Food Blog Forum Orlando ~ Walt Disney World Resort (day one)

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending Food Blog Forum Orlando again. You may remember last year I came home from Food Blog Forum with a renewed zest for my site and bought my own domain name. It was my first food blog event, and I learned so much and met so many wonderful people….like my friend Michelle. An experience that great would be hard to top.

So if the pictures are already jumping out at you, you’ll see why this year was beyond amazing! When I first found out Walt Disney World was one of the major sponsors of our event, I was in shock. If you’ve been around here long enough you know we are BIG Disney fans, and season passholders several times over. So when I found out that our conference was not only at Disney, but that we’d be staying at the Polynesian Resort (a deluxe monorail resort) I was stunned. Staying at a Disney monorail hotel has always been a dream of ours, but never in our budget.

I kept things hush/hush around the house while I anticipated whether I’d get in or not. One of the major things I love about Food Blog Forum is the intimacy….they keep the numbers low so we have a chance to get to know each other better. But this time around, that also meant a limited number of people were going to be able to go….especially once word got out that we were being hosted by Disney! 😉 After an agonizing week and a half, I got word we’d be able to go.

Yes….WE….our family was invited to come along!! Resort stay and 4 day park hoppers for each of our family members. Wow, thank you Disney!! I still kept it under wraps, because I wanted the perfect moment to tell my girls. It just so happened we were going away on a 12 day Disney vacation a couple weeks later, and I wanted to tell them while we were there. Our monorail stopping in front of the Polynesian one day when leaving Magic Kingdom was the perfect chance….we had the car to ourselves thankfully, because the girls couldn’t stop screaming! Of course, hubby was excited too…he’s a bigger Disney fan than they are, if that’s possible.

So last Friday we headed up to a dream weekend at Disney. We arrived at the Polynesian, and I was immediately transported back to my days of living in Hawaii. Disney is known for their authenticity, and I did actually feel like I was there. Between the leis we received upon check in, the bell hops taking us to our room by golf cart, the volcano poolside and the self serve dole whip at Capt. Cook’s restaurant….I was taken back in time.

As you see in the picture above, one of the best things about staying at a monorail resort is the quick access to the Disney parks! Do you see the center picture with the monorail peeking out from under the building? A quick 5 minute ride, and you’re at the gate to the happiest place on earth….Magic Kingdom! What? You want to go to Epcot? No worries….the monorail takes you there too! Yes, we were in our element……check out our room below, and you’ll see why we didn’t want to leave.

We were excited to stay at the Polynesian, but now as a family of 5 we were a bit concerned about space. Thankfully, space wasn’t an issue at all! I loved, loved, loved our balcony, and it was the perfect spot to sit with my morning tea. The bathroom was huge….see the double sinks? We were also equipped with a ceiling fan (how tropical!), and a daybed which meant our family of 5 was perfectly comfortable. Our middle girl claimed the daybed.

After checking in, and getting settled we set out to explore the Polynesian and grab a quick bite to eat at Capt. Cooks. It was already after 2pm, so I just had a small ceasar salad so I wouldn’t ruin my appetite for the night ahead. Once we got back to the room, my family took off to Magic Kingdom and I set about getting ready for the welcome reception that night at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

I hope my pictures do it justice….I didn’t take as many as I’d have liked because, well….you know, I was meeting and chatting with fellow food bloggers, signing up for the next day’s conference sessions and eating! The Disney chefs went all out for us. See the BIG shrimp? Shrimp tempura….it was incredible! They had 2 other types of shrimp also. The chef above was making made to order macaroni and cheese with your choice of toppings…..breadcrumbs, pancetta, lobster, peas, short rib, and more. Another favorite of mine was the 3 different types of salad suspended vertically in a sort of wire tree. I had the asian salad….aren’t they so pretty? Yes…all of these and many more, plus the desserts below make up our “light” appetizers of the evening.

In addition to the appetizers and dessert, they were also serving red and white wine, beer and a dangerous little drink I wish I’d gotten a picture of….a cranberry cosmo. Definitely a girlie drink where you can’t taste the alcohol at all. It was cold, sweet with a little bit of a tang.

 And what about these desserts? Too many to choose from….thankfully food blogging gives us the excuse to try them all. I tried….but I was filling up. See the gorgeous tree of macarons in the center? I wish I could go back and try the other flavors. Macarons are a french dessert that I’d only discovered a couple years ago, but ever since I’ve wanted to try my hand at making them. They also had cake pops, vanilla creme brulee and chocolate creme brulee, and a few others. Thank you Disney for going above and beyond….I really did feel like a princess.

And I certainly can’t forget the people…..all the fellow food bloggers. As I walked into the party, I bumped into Tina and Jessica right away. I hadn’t seen Jessica since last year, but Tina lives in my town and we’d gotten together with Michelle last fall when we met the Neely’s. I finally got to meet Amanda and Lana (top left picture), and Angie (top right). I met Aggie last year (bottom left). I met so many other bloggers that night (not pictured), all of them super friendly.

After the party wrapped up, Julius, Aggie, Leslie and I walked back to the Polynesian. It had been an amazing evening, and I went inside my room to change and absorb it all. My family had already come back from Magic Kingdom, and gone swimming. They were now headed back over to the park. I told them I’d catch up to them in a bit, and relaxed on the balcony for awhile enjoying the silence. Before heading over, I stopped and watched the Wishes fireworks from the beach of the Polynesian (yes, they have their own beach!).

I hopped on the monorail (yay!!) and a few minutes later I was on Main Street USA. I met up with my family in Adventureland and we hopped on the Jungle Cruise. After that we rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets and Pirates of the Caribbean. We cut through Frontierland as the Electrical Parade was ending, and headed to the Haunted Mansion. Our last ride of the night was Peter Pan. Since it was now midnight, it was so nice being only a quick monorail ride back to our hotel.

I have so much more to share with you guys about the conference on Saturday, and the Sunday brunch at Whole Foods. Friday night my friend Michelle wasn’t able to attend the festivities like originally planned due to a curve ball she was thrown, and though we’re both a bit disappointed, we’re just so glad her hubby is okay.

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Bookmark the permalink.

26 Responses to Food Blog Forum Orlando ~ Walt Disney World Resort (day one)

  1. Just complete and utter fabulousness and want to go next year!!
    Cathy @ Noble Pig recently posted..Beef-Quinoa Stuffed Peppers ~ Mediterranean Style

  2. michelle says:

    Aw! thanks for the mention! I so wish I was able top be where I wasn’t – hoping to make up for BOTH events with a second Disney trip and food blog trip! Fingers crossed!
    michelle recently posted..sweet potato and chorizo wraps

  3. Amanda says:

    Awesome recap Denise! I was so happy to meet you, you are a gem! i hope we get to meet again and future conferences!
    Amanda recently posted..Slow Cooker Java Brisket

  4. Ann says:

    What a delightful recap and your photos are terrific! I can’t tell you how wonderful it was meeting you and putting a face to the blue bottles!
    Ann recently posted..Turkey Pot Stickers

  5. Kim Bee says:

    Great recap and your photo collages are wonderful. I did not think to take pics of the rooms. It was so nice to meet you and I hope we get to see each other again at next year’s event. It was truly a magical weekend.
    Kim Bee recently posted..Chicken Caesar Pasta: Guest Post by Generation Y Foodie

  6. Jen @ one curly fry says:

    It was a magical experience, indeed!! Beautiful pictures! It was so nice meeting you!
    Jen @ one curly fry recently posted..A Magical Experience ~ Food Blog Forum Orlando [Walt Disney World]

  7. Wow what a wonderful time you had. I so wish I could of been there to meet you. I’ll look into Tampa next month, I can only hope! Thanks for such a nice recape of what I missed. Hope to meet you soon!
    Lyndsey
    Lyndsey @The Tiny Skillet recently posted..Whole Wheat English Muffins

  8. Samantha says:

    Your pictures do it justice! They are fabulous. The way you organize them all together works really well for this type of post, I’m digging it! Great recap!
    Samantha recently posted..Food Blog Forum Orlando 2012 Recap

  9. Lovely recap and photos — so glad we finally got to meet! xoxo
    Kiran @ KiranTarun.com recently posted..Food Blog Forum Orlando 2012

  10. Jersey Girl Cooks says:

    Your recap makes me wish I was there. Glad you had a great time! Hoping to o next year.

  11. katie says:

    Great recap Denise! So glad I got to see you again this year and looking forward to seeing you at TECHmunch!
    katie recently posted..Rosemary Parmesan Pizza Bread

  12. Pingback: the little kitchen » Food Blog Forum Orlando 2012 at Walt Disney World

  13. Pingback: Foodblogforum recap « Zaika Zabardast

  14. Pingback: Food Blog Forum Orlando ~ Walt Disney World Resort (day two) | Creative Kitchen

  15. Pingback: Skillet granola ~ vegan and juice-sweetened | Creative Kitchen

  16. Pingback: Looking back at 2012 ~ Happy New Year! | Creative Kitchen

  17. Pingback: Apple Chips {Secret Recipe Club} | Creative Kitchen

  18. Pingback: Food Blog Forum 2013 ~ Walt Disney World Resort (part one) | Creative Kitchen

Leave a Reply to Denise Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge