2020 may have canceled our spring break plans, but our love for Disney couldn't keep us away in 2021!

After a long building journey (hello 26 months of construction), we were ready for a REAL vacation - more than just a night or two, or an afternoon ski break. It was time to see some palm trees and ride on an airplane!

My parents generously treated us to a family vacation to Disney. My brother, Tim, and our sister-in-law, Gina, also came along. Our love for all things Disney runs deep. We used to take family trips to Florida every spring break when my grandparents spent the winter in Titusville (about an hour from Orlando). Kelsey and his family enjoyed going to the parks too!

Did COVID-19 make us a bit nervous? Naturally. But, we knew that if any place was going to take the right precautions, it was Disney. So, we packed up our masks, hand sanitizer, and sunscreen and headed to Florida.

It was pretty bizarre to be at the Denver International Airport. I travel pretty frequently for work, but my last trip was February 2019. We all felt good about the distancing at the airport and although our Southwest flight was pretty darn full, we know that airplane air is probably some of the best circulated air around.

We flew out of Denver around 7pm mountain time, so that meant a late-night airport pickup in Orlando from Mom and Gina. Thanks for staying up so late to pick us up!

Mom had found a great AirBnb in Kissimmee that was only 10-15 minutes from the parks. It was a great spot with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and even its own small pool. The condo complex also had a great pool area with a splash pad, lazy river, water slides, and a big pool.

Saturday was a relaxing day, so the boys version of relaxing was to spend nearly 9 hours in the pool! Ha! So much for rest! I’m pretty sure that Laird didn’t even eat any food until dinner. Can you tell that we don’t get to spend much time in the water?

The condo complex had an awesome pool area - lazy river, splash pad, pools and slides.

On Sunday we woke up bright and early and headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We went straight to the safari and enjoyed seeing a bunch of active animals including giraffes, lions, and crocodiles.

9 hours in the pool and a two hour time change later…

Masks were required at all the Disney parks, but one thing that was so amazing was the reduced capacities. All parks were only at 35% capacity! We were kind of spoiled with smaller crowds and lines that really weren't too bad.

Laird was brave and went on Expedition Everest with us - his very first roller coaster! Spoiler alert, this coaster goes backwards at some point and it was super awesome and very disorienting at the same time.

The most amazing ride of the entire day was Avatar Flight of Passage. Tim and Gina had experienced this ride before, but it was new for the rest of us. I don’t even have words for how stunning this experience was. We all loved it so much that we talked Corbin and Mom into joining us when we all wanted to ride it again! Mom sometimes gets a bit queasy on rides like this, but somehow Tim and I talked her into it. She asked us if it was like the ride Soarin’ at EPCOT and I was a bit wishy washy and said, umm...it’s not exactly like Soarin’...She probably should have believed Kelsey who unequivocally said, “Yes, it’s exactly like Soarin’” She did get a bit motion sick, but we were all happy she braved it. So, for the rest of the trip the running joke was “You’ll like it, it’s just like Soarin’” - whether we were talking about rides, food, or any other topic.

At the end of the day, Mom and Dad took the boys back to the condo and Tim, Gina, Kelsey, and I enjoyed happy hour at the Nomad Lounge. A quiet covered patio, fancy cocktails, and tasty appetizers were the perfect way to end the day!

Monday was time for the much anticipated Disney Hollywood Studios.

The boys were amped to check out the new Star Wars Galaxy Edge area, which did not disappoint. The full size replica of the Millenium Falcon was beyond impressive. There were even stormtroopers roaming around which really added to the atmosphere. We all experienced Smugglers Run which is like actually driving the Millenium Falcon and then, Tim, Gina and Laird were lucky enough to be able to go on Rise of the Resistance, which requires a separate virtual boarding queue that we all didn’t make it on. He still talks about how amazing that ride was and how cool it was to go with Uncle Tim and Aunt Gina.

Corbin’s favorite part of the park was the Toy Story area. He rode Slinky Dog Dash two times and loved Toy Story Mania. With a family that can be a bit competitive, Toy Story Mania was super fun! You get to ride in a little car and shoot at targets to earn points. Kelsey was the overall winner with 207,000 points. Super fun!

In addition to wearing masks, the lines were also physically distant as well. There were stickers on the ground that made it clear where your group should wait to stay further away from other parties. We all agreed that having some extra space between everyone should stay, even post-COVID.

On Tuesday we took a little break from Disney and spent some time at the pool and playing mini-golf. Then, the skies opened up and thunderstorms rolled over, so we relaxed and watched a movie. Tim and Gina took a drive over to the ocean that day.

Mom planned the trip really well with going to two parks, then taking an off-day before heading to the Magic Kingdom.

Wednesday brought an early morning to get to Magic Kingdom before the park opened. We only had a 15 minute drive, but after you park you have to take a boat or monorail to get into the park. When we were there, only the boat was running. We loved seeing all the fancy hotels on the way. I’ve always dreamed of staying at the Grand Floridian ever since I was a little girl. We’ll make it someday!

Main Street at the Magic Kingdom early in the morning!

We headed straight to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Mom decided to skip, but the rest of us went and all agreed it was a super fun little coaster - great for small kids! After a short wait there (only about 20 minutes), we went right to Tommorwland to go on Space Mountain. Corbin decided to wait that one out, so he and Mom enjoyed the Tomorrowland Speedway. He was thrilled to be able to drive a blue race car (his favorite color)!

Grandma and Corbin on the Tomorrowland Speedway!

The rest of the day, we be-bopped all around the park and had very few long lines. The longest was probably for Splash Mountain, which was about an hour.

We loved using the Disney app to order food in advance for snacks and dinner. We opted to pack a lunch each day which saves a ton of money over the course of the week. Kelsey did get a turkey leg for him and the boys and Mom and Dad treated us to Dole Whips. Corbin ate EVERY single drop of his Dole Whip and seemed to be transported to a private deserted island while he was eating it. Ha!

The turkey leg was the size of Laird’s arm!

We stayed late into the evening at Magic Kingdom. However, there were no fireworks or parades during the COVID era, but honestly after our fun filled day at the dreamy sunset we experienced, we didn’t miss the fireworks or parade at all.

Thumbs up and a big smile at the end of an amazing day!

On Thursday we headed to Playalinda Beach at the Canaveral National Seashore. I love being in the sun and not being hot - it may be the best thing ever. The temp was only about 70 degrees, with a bit of a breeze. A perfect beach day!

On Friday, it was time for our final park day - EPCOT! Showing the boys the World Showcase and the Land, and Sea areas were super fun. They loved the aquarium in the Sea and the ride through the greenhouses in the Land.

The World Showcase is always a blast. Mexico, Norway, and Japan are some of our favorite countries. Tim and Gina ate and drank their way around the world and Kels and I got to join them for dinner in Japan and then champagne in France. Mom, Dad, and the boys had dinner in America - complete with chicken legs!

We topped the night off with a lap around the Test Track and then pictures by the beautiful Spaceship Earth. A magical end to all of the parks!

Saturday morning we got all packed up and then headed to Disney Springs for lunch at the T-Rex Cafe and some shopping. The boys loved World of Disney and each picked out a small souvenir. We, of course, got some new Christmas ornaments at Disney’s Day of Christmas - my most favorite store in all of Disney Springs.

After we wrapped up at Disney Springs, we had a bit of time to kill before we needed to head to the airport, so we found a local mini golf course. It was a pretty challenging course and no hole in ones for our group. But, the nice golf course guy gave the boys some candy since they each did a hole in 2 shots. Ha!

We got dropped off at the airport for our early evening flight, after some delays we made it home to Silverthorne (and the cool weather) at 1:30 am! Whew!

We’re so thankful to Mom and Dad for the amazing trip. We look forward to many more family trips in the future. And - when Laird and Corbin have kiddos someday, we’ll be sure to pay this generosity forward.

If you have questions about what we experienced at Disney, or are planning your own Disney vacation, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Forever a Disney fan,

Cory

A few more of our favorite pictures from our Disney adventure!