WALT DISNEY WORLD

08/27/22 - 09/04/22

DAY 1

Day 1 - The Magic is back! Our 10th end of Summer Walt Disney World trip is here. Our flight to Orlando was very early, so we decided to stay at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, the night before for easy boarding! The flight left on time and was very easy. After we landed, we had lunch at White Castle! A NY fast food staple has made it to Orlando. Yum! We checked into the Grand Floridian Resort! We've never stayed here before, so decided to check it out for the first 2 nights of our trip before switching to our favorite Disney resort, The Beach Club! Michael & Mom did a quick loop on the monorail for a Dole Whip, while Dad had some pool time! We met back shortly after for some hotel exploring, photos, and a delicious meal at one of their signature restaurants Citricos.

DAY 2

Day 2 - Set your alarm, it is time to "rope drop" the Magic Kingdom (MK). We were out of the room by 7:15 AM and headed to MK via the new walking path from the Grand Floridian. It was nice to start the day with a short walk, while it was still pleasant out! Staying at a Disney resort gave you "early entry" access, so by 8:30 AM, we were whipping around Space Mountain! That will wake you up! We spent the morning hitting some of MK's highlights and then took a break for a nice lunch at Skipper Canteen, located inside the park. After a few more rides, we had some pool time at the hotel before heading out to the Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Whispering Canyon. Be prepared for some silly tactics from the waitresses at Whispering Canyon! It's a fun favorite!

DAY 3

Day 3 - Wake up, it's time to do it again! We still had some rides to cover at Magic Kingdom, so we decided to "rope drop" again! We like to do the parks very early when they are not too crowded and the weather is still mild. First up, was Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! Followed by the Speedway and Splash Mountain! So many favorites! After a quick service lunch, we headed back to the hotel, packed up the car, and headed to the Beach Club! "Welcome Home!", they always say! We walked over to EPCOT for a few rides (The Land, Soarin', Gran Fiesta Tour) before heading to Via Napoli, our favorite WDW pizza place, for dinner! After pizza, Mom and Michael headed to the newest EPCOT ride, Cosmic Rewind, while Dad picked up some bakery items for breakfast!

DAY 4

Day 4 - Today we are heading to Disney's Hollywood Studios (HS)! We decided to drive over to HS today; 3 days in a row of early entry! "Rope Drop" can get pretty intense with the early risers, but today it was pretty calm! We headed over to Toy Story Land and the relatively new, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway to check off some of the most popular rides. After a few more attractions, we headed back to the Beach Club pool for some time at "Storm Along Bay". The Beach Club has the largest pool complex at WDW including a massive slide and sand bottom pool. It's great. After a few hours by the pool, we took a quick tour around Animal Kingdom, had dinner at Beaches & Cream, and finished the night with the Ratatouille ride at EPCOT! A 3 park day! I need a nap!

DAY 5

Day 5 - Yea! No alarm set today! The main plan was to check out Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. This is Disney's main water park and luckily for us, it does not open until 10:00 AM. We started with a much more leisurely day, got some breakfast, and headed to the park for opening at 10:00 AM. This was our first time at Typhoon Lagoon and it did not disappoint. Tons of slides, a lazy river and, even a massive wave pool. Around 2:00 PM, we headed back to the hotel via one of the largest McDonald's in the U.S. for a quick lunch. After a break in the room, we set out for Disney Springs for some shopping and a fantastic dinner at Morimoto Asia. We would definitely recommend this restaurant, great food, and service with a really cool architecture/design. Then, a quick stop at Sprinkles for some dessert!

DAY 6

Day 6 - After breakfast, we started today at EPCOT. Another great thing about Disney's Beach & Yacht Club hotels is the location. From our room, it was a short walk to the International Gateway entrance of EPCOT. Here, you enter the park from the back entrance, so it gives you a little bit of a head start into the World Showcase. We started with Frozen at Norway, continued to Test Track and then Dad finally tried Guardians! For Karen & Michael, this was their 3rd time on it. Even Dad thought it was really well done! We then took the Skyliner to the Riviera Hotel for lunch and headed back to our hotel for some pool time and afternoon ice cream. For dinner, we explored the Swan & Dolphin hotels and had a nice Italian dinner at Il Mulino NY. After dinner, we took a walk around the countries in EPCOT.

DAY 7

Day 7 - We are officially done with our park tickets! So, today and tomorrow were planned as relaxation days. Mom & Michael had made a golf tee time at Disney's Shades of Green golf course. Even early, they said it was warming up quickly and a pretty challenging course! Dad stayed in and explored the Boardwalk area for breakfast and then "rope dropped" the pool for a shaded spot! After golf, Karen & Michael checked out the new Swan Reserve hotel and we all met back to shower and get ready for our farewell Disney dinner at Jiko. Jiko is one of our favorite restaurants and is an upscale African-themed restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. After dinner, we explored the AKL for a bit and headed back to the hotel to organize some bags.

DAY 8

Day 8 - Our 10th end of Summer Disney trip was coming to a close! This morning, we headed to the Cape May Café for breakfast. This is another favorite at the Beach Club and offers a very complete breakfast buffet. After breakfast, we went to Storm Along Bay (Pool) for a few hours for our official goodbye to the Beach Club! Around 2:00 PM, we decided to head out, used their pool shower facilities to clean up, and were on our way! Our flight was super early the next morning, so we planned on staying at the Hyatt directly in the Orlando (MCO) International Airport. We find this very convenient and alleviates the stress of getting to the airport early, returning the car, etc. On the way to MCO, we checked out Gideon's Bakehouse for its famous cookies! That's a wrap! Another great Disney trip complete! "See you real soon!"