So I know it’s taken me forever but I never seem to get a moment to myself to sit down and edit the holiday videos. It was back in October 2018 that we went to our favourite place in the whole world, Walt Disney World.
For this trip we stayed at Walt Disney World Beach Club Resort on the club level at Stone Harbour Club. A tour of our room can be found here.
We absolutely loved it and at some point I will be adding videos of the lounge at the Stone Harbour Club. Although if you ask my 7 year old his favourite thing was the flavoured water which changed each day. He would prob now still give you a review of each one.
I’ve finally finished day 2 vlog and its up on my youtube channel. If you want to see Day 1 (travel day) click here.
Walt Disney World – just the sheer mention of this magical place makes my heart happy. My first trip to Walt Disney World was in 2004 (only 12 years ago) but since then I’ve become addicted!
Me back in 2004 on my first trip with my brother
As a child my mum and dad didn’t have the money to take us to Disney so it’s something I’d always dreamed of doing, and something that always reminds me how lucky I am to be able to go and take my own children. In 2005 the opportunity came up to go with a large group of people as part of a singing group. So I jumped at the chance, the person I was supposed to be going with unfortunately dropped out so my brother stepped in. On that trip we stayed at a Walt Disney World resort called Caribbean Beach, it was from there my love of Disney started. We only had 5 day tickets on that trip so we didn’t get to see much and we were complete novices, I didn’t know that it was best to plan your day. I thought you could just rock up and wing it! All first timers have been there!
Walt Disney World – What’s there?
For anyone who’s not been Walt Disney World consists of 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping and dining area called Disney Springs and 25 resort hotels on site. The land at Walt Disney World covers an area the size of Greater Manchester in the UK so it’s pretty vast!
If you haven’t been before it’s hard to explain why it’s so fantastic without actually experiencing it but I’m going to try! I’m sure there are lots of blog posts around that try to explain the magic of Disney and I realise this is yet another one but I feel like I need to put it in my own words too.
From the moment you get on the magical express (the free Disney coach service provided by Disney from Orlando international airport) you feel welcome and can truly relax.
The employees of Walt Disney World (or cast members as they are known) really are second to none. Disney expects a high standard for their employees and it really shows. I always feel welcome at Disney, the cast members are always friendly and helpful with a smile on their faces. The rooms, parks, resorts and even toilets are always spotless and this is something that is important to me. I only just realised how spotless the toilets are on this recent trip as we visited other attractions and shopping areas in the Orlando area and it really highlighted how much care Disney takes in attention to detail with cleanliness.
From the moment you enter any of the parks you are transported into a magical world of happiness and fun. Don’t get me wrong we do have our fallings out and grumpy moments as a family but on the whole it’s hard to be sad in a Disney park.
If you go with children you start seeing the magic through their eyes, we have been 3 times with children and it’s magical, it truly is. They believe the characters are real, they giggle and laugh on the rides, they have wide eyes at the shows and parades and marvel at the fireworks (while mummy cries with joy!)
If you go without children like we did many times it’s still magical, it’s as if you are instantly transported back to your own childhood. The worries of everyday life are gone. There’s no thinking about work, or bills or the usual home stresses, just magic, and it happens all around.
Honeymoon trip 2008 – Pre-children magic
The place itself is magical but the cast members really make it wonderful and create the memories. This past trip we met some many lovely cast members who made our trip magical, they spoke with the children, they gave them stickers, they had a smile and a wave and a well wish. It truly was wonderful and I miss it already.
I realise how lucky we are to be able to go. Yes Walt Disney World is expensive but you truly get what you pay for, an escape from reality for the time you are there, immersed in the magic. I would rather just go to Walt Disney World every 3 or 4 or 5 years and save up to pay for it than take a holiday every year to somewhere else.
I’m hoping to get time to write about more of our adventures in Walt Disney World so that the boys can read them back and remember the memories we created.
So next time someone says to me “You’re going there AGAIN?” I will just smile and say “Of course it’s the most magical place in the world” and it truly is.
We are already in May now, this year is flying by. As a family we are still so undecided about holidays for this year. I know I need to make a decision soon though or it’ll be too late.
Holidays are a luxury and I fully appreciate that even to be able to consider going away is something that most people can’t afford to do. So I do consider myself lucky that its something we may be able to do. We haven’t been abroad as a family of 4 yet. The boy is 4 in August and Flixster has just turned 1. We have gone over and over many different options and can’t decide which one is going to be right for us.
Before we had children we were lucky enough to be able to go on holiday each year, some time several times. We would frequently go to Walt Disney World which we adore.
Since the boy came along we have taken him twice to Florida, once when he was 16 months and again when he was just a little over 2 years old. Both times we had a fantastically wonderful time. Memories were made for us all. The boy does seem to remember some of the second visit, if that’s down to photos and videos I’m not sure but I know he can’t wait to go again.
However a holiday like Florida needs lots of planning and I’m not sure I’m comfortable booking something so soon with such little time to plan the logistics.
Recently we’ve been looking at package holidays through tour operators. Having never really been on a beach holiday I’m not sure what to expect. Would the boys have enough to do? They are both pretty active and we as a couple can never really sit still and relax. We’ve come to expect lots to do and see on holidays. Our boys are early risers (like 5am risers!) so saying in bed in the morning is sure to be a no-no! We need somewhere that’s going to have lots of things to do and see, that’s very family friendly.
I always prefer recommendations so love reading reviews. If anyone has any ideas of where to start looking then please feel free to comment. I’d love to read some other posts about family holidays too!
As a family we are currently counting down the days to our much anticipated trip to Center Parcs. I can’t wait to spend precious time with my family and especially my husband as we rarely seem to get quality time together. The time we do have is spent tidying up or passing each other on the way to the gym or work. I’m really hoping that this trip will give us the break we need and time to reconnect.
We’ve had this trip booked for quite a long time, it was first booked for last April before we knew that Flixster was growing inside me so having realised the trip would coincide with his due date we had to rearrange. For a small admin fee thankfully it was no trouble so that put my mind at rest. So fast forward another year and we are now just weeks away from going.
Travelling with a young family is daunting, just the sheer amount of things I will need to take for only a few days seems like a mammoth effort! I’m thinking of doing a blog post just listing the things I need to take as a helpful guide to other families who may be travelling with small people for the first time. Now that Flixster is on complimentary food as well as breastmilk the list just gets longer!
I have been to Center Parcs before and so know roughly what to expect from our break, but of course having to small people in tow changes the focus of the holiday. Before my first visit to Center Parcs about 7 years ago I wasn’t sure if it would be for me but having been a few times now I can say that it most defiantly is. It’s a place for everyone. No matter what kind of group you are travelling in, all adults or adults and children you will be able to find something to do.
This trip we are taking my mum and dad too which will be nice. I am desperately hoping that I will be able to have some time away from my beautiful babies with my mum. I hope that we will be able to visit the spa and perhaps have a treatment there. Something which at the moment seems impossible! I’d love to spend some time with my mum as although I see her on an almost weekly basis she lives about an hour from me so going out in the evening together is pretty impossible even if I didn’t have the Flixster permanently stuck to me! Plus when I do see her we always have both the boy and Flixster so holding any kind of adult conversation is tricky as anyone who has a chatty preschooler will know all too well! I’m also hoping that perhaps one night the hubster and I can get out together to perhaps have a meal or just go for a swim. I’d love to get him in the spa but I’m not too sure if he’ll be up for that?!
I hope to that I can write a few blog post about our experience at Center Parcs so that anyone who has not been will be able to see why so many people rave about the place, and why when you have a young family it can be a great short break destination.
For this trip we are visiting the Whinfell situated in the Lake district, it’s about 90 minutes to 2 hours drive from us with no stops so I’m going to allow at least half a day for travel with frequent toilet and food stops!
So let the endless list making begin and the countdown start, Center Parcs here we come!
This website uses cookies
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
