A Fairy Tale Staycation: Shrek and Friends at the Gaylord Texan

The Gaylord Texan has been one of our family favorites since opening in Grapevine. Whether it’s been a date night destination, a friend’s wedding or now a family fun staycation, its proximity to home but its feel of being a world away has always brought us joy – from check-in to checkout. If you’ve ever been, you know what I mean, and if you haven’t made the “trek” to the Gaylord, then you should – even if it’s only for dinner. With so many food options it makes it easy to satisfy your craving and your wallet (although a cup of the lobster bisque at the Old Hickory is pretty hard to pass up.)

However, this year’s annual Gaylord adventure has another adventure for us – we’ve added another member in the Reo fold, my now nine-month old daughter. While last year she did enjoy the new waterpark in utero (actually two weeks before she was born), this year I pondered whether we would take the plunge for a family vacation or wait until the kids are a little older…Then I opened up the Gaylord website and came across a BIG MONSTER of a reason to return….

Shrek and his friends have left the forest and are spending the summer at the Gaylord Texan with Summer Fun with Shrek & Friends. Select weekends from May 25 through September 2, families can dive into everything DreamWorks with activities like breakfast with Shrek, Cookie Castle Decorating with Fiona and even a scavenger hunt with Puss and Boots. While the “How to Train to Your Dragon” Camp sounds like it could be fun, I’m still researching if this additional package is the right fit for us (and if we can fit it in the schedule with so much to do.)

For our family, who one day will make the trek to the Magic Kingdom, we consider this a “trial run” for our four-year old and a moment to see how our little girl (or more so, me) can handle two kids and all the fun (I hope) something like this can bring. Best of all, since we are only 15 minutes from home, if things go bad, we can always go home, right?

A real kid at heart, I think I’m using the kids as an excuse to enjoy the Gaylord Texan once again. And now with the waterpark that is just the right size for us, a movie in the pool, and free fireworks show on Fridays…it hits all this mom’s buttons. Now if I could just finally make it to the Relache Spa then it would be perfect. However, room service and two tired children sleeping sounds like a close second.

Act fast though as reservations for all the activities in the Shrek package are limited (and so are the weekends in your summer.)

Package Includes:

• Room accommodations at Gaylord Texan Resort
• DreamWorks Welcome Amenity at check-in
• Priority reservation one morning for ShrekFeast interactive character meal included, at a 30% savings exclusively for package guests; including gratuity
• Splash ‘N’ Screen Movie
• Character Parade
• Front of line access at the DreamWorks Character Meet and Greets
• Puss In Boots Quest for the Magic Beans Scavenger Hunt
• Souvenir Family Photo
• Special Wake-Up Calls by DreamWorks Characters
• Guaranteed admission for package guests who purchase Princess Fiona’s Cookie Castles and Dragon Training Camp
• Plus, guests on Friday nights can enjoy a FREE Fireworks Show over Lake Grapevine! (Weather permitting)

For the most updated information about the Gaylord Texan and this package, visit their website at: http://www.gaylordtexan.com.

Tags: gaylord, Gaylord Texan, Shrek, texas family fun, texas staycation, texas vacation