Tag Archives: family

Our amazing trip to Disney World + a few tips and hints for your next visit – Part 1

Holiday, New posts, Personal, , ,

As I mentioned in my last post, my 10 year old, 3 year old, sister, Dad, and step-mom went to Disney World last week. I had not been to Disney World during the holiday season and wasn’t sure what to expect, but going during the holidays was the point. We wanted to see the decorations and Christmas parades. We even rode a few rides!

My favorite Disney World rides:

“It’s a Small World”

– It’s a Small World is great for all ages, no scary or dark moments at all. Madelyn LOVED “It’s a Small World”. The wait was minimal, we kept moving until we boarded the ride.

“Carousel of Progress”

– Despite having been on the Carousel of Progress ride many many times over the years, it never gets old even though the changes are minimal every time I go. I loved for my 10 year old son to see the way people lived in the 19th century as well as potential living situations in te future. He actually wanted to go on the “Carousel of Progress” more than once.

“Mad Tea Party”

– Mad Tea Party is one that I don’t think I rode as a child because I was fearful of getting sick. I rode Mad Tea Party when we took my then 3 year old to Disney World and didn’t throw up so I did it again this time with my 3 year old daughter and she loved it!

“Dumbo The Flying Elephant”

– Dumbo The Flying Elephant was so fun! The wait was longer than I would have hoped but it was worth it. The ride is short, it seemed like about 3-4 minutes but that was probably just long enough for Madelyn. She enjoyed controlling how high we went and when. She got a kick out of that.

“Jungle Cruise”

– The Jungle Cruise is great for all ages. It is a boat ride with a humorous ‘tour guide’ during which you go through the jungle and see elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, and alligators.

My recommendations for your next or first trip to Disney World:

  • Bring lots of hand sanitizer. It seems impossible for kids if any age to keep their hands off if the rails and then out them in their nose or mouth (fun!).
  • Bring bottled water. You’ve got to keep hydrated!
  • Bring your own stroller. You can rent a stroller at Disney World for $13 a day (price when we went) but their stroller didn’t seem to have any storage room below the seat or any type of cushioning. They might have had cup holders for the adults but I’m not sure.
  • Bring snacks.

General “What to bring” tips:

  • Bring sunscreen even in the winter.
  • Bring bottled water.
  • Bring sun hats.
  • Bring ponchos.
  • Extra clothes or babies and toddlers. Put the extra clothes in a Ziploc bag and squeeze all of the air out of the bag to make the it really small for easy storage in your backpack.
  • Bring wipes to clean up sticky spills on clothes and hands.

Even though we arrived at Disney World at 9:30, we didn’t get to ride as many rides as we hoped.   I would like to be able to go for a couple of days next time we go to Disney World and staying in a Disney Resort would be convenient and appreciated by everyone in your family I’m sure.. so I recommend doing that if you can. 
Disney World is extremely busy during school breaks, even winter break.  The crowds were a bit overwhelming at times.  The perfect weather more than made up for the crowds though.   I would recommend that everyone go during the holidays at least once to see Disney World beautifully decorated with Christmas Trees, Nutcrackers, and Cinderella’s brightly lit castle.

Did I leave any tips out? Share them with our readers in the comments area below. Thanks!

Part 2 > Meal time at Disney World, ride tips, helpful official Disney World website links

Visit the Disney World Magic Kingdom website to learn more about the park, get prices, buy tickets, and more.

Alicia

I was not compensated in any way for this post.

Our night out at Disney On Ice presents Celebrations!

Entertainment, ,

Wednesday night, thanks to Mom Central and Feld Entertainment, my kids and I went to “Disney On Ice presents Celebrations!” and we had a blast! Before the show we attended a ‘meet and greet’ where we enjoyed party hats, coloring, yummy finger foods and lemonade. Thinking things couldn’t get any better than yummy finger foods, we were pleasantly surprised when we got to get a photograph with Mickey Mouse (below)!

Disney On Ice - Atlanta, GA

I have never been to a show on ice before so I didn’t have any expectations but I left with really high expectations for our next show because this one was great! There were some numbers during which the little hairs on my arms stood up, not because I was cold, but because the beauty of the skaters and the music was incredible. The kids of course, didn’t look at the show at beautiful and some parts weren’t so beautiful (Halloween characters) but were awesomely fun.

During the show my 10 year old said “I feel like a kid again” and that he was having so much fun! A kid again? You’re only 10, I thought to myself.

The only part of the show that I wasn’t too thrilled about was the Halloween celebration. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I just thought it was a little over the top for a pre-schooler which is in the age range the show targets. Also, to put that part of the show so near the beginning doesn’t give the little kids enough time to get used to the loudness and lights before the crazy witches and ghouls are skating, screaming, and singing. That’s my 2 cents about that!
P1030883

My favorite scene was the Japanese scene. The music and skating was beautiful. You can watch a short video of this part of the performance below.
My 10 year old son’s favorite ‘celebrations’ were Halloween and when the Toy Story characters (the pig is his favorite) came out toward the end of the show. My 3 year old daughter’s favorite parts were the brooms of Fantasia and the Christmas celebrations.

The show was amazing. It was great to see the kids with ‘permagrin’ and the look of awe on their faces when the skaters jumped and spun was incredible.



Ready-made Printable Valentine’s Day cards from my friend Mo

Holiday, , , , , , ,

Movdaycards
I haven't bought Valentine's Day cards for Sebastian's classmates yet. I stink.
That's why I was thrilled when I got an email from Mo telling me that he stars in his very own Valentine's Day cards that I can print right from my computer! Mo, you saved the day!

Children and parents can download and print Mo's Valentine's Day cards to give out or keep. Share "Mo" love with family and friends! For extra fun, printable coloring pages are available too.

Valentine's Day celebrates love, all kinds of love and with Mo, parents can teach their toddlers and little ones love and compassion towards animals while coloring or mailing out Mo's special Valentine's Day cards. It's easy and it's free!

I just printed my Mo's Valentine's Day cards! Click here to print yours!

The Celebrity Solstice cruise:
Part 1: Relaxing

Celebrity Solstice, , , , , , , ,

Celebrity Solstice deck lounge chairs

In Part 1 of my Celebrity Solstice preview cruise series I am going to tell you how I relaxed on the ship and how you can too.

Boy, the cruise went by so fast.  Among going to executive forums, ship designer forums, PR meetings, and eating I was on the go from dawn till dusk.  I did not sit down at a pool once but I passed them at least three dozen times.
I did however, sit on the lawn. THe Patio on the Lawn is on the highest deck of the ship without roof to obstruct my view of the sky, no hard floor under my bare feet, just soft, plush grass.  After passing through The Lawn I headed for the AuquSpa where I was fortunate enough to get a Swedish Massage.  While waiting for my massage, I was sent to the relaxation room where I gazed out of the ceiling to floor windows and I just happened to be there when the sun was setting so the view was astonishing.  The relaxation room is full of chase lounges each having a plush blanket, pillows and side tables on which you can put your cup of tea or book.  The relaxation room trumped eating a box of chocolate hands down!

Part 2 coming soon

You can read about why I went on the Celebrity Solstice preview cruise here.