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We loved Coronado Springs Resort and the Sangria University experience! My annual Birthday tradition of a trip to Walt Disney World is still going strong, and our 7th year in a row was epic! This was our first time staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, and it won’t be our last because we are in love! We drove over on my actual birthday – Saturday, August 12, 2023 – and checked out on Monday, August 14, 2023, for this trip.
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Coronado Springs has modern style
Coronado Springs speaks my love language – this massive resort is within the “Disney bubble” with touches of Disney and Disney bus transportation but is themed in a beautiful modern blend of Spanish, Mexican, and Southwest American styles. This sprawling resort has 10 bars and restaurants right on their beautiful property.
Since we are Annual Pass holders, we drove from Tampa reasonably early in the morning and arrived long before check-in. We strolled the entire property and took it all in. They have a fantastic family pool called the Dig Site with a pool bar, quick service food, an arcade, a fitness center, three other leisure pools, and a beach area with tons of seating around the lake. If it weren’t 108 degrees that day, I would have loved to have spent some time in those hammocks!
Disney August Birthday Goals
As pass holders, we can take our trips to Disney a bit more leisurely since we tend to go several times a year; along with the heat index warnings for the entire weekend, we decided to take our time and go with the flow with no real agenda. My only goal for the weekend was to ride the Haunted Mansion, and anything else was a bonus!
Rix Sports Bar
While we waited for our room, we enjoyed Rix Sports Bar mimosas and pretzel bites. I was wearing my BIRTHDAY button, so everywhere we went, we were greeted with Happy Birthday, and our first sprinkle of pixie dust was a decadent cheesecake slice -on the house! Many other restaurants and lounges open at 3 or 5 at Coronado, so Rix was our best option besides quick service meals. We enjoyed the atmosphere, and the food and service were excellent.
Around 1 PM, we could check into our room, so we moved our car from the check-in parking lot outside of Destino Tower (sadly, we didn’t get a room in the tower, but maybe next time!) around to the Rancho area.
Themes at Coronado Springs
Overall, Coronado has multiple areas around the lake with slightly different themes and room types – Gran Destino Tower is where you check-in, and it’s connected to many shops and restaurants; the Casitas area has its own leisure pool and fitness center. The Ranchos also has its leisure pool, and The Cabanas has a beach and hammock area and its pool, too.
Rancho Area at Coronado Springs
The Rancho area of the resort is themed like the American southwest (think Arizona desert), and we were in building 6B on the first floor, very close to our mini pool and the main pool, plus the bus stop. We loved the room – it was simple and modern, clean and comfortable, and more significant than a typical value resort that we have gotten used to. It was perfect for two nights and had a subtle Three Caballeros design. My favorite part of staying at a Disney resort hotel is returning to a cold room and shower after a long day of walking – this did the trick! After some time in the room, we decided to head out and make my only day goal a reality – Haunted Mansion, here we come!
Barcelona Lounge
You can only go to Magic Kingdom as an adult with an adult beverage first. Before we boarded the bus to Magic Kingdom, we stopped by the Barcelona Lounge, which opened at 3 PM and enjoyed drinks with a view. We requested the bartender’s recommendation and loved the Spanish Margarita and a Santa Maria Collins. Now, we are ready to find some happy haunts!
Even though Coronado Springs Resort is vast, we never waited long for a bus. The ride to Magic Kingdom was glorious because we were on an empty bus, and the AC was blaring! Once we entered Magic Kingdom, the reality of how hot it was started to sink in, and our first stop became Columbia Harbour House for AC and a refreshingly buttery lobster roll.
After that, we headed over to Haunted Mansion, which had a 45-minute wait due to Pirates of the Caribbean and Tron being temporarily down. Oh well, it was the only goal, and there we were, so we waited. The line always seems to move faster than you expect, and the queue is always entertaining. You appreciate the dark “scary” chamber you enter with no windows or doors on a hot day with an excessive heat warning. But It was my favorite, as always! We stopped into the Haunted Mansion store, Memento Mori, got our obligatory birthday castle selfie and then rolled out of Magic Kingdom to the next destination. The 2023 Food and Wine Festival at Epcot!
Where do you start drinking about the world?
We took a nice relaxed ride on the Monorail from Magic Kingdom to Epcot and headed straight to Mexico – the only correct answer is to start drinking around the world in Mexico, LOL!
Epcot Food and Wine Festival
We have been coming to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival since 2016, and it is always one of our favorite festivals. We typically have to go 2-3 times to try all the food and drinks we want – everything is so good! The 2023 festival now serves from July 27, 2023, to November 18, 2023, with new booths opening in August and September. Look at those menus and see why we go back multiple times!
We sampled food and drink from Mexico, China, Kenya, and Germany on the first night. This was also the first time we had seen the “new” old night show, Epcot Forever.
Hot Take – I don’t love it – I enjoyed the vintage music and hearing Walt’s voice, but it was just essentially old-timey music set to fireworks over the water – nothing special.
I miss Harmonious and hope they have a new plan in the works because Epcot is the park we spend the most time in. After the show ended, we returned to the bus transportation area and Coronado Springs, took that cold shower, and tucked into cold sheets for the night. Ahhhhhh perfection!
Monorail to the Polynesian
How do you top an epic day one like we had? Well, you sleep in a tad, hop out of bed and onto a bus to Magic Kingdom, then jump on the Monorail to Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
It’s one of my favorite resorts. Even though we have never had the pleasure of staying there, we love to visit. I started the day with my very first Lapu Lapu from The Tambu Lounge– it’s been on my list to try for years, and I figured I would use this special occasion to start my day with a bang (look how happy I am- breakfast of champions)! It was delicious, but I recommend having an excellent breakfast first, or you can be like me and try one on an empty stomach and be swimming before noon.
This led us to Captain Cooks, one of my favorite quick-service spots in all the resorts. We enjoyed the Thai coconut meatballs, the Aloha Pork sandwich, and a stroll through the gift shop. I ended up with new Poly ears before returning to Coronado Springs for another bucket list item and six more drinks at Sangria University!
Coronado Springs Sangria University
Sangria University is something I have heard a lot about through some of the podcasts I listen to and something I knew we would both love because, well – we love sangria! However, we almost always go to the parks on a Thursday or Friday and are not usually still there on a Saturday or Sunday, and those are the only two days of the week they offer this fun experience. Since we planned, we were finally able to make this work!
“Led by our professionals, this afternoon course will discuss the history of sangria and reveal the recipes used to make the four in-house varieties served at Three Bridges Bar and Grill. The lesson is followed by a tasting of the four sangria offerings and will be accompanied by a light appetizer. Best of all, you’ll have the opportunity to make your glass of sangria from a selection of fresh fruits and base spirits!” – from their site where you can book!
It was so much fun! I highly recommend it, and we both learned a lot about the history and the different varieties of Sangria worldwide. In the end, we both made our original sangrias based on what we learned – Mark went more traditional (and STRONG!), and I went with everything grapefruit, which was delicious!
It was the hottest part of the day, so we decided to cool off with a to-go sangria and headed to the more private leisure pool next to our room. We floated for a bit in what felt like 95-degree water and had lovely conversations with fellow locals – it’s always so nice to find other Disney Adults and talk about life’s adventures! After boiling in the pool for a bit, we took cold showers and got cleaned up for our next trip around the world at Epcot!
This time, we hit up some of the booths that aren’t technically in the world showcase and started with one of our favorites from the past – Coastal Eats. Let me tell you – they were already a favorite, but they outdid themselves this year. This is hands down the best food I have ever eaten at this festival, and I cannot wait to return for the Oysters Rockefeller ASAP!
We also loved our food at Flavors from Fire, India, and Spain before we were too full (food) to carry on. We stopped and enjoyed The Fray from a distance at Eat to the Beat in the America Pavilion, stopped in Japan for a Sake Cocktail and Plum Wine and to walk through one of our favorite stores, and then ended the night in France with my famous champagne flight just in time for the fireworks!
We were the last to be served in France, and it required them to open two new (of the three) bottles of Champagne. I was given the corks, which they explained was good luck! “After opening a bottle of Champagne, the cork is slit with a knife, and a coin is slotted into it, transforming it into a talisman that is meant to bring prosperity and lucky to the person in whose honor the bottle has been opened.”
Here’s hoping that luck comes through this new year around the sun! Thanks for reading, and get ready… I have so much Disney content to share from the past and the future – in no particular order!
p.s. All of the custom Minnie Ears and Disney shirts you see in our photos were either purchased on Amazon, Etsy, Hot Topic, Target, or at the official Disney stores! Find ALL of our affiliate links on our SHOP!
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I am a Disneyland fanatic as well. I’m going with my DIL in November to stay on property and the Disneyland Hotel for the first time and we can’t wait. Scooters are a must for us and we jet around the parks like mad and stay for the full day into the night every day. Such a joyful connection to our inner children and the magic that is Disney in general! Can’t wait to see read more about your trips Brittany!
What a delightful birthday. I wish you many many more.