Blonder than Barbie goes to Florida and Las Vegas Part 1

Hi my loves xoxo

Happy October guys x Can you believe its nearly Halloween already? As some of you may know it was my birthday in August and also our anniversary so we decided to book a holiday to celebrate. We spent ages trying to decide where we wanted to go and we finally both agreed on Florida and Las Vegas. We travel to Las Vegas every year but we wanted to do something different aswell so we booked tickets to go to Disney in Florida. This post will cover Florida because if I did both places in one post it would be way too long. So let's get stuck in.

We flew out of terminal 2 on Sunday 13th at 9:20. We needed to be in the airport for 6:20 because we were clearing boarder control in Dublin airport and sometimes that can take forever. We booked our car into one of the car parks at the airport because it was way cheaper than getting a taxi. We used the quick park website and I would definitely recommend it, it was easy to use, cheap and completely stress free. You can park your car and then get a little shuttle that drops you off right outside your Terminal. We checked in online for our flights the day before with U.S. airways so all we needed to do was drop our bags and go for breakfast.

I love traveling and I love being in airports, i'm not so good with flying but its worth it to get to your destination. After we checked in we went to the chocolate lounge in terminal 2, I got the most amazing coffee and my husband got a huge hot chocolate with marshmallows, a nice way to start our holidays. Its a little bit pricey but its be be expected in an airport. We boarded our flight and took our seats, we always book 2 seats by the window because I'm not the best flier and my husband needs the isle seat for the leg room, he's 6'4 and he doesn't fit comfortably in cramped spaces.

We flew via Charlotte in North Carolina and it took about 7 1/2 hours. I know it sounds really long but we had our own entertainment units in the headrests in front of us so we kept ourselves occupied with movies and TV shows. I don't really eat the food on planes and this flight was no exception.... I wont go into much detail about the mush for lunch, ew! I brought snacks so I was content. We landed in Charlotte and had a 2 1/2 hour layover so we got some lunch. We then boarded our plane to Florida, that was about a 1 1/2 hour flight. When we landed in Florida we picked up our luggage and collected our car. We usually hire a car car in the states because it saves a fortune on taxis and waiting around for shuttles is a bit of a pain. The shuttles do come around quite quickly so if you didn't want a car there are plenty of other options for transport.

We booked the Rosen Inn International on International Drive, my husband actually booked the wrong one thinking it was a different Rosen Inn, I think there are 3 or 4 of them in Florida. Looking at pictures and reading reviews the hotel looked lovely. It wasn't the worst hotel we've stayed in but it wasn't the best either. The pictures kind of glorify it but its really standard. The reception area is lovely but the rooms are are laid out in rows and rows and about 6 or 7 floors of what look like apartments from the outside. The rooms are quite spacious and decent enough, they come with a safe, fridge, microwave, TV, hairdryer and coffee making facilities. When we got our room we were given 2 twin beds instead of the king bed we requested. It wasn't the end of the world but my husband went to reception to see if they could swap us. They didn't have a room free until the following evening so we reserved the king room for when it was ready and we changed room on the Monday evening. All in all it wasn't the worst travelling experience we've encountered.

We didn't have any thing planned for the Monday because it was such a long day travelling the day before. We decided to go for a late breakfast and do a bit of shopping. The humidity in Florida is un-describable. We didn't do much walking because it was so warm, I think we arrived in the middle of a heatwave. We went to the Florida mall and picked up a few presents and bits for ourselves. It was nice to have a stress free day.

On the Tuesday morning we went for breakfast and headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios. It didn't take long to get there, we paid $17 for parking, just a heads up if you decide to drive, parking isn't cheap but its worth it. There are little shuttles beside the car parks that run every few minutes and they drop you off just outside the park entrance, take note of the area and row number of the car park, we took pictures so we wouldn't forget. When you enter the park at the turn-style they search your bag, don't bring a selfie stick, they will take it off you. I recommend bringing a backpack, its much easier to carry around. They do have lockers that you can rent if you need which are handy but we didn't need one in the end. Hollywood studios is fantastic. Its a little older than some of the other parks but the rides are great. When we picked up our tickets at the desk, we had previously ordered them online and when we collected them we purchased the magic bands. They were about $13 each but totally worth it. They upload all your information and all your fast pass selections onto it and all you have to do is tap it at any fast pass entrance within the hour of your selection and it allows you access. It much handier than having to carry around a little card. Because it was a holiday after my birthday they gave me a big happy birthday badge with my name on it, it was adorable. The food at the parks is quite basic and quite expensive but that's to be expected. All in all we had a ball and enjoyed every minute of it.

On the Wednesday morning we went to the Magic Kingdom. We drove to the car park and paid another $17. They then take you on the little shuttle bus to the transport for the Magic Kingdom. You have the choice of getting a monorail or a ferry to the park, we chose the ferry which probably wasn't the best idea because again it was so so so warm but it was fun. Again at the turn style the check your bag and then your home free. Its a lot of work to get there but the park is lovely. It is most definitely a park designed for children, There is loads to do for adults but its more of an attraction park than anything else. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure are theme parks and by far our favourite but The Magic Kingdom was fun aswell. Again the food was mediocre and quite expensive but it filled a gap. Like clockwork on both days we had torrential rain but it was luke warm and actually quite a relief from the humidity, We learned the hard way from the day before after getting soaked that maybe buying ponchos would be a good idea and I'm glad we did. We looked ridiculous in big blue and white ponchos but everyone in the park came prepared and we weren't the only ones running around in the rain wearing capes. All in all id say its definitely worth the visit. The tickets aren't cheap for the parks and as I said parking and food is a bit pricey but I think it definitely worth the visit. If you are a theme park person like we are I would recommend the Universal parks but if you are a true Disney lover then it cant get any better than the Magic Kingdom. I have mountains of pictures but I couldn't fit them all in here so I chose my favourite one from the bunch.

That's it for now but keep your eyes peeled for part 2 of the blog.... The fabulous Las Vegas. If you have any questions on where we booked everything or where got our tickets for the parks from don't hesitate to ask, Id be more than happy to share all our money saving tips with you.

Love

Kim xoxo