In a previous post, I mentioned that I used the Disney Bounceback Discount to book a 40h Birthday Adults only trip with my best friend. The trip was incredible and I want to share with you what I think was an amazing itinerary for a “Girls’ Trip” (We are 40 year old women with kids, but I am still calling it a “girls’ trip”).

I had a few goals for this trip, some things I had to skip because of timing (and finances) but for the most part I was able to do all of the things I wanted including some last minute add-ons that were totally worth it! This post is an overview of the itinerary. I will do separate posts to review the events, restaurants, and hotels. 

First, as a reminder, Florida is HOT and I mean SCORCHING in June. I knew this going into it, but it did change how we spent our time and certainly increased the number of showers we took each day (the answer is 3, 3 showers per day…for the good of everyone)

Here is the original generic itinerary for our trip taken from my previous post:

• Day 1: Arrive in the AM; stay at Coronado Springs Resort; Hollywood Studios After Hours
• Day 2: EPCOT; Magic Kingdom After Hours; Staying at Caribbean Beach Resort
• Day 3: My birthday! Magic Kingdom; maybe Animal Kingdom?; Maybe back to EPCOT?
• Day 4: Cry because I turned 40 and I have to leave Disney and go home

This itinerary did change slightly. There were a few (amazing things!) added, and a couple of things that didn’t happen, at least not the way we originally planned it. 

Day 1

AM

• Arrived in Orlando
• Brunch at Grand Floridian Cafe (yum!)

PM

• Massages at the Grand Floridian Spa 
• Headed to Coronado Springs to check-in
• Hollywood Studios
• Drinks at Oga’s Cantina
• Fantasmic!
• After Hours

About a week before our trip we decided to splurge and book massages at the Grand Floridian Spa. We were celebrating our birthdays after all! Since we were getting in early (we took a 5:45am flight from NJ) I knew we would be hungry and in desperate need of coffee when we arrived; I booked brunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe, this way we could just head to one place (the Grand Floridian) for the start of our day. I considered trying to get reservations at 1900 Park Fare (which is also in the Grand Floridian and right next to the Cafe) given all the hype around its reopening, but I decided against it…until I didn’t, and ended up booking it for another day.

I will write a separate post about this entire experience, including the sheer hospitality that we experienced at The Grand Floridian immediately upon pulling into the parking lot. 

10/10 would recommend the Spa and I also think the Cafe is worth a mention! 

We then Ubered to Coronado Springs. I have never been to Coronado Springs (or the Grand Floridian for that matter). Coronado Springs is HUGE. When we checked in they promptly offered us a golf cart ride to our room because it was further away on the property and we had our luggage. We really felt the Disney magic the entire trip. We settled into the room for a bit (showered!) and then we headed to a restaurant on property, Three Bridges Bar and Grill, before going to Hollywood Studios for After Hours. Although there was a lot of walking, the view and property were beautiful.

Hollywood Studios

After dinner we took the Disney bus to Hollywood Studios for After Hours. After Hours officially start at park close, but you can start going in at 7pm with your ticket. I had made reservations for Oga’s Cantina and planned on getting us seats to watch Fantasmic!. We had our favorite drink of the trip at Oga’s and LOVED Fantasmic!.

After Fantasmic!, the park cleared and After Hours began. Also a 10/10 recommendation!

Day 2

AM

• Straight to EPCOT via International Gateway for Early Entry (EE)
• Capture Your Moment photo shoot

PM

• Check-In at Caribbean Beach Resort
• Magic Kingdom After Hours

EPCOT

I had a plan! My friend had never been to EPCOT before and we were going to make it around the world! I think we overestimated our stamina in the heat. It was REALLY hot. The goal was to eat, drink, OR purchase something in every country. We started by getting to the International Gateway for early entry at 8:30am. We Ubered and walked through the Beach Club resort and to the path that leads you to the park entrance.  Unfortunately, there was some sort of issue with early entry. They started scanning people in late and made everyone go in the same direction once inside the park. This made it a little more crowded than we would have liked and it ruined my rope drop plans for Ratatouille. We got a DAS pass for Ratatouille and while we were waiting we headed to Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie for a French breakfast to begin our  eating/drinking/shopping around the world tour. Being vegan I only had one choice – a baguette. My friend got a pastry that she said was OK (she is a harsh critic, though).

Then we went on our first ride, Ratatouille. I LOVE this ride. Last time we were in Disney I park hopped back to EPCOT just so we could ride it a second time. 

Next, we walked to Morocco and got a delicious Strawberry Daiquiri from Oasis Sweets & Sips. We were hot and this frozen drink hit the spot… at 10:20am. We also grabbed some photos with a Disney photographer. I am a BIG fan of getting the Memory Maker when at Disney. Unless you tell me you don’t like photos, and don’t plan on purchasing a single photo from any ride or picture spot, I am always going to recommend getting Memory Maker. 

Then we walked through Japan and stopped in some shops. We bought a few small edible pre-packaged treats and took a few more photos. Then we headed to the next country – America. It was getting close to time for our Capture Your Moment photo shoot and sign in was located at the Kidcot Fun stop in the American Adventure Pavilion. 

Capture Your Moment is a private 20 minute photo shoot that you have to book in advance. In Epcot, you get to pick one country from a select list. After much debate between Italy and Germany we headed to Germany for our photo shoot. This add-on was a last minute decision that I made less than a week before the trip. I actually booked one for Epcot and one for Magic Kingdom on a different day. It was very hot and this is something that would have been great first thing in the morning, but after walking around a bit I didn’t feel like my best photogenic self. We had fun with it and I am glad we did it. I will do another post about this experience. 

We continued through the countries picking up souvenirs and trinkets along the way. I got a pretzel in Germany which normally I LOVE but this one was very dry. Here we waited on a short line to take pictures with Snow White. 

We picked up some cute trinkets in China. Then we made it to Norway where we went on Frozen Ever After (I also LOVE this ride). The line for meeting Anna and Elsa was too long so we kept moving! 

I was VERY excited to visit Mexico. This is one of my favorite spots in Epcot. I love the Gran FiestaTour Boat Ride and the vibe inside the Mexico Pavilion. This time around I was extra excited to be going into the pyramid because I was on the hunt for special souvenirs for my daughter. She LOVES Three Caballeros. When we went in January, there were not many Three Caballeros souvenirs. She got a tumbler that she loves but I knew there was more. Since our trip I had been watching and researching to see if there was new merchandise and soon after our trip they put Loungefly backpacks, ears, and a variety of other Three Caballeros themed merchandise in EPCOT. So I was on a mission! It was a successful (and expensive) mission. I picked up the Loungefly, a Three Caballeros stuffed animal, and a shirt. I had them shipped to my house because I didn’t want to carry them around or try to stuff them in my carry-ons. I had all of my souvenirs shipped directly to my house this trip, it was just easier. 

We took the little Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride which never has a wait of more than 5-10 minutes. I find it so relaxing. Then we had lunch and a frozen mango margarita at La Cantina de San Angel. The margarita was STRONG (for us). 

We made our way around to Canada and the United Kingdom. I was particularly excited about the UK because that is where you can find my favorite character, Alice. First we went to the back of the UK where you can find Christopher Robin’s room and take a picture with Winnie the Pooh. Sometimes there is another character (like Rabbit) with Winnie, but not on this day. We then went out to meet Alice. While waiting online it looked and started to sound like the skies were going to open up. It had already drizzled a little, but this is Florida and in the summer it rains daily. You just don’t know if it is going to be rain or a thunder storm. As I was going to take my picture with Alice, it started to drizzle and I got my picture in right before they shut the line down. Alice said “I do think we may want to move quickly.” 

We had early dinner reservations at Rose & Crown but I walked across to the restaurant and canceled those. We had a late lunch and wanted to head over to our new hotel, Caribbean Beach Resort, before going to After Hours at Magic Kingdom. When it started to rain we went into some shops this is where I got in a lot of trouble spending money, especially on a Pandora special edition Alice in Wonderland charm. I also found many things I would have LOVED to buy (particularly Mary Poppin themed) and didn’t. I also got an Alice teapot that I had that shipped home. 

Now, one of the reasons I wanted to stay at Caribbean Beach resort is because it is on the Skyliner. This is such an easy way to get to Epcot and and Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, because of the lightning, the Skyliner was down. We waited a little bit to see if the Skyliner would start running again, but eventually they said they would be getting buses to get people to skyliner resorts. We decided to walk a little in the rain back to the Beach Club Resort and get an Uber from there to Caribbean Beach Resort. 

When we got to CBR we had another amazing check-in experience. They were about to take us to our room in their resort van, and the driver told us that our room was far from the main building and on a second with no elevators. This was a problem for us due to some medical issues, and he got on the phone and had our room switched. Magical!

We got settled in our room (showered!) and got ready to head out to Magic Kingdom for After Hours. We stopped at the resort quick-service restaurant, Centertown Marketplace. Here we ended up having what we both decided were our favorite meals of the entire trip! I had a plant based taco that was DELICIOUS and my friend had a burger. 

We checked-in for After Hours at Magic Kingdom around 8:30pm. While everyone was finding spots for the Happily Ever After Fireworks show we got on Peter Pan’s Flight and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. We also got a DAS Pass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Unfortunately, something happened and the ride shut down for the rest of the night until mid day the next day. We walked around and watched the fireworks. Then when everyone left we headed to the carts to get our After Hours treats. Then we went to the Haunted Mansion. We walked around the stores and watched the special After Hours fireworks on mainstreet with no crowd. It was amazing! We also took some pictures with the Mouse himself, Mickey!

Day 3 (My Birthday)

AM

• Get Virtual Queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• Breakfast at 1900 Park fare
• Magic Kingdom

PM

• Capture Your Moment Session
• Dinner with the Evil Queen at Story Book Dining at Artist Point

Our original plan was to get to MK for Early Entry. But after two very late nights, one of which was at MK, we decided instead to try and get a breakfast dining reservation. At 6pm the night before I decided to see if 1900 Park Fare had any breakfast reservations available for my birthday the next day. And they did! Dining reservations are so tricky at WDW but people cancel all the time and if you check you can sometimes snag something great. So instead of doing EE at MK we had an 8am breakfast reservation with Aladdin, Mirabelle, Cinderella, and Tiana. The food was good, the atmosphere was great, and the birthday mimosa was delicious. Then we headed to the park. 

I should also mention that my birthday is June 28 and that happened to be the day that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened to the public. That morning I loaded the My DIsney Experience app at 6:55am and started refreshing for the virtual Queue as soon as it would work. And I got a spot!

I was really excited. My goal was to ride the new ride on my birthday!  

After our breakfast we went to MK via Monorail from 1900 Park Fare. On the way we stopped and took a photo with Chip and Cinderalla’s glass slipper. 

Magic Kingdom

When we first entered the park the first thing we encountered were the lines for the Emporium. People were waiting for the Tiana merchandise that was released. There were cast members standing outside with a menu of available items inside the store and when we got their around 9:45am I would say the wait was about 40 minutes. We wanted Tiana merchandise, she is a favorite our daughters. But we didn’t want to waste our last day waiting online to buy merchandise. We decided we would come back later in hopes of the line being much shorter.

We went over to Starbucks on Main street inside the park. The line was long but it went fast and while we were waiting we got to see/hear the Dapper Dans make their way down the street. Then we caught the tail end of Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire in front of the castle on our way to Fantasyland. I had seen videos and read that Alice AND the Mad Hatter sometimes did Meet & Greets in front of the Tea Cups, I dragged my poor friend in the heat and they were there! I was so excited. I got the last spot in line and this interaction was one of the highlights of my trip!

We were scheduled for our Capture the Moment photo shoot in the park around 1pm. But it was hot, we were tired, and we were not in the best shape for pictures. So I called and canceled. We knew that although it would be amazing to have a private photo session inside MK they would not be great pictures. 

We were waiting for our boarding group to be called for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and trying to figure out what to do. We started to walk in the direction of the ride. THere was a new photo opp right in front of the ride so we waited on line for that and this produced one of my favorite pictures from the trip (despite how sweaty and tired we were!). While we were waiting there, the Adventure Friends Cavalcade made it’s way down that street. It was a really fun parade to watch!. Unfortunately, it started to rain before our boarding group was called and the they stopped the ride. We waited in the area of the ride for awhile but then decided that we were willing to walk in the rain a little (and it was raining pretty hard) and go to another area in the park to try and get on a few more rides or see more shops. 

We went over to Tomorrowland and took out some aliens on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. After this the rain calmed down a bit (but they weren’t calling boarding groups yet) so we went over to Fantasyland to checkout the Little Mermaid. The line for the ride and meet & greet were both too long and the DAS pass and LL availability was too long. We started chatting with the cast member in front of the Grotto who complimented my ears and our shirts. She just said “happy birthday” and let us in to get some pictures with Ariel even though we didn’t have a LL pass for it. Magic! I was sure to put in a cast compliment for her (and many others on this trip).  

After meeting Ariel they had started calling Boarding Groups for Tiana again. They were at the group before us and we weren’t sure we had the energy to make it all the way over to the ride. We had dinner reservations and we wanted to go back to the resort beforehand.  We came to the decision that we would not do the ride. It was disappointing but I am happy we made that decision. Instead we walked over to Seven Dwarfs Mine train and I explained to the cast member that I had a DAS pass the night before but then the ride shut down and stayed shut down until now. He scanned our bands and let us in the lightning lane entrance! Magic! 

We made our way toward the exit with the intent of walking through some of the shops on Main Street on the way out as these would be our last moments in the park; and we were hoping that the line to get Tiana Merch would be shorter (it was now about 5 hours later). We forgot that the stores on Main Street are connected and suddenly we were in the middle of all of the merchandise and never had to wait on a line to get in the store! We picked up cute bags for our girls, watched the Festival of Fantasy Parade, and got on the bus back to the resort. 

While we were at MK I took a look at dining reservations and there was a later time available for Story Book dining (see always check!). So I changed our dinner to a later reservation to give us more time in between. My friend rested at the resort and I hopped on the Skyliner and back to Epcot to see the new things in World Celebration and get on some rides we missed earlier. I know it isn’t always a fan favorite, but I LOVE Figment, going on that ride brings back such good memories. I rode Journey into the Imagination, Soarin’, Living with the Land, and Nemo all within an hour. During this time it was POURING and I got soaked but I had such fun exploring the park by myself and seeing new things. 

Our final excursion was for our birthday dinner at Story Book Dining. I have never been to Wilderness Lodge before. I was very much looking forward to experiencing Grumpy, Dopey, Snow White, and especially the Evil Queen. While the food left a little to be desired especially for my friend, we enjoyed our drinks, and the atmosphere. Meeting the Queen was unforgettable! 

Day 4

• Cry because I am 40 and I don’t want to go home
• Leave Orlando

On our last morning I went and sat on one of the beaches at the resort for just a little bit. Then I went and picked up some breakfast for us. There I witnessed the cast members singing and clapping to welcome in the guests who were checking in. Magic!

I did have to let go of going to Animal Kingdom and the Wild Africa Trek. It is something on my bucket list but I did so many other fun things and I don’t regret that decision at all! 

If you like Disney, I HIGHLY recommend planning an adults only friends trip, bachelorette party,  40th birthday celebration…anything…at Disney. The combination of relaxation and Disney fun was something I will always remember.