Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park Polar Patios

 

I may have mentioned (a lot!) that my family are high maintenance travelers. We like what we like and we require some special attention; we know it and are wiling to pay for it. It's one of the reasons we love Disney so much. They have options to accommodate travelers like us! As such, we decided to reserve a Polar Patio this summer at Disney's Blizzard Beach water park. The Polar Patios are a reserved area for just your travel party (up to 6 people). You can reserve them prior to your arrival (ask your travel agent to do this for you!), or you can check and see if they have any available the day you arrive. After you have checked in at the Beach Haus (a gift shop near the entrance of the water park), you are all given wristbands and your attendant takes you to your Polar Patio. Once there, they will orient you to your Polar Patio and the services available.

 I am always worried about having enough shade for my very fair skin, and having a place to settle with the kids. The added bonus of having someone available to bring us food and drinks sounded like an actual vacation to me! We managed to get a perfect location (Patio 1) for our family, right near the kid area, a snack shack, and directly across from the restrooms. I didn't request a specific location so I don't know if it was dumb luck or if Disney actually looked at the ages of our kids. When you rent a polar patio there is seating for 6, towels, a cooler stocked with ice and water bottles, refillable mugs for everyone in your party, plenty of towels for everyone, and a personal attendant who will bring you food and beverage all day long. We definitely felt pampered all day!

I will be honest here and say that your experience with these Patios may vary depending on the attendant assigned to you. You will be given a phone number so you can text your attendant throughout the day, and they will bring you just about anything you like. Menus are provided on the patio for food and drinks available in the water park. Keep in mind, It can take a while for your items to be delivered because your attendant is physically going from one place to another to get the food and drinks you are requesting. So plan ahead and be aware that you may be close enough to a food location to grab what you want without having to wait.

The food options at Blizzard Beach were different than we were used to, as they have family platters and salads that feed up to 4 guests. It was a perfect solution for our family. Three of us are all about the food and two just really want chicken strips and fries! And here, as with every other place we've been on property, they are able to handle any food allergies we throw at them.

The drink options were great! They had a nice selection of sweet and not sweet drinks. Something for everyone.

 You will have the option to have a running tab all day; if you choose this, be sure to check out with plenty of time to get to your next destination. We were pressed for time for our dinner reservation because it took SO LONG to check us out at the end of the day. We may have been one of the last families to leave the park! Just afford yourself enough time.

Overall it was a great experience and something special for our family to do. I might not do it again, but it was definitely worth doing once! I'd love to hear about your experiences renting a Polar Patio! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Scrapbook Layout | Anatomy of a Disney Enthusiast

Rerunning one of my favorite scrapbook layouts with updated links for the brushes! Enjoy.



You all know I am a Disney scrapbooker, and I am absolutely in love with this Disney Enthusiast layout! Partially because I designed the entire thing; partially because Doc has never been scrapped so perfectly! My inspiration for this layout came from a very clever resume I saw via Pinterest. I knew that I wanted to do this for Doc at the very least, I am still hoping to get it done for all of us Disney fanatics in the cottage! Maybe I'll select one of us each trip for this treatment. It wasn't too hard to do and it's a fun surprise in the midst of my project life layouts.

Here's how I did it. I work in Photoshop CS5 (If you know a student who can purchase this for you, you can same a bundle!). I took a photo of Doc that showed his entire body and converted it to black and white. I then used the marquee tool to create the white boxes. Once I had them in place I used my custom shape tool and my brushed to create the smaller icons. You can find my Disney Mountain Range Digital Brushes here, free for personal use. You can find my Disney Snacks Digital Brushes here, also free for personal use. If you can't find the custom shape you are looking for, simply google "free custom shapes photoshop" and a whole host of options should come up.

If you decide to do this too, I'd love to see what you come up with. Send me and link, tag me on Instagram, or leave me a comment here. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Dining at Remy on the Disney Dream

Those of you who are regular followers know that Mr. Photos From The Parks and I are Disney foodies. Not only do we love a dole whip whenever we can find one, we've also dined at Victoria and Albert's more than once, enjoyed Lunch with an Imagineer in Hollywood Studios and have mourned the passing of our favorite Bistro de Paris. We like to try new things and love inventive foods. And for the most part, we are always pleased by what Disney has to offer.

It is no understatement for me to say that the meal I had at Remy, aboard the Disney Dream, is quite possibly the best meal I have ever had. Ever. In the movie, Ratatouille, Anton Ego remarks in his review of Gusteau's that "to say that the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement." I have to concur with this foodie. You will not be disappointed.

Remy, the restaurant, is themed beautifully to the movie Ratatouille. If you have not watched it before and you are a food lover, you must stop what you are doing this minute and watch. If you find yourself on a Disney cruise, you can always pull it up on demand before your reservation. It is amazing the attention to detail in this restaurant. Everything from floor to ceiling is like you would see it in Ratatouille. And Little Chef is there too. Your server can help you spot him if you wish. But don't be deterred by the theming. It is as elegant as any restaurant we've been to in Paris. We were seated in the Gusteau Room. It was very intimate with a gorgeous view of the sea. We had the privilege of watching a storm roll in and may have made a few bad jokes about how our meal tasted "lightening-y."

I will not go through the entire menu, but I will offer up this bit of advice. We let our server know that we considered him and our chef the experts of the evening and we were entirely at their mercy. We did not order from the menu, but let them choose for us what we would be served. I had never before had the experience of a server telling me that he was proud to be serving me that evening. And our server, Juan, was amazing. He walked us through the water menu (yes, I said water menu), brought over the sommelier who helped us make the perfect selection for a bottle of wine that paired with every course, was only as attentive as we needed him to be, determined our food preferences and dietary restrictions, and brought us stunning course after course. Our cheese master, BB, was exceptionally knowledgeable  about the cheese course too, letting us know which ones would be for the more adventurous palate.

I never once had to worry about my food sensitivities; once they were mentioned, I was all set. From the start, they brought me gluten free bread that actually tasted and felt like baguette. And they brought me ghee instead of butter. The entire meal was that way. Before I even had the chance to ask, Juan would tell me about the special changes to my meal that made them gluten and dairy free. I felt like a princess! And everything was delicious. More than delicious. It was delectable.

From the moment we arrived to the last bite of the evening (and the sweets they sent home with us!) we were delighted. The experience of dining at Remy is one I will not soon forget. For my money, it's worth every dime. If you are hesitant about taking the time out of your cruise or finding the money in your budget, I would encourage you to do it. I am still dreaming of the loveliness of that evening.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

How A WDW Expert Made All The Wrong Assumptions About Cruising With Disney

You’ve heard all your friends and family rave about how amazing cruising with Disney is and you have finally bitten the bullet. You’ve decided to book your first Disney Cruise! You love Walt Disney World. In fact, you’ve been so many times you’ve lost track. You dream of one day being a DVC owner (or maybe you already are) and your expectations are high. Yup. This is exactly how we started with our first Disney Cruise. We made ALL the wrong assumptions about cruising based on our extensive knowledge of traveling to WDW and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort.

If you are in the same shoes we were, here are some things you may want to consider when taking your first cruise on the Disney Cruise Line (or what I wish I had known before we went). With adjusted expectations, your cruise becomes much more relaxed and enjoyable for everyone!

How It Works At WDW	How It Works on DCL
We make our ADRs and Fastpasses well ahead of time. It takes a lot of planning up front, but then we have our plan and go! Fastpass windows are an hour long, so we can flex our schedule for hungry/sleepy toddlers a bit. We generally find it easy to get from one attraction to the next and still have some fun (even magical moments) along the way.	Think of your dining time as an ADR. You have made them all for the same time each night. And remember that the posted times for events in the navigator work like the times guide at a theme park; they are not windows of time (as with the Fastpasses), so if you want to see or do something realize they will start at the time posted. This is a more scheduled vacation, but perhaps less hectic (running from attraction to attraction.)  And we did have some magical moments, like the time we saw Goofy get off the elevator in his pajamas! Or the time he showed up in his pirate outfit in the concierge lounge.
Check in and check out is a virtually painless process for us. It is not demanding and we do not feel stressed while doing it  (although we might be feeling blue that we have to leave.) We often spend time hanging around the resort or at Disney Springs the day of check in and check out. We tend to be amblers.	You’re embarkation and debarkation are highly regimented experiences. Do not go into this with an ambling attitude! You need to be organized and ready for the process on both ends. Debarkation has a very specific process (which you can find in your Navigator app) including leaving your luggage outside your door the night before. Prepare for this. You should check and double check that you have everything you need with you (and that you can carry all of that with you) the morning you leave. You will have it at breakfast and there will be very little room for it in the dining room. You will be off the ship by 9am, so don't consider it a day on the ship. You may also want to have a plan for what to do with that window of time between debarkation and when your hotel room will be available. Disney Springs was a great option for our family.
If I need something, WDW almost always has it. I don’t stress out about packing because we can always just get it when we arrive at WDW. Between the hotel shops, theme park shops and Disney Springs, you can find virtually anything.	The ship’s shops were closed anytime we were in port. This made it very difficult on just a 3-day cruise to pick up anything we may have forgotten at home. I was really unprepared for this! Make sure you pay attention to the packing list Disney supplies and make sure all your essentials are packed! Remember that the ship has limited space and they are only supplied for a week or so. You cannot count on the ship stores making up for your lack of preparedness. Pack with intention. Also, ask a cast member if you really need something (like sunscreen). Chances are they can find something as a stop-gap for you.
Dining with allergies is not hard for us in WDW. Even as foodies we have always had wonderful dining experiences at the WDW resort. We understand the process of meeting the chef and “touring” the buffets for safe food options. We have 3 years of this experience under our belts. We love Disney’s attention to those with special diets and it is a large part of what keeps us going back. We don’t worry about improper handling of foods, and the chefs usually do something to make our meals better than expected.	We struggled a lot with this on DCL. Here's what I would say to those with allergies: 1. Note your allergies and special diets before you leave. Be sure it's on your paperwork so the crew has time to prepare for you. 2. Realize that (at least on the Dream) there is one kitchen for all the allergy free meals and one chef who is preparing them. 3. We never had problems with the peanut/tree nut allergy and the kid foods. They were all already nut free. 4. Communicate very specifically with your service team. They will do what they can to accommodate you. I found I had to speak up more than I was used to doing at WDW. 5. Preorder for the next day and save yourself the hassle! You can preorder every meal if you like, even on Castaway Cay. Remember to be specific, even giving the chef permission to substitute for ingredients that may be off limits for you. 6. Consider packing some go-to snacks for yourself or your kids with allergies, especially that first day. We all know that hungry kids are cranky kids!

The Magic of the Cabanas at Castaway Cay!

If you have never cruised with the Disney Cruise Line, you are absolutely missing out on one of the most beautiful places on earth, Castaway Cay (pronounced "key"). I can honestly say that we have never felt so completely pampered than during our stay at the cabanas on Disney's private island. This is truly an oasis for the entire family.

For my money, the cabanas are worth every penny. I have mentioned before that we are a family that likes to be pampered. We know this about ourselves. Having the cabana all to ourselves made being on Castaway Cay an entire day's worth of fun and relaxation. It was definitely a highlight of our cruise!

You might be wondering what's included in your cabana. The rental for the cabana itself (on our March 2016 cruise) was $500. You can see almost all the amenities in these pictures below, but here is a comprehensive list of everything that was included. We truly wanted for nothing:

• a sofa
• 3 chairs
• 1 chaise lounge
• 2 deck loungers
• 1 hammock
• 1 outdoor shower
• 2 outlets (to charge your devices!)
• 1 pack n' play
• a small changing area with curtain
• music with adjustable volume
• 2 beach chairs and 2 beach loungers
• 1 beach umbrella
• sand toys
• sunscreen
• lots of extra beach towels
• snacks, drinks and cool washclothes in the fridge
• a basket of chips and granola bars
• all your island rentals (snorkeling, floats, etc.)
• a call button for concierge services
• there is also a cabana taxi service - golf carts that will take you to the farther areas of the island
• you can have your alcoholic drinks delivered to you in your cabana

This is what the inside looked like from the front door:

and here is what it looked like from the beach:

The concierge staff manages the cabanas area for the guests during the day and we had some very nice interactions with them throughout the day. We were already on concierge level on board the ship and this was a very nice dovetail for us. Our favorite bartender, Amit, delivered drinks until 1pm when he returned to the ship to prepare for the concierge area cocktail hours. The drink menu is pictured below. There was something for everyone. (P.S. they will make Shirley Temples for the kids!) Someone came to replenish towels and clean up our food around 2pm.

Cookie's Too is very nearby which made getting lunch and bringing it back to the cabana a breeze. And of course, there were ice cream machines there too so the little ones were delighted! Lunch on the island is included in the cost of your cruise. but you should remember they are not open all day. Pay attention to your navigator and go grab some lunch before they close up. Our family found lots of delicious choices. If you do preorder food for food allergies, remember that you must pick it up at Cookies (not Cookie's Too). Have the cabana taxi squad come get you for a short ride over and back.

The cabanas also have their own restroom area with a family restroom as well. As always, the area was kept very clean. And it was easy to access for all cabanas.

 We stayed on Castaway Cay until 4pm, as we had reservations to Remy for later that night and needed to get cleaned up. I'm not sure if we would have stayed all day without the shade and luxury of the cabana. It was so nice we didn't want to leave!

If you find yourself wondering if renting a cabana would be worth the expense, I would strongly urge you to try it! We could not have asked for a better day on Castaway Cay, and I attribute so much of that to having reserved a cabana! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Trip Report

Since we are gearing up for another fabulous vacation at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, I thought I would rerun this trip report post from last year's amazing trip. Disney does vacations right! If you want more information on this resort, or would like to book a trip, contact me at amy@wishdrawals.com and let me set it up for you at no additional cost! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Let me start by saying this was quite possibly the best Disney vacation Mr. Photos From The Parks and I have had since the kids have arrived in our lives. I actually felt like I had a vacation. It's been a couple years since I could say that! Why was it so great? I think there were several things that made us wish we had bought into this resort at the beginning.

From our very arrival, we loved the atmosphere of this resort. Mr. Photos grew up vacationing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it immediately felt very much like home. As many of you know, I grew up vacationing in Fort Wilderness, before there was anything more than the Magic Kingdom & River Country (and eventually Epcot). This resort took me back to how it used to feel spending our days as a family at Fort Wilderness. There was lots of down time and plenty to do if you weren't in the parks. We did most of it then and loved it. Hilton Head brought all of that back for me.

The pace of this resort also made our stay wonderful. We are used to our Disney vacations being of the fast-paced, non-stop, I'll-sleep-when-I-get-home variety. It's just not possible to do that here. The pace on the island was easy. If we slept in, no matter. If we missed the storyteller, he'd be back in an hour. If we wanted to eat later, no ADRs to worry about. The kids did as they wished and no one bothered to worry about it. It was such a delight!

Additionally, this resort is small, roughly 15 acres. To give you are reference point, Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort encompasses 45 acres. The entirety of the Hilton Head Island Resort has roughly the same footprint as both areas of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. That's it. There are only 31 cottages here (with extremely spacious units), one pool and central activities area, as well as a few things to do at the check-in area. It's incredibly walkable with plenty to do without ever leaving the resort. But it's also easy to walk all around the Shelter Cove area, visiting several shops and restaurants.

The units were undergoing a major rehab while we were there. The color schemes were all updated to much more soothing blue/taupe/white theme. We had all new appliances as well as a full-size washer and dryer. This is the view of our main living area in the 2-bedroom villa. We had plenty of room to spread out even with all our baby/kid paraphernalia! There were several full sized closets as well as a mudroom for all our jackets, shoes, hats and stroller! That alone was a selling point for me! And although we didn't need it, both of these sofas fold out into beds. We could have easily slept 4 more people in our villa. It was more than enough room for us.

Disney also has a beach house and private beach area that is quite easy to get to. We drove, but Disney offers transportation, and there is also a very nice bike path for access. We had cool weather while we were there, but it didn't keep us from enjoying the beach and the amenities at the beach house. With the arcade and the beach, we were happy to spend the afternoon playing.

So, should you stay at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort? I say absolutely! If you are looking for a relaxing place to get away from it all, this is just the place you are looking for. Less hustle and bustle but still all the comforts of Disney you've come to love and expect. And for those of you who like seeing it all in one place, I've created a PDF fact sheet for the resort. Enjoy!

Trip Report: WDW Contemporary Resort | Atrium Club Level

View From Our Balcony

I visited the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida for my birthday this year with a friend who's birthday is one day before mine, and her daughters. This was my first trip without my family (although we consider these friends family) and I was beyond excited to experience Disney in a whole new way! Our all-girl trip was the perfect birthday celebration for me, and the accommodations were out of this world!

I have to start by saying the Contemporary Resort is one of my favorite places to stay "in the World." It has flair, nostalgia, and the best location, location, location for me and my money. You are within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom (there's a foot path to guide you), and you're the first stop on the monorail when leaving the Magic Kingdom. But I have always said that for me, a stay at the Contemporary isn't worth the money without the Magic Kingdom view. I don't usually care what our view is when we stay at Disney, with two exceptions: The Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the Contemporary Resort. I want to wake up seeing that castle and go to bed watching the fireworks! This trip did not disappoint!

Check-In

Upon checking in we were greeted at the door and taken up to a separate check-in desk on the 12th floor, the Atrium level. Once there we were helped right away. Our magic bands were activated and our room was ready and waiting for us. 

We were also given a card with a number to call or text any time we needed something, so our personal concierge service extended to us in the parks! This was a perfect Disney touch, and it worked! We made dining arrangements for a princess meal while on the fly. So Disney.

The Lounge

We were given a quick tour of the lounge area upon check-in. There was always a cast member on duty there and every request we made was readily handled. There were snacks and drinks conveniently available whenever we were there. We had breakfast in the lounge each morning, and the kids were delighted to have cookies and milk when we came back in the afternoons. I was delighted to see the wine and cocktails out before we went back to the parks in the evenings! Beverages were available all day, and they even provided us with small water bottles to take into the parks (upon request). The full schedule of offerings in the lounge are as follows:

7:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.  coffee, pastries, fruit, cereal

11:30 a.m - 4 p.m.  cookies, chips, beverages

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.  hot item samples, children's corner, crudites, cheese tray, beverages, wine, beer

8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.  cordials and desserts

Our Room

We were treated with a box of chocolates upon our arrival, one even had the image of the resort screen printed on it! There were 5 of us, and we all fit quite comfortably in the room, with the exception of the bathroom. Five girls and no counter/vanity space in the bathroom was a challenge to say the least! We improvised and used one sink at a counter and one as a sink. They are incredibly large and look very cool and contemporary, but they are not so functional. That bathroom is one of the biggest drawbacks I see in the room. And apparently, I'm not alone. Several other reports on the resort have mentioned them as well.

The beds were quite comfortable and I even had the daybed to sleep in. The bed itself was very comfortable, but the vent was blowing directly on me at night. I would request an extra blanket right off the bat if you are sleeping there, and sleep so your head it toward the balcony!

I've included a floorpan of the room, courtesy of Your First Visit, so you can see how everything is laid out.

Perhaps because we were at the end of the hall (and far away from the wireless point?) the wireless access in our room was spotty at best. But I found that the signal was quite strong in the lounge and there were plenty of tables and sofas to work from and download our Memory Maker photos each day. 

What more can I say but that the view was worth every penny! It's the number one thing I'm paying for. Waking up to Cinderella's castle and seeing the fireworks each night were a dream come true! And nothing is better than seeing the fireworks, complete with music from your balcony, and then cozying up in your bed without fighting through a crowd to get home.

Overall, the experience was really special. Would I do this every time? Probably not. But for a special occasion this was definitely memorable and a great way to plus the magic! I loved all the special attention and Disney magic associated with being on Club Level. 

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Trip Report

For those of you who may be considering a trip to Hilton Head Island in the near future, remember that Disney has a gorgeous resort on the island that I HIGHLY recommend! We were there last April and had one of the best vacations ever! Head on over to the Wishdrawals blog and read all about it!

Trip Report | Animal Kingdom Lodge, October 2014

Quick Stats:

Travel Party: 2 adults, 2 teens, 2 toddlers
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Room: 7435 One bedroom villa, Kidani Village
Dates: October 18-22, 2014
Tickets: Base Tickets
Meal Plan: Quick Service
Memory Maker: Yes
Parks Visited: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom
Overall Trip Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Base Tickets

We usually go with park hoppers but this trip, that seemed like overkill. We decided to try it this way and I am glad we did. Because we have two littles, who really need rest every afternoon, or at the very least some down time, we decided to skip the park hoppers. It was a good call. We went back to the room most afternoons and the littles did rest most days. (It took them a long time to relax after so much stimulation! But they did eventually sleep.) I missed the park hopping ability about twice in five days. I can live with that. As they get older, I can see us going back, but for this trip, with this touring plan, it was the right call.

FastPass+

We are touring with teens and toddlers this trip. I know the conventional wisdom is to get fastpasses for the middle of the day when things are crowded, and that would probably serve us well if we were actually in the parks at those times, but with the littles, we were doing things differently.

The Fastpass+ system makes it great for our kids not to have to wait too long for a ride or a show. Critical when you have two really wiggly toddlers. We used our fast passes for the littles as early in the day as we could. We were in the parks by 9:30 at the latest and they were melting down again by 1 p.m. This is our golden window. We crammed in as much as we could while they were in high spirits.

We either let the baby sleep in the stroller for nap time and pushed through with the 4 year old, or came back to the resort for naps for the littles (and mama), and pool time for the bigs. We mostly played it by ear, which was another reason to use all the fastpasses in the morning, or alternatively, save them for later in the evening when we were all rested and back at the parks.

A Note about Crowds

It seems like the parks are getting more and more crowded during fall breaks. I can only assume there are more schools going to a balanced calendar and more availability for fall trips. That being said, they are not unmanageable. Parkhopping to a park without magic hours or MNSSHP is a good way to avoid the crush of humanity. We felt it most in the Magic Kingdom, naturally.

Memory Maker and Photopass

I am SO glad we purchased this. We got tons of pictures and some really fun ride shots of the teens that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. I felt a little bit like I was missing their vacation, but with Memory Maker, I really got the chance to enjoy their experience, even without being right with them.

It was also FABULOUS to be able to just interact with the characters along with the littles and let the photographer do the photographing! I'm usually not in the shots or getting to interact and this time I was. It really enhanced my vacation experience. And sometimes as moms, we don't get a lot of that. This time I did. I'll definitely pre purchase the memory maker for our next trip.

A Word About Stroller Identification

If you are taking your own stroller to WDW, let me just say, stroller parking areas are a big sea of strollers that miraculously morph to all look just like yours! I highly recommend taking something to make your's readily identifiable. We have a couple things, the stroller allergy tag and the water bottle holder that made it infinitely easier to locate our stroller after it had been moved by the very attentive stroller attendants. Trust me, your stroller will get moved. You need a way to see yours readily. There are always balloons if you forgot to bring something with you.

Animal Kingdom Lodge

This was our first time at the AKL and it was awesome. Even without the savannah view, we got to experience the animals. We made a short day of it on our Hollywood Studios day and had dinner at the Lodge. That meant we got to spend some time out and about around Jambo house. It was great.

The Lion King theming was awesome! I loved all the details, the hidden mickeys, the kids discovering another samba or Zazu! It really felt magical and Jambo House is out of this world gorgeous.

I was glad we had our own vehicle; it made not having to wait for the busses (with cranky toddlers) a beautiful thing. The AKL is remote, with the exception of the Animal Kingdom, and travel time is what it is.

Our room was in Kidani Village, a one bedroom villa. We learned that there is a difference with the one-bedroom villas: in Jambo house, there is a full bath and a half bath, in Kidani, there are two full baths. With the teenagers, this was key. And our one-bedroom villa was very roomy with perhaps the best kitchen layouts I've seen (outside of OKW). The teens were also impressed with the number of outlets available to charge all their devices. We took the first available room, and not one with the view of the savannah. The room faced west and the afternoon sun made it impossible to blog from (be on) the balcony. It was just too hot and intense for this pale-skinned girl! I will definitely ask for a savannah room next time. I've heard so much about how amazing the view is, and now I know that's the way I'd want to go next time.

It's also a LARGE resort (aren't they all?) and we were not near the pool or the recreation area. Therefore, we didn't use it with the littles. Which is too bad, as the playground looked to be really fun! Parking, however, was very convenient. We were able to find a close spot every time and our car carrier was never a problem, even with the underground parking.

Although we've done grocery delivery in the past, we skipped it this time and just bought our perishables at the resort. I know it seems more expensive, but the beer was the same price we pay for it at home and our list was small enough that we didn't have much to buy. We have also found that the price for over the counter meds is quite reasonable at the resorts. We DID bring a large supply of non-perishable nut-free items from home!

Quick Service Meal Plan

I am often asked if the meal plan is a good choice. I think there are many things to take into consideration when discussing the meal plan, but for me, convenience is a big part of the equation. Because our family often splits up in the parks, having the quick service meal plan makes it easy for the teens to grab a bite when their fastpass times permit, and the rest of us to do the same. You could always do this with the ability to charge it to the room, but for some reason, having the meal plan makes it easier for our kids to use it. They often won't if they have to charge it to the room.

Also, we don't worry if there are meal credits left on our account unused. I know that bothers some people. For us, it's worth it to know that the kids will eat and we can simply stop, drop, & eat wherever we are (especially with toddlers!). We also make a point of stopping at the candy cauldron on the way out of town to use up our snack credits. We never have any of those that go unused!

We found delicious meals at the ABC Commissary in Hollywood Studios, and Tamu Tamu in Animal Kingdom. I think it goes without saying that there is amazing food to be had all over Epcot, although the cast members at Tangerine Cafe did NOT understand about our nut allergy, nor the nut allergy in the party next to us in line. We wound up at Pecos Bills at the Magic Kingdom, and this meal was just disappointing. We should have stuck with Mr. Photos from the Parks' suggestion to eat at Sleepy Hollow. But there is good and delicious food to be had on the quick service plan, no doubt.

Because we were in the villas, we knew we'd be eating breakfast in the room most mornings. This also made the quick service plan a good choice for this trip. Unfortunately, being on the quick service plan at the AKL was not the best. There is only one place to eat there with the quick service plan; the first two nights we found the food delicious. But we were burned out on it after two meals. We ended up heating frozen pizzas from the sundry shop on our last night. We were just too tired and spent to go anywhere else.

DIY Disney Scrapbook Layout | Anatomy of a Disney Enthusiast

You all know I am a Disney scrapbooker, and I am absolutely in love with this Disney Enthusiast layout! Partially because I designed the entire thing; partially because Doc has never been scrapped so perfectly! My inspiration for this layout came from a very clever resume I saw via Pinterest. I knew that I wanted to do this for Doc at the very least, I am still hoping to get it done for all of us Disney fanatics in the cottage! Maybe I'll select one of us each trip for this treatment. It wasn't too hard to do and it's a fun surprise in the midst of my project life layouts.

Here's how I did it. I work in Photoshop CS5 (If you know a student who can purchase this for you, you can same a bundle!). I took a photo of Doc that showed his entire body and converted it to black and white. I then used the marquee tool to create the white boxes. Once I had them in place I used my custom shape tool and my brushed to create the smaller icons. You can find my Disney Mountain Range Digital Brushes here, free for personal use. You can find my Disney Snacks Digital Brushes here, also free for personal use. If you can't find the custom shape you are looking for, simply google "free custom shapes photoshop" and a whole host of options should come up.

If you decide to do this too, I'd love to see what you come up with. Send me and link, tag me on Instagram, or leave me a comment here. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Trip Report | Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

Let me start by saying this was quite possibly the best Disney vacation Mr. Photos From The Parks and I have had since the kids have arrived in our lives. I actually felt like I had a vacation. It's been a couple years since I could say that! Why was it so great? I think there were several things that made us wish we had bought into this resort at the beginning.

From our very arrival, we loved the atmosphere of this resort. Mr. Photos grew up vacationing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it immediately felt very much like home. As many of you know, I grew up vacationing in Fort Wilderness, before there was anything more than the Magic Kingdom & River Country (and eventually Epcot). This resort took me back to how it used to feel spending our days as a family at Fort Wilderness. There was lots of down time and plenty to do if you weren't in the parks. We did most of it then and loved it. Hilton Head brought all of that back for me.

The pace of this resort also made our stay wonderful. We are used to our Disney vacations being of the fast-paced, non-stop, I'll-sleep-when-I-get-home variety. It's just not possible to do that here. The pace on the island was easy. If we slept in, no matter. If we missed the storyteller, he'd be back in an hour. If we wanted to eat later, no ADRs to worry about. The kids did as they wished and no one bothered to worry about it. It was such a delight!

Additionally, this resort is small, roughly 15 acres. To give you are reference point, Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort encompasses 45 acres. The entirety of the Hilton Head Island Resort has roughly the same footprint as both areas of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. That's it. There are only 31 cottages here (with extremely spacious units), one pool and central activities area, as well as a few things to do at the check-in area. It's incredibly walkable with plenty to do without ever leaving the resort. But it's also easy to walk all around the Shelter Cove area, visiting several shops and restaurants.

The units were undergoing a major rehab while we were there. The color schemes were all updated to much more soothing blue/taupe/white theme. We had all new appliances as well as a full-size washer and dryer. This is the view of our main living area in the 2-bedroom villa. We had plenty of room to spread out even with all our baby/kid paraphernalia! There were several full sized closets as well as a mudroom for all our jackets, shoes, hats and stroller! That alone was a selling point for me! And although we didn't need it, both of these sofas fold out into beds. We could have easily slept 4 more people in our villa. It was more than enough room for us.

Disney also has a beach house and private beach area that is quite easy to get to. We drove, but Disney offers transportation, and there is also a very nice bike path for access. We had cool weather while we were there, but it didn't keep us from enjoying the beach and the amenities at the beach house. With the arcade and the beach, we were happy to spend the afternoon playing.

So, should you stay at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort? I say absolutely! If you are looking for a relaxing place to get away from it all, this is just the place you are looking for. Less hustle and bustle but still all the comforts of Disney you've come to love and expect. And for those of you who like seeing it all in one place, I've created a PDF fact sheet for the resort. Enjoy!

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!