After a day from Universal Studios, we decided to spend my last day walking around the Disney area, but not to any of the parks. Instead, we went to places few explore: the many hotels offered by Disney! You’d be amazed by how many properties are in the area, and some of them are truly outstanding! So let’s take a day to relax, enjoy ourselves, and take the last bit of the Florida Spring Break.
Look at this Stitch sandwich going one here!
19, March 2016
Basically, this day was meant for one intention in mind: shopping! We started the day late, but only had one particular shop that we had to enter: the cast store. Disney Cast Connection is a store dedicated to cast members, and it’s really interesting. From old merchandise to the last remaining items, a lot of the stuff was discounted – it’s all about the treasure hunt, if you know what I mean. There, you will find items from events such as runDisney, as well as other resorts like Aulani and even Disneyland.
While I think it’s great to sell merchandise at a discounted rate, I am not sure I understand the concept of selling other parks’ merchandise. For me, it only makes sense to purchase those park merchandise to remember a vacation from that place. I ended up buying myself I believe two things: underwear, and a drawstring bag. As for everyone else? Let’s just say there was going to be a hard time to pack for the trip home.
Once we finished with Disney’s Cast Connection, Shellby had to go for work, while we spent the day wandering around Disney’s Boardwalk. This part of Disney is located right beside Epcot, which was convenient for Shellby, simply taking the boat ride to the park. Where we went was definitely a throwback, I remember this place when I was nine – except, I was in child daycare while my parents went on a tour for the vacation club. This time around, we visited some of the hotels ourselves, without the tour guide. One of the hotels we explored was Disney’s Beach Club Resort. As told by Jennifer, this hotel was her favourite out of all of the other Disney hotels. If there is a similar theme between the hotels, it would be the amount of white use throughout their resorts. Everything looks pristine and shiny, from the floor, all the way to the ceiling. I admire all of the details put into each resort, and how they execute the theme to a tee.
One of the restaurants we wanted to try was Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, where they featured the Kitchen Sink, a big ice cream bowl made for four people. However, little did we realize that we had to book a session in advance for that dessert. Opened for five hours in the daytime, the reservations fill up quickly. So make sure that if you want that kitchen sink, you got to make sure too book in advance!
With no particular agenda in mind, we ended up eating at the ESPN Club, which is a family-styled pub, with much fancier food. Not exactly a Disney-themed restaurant, but it’s always good to have a little change. What I enjoyed about this restaurant were the names on the menu, incorporating more suitable names for its Disney surroundings.
Entering the restaurant, you are introduced to all kinds of sports, from football to baseball, and even basketball. The place is vibrantly red (shown in the image below), but uses lighting to balance both synthetic and natural varieties. Walls are decorated in sport memorabilia, including photos of well-known athletes such as the quarterback from Florida. Most of the televisions were showing earlier games that day, specifically basketball. Since Vincent is a big hockey fan, the restaurant had to change the channel just for his viewing pleasure (thanks to Jennifer!) Regardless of the request, Vincent was much a happier camper throughout the meal.
Despite being a sports-themed restaurant, the food was beyond bar quality. The only dishes that seemed like bar food were the sandwiches, and they seemed really good (aside from the fact that I don’t eat bacon). Isabelle ordered the Buzz Lightyear Punch, which was presented in the most extra cup – they were not lying about the light, it was pretty spectacular. Jennifer got the pasta for herself, while Vincent got the sandwich (I cannot recall what type of sandwich specifically). I got myself one of my favourite classics: chicken and waffles. What made these waffles different were the kick that was delivered to my taste buds. While spice is not a bad thing, I was not expecting the unique twist at the base of the dish.
By this point of the meal, I was feeling pretty full, thinking we would proceed with the rest of the day – wrong. In addition to the meal, dessert had to be ordered! Moments after, a chocolate cake with thin layers of frosting graced the table. You would think one slice would not be able to feed five people; but you would be wrong. Even with the basics, seems like Disney knows how to treat their guests at any styled restaurant. I mean, look at this beauty:
After that delicious meal, we proceeded looking around the Boardwalk. Although there were not many people around the area, there were a handful of shoppes to look around. From the bakery to the dance hall, all of the places looked fascinating. One of the places we checked out was the bakery (naturally), and had a variety of desserts that made you want to make room in your stomach! We walked for a bit in the area, and approached the dock where they have the most wonderful phrase: Have a magical day! Isabelle and I basically went around saying that to people, and it’s always a joy to bring a smile to people’s face.
We also checked out the Swan and Dolphin Resorts, the hotel where I stayed last time. Both resorts looked much the same, with many guests have a similar idea: taking photos in the lobby. Perhaps it’s a tourist thing, but it never cease to amaze me how fascinated tourists become with any Disney-related item, even if it’s not Disney-branded. The new addition to the resorts was this fun photo frame, with the hashtags at the bottom – believe it or not, 2012 was not familiar with the hashtag concept. But look at that pose between Christopher and Isabelle, aren’t they adorable:
Continuing with shopping, we went to Disney Springs to make some last minute purchases – and maybe I made too many purchases. For dinner, Vincent cooked, and it was a lot of chicken – but I must say, Vincent is an amazing cook, and he made the dinner by himself! I’m not sure whether this was the same dinner, but Jennifer made Strawberry Margaritas, with much more punch than expected… Needless to say, I have a low tolerance for alcohol. For the rest of the evening, we stayed in the hotel room and lounged around. At one point in the evening, Isabelle brought out all of her Stitch collection, and it was massive. Because each Stitch was a different size, you could essentially make a Stitch pyramid out of them. From the biggest (Shellby) to the smallest (plush) Stitch, it was a good night.
Around 3AM, I had to get to the airport for my trip back home. While everyone had two weeks for Spring Break, I had one. Vincent, Jennifer, and Shellby dropped me off, sending their final goodbye before I got on a plane for the west coast. Although the trip could have been longer, I enjoyed every minute of this joyous adventure. I thank Vincent, Jennifer, Christopher, and Isabelle for letting me participate in their family vacation. And thanks to Shellby for being such a wonderful host to the kingdom of Orlando. Perhaps next time, we can ride all of the rides that were under construction! Until next vacation, I’ll be forever dreaming about that magic!
A selfie for the journey home
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