May 25, 2017

Disney: Hollywood Studios

9:19 AM 0 Comments
After our off-day, we were ready to hit Hollywood Studios. Our goals were to see lots of characters and immerse ourselves in Star Wars everything. Nailed it!

When you drop your yogurt spoons on the bus, Momma gets creative with yogurt foil lids as spoons! Because #Disney



The girls loved the ride Toy Story Mania, and meeting some of the Disney Junior Pals!







We enjoyed some lunch at Backlot Express to kick off our journey into Star Wars :)


This Jawa was actually kinda cute

"Riding" a speeder bike


We caught the March of the First Order, and I thought Ben was going to lose his mind!


...and then we entered The Star Wars Launch Bay



Eliza was hesitant of "The Bad Guy"...

 ...But Peyton was intrigued by power and totally ready to join The Dark Side

Check out Peyton's pose

Our favorite furry dude



Ben and I each took Peyton on the Star Tours ride- a 3D space flight!
(Pro Tip: If you are traveling with a younger sibling, ask the cast member for a rider swap ticket before your first ride. This way, the parent staying with the little kiddo can jump right back on the ride with the older kiddo without having to wait in line!)




We ventured over to Disney Junior Live on Stage (again- great timing as the sun was shining bright) and enjoyed the show! This was a cute Mickey Mouse Clubhouse-themed stage show and the kids enjoyed the interaction and familiar characters like Toodles.



We later headed over to Frozen land to catch A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration and met Olaf on the way! He certainly does love warm hugs.




The Frozen Sing-Along was super cool (ha, get it?)... It was hosted by 2 hilarious "villagers" who told the story of Elsa and Anna, who came out at the end of the show briefly. We all enjoyed singing along to our favorite songs, and let me tell you....when ELSA is right in front of you singing "Let it Go" and it starts snowing and your kids are totally in awe, it will make a Momma cry!



We ended our day with dinner at Hollywood and Vine, a cute diner with American cuisine. We sat in the main area, but there were little rooms designed to look like homes from the '50's, which was really neat!








And I ended my day with a much needed shower & cocktail :)


Night Night!


May 24, 2017

Disney: Day of Rest

4:10 PM 0 Comments
At the advice of veteran Disney-goers, we took a day "off" about mid-week. We were all feeling a little run down, and needed a day to recover.
Of course we had to plan a little fun, so we began our day at Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Perhaps it was because we weren't in a huge rush to get to the next place, but it was one of my favorite dining experiences. Also, I love breakfast food. And Mickey. And Disney...







After breakfast, we went to explore Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) which I have zero pictures of because we were caught by a torrential downpour. We were all drenched, so we headed into World of Disney to dry off... what a cool store! We picked out some great souvenirs, then took the ferry back to our hotel.

After the sun came out, we spent some time at the pool, then wrapped up our day with a pizza from our dining hall...the perfect low-key evening!


May 23, 2017

Disney: Animal Kingdom

2:29 PM 0 Comments
Our second full day at Disney was spent at Animal Kingdom! To be honest, it was the least exciting park for us, but that was before Pandora- World of Avatar had opened. It was still an awesome park day with lots of cool experiences!

We began our day on the Kilimanjaro Safaris- a very cool look at the animals across the grounds! Afterwards, we headed over to meet Pocahontas (one of Eliza's favorites!)

(Pro Tip: Book your Fast Pass for the Safaris for early morning, when animals are more active).









We caught The Lion King show, which was really awesome! It was also great timing as it was getting pretty hot outside and the show is indoors. 




For lunch, we enjoyed a quick service meal from FlameTree Barbecue, and could have easily shared. The food was great and the portions were huge. We then headed off to the Kali River Rapids, which was another great way to cool off. 


Because we had plans for a late night show, we headed back to the hotel for a little mid-afternoon nap. Once back in the park, we dined at TuskerHouse Restaurant, which was a favorite for all of us. The food was a combo of kid-friendly and very cool ethnic dishes. The kids loved visiting with their favorite characters {again} and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed some Moscow Mules :)






After dinner, we spent some time at The Boneyard in DinoLand, which is an open air play place for kiddos. It was a great chance to let the kids just play freely, without having something scheduled and somewhere to be. We headed off to enjoy Rivers of Light-a very cool nighttime light show on the river. I think the cast members noted our "First Time" buttons and escorted us to front and center seats :)


We closed down the park, and headed back to our room for a little R&R (after 19,000 steps that day).