Sunday, March 27, 2016

WDW Spring Break 2016

Thursday, March 24

We got off the Disney Magic at about 8:30, and the process for picking up our luggage and clearing Customs/Border Patrol was painless, so we were in our car driving away from Port Canaveral around 9:00.  We drove straight to WDW to check in to our resort; our Magic Bands for this trip were Aurora and Phillip from Sleeping Beauty.




We stayed at Coronado Springs, a resort we stayed at once before, about 15 years ago.  We really disliked it back then, which explains why we have not been back there in so long.  We decided to give it another chance for this short trip, and we were pleasantly surprised to find how much we enjoyed it this time!
















Our room was not ready (it was very early in the day), so we decided to go to Epcot to activate our annual passes, purchase a new Tables in Wonderland card, and see all of the displays for the Flower and Garden Festival.



















The craziest thing happened when we were in the World Showcase…we had gotten a snack at the France pavilion and were sitting on a bench eating.  A squirrel came scurrying up to us, smelled my bag that was on the ground, and went over to inspect my Starbucks cup that was also sitting on the ground in front of the bench.  Of course I took a photo.  But two seconds later, the squirrel had jumped up onto my leg (and it is pure luck I managed to snap a photo of the squirrel in my lap, even though it's a little out of focus).  It had absolutely no fear of humans, which worries me, because obviously neither C nor I would ever hurt it, but other people might.  This is why you shouldn't feed wild animals, people!  For their own safety, it is good for them to be cautious around humans!  We got up and moved to a new spot because we didn't want to encourage him/her, and I secretly took this as a sign that maybe I really am a Disney princess because animals are always friends with princesses in Disney movies.  A girl can dream.



The weather was decidedly unfavorable, so we went back to our resort in the afternoon to ride out a fairly severe thunderstorm.  Unfortunately, the rain refused to let up, so we ended up canceling our dinner reservations and hanging out at the resort for the entire evening.

Friday, March 25

We had breakfast at 'Ohana at Polynesian and then went over to Magic Kingdom.  The crowds were insane.  We literally got drinks at Starbucks, walked toward Cinderella Castle so I could take a photo with my Tinker Bell ears, went to Tomorrowland in hopes of at least riding TTA, realized that was not going to happen, and then left the park.  We are fortunate enough to be able to go to WDW often, so we just don't do crowds.  We knew it would be busy because of spring break travelers and with it being Easter weekend, but Epcot was nowhere near as crowded the day before!  We decided instead to go to the monorail resorts to see the Easter egg displays, which were adorable!






































Just as we were leaving Polynesian, another crazy thunderstorm erupted, so we went back to Coronado Springs to wait for the skies to clear before heading to DHS.  We went to MuppetVision 3D and to One Man's Dream before finding a spot on Hollywood Boulevard to watch the Symphony in the Stars fireworks show.  It was phenomenal!  Fireworks AND the music of John Williams?  A match made in heaven!



















































After DHS, we drove over to Disney Springs, which was a complete madhouse.  However, we braved the crowds to do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat before heading back to Coronado Springs around midnight.





Saturday, March 26

Two of our best friends, and their two children, who are our godchildren, were also in Florida for spring break, so we were able to meet up for breakfast at Wilderness Lodge.  Whispering Canyon CafĂ© is a super fun place with great staff, a rowdy atmosphere, and delicious food, and we had an awesome time together!  We parted ways at 1 pm because they were heading to Universal Studios and we were going back to Coronado Springs for a nap because we knew we'd be out late.



We met our local friends Dean and Rose over at Disney Springs to try out one of the new bars there, Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar.  Things started off well and we sat outdoors right beside the water, but if you've been paying attention to the story so far, you might predict that rain was imminent.  And you'd be right.  An insane thunderstorm brought wind, heavy rain, and lightning and although we initially thought we'd be ok under the cover of the patio, the gusting winds blew the rain right at us and soaked everything on the patio.  We ended up inside, which worked out just fine, and ended up having a great time.  It is still amazing to me that having Dean randomly assigned as the photographer for our WDW vow renewal would have resulted in a friendship that we cherish greatly!  We are so lucky!



After Disney Springs, we went to MK for a few hours because we had a late dining reservation.  We went on TTA and Carousel of Progress before heading to Be Our Guest for our 11 pm dinner.  Yep, 11 pm!  While that might seem a little crazy, it was perfect because the restaurant was mostly empty, and by the time we left dinner, the park was emptying out so I could take tons of photos with little to no people in them.
















Sunday, March 27

We left WDW at 6:30 am and C drove all day, which meant I could sleep in the car.  He is so very sweet about that!  And I really appreciated it today because I am not feeling well at all and it's back to school this week, so I really don't want to be sick!

Another great trip!  We are currently less than an hour from home and we are so anxious to see our girls!  Thanks to my mom for watching them for NINE days!  We couldn't do it without her!


Happy Tails to you!