Hi there Disney friends! Welcome to your all-in-one guide on what Disney Genie is, and how to use it to make your vacation at Disney World as magical as possible! Grab your favorite beverage and settle in for a good read! It may be helpful to have your phone and app near you when reading this post. First, I’ll explain what Disney Genie is, and then get into the details of Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes! Let’s find out how to make all your wishes comes true (and unlike Aladdin you can have more than 3)! Disney Genie Disney Genie
Why Do I Need A Travel Agent for Disney?
You’ve decided it’s time to take the plunge and go to the most magical place on earth (or on a Disney cruise or Disney’s Hawaiian resort or…well, the possibilities are endless)! Maybe it’s your first visit, or perhaps it’s your fiftieth. Either way, a travel agent specializing in Disney Destinations can help you plan your vacation to.the.fullest. Wondering what services he/she can provide, and how much they cost? Read on, my friend, and find out why you need a travel agent when planning your next Disney vacation. Oh, did I mention I happen to be one of those agents?! I
ISR Swim Lessons Can Save Your Child’s Life
All three of my children have taken ISR swim lessons. ISR stands for Infant Swim Resource, and is a self-rescue swim method that teaches your child to literally save themselves should they ever fall into the water. I originally wrote this for Jacksonville Mom. Click the link below and then let me know if you have any questions at all!
Free Holiday Fun at Disney Springs
There is so much free holiday fun to be had at Disney Springs this time of year. Much like everything else, it looks a little bit different this year, but my daughter and I still had a blast! The best part is (did I mention this yet?) it’s all FREE! You can still experience Disney magic without paying the price of admission! Tree Stroll Before 2020, there was a Christmas Tree Trail in one section of Disney Springs. We could meet with Santa and buy treats as we checked out the beautiful trees. This year trees are spread out
Florida Gift Ideas
As you know, Florida is near and dear to my heart. I thought it only appropriate to make a list of Florida themed gifts for the holdiays- or it could be for a birthday or anniversary, too! I promise to not show cheesy souvenirs! The gift ideas are organized by category. Date Your State is an Amazon Associate. I may earn from qualifying purchases. Disney Gifts Loungefly Minibackpacks! These are on trend at the moment, and can be found in every giftshop at the parks, but also here on Amazon. This Snow White one is my current fave! Mickey Mouse
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Oh.my.goodness.friends. I was completely blown away when we stayed at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for my daughter’s 4th birthday (be sure to check out my post on 8 Ideas for making Disney Birthdays Special). Even with all the COVID restrictions, we had an AMAZING time staying at this deluxe resort. I wanted to move in and never leave! From the homey, woodsy theming (We really felt like we were in a mountain lodge) to our super friendly server at the Geyser Point Bar and Grill, to the luxurious accommodations, we felt at home. Spending time together at a resort that made
Arrgggghh! Family Pirate Movie Night!
Arrrggggh mateys!!! My family and I just love pretending to be pirates, and we also do a lot of dreaming about when we can go on our next Disney Cruise, as they have an amazing pirate night on every.single.cruise. Since DCL isn’t sailing right now, and it’s getting closer to International Talk Like a Pirate Day (every year on September 19th, ye hear?) we checked out St. Augustine for very pirate-y things to do (after all, it is the oldest city in the country so they know a lot about buccaneers). After our St. Augustine excursion we decided to have
Free Printable and Teacher Gift Ideas!
It’s back to school time! Teachers are heroes in my book (so if you’re the new teacher at home, I’m looking at you, too)! This year looks very different than many before, but it can still be successful and happy! This free printable is to help you get to know your children’s teacher(s) a bit better. I have also included some gift ideas that could be helpful while navigating this unique year! There are two versions- the one labeled “Get To Know You Printable” you can download, print off and physically hand to someone. The one labeled “Get To Know
Is the Magic Still at Disney?
Walt Disney World has garnered much criticism for opening while the COVID pandemic is going on. The full experience is not available, and you have to wear a mask. This begs the question- is the magic still at Disney? Read on to find out! For my family and I, going to the parks has been a great experience, and a way to escape reality for a bit. We feel Disney is doing all they can to keep guests safe- you can read more about it in my post Is It Safe to Visit Disney? Depending on when I visit my
What to Pack in Your Disney Parks Bag
Now that Disney theme parks have opened up in Orlando, Florida, we can enjoy getting back to the magic safely! First you may want to check out my post on why we think Disney is safe to visit. Even though it looks a bit different, the magic is still there! We have a fancy new fashion accessory (aka face coverings), and we still need “stuff” to make our park days successful and comfortable! So without further ado, here are our favorite items to pack in your bag for Disney (or the zoo or aquarium or sometimes just a trip to
Is Disney World Safe to Visit?
My family and I are big Disney fans with varying levels of concern about the coronavirus. However, when we went to Animal Kingdom for the passholder preview, we had a great time and felt safe. Disney has put into place every precaution I think a company could be expected to do, and then some. We could tell they really thought through every possible scenario, and then put their plan into action. Read on to find out if you think it’s safe for you to visit Disney! Here is what we saw: Temperature Screenings Before you even set foot into the
11 Instagram Worthy Walls in Florida, and How You Can Make One at Home
This post is sponsored by Faux Brickwork They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Having colorful pictures with nobody photobombing them is worth even more words! Florida has so many Instagram worthy walls! I can’t possibly show all of them (though I am on a mission to find as many as possible), but here are some of our favorites. My family and I scouted some of the happiest ones here in Jacksonville, Florida and I’m also going to show some from the most magical place on earth as well (aka Walt Disney World). But if you can’t make it
Must Do’s In Jacksonville, Florida
They say Jacksonville is where Florida begins, but what you may not know is Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States! Go Jax! It is home to 7 sports teams, most notably the Jacksonville Jaguars. The PGA Tour is also based here, and Jacksonville is home to the Florida-Georgia college football game every year. In addition to sports, there are many museums and parks with trails for kids to run and play, delicious restaurants, and of course, our beautiful beaches! My family and I spend most weekend mornings at the beach. It doesn’t cost anything;
15 Places to Explore the Great Outdoors In and Around Jax
This is my latest from Jacksonville Mom! With the help of the team I put together some places around our awesome city of Jacksonville that we can go and still obey the current rules/suggestions of the coronavirus pandemic. So without further ado, here are 15 places to explore the great outdoors in and around Jax. Just click the link below! Feel free to sign up for our newsletter, so you can be notified of new posts!
Self-Care During Tough Times…and Normal Times Too
Y’all!!!! Life.is.crazy. I cannot believe we are doing the things we are doing: staying home, only going out to grocery shop, walking and biking until I feel like my legs are going to fall off, and making sure I keep 6 feet away from everyone except my immediate family! You guys know the list…we order take out instead of socializing inside restaurants, we are now helping our kids with school (God bless our teachers), and we aren’t supposed to hug anyone. Beyond that, some parents are juggling school and a full-time job from home and/or have been laid off or
Coronavirus Affects Us All, But What About Our Kids?
Life changed overnight for us about 6 weeks ago, and it has been very stressful at times for us as adults! What about the kids in our lives? Here are a few tips for helping the littles in our lives work through big feelings they may be having. I am a contributor for Jacksonville Mom, and I wrote the post for their site! Just click the link below. I’d love to share some sunshine to your inbox every once in awhile!
Top Attractions at Animal Kingdom with Young Children
Jambo friends! We had so much fun visiting Animal Kingdom during our Disney trip for Hannah’s birthday that I want to share some of our fun! (You can read about our character dining experience at Topolino’s and Hannah’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique fun during the same trip!) We are loving this park more and more as we visit it each time. Some people think it’s just like a zoo, but in my opinion, that couldn’t be farther from the truth! Read on for our top 4 things to do with young kids at Animal Kingdom! Festival of the Lion King Note:
4 Fun Activities for Kids on Jekyll Island, GA
Jekyll Island is a scant hour and twenty minutes from Jacksonville, FL, so it’s easily a day trip for us. The kids only ask “are we there yet?” once or twice during the drive! It is just over the FL/GA border, and is truly an island. There are endless amounts of activities, so many that we could easily spend a few days there and not do it all, despite the small size of the island. Jekyll Island is about 7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. It has several hotels, numerous restaurants, a state park with a campground, and even
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
Learn how to get discounted tickets to the farm and what you can expect to see!
Magical St. Augustine Date Night
A few weeks ago, hubby and I set off to have a different-than-normal date night in the historic city of St. Augustine. We ate an early dinner at Ice Plant, then walked to the heart of the city to see the twinkling Nights of Lights displays. Read all about it via the link below, as I wrote the post as a guest blogger for Jacksonville Mom!
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Hi friends! I am thankful that I had the opportunity to write a post about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for Jacksonville Beach Moms a couple of weeks ago. I had such a blast with my 5 year old exploring the party, figuring out how things work and seeing all the shows. It was a special time for the two of us, and I loved every minute of it. Here’s the link to the official post! Please check it out and let me know what you think of it!
Experience the (Free) Disney Magic at Christmas!
I am so honored to have been able to write a post for Jacksonville Mom. We had a blast doing “research,” and I am so excited to share the link to the post below. Check it out and let me know what you think! We love Disney so much, and being able to experience the magical-ness (yes that’s now a word haha) of it for free was very fun! Experience the (Free) Disney Magic at Christmas
What You Need to Know About Oga’s Cantina in Walt Disney World
Go, you must. Try drinks, you must. Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars Land at Hollywood Studios is a must do on your trip to the most magical place on earth! I’ll be honest- my husband and I are not die hard Star Wars fans. We watch the movies when they come out, and I grew up watching Luke Skywalker find his father, but we are not fanatics by any means. HOWEVER, we are SUPER impressed by Galaxy’s Edge. The amount of detail put into the land is just astounding. Every inch is themed to the nines. It’s quite breath taking.
8 Tips for Celebrating Birthdays at Magic Kingdom
So you’ve decided to celebrate your little one’s birthday (or yours) at the most magical place on Earth…..what now? Where do you start, how do you make their day as special as they are to you, and how much is this all going to cost?! We all know Disney isn’t cheap! But it can be quite magical and worth all the planning. We have celebrated 3 birthdays in the past two years at Magic Kingdom, and here are my top 8 tips on how you can do it for a (hopefully) stress free celebration day! Use THE app- be sure
Congaree and Penn Visit the Farm Day
Yee haw!!! On Saturday we had the pleasure of spending time at an amazing location right in our own backyard here in Jacksonville. I had heard a lot about Congaree and Penn, so I just had to take the family and check it out! As stated on their website, “Congaree and Penn is a Florida farm dedicated to agriculture and culinary endeavors, and gathering the community to enjoy both.” I will admit I was expecting a jam packed event with bright colors and loud music, and I found the opposite. Congaree and Penn is a serene, calming oasis with 350