We had such a blast on our recent trip to Orlando. It was the perfect mix of relaxing family time and Disney park time. Here’s a little recap of our adventure!

Where we stayed
We stayed in a condo at the Marriott Grande Vista. It was great and very family friendly. The whole property was huge and Greylen loved the pools! It was about 5 minutes from Seaworld and 20 minutes from the Disney/park area.

Where we ate
Food is usually my favorite part of traveling however, I wasn’t expecting much on this trip. Well, turns out the food has come a long way since the last time I’ve been to Disney. It was actually great! Here are some of the places we tried around the area:

Ciao Italia – This was a really good, authentic Italian restaurant by our hotel. We ate here on our first night and after a long day of travel, it was perfect! I had the tortellini con pesto e pollo and it was fabulous. Everyone enjoyed their meal!

Cape May for Minnie’s Beach Bash breakfast – This was the only character meal we did during our trip. I was able to book it pretty last minute (I stalked the Disney website daily until I got a reservation…) and I’m so, so glad we did it. I really didn’t know what to expect food-wise but it ended up being a really awesome buffet. The Mickey-shaped waffles were a hit with our table! It’s a simple way to see some characters up close without waiting in long lines.

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ – We loved this place at Disney Springs so much that we went for dinner twice during our trip…oops. They have the best fried chicken I’ve ever had!

Sprinkles – I can’t go on vacation without finding and eating about 50 Sprinkles cupcakes.

Morimoto Asia – Ben and I went here after G was sleeping (my parents were with us so they babysat!) so we only got to try the late night menu at the bar. Next time, I’d love to try the dinner menu because it looks soooo good!

Snacks @ Magic Kingdom – During our time at the park, we obviously HAD to get Mickey pretzels at Frontierland Pretzel cart (Pro Tip: Don’t get the cheese dip with the pretzel. Ask for the chocolate that comes with the churros they sell there!). Greylen and I also split pumpkin Mickey waffles from Sleepy Hollow stand. SO GOOD!

Tea Traders Cafe by Joffrey’s – I admit it, I saw the Minnie and Mickey lattes on Instagram and I had to try one. Turns out it was Insta-worthy and delicious.

Where we went

Seaworld – The first park we went to was Seaworld and it was a great first park experience for miss G! She loved the shows and she is obsessed with all animals, especially penguins and now, Shamu! I think a day was the perfect amount of time with a baby Grey’s age – we were able to fit in almost every show and saw a ton of the exhibits, too.

Magic Kingdom – We went to Magic Kingdom for a day and a half – Friday night for the Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party and all day on Saturday. This was plenty of time to get everything done!

The big event for Greylen was meeting all of the characters. She LOVED them all and is still talking about meeting them daily. She also loved riding rides – Dumbo and the carousel were her favorites. Magic Kingdom was the perfect park for her age right now. There was plenty for her to do (she could ride most of the rides!) and see. When she gets a little older, I’d love to try Epcot or Universal Studios.

The only thing on my list that we didn’t get to do was eat at Be Our Guest restaurant. Beauty & the Beast is my absolute favorite movie but unfortunately we booked our trip too late to get a reservation there. Guess we have to go back!

Disney Springs – We loved going to downtown Disney, or Disney Springs, at night! We ate here and walked around a couple nights. There are tons of restaurants (Chef Art Smith’s, Morimoto Asia, Sprinkles and Tea Traders all mentioned above can be found here!), stores, live music and even a couple rides for kids. It’s a fun way to relax after a crazy day!

What we wore
So, I didn’t get to snap a ton of pics of our outfits because it absolutely poured rain on Friday during the Halloween party and was super hot on Saturday. By the time we had time to take pictures, we were covered in either rain or sweat. But, Greylen and I (and even Ben!) definitely dressed the part. Disney t-shirts and Minnie ears all day, every day! I linked what I could below and I also wrote a post about what I packed here.

skeleton shirt // minnie is my homegirl dress (I’m so bummed I didn’t get a better picture of this. It’s so cute!)

Pro Tip: Disney gives out complementary buttons/pins if you are celebrating something (including a 1st visit!). Simply stop by the front desk at a Disney hotel or visit Customer Service at Magic Kingdom. If you’re wearing a pin, the characters and park staff make a big fuss over you. Such a cute experience and great little souvenir for Grey’s baby box!

similar adult tee // similar kid’s tee

We had the absolute best time on the trip and already want to go back. I know Greylen was super young to go to Disney and won’t remember any of it but I will never forget the smile she had on her face the entire time!

recapping our trip to orlando, florida

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