Friday, February 10th 2017 – Emily’s Pre-Birthday Begins
Those of you who know Emily know that she loves to stretch out her birthday celebration as long as humanly possible, and 2017 was no exception. We official kicked up EmilyFest on Friday night as Emily’s parents were kind enough to have the boys stay the night so we could enjoy date night at Chroma in the new section of Lake Nona. Although the restaurant is still relatively new, we really enjoy going there because the food is delicious and they have a perfect outdoor eating area with heat lamps for the cooler evenings. We shared a few of our favorite plates like the guava and goat cheese flatbread, fries with peanut sauce, and a few others. Chroma provided the perfect opportunity for a delicious and relaxing evening to kick off the weekend.
Saturday, February 11th 2017 – Breakfast at Kona Cafe and Fun at Epcot
Saturday was a jam packed day, as we had both breakfast and dinner reservations at Disney with a fun filled day at Epcot to occupy the time in between. I got ready and picked up the boys from Kee and Colonel’s so that I could bring back the plant that Kee got Emily so we wouldn’t have to leave it in the car all day. Emily was ready to go when we got back to the house, so we buckled in and headed off to our first stop, the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort.
When Emily gets to pick the spot where she wants to eat breakfast, 11 times out of 10 she will pick Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. It really is one of the most amazing places to have breakfast in all of Orlando. We arrived to the tropical oasis that is the Polynesian, parked the car, and were greeted with leis when we entered the restaurant. There is something absolutely magical about the smell in the lobby of the Polynesian that just makes you feel like you are on vacation.
We were escorted to our table and all quite eager to eat. Without hesitation Emily ordered her standard Macadamia Nut Pancakes with a side of ham, as the rest of the boys ordered their typical breakfast fare. The experience delivered yet again, fueling us up for our full day ahead.
After breakfast we walked around the resort a bit and took some fun photos in our Hawaiian leis. Our plan was to take the Monorail to Epcot for our fun filled afternoon, but when we arrived at the Ticket and Transportation Center, the monorail to Epcot was not running. Quick change of plans, we got back to our car and headed over to Epcot so that we could arrive in time for our Soarin’ FastPasses, which we did.
Following our flight on the newly revised Soarin’ attraction (too many jump scares, says the birthday girl), Emily wanted to make our way back to the World Showcase to enjoy the afternoon. Since it was the Festival of the Arts, they had an art themed scavenger hunt around the World Showcase. You purchase maps with stickers at the merchandise shop, then walk around the different countries in the World Showcase looking for themed artwork. When you find the artwork you match the art to the country to complete the map. Once you are finished you can turn the map in for a small gift. We have been doing these ever since they started as they are a really fun way to navigate the countries. We also took the opportunity while we were in the World Showcase to ride the family favorite, The Mexico boat ride. Did I mention they have adult drinks… we got those too!
After working far too hard for such a little gift, we were ready to give our feet a rest. Emily read that there was DVC member lounge set up in the Imagination pavilion up on the second floor, which we wanted to check out. We were really impressed by the offering. After checking in you head up the stairs to an open area that is shaped like a wheel. There are complimentary drinks as well as video games and televisions playing the Mickey cartoons. The boys were in heaven. It was such a nice spot to just chill and unwind away from the crowds.
After enjoying our DVC break we were getting a little hungry since we ate a late breakfast and no lunch. We headed over to one of our favorite spots in the park, the grassy area by Ellen’s Energy Adventure beneath the monorail beam. I went to Electric Umbrella and picked us up some snacks and met Emily and the boys there. We chilled in the grass and the boys had fun running around and building paper airplanes. We followed up our snack break with a ride on Spaceship Earth and a visit to Character Spot before departing for our last stop of the day, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner at Sanaa.
Saturday, February 11th 2017 – Dinner at Sanaa
After a short drive from Epcot we arrived at the welcoming Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort, where Colonel and Kee were waiting to join us for Emily’s pre-birthday birthday dinner at Sanaa. This has become one of our favorite lunch/dinner locations on Disney property, if for no other reason than they have an amazing bread service (see photo above). There are a number of different breads that you can order as well as dipping sauces to combine them with, providing for an amazing appetizer or, let’s be honest, a meal! We enjoyed all that Sanaa had to offer that evening, including some fun desserts. The boys got a worms and dirt dessert that was really fun.
After dinner we headed out the back door to the animal viewing area. Although it was night you could still see a bunch of animals. They had a pair of night vision goggles for the Guests to use to help them spot animals. We enjoyed the evening and the perfect ending to a busy, yet fulfilling day.
Tuesday, February 14th – Valentine’s Day
One of the traditions that we have recently fallen into is going out for Mexican food on Valentine’s Day. Maybe it is because we love the food or maybe it is because my lack of planning results in limited options on Valentine’s Day, but either way we have ended up here. It may have started when Hunter was a toddler and we needed somewhere to accommodate his noise levels. In previous years, we have made the 40 minute drive across town to eat at our favorite Mexican establishment, Taquito Jalisco in Winter Garden. In our constant quest for the world’s most delicious steak taco, Emily found another location closer to our house that we wanted to try, Don Julio Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar.
We arrived at Don Julio just after 6:00 and realized that we weren’t the only locals who were interested in dining at this establishment, as the wait was over 30 minutes for a table. The restaurant is located in a strip mall with a DJ playing tunes outside the restaurant as you wait. There was a cozy couch outside that the boys took the opportunity to chill on while we waited. Our buzzer finally indicated that it was our turn so we headed into the establishment. With as many people waiting to get in, this place had to be good… and it was.
We started out with drinks as Emily ordered a margarita that appeared to come in a glass that looked like it could have housed a manatee. After our wait, I think this was just what the doctor ordered. We of course had to give the steak tacos a try so we both ordered those. We also wanted to take advantage of the table side guacamole service because Hunter loves guac. When the food came it was absolutely unbelievable! The tacos were absolute perfection in a tortilla and the guac knocked our socks off. If any of you live on the east side of Orlando you are doing yourselves a disservice by not coming to this amazing establishment.
After our amazing dinner we drove home where we enjoyed our delicious raspberry cream cheese dessert that Emily made. This is a dessert that we have had for the past few years which you dip cookies in, and it tastes absolutely amazing. Being that we were all beyond full we called it an evening.
Wednesday, February 15th – Emily’s Birthday
We had finally arrived at Emily’s actual birthday, which happened to be on a school/work evening. Emily got to enjoy one of her favorite dinners of roasted chicken that she actually made because she was the one home to put it in the oven, Colonel’s famous pierogies, and a dessert of Sprinkles Cupcakes from Disney Springs. After dinner Emily opened her gifts putting a close to yet another eventful Birthday Fest!
Emily Birthday Fest 2017 Photo Slideshow
