Jenn's Journeys: March 2020

I'm mixing things up a bit because with all of the uncertainty going on in the world right now, I need a little remembrance of family fun times. So I'm jumping to our family vacation in July of 2019.

I always say that taking a trip is the only time I will get up at the early hour of 3 am, and it is totally true. Expect for feeding babies, there is no reason to get up so early unless you are leaving for a magical vacation! And I love leaving at that early hour because then it gets us into the magic earlier so we can enjoy more of a day. Sam has TSA precheck, while the rest of us don't. This trip Bella and Roddy got in with him, I'm assuming since they are still minors while the rest of us "adults" had to suffer through a prolonged security. Nothing like adding a little bit of insult to us folks still waiting in line.

We did eventually make it to the gate, so that was good. It's always exciting to be waiting for the plane to take you away. And we used our Delta card to get free flights, which feels even better!

We got into MCO without any major delays, and made our way to Magical Express so that we could get on with arriving at my happy place- The Villas at the Grand Floridian. I could seriously live there forever. I will have to settle for the three nights that we have though since points are at a premium there, and that's all I can do, But getting there! That is exciting!!

And we are off and running to our room. So happy it was ready!

First floor, super convenient for getting in and out. I'm going to make these next three days count!! With our room being ready, we decided to head out to get our refillable mugs.

I love the refillable mugs. We can fill them at the pool, or take a short walk over to Gasparilla Grill for a snack and a fill. And have I mentioned that my favorite part of our room at the Grand Floridian is the booth in the kitchen? I would love to have a booth like that in my home! It is also the perfect place to sit and enjoy your beverage!

We had the first dinner seating for Artist's Point at the Wilderness Lodge for the new Storybook Dining experience with Snow White and friends. I was soo excited for this dinner, one because we had never been there, and two because I love the evil queen! We were so ready that we decided to take a boat over to the Wilderness Lodge to get ready for our dinner even though it wasn't close to 4 pm yet. We figured we could just hand around the hotel for a bit while we waited.

After a reasonable amount of time, we decided we could safely check in. I love all the pictures and items on display they have!

While the appetizers were not things that we would normally eat, save the jumbo shrimp, our server was so sweet. She offered to bring the kids soup, salad, really anything they wanted instead, which I thought was going above and beyond to make sure they were happy. We loved the food, drinks, and character interaction while at the meal! Seeing as our reservation was at 4, it was relatively dead when we first walked in, but filled up fast as we were eating. I liked how appetizers, entrée, and dessert were all included for the meal. It was great getting a popover with my meal. It's not everyday you see one of those! And I'm so loving how the dining plan now included an alcoholic beverage with every table and quick service credit. My Enchanted Apple was delicious AND included which I thought was a total score! We were able to see Snow White, Dopey, and Grumpy during our meal. I also like how since it is a served meal rather than a buffet, you never have to worry about missing any of the character interactions.

After your meal, you can get in line to see the Queen. She was very much in character, and I think half of our party (myself included) didn't know how to react to her. I can't take a picture and not smile!! LOL