Day One - Friday, July 3, 2015 - Arrival and Downtown Disney
Got in around 8:50pm or so to Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. Some showers were rolling in, so I quickly scurried into the lobby to check-in while the others waited in the car. I haven't stayed at CSR much, so the resort still feels very new to me. I love how the colors pop yet are subtly complimented by Spanish touches. And that lobby area is, by far, the most elegant of the Moderates. While it's no Grand Floridian, it's nice and has a good vibe.
Anyways, check-in went smoothly with us getting our request to be in the Cabanas section. Not only that but we got in the building closest to El Centro! We unpacked our bags from the car and dropped them off at the room before heading to DTD.
Now, we had 9:30 reservations for House of Blues, and considering that we left the resort about 15 minutes before that, I thought making the reservation would be very unlikely. After an unimaginable traffic jam getting into the Orange Garage at DTD, we got to HoB at about 10:15. Even though I thought it was past when dinner service ended, they sat us without hesitance.
I was really surprised by HoB. The atmosphere was upbeat, as I expected, but the food was very good, better than I thought it would be. Plus, the service couldn't have been any better. Our server was incredibly friendly, and the food came out in a timely manner. And, again, it was delicious!
There was fantastic live entertainment too, as one would expect from a place called the House of
Blues I suppose. Overall, the whole experience was a great way to start off the trip!
Afterwards, we took a walk around DTD. Of course, I had to take one of my last pictures of DisneyQuest before it closes sometime next year. Anyways, DTD's transformation into Disney Springs is looking good. With all the construction walls, it's still very crowded and feels even more so, but I'd say a visit is worth it. Just take the bus!
We made it all the way down to the Marketplace where we grabbed some Italian Ice (the stand on the West Side has relocated to the Marketplace within the last few weeks). The rainbow flavor (red, white, and blue) was perfect for Fourth of July, plus it was a good dessert to munch on while others shopped in World of Disney.
I will say I really enjoyed the vibe at DTD and the shopping seems to be getting better (though I'm not much a shopper so I assume my opinion on that is worthless). Now, I'm off to bed for the night. Tomorrow, Independence Day, we'll be hitting MK. Hoping to arrive before noon after having breakfast at CSR. Not expecting much in terms of rides (other than our three FP+) but seeing the fireworks and just being with family will be plenty of fun!
