2026 Princess Weekend WDW Trip Report

I recently ran all three races at the 2026 Princess Half Marathon Weekend. While I had a fantastic time running throughout the weekend, the main event is always the family trip to Walt Disney World. Even when we follow similar touring plans for each park, I find that every trip is different as the kids get older. Whether it was my older daughter finally (just barely) being tall enough for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Tron, my youngest being a little more aware of her surroundings, or my son embracing all the thrill rides, our February 2026 added some new Disney memories for the capsule.

Arrival and Resort Days

We arrived the day before the Expo, and were welcomed with perfect Florida weather after a cold and snowy winter in South Jersey. My millennial-self had trouble getting an Uber with a car seat from MCO, so we settled for Mears Connect. While we had issues with our late-night Mears ride during our 2025 Dopey trip, we were pleasantly surprised to hop right on a bus and arrived at Pop Century about an hour after landing. Luckily our room became available just as we got to the resort, and after dropping our bags in our room we went to get a bite to eat.

This was our first, and probably only, time using the Dining Plan because the kids were free (I'll write a separate post detailing our attempt to "beat" the Dining Plan). We grabbed our resort mugs and some lunch and then hit the pool for a bit before some family came to visit. We ended our first night with a Skyliner ride to Epcot and back, and got some much needed rest after a long day of travel.

Our next day was the Expo (which was a bit frustrating for the kids), and when we finished up around 1pm we decided to hop on a bus to Port Orleans-French Quarter for lunch and beignets. My wife and I loved the relaxed vibe, and the kids enjoyed the playground before we hopped on a boat to Disney Springs. Disney Springs is vastly different on weekdays than on weekends, and we had a great time wandering around without big crowds. I was able to grab my Gideon's cookies after waiting about 15-20 minutes in line, and after checking out some shops we headed back to the resort. We took another late-afternoon dip in the pool, and then got some sleep for our big 5k/Epcot day.

Epcot

After finishing up our family 5k, we went back to Pop to pick up our youngest, my mom, and my niece, and we hopped on the Skyliner to Epcot for Early Entry Rope Drop (the Ultra Dopey way!). Overall our Epcot day didn't go quite according to plan, and in a sign of things to come Remy's Ratatouille Adventure was down at opening. We've been lucky in the past with rides coming back up just as people start to leave the queue, but after about 15 minutes we decided to pivot. With all the other rides too far away at this point, we decided to hit up Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie for some breakfast pastries (amazingly, we still had to wait in a line even before park opening, although it was admittedly shorter than any other time of the day).

On our way down to our first Lightning Lane at Journey Into Imagination, we saw Belle wandering around France much like she does in the beginning of Beauty and the Beast. Amazingly most people seemed to walk right by her without noticing who she was, and our crew didn't seem too interested in saying hello either. We also noticed Alice skipping around the UK area gathering kids to wander the maze with her. Again, our kids were uninterested, but it was special to see the little touches of characters interacting in the elements.

When we arrived to Journey Into Imagination just as our Lightning Lane window opened, it was also down. We started feeling a little discouraged, but after a few minutes of waiting the Cast Members lifted the rope and we were able to ride. I quickly tried booking our next Lightning Lane, and the best I could do for Test Track was 8:30pm - oof. At least we got a good visit with Figment - apparently nobody else wants to ride Journey Into Imagination near park opening as we had plenty of time with him/it.

Next we headed down to Living With the Land, and we had a nice boat ride around (my kids like calling it the "Scary Lettuce Ride"), and we moved our way down to our next Lightning Lane at The Seas with Nemo & Friends. By this time Remy's was out of Lightning Lane spots, so I snagged an afternoon Soarin' slot. We had plenty of time before our next Lightning Lane at Cosmic Rewind, so we explored the aquarium for a while before we watched our kids get soaked at the Moana Journey of Water area.

We got a quick bite to eat at Connections, but not too much before we left my toddler with my mom as the rest of us rode Cosmic Rewind. It was my older daughter's first time on the ride, and I was a bit apprehensive on how she'd do but she ended up loving the ride (we got "One Way or Another"). More importantly none of us (i.e., my wife and I) got through the ride with no queasiness, so that was a major win! I grabbed a quick Joffrey's cold brew and we met back up with my mom in Mexico Pavillion. I got tacos and chicken tenders while the rest of the crew rode the Gran Fiesta Tour.

After our late lunch, we connected on our Frozen Ever After Lightning Lane (with very slim pickings, I grabbed another Living with the Land Lightning Lane to follow Soarin'). We got to see the new animatronics, and we got a great ride photo of my toddlers "scared" face for the final drop. We took our time walking through the World Showcase, grabbing some snacks and fish and chips along the way. Given our early morning, we were all starting to fade a bit by the mid-afternoon. We decided to press on, and got to the Land Pavilion just as it started raining. We did Soarin' and Living with the Land (again), and then decided to try our luck with Remy's again with a posted 40 minute wait. We got through the queue and on the ride (now in a less nauseating 2D!) in about a half hour.

Unfortunately, it was around this time we realized I had left my wife's 101 Dalmatians Loungefly at the Land Pavilion while I sat with my youngest during Soarin' Rider Switch, so I had to book it all the way to Guest Services in the front of the park in the rain. They thankfully had it, and I speed-walked all the way back to my family in France (with a quick Mobile Order at Regal Eagle on the way). At this point it was about 8pm, it was raining, and Test Track had been down all afternoon. Our kids were definitely dragging having been up since 2:30am, and we decided to cut our losses on Test Track and head back to the resort. The kids all passed out in the Skyliner, and we had to shovel them into their bed for the next day.

Hollywood Studios

This may be an unpopular opinion, but the mix of thrill rides and shows makes Hollywood Studios my favorite park. It doesn't quite have the aura or Magic Kingdom or the food of Epcot, but it's a great park to enjoy in a variety of ways. With Lightning Lanes lined up in the morning for all the Toy Story Land rides, we hit the Skyliner bright and early (thank goodness the rain held out!) and made it Early Entry Rope Drop once I finished my 10k.

We started off our morning at Mickey & Minnie Runaway Railway, and my niece and kids loved it so much we were able to walk on twice before the park officially opened. We then made our way to Toy Story Land. We hopped on Toy Story Mania with a non-existent wait time, and then passed on our youngest to my mom again while the rest of us rode my son's favorite ride, Slinky Dog Dash. Upon tapping in, I snagged a late afternoon slot for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (during its last weekend featuring Aerosmith). I also decided to switch our Alien Swirling Saucers Lightning Lane to Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run since the Saucers wait time was likely to stay low in the morning.

We grabbed some breakfast Lunchbox Tarts at Woody's Lunch Box before riding Alien Swirling Saucers and tapping into our Toy Story Mania Lightning Lane (booking another Runaway Railway for later in the day, because why not?). We then headed to my favorite land, Galaxy's Edge. I'm by no means the biggest Star Wars fan, but the entire area is so cool to just walk around and check out all the details around the land. Combine that with random walkthroughs by the Mandalorian, Rey, Chewbacca, and Stormtroopers, and you've got the most immersive area outside of Animal Kingdom.

We made sure to grab a late morning Breakfast Ronto Wrap (which edges out the regular Ronto Wrap), followed by a ride on the Millenium Falcon. My son got to be a pilot, and with my daughter not wanting the responsibility we ceded to another young girl to pilot. This is when I realized that having two young kids as the pilots changes the ride experience dramatically - it was pretty funny.

We met up with the rest of my family visiting from Tampa, and we grabbed lunch at Docking Bay 7 before checking out all the shops. After lunch we walked through the ghost of MuppetVision 3D (passing Goofy and Max) and caught the Indiana Jones Stuntacular show minus the boulder (I was really hoping they'd use a regular-sized yoga ball). We then hit up the Frozen Sing-along show, and we got stuck in a brief rainfall. Sure enough it stopped just as we got our ponchos on.

We did another loop of Runaway Railway and Swirling Saucers before grabbing an early dinner at Backlot Express, including an excellent Wookiee Cookie (a seriously underrated snack). We then finally headed across the park to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, where my wife took my son and then I took my daughter (she cleared 48" by a hair). It had been a few years since I last went on it, and it was much more intense than I remembered. My daughter said she liked it right after, but it eventually caught up with her. We squeezed in the Villains: Unfairly Ever After show (very well done, but it felt weird to "cheer" for villains), and we decided to hit the early Fantasmic show since the Little Mermaid show was down in the evening.

Everything was going well and we were deciding how we wanted to use our last 30 minutes in the park when my daughter suddenly didn't feel well, probably a combination of the rollercoaster and inconsistent meals. She needed a few minutes of laying down to recover, and we were able to stroller her out of the park and onto the Skyliner back to Pop Century.

Magic Kingdom

After a rest day at Disney Springs filled with Polite Pig, D-Lux Burger, Everglazed Donuts, and the T-Rex sand pit (also of note - my family was still very much passed out when I returned from my Princess Half Marathon), we spent our last park day at Magic Kingdom. We all love Magic Kingdom, but it definitely feels like a whirlwind day. The Magic Kingdom bus at Pop Century was long by 7:20am, but thankfully several busses came through and we made it into the park for Early Entry Rope Drop.

We started off with Peter Pan's Flight followed by it's a small world, our usual morning combo. We then made it to our first Lightning Lane at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (snagging a Jungle Cruise Lightning Lane for early afternoon). We then grabbed some Cheshire Cat Tails and looped back around to Under the Sea. It was fun seeing my youngest much more aware of the rides and taking everything in more as a 2-year old than as a 1-year old. She wanted to push for more rides just as much as my older two...

... until Haunted Mansion. We had a Lightning Lane (turned around and booked Space Mountain) and I was hoping my kids would appreciate the ride a bit more than the last time we rode it a few years earlier. They did not - at least the two girls didn't like it and my son was iffy. It didn't help that we had a couple stops during the ride which likely just highlighted some of the creepier effects. But we shook off the moment and got lunch at Columbia Harbor House and Sleepy Hollow, where I got my beloved chicken and waffle sandwich. We then chanced it with another dark ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, and that went over a bit better.

We then made our way back to Tiana's Bayou Adventure in the middle of the day. I still miss the original Splash Mountain, but my daughter loves Tiana so the ride is still special for her. Our youngest fell asleep in the stroller while my wife and older kids rode first, then I switched in. We got in the front row and got absolutely soaked, which was somewhat welcome in the sun. We grabbed some spring rolls and found a good spot near the castle to watch the parade while the kids munched on another popcorn refill. Once the parade passed by we made our way to our Tron Lightning Lane. Again my daughter was measured twice and made it by a hair, and it quickly (literally) became one of her favorites.

Thankfully we were able to ride both Tiana's and Tron before my older daughter's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique appointment. I hadn't planned on doing BBB, as we had done it before only to see the dress go untouched at home. However, Disney Fever caught on when I told her we didn't have an appointment and she got upset over not getting a Tiana makeover, so I was able to snag a 3:45pm reservation the day before. So I took her to get her Tiana dress and hair and makeup, followed by meeting the Fairy Godmother (a new-to-us addition to BBB). We even got to walk right in to meet Tiana and Rapunzel.

We finished out our day with some dinner, the new nighttime parade, and a trip to Dumbo's circus. The kids actually wanted to hang in the play area more than the actual ride by this time, even though nobody else was there. We still had one more Lightning Lane for Space Mountain just before Happily Ever After, so my wife and son ran over while I staked out a fireworks location in Tomorrowland (i.e., not crowded). They got back just after it started, and as soon as it ended I took my little Tiana to Space Mountain for our last ride before leaving the park.

Character Breakfast/Departure

The last day at Disney World is always a bit sad, as we had to pack up and leave our resort room for the last time. Even a month later my daughter is still asking to go back to the "hote-el". But we had Ohana breakfast planned, so we could fit in just a little more Disney magic.

From Pop Century we took the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios and then hopped on a bus to the Polynesian. We checked into our reservation, and we were seated with a beautiful view of the castle within 15 minutes. We got out pineapple coconut bread (my favorite part of the meal), followed by a couple platters of eggs, ham, potatoes, sausage, biscuits, and MIckey and Stitch waffles. The food was about what you expect - not the best but fine by breakfast standards. The only real complaint was the characters weren't spread out, so we waited about 45 minutes until Lilo was the first character to come to our table. Thankfully Mickey, Pluto, and finally Stitch came by shortly after, and my Stitch-obsessed kids were happy.

We wandered around the Polynesian for a little while longer before heading back to Pop Century for our Mears Connect ride back to MCO. The kids played in the arcade while I tried consolidating all our bags (how do we leave with so much stuff?), and my kids got one more Mickey ice cream bar before our shuttle arrived.

Overall, another amazing Disney World trip. We always leave wanting to come back, and it's much nicer feeling like the trip was too short than too long. While the recap comes across like we raced through the park, we really did slow down a bit and enjoy more restaurants, snacks, and small details around the resort.