Whenever I make a quick trip to Orlando (I live in a town with a cheap non-stop flight and get to travel without kids) I always try to get there early so I can head out to Disney Springs.
For those who aren’t familiar Disney Springs (which was known as Downtown Disney up until September of 2015) is a shopping and entertainment area that’s free for anybody to enter. So even when I have been to Orlando to go to Sea World we have always made this stop. It’s a free way to enjoy the Florida weather, get a little Disney magic without the price tag and see some things we can’t see at home.
What Did We Do (The Highlights Anyway)?
Basin– This store is a big part of the reason I go to Disney Springs. They have very few locations in the US. When mom and I made our first visit to Disney Springs I used a sample of their body scrub and regretted for the next year or so that I did not buy it. On my next trip I grabbed some of their Satsuma Sugar Scrub and as I thought I would fell madly in love with it. It makes the whole bathroom smell amazing and the oils make my skin super soft. I have tried other brands (even some more expensive) and just can’t find anything I like as much. So every trip down I drop the extravagant (for me anyway) $35 and grab another container. Although remember to grab your Disney Secret Savings Card for an extra 10% off!
The World of Disney Store– This is the first place to kind of catch the “Disney bug” in the shopping center. It’s stunning both inside and out and has been remodeled since mom and I went in 2017. It’s basically your one stop shop for all the typical Disney souvenir stuff- ears, t-shirts, toys, jewelry and anything else you would like. I would think if you were planning on visiting this store with a kid you would need to set a budget before you walk in the door.
Got a FREE Necklace at Luxury of Time- My mom had read online before we left about this deal and it turned out to be true. When you arrive at the park head to Guest Relations and grab a map. You should find a coupon on it for a free necklace at Luxury of Time!
Head over to the store and they will give it to you! They tried to show us a few other things but we just said “no thank you” and left. Mom is heading home with a new necklace she got for free!
The LEGO Store– We don’t have one of these at home so it’s always a treat. They have tons of LEGOS just sitting out for the kids to play with (if we had them with us). I was also surprised to see that the LEGO sets I recognized were all the same price I know them to be online. This little gadget in the store was cool. You walk up to the camera with the LEGO set you are considering. And it shows you on the screen what the set looks like when it’s put together. It was very nice.
Where Did We Eat?
In this case my mother is travelling with me so we have to make a few special arrangements. My mother eats vegan so we always have to do research on food before we go places.
We do have one standard stop we always make at Disney Springs- Sprinkles Cupcakes. This is the chain that started the whole cupcake craze and for good reason. They have a vegan red velvet cupcake that is amazing- it’s made with coconut milk in the icing which gives it an amazing flavor. They also have plenty of non-vegan flavors. And they have a cupcake ATM so you can grab your cupcake just like you would your $20 at the bank! You can also do a pre-order and then just pick up what you want. The vegan cupcake is $6 and worth every penny.
For dinner we had reservations at Frontera Cocina. Because we stayed at a Disney Resort we were able to get dinner reservations 90 days out from our trip and had no problem securing a table at the time we wanted. I wanted to try to find something where a vegan could eat and not have to get a salad (which is almost always the vegan option on a menu).
First we ordered the pumpkin hummus. It was very rich and had a little spicy kick to it with the pumpkin flavor sneaking up on you at the very end. The chips I suspect were also pretty fresh and tasted incredible. We split this.
We got the vegetables tacos and they were ridiculously good. This meal is completely vegan and all the taste comes from the herbs and the vegetables. The vegetables had a smoky taste to them you don’t often get in vegan food. We split an order to save on money and because we didn’t need the big portions.
Between these two orders our bill came to just at $30 before tip. Not bad for two people at Disney Springs!
Also I have to show you the bathroom in the restaurant. I just thought it was hilarious.
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