Day 1 was technically a travel day but we arrived at our hotel around 4:00 p.m. so we had plenty of time to explore, eat and swim before calling it a night.
Check-in at our resort, Port Orleans Riverside, was not until Sunday afternoon but we wanted to get a head start. We decided there was no need to drive all the way to Orlando in one day so we stopped in Gainesville, a little less than two hours from Disney World. We got a good deal on our hotel. Laurie knows somebody :)
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Our magic bands
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On our way!
First stop: the pool
Dinner at Blaze
Ready to swim
Lilly loves her a hot tub!
Winding down with some iPad time
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Orlando bound!
Yay!
Port Orleans Riverside
These two were a little giddy :)
We arrived a few hours before check in so we spent a lot of time walking around the resort while waiting for our room to be ready. We also grabbed lunch at The Riverside Mill.
Testing the waters
Phillip had a strict no swimming until we have access to our room rule. #meanie
The playground
Ellen was a big fan of the hammocks found throughout the resort
After exploring Port Orleans Riverside, we walked to French Quarter (one perk of staying at either of these resorts is you have easy access to the other).
Beignets :)
(our first snack "purchase")
Cheers!
(featuring our refillable mugs - part of the meal plan)
French Quarter had a great pool with a neat water slide and a splash pad (bonus!) but unfortunately we never made it back over to swim.
A few water taxis passed us as we walked back to Riverside
We saw several families riding these - what fun!
There are two sections in Riverside - Alligator Cove and Magnolia Bend. We stayed in Alligator Cove.
Our building...
The Murphy bed wasn't made up when we arrived and we couldn't find any extra bedding in the room so Lilly slept with us the first night and Ellen slept with Laurie. Lilly slept with Laurie and Ellen slept in the pull down bed for the remainder of our stay.
Headed down to help Daddy and Aunt Laurie with the luggage before making a beeline for the swimming pool.
Waiting on the green light
Everyone got in on the slide action but Lilly especially loved it (wish I had gotten better pictures!)
Bathed, dressed and ready for Disney Springs!
Path to the water taxi
We ate dinner in Disney Springs and then headed back to get the girls settled in for the night. We had a big day just around the corner :)
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Next Up: Magic Kingdom
