Sept/Oct 2011 Disney Trip - Day 1

Ahhhh, going to Disney. The planning, the anticipation, the excitement. It really does make you feel like a kid again. Now that we are back, oh how I miss that feeling. But our 2012 trip is already in the works. Before long, there will be plenty to do and we can experience those feelings all over again.

As for this trip, this is how our Day 1 in WDW went:

We had officially kicked off this trip the day before (but driving on the interstate and staying in a hotel in Valdosta) just didn't seem to capture the true excitement of day 1. Our Disney trip begins the minute we drive under those wonderful arches and pull into our resort.

As last year, we decided we wanted to stay at Coronado Springs Resort again. We love this resort. Yes, many complain of it's large size and tons of walking, but we like that. Now, keeping that in mind, we had requested a room in the Cabanas section, but instead was placed in the Rancho section. Wow....now that's a walk to get anywhere except the Dig Site Pool! It was a beautiful area, but next year, we will again request Cabanas. It was a lot of walking to the main building, but this will not change our decision to stay here again. It is just beautiful here.

As part of my son's Disney Trip Surprise Bag, I included the 5th ed Hidden Mickey book to get him excited about looking for them. He became aware of this on our last trip, so I thought this may be fun to do while we are walking around or standing in line in the World. Before we walked in the doors to the resort, he yells out "Hidden Mickey"! And so, the search began.

This Hidden Mickey was located on the large wooden doors as you enter CSR

We had done online check in before we arrived, so checking in only took minutes. But we did receive a few nice surprises. The CM gave my husband and I some balloons for our anniversary and our son a balloon bear for his birthday. We also received a gift certificate to our resort bar for 2 complimentary glasses of champagne.

I just think the reception area at CSR is beautiful

(it's always that way the day you are checking in though)

Ken and Kevin taking a rest while I check in

(there is a hidden Mickey at this fountain too)

Some of the nice gifts we received when we checked in

We love the rooms here. Not only do they have Queen beds, but the sliding door partition to the bathroom is great. And, I love the way they are decorated...dark woods, aqua colors...almost spa like. Not to mention the area outside your room. Since we stayed in the Ranchos, the vegetation was a little different than the Cabanas. Not as tropical, but very desert.

In the room, Kevin spotted several "hidden Mickeys". After reading in his book, he has now determined that these are not "hidden" but merely "decorative Mickeys". Not bad for a 7 year old!

Top left: in the mirror around the sink / Top right: on the bedspread

Bottom left: on the neck roll / Bottom right: in the soap

We had family visiting Epcot when we arrived. So we were trying to get settled in quickly so we could head over and visit with them. The only problem we had, our refrigerator was making a horrible buzzing sound. So, after a call to the front desk, and then a visit from maintenance, we were finally on our way (maintenance changed the fridge and moved all our food for us to the new one while we were gone...and they arranged it in there a lot better than I did!). And, we were off to Epcot....

Kevin waiting on the Epcot bus...and he can't wait to see his cousins

It was raining a little, but the crowds seemed great

The first ride of the trip, Spaceship Earth.
Kevin loves this ride (rode it quite a bit this trip)

Before our dinner, we rode Nemo and then walked through the aquarium area. Here are some hidden Mickeys Kevin found.

For our first meal of the trip, we usually head over to Coral Reef. We love this restaurant. And this year, we were able to sit next to the aquarium. It was a whole new experience. And, we were a little nervous too. It had been a whole year since Kevin had eaten in a restaurant (due to his severe food allergies) so the view was very relaxing. The chef came out and spoke with us (isn't Disney wonderful) and Kevin chose the grilled salmon with rice. This was one time I didn't have to tell him to eat his food. He was done before we were!

For his dessert, Kevin got milk free ice cream with all the toppings, including a candle to help celebrate his upcoming 8th birthday. He was very excited!


After dinner, we finally got to meet up with our family after the fireworks. We had a great time, and it was wonderful to see them. We headed over to Mission:Space and then ended the night with them at, you guessed it, Spaceship Earth! They had to leave (they were headed home the next day). So we hung around Epcot until closing and just had fun. This was the start to a wonderful vacation.