The Best Things I Did on My Disney Trip
Stayed in the Park – at the Swan and Dolphin
So when we decided to go to Disney we were definitely trying to do it on a budget. We talked about staying outside the park at a much cheaper hotel, but once we kept looking around it wasn’t much more expensive to stay at the Swan and Dolphin – especially between the Ubers or cabs we would spend getting back and forth it would probably work out to us spending the same amount of money. We booked the Dolphin and it was definitely the best decision we made! The hotel was really nice, had several restaurants and bars, and a beautiful pool. One of the best things about the Swan and Dolphin is that it is an Epcot Resort, located in walking distance to Yacht & Beach Club Resort, Boardwalk Resort and Epcot – this gave us so much to do and our hotel was probably half the price of the other Epcot resorts.
Stayed in the hotel area the day & night we arrived
We were so happy with the hotel we chose that our first day and night we never left! We spent he day at the pool/pool bar, which was relaxing since we had flown in that morning. On our way to dinner we stopped at the lobby bar, Phins, for a drink. We were able to make a dinner reservation at the hotel that day – even on a Saturday night! We ate at Il Mulino, which is on the Swan side of the hotel and had a great Italian dinner. After dinner we took the short walk over the Boardwalk hotel where they have games and other things going on at night – we watched magic shows that they put on throughout the night before heading back to the Dolphin. We finished the night off with ice cream (our favorite!) The Dolphin has a cute diner-type restaurant downstairs that has a walk up counter to get ice cream. It really was a perfect first – we got to relax and have a great time without having to travel to another hotel or different part of the park – I was so happy we decided to do this!
Went to Epcot
I haven’t been to Disney in a few years, so I definitely knew going into this trip that i wanted to go to Epcot and I wanted to try drinking around the world! The day we had planned to go was perfect weather, so we got up super early and we were waiting at the gate when the doors opened. Since we stayed in an Epcot resort it was really easy to walk over to the park first thing in the morning – there is a back entrance and there was basically no people here at this time. We spent few hours in the morning going on rides and decided to save the countries for that night. After a few hours of rides the sun was really hot we walked back to the hotel to spend a few hours at the pool – it would have been way too hot to stay at the park all day so it was definitely good to be close by so we could split up the day!
We headed back to the park later in the afternoon and decided to give drinking around the world a shot! (no pun intended)
We started by going to the right into France (we were right there since we went in the back entrance.) We got a quick drink here and continued walking on to the next country – the wine here was really small, so i was quickly ready for the next!
Morocco was next – I got a glass of wine here and walked through the really cool spots and shops they have.
Next stop was Japan – we got a Japanese beer here which was really good! My boyfriend also got a great headband with Japanese writing that he wore all night! There is also really great spots here to take pictures.
The American Adventure is after Japan – we quickly walked through here, but the one thing my boyfriend was dying to do at the parks was get a giant turkey leg! He took a few bites, but could not even come close to eating the whole thing!
Next stop was Italy – I loveee prosecco so I couldn’t wait to get a drink here! There is a cute wine shop you can step into and get a glass in a cute champagne flute. We walked around the piazza that is surrounded by restaurants and totally gives you the feel of being in Italy.
Of course we had to get a beer in Germany next! We stepped into the Biergarten to get a beer – my boyfriend chose a grapefruit flavored beer and really loved it!
We made it to China where we had dinner reservations and decided last minute to change our minds! After walking through Italy we knew we has to have Italian! We walked through the walkways in China with really pretty flowers and lily pads, but decided to make our way back to Italy for dinner.
We made an attempt at drinking around the world – definitely didn’t accomplish our goal, but had so much fun trying. I was really happy we waited until that night to do this – it would have been way too hot during the day!! On the way out we had to stop in England (at the pub of course!) for a beer! The was the perfect last stop before grabbing a spot nearby to watch the fireworks!
Dinner in Epcot
Once we headed back to Italy for dinner we looked around at a few menus and finally decided on Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. I was so happy we chose this place as soon as we walked in – the servers were all so nice – and straight from Italy!! I actually forgot for a minute we were in Florida! The food was amazing – we had great bread and breadsticks while we waited for our dinners – spaghetti and chicken parm – and we were so happy! We chose beer and wine from Italy and had were so happy with our dinner – I will definitely be going back here on my next trip!
Spent the Day at the Pool
The parks are so fun and action packed, but I am definitely happy we took a little break and spent the day at the pool. We were there in the middle of August, so the weather was extremely hot – 90’s everyday! The Swan and Dolphin has a few different pools (and a slide!), but one day we just posted up on the side of the pool and didn’t move for hours! We even ordered food and drinks poolside without moving once! Much needed relaxation!
Went to (my favorite) character breakfast
My favorite character breakfast in Disney is at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort at the Cape May Cafe – Minnie’s Beach Club Bash! I loveeeee this breakfast because I still like seeing the characters (I won’t deny it), but mostly because the food is just so good! This is a traditional buffet, so you can eat as much of the amazing eggs and bacon as you want! And of course they have the best thing at a Disney breakfast – Mickey waffles! If you want to go here make sure you make a reservation ahead of time – they are always packed!
