Disney Split stay with a Siesta (Key) in between! April 30-May 9th

[Toolulu22]

Great pictures of your trip!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Following along!!! I am looking at doing a split stay on our next trip, so I am intrested to see how you liked it.

nd started driving towards Wilderness lodge..I was so excited

That sign always makes me excitied!

We were immediately sat at Geyser Point and were all very impressed with the view

Geyser Point is soooo nice! It was a really nice additional to WL.

My stepmom, my brother Ryan and I walked over to boat dock and a boat was pulling up. We got on and that was the moment I was hooked on WL..I seriously got giddy every time we got on a boat for either MK or the Contemporary

The boat is by far what we love THE most about WL. It is such a nice way to begin and end your day!

Wow! That's standard view? You can see fireworks over the castle! How awesome!!

Right now you ccan, but I have to think that eventually Disney will re-classify those rooms to Water View... or something higher.

break and then used our Peter Pan FP.. I thought the ride was definitely too short and didn't understand the hype but it was my stepmoms favorite ride of the whole trip!

I love Peter Pan, it is just not worth the long wait. We always try and grab a fast pass for it or ride it first thing in the morning.

My dads face on the ride photo made my whole day. He was like a kid again on our trip ( more on that when we get to AK)

It's what makes Disney great!

Prince Eric and Flynn were great.. Ariel and Rapunzel both seemed soft spoken and it was hard to hear them over the noisy restaurant but it was overall a great character dining experience!

Flynn is really the star of this breakfast. We did this on our last trip and it was great! We loved it!

 

[ShelbyK]

We started our trek around WS and didn't really stop much until we reached Japan. My daughter wanted to pick a pearl so we got a ticket and only had to wait about 10 minutes. She picked a big ugly Oyster and got a pretty large pearl. I'm so mad at myself for not taking any pictures but my son kept wandering off to look at Pokemon merchandise and my toddler was getting hangry. She bought a cage for it and we were on our way. We ate lunch in Morocco at Tangierine Cafe and the food was delicious! My husband got the gyro and I got the lamb platter, the kids got chicken nugs.




I stopped in France and got the La Vie en Rose frozen slushy and it was very good and refreshing..just the right amount of alcohol in it. We stopped a few times along the way for photos..







I managed to snag a FP for Soarin on our way out so we rode that (loved it!) And made our way to our car and back to the WL. We spent the rest of the evening packing up and letting the kids swim. We ate dinner at Roaring Fork and I can't even remember what I got now.


Up next.. Goodbye WL..Hello Siesta Key!

 

[BellaBaby]

Several years ago when the kids were little our main trip was to Siesta Key with 1 day at Disney. We loved Siesta Key! It's awesome how the sand stays cool. We will definitely go back at some point. That trip DH said we can't be in FL and not go to Disney. So we got to MK at noon and stayed until midnight. It was an awesome fun day! The kids napped in the stroller during the day and we ended up having a blast! He said that was the quietest ride as the kids and I slept the whole way back, we were wiped out!!

Looking forward to hearing how you liked Siesta Key!

 

[abarriger]

Following along! I always combine my trips with Disney to a trip to the Sarasota area/Siesta Key-- my in laws have a house there. I LOVE that beach.

 

[ShelbyK]

Several years ago when the kids were little our main trip was to Siesta Key with 1 day at Disney. We loved Siesta Key! It's awesome how the sand stays cool. We will definitely go back at some point. That trip DH said we can't be in FL and not go to Disney. So we got to MK at noon and stayed until midnight. It was an awesome fun day! The kids napped in the stroller during the day and we ended up having a blast! He said that was the quietest ride as the kids and I slept the whole way back, we were wiped out!!

Looking forward to hearing how you liked Siesta Key!

Spoiler alert lol..we loved it!
It was the perfect place to chill and get a break from Disney

 

[ShelbyK]

Following along! I always combine my trips with Disney to a trip to the Sarasota area/Siesta Key-- my in laws have a house there. I LOVE that beach.

It is a great beach! We are used to Ocean City and Myrtle Beach and this was just a million leagues above that. I told my husband those other beaches are all ruined for me now

 

[ShelbyK]

We woke up the next morning and I ran down to Roaring Fork and grabbed everyone breakfast and brought it back to the room. We finished packing and made our way to the car. It was bittersweet leaving because I really loved staying at WL but I was also excited to get to Siesta Key. It's a 2 hour drive and we stopped when we were almost there and got McDonalds and then we stopped at Publix for groceries before we finally arrived in Siesta Key! We had rented a 2 bedroom condo at the Palm Bay Club (unit 139 of anyone is interested). Here's some pics of it..







We were on the ground floor and it was about a 30 second walk (when you aren't herding a toddler) to the Palm Bay Clubs private beach. It was SO NICE to spread out after being cramped in a hotel room. I immediately started unpacking and doing the laundry. As we all got settle my husband went out and picked up subs and pizza for dinner and then we finally made it out to the beach and caught the tail end of the sunset...









We all showered and then slept like babies

More beach bliss in next post..

 

[ShelbyK]

The next morning we got up and were out on the beach by 10. This beach blew my mind!!! We had an incredible time...










Ok so you now understand why I was already thinking of ways I could convince my husband to quit his job and move here lol. After the beach we rinsed and got in the pool for awhile waiting for my In-laws to arrive (they were flying in to stay in Siesta Key for 10 days). They ended up being In the condo 2 stories directly up from us so it worked out well. When they got there they were exhausted so we left them to get settled and we went to Outback for dinner and called it a night.

Up Next .. Sarasota Jungle Gardens

 

[BellaBaby]

OMG...we went to Sarasota Jungle Gardens also! My son was about 2 when we went so it was 10 yrs ago, time flies! We stayed at Siesta Dunes and loved it. I remember looking at a lot of condos and it was hard picking. I love your condo at Palm Bay club! It looks big. And that beach is just beautiful!! Really makes me want to go back!
We've become so Disney obsessed we just don't take the time off anymore. We used to take a day and go Cocoa Beach but we haven't done that in a few years now either, but to be fair, we go in June and it's been very rainy the last few years! Easier to just don a poncho and brave the parks!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Man what a contrast from your park days! But I am sure it was amazing! That water looks perfect for the kids to swim in!

 

[ShelbyK]

OMG...we went to Sarasota Jungle Gardens also! My son was about 2 when we went so it was 10 yrs ago, time flies! We stayed at Siesta Dunes and loved it. I remember looking at a lot of condos and it was hard picking. I love your condo at Palm Bay club! It looks big. And that beach is just beautiful!! Really makes me want to go back!
We've become so Disney obsessed we just don't take the time off anymore. We used to take a day and go Cocoa Beach but we haven't done that in a few years now either, but to be fair, we go in June and it's been very rainy the last few years! Easier to just don a poncho and brave the parks!!

Ya this was a pretty long trip for us (10 days) and I think in the future we will have seperate Disney and beach trips but it's so hard to know you are missing out on something else at the same time! My husband vacationed in Sarasota as a kid and he wanted to take our kids so that's why the initial 3 day Disney trip spiraled into this massive adventure, but we loved every second!

 

[ShelbyK]

The next day we went to Sarasota Jungle Gardens. I didn't really know what to expect but it was really neat and the kids loved it. There was a reptile show and a bird show and lots of animal exhibits...





And where else can you just chill with a ton of flamingos?? This was crazy and so cool!




My kids felt bad for this duck because he wasn't getting any attention so they ended up giving him most of the bird food ..


Overall a great place to kill a few hours. Later that evening we went to dinner at The Hub Baja grill and I had delicious and fresh fish tacos and a mango margarita..yum!



How I was feeling after my drink...


Next up... Back to Disney!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

My kids felt bad for this duck because he wasn't getting any attention so they ended up giving him most of the bird food ..

Little do your kids know, that the duck is a scammer and does that all the time to get all the food!

How I was feeling after my drink...

HA! Cute beanie boo! My girls would love that one!

 

[ShelbyK]

Little do your kids know, that the duck is a scammer and does that all the time to get all the food!


HA! Cute beanie boo! My girls would love that one!

My husband is a sucker and every time he was left unsupervised in a gift shop she would come out with a new stuffed animal.. we also came home with a stuffed Yeti, Beast, Sven and some random unicorn

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

My husband is a sucker and every time he was left unsupervised in a gift shop she would come out with a new stuffed animal.. we also came home with a stuffed Yeti, Beast, Sven and some random unicorn

Oh don't worry, we are literally drowning in plush in our house!

 

[BellaBaby]

Your daughter's face next to the flamingo!! That was us...I had never been so near a flamingo and they were a little intimidating, at least to me and the kids. DH was fine. But I am short so maybe that's why.
That Beanie Boo is super cute! LOL at your DH buying so many stuffies!!

 

[abarriger]

I am excited to see your pics of Jungle Gardens-- I have always considered going there but never have. The flamingos are so beautiful!