Bonus October trip - 10/22-10/27 - relaxing with a toddler

[jhalpin76]

Hi! I am on my way home from our quick October trip and decded to start a trip report. I will add pics and detail each day later, but just wanted to give a few overall thoughts and impressions.

Background - my sister had a convention at the grand Floridian so we went with her - me, mom, sister and at the last minute I decided to bring my 2 year old son.

The original plan was to focus on food and wine and eating but bringing ds changed that a bit. However, I went into the trip with basically no touring plans and a few dinner reservations to work with.

Quick thoughts -

The weather was amazing! Couldn't have been better. Not a drop of rain. Warm but not too hot. Never needed a sweatshirt but was comfortable in capris. Sunny and perfect!

We only went on a few rides and it was fine. We spent a lot of time swimming at gf and playing in the sand.

We didn't make one rope drop - we played and swam during the day and hit the parks at night. We stayed out late and slept in.

I wasn't blown away with kindness from the cm's in the parks. I had a few occasions when they were too busy chatting with eachother to take my food order and really nothing special from any of them. Except one Mears driver who drove us from dhs to downtown Disney when we were lost in the dhs parking lot. He was a supervisor doing monitoring and we asked them where the dtd bus stop was and he said there wasn't one, but drove us himself in his van.

Mnsshp was worth every penny!

Food and wine festival was so good! We spent two days eating!

Le cellier lived up to the hype.

The grand floridian is nice, but a little snooty and lots of adults in formal attire and business people.

The convenience of being one monorail stop away from mk is priceless. It's going to be hard going back to moderates.

My complaint about the grand Floridian is that they are cleaning too much. I felt like they were always cleaning around us - at very early hours. At 8am they were buffing the floors outside our room. Another morning they were doing landscaping off our patio before 9am. Every day they were power washing the concrete and I just felt like telling them to relax - it was exhausting watching them - and it was loud.

More later, but just wanted to get started while I had time to spare waiting to leave for home. It's goig to be hard going back to 40 degrees after being in the 80's all week!

[jhalpin76]

Day 1 - Saturday, 10/22

Our flight was scheduled for 12:20pm, arriving in MCO around 3pm. We were delayed until 1:30pm. Our plan was afternoon tea at 4:40 at GF and then MK for MSEP and wishes. However, with the flight delay, tea was out. No problem though, I was not going to worry about anything this trip - this was a bonus trip for me. We went on a 10 day trip in May with DH and our three kids, so this trip was just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. I didn't have anything that was a must do. It was kind of nice to go into it with very few plans. Anyway, wheels were up by around 1:40. DS slept the whole way! Great start!

When we arrived at The Grand Floridian, DS was very impressed with the lobby (as was I!). Here he is pointing out the band in the lobby to us.



I was very impressed with the check in process at the Grand Floridian. When we got off the bus, a CM met us, walked us in and we sat in the lobby while he got our paperwork. I felt so spoiled! I could get used to this.




After our paperwork was complete, we were directed to our room. It was in the building near the convention center, which I figured would happen, since we were there for my sister's convention. DS was impressed with our balcony and loved the monorail and calling out the colors of the different monorails that passed by.

[jhalpin76]

Once we got settled into our room, we headed to the QS meal place at GF for a bite to eat. The food was very good - we never had a bad meal there and it was very close to our room. My favorite part was the view - you could sit outside and it's right on the water with a view of the castle. It doesn't get any better than that!



After dinner, we went to MK. I think it was around 6pm when we arrived. We stopped and grabbed a Mickey FP and then headed to tomorrowland for Buzz FP. It was not a recommended day, so the park was packed. We didn't have high expectations, so anything we did this day was a bonus for us. We rode People Mover, Teacups, Mickey's Philharmagic, grabbed a FP for Winnie The Pooh. We watched wishes and then headed back to ride buzz, but the line fp was too long - it was all the way back to people mover. So, we gave our FP's away and went and rode Winnie the Pooh. After that, we went to get a spot for the 10pm MSEP. We got a nice spot - front row in front of the bakery and waited. The parade was delayed for approx 20 minutes, which worked out well because my Mom and Sister were in line for a snack from the bakery and the parade started just as they were coming out with our treats. DS fell asleep, so he missed the parade. We decided to stay and watch since my sister hadn't seen the parade before. It was a nice evening and DS was asleep so we just took our time leaving after MSEP. We rode the monorail back and it was such a treat to not have to fold the stroller, get him out, etc. We wheeled him right into the room and transferred him to the bed. Easy as pie!

Coming up - Day 2 - Food and Wine!

[jhalpin76]

Day 2 - Sunday, 10/23

Our plan was to wake up whenever our bodies felt like it and head to Epcot to ride Soarin and for the Food and Wine Festival. It was not a recommended day, but we were limited in the days that we could visit since my sister had her conference from Mon-Wed. Therefore, we were prepared for the crowds and new what to expect.

We woke up around 9:30 and slowly get ready. DS had cereal in the room and the adults decided to hold out for the food and wine festival. We arrived at Epcot around 11am.



We stopped and saw Stitch since there was no line. DS was not sure about him and held me and his blanket the whole time.



My sister went for Soarin FP's and the return time was 3pm! Crazy, but fine with us since we didn't have much else planned. While she was getting our FP's, we explored the fountains near Imageworks.



We then headed to the world showcase to check out the food and wine festival. It was around 11:15 and we were really hungry!

We went to the right side once in the world showcase, so I think the first country was Canada. Our plan was to work our way around, counterclockwise. We had dinner reservations for LeCellier at 5:45 so we knew that we would have to stop eating around 2:30 so we weren't stuffed at dinner time. We also planned to come back on Monday evening for the other side, so we weren't rushed at all. It seems like in my previous trips we didn't get a chance to hang out in the world showcase enough. It was always in the plans, but felt rushed. This time, we went slow and just relaxed.

Our first booths were Greece and Canada and they were incredible! We used the gift card bracelet, which was very convenient.

[MontanaRHR]

Sounds like a fun time. A bonus trip would be wonderfully laid back.


Ruth

[jhalpin76]

Continued - Day 2...Food and Wine at Epcot

Thanks Ruth - it was a great trip!

So, we ventured into the sports store in the UK and brought a jersey for DS(5) and a soccer ball for DS(2). Winnie the Pooh was scheduled to appear in approx. 15 minutes so we decided to play in the maze that they have behind the stores and wait. DS was so cute - he was running around and trying to hide from us.



He played soccer with his new ball - he had a great time trying to score a goal against my mom.





We got some really nice photopass pics. from here, but I didn't get the CD yet.

It was time for Winnie the Pooh, so we headed into the toy store where he was appearing. We were the first in line and the characters came out approx. 30 seconds later. Not a bad wait! DS loved showing Pooh and Tigger his soccer ball, although he still was a little scared of the characters - he loved giving them high-5's and showing them his ball, but wasn't ready to pose alone for a pic.



We then stopped by France for some shopping and food, again it was delicious! Then headed to Japan to see the drummers. Here we are waiting for the drummers to start.



We watched the drummers and then continued around eating and drinking. I had a mimosa in Morraco, a cannoli in Italy and the perogie from poland. We were full at this point, so we decided to take the boat from Germany back to Future World.



We stopped at Innoventions to meet Mickey at the Visa Meet-n-Greet. It was Mickey and Pluto. They were both so sweet to DS. He was still being a little character shy and was standing against the wall with his soccer ball when we came in and wouldn't go up to them. Mickey then hid behind the little scene that they have and played peek a boo with DS. It was adorable! He kept popping up and then hiding. DS was laughing and then walked with me right over to Mickey (once we got close he asked to be picked up again, but we were making baby steps) and showed him the soccer ball. Mickey took the ball and was throwing it in the air and spinning around when he threw it. DS loved it! Then, he gave the ball to Pluto who balanced the ball on his nose! Very talented - we were impressed.





From here, my sister and Mom went to ride Soarin and Living with the Land while DS and I went to ride Nemo and explore The Seas and see Turtle Talk. We met up at Figment and spent some time in Image Works. I hate to say, but I think it's a little boring in there.







It was getting close to 5:45 so we headed back to Canada for our LeCellier dinner. I was so looking forward to this meal. I was a a little worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype, but my meal was so delicious! The best part was that DS fell asleep on the way there and they allowed the stroller in so we were able to eat the meal without a rowdy two year old. He woke up toward the end of the meal and was able to eat a bit of my steak and rosotto. I wish I had some of that pretzel bread right now. Yum!



After dinner, we were ready for a swim, so we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool.



We hadn't explored the resort too much yet, so we just headed to the main pool. It was nice though - we could watch Hallowishes from the hot tub and got to see the water pageant. The perks of being at a delux hotel were wonderful. They also had a move playing at the pool, but I didn't see what it was. The only problem was that the pool was freezing. It was cool that night, but the pool was really cold. DS just spent 15 minutes in the water because it was too cold. I was hoping that the other pool would be warmer because it was way to cold for my comfort too.

We headed to bed around 11pm. Up next - a day at the resort and then back to Epcot for more food and wine...

[jhalpin76]

Day 3 - 10/24

We slept in until around 9:30am and then had breakfast at the resort. At around 11, we headed out for the pool. We went to the zero-entry pool with the waterfall this time because we wanted to be near the beach and thought this pool had more to offer DS. We were very happy that the pool was nice and warm. I don't know why the other pool was so cold, but we never went back. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful. I love how bright everything is. Like I said in my summary above, they spend an insane amount of time power cleaning - every day they were power washing the concrete, etc. Maybe all resorts are like this, but we just arent around at this time of day usually. I don't know, it just seemed like a lot of cleaning.

Anyway, the pool was great. DS swam for four hours.








We had a few snacks by the pool, but were saving our appetite for Epcot. We headed to Epcot around 3:30pm. My sister was meeting us there after her conference, so we had some time to explore Future World before she got there. I stopped in Mouse Gear and bought DS a halloween costume. We decided to attend MNSSHP on Tuesday, so I needed a costume for him. We were orignally going to Ohana that night, but decided to attend the party - it will likely be our only October trip, so we figured why not! Anyway, $50 later, I had a costume. I was so annoyed - there were at least 15 girl costumes there and one boy costume. He got a lightening McQueen driver costume. It was the only costume for a boy in his size. I understand princesses are big and i have a 7 year old girl so I get the princess thing, but would it kill them to have a little more fun boy stuff? (end rant)

We got DS some chicken nuggets and headed to the world showcase. We noticed the line for Duffy was small so we figured why not. I posted in the Duffy thread about this, but I will share it here too - I was prepared to ignore Duffy. He's not a real character, just marketing, etc., etc. However, DS loved him and Duffy was so charming in his little halloween outfit, he melted our hearts. We now own the book, stuffed animal and two outfits. DS hugged him. I have to say that I credit Duffy with DS's love of characters because it started with him meeting Duffy. After that, he was fine on his own with the characters.





Meeting Donald in Mexico



We were eating and drinking our way around. Once again, the food was delicous! The only bad food we had was a piece of cake in Australia - not bad, just nothing special, and the cheese fondue from the cheese booth. I think it was cooked wrong or bad because it was gritty and the alcohol hadn't cooked off it and it actually made me gag. Anyway, we stopped in Norway for some school bread for later and hit the charamel store in Germany for some treats.

DS heading into the beer stein store...uh oh!



We left Epcot at 8:30. We were tired from all the swimming and DS had fallen asleep in the stroller and I wanted to get him to bed. I read my book and had a great sleep. It's funny - it wasn't a packed day in terms of touring, but it was a really nice day.

[jhalpin76]

Day 4 - 10/25 - MNSSHP

It was a last minute decision to attend MNSSHP that night. Our original thoughts were to be at MK for RD and then break and then Ohana for dinner. With those plans out, we decided to wake up on our own and visit MK for a few hours and then back to the hotel for DS to nap and then back to the party at 5pm when my sister got out of work.

We woke around 9am and had breakfast. We got ready and headed to MK around 11. Like I said, we were going slow on this trip - no schedule. Once we were at MK, we got FP's for Mickey's meet and greet and stopped on Main Street to watch the singers. They picked me to do the kick line for the mary poppins show. DS thought that was so funny. We stayed in the hub for the Move It, Shake It parade. DS danced with Woody and loved it! That is such a cute parade. We enjoyed it on our last trip and it didn't disappoint this time.







After the parade, we crossed into Adventureland and stopped for a dale whip. Yum! We ate for a few minutes and then got on the Magic Carpets.



After that, we rode the Jungle Cruise. It had a 15 minute posted wait, which is longer than I would normally wait for any ride, but we weren't in a hurry, so we gave it a shot. The actual wait was 10 mins. We then went and picked up FP's for splash for later and DS played in that little playground for a few minutes. We then took the RR to the front of the park and went for a Mickey meet and greet. DS loved Mickey this time and was fine taking pictures alone and walking up to the characters on his own.





We took the monorail back to the hotel at 1 and at lunch and then tried to get DS to take a nap. He is not a good napper. I new this would be an issue. I first tried to walk him in his stroller to get him to fall asleep. However, he saw the pool and started freaking out that he wanted to swim. I quickly got him back to the room and made it as dark as possible and eventually he fell asleep. Thank goodness! I knew with a nice, 2 hour nap he would be good to go for the party that night. I was so relieved.

Here are a few pics. from when I was walking him around trying to get him to sleep...







When DS woke up and my sister finished work, we went to MK. I didn't have him wear his costume because it was still warm and I wanted to save it for when the party started. We stopped and saw the castle show.



And then did some exploring and shopping in Liberty Square and had dinner at Pecos Bills. I had the wrap and my sister had the burger. They were both okay, nothing too special.



I am going to save MNSSHP for it's own post so stay tuned for the 7 dwarfs and other fun characters...

[jillyb]

I'm in! Looks like a great trip!

[jhalpin76]

After Pecos Bills, we got in line to see the seven dwarfs. It was around 6:30. The line ended right under the splash mountain bridge - right by the playbground so DS was able to play while we waited in line. We changed him into his costume and let him play while my mom while we waited. When we got near the front, he joined us in the line.



We got to see the dwarfs at 7:35, but it really didn't feel like an hour wait because DS played for most of it and we could watch the dwarfs interact with people and eachother. We were so happy when we got to meet them - they were adorable!!!



I have a great group shot on our photopass, but no disk yet.

After the dwarfs, we were able to get a front row seat for the 8:30 parade in Frontierland. Granted, it was only 7:45, so we had a long wait ahead, but it was very crowded. I was suprised how crowded it was. By the time the parade started, there were at least five rows deep behind us for the parade. We were just to the left of the bridge to Splash, so pretty close to the start of the parade.



I don't have good pics. of the parade because it's so hard to get a good pic. at night. Trust me that it's one of the best parades that I have ever seen! It started with a headless horseman on a huge black horse and just kept getting better! I think it was around 8:50 when the parade ended and it was an absolute mob scene. There were so many people I didn't think they were ever going to disperse. We ducked into the Wild West dance party in the Diamond Horseshoe. We met Woody, Jessie and Bullseye. It was really cute, and not too crowded. Jessie and Bullseye were very personable. Woody just kind of danced around, didn't pose for pics.





We danced for a bit and then headed to the hub for the villians show. We got there a few minutes into the show and watched from near the statue. The show was very good, but we couldn't get down to the area where the villians were taking pics. after, there were too many people. We instead decided to take pics. with Gaston.





Gaston was so funny. When you said thank you, he was say "the pleasure was all yours". He was great. We were going to walk toward the end of Main Street to see what characters we could catch. I didn't want to leave Main Street because Hallowishes was starting at 9:30 and I didn't want to miss it.

When we got the flag, Winnie the Pooh and the Gang were going on break because they were scared of fireworks. I think it was around 9:50. I stopped to snap a pic. and my sister and mom walked over to see Duffy, there was no line. Duffy gave DS a hug and kiss and then they decided to try and find Mickey. I really wasn't paying too much attention, but at 9:55pm, I got a text that they was no line for Mickey and they were going in. I was like oh crap, they are going to miss the fireworks and I don't want to miss seeing Mickey and Minnie dressed up. So, I ran into the Town Square Theatre and told the CM that I was looking for the little Lightning McQueen. He directed me to the next CM who called into another CM to find out where he was. She kept guiding me back from the door that led to the hallway like I was getting too close to the hall. I told her not to worry, I knew there was more than one room, I just wanted to get to my son and finally they let me in. I think we had about two minutes until fireworks and we were next in line. Mickey and Minnie looked adorable! DS went right up to them and we got our pictures gave a few hugs and headed out.



We came out just as Hallowishes was starting. Perfect timing! We watched from the flagpole. It was the best fireworks display I have ever seen! Absolutely amazing! Between the fireworks and the parade, the party was worth every penny!

Once the fireworks ended we hopped in line for Winnie the Pooh. It was approx. 15 minutes before they were supposed to return, but I really wanted DS to take a pic. with them. They looked so cute. So we waited and the gang arrived right on schedule. We were first in line, but then a Make A Wish family came in. It was so moving to watch the boy interact with the characters. I got a little choked up. When they finished, DS went up and he was in love with these characters! He went up to each one and hugged and shook hands. They were so sweet to him. He spent a lot of time with them and nobody rushed us along. It was wonderful!







It was around 10:15 and we really wanted to ride at least one ride and try and find Goofy, who is DS's favorite. He pronounces it Goopy, which cracks me up every time! We decided to ride Buzz lightyear since that is my nephews favorite ride and my sister wanted to ride it for them. There was nobody in line, so we walked right on. When I say nobody, there was literally no other person in front of us.

We went to the dance party in future world and there was a small crowd there. DS didn't dance much at the other party, but at this party he really let loose! He danced with Chip/Dale for a bit and with Stitch for a long time. I have to say that Stitch was the best - he spent so much time with each person, you couldn't help but love him! Then, DS finally got to dance with his Goopy - he was in heaven. I wish I had good pics, but the look on his face is seered into my memory! I can't even begin to describe how cute it was.





It was almost 11:00, so we planned to make one last trip through Fantasyland just to see who was out and then head out. DS was starting to get tired and we knew we were on borrowed time. We saw the Mad Hatter in front of the teacups. THere was no line so we stopped. It was very funny - DS loved the Mad Hatter. Then, towards the end when he was on the Mad Hatter's lap, Alice came back and bent down to DS and held out her hands to take him. DS yelled no and started crying, got down from the Mad Hatter and ran to me. I have no idea why he was so scared of Alice, but it was kind of funny - he had no issues with the Mad Hatter, but was scared of a pretty blond.



We found Donald and Daisy across from Winnie the Pooh and just had to stop. As this point, we were trying to keep DS awake for one last picture. He was almost sleep walking!



After the picture, we put DS in the stroller and he was asleep within a minute! We walked around to the front of the castle to take one last look. We said Hi to Jafar on our way out.



He was so tall! As we were leaving - I think it was around 11:30, they were already vacuuming Main Street! I said you know the party's over when the host is vacuuming. We could have stayed and saw the Villian's show again or rode more rides, but it had been a full evening and my sister had to work in the morning.

We got the monorail and they were having monorail issues. So, we got in line for the boat. After 10 mins., they said the monorail was working again so we went back to the monorail and got on within a few minutes. I think we walked into our room at 12:10. We put DS in bed and crashed ourselves!

It was a wonderful party. Obviously, we didn't ride many rides, but if we wanted to, the lines were small. We wanted to spend our time seeking out characters you don't normally see and watching the show, parade and fireworks. Mission accomplished! I would highly recommend this party to anyone who is on the fence about it.

Coming up - sleeping in, more swimming, relaxing and a 3pm DHS arrival...

[jillyb]

What a fun night! I hope to get to go for the party one of these days.

[jhalpin76]

I have no idea why the MNSSHP title is showing with a thumbs down, but it was a great night!

[MontanaRHR]

I have no idea why he was so scared of Alice, but it was kind of funny - he had no issues with the Mad Hatter, but was scared of a pretty blond.

He probably thought she was a babysitter . My kids were always leery about teenage girls of a certain age.

Ruth

[jhalpin76]

Wednesday, October 26th...

We again slept in - I think it was around 10am when we got up. We had some breakfast and headed to the pool. The weather was great and I had fun swimming with DS. We built sand castles, played in the pool and just relaxed. My mom read her book. We had a PB&J sandwich by the pool and explored the beach area. Here are a few pics...











My sister's conference ended around 12:30, so now she was ours for the rest of the trip. She met us at the pool and had a quick dip. At around 1:30pm, we headed back to the room and left for DHS at around 2pm. It was our first venture with the bus at The Grand Floridian. The bus area was nice - lots of seating, covered are, overhead fans. Although, we didn't wait - we walked up as the bus was pulling away and we flagged him down and he stopped. Yeah for good bus karma!

We got to DHS and decided to stay on Hollywood Blvd. for the parade. I ran and grabbed FP's for Tower of Terror. My older son had triple dog dared my mom to ride, so we had to do it.

I got back and the parade started. The last time we saw this parade it was the block party. I like the interaction of the block party, but thought the characters who were in this parade were great. Basically, the block party is not the Move It/Shake It parade in Magic Kingdom and this parade is all the Pixar characters. I had heard some bad reviews, but we really liked it.





After the parade we went to see Play House Disney. We walked up as it was about to begin and forgot that we had to get rid of the stroller. The CM turned us away because we were too late. I was like really, it won't take more than 15 seconds for one of us to put it 10 feet away, but that was good enough for her. I was annoyed, but let it go. We got in line for the Little Einsteins who were right there and someone in line told us that it was Quincy and June. DS likes them, but I didn't know their names. The CM working there kept telling everyone to move up, move to the left, etc. THere were five people in line, I have no idea why she wanted us on top of eachother.



After the Einsteins, we stopped to say Hi to Handy Manny and as luck would have it, he went on break right when we got to the front of the line. Luckily, it was a quick break and he was back in 5 minutes.



I recommended to my sister and Mom that they participate in the drawing class, so we went to the animation building. We were the last people let into the class waiting area - after us, it was full. I didn't realize those classes filled up, but I guess they do! I left before the class started and took DS to Playhouse Disney. My Mom and Sister took the drawing class (Pluto) and the rode Tower of Terror. DS and I watched Playhouse Disney and then went to Star Tours and got FP's (completely unnecessary since there was no wait by the time we rode) and watched the Jedi Training until our dinner reservations at 5:00.

We met my Mom and Sister at Hollywood Brown Derby at 5pm and were seated immediately. We ordered the Cobb salad and brie appetizers and the pork chop for dinner. It was delicious! DS wasn't being the most cooperative diner, so I headed out after I finished my main course and we went to wait for Phinneus and Ferb. I really wanted to see them - their meet and greet started the day after we left in May and DS loves them (as do his older brother and sister!) He was so excited while we were in line - he couldn't wait to see them!



My Mom and Sister met us in line. When it was our turn, I told Phinneus that DS's name was Finn. He thought that was great and kept hugging him and pointing to DS and then to himself.







We then rode Star Tours. There was no wait, so we rode twice. I was the spy on the first ride. My sister likes Star Wars so she got a good laugh at that. I really enjoyed both rides and had completely different experiences on each.

It was close to 7 and we needed to get to DTD. DD wanted a princess dress for her American Girl doll and we knew they had them in the World of Disney store. I was under the impression that you could take a bus to DTD from the parks. The bus signs directed us to stops 1-4 (I think - can't remember the exact number, but there were four stops on the left). The arrows kept pointing us into the parking lot and when we got to the stop it just didn't look right. There weren't any signs or people - it just didn't seem right. There was a small Meers van and a driver sitting on a bench nearby. I asked him if we were in the right area for the DTD bus and he said there wasn't one - that we would have to take a bus to Caribbean Beach or one of the Pops and then take a bus to DTD. I must have looked exhausted/pathetic/annoyed/bummed out because he immediately said to come with him, he would give us a ride in his van. Yeah! He said he was the transportation supervisor and was there doing some audit work - checking timing and he didn't mind the trip. I was so happy! We hopped in his van and off we went. When we arrived at DTD, we gave him a generous tip and were on our way. DS was asleep so I spent a fair amount of time (and a lot of money) in World of Disney. We shopped in a few other stores and then went to Ghiradelli for dessert. We ate outside and it was delicious! I had the brownie ice cream sundea. I actually couldn't finish it; it was so rich.

I have to say, I am not a fan of DTD. It was a Wednesday night and it was mobbed. It is like that every time I am there. Too crowded for me. After dessert, we were ready for bed, so we got on our bus and headed home. I coudln't believe how far the bus ride was to The Grand Floridian. We finally made it and crawled into bed. I was so sad to be leaving tomorrow, but I was missing my kids and DH.

Up next - last day blues...

[jhalpin76]

Thursday, October 27th...

Last day blues! We were debating between MK morning EMH and park touring until lunch or swimming and playing in the sand. DS voted for pool and sand, so that's what we did! I think we were in the pool by 10am. I don't take long to pack or anything and we had arranged for a late checkout. Our Magical Express pick up was for 1:30, so as long as I was back at the room at 12:45, I knew I'd have enough time to change, pack, get our bags checked and get to the bus by 1:30. DS and I swam, built sand castles and hung out for a few hours. We stayed at the pool until the last possible minute and then went to our room to get ready to leave.







We got ready and finished everything in time for our bus. I was so sad to say goodbye. I loved the resort and the beautiful weather. But mostly, I loved spending time with DS. It's very rare that we get this much time together. Normally, with two older siblings his one-on-one time with me is limited, so this was very special for us.



Thanks for reading and sharing in our trip report!!!