My first trip report!- doing Disney with a teething infant and an overly excited 3 yo

[mom_to_2]

Hi!!! Well we are back from our week long trip to WDW and I thought I would try to do a trip report..we'll see how well I am able to do! :goodvibes

On this trip is me 32, DH 33, DS 3

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and baby boy 8 months

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This was not a trip we had planned on taking. In fact, we had already cancelled a vacation with my family this year and were not planning on taking a vacation at all. (My mom was less than pleased when she found out we booked a different vacation, but that is a story for another board. haha.). My brother-in-law and his wife booked a trip for May using the buy 4 get 3 deal, though, and when my husband saw the details of that deal he was ready to go! I will admit that I had to be convinced, but vacations are really important to us, so we booked it and the rest, as they say, is history!!! :)

We booked the buy 4 get 3 deal for the Contemporary resort. With the kids we figured that a MK resort would be good, and a monorail resort would be best. We also did deluxe dining- I know a lot of people feel like that is too much time in restaurants for young kids, but we wanted the time during the day away from the stimulation of the parks...

ok, so here we go...

[mom_to_2]

Ok...so first off, 2 days before we left for WDW we took both of our boys to the doctor. They had both come down with colds, and with us flying out I just wanted to be sure neither of them had ear infections...that would have made for a fun flight! :scared1: Thankfully, they both just had colds, so we were able to go with no problems! :thumbsup2

I will admit I was a bit nervous about the flight...DS had flown before, but he was only 21 months old at the time and he obviously didn't remember it, and on top of the colds, baby boy had started cutting 4 teeth up top...fun!!!!! Amazingly, though, the flight went VERY well!! There was a screaming child on board, but amazingly it wasn't mine! :woohoo: We arrived in FL early and headed straight for the magical express. :wizard: The busses were actually nicer than I expected. the wait was a little longer than I would have liked, but wasn't too bad and we were soon off to the Contemporary!!! Checking in was quick and easy and the room was nice and clean. Sorry I can't get my pics to work right now...I'll try to add them later...

Anyway, our first night there we had dinner ressies at The Wave. It was awesome!! I had the crab cake appetizer, the braised lamb shank, and the decadent flavors dessert (Blueberry compote with yogurt gelato, Lemon cornbread with vanilla panna cotta, and Chocolate mousse with salted caramel sauce- yummy!!). Dh had the butternut squash soup, the filet, and cheesecake. He really enjoyed the soup and the filet was quite good as well. And DS had carrots & celery, a cheeseburger, and an ice cream sundae. It was all VERY good and the service was excellent!!

That evening I stayed at the hotel to get baby boy to bed, while DH took DS to MK for a few hours. They got to do splash mountain, the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Factory, and It's a small world (definitely one of DS's top 3 rides of the trip). They had an amazing time, but we were all excited going to bed that night looking forward to our first full day at WDW...beginning with breakfast at Chef Mickey's!!!!

[DearDaisyinDurham]

great start!! can't wait to read more!

we ate at The Wave last week and LOVED it. DH had the crab cakes and said they were excellent, and we shared the same decadent desserts you all did!!

[mom_to_2]

Thanks!! I am going to try to update and add pics tonight...I'm not really sure what I am doing, though! :rotfl:

[mom_to_2]

So Thursday started off with a 7:15 breakfast at Chef Mickey's (our boys are early risers). We had never been there before, and were excited to try it this time. The food was good, although nothing to write home about, but the character interaction was GREAT! DS loved it and baby boy wasn't a bit scared of the characters. It was definitely a nice way to start off the day!!

Here are some pics:

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DS dancing at Chef Mickey's



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baby boy, DS, and Minnie

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DS & Goofy

[mom_to_2]

After breakfast we walked over to MK (the walkway from the contemporary to MK was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). We headed for tomorrowland so DS could ride Buzz Lightyear. We started off on the stitch ride...that went well for a bit, but then DS got scared and we had to leave. :sad1: After that, though, we rode Buzz. So fun!!!!! DS had a blast!!

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And then we got to see stitch...interestingly, DS loved seeing stitch, just didn't appreciate the ride :confused3

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Then DS wanted to see the carousel of progress...even though he had no idea what it was, but he actually really liked it...go figure!

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Then we headed over to Tony's for lunch. On the way over we got to see one of the celebrations on main Street, which both kids really seemed to love! I was a bit nervous about Tony's since I had seem some pretty bad reviews, but it was actually quite good! I had a chicken cesar salad and the strawberry cheesecake, DH had the chicken parmesean and the pistachio creme brûlée, and DS had chicken nuggets and a fruit cup (I think...I really should have taken pics!!). After lunch, though, the boys were very tired (and poor baby boy's teeth were bothering him) so we headed back to the room for naps!

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[DearDaisyinDurham]

Great photos, your little boys are so handsome!!! :goodvibes

[mom_to_2]

Great photos, your little boys are so handsome!!! :goodvibes

Thanks!!! And thanks for posting- it is nice to know someone out there is actually reading this! :goodvibes

[DearDaisyinDurham]

Thanks!!! And thanks for posting- it is nice to know someone out there is actually reading this! :goodvibes

I'm reading & I'm sure others are too!! :goodvibes Keep writing!! :thumbsup2

[mom_to_2]

Ok….so after a snack at the Contempo Café

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and a nice rejuvenating nap we headed off to EP. We got to EP a bit early, and had a bit of fun before dinner. :woohoo: First DS and I rode the Figment ride.

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DS loved his ride EXCEPT for the loud noise at the end (parents may want to warn younger kids of this before taking them on this ride). Figment exits into a Kodak play area, which we spent about 15 minutes in.

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I think DS would have happily played there for even longer, but we were off for dinner at Coral Reef!

[mom_to_2]

So unfortunately I didn’t take pictures or write down what we ate during our trip (which I will definitely do next time!) so I can’t remember exactly what we had, but I do know that it was all very good.

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DS was still tired, though, and after finishing his meal he actually layed down on the bench seat and slept for about 20 minutes while DH and I finished our meals. I WISH I had a pic of that!! :laughing: After dinner we took a nice walk around world showcase.

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DS got to play in one of the play areas and also loved seeing the train that had been set up in world showcase. After spending a nice evening at EP we rode the monorail back to the resort and turned in for the night….we were looking forward to breakfast at the Wave, DTD, and the Spirit of Aloha dinner the next day!!!

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[MushuGirl06]

love your trip report so far!

your boys are so adorable
:thumbsup2

[mom_to_2]

love your trip report so far!

your boys are so adorable
:thumbsup2

Thanks sooooo much! :) And thanks for posting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :yay: It is always good to know that people are actually reading this stuff!

[mom_to_2]

On Friday everyone woke up early again and we easily made our 7:30 ADR for breakfast at the Wave. I had a spinach, tomato, and onion omelet, with cheese and bacon added, along with a berry smoothie and an acai juice (with DxDp you get 2 drinks). DS had pancakes and OJ and DH had eggs benedict, iced tea, and an acai juice. The food was really good!!! And DS and I really liked both the smoothie and the acai juice- yummy!! Finally, even though the pancakes were multi grain DS couldn’t get enough of them! And, as it was with dinner, the service was excellent!! Although this was our last meal here this trip, we would definitely eat at the Wave again!!

Our plan was to go to DTD, but we had some time, so we walked out to the beach and boat area. While we were there DS decided he wanted to take a boat ride…well, we were in no hurry so we decided to go ahead and take the boat over to WL. Both of the boys LOVED this!!!!!

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We took the boat from WL to DTD. This was our first foray into the bus system and I was quite nervous! But we did not have any problems at all! DTD was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. DS loved playing in the fountains!

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Then we got the boys their personalized Mickey ears…

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We visited the Lego store…

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DS got a couple “tattoos” and rode the train ride…

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And then it was off to TRex café for lunch!

[DearDaisyinDurham]

Great pictures on the boat and at DTD!! I love those fountains by Earl of Sandwich!!

We loved The Wave on our last trip. If you're ever there as a couple, it's fun to sit at the bar. Bartender Brucie was so sweet to us, we are definitely going back and eating there again! She is nice as can be and the food is amazing.

[bucknuts]

great trip report so far. I love the pictures.

[Scot-n-Michelle]

great trip report so far - your boys are adorable!! can't wait to read more!!

[kshattuck]

Your boys are adorable! Looks like your family got to do a little bit of everything so far. Fun! Keep it coming...

[AlohaAnnie]

:cool1:I am really enjoying your TR and I love the fact that you vacation style is laid back and slow. We vacation this way also and we love to eat on vacation.

I do make plans for each day of our vacation but we do not have to stick to them, which makes it fun and you get to experience those fun family moments.

I am looking forward to more.

:cool1:

[mom_to_2]

great trip report so far. I love the pictures.

Thanks! I tend to take LOTS of pictures! ;)

great trip report so far - your boys are adorable!! can't wait to read more!!

Glad to have another reader! And thanks for the compliment about my boys...I agree, but I am SLIGHTLY biased! :lmao:

Your boys are adorable! Looks like your family got to do a little bit of everything so far. Fun! Keep it coming...

Welcome!!!!!! And thanks; I think they are pretty handsome myself! :rotfl: We did try to have a nice variety of stuff to do, and it seemed to work out pretty well for us! :thumbsup2

:cool1:I am really enjoying your TR and I love the fact that you vacation style is laid back and slow. We vacation this way also and we love to eat on vacation.

I do make plans for each day of our vacation but we do not have to stick to them, which makes it fun and you get to experience those fun family moments.

I am looking forward to more.

:cool1:

So glad to have you here!! We are definitely laid back vacationers! And I do the same thing- make plans that I am more than prepared to ditch in order to extend some other fun experience. For WDW I generally have a park picked out, along with places to eat and maybe a few rides we want to try to ride if possible. But again, we are not tied to the plan. I see people running around trying to "get their money's worth" and I just think I'd be miserable like that! We are the type of vactioners that feel like we've gotten our moneys worth if everyone has had a good time. Plus, this way we have plenty to do next trip!! :wizard:

Great pictures on the boat and at DTD!! I love those fountains by Earl of Sandwich!!

We loved The Wave on our last trip. If you're ever there as a couple, it's fun to sit at the bar. Bartender Brucie was so sweet to us, we are definitely going back and eating there again! She is nice as can be and the food is amazing.

Welcome to my TR!! Soooo glad to have you here!! :cheer2: And yeah, DS loved those fountains- he chased the water and just had a great time! And thanks for the tip about the bar at Wave. We really liked that place and I'm sure we'll be there again; so we just might have to try that!!

[mom_to_2]

So after a wonderful morning riding the boat :boat: and roaming around DTD, :thumbsup2 we headed to TRex for lunch. DS was not sure how he felt about the place at first…and then he saw the dino at the entrance move and he wanted nothing to do with the place!! :scared1: DS loves dinosaurs, but this was a bit scary for him. Baby boy wasn't phased at all, of course! After I explained that the moving dinos were like large versions of his toys at home, DS was ready to try it again. He was nervous for a while, but by the end of the meal he wanted to walk around and look at all of the different dinosaurs around the restaurant. DS had the mini corn dogs, fries, and a banana, and DH and I split a couple appetizers- nachos and a quesadilla. The food here was good, and the dinos were pretty neat, but I personally prefer the Rainforest Café we went to in Vegas (I assume the one in WDW is the same).

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After lunch we made another stop at the fountains for DS to play, and then we got on the bus to head back to the resort for naps. :goodvibes Our evening involved another non-park event: the Spirit of Aloha dinner at the POLY. The food here was wonderful; this was my husband’s favorite meal of the entire trip!!! And it doesn’t hurt that all the beer you can drink is included! Hahahahaha. :rotfl::lmao::rotfl::lmao:

We started off with some pineapple coconut bread, fresh pineapple, and a salad with a mango poppy seed dressing (all served family style on these large silver trays set on the table). Yummy!!! Then there were BBQ ribs, chicken, Polynesian rice, and fresh vegetables. The rice, ribs, and vegetables were wonderful!!! (FYI parents of picky eaters they did offer the people at the table next to us PB&J for their kids, who wouldn’t try the dinner). The dessert was a chocolate volcano that was good- very rich, though. And honestly, I preferred the rest of the meal to dessert. The show itself was really fun and entertaining, although I do think it is a bit long for families with young children. We actually left early, but it is something we would definitely do again!

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After a nice relaxing day we headed to MK for a bit more fun!

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We rode tomorrowland speedway several times (definitely one of DS’s favorites!), then headed to Fantasyland for It’s a Small World and the tea cups (which we also rode several times). :)

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Then it was time for the Spectromagic parade, which DS had said he wanted to watch. Baby boy was sleeping in the stroller, so we decided to tempt fate and stay late for the parade. Probably not the best choice! :headache: DS fell asleep about 2 minutes before the parade began and he would not wake up to watch it, and baby boy woke up just in time for it to be too late for us to get out of the park. Since the parade started and we were pretty much stuck there, we held baby boy so he could watch and videotaped the parade for DS to see later.

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[mom_to_2]

So…day 4 was a park day for us, but one that was fairly unscheduled so we could rest and play as much or as little as we wanted. :) Although we had breakfast reservations, we decided to skip breakfast (everyone except baby boy, of course), and we had a relaxing morning and a late start (late for us anyway). We got to EP at park opening and headed straight for the character spot! :thumbsup2 The wait was probably less than 10 minutes, and we got some nice time with Mickey and his friends!!! :woohoo: I don't really have any pics to post yet, though, because they were pretty much all done with the photo pass service. Here is one picture of DS waiting in line (in one of the matching T-shirts I made for each of us thanks to the DISigners)...

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He was pretty excited!! :yay: After visiting with the characters we took a stroll around EP taking in the sights- including the butterfly garden-

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stopping at a couple kidcot stations, and then getting DS’s face painted. Apparently, this transformed my son into a “Superhero” and, as he was so ready to point out to me, “nothing can stop superhero.” He absolutely LOVED it!!!!! (And he looked pretty cute in my opinion!)

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"Superhero!!" :rotfl:
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After this we made our way to the Rose and Crown pub for our lunch ADR. I HAD to have the fish and chips, of course, along with the potato leek soup and nice dessert called sticky something…Of course due to my lack of picture taking I don't remember what everyone had, but everything here was yummy!!! :) After lunch it was back to the resort for naps and some more rest!! That evening there was a bonfire on the resort beach, so we hung out and roasted marshmallows- yummy!!! The lifeguards even had DS doing some flips!!

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What a nice relaxing evening!!! Which was great timing since we had a busy day at DHS the next morning!!!


Up next…DAY 5!!!!!! A trip to DHS (including breakfast with Playhouse Disney at Hollywood and Vine and lunch at 50s Prime Time); EP; and MK…

[chipper10]

I'm loving ready about your trip report! Your boys are adorable!

[luckylady]

I'm in. Just found your TR it's great so far.

[mom_to_2]

I'm loving ready about your trip report! Your boys are adorable!

Thanks so much! I think they're pretty cute myself! :love: haha. I'm glad you enjoy reading my TR- it is fun to write it, too!! And it always nice to know someone out there is reading! :goodvibes

I'm in. Just found your TR it's great so far.

Thanks for the positive feedback!! :cloud9: I really do appreciate it!!

[Sue88]

Looking forward to more report!

[mom_to_2]

Looking forward to more report!

Thanks!! Glad to have you reading along!!!!! It is a bit more time consuimg to write than I had anticipated, but it is a great way to re-live the vacation -- and it will also help later when I try to do my scrapbooking for this trip! hahaha.

[mom_to_2]

Sorry it has taken me so long to update!! I'll try to be better about it....Day 5 (Sunday) was Hollywood Studios day!!! My second favorite park! :goodvibes

Sunday we awoke to a very dreary day that was almost certainly (by the look of it) going to be rainy, but it was our DHS day and we were VERY excited!!!!! We had 8 am ADRs for the Playhouse Disney breakfast at Hollywood and Vine, which was before the park was scheduled to open. So we showed up at about 7:40, but the weren’t letting people in the park yet, despite the ADRs. :confused: So we had to wait in line at the park entrance until about 7:55. They let us in and we headed right for Hollywood & Vine. We checked in and got in to the restaurant very quickly! We had barely gotten settled when the first character arrived at our table- Leo (from the Little Einsteins). Leo was soon followed by June (also form the LE), and they were both wonderful with the boys!

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Next we saw Goliath and Jojo. I know this show is no longer on TV, but DS knew who they were and really enjoyed seeing them! Baby boy did too!!!

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We finished breakfast before the 9am park opening and decided to kind of wander around the park a bit. Unfortunately, they don’t let you wander far! I figured that getting us into the park early would increase our chances of getting to ride Toy Story Mania without too much of a wait, but until the park opens they keep you very close to the restaurant, and even AFTER the park opens they control when you can move out into the park. ( I think this is to control the madness created by everyone dashing to Toy Story Mania.) :sad2:

Once we were allowed to move about we headed straight for Toy Story Mania. DS and I got right in line while DH got FPs for later. DS and I got on pretty quickly and really enjoyed the ride!!!!!!!:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

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By the time we got off the FP times were already for like 3!! Crazy!!! DH had gotten us FP for about 11, so we knew DH ad DS were going to be riding this later!! Right as we got off TSM it started to pour!!! :umbrella: Luckily we had ponchos and a WONDERFUL rain cover for the stroller, so we kept going and the rain didn’t dampen our spirits at all!! :yay:

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After TSM we headed over to Luigi’s garage to see Lightning McQueen. We were one of the first ones in line, but we had to wait a bit because they were having some technical difficulties with McQueen. :scared1: They never did get him running, but DS was still able to go in and see him! He was so excited, though, that he didn’t stop talking and we didn’t get any good pics. :sad1: Guess we’ll just have to try again next time! Haha.

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[mom_to_2]

O.k. I know it's been a while, but I hope you're all still out there reading! :goodvibes So.....here we go! Day 5, continued...

Well the weather was still rainy, but we were headed inside for lunch at 50s Prime Time. This was a very fun experience, with the staff doting on baby boy and DS and keeping DH in line! And believe me- that can be hard to do!! Hahahahaha. :rotfl::rotfl2::rotfl::rotfl2:

The food was quite good. With the wet weather I had comfort food: a salad and a pot pie- yummy!- followed by the smore! I don’t remember what everyone else had since I didn’t take pics or write that stuff down :mad: (lesson learned for the next trip!), but I know everyone enjoyed the food AND the atmosphere. This is the second time we’ve eaten at 50s Prime Time and we will definitely do it again next time we visit DHS!!!!

At this point we were all very full and a bit tired, so we headed back to the resort for a nap. I admit I was VERY apprehensive about the bus system with 2 kids, :scared: but it really wasn’t bad! We waited less than 5 minutes for the bus and it was not uncomfortably crowded. All in all I’d give the bus system a :thumbsup2!!

After resting for a bit it was off to the monorail for a ride to EP and dinner at the Garden Grill!! This was one of our favorite character meals, as the food was great, the restaurant was not nearly as loud as places like Chef Mickey’s, etc., and the characters did not seem rushed at all!

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After we finished eating we decided to ride the Living with the Land boat ride. :boat: The kids LOVED this!! (I think the kids just love boats! Haha).

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DS and DH then rode spaceship earth, which was another big hit! And with no wait! Then we all headed back to the resort and I put baby boy down for bed while DH and DS headed off to take advantage of MK’s EMH. pixiedust: They rode the teacups and It’s a small world….and of course they HAD to ride TomorrowLand Speedway a couple of times as well!!!! :woohoo:

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As you can see DS had an AMAZING time!!!

Up next….another MK day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[luckylady]

I'm still here. What beautiful eyes those boys have. The look on DS#1s face last picture...priceless.

[mom_to_2]

I'm still here. What beautiful eyes those boys have. The look on DS#1s face last picture...priceless.

I'm glad you're still here!!! :goodvibes

[mom_to_2]

Just a quick TR update! :goodvibes

For whatever reason, after the kids got to bed that night DH and I were starving, so DH went to the contempo cafe at our resort and got us each one of their steak flatbreads. Can I just say YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :worship: OMG were these good! In fact...and the reason I decided to add this little post...I want one right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lmao:

[cmdmom]

I love your report. Your sons are adorable. We will be going 5/30 with our DD (9 yo) and our DS who is 10 months old. Your baby boy looked like he really enjoyed meeting the characters. Can"t wait to read more.:thumbsup2

[msclonin]

We will be at the POP at the same time@@ Exact same days even..

[mom_to_2]

I love your report. Your sons are adorable. We will be going 5/30 with our DD (9 yo) and our DS who is 10 months old. Your baby boy looked like he really enjoyed meeting the characters. Can"t wait to read more.:thumbsup2

Thanks!!

He really did!! He was totally entranced by most of the characters and LOVED pulling on Pluto's whiskers. hahaha.

I hope you guys have an amazing trip!!!

[mom_to_2]

So here we are at day 6, and at this point I am becoming acutely aware of the fact that our trip will soon be ending :sad: but we have a beautiful day outside and an 8:05 ressie at the Crystal Palace, so I quickly get over it and we are off to MK!!!!!! :yay:

We get into the park very quickly and head straight for the Crystal Palace. We waited outside a few minutes to be seated,

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but it was very fast! We were seated, given some OJ, and then DH and DS were off to the buffet. Standard breakfast buffet fare, but it was good. Baby boy had his first pancake

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Then the characters started to come around. DS was VERY exited!! We saw piglet, pooh, tigger, and eeyore. Both DS and baby boy had a great time!!

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After Crystal Palace, we headed to FantasyLand!!!! We all rode Pooh's Honey Pots and played in the Pooh play area.

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(You may notice DS' hair is wet from playing in the water portion of the pooh play area :laughing: ) Then we all rode Peter Pan's flight and It's a small World.

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We all had such an amazing time!!! It was just amazing how much baby boy enjoyed the rides!! At this point we were all a bit hungry and ready for our lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern…..

[mom_to_2]

So after an AMAZING morning, we made one last stop befre lunch at LTT- DS and I went and saw the PhilharMagic. :wizard: loved, Loved, LOVED this!!!!! :smickey: And I was actually able to get a pic to turn out (with no flash and a 3D show I had to get creative! haha).

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After this we headed over to the Liberty Tree Tavern for our lunch ADR. It was just opening for the day, so there were no crowds to fight and we got right in. ;) The decor was very historical (no surprise there) and the atmoshphere was quite nice, but laid back. We really enjoyed this meal, although the food was not as good as some of the other places we enjoyed on our trip. The one thing I will warn parents of babies about with this place- there is NO changing table in the restroom here!!!!! Of course baby boy picked this time to have an extremely dirty diaper and it was a complete pain to change him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to put my changing pad on the small counter area next to the sinks (which was not even as long as baby boy). It was not fun for me and I even got a couple of dirty looks from people coming in to use the restroom. :headache:

Anyway, after that we headed over to the TommorwLand Transit Authority. Both DS and baby boy LOVED this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Then we were off to the resort to nap! :cat:

After napping and relaxing at the resort for a bit, we went to the contempo cafe for a light dinner and then got on the monorail to go to EP. As an aside...I have to say I REALLY enjoyed the conveniences of our resort- having the contempo cafe was awesome-- the food was quite good and the people working there were soooo nice! DH even got to know one of them by name during our stay because we were often going there around naptime and after returning for the evening to use snack credits. I also LOVED the Wave!!!! And the 2 little shops were quite nice as well...I would DEFINITELY recommend the Contemporary Resort!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Soo...back to day 6! :goodvibes

This evening was spent leisurely strolling around EP. We rode space mountain and played in the area that ride ends in (sorry, I don't know if it has an actual name)...rode the Nemo ride...stopped in a couple of shops and just generally had a nice evening! :goodvibes

[mom_to_2]

Well I typed and posted (or so I thought) the first half of our last day at WDW last night, but apparently it didn't work! :confused3 I guess I'll have to re-do that! Sorry to any of you who are still out there reading along!!!

[clomahony]

Just found your trip report and I love it. It seems like such a laid back relaxing way to do Disney which you have to do with 2 small kids. Love your photos and your kids look very happy which is why we do it - right? I just took my 2 pre-schoolers to Disney and now they are getting older-it's not quite as relaxing.

Looking forward to reading more and thanks for sharing.

[Tenuviel]

Just found your TR- your boys are adorable and look like they had so much fun!!! My DS will be turning 3 when we go, so it is nice to read your experiences!!!

[mom_to_2]

Just found your trip report and I love it. It seems like such a laid back relaxing way to do Disney which you have to do with 2 small kids. Love your photos and your kids look very happy which is why we do it - right? I just took my 2 pre-schoolers to Disney and now they are getting older-it's not quite as relaxing.

Looking forward to reading more and thanks for sharing.

Welcome to my TR!!!!! Sooooo glad to have you here!! :goodvibes And thanks! We try to make it not too scheduled and have it be as fun as possible for everyone, and so far it has worked out well for us. It will definitely be interesting to see how things change as the kids get older!! But we've had such wonderful experiences in our first two trips that I CANNOT WAIT to go back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :yay: And neither can my older son, who waked up most mornings asking "Is today a Disney World Day?" :) And the other day told me we needed to go to Animal Kingdom (he LOVED the safari and the water ride, the name of which escapes me at the moment) and not ever come back home! :laughing:

[mom_to_2]

Just found your TR- your boys are adorable and look like they had so much fun!!! My DS will be turning 3 when we go, so it is nice to read your experiences!!!

glad to have you following along!! :thumbsup2 I think that is an awesome age to go!! My oldest son was 1 month shy of 3 when we went for the first time (we wanted to take advantage of the free admission while we could! :laughing: ) And it was a completely amazing trip!! This time he was a couple months short of being 4, but again it was just wonderful!!! If you're interested I can give you an idea of the stuff he really enjoyed at either or both of those ages, it was slightly different each trip, but of course each kid is different. Just let me know if you're interested in that! The most important thing is to know ahead of time that you will not do everything and to relax and enjoy what you can do! :) Well, that and I hope you have a magical trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And let us know if you're doing a pre-TR so we can see how your plans are going!! popcorn:: I have a feeling that, even though I would LOVE to go again next year (is it crazy to do disney every year?), my disney vacationing may have to be done vicariously for a while! :sad1:

[Tenuviel]

glad to have you following along!! :thumbsup2 I think that is an awesome age to go!! My oldest son was 1 month shy of 3 when we went for the first time (we wanted to take advantage of the free admission while we could! :laughing: ) And it was a completely amazing trip!! This time he was a couple months short of being 4, but again it was just wonderful!!! If you're interested I can give you an idea of the stuff he really enjoyed at either or both of those ages, it was slightly different each trip, but of course each kid is different. Just let me know if you're interested in that! The most important thing is to know ahead of time that you will not do everything and to relax and enjoy what you can do! :) Well, that and I hope you have a magical trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And let us know if you're doing a pre-TR so we can see how your plans are going!! popcorn:: I have a feeling that, even though I would LOVE to go again next year (is it crazy to do disney every year?), my disney vacationing may have to be done vicariously for a while! :sad1:

OMG! I would love to hear some tips on what he enjoyed!!!! This is my first trip with a little one, so I am completely in the dark!!!! I am hoping to start a pre-trip report once things slow down at work!!! We aren't going until Sept 2010 so I have time :rotfl2:But I am a bit obsessive when it comes to planning!!!! I haven't been since 2005, so this trip is REALLY exciting for me!!!

[mom_to_2]

OMG! I would love to hear some tips on what he enjoyed!!!! This is my first trip with a little one, so I am completely in the dark!!!! I am hoping to start a pre-trip report once things slow down at work!!! We aren't going until Sept 2010 so I have time :rotfl2:But I am a bit obsessive when it comes to planning!!!! I haven't been since 2005, so this trip is REALLY exciting for me!!!

Sure!! And I TOTALLY understand about the compulsive planning...I suffer from that affliction myself! haha. In fact, I find myself planning for our next trip, which is not even scheduled yet!! :lmao: I'm HOPING to go back in March, but I'm not sure if the week my husband was able to get off will be a good one. to go as far as crowds are concerned..I need to check the calendar and see when Easter falls next year...I also need to figure out what our money situationwill be at that point...minor details! hahaha.
Anyway, I will go back through my stuff from the first trip and get a list put together for you, no problem!!

I can tell you now that for the first trip especially, nap time was extremely important!!! The stimulation of the parks can be a bit much for younger kids, so we found that taking an afternoon break to go home and nap was the best thing to do. (The first year we rented a house in kissimmee with a pool. It was WONDERFUL!) DS did nap in his stroller one of the days we were there that first year so we decided to just stay and let him sleep there, but for the most part we left the parks and came back and it worked out fantastically!! I don't have much time now, but I'll definitely post some of the stuff he particularly enjoyed for you! :)

[Tenuviel]

Sure!! And I TOTALLY understand about the compulsive planning...I suffer from that affliction myself! haha. In fact, I find myself planning for our next trip, which is not even scheduled yet!! :lmao: I'm HOPING to go back in March, but I'm not sure if the week my husband was able to get off will be a good one. to go as far as crowds are concerned..I need to check the calendar and see when Easter falls next year...I also need to figure out what our money situationwill be at that point...minor details! hahaha.
Anyway, I will go back through my stuff from the first trip and get a list put together for you, no problem!!

I can tell you now that for the first trip especially, nap time was extremely important!!! The stimulation of the parks can be a bit much for younger kids, so we found that taking an afternoon break to go home and nap was the best thing to do. (The first year we rented a house in kissimmee with a pool. It was WONDERFUL!) DS did nap in his stroller one of the days we were there that first year so we decided to just stay and let him sleep there, but for the most part we left the parks and came back and it worked out fantastically!! I don't have much time now, but I'll definitely post some of the stuff he particularly enjoyed for you! :)

I have been working on an autograph book for my DS already and my DH keeps saying, "You realize the trip is over a year away..." After 10 years of marriage you think he would know me better :confused3

My son is horrible without naps, so we will definitely be planning on that! Look forward to reading more from you!!!!

[PiratesMommy]

I'm a little late, but I'm here enjoying your trip report. Your boys are adorable! I have a boy too, and we are in the process of planning a trip for the Fall....he wil be 2.5 yo at that time. We are trying to decide which resort to book. Sounds like the CR was super convenient for you!

Looking forward to more updates! :)

[mom_to_2]

:sad1: So day 7...our LAST park day :sad1: was our Animal Kindgom day. For whatever reason :confused: I always leave animal kingdom as our last park to visit...o.k. that makes it sound as if we've been to WDW a bunch of times, but in reality we've only been twice now, so my "always" is only two times! :goodvibes Anyway, I think I've left it for last both times because my 2 favorite parks (and DS's) are MK and DHS, and DH loves EP, so we try to send the majority of our time there. Also, we have such a wonderful zoo at home (and we go pretty often) I've never felt hard pressed to go see the animals. I am thinking that next visit, though, we will try to do AK a little earlier on and maybe get a bit more out of it. Having said that, we did have a WONDERFUL time at AK this year (better than our previous visit)!!

Our trip to AK began with Donald's safari breakfast at Tusker House!!! YUMMY!!!!!!!!

[mom_to_2]

I have been working on an autograph book for my DS already and my DH keeps saying, "You realize the trip is over a year away..." After 10 years of marriage you think he would know me better :confused3

My son is horrible without naps, so we will definitely be planning on that! Look forward to reading more from you!!!!

That's hilarious!! :laughing: I made matching T-shirts for all of this year but, oddly enough, it was DH's idea!!!!! I think people who know hi would be surprised by that! It was really fun, though!

So I've gone back through our stuff from our first vaca (when DS was just shy of 3 years old) and this was the stuff he enjoyed most (I'll do another post later listing stuff from this year). Asterisks mark his absolute favorites:

In all parks: meeting the characters (obviously every kid is different as far as this goes, but DS just loved it!!!!)

In MK:
Goofy's Barnstormer*
Pooh's Honey Pots
the Pooh Play area*
It's a Small World*
Dumbo ride*
Philharmagic
Peter Pan
Buzz Lightyear ride/game*

At DHS
Playhouse Disney Live* ( A MUST see!!!!!)
Muppets 3D
Honey I shrunk the kids play area*
Cars movie characters* (I know i listed characters, but hey- it Cars!)

At EP
Listening to the music (he particularly LOVED Off Kilter)*
Turtle Talk with Crush*
Kidcot stations
Living with the land boat ride*

At AK
Triceratop Spin*
Nemo musical* (we didn't get to see the lion king show either time we've been, but ive heard it is a must see as well)

Also, depending on where you stay and what the weather is like: swimming in the pool!!!!!!!!!!

Ok...this is all I can think of for that first trip for now...I hope this helps!!!!

[Tenuviel]

That's hilarious!! :laughing: I made matching T-shirts for all of this year but, oddly enough, it was DH's idea!!!!! I think people who know hi would be surprised by that! It was really fun, though!

So I've gone back through our stuff from our first vaca (when DS was just shy of 3 years old) and this was the stuff he enjoyed most (I'll do another post later listing stuff from this year). Asterisks mark his absolute favorites:

In all parks: meeting the characters (obviously every kid is different as far as this goes, but DS just loved it!!!!)

In MK:
Goofy's Barnstormer*
Pooh's Honey Pots
the Pooh Play area*
It's a Small World*
Dumbo ride*
Philharmagic
Peter Pan
Buzz Lightyear ride/game*

At DHS
Playhouse Disney Live* ( A MUST see!!!!!)
Muppets 3D
Honey I shrunk the kids play area*
Cars movie characters* (I know i listed characters, but hey- it Cars!)

At EP
Listening to the music (he particularly LOVED Off Kilter)*
Turtle Talk with Crush*
Kidcot stations
Living with the land boat ride*

At AK
Triceratop Spin*
Nemo musical* (we didn't get to see the lion king show either time we've been, but ive heard it is a must see as well)

Also, depending on where you stay and what the weather is like: swimming in the pool!!!!!!!!!!

Ok...this is all I can think of for that first trip for now...I hope this helps!!!!


Thank you so much!!!! We are going to stay at CBR :cool1: I put notes on these rides in my planning book....I'd be embrassed admitting that elsewhere, but I figure I am in good company on disboards :lmao:

My DS is a huge Pooh/Tigger fan at the moment and also loves Toy Story, so I am bursting for excitement for this trip!!!!!!

[mom_to_2]

Thank you so much!!!! We are going to stay at CBR :cool1: I put notes on these rides in my planning book....I'd be embrassed admitting that elsewhere, but I figure I am in good company on disboards :lmao:

My DS is a huge Pooh/Tigger fan at the moment and also loves Toy Story, so I am bursting for excitement for this trip!!!!!!

You are definitely in good company around here! You should see all the various charts I put together for our trip! :rotfl:

If you think your son would do well with character you should do breakfast at crystal palace!!!!!! We saw pooh, tigger, eeyore, and piglet there And they were just great! The food was pretty good as well, but of course you don't do character meals for the food! :goodvibes

For toy story there is more stuff at DHS (although there is the one ride at MK, too, which my son really likes). In addition to toy story mania- my DS LOVED this!- there is also a new (to me, at least) chatacter spot there where he can usually meet buzz and woody. We didn't make it in there this time, and it wasn't there last time we went, but i've heard good things. Even before they opened that character spot we got to see woody, buzz, some toy soldiers, and jessie (I think that is her name...the cowgirl character), so if anything id think it is even better now!! :)

[Grace and Mickey]

Hi
just read your TR, I enjoy it:goodvibes

I Love reading reports with young children and parents who are enjoying seeing the magic in there children eyes.

thanks for the tips you gave another poster about there almost 3 year old, They help me too!!
As we are taking our 2 1/2 year old grandson, in 93 days.

I see you from Ohio too!

Have a magicial day!

[Tenuviel]

You are definitely in good company around here! You should see all the various charts I put together for our trip! :rotfl:

If you think your son would do well with character you should do breakfast at crystal palace!!!!!! We saw pooh, tigger, eeyore, and piglet there And they were just great! The food was pretty good as well, but of course you don't do character meals for the food! :goodvibes

For toy story there is more stuff at DHS (although there is the one ride at MK, too, which my son really likes). In addition to toy story mania- my DS LOVED this!- there is also a new (to me, at least) chatacter spot there where he can usually meet buzz and woody. We didn't make it in there this time, and it wasn't there last time we went, but i've heard good things. Even before they opened that character spot we got to see woody, buzz, some toy soldiers, and jessie (I think that is her name...the cowgirl character), so if anything id think it is even better now!! :)

We have crystal palace on the schedule for Logan's birthday breakfast :banana:

I really wish they had a toy story character meal! I am very excited to go on Toy Story Mania! I think he will like the characters. We have been watching some sing alongs from the parks and I show him the characters online with peoples photos. He names the ones he knows and if he doesn't recognize them he says, "who's that?" It is so cute!!!!

[mom_to_2]

Sooo, as I said before, our last park day was an AK day and we started off with breakfast at Tusker House. Although we really DID NOT like the way they ran their buffet- saying there was no line and essentially telling people it was ok to cut in front of others...who is gonna do that? It is SO rude!- we did like the food! And the character interaction was great!

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DS even got up and participated in the little dance-line thing.

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After breakfast DH went to get FP for kilimanjaro safari, while the boys and I headed over to DinoLand, where we rode TriceraTop Spin first thing. Both DS and baby boy LOVED that!!

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[mom_to_2]

Goodness it has been a long time since I've been on here! So first off...hello to everyone out there reading this!!! :wave2:

I mentioned my TR to my SIL the other day and it made me realize that I had not yet finished it- yikes! :scared1: Luckily it hasn't been so long that I can't remember our trip- and of course I have plenty of pics to remind me of what we did! :rotfl: But of course by the time I get around to scrapbooking this trip I'm probably going to have to print this out to remember everything! :lmao: In any event...I think I left off on our last day at the parks...our day at AK. :goodvibes

[mom_to_2]

After having a great time in DinoLand we headed over to the dinosaur roller coaster ride. DS thought he wanted to ride it (although I think he would have chickened out! haha), but it was not running yet. :sad1: So DS occupied his time by climbing all over the big dinosaurs in the area and just running around like a crazy person! At that point it was time to head over to Kilimanjaro safari- woohoo!!!!!!! :woohoo: This was SO fun for all of us!! DH and DS loved it, and so did baby boy and I! We had a bit of a wait at one point because the rhinos had roamed onto the road and were not in a big hurry to finish crossing, but it was just such interesting scenery that the kids did not seem to mind at all. We did not ride this on our first trip to AK and I have to say that from here on out this will be a MUST DO for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the safari we headed over towards the water ride (the name of which escapes me at the moment)...we had a small lunch at the asian restaurant and then DH and DS got soaked on the water ride!!! They had a great time!!!

[SunnieRN]

Great trip report!! When we went to WDW last Sept. for the first time, my older grandson had just barely turned 3 and my baby grandson was 7 mos. old.

Your boys are so cute and have gorgeous eyes!!! Really enjoyed this!