{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...

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{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...

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{Travel} Orlando Trip-Part 1

I tagged along with Mr. Click for his conference in Orlando again.

My new favorite plane traveling outfit.

We had an early flight and were at the pool at the resort by the afternoon.

We had a snacky lunch by the pool.

The grounds at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes are beautiful. I love walking around the resort. 

The first night there was a reception for all of the conference attendees and their guests.

There were a lot of activities for us and food and drink stations throughout the room.  I got to get some name artwork. They were backed up so you filled out a request with your name and something about you.  I picked it up near the end of the night and they had nailed it!  The grey cat even looks just like my Willow.

During the day I was my own to explore the resort and spend time by the pool and in the lazy river. 

I love the spa restaurant at the Ritz Carlton and had lunch there one day.

The last night of conference was a trip to Universal.

We got bussed over to the park (my Disney nails matching my phone case) and to a back soundstage.  There was a dinner for us with a dj and characters to take photos with.  After dinner they handed out light up wristbands and escorted over to Islands of Adventure as the park was closing to regular visitors.

We walked around the Harry Potter World, which we love. Dessert was served in Hogsmeade!

Hogwarts Express

We also headed over to Jurrasic Park and walked around King Kong too.

Some of the rides were available but we weren't feeling them so we enjoyed walking around.

It was fun to see the Harry Potter World at night.

We asked to walk through Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to see all of the theming but not actually ride. We got a private tour of the entire ride from of the cast members. It was so cool!

I ended the night with a yummy Butterbeer soda. 

Off to Disney tomorrow....

to be continued...

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