Travel - Pocketful of Joules

Do You Have Any Disney World Tips?

We’re going to Disney World!!!!!

Can you feel my excitement? It is directly proportionate to the amount of exclamation points I use.

So yeah, there is a lot of excitement!!!

We weren’t actually planning to go to Disney World until Jack was much older, but there was a perfect storm of Disney planning and we jumped on it. I’ve been working with Jenn Hart from WDW Guru Travel, who has been nothing short of amazing. She has personally visited Disney World more than 70 times and has been an invaluable resource. Not only has she given me some amazing tips for which parks to visit on each day and where to find the best snacks, she’s also put together itineraries to match our specific needs. Oh and her services are complimentary. I’ll be raving more about her in my ‘we just got back from Disney’ post.

So, WHY did we decide to go to Disney now?
Money.

Did you know that kids under three years old get to enjoy Disney World for FREE?! That’s right; if your child is under the age of three you don’t have to purchase a park ticket OR a meal plan. This even holds true if your child turns three while they’re on the trip.

Since Jack’s birthday is coming up in mid-February and he’s OBSESSED with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Pirates, Doc McStuffins and more, we figured we’d celebrate early. He gets to enjoy the parks for free, he stays in the room for free, he eats off our meal plan for free. Free, free, free! We only have to pay for his plane fare, which is $200 round-trip.

So yeah, Disney makes sense and I can’t wait! I’ve been a bunch of times, but this will be the first visit for both Travis and Jack. However, if you would have heard my squeal when I opened the box containing our Magic Bands, you might think this was my first Disney trip too…

{Oh, and if you want to follow along in our Disney adventures, be sure to follow PocketfulofJoules on Instagram because I’m sure I’ll be posting lots of pictures while we’re there.}

I’m putting in a ton of work to make this trip one of the BEST TRIPS EVER and I’d love any tips you may have!

Our Plan:
Here’s the short version – we will be flying in on a Sunday and staying at the Pop Century Resort. We plan to walk over to the Art of Animation Resort for dinner and to check out the Car’s themed area because Jack LOVES Lightning McQueen and Mater. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will be visiting the different parks (Magic Kingdom twice, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios), return to our room each afternoon for nap time to decompress and then go back out for evening fun. We leave on Friday, so we will be lazy in the morning and catch the shuttle bus back to the airport in the afternoon.

Here’s what I want to know:

Do you have Tips for the Plane?
The last time we flew with Jack he was only one year old and sat (aka squirmed) on my lap. This time, he will have his own seat. I’m planning to put him in a window seat so I can keep him contained and we decided to leave his car seat at home (we will not be needing it at any other time on the trip because the Disney Magic Shuttle Bus will be picking us up). I plan on packing his little backpack with some snacks, including some crayons and new coloring books, and also loading my Kindle with his favorite shows. Do you have any other tips to keep him entertained and quiet on the 2 ½ hour flight?

Do you have any favorite places to eat at Disney?
We purchased the Quick Service Dining Plan which gives us two quick service meals and one snack per day for both adults. We also receive one resort refillable mug (yay coffee) to use throughout our stay. Jack is welcome to eat off of our meals for no extra charge. We have also booked brunch at Chef Mickey’s so that Jack can meet Mickey and friends in a low pressure environment (instead of standing in line at the parks). Jenn gave us some tips on her favorite places to eat and I want to know yours too. Do you have a favorite quick service restaurant, meal or snack to eat in Disney World? Don’t worry, the Dole Whip Float is totally on my list!

Am I crazy for skipping the stroller?
I was considering renting a stroller for the parks (you can have it delivered to your hotel room for your trip and they pick it up when you leave), but decided to just skip the stroller altogether. With Travis and I both being pretty tall (he’s 6’4″ and I’m 5’7″) it’s awfully uncomfortable for us to use most strollers. Also, Jack doesn’t really sit in there that long and has never fallen asleep in one. Add to that the fact that I totally get stressed out worrying that our stroller will disappear and it seems more hassle than it’s worth.

My current plan is to forgo the stroller entirely and just take our Ergo carrier so I can throw Jack on my back for any longer walks. I figure this will allow us to get through any crowds easier (instead of weaving around and bumping people’s ankles), and give Jack a great vantage point for evening fireworks. As an added bonus, I’ll get quite a workout with a 32+ pound kid on my back. If the first day goes horribly, we can always rent a stroller at the park for the day. Have you done this? Am I insane for trying?

Any other tips?
Don’t worry, I already booked our Fast Passes (Jenn had an AWESOME list of rides you’d actually need a Fast Pass for vs. which ones were a total waste) and have an idea of the main activities we are going to do each day. I don’t want our trip to be TOO planned though, and am looking forward to nap time (aka Travis and Jack napping while I read a book) each afternoon to recharge for the evening entertainment. Do you have anything I should add to my “Don’t MISS this!” list?

I plan to do a post when we get back to tell you all about our trip (what worked and what didn’t) and maybe a post on dressing/packing for Disney World. Is there anything else you’d like to know?

Ok, go forth and leave lots of comments!

{PS. My brother will be house sitting & dog sitting for us while we are gone… which is the only reason I said anything before we left. Typically for privacy and security reasons I don’t talk about vacations until we come back from them.}

Plane Awkwardness Caused by Tom Cruise

While I LOVE traveling, sometimes (um…always) I really wish I could just use some Floo powder rather than deal with the hassles of flying on an airplane.

Of course, this time it was totally my own darn fault.

And no, I’m not talking about the rude, rude, RUDE boy who took up more than his share of room.

Before I left Austin to come home, I decided to do my usual and download a movie to watch on my Kindle during the flight. I was having a hard time finding a movie I wanted to see and finally decided to watch Rock of Ages.

I figured it was the perfect choice – I wanted a comedy to keep me entertained and my husband refuses to watch anything where people sing or dance. So, I happily downloaded it and decided to start the movie once we were up in the air.

It was pretty good.
And funny.
And I was totally tapping my toes along with some of the awesome 80’s jams.

And then came a naughty part.

Two of the characters sang “I Want to Know What Love Is” while getting a little sexy. There was clothing coming off, Tom Cruise singing to Malin Akerman’s butt, and some spread eagle legs.

Which was totally fine because I’m a GROWN UP. However, the older gentleman sitting 1 ½ inches from me was also watching.

Or should I say, trying not to watch.

So there is Tom Cruise fondling some boobies while the lady sticks her tongue in his ear – which was actually pretty hilarious – and the guy next to me stares. Then, looks away. Then stares again.

Then, the lady kneels down and rips Tommy boy’s pants open with her mouth (also funny… but not to someone who hasn’t been watching the movie) and my seatmate is watching.

So then I start to squirm a little. I mean, unless this guy has seen the movie he’s probably thinking that I’m a dirty bird watching porn right next to him.

What? Don’t believe me?

Here’s the scene. You’ve been warned.

So yeah, I’m only watching Disney movies on flights from now on.

Have you ever been caught watching something embarrassing on a flight?

All About Austin

I’m so glad I finally got a chance to type up all my thoughts on last week’s super fun trip to Austin, Texas. Instead of giving you a boring-ish daily breakdown, I’m just sticking with the highlights of where I went, what I ate and what I bought…

I landed in Austin right around noon on Sunday and my classes didn’t start until the next morning, so I did most of my exploring that afternoon. In the middle of my Monday session, I realized that I had the afternoon free so I threw together some more exploring plans and hit the streets as soon as I got out of class.

Hmm… maybe ‘hit the streets’ is a little too streetwalker-ish? I dressed like a non-prostitute and ran around some more. When I initially looked at the map, I thought I’d have to take cabs everywhere… but Austin was a lot more walkable than I realized.

Here’s where I went:

South Congress Avenue
When I was doing my research before I left home, I kept finding information about South Congress. It was described as really cool area with an eclectic mix of the funky and unusual – lots of vintage shops, restaurants, bars, and craft tents. Well, that sounds like exactly what I love about traveling, so it was the highest priority on my list. It also was just 1.4 miles away from the Austin Hilton, so I decided to enjoy the beautiful 80 degree day and walk there.

On my pre-planned list of shops to visit I had: Toms, Tesoros Trading Co, Uncommon Objects, Allens Boots, New Bohemia, Off the Wall, Prototype and Feathers. I was really hoping that I’d find a great pair of vintage boots to take home with me. I was also starving because I hadn’t had a chance to eat lunch, so I was crossing my fingers for some awesome food.

What I ate: There was tons of food to choose from, but I ended up wandering around in a craft tent/trailer food area when I found this crepes place. I ordered a strawberry and banana crepe that was topped with chocolate and whipped cream. Hubba-hubba!

What I bought: Well, I did find some amazing boots at Allens boots and literally did an embarrassing gasp/moan when I saw over a dozen Frye’s in my size. The picture below is just a teensy-tiny part of the store… there must have been thousands and thousands of boots there. I was totally drooling. I tried on a bunch of pairs and pretty much swooned the entire time. Until I looked at the price tag for a pair that I loved… $428. Um, NOPE. Goodbye my lovelies…

Not everything in South Congress was out of my price range though and I fell in love with pretty much everything at Leighelana (1714 S Congress Ave). I bought an amazing t-bar buckle bracelet that I’ve worn every single day since. I was super tempted to get one of her jigsaw bracelets as well, but didn’t want to spend all my money at my first shop!

I also loved The Gypsy Wagon (1204 S. Congress Avenue) with their mix of really cool clothing and jewelry. I bought my husband a Texas t-shirt to add to his ‘my wife went away and all I got was a t-shirt’ collection. I also bought myself an amazingly simple, yet gorgeous gold bar necklace.

2^nd Street District
When I realized on Monday that I only had classes in the morning with my afternoon free, I decided to check out the nearby 2^nd Street District (only 0.7 miles away from the Austin Hilton). The area is described as “when Texas warmth meets Austin cool” and I probably would have liked it a lot more had I not just been to South Congress, which was MUCH better.

On my list to visit was: Eliza Page, Luxe Apothetique, Austin Rocks, Langford Market, and anything else that caught my eye. I also needed lunch and figured I’d find something while I was there.

What I ate: Oh my goodness, I was craving something hearty like a burger and Jo’s (1300 South Congress Ave) totally delivered! I got their daily special, which was a French Onion melt – a burger smothered in French onion dip, swiss cheese and fried onion rings. You wouldn’t want to eat it on a date because it was super heavy and filling, but for a girl shopping her heart out alone it was perfect!

What I bought: I was kind of underwhelmed by many of the stores in the 2^nd Street District because they were either exactly what I could find at home or way too expensive. I did find one that I loved though, Luxe Apothetique (201 W 2nd Street). I probably could have spent hours going through all the cool stuff in this one store, but I ended up buying one thing… this incredible statement necklace:

6^th Street
Apparently 6^th Street is where it’s AT in Austin. And by “AT” I mean, where all the partying happens. During the day, the area looks a tad bit sketchy since it’s pretty much ALL bars… but at night the street comes alive. On my first visit, some friends and I started out at a fun little Irish pub with live music called B.D. Rileys. They had cider on draft, so I was a happy girl. At the end of the night, we ended up at The Trophy Club, which is where I decided to try my hand at mechanical bull riding (you can see it here). Don’t be too impressed though, I totally begged the bull remote dude to be nice to me and NOT throw me off because I’m old and I might break something.

The following night we also hit up Coyote Ugly, because… why not?! It was pretty empty though, so I didn’t end up dancing on the bar. I have danced on a bar at some point in my life though, so I’m not sobbing over it or anything.

What I ate: I can easily say that the BEST meal I had the entire time I was in Austin was at a really cool restaurant called Searsucker (415 Colorado Street). My new friends from Waybetter Marketing were sweet enough to let me tag along with their crew and OH MY GOD was the food fantastic! {Thanks so much Richard, Joe, Kristi, Kate and Autumne}

While everything I tasted was amazing, some of my favorites were the mushrooms + warm mozzarella + toast smalls, shrimp + cheddar bacon grits, pork butt with peaches + schnapps + prosciutto, and (of course) the s-mores bar. HOLY YUM! If you’re ever in Austin GO GO GO there and you won’t be sorry.

In addition to all the eating and all the shopping, I also learned a lot from my conference sessions. It was actually one of the best marketing conferences I’ve been to in a long time, so I’m super happy I was able to go. I was ALSO super happy to have an entire king-sized bed to myself for four whole nights.

I missed my boys though and was incredibly touched to have this waiting for me when I got home.

It’s nice to feel appreciated! And apparently this is a work in progress for the artist. #toddler

A photo posted by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:13pm PST

Have you been to Austin? Are you also kind of obsessed with shopping for items MADE in the city you are visiting? Which do you think was my best buy – the wrap bracelet, gold bar necklace or statement necklace?