walt disney world week: vacation highlights

Coming home from vacation is never fun...but my transition back into regular life following my Walt Disney World trip has not been smooth. Shortly after arriving home, there was a slight tickle in my throat. I didn't feel quite right. Before I even had time to unpack my suitcase, some sort of sickness had taken over. Cough, runny nose, exhaustion, and all the rest. It came on very quickly and is still lingering to this day. Definitely not the return home that I envisioned. Despite this setback, I am attempting to slowly get myself back on track: catching up on cleaning, laundry, blogging, work, and everything in between. Which brings me to the latest theme week here on the creation of beauty is art. To start this Walt Disney World theme week off on the right foot, it is time to share some vacation highlights from my recent getaway to the most magical place on earth.

Day One. Our flight to Orlando took place very early in the morning and we had to wake up at 3:45 a.m. to get to the airport with enough time to spare. Thankfully, all went well at the airport and with our flight. (Though there was a lot of turbulence on the plane and my anxiety did not like that at all.) Once we arrived at the airport, it was onto a bus to take us to the All Star Music Resort in Walt Disney World. There were some hiccups with our check in at the hotel thanks to using old Magic Bands linked to different accounts, but the resort staff was helpful and managed to get things working. We grabbed lunch at the hotel food court and waited for our hotel room to be ready. Since we were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary, the hotel staff upgraded us to a preferred room. So, we dropped off our luggage, got changed, and grabbed a bus to Disney Springs. My husband and I spent a few hours checking out the shops and picking up some souvenirs for family back home. We had dinner at the T-Rex restaurant and then went back to the hotel to rest, relax, and prepare for our first theme park day.

Day Two. Our first official day in a Disney theme park was spent at Hollywood Studios. Since Disney is shamefully closing the Muppet Vision 3D ride in June, it was extra important to take lots of photos there and see the show multiple times. We got photos taken in front of the fountain and saw the show two times. Other highlights of the day included seeing the Indiana Jones live show, checking out the Star Wars area, having a drink at Oga's Cantina, going on Rock n Rollercoaster, and enjoying the different rides in Toy Story Land. I also found a Kermit the Frog backpack from Loungefly and splurged on that. 

Day Three. The Magic Kingdom is my happy place. It is the location that I spent months and months dreaming about. There is something so incredible about walking down Main Street and seeing the castle in the distance. It is downright magical to hear the music playing, smell the popcorn cart, and see people taking their vacation photos. I just love the Magic Kingdom. We were able to go on all sorts of rides (including the new Tiana ride that took over Splash Mountain), eat all sorts of treats (like the Orange Bird Dole Whip), and even see a parade. We had a lot of fun going from ride to ride. However, the heat was intense and it definitely took a toll on us both. There was a lot of cold water and a lot of air conditioning stops throughout the day. 

Day Four. There never seems to be enough time at Animal Kingdom. This park has amazing rides, but also has trails where you can see animals and a conservation focused section of the park. Though we did our best to see everything...there were still trails and rides that we did not get to. (I blame this on the lines in the Pandora section of the park. Just hours of waiting!) We were able to meet some characters, go on an Everest themed rollercoaster, see lots of animals, and even have dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The server was lovely and brought us out a special dessert to celebrate our anniversary. The weather was very hot and uncomfortable, but since the forecast originally predicted rain, we were happy not to pull out ponchos. 

Day Five. This was our second day in Hollywood Studios and it was a bit of an emotional one for me. This was the last time that I would be able to see Muppet Vision 3D and eat at the PizzeRizzo restaurant. It was hard knowing that this amazing chapter of Muppet history was closing...and that it was time for me to say goodbye to experiences that have meant so much to me over the years. (I have always had an obsession with the Muppets and this section of Hollywood Studios has brought me a lot of joy in my lifetime.) We started the day off in the Star Wars section of the park, spent a lot of time in the Muppet area, ate an amazing meal at PizzeRizzo, and checked off other items on our to do list. Something really neat that happened? My husband and I went onto Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway ride and we were seated with a single rider. I look over and it is Kyle Pallo who I watch on YouTube every single day. He was filming some content for a vlog. I was too nervous to say anything, so my husband said to him, "My wife loves your YouTube channel." He was very nice and we all talked a little bit before the ride started and after it ended. It was really cool and unexpected. After that, we saw the Beauty and the Beast live show.

Day Six. This was our only day at Epcot, so we wanted to make sure we saw as much as possible, especially with rain forecasted later in the day. My husband and I decided to make the most of the early entry by checking out the Ratatouille ride (which he had never been on) in the France area of the World Showcase. After that, we checked out the rest of the World Showcase area, went on rides, and got photos taken. Given the rain forecast, we made sure to prioritize things that were outside first, so we went to the Moana garden area and met Asha (from the movie Wish, which I have watched hundreds and hundreds of times. I am obsessed). We then went on the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, which was really fun, and then spent some time in The Land pavilion while the rain started. Eventually, we threw on our ponchos and did our best to navigate the weather.  

Day Seven. Our last day in Walt Disney World was spent back at The Magic Kingdom. We did our best to do things that we didn't have time for the first time around - and repeated a few extra special rides. We also got photos taken in front of the castle and had a Beauty and the Beast cupcake with the grey stuff piled on top. It was delicious. I was feeling a little down, because the vacation was coming to an end and it felt like we had just arrived. Our last ride of the day was on one of my all time favourites, the Carousel of Progress. It was so hard to leave this happy and magical place...but eventually we did. Then it was back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep before the 2:45 a.m. alarm went off so we could head to the airport. 

There you have it...some Walt Disney World highlights from my latest vacation. It was such a wonderful trip. We made lots of great memories and had a really fantastic anniversary celebration. I miss Walt Disney World already. Though I am not sure when we will be able to visit there again, it was a dream come true to spend time in such a magical place.