Disney World!

After the crazy few weeks of running a unit/program, I was happy to go on vacation. Counting down to vacation days is my motivation to work harder, because in the end, there's a reward waiting.

So of course I ended up at the "happiest place on earth", and no it is not a massage parlour.

It was a vacation to look forward to because 1) I was going to Disney World again! and 2) Best friend getting married in Disney! A girl could not have asked for more *insert lovey dovey eyes*

The first time I went to Disney World Orlando was back in 2013 with the bestie, just the two of us. This was the very first time that I had gone away "on my own" so to speak, so it was definitely an adventure. Renting a car, driving around the city, going to all these amazing parks, trying out different food. It was awesome. Definitely way better than going on those Chinese tour buses where you're stuck for 8 hours on the road, and 15 minutes at a sight seeing area.

We stayed for a week, hitting up the world famous parks but we stayed off the resort. This time around, I chose to stay at a resort. And man oh man, I never knew there were so many different resorts.

I didn't know how pricey staying at resorts would cost as well. Each day's rate is different depending on the season and if it's a weekend or weekday. I had the pleasure of staying at Port Orlean's Riverside resort. When staying at a resort, transportation to and from the airport is included, as well as transportation to all of the Disney parks. Wifi is also included at all the parks, and the hotel. You get an armband (which you can select your colour online on the My Disney Experience...I totally slacked on this area so I didn't get to choose my colour), and this armband is basically your identity "card". It opens your hotel room, and checks you into the various parks if you decide to put it in your armband. They also engrave your name into the armband so you know it's yours. Pretty cool!

The few weeks before your trip, Disney will send you packages in the mail and give you all the information you need before arriving. Makes you feel like an awesome kid all over again!

Arriving at the resort was pretty exciting. I had never been to any of the resorts so this was a first time experience for me.

This is the lobby/check in desk at Riverside Resort. It was pretty awesome. 

After getting my armband and my hotel information, it was time to check out the room. The distance from the front lobby to the resort was still about a 5 minute walk away. It seemed like forever when you have luggage to wheel. But it wasn't too bad. Weather was beautiful. It was sunny the entire week I was there, with an average temperature of 27C. 

Inside the room, I had opted for the garden view with 2 queen size beds. Definitely nice and cozy for one person.

I didn't realize they had made a Mickey Mouse head with the towels on the bed. It was only until after I got home and sorted through pictures that I finally figured out what that was. Captain Slow checking in.

The first couple of days was low key and being lazy. Didn't check out the parks until later on. First one we hit was Universal Studios and Island of Adventure parks. Because it was the month of October, all the parks had some sort of Halloween special going on. At Universal, they had the Halloween Horror Nights that ran pretty much every night. With this, the park closed early: Universal at 5pm, Island of Adventure at 8pm. So it didn't leave us much time to check out the parks, especially if you are lining up for rides.

We did not opt for the fast lane passes because not everyone wanted to get it. The newest ride/area was the Harry Potter one at Universal. Island of Adventures already had a Harry Potter theme park there, but Universal had finally opened up a "part 2". This one had the Hogwarts Railways ride, which takes you from Universal Studios to Island of Adventure on the infamous red train. The windows are actually movie screens. As the train is traveling to Island of Adventure, you feel the train moving but the window will show you traveling to Hogwarts. It's pretty cool. 

The line up to get on the train had estimated 75 minutes. I really had no clue how long it really took. I just knew the line was massive. But it did feel like we waited in line forever, although I doubt it really took 75 minutes to get on.

The following day was Disney's Magic Kingdom. This is the place where you feel like a 5 year old all over again. 

Every time I see Cinderella's Castle, I feel like dancing in circles. Unfortunately we can't go in, unless you purchase special tickets. There is also that new wedding package that offers weddings inside the castle at night, for up to 300 guests, and you have the entire park to yourselves after the park closes. Only problem is, it's in the range of 6 figures, and for those who have an endless pit of money. 

There are a few rides I remember at Magic Kingdom: It's a Small World, Peter Pan, the log ride, and a couple of fast train rides (not roller coasters, but they go fast and is super fun!). 

There are fireworks at the end of the night at the castle as well, which unfortunately this time I was unable to see because the park had closed early for Halloween Night. They did convert the park to a Halloween theme after it closed at 7pm. 

Spooky but awesome!

The following day we hit up Epcot park. This was one park I had missed out on the first time around, but I was told it wasn't that awesome compared to the others. But we did see Elsa and Anna! If you're looking for rides, Epcot won't be the place. Better hit up Magic Kingdom or Universal instead. Epcot was more of sight seeing. There was also the International Food Festival so a lot of booths set up from other countries was there. 

The last day we hit up Hollywood Studios, which was also the day of the wedding. The wedding occurred first at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, as they have a wedding pavilion there. A Lincoln Navigator limo came to pick us up and take us to the resort, where a horse carriage was waiting for us. Horse carriage. I wanted to scream CINDERELLA!

We boarded the carriage and of course took a lot of selfies. It wasn't a very long ride, but we tried to make the best of it.

Passing by the Grand Floridian Resort, with the monorail station connected to the resort. If I had stayed here, I would just ride the monorail everyday just for the heck of it.

It was a short but beautiful ceremony and lots of picture taking. Soon after, we headed to the hall to have a short celebration with cake and sweets. 

After this, the limo took us back to Riverside, where we changed up and hit up Hollywood Studios for the remainder of the day. There are some awesome rides there, most in particular the Tower of Terror and Rock n' Roller coaster with Aerosmith. We also hit up the Star Wars 3D ride and watched Star Wars character do the imperial march. There is also the Beauty and the Beast live show, which I didn't get to see this time around, but they still have it. Closing the night, we checked out Fantasmic. The show was slated for a 7:30pm start, but seating began as early as 6:30pm because it fills up quick. We went in after 6:45 and was still good for time. But it does get super packed. Fantasmic is a must watch show if you visit Disney. It's a combination of live characters in action, and a water/light show, along with fireworks.

Sadly this would end my vacation. When I arrived back at the resort, I had mail from the lobby, which told me all the information I need to catch my flight. Information that told me my flight information, as well as when the bus would come to pick me up to the airport, and they also say when you need to be at the front of the lobby in order to catch your flight on time. 

All in all, I really enjoyed my stay at the Disney resort. They really do look out for you and take the time to fix things when things go haywire (i.e when my reservations changed, they forgot to give me a new confirmation number, so they had to fix it). When you arrive back home, they send you more mail, thanking you for the stay. I also got a thank you letter of a Mickey Mouse drawing. Cute! 

It was definitely an unforgettable trip. I just know one thing though: this ain't going to be my last time going!