We interrupt this blog for a trip report!

Well I'm back! No crafting in this post because I'm still recovering from jet lag, so haven't made anything yet. I will say I picked up one thing, a Beauty and the Beast cross stitch, which I will add to the list of kits I need to finish before I buy anything else.

As you can probably guess from what I picked up, I went to Walt Disney World! I've been there a couple of times before, but I promised myself I would say on Disney property (another item of my fucket list checked off) so I booked Port Orleans French Quarter.

As you can see, it's based on Mardi Gras. These decorations are actually cast from the Mardi Gras parades. Believe it or not this is the cafeteria!

The hotel room was lovely. All American hotels typically have two double beds, so plenty of room to sleep.

Here's some pictures of the exterior. I didn't take as many pics as I should really.

There are definite advantages for staying on Disney property. The main one is the transportation system. There are buses (regular buses) that go to each park, and also to Downtown Disney. There was even a riverboat from our hotel to Downtown. The first night we arrived, we went on the boat and the driver mentioned that what we were smelling was honeysuckle. He had been waiting all year for that smell, and honeysuckles only bloom for a couple of days a year there, so we were quite lucky.

The other advantage is, at certain times of the year, depending on what hotel you choose to stay in, meals are free. As we stayed in a moderate hotel, we got the quick service plan. That's two counter service meals a day, plus a snack. That might not seem too impressive, until you take into account the portion sizes, and the wid variety of food you can get even on the quick service plan. UK theme parks tend to be either burgers, pizza or fried chicken. On this trip we had steak, pork chops, shrimp, lobster roll, Mickey shaped waffles with fresh fruit topping, burgers (of course), and even slow cooked pork (in the Be Our Guest restaurant)

That ceiling honestly looks like it came straight out of the film. And yes I did try the grey stuff and it was delicious!

We also ate at the Cowfish, a fusion of burgers and sushi. I played it safe and ate the boursin bacon burger. 

This trip was slightly different from my usual trips, in so much as I actually went with a child this time (rather than the big kid I usually go with) Unfortunately that meant I couldn't do the one ride I wanted to do, Gringotts, and some of the rides I love, but I got to see more of the characters and do some stuff that I usually wouldn't. I don't want to bore you with too much info, so I will just post some pics. As somebody once said, a picture paints a thousand words...

I didn't take as many pics as I wanted to but the people who I was with took more so when they have uploaded some I will put them on my facebook page. 

If I'm honest, the way I feel right now I may not go to Disney again. The people were friendly, the rides and shows were the same as they have always been but somewhere I lost part of the magic. I'm hoping it's just temporary and that I was pre-occupied with the impending book launch, because I'd hate the idea that I have lost the magic. Time will tell.

Crafting wise, I will continue going through the project book as soon as I feel more myself again, as well as starting work on some larger projects. 

Happy crafting everyone

Emma x