Doing Disney Minus the Parks (Orlando Trip Recap)

Apr 10

Written By Kylie

This recap is a couple of weeks overdue, but I'm finally getting a chance to recap my trip to Orlando for my college bestie's 40th birthday weekend. I went March 9-12. I was just a quick hour and a half flight on Southwest from Birmingham to Orlando making my travel super easy. We knew only having 2 actual full days in Orlando that doing the actual Disney parks wouldn't be an option, but I was super excited to actually get to stay on Disney property and do other things that made me feel like I was there without fighting the park crowds. Also, stay tuned at the end of this post for my friend Jaime's video about some upcoming Disney tips and future videos if you are planning a trip soon. She's lived in Orlando for a while and knows all the great tips and tricks for an amazing Disney trip.

Where we stayed: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Thanks to Jaime's Dad using his vacation points we were able to get a 2 bedroom suite here. This was perfect because there were 8 of us girls and it had plenty of room for us all to get ready, hang out, and sleep. We had a kitchen, living area, 2 full bathrooms, 2 full bedrooms, and a spacious balcony. The people were so nice at check in and check out. Holding our luggage for us until the room was ready and also holding it after check out when we wanted extra time at the pool. The room was so nice and we had a great view of the lake. I also loved the extra Mickey & Minnie details you find throughout the room. Staying here definitely brought back childhood memories of going to Disney every other year and staying here.

We spent 2 days at the Disney Vacation Club pool which was nice because it was less crowded than the regular pool so we didn't have any trouble getting chairs. The also have a kids play pool area just behind this pool. They have a bar that serves food and drinks, and also have wait staff coming around to serve you which was really nice. I highly recommend the frose'!!

Where we ate: STK

Oh my goodness this was so good!! I had been wanting to try STK every time we go to Vegas and never had the chance, so I was so excited that we went here for dinner. It's located in Disney Springs, so we were able to take a "Minnie" Van via Lyft from the hotel to dinner. These vans are so cute. They are red with white polka dots hence the "Minnie". They are a bit more expensive than a regular Lyft or Uber, but totally worth the experience just once. As for the food, STK was amazing. I had the caesar salad and then split a filet and mac and cheese which was so so good. I also highly recommend the cucumber stiletto cocktail!!

After Dinner Fun: Coca-Cola Store Rooftop Bar

After dinner we went to the 3rd floor of the Coca-Cola store which was so much fun. It has a great view of Disney Springs. We shared coke flights which was so fun trying the different drink combinations they have. I think they were all my favorite. :)

Sunday Afternoon Fun: Disney Springs

On Sunday afternoon after a 2nd pool day Jaime took me to Disney Springs to get my last Disney fix since we knew we didn't have time for any actual parks. I was so excited. All I really wanted was my first set of Minnie ears, and as you can see in the first picture I succeeded. Disney Springs really is a great way take a day outside of the parks and crowds. They have tons of shopping and restaurants to choose from. We went to Amorette's Patisserie to let me try a wine slushie (also picture in the top pic). I chose a mango one, and it was so good. Although, I didn't try any pastries, they looked amazing. The details in them all made them look too good to eat. We then went to Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company to get a coffee with Minnie on top. So cute!!