Coronado Springs! 02/12/26
The Scavenger Hunt
Morning all, Ash here. Today is a Resort Day. Anth and I both find these days important, because why spend the money to go to a Disney Resort but not take the time to experience it? That’s something you truly need to consider when booking a Disney World vacation. If you’re going to go all day in the parks and ignore the resort, I'd suggest going with a Value Resort or staying off property. If you’re going to take some time off mid-day, or just want to relax in general, schedule a resort day. Taking the time to enjoy what is at these beautiful hotels, regardless if they're a Value, Moderate, or Deluxe, is a treat for any Disney vacation.
We got a quick serve breakfast and then coffees at Café Rix. From there we went upstairs to check in and got a Scavenger Hunt list. Yes! A lot of the resorts have scavenger hunts, or other activities, that are free! We’re not going to list where everything was because honestly, we had a great time working together, playing off the clues given on the sheet, and finding each of the hidden tiles throughout Coronado Springs resort. It took us roughly an hour and half, and we put in a lot of steps, but it gave us a reason to go to the spa at the Casitas, or the other pools on property, hang out at the Digsite pool for a few more minutes, and make our way into the gift shop.
By the way, the Coronado Gift shop, not too bad. It is a typical resort gift shop with Coronado stamped shirts and pants, but there were a few other things that were southwest centric that we liked.
Disney Springs
And we’re off to Disney Springs! I’m wearing a dress while Anth is in a blue mickey T. The shops are so much fun, but nothing beats World of Disney. Anthony’s sister is looking for the newly released autograph and penny books, and we’re dutifully trying to find them for her. Thankfully I found the Penny Booklets at Pin Traders, but I am bummed out that I can’t find the Official 2026 Valentine’s Day Pin. It’s Jasmine and Aladdin. She’s my favorite princess and I’d love to have it.
We swung by the Christmas store to find an ornament for one of our trees later this year, but nothing really made us stop. I do love this store though. It’s so thoughtfully put together. If you didn’t realize it, the store is themed as if you are at the base of a huge Christmas tree with ornaments above you. Once you see it, you’ll see it every time.
At the art store Anthony had to make me stop from buying things. Tomorrow is Epcot, and it’s the Art Festival. I will get art there.
Gideon's Bakehouse... oh the line... sigh. It was a ninety minute wait, which by all measures isn’t bad for Gideon’s, but there’s more to explore.
We made our way around the corner and went to The Ganachery. Anthony was ready to get a ton of chocolate, but I steered his sweet tooth in a different direction. The cutest smore of all time was split between us. The chocolate was so rich and sweet. Almost too sweet. To be honest, between the Mickey Waffle Breakfast, the sweetened coffees, and a few other snacks, the mid-day dessert just felt like it was a bit too much as the air started heating up. That being said, wouldn’t have changed a thing because the food and drink were so good.
From there we went down to the Coca-Cola. We bypassed the shops and took the walkway straight to the top. I wanted to get us a spiked drink, but turns out they only serve mocktails. We ended up splitting a Orange Cream Float, which you’d think we would have learned our lesson to slow down with the sweets, but we did not.
The Digsite
We were going to get lunch at Disney Springs, but then we remembered that Coronado has the biggest hot tub on Disney property. Anthony has a thing for hot tubs, my fault, and he said let’s go back to the pool, get lunch and chill. So here we are, back at the Dig Site getting food from Siesta Cantina. Let’s just say that for pool food, this was absolutely amazing. Anthony had the Southern Crunch Quesadilla while I got the Island Mojo Shrimp Tacos. It was so good to just eat “real” food instead of sweets. For drinks we got a Paloma Picante, the Island Dragon, and Sunset Siesta, and shared them.
Now the hot tub would have been great, but it was full. It’s a twenty-two person hot tub, and there were plenty of people hanging out and relaxing. No bother, we grabbed some chairs and ended up making some friends by the pool. It was so nice to simply relax.
Artist’s Point
Anthony here, and now it’s time to talk about one of my favorite places in all of Disney, the Wilderness Lodge. Ash had never been here, and I was so excited to take her. Going to Artist Point was her idea, but I wanted to show her this beautiful resort. We got dressed, Ash wearing a blue dress, a red apple purse, and a red bow, making her match Snow White herself. I did my best modern take on Prince Florian by wearing blue dress pants, a brown belt, white button down, and a blue vest. Were we overdressed? Who cares? You only live once. We hopped on the bus to Magic Kingdom, then went over to the boat launch to Wilderness Lodge.
After arriving at the dock we walked through the pool area, me pointing out the geysers and the waterway that flows from inside the lodge itself, outside and down into the large swimming pool, then out and into the lake. The imagination and engineering it took to piece that together is so amazing and you can't help but feel like you're somehow closer to Yellowstone. We walked inside, up the ramp and into the expansive main lobby area. I love the music playing in the background, and there's a flutter in my heart when the music to A River Runs Through It starts playing.
The Lodge's gift shop isn't as big as the Contemporary or Jambo House at Animal Kingdom, but I still feel that the Wilderness Lodge is a solid gift shop with western themed gifts that help make the atmosphere of Wilderness Lodge all the more special.
We were a little early to our dining reservation, but checked in and got seated right away. Now this is a different restaurant, not only because of the character dining, but also because of the way the food is served. The appetizers and deserts are shared, while the entrees are chosen by the individuals. The shared food is brought on a neat leaf style platter, the appetizers being a shrimp cocktail, meat balls, and mushroom soup. I ordered the prime rib, and it was one of the best steaks in my life. Maybe it was because I was craving something salty from the sweets we had eaten throughout the day, or meat was cooked just right, either way, the food was excellent. Ash had the beef stroganoff, which she devoured. Drink wise I had the Smoking Mirror while Ash indulged in the Enchanted Apple.
While the thought of more sweets made us contemplate life choices, we absolutely were not going to turn these away. The Poison Apple, a chocolate apple-mousse tart was absolutely delicious. The Fairy Tale Gooseberry Tart is something I might ask for on my deathbed, mainly because I'm a sucker for apple pie and apple dumplings. The Miner's Treasure, a cookies and creme panna cotta on sponge cake was perfect as well. To top it off your server brings a smoking box that contains the Hunter's Gift to the Queen, which is a ganache heart and cracked maple corn.
What's great about the experience is that you feel like you're in the woods. There's leaves and tree branches, the lights among them, the experience is unlike anything else either of us have experienced. The characters coming around were so much fun, and for me it was a delight to see Ash beaming a smile the entire time. One thing to note, is that when you do go, Grumpy, Dopey, and Snow will come to your table. They may be close to you and then have to run off for a scheduled break, or to take part in a walk through with the Evil Queen. The kids might worry, but they will get back on track from where they left off. When it's your turn to meet the Evil Queen your server will drop off a card and tell you that you can go up when your party is ready. A Disney Photo Pass member will be there to take your photo's, and the Queen will detest you, as she should.
This part is for future Anthony and Ash. After dinner we made our way down to the dock to await the boat. As soon as we got there the fireworks at Magic Kingdom started, and by happenstance we had a memorable moment. We stood there, shivering as the cold air swept off the lake, but in awe at the starbursts overhead. After the show we got on the boat but heard music coming off the lake, and saw weird lights. I was confused, but Ash snapped upward in excitement. It was the Water Pageant! I never knew it existed, but Ash was transported twenty years into the past, during her first trip to Disney. It was a sacred memory to her, one where she had arrived with her sister during her sister's Make A Wish trip. I put my around around her shoulder, realizing that Disney Magic is real.
I hope you all have these sacred moments happen in your lives from time to time. I hope that if they do happen, you have someone to share them with.
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