Storytime: Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A Disney life for me
Walter Elias Disney is one of my biggest inspirations. He was such an adventurous entrepreneur doing what he loved on the biggest scale he could. I admire that even though he was fired, rejected and failed - he never lost his silly side. Keeping a creative life - he dreamt it, believed it, and made it happened. Walt Disney once said…
“I hope we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse.”
- Walt Disney
Dreams do come true as over the holidays I visited the most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and I wanted to share you guys all of my magical adventures with my pals Mickey and Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck (we became instant besties while I was there) hehe!
It always has been a dream of mine to spending the holidays at Walt Disney World, on Christmas Day growing up, I would cozy up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate (wearing my Roots onesie of course) and watch the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade. Well, this year I got to watch the parade live and in person. It was spectacular, amazing, and super-fabulous! All the Prince’s and their Princesses’s travelled down Main St. USA in style. All except Cinderella, who travelled with Prince Charming in the Crystal Carriage pulled by 8 white horses. Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang travelled in a brightly coloured yellow, red, and green play ground. Before Santa was a marching band of Toy Soldiers - yes there were actual musician dressed up and matching in sync as little Toy Soldiers. Did I say that it was super-fabulous!!!
Traveling on Christmas Eve is the busiest travel day of the year, but I have to say booking a flight with WestJet was the best…let me tell you why?
My flight to Orlando, Florida was an early morning departure time at 9:15am (to be exact) which was the best as Toronto Pearson Airport was not that busy for holiday travel (which I was not expecting) if you can travel during the holidays book your flights on Christmas Eve. The prices are cheaper and the line ups for check in and security are less crowded.
I flew with the super fabulous WestJet (If you have ever booked a flight with WestJet you know exactly what I am talking about) from your first encounter with a WestJet staff member you are greeted with a smile they make your travel day calming and enjoyable.
At Disney, I usually stay at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort located in the heart of the most magical place on earth. It is an upscale lakeside property with 5 pools, private beach, spa and is super fantastic place to stay with. To make reservation I suggest booking through through Marriott Bonvoy. I find them to be one of the best loyalty programs! They have extraordinary hotel brands like aLoft Hotels, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, St. Regis and The Ritz-Carlton collection just to name a few. When you book your travels with #MarriottBonvoy you can earn points to redeem fabulous Suite nights, upgrades, and other benefits.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has an elegant, sophisticated and stylish lobby that provides guests with a warm invitation. The rooms are super comfy and here is a tip — book the Courtyard View Rooms where you can watch the magical fireworks from both Hollywood Studios and Epcot. The resort offers all the benefits that other Disney Resorts have, including complimentary transportation to each of the Parks (including Disney Springs) and the advantage of extra magic hours at the Parks. Their on-site Disney ticket and information desk can help you arrange your magical experience including dining reservations and more.
And, my favourite part about staying at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is the location, location, location! It is walking distance to the Disney’s Boardwalk, Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
This Walt Disney World Christmas vacation was honestly a dream come true. I got to visit all four theme parks Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. As I am writing this blog post for you guys, I am laugh out loud as there are no words to describe how spectacular Walt Disney World is over the holiday season or just overall how magical Walt Disney World is in general. I feel that I can write you guys a novel (hehe)! So, I thought to share you guys with photos.
DISNEY SPRINGS
If I lived here, I’d be home by now
MAGIC KINGDOM
Race you down Main Street!
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
“To infinity and beyond!” -Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Hakuna Matata from the happiest place on earth
Epcot
“One little spark of imagination is at the heart of all creation.” -Figment
This is the end of my Walt Disney World Christmas vacation. I was so sad to leave but had a blast writing this blog post for all you guys and love sharing my travel adventures with you. Stay tuned for more details about Walt Disney World, Disney and my travel adventures! So stay tuned! Thank you for reading along and have yourself a magical day!
Being Unique Is Always Fabulous!
Matty