Day 3 in review

Craig and I have been to Disney many times, and through experience we’ve found (for us) it’s best to do 1 or 2 days of parks and then a day of rest! Now when I say “day of rest” we still like to have some fun, like a water park or Downtown Disney.

 So today we took great pleasure in sleeping in for a bit and then heading to Typhoon Lagoon for the first time! 

  
We rode all three versions of the Crushin Gusher (a super cool water coaster), relaxed in the lazy river, and did some other awesome slides! If you’re there around lunch next to Typhoon Tillys is a place that serves corn bread waffle pulled pork bbq sandwiches and holy wow was it amazing!!!

We headed back to the resort around 2 and did a few loads of laundry before heading out for our evening activity- the monorail pub crawl. 

Now you are probably asking yourself, what is the monorail pub crawl? In short there are three deluxe resorts that are all on the monorail line. You stop at all three resorts and go to a bar and drink at each one. I will do a full report on the pub crawl at a later time! 

   
   
We started at the Polynesian resort for the crawl and ended at the contemporary resort because we have 9:15 dinner reservations at the California Grill at the top of the resort. While yes, 9:15 is late for dinner, I planned it as such so we could watch “Wishes” the Magic Kingdom fireworks show from that spot. 

The California Grill is quite expensive, but simply incredible! (2 dining credits on the meal plan) The view of the Magic Kingdom from the roof top is exquisite!  And you can watch wishes from the rooftop or inside the restaurant! If you get the chance, I highly recommend it! 

   
   

Step count- today’s is a bit off because I didn’t wear the Fitbit to the water park, as it is not waterproof. I would estimate another mile in this tally. 

  

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Day 1 in review

What an amazing first day we’ve had!!! It’s been long but really good! 

We started the day by heading to the airport at 4:30am for our 6am flight! While that was a VERY early morning, it got us to the Disney Magical express by 11, and that was with a slight layover! 

When we touched down in Orlando and could turn our phones on again, I received a text message saying that our room was ready! Hooray for getting to check in early! We were able to head straight to the room and call bell services and have our groceries that we had ordered delivered!  (Hooray for technology and ordering a few grocery/breakfast items online)

We headed straight for the magic kingdom and enjoyed lunch at the Columbia Harbour House.  Our first fast pass got delayed because of the weather so we headed to the Hall of Presidents. This was a first for me! I’ve never seen this show, but did enjoy it! 

By the time we got out of the hall of presidents we were able to head to our splash mountain fast pass! (My favorite MK ride). After the ride we headed towards the front of the park for Craig’s haircut at Harmony Barbershop, and wow, what a great spot to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade! Standing outside of the barbershop, you catch the very end of the parade route!  

    
 
After the parade Craig got his haircut (more on that later!) and we headed back to the resort for naps!!! We were pooped after being up since 3:45!

We headed back to the magic kingdom to catch our fast pass that has been delayed for big thunder and then boarded our monorail for Ohana at the Polynesian resort… And WOW WOW WOW!!!! I cannot say enough about how awesome the food was at Ohana! (This is another one where I will do a full review later!)

  
We made it back to MK just in time to catch the end of wishes, and the second showing of celebrate the magic!  

   
We ended the night with a night time ride on the seven dwarf mine train, a Lafou brew and a ride on under the sea!!! I call that a great first day!

  

And here is today’s mileage stats 

  

Restaurant Review- Downtown Disney: Raglan Road

Raglan Road has a very special place in my heart.  I ate at Raglan Road after running my very first marathon back in January 2011. My husband and I had only been to Disney twice as a married couple, and were not quite as Disney savvy as we are now.  While we did stay on property for this trip, we didn’t know much about the Disney dining plan.  Our very first time we did just order appetizers, buy WOW WOW WOW were we impressed!  (Seriously, try “Smokie City”).  One could assume that after running 26.2 miles that just about anything would taste wonderful, and that is probably some what true, but the food was definitely awesome

Raglan Rd after 2011 Disney Marathon

Raglan Rd after 2011 Disney Marathon

RR2

The comfy chair was a post race blessing!

We had such an amazing time on that short trip for the marathon weekend that we went again that summer.  This time around we were on the dining plan, and certainly enjoyed the entrees!

Starting out at Raglan Road you’ll be served Irish brown bread with an amazing Guinness reduction.  (My mouth is watering as I type)

Raglan Road Irish Brown Bread

Raglan Road Irish Brown Bread

While the appetizers are not included on the dining plan I do have to recommend two appetizers because they’re just too good not to mention.  Smokie City (as I mentioned before) and the Mighty Mussels.  Smokie City is creamy smoked haddock & Dubliner cheese dip with potatoes, tomatoes & crostinis.  Don’t let the fact that it has smoked fish throw you for a loop, it’s totally cheesy and totally worth it.  It’s definitely big enough to share too!  The Mighty Mussels are 1/2 lb. of fresh Blue Hill Bay mussels in a coconut infused curry broth, and are absolutely amazing.  The coconut curry broth really has a unique flavor that will leave you craving more!

Smokie City

Smokie City

Now for the entrees, I don’t even know where to begin as far as making a recommendation.  The entree menu is quite large.  Generally in the restaurants they offer 6-8 entree options.  Raglan Road offers 21 entree options as well as 6 entree sized salads.  The average price for an entree is between $16 and $30, depending on what you’re in the mood for.

The Disney Dining plan is accepted here, and counts as a table service credit (includes a beverage, entree, and dessert).

The last WONDERFUL thing that I will mention about Raglan Road is the live entertainment!  You may catch a live band while you’re there like we did during our first experience, or perhaps an Irish dance performance!


There are lots of amazing restaurants to choose from at Downtown Disney, but Raglan Road is definitely worth the time!

For help planning your own Disney trip be sure to contact Ashley with Charming Travels LLC.  She can help you with all your planning needs and dining reservations!  Email ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free quote today!

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

Restaurant Review- Dining in the World Showcase: Mexico

Let this be said about me, I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD!!!!!!  I mean seriously, there is a restaurant near our house and we eat there EVERY Wednesday.  There are even times that we eat there twice in one week because we love it so much.  With that being said, eating in the Mexico pavilion at the world showcase is almost a given on any trip of ours.  The difficulty with this is choosing between the two table service restaurants- La Hacienda de San Angel, and San Angel Inn.  La Hacienda is the newest restaurant having been added to the pavilion in 2010.  We have dined at both restaurants and they both have amazing qualities.  Here are my thoughts on both-

San Angel Inn

San Angel Inn

San Angel Inn

San Angel Inn is located inside the pyramid in the Mexico Pavilion.  I love love love the atmosphere of this restaurant.  The entire inside of pyramid is set up to be like a nighttime open air market place in Mexico.  The restaurant is situated between the market and the river that houses the “Gran Fiesta Tour” ride.  The setting for this restaurant is quiet, romantic and peaceful.

Your meal starts out with chips and salsa, and I love the salsa at this restaurant, it has almost a smokey quality.  The food is good, but not great.  When I choose this restaurant it’s mainly for it’s quite romantic atmosphere.

San Angel Inn Dinner Menu

San Angel Inn Dinner Menu

La Hacienda de San Angel is located directly across from the pyramid.  While a beautiful new restaurant, the setting isn’t nearly as romantic or intimate as the atmosphere at San Angel Inn (just my opinion, feel free to disagree!)

La Hacienda interior

La Hacienda interior

While the setting isn’t as spectacular, the food is much better.  I like their food selection as the taste of the food.  (I had the Tacos Camerones and they were AMAZING!!! It was served with refried black beans with a crumbled cheese and I couldn’t get over how delicious they were!)

La Hacienda de San Angel menu

La Hacienda de San Angel menu

The prices of the two are comparable and a good value on the Disney dining plan.  While the setting isn’t as intimate, La Hacienda does have a very nice view of the World Showcase Lagoon.  If you plan your reservation accordingly and are willing to wait for a seat by the window you can have an incredible view of Illuminations.

There are definitely perks to both locations, so whichever you would choose, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!  Be sure to get your dining reservations, as you will need them at either location!

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

If you are planning your own Disney trip and would like help planning or booking, be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com !  She can help with all of your Disney planning needs, including dining reservations!