The Grand Floridian Hotel lobby was fully booked two years ago when Ryan Trahan and his wife Haley first tried to stay there. This time, they checked in — and then immediately left for Magic Kingdom.
The goal was specific: visit the top 10 tourist attractions in America over 10 days, score each one across experience, scenery, and magic, and crown a single winner. Disney World was stop number one. The scoring ceiling was 30 points. The first day’s total came in at 23.
Four parks, one day, and a Nile crocodile posted up in a swamp
Magic Kingdom opened the day with silly hats, a Polaroid with Mickey Mouse — who reportedly showed off a photo of Minnie on the wall before hitting what Trahan described as ‘a fire emote’ as they said goodbye — and a first ride on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Haley, who had heard the ride was for kids, said afterward: ‘That was way scarier than I was expecting.’ Space Mountain followed, pitch-black and disorienting enough that Trahan left quietly mentioning he did not feel well.
Epcot was next. The Ratatouille ride in the France pavilion put riders at rat’s-eye level through Gusteau’s restaurant, pursued by a chef who, as Trahan noted, had reasonable grounds for concern. The couple ate in the America pavilion — brisket sandwiches, a variety of meats, mac and cheese, and watermelon — on account of the U.S. semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Then came Spaceship Earth inside the park’s iconic geodesic sphere, a slow ride through the history of human communication that Trahan called ‘honestly super emotional.’ The Guardians of the Galaxy ride followed, during which Trahan covered his mouth and made a quiet detour to a nearby Publix for anti-nausea medicine after the attraction.
Animal Kingdom was park three. The Kilimanjaro Safari runs across a reserve large enough, according to a Disney cast member Trahan cited during the ride, to contain all of Magic Kingdom inside it. The truck passed bongos, hippos, vultures, a Nile crocodile, giraffes, and a lion. Haley’s response: ‘That was insane.’
Hollywood Studios closed out the day. Slinky Dog Dash at Toy Story Land delivered a roller coaster that tilted sideways in ways neither visitor had anticipated. Trahan said afterward: ‘I actually did pretty good on that.’ Haley’s assessment suggested otherwise.
The Sci-Fi Dine-In, Mickey ice cream, and a fireworks view nobody booked intentionally
Dinner was at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, a restaurant designed to look like a 1950s drive-in, complete with parked cars as seating and retro films on a central screen. Tom and Jerry was playing. The order was two cheeseburgers with only cheese, Coke Zero in sippy cups, and one shared Oreo milkshake. Haley said: ‘I didn’t expect today to get even more magical, but dare I say it has.’
Back at the Grand Floridian, a staff member in the lobby mentioned that the hotel has a direct sightline to Disney’s nightly fireworks. Trahan and Haley went to watch.
Haley opens the scrapbook journal to score the day
Each night of the 10-day trip, Haley creates a handmade scrapbook page from the day’s stops, then the two score the attraction out loud simultaneously — no conferring first. Disney World’s experience score came in at eight after a brief negotiation, with Haley citing the rhino enclosure as a moment where she stopped and thought ‘what?’ Scenery came in at five, deliberately conservative, with both agreeing there would likely be tens ahead in the series. Magic received a 10, decided after the fireworks.
A wooden box traveled through all four parks without explanation. It turned out to contain a collectible from the day, part of a running element across the series in which each stop’s item gets listed on a Shopify storefront Trahan is building as the journey unfolds.
Online reviews Trahan read aloud during the day reflected the split that Disney World tends to generate. Magic Kingdom drew the label ‘underrated’ based on aggregated reviews, with one reviewer writing: ‘Fairy tale park where everyone feels like child. Beautiful castle. Buy yourself mouse ears and enjoy being child.’ Epcot was rated ‘appropriately rated.’ Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios were each labeled ‘overrated’ — though Trahan’s own account of the day at Animal Kingdom ran about three minutes longer than his account of any other park.
A wooden box that rode Space Mountain, the Ratatouille ride, a safari truck, and a Slinky
By the end of the day, the box had been carried through every attraction, every queue, and a drive-in diner. Nobody asked about it until Trahan explained it at the hotel. It sat on the Sci-Fi Dine-In table next to the Oreo milkshake.
The next morning, Trahan and Haley checked out of the Grand Floridian — the hotel that had been fully booked two years earlier — and pointed themselves toward the second stop on a list of 10. Disney World’s 23 points sat alone at the top of the bucket list journal, waiting to be challenged.
Source: Watch original
This article was reported in June 2026.
OHN Editorial Note: This article is based on publicly available sources. If you spot an error or have updated information, contact us at editorial@onlyhappynews.com. We correct mistakes promptly.
