The Wilderness Lodge - A Review #DaileyDisneyAdventure

When we worked with our travel agent Samantha last fall, I asked for a variety of options and for her opinions on them. She gave us options in each price range and I did some research on my own. Some of the factors I took into consideration as we looked included:

Maggie checks out the bed in relief of FINALLY getting to Disney.

• Proximity to parks
• Size of the rooms
• Discount percentage
• Cost (over all and per day)

After looking at our options, we decided on the Wilderness Lodge. The final decision came down to proximity to the parks [Wilderness Lodge is near the Magic Kingdom and Epcot] and room size. The Wilderness Lodge is a Deluxe Resort and if we were going to have 4 of us in one room for 7 nights, I wanted a little room to move. 

The Wilderness Lodge has boats every 20 minutes to Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary and buses every 20 minutes to all the parks. We ended up using a combination of every type of travel, including the monorail, but next time we'll only use that if we are at a hotel on the monorail. It just ended up taking too much time.

This is a beautiful hotel. As with everything at Walt Disney World, once you get to your stop, you kind of forget there is an outside world. The resort has the "wilderness" feel, right down to a smell of leather throughout the hotel. 

Our room was very nice. 2 queen sized beds and a small balcony, that I was at first disappointed it overlooked the parking lot. Until that night when we heard some loud crashes -- just as we were starting to think about calling the front desk, we realized it was the fireworks: we were able to see the highest fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. So, even though we never actually went to a park to watch fireworks, we got to see/hear them every night!

Beautiful landscaping surrounds the hotel. A wide variety of flowers and plants. Lots of rabbits that Jessie had to look for each time we headed to the boat dock. We didn't see half of it I'm sure. We spent our first evening just wandering around.

The girls were, of course, happy to see the pool. We ended up spending a lot of time in the pool, which was a nice way to cool off after spending time in the parks. The pools had life vests for little ones to wear [even Maggie wore one a couple of times] and Jessie got brave enough to let go and "swim" on her own many times. The main pool had a small slide. They also had a splash park, but Maggie was too tall and Jessie wasn't interested in the splashing. They had a smaller 24 hour pool hidden away with jets coming from the bottom. Both girls enjoyed attempting to swim through the jetted water. The water in both pools was incredibly warm, but cooling enough to make it nice.

The hotel had a beach area with soft sand. We weren't able to go into the water, but it was a nice area to play and watch a nightly movie. We never stayed for a full movie, but Jessie & I did watch enough of "Maleficent" for me to be curious to see the entire film.

The hotel had 3 restaurants: 1 "quick service" Roaring Forks, 1 mid-level Whispering Canyon Cafe, and 1 Fine Dining Artist Point. We ate quite a bit at Roaring Forks, which was like a fast food restaurant, though we did have to wait a little bit. The food was good and I really enjoyed my chocolate waffles one morning! We purchased refillable mugs there, but after discovering they were ONLY good at the resorts, I wished we had only purchased 2 to share rather than 1 for each of us. We just didn't spend enough time in our hotel to make that worthwhile.

Rocky and I had dinner one night at Whispering Canyon Cafe and, while the food was good, there is nothing "whispering" about this restaurant. They encourage everyone to be loud and to "play along" with singing happy birthday, sending ketchup to the table that requests "more ketchup." and for a couple out for a date night, this was the wrong choice. After eating, we did go over to Artist Point for a drink and the atmosphere was much more what we had been looking for. 

That night, the girls went to the Cub's Den, a childcare center right on site. The cost is $15/kid/hour and a 2 hour minimum. The girls LOVED it. They got to play with all sorts of Disney toys, had dinner, watched a couple of Disney shows. It was a nice night away for all of us!

The gift shop here had a lot of non-gift shop items -- grocery store items for your room. We didn't even go in the gift shop until one of our last days, but I really wish I had known we could get a pint of milk or yogurt there! It would have been really nice for a quick breakfast. As it was, I did use Garden Grocer to deliver some grocery items to us. It was nice to be able to have 24 bottles of water, chips, power bars, sunblock!, delivered to our hotel and not have to worry about carrying it on or paying too much within the park. I received a text when our order was at our hotel and the bell service brought it to our room. We were missing an item initially, but it was delivered the next day when I sent them an email to let them know. I HIGHLY recommend this service. I will definitely use it again if/when we return to Orlando.

Overall, we really enjoyed staying at this hotel. This hotel matched "us" -- it wasn't too flashly, it was cozy and homey. The staff was friendly and helpful; the 2 issues we had with our room were taken care of fairly quickly. We liked that it was closer to Magic Kingdom than we originally thought and the boat ride there was very quick. The buses were great [with the exception of the one to Hollywood Studios that was 40 minutes late AND full -- on Star Wars weekend of all times]. We would definitely stay at this hotel again. We decided the only thing that would have made it perfect would have been if it were on the monorail, but we're even a little iffy on that thought.

Pirates League Review #DaileyDisneyAdventure

Maggie did not want to be a princess. As I knew she would probably like some sort of dress-up, and I knew a friend's daughter had gotten a mermaid make over once, I started looking for the other options. My search took me to "The Pirates League." So I asked Maggie and she thought she would like it and so we made reservations.  

Maggie decided she wanted to be the Pirate Empress (nothing to girly for this one!). Her package came with a t-shirt. We didn't have to wait very long once her name was called. The staff were all in "pirate" mode, with accents and lots of "yo ho" and "arrr". After getting into her t-shirt, the pirate took her to get her pirate name (even though Maggie is an option). She got to roll some dice which determined her pirate name "Kate Shimskull."

Then it was time for the actual make over. She got some eye make-up, a little glitter and some tattoos. A head scarf, eye patch & earring topped off her look. Her pirate make over guide then guided her through the pirate oath and got Maggie to say "Yo Ho!"

With her look complete, we were then led to a secret door where she was given her sword & sheath and a special gift which we aren't allowed to talk about ;)

The final step was to get a copy of her pirate oath with her pirate name printed on it & signed by Captain Jack Sparrow. We then attempted to ride Pirates of the Carribean, but it was experiencing technical difficulties so we decided to try again later (though then opted to not go when Haunted Mansion was not a hit).

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. I love that they have an option for those that are not interested in princesses but still want to do a dress up. I also love that this is open to ANYONE, even adults -- I didn't actually see any adults there. There are 2 "girly" options: Maggie's Pirate Empress and a Mermaid. They also have costume options, but I think Maggie was happy with the t-shirt options. Maggie really had fun and I enjoyed watching her. Total cost, with tax, was $77.

Maggie's thoughts: So I liked how they gave me a t-shirt & bandana with an eye patch and face jewels. I also got a doubloon but I won't say where I got it because it's a secret. I really liked how you get your pirate name. You go to this chest with dice in it and you have to turn it 3 times with a wheel like from a ship. My pirate name is Kate Shimskull.

Bring it To Disney

I am not a crafty person. I can do some simple ones and have been fairly successful at finding things the Girl Scouts like to do. As we have been planning our Disney trip, I've been doing some Pinterest stalking for planning ideas. I have seen a lot of "make your Disney trip more magical" and "how to save money at Disney." Most of which involve a lot of craftiness on the part of Mom (because, let's face it, most Dads probably aren't a. Stalking Pinterest or b. Trying to make a Disney vacation "more" magical). I'm not sure why *I* (or any parent) needs to make Disney, of all places, MORE magical. Perhaps the internet age has made us all more competitive. I just know my parents would have never dreamed of making ANY trip more magical. And our 2 trips to Disneyland (at ages 3 and 13) were about as magical as those trips got in the 70s and 80s (I do not have a lot of memories of either trip).

But knowing my girls and wanting to do a little bit more as I am having fun planning this trip, I let my crafty side out, a little.

The girls are very excited about meeting a lot of characters so I knew they would be interested in getting autographs and I'm not a fan of autograph books (or guest books for that matter) so I looked for other ways to do this so we can incorporate the signatures into our photos somewhat. I combined a couple of ideas.  *Get a cheap, plastic photo album. *Get some scrapbook paper & cut it to fit in the album. *Get some Disney style alphabet stickers (I got mine at Michael's). *I bought some small clipboards for the girls to keep their paper secure & to have a hard writing surface for the characters. I also bought some Disney character stickers for the girls to use to decorate their photo albums and clipboards.

I also knew I wanted at least one family photo where we are wearing matching t-shirts -- hopefully in front of Cinderella's castle. Etsy.com has a LOT of options that are fairly affordable and customizable. Now I probably could have done these on my own (or asked Rocky to), but paying someone else $5 was a small price and I think my time is worth more than that! 10 days until we leave. And 5 days left of work. I think we are all looking forward to our first family vacation, that doesn't involve visiting anyone.

Stitch Fix

As a reward for losing those first 10 pounds, I decided to sign up for Stitch Fix. This is a fashion retailer service for women: you answer some questions about what you like, your measurements/sizes and they pick out 5 articles of clothing for you and send to you. There is a $20 styling fee, which is refunded if you purchase anything. You are able to make some requests, show examples of what you like on a Pinterest board to give them ideas. My first fix arrived yesterday. I was actually very happy with what was sent, even though most will be returned.

 1. Gabe Maxi Skirt. I LOVE this skirt. It is soft and so comfortable and unfortunately about 5 inches too long. I had to roll up the waist band to get the hem off the floor. I considered keeping it as I do like it, but at $48, I want to be sure it actually fits.

2. Finnegan Chino shorts. Another love, except for fit. The size is shown as a 14, so I was happy that my hard work is definitely paying off! Maggie said I can just wear a belt, which is true, but again at $48, I want the right fit.

3. Sam Hi-Lo short sleeve tee. I was just meh about this tee. The fabric is soft and this would be very comfortable, and perhaps in a smaller size it would fit better. I felt like I was swimming in the shirt and it just hung on me.


4. Alena collared button down. I wanted this to fit SO much, but again, wrong fit. This one was actually too small, tight around the bust and it just didn't lay right on my hips.


5. Chester embroidered bib top. I debated for some time on this one. So cute, but I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be with how shear it is. Rocky talked me into it. A  simple camisole will make this great for work and without, it will be fun this summer; plus it will go great with the cranberry shorts I just got off eBay!


There is a $20 styling fee for the service, but you only pay that if you choose to send everything back. The top I chose is $48, which includes shipping.

I do NOT like clothes shopping. I'm not a good shopper and I'm definitely not a "dig through the sales rack to find something awesome" type of gal. I've gone with people who are and while it's fun to find those deals, it was also exhausting! I'm all for saving money, but I prefer to do it on eBay :)

I've submitted my feedback and updated my sizes in my profile so my next fix should fit a little better. I signed up for quarterly fixes -- mostly so I don't end up spending TOO much. This is going to be a great way to slowly update my wardrobe as I get rid of pieces I either no longer wear or no longer fit!

You can sign up for your fix at this link: https://stitchfix.com/referral/4986985

I was not compensated for this post. 

Disney World Planning

The Dailey Family is headed to Disney World! Rocky and I figured out last summer that we can truly afford to take the girls on a BIG family vacation and what's bigger than Disney? Jessie will turn 5 while we are there and this is the perfect time as both girls should have lots of memories from this trip.

The thing is as this is an expensive trip and we want to "do it right," there's a lot of planning to be done! We worked with a Disney Travel Agent named Samantha with Magical Vacations Travel. I cannot imagine trying to navigate a the world of Disney planning without a guide! Samantha did most of the pre-work for us -- gave us several options of where to stay on property, ticket options and made reservations for us for several Character meals and, of course, Jessie's visit to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. As we will be at Disney World over Jessie's 5th birthday, we decided we might as well give her a 5th birthday she'll never forget!

There are a million different sites, bloggers, travel agents/guides, etc who can assist you with putting together your vacation. Aside from Samantha, probably my biggest source of information came from a combination of the above in the form of Pinterest. I started my board over a year ago, before we had even really discussed it. It was merely an idea we had. I have to say the best part of this is the ability to take pieces from each blogger and figure out what works for us.

A few of my big takeaways:

• Planning ahead is SO important. Lunch at Cinderella's Castle on Jessie's birthday? Check. Meeting Elsa & Anna on Jessie's birthday? Check. Without planning ahead, these would not have been "easy" to get. Our travel agent made the dinner reservations the day our window opened (180 days out). And Rocky was online at 11 pm to get the FastPass to meet Elsa the day that window opened (60 days out).
• Make a schedule - how ever it works for you. I ended up creating an excel spreadsheet to compliment our schedule on MyDisneyExperience [mostly because the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique reservation doesn't show up on MyDisneyExperience]. There are many options that people share on Pinterest, but for me, the spreadsheet seems to be working. I've got it saved on GoogleDocs and will print a copy before we leave.
• Don't plan by yourself. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement, but man, has it been fun talking about our trip with my family!! I love a good surprise and am not a present peeker, but I'm not sure how these parents can actually plan something like this without including their kids! I think I know the girls well enough, but I know I would be sweating over whether or not Maggie would want to do the princess make-over with Jessie or does Maggie even want to meet ANY princesses?
• Build in some downtime. I can't count the number of people who have told us this. We will be there for 6 full days (2 travel days) and I've built in a couple of opportunities for us to either hang at the pool or visit one of the water parks -- we purchased park hoppers and got a free day at one of the water parks of our choice. We'll see what the girls want to do. I've even blocked a night out for Rocky & me. Disney offers in-room babysitters or kid clubs. We are waiting until we get there to decide which. A good opportunity for Rocky & I to check out the Disney Brew Pub or try a few drinks through Epcot World Showcase.

We have 41 days to go. I did some countdown calendars for the girls, but they kind of fell to the way side. I have one in my office, just on post it notes. This is the first time in a long time I've taken 2 weeks away from work and I'm really looking forward to it. Feels like a great way to kick off summer! I know I'll update with more tips once we return!

#Bod4God The 5K

As I was trying to decide between walking or running (aka jogging aka moving slightly faster than walking) the 5K celebration, Cris (aka my Body & Soul Boot Camp instructor aka the one who talked me into the study) shared this verse:

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially sin that so easily trips us up. And let us RUN WITH ENDURANCE the race that GOD has set before us.

It's not often you get a clear directive from the Lord. This was so abundantly clear that I knew at that moment I would need to at least TRY to run. To which God replied:

"'If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23

Was I seriously having a conversation with God through His Word? Yes I was. I did a search on Pinterest for Biblical inspiration and was not let down, as proven by my previous  post. 13 different references. If I've learned nothing else in the past 2 years, when God asks something of you, the best thing to do is say Yes (and it's okay to do so begrudgingly, though it is better to get into the spirit of it). I think it helped that I didn't have a lot of time to think about what God was asking of me. I knew a 5k is approximately equal to 3.1 miles, though my concept of space isn't the greatest. But I didn't have time to "train" for this event. It was going to happen next week and I was going to run (aka jog aka move slightly faster than a walk).

So how did it go? Rocky, Maggie & Jessie came to cheer me on and even followed me, taking photos & videos along the way. I was the only one with a cheering section! I spent some time praying, thanking Jesus for running along side me and asking him to block the wind. I missed a couple of turns and the couple behind me was kind enough to get my attention to bring me back on track [I'm sure there's a great metaphor there]. I did end up walking with them for a couple of blocks, but we all ran the last stretch back to the church. And I finished, I crossed the finish line. As I told Maggie, it wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I'm still no runner and I probably won't seek out those activities, but I now know I can do it. It's no longer a mountain in my way. I am able because He is able.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

Thank you Jesus!