My top 5 flight essentials

I thought it would be helpful to post my top 5 flight essentials for you! I enjoy flying and I am lucky that I get to do it quite often for my traveling. 

1. Shoes you can wear with socks:  If you have TSA pre approved then ignore this tip. I have only gotten to be TSA pre approved once and I am trying to figure out how to be able to do this every time I fly. For now I have to go through the regular security and I always wear socks. You are required to take your shoes off. I don't care for germs and we all know how dirty an airport floor is so I suggest wearing shoes that go with socks. I would much rather stand in socks than my bare feet on a public surface. Plus if you wear a heavier pair of shoes then you have more room in your suitcase!

2. Snacks: Many airlines give you free snacks on the plane but I always pack some extra things that I like. If you pre purchase your snacks you will save money because we all know how much they jack the price up at the airports. Some airlines do not give you free snack items and you have to purchase them on the plane. They also do not accept cash. I try to pack something that isn't messy and that is easy to seal up once you are done. I also suggest gum if you think your ears will pop during take off. Mine never do so I don't ever have gum with me but I know many people that pack this. 

3. Water: There is no cheap option for this because you cannot go through security with liquids so you have to buy drinks at the airport. A bottle of water is a healthy option that you can reseal and not have to worry about it spilling. Plus, you know you will get thirsty on the airplane if it's longer than an hour. If your airline does offer free beverages you know it's a better deal to get an actual soda or juice or coffee free rather than a free cup of water. If your airline does give you drinks then you may not want to purchase a drink at the airport. I've also done that too because I don't want to spend money when I will get a free drink anyway.

4. Headphones: I always listen to music, watch movies or read while traveling. I suggest good headphones that can block noise out. If you read you could still wear the headphones and block some of the background noise.

5. Luggage Tags you can recognize: I always have really bright suitcases but if you like to stick to plain ones than you can have funky luggage tags to make the baggage claim process easier. Also put your phone number and name on it in case it gets lost or doesn't make it to your destination.

Special Disney Days

I just got back from another Disney/Florida trip and it was a blast. I actually was at a Disney park every single day I was in Florida. It was awesome but the best part about this trip was I got to have a special Disney Day with each cousin! On Saturday my aunt and all 3 of us cousins were at Magic Kingdom all day and it was a really fun day. Then Sunday afternoon into evening I was with Jalen, Monday afternoon/evening with Jordan and then Tuesday morning/afternoon I was with James.

The Magic Kingdom Day:

We all got up really early to leave for Disney and traffic really wasn't that bad for a weekend. My family lives about 50 minutes from Disney on a good traffic day. I had planned our fast passes a few weeks ago and I was able to snag some great ones. This is the main reason I chose Magic Kingdom for the all day whole family trip. I'm not going to go into huge detail about every single thing we did that day but I will tell you highlights about fast passes, food and such.

Fast Passes: I chose 3 of our favorite rides for a fast pass. These were Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I almost passed on Splash Mountain and did Haunted Mansion but in Feb it was too cold for a water ride so that settled that. I would suggest if you are going and can make fast passes in advance try to do the ones I listed as well as Peter Pan, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Jungle Cruise and Dumbo. All of these are usually super long wait times. Peter Pan, the Mine Train and Space Mountain are super hard to get fast passes for. Some of the other rides that are popular will have low wait times occasionally which is really nice. 

Food: We ate at Pinnochios Village Haus for lunch. It is fixed up cute and you have the option for indoor or outdoor dining. They have really good flatbread pizzas as well as Chicken Parmesean. The kids meals have good options as well! They also offer salads and maybe one other pasta meal, I can't remember. We all got pizza, salad or the Chicken Parm. The pricing is average on this. It isn't super cheap but definitely not expensive. The boys and Jalen had ice cream as a snack. I chose to use a gift card at Starbucks for coffee.

It rained on us in the early afternoon but we chose to stay. We were prepared and had ponchos and rain jackets in the backpack. If there is a small chance for rain ALWAYS prepare for it. Also many people will choose to leave if it rains and then the wait times go down. We just got in line for the people mover and rode it. If you find a ride that's inside or a shop to go in or a restaurant you can just wait out the rain. Florida's rain is Sporadic so it won't rain for long, usually.

Jalens Day: Jalen and I dressed up for church and then went to Epcot right after it. The Flower and Garden Festival was still going on and that's a big reason I did this short trip. I have never seen it before and I was dying to get to. It really is breathtaking. The atmosphere and the way the gardeners fix everything up is incredible. Not to mention good drinks and food! We had the famous Violet Lemonade which was awesome. I tried some hard cider that was really good since I am of age and she is not. We did have some fast passes for Spaceship Earth, to meet characters as well as Finding Nemo. There weren't many fast passes left so we did the characters and it was super fun meeting Mickey, Goofy and Minnie. We also did Living with the Land. We started pin trading on this day as well and I got a neat Hercules pin! We had an awesome time together like we always do. I am a Landrys Club Member (I'll post about that another day) so I had rewards for T-Rex, so we met my aunt, uncle and Jordan there at Disney Springs for dinner. That place is always amazing(read my last blog post)

Jordans Day: I decided to make good fast passes on the Monday to Hollywood Studios because some of the popular ones you need to make in advance. I knew at least one person would really go with me! Jordan gets off work early afternoon so he went along with me. We had Toy Story Mania, Star Tours and then there wasn't much else to pick from. I offered to watch him ride Rockin Roller Coaster but he didn't want to go alone. I don't blame him but I won't ride it. LOL. I have never seen Star Wars but after doing the ride 2 times and meeting Chewbacca, Storm Troopers and BB-88 I am going to try to watch ALL of them. I think I will enjoy it just because I loved everything they had at Hollywood Studios. I made reservations to the Sci-Fi Diner because I know he likes to eat there. You sit in an old car and there is a big screen like you are at a drive in movie. The food was super good and you get a discount if you are a season passholder. We walked around and did the Great Movie Ride as well as Indiana Jones Stunt show.

James Day: As I was laying out at their subdivisions pool Monday morning I was thinking what can James and I do? He has been in college so this is the first Florida trip where all 3 cousins are together. Every time I am down there I will do something special with Jalen and Jordan but James always missed out. I looked up breakfast reservations at Disney because we both really like that type of food. The Crystal Palace had one which is a buffet and I was considering it but then something magical happened. BE OUR GUEST HAD ONE!! If you know anything about Be Our Guest you will know it fills up 6 months in advance so you have to be on top of things or hope for a cancellation. I suggest checking on the Disney app a lot. Obviously I chose that option and it was AMAZING. How they built that place amazes me. The atmosphere was incredible the food was delicious and the servers were nice. For breakfast and lunch they bring you your food but you order and pay on a touch screen then choose which of the 3 theme rooms you want to eat at. For dinner it's table service and I assume you don't get to select your seat. We had a blast and then we did a few rides before he had to leave. He really likes the Haunted mansion as well as myself and it was only a 15 minute wait! We also both enjoy the peoplemover! I decided to just hang out alone at Magic Kingdom then around 3 ride the bus over to Animal Kingdom to meet my aunt, Jordan and Jalen.

Animal Kingdom with the 3:  I met 3 out of the 5 at Animal Kingdom for the late afternoon/evening and I had already made fast passes. We did the Kilimanjaro Safari, Mount Everest (rollercoaster) and Dinosaur. I had never ridden the Mount Everest ride because I hate rollercoasters. They thought I could do it because I love Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom and it's a roller coaster. I actually didn't hate it. There were a couple of parts I did not care for but for the most part I enjoyed it. The safari I have a post about so if you are interested check out my site to find it. Dinosaur is a neat ride and I never expect some of the things that happen even though I've ridden it multiple times. We checked out some of the animal walking trails and the bats were outside! They were huge. We were sad the tigers weren't there but I'll be back again. We did dinner at Rainforest Cafe which I have a post about on my site as well. It was super good, like always. Jordan left after dinner and us girls stayed to do another ride on Dinosaur (we had a fast pass) and watch River of Lights. None of us had seen that new show they do on the water. It was actually really cool but I will admit it isn't as good as Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios. But, they are different so I appreciate both of them for what they are. Like I say it was good and if I don't see it again for a while I won't be sad but I really did like it so I will watch it again.

Jalen Day, Again: I seriously wasn't going to go to Disney my last day but I found another, yes another reservation for 2 at Be Our Guest. It was for lunch and Jalen has early releases on Wednesdays so it worked out perfect. I just picked her up 30 minutes from school and it was off to the Magic Kingdom. Lunch was super good but the breakfast was just so amazing I would do it again. I had this ham and cheese sandwich and I know what you're thinking, wow she had that in such a nice place? Well yes because this was incredible and it was some kind of french bread and cheese. Jalen had the same thing. Something that is really cool about breakfast and lunch at Be Our Guest is that you do not pay for your drinks. They have stations where you just get up and get your own. I think this is a great option. This is just my opinion but I think I know why Be Our Guest fills up so fast and is so popular. It has a  really cool theme. Who woudln't want to eat where it looks like you're in the movie with Belle? The prices. Honestly for paying for food at Disney it really isn't too terrible. Breakfast was $24 dollars an adult BUT the portions were really big AND you don't pay for your drinks (free refills with to go cups!) Lunch is the cheapest being $14.99 an adult and free beverages. Now dinner will cost more and I'm not sure if the drinks are free but still worth it. Anywhere that is sit down at Disney for dinner time will cost you a decent amount. I think Disney should make more themed restaurants with this kind of set up. I've heard rumors about a Haunted Mansion themed restaurant and I HOPE HOPE HOPE they do this but keep it reasonable priced or do it like Be Our Guest. We met Gaston and Aerial as well as had fast passes for Thunder Mountain, Buzz and Peter Pan. We did other rides that were short wait times too. We did A LOT of pin trading the whole time I was down there. It is really addicting and I came home with none of my trader pins. I got many neat ones and I can't wait to make a pin board to display them. We got Starbucks as a snack and tradition.

T-Rex Cafe

     If you know me, you know I love dinosaurs. I have been obsessed with them since I was three years old. I know a lot about them from all of my years of research. Yes, I am a nerd who researched about Dinos to learn more about them. I have a bachelors degree in History with a minor in Geology so that shouldn't come as a shock to you. Anyway enough about me and on to my blog post about the T-Rex Cafe at Disney Springs in Orlando. I really enjoy themed restaurants like this or Rain forest or Hard Rock Cafe so I highly suggest eating here. I will share with you just some random information, pictures, tips and facts about T Rex Cafe and why I personally love it.

• Atmosphere: You will take a journey back 60 million years ago to a time where Dinosaurs ruled the earth. From the gift shop, to the entrance, to the bar to the dining areas every inch is covered to make you feel like you time traveled. Even in the bathrooms! Like I mentioned before, I am a nerd so going into the bathroom and seeing things like Trilobites on the wall excited me. I also love aquariums and they have a couple with really neat colorful fish. They sectioned off different dining areas to have separate prehistoric feels. For example, one section is woolly mammoths and saber tooth tigers with an ice age feel. If you didn't know this fun fact I am glad to offer it. This era happened after the dinosaurs were extinct. Another section might have just dinosaurs in it to look at. The bar looks like it is Ice and it changes colors. There is even a volcano eruption in this restaurant. 

• Food: I am a picky eater and this is more of a child based restaurant attraction so the menu makes me happy. I am 27 and LOVE eating here so if you are an adult I promise you would like it as well. The menu has a good variety and anyone can find something they like. There is anything from sandwiches, to steak, to pasta to kids meals to salads and so on. They have a mix of everything. I will list my favorite items for you all!
1. Supersaurus Sampler:  This is an appetizer that will serve 4 adults. It has their own queso dip, onion rings, Bruschetta and Trexadillas(quesadillas). One time my cousin and I split it for our meal because we didn't want to spend much money and didn't have a lot of time. It was great for that but also awesome for an appetizer if you are really hungry.
2. Side Salads:  If you are thinking about ordering maybe just and appetizer and a salad I say go for it. Their side salads are a large portion and delicious. I only eat Caesar dressing so I can only speak for it and it was really good. 
3. Boneyard Buffet: I do not eat this, no I'm not a vegetarian, I just am not a big meat eater. I would eat the chicken but not the ribs. My boy cousins have ordered this before and they loved it. It is a portion of two main items; rotisserie chicken and pork spare ribs. It also comes with coleslaw and waffle fries. This is for big eaters!
4. Lasagna: This was actually really good but a fair warning it isn't going to be as good as some you could get at an Italian restaurant. It also doesn't come with a side so for the price it isn't worth it to me unless you want to pay extra for one or a salad. 
5. Kids T-Rex Nuggets: Picky adults of the world rejoice for at Disney you can order kids meals! I am so weird that last time we went here I ordered a side salad, chicken Dino shaped nuggets and waffle fries. It was REAL good, just saying. 
6. Adult Beverages:  One time I took Jalen my high school aged cousin to the bar there. I know what you are thinking. How can she sit there if she isn't 21 and you are a bad influence. Well at Disney kids can sit at the bars in T-Rex. Also, we didn't want to wait an hour and a half for a table and there was room at the bar. The bartender suggested the "Journey to the Center" drink and it was really good. It was a vodka based mixed drink. I paid a little extra to be able to keep the glass cup. Jalen had the basic non alcoholic strawberry lemonade and she liked it as well. I would assume all of the alcoholic drinks at this type of a restaurant are awesome. 

• Gift Shop: If you like dinosaurs you will enjoy it and if you aren't a huge fan then you probably will not. There are many different dinosaur or prehistoric toy options to purchase if you have kids. There are your basic souvenirs as well. I have a tervis cup from here because well I love dinosaurs and the tervis cups are my favorites. They sell neat t-shirts that are store related or just dinosaur related. They also sell realistic looking toys which I appreciate. The reading material they sell is very interesting to me as well. If your child would like to explore in the kid area they can dig up fake bones and stuff like that. I am pretty sure it costs money. 

I like this pace and I don't need more than the food, atmosphere or gift shop to be happy. I think anyone would enjoy this place and if you are a Landry's Select Club member you can use your card here. You can get priority seating, redeem rewards, earn points towards rewards from food and gift purchases. For more information go to www.landrysselect.com Also you can make reservations to T-Rex with your My Disney Experience account and I always recommend reservations for any Disney property restaurant. I hope all of this information was beneficial to you and I hope you have a magical day! 

Being a tourist in Las Vegas is okay.

      Most people don't usually associate Las Vegas with family vacations or really any type of vacation. They typically think of it as "Sin City" where everything is crazy and the party scene is prominent. While I cannot argue with any of that I will have to say there are some touristy type attractions that I feel like you should do while in Vegas. Do I think this is somewhere I would take a family? Not really, but I also don't have children yet so I can't say for sure. It does seem like a lame place for kids because they cannot do much except eat, swim and see the sights of Vegas. You could go anywhere for vacation and have a hotel with a nice pool and eat good food. Plus, there are some things you might not want your child to see at a young age. This is going to sound bad and don't get me wrong, I do like kids, I don't want any but I like them. However, that being said, I would never ever take kids to Vegas. Las Vegas is way too fun to have a child ruin it. So, now I will get back to the topic of this post which is being a tourist. Now, I do like everything about Vegas, but on my last trip my mom was with me for my birthday. She doesn't drink or gamble. So why bring her to Vegas you ask? She got me tickets on my  birthday for the Backstreet Boys and we also wanted to see some shows. Also, I had told her about just the atmosphere as well as the incredible food. So aside from the shows and the concert we did some touristy things and I really enjoyed them.
        Most of the casinos on the strip have some attraction or exhibit that is free. Yes you heard me correct, FREE. Some examples include the famous fountain show at Bellagio, The Fall of Atlantis at Caesars, The Volcano at the Mirage, The Flamingos at the Flamingo and so on. Any Vegas related website or pamphlet will tell you exactly where each free thing is located. Take note that some of them are only at certain times. I suggest trying to see all of the free things if you have time because they are pretty neat. The fountains at Bellagio are breathtaking and if you have the chance to stay there you should. That is where we stayed and we had booked a room with a strip view. It also showed 3/4 of the fountains so that was pretty cool to see every night out of your window. Also the Bellagio conservatory has GORGEOUS flowers and the theme changes with the seasons.
       Mom thought the Big Bus Tour would be fun so we bought tickets for that. It is a double decker tour bus with obviously a driver as well as a tour guide. We had Big Bus Bruce 2 times and he was the best tour guide ever. He was hilarious and knew A LOT of the history as well as fun facts about Vegas. We were lucky and got to sit up top every time except one time when it was super packed. This tour takes you all the way from the famous welcome to Las Vegas sign to downtown old Vegas to Fremont Street and to the Strip. Now here is the coolest part, you can get on and off as you please. Do you want to get off at Fremont street and check it out a while then get back on the bus? You can do that. One stop is the outlet malls so you could shop, get picked up and then ride back to the strip hearing more history or facts. I will tell you that there isn't a huge amount of stops so don't expect every thing you want to do to be next to a bus stop. Also, none of the stops are right on the strip. For example; the stop we used a lot was the Ballys stop. It was right outside of their food court which was on the opposite side of their main entrance on the strip. If you choose to you can have a night time tour that takes you along the strip to see the lights as well as downtown by Fremont street to see the night life there as well as the light show. We really didn't have time to do a night time tour because we did 2 shows, the concert and ate dinner with a friend who lives in town. I would assume it was a neat tour because I really enjoyed the day time tour. Also if you buy tickets to Madame Tussards wax museum from the Big Bus Tour people you get a big discount. I will write a post later about that museum.
       I know there are more touristy activities you can do while in Vegas but these are things that I have done so I wanted to share them with you. I suggest trying something different while in Vegas and doing the opposite of what you associate Vegas with. Plus, you can bring alcohol anywhere so why not drink and do tourist stuff. They even sold alcohol in the wax museum. I posted a few candid photos from the Bus Tour as well as some of the free things I mentioned.