Four Parks. One Day.

With only a few days left on our Disney Spring Break 2018 we headed over to Epcot. We jumped on Test Track (may the best car win!) and then headed over to grab Starbucks. Since we had been at Epcot a few times already on this trip we decided to try something fun. Our Mission:

Visit all four parks in one day and have a snack and go on a ride.

Could we do it? Did we have enough time? See for yourself...

PARK 1 - Epcot

We arrived at Epcot via the International Gateway after walking from the Beach Club. We rode Test Track and then stopped at Starbucks for our "snack" which doubled as breakfast. 

Park 2 - Magic Kingdom

We made our way to Magic Kingdom via the Monorail. While on the monorail we we checked the My Disney Experience app and picked up 4 fastpasses for the Mad Tea Party. Here we go!

After some spinning fun we grabbed a snack and watched a bit of the Castle Stage Show. You can't go wrong with some traditional Mickey Ice Cream!

We left Magic Kingdom and took the boat across Seven Seas Lagoon. We decided we may as well also try as many of the transportation options as possible on this adventure! When we arrived at the Ticket and Transportation Center we decided to walk to the Polynesian to grab a bus to our next park! We enjoyed a few shenanigans along the way!

Teagan took a walk with Goofy....

We discovered Nolan has a crown that is ONLY visible in his shadow.

We almost missed our bus when we stopped for this picture, but we sprinted to catch up to Ryan and Teagan!

Park 3 - Animal Kingdom

We took the bus to Animal Kingdom and went straight back to It's a Bug's Life. We became honorary bugs and then made our way to Pandora for a late lunch - we were getting pretty hungry! We couldn't resist going back to our new favorite restaurant, Satu'li Canteen for Cheeseburger Steamed Pods and Chicken bowls. YUMMY!  

After lunch we grabbed some fun drinks at Pongu Pongu to fulfill our "snack at every park" before moving on to the final park of the day!

Park 4 - Hollywood Studios

We're here! Our fourth park of the day! There are no fastpasses available but that's ok because we decided to catch the final Beauty and the Beast stage show of the day! This is one of our favorite shows and a perfect way to celebrate our adventurous day! And we can't forget our favorite snacks!!

We did it!! We made it to all four parks in one day! We left Hollywood Studios and took a boat back to the Boardwalk where we grabbed a late dinner at ESPN and then walked back to the Beach Club! 

What a whirlwind of a day but I highly recommend everyone trying this adventure!

4 Parks. One Day. We will be back!

And when you get the chance to sit it out and dance...I hope you dance (and try new things)!

Pass the Turkey

What I  meant to say was "pass ON the turkey" as in don't eat it, skip it, or fuhgeddaboudit! This family opted to hop on a plane early Thanksgiving morning. There can be only one destination that can get us so excited to be up before the sun and I have faith, trust, and pixie dust that you can guess what it was!!!

You got it! We will be spending the next 10 days celebrating Christmas with extended family at Walt Disney World.

Instead of turkey dinner we had an Italian feast compliments of the fiery depths of Stromboli, Vesuvio, and Etna in Epcot's World Showcase.

I'll stop back for some more updates when the gang is all here. But until then, check out this Christmas tree! If this doesn't get you into the spirit then Bah Humbug to you!

And when you get the chance to sit it out or dance....go to Disney!

Trick or Treat Disney Style!

Wooooohoooo!!! Guess what time it is? If you guess MEA week, you'd be right! But if you also guessed it was time to go to Disney you'd be SOOOOOOOO right!

We're ready! Baggage....check!

Sand and surf.....check!

Army men and broken elevators....check!

Popcorn with Gaston....check!



And tons of Mickey's Not so Scary FUN....check!

We had a great trip with Grammy and Grampy! You can check the rest of the MILLIONS of pictures here:

http://www.phanfare.com/rss/media/1177437_1_5803459_cbfaf0cf


We can't wait to go back! Trick or Treating is one of our most favorite times to go! Nolan loved every minutes of it and you can tell that he's really getting bigger. He can ride more rides, he knows the characters and he is totally a Disney fan. Just more proof that God knew what he was doing when he gave us this little dude. Teagan, of course is a Disney Pro and she loved slaying the villians in the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. She was so good she made it to gold level during this trip. My kids ROCK!

We can't wait to go back in May! See you real soon!

Mackinac Island - Tour of Michigan 2009

The conversation always goes a little like this:

Mack-a-who? Mackinac Island silly! Never heard of it? There's horses - no cars, and fudge - the fudge is to die for, and the ferry with the rooster tail...  this is about where the blank stare turns to a slight chuckle.  But I'm not laughing. Mackinac Island is a great family vacation spot or a wonderful couples retreat - just check it out in the movie 'Somewhere in Time' with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour!

We've been wanting to bring Teagan there for quite some time but it's just never worked out since it's another 3-4 hours beyond Marquette which makes it a 9 - 10 hour trip from Minnesota. This year we had a good excuse to visit the island, however, since Jon and Heather's wedding festivities were taking place on Drummond Island on the far eastern point of Michigan. We took the week off prior to the wedding and made way toward Mackinac Island with a stop over in Marquette for a quick visit with family. It was also our last hurrah of the summer as Teagan starts Kindergarten next week!!

Teagan loved the island and all the fun things we got to do. She was not, however, pleased with the island aroma of fresh horse droppings. It was a bit difficult for me too, being pregnant made those smells seem so much stronger than I remember as a child.

It was still a great time! We ate fudge, rode bikes around the island, ate fudge, relaxed on a horse-drawn carriage, ate fudge, visited the Grand Hotel, ate fudge, and stayed at the Mission Point Resort. It was a great first visit for Teagan!!

The view from 'beneath the bridge' in the Lower Peninsula - where the trolls live! We could have gotten to the island from the Upper Peninsula but Teagan really wanted us to drive across the bridge.

The view of the bridge from the upper deck of the ferry.

There's the Grand Hotel!!

Teagan's legs were not long enough for the tandem bike so we got the tag along for the day! She LOVED it!!

Hanging out in front of the Grand Hotel!

In front of the marina

Next Stop Drummond Island, MI for Jon and Heather's wedding and then a 12 hour drive back to Minnesota to get our little girl ready for school!!