The Most Magical Place on Earth

In many ways, Matt and I are very different, and I think that is probably what makes us work.  Our hobbies and interests are totally opposite, but there is one thing we both can't get enough of, and that's Disney.  This is not very surprising for me because most of you know I am merely trapped in an adult woman's body, but it may come as a surprise that Matt enjoys it so much simply because he is so reserved about things.  Nonetheless, throughout Matt's treatments we kept saying "when all of this is over, we are going back to Disney World."  Allegiant had their Black Friday sale the week after we got the "all clear" from Matt's doctors, so I decided that was a sign and went for it!

Matt and I went to Disney World about 3 years ago, and tried to do all 4 parks in 2 days.  To say we were exhausted would be the understatement of the century.  We decided to tack on an extra day this time and planned on spending one day at Universal Studios.  Unfortunately rain, exhaustion, and sore feet got the best of us, so Mr. Potter will have to wait until next time!

We spent the first night and the last day in Disney Springs.  For those of you who frequent Myrtle Beach, this is similar to "Broadway at the Beach," except much, MUCH better.  There are tons of restaurants, bars, and shops, and the best part is that it's FREE entry and parking, so you can go without park tickets!  Matt thinks this is a must for any trip to the Orlando area, even if you don't plan on going to the parks.  I asked for restaurant suggestions on Instagram, and got tons of great ideas, but then I saw the dinosaurs and it was game over.  I don't care what anyone says, the T-REX restaurant is fun and delicious! I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  We also ate at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' which was less fun, but equally delicious.  Now, my most important Disney Springs tip - whatever you do, don't leave without a Salted Carmel Bubble Waffle from Aristocrepes!  I mean it.

Kellie's Favorite Park:  Magic Kingdom
Matt's Favorite Park:  Epcot

Day 1:  EPCOT
The weather was absolutely perfect and the crowds were fairly small, so it was a great day!  We had a drink in each country as we made our way around the World Showcase, made it onto every ride, and got to meet some characters!  We dined at our favorite Disney World restaurant, Coral Reef. (Actually, probably our favorite restaurant period.)  Yes, it's the restaurant from Boy Meets World!  We got to sit beside the aquarium and watch sharks, sea turtles, and sting rays swim around while we ate.  Such a fun experience!  We ended the night with a laser fireworks show on the water!

Kellie's Favorite Ride:  Test Track
Kellie's Favorite Food:  Coral Reef Sirloin
Kellie's Favorite Drink:  Frose in France

Matt's Favorite Ride:  Test Track
Matt's Favorite Food:  Coral Reef Mahi Mahi
Matt's Favorite Drink:  Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Beer in Germany

Day 2:  MAGIC KINGDOM

The weather was still perfect and the crowds were manageable, but our feet were a little less fresh!  We "rope dropped" the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride, and managed to only wait about for 45 minutes! (For those of you who don't know that term - it means if you want to ride something popular, but you don't have a fastpass, you get to the park early, and as soon as it opens you "run like the wind (Bullseye)" to get in line!)  We pretty much saw and did everything we wanted to do with the exception of a couple of rides we had done before!  I made sure to ride my favorite childhood ride, "The Football Helmets."  (Break for story time - I was 3 years old the first time I went to WDW with my family, and for some reason I absolutely loved the Haunted Mansion.  Of course, I couldn't remember what is was called, but I did know that we sat in football helmets.  I asked repeatedly to go back and ride the football helmets, and it literally took my family all day long to figure out what I was talking about.  For the record, I stand by my statement - they do look like black helmets.)  Anywho, after Matt starred in the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor comedy show, we found a nice rock to sit on and watched the fireworks show from Tomorrowland.  A perfect day!

Kellie's Favorite Ride:  Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Kellie's Favorite Drink: Dole Whip Float

Kellie's Favorite Food:  Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls

Matt's Favorite Ride:  Space Mountain

Matt's Favorite Drink:  Dole Whip Float

Matt's Favorite Food:  Churro with chocolate sauce

Day 3:  ANIMAL KINGDOM/HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

The weather was still perfect, albeit a little too hot, the crowds were innnnnsaneeee, and our feet were DONEZO.  The lines were so long for the new Pandora rides we didn't bother waiting.  We looked around,  decided the crowd was more than we could handle, and moved on.  After lunch we hopped over to Hollywood Studios.  I had accepted defeat, and knew I probably wasn't going to get to ride Skinky Dog Dash.  You guys know how I feel about weenie dogs, so I wasn't taking it well.  Matt noticed the wait time was down to 85 minutes, which was by far the lowest of the day, so we booked it to the standby line....where we stood...and stood...and stood.  2.5+ hours later we got to ride the 3 minute roller coaster.  I know.  We literally waited so long to ride Slinky Dog Dash that we didn't have time to eat or drink anything but water and a frozen lemonade in Hollywood Studios!  Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but the jury is still out on whether or not it was "wait 2.5 hours for a 3 minute ride" fun.  That was the straw that broke the camels back for me.  My feet were so tired and sore that I could not wait in another line.  Luckily we had fastpasses for the rest of our favorite rides, but I made frequent stops to sit and complain via IG story to whoever would listen.  I don't think anyone felt sorry for me, and I totally understand - I wouldn't feel sorry for me either!

Kellie's Favorite AK Ride:  Expedition Everest

Kellie's Favorite HS Ride:  Rock'n'Roller Coaster

Kellie's Favorite Food:  Simba Cupcake from Pizzafari

Matt's Favorite AK Ride:  Expedition Everest

Matt' Favorite HS Ride:  Tower of Terror

Matt's Favorite Food:  Rainforest Café Burger

My recommendations of Disney

Decide what kind of trip you want up front.

On what are you willing to splurge or sacrifice?  Do you want a cheap trip or a convenient trip?  Would you rather have fun foods/drinks and stay somewhere cheaper? Would you rather bring in a reusable water bottle/sandwiches and stay in a nice resort?  Is it more important to see characters or get on rides?  These are all things to consider when making dining reservations, scheduling fastpasses, making hotel reservations, deciding on a dining plan/memory maker/etc.  This is important because you need to schedule these things as soon as possible (60 days in advance if you are staying on Disney properties, 30 days for everyone else.)

Take rest days in between parks. 

Being on your feet from sun up to sun down 3 days in a row is hard on the ol' bod and feetsies!  We took Ibuprofen and Tylenol, soaked in the hot tub, iced them, elevated them, and tried to sit and rest as often as possible, but it's been a few days and my feet are just getting back to normal!  Take a day to chill by the pool and rest a little mid-trip.  You won't regret it.

Check out Airbnb.

We loved our Airbnb! The price and location were great, and it was great to have a rental car so we didn't have to rely on Disney transportation, BUT there is a downside.  People who stay in Disney resorts get to schedule their fastpasses first and get to take advantage of extra magic hours.  (Go back to my first tip!)

Get the memory maker.

Especially if you are going with your kids.  Yes, you can take pictures with your iPhone and save some money, but the quality and convenience of the parks photographers may be worth the cost to you.  There is a photographer on every corner just waiting to take your pictures, so take advantage and get as many as possible.

Take time to explore.

Disney World is a place that is carefully curated.  Every tiny detail has been taken into account, and the creativity is just amazing.  Look for hidden mickeys throughout the parks, and take time to look around and appreciate the smallest details.

Do the "kiddie" rides.

Some of my favorite rides are the ones that slowly guide you through magical lands like Peter Pan's Flight and Frozen Ever After.  Take the time to ride Dumbo or the Teacups!  Also a fun way to rest your feet! ;)

Meet some characters.
I still love seeing characters and getting hugs from them (as you can CLEARLY see in the pictures!)  You'll never regret getting a picture with your favorite Disney pals!

Overall, I can't imagine a better way to celebrate beating cancer, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else!  I feel like I have so much to share, but this is getting a little lengthy for my taste.  If you don't have Instagram, you missed ALL THE FUN on my story, so I am including a link to it right here!  YOU. ARE. WELCOME.  I also have tons of pictures, so an album is coming on Facebook!  Until next time...

xo- Kellie