Hey everyone! I just got back from my two week holiday to Orlando, Florida and thought I would share with you what I got up to. Between my phone, my mum's camera and my dad's camera we took a large amount of photos as we got up to so much so I've decided to split the post in half. For today's post I'll share with you what I did in the 1st week which will soon be followed by what I did during the 2nd week.
Arriving
The hotel we stayed at is called the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Lake Buena Vista and it's without a doubt the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. The swimming pools were fantastic, (especially the one that had an indoor cave with waterfalls including a sheltered hot tub. This sheltered area was also where the gym/washing machine/games room were located.) everyone was very friendly and there were plenty of exciting activities to do around this 21 acre hotel e.g. pedaloing/canoeing on the lake, tennis, golf, cycling/walking/running on the trails around the beautiful hotel. Anyway, we arrived in the late afternoon and spent the rest of the day resisting the urge to sleep (thanks jet lag) by exploring the hotel. Dad and I went for a quick swim in the pool and then we ordered dinner sat around the pool at one of the hotel's cafes before we went to bed.
Day 1
We went to Epcot which I have to say was one of my favourite parks of the whole trip. I really enjoyed Test Track where you got to design your own car and then basically test out its capability, responsiveness, efficiency and speed which was really exciting and surprising.
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| France - China - USA - England - Italy |
After going on a couple more rides, we decided to head over to see all of the different countries (above are just a few of them) which was really fun as it felt so real. Each country had places to eat that only sold the traditional food from that country and you could also wander around the shops.
I particularly liked Germany because the architecture was beautiful and the shops were lovely (especially the Christmas shop!). We even had our lunch here.
Day 2
Day 2 was spent at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
The highlight for me that day was the Jungle Safari where we got in a huge Jeep and were driven around the various sections where we saw different animals up close without any fences up anywhere. We saw elephants, crocodiles, giraffes, rhinos, lions, cheetahs and much more which was so enjoyable! There were many surprises on the adventure...all I'm saying is watch out for the collapsing bridge!
My favourite ride of the day was definitely Expedition Everest as I'd never experienced another ride like it before. I don't want to spoil it for you but it's basically a roller coaster that suddenly stops due to a broken track...there's only one way to go after that...and it's back the way you came!
We retired back to the hotel in the late afternoon and decided to freshen up then head down to Downtown Disney for dinner. I wore my Miss Selfridge dress and Primark hat (I'm still not sure of it..what do you think?) We had dinner at a lovely but overpriced Italian restaurant and then walked round the shops (btw the bear even smelled like strawberries like he does in Toy Story!) and witnessed the beautiful sunset.
Day 3
Day 3 was where the magic truly happened. As soon as we walked through the gates of Magic Kingdom a parade began down Main Street, USA leading to Cinderella's Castle. High School Musical was blasting and there were dozens of dancers and characters such as the Genie from Aladdin and Woody from Toy Story on top of the moving vehicles. I actually got goose bumps because it felt so magical!
We literally spent the whole day at Magic Kingdom (from around 9am to 9pm) so we were exhausted by the end of it. I just loved all of the buildings as you literally felt like you were in a fairytale! My sister and I bought our Mickey Mouse ears as we were jealous of everyone else who'd been wearing theres! That was the 1st day that the rain really got us as it rained all afternoon and into the evening so we bought our waterproof Disney ponchos which kind of saved our lives for the whole holiday really. Space Mountain was honestly one of the coolest rides I've been on in a long time (although it did make me feel very sick for a while) and I'm so glad we went on Splash Mountain in the dark because as we were going down the massive drop at the end, we got a lovely view of Cinderella's Castle all lit up. We left Magic Kingdom just before 10pm when the fireworks began but as we got the ferry back to the Magic Kingdom transportation centre we had a nice view of the fireworks without a massive crowd.
Day 4
Day 4 began perfectly. We chilled by the pool for a bit preparing to have a lazy day and awaiting the arrival of mine and Olivia's best friend, Amy and her siblings (who were also on holiday in Orlando at the same time) to arrive so we could have a day of exploring the hotel and cycling round the trails etc. We did manage to get a nice swim in and have lunch beside the lake before the sky turned black and a huge storm hit that literally was on top of us all day and stopped as soon as Amy left (typical!)
Due to the severe lightning we weren't allowed to swim in the pool so we hid out in the indoor cave area and sneakily hopped into the sheltered hot tub.
Day 5
I was beyond excited for day 5 as we spent the day at Universal Islands Of Adventure and we spent most of it around Hogsmeade and Hogwarts! My favourite ride of the whole entire trip was by far Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey which is a ride located inside the Hogwarts castle where Harry, Ron and Hermione help you escape one of Professor Binns' boring History of Magic lessons. There is literally so many surprises on this adventure and you genuinely feel like you are flying. For any Harry Potter fan, this ride will be your all time favourite. Even the queue was absoloutely brilliant as once you get inside after the Greenhouses, you walk through Dumbledore's office, the Gryffindor Common room and a class room. Watch out for Dawn French and the moving pictures!!
Day 6
We went to Disney's Hollywood Studios and that was pretty cool because they were having a Frozen Summer and had a huge screen set up where Olaf would have interviews. It even began to snow! The Hollywood Tower of Terror was absoloutely amazing. I was beyond nervous waiting in line but once we began dropping over and over I couldn't stop laughing/screaming. It's strange because I read somewhere that you're supposed to drop 13 floors, but it never felt like that at all!
Day 7
The week was very busy and exhausting so we treated ourselves to a lie in and then went shopping at the nearby outlet centre. I bought two pairs of printed shorts from Forever 21 which I absoloutely love.
In the evening we returned to Epcot for dinner (we had it in the Moroccan restaurant and ngl it wasn't that great) and to watch the fireworks.
So that's everything that I got up to in my first week in Orlando. I hope you've enjoyed seeing my adventures and stay tuned for part 2 which should be posted shortly. Have a great day!
Sophie x
