Walt Disney World: April 2022

One thing that my husband and I have in common is our love for Disney World so it works out when we both agree to take a trip down there every now and then! My birthday was on April 18th, but we decided to go a week later when the crowds were lower since the week of my birthday was the week after Easter (Pro Tip: Always try to go to Disney World either before/after schools are on spring break in March and April!)

We headed down on Saturday, April 23rd and were blessed to have great weather and low traffic on the way down. We were driving from Virginia so having an easy drive for 12 hours was amazing! When we got to Florida, we made it a priority to stop at Buc-ee’s because that place is the king of convenience stores/gas stations and is quite the experience! Think Wawa but multiply that by 10 with cheaper gas prices, great barbeque sandwiches and all sorts of merchandise themed to Buc-ee the Beaver. Buc-ee’s is based out of Texas but there are a couple located in other states including Georgia and Florida.

After 12 hours, we finally made it to Disney World around 5:30 and checked in to Disney’s All Star Music Resort. It was our first time staying at the resort and we loved it! Since the resort is themed to music, each building is themed to different things relating to music such as a jazz band, Fantasia, calypsos, Broadway and more. I love Broadway shows so it's very fitting that we stayed in the Broadway section!

Once we checked in, we headed to Epcot and spent the evening there. Once we got in, we went to the new Creations shop and I bought a 50th Anniversary Spirit Jersey… I love a good, comfy Spirit Jersey so naturally that would be my first purchase. (Pro Tip: If you go to Disney World and see something you like but are contemplating on buying it, go ahead and buy it because the item will more than likely sell out.) We then went and got dinner at La Cantina and just walked our way around the world until Harmonious!

On Sunday, we went to Magic Kingdom and had breakfast at Gaston’s Tavern. It’s one of our favorite places to have breakfast at Disney World for something quick! My routine is usually stopping at the Main Street Bakery and getting a coffee of some sort and then we will head over to Fantasyland to Gaston’s Tavern and eat there.

Afterwards, we walked around the park for a little while and then headed to the Polynesian resort for lunch at Kona Café. My husband and I absolutely love Kona Café and it’s one of our favorite places to eat during lunch! When we go, we always get the Kona Chicken Stir-fry and get it without the cabbage. Also, the dish usually has mushrooms in it too so if you don’t want mushrooms in the dish, I would double check with the Cast Member to see if you can get it without. During lunch, we also met the nicest couple from Maryland who was celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary!

Once we finished lunch, we walked to the Grand Floridian to look around, shop and then walked back to Magic Kingdom because I wanted to see the Festival of Fantasy Parade. This was the first time we got to see Festival of Fantasy in over two years so we were so excited to finally see it back up and running!

After Magic Kingdom, we went to Disney Springs for a bit and then we took a bus to Disney’s Beach Club Resort and walked over to Epcot since we had a dinner reservation at Teppan Edo; it’s a Japanese Steakhouse inside the Japan Pavilion and is honestly my favorite restaurant on property. Between the food and experience overall, it is nothing short of amazing!

On Monday, we went to Disney Springs in the morning and headed straight for Gideon’s because we wanted to finally try the infamous cookies. We have wanted to try and go a couple times before but the line has always been a little too long for us. We were finally able to try Gideon’s and I ordered the Peanut Butter Cold Brew and we both had the chocolate chip cookie which was delicious! We only waited in line for 20 minutes and it was so worth it. Disney Springs is usually less busy in the morning, so I highly suggest going in the morning or mid-day to beat the crowds.

In the afternoon, we went to Epcot and ate our way around the world at the Flower and Garden Festival. We tried so many good eats from the festival including:

· Corn on the Cobb from Flavor Full Kitchen (Between Imagination! and Refreshment Port)

· Lavender Honey Mustard-marinated Chicken Flatbread from The Honey Bee-stro (Near Port of Entry)

· Beignet Caramelise from Fleur de Lys (France)

· Toasted Pretzel Bread from Bauernmakt: Farmer’s Market (Germany)

· House-made Cheesy Crab Wontons from Lotus House (China)

The Flower and Garden Festival is so much fun and I highly suggest putting it on your Disney World bucket list!

Once we wrapped up at Epcot, we took the Friendship Boat to Hollywood Studios and spent a couple hours taking in the sites and sounds of the park! We checked out the shops, got a snack, watched Beauty and the Beast live on stage and then made our way around to Galaxy’s Edge for dinner and then Toy Story Land.

We went back to the resort earlier than we normally do since we were tired and decided to hang out by the pool and relax for a little bit. One of the many great things about staying on Disney property is that the Disney resorts will often have a movie night outside multiple times throughout the week on a lawn or near the pool at the resort. When we were at the pool, they were playing the Incredibles 2, which was very sentimental for Taylor and I since we saw that movie in theaters on our third date. It was the perfect way to end the night and rest after two and half days of walking nonstop!

On Tuesday, Taylor and I went to Universal to see Harry Potter World! This was my third time going and Taylor’s first. We went to Diagon Alley at Universal Studios and then took the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure. I of course had to have a wand so I bought Hermione’s wand then we went to The Three Broomsticks for lunch, got a butterbeer, took a picture in front of the Hogwarts Castle and then made our way back to our resort to rest for a little bit. After we rested, we went to Magic Kingdom because we love to experience Magic Kingdom during the nighttime and enjoy the fireworks. There is something so special to me about seeing Main Street U.S.A. lit up at night. I may be a little bias since I worked there years ago but I just think it’s so beautiful and breathtaking!

We were supposed to continue our week-long trip to Tennessee and visit Nashville and Dollywood but unfortunately, I got sick Tuesday night which lasted all day Wednesday as well so we had to cut our trip a little short. Although our trip did get cut short, I’m so thankful for the time we had together in Florida!