Thursday, August 20, 2015

AEP Trip: Day 3

We were up again bright and early again for day 3. We met in the lobby of Animal Kingdom Lodge at 7:30 am and they took us over to Coronado Springs. After a buffet breakfast, we had some classroom time. Todays topics were marketing strategies and social media. They brought in a guy (from Memphis) to talk to us about the rules of social media. I learned a lot!

We also talked about Adventures By Disney and Disney Cruise Lines. I would love to try both of these one day.

Next we headed out for site tours. First up was Wilderness Lodge. 



Before getting started, we had lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe. 



I had never been here before so I was excited to try it out. I was a little disappointed when we didn't get to order from the menu. They just brought out skillets for all the tables. It was yummy but I would have rather ordered my own thing. Drinks here are served in mason jars. 

They start you out with yummy cornbread loaves. 


Then the skillets came out: sausage, chicken, pulled pork ribs, corn, beans, mashed potatoes. It was all there! 


I am from Memphis and used to the best barbeque in the world. I have to admit that this was pretty good.  For dessert we had a delicious berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream on it....so good!


With our bellies full, it was time to explore the hotel.

The lobby was beautiful...it even had a little river running through it. There were little nooks everywhere with rocking chairs and fireplaces...the perfect spots to relax. I imagine this place is pretty cozy during the holidays!



Next we headed over to check out the villas. 












We also checked out a room with bunk beds. 








Next we headed over to the Polynesian Resort. 

I just love all the water and landscaping here.


This is the new lobby. LOVE it!!


See the hidden Mickey on the ground?



This is the quick service restaurant. It looked good!



This is the new Trader Sams Grotto. It opens at 4pm each day. 


Here is some outdoor seating for Captain Cooks. 


The pool was amazing...a fun waterslide and a great area for the kids. 



There is also a place to get all the Dole Whip you want!! 



Im not sure if it gets any better than this...eating a Dole Whip next to the pool at the Polynesian. 

Next we toured some of the rooms. 




Many of the rooms offer the pull down bed. It looked pretty comfy!






Next we went next door to the Grand Floridian. Ive always loved this hotel...ever since the cast from Full House stayed here when they filmed in Disney World. The lobby is just so fancy and it literally smelled like flowers. 



I loved the Alice in Wonderland themed kids water area. Sally would flip!



Here is a view of the Polynesian from the beach at Grand Floridian.


The rooms were really nice. They recently got redecorated and I love the changes. 



After site tours, we were off to Epcot.



We rode Soarin', Nemo, Living With the Land, Test Track, and of course....Spaceship Earth!



We had dinner reservations at Via Napoli in the Italy section of World Showcase. I have wanted to try this place out for a few years so I was so excited for the opportunity!


The pizza ovens!


We decided to split a salad and they also brought us yummy bread.


We also decided to get the big pepperoni pizza. This thing was HUGE!!!


Our server was so silly and took a selfie with us.


Look at this thing...HUGE!! It was really good!! We had leftovers of course.


After dinner we spent some time walking around World Showcase and eating caramel treats from the store in Germany. The weather was mild and it was just a perfect and relaxing night.