So, I decided to start with something that is on my mind a lot lately. Our vacation to Disney. I think the main reason it's prominent in my brain (other than the constant Facebook ads and Pinterest suggestions) is that Teaven and I had time just to ourselves. To explore. To grow. To have an adventure. And in this current season of life, we don't get as much time as we would like, and when we do, it's filled with stress from the outside.
Let's begin with Day 1. We stayed the night with some friends the night before our flight. We had great fellowship and conversation with them and so appreciate them taking us to the airport bright and early. I was anxious as we waited in the airport and boarded the plane, the way I always get when a new adventure is in front of me. I wanted to make sure that we had everything we needed and knew where we were supposed to go and when. It's silly to some, but the butterflies of anticipation just bubble up in me. The flight was short, but squished. We arrived at the Orlando Airport and followed the signs for Disney Magical Express. The moment I started seeing all the Disney signs, I just got so excited! The magic was already alive. We checked in, boarded our bus and were on our way to our resort!
Thanks to Disney Magical Express, we didn't have to worry about getting our luggage, so we went straight to our room when we arrived to check it out. The resort was beautiful. We only stayed briefly as we wanted to head straight to Epcot to start our Disney adventure!
We hopped on the first bus to Epcot and were on our way! Let me just say that the Disney transportation is totally worth it! I loved just being able to hop on a bus and not have to worry about where I was going.
That day at Epcot we rode:
- The Nemo ride - Loved it!
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros - cute!
- Living with the Land - So many hidden Mickeys!
- Mission: Space - our least favorite ride of all!
- Soarin' - LOVE!!! One of our favorites
- Test Track - Fun!
- Spaceship Earth
We bought our classic Mickey and Minnie souvenir hats, met up with some friends from high school, and ate dinner at the Biergarten restaurant in Germany. We loved walking around the World Showcase! Epcot was definitely one of our favorite parks!
The next day was possibly the most magical (for me, at least)! We woke up bright and early for breakfast at the Crystal Palace. Yummy food, and we got into the park before it got crowded. The castle just took my breath away. That morning was one from my dreams.
Once the park officially opened, we booked it for the Peter Pan ride as we were told by our wonderful travel agent (haha, but seriously) Bethany Carter!
At Magic Kingdom, we did:
- Peter Pan's Flight - cute!
- Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Haunted Mansion- so fun!
- Country Bear's Jamboree
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor - super funny!
- Pirates of the Caribbean - one of my favs!
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - Fun!
- Space Mountain - another one of my favs!!
- Under the Sea - I just loved all of these themed rides!
- The Hall of Presidents
- Oh! The Electrical Parade! Love!
We ate dinner at Be Our Guest. That was probably our favorite meal! The castle just felt so grandeur!
Day 3 found us at Universal Studios. This was probably my least favorite park, most likely because a lot of it was under construction. The Toy Story Ride was by far my favorite here! I wish I would have ridden it twice!
At Universal Studios, we did:
- The Great Movie Ride - Fun!
- Muppet Vision 3D
- Rock n' Roller Coaster
- Star Tours
- Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania
- Beauty and the Beast - Live on stage
- March of the First Order
- Fantasmic
We ate lunch at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano, which allowed us to get good seating at Fantasmic that night. Before Fantasmic, we ate dinner at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. This was such a fun place!
Day 4- This day we had to switch hotels since Teaven won free lodging at Comic Con. You can't pass up free lodging. We had the resort hold onto our luggage and went for an early breakfast at Chef Mickey's. This was also the day we had our very first Uber ride! Chef Mickey's was good, but we like the Crystal Palace better.
After Chef Mickey's, we hopped on a bus to Animal Kingdom. My favorite thing here was probably the Bug's Life show. One part made Teaven almost jump out of his seat. haha I also enjoyed Expedition Everest. Wait! The Finding Nemo Musical was amazing!
At Animal Kingdom, we did:
- Expedition Everest
- Kiliminjaro Safaris
- Finding Nemo - The Musical - SO SO SO good!
- Dinosaur
- The Jungle Trek
We grabbed a quick snack at Flame Tree Barbecue, which was delicious and had a great view of Everest.
That afternoon we swapped hotels and headed to Magic Kingdom for the last time. *tear* Originally, we had planned to skip eating in the Cinderella castle, but after seeing it on Day 2, we had to see if they had any reservations left, not expecting any on such short notice. Thankfully, they had a table for two for Friday night (Day 4). I was soooo happy!
We walked around to all of the things we missed the first day, rode some of our favorite rides again (Space Mountain) and rode the train around the park. The Cinderella Castle was magical, and I'm very thankful I had the experience! It's not something I'd do again unless I had a little daughter I could dress up. :)
Day 5 - In the morning, we had to go to a presentation in order to receive our free lodging. Once that was over, we headed back to Epcot. We rode our favorite rides (Soarin'), and I tried my hardest to get a last minute Fast Pass for the Frozen ride. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful and not willing to wait in line for 2 hours. We leisurely walked around the showcase and ate dinner in Morocco. A great end to a magical visit to Disney!
Day 6- Harry Potter here we come!Teaven was most excited about this day! To be continued.. I'm sleepy.
