Vacation Day 5: Magic Kingdom

I fully believe in sporting your Mickey Mouse attire and ears at Magic Kingdom. There is no other time an adult should dress like this. So, I like to take full advantage of it!

Thursday morning we headed to the most magical place on Earth! I'm kind of weird, the opening act of musicals, the national anthem....and the opening of Magic Kingdom bring a tear to my eye. There's just something so....magical about it!

There were no lines at any of the parks, we jumped right on Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Monsters Inc., and Pirates of the Caribbean. Haunted Mansion broke down twice while we were on it....my younger self would have freaked out, but 26 year old me just like resting my feet!

After lunch (someone please remind me: next time I go, I need to get lunch at the baseball place! The hotdogs look amazing!) we headed back to the condo for an afternoon of relaxing. This, of course, turned into the guys golfing and me and Mom relaxing down by the pool.

Thanks for my book Melissa!

Mom promised the guys homemade spaghetti and meatballs if they promised us one thing - we would be able to go to the Boardwalk at night. I was so sick of sitting at home after the sun went down! Well, dinner came and went and the guys were "tired." So, me and Mom threw a hissy fit....and went to the ice cream place they were eyeballing all week! Take that suckers! By the way, it was the most amazing ice cream I have ever had!

I stayed up late Wednesday night...which was a bad idea! We had to be up early for our early morning flight! But it was so worth it, we had such a great vacation. I'm already looking forward to our next one!

Vacation Day 3: Animal Kingdom

Monday morning we woke up to more vacationers - my cousin Brian and his family! When Danny, my Dad and Brian are together it only means one thing: golf....and lots of it!  While the guys golfed, the girls relaxed. The condo is on a golf course and our room looks over the 18th hole, so we were able to spy on the guys. I'm not sure what's so exciting about golf, it looks so boring!

After what I assume is a bad golf game, me and Mom dragged Danny and Dad to Animal Kingdom. They weren't happy about it...but hey, they promised us! We watched the Bug Life show, rode Everest, the Dinosaur ride and the safari. Mom and Danny played some games....Mom kicked Danny's butt and may or may not have made a little kid cry!

When we were done at the park we met up with Brian, Jess and Lauren at the Miller Ale House. If I can offer you one piece of vacation advice....skip this place! Six adults and not one person was happy with their meal, slow service, and waitresses that spill beer on their customers. 

Vacations are tiring. It was another early night for our vacationing group!

Vacation Day 2: Park Hopping!

Our first full day of vacation started with a homemade breakfast. After lounging and discussing the days plans....we decided to do some park hopping! Usually I'm a park-a-day type of girl....so this was something new for me. We decided on Epcot and Hollywood Studios!






Our first stop was Epcot...my favorite park. We were there just in time for the International Garden and Flower Festival. It was beautiful! The first half of Epcot was quick, we only did Spaceship Earth, Test Track and Universe of Energy. After a quick snack we headed to the countries of Epcot!

We started in Canada with a few photo-ops. Next up was a pub in the UK...Mom nursed her beer until we were in Morocco! Then we had fancy drinks in Japan, a wine tasting in Germany and finally had a delicious lunch in Mexico! I ordered an avocado margarita but somehow ended up with my Dad's pineapple margarita. No complaints here!

Then we headed to Hollywood Studios. We rode all the classics - Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Toy Story Mania, Backlot Tour...and the new Star Tours!

After a long day in the sun we headed back to the condo, where we were too tired to even eat dinner! Mom made a buffalo chicken dip that everyone snacked on...and then we called it a night! It was a very successful day of vacation!

Vacation Day 1: Airport Drama

We're back! Not only are we back from vacation but I'm back from my unintentional blog absence! I had the internet shut off three weeks ago, we moved two weeks ago, and last week we were away...so I just had the internet turned on today! I have lots to update you on...so lets start with vacation!

Our original plan was to roadtrip, but because of license issues (that are now figured out) we decided to fly. In the long run it was probably better...gas prices are ridiculous! We flew out of Raleigh and had a quick 35 minute flight to Charlotte. We grabbed some Starbucks and boarded our next flight. Which sat at the gate for two hours. It was awful.

But eventually we got going and made it to Florida! My parents got in about an hour before us. Turns out they had airport drama too! My Dad went to the Red Sox game the night before and left his ID in his pocket. He rushed home, and back, jumped to the front of the security and barely made the plane!

After all the early morning drama was over, we knew what we needed: a drink! We headed towards the condo to check in but since the rooms weren't ready we stopped at the first restaurant we saw. Buffalo Wild Wings always does the trick!

When we were done we were able to check in. Danny and Dad got their first round of golf in while me and Mom took naps (hangs head in shame...I hate naps!!) The best part of having a condo is kitchen access and having the option to eat in. After a quick dinner our first day of vacation was over.

It was probably the most exhausting first day of vacation ever. An early bedtime was much needed...we needed rest for our next adventure....!

My "Must Do" Disney List!

A year ago today me and Danny set out on a week long adventure to my favorite place - Disney World! We were celebrating our honeymoon (a little late,) anniversary (a little early,) and our first real vacation together!

Just in time for me to reminisce Dani from My Heart is in the Army, My Brain is in Grad School asked for my Must Do Disney List! So, here's my Top 10 list...in no particular order!

One. Stay on the Resort

I've done Disney "on the cheap" many times...but the best way to have the Disney experience is to never leave Disney! You literally eat, sleep and do Disney all day, every day. There are perks to staying on the resort - great deals on meal plans, activities at your resort, extra hours at the parks...and a lot more. Last year we stayed at All Star Music, it's one of the cheaper hotels...but it has all the same Disney perks!

Two. The Boardwalk
Disney is a busy place. If you need a quieter night while on vacation The Boardwalk is an awesome place. You can walk around the water, relax, watch performers, and eat awesome food. My recommendation: Cat Cora's Kouzzina. There are bars and clubs at the Boardwalk too, I think they are a little overpriced. Skip them and just enjoy the atmosphere at the Boardwalk!

 
Three. Character Breakfast
Yes, I'm 26....and yes, I just recommended a character breakfast. Here's my reason: it's delicious. My favorite is Winnie the Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. All you can eat, delicious food (my favorite is the bread pudding!) and you can take some pretty goofy pictures with the characters!

Four. Epcot
Hands down Epcot is my favorite park. And I always seem to do the park in the same order - Spaceship Earth first, then everything to the left (minus Mission: Space!), everything to the right (I miss Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!) and then....drinking around the world. Start in Mexico, get dinner at Marrakesh in Morroco, and then finish up the night with a Beatles tribute band and fireworks! That right there....my perfect day!

 Five. Dinosaur

All the rides and attractions at Animal Kingdom are awesome. But the one ride that always sticks out in my mind is Dinosaur. I've never actually been scared on a ride until I went on this ride. I'll let the picture do the talking...

 Six. Hollywood Studios

It's really hard for me to call it Hollywood Studios...it will always be MGM to me! My favorite rides are Toy Story Mania, Rockin' Rollercoaster, and Tower of Terror. Everything is fun, but not awesome. I will say, the American Idol show is pretty cool. You see people perform, they are judged...and each day one person is chosen to go to Hollywood for auditions! 

Seven. Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom IS Disney - all the classic rides and dreams coming true. Even though it's annoying you have to ride It's a Small World. You can't miss Haunted Mansion (even though I was petrified as a kid!) or Pirates of the Carribean. As an adult, my favorite is Hall of Presidents. Don't forget to wear your Mickey ears!

Eight. Ride the Monorail

It's not really that exciting, but it's something you have to do while you are on vacation!

Nine. Try Something New
There are so many great restaurants on the Disney World Resort. Each hotel has a great restaurant and you can visit any of them...even if you're not staying at that hotel. The restaurants all feature specific cuisine, I'm sure they have something you have never tried! I recommend Artist Point, they have a lot of different meats. Not too adventures...but you can't get it everywhere!

Ten. Room Service by the Pool
This is technically something you could do anywhere...but in Disney it's even better. We had some left over food credits so we ordered a pizza, brought it to the pool...and watched Toy Story. Add a margarita and you have the perfect way to end vacation!

This is the most basic Top 10 Disney List. If you asked me to do a Top 10 List for each day or park...I'd be able to do that too! I love Disney!

Day Six of Vacation: Animal Kingdom and The Boardwalk

The sixth day of vacation was rough. I felt sick but I was determined to still have fun. Six days of fun is so tiring and I was really feeling it. We had plans to sleep in...but because we didn't want to miss anything at the Animal Kingdom we got up early and made our way to the park.

Animal Kingdom was packed compared to the other parks...but there were still no lines. We did all the rides Bugs Life show, Everest, Dinosaur...everything except for the water ride. I hate walking around wet for the rest of the day, so uncomfy! Then we did the Safari, the best part was seeing two rhinos fight...I wish we could have stopped the truck to see the whole thing! In all honesty I don't agree with capturing and parading around animals...it's not natural no matter how big the area is. 

We did everything in the park super fast because I was feeling so crappy. But for some reason I still felt the need to get a drink and jalapeno and cheddar pretzel....and it made me feel better! Before we left we watched the Lion King show. I liked it but it wasn't what we were expecting.

We left the park pretty early so I could get some rest before our big night. In December I made reservations for the Polynesian show, I gave them my credit card number and according to the confirmation e-mail we were "guaranteed seats." So, when we got back to the hotel I had the great idea to pick up our tickets. After not finding my name on the list, she tells me our reservation was "auto-canceled." Um...why? She had no answer for me. I was a little mad but honestly...not that disappointed. However, if it shows up on my credit card I will raise hell....they canceled it, NOT me!

After a short nap we decided to make reservations at Cat Cora's restaurant at the Boardwalk. Seriously, best decision ever. The food was so so so so good. We had spanikopita for our appetizer, I had pasta with saffron lamb ragu and Danny had the fisherman's stew. Even though dessert was included in our plan we passed...I learned my lesson from the day before! Our awesome waiter brought out a Happy Anniversary cupcake for us, I took just a little bit and can tell you it was delicious!

  

After dinner we walked around the Boardwalk and saw two magicians. I have never laughed so hard.  The weather was perfect and there was no one around...I think it's my new favorite place! Then we went to Jellyrolls, a piano bar. In Boston I used to go to Jake Ivories ALL the time, I have yet to find a piano bar/dance club like that (I need to get my butt to Charlotte for Howl at the Moon.) We paid an outrageous cover charge and listened to some music for awhile.

We headed back to the hotel and I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow! 

Day Five of Vacation: Magic Kingdom and Texas de Brazil

I bet you have no idea what my favorite part of vacation is. Breakfast. I seriously love breakfast and it's even better if it's a buffet! On Tuesday morning we were up early, put on our Mickey Ears, got on the bus and went to the Magic Kingdom. We got there just in time to see the opening of the park and rushed past the crowed to enjoy our breakfast at the Crystal Palace. Most people go to the Crystal Palace to visit with Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore...not us! We rushed the buffet line and ate until we had to be rolled out of the restaurant. Okay, that's an exaggeration. But we ate some yummy food...it was a great start to the day!

As soon as we walked out of breakfast the day started going downhill...Pirates of the Caribbean was closed...and the Haunted Mansion. Seriously? Our first ride of the day was It's a Small World. Then, for the first time in all my Disney visits, we went to the Hall of Presidents. It's seriously never open when I'm there. I'm the loser who had tears in my eyes the entire time. Yes, I'm a History major! But then the disappointment continued when Space Mountain wasn't open.

After a few more rides it was time for lunch. I should have known better...chili cheese dog. What in God's name was I thinking??? But more on that later....

Because there were no lines...and half the rides weren't working...we were already done with the Magic Kingdom. But we weren't ready to leave! So we started all over again. And it's a good thing we did. All the rides were working and we got to go on everything! And my favorite show (by far!) was the Monster Inc. comedy show...love it! I was even put on the screen with the caption "chose to wear her scary costume today." I blame the ears!

When we were really done with the park, we went back to the hotel, got all dressed up...and left Disney for the night. A few years ago when I was in Aruba we went to Texas de Brazil and I never forgot it. So, when I found the same restaurant in Orlando I was psyched! I had an overpriced Corona (that she poured into a glass...which makes it taste funny!) and lots and lots of food. Seriously, the salad bar is what they serve in heaven. The meat was good...but by the time I got around to it, I was already stuffed.

After dinner we hit up Redbox...how lame are we? This time we watched You Don't Know Jack. Disney has to be the worlds most tiring place...I must have passed out during the opening credits! But, I was rudely woken up at 4AM with an awful stomachache. I either picked up something up from germy kids...or the more logical answer: too much food! It wasn't a fun way to end the day!

Day Four of Vacation: Hollywood Studios and Artist Point

 We spent Valentines Day at Hollywood Studios...aka the park formerly known as MGM. But to me it will always be MGM! Lucky for us the weather was starting to get nice...so we weren't the only goons in shorts.

We were nervous when our bus pulled up in front of the park...there was a ton of construction around the Tower of Terror. There are only (in my opinion) two or three good rides at Hollywood Studios...it would suck if the best one wasn't even open! But thank goodness...it was open, the only ride that wasn't was Star Tours.

The park opened at 9, and by 9:30 we were already done with Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster. I love being an early bird! Then we went on the Great Movie Ride, saw Danny's girlfriend (The Little Mermaid) and wandered around for a while. For lunch we went to Pizza Planet. You know, like Toy Story! And it was super yummy!

After lunch we went to the American Idol show! Three everyday-park-visitors are picked to sing, the winner goes onto the big show of the night, the winner of that gets a ticket to go to the front of the line for American Idol auditions. That's pretty sweet! Then we watched the Indiana Jones show, Danny kicked my butt on the Toy Story ride and we did the Backlot Tour. It's amazing how much shorter it is! Remember back in the day when they showed houses...like the Golden Girls home? What ever happened to that?!

We finished the park early (love no lines!) and headed to the hotel pool for a few drinks. Apparently when the Life Guards change shifts they do the Cupids Shuffle. Such a cute idea. Oh, and it was beautiful out!

For our Valentine's Day dinner we went to the Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. Oh.My.God. The resort is HUGE and beautiful! And the restaurant?! Words can't even explain it! We got a bottle of Riesling and started with sourdough bread with black sea salt butter. Mmmm! For my meal I had buffalo with brussel sprouts and mac and cheese. Danny had venison. Once again we were forced (the scale is my biggest enemy right now!) to eat dessert. Danny had cobbler and I had a gigantic brick of chocolate. So yummy!

Our super romantic and tiring Valentines Day ended with the laptop and Netflix. We watched the Social Network (which was the topic of conversation over the rest of vacation.....) and passed out for the night! Such a great Valentines Day!