Trip Report #
Whew. There were a lot of things that changed in our lives between the Shades of Green trip and this one. First and foremost, this was our first trip as DVC members. We bought our contract in August of 2022, and this was the earliest they could get us into the Grand Floridian, our home resort. I was a little sad we had to wait so long, but it was worth the wait, and having gotten into the flow of when and how to book, we’ve only had to wait this long between trips once since (and that was kind of our own doing).
There was, admittedly, also a lot of baggage for me—and for my husband as well, I’m sure—leading up to this trip. This was our first solo trip: the first time we went anywhere—not just Disney—without our kids. It's important to us that our kids get to spend time with their grandparents, and when my father-in-law and stepmother-in-law offered to put a hold on the first weekend of March forever and for always, I wasn’t about to say no.
Still, it was hard: there were a lot of tears (on my end; the kids couldn’t wait to eat infinite cookies and ice cream with grandma and grandpa), but it was so worth it. It was…healing. To be able to take time for ourselves as adults is invaluable, and I stand by our standing March trip with vehement passion.
It was hard to say goodbye, but once we were there, it was nothing short of amazing. It felt like such a beautiful thing for our relationship, and it allowed us to feel so much more confident in letting the kids drive the agenda on the family trips: we had already done what we wanted to do—and gotten our time—and we wanted to let the family trip be the kids getting their time. I cannot express this enough: our solo trips have legitimately helped the mental health of our family unit. Even if you don’t take a trip to Disney for just the two of you, find a weekend to get away. It helps so much.
I also learned from my mistakes from the previous trip: I did every bit of research I was physically capable of. I was, admittedly, overcompensating for the lack of research from our first trip. I created spreadsheets of attractions, places to eat, places to get coffee, shows, etc., at each park. I listed them by neighborhood. I still use these documents when I know we’re going with someone: I look them over and find the things that will meet the needs of what that specific party of people will want to do.
But the most definitive quality of this trip is an obvious one, housed literally in the title: this is the first time we stayed at the Grand Floridian. It was…immaculate. It did not disappoint, in any capacity. We stayed in a newly renovated Resort Studio for the entire duration of the trip. It was…lovely. I simply cannot describe it any other way. It was, quite literally, like living in a fairy tale.
This was the first solo trip that set the precedent for all of them. We booked this weekend as a product of circumstance: this was the first available weekend at the Grand Flo after we bought DVC and my in-laws happened to be free, so we just jumped in and went. But I can’t recommend March in FL enough; the weather is beautiful, the parks aren’t crowded, and it’s just generally amazing. We’ll be there for the first weekend in March for the rest of our lives if I have any say in the matter.
In Review #
Food #
This was the trip where I discovered—and henceforth fell in love with—the Gasparilla. On trips where we don’t stay at the Grand Flo, I still hop on the Monorail and go grab a Gasparilla Burger at least once.
Highlights #
Everything. Literally everything. I haven’t gotten to explore Disney like this since I lived in FL ten years ago, and it was so nice to be able to explore it on our own timetable and do what we want. It had a real nostalgic feel to it for me.
Lessions learned #
We don’t need to do everything every time; we’re going to be back, so it’s okay to have things left on the to do list. But we learned here that it is crucial to create a list of 3-5 things that you want to accomplish on a trip and build the itinerary around that. For this trip, we knew we had desserts we wanted to try, a festival to attend in Epcot, and we wanted to try dinner at the Royal Table. Giving ourselves pillars allows us to have some structure but doesn’t make us feel boxed in.