Central Florida Vacation

Part 1 - Walt Disney World

Disney films were a staple when I was growing up, and we went to Disneyland in California dozens of times; my greatest ambition in those days was to live at Snow White's castle! So to say that I am a Disney Fan is a bit of an understatement. When I moved to Florida from the West Coast, I took every opportunity to visit Walt Disney World in Orlando and never tire of the parks. The last four years I lived there, I even had a clerical job for one of the Disney companies, “off property” and though I wasn't employed in the Park itself, I was thrilled to be small part of the magic.

We moved back to the West Coast and it's been nearly a decade since I've had the chance to go back, so an upcoming anniversary seemed like the perfect excuse to make a trip. I planned, saved, and dreamed of the trip for months anxious for the day we departed surprising my husband who thought we were doing something else. When we arrived at SeaTac, he found out the destination was Orlando, and good naturedly went along for the ride! Since our last few vacations had been fishing trips, this was set to be a very different kind of trip.

After flying all night, we arrived in Orlando around 7:00 a.m. I had been dreaming of pecan waffles for months so we headed straight to The Waffle House, a fixture in the South; thus energized we headed to Walt Disney World to check in our hotel. Since it opened in 1990, I had always been particularly fond of Disney's Yacht & Beach Club resorts, and we finally were able to stay at the Beach Club! The New England beach theme is charming and relaxing. Since it was early December, the Christmas decorations were all in place and added a unique enchantment to the setting, including a gingerbread carousel.

The hotel was able to allow us early check-in, so we changed and walked to the International Gate at EPCOT, which is near the France pavilion. The morning was bright and warm, and it was blissful to just walk around the grounds soaking up the sun. We spent a couple of hours scoping out what was new since we'd last been there, and enjoyed a couple rides before heading back to the hotel in mid-afternoon. Since we'd been up all night, we slept for a short time, and were refreshed for a simple appetizer dinner at one of the bars - amazing Shrimp cocktails.

The next day we spent most of the day at EPCOT again, taking the time to really explore and enjoy another glorious warm and sunny day. Though there are many familiar exhibits and rides, many have been updated and several new rides awaited our discovery, and everything met our expectations. Mission Space and Test Track were thrilling and exciting and the grounds were especially beautiful, as always!

Since it was our anniversary, we had a special celebration dinner at the Yatchsman Steakhouse, and I even had my first taste of Louis the XIII de Remy Martin cognac. Then we walked back to EPCOT for the nightly Illuminations Fireworks display and then spent the rest of the balmy evening relaxing in the hot tub and going for a swim, with a clear starry sky overhead.

On the 2nd day of our trip, we spent the morning wandering around at Downtown Disney, where we enjoyed lunch at Planet Hollywood, explored the new (to us!) Disney Quest then headed to Disney MGM Studios where we spent the afternoon enjoying the exhilarating Aerosmiths Rockin' Roller Coaster, the Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror, favorites like Star Tours, and others. A Christmas-themed parade capped off the afternoon, and we took the water launch back to our hotel where we walked around the grounds again. On the way out of the hotel early that morning, we happen to notice several turtles resting in the sun in one of the ponds on the property, and spent a long time watching them before we started the busy day.

The next day we spent the morning at Magic Kingdom, enjoying Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Mickey's Philharmagic, a hilarious 3D movie staring Mickey Mouse and the irrepressible Donald Duck! We then headed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa where we were booked for a spa treatment. We then enjoyed dinner at Narcoosee's, nestled right on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon with a perfect view of the Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks displays. The Christmas decorations at the Victorian-themed Grand Floridian are meticulous and charming including a life-sized gingerbread house, and even toasty hot roasted chestnuts!

Though this was to be the last of our 4 days at the Walt Disney World Resort, more adventures awaited, as I had also booked a 3 night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. We spent most of our time at Walt Disney World peacefully enjoying the familiar and exploring the new, and even though we never made it to some of the newer attractions like Animal Kingdom, the Sports Complex, or any of the water parks, we felt like we had done so much, relaxed, and truly enjoyed each day to the fullest!

Disney Cruise and the Bahamas in Part 2!