Trip Log:

Pulled out of the driveway at home at 3:30am to start our adventure.   Arrived at LAX with no issues, just some lanes closed due to CalTRANs.   No problems at LAX parking or with the shuttle.   Delta Sky Priority saved us a healthy wait at bag drop and TSA pre-check was a breeze.   Spent about an hour in the Sky Club then headed out to the gate and boarded ontime.  We pushed back a little early and arrived in Orlando a little early.  Picked up our suitcases then a bite to eat before boarding a bus to Disney World.  Our resort, Coronado Springs, was the first one.    Went up to the room, unpacked a bit, stopped by the club/lounge and then boarded a bus to Epcot.  Walked on the west side, by World Nature, stopping to look at some of the Topiaries along the way.  Then strolled around World Showcase Lagoon stopping for a Motown group and a German group.  Passed through World Discovery and back to the front of the park for the Beacons of Magic lights.   About 20 minutes before fireworks started making way back to World Showcase lagoon and looked around for a spot.  Ended up on the bridge near Mexico.  Watched Epcot forever then hiked back to the front of the park and boarded a bus back to the resort to call it a night.

Thoughts & Observations:

• I started this trip with an early morning alarm of 3:30am to head to the airport.  Delta did not have a red eye available so we took a 7am flight instead.   One nice plus of leaving early is no traffic on the freeway and no delays.   It took under 40 minutes from my parking space in the LAX Economy parking lot to the Delta Sky Club, this included the shuttle to LAX, checkin/bag drop and TSA. 
• The flight was uneventful, the plane actually pushed back a few minutes early and we arrived in Orlando a few minutes early.   We had upgraded to first class so breakfast was included on the flight.  The choices were not very interesting to me and I ended up trading for and eating some croissants only.   Why can they not have a plain waffle, French toast, or pancake option where you can put toppings on if you choose but it’s plain staple item?  
• Once on the ground in Orlando picked up our bags and grabbed a bite to eat before heading for the bus to Disney.  It took about an hour from when our plane landed until we were at the bus.   Interesting note McDonalds was having problems.. you could get all the way to the pay screen then it would not let you order.  So this slowed down getting food as I had to resolve that and end up ordering at a register.
• We took the Mears Connect bus and it was about 25 minutes from when I scanned in there until our bus was moving toward WDW.  Total time from wheels down until I was in the elevator at Coronado Springs was about 2 hours.  It was just over an hour from scanning in at Mears until I was at the resort.
• This was my first time staying in the Gran Destino Tower. We had a Deluxe Suite room looking out toward Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the 8th floor with Club Access.   This was my third time staying at Coronado Springs with prior stays in 2008 & 1998.  I have not been on a club level at Disney World since 2004.
• Some first impressions of Coronado Springs Gran Destino, I will share thoughts throughout all the days and will have a full post/review of the stay.
• The hotel room was good size, smaller than the DVC Villas we have been staying in recently but with the two rooms and two bathrooms very comfortable for three adults.   There were a couple small Disney touches of hidden Mickeys. The bathrooms were stocked with H20 products.
• The view was just ok.  The 8th floor offers a nice view but you are not substantially above the tree line to see things.  For example the Skyliner was not that visible where as from the 15th floor it was.   We had requested a high floor and looking over the lake. We ended up with a mid floor looking the other direction.  It was not a bad view just not great.
• The Chronos Club is located on the 15th floor and you use your room key or MagicBand to access it.  The club is open from 6:30am until 10:00pm with cast members on hand to assist you with any questions or help you may need. 
• There are always drinks available and then different food options throughout the day.
• Coffee – 6:30am – 7:00am
• Continental Breakfast – 7:00am – 10:30am
• Light Snacks – 11:30am – 4:00pm
• Hors d’oeuvres & Select Beverages – 5:00pm – 7:00pm
• Desserts and Cordials – 8:00pm – 10:00pm
• We had bad timing and arrived around 5:00pm and the club was busy with people showing up for the start of the Hor d’oeuvres period.  The cast members greeted us and gave us a letter with the information on the club.
• We set off for Epcot around 5:30 arriving at the park about 6:00pm.  I had no set agenda since I had not known what time we would get to the park so spent the evening just wandering around and enjoying the comfortable Florida evening. It felt more like a December day than April with temps in the low 70s and not humid.
• The topiaries continue to improve and the Encanto and Princess Tiana ones look great.  Over the years it has been fun to see them evolve and the level of detail and creativity in the current ones are a new high mark.
• It was great to walk toward World Showcase and not see the giant Harmonious ring.  Most of the barges were still out in the lagoon though, but it’s a start.
• I spent some time enjoying a couple World Showcase entertainment offerings.  A Motown group was performing in the American Gardens Theater as part of the Garden Rocks series and the Groovin’ Alps group out by Germany.
• Made my way to the front of the park to watch the Spaceship Earth Beacon of Magic rotation.  With the late sunset you really do not get a lot of time to enjoy the show, only about an hour.  The rotation included the original Beacon of Magic, Epcot 40th, Pocahontas from last year and an Encanto song for this year.  The 40th is still my favorite followed by the original. I found both the Flower and Garden ones to be a tad slow and not that interesting.
• Epcot Forever is the nightly fireworks show while Harmonious is removed and a new show installed. No date for the new show except later this year. Assuming Oct is a target date.  Epcot Forever seemed about the same as the version that played right before Harmonious, the kite free version of the show.      I enjoy the classic Epcot music used in the show but the use of A Whole New World still seems out of place, I would have preferred more Epcot music.
• Due to the wind I choose to watch the show from over near Mexico.   As the show went on I saw a large number of guests leaving. Probably on par with those I saw bail out during Harmonious.  I am curious if a large percentage of guests have no idea what the music clips they are listening to are.   Much of the music has been absent from the parks for decades now.
• I have been rather spoiled the last several years staying in the Epcot Resort area and just walking back to my room at a leisurely pace after the fireworks.  Having to hike to the bus stops added some time onto my evening.   I had good bus luck and showed up and was able to walk right on. The driver waited about 5 minutes for more guests then pulled out.   The bus left Epcot about 9:25pm and arrived at the Gran Destino stop about 20 minutes later. It took about 5 minutes for the bus to get out of the Epcot parking lot, another 5 minutes to get to Coronado Springs then almost 10 minutes to go to the 4 stops of the resort (the Tower is the last stop when coming from the parks).
• Once back in the room I noticed the lack of lighting in the room. In the living room there was a lamp in the corner a small desk light, a small light of the fridge area, and then a light by the door. There was nothing else in the main seating area which made the room feel rather dark.
• As I worked this evening I also learned that the Gran Destino is not that sound proof.  You could hear the Disney bus beeping very clearly as well as the elevator chimes and once those were all quite I could hear the background music outside.  Not to mention hair dryers and doors from other rooms. I would have expected a tower that is under 5 years old to be a little more quiet.
• On the positive side there were plenty of power outlets and USB outlets around both rooms. The desk area was nice to sit and work, but the drawers were a little small, you could not put a piece of paper in them because of their shape/size unless you folded or bent it. 

Pedometer Information for the day:

Part 1 - Travel to WDW & 1st Look at Gran Destino Room My journey from Los Angeles to Walt Disney World then a first look around my room at the Gran Destino Tower and visit to the Chronos Club. 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe

Part 2 - Epcot Spent 3 hours at Epcot checking out some of the topiaries, take a lap around World Showcase and enjoying the Spaceship Earth Beacon of Magic Lights before Epcot Forever fireworks. 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe

Addition Blog Picture Posts from today:

• All my posts from today
• Pictures: Encanto Topiaries at Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival
• Epcot World Celebration Construction from Ground Level (4/18/23)
• Epcot World Celebration & Nature Topiaries
• Pictures: Epcot Monorail
• Pictures: Epcot Harmonious Barge Removal Status (4/18/23)
• Pictures: Epcot Spaceship Earth Beacon of Magic
• Pictures: Epcot Forever