Disney 2017 (Traveling and Disney Springs)

We just returned home from an amazing week-long trip to Disney.  We traveled with our friends the Browns.  Together we have been planning the trip for many months.  It seemed like it would never get here and then it passed by way too quick.  We had so much fun and as you can imagine I took hundreds of photos.  I will try to spend this week doing daily posts about our time there.

The night before we left I put up our Christmas tree and hung a few Disney ornaments and decorations on it.  In the middle I put a note that said "We're going to Disney".  It was a fun way to surprise the boys the next morning when they woke up and let them know that the day for our trip had arrived.

I had found the top ornament at Walmart and the one on the bottom was a gift from my friend Malinda. She bought us matching ones the day we went to Mistletoe Marketplace together.  I will treasure it.

Cruz waking up to find our tree.  The boys were so excited!

our breakfast that morning

We didn't leave until after lunch so we had a normal school morning.  Well, it was as normal as could be considering we were all hyped up about the trip. 

When our friends arrived we loaded up and got on the road.  

Disney bound!

 Oh what fun we were about to have!

Initially we had planned to drive the whole way.  We ended up finding a really cheap flight deal out of Gulfport, MS on Allegiant Air.   It flew into Sanford, FL.  So, we drove three hours to Gulfport on Friday and stayed overnight.  We flew out on Saturday morning and arrived in Florida before lunch.
 

 Eating supper on Friday night at Half Shell Oyster House in Gulfport, MS

letting the kids swim and burn off extra energy before calling it a night

the beautiful Gulfport sunrise on Saturday morning from our hotel room window

ready to head to the airport

waiting to board our flight

 one excited little boy!

Once we landed, got our bags, rented our van, and got on the road we stopped for lunch at Steak 'n Shake.  It was our first time to eat at one and we loved it.  So much so that we ate at another location later in the week.

lunch at Steak 'n Shake

We stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort.  A friend of ours got us a great deal on a condo there.  We shared it with the Browns and we split the cost for the week.  After checking in and dropping off our luggage we headed right back out to go explore Disney Springs.  It was just right down the road from us.

our family at Disney Springs

One of our first stops was at the Lego store.  The boys did not want to leave.

They could have spent hours in there.

We ate supper at Planet Hollywood.   It was loud, lively, and so much fun.  It was one of my favorite meals.

supper at Planet Hollywood in Disney Springs

 

We did a lot of walking around and looking but one thing I was eager to do was walk through the Christmas Tree Trail.  It was decorated so pretty with different Disney themed trees.  I loved it!

our group in front of the Snow White tree

family photo with the Mickey and Minnie tree

Ben looking at the Pinocchio tree

I liked the trees but what the boys loved most was the snow that fell while walking the trail. It was our first encounter with Disney snow and it was magical.

 so much fun!

the kids at Disney Springs

listening to the live music at Disney Springs

We were already having an amazing time and we were just getting started.  It was hard to fall asleep that night because of the excitement of the days ahead.  Next up I'll share about our wild day at Animal Kingdom.  Oh, how fun it was!