{Travel} Orlando Trip - Part 4 EPCOT & Magic Kingdom

 This was Day 2 in the parks and we were up bright and early again for early entry.

OOTD

We checked out breakfast at The Drury and I tried a little of everything.  Not bad for an included breakfast. There were Mickey waffles too!

We got to EPCOT for rope drop and it felt so empty.

We walked over to Test Track but it was down so we headed to Frozen but that was also down. womp womp!  It was so nice walking through World Showcase while it was empty so we kept walking.

We made it to Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and the line was quite long. We got in the single rider line and as soon as the ride opened, we got on it. It was so fun! It was our first time and we loved it!

I grabbed a Perrier at the crepe kiosk. It's the only place that carries sparkling water (that I've found) in EPCOT.

We went on Soarin' (again!), Figment and then Test Track (also newly redesigned). We were ready for a Mickey pretzel after that.    We went on the Nemo ride and then took the Monrail to Magic Kingdom.

We pre-ordered lunch on the MyDisney app from Pecos Bills Tall Tale Inn.  We split a chicken and rice bowl and kids' cheeseburger meal. 

We had reservations later at the new pirate themed lounge - The Beak & Barrel.

It's designed like a pirate tavern.

The theming is really good!

They serve "seaworthy sips and snacks for all ages".

We ordered the Hibiscus Rum Punch and a Salty Seas MARRRgarita.  We also sampled the Island Provisions which had a variety of chips and dips.   We went on some rides and then took the monorail to The Contemporary.

Where we enjoyed a break and a glass of wine in the Outer Rim bar.  We ubered back to the hotel for a nap and then we were back on our way to Magic Kingdom that night.

We got stuck in a downpour but had our trusty ponchos.

It stopped raining as we were walking through Magic Kingdom. We rode The Carousel of Progress...we had to go on one more time before they update it.

The sky was incredible after the rain.  We rode It's a Small World...

...and enjoyed the Magic Kingdom vibes.

We headed over to the Polynesian for a late dinner (9pm..who are we?!)

The Kona Cafe never disappoints. It was another amazing Disney day!

Pin It

{Travel} Orlando Trip- Part 3 Disney-Hollywood Studios, EPCOT & Magic Kingdom

 This was our first park day and we were excited to get to get going.

We took an early bus over to Hollywood Studio to get there before early entry rope drop.

It wasn't too long of a wait before they let us in and we headed right for Galaxy's Edge.

We got in line for our favorite ride- Rise of The Resistance.  We love it!

After that we walked through Toy Story Land and the wait time for Toy Story Mania wasn't very long so we hopped in line. 

We hadn't ridden that one in a few years. It's so fun!  By then the park was open to everyone and we got in line for Tower of Terror.

Next we went over to Rock N' Roller Coaster featuring the Muppets (NEW!).  I wasn't sure I would go on it but I wanted to walk through to see the new theming.  I actually did it and it was cute but I don't need to go on again. It's a little bumpy for me.
We took the Skyliner over to EPCOT. We had some time before our reservation at Geo 82 so we rode Spaceship Earth.  It's always nice for cooling down and having a calming ride.

We walked right over to Geo 82 - a new to us adults only lounge in EPCOT.

Which one would you pick?

Our dapper bartender preparing my Tuscan Olive Oil Martini.

Mr. Click got the High Brow Batanga but didn't like it so he swapped out for a glass of Sancerre. Much better!

We ordered the charcuterie which is supposed to be the best one on Disney property. It was quite impressive!  

We then rode Soarin' (new for USA 250th birthday) and Living with The Land (another favorite).

After that we walked through World Showcase to try some recommended treats.  The first one was this Caramel Butter Bar in Germany. It's got Werther's caramel poured over a shortbread crust.  Yes,please!

Along the way we also stopped in my favorite store-Mitsukoshi in Japan and spent some time browsing and shopping.  I could spend hours in there!  Another recommended snack was the wafer ice cream sandwich. It's a little hard to find but if you go in the back of the store and wait in line, there is a freezer behind the counter where they keep them. We heard strawberry was the best so of course that's the one we ordered.  It breaks into two parts so it's perfect for sharing.

It was very hot out by then and we wanted to rest a bit and cool off and found Kawaii: Japan's Cute Culture in the Bijitsu-Kan Gallery right off of Mitsukoshi. There were benches to sit on and the exhibit is super cute, like the name implies.

Later we split a rosé in France.  We were pretty tired by then and ready to head back to our hotel.  We took the bus back and relaxed and cooled off in our room for awhile.

That (and a shower) must have energized us because we were ready to go back to the parks that evening.

First we checked out the Kickback at the hotel and were very impressed the selection of foods that we were part of it. I was craving something healthy and the salad bar looked really good. There was also a pasta dish and two soups. They always have baked potatoes, chips, salsa, nacho cheese and hotdogs.

This is what the bar was serving and each adult gets 3 drink tickets/day.   We hopped on the bus for Magic Kingdom (third park of the day!)

Magic Kingdom was looking quite magical!  We rode Pirates of The Caribbean.

As we were walking through Adventureland we saw the spring roll kiosk and tried the highly recommended cheeseburger egg rolls.  They were tasty but a bit greasy.  The "big mac" dipping sauce is perfect with them.

We got to go on a few more rides: Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear (also newly refurbed) and The People Mover and soaked up the MK nighttime vibes. It's such a nice way to end your night and to see the whole park lit up.   

I even beat Mr. Click on Buzz Lightyear which never happens! I like the new controllers!

We hightailed it out of the park before fireworks and took the monorail the Contemporary then got an uber back to our hotel. We could see the fireworks on the drive home.  What a day!

to be continued...

Pin It

{Travel} Orlando Trip- Part 2 Disney Monorail Resort Hop & Disney Springs

 The second half of our Orlando trip was in Disney (we did it the opposite way last year when we went with our daughters).

We tried a new to us hotel The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando - Disney Springs Area this year after seeing a lot of great reviews.  They have a lot of nice amenities like daily hot breakfast, afternoon Kick Back buffet with drink tickets, daily popcorn and soda from 4-8pm, no resort fee and best of all...early entry to the theme parks.

We ubered from one hotel to the other and quickly checked in. Our room was ready which was so nice.  We had a great view of the pool.  We decided to do a resort hop for our first day.

We took an uber to the Polynesian and went right to Trader Sam's Grotto.

We thought there might a wait but we got right in.

It was our first time there and a lot of fun.

Cheers to the first real day of vacation!

We ordered the dumplings and they were tasty. My drink was the Spikey Pineapple (with Dole Whip) and Mr. Click's was the Tahitian Torch. Both were delish.

We love the Polynesian and walking around the lush and tropical resort.

Our next stop was a quick monorail ride away to the Grand Floridian.

This was also our first time at The Enchanted Rose and it was such a beautiful spot.

The decor is definitely giving enchanted.

We ordered the charcuterie board. Yum!

The Grand Floridian is always stunning.

After that we took the monorail to the Contemporary and grabbed coffee at Contemporary Grounds.  We also got a cookies and cream chocolate mousse dessert and enjoying the coffee and dessert in the Outer Rim bar area looking out their huge windows. 

By this time we were stuffed but still had one more resort in us so we took the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge.

This is another one of our favorite resorts that is fun to visit.  

We didnt' want anything else to eat or drink so we just walked around the resort and gift shop.   We took an uber back to our hotel and relaxed for a bit before dinner.

We met up with some friends at the Edison in Disney Springs for dinner.  It was an easy walk from our hotel.

We walked back and were treated to this amazing sunset.   We were ready for the parks and had an early morning the next day.

to be continued...

Pin It