Disney Vacation!

Last week was about as perfect of a week as it could get. The Albrent Family ventured to Orlando, Florida and stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort at Disney World. We made it down to Florida pretty smoothly by mid-afternoon on Tuesday. This was our first time at the Caribbean Beach Resort and I will admit at first, I was missing our original Disney spot, Port Orleans. But the Caribbean Beach Resort grew on me and by the end, I think it is my favorite of the two.

On Tuesday, we checked into our room, which was super slick (contactless). We flew into Orlando and rode the Magical Express, which is a bus that takes you directly from the Orlando Airport to your Disney Resort as we did not have a car rented for this vacation. Once we got to the resort, we were able to check in using the Disney app, and went right to our room, which was ready for us. We skipped the whole check-in at the front desk business, and literally in no time at all were in our room and relaxing. Very, very smooth.

The first day was reserved for exploring the hotel and of course, the swimming pool. The pool was quite large and we never felt like it was too busy. There were 2 larger slides for the kids (and me) and a smaller kid area for Sam. They had a blast. It was pretty obvious, everyone was exited to start vacay mode.

On Wednesday we traveled to Hollywood Studios and this is one of the main reasons why I loved Caribbean Resort so much. The Disney Skyliner is a set of gondolas that takes you from certain Disney Resorts to either Epcot studios or Hollywood studios. Normally, if you stay on Disney property, you need to take a bus (or if you have a car, drive and park) and this can be time consuming and stressful. Many times when taking the Disney buses it can take upwards of 45 minutes to get to a resort, depending on how long you had to wait for the bus to arrive. The Skyliner was fantastic. We walked to the skyliner station, jumped in line, and 5 minutes later, were at Hollywood Studios. The easiest way to get to the park for certain, and the views are great. 

At Hollywood Studios, the kids and I were most excited for Galaxy's Edge. We have all watched the movies (and have been trying to get mom to), and it would be the very least to say that they had a wonderful time. If you are a Star Wars fan, Galaxy's Edge is a must-see.

On Thursday, we visited Magic Kingdom. It was another beautiful day that was briefly interrupted by a thunderstorm, which produced quite the story for the kids. The kids really wanted to ride the Dumbo ride and it was about a 40 minute wait. They went with mom and waited a full 35 minutes, and even were able to get inside and play in the big tent which had a playground inside. They were one group away until they announced that they were shutting down all outside rides due to incoming weather and they had to leave. The kids were troopers and even though they were sad, they rebounded quickly. And boy did it storm. Of course, this was the day that we forgot to bring the ponchos and umbrellas but it proved to be quite the adventure. We left to head back to the hotel and went back later in the night. 

A much deserved break from the sun and thunderstorms.

On Friday we intentionally planned little to nothing to do. Our only goals were to head to Disney Springs (shopping) and to swim in the pool. We told the kids that they would be able to pick out something from a store at some point during the trip and up to this point, hadn't really been asking for anything. They were waiting for the Lego store and the Star Wars Store. I couldn't be prouder.

Those are life size Legos behind them!

And as a last hurrah, we had one character dining planned for Friday night at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort. After a week of fried food from the sole dining option open at Caribbean Beach Resort, we had some of the best food we have tasted. And best of all, it was family style, all you can eat!

At last, the vacation had come to an end. And Dad had to sneak away to enjoy my favorite part of the resort, watching the Skyliner over the water at nighttime.

Finally, early Saturday morning (3am!), it was time to leave. Quite an early morning for everyone.

It is always bittersweet when vacation comes to an end. We were missing our puppies and very excited to sleep in our own beds but it is always sad to leave vacation when there were no distractions and we could all just focus on being together. We are already looking forward to our next trip!