48 Hours

In two short days Lilly and I will be on our flight down to Disney World!

We have a lot planned for this trip. I thought I was a Disney expert (addict?) before Lilly was born, I thought we had discovered everything there was to know when she was little; but now we are refining our Disney magic.

Lilly and I will arrive in Orlando on Friday early afternoon, and take the Magical Express to our hotel, the Polynesian. We (me) had gone back and forth about where to stay; but early the next morning I am running my first Disney race, a 5K through Magic Kingdom, and it seemed like the easiest option to be able to walk to the start instead of taking a bus in the early morning. So, Polynesian it is.

(Note: We fell in love with the Polynesian in June when we went for Lilly's fourth birthday/we're moving to New York-trip. I think we've stayed at every resort by now, except Animal Kingdom (it's on our to-do list, don't worry - but we've been there to eat at Boma - lots of great vegetarian options by the way!). I had never stayed at the Polynesian prior to this summer's trip, but our trip last December staying at the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary definitely persuaded us that staying close to Magic Kingdom with a toddler is definitely a bonus. Whatever my thoughts were before we stayed at the Poly were definitely transformed once I was lying at the beach looking at Cinderella's Castle on one side and Miss Lilly and her daddy swimming in the zero-entry pool on the other side. That was a moment of true relaxation. Not to mention, the resort is so convenient to the monorail to Epcot as well as the Magic Kingdom monorail.)

Once Lilly and I check in, we need to head back out to the Wide World of Sports to pick up my packet for the race. Then we have dinner booked at the Grand Floridian at 1900 Park Fare, where we will meet Cinderella, her stepsisters, the stepmother, and most importantly, the Prince. (Lilly loved this last year!) I bought Lilly a little set of the Cinderella characters that I found at Target so she can play with those on the flight down and then eat with them that night.

We'll watch the fireworks from the Polynesian before Lilly goes to sleep; and late that night Jon will arrive in Orlando from NYC. Early the next morning I'll get up to run the 3.1 miles and be back to the hotel maybe even before Lilly wakes up! We'll spend some time at the pool in the morning, then head over to Hollywood Studios to see the High School Musical live show for the last time. (While it's the very last day that this show will perform, we're (yes, me and Lilly) not exactly sad: the next show that starts later that month is a High School Musical/Camp Rock themed show: perfect!)

Lilly's Grandma and PawPaw arrive that afternoon, and at that point we will have a less structured plan! There will definitely be more pool time and relaxing. :) Although, on Sunday I do have an appointment set up for Lilly at the Bippity Boppity Boutique in the morning, lunch at Akershus (the princess meal at Epcot), and a late dinner at Chef Mickey's. And that's a "lightly-planned day"!

And while it does look like we have a lot planned, the key is to let Lilly take the lead, make sure she naps normally, and adjust our plans to her schedule as needed. That's the best thing about Disney: whatever our pace, we can find fun things to do. I can't wait!