Trip Report It really is the place where dreams come true - Trip Report

Hello Friends,

To say this trip was a once in a lifetime, dream come true, magical, amazing, trip would be the understatement of the century. I won't ruin the surprise just yet but it was a DEFINITELY a birthday I will NEVER forget. A birthday where all my dreams since I was a little girl visiting Disney came true and there was also Food and Wine so this trip was just a big win all around. ;-)

We got back on Monday and I'm still pretty bummed it's over. I unpacked my suitcase and my pajamas smelled like Coronado Springs and I started to cry. Is this a normal reaction? If not forget I said anything. I really feel like I blinked and we were heading home but I guess thats how most epic vacations are. I figure there is no better way to relive the magic then will all of my WDWMagic friends. So let's get started shall we:

In case you didn't read my pre-trip report:

Who:

I'm Alisa a disney world super fan who has been visiting the parks at least once a year since I was two and my prince charming Jeromy. He first visited when I took him 3 years ago when we first started dating. This will be his 3rd trip. I think I've converted him. Although I think all things Star Wars did most of the converting for me.

When:

Monday October 24th - Monday October 31st.

Where:

Coronado Springs Resort

 

[TheMouseFan]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear all the details!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

It's totally normal to be bummed and maybe have a couple tears when the trip is over or when unpacking. Hopefully your trip report will help you get over the WDW separation.

 

[dclfan]

Day 1:

We were flying out of Logan in Boston on a direct Jetblue flight at 7:33 so it was quite an early "wake up" time for us at 3:00 AM. I put wake up in quotations because I never actually fell asleep. Does anyone really sleep before a Disney Trip besides my other half? Every snore he made I got more angry that he was getting to sleep and I was wide awake thinking of pixie dust, and random Mickey encounters.

Anyway 4:00 rolled around and I sprang out of bed with not much too do but but on the clothes I had laid out weeks ago for the plane ride. Both me and J (which I will call him for the rest of this trip report since his initials are JJJ) were all packed the night before. We had a short "putting on of the magic bands" ceremony and we were out the door at 4:00 am on the nose with our favorite death wish coffee in tow but first a selfie.

4:00 am traffic into Boston was nonexistent and we found ourselves pulling into the economy lot around 5:10. We quickly parked and were on the bus heading too the the Jetblue terminal. Neither of us were checking a bag so and we had checked in on the app the night before so it was off to security we went. The line was ridiculously long but we still made it through with about an our to spare before we boarded. With limited options we stopped at Potbelly Sandwich shop for some snacks. I had a egg and cheese with avocado on pita bread and J had an egg and cheese.

Soon we were on the plane. The flight was uneventful and seemed to take forever because again I couldn't sleep. I did manage to take a quick photo of the happiest wrists on the planet.

I mostly watched HGTV but my screen was wonky and you had to refresh it every few minutes or else you would have lined running through the picture. Very frustrating. We landed about 10:30 about 15 minutes earlier then anticipated. I was too excited for words. We decided weeks ago that we weren't going to do the Magic Express because I was too excited and would get frustrated stopping at other hotels so we agreed on a cab. I wanted to jump in line for a yellow cab but J wanted an Uber. Well, J won. The uber driver called him and told him to go inside and look for numbers on the sliding glass doors. The whole time I was getting frustrated because I didn't understand why we would be looking for our uber driver inside and insisted on going back outside. We kind of had a tiff because I said no Uber drive comes inside the airport to look for their passengers and they wouldn't be able to leave their care unattended at the curb. Well little did I know their was a secret tunnel behind the car rental counters for private car companies and he did come inside. Oops!!!!! I will never live that one down. Anyway we had a super nice black suburban to transport us to my happy place and before long we were seeing this.

Instant water works that I was actually here with my prince for a week of uninterrupted vacation and together time in my favorite place in the world. Leading up to this trip J had pretty much been on tour for 2 years straight. He was barely home and this trip was the one thing we both were looking forward too. Not only were we going to be in Disney for a week but a couple of days before we left was his last tour before a couple of months off so it was surreal to actually be here after planning for it and dreaming about it for so many months.

Anyway backtrack when we got in the cab I had put on my minnie ears so when we pulled up to the front gate at Coronado Springs I had actually forgotten all about them. Well the Uber driver rolled down my window and when security came to scan my magic band she said "love your ears, and welcome home". I cried more and J laughed more. So would go the rest of the trip

 

[Jess G]

Excited for this one! Checking into coronado in a week from today . Keep it coming!!

 

[dclfan]

Stepping into the hotel lobby and all the sounds and smells is my favorite part of starting a Disney Trip. I swear even the hotels smell a certain way and you cant help but to feel overwhelmingly happy. We had not received a room ready text but decided to swing by the front desk with hopes that we could get into a room and drop our bags. Luckily our room was ready and it was a king size bed just like we requested. She even had my birthday pin waiting for me at the front desk. We made a quick stop off at Rix Lounge to pick up our free mugs that came with the dining plan and we were off to the room.

We were staying in the Ranchos section on the second floor of building 6A. Our room was 6202 and we had a lovely view of Lago Dorado. Ranchos is pretty far from the food court but a short walk too the mayan pool area and our building wasn't far from the bus stop. I loved our bus stop actually because it only made one stop before ours coming home at the end of the night and that was nice when you are exhausted and all you want is your bed and sleep. I swear some nights I don't even remember getting into bed before I was sound asleep.

I was too excited to take a photo of the room but it looked exactly like this one I borrowed from allearsnet.com

I did manage to take some selfies though so you can kind of see the room.

When this trip was originally booked we were supposed to fly in tuesday morning but after some discussions we changed it to fly in monday morning instead but we only added on the room not our park hoppers. We were supposed to take it easy today and do things we normally wouldn't have a chance to do once we were running around the parks. I had not been to Disney Springs since it became Disney Springs so that was the first order of business. Soon we were heading to our first magical bus trip of the vacation. Like I said earlier we could walk to our bus in under 5 minutes so that was really the only thing I cared about in terms of room location. As we were walking to the bus stop a Disney Springs bus was pulling up so it was no wait at all. We were actually the only people on this entire bus ride.

Soon we were in the town center and since neither of us had ever been there we figured we would just choose a side and go from there. I saw Free People out of the corner of my eye so of course thats the direction we started in. At home free people is the mothership I always leave with something new but at Disney I really wasn't all that interested. I realized that when I'm in Disney World I really don't want to shop at a mall so with that being said Disney Springs was really underwhelming to me. Don't get me wrong the place is absolutely breathtaking but it loses a little bit of the Disney magic in my opinion.

We did end up walking in and out of a bunch of stored there but not something I would rush back too. We came across the one and only photopass person in Disney Springs so we stopped and took some photos.

At this point it was around 3:00 I was starting to feel almost delirious since I had been up for almost 12 hours and only had that tiny sandwich at the airport. I knew I wanted to go to Jock Lindseys Hangar Bar while we were here but after scoping out the menu it seemed more like a place for drinks only so we moved on. The next place we saw was Raglan Road. I always heard great reviews about this place and it was close and I love trying new restaurants so here we stayed. I didn't have the energy to investigate more options at this point I just wanted food in my belly. We were seated quickly at a high top in the middle of the restaurant and I have to say this place is too cute. I could really see this place coming alive late at night. Does anyone know if they dance on that tiny wooden stage in the center of the room? I really hope so.

When I'm starving the only thing I ever want is a burger so that is what I got, and a matter of fact so did J. The Burger "R" Way was a sirloin burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, and tomato chutney. I got mine sans tomato chutney. I also had a glass (or 2) of Pinot Grigio and J had a Jameson and diet. I loved the soda bread and Guiness dip they serve the bread with. All in all this meal really hit the spot but would not even be close to our favorite meal of the trip. Also at lunch J started sneezing and his eyes were watering. I was panicked. He did not look good. He said this always happens to him when he works and changes climates but I would still be observing him like a hawk for the rest of the evening. (side note I did take photos of all of my food this trip but rather stupidly I didn't realize if you take them within your instagram story they would be lost forever) I still have tons of photos but I had a rather great one of this dinner that is lost in cyberspace. You live and you learn I guess.

Anyway we paid out bill (ouch BTW I am ready for out dining plan to start any time now) and were off to pamper my prince for a little while in Disney Springs.

 

[dclfan]

As you can tell from my photos J has the most epic beard EVER. Anyway he only trusts one guy to trim and shape it and unfortunately he was off the days J was home in between the last day of his tour and us leaving so he didn't get an opportunity to go. Well there was a art of shaving in Disney Springs so we headed there for him to get a hot towel cleanup. No cut just trimming the lines. I know beard talk but anyway that was next. I didn't take any photos because I didn't know proper beard trimming etiquette. After J was all spiffy we finally went over to Jock Lindseys. I had a glass of King Estate Pinot Gris. I was out in Oregon earlier this year for a few days while J was working and I visited this winery. It is probably one of my favorite white wines and it can be found in various lounges/ and restaurants around WDW. J had a Jameson and diet. We sat outside and watched the amphicars come and go from the Boathouse restaurant. I loved Jock Lindseys and would definitely come back one night for a drink.

After that we walked over to World of Disney and bounced around in the marketplace before deciding on what we would do for the night. We were torn between Boardwalk for the evening or Polynesian. J wanted to do Boardwalk and I was game so we walked back over to the bus depot. We waited and waited for a bus to Boardwalk which never came so us and everyone else in the Boardwalk line jumped onto the yacht and beach club bus. The ride was short and soon we were strolling through the Yacht club lobby on our way to the Boardwalk.

 

[Frontier21]

Sounds like a great start. Next trip I will be at Disney Springs first day, because we always save it till last. And I get short changed with the time I get there. Just like Epcot, I enjoy the late afternoons and twilight times. Such cool places to relax.

 

[dclfan]

First stop at Boardwalk would be Ample Hills Creamery. J loves ice cream so I knew this would be a "must-do" for us on the trip. He decided on the ice cream flight.

J decided on Sweet Cream "N" Cookies, Butter Pecan Brittle, Baked/ Unbaked, Coffee Toffee Coffee, PB Wins the Cup, and Peppermint Patty Ice cream. I ran next door to the Boardwalk Bakery for a chocolate chip cookie and we got a table in front of Ample Hills to enjoy our treats. J liked the ice cream and said it reminded him a lot of Ben and Jerry's which is his favorite at home. We sat there for a long time and just soaked in the atmosphere. It was nice to just be in Disney and not have to rush off anywhere. Yacht and Beach looked beautiful across the lake all lit up at night and the sun was just about set. I kept pinching myself to make sure I was really there.

I guess J really liked his ice cream because as we were getting up to leave he ran back inside for a strawberry shake. He walked further down the boardwalk looking in the gift shop but when we saw the boat heading to DHS decided it was time to head back to the hotel for a good nights rest. We hopped on the boat and arrived at DHS a little before 8:00 and the Coronado Springs bus pulled away just as the Star Wars a galactic spectacular began. I shielded J's eyes as I didn't want to spoil it for him later in the trip. He was looking forward to the fireworks the most. I waived goodbye to DHS but only for a short while as that was out destination first thing in the morning.

It didn't take long to fall asleep this night and soon it would be our first full day at the parks.

I'll leave you with these photo booth pictures from day one of our Disney extravaganza.

Foot Pain Rating: 4

 

[dclfan]

Excited for this one! Checking into coronado in a week from today . Keep it coming!!

I can't say enough great things about our stay at Coronado. The buses were always prompt and were never crowded. We always had a seat whether it was early in the morning or late at night. I'm not sure if your a coffee fiend like we are but they have a coffee bar on your right as soon as you walk into Pepper Market. I would highly recommend stopping here for your coffee instead of the terribleness you get in the main food court. It's also considerable less crowded then it is at Starbucks once you get to the parks and the latte's are great. Your going to have a great trip. I'm so excited for you.

 

[Jess G]

I can't say enough great things about our stay at Coronado. The buses were always prompt and were never crowded. We always had a seat whether it was early in the morning or late at night. I'm not sure if your a coffee fiend like we are but they have a coffee bar on your right as soon as you walk into Pepper Market. I would highly recommend stopping here for your coffee instead of the terribleness you get in the main food court. It's also considerable less crowded then it is at Starbucks once you get to the parks and the latte's are great. Your going to have a great trip. I'm so excited for you.

ooooh great tip! I am a coffee fanatic! thanks so much. loving your trip so far

 

[Ciara]

I am not sure if its just me, but i cant see your photos Still following along!

 

[lostpro9het]

I am not sure if its just me, but i cant see your photos Still following along!

Photobucket is being a real jerk today! They've been in maintenance mode most of the day. Its effecting my TR too .

 

[Ciara]

Photobucket is being a real jerk today! They've been in maintenance mode most of the day. Its effecting my TR too .

Seems to be affecting all of the TR's i am trying to read! LOL including yours!

 

[dclfan]

@Ciara ahhh please keep me updated if you still can't see them later on in the day. I'm pretty sure they were there yesterday.

And thanks following along

 

[Ciara]

Pictures are back That ice cream flight looks yummy!

 

[dclfan]

Sorry for the ridiculously long delay. Life has been crazy since we returned and lets be real I have also been battling the WDW Blues. Anyway let's get back to it.

Day 2: First Full Day and First Day at the Parks

I must have been dead to the world because I actually fell asleep and stayed asleep for almost the WHOLE night which never happens the first night in Disney World. I started to wake up in 20 minutes increments starting at about 5 AM with the OMG I'm in Disney World butterflies. Finally at about 6:15 I gave up and decided to quietly start getting dressed. Before this trip I promised J I wouldn't wake him up before 7 AM so I was pleasantly surprised when I got out of the shower at about 6:45 and he was up watching TV. This was the best start to our first day at the parks. Not only that but the sniffles and watery eyes were nowhere to be found just like J said and we were both feeling great. We were both ready to go by about 7:45 so we decided we should go grab some breakfast at the Pepper Market before we hit the buses.

The weather was beautiful this morning which would be the trend for everyday of our trip. At the pepper market we both filled up our mugs with Coffee but only J got breakfast. I believe he had a breakfast bowl which was scrambled eggs, salsa verde, sausage, potato wedges and cheese. I was too excited to eat so I just watched him and snuck a few bites while trying to down my terrible coffee. We are both a little bit of coffee snobs and the food court coffee was just not going to cut it. At home we strictly drink Death Wish Coffee. This would be the only day we would get our first cup at the pepper market. As much as I hate the idea of Starbucks and being one of "those people" who lined up at 9 AM to get their fix. That would be us nearly every morning of our trip.

After breakfast we quickly stopped by the room to drop off our mugs and we walked over to the bus stop which was very close to our room at Ranchos. Our destination this morning was Hollywood Studios. Not only was this the only day Rock N Roller coaster would be open for our trip but J is a die hard Star Wars fan so it was kind of a no brainer that this would be our first park of the trip.

The excitement we had that morning when the whole trip stretched out in front of us was off the scales. I think I skipped right down hollywood boulevard waving to everyone who was out from the stores to greet the early risers. I skipped right over to our first photopass person of the day.

Please take a mental note of these shoes as they will come back into play in a BIG way later in the day. We took about 15 more photos with this guy and then headed to our first Fastpass of the day at Rock N Roller Coaster but not without a stop at the Star Wars store on Sunset. No purchases were made JUST YET as this was simply a scoping of the merchandise stop. I'm not joking when I say Star Wars is a BIG deal in our house and Disney should just take all of our money right now.

 

[LadyBelle]

It's totally normal to be bummed and maybe have a couple tears when the trip is over or when unpacking. Hopefully your trip report will help you get over the WDW separation.

I've been home for two months from my trip and I'm still bummed!

 

[dclfan]

Fastpass had us through the line in no time and before I found myself out in the alley and boarding our limo in the last row, my absolute favorite. I was happy to hear a full Aerosmith soundtrack on our drive. Last time I rode they were sprinkling in some other bands and I was NOT into that. As much as rock music pretty much runs our life and I love so many different bands, Aerosmith is my favorite band of all time and I feel like no one else belongs on the Rock N Roller coaster but them.

Backtrack a little bit as were walking out the door to the airport the day before my favorite choker broke in half as I was putting it on. I couldn't believe it but there was no time to dwell so I just went necklace less down to Disney. Well back to present time and I was walking through the RNR gift shop and I found the perfect replacement for the rest of the trip. Without a second glance my band was Mickey to Mickey and I was up one necklace but seriously how perfect. Disney just take all of my money.

After my little purchase it was finally time for a proper coffee fix since we had some time to kill before our Tower of Terror Fastpass. We headed to the Trolley Car Cafe and with coffee in hand it was time to watch what would become the most repeated show of the entire trip, March of the first order. We lined up on hollywood boulevard but right in front of the stage. We were front row for them to march past us and still had a good view once they were all congregated in front of the stage. J was beyond excited I think he had his video camera going the whole time.

Can we take a minute to discuss how amazing that music is or is it just us. Its ominous and forbidding and awesome. We pretty much said "advance" everytime we walked somewhere for the rest of the trip. Captain Phasma is great the stormtroopers are pretty intimidating when your standing right next to them.

Happy Clam

After the March it was time for our TOT fastpass so we headed back up Sunset BLVD. The fastpass was line was superrrrrr backed up but decided to wait anyway because we were just enjoying the day. Our picture was pretty lame because we were blocked but we got some better ones later in the trip.

As we were exiting J got an email saying that because TOT was down we could use our TOT fastpass at any of the following locations including Rock N Roller coaster. This was weird considering we had JUST used our TOT fastpass but thought it was worth a shot so we headed back to RNR and sure enough Mickey turned green and in we went.

After beating the system we stopped for a quick photo shoot on sunset and headed in for some friendly competition on Toy story Midway Mania.

Yours truly kicked some MAJOR toy story butt but since we waited nearly 40 Min for a spin it was one and done for Toy story today. I asked J if I could take a quick snoop over the construction walls but with nearly nothing visible to report we about faced and headed towards our third and final Fastpass of the afternoon, STAR TOURS.

 

[dclfan]

Forgot to include this photo from right before we left Pixar Place.

J's shirt says StarWars coffee "may the froth be with you". Sooo many people stopped him throughout he day to pay him a compliment and ask where he bought it.

Anyway back to Star Tours. It was a blast traveling to a galaxy far far away and we were so famished from our voyage that we decided to stop for lunch right after. We didn't go far as our lunch stop was the Backlot Express" because I knew J would enjoy some of the star wars touches they now have here. We were on the DDP but we didn't escape the lunch line without bringing home this little guy....

He now serves ice cream nightly at the X-Wing garage aka our house. We both had the Caprese Sandwich with fries and the Darth Vader cupcake. We had so much fun with lunch and filming little videos about our star wars friends at lunch. I swear we're grown ups lol. After lunch it was time for the star wars stage show. I swear it was 80 degrees that day but approx. 100 degrees in front of the stage. I think one side of my face got sunburned just from the show. It wasn't the best show I have ever seen but we both enjoyed seeing all of the characters. Everyone around us erupted when Chewbacca came out on stage which made it even more fun considering we were all adults. I think J has some sweet shots from the show I will try and post them when he gets home.