Tuesday 14 May:
Disney Springs & Hollywood Studios

With Monday’s plans taking an unexpected turn, we were determined to make Tuesday a success. We had initially planned for Tuesday to be a more relaxing day, but with how things ended up yesterday, we thought it was best to make the day more active.

Step one of redemption: closely monitor the weather radar and keep an eye out for storms. We kicked off the day at Typhoon Lagoon, one of Disney World’s water parks (think Wet’n’Wild on the Gold Coast but better because it’s Disney). Aaron was aware of some incoming weather, so we went straight to the lazy river and followed it up with the surf pool. We’d barely been at the park an hour before we had to leave. The storms were quickly closing on us.

We’d barely made it back to our resort before it started pouring. The initial plan was to catch another bus over to Disney Springs (an outdoor shopping mall), but the weather got so bad that we decided to wait it out at the resort. Lightning flashing around us, we ran from building to building to make it back to our room.

Step two of redemption: learn to pivot and change plans. Fortunately for us, the weather cleared and we used the opportunity to get over to the Springs. The worry was that being an outdoor mall, we may be trapped indoors for hours if more rain came through. Our trusty radar was showing that the evening would be clear of storms, so we hoped for the best and headed out.

Disney Springs is almost as big as a park. We barely saw half the complex in the time we were there. The afternoon was spent sipping iced lattes as we wandered through the stores. Step three of redemption: eat a proper meal. Although we’d been enjoying many delicious treats so far, we hadn’t had a proper, sit-down meal. We missed vegetables! We found a quaint Irish pub and chose to have an early dinner. By chance, the Irish musicians and dancers started performing just after we arrived. What better way to enjoy a modern take on shepherd’s pie and veggies than with an entertaining show!

Step four of redemption: go back and try again. With full bellies, we made our way back over to Hollywood Studios. Although we weren’t able to use Fast Passes/didn’t have the patience to wait 80+ minutes to go on a ride, there was so much that we hadn’t yet seen. We had barely seen a quarter of the park.. unless you count 2 hours in Starbucks as a visit! On our redemption visit, we were able to see Toy Story Land (which is absolutely adorable!), Animation Courtyard, and Sunset Boulevard.

On Monday, we had planned to see Fantasmic, a 9pm show with cool water effects and fireworks. But then, as you know, the weather happened. Now that we were back at Hollywood, it was a possibility to attend. I was so tired and unsure if I wanted to wait around for the show, but I’m so glad I did. Step five of redemption: you can sleep when vacation is over. Once the show had ended, we were able to catch the last few minutes of the Star Wars fireworks show. Redemption: achieved.