The Russell Family

Park hours are Disney's current published hours and can shift — always give the My Disney Experience app a quick look the night before.

1. 1

   Make sure everyone shows up in the app

   Open My Disney Experience → My Plans. You should see your Caribbean Beach stay, everyone's 4-day tickets, and all four of you under Family & Friends.

2. 2

   Halloween Party tickets 🎃

   Kelsey is working on getting your party tickets showing in your app. Keep this handy just in case:

   Party confirmation #: EUSY56450297
   If they still aren't in your app by Thursday, go to the ticket windows at the Magic Kingdom entrance with this number and your photo ID and a cast member can get you set.
3. 3

   Lightning Lane (if you bought it)

   If you purchased Lightning Lane Multi Pass, your return times live in the app under My Plans. Kelsey's top picks for each park are listed on each day below. You can keep booking another one as soon as you use one.

4. 4

   Pack the party bag

   • Costumes for Thursday (and Saturday if you want to wear them again!)
   • A trick-or-treat bag for each kid — the candy is real and plentiful
   • A light jacket for evenings, ponchos, and a portable phone charger

1. 1
   Morning

   Drive in from St. Augustine

   Put Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort in your GPS. Tell the security gate you're checking in and they'll point you to the lobby (the Custom House).

2. 2
   As soon as you arrive

   Check in at the front desk & drop your bags

   Go inside to the front desk together — don't worry that it's early. Kelsey has called ahead to request Trinidad (renovated, closest to the Skyliner, and it has its own quick-service spot). Requests aren't guaranteed, but checking in at the desk gives you the best shot. Your room usually isn't ready this early, so:

   • Ask the desk to hold your bags (Bell Services) — keep a bag with swimsuits/sunscreen with you
   • Make sure your cell number is on file so you get the "your room is ready" text
3. 3
   Late morning

   Skyliner to EPCOT

   How to get there: Walk to the Caribbean Beach Skyliner station and get on the EPCOT line (check the sign over each line). You'll get off at EPCOT's back entrance, the International Gateway, which drops you between the United Kingdom and France.
4. 4
   First stop

   Remy's Ratatouille Adventure + a World Showcase stroll

   Remy is right there in France as soon as you walk in. Then wander the countries — the Food & Wine Festival booths are everywhere, and festival treats are a great use of your snack credits.

   • Frozen Ever After in Norway
   • Lunch on the dining plan — Regal Eagle Smokehouse in the American Adventure is a crowd-pleaser
5. 5
   Early afternoon

   Skyliner back for check-in & a break

   Once you get your room-ready text, ride back, grab your bags, and settle in. Pool time, nap time, snack time — this break is what makes the evening fun instead of cranky. 😉

6. 6
   Around 4 PM

   Back to EPCOT for the big rides

   How to get there: Skyliner again — EPCOT line from the Caribbean Beach station, off at the International Gateway. Big rides like Guardians, Test Track and Soarin' are at the front of the park, so walk through World Showcase (about 15 minutes) toward Spaceship Earth.

   • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — check the app for how to get on (Lightning Lane or a virtual queue)
   • Test Track — design your car, then race it!
   • Soarin' and The Seas with Nemo & Friends
   • Dinner on the dining plan — Sunshine Seasons (in The Land) has something for everyone
7. 7
   9 PM

   Nighttime show on World Showcase Lagoon

   Grab a spot around the lagoon — the side near the UK and France is perfect since it's closest to your exit.

   Getting home: Walk out the International Gateway (between the UK and France) to the Skyliner and ride back to Caribbean Beach. Don't use the main front exit — that's the bus side and much farther from your Skyliner.

1. 1
   7:00 AM

   Bus to Animal Kingdom

   How to get there: Head to the closest bus stop in your section of the resort and get on the bus marked Animal Kingdom. The ride is about 20 minutes. Grab breakfast to-go or eat once you're in the park.
2. 2
   Early entry · 7:30 AM

   Pandora first

   Walk straight to Pandora for Avatar Flight of Passage (the best ride in the park!), then Na'vi River Journey right next door.

3. 3
   Morning

   Kilimanjaro Safaris

   The animals are most active in the cooler morning, so ride this before lunch. Then walk the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail right by the exit.

4. 4
   Late morning

   Expedition Everest & Kali River Rapids

   Everest is the big coaster in Asia. Kali River Rapids is right nearby — and you will get wet, so maybe save it for when it's warm.

5. 5
   Lunch

   Satu'li Canteen (dining plan)

   Back in Pandora — build-your-own bowls that even picky eaters like.

6. 6
   Afternoon

   Shows & slower-paced fun

   • Festival of the Lion King — the best show in Disney World, honestly
   • Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
   • Snack-credit break with a cold treat

   Tired? It's totally fine to bus back for a midday rest and come back by 4:30.

   Midday break: Caribbean Beach bus from the park's bus area, then the Animal Kingdom bus back. Allow about an hour round trip.
7. 7
   ✓ Booked

   5:20 PM

   Tusker House Restaurant · Dinner

   A big buffet with Mickey and friends stopping by your table in their safari gear. It's in Africa (Harambe). Check in on the app or at the podium about 10–15 minutes early.

   Since the park closes at 6, this is the perfect "last stop" — eat, take your character pictures, and head out.

8. 8
   After dinner

   Bus home

   How to get there: Walk out the main entrance to the bus stop and find the Caribbean Beach sign.

1. 1
   7:45 AM

   Skyliner to Hollywood Studios

   How to get there: At the Caribbean Beach Skyliner station, get on the Hollywood Studios line. It drops you right at the front gate.
2. 2
   Early entry · 8:30 AM

   Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

   The most amazing ride in Disney World — go here first while the line is shortest. Then Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (let the kids be pilots!).

3. 3
   Mid-morning

   Toy Story Land

   • Slinky Dog Dash — the family coaster
   • Toy Story Mania! — friendly competition, keep score 😄
4. 4
   Lunch

   Woody's Lunch Box or Docking Bay 7 (dining plan)

5. 5
   Afternoon

   Rest break or keep riding

   The Skyliner makes a midday break easy — about 15 minutes back to your room. If you stay, hit:

   • Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
   • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (perfect for Halloween week!)
   • Star Tours
6. 6
   Evening

   Dinner + nighttime show

   Dinner on the dining plan, then check the app for the evening show times (like Fantasmic!) before you pick your spot. The park closes for you at 9 PM.

   Getting home: Walk out the main entrance and to the right to the Skyliner station, then ride back to Caribbean Beach. Planning a midday break? It's the same ride both ways.

   You may see "Extended Evening Hours" in the app tonight — that's only for Deluxe resort guests, so it won't apply to your stay.

1. 1
   Morning

   Sleep in & slow breakfast

   No alarms! Breakfast at your section's quick-service spot or Centertown Market on the dining plan.

2. 2
   Late morning – early afternoon

   Pool day at the resort

   The main pool, Fuentes del Morro, has a pirate-fort theme with water slides. Splash time now = energy for a midnight party later.

3. 3
   Early afternoon

   Rest, then costumes on!

   A real nap or quiet time in the room is the secret weapon tonight. Then get everyone into costume and grab the trick-or-treat bags.

4. 4
   3:15 PM

   Bus to Magic Kingdom

   How to get there: From your resort bus stop, get on the bus marked Magic Kingdom. It drops you right at the front entrance. (About 25–30 minutes.)
5. 5
   4:00 PM

   Walk in with your party tickets & get your wristbands

   Cast members will give you party wristbands. From 4 to 7 PM, ride while daytime guests are leaving — lines often get shorter as the evening goes on.

   • Eat dinner on the dining plan — Pecos Bill or Cosmic Ray's
6. 6
   7 PM – Midnight

   Party time! 👻

   • Trick-or-treat at the candy stations all around the park (they're on the party map in the app)
   • Mickey's Boo-To-You Halloween Parade — the Headless Horseman leads it off. It runs twice; the second one is usually less crowded
   • Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks
   • Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular on the castle stage — get there early
   • A Masquerade with Stitch — new this year in Tomorrowland
   • Rare Halloween character meets — check the party guide for who's out tonight
7. 7
   When you're ready

   Bus home

   How to get there: Walk out the front of the park to the bus area and find the Caribbean Beach sign. Bus lines get long right at midnight — leaving 20–30 minutes early is a nice trick with tired kids.

1. 1
   Late morning

   Bus to Magic Kingdom

   How to get there: Same as last night — the bus marked Magic Kingdom from your resort stop. This time you'll scan your regular park tickets.
2. 2
   First

   Rides you didn't get to at the party

   • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train & Peter Pan's Flight (Fantasyland)
   • TRON Lightcycle / Run & Space Mountain (Tomorrowland)
   • Tiana's Bayou Adventure — it closes for a refurbishment right after your trip, so ride it while you can!
   • Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean & Jungle Cruise
   • Haunted Mansion — never better than Halloween week 👻
3. 3
   Lunch

   Quick-service on the dining plan

   Pick whichever one you didn't try Thursday — Pecos Bill, Cosmic Ray's, or Columbia Harbour House.

4. 4
   Afternoon

   Daytime parade

   Check the app for today's parade time and grab a curb spot along Main Street or Frontierland about 20–30 minutes before.

5. 5
   Evening

   Fireworks over the castle ✨

   Tonight is a regular night, so you get the classic nighttime fireworks show — different from the Halloween one you saw at the party. Check the time in the app and find your spot on Main Street.

   Getting home: Walk out the front of the park to the bus area and find the Caribbean Beach sign. Everyone leaves right after the fireworks, so expect a line — or leave during the last few minutes of the show to beat it.

1. 1

   One last breakfast

   Use any leftover dining plan credits — they expire at check-out, so grab extra snacks for the drive!

2. 2

   Check out

   Check out in the app (or at the front desk) by 11 AM. Do a last sweep for chargers, MagicBands, and Halloween candy stashes. 🍬

3. 3

   Drive home safe!

   And send Kelsey your favorite picture from the week — she wants to see those costumes!