Written By: Travel Advisor, Barbara Branch
I love Disney! The parks, the food, and the resorts. To me, it truly is (one of) the most magical places on Earth. You have to experience it to appreciate the wonder of Disney.
Where We Stayed – The Grand Floridian
The Grand Floridian is an iconic Disney property. It is a Deluxe Resort that is truly first class. We stayed in a lake view room that had an amazing view of Cinderellas Castle in Magic Kingdom. One of the huge perks of staying at the property is that it is within walking distance to Magic Kingdom and it is also on the Monorail.
On the first day of all of our Disney trips, we always get there around lunch and hit up the pool.
Travel Tip – Pack an early check-in pool bag, this allows you to enjoy the amenities of the resort even if your room isn’t ready.
Park Days-
This trip we started with Epcot. We were staying on property so we did early entry and “rope dropped” Test Track which is a new family favorite. We also love Soarin’ and the newest ride Ratatouille. We were there during Food and Wine so we enjoyed strolling World Showcase and eating all of the deliciousness that the festival has to offer.
We park hopped to Hollywood Studios which is my 7 year old’s favorite. We had already done so much that my husband and younger daughter were fading so they headed back to the hotel. My older daughter and I had some sweet mommy and me time riding some of the big kid rides and stayed until the park closed.
Magic Kingdom was as Magical as ever and really went all out for the 50th Anniversary celebration. I was able to get a dole whip, ride the carousel and see the amazing new firework show. It was a great day. After two full days at the park, we had an off day to enjoy the pool. We also did a Monorail food crawl which was very enjoyable. We especially loved having dinner at Wilderness Lodge and taking the boat back to the resort.
On the last day at the parks, we went to Animal Kingdom. This ended up being my girls’ favorite park. They completed the Wilderness Explorers program and learned so much while collecting all of their badges.
Restaurants-
We have been to Disney enough to know that we can’t handle getting too far off from our normal diet. Disney has done a great job providing healthy menu options and they are also top-notch when it comes to accommodating food allergies. We did a mix of quick service and table service restaurants as well as brought in tons of water and snacks for the kids. Our favorite restaurant was Topplino’s Terrace at The Riveria
Since our trip, Disney has made several changes to make the experience even better for the guests. We look forward to our next visit as each time is even better than the last!
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