The Pool at Disney's Grand Californian

One of my favorite parts about staying at the Grand Californian at Disneyland was the amazing pool area. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time out there this trip, but trust me - I'll be back! So many great places to lounge, read, watch the kids, etc. It's a large pool area; there are three separate pools, including a waterslide, a hot tub and a shallow area for little ones who like to splash around.

You can also rent poolside cabanas for the day! I neglected to check the price but they looked awesome; a nice covered place to sit, beverages, towels, etc - perfect for a hot California day!

What Disney resort pool is your favorite?

Have a magical day!

My Room at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

About a month ago, I stayed for three nights at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. It was my first time at that resort (crossing another off my list!) and although I'd been to the resort before, I hadn't seen the rooms. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of decor but I really liked it! I wanted to share with you some pictures of my room.

I booked a regular room but was happy to see that when I arrived, I had a King bed, vs two Queen sized beds. So nice!

I felt like the room was a good size. Upon entering, there was a small hallway with a dresser in an alcove, and a coffee maker on top of it. In the dresser was a mini fridge, which was very nice to have. Then I walked in a bit more, and to the left was a sink area, and the toilet/shower room. I love that the rooms have these separate areas; if you're staying with others, makes it VERY nice to have space to get ready in the morning.

I loved the shower - seeing the tiles with some of the Disney animal characters was super cute.

The room itself was very nice, a good layout. In addition to the King bed there were two nightstands, a dresser with a TV, a desk with two chairs, and a lounge chair with ottoman. I also felt like the room had plenty of storage space, as well. I have the Owners Locker and had plenty of room for that, my suitcase, shoes, etc. I hate feeling cramped in a hotel room but this size was perfect.

But, by FAR the best part of this room was the view. Check it out!! How amazing, right?!

On my balcony I had the PERFECT view of the pool area, and see the water just beyond it? Each night about 9:30 I would see the Electrical Water Pageant go by in the water - and I never had to leave my room. It was AMAZING.

The only slight negative was the construction going on at the resort. To the immediate left of my balcony were rooms with scaffolding over top of them; it appeared they were re-painting and doing some cosmetic work on the resort. I didn't think it was bad, but there was some noise in the afternoon.

I LOVED staying here, and would do so again in a heartbeat. Here are some more pictures I took of the room - enjoy! Have a magical day!

Walking Around Coronado Springs

I am falling in love with Disney's Coronoado Springs Resort. I don't know what I didn't stay there sooner! I've been able to stay at Coronado Springs twice in the last 6 months, and I'll definitely be choosing that resort again!

In February, before our cruise, we walked around the resort quite a bit as we didn't have park passes for the few days before going to Port Canaveral. Here are some pictures from that walk-around, as well as a video I took! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Have a magical day!

Pictures from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

Today I bring new some new pictures from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. My co-worker Brook was recently at a conference at WDW, and took some pictures of the newly re-designed rooms at Caribbean Beach.

I think it looks pretty great - I love that they're removing the (old, dated, dirty - blech) bedspreads from the rooms, and doing the duvet covers instead.

Without further ado, here are the pictures! Thanks again to Brook for sharing!

Have a magical day!

Resort Review - Port Orleans French Quarter

This review of Port Orleans French Quarter (referred to from here on out as POFQ) is LONG overdue.  I stayed there for the first time in March, and again for a night in May, and wanted to share my thoughts and some pictures.

To cut to the chase - this is now my favorite resort on property.  I am in LOVE with POFQ!

The theme of this resort takes you right to New Orleans, and you certainly get that vibe here.  The cobblestone "streets", quaint details, the soft jazz music from cleverly hidden speakers and general ambiance make this resort both peaceful and beautiful.  One afternoon I was sitting in my room and heard a "clop, clop, clop" coming from outside.  I opened the door and low and behold, there was a horse-drawn carriage going on the path in front of my room!  Wouldn't that be a romantic way to spend an evening?  Just one of the special experiences that's available at POFQ.

POFQ is a Moderate level resort, and is the smallest of the Moderates.  Without knowing the exact measurements, I would say that this is one of, if not the smallest, resorts at WDW.  I enjoy the wide openness of larger resorts such as Saratoga Springs, but one of my favorite parts of POFQ is how close you are to everything.  Even if you are in the furthest rooms, you are still not more than a 2-3 minute walk, tops, from the main lobby, restaurant, pool, etc.  You are quite close to Port Orleans Riverside, a 5-6 minute walk, if you would like a table service restaurant (Boatwright's) or to enjoy their other resort amenities.

If you have small children, this is YOUR resort. It's very quick to get to the pool, the bus stop, or the food court.  When you are bringing those sleeping angels back to the room after a long day at the parks, you could be off the bus and back in your room in less than 5 minutes.  As I said, I do like the larger resorts but it can be a trek to get back to your room. When you're really hot and/or tired, that extra 5 minutes can seem like an eternity.  With POFQ, you don't have that issue - you're back in your room in a flash!

The rooms at POFQ have undergone a refurbishment and the rooms are just lovely.  The decor is done very tastefully in greens, purples and golds (again, a great homage to the New Orleans / Mardi Gras theme of the resort).  My rooms had 2 queen beds, a table with two chairs, and a split bath area.  There was also a nice, large dresser and a small refrigerator for your sodas and leftovers.  The beds were very comfortable, and the bedding pretty.  Resort-wide, they are removing the bedspreads and instead doing patterned runners at the ends of the beds.  I think this greatly improves the look, while also being more hygienic.

Also, I like to request the corner rooms at resorts.  They are not always able to accommodate this, but I like having the slightly larger room (being at the corner you get a touch more space) as well as two windows.











Here are some pictures of the rooms I had in March and May:

A nice touch in the bathroom - a little ledge at the end of the tub.

I am on a quest to stay at every Disney World resort, but you can bet that I WILL be staying at POFQ again.

Have a magical day!

Resort Review - Disney's Art of Animation Resort: Little Mermaid Rooms

Last week, I attended an Agent Education Program at Walt Disney World, which was a BLAST. Learned a lot, had fun and best of all, got to experience some new resorts!

I arrived the day before our classes started, and decided to get a room at the new Art of Animation Resort.  AoA is near Pop Century, and the area was going to be the 2nd installment of Pop Century: The Classic Years (1940s, 1930s, etc).  However, that never came to be and instead, this area was used for the Art of Animation Resort.

The resort does have Family Suites, which is a great option for groups and/or larger families.  They do also have the standard resort rooms available, and these can be found in the Little Mermaid section of the resort.

I arrived from the airport via Magical Express, and then made my way to the room!

After leaving Animation hall (the main building where check-in, the shopping and dining is located), I took a left and made a short 3-4 minute walk to the room.

As you can expect from Disney, the theming and attention to detail at AoA did NOT disappoint.  It was just spectacular.

(I will be dedicating other posts to the Family Suites - those are INCREDIBLE!)

If you love The Little Mermaid, you will adore this resort.    Of course all the major Little Mermaid characters make appearances, and they're great photo spots!

Look!  It's a Snarfflat!

To get to the room, we walked to the right of Ursula, and down a small walkway.  In no time at all, we got to the room!

If you've stayed at Pop Century, or any of the All-Stars resorts, the room configuration and size is very similar.  

Aren't these shell chairs just the cutest?!  The mirror is pretty great, too.

Even the carpet is cute!

You can buy this shower curtain at the gift shop at AoA, so you could have your own Little Mermaid-inspired bathroom at home.

Notice the lights above the beds?  The light is the pearl, inside the shell!  How creative, huh?!

It was a great room, and very comfortable.  Some have said the walk from the main building at AoA to these rooms is quite a hike, but I didn't feel that way.  It only took 3-4 minutes to get back to the room after getting off the bus, and there is so much to see on your way there, it's a very pleasant walk.

Stay tuned for more room reports and reviews, as well as some dining reviews!

Have a magical day!