Planning a trip to Cape Cod? Discover top things to do, from exploring Commercial Street in Provincetown to enjoying a delicious meal at The Lobster Pot. Learn about must-see spots like Pilgrim Monument, Cape Cod National Seashore, and hidden gems perfect for first-time visitors. Whether you're strolling the beach or savoring gluten-free lobster grilled cheese, Cape Cod offers a memorable experience year-round.
Read more8 Day Disney World Travel Diary
8 DAY DISNEY WORLD TRAVEL DIARY
This has been a loooong awaited post, for sure! We love Disney, especially Disney World! It’s so magical and honestly it’s our happy place. Don’t get me wrong we LOVE visiting other countries and places we haven’t been before, but something about knowing your way around the parks while still being surprised is so special too! This 8-day Disney travel Diary is actually the trip we took in December of 2018!
DAY 1 TRAVEL DAY AND DISNEY SPRINGS
We flew into Orlando(MCO) with an early flight, so we could get to the hotel right at check-in. We love that Disney will pick you up from this airport. It’s simple, free and you don’t have to worry about a thing! You can fill out the form here to get airport pick up all set for your trip! We checked into Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, you can read more about what we thought of the resort in this blog post, here!
We checked into our room, changed and headed to our favorite restaurant in Disney Springs, Raglan Road! We love eating here, not only because it was where we had our wedding reception brunch, but the food is to die for and the atmosphere is so much fun. They have tons of live music, dancing and a very fun and knowledgeable staff. Dustin had the Seafood Gnocchi and I had the Boar Burger.. YUM! After a drink, dinner and some live music we headed home for some rest to prep for the next full day of fun!
DAY 2 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
We spent the day at Universal Studios. This was our first time here and you can read more about that here!
DAY 3 ANIMAL KINGDOM
Animal Kingdom - You can read my 10 Tips for Animal Kingdom, here!
Rides we did:
Where we ate:
Breakfast - Honestly, we were a little disappointed with the breakfast options. Let me preface this by saying I have a gluten allergy and gluten free options were slim for breakfast. We always stop for coffee at Starbucks which is called Creature Comforts in Discovery Island. We ended up getting some fresh fruit and cheese from Harambe Fruit Market to tie us over until lunch.
Lunch - For lunch we ate at Restaurantosaurus, we just happened to be in DinoLand and it was close. I had the gluten free chicken nuggets and Dustin got the Grilled Chicken BLT Sandwich.. it looked really good! Though, it was pretty standard food and we wished we would have eaten in Asia or Africa, next time!
Dinner - I made reservations at Sanaa for 7:55pm and the park closed at 8pm. ROOKIE MISTAKE. Face palm, seriously! I never made the connection that Sanaa was at the Animal Kingdom Villas and not the park, we missed our reservation and luckily Disney waved the fee for a late cancellation. We ended up eating at Pizzafari because I heard so many great things about it. I’m not sure if we just had bad luck but the food was pretty disappointing. We both got pepperoni pizza, I got GF and Dustin got regular.. we both realllllly didn’t like it! I wonder if we should have tried the pasta, maybe it would have been better.
DAY 4 DISNEY SPRINGS
Disney Springs day! We spent the whole day at Disney Springs which is pretty easy to do! We arrived to Disney Springs just a bit after noon and headed straight to Splitzville Luxury Lanes! We bought an hour of bowling and split a couple of sushi rolls. We got the Spicy Tuna and the Galaxy Roll, both were good. We spent the afternoon wandering through all of the shops and taking in the atmosphere. For dinner we ate at Boathouse and OH MY GOSH, their lobster bisque is LIFE CHANGING. It was so buttery and smooth and yum! Dustin had the fish tacos and I had the filet mignon sliders, both very good plates! We ended the night by splitting a bottle of wine at Wine Bar George, we sat at the bar downstairs but they have great seating upstairs as well! There are tons of restaurants in Disney Springs, you can read about our favorites here!
DAY 5 MAGIC KINGDOM
Magic Kingdom - You can read my 10 Tips for Magic Kingdom, here!
Rides we did:
Where we ate:
Breakfast - Again, there were slim gluten free options for breakfast but we grabbed a coffee from Starbucks on Main Street! At Disney World the Starbucks is called Main Street Bakery.
Lunch - Columbia Harbor House, I had the chicken fingers(my favorite by far!) and Dustin had the Lobster Roll, he said it was really good!
Dinner - Pinocchio Village Haus, I got chicken nuggets again and Dustin had the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich! I had chicken nuggets/fingers many times on this trip because I didn’t know how many other GF options there were for me! I am going again in August and can’t wait to try new GF foods!
This night was extra special for us because we purchased tickets to stay for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! You can read more about our experience at the event in this blog post. We had a blast! We had a really long day at Magic Kingdom, we were at the park from 7:30am-2:15am! We stayed just over two hours after the event to be able to get some shots on Main Street sans people!
DAY 6 RESORT DAY
We decided to take it easy on this day. We slept in and had lunch at our resort. We spent the rest of the day hanging out by the pool! Staying at the resorts is so great because you can easily spend the day there between the pool, food options, arcade, and activities they have planned.
DAY 7 EPCOT
Epcot
Rides we did:
Where we ate:
So. Many. Things. lol
When you are planning your Epcot Day, plan for it to revolve around alllll the yummy foods! I have this broken out into meals but truthfully, it was continuous eating and drinking.
Breakfast: Starbucks, yet again. Always start a park day with coffee! At Epcot, it is called Fountain View! Though next time I do want to try Joffereys coffee.
Lunch: Dustin had Kabuki Cafe in Japan and I ate at Liberty Inn.
Snacks and drinks: I am going to start in Mexico and make our way around to Canada, If I don’t mention a country then we didn’t get anything from there!
Mexico: Mango frozen Margarita from La Cantina de San Angel
China: Egg rolls and a Canto Loopy drink at Joy of Tea
Germany: Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen, Honey Bourbon Shots, and Selbach-Oster Riesling from Sommerfest
Italy: We both had a glass of wine in Italy but I can’t for the life of me remember from where. I believe it was from a stand in the front of Italy!
France: Orange Slush from Les Vins des Chefs de France
United Kingdom: Fish and chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Dinner: We had dinner at the hibachi grill called Teppan Edo in Japan and it exceeded our expectations, it was so good and we were so full afterwards!
DAY 8 HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Fast Passes:
Where we ate:
Breakfast: Starbucks again, haha shocker! At Hollywood Studios, Starbucks is called The Trolley Car Cafe!
Lunch: We sort of ate Breakfast/Lunch at Woody’s Lunch Box, there were so many good things to try! We sort of got a smorgasbord and split things! There were tons of GF options as well! We got the S’mores French Toast Sandwich, Smoked Turkey Breakfast Sandwich and the BBQ Brisket Melt. All were yummy, though I probably wouldn’t get the S’mores French toast again. It felt like I was eating Nutella toast with marshmallow fluff, not my cup of tea!
Dinner: We headed back to the resort early and ate dinner there, we had to catch the bus at 2:30AM to head to the airport!
I hope you guys enjoyed this post and found it helpful! I will be doing the other blog posts as well for the 11 day trip, 6 day trip and the day in Disney World trip soon! Like I mentioned before, we love Disney because its comfortable and we know our way around, yet every trip is different! Let me know if you have questions at all, I would love to help you with your next trip!
WHAT TO READ NEXT!
ABC’s Bachelorette Party: Wings two ways
MEN TELL ALL episode, I pretty much thought of the most manly thing I could think of and came up with wings! This is one of my favorite episodes because there is just so much going on and so much drama. But these wings were so good and easily could be served as an appetizer or made as a whole dinner and add french fries.
Spicy Asian Garlic
6 tbsp - Minced Garlic
2 cups - Sweet Chili Sauce
1/4th cup - Coconut Aminos
1 tbsp - Chili Paste
1 tbsp - Sesame Oil
1 tbsp - Spicy Stir Fry Sauce
1 tsp - Cayenne
1 tsp - Salt
Red Pepper Flake for more heat if desired
Kickin’ Honey Barbecue
1 tbsp - Minced Garlic
2 cups - Ketchup
3/4th cup - Honey
2 tbsp - Mustard
2 tbsp - Molasses
1 tbsp - Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp - Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp - Cayenne
1 tsp - Ground Mustard
1 tsp - Garlic salt
Directions
Sauces
Cook time - 12 minutes
Put pan on stove at medium heat, add olive oil to pan creating a thin layer of oil. Add Minced Garlic and brown and stir occasionally until garlic has browned. Once Garlic has browned add in the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Once all the ingredients are mixed turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Wings
Season wings with salt and pepper, turn grill on to medium heat. Add the wings on the grill and make sure to flip and cook both sides until they are brown. Optional: once grilled, toss in fryer for about 2 minutes to crisp the outside) Let cool for a few minutes, brush on sauce of your choice! Eat!
4 Key Points to Include in Your Destination Wedding Announcement
Planning a destination wedding? Learn how to announce it with ease! From early invitations to providing essential guest details and managing RSVPs, this guide covers everything you need to ensure a smooth and stress-free planning process.
Read moreABC’s Bachelorette Party: Spicy Pomegranate Margarita
Fantasy suites week is here! I immediately thought of this spicy pomegranate margarita to make while you and your guests watch the drama unfold in the upcoming episode! Honestly this season has flown by and I can’t believe it’s almost over. This drink is so yummy and you can easily pair it with tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole if you are wanting to also bring a snack!
What you will need
This is such an easy recipe because its really just putting things together, there isn’t any mixing or cooking, just a bit of prep work. Getting the seeds out of the pomegranate was the hardest part and even that could be eliminated if you bought a pack of just pomegranate seeds rather than a pomegranate. I also like it because these are so simple to make but they look really pretty!
5 Reasons to stay on Disney Property
We love visiting Disney World and we love staying on property to enjoy all of the benefits that they have to offer guests! Here are some of my top reasons to staying at a Disney resort rather than off property at a resort nearby.
If you fly into Orlando rather than drive, the Disney’s Magical Express will pick you up and drop you off to your resort for free. They will also take your luggage right to your room for you. No need to pay for an Uber or another car service to get you to the resort!
Extra Magic Hours! When you stay at a Disney resort, you get to enjoy an extra hour in a park where only Disney resort guests are in the parks. This means shorter lines and you can check off things on your list before the park actually opens! You can find the "Extra Magic Hours” calendar, here!
The 60 day in advance fast pass section rule. If you stay on Disney property you get to choose your fast passes 60 days before your trip rather than 30 days. You will also be able to choose all of the days you are at the parks on the first day. When you stay off property, you will have to get up each morning and pick fast passes for 30 days out.
Disney Bus Transportation will take you literally anywhere within the property that you might want to go. If you are going to have dinner in Disney Springs, the buss will take you there. If you are spending the day at Blizzard Beach, the bus will take you there.
The magic and the happiness doesn’t stop once you leave the parks. I like to think of Disney World as this happy magic bubble and honestly, I don’t want it to end when I am there. When you are done at the parks for the day and you get on the bus at night to get back to your resort, the bus driver is happy and ready to make your ride enjoyable. When you get back to your resort, there are happy faces waiting to see if you need anything before you call it a night. Lastly, for the most part, even the guests are happier than they would be staying off property!
The rooms on property might cost a bit more than staying off property but once you add in renting a car, paying parking each day at the parks and all in all, the lack of convince to drive and park and find a spot each day, and subtract the stress, the cost will even itself out. What is your favorite reason to stay on property?
10 Tips for Animal Kingdom
10 Tips for Animal Kingdom
After I created my Tips for Magic Kingdom post, I got to thinking that I have tips for all four of the parks! Animal Kingdom is such a fun park, they have great food, it’s basically a zoo combined with an amusement park and the shows are so much fun to watch. We love that there are so many different types of food, sort of like Epcot but different in my opinion. There is just so much to explore even though it feels like such a small park, there are so many hidden gems at Animal Kingdom!
MY ANIMAL KINGDOM TIPS
If you are unable to get a fast pass for Flight of Passage, go get in line around lunch time(between 12:00-12:30 when everyone is getting food! Opt for an early or late lunch or you can bring a snack in line.
Get a fast pass for Kilimanjaro Safari in the morning, the animals are more active. This is what we do when we go. I have also heard that they are active around dusk but I haven’t actually tried it yet, maybe next time!
Skip Pizzafari, there are so many good reviews for this restaurant but neither Dustin or I enjoyed our food. We actually ended up not eating it and getting dinner elsewhere.
During the light show on the water at night, ride Expedition Everest! Usually everyone is watching the show and last time we were there we were able to ride it four times in a row by going in the single rider line. I also think that it feels like you are going faster at night!
Take some time looking at the Tree of Life! There are over 300 animals that are carved into the tree and really cool to look at. If you walk around the Discovery Island Trails you can see them up close!
If you weren’t able to get fast passes for The Festival of the Lion King, that’s okay! Usually the wait in the afternoon(around 3:00pm) isn’t too long and it is a great way to escape the heat. It’s also one of my favorite shows in all of the parks!
The Starbucks at Animal Kingdom is called Creature Comforts and it is located on Discovery Island. We like to get coffee here to start the day off!
The rides that I recommend riding are:
If you want to ride Kali River Rapids, or any water ride for that matter, bring a zip lock baggy so you can put your cell phone in it to stay dry! Usually on hot days your clothes will dry fairly quickly, but if you are worried you can bring a pancho as well.
For my gluten free friends, we had a really hard time finding breakfast at Animal Kingdom. I ended up having babybel cheese and fresh fruit from the Harambe Fruit Market. I recommend eating at the resort!
I hope you enjoy these tips and learned something you didn’t know before! As always, if you have any questions at all feel free to ask! I am happy to help!
WHAT TO READ NEXT!
ABC’S Bachelorette Party: Dips
When I first started to think about what I would make for the hometowns episode, I was STUMPED. I started looking into popular foods from the places that the contestants lived and I just was uninspired. I decided to think of the kinds of appetizers that I make for family get togethers. Most of the things that we make when our family is together are simple and delicious. I decided to make two dips to cater to two flavor pallets(sounds so official lol). Buffalo chicken dip is so freakin’ good and then my personal favorite is ham and pickle roll up dip.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
1-2 chicken breast shredded(1 large or 2 small)
2 8oz packets of cream cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella
1/2 cup of Franks Buffalo Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Add shredded chicken, cream cheese, buffalo sauce and mozzarella to a small crockpot. Heat until warm stirring occasionally, add salt and pepper to your liking. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
Ham and Pickle Roll up dip
8 oz diced ham
16 oz diced pickles
2 8oz packets of cream cheese
Combine decided ham, diced pickles and cream cheese together, serve cold with crackers. I like the Vans GF crackers, they are also really good with ritz crackers.
These are such easy recipes that take less than 10 minutes to make. I also like making both of these together because one dip is hot and the other is cold. After I made these I realized that I have about 3 other dips that I make that I want to share! Maybe those will come to the blog soon! Let me know if you try these and if you like them!
20 things to do in Singapore
I feel extremely lucky that Singapore was the first place that I got to go all thanks to studying abroad my sophomore year of college. I think that everyone should absolutely do it if they get the chance or if the opportunity presents itself. It definitely wasn’t easy and I worked 3 jobs while saving up to study abroad and I would hands down do it again in a heartbeat!
I think that studying abroad and getting to spend a month with our classmates that are from Singapore, we got to experience some things that you wouldn’t find on the first page of Trip Advisor! Not to knock Trip Advisor, as many of these things are on that list! I feel that the best way to give you all the information is to link each activity to its website, and you can plan your trip from there.
Things to do
Singapore Zoo and do the Night Safari!
Rock Climbing at The Rock School Gym
Sentosa Island - you could easily spend a whole day here!
Learn all about tea at Yixing Xuan Teahouse
Rent a bike and explore Pulau Ubin
Alleviate Fish Spa is a must, definitely a fun experience! We also got massages at the place right about this!
Grab dinner at one of the many great restaurants in Clarke Quay
Marina Bay Sands - Go up to the top!
The Changi Airport itself was INCREDIBLE - spend some time here if you can! Each terminal has something very cool in it!
SO. MANY. MALLS… and each mall was different! I really liked Bedok Mall, Suntec City, and Orchard Road, to name a few! You can’t really go wrong with any of them!
Singapore City Gallery - I learned so much about Singapore here!
Gardens by the Bay, it is gorgeous! There are also about 8 different parts to it. Bring the camera!
Chinatown Street Markets, so fun to explore and find some neat things to take home! I found lots of souvenirs here.
Order a Singapore Sling to experience this iconic beverage!
Sultan Mosque, it is gorgeous, and it looks like the palace in Aladdin to me!
There are so many amazing things to do and see in this incredible country. The more time you have to explore Singapore the more you will be able to take in! I wish I would have been more into writing when I went on this trip because I would have loved creating a travel diary of my time there. Have you been to Singapore? What was your favorite thing to do there? I would also love to know if/where you studied abroad!
Six Day Fast Pass Guide
You guys I am so EXCITED! In the morning I get to pick my fast passes for my August trip and I CANT WAIT. I always make a game plan before selection day(lol sounds so official). I like to write out each day, which park we will be at each day, and which fast passes we are trying to get for that day.
We are going to be in the parks for 6 days straight and we decided that we want to go to Magic Kingdom twice and Animal Kingdom twice. In my opinion, these two parks are the biggest with the most to do, see and eat. Yes, Epcot has a lot of foods don’t get me wrong but the foods and the amount of rides balance each other out. Just a personal preference!
DAY 1
Park: Magic Kingdom
Space Mountain - This is my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom so we will be getting this for both days!
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - This is a fun ride, I love the line to get in but it is always a long line so I try to get a fast pass for it! This is also a good ride to end your night on, get in line about 5-10 minutes before park close and you can stay in line until you ride it! I think that this ride is faster at night!
Peter Pans Flight - This is such a good ride, I never understood the hype or why there is always a long line but I went on it last time was there and now I will get a fast pass for it so I can skip the long line!
DAY 2
Park: Animal Kingdom
Flight of Passage - The last couple of times I have went to get this fast pass, I have literally just taken whatever I can get for them, any time of day. I’m talking like 6pm and 7pm
Kilimanjaro Safari - I recommend getting this fast pass earlier in the day because the animals are up and moving around in the morning!
Dinosaur - We love this ride, but the wait time is always hit or miss for it and for that I get a fast pass for it.
DAY 3
Park: Epcot
Test Track - Definitely add this to your fast pass list! It’s a ride but it is also a very cool experience as well.
Spaceship Earth - Before the first time I rode this, I was pretty much like why are we going on this(because I didn’t know what it was). Now I think it is such a fascinating ride, definitely a must!
The Seas with Nemo and Friends - A cute ride and a great way to get out of the heat.
DAY 4
Park: Hollywood Studios
Slinky Dog Dash - This is Hollywood Studios’ latest rollercoaster and it was so much fun! Definitely add it to your plans for the day.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster - This ride alllllways has a long line and its so good!
Frozen Sing-a-long Celebration - This is such a funny show even for adults! Try to get a fast pass for the 2pm or 3pm show because it is a great break from the heat!
DAY 5
Park: Magic Kingdom
Splash Mountain - The perfect ride to cool off on a hot day!
Space Mountain - Like I said before, this is my favorite ride and I always try to go on it as much as possible!
Jungle Cruise - Such a funny ride.. so many puns haha
DAY 6
Park: Animal Kingdom
Flight of Passage - So nice you’ve got to do it twice haha but seriously, try to get this fast pass for both days!
Kali River Rapids - Much like Splash Mountain, this is a fun way to cool off on a hot afternoon.
Expedition Everest - such a fun ride! Get the fast pass but then go on it again at night, it feels faster!