Flying Delta
I have a Delta Skymiles card, and it is my favorite credit card. It is also one of the reasons why I always fly Delta because we get miles for spending, so I can get deep discounts on all of my flights. I also trust Delta the most because they hardly have delays or cancellations, and when they do, they go above and beyond to compensate guests for it. We had a smooth flight from BHM to ATL to MCO and arrived at 9:35 in Orlando, Florida!
Polynesian Village Resort
After a quick 30 minute Uber ride, we found ourselves at THE POLY! We had all been wanting to stay at the Poly forever, and splitting the cost 5 ways was just the way to do it! We had a Studio, so there were 2 Queen beds, 1 Day bed, and 2 bathrooms. It was perfect for us gal pals! The resort is breathtaking, and the moment we arrived, we were met with Cast Members ready to greet us complete with leis in the color of our choice! When they say luxury, they mean luxury! Because our room was not yet ready so early in the morning, we easily checked our bags at the front desk and caught a bus to our first park of the day!
Animal Kingdom
After entering Animal Kingdom, we ran over to Dinosaur to get in an easy ride before tackling Everest. Expedition Everest is one of the 'thrillest' rides, so I needed a minute before going down that 80' drop! After surviving Everest, we grabbed a bite at Flame Tree BBQ and headed over to Kilimanjaro Safari! We usually try to ride this one first thing in the morning, but because we got to the parks later, we went early afternoon, and it was filled with animal sightings! Nest Stop: Pandora, which was perfect because we had an Individual Lightning Lane, so we hopped on our banshees, then grabbed some margaritas and Cheeseburger Pods at Satu'li Canteen for a nice break!
Nomad Lounge
Nomad Lounge was a huge highlight! We tried several of the drinks and even had some nibbles of the bread service. The bread service has nothing on Sanaa (nothing does), but it was extremely tasty! The atmosphere was great, and I especially enjoyed reading all of the quotes along the walls and ceilings! We had to join the walk-up list, as they do not take reservations, and that was a task in itself, but it was worth the wait! My favorite drink was the Lamu Libation (a mixture of different types of rum and fresh fruit juices).
'Ohana
We had reservations for 'Ohana, and I am so glad because it was a fabulous experience! 'Ohana is 'All You Care to Enjoy,' and boy, did we! My favorite dish is the pot stickers and the noodles, and I ate way too much, but I do not regret a thing! We were there at the perfect time because at 8:15pm, 'Happily Ever After' started at Magic Kingdom, and we could see the fireworks from our table! We had the most amazing view! As an added bonus, the music to the show was playing in the restaurant, so we got the complete experience - of course I had some tears! What a perfect time to be at 'Ohana! (Side note: I do not love the pineapple bread pudding like everyone else, but it is a known favorite for most). This was the perfect end to the perfect first day!
Magic Kingdom
Of course, we were up by 6:00am to rope drop since early entry into Magic Kingdom was at 8:00am! We headed to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first, and there was a bit of a delay, but we got it done in about 25 minutes, then headed to get some breakfast at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments! My favorite treat here is the nutella waffle with fruit. It is so yummy and a perfect start to the day. Tomorrowland was our next stop due to a LL for Space Mountain. We did a few of the Tomorrowland Attractions, then we headed over to Liberty Square for Haunted Mansion. On crowded days with good weather, I always find it nice to go where the LL's lead me, then grab some food in between. We had some cheeseburger and pizza spring rolls, caught a little peek at Mickey's Magical Friendship Faire, hopped on Pirates of the Caribbean, Little Mermaid, Carousel of Progress, PeopleMover, and more! We sprinkled in some photos because we all love the Memory Maker, and our favorite was the step sisters by Cinderella's Castle - they were a hoot! We wrapped up our Magic Kingdom morning with a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and grabbed a monorail over to EPCOT!
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
We planned it well to be at WDW in April because we got to experience the Flower and Garden Festival! It was so beautiful, and the intricate detailing in the shrub work is truly magical to see. I cannot believe they create all of those out of plants! Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was our first stop (BEST RIDE EVER!), and we were able to book a LL for it while still in Magic Kingdom, so that worked out perfectly for a quick trip to EPCOT. We saw all of the food booths, floral creations, and entertainment offerings for the festival, and we encountered excitement at every turn.
Narcoossee's
This is now officially my FAVORITE restaurant on WDW property! Every bite was absolutely delicious! Narcoossee's is located at The Grand Floridian Resort, on the water, so every table has a beautiful view of Bay Lake, and you can also see Magic Kingdom. We started with a charcuterie board of lobster sausage, octopus (tentacles and all!), and tuna. This was very fancy and very tasty and each meat had a complement and a perfect sauce. Next, we had the lobster bisque (which has a huge social media following), and we were intrigued by its vanilla flavor. The bread service was also delivered, and it was good, but I do not think it is anything special - I found the bread a little hard. We ordered an extra side of brussel sprouts because we really wanted to try them, and the texture and flavor were out of this world. The main event was the scallop and gnocchi dish! I am OBSESSED! These may have been the best cooked scallops I have ever tasted! The gnocchi was also incredibly perfect and had the most delicious cream sauce. My friend, Jennifer, got the shrimp and grits, and she said it was absolutely delicious as well! The perfect end to the perfect meal was the almond crusted cheesecake. The crust was actually sugared, sliced almonds wrapped around the cheesecake, and I could definitely taste some almond extract in the filling, which made it absolutely divine. We ate every bite, even though we were stuffed, because it was so delicious! I have to give Narcoossee's a 10/10 on atmosphere, food quality, service, and location. I cannot say enough good things!
Happily Ever After
After that delicious meal, I was ready for a show, so we headed back to Magic Kingdom to see Happily Ever After! Before the show, we rode Astro Orbiter because it is the best at night! They light it up and you get to see all of Magic Kingdom from above. I do not love this ride, but you cannot beat that view in the evenings. Happily Ever After started at 8:15pm, so since we were getting to Magic Kingdom pretty late, we just grabbed a spot near the middle closer to Main Street to watch. It was crowded, but I thought we got a pretty good view! You can see Happily Ever After from many great spots, but I am more focused on being in the middle of the castle, rather than being close to it. It is a nighttime spectacular with fireworks, fantastic songs, and movie magic from Disney films through the ages - I cry every time!
EPCOT Morning
EPCOT was the hot spot the next morning because we love Guardians of the Galaxy so much! We rope dropped at Frozen then I grabbed a Lefse (Cold, Soft Flatbread rolled with Cinnamon, Sugar and Butter), at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe, which was rich but very tasty. Next up was Test Track and a LOT of photos at all of the PhotoPass spots with the festival decor. We had so much fun seeing everything and taking pictures, and every one of them turned out amazing! And, of course, we hopped on Guardians of the Galaxy again! Guardians has such a long pre-show, which takes a while, so we ended up being a bit late (maybe 25 minutes) to Akershus for lunch, but they were very accommodating, and we were happy we made that reservation!
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Akershus was so fun, especially with a group of five Disney Princesses! We had the best time meeting all of the princesses, and we really took advantage of the "all you care to enjoy" menu. We had salad first, and it had a pepper and oil type dressing that was very refreshing. There was a bread and cheese board next with a cinnamon butter. The main event was seared salmon (needed more flavor), Norwegian meatballs (so yummy), Apple fennel chicken (tasty to me, but I like a bland flavor), Mashed potatoes (perfect to complement the chicken), macaroni and cheese (very creamy), and a green bean and carrot medley (the carrots were divine). We were stuffed, but we managed to save some room for dessert! We had a chocolate mousse cake (my favorite, not too sweet), an apple crumble (needed to be warm), and something resembling goat cheese that was honestly the worst food item we had the whole trip! Besides that last dessert, this meal was truly wonderful, but what really made the meal was getting to meet and take pictures with the Princesses! We got to meet Ariel, Tiana (she was hilarius), Belle, Snow White, and Aurora! They were all beautiful, fabulous, and so personable. I love a character meal!
Hollywood Studios
We wandered over to Hollywood Studios finally, and we had a great time! We got to do Tower of Terror, which never disappoints! I love that the drop sequence is different every single time, and the story and immersion is just so, so good. Then, we headed over to Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, and I just think that one is so cute - it is one of my favorites for the kids! We had a little Star Wars time meeting Darth Vadar (creepy - you have to wait for him to ALLOW you to take a photo) and Chewbacca (adorable), then headed over to Smuggler's Run - I was a pilot, and my favorite part was taking us into light speed! We finished off our Star Wars time with a Ronto Wrap and a Surly Sarlaac (best drink!) at Docking Bay 7, so that was the perfect dinner. One of my favorite parts of the day was getting to go to One Man's Dream. It is a museum of different Disney stories, some new and some old. There is a lot of history about Walt Disney and his vision for all of the Disney parks, then you get to see costumes and set pieces from different films. While we were there, they were showcasing the new Little Mermaid and Percy Jackson, and there is a 16-minute film at the end that is a true tear jerker about Walt Disney's journey...his dream.
Polynesian Hot Tub
There is a show at Hollywood Studios called Wonderful World of Animation, but we decided to skip that and head to the hot tub at the resort! Our feet were sore, and we had a full 3 days, so we decided to check out the pool and hot tub area, and I am so glad we did! It was hot and filled with jets, and it was big enough to comfortably fit about 12 people. The best part may have been the view! We could see Magic Kingdom, and we had the most beautiful view of the beaches. It was true luxury, and we were feeling pretty fancy by then! It was wonderful weather with a mild crisp in the air, so we grabbed some towels and sat by the pool (the pool was a little too cold at night) and just enjoyed ourselves. It was truly the perfect, relaxing evening. We really wanted to take advantage of what the resort has to offer, and I really feel like we did.
Four Park Challenge
We were thinking the four park challenge was going to be a big accomplishment, but it ended up being super easy! Our four park challenge consisted of taking a picture, eating something, drinking something, and doing an attraction in all four parks. And we did it! We started at Hollywood Studios and rode Slinky Dog Dash at rope drop - always a favorite and quick to sell out! We ate at Woody's lunch box, and I got a grilled cheese and potato barrels. We also had some adult lemonade, and we took our picture at the front entrance. Hollywood Studios, check!
Then, we headed to Animal Kingdom, and we were met with a beautiful surprise! Divine was right by the Tree of Life, and she was dressed head to toe in flowers! That was so fun to see! We went to the Tree of Life and did that attraction, I had a chocolate twist and hot chocolate at Kusafiri Bakery, and we got our picture in front of the Tree of Life! Animal Kingdom, check!
We headed to Magic Kingdom next and rode the Main Street Vehicles - we got the old timey automobile, and the driver even let us sit in the driver's seat and get a picture! We did a photo shoot with the castle, and I got an Orange Fanta Dole Whip Float, which counts as a snack and a drink! Magic Kingdom, check!
Last stop was EPCOT, and that is where we stayed the rest of the evening. We definitely got our check mark because we decided to eat and drink around the world, and we hopped onto several rides! We did pictures with Spaceship Earth and also with the new Walt statue, so I would say EPCOT got the biggest check mark of all!
Around the World
Eating and drinking around the world is so much fun! You get to experience so much culture while also relaxing in one of the coolest places on the planet. I love how detailed each country is and how authentic it is, down to the Cast Members assigned there.
We started in Canada
Go To Airport
Get on plane.
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Our Workshops
A short introduction to the workshop instructors and why their background should inspire potential student’s confidence.
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Our Workshops
A short introduction to the workshop instructors and why their background should inspire potential student’s confidence.
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Workshop name
Our Workshops
A short introduction to the workshop instructors and why their background should inspire potential student’s confidence.