So many of you have expressed how helpful my trip recaps and blog posts are so I’m doing my very best to prioritize making them happen after each trip! Even if it takes a few weeks to make the time to do it. Not only are these helpful for y’all but I think they’re good for me to write! Helps me press pause and reflect on all of the fun we’ve had. Love that these will be well documented so we can look back on our sweet trips and enjoy the memories! 🙂 Hope this quick glimpse of what a weekend at Disney looked like for us helps you with your planning! If you’re looking for more tips and strategies for disney with littles you can download my ebook here!
A couple of weeks ago we took a lightning fast trip over to Disney to celebrate the girls last week of school and my brother’s college graduation. It was HOT HOT HOT but it was (as always!) so much fun. We’ve become pros at taking our disney days slow, paying close attention to what everyone in our group needs (most often it’s a snack or a nap!) and moving at toddler speed. I had my mom ride with me which was a big help on the way down but OMG the drive home was rough. I have never been so tired on a drive and will not make that mistake again. Both girls fell asleep as soon as we got in the car and I had to stop for coffee twice.
TYPHOON LAGOON
You’re either a waterpark person or you’re (like my husband) disgusted by the whole idea. My mom and I took the girls to check out Typhoon Lagoon. Disney has two waterparks (Blizzard beach is the other park) but they currently only have enough lifeguard staff to open one at a time. So they’ll be switching back and forth between which one is open. My understanding is that they’ll make the switch every few months. I was too young to remember my first visit to Typhoon Lagoon so let’s just say this was my first trip.
We arrived around lunchtime and made our way over to Ketchakiddee Creek which is the toddler-friendly play area. Great for older kids too! I loved the overall design and the girls really enjoyed this section of the park. With that being said, it’s definitely an all hands on deck situation. Parents cannot sit down on the sidelines while watching kiddos. There are tons of lifeguards but also lots of blind spots where littles can hide. While it wasn’t as relaxing as a morning at the resort splash pad, it was a FUN. This section of the park is basically a tiny waterpark on it’s own so with my 2 & 4 year old we didn’t feel like we had to venture out. Alba Grace is my waterslide aficionado so my mom took her on a few of the bigger slides while I played with Millie. There’s a huge wave pool / beach area where plenty of families were camped out with kids of all ages.
We stopped at Typhoon Tilly’s for lunch for mediocre tacos and sangria. Can’t complain for waterpark food!
If you’re looking for something different to do on your next disney trip, especially if it’s too hot for a park, you might want to try this out! We were a bit worn out from our drive and three hours at the waterpark but I could easily see us hunkering down and spending a full day here a few times a year! Might even be able to convince my husband to join us next time! 😉
Ps. Dying to try Blizzard Beach next! I hear there’s a Frozen themed splash pad area! My girls would LOVE that!
OUR ITINERARY
Day One: Drive to Orlando, head straight to Typhoon Lagoon, dinner at Kobe Steakhouse per my mom’s request. If you’re looking for yummy hibachi close to property, look no further. It’s sooooo good y’all!
Day Two: Rope drop Hollywood Studios and dinner at Flying Fish!
Day Three: Magic Kingdom for an am photoshoot (Jessie captured some super sweet MK moments of our girls!) ride Tron and a few other family favorites! Yes, the people mover + thunder mountain made the list! Drove home after this and 1000% percent regret not staying another night although we had to get back home to practice for our preschool program.
It’s fun to spend months planning magical “big” trips but so many of our favorite disney memories happen on this spontaneous weekend trips!
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Millie meeting Mr. Incredible while AG rode a ride with my mom and brother. She was in heaven. Walked right up and gave them the biggest hug. Two at disney is my favorite age!
- Millie looking at me while we rode Alien flying saucers and saying “dis my favvvvvvorite ride. my heart is so happy!”
- Both girls meeting Aladdin and Jasmine. They are HUGE fans! A Fussell family favorite ride and soundtrack. AG has met her beloved Jasmine several times and was thrilled to meet Aladdin this go around.
- Lunch at Tony’s! We had a so so experience here last year and were pleased to find out the entire menu had been redone since that visit. This lunch was delicious and we will be back to try more of the new menu!
