Showing posts with label Disney World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney World. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Visiting Blizzard Beach at Walt Disney World

Throughout all the years and many trips we've taken to Walt Disney World, a water park was never in our plans. It's not that we didn't want to go - we just never had a true reason. As Brayden got older and discovered his love for water slides and all things swimming pools, we decided a visit to Blizzard Beach on our recent August trip was the ticket!


Getting there without a car wasn't super difficult, but it wasn't a straight shot either. If your stay includes Coronado Springs resort or All Star Movies, a direct bus is available to Blizzard Beach. From all other resorts, you must first take a bus to Animal Kingdom park, then transfer to a Blizzard Beach bus from there.


We made it just as the park was opening! Perfect timing!


We were excited for our first visit to a Disney water park! To be honest, it felt strange being on Disney property and having no clue where we were going!


Goofy was out to say hello!


Our day began in the gift shop and we also rented a locker to hold our bags and things we wanted to keep dry.


I loved all of the theming around the park!


We started off in the little tykes area (which was too small for Brayden), so we moved on to the intermediate kids area. It was perfect for him! 


We also rode the ski lift to take the raft ride down. I wish we had a chance to ride the raft ride one more! It was a lot of fun! (Next time!)


Mid day, we stopped for lunch and both Jason and I ordered a chicken sandwich which was very good. Brayden had his usual chicken nuggets! :)


After stopping to enjoy the wave pool (and finally figuring our way around the park), bad weather came rolling in...of course. This caused everyone to have to evacuate all pools and slides.


We spent a lot of time hiding under a cover for rain that never came. In total, we missed out on about 2 hours of water park time. We were disappointed but totally understood due to the safety concern from the thunder/lightning/and dark ominous clouds. It really looked like it was going to downpour!


While hiding out, Brayden played in the sand and had a total blast doing so! 


That bucket came from his kids meal. Good timing, right? :)


We decided to call it a day, around 5 p.m. (park closing time was 6 p.m.)  Our dinner reservation was for Ohana that evening and we didn't want to be late, so we took an Uber back to our resort to shower. Also, the bathrooms at Blizzard Beach include showers, so I was able to give Brayden one while there (mostly to get all of the sand off of him). 

Would I return to Blizzard Beach again in the future? Most definitely!! I felt like we were just getting the hang of the park when the bad weather rolled through. 

Our current debate at home? Return to Blizzard Beach on our summer 2022 trip or try Typhoon Lagoon for the first time? Help us out - What would you do?

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

August 2021: EPCOT / Food & Wine Festival

Our entire trip for August was planned around our resort stays. Since this one was a split stay with one night at Bay Lake Tower and the remaining time at Old Key West, I knew we wanted to revolve days one and two around the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Also, I'd never eaten at The Wave and with its temporary location in the California Grill, I knew we had to go for it! 


It was very hard to say goodbye to our room, though! I would love to stay here again, for a longer period of time.


Walking to the California Grill was a super nice perk! Also, we were able to leave our bags in our room and return later for checkout since the timing was going to overlap. I love it when things work out that way!


It had been AGES since we'd dined at the California Grill but I didn't forget the views. They are gorgeous!


It was such a perfect day, too!


For breakfast, I ordered the sweet potato pancakes. I know these are a huge hit but I personally don't remember them being anything spectacular. They were good but I would still take the waffles at Topolino's any day!


Brayden had the Mickey Waffles with a fruit cup...


...and Jason ordered The Wave feast which we all got to snack on.


After leaving, we walked back over to our room to gather our luggage and check out. We had bell services transfer it all over to Old Key West while we hopped on the monorail to Epcot.


Again, the timing of the whole morning worked out perfectly since Epcot didn't open until 11 a.m.!


Our plans for Epcot included Future World first with a little Food and Wine for late lunch/early dinner.


Pro Tip: If you can travel with it, bring your kids previous trip toys which they will love! (We purchased this bubble wand at a Disney Store...rest in peace...a year ago and he still loves it! We bring batteries and bubble refills!)


One of Brayden's favorite parts of the Living Seas is the huge fish tank! Oh yes, and also the escalators...hah!


The line for Soarin was incredibly short, so we hopped over there, followed by a ride on Living with the Land to say hi to the cucumbers.


Yep, the cucumbers were all in good shape!


We also spied Mickey at the Garden Grill and he was waving to kiddos outside of the restaurant. I thought that was a nice touch!


Early afternoon, we walked over to World Showcase for a little Food & Wine fun!


Our first stop was the Noodles station for Pho, which neither of us had ever tried (even at home) and it was delicious!



By mid day, it was so hot!


We also had Jason's favorite, the pork sliders from Hawaii....


...followed by my favorite, the pot stickers from China!


The traditional Germany photo was not to be missed, either.


In Italy, I tried the Bomboloni which was a cream filled donut with raspberry sauce. I wasn't super impressed because the insides were still frozen. I don't think this treat was meant to be a "frozen" one, so I was kind of confused and it took away from some of the flavor. Oh well...on to the next one!


Jason ordered the Ravioli which we split. It was very tasty!!


Over in America, we took a quick water and shade break because it was HOT, y'all!


Brayden also somehow miraculously took a nap! We had the fans going on him and everything!


While passing America, I heard a familiar group of voices, so I had to stop to see! It was the Voices of Liberty! I love them so much, they are one of my favorite parts of Epcot.


After making our way over to France, we stopped for the Beignet filled with cheese. Normally, this would be right up my alley - bread and cheese, but it was so hot out and this dish was so warm, we just couldn't enjoy it. Instead, we decided to try and find some AC!


Mission accomplished! The old O Canada theater room was so nice and cool and I loved the look!! We didn't order anything inside, but it was nice to chill out (literally) for a few minutes.


With that, we finished up our scavenger hunt and headed back to our resort. We had fun doing this, although Brayden slept through half of it and I had to finish it for him! Hah!


I knew an ominous cloud was heading our way, so we got to the bus stop and made our way to our resort in a flash!


Our room was ready by this point, so we called for our bags and relaxed.


One of my favorite parts of Old Key West are the room sizes!


We also loved the little kitchenette area, as well as the fact that this room include da vacuum cleaner. I know this is crazy, but people with long hair will understand. On our February trip, I remember how dirty the floor of our room at Pop Century got after 5 nights. We might have had housekeeping one night through (I can't remember) but I couldn't stand the hair. Seeing a vacuum cleaner here made me so happy!


The balcony was perfect, too...and right on the golf course!


By this point, Brayden was fully awake and hungry. So, I ran through the rain to get him an order of chicken nuggets at the little quick service area.


By the time I got there, the rain really started to come down. I was incredibly thankful for my rain jacket!


After the rain subsided, we decided to spend our evening at Disney Springs. We split a pizza at Blaze...


...and I HAD to get back to Everglazed. Ive been dreaming about this place since our last trip!


SO GOOD!


...and with that, we called it a night! It was a long but fun day at Disney!


Up next: Hollywood Studios! Stay tuned for more!! :)

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