Magical Blogorail ~ Home Away From Home

Welcome to those of you joining me from Focused on the Magic and those of you who have just hopped aboard.  I am the 3RD stop on our Magical Blogorail.

The Magical Blogorail ORANGE is sharing their thoughts on this topic:

A thousand worlds in one - which resort is "home" to you and why?

I have to admit, this topic is a little tricky for me.  Despite my love of and fascination with all things Disney, I’ve never stayed at a Disney resort.  And, believe it or not, up until last year, I had never even SEEN a Disney resort (except for passing through the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary on the “real” monorail loop). 

Last year, we scheduled a visit to the Grand Floridian to dine with Cinderella and friends.  We planned this for the first evening of our visit (and we were so glad we did because we booked one night in a hotel that we’d stayed in previously, only to arrive there and find it had gone downhill – tremendously!)  So, after our most wonderful and enjoyable dinner, we decided to stick around the resort(s) and take a relaxing stroll.

We were just thrilled with the Grand Floridian – it’s so beautiful!  My daughter Ashley dreams of honeymooning here someday.  (I secretly hopes she gets her wish – though I’d be jealous!) 

And the Polynesian, which I had previously only seen from the monorail, was wonderful also.  Truthfully, it has a more “relaxed” feel to it and if I were honest with myself, I think I’d feel more at home there (the ritzy-ness of the G.F. may make me feel just a tad out of place). 

We had so much fun hanging at the resorts on that first night, that we planned more “resort-hopping” for later in the week.  We took a boat from Hollywood Studios one afternoon, and got off to walk around – visiting the Swan & Dolphin, as well as the Boardwalk and Beach Club.  Talk about relaxing!

Later on that week, we had opportunity to visit with some friends who were staying at the Pop Century resort.  Having previously visited the Deluxe resorts, the Value one didn’t have as much appeal (though it was fun to see). 

I’ve always tried to be very frugal in planning our Disney vacations – allowing more money for parks and souvenirs than for the accomodations.  We’ve always been very happy with our off-site experiences.  BUT, after last year, we were LONGING for a Disney resort stay!

So, when I was asked to go back down to Orlando for the homeschool convention (FPEA), we jumped at the chance (duh!)  My boss puts us up in a lovely (off-site) resort for the whole week, which seriously ROCKS!  But, our Disney resort longing prompted us to make the decision to leave a few days early and use our Disney Rewards to spend 3 nights at a resort. 

I’m pleased to announce that OUR FIRST RESORT STAY will be at the Port Orleans Riverside.  We’re actually leaving tomorrow!  So, while the timing of this topic made my post a little  tricky, it’s also coincidental that in 2 days I’ll be no longer “dreaming of Disney” but living there (albeit only for 3 nights!)  In the meantime, I’ve discovered this website all about Port Orleans – and I can’t wait to get there!

Be sure to stop back over the next few weeks, as I’m sure I’ll have lots of pictures to share!

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Disney on Wheels.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1^st Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky
2^nd Stop ~ Focused on the Magic
3^rd Stop ~ Reviews and Reflections
4^th Stop ~ Disney on Wheels
Final Stop ~ A Glass Slipper Vacation