The worst and most dreaded part of the vacation finally is upon us… I absolutely love Florida, but with my friends, family and school waiting for me at home, it is time to leave. I’m going to miss the beautiful house that we stay at, and most of all the wonderful warm weather!

Packing and Outfit Tips

No one likes the rush and panic on departure morning or the stress of packing. TIP #1 – Always complete your packing the day BEFORE you start to head home. TIP #2 – When you are loading up your suitcase, make sure you put your largest items in first, then work your way to the smaller items. For most people, it will be fairly hard to pack because you need to bring ALL the items you brought to your destination, plus the extra souvenirs! TIP #3 – Wear as much clothing as you possibly can: short sleeve, long sleeve, sweater and pants. This way you will be able to save A LOT of room in your suitcase for those extra items! TIP #4 – There is no need for style when embarking on a journey. You don’t have to look fashionable – instead wear your favorite pair of track pants and a baggy, soft sweater as your top layer!

Plane Classes

I flew home on an Air Canada plane. The plane was divided into three sections; First class, Business class and Economy class. Since my Dad is a pilot for Air Canada, we got to fly first class! There are obvious differences in the classes. The Economy class is located at the back of the plane and it has your average plane seats with little to no leg room. These seats are fairly cheap and food wise you get the basics -crackers/peanuts and juice. In Business class, you get seats with minimally larger seats, marginally more room for your legs, a pillow and some extra snacks. BUT, in First Class, you get these spaces called pods. In a pod you get a computer and full course meals! It’s similar to your own little office except for the seats! Your seat FULLY reclines and can be converted into a bed! Luxury in the sky!

Plane Snacks

I, personally, am a light packer and keep all my things in a carry-on bag. Some people, feel the need to travel with a huge suitcase. If you opt for the large suitcase, I encourage you to bring another small carry on bag and fill it with… SNACKS! Everyone will get hungry at some point of the flight and you just want to eat, eat, eat! Planes do serve you the usual peanuts, crackers, cookies, but you only get to choose one if you are in Economy class. This is not enough, nor is it available when you need it the most – for take offs and landings (to unplug your ears!). Always pack extras and things like suckers and gum for equalizing the pressure in your ears. When I flew home from Florida, we were lucky enough to be in First Class where we were served full course meals from a menu of lobster, steak and a vegetarian meal! Hopefully, I am lucky enough to travel Business Class on my next flight too!

Florida is my dream life. I love hanging out with my family and friends, whether it be laying in the sun, hanging out by the pool or going on new adventures to Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs and Volcano Bay! I enjoy taking a break from reality, and I can’t wait to return again next year!

Disney, Disney, Disney! The place where dreams come true, Princesses wander, Pirates fight, and there is a new adventure waiting around EVERY corner! It is every child’s dream to go to this exhilarating place. Disney World makes the impossible, possible and it is by far my FAVOURITE place on earth!

Characters

Whether you’re wandering the stone pathways or waiting in line for a ride, these fun, silly and beautiful characters will pop-up and greet you with the most enthusiasm ever known to mankind! It’s amazing to experience the princesses and other characters from your favorite shows or movies, hug you and act as if you’re their favourite celebrity! You will get hugs, kisses, high fours (Mickey Mouand his friends only have four fingers) and even autographs – so don’t forget to bring your book! My favourite is Minnie Mouse because she is the sweetest of all the characters and makes your day that much more magical! I also LOVE Cinderella! She was my favorite princess when I was younger and still is to this day! She makes me feel like I am the princess!

Food

In between walking, waiting in lines, and best of all, going on rides, EVERYONE will probably be starving! I don’t know about you, but sitting on the cement ground while eating a PB&J sandwich is probably not the ideal ‘Disney’ lunch. To get the full experience I think it is 100% necessary to get lunch at one of the many onsite restaurants! You may be thinking, it’s so expensive or I don’t want to waste my time! Trust me on this, the restaurants are worth every penny and not a single second is wasted when you’re having the time of your life, meeting the characters you love the most. You get to refuel for the day while being entertained by Disney characters! There are sooo many restaurants to choose from, but my two favourites are Tusker House and The Yak and Yeti! In Tusker House you’re greeted by Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto! They ALL come directly to your table and you can get autographs and interact with them without waiting in a line! The Yak and Yeti is located in the ‘Asia’ section of Animal Kingdom and it has the most delicious Asian food EVER!

Rides

I saved the best part for last… something that Disney just couldn’t be Disney without -THE RIDES! In Expedition Everest, you are in a roller coaster being chased up Mt. Everest by a Yeti. Then your tracks are broken and you toppled backward down the same path you came up! Twisting and turning at breakneck speeds – it is thrilling and scary and I love it! Another one of my favourites is the famous Dinosaur ride! You are teleported back in time to save the Iguanadon from extinction, but a meteor shower rains down on you and your faced with the task of no longer rescuing the Iguanadon, but just returning alive! Finally, my ultimate favourite ride in all of Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is Avatar Flight of Passage! You become an avatar and take flight on the back of a banshee, exploring the world’s beauty and it’s dangers! The line for this ride was crazy long, but the amazing scenery and interactive line up helped the time pass!

Disney is by far the BEST place on earth and there is no one I would rather spend it with then my amazing family. Next year, Star Wars opens in Hollywood Studios and I will be begging to go to that park!

Volcano Bay

Florida is a hot place to be, especially compared to Canada! For me, I love to play out in the sun, but sometimes you can’t participate in ANY activities because it is simply way too hot! It gets repetitive hanging out by the pool all day, everyday. The solution……. a trip to VOLCANO BAY! What is Volcano Bay you ask? Well, it’s Universal’s FIRST water park! As the name implies, the park is a ‘volcano’ themed attraction and is the perfect place for anyone 48” or taller!

Waterslides

Volcano Bay Is home to over 20 water slides, and my family and I were able to get on all of them! Each of their water slides gets its own unique name that symbolizes the parks ‘tiki’ theme. Directly in the middle of the park is a 200 ft tall volcano named Krakatau. Inside Krakatau there are three Trap door slides, Tai Nui and Kala, which are twin slides and then Ko’okiri. Ko’okiri is the largest drop slide in the water park and in all of America! It drops you down an astonishing 125 ft into a large pool! I couldn’t get enough of  this slide, but due to it’s popularity (and long lines), I only got on twice. Absolutely my favourite in the park! A close second was the Krakatau Aqua Coaster. This is a raft slide where you and four other passengers are launched onto a roller coaster style slide with large drops, ramps, twists and turns! Rounding up my favourites are the Ohyah and Ohno – twin ‘drop’ slides. They are called ‘drop’ slides because at the bottom you are dropped 6 ft into a deep pool! Other water slides include:

• Puih
• Ika Moana
• Punga Racers
• Honu
• Runamukka Reef
• Kopiko Wai Winding River

Tapu Tapu

At Volcano Bay you are given a bracelet called a Tapu Tapu. This is an interactive wristband that will save you SOMEWHAT from waiting in those LONG lineups.

Amazingly, there are no lines longer than about 15 minutes and it’s all thanks to the Tapu Tapu! For example, say you want to ride the Punga Racers, all you need to do is walk up to the ride scanner, tap your band, and you are given a time to return! Feel free to enjoy the next little while doing whatever you want, and your Tapu Tapu will remind you when it’s time to return to the ride! In addition to holding a place in line, the band allows you to tap into the fun hidden surprises all around the island! You can explore secret water sprayers, lights, colours and so much more!

Cabana

Maybe waterslides aren’t really your thing and you’re only at Volcano Bay because your

children teamed up and begged to go. If this sounds like you, then Volcano Bay made a specific section for with your name on it! At the back of the water park, near the Ohyah and Ohno there are many private cabanas for you to rent. While your kids are out sliding, you can be nestled into a cozy cabana filled with cushions and pillows and you may even have a specialty virgin cocktail in you hand. Doesn’t that sound relaxing? Throughout the day, you will have cold drinks and snacks stashed away in your cabana mini fridge to energize for the next thrill.

Volcano Bay was a blast and I will be the begging child I mentioned above on our next Florida trip. Vacations are for making memories, and memories will be a plenty after a day at this water park!

You may have heard of Disney World, but everyone knows how expensive that can be! Especially for my fellow Canadians with our dollar value being so low! Well, if you want to experience the fun, magic and excitement for FREE, then Disney Springs is the place to go!

Shops

When you arrive at Disney Springs, formally known as Downtown Disney, you are going to notice that it’s not one of Disney’s parks. There are no rides, or characters, or fireworks, BUT instead, it is filled with rows of amazingly fun Disney shops! You can find all kinds of souvenirs – from stuffed animals, character clothing, action figures and my personal favorite, CANDY! Some of the shops that you can find are:

• Goofy’s Candy Shop
• Bongo’s Cuban Cafe And Souvenir Gift Shop
• Disney’s Candy Cauldron
• Disney’s Days Of Christmas

And soooo many more!

Entertainment

If you have little ones, don’t miss the Bippidi Bobbidi Boutique! This unique store is a gem in Disney Springs. At the boutique, little humans have their dreams come true. I was never able to partake in this luxury, but I always enjoyed window watching as boys and girls transformed from themselves into princesses and princes. It is like a little assembly line of hair styling, make up, nail art and GLITTER…..so much glitter! The “piece de la resistance”, is a signature rhinestone Mickey Mouse ear clip for her hair or his costume. I have never seen the boutique empty, so it is safe to assume you probably need to book an appointment days, weeks or even months before you arrive (just book it when you book your Disney tickets to be sure!). Be ready to be pampered!

Restaurants

It is going to happen. At some point during your wandering of Disney Springs, your

belly is going to growl, or your kids are going to meltdown, complaining that they are STARVING! There are plenty of options for food in true Disney style. There is the Dinosaur restaurant, which is really cool. You are greeted by a massive animatronic T-Rex with itty bitty arms as a server takes you to your table. After your meal, in true Disney form, you are ushered into a souvenir shop where the littles can buy a dinosaur Build A Bear! If Dino’s are not your thing, head over to the Rainforest Cafe. Find yourself immersed in a tropical setting with aquariums surrounding you while you eat. My grandmother never let us eat in there as their ‘greeter’ was a very large boa constrictor. She has an insane fear of snakes!

I absolutely loved going to Disney Springs when I was younger, and I still do to this day! It is the perfect attraction for every age group, and includes something for everyone! Whenever I am visiting Florida, it is always one of my favorite things to do with my whole family! Whether it’s shopping, playing, or eating everyone is bound to feel like a character from their greatest dreams!

Have you ever dreamed of going to the happiest place on earth? You know, the place where characters come to life and a new adventure awaits around every corner? Whether it be Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot or Hollywood Studios, Minnie Mouse is one of the many Disney characters I look forwards to every year. 

The Drive

On March 9th, 2019, we finally made it to our destination – Kissimmee, Florida after an extremely l-o-n-g drive with my grandparents. The drive wasn’t terrible, except my sister was motion sick for most of it. Driving for twelve hours for 2 days is boring enough, let alone being stuck in the back seat with someone who has a fever and wants to puke!

Our House

We couldn’t get into our gated community until 4pm, so we went out for lunch with my Aunt, Uncle and cousins who were lucky enough to FLY to Florida. Lunch was okay.  It was really hard to be truly hungry when you had been snacking for 24 hours. FINALLY, when it was 4pm we drove into the familiar subdivision of Windsor Hills. This was our 8th year returning.  Always a different house, but always the same excitement of our own pool, spa, games room and clubhouse!

Things To Remember When Staying in Kissimmeee

-geckos are everywhere – keep the doors closed

-child safety alarm – goes off EVERY time sliding door to pool is opened, so remember to press button to deactivate alarm before opening door

-internet connection is slow….be patient and it will eventually work

-believe and take caution of signs up in community – there are venomous snakes and alligators in the ponds surrounding the homes (this one freaks me out a bit!)

The journey to Orlando is finally over. Now just pure relaxation – no snow and most importantly NO SCHOOL!