Spring Break Trip!

 We had a fun-packed spring break vacation in Orlando!  We didn't make our plans until close to the last minute, since Dan wasn't sure that he'd be able to get away while contractors were working at the school during the break. When we finally decided we could take a few days off, we found non-stop, round-trip flights to Orlando for $45/per person!  We booked a vacation for four days and spent three of them at different Disney World parks. It. was. exhausting. But SO much fun!  And the Florida weather in mid-March was absolutely perfect. I'm not sure we'll ever choose to go again during the sweltering summer months.

Hallie woke up super early the morning we left and posted this announcement to the door - so we wouldn't forget what we were doing that day!

We stayed at the Disney All Star Music Resort, which had cute Disney musical themes and fun personal touches, like a welcome message on our TV screen. 

The most important feature of the resort was their Mickey Mouse waffles, which we enjoyed every single morning before hitting the parks! 

Another big perk of staying at a Disney property is that they allow you to enter the parks a half hour before opening time. It's just enough time to ride one very popular ride quickly before the gates open and the line gets longer.

We spent our first day at Magic Kingdom.

 

The girls love driving cars at the Tomorrowland Speedway 

We also LOVE the cool new "Tron" ride. You have to get on a special virtual queue to make an appointment to ride it. 

Tron is a super-fast motorcycle-style rollercoaster. It's not the most comfortable way to sit, but it's an awesome ride! 

We also rode all the Magic Kingdom classic rides, like the Dumbo ride, Peter Pan's flight, It's a Small World, etc.

We love that the girls are both roller coaster fans! The fastest rides are their favorites, like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster.

Magic Kingdom always seems to be the most exhausting! The girls were fantastic about it, but they were so tired and sore by dinnertime that we didn't stay for the fireworks show that night. (Inconceivable!!) Dan and I were afraid we'd made a big mistake by planning back-to-back park days.  

After a good night's sleep, though, the girls rebounded and were ready to explore Hollywood Studios for their very first time. 

They got a big kick out of the huge toy decorations and cute rides in the Toy Story-themed section of Hollywood Studios. Dan and I loved the retro-style toys that they featured, like Tinkertoys, huge Uno cards, a giant Jenga tower, and some old familiar board games.

We had a blast on the fast Toy Story Slinky Dog rollercoaster!

We waited until this year to take Emma and Hallie to Hollywood Studios because we didn't think they'd appreciate the Star Wars themed rides when they were younger. 

They LOVED the Star Wars section of the park on this trip! They've never seen the movies, but we gave them the back story before they got on each ride. They wanted to ride everything multiple times!

We made sure to hit the longer lines early in the day before our feet got too sore. I also carried plenty of snacks to keep our energy up.  Dan and Hallie are stuffing their cheeks with grapes while we waited on line for the Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run ride.

We got a photo in front of the Millenium Falcon after we rode the ride. Many of the Star Wars rides have a hands-on element, where each rider gets to play a role. Disney does a fantastic job of keeping things interesting.

The only low point in the day for Hallie and Emma was the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride.  Neither of them likes anything scary, and they thought it was, well, terrifying. 

Photo evidence of how much they DID NOT enjoy the ride. 

They questioned our love for them after we took them on it, and we're forbidden to ever speak of the experience again. 

(*stage whisper* I thought it was a fun ride.)

We quickly erased any negative memories with the new 4D ride, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. We stayed late for the Hollywood Studios Fantasmic nighttime show, which the girls enjoyed, too.

Our third and final park day was spent at beautiful Epcot. 

We like riding the original rides, like Spaceship Earth. Emma created a virtual world where she could frolic through a beautiful windmill-powered land where flowers fall gracefully into her basket while she sings "...the hilllls are aliiiive...with the souund of muusiiiic...". 

Hallie's dream home overlooks a snowy winter wonderland...no wait, the sun setting over the ocean...or does she live under the sea?? Maybe she couldn't decide on only one location, but Dan looks like he's firmly in favor of going to the beach. She and Dan are snacking on a healthy salad with glasses of water, but I'm pretty sure Hallie is asking if they can go to Chick-Fil-A instead.

They had some wonderful new exhibits that the girls loved, like this butterfly pavilion!  They spent a long time there, gently catching and releasing butterflies.

There was also a brand-new water play area based on Disney's "Moana" movie.

These water fountains danced up and down as you raised and lowered your hand over them.

There were crazy mist areas where you could literally lose each other!

And a fun water "gateway" that magically opened as you walked through.

We spent at least an hour playing in the fun new water features. I'm sure it's going to be even more popular during the hot summer months!

Emma's favorite Disney character is Stitch, and we caught him walking around Epcot!

 We stopped in France for crepes and ice cream while we waited to ride the Ratatouille ride.

Our family's new favorite ride at Epcot was the Guardians of the Galaxy rollercoaster. It's unbelievably awesome, although definitely not for the faint of heart!

Our fourth and final day in Orlando was spent shopping in Disney Springs and eating at the Rainforest Cafe. 

We love visiting the shops at Disney Springs - like the huge Lego store! After being introduced to the Star Wars rides and stories, Hallie's decided that the droids are her favorite characters.

We had another Stitch sighting on top of the Disney Store. True to form, he would occasionally spit water at unwitting passersby!

Our flight home didn't depart until 9:00 pm, so we also had time for a snack and play time at Orlando's enormous two-story McDonalds before heading to the airport. By the time we flew home, we were absolutely beat!  This was one of the most action-packed trips we've ever planned as a family.  Dan and I love staying busy on vacations, and we were proud of our girls' endurance.

At least until we drove home from the airport that night! Heh!

We love making memories together at Disney!