Monday, July 29, 2024

{Travel} D.I.S.N.E.Y./Orlando Trip- Part 3

 This was our last full day of Disney and we went hard!

I was ready for our morning in Animal Kingdom.
Made it to the gates!
We had to stop for a photo with The Tree of Life.

We were heading straight for Pandora to ride Avatar Flight of Passage. I was able to go through the entire queue with Mr. Click and just exited before the actual riding of the Banshees.  After that we rode on the beautiful Na'vi River Journey.

We then headed over to Kilimanjaro Safaris.

That is always a great experience.
We always like to head to Gorilla Falls Exploration Trails after the safari.  The gorillas are so entertaining.
We had lunch at Satu'li Canteen, one of my favorite quick service spots. I got the Chili Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu Bowl.
We stopped for a break and a cocktail at Nomad Lounge.   It's a very nice respite from the park and we met some nice people at the bar.  I could sit there all day!

But we had plans and after a sweet break we headed to Hollywood Studios and finally got to ride Minnie & Mickey's Runaway Railroad.   After that we headed back to the hotel to do some packing and to freshen up.
We ended our Disney adventure where we started - Magic Kingdom.
Another shot of the castle.
We wanted to take a peek at the newest attraction, Tiana's Bayou Adventure. It was about to open but wasn't quite ready.
We had dining reservations at Tony's Town Square Restaurant.

We were in the solarium so we could see people walking by as it got dark and all of the lights turned on outside.

The garlic bread was delicious! We each had spaghetti and meatballs (mine were plant based).  It's nice to see more vegetarian options at the restaurants.

We caught the fireworks show as we were leaving.
Our last stop was a trip on the monorail over to The Polynesian. It's our favorite place to stay and we love to visit.   We said goodbye to Disney but our trip wasn't over. 




Please follow me!
Pin It

Thursday, July 25, 2024

{Shopping} Summer ALDI Finds

 That darn Aldi got me again! After a long trip away, it was so nice to shop at Aldi all by myself and really take my time.  Here's what ended up in my cart (spoiler alert, it's a lot!)

Snacks/Bread

  • Lemonade mix-an Aldi Youtuber said it was good so I bought some for pool day guests
  • GT Kombucha was needed after my trip and a shopping treat
  • Cookie Thins-I tried the chocolate chip and want to go back for the other varieties...perfect with my afternoon coffee
  • Sea Salt Pretzel Crackers (new to me) ..Winners!
  • Sandwich Skinnys-a staple for burgers and sandwiches


Dairy/Egg/Frozen

  • Light Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese/Creamy Pepper Jack/Shredded Parmesan Cheese-staples around here
  • Whipped Topping/Whipped Cream-Hers/His
  • Yogurt-needed to stock up on some new flavors
  • Greek Yogurt Tzatziki Dip-First time trying it and LOVE it with cracker and veggies, as a salad dressing or sandwich spread
  • Tofu-Aldi has the best deal on tofu
  • Eggs-we usually get our eggs from Costco but were out of them
  • Egglife Egg White wraps-I've been looking at these for awhile and finally tried them. They are pretty good!

Produce
  • We needed to stock up!
Meals/Pasta

  • Another Priano stuffed pasta and we loved it with the Marinara sauce. Easy dinner!
  • I had another bag of shells in the pantry but forgot and re-purchased them (also used in last night's dinner)

Aisle of Shame

  • The wine bottle pool float was so cute, I couldn't resist (see photo below)
  • This is one of my favorite candles from Aldi
  • I've wanted a packable water bottle for awhile and the price was right!

How is your summer going? Have you been to Aldi lately?

Please follow me!
Pin It

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

{Travel} D.I.S.N.E.Y/Orlando Trip- Part 2

It was Day 3 of our Disney/Orlando trip (second day in the parks)and we were heading to Hollywood Studios first thing in the morning (gotta love that Early Entry perk!).

I was pumped as you can see! 
We went straight to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge to ride Star Wars: Rise of The Resistance.  The line was long but we knew this was the best time to try and get on.
It was SO cool!!! Mr. Click said it was his favorite ride ever. I loved it too and was able to handle it without any motion sickness whatsoever!  #winwin
We walked around Galaxy's Edge for a little while to take it all in.   Even the restrooms are Star Wars themed!
We then took the Disney Skyliner over to EPCOT. It was our first time riding on the aerial gondolas.  It's a different transportation experience for sure.
We entered EPCOT in the World Showcase back entrance (so much less crowded!) and enjoyed seeing the countries along the way.
We had gotten spots in the Virtual Queue for Guardians of The Galaxy so we got in line when our boarding group was called. It is an incredible ride but didn't agree with me.  
I eventually recovered and we were back in Hollywood Studios that afternoon to check out Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's Edge (BS-Brilliant Sister recommended it so we had to try it).  We also rode Rise of The Resistance again!
The theming, the scene, the music, the drinks...so much fun! 
I tried the Jedi Mind Trick (blue) and he had a Bespin Fizz.
We listened to some tunes from Droid DJ R-3X and snacked on some Batuu Bits before leaving for our dinner reservation.
We had reservations at 50's Prime Time CafĂ© in Hollywood Studios.  Dinner was just ok but we enjoyed the snarky banter from our waiter Cousin Ray.
I still wasn't up for any intense rides but we said hi to Hollywood Tower of Terror. We tried to get on Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railword (previously The Great Movie Ride) but it was closed down both times we were there that day. 
A Mickey Bar and this gorgeous view ended our night on a high note.


Please Follow me:

                                               Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Pin It

Monday, July 22, 2024

{Travel} D.I.S.N.E.Y/Orlando Trip

Sorry I've been MIA lately.  I just got home from an epic trip to India (crazy, right?!)and it took me awhile to get back into my routine.   I'm back and ready to share another awesome trip.  Mr. Click had a conference in Orlando and I tagged along. We added a few days to our trip for Disney before the conference.

It felt a little strange going to Disney without the kids but we decided to embrace being "Disney Adults" and head out on our own.   We are huge Disney fans and have spent lots of time in the parks but hadn't been there since 2017.
Of course I had to plan some outfits for the trip!  You may remember some of these shirts from this post.

We left on a rainy morning and before we knew it...
...we were sitting poolside having a late lunch!
We stayed at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista -Disney Springs Area (that's a mouthful!).   When we found out that it was considered a Disney property with all of the perks, we were thrilled. Our original room wasn't ready but they offered us this suite that was huge.
This balcony must have been over 30 feet long and had an amazing view of Disney Springs.  We spent our first afternoon at the pool and settling in.
We went to Downtown Disney err...Disney Springs for dinner ( I still call it Downtown Disney!).  The hotel had a pathway leading to a bridge that crossed right over to Disney Springs.  It went over the highway and was so easy to navigate.
We tried the new Summer House on The Lake restaurant. It was beautiful inside and out.
They also have a coffee and cookie bar for take out. Look at those cookies!
Dinner with a view.
We did some "shopping" and walked around.
We also enjoyed all of the Pride Month photo ops.  Yay Disney!  We love listening to entertainment around Disney Springs too.
We stayed for the new drone show called Disney Dreams That Soar.  People had been lining up over an hour before it started.   We didn't have the best spot but we could still see most of it.  It's quite impressive and hard to believe they are synchronized drones!
A look at the night sky from our balcony. Time for bed!

We were up bright and early to join the virtual queue for Tron (we had to educate ourselves about the new Disney ride options and rules like Genie+, Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queues before our trip).  We also wanted to get an early bus over to Magic Kingdom from the hotel for the Early Entry perk.
We made it!
We had a great morning at Magic Kingdom and got on many of our favorite rides in the first half hour during early entry.
We later went on some easier to get on rides like It's a Small World
and The People Mover (always a welcome break from the heat and crowds).
We grabbed lunch at Casey's Corner on Main Street. Believe it or not, we'd never eaten there in all of our trips.  I got a plant based hot dog.  It was disappointing but the fries were good.
Onto EPCOT.  We took the monorail over to EPCOT.



Of course I had to capture some pretty pictures.

We started in the World Showcase and tried to eat/drink our way around. First stop was France, where we shared some "champs" and some of a baguette.
We got a humungous pretzel in Germany but could not finish it.
We tried a beer in America. That was all we could eat/drink before we were completely full. #disneyfail
It wouldn't be a day in Disney without a rain storm to slow us down a bit.  We stayed in the park after the rain for a little while but we were tired and ready to go back to the hotel.
We had a relaxing dinner at the hotel and then it was time for bed! 



                                                   Please follow me!


Pin It

Link Within

Related Posts with Thumbnails