Last month I had the pleasure of celebrating another trip around the sun and decided I wanted to bring 36 in by traveling the world. Disney World that is. After spending a fabulous week in Puerto Rico, I decided to spend a few days in Orlando, exploring Disney World alone, before catching a flight back home.
Stay
With all the trips we’ve taken to Disney, I still haven’t stayed on property, and this one was no different. I enjoy staying in the Disney Springs area because it’s a quick walk over to Disney Springs and I can easily get to any of the parks or resorts once I’m there. I feel like I’m close enough to the action without being in the middle of it.
I’ve really been wanting to stay at B Resort and Spa and this was the perfect occasion because they offer a birthday rate. If you’re celebrating your birthday within the week (before or after), the second day of your stay is only $1. You do still have to pay the $30 per night resort fee but your room rate will still likely be cheaper than any other resort in the area by taking advantage of the deal. Nothing says happy birthday like a deal made special for you.
The building is a bit drab from the outside but it’s like a modern art gallery on the inside with pops of color in the furniture up against the white walls and floor. Around check-in, they offer a cute little set up with signature blue champagne and Shirley Temples to welcome you to the resort, which I thought was a nice touch. One downside, the actual spa portion of B Resort and Spa was unavailable, so I didn’t get enjoy any of the self-care services I would have liked.
The rooms were super cute and include a pullout sofa, which I’m mental noting for future trips with the kids. There was a balcony but the door only opens just enough for air … I’m guessing this is for safety precautions. Something that was a bit of a bummer, the outlets on the furniture. I plugged my phone in to charge before I went to sleep the first night and when I woke up, it had only risen to 57%. I ended up using the outlets in the bathroom for charging purposes.
Outside of getting stuck in the elevator for a few minutes, this was a really good stay. The staff was wonderful and I liked all of the conveniences the hotel offered. The food in the restaurant was quite good and my Unconventional Coconut cocktail was vacation perfection. I can’t wait for the spa to open.
Play
One thing about exploring Disney World alone is the ability to do what you want. Because I had been traveling the week before, I actually just wanted to have a chill day on my first day. I walked over to Disney Springs and caught a matinee performance of Captain Marvel at the AMC Theater. It just so happened to be St. Patrick’s Day weekend, so I enjoyed a traditional Irish meal at Raglan Road Irish Pub. I also realized traditional Irish fare isn’t for me.
I’ve been wanting to experience more of the Disney resorts to scope out ones I’d potentially stay at in the future, so I took a water taxi to Port Orleans-French Quarter and walked around the grounds. I took a slight detour into Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory for some Mickey-shaped Beignets. I’m not a fan of funnel cakes, so generally, I don’t like beignets because that’s how they taste to me but these were really good. Hot, fresh, and perfectly priced at $4.49 for 3.
I took the water taxi back to Disney Springs and hopped on another to ride down to Old Key West. There was really nothing exciting about this one that would make me want to come back. Lovely for a quiet stroll but that’s about it. I decided to take a bus on over to the Magic Kingdom and boat ride to the Polynesian Resort from there.
Polynesian was beautiful. From the sandy beach to the lit tiki torches, it was as magical as I imagined the real Hawaii to be. I spent a lovely hour plus walking the grounds before people watching and charging my phone in the lobby.
I decided to just take the bus back to Disney Springs and grabbed some fish and chips from Cooke’s of Dublin for dinner. I did pay $10 for the huge St. Patrick’s Day party that was going on, but I was too tired to attend, so I headed to the room.
Day two, I knew I only wanted to travel the world eating do Epcot, so that was my big thing. The Flower and Garden festival was happening, which was my first time and a bit weird as I felt like I was immersed in spring but the weather was saying winter with some pretty chilly temperatures.
I had a fabulous time traveling from country to country, enjoying various eats at the outside kitchens. To avoid overspending random wandering, I used one of the booklets that let you know what food and drink to expect at each station – money saver lifesaver. I’ll write more about the festival in a separate post but this was legitimately my entire day and it was glorious, especially doing it solo. It felt like my journey into actual solo travel around the globe, except everyone spoke English, I didn’t need a passport, and I could easily hop from country to country by walking.
I treated myself to a fabulous brunch at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ the next morning after check out. Not only was the food melt in my mouth scrumptious, but the service was also amazing. I sat at the bar to avoid the extremely long wait and even though the bartender was busy, he welcomed my questions, even soliciting the opinions of other staff as they walked up to help me make a more well-rounded meal decision. Poetry snaps to all because I definitely felt welcome and like I was sitting around the table at home – except my parents don’t charge me and normally, I have to cook something.
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B Rate Stay at B Resorts: $270.01
Epcot Entrance: Gifted by Disney
Food for the weekend: About $100 (I had a Disney gift card from using the Shopkicks app)
St. Patrick’s Day Party Wristband: $10
Captain Marvel at AMC: $7.77 online (I’ve since become an AMC A List member)
Bus to Airport from hotel: $2
Return flight on Frontier Airlines: $18.50
