The (almost) no park Orlando trip - June ‘25

[smithlane]

Hello and welcome to another of my trip reports - you lucky things
This holiday has only really been thought about for the last month or so. Since coming back from our Hawaiian adventure in October we have had a busy few months with work and life so thoughts of holidays were on the back burner. I have 2 weeks off in June and we just couldn’t decide where we wanted to go, first world problems I know!
Jim fancied Turkey, I vetoed that then I suggested the Panhandle of Florida but Jim vetoed that so we settled on Orlando

So who’s going?

For the first time in a few years it will just be the two of us
As much as I love going away with friends and family, it will be lovely to have some quality husband/wife time! It also makes the planning a whole lot easier when you don’t have to take anyone else into account

So for anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Alicia - 42 and Cabin Crew for British Airways. It’s been a busy start to the year flying wise so I can’t wait for some chill time on a sun bed!

My long suffering husband Jim - 46 and a Project Manager in the Construction Industry. He started a new job just before Christmas that has thrown him in at the deep end so he’s very much looking forward to some time off too

The dates

Even though I have 2 weeks off, Jim can’t quite be away from work for that long so we are going for 9 nights from Friday 13th (unlucky for some!) until Sunday 22nd June

Flights

We will be using my staff travel which some of you know can be hit or miss with what airport we end up flying in to so we have booked our accommodation in Orlando from the Saturday ‘just in case’.
The Plan A will be to fly into Miami as I think we will have the greatest chance of getting a Club seat with it being operated on the A380. The Miami flight also leaves from LHR which is only 15 minutes down the road from us.

I will however be keeping an eye on the Orlando and Tampa flights as well, as you never know how it will pan out!

Accommodation

To break up the drive from Miami we are going to stop for the night in Jupiter and I have reserved a room at the Best Western Intracoastal Inn.

Depending on if Plan A goes ahead, I can always cancel the Jupiter hotel and book one in Orlando instead.

We have then booked 8 nights in a condo in Bahama Bay which is a new to us location. As it’s just Jim and I, we really don’t need a villa and I’ve only heard good things about this resort.
I have booked through Lisa on here who has been a delight to deal with. We are renting one of her 3 bedroom condos and it looks perfect. One room to sleep in, one for the suitcases and one for shopping

Bahama Bay looks like it has fantastic facilities - 4 pools, bbq & picnic areas, tennis and basketball court. A Clubhouse with a gym, lounge area, mini market and a spa.

There is also a beach front area on Lake Davenport with a bar/restaurant called Tradewinds which will come in very handy I’m sure!

Car hire

As we don’t know for sure which airport we’ll be flying into, I haven’t booked our car yet. It will most likely be with Avis or Budget through my work discount and hopefully we’ll get at least a Group F which is a RAV4 or similar or even better a Group L which is my beloved Chevy Suburban

Itinerary

As this is meant to be a chilled break away we don’t have many firm plans. There will obviously be golf arranged for Jim and I have agreed to drive the golf buggy for him
He is planning to play one round in Jupiter the morning after we arrive, one in Celebration and the last in Southern Dunes.

So in exchange for my marvellous golf buggy driving skills and keeping him company on the course, I have roped him into agreeing to a 4 park 1 day challenge

4 parks 1 day!

I am still in the throws of planning this day and I want to get it just right. As it’ll be our only park day I don’t mind cramming a lot in but I also don’t want to be rushing around like a lunatic!
If possible I would like to go on at least one ride or attraction, have one snack or drink and get one PhotoPass in each park.
We will probably use Uber today instead of driving as we will be starting in one park and ending in another plus cost wise I don’t think it’ll be much more than the eye watering parking fee!

We are aiming to start at Animal Kingdom and will ideally get there for rope drop. I would love to ride Flight of Passage but if the queue is too long then we’ll head for Expedition Everest instead. Maybe a ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris too. We’ll stop for breakfast along the way at Creature Comforts - the Colossal Mickey Cinnamon Roll will be my breakfast of choice!

Once we’re done at AK we’ll get the bus to Hollywood Studios for park no. 2!
I’m going to get us ILL’s for Ride of Resistance. I have visited Galaxies Edge before in 2022 but this will be Jim’s first time and as he is a huge Star Wars fan he’s most looking forward to this.
Even though I’ve seen the new land I am yet to go on either of the rides so will be nice to experience it together.
If time permits we would like to do Tower of Terror too as that is my fave HS ride!

We’ll aim to have lunch here at either Woody’s lunchbox or Backlot Express and dessert will 100% be a Jack Jack cookie

On to Epcot now by way of the Skyliner which will be another first for us.

I’ll aim to get another ILL for Guardians and also hope to do Ratatouille or possibly Mission:Space.

Not sure about food here yet but maybe a snack from one of the Countries around the World but definitely a frozen martini from France!

Once we’re done in Epcot we’ll get the monorail to the TTC then either the monorail or ferry over to Magic Kingdom.
I would love to ride Tiana’s and Tron but I’m realistic in my expectations and if we only manage one thing, it has to be the Happily Ever After fireworks!

If we have any energy after and the queues are shorter we’ll try for a few extra rides, possibly Big Thunder which is always fun after dark.

Food wise it’s got to be a Chilli hot dog from Casey’s Corner with a sundae from Plaza Ice Cream Parlour for dessert!

I’m sure we’ll be dead on our feet by now so will get an uber from the TTC back to Bahama Bay.

Food

We have a few firm favourites we want to revisit - namely Millers Ale House which is always our first night tradition, Bahama Breeze for their Buttermilk Chicken and Longhorn Steakhouse for Flo’s Filet with a loaded jacket potato!

For breakfast we will go to Keke’s where I notice they have a new location on the 192 which will be handy for us and their turtle stuffed French toast is to die for!

Another favourite is First Watch and of course Cracker Barrel. Jim doesn’t particularly rate the breakfast from here but I like the shop attached so tough luck

After golf at Celebration we will head for a late lunch at the Town Tavern which we’ve always had great food at.

We’ll also have a day or evening in Disney Springs so looking at the Polite Pig for a meal or maybe a return to Blaze as I love their pizza. I’ve just got back from Bahrain and they had one of these in the mall which we had for dinner and was delish as usual.

I’m not sure if we’ll get to The Cheesecake Factory but if we visit Mall at Millenia then I will at the very least be getting cheesecake to takeaway. I’m still making my way down the list but their Key Lime is one of my favourites so I might just have to get 2 slices to try a new one too

Some new to us restaurants, thanks to reading Michelle’s (Sparksy74) dining reports will be Lazy Dog and Coopers Hawk Winery which we’ve still yet to visit!

Jim would like to go for drinks at the Tin Roof as they have live music which we’ll probably do after dinner at Coopers as it’s only a short walk down the road on International Drive.

I would love to do the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive so if we manage it then will stop at Winter Garden for food which is another new to us place.

This still leaves a few days with no plans but we certainly won’t starve! There is the onsite restaurant Tradewinds or we might get a takeaway of chicken tenders from Publix which is always a winner with us.

Shopping

Now for the best part
One of the big perks of my job is having a Target within walking distance from most of our US hotels so I’m not sure how much I’ll need to get from here but that won’t stop me from visiting!

However I don’t often get to the Outlets so a trip to each of the International Drive ones will be in order.

Other must visit stores will be Hobby Lobby, Kirklands, Pottery Barn, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and Michael’s. Who needs Disney & Universal with a list like that

I’ll get a little shopping list compiled to share with you

So I think that’s all for now! I’ll be back with any changes or additions and of course I’ll keep you posted with how the flights are looking nearer the time, edge of the seat stuff

TTFN

[Mrs Red C]

Looks like a good plan!

Don't forget to pre mobile order your lunch and any other foods etc on your 4 Park Challenge Day. You can book a lunch slot etc, early morning for later in the day, and adjust the timings if your later than you thought. I found this a great option, even ordering ahead for snacks in the next Park as not wasting time once there. 😀

[Sparksy72]

Wooohooo! Alicia your trip sounds perfect, something for Jim (golf) and lots of Shopping and Disney for you! So many delicious restaurants- the menus at Lazy Dog and Cooper’s Hawk have so many amazing dishes, you will be spoiled for choice. 😋 You can’t beat the Key Lime Pie from CF, I struggle to order anything else too. 😆 I am so excited to see what amazing bits you pick up from HL, PB, Michael’s and Marshall’s. I wonder if the Christmas stock will be in by then! 🎄🤩 You are going to have the best time and I am looking forward to following along. 🩷 xx

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Mrs Red C

Looks like a good plan!

Don't forget to pre mobile order your lunch and any other foods etc on your 4 Park Challenge Day. You can book a lunch slot etc, early morning for later in the day, and adjust the timings if your later than you thought. I found this a great option, even ordering ahead for snacks in the next Park as not wasting time once there. 😀

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Ooh good tip, I had completely forgotten about mobile ordering! You can see I’m out of touch regarding all things Disney 😂
Great that you can do it for snacks too, that should save some time along the way 🤞

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

Wooohooo! Alicia your trip sounds perfect, something for Jim (golf) and lots of Shopping and Disney for you! So many delicious restaurants- the menus at Lazy Dog and Cooper’s Hawk have so many amazing dishes, you will be spoiled for choice. 😋 You can’t beat the Key Lime Pie from CF, I struggle to order anything else too. 😆 I am so excited to see what amazing bits you pick up from HL, PB, Michael’s and Marshall’s. I wonder if the Christmas stock will be in by then! 🎄🤩 You are going to have the best time and I am looking forward to following along. 🩷 xx

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Thanks Michelle, yes compromise is key on holiday 😉🤣
I already know I’m getting the braised short ribs from CHW, is that what Adam has ordered before?
Key Lime Pie tastes so much better in Florida, I’ll have to get a slice from Bahama Bay as I love that one too!
I wouldn’t put it past the shops to start having a few Christmas bits out but hopefully Autumn bits too 🤞. Not that I need anything of course but that’s never stopped me before 😂

[Goldia]

It looks like it's going to be a relaxing trip, well apart from the 4 parks 1 day challenge. Lots of sunshine and tasty treats, a little bit of golf and a whole lot of shopping!

Oh and I saw you were considering riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but sadly that is on a year long closure and won't reopen until 2026. You should get lucky with ride times tanking after the fireworks in MK, so if you have the energy to stay in the park then you probably could do both Tiana and Tron.

I'll enjoy seeing your plans come to fruition.

[disney20042012]

That sounds the perfect trip to me - have fun

[Buggles94]

Sounds like you have a fab trip planned Alicia and definitely agree with your choice of snacks - Jack Jack Num Num and Plaza sundae I can also now recommend the Cake Bake Shop and Summerhouse on the Lake cookies - all amazing! We visited friends at Bahama Bay many years ago and it was a lovely resort. They stayed there regularly and were really pleased with it. Agree with Michelle re Lazy Dog - lovely food and extensive menu! Definitely following along and look forward to seeing where you end up flying in to!

[Sparksy72]

Originally Posted by smithlane

Thanks Michelle, yes compromise is key on holiday 😉🤣
I already know I’m getting the braised short ribs from CHW, is that what Adam has ordered before?
Key Lime Pie tastes so much better in Florida, I’ll have to get a slice from Bahama Bay as I love that one too!
I wouldn’t put it past the shops to start having a few Christmas bits out but hopefully Autumn bits too 🤞. Not that I need anything of course but that’s never stopped me before 😂

See more...

Yes, definitely butter up Jim with some golf before the 4 park challenge, you can also buy him beer in Epcot to distract him too. 😉

I had the braised short rib at Cooper’s Hawk Winery, it was amazing! 😋 Adam love the medallion trio with the different toppings/sauces. We are too predictable. 😆

I agree with Nicky, cookies from Summerhouse on the Lake are delicious as is the cake at the Cake Bake Shop on the Boardwalk! Xx

[Nesbits]

So looking forward to reading along.