Last week, I came back from my first trip to the World. It was hands-down the greatest, most amazing and 100% MAGICAL trip of my life!!!!
We arrived in Florida on Friday the 16th -- my 20th birthday! -- in the early evening. It was such a thrill to finally see the Orlando Airport, Disney's Magical Express, Disney road signs, etc. Once we got in the bus and were on our way to DISNEY WORLD, I was soo excited, I couldn't believe I was finally there!!
So we got to our resort, Coronado Springs, and the grounds were soo beautiful!! The lake, Lago Dorado, was gorgeous and the lobby and main amenities building, El Centro, was especially beautiful. The sound of salsa music filled the air -- perfect! We got a room in the section I'd requested, the Casitas section. Our room was not as nice as we'd expected it to be, but since we knew we'd be spending hardly any time in our room, we didn't really care. (However, if I want to spend more time at the hotel the next time I go to WDW, I'll choose a different resort that provides nicer rooms.)
Anyway, I got a birthday balloon from the hotel, plus a phone message from Goofy wishing me happy birthday. So cute!
After checking in, my friend who I traveled with, Stacie, and I immediately went to the bus stop and boarded the bus to Downtown Disney! We had my birthday dinner at Fulton's Crab House, which was fun! The food was delicious (except the calamari). We fell in love with the milk chocolate creme brulee -- I don't think I can have normal creme brulee anymore after that!
After dinner we went to World of Disney and fell in love with it! We stayed almost an hour, but we would have stayed longer if the buses weren't going to make their last trip of the night soon!
Back at the resort, we unpacked and had a hard time falling asleep since we were so excited for the next day at Magic Kingdom! So we stayed up a little and watched Chris Isaak on CONAN, since Stacie and my music managers manage him.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and were at Magic Kingdom before park opening. We watched the wonderful Welcome Show, and then there was a countdown and at last, the park opened! Seeing the castle for the first time was truly unforgettable -- I was so blown away and thrilled by it! It TOTALLY kicks the Disneyland castle's butt! =) Walking through Main Street was such a joy, it's one of my favorite lands in both Disneyland and Disney World! I don't do thrill rides, so we immediately went to Fantasyland and walked right onto the Winnie the Pooh ride, Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures and Mickey's PhilharMagic, all with no wait! PhilharMagic was our favorite -- SO amazing, entertaining and full of all my fave Disney songs and characters!
We then rode the Mad Tea Party with hardly a wait, and then we met and took pictures with Ariel at her Grotto. I was obsessed with LITTLE MERMAID when I was little, so meeting and taking pix with Ariel was really fun.
Next, we headed to Liberty Square -- such a well-themed land! We rode the Haunted Mansion, which was lots of fun as usual. After that, I got a frozen pink lemonade (delicious!) and we saw Cinderellabration. We loved it! Another one of our favorite things at MK. I write and perform in musicals, so I looooove anything that has a Broadway-style feel. The princesses, great songs, gorgeous costumes and great choreography made it extra special!
Afterward, we went to Adventureland and rode the Magic Carpets. This was actually a really fun ride! We then saw the Tiki Birds show, which was weird. And then it was finally time for our 1:00 lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table!! I was so excited cuz I'd been looking forward to this for months -- and it was everything I'd hoped it would be! The castle was spectacular, being inside it was such a thrill, straight out of my daydreams! Next, we got the professional photo taken with Cinderella, which came out really well, thank goodness! I love the pink keepsake folder it came in, plus the castle pic.
So we got to our table upstairs, in the dining room -- loved the way they announced that Cinderella had invited us upstairs, hehe! When we got to our table, I saw that, to my delight, we had a window table overlooking Fantasyland and the carousel, just as I'd hoped! And they had decorated our table with colorful castle-shaped confetti in honor of my birthday! The meal was so special already!
The appetizers were delicious, especially the hot appetizers. The main course wasn't very tasty, but the characters and atmosphere more than made up for it! We got to meet and take pictures with Fairy Godmother and three of my fave princesses: Snow White, Belle and Aurora! SO much fun! It was really special taking my pic with Snow White, because I was obsessed with Snow White as a toddler and little kid, I would wear my Snow White costume 24/7 back then.
Towards the end of the meal, our waitress brought me a Royal Proclamation birthday card signed by Cinderella! (Belle came by and signed it too!) Then she surprised me with a birthday cake and announced my birthday to our section of the dining room. Everyone sang to me and I made a wish. It was such a special memory! And the cake was SOO DELICIOUS! This was one of my favorite dining experiences of the trip, and it's a must-do for the next trip!
After lunch, we did some shopping on Main Street and then saw the Share A Dream Come True parade. The parade was fantastic and SO inspiring! I absolutely loved it, one of my fave experiences at MK!
After the parade, we shopped and toured the park some more until our 6:00 dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. This restaurant was so adorable, with the colonial theme and all the characters dressed in Revolutionary-era costumes! The food here was excellent, one of the yummiest meals of our trip! The salad with strawberry vinaigrette was amazing (I want some right now!), and the mac 'n cheese, stuffing, ham and mashed potatoes were heavenly! And the characters were tons of fun! We met and took pictures with Goofy, Pluto, Minnie and Chip 'n Dale. They also made a big deal out of my birthday -- the wait staff chimed this big bell and came to my table, announced it to the room, sang to me and gave me a birthday cake and a card signed by Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip 'n Dale. So special!! What a blast, and another must-do for my next trip!
After dinner, we went to Toontown and explored Minnie's house - SO adorable and fun! Then we met and took pix with Minnie (in her regular, non-Colonial outfit!) and Daisy Duck.
At last, it was time to leave for my birthday fireworks cruise!! We took the Monorail to the Polynesian, which was a really cool hotel to explore. After doing a bit of shopping there, we went to the Marina and boarded the boat! This was the highlight of the day, and the fireworks cruises were definitely my fave part of the whole trip!! Cruising the Seven Seas Lagoon, watching the Electrical Light & Water Pageant and the stunning Wishes fireworks with the prime view, right on the water -- truly INCREDIBLE!!
After the fireworks cruise, we went back to CSR, but I was too excited from our magical day to sleep! So I went swimming in our huge hotel main pool, the Dig Site. Then I went to the hotel bar, Francisco's, and relaxed with some chips and salsa. I finally made it to bed at 1 AM -- what an absolutely PERFECT day!!!!
Day 2 ahead: Animal Kingdom, dinner at CA Grill and EMH evening hours at MK!
We arrived in Florida on Friday the 16th -- my 20th birthday! -- in the early evening. It was such a thrill to finally see the Orlando Airport, Disney's Magical Express, Disney road signs, etc. Once we got in the bus and were on our way to DISNEY WORLD, I was soo excited, I couldn't believe I was finally there!!
So we got to our resort, Coronado Springs, and the grounds were soo beautiful!! The lake, Lago Dorado, was gorgeous and the lobby and main amenities building, El Centro, was especially beautiful. The sound of salsa music filled the air -- perfect! We got a room in the section I'd requested, the Casitas section. Our room was not as nice as we'd expected it to be, but since we knew we'd be spending hardly any time in our room, we didn't really care. (However, if I want to spend more time at the hotel the next time I go to WDW, I'll choose a different resort that provides nicer rooms.)
Anyway, I got a birthday balloon from the hotel, plus a phone message from Goofy wishing me happy birthday. So cute!
After checking in, my friend who I traveled with, Stacie, and I immediately went to the bus stop and boarded the bus to Downtown Disney! We had my birthday dinner at Fulton's Crab House, which was fun! The food was delicious (except the calamari). We fell in love with the milk chocolate creme brulee -- I don't think I can have normal creme brulee anymore after that!
After dinner we went to World of Disney and fell in love with it! We stayed almost an hour, but we would have stayed longer if the buses weren't going to make their last trip of the night soon!
Back at the resort, we unpacked and had a hard time falling asleep since we were so excited for the next day at Magic Kingdom! So we stayed up a little and watched Chris Isaak on CONAN, since Stacie and my music managers manage him.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and were at Magic Kingdom before park opening. We watched the wonderful Welcome Show, and then there was a countdown and at last, the park opened! Seeing the castle for the first time was truly unforgettable -- I was so blown away and thrilled by it! It TOTALLY kicks the Disneyland castle's butt! =) Walking through Main Street was such a joy, it's one of my favorite lands in both Disneyland and Disney World! I don't do thrill rides, so we immediately went to Fantasyland and walked right onto the Winnie the Pooh ride, Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures and Mickey's PhilharMagic, all with no wait! PhilharMagic was our favorite -- SO amazing, entertaining and full of all my fave Disney songs and characters!
We then rode the Mad Tea Party with hardly a wait, and then we met and took pictures with Ariel at her Grotto. I was obsessed with LITTLE MERMAID when I was little, so meeting and taking pix with Ariel was really fun.
Next, we headed to Liberty Square -- such a well-themed land! We rode the Haunted Mansion, which was lots of fun as usual. After that, I got a frozen pink lemonade (delicious!) and we saw Cinderellabration. We loved it! Another one of our favorite things at MK. I write and perform in musicals, so I looooove anything that has a Broadway-style feel. The princesses, great songs, gorgeous costumes and great choreography made it extra special!
Afterward, we went to Adventureland and rode the Magic Carpets. This was actually a really fun ride! We then saw the Tiki Birds show, which was weird. And then it was finally time for our 1:00 lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table!! I was so excited cuz I'd been looking forward to this for months -- and it was everything I'd hoped it would be! The castle was spectacular, being inside it was such a thrill, straight out of my daydreams! Next, we got the professional photo taken with Cinderella, which came out really well, thank goodness! I love the pink keepsake folder it came in, plus the castle pic.
So we got to our table upstairs, in the dining room -- loved the way they announced that Cinderella had invited us upstairs, hehe! When we got to our table, I saw that, to my delight, we had a window table overlooking Fantasyland and the carousel, just as I'd hoped! And they had decorated our table with colorful castle-shaped confetti in honor of my birthday! The meal was so special already!
The appetizers were delicious, especially the hot appetizers. The main course wasn't very tasty, but the characters and atmosphere more than made up for it! We got to meet and take pictures with Fairy Godmother and three of my fave princesses: Snow White, Belle and Aurora! SO much fun! It was really special taking my pic with Snow White, because I was obsessed with Snow White as a toddler and little kid, I would wear my Snow White costume 24/7 back then.
Towards the end of the meal, our waitress brought me a Royal Proclamation birthday card signed by Cinderella! (Belle came by and signed it too!) Then she surprised me with a birthday cake and announced my birthday to our section of the dining room. Everyone sang to me and I made a wish. It was such a special memory! And the cake was SOO DELICIOUS! This was one of my favorite dining experiences of the trip, and it's a must-do for the next trip!
After lunch, we did some shopping on Main Street and then saw the Share A Dream Come True parade. The parade was fantastic and SO inspiring! I absolutely loved it, one of my fave experiences at MK!
After the parade, we shopped and toured the park some more until our 6:00 dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. This restaurant was so adorable, with the colonial theme and all the characters dressed in Revolutionary-era costumes! The food here was excellent, one of the yummiest meals of our trip! The salad with strawberry vinaigrette was amazing (I want some right now!), and the mac 'n cheese, stuffing, ham and mashed potatoes were heavenly! And the characters were tons of fun! We met and took pictures with Goofy, Pluto, Minnie and Chip 'n Dale. They also made a big deal out of my birthday -- the wait staff chimed this big bell and came to my table, announced it to the room, sang to me and gave me a birthday cake and a card signed by Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip 'n Dale. So special!! What a blast, and another must-do for my next trip!
After dinner, we went to Toontown and explored Minnie's house - SO adorable and fun! Then we met and took pix with Minnie (in her regular, non-Colonial outfit!) and Daisy Duck.
At last, it was time to leave for my birthday fireworks cruise!! We took the Monorail to the Polynesian, which was a really cool hotel to explore. After doing a bit of shopping there, we went to the Marina and boarded the boat! This was the highlight of the day, and the fireworks cruises were definitely my fave part of the whole trip!! Cruising the Seven Seas Lagoon, watching the Electrical Light & Water Pageant and the stunning Wishes fireworks with the prime view, right on the water -- truly INCREDIBLE!!
After the fireworks cruise, we went back to CSR, but I was too excited from our magical day to sleep! So I went swimming in our huge hotel main pool, the Dig Site. Then I went to the hotel bar, Francisco's, and relaxed with some chips and salsa. I finally made it to bed at 1 AM -- what an absolutely PERFECT day!!!!
Day 2 ahead: Animal Kingdom, dinner at CA Grill and EMH evening hours at MK!
I can't wait to hear more!! I'm so glad you had such a magical birthday!! 
