Disney World--in just one post?!

As I mentioned a few posts back...Justin and I recently went to Disney World for my Fall Break (yes, one big perk of life as a teacher are those great breaks).  It is a trip we know we want to do with kiddos, but we also wanted to make sure to do pre-kids.  We flew out on a Saturday afternoon and was in Disney for 5 nights and four days.  We hit all four parks plus a lot of "extras" since it was my first time there since I was 5.  Well there really is no way to completely describe through words or pictures our Disney World trip.  It was fabulous.  Far more "magical" than I expected (yes, I'm a little cynical sometimes and wasn't quite sure I would find it that impressive as an adult).  I couldn't have been more wrong...and I'm so glad I was wrong.  I fell in love with Disney World.  Here is my attempt (in pictures and captions) to help you fall in love a bit (if you already haven't from your own experience), so you will go see Mickey and all your favorite Disney princesses from childhood for yourself.

We flew Southwest...free luggage?! Yes, please.  It's our airlines of choice.  They're so nice and they have great rates! I've heard to book on Wednesdays to get the best rates.

We spent the week searching for "hidden Mickeys"...yes there is even a book about these.  Find it here.  This was the first one we were greeted with on our hotel bed.

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside.  So nice!

The first night we rode the boat from our resort to Downtown Disney.  Such a fun place!

Justin resorted back to age 7 at the Lego store. ;)  Hey, even I was in awe of the wall of Lego bins that went from floor to ceiling.  And maybe I was even a little tempted to fill a Lego bag to bring home.

HUGE TIP....try to go to Disney when you can get the free, yes...FREE dining plan! This is considered a "counter service" meal at Wolfgang Puck express.  We ate $30 meals for lunch each day (for free) and at awesome (sometimes all-you-can-eat) and reservations strongly recommended restaurants for dinner.  Dinners were sometimes near $100 worth of food...and we got it free.  Drink, desserts, and a snack a day for each of us were included.  Simply amazing.  And I may or may not have gained a pound or two.  Hence the spinach salad lunches when we came home.

We went to Magic Kingdom our first day...it's our favorite park out of the four.  The fireworks are a must! Tinkerbell zip-lines from the castle out over the crowd.  So cool!

We ate dinner at 'Ohana's the first night at the Polynesian Resort.  Amazing all-you-can-eat food (shrimp, chicken, steak and pork skewers, gobs of sides, salad, bread, and awesome dessert), amazing view of the firework show, and an amazing atmosphere...they have their own beach! Loved every minute.  It's on our personal list of must-dos at Disney!

Our second day included Animal Kingdom.  Loved the Safari ride and getting up close to the amazing animals.  Hint on this one....go first thing in the morning to ride this one.  The line gets pretty long!

Here we are in front of the "Tree of Life"...loved the Bug Life ride inside the tree.  My other favorite? Everest! Oh, and the Lion King show is a must-see.  Okay, so maybe the entire trip was "my favorite".

The second part of the day we enjoyed Hollywood Studios (used to be MGM).  Love this amazing hat in the night light!

That evening, thanks to our Park Hopper addition to our park tickets, we "hopped" to Epcot and ate dinner in Italy.  Well, maybe not the real Italy, but believe me....these building replicas only wet my appetite for a future trip to the real place!

Our third day was our "off day".  We didn't go into any parks but instead relaxed and enjoyed a day checking out the boardwalk, other resorts, and getting caught up on some much-needed sleep.

On the Boardwalk..enjoying another Diet Coke...thank you free dining plan! :) And Halloween cups...seriously, Disney World doesn't miss one chance of adding a special detail to your trip.

Waiting for the boat to Fort Wilderness for our fun dinner plans.

We went to a dinner show that evening....Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue.  We laughed tons...ate tons...and had tons of fun.  Another must-do!

Our boat had to stop on the way back to let the light show take place on the water...oh darn! ;) What a gorgeous view...as fireworks in the Magic Kingdom were going off on our other side.

We spent our last day in Epcot.  We were there during the annual Food and Wine Festival, hence this fun picture backdrop.

We ate dinner in "Morocco".  I'm proud of my man for trying this out-there food with me.  We really enjoyed it.  And the belly dancer added a nice touch to the fun atmosphere!

We had to stop during the day to test Coke from around the world.  Um, let me just say, our Coke is yet another reason we're blessed here in the good USA. :) A country in Africa had my favorite above our's...it tasted like Ginger Ale.

Just like a little kid...I asked Justin if we could spend our last evening back at Magic Kingdom.  Thankfully my hubby is a kid himself...and was excited about the idea.  We caught the amazing Electrical Parade.

And we rode "it's a small world"...very nostalgic!

It was an amazing trip and I'm already ready to go back.  I guess we may hold off and take a bambino with us the next time. :) What a blessing of a trip to go on with my hubby.  Our time together was much-needed and wonderful!