This trip report was written by Gunes, who sailed the Disney Fantasy August 25, 2018, through September 1, 2018. You can see photos and videos from her cruise and other adventures by visiting her travel blog (fotogenictravel.com) or by following @fotogenictravel on Instagram or Facebook. Gunes provides concierge-style planning services as an independent travel advisor affiliated with My Path Unwinding Travel and can be followed on both Instagram and Facebook (@vacayconciergegunes).
Getting There and Four Seasons Orlando
Another year, another Disney cruise – that’s what I like to say! It was August 23, 2018, and time for my family of three to board our JetBlue flight to Orlando, Florida. Two days later, we would be back in heaven, boarding the Disney Fantasy, for our third Disney cruise in less than three years.
We had a direct two-hour flight from Richmond, Virginia, to Orlando, where we would stay for two nights prior to our cruise out of Port Canaveral, which is a 45-minute drive east of Orlando. We were booked to stay two nights at the Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Then, we would board the ship on August 25, 2018.
After a non-eventful flight, we landed around 5:00pm. We always rent a car when we arrive to Orlando International Airport (MCO), which is very easy to do. The rental car garage is located at the airport, so you can walk right over after claiming your bags. Word of warning, though: if you arrive in late August, be prepared for BRUTAL Florida humidity! The air literally smacked me in the face when I walked outside of the well-conditioned airport to walk to the garage.
We always travel with a high-back booster seat for my son, so once we installed it into the car and got our luggage situated, we left the garage. It’s a 20-minute drive from the airport to the Four Seasons Orlando.
The Four Seasons is located in the Disney Springs area and is closest to Epcot (of all four Walt Disney World Parks). This was our fourth stay at the hotel, which is absolutely my favorite hotel ever! You can read my detailed Tripadvisor review from our first stay in 2015 here.
There are all sorts of Disney-related perks to staying at this hotel. You can: (1) book Disney Park Fastpasses up to 60 days in advance (rather than the standard 30 days), (2) take advantage of extra magic hours in the parks, (3) ride the hotel’s own, private shuttle bus to and from the parks, and (4) utilize the Disney concierge desk, which is a separate group from the standard concierge team. I have used the Disney concierge at the hotel, and they have proven to be extremely helpful.
Also, another fantastic Disney benefit is that they have a twice weekly character breakfast called “Goofy & Pals” at the Ravello restaurant. We’ve attended this breakfast three times. Goofy’s “pals” are Mickey and Minnie, by the way! But, here’s a photo of Goofy from the breakfast, since it’s supposedly all about him:
The hotel is located in Golden Oak, a swanky gated community, and where I want to move when I win the lottery. When we arrived to the hotel, the valet and bellman immediately opened our car doors and helped us out. Naturally, the bellman put all our luggage on a cart and made sure that everything was quickly brought up directly to our room. We also were immediately greeted by a woman who checked us in while we walked into the hotel lobby. Now, that’s personalized service!
Walking into the lobby, we had this view of a gorgeous chandelier. Spot any hidden Mickeys?
Here’s another view of the spectacular chandelier:
You may have noticed the Christmas tree in the above photo. I took this shot during one of our December visits to the hotel. The tree is always quite gorgeous, along with the beautiful fresh flowers they have in the lobby:
We booked a Golden Oak View Suite through my amazing travel agent, Beryl DeCarion with Connoisseur Travel. Through Connoisseur Travel and its “Preferred Partner” program with the Four Seasons, we received many “extras”, including free breakfast and a $100 spa credit.
Here are some photos of our suite (apologies for views of our unmade beds!). First, this is the living room area of the suite, which has the sofa bed open (where my son slept):
Right near the entrance to our room is a Nespresso station. There is a mini-refrigerator in one of the cabinets as well.
There is bathroom with a shower near the entrance as well (one of two in our suite):
Here is the entrance to the bedroom portion of our suite. There is a door that can be closed for privacy from the living room area:
This is the walk-in closet (with a window!):
Here are some photos of our messy bedroom:
And, my favorite part, the master bathroom:
The suite has two balconies – one that can be accessed from the living room and one that can be accessed from the bedroom. Here are some of the views towards the Golden Oak neighborhood and its swanky mansions:
That cluster of houses in the distance is actually the Four Seasons’ Private Residences:
One AMAZING thing in our room was this wine dispenser! That’s right – a wine tap right in our room, and its name is “Plum”. I didn’t partake, as they actually gave us a complimentary bottle of prosecco to celebrate our wedding anniversary, but I was extremely tempted because: (a) I “deserve” a glass of wine, and (b) I need to “learn and buy”! Beware, though, they’re not able to replenish the wine between the hours of 2:00am and 7:00am – I guess Orlando’s alcohol laws apply in my hotel room, too.
Speaking of cool in-room gadgets (but certainly not as cool as an in-room wine tap), every Four Seasons Orlando room has an iPad that you can use to order room service and making various requests, such as for housekeeping. Apparently, you can do the same thing if you download and use the Four Seasons mobile application. I personally just loved the convenience of the iPad.
As noted above, we were celebrating our wedding anniversary that week, so in typical Four Seasons fashion, we were treated to all sorts of goodies:
Toy Story Land had just opened in Hollywood Studios, so they were promoting it like crazy all over Orlando, including through our free dessert offering.
After settling in to our room, we decided to order room service for dinner. I can’t remember exactly what we ordered, but I’m pretty sure it was something yummy, as the Four Seasons’ food is always good. Soon after dinner, we got ready for bed, as we were pooped, even though it was a relatively short day of travel (that’s what Florida humidity does to you…).
The next day was the day before our cruise! The Disney Cruise Line mobile app was counting down, in case I lost track of time:
Our plan for the day was to hit the gym, pool, and Disney Springs. We started out with room service breakfast (free perk for booking through Connoisseur Travel!). After breakfast, my husband went to the gym, while my son and I hung out in the room. Once my husband returned, I then took my turn at the gym.
Naturally, the Four Seasons offers top notch facilities, and the gym did not disappoint. Even the light fixtures on the mirrored walls exude a certain je ne sais quoi:
Plenty of free custom-branded bottled water is available (along with apples and towels):
After I returned from the gym, I showered, while my husband and son went to PB&G, an on-site restaurant for lunch. I love the open-air dining of this place! The food is fantastic as well. They brought me back some food to eat in the room.
We had a fairly short visit to the pool, as a thunderstorm was in the forecast for that afternoon (that’s the usual summer weather pattern in Florida – an afternoon thundershower every day). The Four Seasons Orlando offers three pools and a lazy river, one of which is an adults-only pool.
Here is a view of the adults-only pool (and some of the resort grounds) from above when we stayed in a Park View Suite:
Here are some views of the lush grounds on the way to the pool:
One of the pools is actually more of a splash area (which my son loves):
Some pool scenes:
Yes, that’s a big pitcher of ice water, which the pool attendants bring to you as soon as you sit down. In classic Four Seasons fashion, they bring you towels and “set up” your lounge chairs for you. They essentially are your servants for your stay, so be sure to tip them!
And, here is the tranquil lazy river:
Overall, it’s quite a beautiful and peaceful area to relax and also to have fun! It’s most definitely one of the best resort pool areas I’ve ever had the privilege to visit.
After our relaxing time at the pool, we went back to our suite, changed, and then headed out to Disney Springs (right after a thunderstorm passed through):
If you’ve ever wondered how to do Disney on a budget, then Disney Springs is your answer! Caveat: just don’t go shopping or eating there. OK – so, Disney on a budget, even Disney Springs, is next to nearly impossible, but it is one of the few places affiliated with Disney where you don’t have to pay $100+ per person just to visit.
So, what is Disney Springs? It’s a very large, upscale outdoor shopping mall, which is very well-landscaped (and decorated at Christmas time). There is a plethora of shopping, entertainment, and dining options. We’ve eaten at Rainforest Café, Vivoli Il Gelato, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, Rick Bayliss’ Frontera Cocina, Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC, and Bongos Cuban Café. This particular night, we decided to head to Rainforest Café, as it combines entertainment and dining for our antsy son.
On the way, we spotted a hidden Mickey:
And, we also spotted this amazing sight next to Sprinkles bakery:
After dinner, we visited the next best thing to the actual Happiest Place on Earth: the World of Disney!
Beware: Stitch spits! Yes, water squirts out of his month periodically, and you never seem to know when…
The World of Disney at Disney Springs is the largest Disney store in the world at over 50,000 square feet, and I never, ever come out of that place empty-handed. In late August, the store was fully-stocked with all sorts of adorable Halloween goodies:
Since we would be boarding the ship the next day, I somehow managed to limit my purchase to just a few items, knowing we would be returning home with other souvenirs from our cruise.
After I got dragged out of the store by my husband, we drove back to the Four Seasons, and I got ready for my evening spa appointment! As mentioned above, one of the fantastic perks I received by booking through Connoisseur Travel was a $100 spa credit, so I certainly could not let that go to waste. I decided to get a pedicure (with the credit, the cost was barely covered!).
The waiting area of the Four Seasons Orlando spa is absolutely serene:
The pedicure itself was very relaxing, which was an amazing way to end my stay at this superb hotel. Even better things awaited us the next day, which is when we would embark our cruise on the Disney Fantasy!
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Up Next: Day 1 – Boarding the Disney Fantasy!
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