One of my really good friends Naomi has always wanted to travel to see Disney World and so I decided to surprise her with a trip to Florida for her 32nd Birthday! Naomi had never flown on a plane so it was exciting to see something different with her than the just the mid-west! We had planned this for exactly a year and we definitely had a great girls’ trip together.
Keep on reading for my day-to-day adventures!
Day 1, Wednesday April 24: Beach and Disney Springs
Considering Naomi has never flown before, she has also never seen the Ocean! We decided to drive the 90 minutes to Daytona Beach. I know there are nicer beaches but she didn’t want to get into the water or swim, and we still wanted to go out that evening so after we landed at the airport and picked up the rental car, we drove out to see the Atlantic Ocean. We grabbed some McDonalds there but we didn’t want to do a huge meal as we were still trying to make decent time in order to do some shopping that evening.
Even though we decided to stay off property, we found a really cute Disney themed Airbnb!
We got ready and headed out to Disney Springs, which is a outdoor shopping area with restaurants and some other entertainment features. We decided to eat at Enzo’s Hideaway, which was a 192'0’s speakeasy themed restaurant. We ended up sharing some appetizers - the calamari and some polpettine (meatballs). We definitely both did our share of shopping and we both bought some really cute Disney merchandise. We ended up getting our own Ghirardellis’s Sundae which was delicious. I also really enjoyed seeing the neat sculptures made out of Legos outside of the Lego store.
Day 2, Thursday April 25: Magic Kingdom
We were up early and headed to Magic Kingdom for the day. Everything was very well orchestrated down to the parking and entrance lines. We walked in and saw the castle! One of Naomi’s highlights was going to the Haunted Mansion and doing that ride. We also “it’s a small world” boat ride, the mad tea party spinning cups, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s flight, Pirates of the Caribbean (Naomi did not expect the small drop at the beginning but once the ride started, it was fun!) … I did did Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. Naomi debated about Space Mountain and dropped out right before getting on. It was probably a good idea since she doesn’t like rides and it was definitely a thrill ride that goes through the dark. I thought it was awesome. I also did TRON. It was fun, but I think it was over-hyped. My favorite was still Space Mountain. We missed Jungle Cruise based on the time the ride was open and where we were in the park. We did sit in the AC and watch the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. I think we both needed a quick “nap” and some cool air.
One of the dining experiences I was really looking forward to was the Be Our Guest Restaurant. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie/story. The restaurant served French cuisine and a prix fixe menu. I chose the escargot de Bourgogne, the grilled filet mignon with potatoes and green beans, and then had the dessert trio. This included the gray stuff, which was delicious. The beast does not always show up for dinner, but he came and made an appearance while we ate! I wasn’t expecting him at all so it was a fun surprise that he made his rounds.
Day 3, Friday April 26: Epcot and Night Out
On our second full day in Orlando, we headed to Epcot. We walked to Mexico, Norway, China, Japan, Germany, Italy, America, Morocco, France, the UK, and Canada. We had a quick meal at the Japanese quick service restaurant Katsura Grill but we also tried this Violet Sake (which I loved), a frozen sake, some wine, and some sweet snacks. Naomi picked her own pearl in Japan as well.
Since we went during the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, we got to see fun topiary designs throughout the park.
Before leaving, we ate at the Coral Reef Restaurant. It has about 6 million gallons of water and is the second largest aquarium in the USA. There are stingrays, sharks, turtles, and many types of fish in the aquarium. Our table was against the display glass. We both ordered drinks and then we shared an order of coconut fried shrimp and a chocolate mousse bar.
After we rested at the Airbnb for a while, we decided to explore ICON Park which has multiple attractions including a Ferris wheel. We first did these mini escape rooms, and then we headed over to the Museum of Illusions. After we explored ICON park, we headed to Cafe 34 Istanbul for dinner and to enjoy the cute patio.
Day 4, Saturday April 27: Universal Studios/Harry Potter World
We went to Universal Studios only to see the Harry Potter World. We had a blast walking around and trying the butter beer. We also had the park hopper so we rode the Hogwarts Express between the two parks. Naomi didn’t want to ride any of the rides, so I rode alone. Universal wouldn’t let me stand in the normal line with everyone since I was a single rider, but the single rider line was not moving. I ended up only riding the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey but it was a lot of fun. It is a 3D/4D experience ride so you feel like you are experiencing things like the characters would. After Universal, we went out for hibachi at a nearby restaurant for Naomi’s birthday dinner. It was so good, although we didn’t get to eat all of our leftovers as we had to catch a flight early the next morning.
All good trips have an end, and our time in Florida had come to an end. It was so nice to have a girls’ trip and celebrate my friend’s birthday during a long extended weekend!