We did it! We are back again from another magical Disney vacation and we are TIRED! Disney is such a special place and nothing compares to watching Peyton’s face light up at all the magic around her. I wanted to share some photos from our trip here, just for fun! And share about a few extra special things that we did. If you are planning your own trip, let us know! We are happy to answer any questions you may have because, between the both of us, we have been to Disney too many times to count!
We stayed in the Presidential Suite at Coronado Springs Resort in the new Gran Destino Tower. That may sound like it cost a lot of money, BUT this room slept all 6 of us (my family came too!). This room was the same price as two normal rooms would have been at another hotel such as Yacht Club Resort or Grand Floridian Resort. With this room, we also got access to the Club Level Lounge and it was amazing! They served breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts and coffee every day. We would start the day with breakfast in there before heading into the parks and come back for afternoon snacks and dessert following our dinner in the parks. This was such a plus for us. It just so happened to be right across the hall from our suite and was so much more convenient than hunting down breakfast in the parks each morning.
On our first day in the parks, we went to Animal Kingdom! Peyton (and Andrew!) love the Kilimanjaro Safari ride and we also got to ride Avatar Flight of Passage for the first time! We ate lunch at Restaurantosaurus and then headed back to the hotel for an afternoon nap before heading out to Magic Kingdom!
While booking dinner reservations, a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party time slot opened up and without hesitation I booked it! I had no idea what it was, but it sounded amazing. Come to find out, it’s a pre-fireworks dessert party with all you can eat pastries and all you can drink drinks located on the Tomorrowland Terrace! Then, when it’s time for the fireworks show, you are escorted down to one of the gardens in front of the castle and have a designated private viewing area for the fireworks show! It was a very cool experience. The photo on the right is a special platter that they brought out for my Mom. She has a gluten allergy and has been gluten-free for more than twenty years. EVERYWHERE we went in Disney was so accommodating to her allergy and always had something special prepared for her.
On our second day, we hit Hollywood Studios and EPCOT! In Hollywood Studios we purchased a lightning lane pass for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and reserved a Genie+ timeslot for Toy Story Mania. We ate lunch at the ABC Commissary. I used all of Tiff’s tips and tricks regarding the new Genie+ system to make sure that we got to ride everything that we wanted to. So glad she went ahead and tested that out first! 😉 In case you missed it, you can read all about those right here.
Later that afternoon we hopped over to EPCOT. Peyton fell asleep on the bus ride over so Andrew and I had some time to walk around, shop and explore with just the two of us! When she woke up, my parents met up with us and we rode Soarin’, Finding Nemo, and for the first time- the new Frozen ride! Spoiler alert: It is not new, it is the old boat ride in Norway that has just been up-fitted with the Frozen characters, you get wet on the ride, and it is NOT worth the outrageous wait times. That night we ate dinner in Italy at Tutto Italia Ristorante. 5 STARS! The best Caesar salad I have ever had, and they had great gluten free options for my Mom!
For our last park day, we spent the morning in Magic Kingdom. Most kids want their picture taken in front of the great, big Cinderella’s castle. This kid, wants Rapunzel’s tower! We spent a VERY long time in this little village, calling out for Rapunzel to “LET DOWN YOUR HAIR.” That morning we got to ride the Teacups, Dumbo, Peoplemover, and so many more! Getting to the parks early really is the ticket for riding all the kiddie rides, because everyone who arrives early goes straight for the big rides with long wait times.
My parents took Peyton to the pool that afternoon and my sister and I Uber’d over to the Four Seasons to check out their gift shop where they sell Stoney Clover Lane products- sad news, they are basically sold out! They had a few items from the new princess collection, but they said they had been sold out for almost six months of their regular inventory. We were so bummed!
We ended the trip with a character dinner at Chef Mickey’s with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald! The food was honestly 10/10 and again, they had a special meal and dessert platter waiting for my Mom.
Can’t wait for our next adventure with Mickey! Have any questions about all-things-Disney? Drop them in the comments below OR in the question box on our Instagram stories!
In the words of Mickey himself, “See ya real soon!”