Guess who's back? This post is way overdo because my birthday was back in May, but better late than never, right? I am excited to share what was probably one of the BEST birthday gifts I have ever received! For my 22nd (ew I'm old) birthday Eric and I went on Walt Disney World Animal Kingom's Wild Africa Trek. For those of you unfamiliar with Disney World tours, they offer amazing private tours that just add extra magic to any trip. Before I continue on I just want to mention that Disney did NOT sponsor this post, it was my birthday gift from Eric (but who knows maybe one day they'll sponsor Eric and I's love of Disney...we can dream!) Anyways, since I love animals, Eric signed us up for this amazing tour. Just an FYI, if you are a Disney Annual Passholder, you get a discount on tours, 15% off, so make sure to take full advantage!
On this tour you get up close and personal with the animals, like a true wilderness explore! There's some minor hiking, so keep that in mind. But it is not bad and adds to the adventure factor! We got to watch a feeding session with the hungry, hungry hippos (see what I did there?) We also got to see a training session of the hippos where we could ask the trainers all the questions we could possibly come up with (surprisingly I had a lot). We also got an up close look at meerkats...they are absolutely adorable! Honestly wish I could of brought one home with me! We also got hooked up and got to cross wobbly bridges (safely! I never once felt in danger) to see the gators from above--it was incredible. The next part of our tour that I loved was going on our own personal safari tour...imagine the safari ride in Animal Kingdom 2.0! They provided us with cooling cloths that felt AMAZING and cooled us off after the hiking and also gave us binoculars so we could really see all the animals. But to top it all off, we got to dine in the center of the safari while we watched the animals roam. It was beautiful. The view is one I will never forget. I tried to keep this post simple + sweet so I don't spoil anything for those of you who are ready for an African safari here in the USA! A quick tip I will provide is that they do allow you to take your phones on the tour and provide you a holder for them, but I definitely recommend not bringing your's and leaving it behind in the locker. The tour guides carry professional cameras to capture all the memories and will take any photo you request of you and the animals. They take a whole bunch and are included in the tour price so take advantage. Disconnect from the world and let yourself truly embark on this adventure. I definitely recommend this tour and if you are interested in learning more reach out and I will answer any questions you have! Make sure to check out all the photos in this post. Stay tuned for all the fun and exciting posts coming now in 2020! Until the next post, take it easy!
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Hello friends! I have been promising you all Paris posts for a while now, so here is the first one! Eric and I love Disney, in fact we are annual passholders for Walt Disney World (in Orlando). So when we found out we were traveling to Paris, France you know we had to knock Disneyland Paris off of our Disney bucket list (Disney Bucket List- AKA go to every Disney park in the world!) So on January 1st, New Year's Day, aka our Disney World's crowd nightmare, but surprisingly it was very empty...to our surprise!
So let me begin by saying in my opinion you can conquer both parks in one day if you get there early. Eric on the other hand would recommend that if you can you do the parks (there's two) in two days so you can ride the rides many times as you please. Pro tip: you can purchase Disneyland Paris tickets from third party sites (like here) for less than the Disneyland Paris site will charge you. We got the park hopper and bounced from park to park based on what we wanted to ride, lines, etc. Also don't forget to print your ticket because there are no magic bands or even a card option (unless you are a Disneyland Paris annual passholder). Once you are in the park, it won't feel like Walt Disney World, if that is the park you are used to visiting, the parks are not beautifully decorated or maintained like they are back home, but do not let that discourage you from your day of fun ahead! As Eric said, "it is a Six Flags disguised as a Disney park." LOL! Another pro tip Eric and I learned from our adventure that we share with anyone planning to go to Disneyland Paris...PACK MEALS FOR THE PARK! The food in Disneyland Paris is subpar to say the least, which I know is shocking since it is located in Paris AKA the land of good food, but the meal options are bleh and they do not server traditional Disney snacks (no Mickey ice cream or cotton candy! Or Churros- the horror!) We recommend you stop at a market prior to hitting the parks and purchase ham and cheese baguettes and beverages, because the lines for snacks are longer than the lines for rides sometimes. So if you go to Disney World for the food, this may not be the place for you! Our favorite part about Disneyland Paris has to be the rides! The rides are amazing!! They have incredible rollercoasters and rides that are unlike ones back home. Also, we never waited in a line exceeding 30 minutes. So if you are that person that dreads Disney World because you hate lines, this is the park for you. Our favorite ride is Space Mountain, because not only is it Star Wars-themed, but it launches you out! We rode it multiple times!! Disneyland Paris also offers more single-rider lines too, so if you are like Eric and I and do not necessarily need to be sitting next to each other, this is another bonus to your Disney experience! Toy Story land has many different rides versus Toy Story land in Disney World, so make sure you check them out! We personally did not ride any because they are more meant for younger kids, and one that drops you, but we did stroll around (side note: it is much smaller than Disney World's Toy Story Land and does not have Andy's Lunchbox unfortunately). A ride that surprised us was It's a Small World! We don't really ride it back in Orlando because Eric finds the theme song super repetitive and if we aren't with kids it doesn't make the list. But since I had heard amazing things about the It's a Small World in Paris, we gave it a try! It was adorable and actually really enjoyable! Since we went during the Christmas season, they didn't just play the theme song, but also played Christmas tunes (how adorable is that!?) Also, they had some of the characters dressed as the three kings' men-as well as other Christmas characters-and Christmas decorations up! Overall Eric and I had a magical day in Disneyland Paris! We love riding new rides and creating memories in one of the happiest places on earth, so it was definitely a fun time. I definitely do recommend packing meals and purchasing tickets for low outside of Disney (wish we could back home lowkey!) but other than that I just suggest going with an open-mind and ready to ride some exciting rides! I absolutely love sharing these Travel Diaries with you all and hope you love reading them! I hope these tips + tricks help you plan your trip to Disneyland Paris. Trust us, it is worth the visit! If you haven't subscribed to IAP yet, what the hell are you waiting for? I promise I won't blow up your inbox and you will be the first to hear about giveaways, sales, and fresh content. Subscribe + follow along on the gram! 
Shop the Post   You've got a friend in me... Quick shout out to my boyfriend for inspiring me to blog again. Honestly Eric is my biggest fan and best friend in the world and I could not be more grateful for him. In September, I finally got to visit Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World (I am officially an Annual Passholder!) My brother Nick and I grew up watching Toy Story on repeat so this was a really exciting trip for me. I feel like Disney World is my escape. It is the best place to just "be a kid" and forget about school and adult-ing for a a minute. For those of you who have not visited or are not familiar with Toy Story Land, Walt Disney World (WDW) imagineers designed this land to make you feel like you're a toy in Andy's backyard. And honestly we all did! It was amazing the detail that WDW put into this land, there were toys everywhere like blocks and tables made out of "Baby Bell Cheese". Fastpasses are the way to go for the Slinky Dog rollercoaster, which is 10/10, but the line is on average 1.5+ hours long. Total side note, but I wore Converse High Tops... and ended up with mad blisters and purchasing overpriced Minnie Mouse flip-flops by the afternoon. While I absolutely adore my high tops, they just are NOT meant for the miles on miles you walked in WDW. Also for all my fellow type one diabetes readers, as you know our feet tend to swell easily. So I definitely recommend airy shoes because my feet were very swollen. While we are on the subject, I was extremely nervous to take on WDW as a recently diagnosed type one diabetic. What I learned from my trip is to definitely stay hydrated! I drank water pretty much every hour. It is really important as a diabetic to be hydrated, especially in the Florida heat. Another tip is to check your blood sugars often, but especially while you are just sitting in lines! This is the perfect time to either test or check your monitor. That way if your blood sugars are dropping you know to stop for a snack (and trust me in WDW you're in the land of snacks) or if you are running on the high side you have plenty of time to add some insulin before you step on the ride! I hope these tips help you whether you are heading to a Disney park or any other amusement park. I really want to start sharing more about my type one diabetes and how I manage it. Thank you for reading my blog and being such amazing supporters! I forgot how much fun it is to share with you all and look forward to sharing more content. Wishing an amazing week to you all!  |
