My partner and I take an adults-only trip to Disney World every year—just the two of us, eating and drinking our way through EPCOT and soaking in the magic at our own pace. This year, though, our trip almost didn’t happen. With tickets booked, bags packed, and alarms set for our early flight, we were ready—until I opened the flight app and saw the dreaded word: cancelled. 😱💀
Once we got over the initial shock that our departing flight had actually been cancelled, we kicked into overdrive trying to rectify the situation. My partner jumped on both the chat and phone line with customer service while we scoured every app and website we could think of to find a way to salvage our vacation.
Customer service responded on chat first, and was absolutely no help. The reason? An “unforeseen event” (whatever that means). Their solution was to fly us out of a different airport, but they couldn’t do anything about our return flight. That meant our car would be stuck at the original airport while we landed somewhere else. Cancel that whole flight, ma’am—and seriously, f*** Frontier.
We ended up booking a new departure flight with American Airlines (and for someone who’s only flown budget airlines, the in-flight Wi-Fi, snacks, and drinks were a real treat). Our return flight was with Spirit Airlines. Total cost for the switch? An extra $800. 😒
The new flights were later than we’d planned, so we had to cancel our dinner reservation. But in the end, it was worth it.
Now, whenever we go to Disney, we usually follow this itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival + Disney Springs | Dinner: reservation
Day 2: Park Day | Dinner: mobile order
Day 3: Epcot | Eat & drink around the world
Day 4: Departure
But, thanks to the flight chaos, this year’s trip looked more like this:
🛬 Day 1: Arrival & Disney Springs
We arrived in the early evening, checked in, dropped our bags, and headed straight to Disney Springs. Dinner was at The Polite Pig, a BBQ spot that completely surprised me—in the best way. We ordered the Butcher Board for Two, which came with:
Pulled pork
Smoked chicken
Brisket
BBQ cheddar sausage
...plus two sides (fingerling potatoes and mac & cheese), slaw, pickles, and cornbread. We even added ribs for just $7—and they were fall-off-the-bone amazing.
Now, I don’t usually eat BBQ, but this place is now a must-visit for me.
After dinner, we stopped at Gideon’s Bakehouse for cookies and drinks. We got:
The Evening Exclusive: Dark Coffee Cake Cookie
Two Peanut Butter Crunch cookies
A Peanut Butter Nitro Cold Brew and a Bonnie’s Cold Brew: coffee/lemonade
We sipped our drinks while listening to a live band outside—pure Disney magic.
Day 2: Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios
We started bright and early with a clear mission: explore Pandora while avoiding the Florida heat. First stop—Na’vi River Journey, a beautifully immersive indoor ride where bioluminescent flora glowed and ethereal music played. It felt like stepping into another world.
Next up was the Kilimanjaro Safaris, where giraffes wandered near our vehicle and rhinos trotted through the terrain. The animal sightings made the trek feel like a real expedition through the African savanna.
After that, we cooled off inside the Festival of the Lion King. With Cirque Du Soleil-style acrobatics, fire dancing, and iconic music from The Lion King, it was an emotionally rich performance that still lingered hours later.
Lunch brought us to Flame Tree BBQ, where we indulged in:
🍽️ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese – flavorful, creamy, and deeply satisfying
🍟 Black Garlic, Truffle, & Parmesan Fries – gourmet-level decadence
In the afternoon, we jumped over to Hollywood Studios with Star Wars on the brain. We tackled Star Tours and caught glimpses of distant planets. But by then, our energy meter was blinking red.
Before calling it a day, we swung by Dinosaur Gertie’s Ice Cream, grabbed a refreshing treat, and stocked up on popcorn for a cozy wind-down. Back at POP Century, we ordered pizza and streamed a movie—ending the day with comfort and calm.
Day 3: Epcot
This day was fully dedicated to food and drink—a global tasting adventure with a touch of mythology.
We started at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in France, where the ride paused near the finale. A lucky twist: we scored a free Lightning Lane for Soarin’ later.
Lunch was a star player at Chefs de France: a tender chicken cordon bleu plated with mashed potatoes and surrounding vegetables. Next door, we cooled off with a zesty Citron Slush from Les Vins de Chefs de France.
Continuing our journey:
Japan: Plum wine and cold sake paired with a Taiko drum show—my first ever, and an absolute highlight.
China: We explored the “Reflections of China” show, a panoramic look at people, landscapes, and culture.
Norway: A pastry and caffeine bonanza—School Bread, Cinnamon Roll with orange cream cheese icing, Viking Coffee, and Kristoff Kaffe. I don’t usually like coconut, but the School Bread surprised me.
Between bites and brews, we strolled through “House of the Gods,” admiring Norse deities and artifact replicas—a cool intersection of myth and museum.
We wrapped the evening at GEO-82, an adults-only lounge with standout dishes:
🧀 Chef’s Selection of Artisanal Cheeses, Cured Meats, and Accompaniments (so elaborate the server needed to decode it)
🍄 Funghi Flatbread — mushrooms, cheese, onions, and rustic flair
Drinks were a mix of botanical and bold:
⚡ Electron — mezcal, carrot, lime, cinnamon, and pink peppercorn salt
🍓 Strawberry-Black Pepper Sour — Campari and Luxardo with a spicy-sweet twist
🍑 Peach Shrub Whisky Smash — Toki whisky, sherry, mint, and bubbles
We finished with a visit to the manatee exhibit, then rode Soarin’ before a casual dinner from POP Century’s food court.
Day 4: Departure
We kicked off our final morning with breakfast at Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary Resort. Both of us went classic: Steak and Eggs, POG juice, and coffee. The dish itself stole the show:
🥩 Steak cooked medium—tender, juicy, expertly seasoned
🍳 Eggs over medium—fluffy and rich
🥔 Cubed potatoes topped with Béarnaise sauce—an elegant touch
POG juice was a tangy-sweet burst of passionfruit, orange, and guava, and the coffee was comfortably strong.
With a late flight (shoutout to Frontier’s timeline gymnastics), we aimed for the Monorail Barcrawl—hopping lounges at each resort on the monorail line. But two backpacks loaded with souvenirs turned that quest into a bit of a debuff, so we revised the mission.
Instead, we detoured to Port Orleans – French Quarter for some soul-soothing fare:
🍩 Beignets—warm, powdered, and classic
🍛 Smothered Beef in Gravy—comfort food gold
🔥 Jambalaya—spicy, satisfying, and full of depth
Before leaving, we sketched out a better strategy for next time:
Feature Epcot as our anchor park across two days, and tackle the Monorail Barcrawl on a non-travel night to dodge the backpack burden.
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