training!
Аppreciate this post. Will try it oսt.
You don’t need to have a tent or rent an RV to stay at Fort Wilderness, they have cabins you can rent. The best part you get housekeeping! Look into it they are nice and the campground is awesome. Outdoor movies every night, golf carts to rent! You really must stay there! It rates 10 10 10 with Woodall.
I did know about the cabins but I always felt like they might be a little too big for just 2 of us! I would love to stay there though, so maybe we will try it sometime – or if we go with a group of friends 🙂
I’m excited for you and your Disney Cruise. So exciting!
Thanks, I can’t wait!
Wow! You’ve actually made really good progress on this list. That’s a LOT of Disney 🙂 I didn’t even know about half of this stuff…super cool. So exciting that you’re going to Paris too!
Thanks! There is seriously so much to do at Disney!
Great bucket list! I haven’t been to Disney World in awhile. Disneyland I enjoyed roaming around.
I really enjoyed Disneyland the last time I was there too!
Wow that is some list! And you have completed so many! That is amazing! How fun to have a Disney cruise and Disney Paris in the same year! Very exciting!
This year should be a really amazing one, I’m so excited!
What a fun list. A Disney Cruise has been top of my list for a LONG time. My husband and toddler would love the star wars weekend.
Oh they would – and apparently there are doing certain Disney cruises now with special Star Wars celebrations!
I love this! I totally want to go back to Disney some time soon, it is just such a magical place. x
I hope you get to go back soon, it really is magical 🙂
Such a fun list! Good luck with the rest!
Thanks Emma!
I would love to run the Paris Disney half too! Sounds amazing!
I am so excited for it!
OMG what a great list! I need to save this to refer back to it for next time I go to Disney : ) taking 10,000 pictures there would be so awesome – and likely pretty easy!!! Thank you for sharing this!!
xo Adriana – Daily Dose of Design
Yeah, I haven’t checked my update on how many photos I have but I bet I’m almost there!
This is an awesome list! We are doing our first family trip to Disney for my daughter’s 2nd birthday this April and I can’t wait – I’ll have to use this as reference!
Oh that’s so exciting! There will be plenty for her to do. If you have any questions let me know, I’m always happy to help!
I absolutely love this!!😊❤
hank you!
Great list! You’re getting close, and some of them you can TOTALLY do next time you’re there! I’ve saved your checklists to help me keep track of my own bucket list accomplishments. I hadn’t even thought of checking off all the restaurants!
Thanks! I should complete 2, maybe 3 in February, and we have another trip planned for November 2018 when I think we’ll get a few more!
So many of these are also on my bucket list too! I would love to stay at all the WDW resorts. I think I’m at 7 now, so I’ve still got quite a few to go.
It’s fun to have something to work towards – I was surprised to see how many resorts I had stayed at, and how many still to go!
Great List! I would love to beat my husband at Toy Story Mania too. I love that most of these are doable and not a pie in the sky taking a lot of $$ to check off. Thanks for sharing
I wanted them to be mostly achievable – that’s one of the reasons I didn’t put something like Club 33 on the list (though the Toy Story Mania one might not actually be achievable, haha!)