Where in the (Walt Disney) World Wednesday-The Villas at the Grand Floridian

As promised, I have some great things to share with you from my most recent WDW trip. Over the 4 nights my mom and I were at Disney we stayed at The Beach Club, Saratoga Springs, and the brand new Grand Floridian Villas. Guys. They are BEAUTIFUL. I died and went to Interior Designer nerd heaven. Lets start from the beginning though before I get too ahead of myself.

The Villas are a short walking distance from the main building of the Grand Floridian. Franck's Bridal Salon and The Wedding Pavilion are your next door neighbors here so there's always a chance you can catch some magical moments being made. 

When you walk into the lobby you are greeted by this adorably Marry Poppins themed fountain. To the left are a few desks where you sit and check-in and to the right is a little seating area and of course a TV with Disney cartoons playing to keep the little ones occupied. 

We made our way up to our room which was beautifully decorated in shades of mint and pale blue. We had a studio which can sleep up to 5 people! The sofa pulls into a bed as does the console-TADA!

The Console Pulls Out Into ANOTHER Bed!

Since it's possible to sleep so many people in the smallest room offered there are 2 bathroom areas that are connected but can be closed off from one another. One central area that has the coolest sink/mirror combo ever.

Selfie!

There's a TV in the mirror!

To the left is a standard shower/tub combo and the toilet. To the right is a beautiful and very large walk-in shower. You have a choice of using either the standard shower head, or the rain shower head coming in from the ceiling. What a rough way to start the day! Do I want to use the regular or rain shower head-decisions, decisions.

I wouldn't mind showering there everyday

Directly across from the bathroom is a little wet bar area that has your standard mini-fridge, sink, coffee maker, toaster, and microwave. 

As if this room weren't amazing enough check out the view of the Magic Kingdom we had!

I spy Space Mountain

When the doors to the balcony were open you could hear the music from the Magic Kingdom and the sounds of the steam train. I didn't find the noise to be disturbing when the doors were closed and we were trying to sleep at night which will be good for those with little ones and anyone who likes peace and quite.

Admittedly, I was never that big of a fan of the Grand Floridian, but the villas have totally won me over. It's in a great location. We were able to walk to the Polynesian for Tonga Toast for breakfast. Though the monorail doesn't stop at the villas, there's a quick walk in a covered walkway to the main building to catch it. 

What I want to know is when can I move into this place? If anyone from Disney is reading I'd like to make one of the new villas into my own personal on property apartment!

Lauren

QOTD: Have you stayed at the Grand Floridian Villas or are you planning to for an upcoming trip? What are you most looking forward to?

I'm Going to Disney World!

I don't know about all my fellow North-easterners, but I am over all the cold and snow that we've been having! After living in Florida for 2 years this has been my first real winter back in NJ and it has been brutal. I have been lacking serious motivation to get out and train for my next half at the end of April. 

Fortunately, I have a little weekend getaway planner to the most magical place on earth to help me make it through these last few weeks! By tonight I'll be in Florida for a mother-daughter weekend and it couldn't have come at a better time! 

I had mentioned previously that my mom is a Disney Travel Planner, so our trips to WDW are often called "work research." Since I'm such a fantastic daughter, I'm always willing to help with this important research. We're excited to ahem research the following this weekend:

-Talking Mickey
-Macaroons in France
-Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches in France (YUM)
-Spice Road Table in Morocco
-Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian
-The Villas at the Grand Floridian

If you couldn't tell from that list we like to eat, we're Italian, we can't help it. Sadly we'll just be missing the beginning of the Flower and Garden Festival so I won't have much to report back to you on that front.

We'll be staying at no less than three resorts between Friday and Monday (holy magic bands batman!). I can't wait to check out the various running trails at the resorts we'll be staying at. A nice run in the warm weather is exactly what I need to kick my butt into gear! I'm also super excited to see how much I walk at the parks with my fitbit (nerd alert). 

Be sure to keep an eye on our Instagram (@halfwaytothecastle) and our Facebook this weekend as I'll be posting pictures daily! 

-Lauren

QOTD: What's your favorite "must do" activity at WDW?

Tower of Terror Weekend Trip Planning

Ever since Kayla and I made the last minute decision to sign up for the Happy Haunted 5K and the Tower of Terror 10-Miler we've gone right into planning mode. I grew up with my mother as a Disney Travel Planner (we get excel spreadsheets of our trip itineraries) and Kayla works a Travel Planner. It's in our blood and nothing excites us more than mapping out the possibilities of our next trip. 

Source

We've made our first big decision to stay at the Wilderness Lodge which we're thrilled about. I have never stayed here before; it's been on my "to stay" list for quite some time. As an Interior Designer I love the theming of Wilderness Lodge. There's just something about walking into that expansive lobby with it's beautiful, sweeping views. We know that this will be the perfect resort for us to unwind and relax pre and post race. 

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With our first big decision made, we still have to map out dining and other activities. On our list is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I've seen the parade before during a cast preview when I was a CP, but I've never experienced the full party. I love that I keep finding new things to try each time I visit WDW. 

We're also looking into some delicious dining options that are new for the both of us. We seriously LOVE to eat, we could (and probably do) plan our trip around where and what we'll be eating. This is another area in which we'd like to branch out. We know at least one whole day will be devoted to the Food & Wine Festival (which is almost better than Christmas in my opinion). We'd also like to explore a character breakfast and a fine dining dinner option as well. 

Even though our trip is still 7 months out we can't help but research obsessively! We'd love to hear from you veterans what has worked for you during TOT (especially those running both races). Until then, I have a quick WDW girls weekend planned with my mom for the end of the month. I'm sure I'll being doing lots of research and reporting back to Kayla while I'm there!

Lauren

QOTD: What is your favorite activity or dining experience while in WDW? 

Welcome!

Kayla and I are going to give this blogging thing a shot! Kayla and I became friends when we were roommates on the Disney College Program. We made so many memories together while living in the most magical place on earth. Now we're living six hours apart but still motivating each other and continuing to build on our friendship.

We discovered the wonderful world that is RunDisney last November at the Wine & Dine Half, our first half marathon ever! We were a little sad we didn't discover it sooner--like when we were living at Disney (that would've been too convenient). Now, we're committed to healthier lifestyles, thanks to motivation from the most magical place on earth.

We want our blog to be a place where we can reveal our Disney Parks tips, tricks and expertise. In exchange we hope you'll learn with us as we navigate the new territory for us that is RunDisney. Along the way we'll also talk about our favorite products we've discovered, some new recipes we've tried, or how our latest workout it going. 

Welcome to our journey from CAST members to HALF marathoners, we can't wait to share it with you!


Lauren


QOTD: What would you like to see on our blog?