Disney World 2014 *pic heavy*

Had a great trip to Disney. It was kind of weird going when there weren't any Christmas decorations up, but from what my Dad had heard, they had cut down on them this past year.  It was quite busy in the parks - the marathon had occurred on Sunday (the day we arrived), there were several Brazilian tour groups there, and it was especially crazy on Friday as it was a holiday weekend.

We stayed at concierge level at the Grand Floridian, the Victorian style resort.  We always had a quick bite to eat there in the mornings before heading off to whichever park we were going to that day and usually got back in time for afternoon tea (always had fresh scones during that time and my mom and sisters were very disappointed that trifle wasn't served everyday).

Probably the greatest annoyance of the trip was the new Fastpass+ system they've implemented.  Instead of just getting any number of  FastPasses for the day, you are now only allowed three passes per day and only for one park.  Even after using the passes for that park, you can't go to another and get more passes.  Unless you choose your passes before your trip, it's a great possibility that you won't get them or at least have really awful return times (for example, you might choose your passes at 9 o'clock, but depending on the demand for a ride, you could have a return time of 3 o'clock).  This new system really hinders the park hopper option, almost forcing you to stay in one park if you want to utilize all your passes. I think Disney really needs to work this out or they will get serious backlash for this.

My MagicBand - room key, ticket to the parks, access to FastPass

The castle after the fireworks - had a great view of Wishes at the dessert party

Paradise Pier and the First Days *pic heavy*

We took our time getting going on Tuesday and before heading over we went to find an In-N-Out, which I was super excited to try. For those who live in Seattle, it might draw some comparison to Dick's Drive-In. I would say In-N-Out has better burgers but I love Dick's fries (In-N-Out has very crisp fries, and I would love to try them light).

Added grilled onions

And then Disney! We stayed at Paradise Pier this time and we were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was (we had heard some reviews that weren't that positive but I'm not sure why).  It's a beach theme which my mom loves.  The only complaint I would have is that at times it is difficult catching elevator as everyone is trying to use it as well (and god forbid some people and be patient).

Inside the elevator