Disney World
A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes.
With every lifestyle blog, there will be a featured song contributing to the curation of the atmosphere of said post. Be sure to tune in while reading or listen and view the images after as part of the experience.
{Song for Post: A Whole New World from the Aladdin Soundtrack}
What if I told you this trip wasn't planned?
Originally my extended family and I, were set to travel back to Nicaragua for my Abuelitas' 60th birthday, unfortunately due to the politics in the old country, it made it a bit harder to enjoy major areas so we switched locations at the last minute.
Disney World was the next best thing.
No one was upset.
We stopped at Daytona beach before hitting a whole new world, staying in Florida and all, and had a pretty wavy time.
Believe it or not this was just half the family in this picture. It was a tad bit difficult gathering everyone together all the time so I thought to simply capture separate in everyone's own element.
Here are some fun close ups from everybody at our day at the beach!
It was an awesome start to the trip.
We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations at Tuscany Village, five different families, five different rooms and no sleep.
Such a party.
We ended the night with a stroll around Disney Springs.
Now I've heard stories of the strip but I could've never anticipated the feelings it provided me that night. Just wow.
Then.
Came.
The big day.
If you've never visited Disney World before there's four different parks spread over the entire property. Magical Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios.
We hit each park day by day and with the bitter sweetness as one joy ended, another began.
It was truly an exciting feeling.
Magic popped out of every corner.
Yes, even I too was feeling magical.
Magical Kingdom was awesome on every account. I consider it Disney Worlds' rendition of Disneyland Park. Not as nostalgic, yet it was every bit as classical as it could be.
Glorious moments, all of them however after all the fun in the sun, it finally came down to business.
Did I mention my uncle proposed to his love in front of the castle?
Because that definitely happened.
I captured the moments.
These are just a few of my favorites, the rest I leave to family for memories.
And just like that Disney Magical Kingdom was done, but there was so much more to experience, we were just getting started.
The very next day we visited my most anticipated park.
ANIMAL KINGDOM!
(By the way everyone in the background of these photos, all family and we still were missing people, anyways..)
Animal Kingdom has Pandora Land, and James Cameron's Avatar happens to be one of my favorite movies ever. Add all that with Disney magic and yeah sounds like the place I want to be.
Allow me to explain this moment right here, this is one of my peaks of vacationing. I had an ice cream cone in my right hand and a beer in my left. I was highly satisfied with life, so satisfied indeed that I didn't document much, I was focused on enjoying the moments.
The weather however had taken a turn for the worst and I had two options, head home or hit one last ride.
What would you do?
The following day was EPCOT and..
This is the only thing I remember, it was that awesome.
Seriously, I wish I was kidding.
Epcot is such an awesome concept for a theme park in general. Travel around the world by walking? Check. Incorporate childlike wonderment within culture? Check. Food and drink EVERYWHERE? Yeah I went ahead and enjoyed this one. I did however document the drink journey, check it out!
Oh, but Hollywood Studios however, spoke to me differently.
I saved the best for last.
A true dream I was awake for.
You see my whole life I wanted to be in the film industry and it wasn't until this moment I realized in all the ways I could do it.
It was clear If I had something to contribute, I was to give it fourth and see what comes back my way.
So that's what I decided to do.
Remember to lead with inspiration, don't follow the wind, and chart your own path. That's what all the greats did, and that's what I would do too.
The parks were great and the magic was real but honestly nothing beats having family all around with nothing better to do but cherish one another.
It came to the end of the trip and it was time to return home, but not without the biggest lesson of all. I took this last picture while sitting in the backseat next to my baby cousin Noah. Everytime I look at it now I see what's possible tomorrow if not today. One 10 second photo links me now to a train thought of memories. Memories this trip provided and experiences I'll never live again. I can't wait to return some day and when I do man, the fun I'll have.
The fact that I get to tell baby Noah one day, "I was there when your Dad asked your Mom to marry him". Is worth everything to me.
What a great family trip.