Days 2-4 were LONG and SUPER informative. On day 2, we had breakfast at the Contemporary Resort followed by 3 hours of “class.” Then, we had site tours at Fort Wilderness, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian Resorts. We finished the night at Magic Kingdom (thanks Extra Magic Hours)!
Here are a few things we learned that everyone should know!
Ride the Slinky Dog Dash in Hollywood Studios during the day AND at night! It’s a totally different ride! I highly recommend nighttime if you can only choose one, all of the lights make it so beautiful and fun!
Illuminations will be leaving Epcot in the summer of 2019. It will be temporarily replaced with Epcot Forever until the new permanent show is done in 2-3 years. If you want to see Illuminations one last time, be sure to hit Disney up before this summer!
Galaxy’s Edge is comin’ y’all! Still no exact date, but we know it will be opening in WDW late fall 2019. There will be 2 new attractions: The Millenium Falcon Smugglers Run, which allows guests to fly the Millenium Falcon themselves (!) and The Rise of the Resistance, and experience that takes place on the deck of a Star Destroyer, from the Empire’s point-of-view! A cantina in the area will also be selling blue milk! Yes, the infamous blue milk from “A New Hope!” I cannot tell you all how excited I am about ALL of this. The Star Wars resort in the area, however, will not be opening for another couple of years at LEAST.
I’ll share some more tips and info on my next blogs. Let’s get down to day 2 now, shall we?
Our first site tour of the day was at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Lodge. I had never been here, but can now say it is one of my top 5 favorite Disney Resorts. This place is AWESOME. We first had lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe, which was seriously fantastic. They bring out home-cooking skillets to share for the table, with some of the best food I’ve ever had at Disney, followed by a huge skillet of cobbler and ice cream for dessert. The atmosphere is fun, the food is great, and you should definitely ask for ketchup when you go. Trust me on this, just do it. I will definitely eat here again in the future.
We toured a couple different room types here. First was a 2-bedroom villa, which was the epitome of Disney comfort. 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a FULL kitchen with FULL Refrigerator, patio and a washer/dryer?! Yeah, I could stay here a while. I believe this villa sleeps 8-9 people and would be perfect for larger families.
This resort campus is gorgeous, it’s meant to remind you of the national parks out west!
This waterfall is right next to the main pool, so it sounds like you’re in the middle of a forest when you’re relaxing by the pool with a drink in your hand!
This is the view from a standard room in the Lodge. It may have been chilly and gray this day, but can imagine the beauty in the lovely Florida sunshine?
Next, we headed to the Polynesian Village Resort, another one of my top 5. I love how you can go from Yellowstone to Hawaii in about 10 minutes! We were able to tour an over-the-water bungalow here, as well as a standard room. If you’ve never been here, I highly recommend visiting even if you don’t stay on resort property. It’s one of the only places in the world where you can kick back in lush tropical gardens with a Dole Whip:)
Be on the lookout for Hidden Mickeys- they’re everywhere! This one’s on the lobby floor.
The main pool.
Bungalows from the outside.
These next few pictures are of a bungalow. Yes, you will want to stay here after seeing these. 2 bedrooms and a pull-down bed, sexy bathrooms, living room, kitchen, personal patio with a hot tub and swinging egg chairs, and a gorgeous view. Sign me up!
Even the standard rooms are beautiful and fun! 2 beds plus a single sleeper couch and a patio out in the gardens!
Don’t forget to grab a Dole Whip (or several) at the Pineapple Lanai!
Our last site inspection was at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Looking for 5-star, high-class luxury and beauty? Look no further than the Grand Floridian. Sophistication at its finest, with some of the best dining options WDW has to offer.
Disney is well-known for amazing landscaping, and the Grand is no exception.
Simple, pristine room designs. This is a standard room.
We finished up around 5 PM and made our way to Magic Kingdom via the monorail. Several Disney Resorts have direct, fast access to Epcot and MK thanks to the monorail, so we were able to go from the Grand to actually inside the park in less than 10 minutes!
Thanks to fast passes, we were able to ride The Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain all before the fireworks at 8. We grabbed some nachos at Pecos Bills (one of the BEST quick service spots in MK) and watched the fireworks from behind the castle, where it was less crowded. Then, we laughed at the Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor (a hidden gem, if you haven’t experienced this yet, make sure to do it next time) and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. I hit something worth 100,000 points and got my highest score ever! We finished the evening relaxing on the PeopleMover, before heading back to Caribbean Beach for some much-needed sleep!
I almost forgot!
Potion Purple is the “it” color for 2019. Last year was rose gold. This year? Potion Purple, and it’s everywhere. Naturally, I got Potion Purple ears and a Spirit Jersey. Worth every penny, my friends.
Day 3 will be up soon! Several more resort tours, Hollywood Studios (including the new Toy Story rides!) and some more tips and helpful info. Stay tuned!
Just a Girl and Her Travels 