Keeping Up With The Magic

I feel so blessed to have a family that loves to travel to Walt Disney World as much as I do.  The magic is never ending from trip to trip. One thing I have noticed is that the more seasoned I get as a Disney traveler, the better our trips become.  Each year I learn new things to see and do, to help enhance the magic that already exists at Walt Disney World. 

To keep the magic fresh this year we tried a few new things and of course we still had the most magical time!!

Themed T-Shirts-Ok so nothing says Disney nerd like a family wearing themed t-shirts...or does it??? A few weeks before we left for our October trip, I found that on the Disboards there are some creative individuals that will create t-shirt designs for you for FREE!! Yep I said free!!! Not only are these people very talented but man oh man are they timely. I created 8 shirts for my trip and my family had a blast wearing them!! Each shirt was similar but had a unique design just for the person wearing it. This idea was a great way to avoid purchasing expensive shirts from the parks and it was so much fun to make. The pictures we took while wearing our shirts came out very cute. Check out Disbords.com Creative DISigns to meet the creators and get started on your creative t-shirt designs. By the way...if I could get the cool guy with the sunglasses on to wear a shirt, it must not be that nerdy...lol.

Dole Whip Float- So I know this is a Disney must do snack item. Last year was my very first time trying just the Pineapple Soft serve. To be really honest, I was not too impressed...not that it was not good but it was just soft serve. Well this year I took a giant leap of faith and used my snack credit for a Pineapple Dole Whip Float and let me tell you folks...yummy!!! Not only did it quench my thirst but when I finished it left me craving some more. I am pretty sure I used half of my snack credits at Aloha Isle. :0)  We created some lasting memories enjoying our sweet treats together as a family.

Resort Browsing-We seem to always be on the go while we are at Walt Disney World...we never get to stop and smell the roses. My husband and I are considering purchasing DVC(Disney Vacation Club) and wanted to take a look at some of the resorts. We never seem to leave time to walk around and enjoy the free stuff...like the scenery...hahaha. We had the opportunity to visit Bay Lake Towers and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was amazed at how much better these places look in person. I am not naive and know that we could never get the full value of the resort from watching the DVC video or going on the tour here in Chicago...but WOW!! They were both beautiful...which by the way, makes our choice that much harder. We truly enjoyed the sights and sounds of AKL at night and the Savannah takes your breath away. We loved the crisp, clean feel of BLT. Resort browsing is something I have never ever taken the time to do but I am so glad that I stepped out of my bubble and took the time to enjoy something new.

The Cowboy Scene in The Great Movie Ride- I finally did it!! I asked the CM at the front of the queue if we could see the cowboy scene and I LOVED it!!! It is true people there are two sides to The Great Movie Ride..we even got to sit in the front!!

Decorated my Resort Window- I know people have been doing this for years. We have never remembered to pack items to decorate our window. This time we had a blast going to Target to purchase window clings, and lights to decorate our resort window for Halloween...it was so much fun!! When we got home at night and the kids saw the lights illuminating the hallway, they were so excited...and yeah of course the adults were as well.

Just an fyi...these are not my windows. I actually forgot to take a picture of my own window...lol.

Dressed up for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party- I am all about being a kid at heart and all but I never have enjoyed dressing up for Halloween....well at least that is what I thought. My husband has begged me for years to dress up and finally I gave in. I have never seen a grown man get so excited about dressing up for Halloween. Needless to say I am hooked and will continue to keep the tradition alive. By the way my mother in law and 22 year old brother in law also go in on the action. :0)

Walked the Pop Century Grounds-We have stayed at Pop Century 5 times now and I am embarrassed to say that until this past trip I have never fully walked the grounds. We have always had the luxury of getting our room request on the first floor just outside of the Hippy Dippy Pool. This is a great location at Pop...but because it is so centralized, we never found our way around the resort. Like everything Disney, this resort is just spectacular. Everything about it is lively and vibrant. The theme stays true throughout the grounds. One thing I loved were the year plaques that were placed throughout the decades. My daughter and I were on the hunt for our birth year so that we could read what happened the year we were born.





These are just a few of the many new things I tried this year while on my travels to Walt Disney World...I know that there is no way I could ever do it all. This is how we keep the magic fresh from trip to trip. How do you keep the magic fresh?

See ya real soon!

Kelly