Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom with Kids

As I was rounding up about eleventy billion photos to upload and print, it dawned on me that although I've shared some Disney posts with you all, I never did share an actual recap of our May Family Disney Trip. I've posted crafts, and even a room review, but no posts about our time in the parks. I decided that rather than overload you all with a week of Disney stuff, I'd share some pics from our time in Florida and spread them out some. Lots of families plan Fall vacations to Disney, so I hope this is timely for some of you.

I'll do a few park recaps and end with my top tips later on. We'll start today with the Magic Kingdom, which is my favorite. I hope you like lots of photos....

We opted to drive from Virginia to Florida, which made for a long day drive...but as a flagrant overpacker, I very much enjoyed being able to cram the swagger wagon as full of junk stuff as I wanted. We surprised the girls with the news very early on a Friday morning (you can see the video here) and immediately loaded the van up and hit the road.

I ought to have known that our trip would have some drama when T got a speeding ticket less than two hours from home. And when our (perfectly fine) mini van wouldn't start when we went to leave for the park on our first morning in Florida. At any rate, everything worked out fine...it just goes to show that no trip is ever perfect.

We met my sister, brother-in-law, and niece in Florida, and the girls were overjoyed to spend time with their cousin. They wore my Minnie Mouse Silhouette T-Shirts the first day:

For the most part, the girls were too hot and unwilling to stand in line to meet characters, but we happened upon the stepmother and stepsisters from Cinderella early and they played their roles to perfection. Natalie and Michaela Byrd were thrilled to use the Disney autograph books I made for them:

Because it was the girls' first Disney trip, we scheduled a "character dining" experience at the Crystal Palace (Winnie the Pooh). It was pricey and noisy, but the kids were enthralled by seeing the characters. It was quite a different experience for me going with children versus dining with other adults. This spot is a buffet...perfect for picky eaters!

Our second day at the Magic Kingdom was just as magical as the first. Lots of rides, some meet and greets...and the amazing, spectacular Electrical Parade at night.

They already loved The Swiss Family Robinson from seeing the movie 547 times, but a performance by Jack Sparrow and a ride on The Pirates of the Caribbean had them shouting "yo ho" and longing to be pirates. I was shocked that they enjoyed it as much as they did.

If you are planning on attending one of the evening parades, I highly recommend arriving around 2 hours early (yes, 2 hours) and staking out your spot. And I will tell you why.

Not knowing any better, we arrived back at the Magic Kingdom a little over 2 hours before the Electrical Parade (lighted parade) was due to begin. I noticed that lots of people were staking spots on the sidewalk, so I told T to take Natalie to ride some rides while Michaela Byrd and I hung out. I would recommend trading off at some point, because sitting on the sidewalk for two hours sucked, but we had the best seats in the house. Right on the street, where the "circle" opens in front of the castle, at the end of the sidewalk...perfect view of the parade and the fireworks over the castle that followed.

I was skeptical about sitting for two hours, but a nice family settled in next to us, and the dad assured me that if we wanted to hold onto our awesome spot we should stick around...and don't let anyone weasel in and try to steal it. This turned out to be timely advice, because as the rain poured and I tried to keep my four year old occupied, I became desperate to prove that all that time sitting soaked on the sidewalk was worth something. And just like the dad said, people tried to walk up and squeeze into our parade spot five minutes before the show was due to start. After I had been sitting there soaking wet for two hours. I. don't. think. so.

Let's just say that I may have been a little bit of a grumpy pants to the spot poachers.

In the end, it was worth it, because the Electrical Parade was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Imagine a parade of Disney floats and characters, all lit up with Christmas lights. And because I turned into an obsessive compulsive spot hoarder, we were close enough for the characters to interact with my kids. And don't even get me started on the amazingness of the fireworks!

The Magic Kingdom is my favorite Disney park, and I think it's safe to say it's also the girls' favorite.

Do you have a favorite Disney park?

If you enjoyed this post, or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. 

Disney's Pop Century Resort (Our Experience and Disney Travel Tips)

I've shown you a few Disney Crafts and posts since our trip in May, but I realized that I never took the time to post a trip recap. I've had several emails asking how we liked our room at Disney's Pop Century Resort, so I thought today would be a good time to do a little Disney Room Review. I could have taken some shots of the empty room as we were checking out, but I want to show the real room as it is being used by real people!

If you aren't familiar with the Pop Century Resort, it's one of Disney's "value" resorts (ie. the cheaper ones). The decor and themes are inspired from the 1950s to the 1990s. They even have tons of fun memorabilia to look through in the lobby!

source

I read lots of reviews online before our trip, but couldn't find any posts or sites that showed photos of the rooms taken at more than one angle. I wouldn't call the photos on the Disney site misleading, but they do take great care to not show how close the entry door is to the bed...and it is close!

We had space under the front window (next to the door) for one suitcase and the bag of toys/videos. I kept my laptop and T's ipad locked in the suitcase when we went out for the day. Next to the suitcases was a small two table with two seats. Perfect for the girls to grab a quick breakfast and play with a puzzle while I put my make-up on.

Next, there was a roomy dresser (lots of space in the drawers!), shelves, mini-fridge, and space for another suitcase (if you aren't using the door for connecting rooms). I also liked that Disney utilized the open area on the wall for hooks:

The bathroom had a separate sink/closet area that was divided from the toilet and shower/tub by a door. There was a large curtain that you could pull to separate the room from the sink:

The shelf in the closet area was actually quite roomy! We used it to store a case of water bottles and our breakfast/snack food. There was still plenty of space underneath for more storage, which we didn't use...and we stayed for five nights!

Quick Tip: Bring a small container of dish soap and a sponge from The Dollar Tree. You'll want to bring a couple of cups for the kids, and the resort sells a reusable mug that you'll want to clean during your stay.

Back around the room...more space between the bed and the wall if you're in need of it...and play space on the beds, of course!

As for for the Pop Century Resort itself, we stayed in the "50s" building (the closest one to the lobby), in a room with a standard pool view. We were very happy with it. No long treks to the car or to the lobby. The 50s pool isn't the greatest (no shade), but the 60s pool is a very short walk, and had a great kiddie area and lots of activities.

The lobby is enormous and includes its own souvenir shop and a food court. While pricey, the food court did offer some different options...not always the healthiest, but we were on vacay, after all!

source

Pop Century Pros:
-Has its own bus line (no waiting as the bus drops other guests off at various Disney resorts)
-Bus line runs regularly to and from the Disney parks
-An affordable option for staying on Disney property
-Mini fridge and wifi are included now!
-Easily housed our family of four
-Great housekeeping service


Pop Century Cons:
-Lighting in the room was dim
-Pool view rooms can be noisy due to late night swimmers (but we were so tired, we just tuned it out and went to sleep)
-Food court was pricey (not a great variety for kids)
-Rooms can be a fair walk from the lobby and bus line
-Beds were not the most comfortable and they were only doubles! (Queens would have been much more comfortable if they room sizes had worked with that)

Best tips for staying at the Pop Century?

1. Take advantage of Disney's park transportation 
It's free for resort guests, and it gets you to the parks much more quickly than if you drive, park, and ride the tram in. In short, free and fast. The bus drivers are so friendly!

2. Ask for a room in a building near the lobby. 
The buses arrive in front of the lobby and the food court is also there. After a long day at the parks, you don't want a long hike back to your room.

3. Try the different pools to see which one you like best.
The 50s pool was closest to us, but the girls and their cousin liked the kiddie pool in the 60s area the best.

4. Use the mini fridge!
Bring some breakfast food, milk/OJ, and water bottles to keep in the room. You'll save a lot of money by eating a quick breakfast in your room at the resort. Save your cash for lunches, dinners, or special treats. We packed muffins, fruit, bread, peanut butter, jelly, paper towels, paper plates, and a few plastic knives/spoons.

The fridge is small, but we were able to pack it in:

5. Bring refillable water bottles
Use the resort ice machines and fill them full of ice before leaving for a park. Fill the bottles at the park water fountain when you arrive.


Our overall experience at the Pop Century was very positive, and I would definitely stay there again. We chose this resort knowing that we wouldn't be spending lots of time in our room. We didn't feel like spending more to have amenities we might not need. I've stayed at Disney Deluxe Resort (that's one of the nicest/priciest), so to compare the two and still be positive about a Value Resort is a big deal to me! The staff was pleasant (although we ran across one very surly lifeguard), the room was clean, and check-in/check-out was a breeze. If your kids don't mind sharing a bed (ours do, but they got over it), you'll be fine.

**2014 UPDATE: I am happy to answer any questions you might have. I do not always have time to respond to comments, but if you email me amandaserenitynow(at)gmail(dot)com, I will do my best to respond there. In return, if you have a moment to Pin or share this post on Facebook, that would be awesome!**

Have you ever vacationed at Disney World? Where does your family love to stay?

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinteresr, or a +1 for Google+.

*This was not a sponsored post. Disney has never heard of my blog, but I sure wish they had!

The girls and I are at Myrtle Beach this week, so expect some really super-fabulous guest posts while I am away--please be sure to leave some comment love!

Linked to Home Stories A to Z

When We Told Them About Disney World...

I promised you guys that we'd video tape our "We're Going to Disney World!" announcement to share here on the blog. What I didn't expect was that our darn old video camera would refuse to cooperate, and we were left with a very blurry iPhone video. But it was too cute not to share. And I also got a new video camera out of it for Mother's Day...so it was a win-win, really.

*Be sure to turn your volume way, way up before you watch. I guess filming with the iPhone made it difficult to pick up the sound. If you're seeing this in an email subscription or reader, you'll probably need to click over to the blog to view!*

Setting the stage:

T and I agreed, after much discussion, that we'd wait until we were ready to go out the door for the trip before we told the girls. The suitcases were packed, and we woke the girls up at 5:45 am by rudely turning on their lights and saying, "Get up! Get up now! We have to tell you something!"

We wanted to really freak them out, and you can tell they are slightly nervous (and only half awake), sitting solemnly on the couch as I announce "We have something we need to tell you. Don't be scared, okay?" (I win Worst Mom of the Year award)

You should also note that at 5:45 am, I sound like a 65 year old trucker with smoker's lung. 

Without further ado....

I think Natalie was mostly excited about the prospect of missing several days of school and not having to go back to bed. I still think Michaela Byrd had no idea what we said, but just hopped off the couch because her sister did.

I'm still in North Carolina today, hopefully making some headway in cleaning out the kitchen in my Nannie's house. Lots of canned goods from 1997 to clean out! I have a special guest poster tomorrow, and a great post with a blog tip for Thursday!

DIY Disney Autograph Album (Disney Craft)

With the exception of their homemade Minnie Mouse T-shirts, my girls were most excited when I showed them the Disney Autograph Albums I made and explained what they were for. I was inspired by a desire to make my own, save some money, and also these cute autograph albums from Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM. I wanted ours to have a princess/girly theme, and here's what we came up with:

Supplies:

-Small sketchbook or notebook (found ours at WalMart)
-Retractable Sharpie pens (makes it easier for the characters in costumes to sign!)
-Scissors
-Glue Stick
-2 to 3 sheets of scrapbook paper in coordinating colors and patterns
-Ruler/pencil or Paper trimmer
-Ribbon
-Embellishments (optional)
-Silhouette SD or CAMEO (optional), OR craft alphabet stickers

These sketch pad-type books are really the best because the paper is thick, and the Sharpie doesn't bleed through as much. You may want to go in later and add photos!

Instructions:

1. Choose a background paper, measure the front of your album, and cut/paste to fit.

2. Carefully smooth your paper onto the front of the album.

3. With your glue stick, add a small block of coordinating paper somewhere on the front of the album.

4. Continue to add another layer or two of coordinating paper.

5. I used my Silhouette machine to cut a monogrammed frame, Mickey silhouette, and "Autograph" letters in a Disney font. I added them to the album with a fun Disney sticker.

6. To make things stand out a bit more, I used a black pen to trace around the letters and add some dots to the shapes. I also added a cute little castle "brad" that I spotted in a local scrapbooking store in the Disney section.

The only thing left to do was glue some ric-rac to the top border and tie a ribbon from the album binder to the Sharpie:

Each girl has her own "mongrammed" album, but for some reason, Natalie's was the only one to be photographed. You'll have to take my word for it that Michaela Byrd's was even cuter. Their first character encounter was, oddly enough, with the evil stepsisters and wicked stepmother from Cinderella!

You better believe they got autographs!

Because they take after their mama, my girls are not particular fans of the heat or sweating. They were not willing to stand in long lines to meet characters, but they did enjoy getting some characters and princesses to sign their books at the dining experiences we signed up for.

I promise...trip recaps, a review of our accommodations, and a funny video of how we surprised them with the trip will come soon! I'm trying not to over-load you guys with Disney stuff.

What have you created lately?

If you enjoyed this post, I'll hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest; or maybe even a +1 for Google+. 

Linking to Positively Splendid, Home Stories A to , Tip Junkie, Tatertots and Jello

DIY Personalized Disney Water Bottles: Disney Craft

I want to show you guys a super-easy and fun craft today, Personalized Disney Water Bottles. These took me just a few minutes to finish up, and require zero crafty skills. I'm doing my best to steer clear of Disney overload here on the blog. I know Disney travel isn't everyone's idea of fun. But I also know that readers and visitors love to find fun ideas, tips, and projects to plan or dream up their own Disney vacations. If Disney isn't your thing, you could easily edit these to fit your family's interests! Think: beach, camping, dance, school, etc.

Supplies:

-Inexpensive plastic water bottle (got these for $1.99 each at Hobby Lobby)
-Silhouette Premium Vinyl
-Silhouette Premium Transfer Paper

How to Get Started:

*Note: If you don't own a Silhouette SD/CAMEO or Cricut, there are tons of Etsy shops and websites that sell vinyl letters and shapes. Many will do custom work, and the prices are great!*

1. Measure the space you have for lettering/shapes and complete your design in your software (I used Walt Disney Script for my font, and found a clip art of a Mickey Mouse Silhouette).

2. Run your vinyl through the Silhouette SD and carefully peel the excess vinyl away.

3. Place the transfer paper on top of the vinyl letters/shapes and firmly press them together. (I use a pot scraper to really get them to adhere)

4. Put your transfer paper/letters on the water bottle and again, firmly press together.

You have a finished water bottle!

These obviously need to be hand-washed (no dishwasher!), and they have held up very well. The girls have enjoyed using them to take their water for school snacktime.

I was so glad we took these on vacation! The "cast members" who work at the counter-service snack stops in the park will begrudgingly give you ice water for free, but we filled ours with ice from the resort and added water from the water fountains once we entered the parks. Hydrated kids are slightly less cranky than regular, hot kids.

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this to Pinterest, or maybe even a +1 for Google+. 

Linking to Home Stories A to Z, Positively Splendid, Today's Creative Blog, Tatertots and Jello

DIY Minnie Mouse Silhouette T-Shirt Tutorial

After a very memorable vacation, I have all sorts of Disney recaps, crafts, and advice to share, but I wanted to start off with a simple sewing tutorial that I am very excited about. Today, I'll show you how I made a Minnie Mouse Silhouette T-Shirt for both of my girls and one for their cousin...with complete matching outfits!

How cute is this outfit for a first time Disney World guest?!

I consider my sewing level to be extra beginner (I can sew a straight line, and that's about it), so pretty much anyone could do this project.

Supplies:

-Cotton T-Shirt
-Fabric for the silhouette
-Sewable Fabric Interfacing (mine is from Silhouette)
-Contrasting Thread and a Needle
-Good Scissors
-Ribbon
-Emellishments/Buttons for Ribbon
-Silhouette SD or Silhouette CAMEO (I used my SD, but this is optional as the shape is very basic)

*Before I started the project, I washed and dried the zebra fabric, pressed it, and trimmed off any frayed edges. I also downloaded a Mickey silhouette shape into my Silhouette software, but the shape is so simple, I think you could easily replicate your own template on cardboard. The Silhouette interfacing comes with very specific instructions, but I'll loosely "translate" here so you can see how it works.

Instructions:

1. Cut a piece of interfacing large enough to fit your shape, and be sure it will fit onto the cutting mat.

2. Iron the interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric, leaving about an inch around the outside edges.

3. Trim the extra fabric off.

4. Peel the backing of the interfacing off. You'll notice the back of the fabric has a shiny side to it now!

*At this point, I ran the fabric/cutting mat through my Silhouette and it cut the shape for me. I peeled the excess fabric off and I had a nice clean Mickey silhouette. You could do the same with a cardboard template and disappearing fabric ink for a simple shape.

Next....

5. Iron the silhouette shape (shiny side down!) onto the t-shirt.

6. Using the zig-zig stitch option, stitch all the way around the shape to keep it from fraying.

7. Admire your rather sloppy haphazard stitching (oh, maybe that's just me).

Now it's time to make your Minnie Mouse bow!

8. I cut a length of ribbon and sewed the two ends together to form a loop. Another small cut of ribbon was sewn on top to form a closure.

9. (Optional) Sew a button onto the center of your bow.

10. Secure your bow somewhere on the silhouette.

11. (Optional) Add another cute button. Now you have a Minnie Mouse!

The shirts and skorts were from Wal-Mart, and I had the bows custom-made by Harper's Hat Box. The girls were so excited to have outfits made by Mommy that they totally bought my "these are for the beach this summer" story. This made the news of our Disney vacation even more of a surprise!

This shot was worth all the time spent cutting, ironing, and sewing:

If you liked this post, I hope you'll click the "Pin It" button, or maybe even a +1 for Google+. 

Linking to Home Stories A to Z, Positively Splendid, Today's Creative Blog, Tatertots and Jello, Pretty Handy Girl