Can't wait to read about your trip! I'm with you 100% about people who recline their seats for a short flight....for that matter even for longer flights. I understand reclining a little but when they recline all the way back, it's so inconsiderate of the person behind you. One guy almost broke my laptop by pushing on the seat so hard trying to get it reclined even more and the seat was in my face Sorry for venting!!
How did you reveal the surprise to your parents? Hope I didn't miss you posting that.
Day 1: Sunday, May 18th
"Put that seat back where it came from, or so help me!"
Even though I always have grand plans of packing days before we leave, my bed inevitably ends up looking like this just hours before our departure!
I love travel days. Waking up when it's still dark out, getting ready and checking lists to be sure we haven't forgotten anything. We live just outside of Toronto, but we often find flying from Buffalo is less expensive. We left Toronto at 2:30 in the morning and, as I'm sure you can imagine, there was practically no traffic. The border crossing at Queenston Lewiston was quick and painless. We arrived at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport around 4:00am.
Can I just take a moment to say how envious I am of the parking rates at this airport? In Toronto you would pay upwards of $200/week to park onsite at the terminal. In Buffalo, I think our parking cost for 8 days ended up around $75. We were flying Southwest airlines and check-in was practically deserted. We love Southwest, mostly due to the fact that we can bring a 4th bag, pay no baggage fees and encounter some of the nicest and funniest inflight staff in the industry. Security at the Buffalo airport is always well-organized and efficient. We were at the gate by 4:30am.
BREAKFAST: Buffalo Airport
I look surprisingly happy for the early hour! I'm really not a morning person unless I'm on vacation.
At 5:00 a.m. the few breakfast offerings at the airport opened and we grabbed some mediocre pastries. It was enough to fill the void. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Flight - AKA: Put that seat back where it came from, or so help me!
We always purchase Early Bird Check-in with Southwest airlines. We prefer to board early and guarantee ourselves a seat near the front of the plane and some overhead bin space. I believe we selected row 4, seats D, E & F. Take-off was uneventful, but things got a bit...dramatic...shortly after we reached our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. The flight from Buffalo to Orlando is quite short, just about 2 1/2 hours from gate to gate.
Well, the passenger in front of my Dad decided she wanted to recline her seat. Not only did she recline, but she jostled in her seat constantly which caused Dad's tray table to bounce and nearly spilled his drink. One of my family's biggest pet peeves is people who recline on short flights. So Dad used a technique he had been taught by a business associate years ago: direct the airflow above your seat down the neck of the person who has reclined back. Typically the passenger will feel chilly and will return their seat to the upright position. Well, that's not what happened in this situation.
The passenger became very aggressive and rude, verbally attacking my Dad. She even got a flight attendant involved, who stated that the passenger could move to the aisle seat directly across which was vacant if she felt uncomfortable. I think my favorite comment was from the flight attendant to my Dad "this passenger has the right to recline if she wants to, could you please move your air vent?" to which my Dad responded "And I have the right to direct the flow of my air vent where ever I'd like." The woman continued to jostle her seat, slamming herself back against her seat repeatedly. It was quite ridiculous, especially considering there was a vacant seat she could have moved to. If I recall correctly, both 3 C and 4 C were empty. She was siting in 3 D and Dad in 4 D. Why not move to a seat where your reclining won't inconvenience anyone?
The remainder of the flight was relatively uneventful and we landed in Orlando about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. We hopped on the MCO monorail (first ride of the trip!) and from there we divide and conquer! Mom and I head to baggage claim while Dad goes to pick up our rental car. I love the baggage claim service at Orlando. It is always faster than other airport I've visited. We waited about 10 minutes and all four of our bags emerged within a few moments. Sweet!
Mom and I made a quick stop to the restroom. When I returned from the restroom my Mom had a smirk on her face. I gave her a curious look and she said "Looks like karma is working for us today!" and gestured to the baggage carrousel where the rude reclining passenger was the very last person waiting for her baggage to be offloaded. Yup, I'd say that was karma.
A short car ride later, we found ourselves passing under these glorious gates! I don't care how many times I drive under these, I need a picture every single time. In fact, I just bought myself a digital SLR, so I am pumped to see how this picture will turn out in October!
Check-in at Coronado Springs was pretty effortless. This was my first time using online check-in and I was quite pleased with the experience. All my requests were granted (Cabanas 9A, second floor, near the quiet pool) and, our room was ready! Yes, you read that right! We arrived at Coronado Springs at 10:15am and our room was ready. We quickly dropped off the bags and immediately ventured back out to....
BRUNCH: Boma
Somewhere in the planning process, when I realized how early we were arriving at WDW, it dawned on me that we could book a late Boma reservation and it would serve quite well as lunch!
We had a 10:45am reservation and we arrived at 10:50. We were seated at a table for 8! So we had LOTS of room to spread out!
I only took pictures of my plates, not the buffet. At this point I had been up more than 8 hours and had only eaten a croissant.
My first plate was savoury. Clockwise from the top - corned beef hash with a cornbread top, ham with spicy mustard sauce, goat cheese and chive scrambled eggs, sausage and crispy bacon.
Everything was delicious but the hash and ham were the standouts. The combination of sweet cornbread with salty corned beef was outstanding.
My second and third plates were sweet. The plate on the left had a chocolate chip muffin, a pecan sticky bun, a sugared scone and some perfectly ripe pineapple. The plate on the right had banana bread pudding and Mickey waffles!
The pastries were quite good and the pineapple was phenomenal. The Mickey waffles were very fresh. Crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. The bread pudding was just ok.
Also, we must have had 4 glasses of jungle juice each. That stuff is addictive! However, I have a tip for anyone who likes their beverages well chilled (like me!). I always ask my server for a tumbler of ice when she delivered the glasses of jungle juice. That way I can add ice to my liking! It tastes even better well-chilled in my opinion.
Our afternoon involved taking a trip to the Walmart at Turkey Lake Road to stock up on some snacks and water for the room. And then we all took much needed naps! Am I the only one that finds naps at Disney resorts are the very best naps? There is something so magical about them.
Evening at Epcot
Typically we spend our first evening at the Walt Disney World Resort at Epcot. This was the last night of the Flower & Garden Festival, so we enjoyed wandering and taking in the topiaries and displays.
In Canada there was a spectacular sand sculpture for DisneyNature Bears!
There was also an adorable set of topiaries: Thumper, Bambi and Flower!
In addition to enjoying the sights of the festival, we wanted to try out a few of the Outdoor Kitchens!
DINNER PART 1: Outdoor Kitchens
Sunday, May 18th was the last day of the Flower & Garden Festival so we wanted to try at least a few of the outdoor kitchens. As you can see, it was a gorgeous night!
First stop: Pineapple Promenade!
Dole Whip in Epcot? Yes please! But I forgot to take a picture.I felt the portion was a bit on the tiny side for the price. But then again, I can never get enough Dole Whip!
Next up: The Cottage (UK)
I was really looking forward to trying the potato and chive biscuit with salmon tartare. But when I went to order it they informed me they were out of biscuits However, it resulted in me getting a double scoop of salmon! Ok, that works. We also ordered the pork and apple sausage roll. We loved both but the salmon was a clear winner.
Last stop: Fleur de Lys (France)
There was no question that we needed to try this booth. Dad and I are both huge fans of duck confit so that item was calling our names. And my entire family loves macarons!
The confit was so so good! Rich and tender with the garlic parsley potatoes. Oh how I wish I could have another right now. The macaron tasted like a french take on a creamcicle.
DINNER PART 2: Chefs de France
Our traditional first night dinner is almost always Chefs de France.
We dine here twice per trip at least. Because we had enjoyed the Outdoor Kitchens we decided to have a light meal.
The baguette was still warm, crunchy and delicious.
We all had the French Onion Soup and we noticed the portion was larger than it has been in the past. No arguments here! This soup is comfort in a bowl for me.
Lastly we shared the escargot. I know some people can't wrap their heads around eating snails but I assure you they are delicious!
After dinner we decided to wander World Showcase a bit more. I was excited to see Spice Road Table in Morocco as it has been under construction during our last visit. We were surprised to see that it wasn't that busy! The decor is stunning and the view is spectacular. We wondered if perhaps the food was too exotic? Later that week we would try for ourselves (stay tuned for our review!).
At this point, we were practically zombies. We were operating on about 6 hours of sleep (4 at home and 2 napping at Coronado) so we decided to call it a night. We would have plenty of opportunities to watch Illuminations later in the week.
What a lovely first day, gotta love Epcot and especially as it was the last day of the flower and garden festival!
That macaroon looked lovely, and what is potato biscuit? Is that meant to be something English?
I'm one of those who can't understand why people eat snails, but they actually looked quite nice
Looking forward to reading more
Following along Another fellow Ontarian reading your TR.
Love your dad's airplane trick, and glad to hear that Karma came back for that nasty lady.
Can't wait to read more.
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Sorry for venting!! 
I am sure you had a great time
However, it resulted in me getting a double scoop of salmon! Ok, that works. We also ordered the pork and apple sausage roll. We loved both but the salmon was a clear winner.
