I’ve probably had the most requests for pictures of our trip to Disney World! Dan and I went at the end of September and we had an absolute blast! We stayed for a week along with our Seattle friends Kelsey and Jim.
Dan and I flew out of Seattle overnight and arrived in Orlando i the morning ready for fun! We got our rental car and drove to our first hotel The Swan & Dolphin.
Made it to Disney World!
We arrived at our hotel and checked in. It was so beautiful!
Lobby
Dan and I a little sleepy but ready for fun!
We spent the rest of the afternoon at Typhoon Lagoon water park, then went to Downtown Disney for dinner. We had a delicious feast at Raglan Road, a yummy Irish restaurant. We sat outside, it was warm and raining, but we were safe under giant umbrellas!
We walked around the shopping center a bit before calling it a night and heading back to our hotel. We got a great night’s sleep before waking up and hitting up Blizzard Beach water park. It was so hot out, it was the perfect place to be! We arrived the day before our friends Kelsey and Jim, so we went back to the hotel to get ready for their arrival. But Dan and I can’t resist a pool… so we made a pit stop at our hotel’s pretty pool complete with a waterslide and grotto! Our hotel’s in the background.
We went back to our room to get ready and then met up with Kelsey and Jim at the Magic Kingdom. Time for fun!!
We had a quick dinner then rode some rides. Finished the night off by sharing some ice cream with Dan and fireworks!
Dan and I on Main Street
We called it a night and headed back to our hotel. The next day was Animal Kingdom day! We also switched to the Caribbean Beach Resort. The Disney property has so many hotels we wanted a chance to try more than one! We arrived at the park, but the entry turnstiles were broken! They couldn’t let anyone into the park! We had lunch at Rainforest Cafe, then the park gates were up and running. A fun day of rides, yummy treats, and a safari to see lots of exotic animals! At one point a rhinoceros walked right up to the side of our tour trolley!
Dan and I posed with this Asia sign since we’re currently living in Japan. Notice how wet we got on a water ride!
After Animal Kingdom we had dinner at a crab house and visited Disney Quest- a 6 floor arcade! The Disney parks also take turns having “magic hours” when a different park is open until 1am each night. We went to Magic Kingdom and played til 1am!!
The next day we were tired from staying up so late, so we had a nice lazy day by the hotel pool. They had a DJ and entertainment poolside, and a big waterslide!
Dan ready for a day of fun at our hotel, Caribbean Beach
Enjoying a swim break for some refreshments!
After lots of splashing, we cleaned up and got ready for dinner. We had a nice dinner at a restaurant in the Animal Kingdom Lodge hotel called Jiko. African food!
Dan and I at Jiko
We missed Kelsey’s birthday in July since we’re living overseas, but I told her we’d make it up to her. After dinner, we rented a private boat to ride us into the EPCOT theme park so we can watch the fireworks up close!
After the fireworks show, we got boated to Hollywood Studios where they were open til 1am. We rode ride after ride and had a blast!
Here’s Dan and I waiting in line at the Toy Story Midway Mania ride. Loved the queue for this one!
I didn’t get too many pictures of the following day. We began our day at EPCOT, but it was so hot no one was having a good time! We decided to pack it up and spend the day at the water park. Off to Typhoon Lagoon we went! Later in the day we went to M&M World and Dylan’s Candy Bar for some sweet treats, then had a delicious dinner at Big River.
The following day was Universal Studios/ Islands of Adventure day! We got up bright and early and hit the road. Disney is fun and magical, but we were ready to have white knuckles from some scary roller coasters!
Our first stop was Islands of Adventure. Here’s Dan and I about to enter the Jurassic Park themed land!
They also have a very popular Harry Potter land. It was so cute! Just like in the movies! Here’s Kelsey and I walking around Hogsmeade Village
Dan and I with the Hogwarts Express!
After riding some water rides, I had Dan take a picture of Kelsey and I to show how soaked we were!
Later in the day we went next door to Universal Studios. It was a little more low key over here, so we did a lot of walking and enjoying the park. At one point Dan played a basketball game and won me a giant Chococat!
The park closed around 6pm, so we decided to go our separate ways to visit the people we know in the area. Kelsey and Jim went to visit her cousin who is stationed here, and Dan and I met with my dear friend Mandie. Mandie is from Oregon and works for Disney as a costume designer for their cruise ships! Needless to say I love hearing her stories about work and day to day living in Orlando.
Mandie and I!
The next day we all went to Blizzard Beach for the day, then headed to the Polynesian Resort for a luau. We had chicken and ribs and watched dancers and singers perform. Kelsey’s drink even came in an awesome coconut monkey!
After the luau we went to Hollywood Studios for rides and dessert. The Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant is famous for their grapefruit cake, so we got some to try. Unfortunately I was the only one who really liked it!
Grapefruit cake
All of us at Hollywood Studios!
Sadly, our last day has come. We spent it at EPCOT, because they were currently having the food and wine festival. It was hot out but we had fun and ate our way across the world!
Dan and I!
Near the German pavillion
Of course we had to take our picture with a torii gate!
Dan also got his picture with Duffy Bear 🙂
By mid afternoon, we headed to the car and made our way to the airport. It’s so sad, having to leave Disney World! It was an amazing trip though, and Dan’s first visit! He loved it, so maybe one day we’ll be back!
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