FLA Vacation: Flying Home & Unpacking Souvenirs

After all the expectation and fun of vacation, it was finally time to head home. We had to get up pretty early on Wednesday morning (which felt really early, since we didn't go to bed until one o'clock that morning) to get everything packed into the car.

We took ten minutes to check out the Disney Store inside the airport before heading through security. Nanea and Harold had their photo taken with Snow White!

The little store is so cute, and Lizzy and I were actually crazy enough to buy two mugs in there (just what we needed to carry onto the plane, right?) --- but they were Chip & Dale! The cashier loved the dolls, so she had to hold them and call all the other employees over to see them. She was wearing a lanyard for pin trading, and one of her pins was actually a little Hawaiian Hula Dancer . . . so guess who had to trade one of her little pins!

The Sea World shop was right across the way, so Nanea and Harold wanted to stop in for a quick look around.

By then, it was time to go through security, so everybody had to get safely tucked into bags. The flight was so empty going home (half full at best) that they started boarding super early. In fact, Nanea had gotten a nifty travel seat to ride around on one of the suitcases, but we never got to use it! There was only time to grab a very hasty picture of Harold and Nanea sitting with the bags as the boarding call was starting.

The flight home was quite uneventful. Elizabeth and I sat in the very back row of the plane, and Harold and Nanea got to sit on the seat next to us. The flight attendants enjoyed them, and even gave them their own pack of "Plane Crackers"!

It was sure nice to get home, and Nanea, Benny and Harold couldn't wait to share the souvenirs they brought home with all of their little friends. Unpacking was a lot of fun!

Everyone had a special souvenir that they were excited about showing off. Nanea had her little plush Minnie Mouse . . .

Harold had a real Robin Hood pin that he'd gotten at Disney Springs . . .

And Benny had his shiny rocks and a T-Rex shirt from his favorite store!

So, that ends a very fun Florida vacation. Plans are, Lord willing, that we'll make it down to see Gramma again in the Spring . . . and do some more pin trading . . . so, we'll see which little dolls want to go then.

Having come home just in time for Christmas, lots is going on. Stay tuned for more Islandshire fun and a new arrival!

FLA Vacation: A Day at Disney Springs (Part 2)

Following the previous entry, here are the pictures of the rest of the dolls' day at Disney Springs. After going through the whole World of Disney store, there were still some things that they just couldn't wait to do!

Benny had really been chomping at the bit to go to the T-Rex store. In fact, this was probably the biggest reason he wanted to go on vacation! He was really excited to go to the bin full of shiny, polished rocks. You could fill a bag of them, and he wanted to bring home a shiny rock for all the members of the Islandshire Merry Men Club (our boy dolls). This store was rather noisy and intimidating to little Nanea, so she didn't care for it. But sitting on the rocks outside for a picture was okay!

Inside the gift shop side of this place (it's also a restaurant where you can eat in a very cool atmosphere and blue lights), the boys headed right to that bin of shiny rocks. The bags were a cool lime green --- which was really neat, because they were also able to get some matching souvenir t-shirts (don't tell them, but we'd ordered Dino-mite outfits on the Cyber Monday sale).

It didn't take too long for the boys to fill their bags, but they went through a lot of stones --- everything had to be "pocket-sized" for the boys.

With the rocks safely stowed in bags, we got to walk around the store and look at all the fun stuff. Benny like the shirts . . . and Harold liked the Junior Paleontologist vest.

At the back of the store, there's a special "Build-a-Dino" workshop run by "Build-a-Bear". It's the cutest thing! Benny liked the dinos, but Harold was partial to the Woolly Mammoth. In fact, Harold decided that Mammoths were really his thing, because there was a really cool toy there as well.

Once outside of the T-Rex shop, the trio got to pose on a really cool adventure Jeep. This was just up the boys' alley, let me tell you!

Now it was time to walk over a long bridge and see the Rainforest Cafe. It was a sunny walk, but everybody was really enjoying it. They posed on a table, and several other visitors had to stop and take their photo.

There were squished pennies at the Rainforest Cafe that dolls really wanted, and we'd never actually been inside. The whole building is shaped like a Volcano --- and erupts with great noise and fire every half hour. Nanea enjoyed it all, except the eruption. It sounds like a huge storm inside, and the lights go on and off. That was a little scary for her. The boys loved it.

The inside is totally decorated like Rainforest, accompanied by appropriate sounds. Even the ceilings are decorated!

Finding the squished penny machines was easy, so Harold bought a souvenir penny for Eliot. Benny got a souvenir penny for himself . . . and Nanea got a squished quarter!

There were also a lot of fun plush items to pose with. Harold liked the plush pineapples. Nanea liked the Rainforest animals.

 The boys found these really neat drums in a display, and some were just their size!

The next thing on the "must do" list was to find a little charm. Nanea was under strict instructions to get one for one of Harriet's pen pals. Finally, we located this large table full of bins of little Disney charms. You could pick out charms, and there were even bracelets you could buy to put them on. Nanea needed on to make into a necklace, and her pen pal wanted a Princess. It was lots of fun to pick just the right one . . . and Nanea chose a "My First Visit" charm to make a souvenir necklace for herself. There were certainly lots to choose from!

Having found all the souvenirs, the dolls were ready to head back to the car. On our way, we stopped at the "Pick a Pearl" stand. You can choose an oyster, and they open it for you and you get your own pearl! There were several people doing it at the time, so we didn't want to crowd the place up getting one. But Benny and Nanea had their picture taking studying the available oysters. Since they both dive for pearls on Islandshire, this was pretty neat. (Nanea has a "Pick a Pearl" of her own that I got for her on our previous visit to Disney Springs.)

By now, it was getting late, so we all headed home. We went back the next day for a whole day of pin trading with our Aunt and Cousin, but the dolls were tired and stayed at home.

A few more photos will be coming, as Nanea and Harold did visit the Disney Store in the Orlando airport --- where they had their photo taken with Snow White and traded pins with the cashier! Check back soon . . .

FLA Vacation: A Day at Disney Springs (Part 1)

Here they are . . . after a lot of waiting and sorting -- pictures of the dolls at Disney Springs. It was a bit chilly that day (windy with highs in the 60s), so Nanea wore her jacket.

We got there around lunch time and parked in the Lime Garage. This puts you just a few buildings down from the World of Disney store (which is surrounded by the majority of the other Disney-owned stores at Disney Springs), so you can start taking pictures practically right away. I meant to take a photo of the dolls by the entrance fountain and escalator . . . but, truth be told, we were all so excited that I totally forgot (my Aunt and cousin were there, too).

The World of Disney has just recently undergone a huge renovation and redecoration, so it took us a while to walk through. Nanea, Benny and Harold had a LOT of fun! One of the first things we saw was a huge Minnie Mouse display, and Nanea couldn't wait to have her picture taken on it!

Benny and Nanea were also really excited to find these great photo props that make you look like Mickey and Minnie Mouse (don't tell them, but they were trying on some cool bibs!).

One of the cutest lines of souvenir plush available is called "Disney Babies". These used to be baby characters in a satin blanket, but (along with the whole store) they have been re-vamped to the cutest baby characters in the little blanket sacks --- meant to look like they are delivered by Mr. Stork from Dumbo! If any of you reading grew up in the 1990s like us, you'll remember the Disney Sing-Along tapes, and that song ("Look Out for Mr. Stork") was always one of our favorites. Benny really liked them, so he even climbed onto one of the displays . . .

Next came this really neat area filled with Mickey and Minnie plush stuff, and all very nicely decorated for Christmas. Do you think Benny and Nanea are a little too big to be stocking stuffers?

Harold had been a little reticent to come out so far, but when we found all the cute Mickey Mouses, he had to come out for a picture with his favorite mouse.

Mickey was very friendly and just loved chatting with the boys. I think he was admiring Benny's cool Mickey-ear hat band.

 

 By now, the fellas were really getting into this shopping thing, because there was some really cool stuff in this store. There were packs and packs of miniature figures that were just their size. Harold couldn't believe his eyes, either, because there was even a mini Robin Hood (his favorite character)!

Benny really enjoyed looking at the Christmas decorations and trying on Mickey's shoes . . .

By now, Nanea was really itching to look at some girly stuff. Harold wasn't at all sure about being in the Princess department . . . until he found out that Merida had a whole archery set!

The new area for Princesses in the store is quite beautiful, with lovely music. Classic Disney Princess songs play, and little clips of the movies are projected onto a large wall in the back.

The center is a beautiful display for Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Fabulous, as she's my favorite!

 Nanea really fell in love with the collection of small "Animators" dolls. I think little Ariel really liked Nanea, too.

The Animators dolls were definitely her favorite. She had to admire the mini Anna set and the large Belle doll.

These were all a bit much to bring home, so Nanea and I were very happy to bring home the set of Animators figurines --- which are made to look like very mini versions of the dolls!

Nanea had really been hoping to find a miniature plush Minnie Mouse. We didn't find one this day, but on the following day we did! So, photos of their souvenirs at home will follow in an entry or two.

After finishing up at the World of Disney, we spent a few hours walking around Disney Springs. Stay tuned for "Part 2", coming shortly. Lots more photos!