It’s morning on our first full day! We begin with pastries and Joffery’s Coffee (not the best coffee by the way). With our bellies full we hop on the bus to Hollywood… Studios that is!
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Hollywood Studios during this time of change has really become a half day park. Definitely keep that in mind if you’re planning a trip before Toy Story and Star Wars Lands.
We started our day with a purchase. We had to pick out our ears. You cannot walk around Disney without ears.
Ears in hand we headed to our first fast-pass; one of the only rides of the a day that could make us lose our ears., the Hollywood Tower of Terror (the line for Rock N’ Roller Coaster was already too long 15 minutes after the park opened).
I should mention that I love Tower of Terror when the ride finally drops you, but leading up to that drop you would think I was a 5 year old going on it for the first time. I freak out and keep saying I’m going to get off the line. Our ride photo is proof of my silly fear, but I seriously love this ride.
Our next fast pass was Toy Story Midway Mania. I’ve been to Disney World two times since this ride opened and this was my first time riding it. It was so hard to get fast passes with the old system and the line was always so long. We get the hype now. I think Tom and I had the most fun on this ride. It’s a bunch of 3D carnival games and it whips you around. We laughed and laughed. It was just awesome!
Afterward, we walked around for a bit before heading over to Backlot Express for lunch. There we devoured sandwiches and cupcakes. My cupcake had Thumper on it! He is my favorite character and you don’t see him around the parks much so this was very big deal for me.
After lunch we hit up the One Man’s Dream, Muppets, and The Great Movie Ride. We strolled around to check out some of the Star Wars interactions. The stormtroppers are fantastic. If your child loves Star Wars this will put them right into the universe and Star Wars Land isn’t even open yet.
All Star Music
Back at our hotel, we enjoyed drinkie-poohs by the pool (prepared by our bartender named Gaston!) and a refreshing swim. Afterwards, we got cleaned up for our dinner reservations.
MAGIC KINGDOM
After our swim we made a quick pit stop at the Magic Kingdom, just to say hi. We needed to catch a bus to the Caribbean Beach Resort there anyways. Plus any excuse to get a peak at that Castle!
SHUTTERS
Our second dinner was enjoyed at Shutters in the Caribbean Beach Resort. This was our first time to both the resort and the restaurant. You must check out the resorts when you visit Disney. They are beautifully themed just like the parks. The details in this resort are incredible.Whenever I stay at a moderate or a deluxe with my family, we really enjoy cocktails in the lobby. Tom and I probably wouldn’t stay there because of their lack of lobby seating (you know… for drinkie-poohs), but it’s definitely worth checking out!
Shutters is an American restaurant with tropical flare. The atmosphere is nice, but nothing like Spice Road Table. Even with a reservation we had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. This was one of Tom’s favorite meals of the trip. He ordered the scallops, which no longer seems to be on the menu. It was a generous portion and also had rock shrimp. I really wish we could remember everything in it. I ordered the Borinquen Island Pasta with Shrimp – Chorizo Sausage, Piquillo Pepper Cream Sauce, Spinach, and Goat Cheese. I really enjoyed it. For dessert, Tom ordered the Key Lime Cheese and I had the Banana Bread Pudding. This was my FAVORITE dessert for the whole trip. It had a fantastic run caramel sauce on the side which I poured all over it.
Review: I give Shutters 4 out of 5 stars. The food was very tasty, but the wait after making a reservation 90 days in advance was a little annoying. It is currently under refurbishment and I hope that means a slight change in the layout of the space.
After dinner, we got on the bus to Disney Springs. We were really excited to see the changes that were taking place.
After a little window shopping, we decided to stop into Jock Lindsay’s Hanger Bar for some craft beer. This was an awesome experience. We both enjoyed a local Florida brew from Florida Beer Company while looking at all the fun Indiana Jones theming. I couldn’t finish the beer, (so full from dinner) so our waitress offered me a togo cup.
We waited a long time for a bus back to the All-Stars, but once back in bed, we quickly fell asleep.
The Cocho Life 
Love your ears! Remembering my first trip to Disney with your family. We had a blast!
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Disney is magic 🙂
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