A Celebration Trip Full of Surprises - May 2015 PTR (New 9/15 - New TR Link!)

[SimplyGoofy]

Oooh! I so want to try the Wishes Dessert Party! What did you think?

I LOVE that it only took you one day to change your vacation plans from NY to Disney. And you scored some nice ADR's too! When we went back in 2012 we only booked 2 months in advance but were still able to get a pre-park breakfast at Crystal Palace. It CAN be done!

We really enjoyed it! It was SO NICE to watch Wishes without being surrounded (and smushed!) by thousands of my closest friends!

Yes, it sure doesn't take much arm twisting to get me back to Disney World! I was so excited about our ADRs! I didn't think we'd have a chance for primo pre-park opening ADRs without jumping in at 180 days.

And Be Our Guest on top of it? I was beside myself!

17 days?? 4 resorts?!?! I am SO in! This sounds too amazing.

I love POR, it was always my home resort as a kid. I can't wait to hear about it!

Katie! Thank you so much for joining in!

This trip is going to be AWESOME - I'm so excited!!!

I haven't seen POR since we stayed in 2007, so I'm really excited to see it again!

YAY, 2013 trip highlights!!

Coronado is currently on the short list for next trip as a possibility, so I'm anxious to hear about it.

I have to hand it to you Jenny, you have WAY more ambition for ADR's than I ever would. This is a lot of the reason I don't do them. I can't take the stress, lol.

Coronado Springs is a BEAUTIFUL resort! I wasn't thrilled by the food court - but they had another quick service spot in the main building that I REALLY liked (and they made excellent coffee!). I think the food court may have changed this year, however, so perhaps it's no longer so annoying? I'll probably do another post about the PTR, but then you can look forward to hearing all about the Coronado!

Ambition is one word for it! There are others...

Seriously, though, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoy the restaurants at Disney World. I think my wallet would appreciate it if I ate at more quick service spots, but I think of it as another perk of my vacation! It's also very exciting to book a hard-to-get ADR!

Oh Wow...17 days! That sounds incredible! I can't wait to hear all about it. Also, I need to see if you have a review and pictures of the Dessert Party. We have this scheduled for this May.

Lynn

Lynn! Thanks so much for joining in!

I certainly do have a review (with pictures! ) coming up! I'm going in the approximate order of my 2013 trip, so the post with the dessert party should be post #4 for the 2013 section. My plan is to go back and forth between the plans for the new trip and reminiscent posts about 2013, and I should have one of each up each week. That puts the dessert party post out about three weeks - I think that should be in plenty of time before your trip? If you need anything beforehand, please let me know!

I think you will LOVE the dessert party! It's a really cool experience!

 

[Jetskies]

Hi! What a trip! I am very impressed And would love to hear about the rest of your plans! Our next trip is early May (14 days!) but as we are travelling from Europe we are staying offsite (Wyndham Bonnet Creek), 4 plane tickets AND an on site resort was not an option unfortunately... I have however booked us a Family Magic Tour and a few ADR's.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Hi! What a trip! I am very impressed And would love to hear about the rest of your plans! Our next trip is early May (14 days!) but as we are travelling from Europe we are staying offsite (Wyndham Bonnet Creek), 4 plane tickets AND an on site resort was not an option unfortunately... I have however booked us a Family Magic Tour and a few ADR's.

Thanks so much for joining in!

Hooray for another long trip! I've not stayed there, but I've heard nothing but good things about Wydham Bonnet Creek! Even better, it's on "offsite" hotel that's right in the middle of Disney World!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

There’s No Such Thing as (Too Much) Magic
a.k.a . Big Surprise #1

It’s time to reveal resort #2!

When I increased the number of days we’d be in Orlando, I was excited that we would be able to venture off Disney property and see a few other fun things that Orlando has to offer! I hadn’t been to Sea World in years (and Anika has never been), so that was a strong possibility.

When it came down to it, I couldn’t imagine being in Orlando and missing out on this:

DIAGON ALLEY!



Anika and ventured over to Universal in 2012 to see Harry Potter Land, Part I (also known as Hogsmeade). We LOVED it! I am a MAJOR Potter fan (I’ve seen every movie multiple times, and read each book even more times). I didn’t catch the Potter craze right away – they’d released four books before I finally started reading them. Once I started, there was no turning back!

Anika may not be as much of a Potter fan as I am but even she’s desperate to see the new Diagon Alley. Dateline aired a pretty spectacular special about the new “land” just before it opened last summer called The Making of Diagon Alley. The special is pretty awesome (and available on You Tube!) so you should check it out – especially if you have a visit in your future! Once Anika saw that, she REALLY wanted to go back to Universal.

When she learned we were going back to Orlando, she asked if there was any way that we could go back to Universal and see Diagon Alley.



I said (very disappointed and apologetically, I’m sure) that adding Universal tickets would just be too expensive, it would be tough to tour Universal in the summer crowds without the Express passes we bought last time, the Express passes themselves would be CRAZY expensive for a May vacation, etc. It would be much easier and less expensive to stay at Disney and find other interesting things to do.

Excuses. Many, many excuses.



And lies. So many lies.



Little did she know, I’d already booked us here:

Universal’s Royal Pacific Resort! We would be leaving Disney property and staying for three whole nights of Universal and Harry Potter fun! Not only am I excited to stay at a Universal resort, I’m SUPER excited about the Universal resort perks like early entry and EXPRESS PASSES!

The rooms look pretty nice, too:

I think it will be fabulous to be ten minutes from the parks - we can really take advantage of both park time and resort time. It's also hard to beat the perks!

Along with Anika, I’m very excited about seeing Harry Potter Land, Part II! We’ll be able to ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, buy and try out some interactive wands, and see some of the new sites, including:

Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes! I’m especially excited since they took out Zonko’s joke shop with the Diagon Alley expansion (which is sad, but I guess I understand as they don’t want two joke shops).

I’m also very interested to see what can be found here:

According to Pottermore, I am a Gryffindor (not a Slytherin!) so I have no idea why I’m so excited to see Knockturn Alley. I’m thrilled that they included this with the Diagon Alley expansion!

Since I bought those “super expensive” park-to-park passes , we can look forward to several rides on this:

They had a Hogwarts Express engine in Hogsmeade three years ago (I’m not sure if it’s still there?), but I’m looking forward to riding the “real” version!

In addition to the big things, I’m also looking forward to eating at the Leaky Cauldron, trying Butterbeer ice cream, looking for Kreacher in the window at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, posing with Stan and the Knight bus, and exploring every darn shop in Diagon Alley. IT WILL BE SO FUN!!!



I’m also thrilled to spend more time at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and return to Hogsmeade. I really want to explore the Simpson’s food court and try a Krusty Burger, try the Despicable Me attraction, and spend some time hopping around at the Universal resort pools. I’m hoping to see things multiple times due to our early entry privileges and those snazzy Express Passess! We were pretty burned out by the time we got to our Universal day in 2012, so it will be nice to visit fresh and ready to go at the beginning of our vacation.

I’m also looking forward to seeing or experiencing these things again:

The "must do again" list includes multiple rides on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction, a few sweets from Honeydukes Sweet Shop, a meal at Three Broomsticks, exploring the Jurassic Park area, and riding both The Mummy and The Simpson’s Ride. All were pretty fabulous the first time around so it will be great to try them again!

And I also want to drink MANY glasses of this:

Mmmm… Butterbeer!

Anika continues to ask our parents on a regular basis if they could PLEASE ask me to include Universal in our plans so we can see Diagon Alley. Both of them tell her that I’ve already determined the entire itinerary and she’ll just have to go with it.



(Yes, both of them are well aware of the fact that we ARE going to Universal.)



It may be a little cruel, but I’m looking forward to seeing her totally flip out when she realizes she DOES get to see Diagon Alley!

followed by

I know I’m going to flip out when we arrive and I’ve known all along!

Up Next for 2015: Resort #3

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Holy Moly Jenny!!!! Not only are you doing Universal and the fabulous Diagon Alley, but on property as well!!! That's one way to take care of the Express pass issue.

I'm so glad you're getting too so this, but my favourite part is absolutely that Anika has no idea. So what's the planned reveal??

 

[Sailormoon2]

Sounds like an incredible vacation so far....eagerly waiting for more...

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Oh wow! Your Universal surprise is going to be epic!! I really hope you get a pic of Anika's reaction when you tell her.

Diagon Alley looks SO COOL! So does the original Hogsmeade. I was a huge fan of the books as well. I started reading them after book 3 came out and I totally remember waiting in agony each time we waited for the next book to be released! I cried and cried at the end of book 7. Partly because the end was so perfect but mostly because it was OVER! I have plans to start reading the series to Josh this summer since he will be about Harry's age in The Sorcerer's Stone.

That room at Universal looks so nice too! Your surprises are the best!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Holy Moly Jenny!!!! Not only are you doing Universal and the fabulous Diagon Alley, but on property as well!!! That's one way to take care of the Express pass issue.

I'm so glad you're getting too so this, but my favourite part is absolutely that Anika has no idea. So what's the planned reveal??

I know! I am SO EXCITED about seeing Diagon Alley AND staying on Universal property! It will be a different experience that I'm really looking forward to!

I haven't totally worked out the reveal... I'm thinking perhaps having her open a letter about our second resort with only the name on it? When she's confused (as I don't believe she knows the names of the Universal resorts), I'll then have her open a bag with Potter gear to connect the dots? I'll have to keeping thinking about fun options.

Sounds like an incredible vacation so far....eagerly waiting for more...

Thanks for joining in! It's been so much fun planning it - I can't wait to experience it!

Oh wow! Your Universal surprise is going to be epic!! I really hope you get a pic of Anika's reaction when you tell her.

Diagon Alley looks SO COOL! So does the original Hogsmeade. I was a huge fan of the books as well. I started reading them after book 3 came out and I totally remember waiting in agony each time we waited for the next book to be released! I cried and cried at the end of book 7. Partly because the end was so perfect but mostly because it was OVER! I have plans to start reading the series to Josh this summer since he will be about Harry's age in The Sorcerer's Stone.

That room at Universal looks so nice too! Your surprises are the best!!

I KNOW!!! I was blown away by how well they did the original Hogsmeade and I've heard they've surpassed themselves with Diagon Alley. I'm hoping to catch it on video so I can send it to my parents - they're looking forward to the surprise, too!

I hope Josh loves Harry Potter as much as you do! It's such a wonderful and well-written series! My favorite thing is that I discover a new detail (or ten!) each time I re-read a book!

I think the Universal resorts all look really nice! Portofino Bay was my favorite style-wise, but I thought the tropical Royal Pacific would be a nice, too. Plus, it was the cheapest of the three deluxe resorts!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

A Week in Mexico (in Disney World)
2013 Trip Report – Part II

Our 2013 trip included eight days and seven nights at the beautiful Coronado Springs Resort.

This is one of Disney’s four moderate resorts and is located near Epcot and Hollywood Studio on Buena Vista Drive. The resort has three different sections: the Casitas (five-story Spanish-inspired buildings similar to what you may find in Mexico), the Ranchos (buildings modeled after those in the American Southwest), and the Cabanas (two-story buildings that are similar to those found at a Mexican Beach resort). All three sections are spread around the 22-acre lake, Lago Dorado.

The main building at Coronado Springs is called El Centro:

The Magical Express will drop you off right in front of El Centro so you can easily get to the registration area:

El Centro also has the resort’s dining establishments, including the table service restaurant, Maya Grill, quick service food court Pepper Market, and grab-and-go spot Café Rix. It looks like they now have another casual dining option, Las Ventanas. I’ll comment about the Coronado dining options that we experienced as bit later in the post. There is also the Rix Lounge, which is a nighttime lounge spot, and the Laguna Bar, a drink spot right outside El Centro on Lago Dorado. If you need to buy a souvenir or some sunscreen, you can visit Panchito’s gift shop. El Centro is also attached to the convention building.

Here are a few views around the resort:

Airline check-in can be found just west of the El Centro entrance:

(continued in next post)

 

[SimplyGoofy]

(continued from previous post)

Anika and I were placed in room 5272, the second floor of the Casitas 5 building. When I made my room requests, I requested to be in the Casitas or Cabanas, near a bus stop and the main pool. The CM that assigned our room seriously could not have done much better – we were in the Casitas and almost exactly between the resort’s second bus stop and the Dig Site pool. Keep giving your room requests – they work!

One of my favorite parts of Coronado Springs was the rooms – I loved them! The beds were super comfortable:

The rooms were very spacious and well decorated:

My favorite part of this room was the doors they installed – it was fabulous to have a “separated” bathroom so one person could get ready without disturbing the other. This is a great feature if you have multiple people in your room!

The actual bathroom was pretty standard, but did what was needed:

There was also the “closet” area to the left of the sink where you could find the laundry implements and the safe:

The only very minor downside is the room only has one sink, but we were able to work around it. The mirror in the sink area was quite large so we could still get ready at the same time. I can’t say enough how nice the rooms were at Coronado – they definitely seemed a step above those at the other moderate resorts.

Another location we really enjoyed at our resort was the incredibly awesome Dig Site pool:

I’m sure it was due to the fact that we vacationed in May, but we spent several afternoons at the pool! It was HUGE, there was a fantastic waterslide, and standing or sitting on the big pyramid steps was really fun!

We also spent a few evenings relaxing at the (huge!) hot tub:

There is also a quick-service spot at the pool were you could buy snacks and drinks or refill your refillable mug:

Food-wise, my favorite spot at Coronado was Café Rix. They have pastries, yogurt, and cereal, in addition to a few hot sandwiches. My favorite part of Café Rix, however was this:

The coffee bar! My coffee here was always DELCIOUS. My favorite was the cinnamon iced coffee – YUM!

I also grabbed one breakfast from the Coronado’s semi-famous food court:

What were my thoughts on Pepper Market? Ha-rumph. There were certainly a lot of options, but I thought it was confusing and I didn’t think my food was all that great. To be fair, I only gave it one shot (and so many people seem to love the food here!), so perhaps I chose the wrong item. I also think the food court has gone through some changes, so it no longer operates the way it did when we were there (it’s more like every other resort food court). As for me, get me back to Café Rix!

We never dined at Maya Grill, so I don’t have any opinion on that restaurant.

Overall, here are my thoughts on Coronado Springs Resort:

Pros
*THE ROOMS! The rooms were beautiful, well-done, and had SUCH comfy beds! If you spend most of your time at the resort sleeping, this is a major plus!
*The pool at this resort is AWESOME! It’s big, it has a slide, and the hot tub is great! If you plan to spend any time at the pool during your trip, this is a great resort to choose!
*The buses were very nice to us the entire vacation! There were four stops (one near the Casitas, one near the Ranchos, one near the Cabanas, and one outside El Centro). We never waited long for a bus, and despite the large size of the resort, we never had a crowded bus going to the park. I think since so many of the hotel’s guests are convention guests (whom we never saw, by the way), there are less park-goers at the resort. Win for us!
*It’s a very short trip to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios, not much longer to Animal Kingdom, and not even a bad trip to Magic Kingdom! The location of the resort itself is very, very good.

Cons
*Don’t be fooled by the resort maps – this resort is HUGE! It took me almost 10 minutes to walk from our room to El Centro to get my Café Rix fix and I walk at a pretty fast clip. I loved our placement due to our proximity to the bus stop and pool, but it made grabbing food a challenge. If you can take your whole family to the food court instead of having a food runner, this may not be as much of an issue.
*I wasn’t thrilled by the food options here. I loved Café Rix, but I absolutely hated the food court.

Those that complain about the fact that it’s a convention resort – we never saw them, they seemed to stay away from the park busses, and the pool always seemed to have plenty of lounge chairs. The “convention” aspect of the resort never bothered us one bit!

Now the important question – would I stay here again? Yes, I would! It didn't steal my heart the way Animal Kingdom Lodge did, but I thought the rooms were fantastic and loved how easy it was to grab a nearly-empty bus here. That pool – Disney really did a phenomenal job with the Dig Site pool! I think I would request a Cabanas room if I wanted to closer to the food options, but if you are okay with going to El Centro, eating breakfast, and then going straight to the El Centro bus stop, I think the distance would bother you less.

In regard to the other moderate resorts, I’m looking forward to trying French Quarter sometime and can’t wait for my upcoming stay at Riverside. This resort did back my thought that Caribbean Beach is not the resort for me - I thought this resort was too big and I think that one is bigger! No thanks!

Up Next for 2013: Our First Day at Disney

 

[MEK]

How exciting about the Universal surprise. And the Royal Pacific looks so lovely. I love the rooms and the Kuerig! That is going to be an awesome surprise!

I love your pictures of CSR. Just lovely. I only stayed there two nights and it was a long time ago, but it IS a great resort. I do remember I stayed there in June and it was SO stinking hot on the last day I was there that I couldn't even run at 7am. I had to walk and even then I was dripping. Ah great memories.

Looking forward to more of your plans.

 

[Tracy161]

I'm joining!!! Wow, I'm SO excited that you have so many wonderful surprises up your sleeve for your sister! What a sweet sister you are!!!

So am I reading this right: we'll both be at Pop Century Resort (and Spa!) on my last full day?! (May 23rd) If you and your sister can work in a quick hi, I'd love to meet you in person!

Really excited to read more!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wonderful overview and review of Coronado Jenny. I stopped by for a visit back in April 2013, but obviously you can't make a lot of judgement from just a visit other than it's pretty darn pretty.

I have heard the rooms are the best of all the Mods. Not necessarily in theming but for comfort. And I am really surprised more resorts don't have the separating door. Well the values usually have a curtain, but the Wilderness Lodge had nothing. Granted it's angled differently, but still I found it odd.

That's one of my biggest worries about this and/or CBR and that's the size. So big!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Wow! Coronado looks beautiful! That lake, the theming... the coffee bar! The rooms look bigger than your "normal" moderate resort too. We stayed at CBR and you're right... its HUGE. We enjoyed it but I don't think we'd opt to stay there again.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

How exciting about the Universal surprise. And the Royal Pacific looks so lovely. I love the rooms and the Kuerig! That is going to be an awesome surprise!

I love your pictures of CSR. Just lovely. I only stayed there two nights and it was a long time ago, but it IS a great resort. I do remember I stayed there in June and it was SO stinking hot on the last day I was there that I couldn't even run at 7am. I had to walk and even then I was dripping. Ah great memories.

Looking forward to more of your plans.

I'm really looking forward to her reaction! I'm really looking forward to staying at the Universal resort (and I'm looking forward to the Keurig, too!).

CSR is a really beautiful resort. I wish it was a mite smaller, but the rooms themselves really push up its value.

I'm joining!!! Wow, I'm SO excited that you have so many wonderful surprises up your sleeve for your sister! What a sweet sister you are!!!

So am I reading this right: we'll both be at Pop Century Resort (and Spa!) on my last full day?! (May 23rd) If you and your sister can work in a quick hi, I'd love to meet you in person!

Really excited to read more!

Tracy! Thanks so much for joining in!

Normally Anika knows the entire itinerary so this will be quite a change! I'm hoping that the Universal surprise and the other "big" surprise that will be in the next post will be exciting for her! (She's awesome so she definitely deserves all of these fun surprises!)

YES! WE WILL!!! Our flight gets in around noon so I imagine we should get to Pop by two-ish? We'll grab a late "lunch" from either Pop or AoA as we tour around, and should be around the resorts until 6-6:30 when we need to head to Fort Wilderness for our dinner ADR. We will also be around in the morning of the 24th (but I'm not sure how early you're leaving). We'll have to keep in touch as it would be great to meet up!

Wonderful overview and review of Coronado Jenny. I stopped by for a visit back in April 2013, but obviously you can't make a lot of judgement from just a visit other than it's pretty darn pretty.

I have heard the rooms are the best of all the Mods. Not necessarily in theming but for comfort. And I am really surprised more resorts don't have the separating door. Well the values usually have a curtain, but the Wilderness Lodge had nothing. Granted it's angled differently, but still I found it odd.

That's one of my biggest worries about this and/or CBR and that's the size. So big!

Thank you! It's a BEAUTIFUL resort but it's definitely BIG. The rooms were great, though - definitely one of the best parts of the resort. As it's where you spend the most time, I think it's probably a good thing! I really loved the doors as they contained both the light and the noise!

Wow! Coronado looks beautiful! That lake, the theming... the coffee bar! The rooms look bigger than your "normal" moderate resort too. We stayed at CBR and you're right... its HUGE. We enjoyed it but I don't think we'd opt to stay there again.

I LOVED that coffee bar! I'm usually a regular coffee with some cream gal, but darn it, that coffee bar took a lot of my money...

I'm not sure if they're technically bigger, but they certainly seemed so! I think CBR looks very nice in pictures, but I hear so many things about how long it takes to get from "A" to "B" that I'm okay with skipping over it to try somewhere else!

 

[sailored]

Anika is going to be SO excited about the Universal surprise. I'm very envious that you're awesome at keeping secrets/surprises. I always tell my husband that we can't have kids because I won't be able to keep Christmas presents a secret haha

 

[Tracy161]

YES! WE WILL!!! Our flight gets in around noon so I imagine we should get to Pop by two-ish? We'll grab a late "lunch" from either Pop or AoA as we tour around, and should be around the resorts until 6-6:30 when we need to head to Fort Wilderness for our dinner ADR. We will also be around in the morning of the 24th (but I'm not sure how early you're leaving). We'll have to keep in touch as it would be great to meet up!

We will definitely have to keep in touch as our trips get closer! I'm leaving at... well, let's just say very early on May 24th. Like, contemplating whether it's even worth it to go to bed Saturday night early. But perhaps we could work something out for Saturday!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Oh. My. Goddd!!! You are the best sister ever I am SO excited to hear about this! I always consider doing a couple of nights staying at Universal, your report will probably persuade me for the next time I book a trip Are you going to do a big reveal?! I absolutely LOVE Universal. I've always considered myself a Disney girl, but now I think I can safely say that I love Universal just as much as Disney..! Particularly the studios park The hotels look great too, I've never stayed at a Universal hotel before. I can't wait to hear what you think of the Royal Pacific!

I love your pictures of Coronado! I've never even visited the grounds, although I've always marvelled at the pictures. I've actually worked a "resort hopping" day into our plans for September, where I want to visit Coronado I would definitely stay there in the future, it sounds like you had a great time

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Anika is going to be SO excited about the Universal surprise. I'm very envious that you're awesome at keeping secrets/surprises. I always tell my husband that we can't have kids because I won't be able to keep Christmas presents a secret haha

It's tough to keep such a big surprise - but I'm managing as they payoff of her reaction will be worth it!

I'm sure you'll do a better job than you think!

We will definitely have to keep in touch as our trips get closer! I'm leaving at... well, let's just say very early on May 24th. Like, contemplating whether it's even worth it to go to bed Saturday night early. But perhaps we could work something out for Saturday!

I'm right there with you on the very early departure! Our outgoing flight on the 8th is at 8:50 in the morning - which should make our Magical Express pick up time around 6 a.m. Yuck.

Yes, let's stay in touch! Along with wandering around Pop/AoA, we'll be heading toward Magic Kingdom to take a boat to Fort Wilderness for our late dinner ADR. In case you're hopping from Epcot (I think that's where you are on Saturday?) over to MK to end your vacation, that might be another possibility! Unfortunately, we'll be unable to meet you IN the park as we won't be stepping into a Disney park until the following Wednesday, but I thought I'd mention it anyway!

Oh. My. Goddd!!! You are the best sister ever I am SO excited to hear about this! I always consider doing a couple of nights staying at Universal, your report will probably persuade me for the next time I book a trip Are you going to do a big reveal?! I absolutely LOVE Universal. I've always considered myself a Disney girl, but now I think I can safely say that I love Universal just as much as Disney..! Particularly the studios park The hotels look great too, I've never stayed at a Universal hotel before. I can't wait to hear what you think of the Royal Pacific!

I love your pictures of Coronado! I've never even visited the grounds, although I've always marvelled at the pictures. I've actually worked a "resort hopping" day into our plans for September, where I want to visit Coronado I would definitely stay there in the future, it sounds like you had a great time

Oh, thank you! I happen to have the best sister ever, so it's totally worth it to come up with all these cockamamie plans! I'm SO STINKING EXCITED to see Diagon Alley and stay at Universal! It never made sense when we were staying for just a week, but it's totally justifiable for a two week trip! I still think I love Disney more than Universal, but I adore Harry Potter so the force drawing me there is pretty strong. I will be happy to report about our stay at the Royal Pacific!

I do have reveal plans... but some it depends on how I book the rental car (whether or not I have to pick it up on Saturday or Sunday). I'm hoping for a Sunday pick up as then it will allow for fewer questions before I have time for a "reveal" ("So Jen, why do we need a rental car?" ).

CSR is a beautiful resort and I would definitely make time to see it! Enjoying a drink while sitting on the lake just behind El Centro - it's lovely. I think as long as your room is well-placed anyone would love this resort - and the rooms are excellent!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Dreams Really Do Come True
a.k.a. Big Surprise #2

Before I spill the beans on the other major surprise of this vacation, I must happily report that I’ve made all of my Fastpass+ reservations! I didn’t bother checking until I was 60 days out from our third resort (the one I’m about to reveal) as this is the first stay that will involve Disney park days. Much to my surprise our entire window was open, so I got everything booked!

I'm happy to say that I got everything I wanted (and at the times I wanted!) so that aspect was pretty easy. It did make me feel bad for new travelers as I knew what and when to book as I already know how we explore each park. I think the process would be far more challenging for someone that doesn’t visit Disney often/has never visited/only has a few days to visit. At least the setup part went well, so we’ll see how it goes! I will share all of my choices in a future update once I get to park plans!

In other pre-planning news, I did online check-in for our Pop Century stay! I’m debating whether or not to do it for this resort or Riverside – I’ll decide sooner or later.

Now, onto the next big surprise!

We all have a “favorite resort” at Disney World – the one that captures us from the first moment we step foot on it. All of the Disney resorts are magical and well done, but there is always one that is just the tiniest step above the others.

For me, that’s the Animal Kingdom Lodge:

The lobby is STUNNING and the grounds have animals all over them! Plus, you can spend your down time watching the flamingos!

(Nope, it never gets old. )

Although I have an afternoon planned at the Animal Kingdom Lodge so we can spend some time there, this trip is a celebration trip for Anika. Anika’s favorite resort? Well, that happens to be this one:

Walt Disney World’s flagship resort – on the monorail, right next to the Magic Kingdom, and boasting multiple pools and five table service restaurants. It’s a stunning resort, sure, but it also happens to fetch the highest room rates on Disney property.

Just looking at the rack rates for this place may make a person want to poke out an eye or start making plans to sell a kidney.

I’m thrilled to say that I didn’t have to put any kidneys on the market to make that dream come true.



The minute I’d stretched our vacation past one week, I knew I wanted to give Anika the chance to stay at her Grand Floridian. This was going to be a “once in a lifetime” experience (at least, once in my lifetime that would I be picking up the cost!). Once the vacation dates were settled, I decided to book us for two nights at Anika’s dream resort.

I think Anika will be out of her mind ecstatic when we step into this lobby to check-in:

Although I think the resort itself is beautiful, I was never a big fan of the way the rooms were decorated. However, the refurbished rooms are actually much more my speed:

I haven't completely worked out the reveal for this surprise, but I think the most fun thing would be to drive through the Magic Kingdom gates and inform them we're checking in to our resort. Anika knows this trip will involve a stay at a deluxe resort, and this entrance is how to get to three other good contenders (the Poly, the Contemporary, and the Wilderness Lodge). We'll turn left, pass the Poly... and then it will dawn on her that we're driving straight to the Grand Floridian.



As long as she doesn't pass out or attack me out of excitement, we'll be in good shape!

Given the nightly fee at the Grand Floridian (and that whole “once in a lifetime” thing), I structured our trip so this stint would include a full-day break from the parks. I plan to go to Epcot on our Grand Floridian arrival day as that is our traditional “first park” of all our Disney vacations. The next day, however, will involve an entire day of fun at the Grand Floridian.

First, I will be venturing onto the monorail early in the morning in order to see the Magic Kingdom welcome show! We’ve missed it every trip due to early ADRs or just-missed arrivals , so I want to take advantage of our close proximity and finally cross this one off the “must-do” list. Anika is welcome to join me or she is welcome to sleep in.

Our breakfast will be here:

The Grand Floridian Café was one of Anika’s “must do” restaurants. It's a very tasty breakfast spot and also very convenient if you're staying at the resort!

Plus, they have these wonderful beauties:

Chocolate Frozen Cappuccinos!

Our morning and early afternoon will be filled with pool time, lounging on the beach chairs, and exploring the shops in the resort:

Our mid-afternoon break will involve this:

We love the tea at the Garden View Tea Room and have done it on our other two sister vacations. This is also a great substitute for lunch!

I don’t have any plans for after the tea, but I’m sure it will involve more lounging at the Grand Floridian. We may also jump onto the conveniently located monorail and see the other monorail resorts!

Our dinner plans include a never-before-visited restaurant:

Narcoossee’s! I’m so excited to give this place a try! I chose it as so many people say good things about it and Anika loves seafood. Anika also loves cheesecake, and as this place has one of the best cheesecakes on Disney property, it seemed like a no-brainer!

After dinner, I may walk over to the Polynesian to watch Wishes from the Poly beach. I’d also love to spot the Electric Water Pageant.

Anika will drift off to sleep on our second night at the resort… and wake up on her birthday. Wake up at Disney World. At her favorite Disney resort.



I hope it will be magical.



Up Next for 2015: Resort and Ticket Savings