In Vacanza con la Mia Famiglia (On vacation with my family)

If I had my way I would be traveling in Italy right now. I love Italy and there is so much more to experience there. But let’s face it; I can’t fly back and forth across the Atlantic all the time. However, I am a traveler and as the old saying goes “any port in a storm.”

My daughter Stephanie was attending a convention in Kissimmee, Florida. Yes, that is the home of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Tinkerbell, just to name a few. My granddaughter Magnolia is nearly 5 years old so we decided it was a perfect time to make Stephanie’s work weekend into a little vacation.

Now it is December in Minnesota and there is snow on the ground as we take flight. Magnolia is so excited as we leave the ground. This is our own little celebration for the holidays and for Magnolia’s December birthday (mine too).

The location of the convention was at the Gaylord Palms Resort, a giant hotel with convention hall and a place that celebrates Christmas like it’s the North Pole. Not only is Santa in attendance but Mrs. Santa Claus meets good little children for breakfast. They light a huge Christmas tree every night and it actually snows indoors.

Every evening after lighting the tree a free show of wonderful holiday performers juggle, do gymnastics and so much more. The second time Magnolia saw it she danced in the aisles!

Magnolia decided that she would rather meet Mrs. Santa than Santa himself so we booked breakfast with Mrs. Claus. She, like many children, is intimidated by the strange, bearded man but we thought she would love the Mrs. However, she was very shy and would not have her photo taken. Magnolia preferred Santa’s elves and we have photos to prove it!

On Friday, Magnolia and I had our own special day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That child is a daredevil. She decided we should go on the Himalayan Mountain ride to the highest point in the park. She loved it, except for that backward rollercoaster part and the Yeti. Nonna kept her safe but could skip that ride next time. The highlight of the day was the Safari ride. We were able to see a Rhino right next to the car, lions, elephants and giraffes to name a few. The only thing wrong with the Safari ride was that it was only about 25 minutes long. We both wanted more.

We took the train around the Africa area and Magnolia was able to see new baby animals and a few large props. It helped us extend our animal adventure together.

Sunday Mamma Stephanie was able to get away for the entire day. We went to Disney Magic Kingdom of course!

What can I say?  Walt Disney was a genius. This park brings out the child in all of us. Every ride was fantastic (Magnolia drove the kid car just like her Nonna drives the freeways!). The parade was incredible and Magnolia and Mommy had a spectacular experience together. I did too. Being there with the two people I love the most in the world made it just as beautiful as Florence or Orvieto.

Travel is always worth the time and the money. Traveling with those you love is worth more than any money can buy. Take time to play with your loved ones as we did. It was wonderful!

Ciao for now!