We decided it would be a great idea to spend a part of Memorial Day weekend at one of our favorite places…Orlando and Walt Disney World! We left Columbus on Wednesday morning and flew down to Orlando. We got in (a little ahead of schedule!) and grabbed our rental car. I thought it would be a great idea to reserve the “lock low and go” car with Dollar. This rate guaranteed us a mid-size car or larger. Well, when we got to the rental counter, the guy told us we had the option of a Grand Marquis or a minivan. This is what Kevin chose…(don’t I look thrilled…)
We drove over to the hotel and our room wasn’t ready yet, so we went over to Downtown Disney and grabbed some lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s CafĂ©. It was great to have lunch and spend the afternoon walking around Downtown Disney! At about 3 PM we went back to the hotel and checked in. We had a wonderful view!
Our Room!
The view!
We could see Epcot from our room!
After checking in, we put on our suits and went down to the pool bar and grabbed a couple beers, and hung out by the pool. We ended up in the pool for a little bit, and took a cat nap on the loungers. It was a great way to spend the afternoon! We ended the day by having a nice dinner at the sports bar in the hotel, then enjoying a rum and ginger ale outside on the back deck of the hotel. It was a wonderful and relaxing evening!Dusk in Orlando
Relaxing night!
The next day we woke up early and headed to the Magic Kingdom. This was our first time staying off property, so we drove to the park and paid for tickets at the Transportation and Ticket center, then boarded the monorail with everyone else and went to the Magic Kingdom. It was pretty cool doing it that way.
Monorail Entrance
Magic Kingdom Entrance
We had a wonderful day! We went on all our favorite rides, and enjoyed great weather all day long. Here are some fun pictures!We were excited to ride Space Mountain!
The Castle!
Kev's favorite
Yay!
Mmmm...Mickey Ice Cream!
Me having fun!
View of the castle from TTA
We know how to have fun!
I was able to book reservations a few months ago for Chef Mickey’s and we headed over there for dinner. We had a great waiter and got to see all the characters (with the exception of Donald). We got some really cute pictures as well. (Side note: the food was actually really good!)
On our way back to the Magic Kingdom we went over to the Polynesian to check it out (and see if we would want to stay there on a future trip). I really thought it was cool…but I think Kevin was definitely more dazzled by our last stay at the Grand Floridian!
The Lobby
The awesome pool at the Polynesian!
We decided to head back to the Magic Kingdom to check out Spectromagic and Wishes. Although it started drizzling right before the fireworks, we still had a great time! It was a great end to the evening!!
Great night pic!
Best picture I have ever taken!!!
Spectromagic :)
The next day we got ready and headed over to Epcot. We both felt great even after the long but fun day the day before. Must be magic. :)
I'm ready to roll!
Here's the view from our spot!
We were walking into the park, and were surprised to see that we arrived right in time for the rope drop. In all our trips to WDW, we have never seen it before. It was pretty cool. We then noticed everyone had the same idea we did…get a Fastpass for Soarin’! It was ok though…we still got a great time!Another of Kev in front of the Epcot sign!
Rope drop!
Run! Get that Fastpass!
We took the entire day at a somewhat leisurely pace. We rode all our favorites in Future World and headed over to the World Showcase around 12:30. We grabbed lunch at the quick service counter in Morocco, and walked around. We may have even grabbed a Grand Marnier slushie and a beer along the way. :)
Us in front of the fountain
Shot of Spaceship Earth
Show in the France Pavilion...I wouldn't do what this guy is doing!
Maelstrom :)
Kickin' back in the World Showcase
Mariachi band in the Mexico Pavilion
Where we staked out for the fireworks
Nighttime shot of the America Pavilion
The lit torch
The next day we spent at the resort. Kevin booked us a couples’ massage in the morning, which was wonderful after two long days on our feet. We then went over to the pool bar and got some lunch. It started pouring while we were eating. We were under cover, so it was no big deal to us! After it cleared out, we enjoyed some time in the hot tub and the pool before it started clouding over again. Kevin got some great pictures from our balcony!
Pool bar
Florida afternoon rain
Yikes! Ominous...
That night we headed over to Universal’s City Walk. We checked out some of the shopping, and had a great dinner at Margaritaville! It was an early night for us since we were both exhausted.
Hard Rock at CityWalk
Margaritaville :)
More shops :)
The next morning I woke up, and once I opened my eyes…uh oh. I had a sinus infection. Ugh. I usually get one every May and every September, and sure enough…I got one at the end of May. I managed to muddle through the plane flight home with the help of two packages of Kleenex! Unfortunately, one of my ears still hasn’t popped yet. After we got home and picked up the dogs, I headed over to Urgent Care to get some antibiotics, and am (slowly) on the mend. It was not the best ending to our trip, but it definitely didn’t put a damper on the fun we had! It was a wonderful 5 days!!
Sure, I was tired...but I wasn't near as tired as these two! Thanks Auntie Gayle!
2 comments:
Thanks for taking me along!
Honestly, it felt like I was there wth y'all. GREAT PICTURES, I LOVE the one of the castle at night.
Did you post a link to this on TA?
Mickey ice cream...YUM!
So, how do you like staying off site as opposed to onsite? I guess it helps that you had an awesome hotel and room with an incredible view!
Thanks! We had such a fun time! I will also post to TA :)
I liked staying offsite, but we much prefer staying onsite! It was so weird leaving a park at night and getting in a car and driving off Disney property. If we were to go again for a strictly Disney trip, there's no question that we would stay onsite!
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