Although we are a few days into 2012, our recent family trip to Keystone resort is still fresh in our mind, the first ski experience on one of the best family ski resort in Colorado. So to keep up with our tradition, we have our review post looking back to our family travel last year. It was a fun year!

January: Snow in Atlanta

It’s not often or should I say NEVER that Atlanta metro area will get seven inches of snow in winter. So it was a real big treat for our kids to enjoy snow tubing (home-made style) at our own backyard. The snow storm in Atlanta shut down the whole city a whole week. For adults, the cabin fever started to set in but for kids it was like an unexpected winter break!

February: Indoor Water Park fun

We went up to Sevierville, Tennessee to help celebrate our friend’s birthday. An indoor water park at Wilderness in the Smokies is a great year round fun where kids (and adults) can enjoy swimming, sliding, surfing and more in the heated environment even in the middle of winter.

March: Mickey Memory with Disney Social Media Mom

This month we drove down to our familiar vacation spot in Orlando to attend the Disney Social Media Mom 2011 where we learned, laughed and connected with bloggers. It was our first time staying at the Disney’s Grand Floridian Spa & Resort and it was an experience we won’t easily forget. Mr. Z also experienced a big kid ride and hooked on the roller coaster now!

April: Fun in Atlanta at Georgia Aquarium

In Spring, we stayed close to home and enjoy local  attractions in Atlanta like the Grand opening of new Dolphin Tale show at the Georgia Aquarium, the beautiful day at Piedmont Park for the Dogwood Festival

May: Birthday Celebration at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

This year we took another trip down to Orlando to celebrate Mr. Rojo’s birthday at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. We hardly stayed at the Disney’s resorts previously because our family has a timeshare in Orlando but year 2011 we stayed in not just one but two property! And I have to say I understand why people keep going back year after year!

June: Summer fun in Seattle & Vancouver

Our big summer trip this year was a two weeks trip to Seattle and Vancouver. It was a business/family trip combo. I attended TBEX 2011, the Travel bloggers conference, in Vancouver and we also enjoyed family vacation in Seattle.

July: Family Reunion in the Ozark & Side trip to St. Louis

Our first family reunion was planned at the YMCA of the Ozark. It was wonderful for kids to meet and play with their cousins. We also took a little detour to visit St. Louis, MO. A fun day but not nearly enough to discover this gem in the Midwest.

August: Back to School

Summer time flew by when you had so much fun. Before we knew it, the kids were back in school. Yes, here in Atlanta we go back to school in August!

September: Myrtle Beach on Labor Day

Now, that kids are in school, we have to work around school holidays and take advantage of every holidays we can get. So we planned a short break during Labor Day weekend to visit Myrtle Beach. What a fun place for the whole family! We found that Myrtle Beach is not just a place for fun time at the beach or various family entertainments like MagiQuest but we could also enjoy nature like Kayak tour.

October: Fall Family Camping

In October, we had our first fall family camping trip with a group of our friends at Redtop Mountain Park. It was beautiful even though a bit too cold for this tropical girl. Kids, on the other hand, had no problem with the cold temperature at night when they had the whole park to explore. The water in the lake was too cold for anyone of us to dare going in. But we knew it will be a great place to camp again in the summer.

November: Legoland Florida

During the Thanksgiving break, we went to visit the recently opened Legoland Florida. Mr. Z was beyond happy to be able to ride in EVERY SINGLE ride at his height. Miss J loved being a big kid who could take her little brother on the ride without us. Ah!! A theme park where kids rule!

December: Ski & Snow at Keystone Ski Resort

Our last but certainly not least family trip of the year was one of the memorable one for our whole family. It was their first time on ski and my first time learning to ski. One word, AMAZING trip! We certainly enjoyed our whole experience during our trip to Denver & Keystone. This will certainly be a place we would love to revisit again in the future.

Wow! I didn’t realize how much we have traveled this past year until I started this post. It certainly has been a blessing for us to be able to continue our love of travel and adventures. We are thankful for the opportunities we have been given and hope we will continue to be able to travel as a family in 2012. Here to more travel in 2012!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) A Look Back to Family Travel 2011 is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Our recent trip to check out the brand new Legoland Florida, we have found yet another great family hotel that I know many of my readers will love. Legoland Florida is in Winter Heaven which is about 40 minutes away from Orlando. There are several hotels in Winter Heaven but we chose to stay in Orlando area because there are just many more choices to choose from for dining and non-Legoland activities.

Convenient Location

This trip we chose to stay at Residence Inn Orlando International Drive which is conveniently located just off I-4 exit by Universal Studio so we didn’t have to go through a bunch of stop lights to get to our hotel. To our surprise, we were just a couple blocks away from one of Mr. Z’s favorite McDonald of all time. This McDonald has one of the largest Play area and also services gourmet menu like pasta, ravioli and other cook-to-order food.

Nearby there are also other options for many restaurants. But for me, I love that it’s less than 5 minutes from the Whole Food Market. When traveling with family, grocery shopping can save us a lot of money. And Whole Food Market also has hot food bar that you can pick up healthy food on the go.

Plenty of Room for Everyone and More

Walking from the lobby to our room, I already felt that this place is different from typical hotels. The setup is more like an apartment complex than hotel building, giving us a feeling of coming home than checking in to a hotel. We walked through the courtyard to our 2nd floor room. It also doesn’t hurt to have such a beautiful blue sky during the time of our stay.

Once we got inside, I couldn’t stop the squeaking of joy from my kids. You will think they have never seen a hotel room before. In fact, they have been to all types of accommodation ranging from 2-star hotel, vacation rental home, resort and luxury hotel. But what made them so excited to see was the loft in our 2 bedroom penthouse suite.

The room is definitely setup for a couple families to share the room or large family. With one queen bed on the loft and 2 full size bed in another bedroom, we were not on top of each other.

Cook Your Own Meal

With full size kitchen equipped with everything you need to cook your own meal, it’s a great option for family who looks for way to save on a vacation. Even if you don’t want to cook, I found that when we eat out we always have left over. It was nice to be able to pack it and save it for the next meal.

Family Favorite Features: Free Wi-Fi, Waffle and Swimming Pool

So I asked my family to pick one of their favorite feature from Residence Inn Orlando International Drive. Miss J couldn’t get enough of going up and down to the loft. It was one of her favorite part. Hmm.. No wonder she always talks about building her own tree house. I think she just loves to be above the ground.

For me, as a travel blogger I love that they have free internet access during our stay. It’s nice to be able to catch up with my show online after a long day in the park. It’s sad to be excited to this small thing but it’s something that’s matter to me.

Mr. Z loved the swimming pool. They had a blast in a pool with our friends. It was a beautiful day and we had the pool to ourselves all afternoon. They even took another dip in the pool on the departure day. It’s also good to know that their pool is heated!

Mr. Rojo loved the waffle station which is part of the complimentary breakfast. What make it even more special was that you could make mini-waffle or normal size waffle and you could also add chocolate chip or blueberries to create your own waffle. Now, that’s the kind of waffle I love!

Overall, we had a great stay and will definitely consider staying here again in the future. We were hosted by Residence Inn Orlando International Drive but when I checked the rack rate during my stay it was very reasonable considering all the extra we had like internet access, complimentary breakfast, full kitchen and friendly staffs!

Thank you Residence Inn Orlando International Drive for hosting our family for a weekend.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando with Kids: Great Family Value Stay @ Residence Inn Orlando International Drive is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

How exciting news for us who live on the East coast to hear about upcoming attractions from LEGOLAND! Not just one but two new LEGOLAND attractions will be opening soon. First is LEGOLAND Florida theme park which is counting down to days before the opening day and LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta which will be opening in Spring 2012.

LEGOLAND Florida

With the upcoming grand opening of LEGOLAND Florida on October 15, I can’t help but dream about our future trip down to our favorite tourist spot in Orlando. Luckily for us that we can just drive down there instead of booking flights to Florida.

Visiting Orlando with kids has been one of our annual vacation and adding LEGOLAND to the already long list of family attractions makes it even more enticing to plan a family trip to Orlando area.

LEGOLAND is probably one of the only few theme park that built with youngsters in mind. Yes, you have Walt Disney World and Disneyland but LEGOLAND has more to offer to toddler and young children than any parks we have visited. Our last visit to LEGOLAND California, our kids still remembered the fun day they had.

Miss J still holds on to her driver license she received from the Volvo Driving School and Mr. Z couldn’t wait to try out the FORD Driving School in LEGOLAND Florida himself because last visit he was a bit too small.

And I have already seen many pictures from LEGOLAND Florida on amazing fun built they have like the Space Shuttle!

To stay up-to-date to current news and promotion from LEGOLAND Florida, become a fan on their Facebook fan page or follow them on Twitter.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta

Like having LEGOLAND Florida within driving distance for us is not enough, we are lucky that Atlanta will be a home to new LEGOLAND Discovery Center next year as well!

LEGOLAND Discovery Center will offer a fun, highly interactive and educational two to three-hour indoor experience ideal for families with children 3-10 years old and provide a range of interactive play areas including 4D cinema; master classes from the LEGO Master Model Builder; exciting LEGO rides; special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations; as well as the popular MINILAND exhibit designed to reflect the iconic buildings and skyline of Atlanta.

Mr. Rojo went to the ground breaking ceremony for the new site of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta Phipps Plaza in Buckhead and I can’t tell you how excited I am to have LEGOLAND nearby. Our house is full of LEGO sets and pieces. I think it’s the only toy that they never get tired of.

To keep up with the news from LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta, become a fan on their Facebook fan page for update & news.

How about you? What trip are you dreaming of this Monday?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dreaming Of LEGOLAND Florida & LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

As I have recently hinted about our stay at Holiday Inn Club Vacation in Orange Lake, now it’s time to get into the detail of this amazing family resort in the land of the theme parks.

It’s without a doubt that Orlando area is filled with various hotels, resorts and condos to satisfy all types of travelers. We have had a fair share of experience in different accommodations ranging from staying at our in-laws’ timeshare units to luxury resort in Walt Disney World Resort. So I was very surprised to find out that there is a hidden gem that I have yet to experience.

Entering Holiday Inn Club Vacation Orange Lake

The Holiday Inn Club Vacation Orange Lake is another property from the Holiday Inn Club Vacation in Orlando. We stayed at Holiday Inn Club Vacation in Gatlinburg previously so we were happy to find that they have this property in our favorite vacation city.

The Holiday Inn Club Vacation is a timeshare / resort property which mean you can purchase the ownership of the property just like any other timeshare but at the same time they also accept reservation from guests who don’t want to commit to long term investment.

Space & Comfort for the Whole Family

One of the thing I love about the stay at HI Club Vacation Orange Lake is the space for the whole family. It was nice to stay in a luxury hotel but after spending a few days with my family in one room no matter how much we love each other we need some room to roam. And this property has more than enough space for the whole family.

We stayed at the 2 bedroom condo unit with full kitchen, dining room area and living room area. As soon as we walked in my kids proclaimed they didn’t want to move out EVER!

The master bedroom also has working desk for us to check on our blog and download pictures at night with their free WiFi. The unit is a mixed of new world and old world. The furniture and decoration is modern and clean style but yet there are a few things I notice that could use some update like bathroom fixtures.

And the bed, the Bed, the BED… Mr. Rojo wanted me to point out that he slept like a baby without any pain in the morning which is not normal in our travel for him. A comfortable bed will make or break your vacation and I gladly reported that this bed will put you to sleep after a long day of fun.

Plenty of Fun for Kids (and Adults too)

So enough about the bedroom because I know when we travel we want to also enjoy the amenities and the other stuff we can do in the resort and the area. And I will have to warn you that you might want to plan a day or two to just spend time at the resort because your kids might not want to leave. We actually gave up a day at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon to spend time at the River Island with our friends who came up from Florida to meet us.

First Stop the River Island, the Ultimate Pool

I don’t think I can properly describe the wonderful of River Island water park in HI Club Vacation Orange Lake. It’s no mistake that it’s called a water park rather than a pool in this resort because it really is as big as a water park. Kids will enjoy a fun day in the water with lazy river, water slide, splashing pool and swimming.

One of the best feature is the water park stays open until 10PM. So you will have plenty of time to enjoy a water fun even after a full day of exploring the theme parks in Orlando. But many of other fun activities at Fun Zone will not be available.

Additional Fun Around The Resort

The River Island is not the only water park option in the resort. There are also Splash Lagoon at North Village and Water’s Edge Pool at West Village.

We stayed at the West Village so we explored the Water’s Edge club a little bit more. With indoor arcade for kids and cafe equipped with Starbucks coffee for parents, it’s sure to be a hang out place for the whole family.

Apart from pools & water park, families can also enjoy other fun activities like putt-putt golf, tennis, golf and water sports.

Like I said earlier in the post, the stay in HI Club Vacation Orange Lake will require a couple to stay inside the resort to fully take advantage of all activities they offer. The best part, most of the activities are part of the complimentary offers there are a few activities that require extra fee which will be clearly identified on their weekly schedule you received when you check in.

Over all, we had a GREAT time at Holiday Inn Club Vacation Orange Lake. The price is very reasonable. Even though we were a guest of Holiday Inn Club Vacation, I checked out the price during our stay and for 2 bedrooms unit you can easily book for less than $150 a night. A bargain considering you will also have free Wifi, full kitchen and many amenities and activities for the whole family.

Disclosure: Thank you the Holiday Inn Club Vacation – Orange Lake for hosting our family during our stay. This post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence. I always provide my honest opinion on our stays and won’t write about a place we will not stay ourselves.

Orlando Hotel Review

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: Fabulous Family Resort @ Holiday Inn Club Vacation Orange Lake is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We had a great time in Orlando at Holiday Inn Club Vacation – Orange Lake. The water park at River Island is AMAZING.

I have read about the lazy river pool but didn’t expect anything this fun for the whole family.

Stay tune for detail review in the near future.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Ultimate Water Fun in Orlando with Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

The busy summer season has started. We are looking forward to many fun trips this summer.

First stop, we will be spending time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, a deluxe resort in Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, to celebrate Mr. Rojo‘s birthday weekend.

Here are a few friends we have met outside our balcony!

Stay tuned for more detail on fun things we did in Orlando. In the mean time, you can check out other travelers photos from Delicious Baby – Photo Friday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Go Wild at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When we visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom park on our recent trip to Walt Disney World, one of the must-do on our list was to ride the Expedition Everest. As we walked along the path to the Expedition Everest area, the smell from Yak & Yeti restaurant was so enticing. It was so good we almost made a quick turn to the restaurant right away. It was almost lunch time and our stomach reminded us all that THIS was a place to enjoy our lunch.

However, knowing that we would be on a roller coaster soon, we determined to push along the path to Everest. It was the hardest thing we had to do that day to walk past the inviting aroma.

It was a great decision on our part because once we got back from the ride it was late afternoon and there was relatively short wait to be seated.

An indoor, air-conditioned restaurant was a perfect choice for us especially on the hot day. In the past we had always battled the crowd and heat to have lunch at Tamu Tamu Refreshments – Harambe because we thought it was the cheapest alternative and the quickest.

But after experiencing Yak & Yeti restaurant, I have found a new dining option in this huge park.

Yes, at first glance at the menu the price is not what I will call affordable. However, after studying (yes, studying) a menu, I found that there were ways to enjoy the meal without shelling out $20 per person. Here are my tips.

1. Let Kids Share the Kids’ Meal – Miss J & Mr. Z were not big eaters. So I knew that they would be satisfied with sharing a meal. We ordered chicken bites with a side of chicken fried rice. Miss J took care of the fried rice and Mr. Z enjoyed the chicken bites.

2. Get 2 side dishes to make a meal - I ordered 2 side dishes of Stir-Fried Vegetables and Steam rice to make a great meal for under $9 while the cheapest entree on the menu is $16.99.

3. Split the adult entree – Yes, it’s pricey for an entree to cost $17-$25 but all thing considered the portion is considerably large. Unless you always eat a large portion at home, I’m pretty sure you can split the meal and everyone still has a fulfilling meal.

So if you plan to visit Animal Kingdom and don’t plan to pack your own lunch (which is probably the best way to save on dining), consider Yak & Yeti Restaurant. Mr. Rojo probably recommend you to try the Kobe Beef Burger.. Oh!! It was so tender and tasty. The size of the burger is big enough to share as well.

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary tickets to Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. But we paid for our food ourselves and as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Good Eat @ Yak & Yeti Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Our recent trip to Walt Disney World marked a special milestone for our kids. They are now tall enough to ride most of the roller coaster rides and old enough to enjoy those rides themselves.

After three days of fun hopping between Walt Disney World theme parks from Hollywood Studio to Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is clear that the Expedition Everest ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was their favorite. Even though we didn’t meet the Yeti on the ride since he was on spring break. Maybe next trip we will get to meet him.

Mr. Rojo took Miss J and Mr. Z for the second time on the Expedition Everest ride on the last day. Yeah.. I was too much of the scary cat to take on a roller coaster ride the same day I was going to drive 8 hours back to Atlanta.

After the ride, it was fun to walk around in the gift shop. Yes, it’s a tourist trap to get more money from our pocket but when we talked to the cast member who worked the cash register that day we found out that most of the props inside the shop are the real equipment left behind on the Mount Everest base camps.

In order to create the accurate experience and also help clean up the Mount Everest, Walt Disney World had help recycle and brought down some equipments and gears left behind by climbers.

Knowing that it gave me goose bump. I looked around and imagined the life and danger these climbers encountered during their climb. I don’t know if we will ever be that adventurous like our friends at the Planet D who climbed to Mount Everest Base Camp so for now we have at least concurred the thrill ride.

You can check out other travelers photo at Delicious Baby.

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Conquered the Expedition Everest @ Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

One of the best part for our recent visit to Walt Disney World during Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2011 was that our kids are now tall enough to enjoy most of the roller coaster and thrill rides in Walt Disney World theme parks.

Here is an inside look of their experience at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Test Track ride.

The Q Kids on Walt Disney World’s Epcot Test Track Ride

I think they have developed the need for speed now!

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Thrill Ride Video of Epcot’s Test Track is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

As I start to work on improving our blog to provide more information about family travel, I know that one of the best way to share our experience is by video.

Today we want to introduce our video production from Mr. Rojo from our recent visit to the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during our Disney Social Media Mom celebration.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Experienced the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World Resort Orlando is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

From the frequent of my post about McDonald’s fast food chain, you will think that I work for them or such a bad mom with no regard of health to her kids. Well, I’m not working or get paid by McDonald’s. And we typically eat at McDonald’s only once a week (ok this one is just a joke!! Plus there are ways to have a quick meal with relatively healthy meal)

But I can’t help featuring a cool McDonald’s we have come across during our travel. It’s just refreshing to see a franchise owner put in a lot of thought and effort into making their McDonald’s stood out.

On our way to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, we stopped for a quick lunch break before checking-in at this McDonald’s inside the Walt Disney World area. As soon as we parked we already knew that this one has something different from other typical McD you found along the highway. The front entrance has a shade area with whimsical outdoor seating. Bamboo trees lined up the wall provides a sense of peace even during a busy lunch time.

Walking inside, I wasn’t sure if we were in the same fast food chain that we love to hate. But yet, there it was a sign welcoming you from them.

The seating area are large and open with colorful chairs suited for lifting up your mood and getting you ready for a day inside the Happiest Place on Earth.

It’s only appropriate that with its close distance to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, they have thought about family in their design. A smaller size stools in front of TV playing Disney’s cartoon has given kids their own space to enjoy their meals.

Overall, it’s a great way to have a quick and cheap meal before hitting up Disney’s theme parks. Kids loved the outdoor seating where they could sit back and relax a bit and I loved the clean design with colorful furniture. Because sometimes a meal is not just about the food but the ambiance as well.

Check out other travels photos from Delicious Baby.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: Not Your Grandma McDonald’s is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Ah.. The world of luxury travel doesn’t come along often at the Q Family Adventures. As you might have notice, we are the family travel on a budget in quest to fulfill our wanderlust souls to travel all around the country and the world. So whenever we have a chance to travel, we tend to stick to budget accommodations and the like. HOWEVER, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Recently, we had a chance to attend the Disney Social Media Moms celebration in Orlando and stayed at the Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, one of the Deluxe Resorts in Disney and probably one of the top rated in all Disney’s resorts.

We are no stranger to Walt Disney World theme parks as we have visited frequently in the past and stayed at various hotels in Orlando area. BUT we have never stayed at Disney’s resorts with our kids. So this was a first experience for them to stay at Disney’s resorts.

Attentive Cast Members & Inviting Lobby

As soon as we pulled our car to the entrance of the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, we were greeted enthusiastically from the valet member. The whole magical experience had begun.

It was during the Floridian spring break so the hotel was totally packed. We checked-in but couldn’t get to our room until later. It was nice to be able to find ample of space to lounge in the lobby while a pianist serenade all the princesses.

It would be easy to impress all the adults with the Victorian-style decoration with all the detail. But they also didn’t forget about the little ones in the family. There are a special sitting area created just for kids while we waited for our room. How cute is this pint-size TV, chairs and sofa.

I have never seen so many hotel staffs in any hotels we have been to. Everywhere we turned, we always found the smiling face ready to help us in anyway they can.

Fun Things to Do in the Water & Beyond

There are 2 pools at the Grand Floridian. The courtyard pool is right in front of our building with large pool, hot tub and kiddie pool. The beach pool features zero-depth entry, cascade waterfall and water slide. There are planned activities during the day.

For Mr. Z, he decisively picked the beach pool as his favorite because it has the water slide. I was surprised to find that Miss J loved the courtyard pool more because of the size of the pool.

Apart from the fun in the pool, there are other fun things family can enjoy with their kids like watercraft rental, arcade room, white-sand beach of the Seven Seas Lagoon.

There are also other kids activities programs available like Disney’s Pirate Adventure, the Mouseketeer Club, Movie under the Star and Wonderland Tea Party. Most of the programs will require additional fee and reservation is required. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to check out any of these kids-friendly programs. But it’s good to see so many options available.

Best Location You will Ever Get to Disney’s Magic Kingdom

What make the Grand Floridian an AWESOME resort to stay for family vacation visiting Disney’s theme parks is by far its prime location. Situated on the monorail line to Disney’s Magic Kingdom with a stop directly at the resort make it a perfect hotel for family with kids.

As many experts in Disney’s theme parks have pointed out, taking a break during the day helps kids enjoy the park even more in the afternoon. A stay at the Grand Floridian provides such opportunity with ease. A short hop on the monorail and we were back at our room enjoying a quick dip in the pool.

And to mix thing up and make it more interesting, we boarded the boat back to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. A great way to enjoy the scenery that sure to make any kids happy.

Comfortable Room After A Long Day in the Park

The room at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has all the amenities as you would expect from five stars hotel. The room includes a desk with plenty of outlet which is a nice touch especially for this family travel blogger, a day bed (which we didn’t really know how to open it up) and the arm chair.

The best part of this room is the BED! We typically had a hard time sleeping at the hotel because we were too spoiled with our pillow-top mattress. But not here, as soon as we laid down, there was no toss and turn. Everyone felt fast asleep even before we can say M-I-C-K-E-Y..

Kids also loved the turndown service at night. The little Mickey is a great reminder of our cruise trip animal towels. And who doesn’t love to find chocolate on their bed at night.

One note I want to point out, the internet access is NOT free at the Grand Floridian. I was provided complimentary internet access as part of Disney’s Social Media Moms. But if you were a paying guest, you would have to pay additional fee to get the internet access.

Luxury Stay Worth a Splurge

Remember the saying of ‘You get what you pay for’. I think it rings true at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Yes, the cost of one night stay here can be as much as a week stay at a cheaper accommodation (and you can also do so with Disney’s Value Resorts). But for the price you pay, you will certainly get to experience a stay with exceptional service, prime location and unforgettable memory. So it’s a stay worth a splurge for a special celebration with your family.

It’s just the total immersion in Disney’s magic that makes the whole trip that much more magical. We love our experience so much that we already plan the next trip to another Disney’s Deluxe resort at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge this summer.

As I’m dreaming about our next stay at Disney’s resort, check out other travelers dreams at Mother of All Trips.

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Luxury Family Stay @ The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This week we are here at the Walt Disney World resort to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2011. It has been a great experience learning and connecting with other social media enthusiasts.

We are staying at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa which I will do proper review later. But I have to say all the rave review about the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is not hype at all. I could totally see why this is a five star resort. But what impress me the most is the service and friendliness of all the staffs even during the busy day with many tired customers.

Our first session was hosted by Disney’s Wedding where we learned about new destination wedding (Hawaii for a renewal of a vow anyone?) and wedding on the Disney Dream Cruise Line. In the evening, Disney hosted attendees and their families at the Grand Floridian Lake Front lawn for dinner, drinks and carnival games.

And of course, we had special guests appearance from Minnie, Mickey, Pluto and Goofy throughout the evening. Definitely made many little kids happy. Miss J kept saying ‘Today is the BEST day of my life’. Seriously!! This is not her first trip but I guess staying in the Disney’s property does have its magic.

Disclosure: We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2011: A Magical Experience for the Whole Family is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Of all 4 Disney theme parks in Orlando, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the smallest park in size which make it the easiest park to manage in one day. But it doesn’t mean that there are few options for attractions and rides.

Our recent visit to the Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we approached the park with the idea that that we would not be able to ride everything or watch every show. As recommended by Frommer’s Walt Disney World and Orlando 2011, you have to have a plan of attack when planning a family vacation to Walt Disney World. Granted that my plan was nothing fancy with just a quick look at what will be the best rides for our school age kids to enjoy.

Since we haven’t been to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with kids for a while, our original list of our favorite rides in Walt Disney World has changed. Now that the kids are older, they have become more involve in the planning and can go to other big kids rides. So here are our top 5 rides for our school age children in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

1. Toy Story Midway Mania: Fun for all ages

The newest ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also the hottest ride. With the fun, interactive, 3D game type ride, the Toy Story Midway Mania! is one of the most popular ride that you can’t miss. The ride is great for kids of all ages so the line will be extremely long. Fortunately, this is the fastpass ride which means you can insert your theme park ticket to one of many fastpass kiosk outside the entrance of Toy Story Mania ride and the machine will dispense the fastpass ticket which gives you the timeframe for you to come back.

I would highly recommend you to head to get your fastpass as soon as you arrive. When we arrived around 10 AM, our fastpass time was for 5:55PM-6:55PM. Like I said, it’s one popular ride in this park.

2. Star Wars: Jedi Training Academy: Join the force for kids age 4-12

I don’t know that many boys who don’t love Star Wars or dream about becoming a Jedi. This 30-minute live show allows kids to become part of the show. I knew that it was one of our priority. So as soon as we picked up the map and check the time, we walked to Echo Lake area where the Star Tours is located. Just look for the cast member and you can sign up your young padawan for the Jedi Training Academy.

Kids will be a part of the Jedi Training Academy and have a chance to fight with Darth Vader or Darth Maul. After the training, each kid will also receive the certificate. I wish they will let you keep the robe. :)

3. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Perfect for the thrill seekers

I didn’t know who screamed the loudest but I knew my throat hurt a little when we got off from the elevator of the Hollywood Tower hotel. We were very lucky that day that there were virtually no wait at all. We didn’t even have to use any fastpass for this ride because the wait time was 5 minutes.

4. Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show: Thrilling show for kids

This live show was a surprise for us. The arena is large so it can fit a LOT of people so it’s one of the attractions where you don’t have to wait in line for a long time. The show was entertaining and exhilarating. Some of the stunt they did was surreal. It was also nice to see the secret behind the shooting as well. Our kids absolutely loved this show. Even though the show has no age recommendation, with the nature of explosive and loud noise, small kids might get scared easily.

5. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

Yes, it’s another stunt show but this is Indiana Jones we are talking about. Kids got excited at the opening scene cheering for Indy to run fast than the giant rock. The show involved a lot of stunt including several audiences who got a chance to be a part of the scene. Fighting, jumping, climbing and explosion, they had it all. It was especially nice to catch the show at the end of the day with the blue sky as a backdrop. The amphitheater is big enough to accommodate pretty everyone. So there is no need for fastpass here. For parents with young children, you might want to consider whether they can tolerate the loud noise and explosion.

Orlando Vacations

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As we are preparing for our trip to Orlando next week for the Disney Social Media Moms convention, I can’t help but reminisced about our family fun escape we had last holiday break in Kissimmee. During that visit we were hosted for a couple nights at the great family resort at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.

Luxury Hotel with Family-Friendly Service

I have to admit that I never had any experience staying with the Omni Hotels in the past. I thought Omni Hotels equal four star business hotels or white glove service which typically don’t mix well with family travel. But this preconceived idea is wrong.

Yes, as we walked through the front door and stepped into the bright lobby with shining marble floor, I couldn’t help but held on to my kids and reminded them not to be rowdy. The elegant decoration is prominent but also the kids-friendly service. Everyone from the front desk to the bellman was friendly and genuinely welcoming our kids.

Kids Rule at the Omni Hotels

After check in, each kid will receive their own Omni Sensational Kids’ backpack filled with a mini flashlight, plantable bookmark, dish launcher, flip drum, twizzlers and a kids’ canteen. Miss J and Mr. Z proudly wore their backpack as we trekked to our room.

Within the Omni Orlando Resort, there are many family-friendly activities available that family could literally forget about going out and just spend time inside the resort from family pool with water slide, water playground, lazy river pool, 36 holes championship golf course, par 3 pitch and putt, tennis court, video arcade game and more.

One of our favorite spot was the 850 foot lazy river pool that connected to the zero entry family pool. Kids enjoyed floating lazily along this pool through water canon and water fall along the trail. We had a really hard time getting them out of the pool.

Right next to the family pool is the Camp Omni Kids Escape where kids can escape from their parents for fun kid-friendly dinners, movies, video games, board games and other entertaining activities. This program will set you back $10 per hour, per child and includes child’s dinner served at 7 p.m. We didn’t stay long enough to try out this program.

I have also read from their website that if you plan your date night at David’s Club or ZEN for dinner, you can show your dinner receipt and receive 50% off your first two hours of Camp Omni Kids Escape, while you dine (minimum one adult entree purchased). That’s something we might try next time we visit!

Room with a View for Family

The room in the Omni Orlando Resort is nicely decorated in the subtle yet elegant style with all amenities you can expect from four stars hotel and more. I love the little touch like the turn down service with cookies and milk for the kids at night. The work desk with plenty of room and FREE internet access is definitely appreciated for this travel mom blogger.

Our room faces the pool with the balcony so it was a great place to enjoy our breakfast and for me to savor a little piece of calm before the busy day at the theme parks.

Convenient Location yet a World Away

One of the unique feature of this Omni Hotel is the location. Typically, most Orlando-Kissimmee hotels are mostly along the International drive or US 192 where you will be reminded at every moment that you are in the most visited tourist city in the world. With just a short drive on I-4, the Omni Orlando Resort feels like a world away. It’s far enough to provide us with a real sense of family escape but yet close enough that we can enjoy the theme parks without any hassle.

Affordable Price for Family Travel

If you have read this far, you probably think.. yeah.. it’s good but how much will it set us back? As a budget conscious family travel, I always look for way to save during our family vacation. Even though we received complimentary stay at the Omni Orlando Resort, we checked the list price during our stay. To our surprise, the room was listed at $99 per night (Rate is subject to change based on availability and date), a steal for this level of service and accommodation.

One little note that I would like to make you aware of is the parking fee at the Omni Orlando Resort. It seems weird that you have to pay for daily parking fee for this resort when there are plenty of parking space. I would understand if it’s the downtown hotel in the city. But even with parking fee added to your room rate, this resort is still a great choice for family vacation in Orlando area.

Disclosure: Thank you the Omni Hotels for hosting my family. This post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence. I always provide my honest opinion on our stays and won’t write about a place we will not stay ourselves.

Orlando Vacations

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This Monday I couldn’t help but getting excited about our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World.

We have been a die-hard fan of Disney for a really long time. We have taken multiple trips over the years from Mr. Rojo’s birthday celebration trip to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon last summer, holiday break to Disney’s Hollywood Studio or Christmas at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

So what make this trip is so different from our previous trips?

This trip we will be staying at Walt Disney World Resort property at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. I mean technically I have stayed at Walt Disney World Resorts before kids. But this will be the first time for our kids. I can’t wait to see their faces and their reaction once we arrive at the resort.

I have been reading a few posts from my blogging friends about their experience in staying at Walt Disney World’s resort which added to my excitement.

• Jen from Two Kids and A Map shared her experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is the one place that I really really want to stay.
• Renee from Cutie Booty Cake celebrated her birthday during the Disney Princess Marathon with a stay at Disney’s Polynesian resort. Now, that’s how we should celebrate our birthday!

Business Trip with Kids

This trip is actually my business trip to attend a social media conference hosted by Walt Disney World – The Disney Social Media Moms 2011. We are no strangers to combining business trip with family trip. So I know my kids and Mr. Rojo will have a great time while I’m working.

I have to admit that this is the least planned family trip we have ever done. I just feel like we are going to see our old friends so it’s less planning than usual. At least I have the big 3 main things done. Now just have to figure out what to eat!

• Accommodation – Checked
• Transportation – Checked (the beauty of living within driving distance (an 8 hours drive) to Orlando is the saving from flying)
• Entertainment – Checked (I will be attending the Disney Social Media Moms conference while Mr. Rojo and the kids will enjoy parks hopping)

Check out other travelers’ dream at Mother of All Trips – Mondays are for Dreaming.

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What’s for lunch? Ah, the old-age question that I really don’t want to hear especially when we travel as a family. Sometimes it’s hard to please everyone in the family for the options we have. I mean technically my kids probably can survive on cheese pizza alone. But who want to eat cheese pizza on your vacation? Ok.. don’t answer that!

Fun Family Dining Option in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

So in order to add a little fun to our lunch, we opted for one of theme restaurant inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios – the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. The restaurant is modeled after drive-in theatre where you can dine in the 50′s car and enjoy B movies on the big screen under the stars.

Sound like something that will please my kids especially after a long day in the Disney’s park.

Food & Flick at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre

After we checked in with the host who took us to be seated at our CAR, we walked through what looked like a backstage of a movie set. Then a little doorway lead us into what I feel like a totally different world. We stepped into the time where families went to the theatre in their cars and enjoyed movie and dinner. That’s what the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre is all about.

Inside you will see rows of cars facing the big screen just like you would see at the drive-in theatre. Car can seat up to 6 people where small car will seat 4 people. So for a big party, you have to be willing to split the group. Since there is no way for them to move the car around. The restaurant might seem a little bit dark because we were dining out under the stars after all. But there were enough lighting at our car for us to check out the menu.

How about Food & Price?

Food serves in the restaurant is typical American fare with burger, pasta and sandwich. Quite frankly, this will probably be the worst review of a restaurant ever because I didn’t remember what we had. But sometimes, the food doesn’t matter as much as the experience and atmosphere in which the Sci-Fi Dine-In theatre certainly provided us with memorable experience.

Kids truly enjoyed eating and watching movies from the 50′s and 60′s. Then again, which kids don’t love to watch movie and eat at the same time. I just had to remind them that it won’t happen at home. :)

With the main course range from $11.99 to $19.99, this is not a cheap eat by any measure. However, I viewed it as an experience that we will not have a chance to do often. So it all depends on how much price tag you put on the experience. For us, it’s worth it for a fun time during lunch with good food.

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There is no doubt that one of the most sought after product inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the Butterbeer. A silky, smooth and sweet drink that remind me of ‘Got Milk?’ commercial is one of the most talk about for visitors to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Even if you don’t want to buy anything else there (which I don’t think it’s even remotely possible), you MUST try the Butterbeer.

Everywhere we would see visitors walked around with a mug and a mustache. There are 2 version of Butterbeer in the Wizarding World’s, the frozen and non-frozen ones. I have only tasted the non-frozen one but have heard that the frozen version was far better.

Mr. Rojo had not just one but two Butterbeer during our visit. And when we came home, he craved for more. So we did a little research to see if it’s possible to make one at home. With the world according to Google, there is nothing you couldn’t find online.

I have found several recipes for Harry Potter Butterbeer and they are all varied in ingredients. So we decided to just pick one.

Here is the recipe for Harry Potter Butterbeer as we found on Foxnews.com

BUTTERBEER Recipe

Start to finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active)

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

2. Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

4. In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

5. To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

The Verdict

It is NOT the same as the Butterbeer you can get inside Universal’s Islands of Adventure but it’s close enough. I still would love to know how to make the frozen version though. In the mean time, we will just be satisfied with this version and dream about our next visit!

Check out other food-related posts from WanderFood Wednesday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Butterbeer & Recipe is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last November we spent a week in Orlando and Kissimmee. Without a doubt one of MY favorite visit was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As much as this blog is all about family travel, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea that we travel solely based on our kids’ need. Yes, we travel as a family but we chose our destination for different reasons and many times we picked them based on OUR own desire.

I have been a fan of Harry Potter Books Series since before we had kids. So for me to be able to walk into the world that I have enjoyed reading and later watching was something that I couldn’t put into words.

Stepping into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

My heart was pounding at the glimpse of the entrance to Hogsmeade. Many people might complain about the crowd and all the tourists that seem to head to the same destination. But for me, it added more to the atmosphere.

Yes, it was crazy busy when we were at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was so packed that Universal Studio had to implement the ticketing system similar to Disney’s Fast Pass. We had to get the timed tickets for each of us to get inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter section.

By the time, we got in which was just after 11AM. The park (or should I say the WWHP) was packed. It was like the whole Hogwarts students were here on their weekend excursion. We didn’t let that bothered us though. Kids enjoyed their pretend broomstick ride on the Nimbus 2000.

I love all the Detail inside Hogsmeade

We took our time to check every single little details from store front at Hogsmeade. I was truly amazed at the details Universal Studio have put in. Majority if not all park staff speaks with British accent giving us the impression that we were truly indeed in the World of Harry Potter.

In the bathroom, if you listen carefully, you will surely know that Myrtle is there just like in the books and the movie!

There will be a long line, really long line

I mentioned that I expected it to be a long line but what I didn’t expect was there were lines to EVERYTHING from gift shop to restaurant! So plan your day carefully. Here is a few tips to help you out:

1. Get Harry Potter souvenir at the main gift shop outside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

You can get most major souvenir items (sweaters, books, wands and more) at the main souvenir shop at the front of Island of Adventure. So you don’t really have to wait in line and cram into Dervish and Bangles to get those. BUT, it was nice to walk through the store nonetheless.

2. Avoid eating during lunch time or dinner time.

It’s actually typical recommendation to most theme parks anyway. But it’s even more critical in this case because there was line to get into Three Broomstick, the only main sit down place inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

3. Bring cash to get your own Harry Potter Wand at the cart shop.

If you want to get a wand for yourself, you don’t really have to wait in line to get inside Dervish and Bangles. You can buy a wand from a cart. But it’s cash only based on what my friend who recently went told me.

Lines Worth Waiting for in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

No matter how tired or how cranky you were, one ride that you couldn’t miss is the Forbidden Journey.

When we went, the estimate wait time was 60 minutes but it felt more like 2 hours for us. Luckily, our kids were now at the age that they could entertain themselves with a little bit of technology. Since, Mr. Z wasn’t tall enough yet, we skipped the locker and carried all our bags in line.

It was a good thing we did that so I could take a few pictures inside Hogwarts School. I think they should have a separate line just for people who just want to walk inside Hogwarts! I totally would slow down next time and enjoy all the details inside the school.

The ride itself was AMAZING but be warned that if you tend to have motion sickness, this ride might not be for you. With the twist and turn and 3D technology, I was surprised I lasted till the ride end.

In the end I think we spent probably 5-6 hours just inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I still felt that it wasn’t enough for me. :) We went back at night after we walked around the other parts of Universal’s Islands of Adventure. So I just want to leave you with this picture. It’s the one that make me dream about going back there again!

So have you been the Wizarding World of Harry Potter yet? Any other tips to share to other travelers?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: Experiencing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When talking about a visit to Orlando and more specifically Walt Disney World, most people will probably think about the big 4 – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studio. But for us, summer family trip to Orlando only means a water park. Our last trip we enjoyed our visit to Disney’s Blizzard Beach.

This time around we went to another Disney Water park at Typhoon Lagoon. I always recommend my friends who visit Walt Disney World in summer or even spring to at least plan a day to the water park. Not only, it’s a great way to break out park routine but it’s a wonderful way to beat the heat in Florida.

What I Like About Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon

Easy on the Wallet (sort of)

The Typhoon Lagoon is part of Walt Disney World theme parks but the price is very comparable to local theme parks in Orlando. I mean we are still talking about a big chunck of cash for a family of 4 but at least it’s much cheaper than the main Disney Theme parks.

Plus you don’t have to pay for parking like other parks so it’s a perfect place to enjoy even half a day or a whole day.

Fun For the Whole Family

Having little kids always create a challenge in finding a fun ride that will satisfy the whole family. At Typhoon Lagoon, there is something for everyone. We especially love the Castaway Creek where we could float along the gently steam as it’s winding along the park.

And for the dare devil of the family, there is no dispute that the Surf Pool is one of the kids’ favorite. They braved the chest-high water and patiently waited along with hundred of kids and adult in the blue pool. As thundering sound roared from the distant, the crowd started to prepare themselves. Parents held on tight to their children’s little hand. School-age kids pushed down their goggle and breathed in the last big breath.

The wave as high as two story house crushing down to anticipating kids. Some rode with the wave and got pushed all the way in land to the white sandy beach. Some ducked down under the water as the tide passed. Some swam up and found the strength to ride on it. In the end, you heard the cheer and the laugh all around.

Fun For the Littlest of the Family

Ketchakiddee Creek is a perfect safe haven for babies and toddlers to enjoy the cool water slide, fun fountains, waterfalls or the mini ripply-rapids ride. At first, Miss J and Mr. Z anxiously waited in line to ride on the mini ripply-rapids raide. But soon discovered that the ride was too timid for their liking.

Fun For Big Kids and the rest of us

Miss J and Mr. Z are bordering big kids size so we were able to have fun in most of the 9 waterslides attractions available in the park.

We enjoyed the Strom Slide, the fast moving body slide that twists and turns through waterfalls, caves, and geysers then drops into an exhilarating pool at the bottom, so much that we slid down the 3 different slides twice so that’s a total of 6 slides in one day! Luckily, the line was not long at all.

Our second favorite ride was the Gang Plank Falls, a 4-person family inner tube. The walk up was a bit of a work out for the daddy but it was all worth it as we descended down the 300-foot long waterslide.

Family Tips:

• Bring water shoes for everyone. You will be walking a lot between ride. And on a hot day, it wasn’t fun to walk bare foot.
• You can bring cooler to the park. So to help save money, you can bring water, sandwich and snacks for the mid-day break.
• Rent a locker to put valuable items and your clothes because you won’t spend much time at your spot.
• Don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen regularly and make sure to dry yourself before doing so. Trust me, apply sunscreen to the wet body doesn’t help.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: The Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Would you be able to guess where is this place by looking at the menu?

Probably a typical Italian place maybe?

Nope. Not that.. It’s McDonald

Yup! This is a McDonald in Orlando that is also advertised as the World Largest McDonald Play Area.

How did we know it’s the World Largest McDonald Play Area and get sucked into this place? Well, that happened when your kids now learn to read and request to have input on the dining choices!

When we first walked in, we were overwhelmed by the decoration and choices on the menu. It seemed like we were walking into a twilight zone. It’s so NOT McDonald.

The food selections are so different from the typical McDonald menu that it took us a while to decide what we want. The food selections range from breakfast items like Belgian Waffle, Breakfast Enchiladas to pasta and ice cream.

Miss J ended up with Ravioli that took way longer than we hoped for. And Mr. Z was not swayed by all these choices and remained a faithful chicken nuggets fan.

So if you are looking for a semi-fast food that has more selections than your typical burger and fries, then this McDonald might be a good stop after a long day of Disney Parks or Orlando attractions.

However, just a warning that this place does have a huge play area that your kids will probably want to spend time and money in games. So it might not be as fast as you want. Also it can get crowd even with the huge space!

Today I participate in Wander Food Wednesday. So head over to Wander Food for food fun around the world.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: Not Your Typical Fast Food Place is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

During our recent visit to Orlando, after so many trips to Disney World Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studio and Island of Adventure, it’s time that we switch it up and do a non-theme park day for a change.

The Non-Theme Park Attraction in Downtown Orlando

So we decided to take a day to explore Orlando downtown. With our family membership to our local Science Museum, thanks to the deal from Groupon Atlanta!, we received reciprocal admissions to Orlando Science Center. There is nothing better than free admission to local attractions.

The Orlando Science Center looks rather small from the outside but it impressed our kids as soon as we parked. The walk way from the parking garage to the entrance provided them the unique view to see the cars driving by underneath. Yes, for many part of the world or even in a big city, it’s normal.. But for these kids, it’s something they thought was so cool!

KidsTown and NatureWorks

We started off from the first floor to check out Kids Town and Nature Work.

From adult’s perspective, the Kids Town is small and decent exhibit, not as big as the one we have seen in EdVenture Children’s Museum. But for kids, I think they can spend hours in there if we didn’t persuade them that there were more to see.

The walk through Nature Work was fun and provided a good hand-on and learning experience. The staff was friendly and we also got a chance to touch and feel both snake and baby alligator.

Explore the Science Park

Next stop was probably where we spent most of our time. The Science Work is a really great place with hand-on and interactive exhibits that allow kids to touch, push and play for all their heart content.

Mr. Z’s favorites were probably between the Hurricane chamber and the race car platform. How cool was it to be in a chamber with 70 MPH wind!

Another neat and very education exhibit within the Science Park is the H2NOW city. Kids learned about the use of Hydrogen energy from earning the Hydro Cell to power the miniature city. It was a great way to help their little brain to focus on learning. Even if it’s just a bit!

We spent the rest of the afternoon checking out various exhibits like the DinoDigs, Frog (the traveling exhibit), Diabetes: A Deeper Look and SimMan. It was rather quiet on the weekdays. It was so quiet to the point that we thought we were the only ones in the whole place.

Before we knew it, it was the closing time. So we didn’t have a chance to check out the Crosby Observatory.

Overall, it was a fun day away from the buzz and busy of the theme parks that kids can truly enjoy.

Family Tips:

• If you have family membership to your local Science Museums, check if they have a reciprocal membership with the Orlando Science Center. You will save your admission fee. The parking is $5.
• I don’t know about weekend, but weekday is very quiet so it’s a good day to visit. This will allow kids to be able to enjoy interactive exhibits with more time to explore.
• You can explore the whole center in about 2-3 hours. This can be a half day trip.

This post is part of Trekaroo Spotlight Thursday. Check out other family travel posts.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: The Orlando Science Center is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

It’s without a doubt that one of the must-do in Walt Disney World, is to find a perfect spot to watch the firework from Epcot – Illumination Show or Magic Kingdom – Wishes Show.  But the perfect spot doesn’t have to be inside one of these parks. There are several spots you can enjoy these fireworks without paying the admission tickets to the park. Check out best places to view Disney fireworks outside the park.

Disney’s Boardwalk

With the close proximity to Epcot theme park, Disney’s Boardwalk is a perfect place to watch the Illumination at night show. You can stroll along the boardwalk and check out various shops around the lake. The best location is the bridge that connect the walkways between the Disney Boardwalk Villas , Disney’s Yacht Club resort and Disney’s Beach Club resort.

The California Grill at the Contemporary

The Beach in front of the Polynesian resort

Bring your blanket and enjoy the show by the beach in the Polynesian resort with music from the park pipe to the speakers hidden in the bushes along the beach.

The Narcoossee at the Grand Floridian resort

Another restaurant option for viewing the Wishes firework outside the park is The Narcoossee restaurant.  It is located inside the Grand Floridian resort. Make your reservation at nightfall to enjoy the spectacular view of the firework.

See my full article at Oyster Locals.

Photo credits: 1. Express Monorail 2. Express Monorail

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Best Places to View Disney Fireworks Outside the Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Visiting Orlando with kids is typically a must-do vacation for any family with children. Parents try to save money by searching the web for the best deals because we all know how expensive this once in a lifetime trip can be and would like to take it without being left with debt or having to borrow money or use easy cash advances.

However, there are more things to do with kids in Orlando than Walt Disney World. You and your family can enjoy an inexpensive visit to Orlando with these free family friendly alternatives.

Downtown Disney Marketplace – Experience the Happiest Place on Earth without paying for it. This Downtown Disney area is a perfect spot for a relaxing day. You will enjoy walking along the boardwalk and shopping in various specialty stores like Disney Mega Store and Lego store. Afterward, you can reward the kids (and yourself… go on… you deserve it…) with ice cream from the Ghirardelli® Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. It’s within a short distance from a value option of Disney ‘s All Star Movie Resort.

Celebration Town – Escape from all the hustling and bustling of the tourist traps to this little picture-perfect town. It was carefully planned to be a place where kids could enjoy the simple life. The atmosphere of this quaint small town will make you forget that you are in the land of the mega amusement parks and gaudy t-shirt shops. You can stay nearby at the Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

Lake Eola Park – Visit downtown Orlando (and no, Kissimmee is not Orlando) and enjoy a nice stroll in the Lake Eola park. Kids will have fun feeding the live swan and other birds along the lake. For the active family, a walk around the lake will log you in at just under mile. If the pavement is too hard on your feet,  you can rent a paddle boat for a great fun in the lake. Also don’t forget to check the schedule for concerts or a plays at the Walt Disney Amphitheater.

See my full article at Oyster Locals.

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This past Summer, we took our quick vacation to one of our family favorite spots – Walt Disney World. We have been there countless times and yet still enjoy it every time we visit.

We have been there since before we have kids. I know.. It must be something they put in the water or in the air. Every time we step foot in this place, it just likes magic. You suddenly have this happy feeling.

However, there is certain park that we seems to have the worst of luck whenever we visited. The Disney’s Animal Kingdom park is the newest park (at 11 years of age). We have visited this park a few times and each time we just couldn’t get to explore it to the full extent.

Our first couple trips we were attacked with Florida heat. No surprise here that Florida can be hot. Add that to one of the largest park with a lot of walking, we just couldn’t take the heat.

Our recent trip, we had a high hope. We came prepare with all essentials to survive the heat in Disney’s Animal Kingdom with kids. We wanted to try out the new ride – Expedition Everest. But before heading for the thrill, we opted for a easy and fun ride first.

Wildlife Express Train & Conservation Station

We hopped on the Wildlife Express Train to the Conservation Station. Believe it or not, this was our first time doing this ride! What a gem!

I highly recommended this ride and station for family with small kids. The ride is fun and exciting for kids without too much hassle. After we got off at the station, we walked along a shade path to the conservation station. Along the way, there is Discovery Kid Club station with a ranger to help kids learn about nature. There are 6 Discovery Kid Club in the whole park. You can look at the map on where to find them. Kids will get their pin and a stamp on their Discovery Kid passport. It’s a great way to get kids engaged in exploring the park.

Another big plus is that the conservation station is indoor and cool. Anyone visiting Animal Kingdom will know how hot it can be even on a good day. So this station is a great escape for family with kids. There are also picnic tables all around for you to take a break and have snack.

Kilimanjaro Safari

After spent what feel like hours there, we hopped back on the train to Kilimanjaro Safari. It was probably as close as Africa we can get for our family at this moment seeing the cost of going to the real Africa is out of our budget. Kids enjoyed seeing animals and fun bumpy ride along the way.

I think this ride will be good for family with a bit older kids. School-age kids will throughly enjoy this ride as they can look at the chart provided in the bus to look out for the animal. Younger – preschoolers might enjoy the ride but it can be a bit scary for them if they are not used to bumpy ride.

After a hot and long-lined lunch (yes, I probably should read all the tips about lunch or food in Disney), we walked toward Asia for the Expedition Everest (or we thought we could).

Flight of Wonder

But the walk proved to be too difficult for them to handle. So we took a short break at Flight of Wonder show. It was a really really nice show. The birds were amazing and the casts were very entertaining.

And don’t forget to try out the pineapple ice cream in front of the entrance. It was a life-saver for me.. Cool and tasty!

That’s when it came to an end for us. The rain came and we got soaked. So we decided to abort all other plans and head back to our condo.

Even though it was a really quick visit for us and we only covered 3 rides/attractions, the kids truly enjoyed the experience and I won’t give up on Animal Kingdom anytime soon. :)

Family Tips:

• Prepare for a long walk by bringing stroller for younger kids (or even big kids)
• Bring essential stuffs to combat the heat – hats, fan, sunscreen, water and light clothing
• Pack a poncho or small umbrella because you never when it’s gonna rain in Florida
• Take frequent break. Look for indoor theatre or store for a quick cool down in between attractions

Do you have any other tips for family travel to Disney’s Animal Kingdom? 

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This Summer we went to Orlando for a quick getaway and met up with great friends. One of our visit was our favorite store in Downtown Disney – The Lego Store.

Mr. Z has become such a big fan of Lego ever since he learned to master the Wii controller and play Lego Star Wars.

We spent hours in the store alone.

I was mesmerized by the wall full of colorful lego pieces.

Mr. Rojo was drooling over the Millenium Falcon lego.

Miss J was busy assemble her own gang

Mr. Z was all over the place, bouncing from the race table to the playground and back to the train table all made from lego of course.

I could fancy a giddy kid who will have eye wide when we arrive at the Legoland in San Diego.. Oh! The joy that we will get to see from their faces will worth all the troubles flying across the country during one of the busiest season. Until then…

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Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: Just Imagine if We Are in Legoland is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When you tell anyone you are going to Orlando, they automatically assume that you will spend your entire vacation in the Theme Parks. Who can blame them when there are more theme parks than you can visit in one week in Orlando. However, we have been to Orlando countless times and I start to feel Disney-burnout.. Surprise surprise!

Our recent trip down to Orlando for a 5 day vacation trip, we had decided to choose only 1 Disney park and 1 Disney’s Water park. The rest of the time there we enjoyed spending with our friend and another non-theme park favorite location – Downtown Disney.

Downtown Disney is a destination within itself that I think a family with kids will truly enjoy without breaking a bank. It’s very conveniently located right off from I-4. There are plenty of parking and the best of all it’s FREE.

It has various shops and restaurants situated around a lake in the outdoor setting. We loved to go there and enjoy a nice day out in Orlando. A few of our favorite spots are:

1. Once Upon A Toy – A fabulous and unique toy store that offers fun for the whole family for hours. We enjoyed our visit to this store and couldn’t get enough of them.

2. Lego Store – It might be not Lego Land but it is a perfect fun place for lego fan alike. There are plenty of stations that allow kids to explore and play with lego. The creations are also amazing to see.

3. Disney Store – It won’t be Downtown Disney Market without a Disney Store. A mega Disney Store has sections for the whole family from baby, girl, boy, man, woman, and home goods. I think the most popular one is the Disney Princess Salon. Girl will be transformed to a princess with all the pamper from Disney staff.

4. Waterfront Theater – This open-air waterfront theater has events throughout the year. Last year we caught the magic show. This year it was raining. It was right in front of the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. Grab an ice cream for kids and a cup of coffee for yourself and enjoy people watching.

5. T-Rex Restaurant – Ok.. We didn’t get a chance to go but it looks so cool that we will have to try. It’s the concept restaurant that similar to Rain Forest Cafe. When we went there, the restaurant just recently opened so the line just to get your name on the waiting list was already longer than some of the ride in Blizzard Beach. So maybe next time…

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If you have been to Orlando, I’m pretty sure you have been to Downtown Disney. It’s one of our favorite spot to go every time we visit the Mouse Town. One of our favorite stores there, is this unique and fun toy store called Once Upon a Toy.

This fun toy store is like a heaven for kids or even adults. When you first walk in, you will see a huge selections of Mr. Potato Heads and family board games. The fun part has just begun. There is a play area that kids can spend hours creating their own version of Mr. or Mrs. Potota Head with various mouse-inspired accessories like Mickey Ears, Mouse hands, or Mouse balloon.

If you can peel them off from Mr. Potato Head table, you will walk into the Boy’s Zone. A great selection of all classic action adventure characters like Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Pirate of the Carribean are all on display. This was where Mr. Rojo just lost his coolness and became kid once again. The Star War Build Your Own Lightsaber – Choose Your Own Destiny station is a big hit for kids and adults. Well, I must say I see more parents than kids stood there. You can learn how to build your own version of lightsaber with instructions and all the necessary parts. Now, who can say no to that!

Girls don’t have to worry.. In the back of the store, awaiting for them is the huge My Little Pony station. Miss J was never a my little pony fan but I know a bunch of friends who are. I’m pretty sure I can hear them scream as if they have found the best treasure box ever. No worried, there is another section for little princess lover to create their own jewelery using different Disney characters.

It might not be as big as FAO in New York City but it’s as much fun to check them out and a great stop during a hot Florida day. Best of all, if you can resist the begging, you might come out without spending any money. :)

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Our Summer vacation started pretty early considering we headed down to Orlando the day after the school ended. This year we headed down to Orlando to celebrate Mr. Rojo’s Birthday and kick off our Summer vacation with the Mouse.

We stayed at Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club. It was a really nice property with a lot of amenities for the whole family. There are golf course, several pools, mini-golf, bike trail, jogging trail, basket ball court and fitness room. We had a 2 bedrooms / 2 bathroom condo with full kitchen. It was Mr. Rojo’s parents timeshare so we didn’t have to spend any money on accommodation. Our friends from Florida came to stay with us a couple nights. What a great fun we had!! We ate, we drank, we played game, we chatted and then we drank again..

The next day, we headed out to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water park. We arrived right when the park open at 10 AM. I liked Blizzard Beach from the start just like love at first sight. You know why? No parking fee! Anyone visits Disney World knows that parking fee is not cheap there. When we went to Animal Kingdom it was $12 per car. Ouch!! But no parking fee at the water park.. Score #1.

The park is small enough for us to enjoy all the fun rides in one day without feeling like rushing. But it’s big enough to accommodate all the guests that we don’t feel overcrowded.

Once we got in, we headed out to get the locker to put our personal belonging there. Then we headed to the Tike’s Peak area which is a perfect area for family with small children. We found a few chairs under the hut to make that our home base. We had our cooler with us filled with drinks and snacks. Score #2 for saving on snacks and drinks. The kids loved to play at the shallow pool area and went up and down kid-sized slides. We felt pretty save as there were several lifeguards in the area keeping close eyes on them at the bottom of the slides.

We could probably stay there the whole day but the rafting at Cross Country Creek was begging us to take a leisure ride around the park . It was a nice relaxing way to unwind. There are also life jacket for kiddo if you didn’t have one. Miss J loved it so much that she asked to do it again and we did right before we left.

Mr. Z’s favorite was the Teamboat Springs – a family rafting ride. To get to the ride we had to ride the chairlift (just like at the ski resort) to the top of the Mount Gushmore.. It was a really cool ride and the raft is big enough to accommodate the whole family.

Another favorite for the Q Family was the Melt-Away bay or what we called the Wave pool. Mr. Z loved to jump on the wave and Miss J loved to ride the wave on the raft.

By 5pm, we were all wiped and it was about time the park is closed. We got in the car and the rain poured down. What a perfect day!

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This was how Miss J and Mr. Z prepare for Animal Kingdom visit during our Memorial Day weekend trip down to Orlando.

First of, you gotta have a water bottle fan. It’s a must-have in this park. I don’t know if it’s just me or it’s the way Disney planned it, this park has always been hotter to me every single time we visited than any other parks. Maybe it’s just a lot of walking with less shops to stop by.. Or maybe we just spent our entire visit in just Africa.

This park seems to be smaller than other parks from the map but we didn’t even manage to finish one continent before we ran out of juice. So a map is a second must-have to know your way around. Truth be told, Mr. Z had only one agenda for this visit. He must ride a train.. So our main goal was to get to the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

Another must-have for Miss J is her new digital camera. It was our gift to her. She loved to take pictures and I found that little kiddie camera was not good enough for her and it ate up battery like water. Since we have extra digital camera that we hardly use, it was a perfect solution.

Now that they were all set. Check back later for our experience in Animal Kingdom with school-age kids.

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Mr. Rojo and Mr. Z admired the dragon made entirely from lego in front of the Lego store in Downtown Disney. We went there 2 years ago during Christmas. It was a wonderful time to be in Disney World. It was busy but the weather was so nice. It was not hot and humid like typical Florida weather.

The Lego store was a great stop for family with kids (or no kids). There is a playground right outside the store. There are also several lego tables for kids to play while the parents shop or the other way around. :) The best of all, it was right at the water front at Downtown Disney so you can enjoy the view and hear the live music shows that were going on throughout the day. The hard part will be when you have to peel them of the store and get home. :)

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Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Photo Friday: Christmas in Disney World is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We are a Disney Family. We have been there several times that I lost count. It helps that we used to live in South Florida which is only a few hours away from Orlando and our ILs have timeshare there also a bonus.

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The visit won’t be completed (for the kids at least) if you didn’t get to ride on the Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel. Kids loved it. I felt like my lunch is coming out. Gosh! I feel old. Next to the Carrousel is the Dumbo ride which is of course on the list. I bailed on that one and let the kids went on with my hubby. I took a break to walk back to the locker and got our water and then stopped by to get some funnel cake. Yum yum!! It’s messy but tasty!

Now it’s time for one of the ride on my list, The Indy Speedway. Man!! This car is hard to drive. Not sure how is it they call a Speedway since I didn’t seem to be able to speed it at all. By this time, the Sun came down and the lights were on. That’s one of the reason we want to be there during Christmas. All the deco and lights are unbelievable. It sure did make you feel like you are in your own fantasy world. We caught a few parades here and there but didn’t go wait on the side to try to catch the whole thing. I knew my kids and they are not doing so well in confine space for a long period of time. Plus we got the whole park to ourselves this way.

We headed back to Mickey’s Toontown to catch a train ride back to the Main Street area. First needed to stop by the Hall of Fame tent. The trip won’t be completed without the pictures with the princesses for my daughter. Darn them! They didn’t put up on how long the wait was. We walked in and didn’t see such a long line so we thought it will be quick. Boy oh boy, we waited for over an hour. They’d better be a darn good princesses there! Got the pictures and signatures.. Whew!! Checked one of the list.

Time to take out the jackets and refuel for the night time walk. We arrived back to Main Street at around the time the parade almost started. So that’s a bit of a challenge to walk through Main Street to find some places to eat. We walked to Casey’s Corner to grap some hot dogs and watched the parade from there.

After the parade, that when all the neat stuffs begun. We walked to Adventure Land and got on Pirate of the Carribean ride with no line. Yup, took about 5 mins to get to the ride just because that’s how long the line could have been if we have to wait.

Walking back, got to watch the firework from Frontier Land. No matter how many times we watch, it’s still amazing. The kids just loved it! Then the trip won’t be completed for my ILs if they didn’t get to ride It’s A Small World. Again, no line. Just walked in and got on the boat. Hmm.. I started to dig this night time ride thing. They even went back for the 2nd time.

And to satisfy my hubby needed for an adult ride, he went to the Haunted Mansion with my daughter. Amazingly, she wasn’t afraid. I waited there and got to watch another round of parade nearby. That was a good spot to watch. In front to Fantasy Land. Clear view with a bench. Couldn’t ask for a better spot. By this time, my son went to sleep. Well, have to say that he lasted longer than I thought.

It’s time to head out to Main Street and check out the shops. I don’t know what Disney put in the water but it’s amazing how people is willing to spend $70 to get in and then spend even more in the shops even after they are completely exhausted. I walked around and see most of them looked completely tired (including me) and yet we were all walking around the shops looking for things to spend money on. Hmm.. Need to get their secret on this for my business.

And when we headed out, we heard over the speaker that the park is now closing!! Woo hoo!!! We did it. We closed the park. My daughter last till we got on the boat and then she was out!

Bye Disney and we will see you soon!

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What was I thinking? Planning a family vacation trip to Disney on Christmas Day. It’s one of the busiest day for Disney World. So we braced ourselves and trained for standing in line for anything. Getting coffee? Plan for 45 minutes. Bathroom break? Another 30 minutes. Well, the plus side is they close the park at midnight and yes we did close the park!!

The trip started with 8 hours drive from Atlanta to Orlando. Yes, normally it will take about 7 hours but we are the leisure driver who needs to make more stops than normal people. We checked in and rested for the day. But note to self, don’t go to the grocery on Hwy 192 on Sunday. You will think that there is a hurricane coming our way. It was packed! Probably all the timeshare people are checking into their Disney Resorts at the same time including us. Plus it’s the day before Christmas eve might contribute to the craziness.

Next morning, got up early and ready for Magic Kingdom. As an ex-Floridian, we have advantages over typical tourists. For a start, we know to take Resort monorail instead of the one heading for Magic Kingdom. No line, plus the kids get a bit longer ride on the monorail. I think if we leave now, they will still be happy.

The first stop is to rent the stroller and the locker. I have to say Disney’s stroller is one of the easiest to steer. All those stroller manufacturers should take note and build one just like that. Eventhough, our kids are 5 and 3, stroller is a life saver. No kids can walk all day long in Disney World.

After unload jackets and extra water to the locker, we headed to the Train. Didn’t know that we can just leave the stroller at the station and picked up our name tag and then pick up the new one at the next station. Made a fool of ourselves a bit trying to get it on the train. Well, they should have made a sign for foolish tourist like us. :)

First ride is the Barnstormer. The wait in the line is about 45 mins and the ride is about 15 seconds. Well, that will help set us up to the right expectation. Before we knew it, it’s time for lunch. Like I said, time flies in Disney. You won’t mind waiting 45 minutes for a bowl of noodle or a cup of coffee. So we stopped by to get Fast Pass for Buzz Lightyear ride. This is by far one of the best feature from Disney. You have gotta use it!

After lunch break we headed out to see Monster Inc. show before our time slot for Buzz. I have to say I’m glad I didn’t have to wait over 30 mins for this one. It’s just a so so comedy type show. Nothing special. I wouldn’t want to waste my time doing it again.

Next up, a people mover ride. Since we have been in Magic Kingdom several times both before having kids and after, we are not typical tourist that aim for typical popular rides. So our itenerary might be a bit off the beaten path from typical tourist plan. No 3 mountains ride on our plan (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain). Quite frankly, we did enjoy the ride of Tomorrowland Transit Authority (People Mover). It’s a nice break for the day from a long waiting line and walk. Then off to the Buzz lightyear ride. This is a fun, interactive ride. Suitable for all ages. We loved it!

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