Disney Bubble Here We Come!

Welcome to the first of a few posts documenting our recent return to the Disney bubble otherwise known as Walt Disney World.

Where shall we begin...

So for context this was our first visit to Walt Disney World since August of 2013 and was long overdue. Our Disney fix had been satisfied with two short trips to Disneyland Paris and two Disney cruises in the intervening years but this was our return to the place where my love of Disney and its parks had started.

It was also the first time visiting WDW on our own since 1996! And it was a trip that we were determined to make the most of. Now ordinarily when planning a vacation you have to factor in work commitments which can determine not only when you travel but also the length of your trip, but now being 'a retired couple' we had much more freedom in picking the when and the how long! 

With that our trip started on Tuesday 25th February 2025 as we made our way from our home in the middle of the UK to London and then onto Gatwick airport by train. 

First train of our trip...London here we come!

Arriving at Gatwick we checked into our first hotel of the trip; the Bloc hotel. The hotel is located in the south terminal of the airport and was great for a convenient overnight stay; smart and compact room meant we had a comfy nights sleep ready for the following days travel.

Small room but it did the job!

We were able to grab breakfast at one of the airport restaurants before checking out of the hotel and taking advantage of their complimentary 'fast pass' through security. 

Full English brekkie to start the day

Bags were dropped, security cleared and a Starbucks acquired all by 8.50am ready for our flight leaving at 11.20am. We couldn't have asked for a smoother and more relaxing, stress free start to the day.

Pre-flight Starbucks

Our plane on a grey and wet day in London

And we are ready for take-off

Best get comfy!!

Our flight left on time and a mere nine and a quarter hours later we landed at terminal C at Orlando International airport. With thanks to my friend Michelle we had downloaded the MPC app which meant that we could 'skip' the border control main line once we had our bags and we sailed through with ease. We made our way down a few levels and found the Mears Connect reception and checked in for the transportation to the first Disney hotel of our trip; Coronado Springs. 

On the bus to Coronado Springs

Back in 2013 we were booked to stay at Coronado Springs but upon arrival we found ourselves upgraded to the Wilderness Lodge! So when planning this trip we decided that for the first couple of nights we would stay at the place that we'd planned to stay at all those years previous. 

Arriving around 6pm we took the evening to get settled into our room, grab some food and explore the resort. It had changed a fair amount since 2013 with the addition of the Gran Destino Tower, new restaurants and lounges and the landscaping was much more vibrant and plentiful than back in 2013. It is a truly beautiful resort.

New to us on this trip was the 'My Disney Experience' app and all that that entailed. This meant that prior to arriving at the hotel (in fact prior to leaving the UK) we had completed an online check-in so when we arrived we received a notification telling us our room was ready. We were also able to magically open our hotel door via the app as well. Although more on this in a later post!!

Our first full day started rather early as our body clocks adjusted to the 5 hour time difference and we found ourselves awake at 5.30am. Simon decided to go out for an early morning run completing 5 km by running four laps of Lago Dorado. We then both made use of the resorts gym, which happened to be quite close to where our room was. 

Up and about bright and early

After grabbing some quick service breakfast at 'El Mercado de Coronado' we headed out for the day jumping on a Disney bus to Disney Springs.

This is when I had 'a moment'...one of those 'I'm home' moments...one of those moments that catch you unawares and before you know it you're getting all misty eyed and choked up. We were on the bus making our way to Disney Springs and I was taking in the scenery around me and experiencing a deep feeling of familiarity as I watched the roads pass by and then I saw something that I'd never seen in person and it triggered a surprising reaction. What was it?...the Skyliner (Disney's cable car system that links a number of hotels and a couple of the parks). And as I looked out the window I felt all the emotions come over me and I began to tear up! And I knew then I was home and in my happy place.

Back in 2013 Disney Springs was called Downtown Disney and in the intervening 12 years had undergone an extensive expansion and while some areas were very familiar others were all brand new to us. We had a lovely day exploring all that the Springs had to offer and ended up spending much more time there than I think we had imagined.

We enjoyed some quiet time drinking iced coffee in Starbucks (just days before it closed for a refurbishment) while Simon created one of his many drawings that he completed over the course of the trip (we will devote a post to his art at a later date). Bargains were purchased at Zara! Shops were perused and lots of money was spent in my head! We enjoyed a salad from Earl of Sandwich and then later in the day discovered D-Luxe Burger and enjoyed a French Onion Soup burger, which was delicious!

As we waited for our bus back to Coronado Springs we discovered the magic of bus wraps! A good percentage of the Disney bus fleet have been wrapped in different themes and we rode our first one back to the hotel; it was Frozen themed.

I then gave myself the challenge of photographing as many of the bus wraps as possible over the next few weeks! Another post I think will be devoted to my collection of bus wraps and more!

Arriving back at the hotel we dumped our shopping bags in the room and headed out for another explore of the hotel. We grabbed some decaf coffee and enjoyed the resort as the light faded and the hotel lit up. 

Once back in our room we had the task of making sure we were packed and ready for the following days adventure...

Where to next?

A couple of links that may help to explain my love of Disney (plus there are lots of other posts talking about Disney, as well as those documenting past trips!);

About this Blog

Why Disney

WDW Summer 2013 - Day 11

Well let's get back to what we got up to on our last visit to WDW.  I can't believe it's now over 6 months since we were last in my happy place and as I type we have no plans for another visit any time soon - the disadvantage of living over 4000 miles away and the subsequent travel costs!  But I continue to keep my Disney passion alive by reliving and sharing my memories.

So Day 11 - what did we do??

Well, we had a relatively slow start to the day with a full breakfast at our hotel before heading off to Blizzard Beach.  But we weren't going for a splash about, no we were going for the golf...mini golf to be exact.  It was time to visit Winter Summerland mini golf course;

..and having played the Winter course during our previous vacation in 2011 we decided that it was only right to play the Summer course this year;

We had great fun playing the course, although Molly did get a bit grumpy when her brother won!!  Although I did manage to get a couple of hole-in-ones!  Honest!!

Victory celebrations!!!

One unusual occurrence for us though was that it didn't rain, we seem to have a habit of playing mini golf in the rain but this time it stayed hot, dry and sunny.

After golf we hopped on a bus and headed over to Coronado Springs Resort; this was the resort that we should have been staying in before we got our unexpected hotel upgrade.  But as I'd done my pre-trip research all about Coronado Springs we thought we'd stop by and see what we were missing.

The Three Caballeros!!

Some beautiful views around the resort and around Lago Dorado

And I just had to have this photo taken...

...me 'running' around Lago Dorado...OK fake running!!  Well I did say that was one of my must do's for this vacation...unfortunately the hotel upgrade kind of got in the way of me achieving my goal for real ;)

It was lovely to walk around the resort, it really is beautiful.  The main pool area looked amazing although Molly was not happy at being made to look at it and not be able to use it as it had been one of the things about the hotel that she had been looking forward to. Although, one thing I will say is that the pool is very exposed to the sun, in that there is not much in the way of natural shade, so anyone thinking of going needs to bear this in mind, especially if with very young children who are prone to getting sunburnt!

I will agree with a lot of the reviews which I'd read before the vacation which made reference to the size and layout of the resort.  It is a big, spread out layout which could mean your room being a good distance from the main building and amenities.  I would guess it took us, with a leisurely stroll, about 20 minutes to walk around the circumference of Lago Dorado which could mean for some people that walk on a morning to have breakfast in the resort could add a bit of extra time onto your day.

One of the reasons that I have always loved Port Orleans French Quarter is for its relatively small size and compact layout when compared to other moderate resorts.  But smaller size may mean you miss out on things like table service restaurants...it really is a case of weighing up what's important to you on a vacation when you make your decision. For us a 'bit of a walk' to the main buildings at Coronado Springs didn't really bother us...it may have changed the way we did things though.  I wonder if we may have been more inclined to get on a bus early and have breakfast in the parks rather than take the extra time at the resort...who knows?  Maybe on our next visit we may have to give Coronado Springs another try!

Having explored the resort we then headed over to Disney's Hollywood Studios for the afternoon stopping for lunch at one of my favourite quick service eateries the Backlot Express.  Now I will admit it's not the best place for choice of food; it's your typical burger/hot dog/nugget type of establishment but it is big, and airy, with some great theming and free refills of soda!!

Once we were refuelled it was off into the park.  Molly took the chance to 'meet & greet' with Phineas and Ferb...

...which was followed by re-visiting 'The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow' following our failed attempt a few days earlier.  I have to say for a walk through attraction I really quite enjoyed it.  I wasn't expecting much in fact if truth be known I thought it might have been a bit lame and was only really doing it as it was a 'new' addition to the park since our previous trip. The whole experience was worth it of only for the amazing projection of Captain Jack at the end; brilliant technology at play.

We then had a brief stop for ice-creams...Mickey shaped of course...

...before we headed towards Animation Courtyard.  But as we approached we heard the sounds of the Monsters University Pep Rally and so took a slight detour to see what was happening; this resulted in me becoming the embarrassing parent...apparently it's not cool to dance along to 'The Cha-Cha Slide' in front of your teenage kids...who knew ;)

Ethan ignoring me, Molly trying to stop me dancing!

After embarrassing the kids we decided to venture into Animation Courtyard in hope of a new 'Meet & Greet' and sure enough we got to meet the stars of 'Wreck-It Ralph'.

As we made our way round to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster we bumped into friend and podcast co-host Michelle.  So whilst us ladies had a chat and a catch-up the rest of the family got thrown around on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.  We all then headed out of the park but not before taking advantage of the Disney Photopass+ to get a group photo...

Don't ask me how but we ended up with this pose! It's a hidden Mickey!!

Next we headed over to Swan & Dolphin resorts via boat..

...and then walked over to The Boardwalk.  Both Michelle and I had it on our respective 'To Do' lists to go into the Boardwalk Inn resort in search of a working carousel model that we had both heard about listening to Lou Mongello's WDW Radio, and look we found it!

Beautiful and it was working when we saw it.

Molly getting a little too comfy in an armchair inside the Boardwalk Inn lobby!!

And would you believe it the kids wanted yet more ice-cream...so who can resist a stop at the Seashore Sweets...well our two can't!!

How big???

Having filled the kids up with ice-cream we headed over to Epcot to finish off the evening in World Showcase, but this was the sky that greeted us as we made our way from the Boardwalk...

...yes you guessed it a sudden downpour occurred!!

Once we made it over to Epcot (and relatively dry too!) we headed to the World Showcase and more specifically Norway.  I had a couple of foods I'd heard about that I wanted to try over at the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe...first the Roast Beef Sandwich followed by Rice Cream and both of which were lovely.  I think this eatery may become one of our must do's in future years.

Enjoying the Rice Cream - kind of a rice pudding topped with strawberry sauce

By now it was getting late and time to take the bus back to our hotel, time for feet up with a hot chocolate and then time for bed - night all!

Running....again!

OK so I think it may be confession time.  When I started this blog the idea was to document not only my love of Disney and all the planning that goes into a Disney vacation but also my venture into running - hence the initial tag line of 'Blogging, Jogging and Planning my way to the Magic Kingdom'.

Once we had last years vacation to Walt Disney World booked I gave myself the goal of running around the lake at Coronado Springs Resort where we would be staying.  Not a massive goal but one that I felt very achievable; I'm not a natural runner and felt with the time I could put in before the vacation this was realistic.

However due to the unexpected hotel upgrade we received when we arrived in WDW last year (we were upgraded to the Wilderness Lodge - see my previous post WDW Day 1) I never got to run around Lago Dorado...not that I minded too much.  After all the unexpected upgrade more than made up for it.

But the knock-on effect seemed to see me fall out with running.  I think a combination of straight back into work and then the dark evenings of Winter all contributed...or should I say gave me the excuses I needed not to run.  Initially after our vacation I managed to get out and get a few runs done but as the time between runs became longer and longer I eventually realised I'd not been out in months.

I am ashamed to say that I used the excuses of work, life, other commitments, bad weather and dark evenings to give me the reasons to not go out for a run.

So my confession is that I haven't run for nearly 6 months :(

BUT I have decided to do something about it.  So around late February time I decided that if I couldn't get out and run (because of all the excuses above!) I could at least walk and make walking part of my normal day.  So I started to walk to and from work.  Now work is only a couple of miles away (takes me around 30 minutes) but I figured it was better than doing nothing.  So I aimed to walk at least 3 times a week and I am pleased to say that I have been able to achieve this and it was a lot easier than I was telling myself it was going to be.  In fact I am now at the point if I can't walk to and from work I feel cheated.

And then 12 days ago at the start of my Easter break I decided that enough was enough, no more excuses I needed to get running again.  So 12 days later I have 4 runs under my belt.  Simon has always said that once you've run your body knows what to expect and you kind of pick up from where you left off; and you know what he's right!  Now after my first run I thought 'what have I done?' my knees hurt and my legs ached so much but I was pleasantly surprised at how long I was able to run for and the pace I achieved.  So I left it a couple of days before run number two and this time the aches and pains weren't anywhere near as bad as after the first run.

So 4 runs in and I'm glad I've got back on the 'treadmill' so to speak.  I am still in the run-walk-run pattern but I am quite happy with that at the moment.  My pace seems consistent across all runs, and I'm covering a good 2.5 miles each run.  And you know what I'm not bothered about being the fastest, or going the farthest distance I'm just bothered that I'm doing it for ME.  I'm the one getting out, I'm the one running as best as I can, I'm the one doing something and it's for MY benefit.

Here's a couple of photos taken today on my usual running route...

So as I type this I have not long finished run number four, and am eating a home made, freshly prepared, fruit salad and am feeling pleased with todays efforts but also feeling motivated.  Motivated to keep at this running lark but also motivated to have a healthier lifestyle. 

I recently watched a documentary movie called Fat,Sick & Nearly Dying which follows Joe and then Phil as they tackle their weight, illnesses and their lifestyles.  The film is definitely worth a watch, not necessarily for the approach taken, but for the motivation it can give you, as you watch two unhealthy, ill and overweight guys completely change their lives for the better.

So that's what I intend to do; get fit, eat better, make healthy choices and enjoy life doing it.  Simple!

WDW Day 1....Part 2...

So you may have noticed that my WDW Day 1 post didn't actually cover all that happened that day, so here is the second part.

Story so far...we have made it from the UK to Orlando...we have checked in at Coronado Springs Resort only to be told we have been upgraded to the Wilderness Lodge...

The staff at Coronado Springs were lovely, especially Devon & Toni who helped organise a taxi to take us and our luggage to the Wilderness Lodge and who stayed with us until we were safely on our way.

The taxi ride gave us all chance to breathe and reaffirm that what we thought was happening was actually happening.  Even the kids knew this was a big deal.

In the taxi from Coronado Springs to Wilderness Lodge - still in a state of shock!

We drove up to the Wilderness Lodge, under the sign that spans the driveway, past the 'Welcome Home' sign and everything felt just right.  We were greeted as we got out of the taxi by yet another happy, friendly cast member who checked our name on his 'i-pad' and then escorted us through to the check-in desk.  He seemed genuinely thrilled by our story and spoke to us about his wife who had worked at Coronado Springs but how Wilderness Lodge was so much better!

The fantastic service continued with the lady at check-in who sorted everything for us in a blink of an eye, and also commented 'oh you've got an upgrade to a courtyard room'. What? Another upgrade? What's a courtyard room?  Everything was happening so fast!

Checking in, still pinching ourselves!

But despite all the excitement we couldn't fail to be blown away by the awesome lobby at the Wilderness Lodge.  Now Simon and I had been here once before, way back in 2008 when we had lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe as part of the 'Backstage Magic' tour, but this was the kids first time here.  They were a little taken aback to say the least!

We then headed off to our fifth floor courtyard room...well how lovely was our room!!  We had the traditional towels in the shape of a tri-circle Mickey on one of the beds, a beautifully decorated room, stunning bathroom/vanity area and to top it all we had our own balcony that looked out over the stunning courtyard.  We were all once again speechless...but very, very happy.

View from the balcony of our courtyard room

Now we had had plans of perhaps visiting Downtown Disney for some food but as we had been awake for over 18 hours and were now really quite hungry we decided to stay at our new resort and find out just what was on offer.  So we headed downstairs and paid our first visit to 'Roaring Forks', the counter service eatery at the resort, and had a mix of salads, BBQ pork sandwiches, cookies and massive cup cakes.

Tired but hungry

Full of food we had a little walk around the resort to get our bearings and then it was off to bed in search of much needed sleep ready to refuel us for our first proper full day in WDW :)

But when we got to our room there was another surprise in store for us...some music...which Simon and I instantly recognised as the Electrical Water Pageant.  I went out onto our balcony and looked to my right and sure enough I could see out onto Bay Lake and catch sight of most of the pageant.  The water pageant was on our list of 'must do's' for this trip as it had been a fair few years since we had last seen it so it was amazing to see it on our first night and know that we would be able to see it as many nights as we liked.

A perfect ending to an amazing first day :)