It's not uncommon for me to be so excited on a Disney trip that I can't sleep.
Though Disney World wasn't our first destination, I was still up at the crack of dawn. While S slept in, I ducked out of the room to explore the hotel.
The Fitness room was busy, which was encouraging! On my way out, I spotted a flock of wild turkeys in the courtyard! Apparently a morning jogger was also surprised to see them. We both stood there, taking photos from opposite ends and giggling at the surprise.
The hotel only had a few choices of places for breakfast. I found the busiest place was a small coffee stand, which sold yogurt, muffins, and other assorted pastries.
I picked up a Chai Soy Latte for S, a mocha for myself, and a blueberry muffin to split. I took my time strolling back to the room, but S was still out cold. Leaving breakfast on a table for him, I took my Acer outside and worked on getting it up and running. It had been problematic before the trip but I was hopeful that we could get it working - at least for the time being. For now, some getaway time was far more valuable than a piece of technological equipment.
It was a beautiful morning, as I ate my breakfast on the porch and watched the world wake up. The I encountered several of our neighbors getting a last minute cell phone chat in before beginning their day. It was an incredibly peaceful way to start the trip - which isn't actually my usual Florida speed. By this point any other trip, I'd be on my way to an amazing character breakfast somewhere in the parks. Instead, I was out on the porch, sipping my mocha and praying my computer would boot up and cooperate. Since it wasn't, I had brought my back up method - the same travel journal I've been keeping since S and I first met face-to-face. I jotted a few notes to calm the restlessness desperately trying to keep the 5-year-old in me from bouncing up and down on the bed and waking up S while chanting, "We're here! We're on Vacation!"
By the time he awoke, he had no interest in the chia tea, so I finished that off as we headed off of Shades of Green property and over to the Polynesian resort. I'd gotten a tip before we left that it's better to catch resort transportation there than from Shades of Green, as busses run more frequently. I don't know why, but I was surprised to find that the resort theming was even all over the trash cans! Obviously we'd entered Disney's version of Polynesia...
After a slight mix up in transportation (which resulted in an unexpected round trip on the monorail - oops!) we arrived at Downtown Disney, still a bit travel weary and by now, starving.
So our Downtown Disney visit started in a way every single one of our Disney World visits has started - a meal at the T Rex Café!
We snacked on some salads and appetizers and enjoyed some adult beverages before we headed into the shopping mecca to browse, and hit up one of S's requests - the Ghiradelli Chocolate Store. We got a mint and chip dark chocolate sundae to split and sat down to watch some high school choirs finish their performances.
After a long day getting some miles in by strolling from one end of Downtown Disney to the other and back again, we settled back into the hotel for some R&R.
This is a MUCH slower pace than I'm used to taking on trips. I'm used to going all out, full force, suck the marrow out of each moment, but ya know what? There is something to be said for stopping to smell the roses... or in my case, the whipped cream...
Though Disney World wasn't our first destination, I was still up at the crack of dawn. While S slept in, I ducked out of the room to explore the hotel.
The Fitness room was busy, which was encouraging! On my way out, I spotted a flock of wild turkeys in the courtyard! Apparently a morning jogger was also surprised to see them. We both stood there, taking photos from opposite ends and giggling at the surprise.The hotel only had a few choices of places for breakfast. I found the busiest place was a small coffee stand, which sold yogurt, muffins, and other assorted pastries.
I picked up a Chai Soy Latte for S, a mocha for myself, and a blueberry muffin to split. I took my time strolling back to the room, but S was still out cold. Leaving breakfast on a table for him, I took my Acer outside and worked on getting it up and running. It had been problematic before the trip but I was hopeful that we could get it working - at least for the time being. For now, some getaway time was far more valuable than a piece of technological equipment.
It was a beautiful morning, as I ate my breakfast on the porch and watched the world wake up. The I encountered several of our neighbors getting a last minute cell phone chat in before beginning their day. It was an incredibly peaceful way to start the trip - which isn't actually my usual Florida speed. By this point any other trip, I'd be on my way to an amazing character breakfast somewhere in the parks. Instead, I was out on the porch, sipping my mocha and praying my computer would boot up and cooperate. Since it wasn't, I had brought my back up method - the same travel journal I've been keeping since S and I first met face-to-face. I jotted a few notes to calm the restlessness desperately trying to keep the 5-year-old in me from bouncing up and down on the bed and waking up S while chanting, "We're here! We're on Vacation!"
By the time he awoke, he had no interest in the chia tea, so I finished that off as we headed off of Shades of Green property and over to the Polynesian resort. I'd gotten a tip before we left that it's better to catch resort transportation there than from Shades of Green, as busses run more frequently. I don't know why, but I was surprised to find that the resort theming was even all over the trash cans! Obviously we'd entered Disney's version of Polynesia...
So our Downtown Disney visit started in a way every single one of our Disney World visits has started - a meal at the T Rex Café!
We snacked on some salads and appetizers and enjoyed some adult beverages before we headed into the shopping mecca to browse, and hit up one of S's requests - the Ghiradelli Chocolate Store. We got a mint and chip dark chocolate sundae to split and sat down to watch some high school choirs finish their performances.
After a long day getting some miles in by strolling from one end of Downtown Disney to the other and back again, we settled back into the hotel for some R&R.
This is a MUCH slower pace than I'm used to taking on trips. I'm used to going all out, full force, suck the marrow out of each moment, but ya know what? There is something to be said for stopping to smell the roses... or in my case, the whipped cream...
