Two Week Florida Vacation Madness!!!

[TexasChick]

Well, we just got back last night from our two week trip to Florida. We drove this time so that we could go to the beach and WDW. We blew town when my DS got out of school midday on the last day of school and drove to Destin, FL. Since most on here don't care about anything non-Disney, I will just fast forward to the Disney part of the trip...

June 7th
We arrived at BLT at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. To my surprise, our room was ready! I stopped by the concierge because my MB never opens our doors, and they confirmed it wouldn't have worked and fixed it. BTW, they have no idea why mine never works for the doors. The 2-bedroom was AMAZING! My MIL joined us for this Disney part of the trip but wasn't with us at the beach the week before. We went over to Guest Relations to activate our AP's and rode, BTMR, HM, SDMT, and Space Mtn. before heading back to eat at California Grill. Let me just say, this meal was AMAZING! We also got to see the fireworks as we enjoyed dessert.

June 8th
The next morning we got up for EMH at MK, rode a lot of rides, ate at Whispering Canyon for lunch, and then napped. After waking up we headed over to Epcot and rode SE, MS, Nemo, and FEA before grabbing dinner at Spice Road Table. It was pouring this whole evening until just before the fireworks. We watched Illuminations right out of the window we were sitting next too. Again, it was AMAZING.

June 9th
We went to EMH at AK in the morning and rode Nav'i River Journey (sorry but would never wait more than 20 min for this one), Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, and Tough to be a Bug before grabbing lunch at Yak and Yeti. We all thought Y&Y was delicious. Then, we napped before heading back to MK. We rode Splash Mountain, SDMT, and Peter Pan before grabbing dinner at Skipper Canteen. EVERYONE MUST TRY Orinoco Ida's Cachapas at Skipper Canteen!!! Those things were so insanely delicious.

June 10th
We started off the day at Epcot eating breakfast before the park opened at Garden Grill. While the food wasn't adventurous, it was delicious! We were on the first Soarin' ride for the day. We then went to TT, MS, the Mexico ride, and ended with Nemo. We went back for our obligatory nap and ate the leftovers from CG for lunch, and then the kids went to the pool/giant slide with my MIL while DH and I got ready for dinner at V&A for our anniversary. My DH suprised me with the most beautiful flower arrangement! Regarding V&A, what an incredible experience! The food was to die for, and the whole experience was one that will not be forgotten.

June 11th
This was the resort switch day from BLT to Poly. We woke up for EMH at AK again. We went on the Safari and Kali River Rapids before the regular crowds came through. Then, we rode EE, Dinosaur, and FOP. Let me say this, I was not prepared for how amazing FOP would be. It was the coolest ride any of us have ever been on. Well done, Disney! DH ate at Flame Tree BBQ because I told him all of you recommended it. He said the pork ribs were really really good. Kids, MIL, and I just ate at Pizzafari because I wanted to let the kids eat pizza for one meal. We got a text at 12:30pm that the room was ready. We all headed back and took a LONG nap. My MIL went to check in to her hotel and took a nap by herself for the first time on the trip without one of the kids wanting to sleep with her. Haha. That night was ate at Capt. Cook's at the Poly. The pork nachos were so good that my DH said he will start walking over from GF to eat them when we stay there. This was the MM night at TL. The event was a ton of fun, and that wave pool is so insane! I swore someone was going to get hurt. It is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. Also, the Crush 'n' Gusher (I think that was the name) was a ton of fun!

June 12th
We had to let the kids have Lava pool time since it was thundering the afternoon before. They played and had fun, but the slide was closed because there was a crack in it! YIKES! We gathered up our stuff and headed to the Portofino and stayed in a Minions Suite. The kids lost their minds when they saw it. The boat service there is amazing and frequent. We ate at NBC Sports Grill & Brew for lunch. Hands down, the best burgers we had in Florida. They were actually cooked medium when we asked and not medium well or well done like everywhere else. We highly recommend their jalapeno burger. We rode a ton at US using the EP that came with out room and took the HP train to IOA. The park completely cleared out at 9pm even though it closed at 10pm. When we asked the employees what happened, they said they had no idea, and it was really strange. Back to the room to bed.

June 13th
We went back to Universal for 2 hours to hit the few rides we didn't the day before and rode a few choice rides again (including Escape from Gringotts!). We then headed back to Destin for the night and drove home yesterday.

All-in-all, it was an incredible trip. So much so that my DH asked me if we should buy more points. I thought he was joking and almost spit out my water. He told me he had such a great time that he's glad we are going back in a few months. FINALLY!!! I specifically tailored this trip to include more enjoyable restaurants than just character meals, so I am beyond excited that he had a great time. This was definitely a "core memory" kind of trip!

[eandjmom]

Wow! It sounds like an amazing trip!!

How old are your kids? We are trying to figure out when to take a our kiddos for their first trip to Universal...

[Boundin']

Sounds like a lot of fun. Those cachapas look delicious. Are they a new item? I never noticed them before.

[Lamima]

Sounds like a great trip. Take that DH up on his word and start hunting for new points

Happy Anniversary!!!

[Lolaura84]

Sounds like a great time. I'm curious on the V&A experience. I have a reservation booked for our adults only trip in October, but afraid that the food will be to stuffy for my taste. I love good food and am not afraid to try new things, but the one time I went to a super fancy restaurant near home with a multi course tasting menu I ended up stopping on the way home for something else to eat --- there were food allergy factors at play, too, though, that the restaurant assured us they could take care of but were obviously not OK when the food came out. My husband enjoyed both of our portions, though!

[DVCjj]

What a wonderful trip. So nice you had a great time!

I've had Orinoco Ida's Cachapas at least 8 times as my light lunch or dinner and love it.

When the restaurant opened, it was called something else and were in a little different 'format'. That's when I got hooked.

[TexasChick]

Originally Posted by eandjmom

Wow! It sounds like an amazing trip!!

How old are your kids? We are trying to figure out when to take a our kiddos for their first trip to Universal...

Mine kids are 6 and 4. There were a handful of things my 4 year old couldn’t ride. My 6 year old couldn’t ride The Hulk coaster. Both of my kids are tall, so they can ride things before they should be able to.

Originally Posted by Boundin'

Sounds like a lot of fun. Those cachapas look delicious. Are they a new item? I never noticed them before.

I don’t know if they were new, but we all said we should’ve ordered those as a meal! Sooo good!

Originally Posted by Lamima

Sounds like a great trip. Take that DH up on his word and start hunting for new points

Happy Anniversary!!!

Thank you! I’m going to put us in the poor house with all of these points. Haha.

Originally Posted by Lolaura84

Sounds like a great time. I'm curious on the V&A experience. I have a reservation booked for our adults only trip in October, but afraid that the food will be to stuffy for my taste. I love good food and am not afraid to try new things, but the one time I went to a super fancy restaurant near home with a multi course tasting menu I ended up stopping on the way home for something else to eat --- there were food allergy factors at play, too, though, that the restaurant assured us they could take care of but were obviously not OK when the food came out. My husband enjoyed both of our portions, though!

V&A’s called me a few days (a week?) before to ask about food allergies. I told them I was doing Keto, and asked that they swap out potatoes, high sugar foods, etc for me. I was doing really well at the beach, but I completely caved at WDW because we were walking over 10 Miles a day, and I was dragging. However, it gave my DH and I an opportunity to try both regular and Keto options at V&A’s since we essentially got different accompaniments that we could share. If you have a true food allergy, they’ll follow it. We were completely stuffed! Also, they space out the meal so that you can enjoy the food since it is so many courses. My DH upgraded to the Wagyu beef. He loved it. I preferred the Kobe-style beef that came with the meal. I’m not a person who loves the more fatty beef though. I cut off fat from steak because I don’t like the taste. Some people love it though. Just a tip in case you’re debating which one to do. The experience and food were amazing though. You won’t regret eating there!

[Brian5581]

Sounds excellent. Thanks for taking the time to share!

[disneyteach]

Sounds like a great trip! We did the May MM at TL and it was great. We didn't do the Crushin' Gusher and regretted it. Honestly, we couldn't even find it! LOL. It's hard to navigate a park you've never been to in the dark. I kept getting turned around. Your dinner at V&A sounds amazing. I'm really hungry right now, but my mouth started watering at the talk of the pork nachos. haha. Glad you had a great trip!

[TexasChick]

Btw, whomever said the boat horn at Poly was no joke was spot on! We even had a sound machine going, but man was that loud! I don’t think we will be staying there again. We’re just too spoiled by the 1- and 2-bedrooms. The lava pool and the kids splash pad/play area were nice, but it wasn’t for us. Then again, we own at BLT and VGF which some love and some hate. There’s something for everyone!