Category: Vacation

Disney World, Family, Life, Little Mister, memories, Travel, Vacation

The Best Way to Do Disney World*

littleshoeprincess

*The best way for our family. Your trip is likely completely different and equally amazing!

During the Fall of my Senior Year in college, I worked at Disney World in their College Program. I spent 5 months living and working at The Mouse House and I have to say – I loved every minute of it.

Why did I choose the Disney internship? Was I a Disney fanatic? Nope. Did I love the heat and humidity? Double nope. Did I want a unique experience here in the good ole USA where I could meet people and have fun? Ding, ding, ding!

Back when I was in the College Program at Disney, all the CPs lived in a magical place called Vista Way. For those of you old enough to understand this reference: it was like Melrose Place meets Animal House. Thousands of college kids living together in idyllic conditions – pools, gym, no adult supervision.

I worked at Blizzard Beach, a ski-lodge themed water park, operating the chair lift that brought guests in their swimsuits to the top of a “mountain” to some of the water slides. CPs work everywhere in the parks; I had friends who worked on Tower of Terror, drove the monorail, operated merchandise carts, drove the parking lot trams and sold Turkey legs in the Magic Kingdom.

After my 5-month stint, I returned one additional time 5 years later. And then, 20 years passed. I began thinking about taking Little Mister to Disney a few years ago, then there was a pandemic. So here we were, January of this year, and I thought, “What are we waiting for? He’s at the right age, let’s just do this!” So I contacted a Disney travel agent, and two days later, we were booked at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge in late spring. And we kept it from Little Mister until 2 months before our trip (I just couldn’t keep that secret until the day before we left!)

Little Mister’s first time on a plane!

Why Did You Choose to Stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge?

When it came to hotels, there was no other place that would bring joy to Little Mister like the Animal Kingdom Lodge. There was a show on Disney + during the pandemic about the AKL, and how they care for the animals. Little Mister (LM) is SUCH a huge animal lover, that we watched every episode of this show. He would tell everyone, “I’m going to work at the Animal Kingdom when I grow up.” I love this dream for him, I hope it comes true.

Giraffes munching on dinner outside of our hotel room.

So to have the opportunity to stay at a hotel where you can watch giraffes, zebras and other animals whose names I don’t know from your balcony, it was the only option for us. Plus, LM wanted to visit the Animal Kingdom park 2 days during our stay, and that was only a 5-minute ride from our hotel.

Being the research queen that I am, I started listening to a podcast called Be Our Guest, run by travel agents (not the one I used) that was easy to listen to and filled with information about the parks. Having been away from Disney for 2 decades, I had A LOT to learn about the new park pass system, Genie Plus, dining reservations, and a million other things. I shared our trip details on an episode of this podcast!

You can listen to my podcast episode here.

It’s long, but really outlines how I approached our trip planning. A great listen when you’re walking the dog or sitting in traffic.

This was a trip of firsts: the first time Little Mister was going on a plane (he did great!), the first time I was back at Disney in 20 years, and the first time we were traveling after the pandemic. We were ready!

I could write pages and pages about this trip, but I’ll share the highlights below:

Animal Kingdom Lodge

This hotel is beautiful. And there was a scent in the lobby that I wish I could have bottled and brought home with me. I think there is a candle of that smell somewhere in Disney Springs, but we never made it there. We had a standard hotel room, but we had a balcony where we could sit and watch the animals. There literally were giraffes eating off a tree 30 feet from us! There were places all around the hotel where you could view the animals. The pool had a great water slide that LM loved. Some people stay away from AKL because the only park it’s near is the Animal Kingdom, and the only mode of transportation it has is busses. We never had a problem getting a bus, and barely had to wait. All of our trips to the parks were smooth and quick.

Day 1: Magic Kingdom

We arrived on a Tuesday, and spent the afternoon by the pool. We were rested and ready for our early entry into the MK on our first full park day. If you are early risers, doing early entry to the parks is the way to go. You get this perk with some of the hotels on Disney property. Highly recommend. It allowed us to hit the most popular rides first before the lines were long. For us, that ride was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a roller coaster-like ride through the coal mine. It’s a TON of fun, and LM loved it. We were able to ride it a second time later in the day, too. Our favorite rides were: Splash Mountain (we rode this one at least 3 times, that big drop at the end made Little Mister belly laugh and I could listen to that all day long); Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; Jungle Cruise; Pirates of the Caribbean; Buzz Lightyear; Haunted Mansion (Little Mister did NOT like this ride, too scary). All in all, it was a magical first experience at a Disney park for us as a family.

Day 2: Animal Kingdom

The sun wasn’t even up yet when we arrived on our first day!

Because we were doing 2 days in this park, we focused on attractions on Day 1, and then experiences on Day 2. We did early entry again (this park opens really early, so early entry was at like 7am, which meant getting on a bus at 6:30am, FYI), this time to secure our spot in line for Pandora (Avatar). The construction of this area, and everything to look at while you’re in the queue, is what makes Disney, Disney. It is awe-spiring and the attention to detail amazing. The ride…well, let’s say if you get motion sick like I do, it might not be your favorite. I needed a moment when we got off, but could appreciate why everyone loves this ride. LM had been talking about the safari since we told him we were coming to Disney, so it was our first stop after Pandora. And it didn’t disappoint! We saw every animal, even the lions (thank god)! We rounded out the day riding everything we could, having an early dinner, and escaping with only 1 souvenir.

Day 3: Animal Kingdom

Back again! We rode the safari again (equally as amazing, but a different experience with a different tour guide) and did the Caring For Giants experience, which allowed us to go behind the scenes at Disney (aka: backstage) and be up close and personal with the elephants. We learned all their names, how they are fed and cared for, and saw the from a platform that you can only access from this tour. I highly recommend doing one of these experiences, they’re usually small groups and interactive.

KEVIN!

Much of Day 2 was spent with Little Mister earning his Wilderness Explorer badges. This is such a wonderful experience at the AK, and the “guides” at each station were simply the epitome of what Disney is all about. If you’ve seen the movie “Up”, you may remember Russell the Wilderness Explorer who was trying to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” badge. Well, the Animal Kingdom has set up about 15 or 20 “stations” around the park, and kids can use their guidebook to find them all, complete a little activity and learn about animals and conservation, and earn a badge. When you collect all of the badges you can get sworn in as a Senior Wilderness Explorer, and you recite an oath and it is the cutest thing ever and it made me cry watching Little Mister do this after working so hard to get all of his badges.

Day 4: Hollywood Studios

We love Slinky Dog Dash!

Fun fact: when I worked at Disney, this place was called MGM. It was also my favorite park, and we played here often because many of my friends worked here. This was our last park day, and we made the most of it. Early entry (again!) and we bolted to Slinky Dog Dash. This was probably my favorite ride of the whole trip. First, who doesn’t love Toy Story. Second, it is so FUN! We rode Slinky three times in a row! The Little Mister was belly laughing and whooping each time, it was so fun to see. We even rode Slinky one last time before we left the park – our final ride on our awesome trip. We also hit up Sci-Fi Drive In for lunch, Mr. KK did Rise of the Resistance, we did Frozen Ever After, Toy Story Mania, Micky & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad. It was the perfect last park day to our trip.

Our Last Day

Our last day was a Sunday, and our flight was early evening. We had a delicious character brunch at Topolino’s (highly recommend!). And just a week before we came to Disney, they reinstated character hugs! So the characters were able to come right up to our table and interact with us, and Little Mister who was shy at first, eventually started calling them all over for hugs. We spent the rest of the day by the pool until it was time to head to the airport.

Dining in Disney World

There are about 4,389 places to eat in Disney; everything from pretzel carts to fine dining. Where you choose to eat is personal to you and your family. For us, we planned one nice sit down meal a day. That could be lunch or dinner. I love to eat and go to nice restaurants, and I didn’t want this vacation to be any different. On this trip we ate at: California Grill in the Contemporary Hotel (great view, wonderful experience, delicious food, and our most expensive meal); Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (get the bread service! the food was delicious and we sat at a window and watched the animal roaming and having dinner); Tiffins and Yak & Yeti at the Animal Kingdom (both good!); Sci-Fi Drive In at Hollywood Studios (so fun! nice and casual); Topolino’s Terrance at the Riviera Resort (amazing brunch…everything was delicious!).

Why didn’t you go to EPCOT, you may be wondering. For this trip, it didn’t feel like the right park for us to spend a day. We were very focused on animals, and really enjoyed 2 days at the AK. Plus, it leaves something for us to do next time!

All in all, this trip was nothing short of perfect. Little Mister was the perfect age (7), we went on a non-school-vacation week so it wasn’t insanely busy (but it was cheer competition week so it was still crowded with teenagers!). We did everything we wanted to do, at our own pace. On the first day I clocked 19,000 steps!

Again, the link to the podcast about my trip is here.

Disney, I hope to see you real soon!

Life, Maine, NaBloPoMo, Patio, pizza, Travel, Vacation

It’s Blog Writing Month!

littleshoeprincess

Happy November 2022!

How did we get here? How is it time to stress myself out for 30 straight days again?? Why don’t I write blog posts all year and just post them daily during November?

All great questions!

Each year I like to kick off the month with a little recap of what the last 12 months have looked like over here, just so we’re all starting from the same place.

First, some statistics:

  • Number of vacations and getaways: 4
  • Number of decks built on the house: 1
  • Number of coyotes living in our backyard: 1
  • Number of poolside cocktails enjoyed: not enough
  • Number of trips to Target: too many

And now, here’s the 2022 recap:

We kicked off the new year and resolved to get back to living life!

We were putting 2020 and 2021 behind us! We hosted our families, had delicious surf and turn for dinner, played games, and then watched the ball drop in Times Square 17 times so that I could take a video of Little Mister counting down – on the first year he stayed up until midnight!

I tried a Meal Kit for a hot second.

The meal kit I chose had a “healthy eating” theme, so right there my expectations were set relatively low. The kit itself was…fine. I felt it took a long time to create dinner, longer than it would have if I were just making something on my own. Also, the delivery day for my zip code was Fridays. And since all rules for eating go out the window Thursday Friday night until Sunday night, this was not a good option for us. Those are prime ordering take out and eating out days, I would just feel too guilty having “healthy” food in a kit going to waste in my fridge.

I made a cutting board wall in the kitchen!

We remodeled our kitchen 10 years ago before we moved in. And since Mr. KK starts to hyperventilate when I mention something like refreshing the backsplash or getting new bar stools, wall decor felt like a safer option. And voila! Thank you, Hobby Lobby, for the cheap & chic cutting boards that don’t fall off the wall!

We made pizza in our new pizza oven!

We received this amazing ooni pizza oven from family for Christmas. Once it was warm enough outside, we had our first make-our-own-pizza night on the patio!

We used store-bought dough for our first run out of the gate (knowing we’d likely burn half of the pizzas) but we eventually got the hang of it. It was one of my favorite nights this year because we hung out as a family, had some yummy cocktails, got our hands dirty making pizzas, ate way too much pizza, and watched a movie outside. Perfection!

We lost our first tooth!

This was a BIG DEAL. This tooth was loose for so long…I thought we’d have it forever. I know Little Mister was nervous to lose it outside of the house, and as luck would have it, he lost it at camp, eating pizza (at least it was enjoying one of his favorite pastimes). It flew out onto the floor and he was able to put it in a bag and bring it home.

And we had to make sure the tooth fairy visited (who makes a killing these day, I will say!). So not only did we put our tooth out for her, we wrote her a handy note to make sure she knew exactly where the tooth was!

Pro-tip: if you’re going to start the whole tooth fairy scheme, get the tooth pillow that hangs on the door knob and is easily accessible by parents when the child is sleeping. None of this “under the pillow” business.

We went to Disney World!

This will be its own post because I have so much to say about Disney, but what I can say is that 8 was the perfect age for us. We were so excited to go to the Animal Kingdom that we spent TWO WHOLE DAYS there. You read that correctly. TWO DAYS. Hakuna Matata!

I ate my favorite lobster roll in Portland, Maine!

This is the best lobster roll on the planet, and it comes from a little lobster food truck called Bite Into Maine, at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

I eat a lot of lobster rolls during the summer. I like to try them wherever I am. But this one here, will always be my favorite. They also have a hot option if you prefer a Connecticut style, but the cold Maine-style is ah-may-zing.

We went on our annual family vacation!

That’s right, we packed up the parents and hauled them off to Cape Cod! We experienced a 100 degree 100% humidity heatwave the first 4 days of the trip, so thankfully the house had the most amazing pool which is where we spent all of our time.

Mr. KK and I had our annual vacation Cribbage tournament (he won as usual) and the cocktails and beers were plentiful!

That’s a quick wrap. Welcome to November…a post a day for 30 days.

Challenge accepted!

Family, Travel, Vacation

On Being the Family’s Travel Agent

littleshoeprincess

The time of year has arrived when I drive myself absolutely insane looking for our family’s annual vacation house. (cue the fanfare!)

Next year will be our 13th year (lucky 13?) of vacation houses, and each one has been better than the last one. No pressure.

Over the last two years, finding a vacation home is proving to be very challenging (Thank you, COVID!). People are sticking closer to home, opting for driving destinations vs flying. And because our vacation house geographical area is New England, more than 70% of the houses are already booked for next summer. Not only are they booked, but the prices per night have gone WAY up.

I know about this price increase because I have been stalking houses for so long, and have made so many Trip Boards and Wish Lists that I remember how much houses cost. Houses that were in my “acceptable” price range last year, have increased more than $200-$300/night.

As the family’s travel agent – and someone who has traveled extensively with both my parents and my inlaws – I have a very good idea of the type of house that will work for us as a group.

Criteria includes:

  • 4+ bedrooms
  • Ideally, 3+ bathroom (one for each family; we could get away with 2, but…why? we’re on vacation)
  • Close to beach (bonus if it’s walkable!)
  • At least 3,000 square feet (trust me, this is a good starting point for square footage)
  • Parking for 3 cars
  • Close to a town with great restaurants
  • Large kitchen, big enough to fit the entire family around the island and leave me enough room to move around and cook
  • Countertop where we can set up our bar
  • Seating for 8 in the living room; we need to all be able to be in the living room relaxing at the same time
  • Outdoor space for eating and hanging out
  • A reading nook for my mom
  • A desk area for my mother in law to do her “correspondence”
  • A chair where my dad can go from reading to napping in 3 minutes flat
  • A play area for Little Mister
  • An outdoor napping space for Mr. KK
  • A warm spot in the sun for me
  • With our price range (which, it seems, used to be easier than it currently is)

I do all of my research on two specific websites; one rhymes with Bear B and B and the other, Mer-bo. I have spend so many hours on these two particular sites, that I have grown to know each and every house for rent.

My obsession is SO extreme, that you could show me just the fabric swatch of a sofa cushion from a random house and I could likely tell you what the house looked like (“It’s the modern farmhouse with the wide plank floors, blue kitchen cabinets and orange drapes”) where it was located (“Thats the house in Kennebunkport, near the beach with the playground in the good walking neighborhood with the ice cream shop you can walk to”); whether or not it was in our price range (“Affordable before 4th of July but is over $1500/night in August”) and one other random yet distinguishing fact about the house, such as (“Oh that’s the place with the finished basement with the dart board and pool table and weird light up Nude Beach sign”)

While this year is proving to be challenging, it hasn’t stopped me from obsession over these two websites. I’m on them late at night when I can’t sleep, and I’m back searching first thing when I wake up.

If I may make a suggestion to the creators of these two websites: can you please create a “thumbs down” icon? I already have the option to “favorite” a property with a little heart, but I would also like to be able to mark any houses I’ve looked at and rejected so that they no longer show up in my search results. There is nothing more annoying than having a house show up in search results, tricking you into looking at the property again until 4 photos in you realize you’ve already looked at the house and dismissed it for whatever reason.

And speaking of rejecting properties, it doesn’t take much for me to say “no” to the house (sorry, home owners). I rationalize it as if I’m going to spend a precious week of vacation somewhere, it better be pretty spectacular.

Reasons why I will reject a property almost immediately (don’t hate me):

  • Outdated kitchen
  • Outdated living room
  • Outdated anything
  • Patio furniture acting as actual living room furniture
  • Carpet in the main living areas (I’m sorry, but carpet in beach houses is weird)
  • Black leather couches
  • Dark wood paneling
  • No AC
  • Shared outdoor space with owners
  • Too many personal items in the house (Are you living here, or am I?)
  • Cluttered countertops and dressers
  • Raised ranches
  • No outdoor space
  • No linens included
  • Blonde wood furniture
  • Non-open concept floor plans
  • Mismatched furniture (but not in a cool way)
  • Four poster beds
  • Papasan chairs
  • Big furniture in a small room
  • Small furniture in a big room
  • Doilies

Before you judge please know that I believe if you are going to be charging $1,000/night to rent your house, ti better well be worth $1,000 a night. And white appliances in the kitchen are not worth that much money.

But here’s a secret, homeowners: your photos can tell a really nice story. If you take nice photos.

What I would say to the people taking the photos for house rental listings:

  • Put the toilet seat down
  • Wait until a sunny day to take photos; natural light trumps evening with the lights on every time
  • Put the dishes in the drying rack in the kitchen away
  • Toss the magnets on the fridge
  • Make the bed vs “pulling up the comforter” (hello, hospital corners!)
  • Wash your windows, fixed broken outdoor furniture and pick up your child’s toys in the yard
  • How in God’s name are your photos blurry???
  • If your finger is in the photo, take a new one. Please.
  • If you can’t get a good photo of the entire room, just forget it. No one needs to see a close up of bi-fold closet doors

Do a better job, people!

Fingers crossed I find us a family rental!

Maine, NaBloPoMo, Uncategorized, Vacation

The Best Things to Do In Maine

littleshoeprincess

One of the things COVID robbed me of this year was my annual trip to Maine. Whether it was a weekend away with Mr. KK, a beach house for me, Little Mister and Mr. KK, or our big family vacation in either Wells, Kennebunkport or York Beach, we always found ourselves up north along the Maine coast. And boy, did I miss going to my Happy Place this year.

So, in honor of the vacation that didn’t happen, I compiled my favorite things to do and places to visit in Maine.

Best Things to Do in the Southern Coast of Maine

Go to the Beach

Every beach in Maine is gorgeous. The sand is soft and the water is cool, with just the right amount of waves. We particularly love the beaches in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, where we’ve spent most of our time.

Eat Lobstah

The best lobster roll in Maine from Bite Into Maine food truck in Cape Elizabeth.

There is no shortage of lobster in Maine. Whether you want fresh steamed lobster, a famous lobster roll, or want to experience life on a working lobster boat, Maine has it all. We love the Lucky Catch Cruises lobster tours, and even Little Mister loved heading out to sea and helping pull up the lobster traps and holding a starfish right in his hand. Lobster is priced right all along the coast, and you can buy lobsters right from the fishermen and some will even steam it for you. My favorite way to enjoy lobster is in a lobster roll, and the best lobster roll in Maine is by far from the Bite Into Maine food truck that parks at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. It is filled with fresh lobster meat (big chunks, not shredded pieces), just enough mayo on a toasted bun. Perfection!

Have Dinner and Walk the Rocks at The Lobster Shack at Two Lights

Mr. KK and Little Mister exploring the rocks one summer.

This institution definitely fills up with tourists during the summer, but the view and atmosphere can’t be beat. The Lobster Shack at Two Lights is an outdoor, BYOB restaurant set on gorgeous rocks over the Atlantic Ocean. Is it the best seafood in Maine? Nope. But when you pair the view with your own cooler of beverages and some fried scallops and shrimp does it feel like quintessential Maine? You betcha.

Eat Like a Local

I mentioned in my post about pimento cheese that Scratch Baking in South Portland makes the best. I literally lived on this and some of Maine’s best beer for a week straight. And it was awesome. A must-try when you’re in the area. And the baked goods are pretty amazing too.

Explore a Lighthouse…or Five

Portland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth.

There is no shortage of lighthouses in Maine. Visiting one is just something you do when you’re there. My favorite way to view them is by relaxing on a boat ride while a native Main-ah shares the history of the light house, the coast and sea.

See a Sunset

The fishing huts at Willard Beach in South Portland.

Whether you’re on a beach, at a restaurant or on a boat, you will see some of the best sunsets on the Maine Coast. Golds, pinks and yellows paint the sky. And if you’re an early riser, the sunrises aren’t so bad either.

Get Your Craft Beer On

On one of our trips to Portland with the Little Mister, we thought we’d hit a brewery one afternoon. After a morning at the beach our Little Mister was exhausted, and he fell asleep on the short 10 minute drive from our beach house to the brewery! And since you NEVER wake a sleeping child, Mr. KK and I backed our car up against the patio and took turns going in to have a beer. One person would drink their beer right at the patio where the car was parked, while the other person stood next the car chatting with them while they drank. And then we would switch. Ah, parenthood!

The number of breweries in Portland alone is astounding. You can brew hop all day and still not hit all of them. We’re bit IPA fans (the hoppier and hazier the better!), and some of our favorites are Bissell Brothers and Goodfire Brewing. Bring a cooler so you can bring some home.

Rent a House and Relax

Our most relaxing vacations have been on the coast of Maine. There’s just something in the air, the laid back attitude of the locals and the amazing cuisine. Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean, and having a little chill in the air at night after a warm summer day. I really missed being at a beach house this year with our family, cooking up dinners, mixing up cocktails and playing games. Fingers crossed we make it next year.

There is truly something magical about Maine. I can’t wait to go back and do some of my favorite things.