Marvelous Mrs. Morin

With so many resorts to choose from when booking your Orlando Vacation, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. As a mom of toddler-twins, we have a lot of needs when it comes to a hotel. We want convenience, amenities, and a place that overall works well for us a family. We recently had the opportunity to stay at the Wyndham International Drive and were blown away from everything we experienced!

Wyndham International Drive is only 12 minutes from Walt Disney World and 7 minutes from Universal Orlando. It is also WALKING distance to ICON Park, which is home to incredible attractions that are fun for the whole family. Wondering what you can experience at ICON PARK? Here is a breakdown of some of the things we did!

• SeaLife Aquarium- an incredible experience that offers a close look at beautiful sea creatures, while being educational and fun for the whole family.
• Museum of Illusions- experience wonderful illusions up close and learn what makes them work. This one is recommended for ages 3 and up!
• The Wheel: Go 400 feet above Orlando for some of the best views! You can see the city, theme parks, and more while listening to your own music thanks to each individual car being equipped with Bluetooth!
• Madam Tussauds Orlando- this wax museum gets you up close and person with celebrities, historical figures, comic book heroes and more!

Also located right across from Wyndham International Drive is the Pirate Dinner Adventure! This dinner show offers a three course meal and action packed adventure that is fun for everyone. Little ones can even go up on the ship!

As for the room itself, this space was so incredibly family-friendly. One thing we really loved was that the kids had their own area with bunk beds and their own tv! It made it so we could each have time to unwind and plenty of space for them to play and be kids. The property also has two gorgeous pools, a fitness center, on-site dining, and so much else. It is also conveniently located next to several dining options you can walk to as well.

To see more from our experiences visiting Wyndham International Drive, you can head to my highlight bubble on Instagram labeled “Wyndham”. This hotel is a great price point and has a stellar location, especially for families that are looking to do both Walt Disney World and Universal, or experience something outside of the theme parks!

I wish I could put into words the joy my family felt while experiencing Snowcat Ridge. From the moment we even approached the parking lot, we were transported into a magical winter wonderland that was unlike anything we had seen so far this holiday season. As we drove underneath the road covered in twinkling Christmas lights, I knew it was going to be a night to remember and it truly was.

Snowcat Ridge is such a unique experience because it offers Floridians a true taste of winter, with snow, tubing, ice skating, and all the winter activities the heat causes us to miss each holiday season. Snowcat Ridge is Florida’s only Alpine Snow Park and is located about forty minutes from Tampa. So let’s break down exactly what you will experience there!

The kids were beyond eager to experience snow, so our first stop was the Arctic Igloo located towards the back of Snowcat Ridge. If your little ones are too small for the larger alpine slides, inside the Arctic Igloo you will find slides small enough for little ones to enjoy. You will also find snow toys, real snow, and a whole lot of fun! My best advice for enjoying the Arctic Igloo is make sure you bring clothing appropriate for snow. Bring coats, gloves, hats, and even boots so you can enjoy the snow without getting too cold.

Our next stop was Crystal Ribbon, the ice skating rink! I was really worried to give it a try because I had only been ice skating once in my life and I held on to the wall the whole time, but my Wisconsin-born husband was eager to take the kids. We ended up having the most magical time and I honestly could have stayed there all night! Here are some things to know about Crystal Ribbon:

• Your general admission ticket includes entrance to Crystal Ribbon, but does not include ice skate rental. All day ice-skate rental is $9.95.
• The age requirement to enter Crystal Ribbon is two years old and the smallest size skate they have is a youth size 9. For the little ones they offer trainers, which they can either use to hang on to, or they can sit on it while parents push them. If you use one of the trainers you will need to stay in the rink area and not go on to the ice skating trail.
• The training aid rental is an additional $9.95 for two hours. These are also limited, so if you feel you may need one plan on arriving early.

If you are needing to take a break, wanting a snack, or drink, you are going to want to head to Alpine Village. The Alpine Village is where you are going to find food trucks, the gift shop, and igloos illuminated by Christmas lights where you can get off your feet for a bit. You will also find fire pits and s’mores kits are available at the food trucks! It is also the best place to enjoy the Snowy Slopes light show. The Alpine Village food court has four different food trucks, a coffee stop, and a Biergarten! Food and drinks are an additional purchase.

Now let’s talk about the main attraction: the snowy slopes! Enjoy tubing down a 400 foot-long tubing hill. You can choose from single, tandem, or the family option. For the single and tandem guests must be over the age of two and 42 inches. For the family slide the height requirement is 36 inches, but you will be seated with other people. I tried the single slide and wow is it fast! It was a lot of fun, but I preferred the family slide so I could watch the kids enjoy it. My two had the time of their lives on the big slide and could have gone on it over and over again!

Your general admission ticket includes two hours of tubing time. However you can upgrade your ticket for unlimited tubing which will get you on the slopes as much as you want ALL DAY! This is definitely a good upgrade to keep in mind if you are planning on going on a weekend where the lines may be longer.

Tickets range anywhere from $26-$39, but this event is lasting until March 27th, so you have plenty of time to enjoy all of the fun! All tickets are $5 more at the box office so make sure you buy in advance. To see more from our experience, make sure you head to Instagram and click the highlight bubble labeled “SnowcatRidge”. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Olaf said it best when he sang “it’s that time of year”! The Festival of the Holidays has returned to Epcot and yesterday we were invited by Walt Disney World to come experience all the holiday magic and fun. Festival of the Holidays is included with park admission and is happening from now until December 30th. You can experience fun holiday experiences, traditions, foods from all over the world, and the beloved Candlelight Processional. Today I am going to breaking down some of the must know information regarding food, entertainment, special holiday offerings, and more!

Epcot is of course known for its wonderful food and drink options and Festival of the Holidays continues with that! When you arrive at the park, make sure you pick up a festival passport. This passport will include a list of every booth and the food and drink offerings they have. In that passport you will also find a place to participate in the Cookie Stroll. To do the cookie stroll you can either buy each of the five cookies listed or any combination of that five. As long as you buy five cookies you can return towards the front of World Showcase to claim your prize! My person favorite cookies are the Crinkle and Black and White.

Festival of the Holidays isn’t just for sweets though! You will find savory dishes as well. My personal favorite was the turkey dish back in the America Pavilion. With stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans, you get a lot of food for the price and the flavor was awesome. That’s also where you can get the crinkle cookie which is featured on the cookie stroll!

Last year the entertainment that truly makes Festival of the Holidays so special was deeply missed, but this year that incredible entertainment is back and I’m happy to share all the details with you! During Festival of the Holidays there are four shows that happen and luckily all but one has multiple showtimes! Here are the shows:

• Candlelight Processional: Enjoy a stunning orchestra, the Voices of Liberty, talented choirs, and a celebrity narrator as they share with you a retelling of the birth of Christ. Candlelight is incredibly popular so plan on arriving early or book one of the dining packages that will get you priority seating! There are three showtimes available at 5:15, 7:00, and 8:30. You can find the list of celebrity narrators on My Disney Experience
• Joyful: Joyful is all about incredible gospel music performed by a beyond talented ensemble celebrating Christmas and Kwanzaa! Located at the stage near World Showcase Plaza, your heart with be bursting with joy! Showtimes are 1:15, 2:20, 3:25, and 4:30
• Spaceship Earth: A Beacon of Magic: Enjoy the new updated light show with a touch of Holiday Magic! This happens continuously after dark, so no showtimes are necessary.
• Harmonius- Enjoy one of Walt Disney World’s best nighttime spectaculars that uses water and fireworks to celebrate Disney characters that represent cultures from around the world. The show is truly beautiful and a must see!

The entertainment doesn’t stop there though! Make sure you take time to walk around World Showcase and listen to the different storytellers around the park! All showtimes are available in My Disney Experience and begin early in the day so you have plenty of time.

This year’s merchandise is everyone’s favorite snowman! You can find him on spirit jerseys, magic bands, candy jars, and even a special Passholder hoodie. You can also find Olaf hidden around the park in Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition! Travel around World Showcase and find Olaf hidden in each pavilion. You can turn your map in once you have finished to earn a prize! This is a fun option for the entire family.

Epcot has other holiday fun located outside of World Showcase as well! Living with the Land is transformed into a holiday wonderland with lights and magical decorations. My best advice is make sure you go at night when you will be able to appreciate all of the holiday lights. Afterward you can head to Journey into your Imagination with Figment to see everyone’s favorite dragon rocking his holiday sweater! Between the two rides make sure you keep an eye out. You may just see Joy and Pooh wearing their holiday best and greeting guests from a distance.

Epcot has been totally transformed to engulf guests in the holiday spirit and it is nothing short of magical! To see more from our experience, head to our Instagram page and check out the highlight bubble labeled “Epcot”. Happy Holidays and we hope you enjoy the magic!

There was simply not enough room in an Instagram caption to cover just how magical at fun SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration was! I was not at all prepared for just how much there was to do, how beautiful it was, and just how much it would have us wanting to go back for more. Not only is SeaWorld fun, it is also educational for all ages and we found ourselves having an incredible time while learning something along the way.

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration is going on until January 2nd and is included in your admission to the park. My best advice is to arrive early. If you want to tackle SeaWorld’s non-seasonal shows as well as all the Christmas activities you will need all the time that you can get, plus the Santa experience opens early as well!

One of our favorite festive offerings was the Santa meet and greet which went above and beyond. We were not rushed at all and instead got to spend quite a bit of time chatting with Santa and his elves! While the kids couldn’t sit in his lap they were able to sit pretty close, which was such an exciting change from the socially-distanced meet and greets from last year. What made this meet and greet even more magical was that it opened into Wild Arctic, one of our favorite parts of the park.

One of the best parts about SeaWorld Orlando is that they truly offer something for the whole family. The kids absolutely LOVED their Sesame Street area which was beautifully decorated for Christmas. They also offered a Christmas parade and Elmo’s Christmas Wish. They even had a character meet and greet that made the kids light up like Christmas trees!

SeaWorld also brought incredible entertainment to the park for holiday time. Prior to arriving, make sure you check online to see the schedule for all the shows. Our favorites were the Sea of Trees, Winter Wonderland on Ice, and the snow flurries! You can even meet everyone’s favorite reindeer: Rudolph.

We wanted to give you each of our favorite things from our visit, so here is the Morin family breakdown!

• Jenn- Wild Arctic! I loved the Santa meet and greet and also all the animals were amazing.
• Grayson- Orca Experience. He was blown away seeing the whales that close. It was also cool that the show now focuses on natural behavior and education.
• James- Snow Flurries! James felt (and acted) like a little kid seeing snow for the first time. It is a lot of fun for all ages.
• Amelia- Winter Wonderland on Ice. She loved the music and watching them perform. Definitely a must see show!

As you can see, we had the BEST time at SeaWorld Orlando. If you want to see more from experience, make sure you follow us on Instagram and chick the SeaWorld highlight bubble. Happy holidays everyone!

It’s no secret that the holidays are my absolute favorite time of year! It’s when our family thrives and we create so much magic together. We love finding places that offer something for all of us and keep us coming back. One of our favorite Christmas events in central Florida is hands down Busch Gardens Christmas Town! With one million twinkling lights, character experiences, specialty food and drink, and so much more, it’s no mystery why it’s so much fun. Let’s break down what experiences Busch Gardens has to offer.

Let’s start with the basics. Busch Gardens Christmas Town is included with your park admission and is happening now until January 2nd, which gives you plenty of time to squeeze in the holiday fun. Right now they are even offering an awesome deal on Fun cards!

One thing we love about Busch Gardens Christmas Town is how family friendly it is. There are four shows, fireworks, character meet and greets, and more, making sure that the kids are entertained all day. The shows are all super kid friendly but my two favorite were Elmo’s Christmas Wish and Story time with Mrs Claus. Both shows encourage kids to play and dance so it is an environment more suited for little ones. All the shows have several showtimes so you will have plenty of time to fit them in . (descriptions are all from Buschgardens.com)

• Elmo’s Christmas Wish: Join Cookie Monster, Rosita, Grover, and Zoe as they help Elmo find his Christmas wish! Families are sure to be singing and dancing along while watching this fun holiday show. Visit Sesame Street Safari of Fun to celebrate the Christmas spirit at the Sunny Day Theater!
• Three Kings Journey: Located in Stanleyville Theater, the Three Kings Journey Show unites magical voices in perfect harmony, unfolding the famed journey to the humble town of Bethlehem.
• Christmas on Ice: Busch Gardens’ longest running holiday show returns to the Moroccan Palace Theater. This inspiring skating production transforms the stage with incredible feats of skating athleticism for a truly unmissable show set to holiday classic songs.
• Storytime with Mrs. Claus: Located in the Coke Canopy near the Christmas Town Village, Mrs. Claus will share traditional holiday tales and a joyful song.
• Holiday in the Sky Fireworks Show: Enjoy classic holiday tunes and watch festive bursts of Christmas colors as they cover the sky in a dazzling fireworks and laser light display. Fireworks are offered on the Festival Field every Saturday and select nights of the event.

If you think the shows sound good wait until you hear about the food! The Christmas Town food booths open at 4pm. My recommendation is to get one of the sampler passes, starting at $44.99. I would also get one of the refillable hot cocoa cups, which will save you money on refills. Make sure you try all of the deep-dish cookies and for sure get the Totchos! There are 10 different food booths, so you are definitely going to want to try them all.

You want to allow time for character meet and greets around the park. You can meet Rudolph, Clarice, several holiday princesses, even Santa! The line for Rudolph and santa can get a little long so I suggest doing those earlier than later. Make sure you say hello to the snowman near the front of the park too!

My final MUST DO is the Holly Jolly Express, which takes you on a festive 20-minute train ride while you listen to holiday classics that will have you singing along! Because the holiday ride makes a loop, you won’t have to worry about folding up the stroller and can just leave it in stroller parking.

Busch Gardens definitely has us feeling the Christmas spirit and it will for you too! Tickets are available for purchase at Buschgardens.com . Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!

It can be really hard to get into the spirit of fall in Florida. Our fall days are filled with sunshine, palm trees, and 90 degree days. I wasn’t really feeling “Florida fall” until yesterday when we got to experience Atwood Family Farm’s Fall Festival! I left with pumpkins and sunflowers on mind and I am still cherishing the great time we had. So what can you expect from their fall festival?

One thing I absolutely love is that this is truly geared towards the whole family. There were things for everyone to enjoy. The fall festival is going on until November 6th which is their pumpkin destruction day (but how fun does that sound) and tickets are $12.95 for weekdays and $14.95 for weekends! Let’s talk about how much bang you get for your buck though! Below is the list of activities:

• 16×16 spiderweb
• Corn Pit
• Jump Pad
• Sand Tire Pit
• MULTIPLE playgrounds
• Cow Train
• Hay Ride
• U-Pick Sunflowers ($2/per stem)
• Sunflower Maze
• Pumpkin Patch ($2-$15 each)
• Pumpkin Painting
• Petting Zoo (including a baby kangaroo)

Atwood Family Farms is located about an hour from disney property and is definitely a wonderful fall experience! To see more head to my Instagram and check out my latest stories!

It’s no surprise that Halloween Horror Nights isn’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, but luckily for you there are other ways to have some Halloween fun at Universal Studios without all the scares. Now until October 31st you can pick up one of these chocolate bars and enjoy trick-or-treating around City Walk, Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure. The map for the scavenger hunt comes with the chocolate bar you purchase for $10.65 (including tax). Annual Passholder discount is not applicable for this. At each stop you will get a stamp on the map when you receive a piece of candy. The closest place to purchase the scavenger hunt is at the Universal Legacy Store in City Walk.

Above you can see our first stop. Each Scarecrow has a different theme and it’s fun to read their descriptions as each of them is a unique character. Each stop will have different candy as well. I’m going to break this down by location so the second stop is located at Toothsome.

For this scarecrow I recommend going into the store and not through the restaurant entrance. Heads up the store isn’t super stroller friendly, so it can be a bit tight in there.

If you are trying to do the Scarecrow Stalk in one day, my best advice is to start on the Universal Studios side. It closes earlier than Islands of Adventure, even if it is not a HHN night. Let’s take a look at the stops at Universal!

In total the Universal side has six candy stops! I have two young kids so there was more than enough candy for them to share. If you have older kids I definitely recommend them each getting their own bag or it won’t be a lot of candy. Let’s head to Islands of Adventure to see what they had there! Heads up I did not post the one in Jurassic Park because it’s just too good and I didn’t want to spoil it, but if you want to see video you can head to my Instagram and check out the highlight bubble labeled “Scarecrow Stalk”.

I love that events like this offer people who visit the parks frequently a fun way to mix things up. This definitely has me hopeful that we will see another fun scavenger hunt come holiday time at Universal Orlando Resort! If you want to see more from our experience don’t forget to head to my Instagram!

You guys already know that I am a HUGE fan of a good scare, especially at Halloween time, but I’m also *slightly* picky about my scares. I tend to have high standards when it comes to haunted attractions. Last week I was invited to a media preview for Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens as well as invited back for a second day to experience the full event. It is hands down my favorite Halloween event this year. I want to talk a little bit about why and then talk about the houses individually.

Before we get into all the details about the houses and scare zones, I want to give some general information about Howl-O-Scream this year. Howl-O-Scream is happening September 10- October 31st, Fridays & Saturdays from 7pm-1am and Thursdays & Sundays from 7pm-12am. This event has five houses, 8 scare zones, roaming hordes, two nighttime shows, and several thrilling attractions that remain open for Howl-O-Scream. Single night tickets start at $41.99 and extras are available to get you to the front of line. Not interested in scares? Head to Sesame Street Kid’s Weekends to enjoy a more family friendly version of Halloween fun.

I debated breaking each house down by how much I liked them, but I can honestly say that I loved every house equally. The detail and scare actors brought these cohesive stories to life and they were jam packed with great scares. We ultimately opted to go through each house twice because they were too good to only go through them once. So instead of breaking them down by how much I liked them, Im going to briefly go over the synopsis of each house before going into the scare zones.

NEW Witch of the Woods- Witch of the Woods is Howl-O-Scream’s newest house and it also happens to be the longest house they have ever created. This house will take you into a dark forest where the witch will lure you in.

NEW The Forgotten- This house takes you into the dark world of modern vampires. It has some of the best scares and the details in this house are absolutely insane.

NEW Cell Block Zombies- Cell Block Zombies shows you just what happens if those death row inmates could come back from beyond the grave for a taste of revenge.

Death Water Bayou- There is more than alligators in this swamp as a vicious Werewolf terrorizes you through the bayou.

The Residence- See just what happens to the picture perfect suburban life when it is transformed into a horror film. This is a classic haunted house and delivers on all the scares.

This year Howl-O-Scream has EIGHT scare zones, not including the roaming hordes that could pop out at any second. What I loved about the scare zones is they truly felt like mini outdoor houses with cohesive themes and great scare actors. My personal favorite was The Junkyard which felt the most immersive.

Another thing that made Howl so much more enjoyable is at no point while I was in the house did I feel rushed. They kept us nice and spaced out so we got individual scares instead of watching other people get scared. We opted to go on a Sunday night which I think was a great choice because it also resulted in smaller crowds and more scares for us. Overall, Howl-O-Scream is an incredible experience for an even better price. If you are trying to pick a halloween experience this one has my recommendation!

If you want to see more behind the scenes and details from Howl-O-Scream, head to my Instagram where you can check out TWO highlight bubbles dedicated to this event!

Spooky season has officially kicked off at Florida theme parks! There is so much to see and do during this time of year and I can’t wait to share more adventures with you, but for now we are going to start with one of Orlando’s most iconic events: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. This is a BIG year for Halloween Horror Nights as they are currently celebrating 30 years of fear. This means lots of houses and lots to unpack in this event, so let’s get started.

Let’s start with the general information regarding Halloween Horror Nights. Halloween Horror Nights kicked off September 3rd and is running select nights until October 31st, so you have plenty of time to get those scares in. Ticket prices start at $70.99, but can go up depending on the night. Want to save? Make sure you order your ticket in advance. Buying them at the gate is going to make them significantly more expensive. Same goes for express pass, which some nights will be more expensive than your admission. Premier Annual Passholders get one free night to experience Halloween Horror Nights.

The best way to get in and experience Halloween Horror Nights is definitely doing the Stay and Scream option. If you have theme park admission to Universal that day, you can enter the park prior to Horror Nights starting and stay in a queue area while they clear the park. There are several waiting areas, but the best one to wait is located by the Crepe stand near the Horror Makeup Show. You can enter this area around 3:45 and it will empty you right by Beetlejuice and the Haunting of Hill House (two of the most popular houses). We were already done with both of these houses prior to people even entering Horror Nights, so it definitely gives you an advantage, especially if you do not have an express pass.

There are ten houses, five scare zones, and two shows. Not to mention countless specialty food options available exclusively at Halloween Horror Nights. I am going to break down each house, the scare zones and shows so you can get a better idea of which ones are important for you to see. Let’s start with the houses:

• Beetlejuice- Beetlejuice was the first house we did and honestly it was a good time. If you are nervous about being scared and want to start off with a house that’s more on the tame side, this one is for you. It had minimal scares and was more of a really cool walkthrough experience through the film. It’s themed and executed really well, but this one is not what I would call scary.

• The Haunting of Hill House- Let me start by saying this is one of my favorite shows, so going in the expectations were very high. At first, I enjoyed this house, but once I really started to think about it I do feel like this one fell short. There were countless elements from the show that could have been included that they opted to replace with things not even in the show. Universal normally does a really good job putting you in the source material, but for me this one fell flat.

• Puppet Theatre: Captive Audience- I really enjoyed the theming of this one. The exterior was really cool and it definitely told a story. While this one does have a bit more gore than the two previously mentioned, I though Universal did a great job bringing this one to life.

• The Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin- This one was WITHOUT A DOUBT my favorite house this year. The concept was so cool and they did an incredible job taking you through this fantastical story. It was completely immersive with pumpkin smells, incredible costumes, and some of my favorite scares. If you can only do one house, definitely make it this one.

• Welcome to Scarey: Horror in the Heartland- I can honestly say this was my least favorite house. The story felt like jumbled mess and the scares didn’t live up either. Compared to the other original concept houses it just didn’t quite meet the mark.

• HHN Icons Captured- I think this one was probably my second favorite house. This one is pure nostalgia for HHN fans who have stuck around throughout the years. You get to see some of your favorite characters return like Jack, Chance, Lady Luck, and so many more. If you aren’t familiar with these characters, go and check out commercials for previous years on YouTube. It’ll help fill you in on who is who!

• Revenge of the Tooth Fairy- We opted to skip this one since we experienced the previous year, but I do want to mention how cool the storybook pop up at the beginning of this house is. This house is a bit on the gory side, so if blood and guts aren’t for you, maybe skip this one.

• Case Files Unearthed: Legendary Truth- This house was another home run for Universal! Take the X-files and put it in a noir film and that’s exactly what this house is. The concept was so cool and honestly now I want a movie made about it because it was such a good time. This one makes my top 3!

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre- This one we missed so I can only share what I have heard from other people, and honestly I’ve gotten mixed reviews. What I can tell you for sure is that it’s again a gore-heavy house. If you aren’t familiar with Leatherface, make sure you check out what TCM is all about prior to going in.

• Bride of Frankenstein Lives- This was another one we experienced last year when they had them open during the day and I will say I enjoyed it then. The opening scene with the Bride is truly breathtaking and I am always a fan of Universal getting back to their classic horror roots.

I don’t want to spend too much time on the scare zones, but I do at least want to give you a general idea. There are five different scare zones around the park. Universal is essentially a giant circle with all the houses connected to that circle. If you are going to each house you will also hit every scare zone. Things like weather will impact if scare actors are out in those areas so be mindful of that. Scare Zones can also get incredibly crowded so I recommend experiencing them again towards the end of the night once the park clears out a bit.

The last thing I want to talk about is the two shows that Universal has for Halloween Horror Nights: Halloween Nightmare Fuel and Marathon of Mayhem Carnage Factory. I want to start by saying I LOVED nightmare fuel, but the seating situation was the true nightmare. We were packed in like sardines in very close seats where I could feel the person behind me put their knees against my back. The show was amazing, but I wish we would have been aware of the seating arrangement beforehand. As for Marathon of Mayhem, I wish they would have done more. It was very heavy on TCM and Jack and with Universal’s rich history in horror I would have liked to see more.

Other general info I want to share is what the experience is truly like going through the houses. I am a big fan of haunted houses, but part of the fun is being scared. Universal pushes you through in a continuously moving line, so quite a few times it felt more like I was watching other people get scared than experiencing the scare myself. While it may be better for those who a little nervous with houses, for horror fans like myself it was a little disappointing to see Universal go back to that method. Overall, it is still a fun time and definitely a thrilling time, but it definitely made me miss the social distancing of the houses last year.

Make sure you head to my Instagram so see video of our experience at HHN in the highlights bubble labeled “HHN”. Happy scares, everyone!

Let’s be real for a second, Walt Disney World vacations can get EXPENSIVE. Not only that, but with Covid procedures in place, some of the things that made staying at a Walt Disney World resort so magical have kind of slipped away. There has never been a better time to stay off Walt Disney World property, especially with them raising the number of park reservations.

This past weekend my family enjoyed a little staycation at the Lake Buena Vista Best Western. I was so pleasantly surprised by everything we experienced. With touches of Disney Magic here and there (hello storm troopers on the elevator doors), we definitely still felt like we were on a Disney vacation. The Best Western is also a Disney Good Neighbor resort. We enjoyed complimentary breakfast each day and a convenient 7 minute drive to Walt Disney World property.

We were also so pleasantly surprised by the size of the room. We chose to get the room with one king bed, but had a whole sitting area that offered plenty of room to relax even with two cribs in the room. At no point did we feel like the room was tight, something we tend to worry about as a family with two two-year-olds.

The resort also has a pool and a gym, which offers some relaxation time away from the parts if you are needing a break from all the craziness of the parks. While we chose to spend our time on low-key experiences during our stay (looking at you Disney Springs) we would definitely stay at the Best Western again in the future. I am definitely looking forward to checking out the Best Western at Disney Springs once that reopens as well.

To see more on the Lake Buena Vista Best Western, make sure you check our Instagram highlights and see the resort!! yoyourself