Disney in Review - Travel and Accommodations

Well, friends, we are back from our trip to the happiest place on Earth.  (No exclamation point because I am not happy about it.  I may have even cried when we walked through our front door - you can confirm that one with Jeramie.)

But, let me just tell you - it did not disappoint! In fact, it far exceeded our expectations in ways we could have never imagined.  It truly is such a magical place, and seeing it through the eyes of a three and a half year old was pretty dang incredible.

Like, for real.

If you're thinking about planning a trip, but worried that your child might be too young - just do it.  Ethan may not write a three-page report about his memories when he's in the 5th grade, but hearing him sing "It's a Small World" in Wal-Mart this morning told me that he was just as affected by our trip as we were.

So, I want to document those amazing seven days for our family's sake, but also share some photos and stories with y'all.  Instead of doing a day-by-day recap, I thought I would write a few posts that focus on different aspects of the trip.

Let's start with getting from here to there, and the place we called home for the week.

When this trip was first planned, the idea was that we would drive down to Florida with our friends.  Four adults and three children in a minivan for 12 hours seemed like a great idea! Right? Needless to say, it didn't take long to book airline tickets...

I was nervous about how Ethan would handle the flight, and had countless conversations with Dr. I about oxygen saturations and metal detectors.  He assured me that Ethan wouldn't be the first person to go through airport security with a pacemaker, and that the anatomy of his heart would handle flying just fine.

He was right.

Ethan loved every minute of it, and I got so much joy out of watching his little eyes peer out of the airplane windows.  (Ethan - in case you're reading this one day and wondering just how much I love you ... I gave up my beloved window seat for you.  You're welcome.)

Passing time in the airport at 5:00 a.m.

Ethan's 1st flight!

Intrigued.

BIG fan of Southwest

If you've ever been to Disney, you know that their customer service is unmatched.  Case in point - when we arrived in Orlando, Disney employees had already secured our bags from baggage claim and sent them on their way to our resort.  Then, Mickey's Magical Express picked us up from the airport, which very well could have been the most exciting bus ride I've ever been on!

In no time, we arrived here.  The Boardwalk Inn, home away from home, and likely one of the nicest places I've ever laid my head.

After spending our first afternoon in the Magic Kingdom, we got into our room and found this little guy on our bed...

...and had this view from our balcony.

By this point, I had exhausted all adjectives to describe our experience - and it was only Day 1!

Transportation around Disney was also a breeze! Depending on which park we were visiting, we either took a Disney bus or The Friendship.  Clever, right?

Nighttime at The Boardwalk Inn

The boat was definitely my favorite mode of transportation, but probably my favorite photo from the whole trip came from our late-night bus ride at the end of Day 1.  I'll leave you with that for now, and I'll be back with more later.

Be still, my beating heart.