Three weeks ago, I entered a contest thrown by Southwest Airlines and Loews Royal Pacific Resort to head to the #FamilyForward Retreat & Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Two days after that, this happened.
One week ago, Jim, the boys, my mom and myself hopped on a plane from Chicago (Thanks, Southwest!) to Orlando and landed in the sunny Loews Royal Pacific Resort!
And thus our unexpected family vacation began.
______________________________________________________________________________
Up and at ’em! We woke the boys EARLY around 5 a.m. for our 7:45 a.m. flight.
A quick stop in Pittsburgh meant Charlie & Jack received an inside view of the cockpit. They even were allowed to push levers & talk over the speaker system. No passengers were harmed in the process.
On our way! Our little Minion couldn’t wait to meet his big brothers & sisters.
We have arrived at the Resort! We were greeted by personalized character passes – Mommy (Optimus Prime because I’m awesome), Jack (Hulk), Charlie (Minions), Momma (Universal symbol), Daddy ().
Apparently, the boys liked their new digs.
YAY! We finally made it to Family Forward!
We spent a little time with Scooby Doo at the Resort.
I could get used to this view…
A little splash park fun (the boys spent HOURS in here!)
One of the added bonuses of this conference were the behind the scenes looks & passes to Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure. The conference kick-off began on Wednesday evening with a dessert reception in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Set just after nine p.m., the entire park was lit up beautifully and after a walk exploring the park in the dark, we landed there (sweaty), but just in time to try some delicious Butterbeer. The Wizarding World was just as magnificent as you would imagine. Every detail was taken into consideration. They really did a wonderful job creating a magical place!
The picture of the boys with the planes is SO cute! Glad you guys had fun. 🙂