Epcot in a Day

Who says it takes 80 days to travel around the world? 

We did it in 8 hours. 

This was Josh's first time at Epcot and we really enjoyed tasting our way around the countries and exploring each one. Of course, we got chills when we heard the choir singing the National Anthem and the Military songs in the American building, because how can you not have pride in such a great nation?!

Josh's Favorite:

Test Track because it doesn't have drops like the normal roller coasters, but it goes wicked fast. I also love that I got to create my own car and run it again all of the other people in our car. I like a little competition so I enjoyed this. You better believe our car won best overall. 

Hil's Favorite:

Soarin' - above and beyond any other - I absolutely love this ride. I love how you never even leave that warehouse, but you feel like you're flying through the air. I was always one of those kids who wanted to know what it would be like to play in the clouds and this gives me a taste of that. While you're there, definitely take the Living With The Land ride because you'll see some really cool foods and some really huge watermelons. 

Helpful Hint:

These pictures are worth it. Sometimes the lines seem long, but if you are not frequent Disney goers, stop and take the picture with the characters ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE KIDS. My parents went to Disney for their honeymoon and dad still has the picture of mom and Minnie hanging about his work bench in the garage. I have a picture of my sister and I with Minnie Moues from when we were 5 that still brings back all the memories from that trip. They are ideal Disney memories and the characters are so sweet and always make us laugh. 

Photo Ops:

One at each country's landmark - 

The Moroccoan Pavillion, The Eiffel Tower, The Chinese Temple, The Japanese Tori Gate, etc. 

Space Ship Earth (The Giant Golf Ball) 

See ya real soon, Mickey!

-Josh & Hil 

Magic Kingdom in a Day!

Everything is better with friends & Disney is no different. This past year we rocked Magic Kingdom with two of our favorite couples! 

Here's this photo just because Disney ears are EVERYTHING. 

Check out our favorite Magic Kingdom moments below. 

Josh's Favorite:

Not the crowds, in case you were wondering :) I actually really enjoyed Splash Mountain. It was a pretty warm day, and it felt good to get a little splash in. 

Hil's Favorite:

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin because I beat Josh every time! My close second favorite is the Haunted Mansion because every time I go, I try to get one of the employees to smile! You should try too - but good luck! I've only had one smile at me. I also really enjoy Tom Sawyer Island and the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house because it's honestly just fun to explore. 

Helpful Hint:

Share a meal & pack snacks. Did you know that you can bring any food or drink that you want into the park with you? Seriously. You can. We even packed a small lunchbox with an ice pack so we could bring some fresh fruit and a few sodas for Josh. Yes, you have to wait in the long check bag line to get in, but just think of all the time (and calories) you'll save. Instead of spending $70 on lunch to feed your family sub-par fast food, let them each pick their own treat after eating a real lunch! We typically pack deli meat in our cooler and bring bread to make sandwiches or we will just make pb&j. We pack lots of snacks and bring plenty of drinks. Most places at Disney will also give you cups of water for free so don't be afraid to ask (better yet, bring your own water bottle to fill up with the water from the restaurants so you can take it with you). If you are at the park for the whole day though and doing all that walking, it is hard for me to pack enough snacks in a backpack to keep Josh fed and happy, so we recommend sharing a meal. A $12 meal shared between two people isn't that bad and it keeps you full long enough to get you through to your hotel room that night (or back home in our case). 

Photo Ops:

Cinderella's Castle (either head on or from the tomorrow land entrance)
Somewhere with the Haunted Mansion in the background
In front of the Magic Kingdom sign

Did you even go to Magic Kingdom if you don't get a picture in front of the castle?

-J&H 

Hollywood Studios in a Day

Here we are rocking a selfie in front of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster WHICH I drug Josh on against his will. He actually said that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be (I might just make a roller coaster lover out of him yet). For this trip, we left our home in Fort Myers around 5 am, grabbed gas & donuts at the gas station and hit the road. Our very first fast pass was for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, but luckily we got there a little bit before I thought we would and we caught the Beauty & The Beast show and it was fabulous. Such a timeless tale. 

Of course we had to wait in line at Star Wars Launch Bay to get our picture taken with Chewbacca. Josh loves Star Wars and pretty much fan boyed through this entire thing. Isn't it fun to watch someone you love get excited about something they love?

Josh's Favorite:

As stated above - Star Wars Bay Launch - ALL OF IT. We also caught part of March of the First Order and it was totally awesome. I think if I went into the wrong career. When we saw them again waiting on the Star Tours ride, I even got one of them close enough to me to take a selfie. I don't think he was smiling though...

Hil's Favorite:

I'm going to give the typical answer on this one - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is my absolute favorite. It was even better this time because we rode it when it was raining outside. I also really enjoyed the Great Movie Ride (and am really sad that they closed it down). If you're looking for a nice indoor activity, though, check out the Frozen Sing Along! It was super cute. 

Helpful Hint:

As you probably know, you can get 3 Fast Passes at a time. Did you know, though, that if you use those 3 passes, that you can go back and get more one at a time? This actually rocks because sometimes you can fast pass something fabulous that you didn't get to earlier because it was sold out and some family thought they would have more stamina than they did and so they cancelled their fast passes and now they can be YOURS! Josh told me I was actually crazy because most of the day I was checking to see if I could get a better ride fast passed or if I could get a ride fast passed that was closer to the actual time, then I could use another one later in the day. I was a fast pass addict (Hi, I'm Hilary and I am an addict), but really, who wants to wait in lines all day?

Photo Ops:

The Star Wars Speeder Bike 

Tower of Terror in the Background

The Hollywood Studios Arch

With a Classic Car on Sunset Blvd.

Again, to prove we were actually there - here's our photo!

- J&H 

Disney Springs & Cirque du Soleil

For our  FIRST anniversary, my grandparents bought us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs. We were planning to be at Disney anyways for our anniversary, so this was a special treat. Something that is really cool - my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on the day of our Rehearsal Dinner. So our anniversary is 50 years and one day apart. Sooo we decided that we will do some fun trips together with them for our anniversary sometimes. Isn't it great to have a couple who is such a wonderful display of marriage to be around? 

Josh & I decided that we wanted to do dinner at Disney Springs before we took on Cirque du Soleil, so we searched for a restaurant with our favorite food - PIZZA! We went to Blaze Pizza for the first time - loved it (as you can see below) so much that we went back and ate it again after the show (Judge if you must). We also walked around some shops, got cupcakes from the Sprinkles ATM (yes - it is a machine that dispenses cupcakes) and had some exotic Coke flavors at the Coca-Cola Store.

We HIGHLY recommend Cirque de Coleil or any of their other performances if they come to a city near you. The show was riveting and completely captivating and we seriously loved every moment of it. There were a few times when I looked over at Josh and his jaw was just dropped. 

After the show (and more Blaze Pizza) we went over the Port Orleans Riverside and went to see Bob (this is actually a picture from another trip when we went to see Bob, but I wanted you to see him so here it is). Make sure you get there a little bit before his show to watch him, but it is really a great show and HONESTLY, what else at Disney is free? You can drive and use your lodging pass to get in for free at the gate, or you can take a bus from a park or Disney Springs to get here. Right next to his show room is a cafeteria where you can get warm homemade desserts, a nice meal, or some ice cream. He also performs in a bar of sorts where waitresses will serve you any drink of your choosing. Get ready for an interactive show where you will be laughing and dancing with everyone in the room.

Isn't Disney just the best? 

Until next time,

JH 

Animal Kingdom in a Day

For our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, we decided to go to Disney. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon, but we got a decent deal on a 4 day (one park) pass as Florida Residents, so we went for it. We did one day at each park and this one we conquered with my Grandparents while wearing our Happily Ever After pins. 

I am definitely no Disney expert, nor do I claim to be, but I do know how to make good use of a fast pass and I can boogie around the park with the best of them. For this trip we did go at the beginning of February (yes, I am playing catch up on my blog) so it wasn't quite as busy as during peak season. Unfortunately (poor planning on my part), we went right before Pandora opened so we did miss that part of this park. 

For each of our Disney parks posts, I'm just going to tell you what each of us enjoyed the most at that park and share any helpful tips I have learned through my years at the Disney parks. 

Josh's Favorite:

I don't actually like roller coasters. At all. So for those of you that are like me, I will tell you that Expedition Everest was NOT THAT BAD (although I still don't love roller coasters). My favorite part, though, was for sure the Dinosaur ride. I am an avid dinosaur lover, so this was a total win for me, especially since it is more simulator than ride. I also have to mention that I really enjoyed the Wildlife Express Train & Kilimanjaro Safari and checking out all of the animals. 

Hil's Favorite:

I just love that Expedition Everest has that backwards drop. There isn't much better than that flop in your stomach during that part of the ride! Beyond that, though, I just loved walking and seeing all the animals. Take time to talk to the tour guides. They have some really great information about some of the animals. I wanted to see every single animals that the papers said I could see (and I did!). 

Helpful Hint:

One thing that we love is that you can actually ask any employee there (especially the ones with cameras) to take your picture. Obviously they will take it on their really nice camera, but they will also take it on your phone for you too. They really have the best idea for what you want in the background of your pictures (since their job is to take pictures of guests all day) so before you ask a random park guest, try to look for these guys to take your pictures if you really want ones to capture the moments. 

Photo Ops:

In front of the Tree of Life

One with Expedition Everest in the Background 

Here is our clique picture in front of the Tree of Life to prove that we were in fact actually at Animal Kingdom! 

-J & H