traveling with my bwuhs

A bad day found my little family at Disney World.

I was having a day… a week… I was in a rut. Honestly, I was feeling pretty burnt out, and I needed a break.

Any Disney adult knows that one of the best ways to brighten your spirits is to have a Disney trip on the calendar. For me, our holiday trip simply wasn’t soon enough.

And that’s how we found ourselves, just one week later, pulling into the parking lot at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort for a quick weekend getaway.

This was our first stay at a value resort, and while Hubs was definitely yearning for the (slightly) larger room size we’re used to, we all really enjoyed the resort and its amenities.

image credits: traveling with my bwuhs

We stayed in a Little Mermaid room, and the theming was fantastic. We loved the room itself, but we also loved wandering the grounds. There are so many little touches that make Disney resorts feel magical. Our room even had a view of the Skyliner and Hourglass Lake, which was a fun bonus. We love our Disney transportation!

image credits: traveling with my bwuhs

We had lunch and breakfast at Landscape of Flavors, the cafeteria-style restaurant at Art of Animation. The theming there—and really throughout the entire resort—was so much fun. We loved exploring the Finding Nemo under-the-sea area, the Cars desert, and the Lion King savanna. Everywhere you look, there’s another little detail to notice. Those little touches are part of the Disney magic.

We took the Skyliner from our resort over to the EPCOT area and spent an evening exploring Disney’s BoardWalk. We’ve seen the BoardWalk plenty of times from the other side of Crescent Lake and from the Skyliner, but somehow we’d never actually crossed the bridge to check it out.

I’m so glad we finally did.

It was such a neat area and really did feel like a true old-fashioned boardwalk. The boys played some midway games, we caught a few performers, and we just enjoyed wandering around and taking it all in. We had dinner at Flying Fish, which absolutely deserves a post of its own.

We also did a Monorail loop—or several loops, actually, because it was pouring and we didn’t really want to get off.

Eventually, we braved the rain and stopped at the Polynesian, where we enjoyed some Dole Whip at Pineapple Lanai. I tried the seasonal peach cobbler, the boys stuck with vanilla, and Hubs had an adult float. The boys also got another picture with Hei Hei and added a sticker to their Polynesian button!

For those who don’t know, Disney resorts hide a cardboard cutout of a character somewhere in the lobby and gift shop area as part of their Family Wellness program. When you find it, you can take a picture with it and take it to the front desk. Your first find gets you a button, then the second through fifth times get you stickers for your buttons and it’s complete! We’ve done this at Coronado Springs, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, and Art of Animation. It’s a fun and free daily activity for the kids. At Art of Animation, the boys managed to find Simba three times!

We also hopped off the Monorail at the Contemporary for a quick wander through the shops.

Then came the biggest surprise of the weekend.

We finished our Monorail trail at Magic Kingdom—where I surprised my bwuhs with afternoon tickets!

It was pouring down rain, but honestly, it didn’t matter. We were in the perfect place.

We didn’t try to cram a million things into the afternoon. We caught a show—the boys’ first time at Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor—rode a few of our favorite rides, and had an especially great Jungle Cruise thanks to Skipper Emma. We ended the night with a front-and-center view of the fireworks.

We also had dinner at Crystal Palace, another first for us. We’d never met the Winnie the Pooh characters before, so that was such a fun new experience. Our server was wonderful, too.

Cast Members truly make every Disney visit special. If you’re ever at Disney and someone makes your experience a little more magical, be sure to leave them a Cast Compliment in the My Disney Experience app. It only takes a minute, and they deserve the recognition.

We were bummed that the 11:00 Starlight Parade was canceled because of the weather, but all in all, we had an amazing night and a pretty perfect quick trip.

Hubs and I were honestly a little worried about the drive home the next day after such a late night at Magic Kingdom. Somehow, though, we woke up feeling well rested and ready to go.

Just part of the Disney magic, I guess.

Sometimes you don’t need a long vacation or a perfectly planned itinerary. Sometimes you just need to recognize that you’re running on empty, pack a bag, hop in the car, and go somewhere that makes you happy.

A bad day found us at Disney World. But thankfully, it didn’t follow us home.

❤ Jen