Disney World Part 3

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Are you sick of hearing about my Disney trip yet?

Day 3 was spent at the Magic Kingdom.  It was PACKED!  The lines were soooo long!  We took the long route to get there: water taxi to France in Epcot, hike across all of Epcot, board the monorail, depart monorail, and board another monorail to Magic Kingdom.  We came back the much more direct route by taking the Disney bus straight to the Disney Dolphin.  Oops! Lesson learned.



 Anyway, since Magic Kingdom was so busy we decided to cash in our Fast Pass rides and then go swimming at the Swan & Dolphin pool.  Mason & Lucas LOVED the Tomorrowland Speedway!  We rode it several times over the next two days.





Ice cream break!



Did you know they now have 2 Dumbo rides?  We had a fast pass, but if you have to wait in line the kiddos get to play in a jungle gym.


Me & Mason 2015


Me & Mason in 2012


Then I dragged everyone on the Teacups because that is what I remember riding when I was 4 years old at Magic Kingdom.





Our boys love maps!  It was the easiest way to keep them entertained while waiting in line.

Now

Mason reading a map in 2012



Last but not least was a ride on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.  Lucas thought it was scary too!




Back in 2012









 Look how much Mason has grown!

 



At least Lucas didn't get a huge bump on his head this time!


Our boys will always have to make a pit stop at the Honeypot at the Pooh ride and take a spin on the Tomorrowland Speedway on all future trips.  I just love seeing how much they have grown and changed.

Thanks for sticking with me on my journey through time...where were we...oh yeah, MK was packed.  Fastpass rides, then pool.  Then we showered and came back for another spin on the Tomorrowland Speedway, the People Mover and fireworks.




Cinderella's Castle lit up Frozen style was Incredible!




What do you remember from your first trip to Disney?










Disney World Part 2

Sunday, January 18, 2015

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I made a couple changed around our house that had big impact.  Sometimes those are my favorite changes.

Back to Disney!  Day 2 we spent at Hollywood Studios with Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandpa rented a scooter for the day. I highly recommend this for folks that have difficulties with lots of walking. And as an added perk you get great seating for shows.


We started the day watching the Star Wars show.  I had thought the boys would be too scared for Jedi training...and I was right!  Then we rode Star Tours.  Lucas also thought it was scary.  Geesh!



 Of course, you exit the ride through the Star Wars gift shop.  M&L picked out really cool light sabers that "Activate" (they extend and retract into the handle).  They played with them all day!  As added benefits they have a belt clip (I am not schlepping them around) and they pack easily.


Their favorite part of the day was riding the Speeder Bike!  I need to blow up and print these pictures for their room.



We also watched the Indiana Jones show, Beauty and the Beast and Fantasmic.  Again, Lucas was scared at Fantasmic.  He is only 4.  And Mason thought it was scary too and he's 5.  Might not be the best thing to plan to do for this age group.  The show is centered around Disney bad guys.


We finished the night by walking around The Boardwalk.  We wound up ordering pizza, wings, beer and bottled water from Anthony's Pizza Delivery.  This is the best late night meal at Disney when you just want to unwind after a long day.  We munched on pizza while watching the Epcot fireworks from our balcony.  Does it get any better?!?


The Swan & Dolphin also offer The Pantry delivery service.  It's a really affordable delivery service with anything from a 6 pack of beer for $8 to  the CARTOON BREAKFAST: A quart of milk along with your choice of four cereals for a perfect morning watching cartoons for $6.50.  Obviously these items could be obtained for less if you bring them yourself, but good luck getting breakfast this cheap anywhere else at Disney!


Our balcony overlooking this view might have been my favorite part of our trip.  We ordered room service each morning and would sit on the balcony and watch the water taxis go by.  Plus I find it faster to eat in the room since we have to take turns getting ready with only one bathroom.



Order room service for breakfast at your Disney Resort and beer and bottled water from The Pantry are two of my personal favorite Disney World tips.  

What are your favorite tips for Disney World? I would love to hear them.


Disney World part 1

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Hey y'all!  Happy Sunday!  As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been unemployed since right before Christmas.  I start my new position on Monday!

Since I unexpectedly had 3 weeks of free time, I planned a last minute trip to Disney World.

I am blessed to work in the Hospitality business which equates to fantastic hotel discounts.


We booked a direct Southwest flight from RDU Raleigh Durham Airport to Orlando which landed at 9am.  That gave us the whole day to lounge by the awesome pool at the Swan & Dolphin Hotel.    

The Swan is run by Starwood and is the only resort on Disney  property not managed by Disney.


We ate at The Fountain at the Dolphin for lunch with Grandma  and Grandpa.  Then headed to the heated pool.  

After checking into our rooms and getting ready we all went to dinner.  The men had fabulous sushi at Kimonos. My mom, the boys and I headed to Garden Grove. The seafood buffet was fabulous.  And the best part was that the Disney Characters were there!  We saw Chip & Dale, Goofy and Pluto!





New Year's Eve Party Backdrop with Wrapping Paper

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Happy New Year!  I know I have been missing in action since right before Christmas, but I decided to take some time off.  I am starting a new job on Monday and have been "unemployed" since December 22nd.  I used the time off to finish wrapping and enjoy the holiday with family and friends.




We hosted our second annual New Year's Eve Party on our street.  I used my trick from last year by creating a photo backdrop with wrapping paper.









Anyone who knows me knows that I can't sit idle for 3 whole weeks, even at Christmas.  The next post will clue you in on what else I have been up to.  Cheers and Happy New Year!

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