Day 1316: Carrying the Load

After 20 years of flying between Wisconsin and the Orlando International Airport, I've become quite the expect packer. I can quickly fill my suitcase with everything I might need for a trip to Walt Disney World, and my carry-on doesn't take much longer. In fact, I've become so good at packing that I've managed to get everything from numerous mugs to candy apples home without a problem, and getting my luggage to and from the airport isn't much more difficult. 

As I headed to Walt Disney World on my first solo trip this past July, I fully utilized the expertise of bell services at multiple Disney resorts. Since I started my trip at Coronado Springs, I picked up my own luggage from the airport for Magical Express, and then entrusted it to the bus driver before seeing my suitcase again at the resort. A few days later, I was ready to transfer to Old Key West, and I was introduced to some of the real magic Bell Services works every day. 

On the morning of my move, I did exactly what my mom said I could do, and took my suitcase to Bell Services at Coronado Springs. After explaining to them that I was transferring to Old Key West, both my suitcase and my carry on were sent away, and I headed to Disney Springs for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon. 

Since you have to transfer at a Disney Resort if you're going from Disney Springs to a park, I figured I would stop back at Old Key West on my way over to Animal Kingdom, especially since I had a notification that my room was already. It'd only been a couple of hours, maybe two or three, since I dropped off my bags at Coronado, but when I checked with Bell Services, my bags were magically already there! Then it was off on a golf cart with one of the cast members to bring my luggage to my room. 

And of course, I got a golf cart ride back up front for airline check in the day I was leaving, which allowed me to check my luggage right at Old Key West and not worry about it again until I returned back to Milwaukee. 

The point here is this: Bell Services at Walt Disney World is a huge advantage of staying at a Disney Resort. While there are bell services at other hotels and resorts, there's something about trusting a cast member with your bags. The personal touch of knowing which cast member is responsible for getting your luggage from your Disney Resort to the airport, and the simplicity of not worrying about any of it as you gallivant around the parks and make the most of your visit. 

So thank you, to all of the cast members that work for Bell Services. You make our lives so much easier and our trips much more magical!

Have a magical day!

Day 1314: Book It

It's pretty obvious at this point that 2016 is the year of Disney trips. It's been a stark contrast to years such as 2013, when, initially, I didn't think I'd be going on any trips (despite the fact that I picked that year to begin writing for Everyday Disney), and really, four trips in one year, in less than 10 months really, is more than even I'm used to. I still have a trip scheduled for October, when I'll finally get to attend the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot for the first time since my childhood, but after that we didn't really have anything in mind. 

Until now. 

After some debating over whether or not we would go to Florida over Spring Break, similar to what we did my freshman year, we ultimately decided that just Mom and I would head down for another January trip, which just happens to be one of my favorite times of the year to visit Walt Disney World (next to Christmas, of course). We even added an extra day to our stay, making the trip the longest we'll have taken since January of 2015, which will offer for plenty of time to film videos and do some photography while avoiding rain and the cold weather. 

The point here is this: Disney fans have this problem, where if we don't have another trip planned for after our next trip, we'll end the day depressed and sad, so instead of just moping around wondering when another trip will fall into our hands, we take the initiative and just book another trip. Because, as Disney reminds us on our Magical Express ride back to the airport, the best way to get over one vacation is to start dreaming about the next one. 

Do you frequently have multiple trips planned at a time? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 442: Magical Express

Disney World! Yes, that's right, I WENT HOME FOR A FEW DAYS!

So let's talk for a second about a little of what I did. The next few blog posts will be all about my adventures, and I'll have a post in a couple weeks once I have all the vlogs done as well. Each one will explore a little bit of what I did on my five day trip home...just as I usually do with my Disney vacations. It's what I did in July, and it's what I'm going to do now.

Our first day was spent with a lot of travel, and then a bunch of time at Magic Kingdom. But before we got there, we had to take Magical Express. Now, I'm most certainly more of a rental car person myself. I think it's way easier to go from place to place, and it just gives you much more freedom. But, since my dad wasn't with us, it meant lots of buses for us, and I guess that Magical Express is pretty awesome...except for when you're waiting for it to take you back to the airport. That is like the worst thing ever.

But I did really enjoy the video they had on the bus right to and from the airport. It's hard though because whenever I get there I like want to cry, and whenever I leave I DO cry, so it's like "sunglasses on so no one can see my eyes." The video was beautiful, especially on the way there. It highlights everything Disney World has to offer, and it's absolutely beautiful. It just reminds you of why you love Disney so much.

And that's something I really needed on this trip. I needed to remember how much I love Disney and everything that goes along with it, because the past few months I've really felt like I've lost track of it. It's come and gone with the trials and tribulations that go along with this ridiculous band trip...and I have to thank my friends for being there during the past couple weeks, and especially for taking care of stuff back here in Wisconsin when I was home in Florida. It means a lot to me.

Here's a few pictures from my first day at Disney!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 25 due to Midterms and Travel).