Hi, folks–for the next week I’ll be in Florida experiencing several Disney and non-Disney attractions around Orlando. I am SO EXCITED about this week! It’s been since last May’s week at the Outer Banks with my family that I’ve taken any time off work that wasn’t related to being terribly sick. I’ve booked my Airbnb’s, reserved my experiences and I am SO ready to go!
This trip started with a $100 Disney gift card from my sister (SO generous!) which allowed me to book a super expensive meal experience at Disney World for my birthday. At first, I thought I’d go for a long weekend, but it quickly morphed into a whole week and I couldn’t be more excited about it!
It seems that the theme of this week will be progressive meals. Forming the core of this vacation, the Expensive Birthday M
If you want to play along, I’ll be posting updates on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter frequently during the week. Below, you’ll find the general outline of my plans.
Saturday-Monday: Flagler Beach
I’ll be spending the first few days at Flagler Beach for a little downtime before launching into a full week of sightseeing. I’ve got an Airbnb with a view of the beach, and I’ll be taking a few books. Basically, that’s it! My “plans” are reading and walking on the beach.
There is a pier at Flagler that looks nice for pictures, and a few restaurants and shops around there. And there is the Gamble Rogers campground next to where I’m staying with a short trail in it. I may visit nearby Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park if I feel the need to actually do something. If I really need to go somewhere, I can drive an hour north to St. Augustine and walk around or have dinner.
I’ve scoped out a place or two to eat in Flagler, and there’s a beachfront winery that I’ll probably check out. But mainly I hope to read. Any vacation that includes time for reading is a good one.
Monday: Disney Springs
Mid-morning, I’ll drive two hours over to Kissimmee to my Disney Airbnb rental. Monday will be a Disney Springs day. There are several new restaurants I want to try, so I’ll be making little progressive meals for lunch and dinner, getting food from multiple locations.
Otherwise, I need to trade in some Disney credit card points for a
Tuesday: Winter Park & the Expensive Birthday Meal
Winter Park
I’ve been to the Orlando area several times, but I’ve barely been outside of the Disney or Universal parks. This trip, I plan on exploring Winter Park which has a really cute downtown area with shops and dining.
I added to this idea by deciding to take the Sunrail commuter train from a station near my Airbnb to Winter Park, just for the experience of it. I love trains, plus it’s pretty cheap! Chad Gallivanter on YouTube did this on his channel and I really like the idea.
There is also a cute Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour that looks fun. So I’ll take the train to Winter Park, take the boat tour, eat lunch somewhere, walk around the shops, then take the train back in the early afternoon.
Disney’s Highway in the Sky Dine Around
THIS is the dinner that started it all. My sister gave me $100 of her Disney Rewards Points so I decided to treat myself to this dinner for my birthday. It’s $175 per person for this experience, so even with $100 off, it was still $80+ with tax. I don’t think I could justify spending that much money if I hadn’t had the extra help!
The Highway in the Sky Dine Around is a 5-course progressive dinner around the Disney monorail resorts and the group has a private car on the monorail between each stop. You check in at the Contemporary with an opening cocktail and appetizer, have more appetizers at the Polynesian, still more appetizers and dinner at the Grand Floridian, then back to the Contemporary for an array of desserts and a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. I am SO excited!
Wednesday: Bok Tower Gardens & Animal Kingdom
Bok Tower Gardens
On Wednesday morning, I plan to drive an hour south to Bok Tower Gardens, a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. It’s a beautiful garden designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same landscape architect for Central Park in New York City and the land surrounding the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.
The defining feature is the Bok Tower, a carillon bell tower that gives concerts throughout the day. I’ll be visiting during the 90th Anniversary International Carillon Festival, so there will be international artists playing the bells while I’m there. I’ll miss the main event, however, the evening “Bok After Dark” performances.
Animal Kingdom After Dark
I’ll miss those Bok evening performances because I’ll be in the Animal Kingdom for a ticketed event, After Hours at the Animal Kingdom. At $125, this is another ridiculously expensive Disney experience. But the only thing I want to see at the Animal Kingdom is the new Pandora land and I’ve heard that during this evening event, you can walk on rides which during the day can get up to a three-hour wait! Plus I really like the idea of experiencing Pandora for the first time in the evening, especially with shorter lines. And ice cream treats are included in the price of your evening! Also soft drinks and popcorn, but I’m most excited about “free” ice cream. I haven’t seen the Rivers of Light nighttime show either, so I hope to fit that in as well.
Thursday: Resort Visits
Gaylord Palms
Thursday, I plan to make a tour of several of the area’s non-Disney resorts. Since I had a great time walking through the Gaylord Opryland Hotel near me in Nashville, I want to visit the Gaylord Palms, a Florida-themed resort in Kissimmee. Inside, there are large atriums representing the Everglades, St. Augustine, and Key West.
I’ll probably sleep in and visit Gaylord Palms in the late morning, walk around taking pictures and find something for lunch in the resort. Then I’ll probably return after dark for more pictures. Often, these atriums take on a whole different look when lit up for the evening.
Orlando Star Flyer
After lunch, I plan to check out the new Star Flyer, the highest swings ride in the world at 450 feet high. I love heights and want to ride this during the day so I can see the view. I’ll probably return to it for a same-day re-ride at night. This is the one attraction that will really be rain dependent. If it rains, this really won’t be any fun. I may have to check the weather and adjust once I’m down there.
Universal Orlando Resorts
I’ve wanted to tour the Universal resorts for a long time and have just never found the time to do it. I did a week-long tour of all the Disney Resorts back in 2008, so I’d like to check out the themed Universal hotels as well. All the Universal Resorts are connected by sidewalks and the four most expensive ones by a boat canal. So I can park at one and walk to the rest.
Parking at the cheapest resort is (naturally) the cheapest, so I’ll start at Cabana Bay, then walk north to
Evening Backtracking
I want to re-ride the Star Flyer after dark and I *might* fit in a ride on the Icon Orlando Big Wheel if it looks like it will be a nice sunset and my timing is right. It’s just so expensive–$28 for a 23-minute ride. Here’s a website selling it for slightly less, but the cost may keep me from riding. Then I’ll walk back through the Gaylord Palms for the evening atmosphere.
Friday: Birthday in the Disney Parks
My birthday falls on Friday and this is the day I’ll spend visiting Hollywood Studios and Epcot. I plan to spend the morning until lunch visiting the new Toy Story Land, then I’ll walk over to Epcot for the rest of the day. In Epcot, I haven’t seen the Frozen ride yet, nor the new Soarin’ Around the World movie in the Land Pavilion, so those are my only real ride priorities.
Otherwise, I’m most interested in the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival and all the outdoor kitchens around the park. I’ll probably sample items from many booths for dinner for yet another progressive meal. That seems to be the theme of this week! I also want to get one last look at Illuminations before it gets replaced next year.
Saturday Drive Home
On Saturday, I pack up and drive home, but I plan to make a pit stop for a few hours at a friend’s house in Florida which I’m really excited about. Yay vacation!
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