Weekend Eats- Eatin' and Relaxin'

Saturday was the fifth and final day of my Disney World Vacation. You can read about my days at each of the theme parks:

Magical Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios

I had a wonderful time at each of the parks, but it is really tiring to walk around the parks all day. Who knew having so much fun could be so exhausting? The last day was spent at a slower pace, and we took our time in the morning to sleep in (relatively) and eat breakfast. Of course, I wanted to go for a run, since it was the last day I could run around with this kind of a view:

For breakfast, I got mini Mickey waffles that came with applesauce and strawberry topping. It was actually a kid's meal, since I wasn't feeling very hungry.

We bought the "Water Parks Fun & More" option, which included admission to all the water parks, DisneyQuest (an indoor theme park), the ESPN complex, and mini golf. This deal is worth it if you go to at least two of the minor theme parks in Disney World. We decided to go to Typhoon Lagoon for half the day.

The water park had a large wave pool in the middle, surrounded by "beaches". It was so nice to lie down in the chairs and soak up the sun. Gotta get my beach tan on.

I swam around the wave pool, swam with some fish and sharks, chilled in the lazy river, and went down a couple of water slides. A couple of hours playing in the water was enough for me, and I just wanted to relax on the "beach" with a cocktail in hand for the rest of the time ;)

Got a chicken wrap, chips, and a beer for lunch. What the hell, I gave up trying to eat healthy at Disney World. It was my last day of vacation.

We headed to Downtown Disney for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We should have went earlier, since there was so much to do! I've been to Downtown Disney in the California Disneyland, but this one was about three times bigger. So many restaurants, shops, and entertainment centers. I could spend a whole day there.

I got one of the famous Disney character caramel apples. I chose Minnie Mouse, and shared it with the family when we got home. Way to make something healthy unhealthy, Disney! It was delicious.

We didn't go to Planet Hollywood for dinner. I just took this picture because I thought it looked cool.

I highly recommend making reservations for any of the restaurants in Downtown Disney. It gets so crowded and I imagine the wait times are ridiculous. I made reservations to Paradiso 37 for dinner. It was "Americas" themed, and the flavors were more Latin/South American. There was steak, burgers, burritos, and tacos among many other options on the menu. 

We started with a trio of dips and chips: guacamole, queso, and chili. I ordered a sampler platter for my entree, which included chicken flautas, skirt steak with chimichurri, chorizo, and cilantro beans and rice. Everything was delicious, but I think the steak was my favorite. So flavorful and juicy.

Dessert was a flan, and even though I was really full, I managed to eat most of it :P

Today, we left Disney World and came back to real life. Time to get back to my normal routine. Boo.

Do you go all out when you're on vacation, or do you exercise moderation?

I tend to do the former, as you can see...

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Hollywood Studios

Today is my fourth day in Disney World, and the final theme park to visit was Disney's Hollywood Studio. I wasn't too too thrilled about this park as I was the other ones, but there were still some fun shows and rides.

First was Beauty and the Beast. This 30 minute musical show was very well done, just like the broadway show! Loved the costumes. 

The final scene!

I walked the Streets of America, and saw NYC and San Francisco!

All within a few hundred feet of each other ;)

One of the coolest shows I saw was Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. There were stunt cars and they demonstrated how car stunts are filmed. 

There was an epic chase scene where a good guy was chased by bad guys on motorcycles, cars, and water jets. It ended with a guy on fire and a huge explosion!

What a great shot!

For lunch, I had a grilled veggie sandwich with fries. So much fast food lately...

Of course I had to get a FastPass for Tower of Terror! If you don't know, this ride is Twilight Zone themed, and it's an elevator that takes you to the "Twilight Zone". You go all the way up, and free fall down a few times. If you hate that stomach-in-your-throat sensation, avoid this ride! I got off feeling kinda queasy. I got a great photo from it, though! 

Got a frozen margarita and chocolate covered pineapple for a snack. Gotta live a little, right? 

That's all for today! Tomorrow is my fifth and final day in Disney World, and we're going to the water parks!

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Traveling the World in Epcot

Each day keeps getting better on my Disney World adventure. Today, I went to Epcot, the international-themed park. I felt like I was at the world expo! There was a lot to see and learn about different countries.

When we entered the park, we were greeted by this iconic structure: Spaceship Earth. I actually didn't get to go to the ride, but it's about innovations in space travel. 

My first FastPass was to Mission: Soace. It was a flight simulator, and it really felt like we were flying through space! Right outside is a sculpture of Buzz Lightyear :)

This spring, there is a special exhibit called the Flower Garden Festival. There were garden sculptures all over the park of Disney characters. 

The World Showcase was my favorite part. Countries from all over the world had a small area with shops, restaurants, exhibits, and iconic architecture. The first one I saw was Canada, where I saw a 360 degree video showcasing the sights of Canada. 

I saw Mary Poppins and Captain Hook near the UK. 

In Japan, I saw some cool Japanese architecture, temples, and gift shops full of cute Japanese toys. 

In the US area, we saw a short movie that was basically an over view of American history. It was a bit boring, since it was basically a review of a high  school history class. There was a cool acapella group singing right outside the theatre that I enjoyed. 

I loved the Germany exhibit the most! It brought me back to my days of studying abroad there. I really love German culture and studying the language. There was also beer, which know me, I totally got!

There was a miniature train display, which reminded me of Miniature Wunderland in Hamburg. 

I really liked this mini stein shot glass! Too bad it costs $27! Wtf?!

Next up was China! The area was set up like an ancient Chinese garden/ house. The ponds were really pretty. 

Simba sighting! The Lion King is one of my favorite Disney movies. 

And then I totally pigged out at Cape May, a seafood buffet in the nearby Disney Beach Club Resort. Um, I ate way more than this, and I am not at all ashamed. 

Started conservatively, then got an IPA and a pile of seafood. 

And a plate with more veggies. Followed by about 3 more plates of seafood (not pictured). 

Followed by a plate of mini desserts. Yes, I ate it ALL. 

My stomach felt like it was about to burst, like these fireworks, but thankfully it didn't. 

Another fun-filled day, and now I'm exhausted and going to collapse in bed!

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Scenes from Animal Kingdom

Hello! I am continuing to blog on the road as I'm spending the week at Disney World. Today, I spent the day at Animal Kingdom. I was pretty excited for this theme park!

 It's like a zoo with rides and other attractions! First thing we saw when we entered the park was an enclosure with interesting water birds. This one is a spoonbill. 

One of my cousins got his face painted with a superhero mask. Adorable :)

"Africa"

We went on the safari. I highly recommend this attraction! Just be sure to get Fast Passes, because it's popular. 

The Finding Nemo Musical is also another great attraction. It's a shortened version of the movie, live with some pretty cool puppetry. The show was approximately 40 minutes. 

Went to Tusker House to stuff my face for dinner. It's an African themed buffet and the interior is decorated like a marketplace. 

Another great day! Epcot tomorrow!

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Greetings from Disney World

Happy Tuesday! I'm spending spring break in Disney World, so I'll probably not be blogging much. I'll be posting some photo updates when I get the chance.

We arrived very late last night, and when we finally got to the Carribean Beach Resort, I went straight to bed! Today is our first full day here, and we are spending it in Magic Kingdom. 

I'm here with my younger cousins and aunt. It's our first time at Disneyworld, though we've been to Disneyland in various locations. Magical Kingdom is pretty much the same as Disneyland. So far, we've been to the Haunted House, Space Mountain, and It's a Small World. 

The resort we are staying at is beautiful, too. Just like the Caribbean beach :)

Off to go make some magical memories!

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