A Perfect 24 Hours

Florida is a popular destination for many. For me, it's required travel to see my two grown kids who live there, and my two grandchildren. About a month ago, I had the privilege of going to Disney World with my oldest daughter, her husband and my two grandchildren for a birthday celebration. My grandson wanted to go to Disney for his 5th birthday, and wanted his Nana to come along.

We drove in the afternoon and arrived at our hotel around dinner time. We got settled, then drove to Disney Springs for food. We went to an Irish Pub there called Cookes of Dublin and I had gluten free fish and chips. I have Celiac disease and have not had fried fish in years. For dessert we went around the corner to a gluten free bakery called Erin Mckenna's Bakery. My Grandson got a gigantic creme filled gluten free chocolate chip cookie sandwich, which I had to try. It was delicious. I saved my s'mores cupcake for later. My grandson and his little sister, who is 2, rode a train ride. We went back to the hotel to start winding down for the night. I ate my cupcake and it was also delicious, though not as decadent as the giant cookie.

The next morning we went down to breakfast. Our hotel, the Homewood Suites at Flamingo Crossing, had coffee, eggs, bacon, cereal, fruit and of course a waffle maker that makes Mickey Mouse shaped waffles. The kids enjoyed the waffles, but I was not as sure about the gluten content of the buffet so I had yogurt, and oats and a banana with peanut butter. We got to Disney's Magic Kingdom before the gates opened. We were among a crowd of others waiting to enter. Suddenly, a loud announcement was made and Disney music started up. The crowd all cheered as we entered together. I almost cried. The positive energy was contagious. I saw adults and children alike dressed with mouse ears. I saw multiple little girls dressed as Disney Princesses. I heard adults saying 'Happy birthday!" and taking photos in front of the Disney Castle. I felt like a kid myself. We watched a show with lots of Disney characters. Seeing my grandchildren light up and smile in amazement at seeing their favorite characters was a treat. At one point, after standing in line for awhile, a Disney Cast member dressed as Moana came out and talked to my grandkids. They were awestruck. She held hands with them and we took photos and videos. The waiting is the hardest part at Disney. My daughter had fast passes for many of the rides, but the cast members were also helpful in moving us along quickly. At one ride my grandson was having trouble waiting. A cast member asked if he would like to fast pass the line. She got us up to the front of the line, and we gave her many thank yous.

We ate lunch in the park. Disney has many gluten free options. I got chicken tenders and fries. I also got a delicious ice coffee with cold foam along the way. We rode the monorail to the car and back because it's one of my grandson's favorite parts of Disney. I like it too.

I will admit, when we went back to the hotel in the afternoon I was pretty tired. My daughter and husband and kids wanted to go back to see the fireworks. I stayed back and took advantage of the air conditioning, and TV. I got an Amy's gluten free frozen meal from the lobby, and had that for dinner. I had a bath and went to sleep early, knowing we had another full day at Epcot the next day.