
Lodging: We stayed at the dolphin side of the Disney Swan and Dolphin resort. The hotel was very nice and I had been there once before for a business trip so I knew it would be easy access to the parks. The resort is on the Disney property and has boats and buses that take you to the parks. We were walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios but preferred to take the boat into Epcot most days. The hotel is also next to Disney Boardwalk which has some neat shops and restaurants to eat at. Our room was just ok. It was all Michael Graves décor which was popular about a decade ago but felt dated now.

Dining: We had some great meals and some not so great meals. We did reservations in advance at several restaurants that we really wanted to go to. We had German food at the Biergarten Restaurant, Chinese food at the Joy of Tea, Japanese at the Katsura Grill, French desserts at Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie and Italian at Via Napoli. I think I enjoyed the Joy of Tea the most, strangely it was the cheapest and was a walk up stop. We did get Dole Whips at Animal Kingdom and they are just as good as people say and perfect for a hot day. We also managed to venture out and eat at one of my favorite restaurants (for a chain), Bahama Breeze.
Shopping: We did get to do some fun shopping. We went to several Sanrio Stores to fill up on Hello Kitty and friends. The girls & I went a bit nuts. We hit up IKEA but only bought a few décor items this go around. At Epcot Japan, we hit up Mitsukoshi which is a mall full of Japanese goods. There was tons of Sanrio and San-X items. Plenty of anime and manga; One Piece, Domo, Pokémon, Mario, etc. Lots of Studio Ghibli items including a $55 stuffed Totoro that Penny insisted we get and whined for the entire trip. We finally gave in. There were also plenty of kitchen items (yay, more bento supplies), stationary, beauty products, home decorations as well. Lastly, there was a huge area of Japanese snacks and candy. We stocked up again. No DIY kits but lots of gummies and hard candies. There was a mall in Epcot China that we liked as well. The girls found some panda stuff that was really cute. We also discovered a new beverage, grape juice with pulp by Wei Chuan. This stuff is seriously good. Lots of grape pieces.
The trip seemed to fly by very fast and I honestly wasn't feeling so great as I was still recovering from ear infections. While it was a good time, I think we've had our fill of Disney for awhile. Josh & I are planning to take a trip just the two of us this fall and I have to say, as exciting as the trip was, I'm looking forward to getting away and relaxing next time. A beach, a margarita, and a cool breeze.
I had a dream to visit disney land when I was a kid but couldn't get a chance but I will not let my kids only have dream about it, I gonna fulfill it with my kids. Thanks for sharing your experience with us through this post
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