I’m gonna break this trip up into a few parts so I don’t miss any of the good stuff. Shop my outfits from this trip here…
The last time we crashed Disney was back in 2015, here’s a shot of us about to take off with our crew {more tips from that Disney trip…pay special attention to tip #5}. Ella still busts out her photo book from that 2015 trip to any new visitors around our house.
The premise for Spring Break 2017 was experiencing Universal Studios Orlando. All three boys have talked about it since the last time we left Orlando, FL. We’ve experienced the hustle of a multi-day Disney park hopper, so the plan was to do one day at Universal Orlando and one day at a Disney water park {which none of the kids have experienced}, then take it easy around our resort the rest of the trip. It made for a fun week of “firsts” and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge proved to be perfect for our party of six.
And whoa what a difference a few years makes…
Even for mom & dad…
We decided to break up the trip up on the drive down and stay in Valdosta, which meant we got to sneak in a little pool time upon arrival. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has two pools, each with differing perks. The pool closest to our room {Uzima} is considered a little smaller, but offers three slides, zero entry and tons of action at the water playground. The larger pool, Samawati Springs, has a great waterslide, playground, animal viewing area and arcade + food options close by. Our crew seemed to prefer the Uzima pool because of the water slide options.
So happy for sunshine and warm temps!
And these gorgeous pineapples sprouting all around the resort…
One perk of staying at Disney with the vacation club is having a spacious suite, full kitchen and washer/dryer. This saves from overpacking stress and is budget-friendly {especially when feeding 3 growing boys!}. Not sure we’re ready for a week of vacation without a washer/dryer…
I could {annnddd probably will} post the gazillion pics I took of these beautiful animals. I didn’t expect them to be so close! If you followed my instastory – you’re familiar with the obsession.
Hangin’ on the balcony…
For dinner on our first night we headed to the updated Disney Springs … it deserves its own post because it was one of my favorite things! With the renovation and expansion in Spring 2016, Disney Springs consists of four districts: The Marketplace, The Landing (2015 renovation of former Pleasure Island), Town Center (2016 expansion) and West Side. Honestly, you could have a pretty fun weekend getaway just playing, eating and shopping here.
We had mouth-watering burgers at D-Luxe Burger. The line was short, the potty clean and the view amazing. It definitely left us ready to come back; and so we did the very next day. To be continued…
Shop my outfits from this trip here…
xo,
