Our 2026 Disney World Vacation, Day 1 - Disney Springs

We spent spring break at DISNEY WORLD and as usual, it didn’t disappoint!  This was our fourth trip as a family, so we felt pretty experienced and comfortable going into the trip, and I think this could have been our best trip yet?!  They truly just keep getting better and better, y’all!

Day one was a travel day + Disney Springs as always, so we were up at 6:45 AM to get ready, eat a quick breakfast, finish the last minute packing, and hit the road.  We managed to get on the road just before 8 AM, and we stopped once on our way there to grab lunch and take a bathroom break at Chick-Fil-A + get gas.  Chick-Fil-A was a mad house as always, but the food was delicious, so it was worth it.

It was super congested on I-75 for the rest of the trip, but we managed to get there by 3:30 PM which was much earlier than when we arrived two years ago. 

When we arrived at our hotel, we headed into the lobby to check in, and our Disney cast member gave us a third floor room per our request.  We always love being on the top floor, so we don’t have to hear people above us!

We got the car unpacked, settled in our room, changed clothes and freshened up, and then it was time to head to Disney Springs for the evening.  We had a dinner reservation there for the first time ever and we were all excited to try something new. 

We stopped in the courtyard at our hotel to snap some pictures on the way out, but it was insanely windy all night, so most of the pictures didn’t turn out because my hair was in my face like 99% of the time.  Haha.

Port Orleans French Quarter has a boat that runs from the hotel to Disney Springs (one of the many reasons we love staying there), so we got in line for the boat around 5 PM and we had to wait about 15-20 minutes before boarding. 

The boat ride was lovely as always.  The weather was gorgeous (other than the wind) and we had the most relaxing little ride over to Disney Springs like we always do.

After deboarding the boat, we had to go through security to get into Disney Springs and then we did some exploring.  We had some time before our dinner reservation, so we kicked off the evening in the massive Disney Store.  Olivia wanted to purchase a pair of authentic Minnie ears (they have LOADS of different options) and she ended up choosing a pair of rose gold ears with sequins.  They were absolutely perfect because they’ll go with everything.  She also picked out a pair of silver Mickey earrings that she can wear every day at home.

I ended up getting a new mug that’s Inside Out 2 themed.  That is one of my favorite Disney movies and I loved that the character Anxiety was on this mug as well as Nostalgia… they are seriously the cutest!  The mug is rainbow-y and very Lindsay, so I couldn’t resist it!

After we were done at the Disney Store, we headed to The Lego Store (and of course we had to wait in line to get in) and Jacob had a blast looking at the new Pokemon Lego sets.  That was the first time he’d been able to see them in person, and he was thrilled that they had them.  That said, the one that he wants the most is $649.99 so he won’t be getting that one.  Hahahaha.

Our dinner reservation time was approaching at that point, and Jacob wasn’t sure if he wanted to purchase something yet or not, so we walked over to dinner and decided to go back to the Lego Store afterward.

Our reservation was at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ – a southern home cooking restaurant in Disney Springs – and friends, it was so delicious!  All of us enjoyed it so much that we all agreed we need to go back the next time we go to Disney World. 

Brian and I started the evening with a round of cocktails – a Rumshine Punch for him and an Elder Old Fashioned for me.  They specialize in moonshine there, so Brian wanted to try some and his drink was delicious.  It was a blend of Strawberry RumShine, blackberry brandy, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, and house-made grenadine. 

My Elder Old Fashioned was a mix of Micher’s Bourbon, St. Germain Elderflower, bitters, and a “fancy” cherry.  When I saw that it actually said “fancy cherry” on the menu I was sold.  I am all about the “fancy cherries” AKA Luxardo cherries.  They are very expensive, but they are so decadent and they truly elevate every cocktail.

While we enjoyed our cocktails, we also got to enjoy the prettiest view!

For dinner, Brian had the country fried steak with mashed potatoes, southern green beans, and a cheddar drop biscuit, and I opted for The Art Burger.  It was two beef patties topped with American cheese, Art’s special sauce, tomato bacon jam (OMG), lettuce, tomato, onion (hold the onion for me), and pickles on a brioche bun.  It was served with house-made barbecue chips drizzled with icebox dressing and OMG it was all so divine.  Disney does pretty much everything well, and they really, really know how to do food. 

The kids had burgers with sides of mac n cheese and then they wanted dessert, so we grabbed two to share – the hot fudge bourbon brownie and the Everglazed Doughnuts – but I was too stuffed so I just had a bite of the brownie and we saved the last two donuts for the kids to eat for breakfast the next morning.

Brian and I were both torn between the cocktails we got and one other one – the Woodford Blues – so we ordered one to share for our dessert.  It had Woodford Reserve Private Select Bourbon, house-made blueberry syrup, and agave, and it was delicious, too, although I liked my first cocktail better.

When dinner was over, Brian had the kids recreate their picture that they’d taken two and four years ago at Panera on our way to Disney World.  They naturally posed like this the first time four years ago, and Brian got them to recreate the pose two years ago and again this year.  Look at those babies!  They’re not so little anymore… :o(

2022

 

2024

2026

After we were done with dinner, we headed back to the Lego Store where Jacob decided to purchase the Lego Chess and Checkers set, and then we got on the bus to head back to our resort.  We ended up getting back a little later than we’d wanted, but we were in bed by 10:15 PM so that wasn’t too terrible!

We had a very early morning the next morning, so we wanted a good night of sleep!

Stay tuned for more recaps coming soon!  They’ll be sprinkled throughout my regular content over the next few weeks!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!