May 13 - 16 Coronado Springs Resort
Cabanas Building B
Room 9528
We got to the airport in plenty of time. The security check was a breeze and no one got patted down. But we did get our hands wiped with a round cloth. They never said why, but I quietly assumed TSA wanted to be sure we were not playing with explosives before we left. We had one pice of luggage with the Disney's Magical Express sticker firmly and properly affixed. Our trust was now in the hands of the airlines and The Mouse's gloved hands.
TWO HOURS LATER:
WELCOME TO WALT DISNEY WORLD:
Disney's Magical Express is great! This was our first time using it and I was so impressed! We found the bus easily enough because in the airport there were signs directing you to BUSES. All we had to do was go down an escalator to find the Magical Express. Fantastic!
Since we arrived at Coronado Springs before the 3pm check in time, we had to wait for a text when our room was ready. This gave us a chance to grab a margarita at the outside bar that sits beside the nice lake.
This is our second visit to Coronado Springs, and we found our room to be quite suitable and clean. Everything worked and nothing appeared to be in need of a renovation. The bedspreads were washable! So I knew they were clean. Mousekeeping even left us a cute little towel doggie!
I love the Mickey soaps and H20 Aquatics products they use here. We had to use the shampoo and conditioner because we purposely didn't pack our regular-size hair products. I did put 2 Mickey soaps into my bag, and let Mousekeeping replace them the next day.
Our room was near the main building, El Centro, and bus stop #1. This is the NOT the best bus stop to be close to because it's the last stop to be picked up. The busses first stop at #2, then #3, #4 and finally, #1. Once, we had to wait for another bus because the EPCOT bus that came along first was too full and we were turned away. It wasn't a big deal, because we were in no hurry. Another came along quickly enough. Overall, we were able to catch any bus we wanted with little problem. A few times, we had to stand while riding the bus.
THE DINING CHAPTER:
We had the dining plan and had sit-down meals at the following restaurants: Please note, even if we had appetizers, they are NO LONGER part of the dining option. You can only choose an entree, dessert and your non-alcoholic drink.
Our first dinner was at The Brown Derby in Hollywood studios. Hubby had crab cakes as an appetizer and I ordered the curly spinach salad with watercress and strawberries. Hubby proclaimed the crab cakes to be BEST he ever had. And he's had a lot of crab cakes in his time, too. I fell in love with my salad. They used a sweet vinaigrette dressing and threw in walnuts and craisins. Delicious! It made me want have an affair with salad. It was THAT good. Hubby ordered the beef with truffle mashed potatoes and I had crusted salmon over asparagus. The beef was so tender it almost brought tears to my eyes when I tasted it. That cow must have been massaged twice a day, it was so glorious. My crusted salmon was moist and perfect. I have had overcooked salmon in the past, and this fish was cooked right! Hubby enjoyed his sampling of my salmon, and we both vowed to try crusting salmon at home.
By now, we were so stuffed, we chose to take our desserts home. A cheesecake and berry cobbler were put into containers and we carted them around EPCOT then threw them in the mini fridge back at the room later.
The cheesecake survived fine and was delightful the next morning. Alas, my cobbler did not fare so well. It tasted of Bisquick.
Our next dinner was a gift of my husband's family and we dined at Coral Reef in EPCOT. This dinner was not part of the dining plan. The view of the fish in the huge aquarium was great, but the menu seemed to be lacking. We ordered steaks because the other choices didn't really appeal to us. Besides, I had salmon the night before. There really were not THAT many seafood choices for a place built by an aquarium.
Our New York strip steaks were cooked just right. No mistake on my medium-rare steak. The steaks were served with asparagus that was also cooked nicely.
Our final sit down dinner was at Tokyo Dining in EPCOT's Japan pavilion.
We selected our entrees from the sushi and sashimi menu. Both dinners were presented in a dark wooden box and offered four different items per box. From what I recall I had a sampling of California roll, tempura vegetables and one tempura shrimp. Tender pork pieces were also offered in a nice light gravy. One other item eludes me at the moment but I think it was a few nicely cut vegetables I did not recognize in a type of sauce. I just recall they tasted good.
Hubby's dinner-in-the box was called Fuji and it contained pieces of pork, beef tenderloin in a sauce, some tempura shrimp, pieces of California roll, tuna and salmon sashimi.
Rice and, miso soup were also served as part of our dinner.
For desert, hubby had ice cream and I chose a green tea pudding. Both were delightful and light. The staff even sang Happy Birthday to my husband and presented him with an adorable tiny origami picture frame with a tiny quick drawing of Mickey! It is so precious!
For our quick service meals, we chose breakfast one day from our resort's Pepper Market and had lunch there twice as well. I like the Pepper Market because of the variety. One day, I had a BLT croissant with chips and the other day I had a giant beef burrito. Hubby had a Philly steak sandwich one day and a big Cobb salad the other day. For our desserts, we had macadamia white chocolate chip cookies on our last day. And before that, we had cinnamon rolls and pecan rolls.
For snacks, we ate Mickey ice cream bars and I had these frozen fruit pops that are swirled in color and had a name like Kazoodle. I know that name is not right, but it's close enough until I can correct this entry with the right name.
WHAT WE SAW:
The EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival was our main focus. Due to rains the first few days, we didn't get to see everything until our third day. The topiary is absolutely amazing and so well done. Since I'm such a huge Tinker Bell fan, my favorite place was Pixie Hollow. The topiary fairies were delightful.
Fantasmic! was a madhouse at the first show, so we stood outside the theater, behind the white line, and watched without too much of an obstruction or any clucking from the cast members. It was great scary fun and technologically amazing. I loved it!
The Main Street Electrical Parade was so much fun, I had to see it twice! I wept with joy each time, too. I am in love with the music and want it for my very own. Tinker Bell leading the parade was awesome!
We didn't do too many rides, because our main focus was just relaxing, seeing the sights and eating the great meals. Well, we did squeeze in a few favorite rides that had to be ridden like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan's Flight, and Kilimanjaro Safari. We finally got to see Soarin'. The last few times we tried, the Fast Passes were gone and the lines were way too long.
I also got to ride Dumbo for the first time in my life! It was great fun and such a charming old-fashioned type ride.
THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE:
I have often said that Walt Disney is just a mall with rides and shows. And I love to shop for family and friends while visiting! This time, I treated myself to one of those Dooney and Bourke Disney crossbody purses. I spied it in a Main Street store and simply had to get one in a pretty "Disney blue". I received many compliments and it suited my park needs well. It has plenty of room and lots of handy pockets on the inside. And it's durable, as I own a few Dooney purses and they are still holding up quite well.
Because the nights got so cold, and I neglected to pack anything resembling a jacket or long sleeve shirt, I purchased a zippered sweatshirt with Magic Kingdom on the back. Grey is not my most favorite color, but at the time, it seemed just fine. I was freezing!
I also treated myself to a new hat, and a Mickey icon headband antenna that wiggles. I have two others in pink and purple, so I chose green on this visit. They are so much fun to wear anywhere.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS:
Disney never ceases to amaze me with the technological advancements they offer guests. From the animatronic characters in Pirates of the Caribbean to the far more modern and complex amazements that are Soarin' and Fantasmic!, Disney delivers.
The marketing machine is also to be admired. Everywhere we looked, you are forever reminded you are in the World of Disney. Our TV will always power up to a Disney station promoting the virtues and joys of Disney. Mickey called to leave hubby a birthday message. It never stops. And while you are there, you don't want it to stop. So you take things home to make the magic last. Even the paper coasters in the room made it to my suitcase.
But as all tales go, this one too must end. And it's a happy ending, for even my bank account is content. We had a joyful time! Thank you Disney!
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