When the Skyliner was announced at Disney World, I knew I had no intention of riding it. It sounded terrifying. And with the accidents that happened after it opened, my fears had meaning. But when we booked our trip back in May 2021, the only affordable option was Pop which utilized the Skyliner for both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Both were parks we intended to visit multiple times. So I had to overcome my fears.
When we visited Disney World back in May 2021, character meals were still minimal and came with little contact even when present. One we could not get before arriving was Hollywood and Vine during the breakfast hours. During those hours you are greeted with Disney Jr. characters. I thought for sure Melody would love this and be less skeptical. She is obsessed with Doc McStuffins, and she is a fan of Fancy Nancy. With little contact as an added bonus, I really wanted to snag this reservation. Well the night before a 9 am reservation opened up, so I grabbed it.
This year we did get to do a bit more for Father’s Day for Brad than we did last year. One of our favorite restaurants closed, but the location was reopened by a new owner. So we finally got to try that as well.
With this being the last summer before Melody starts kindergarten, I feel like I really need to make the most of it. I mean while she has been attending school for the last three years, it has only been for 2-3 days a week, 4-6 hours a day, and exceptionally flexible. Well all of the will go out the window in August. I only have 8 or so weeks with my baby before she becomes a big girl (at least in my eyes). So I wanted to really make the most of those 8 weeks. I decided to come up with a bucket list for the summer. We are already so busy (and nearly half way through the summer), so there is a chance we won’t accomplish all the things. But it at least gives me some goals.
So in this COVID world, things are constantly changing. I really feel like that is totally the case these last few months. On our recent trip in May 2021, we expected it to be much different. We expected temperature checks, masks indoors and outdoors, relaxation zones, and plenty of social distancing. But literally days before our trip, that all went out the window. There were still rules, but not quite like we expected. Below you can check out what our trip was like with a lot of COVID rules in place. **Note that a lot of the rules have even changed when this article was published. It is a constantly changing thing. This is just how it was May 2021.
One of Brad’s most favorite restaurants at Disney World that we do almost every single trip is Chefs de France. On our last few visits, I finally found food I really loved there. My favorite has always been the lobster bisque, but on our trip in 2019, I found a new favorite - flat iron steak with pomp frites. It was amazing. But with COVID, they have limited their menu dramatically. So I wanted to do another review with the current menu. Below are review from previous trips:
No one ever wants to see their trip come to an end. We had some bigger plans for the day, but we opted to take it easy instead. Brad feeling super sick also didn’t help…
Our last park day started with a pressured filled morning. Today was our Hollywood Studios morning. This meant getting up to get a Rise of the Resistance boarding group at 7 am. We also had breakfast reservations at 9 am at Hollywood and Vine. While the breakfast was good, I do kind of wished I had not booked it. Then we would not have been in as much of a rush to get to the park. But such is life I suppose.
Our second day at Disney World was a jam-packed day that started way too early, to be honest. And honestly, we should have started even earlier, but breakfast was too much of a priority for us.
So our first day at Disney was meant to be a slower starting day since we arrived so late the night before. But that wasn’t entirely the case. We met my parents for breakfast that morning before heading to Epcot. I want to say it was round 8:30 that morning if not earlier. I am having trouble remembering entirely. But either way, it wasn’t quite sleeping in, but compared to other days, I suppose it was!
So we headed to our first Disney World trip post-COVID back in May. It was a Sunday evening. We opted to fly due to my dad’s work schedule and the cheap flights. But we were also forced to take whatever time was available. So we flew in late Sunday night. Melody was completely clueless. I was hoping for a fun reveal, but unfortunately it didn’t quite happen the way I had hoped.
So we had a Disney trip planned with my parents back in August 2020, but then COVID happened and wrecked havoc on all of the plans. We postponed it many times, and we eventually stopped planning it. But we finally found a week that did work for everyone in May. The problem we encountered is that we literally decided about 3 weeks out. In the COVID world, it is ideal to wait until closer to your trip now just because you never know, but I am a planner. When we finally decided we would go, there was not any park passes available for the parks except EPCOT. And while that is our favorite park, with the late start every day, it just did not seem ideal. So we backed out. But then Disney fixed a glitch in their system and many passes were released, so we booked our trip!
My Noom goal specialist sent me the recipe a while back, and I loved it. I wouldn’t necessarily fix it every time we did nachos because I also love my homemade tortilla chips, but it is a great alternative.
May is literally our busiest month of the year! We have anniversaries, birthdays, recitals, graduations, vacations, and holidays! Whew, I am exhausted just thinking about all that we did!
Melody graduated from her preschool a few weeks ago. It was super emotional leading up to it, but the night of I didn’t cry as much as I expected. I absolutely loved her preschool, and I am most sad to be leaving it versus her simply going to kindergarten. I am excited to see her grow and continue on at her new school, but I will really miss her teachers and small school for sure!
So two weeks ago, we celebrated Melody’s THIRD dance recital. The stress around recitals never gets easier. Every year there is new circumstances that make it even more chaotic than the previous year. I am also bias in that I thought our recital last year was the best. It was NOT a full recital due to COVID, but for kids this age, I think it was perfect! But we had a traditional recital, but with less people due to social distancing.
Our little baby who I felt like just came home from the hospital last week turned 5 on Tuesday. It really got here quick. People always tell you time flies with kids. And I do agree, and I always have. But it still blows me away. We had a fun day celebrating all things Melody!
For dance teacher gifts this year, I decided to go simple and cute. I saw this idea on Pinterest, and I recreated it. I made cute gift tags. I found a cute clipart online, then I added the phrase “Dancing Makes Life Sweeter” followed by “Thanks for a great year - Melody”. Then I attached it to a bag full of Starburst!
By much surprise, we finished our dance year without any COVID related issues or delays. We even had a little sense of normalcy by the end of the semester. We would get to go inside and watch the girls the last 10 minutes of class. We only got to do this maybe a handful of times, but it was still something that made it feel a little more normal. I am hoping next year will provide us a greater sense of normalcy as well. Here are some photos I took throughout the semester!
So Melody just graduation from her preschool last week. I debated whether we did a gift or not, but we ultimately decided to get her a book.
