Time Passes Quickly

Time passes quickly when you are on a Walt Disney World vacation. For me at the beginning it always seems like there is so much time, especially if we are going to be gone a week. There are things that we want to do, we'll either make a mental list or sometimes even write them down. But then, before we know it, the trip is almost over and many of the things from the list never happened.

Sometimes I even wonder why we take vacations. It's like Thanksgiving dinner in a strange way, there's tons of preparation and excitement but it's all over in the blink of an eye.

If you're going through Disney withdrawal you probably miss the place before you have even left. It was like that with us this past trip. You might also already know the dates of your next trip there. We had picked ours by Tuesday, we weren't returning home until Sunday.

My family and I are lucky. Since I freelance I can work from wherever there's an Internet connection. My husband still has work to do in Florida so we will be returning again soon. It doesn't make it any easier to leave a place that we all love so much.

Home Again

For my family and me, returning to Florida is definitely coming home again. My husband has work to do in the area so he'll drop our daughter and me off at a park when it opens. These full days of fun are tiring! I do wish we had a second car, that would make things much easier. I'm not complaining, though.

We've already started counting down to our next trip. We still have a few days here and we're already going through Disney withdrawal!

Here are a few pictures of the parks' icons. Enjoy!

Getting Ready!

Returning to Disney is a cause for celebration!

We're getting ready for our trip back to Walt Disney World, we're leaving late this evening. My family and I like to drive through the night, we have three drivers and it makes the 12 hours in the car seem more bearable. We're not staying on Disney property because we bring our dog with us. I really wish that they would build a value resort that allows pets! This trip has been a long time coming, the closer we've been getting to it the slower time has been ticking by.

Princess

I'm hoping to do at least one post while we're there, I need to try to figure out how to do it from my phone. We spent so much time at the parks when we lived in the area, I'm wondering what it's going to feel like when we're back. I'm hoping that it will feel like we never left.

I can't wait to be back on Star Tours, my favorite ride

Rainforest Cafe

The sign outside

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. Did we find a nice, quiet restaurant and enjoy a romantic dinner for two? Of course not! Since we're going through Disney withdrawal we went to the local Rainforest Cafe. We have been to one other restaurant in the chain before. You guessed it, we have eaten at the one at Disney's Animal Kingdom. There are actually two Rainforest Cafe's on Walt Disney World property, the other is located at Downtown Disney. It's on our "someday" list.

Part of the fish tank as you enter

If you have never been to a Rainforest Cafe and there is one near where you live you need to give it a try. The place is more about the atmosphere than the food. The interior is supposed to mimic a rainforest, there are vines, trees and fake animals everywhere. Some of the animals are animatronic, adding to the feel that you are at Disney. We were not seated far from a tiger family and there was also an elephant not too far from us. Every so often there is a "thunderstorm", the lights will flash, there's the sound of thunder and the animals all go nuts. It adds to the ambiance.

Two of the animatronic tigers

When we arrived we found out that there was an hour and a half wait. Being our anniversary and since we had said for weeks that we would eat there on our special day we decided to put our name on the list. The restaurant is located in a mall here so we walked around while waiting for them to text us.

Some things are larger than life. I hope.

It was worth the wait. Once we stepped inside the restaurant, past the giant fish tank, we really felt like we were back on Disney property. The food is good but not exceptional, the staff is friendly and it is a great place to step outside of the normal routine. The only misstep of the meal was that they got my order slightly wrong but it wasn't that big of a deal so I didn't even mention it.

There's a "Tracy the Talking Tree" at every restaurant in the chain

Once you leave the restaurant you will walk into a themed gift shop. That made it feel even more like we were back at Disney, since you have to exit through a gift shop for many rides. They had the same basic items as the one that we had been in at Animal Kingdom, only they obviously didn't all say Disney on them. It was a strange feeling because we've seen the Orlando counterparts so many times.

The sign outside of the restaurant but inside the mall

All in all I would recommend a trip to a Rainforest Cafe to anyone going through Disney withdrawal. It is a fun restaurant that offers you a chance to leave everyday life behind and transport yourself to a fun, worry free place. Isn't that also what Disney is all about? 

Outside of the Animal Kingdom version