We nailed it with a newborn, why not tackle it with a toddler?!? Updated with Trip Video!!

Fun report so far! We took our 9 month old last year and will take him again this year at 21 months. Can't wait!
 
:lmao: :rotfl2: I guess at least there is the option to walk back, but at night when you're tired, not the first choice.

Yeah, definitely not a walk we were willing to make after only a few hours of sleep, 14 hrs of travel, and being at parks until closing! :rotfl2:Although I'm sure it's a beautiful walk normally!
 
Fun report so far! We took our 9 month old last year and will take him again this year at 21 months. Can't wait!

Thanks! We are taking Luke again in May when he is 21 months and again at 27 months. I'm excited to see how different each trip is!
 
Luke's First Haircut

Let me preface this post by saying it is entirely of Luke's first haircut. For those that have no interest in cute toddler photos, well this probably isn't the trip report for you! For those that have no interest in haircuts, at least this post will have lots of cute picture to make up for it!

So we knew we wanted to have Luke's first haircut done at Disney pretty much since his birth. I had read about the First Haircut package at the barbershop and it sounded wonderful! So we held out even though he needed a haircut for several months prior to our trip. We had gotten to the point that people kept telling us how cute our little girl was. Sigh.

But back to the trip report. I had booked the appointment for our first full day at Disney (we didn't think the day before would be a full day), not too early because I didn't want to be rushed. Our appointment was at 11, which was pefect. We were able to take our time getting up and getting to the park, which was great since we had a full day the day before. (It is also one of the perks of FP+. We were able to book the rides we wanted for early afternoon and not worry about rope drop this day.)

We arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly before 11 and soon found ourselves standing here:




We checked in and waited for about 10 minutes. While we waited I took some before pictures of my boy with his long and crazy hair (looking extra crazy because of the static from the stroller!).








They called our name and we headed in. The Harmony Barbershop was much smaller than I expected. I think it had 3 barber's chairs and a little cash register stand (just big enough for the register). We were introduced to our lovely cast member, Susan.




She asked us what kind of haircut we wanted. We didn't really know so she asked us if we just wanted a typical little boy haircut. That sounded good, so that's what we went with. She had lots of toys to keep him entertained, and she just switched them out every couple minutes so he didn't get bored.














His favorite was when she brought out the bubbles!!







I just love this picture! It's my wallpaper on my laptop.


She kept all the hair as she trimmed it for us to keep. They put it in a little bag with Mickey confetti for a nice keepsake! Before long, she was finishing up.






Then it was time for the finishing touch - Mickey ears! They were embroidered with "First Haircut" on the back to commemorate the occasion! Susan placed them on and then gave Luke a mirror so he could check out his big boy haircut.










He seemed pretty pleased with the results (as were we)! They bagged up his hair and a certificate and we checked out. Then we tipped Susan and thanked her for being so supremely awesome and we were done! We had to do a few "after" photos, of course.












This really was a wonderful, magical experience! Susan did such a great job of entertaining him and not one tear was shed! (Well, none by Luke I should say. Mama cried like a baby!) She also treated him like he was really special and you would never think that she does this all the time by the way she made a fuss over him. She showed so much enthusiasm you would have thought it was her first "first haircut"! They really made this a special moment for us, and I hope to be able to come back for first haircuts with any future children!
 
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So handsome! And looks like so much fun!

Thank you! And it really was fun! Getting a toddler to be happy for 15 minutes for a haircut is no small task, but they really made it an enjoyable experience.


Adorable. What a perfect memory.

Thanks! As a parent, you realize that not every special moment turns out like you planned. From a stomach virus on the first trip to the beach to crying all the way through an expensive photo shoot, sometimes you wind up disappointed that things didn't live up to the vision you had in your head. But this was one of those moments that not only met but exceeded all the hopes I had!
 


Magic Kingdom Eats and Entertainment

After Luke's haircut, we started working our way to Fantasyland. We had a fastpass coming up for lunch at Be Our Guest. But when we got to the hub, there was a parade going on. We had some time to spare, so we decided to stop and watch the end of the parade. Luke really loved this! Don't believe me? Here is some photographic proof:














And a couple of the parade and the castle:








He especially loved seeing Mickey at the end. Mickey was, and still is, Luke's favorite character. After the parade ended, we worked our way around the castle. And it's not possible to walk past the beautiful castle without taking about 800 pictures, so here are a few favorites.










And then we finally made it to Fantasyland without any further stops! We went to park the stroller and couldn't help noticing how crowded it was! This was more along the lines of what I expected when we heard about those Jersey Week crowds. Fantasyland and the area around Be Our Guest was so packed that we could hardly navigate the stroller. And Luke really wanted to get down and run around, but he really couldn't without risk of being trampled.




We went to check in at Be Our Guest, but we had two separate reservations. Since we were staying in separate rooms, I had to book the FPs for lunch separately and couldn't get the exact same time for both. One started 15 minutes later than the other, but they had some overlap. I had hoped if we arrived at the first reservation time, they would let us all in, but unfortunately we had to wait until both reservations were open to check in. I knew it was unlikely they could check us in, but there was no way we could do a ride or go to a less crowded part of the park and get back in time. So it made the most sense to just wait. We tried to keep Luke entertained, but he was in one of those tired, hungry moods where he didn't want to be held (and it was too crowded to put him down). So we just took turns holding a squirmy, crabby toddler. But we did manage to sneak a smile or two out of him during that time.




Once both reservation windows were open, we were able to check in. We quickly placed our order and seated ourselves in the ballroom.




Before long, our wonderful food was served! We were quick to dig in as we were all pretty hungry at that point. We had only had a light breakfast. Most mornings we just had granola bars, cheese sticks, etc. in the hotel room before we left. Luke especially was ready to chow down - he's just not himself when he's hungry! :rotfl2:Some lunch photos:







My mom had the Braised Pork - slow-cooked pork with vegetables and bacon served with mashed potatoes and green beans jardiniere.



DH and I both had the Croque Monsieur - Grilled sandwich of carved ham, Gruyere cheese, and bechamel with Pommes Frites.




My dad had the Tuna Nicoise Salad - Warm seared tuna steak with chilled green beans, potatoes, olives, roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs.



For dessert, DH and I both had the Triple Chocolate Cupcake - chocolate sponge cake, chocolate mousse filling, and chocolate ganache.



My parents both had the Lemon-Raspberry Cream Puff - filled with lemon custard.

Everything was wonderful! This was our third time dining here, and every time the food is excellent. Definitely the best counter service in Magic Kingdom. Plus it is nice to get out of the heat and crowds and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. So this will stay our first pick for a quick meal at this park.

After our lunch we were full and recharged. Well, the adults were recharged. Luke was a much happier camper now that he had a full belly and was thus content to go down for a stroller nap. So time for the adults to hit some rides!


Up next: Magic Kingdom rides and our first signature of the trip!
 
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So we held out even though he needed a haircut for several months prior to our trip. We had gotten to the point that people kept telling us how cute our little girl was. Sigh.
Ha, you and I had the opposite problems. When we got Izzy's first (and only) haircut there when she was 14 months, she really didn't even have enough hair to justify cutting. A few snips for the experience, really. And she has been mistaken for a boy many times. She has not had any other haircuts since and her hair is still pretty short. Oh, well. :confused3

IMG_0593_zpslf9sirc1.jpg
Wow, who would have ever thought a kid could be so happy to get a haircut?! Super cute! :lovestruc What a great time he had with all the toys and bubbles!

Yum on the Be Our Guest lunch! I'm excited to go back there in May! We weren't planning to go this time, but I saw an opening (since it's by ADR now) and had to snatch it up! :thumbsup2

Luke was a much happier camper now that he had a full belly and was thus content to go down for a stroller nap. So time for the adults to hit some rides!
Perfect! Hope he sleeps well and you have some fun! :goodvibes
 
I love the first haircut pictures. Reminds me of DS when he got his at 13 months old. He is 3.5 now!! Your little one is so precious.
 
I'm playing catch up!!

We expected the same or worse since this was also a weekend night and the crowds were supposed to be elevated due to Jersey Week. So imagine our surprise to find World Showcase practically empty! :confused: I don't know if it was the chilly weather keeping people from coming out, but it was wonderful!!! And the cool weather was actually really nice since it can get warm with all the food booths.

Ok, I'm glad you shared this! We originally planned to go during Jersey Week - we're from PA so no real theory to it except we wanted to catch a Halloween party.. but then we decided on the week after to catch Osborne and the Christmas Party.. weird that it was so empty!

I remember this being delicious...and I'm picky about seafood. The scallop was fresh and cooked perfectly! From the looks of the following picture, my parents ordered something else!

Ohh.. I missed this last year. I must try this one this year. Yum!!

It is a crannachan: a traditional Scottish dessert trifle with raspberries, toasted oats, and whipped cream. And upon speaking with my mom, apparently this was fantastic! Sorry I missed it!

That sounds delicious too!


This was delicious, but I thought it was a little better the previous year.

Yum.... I tried this, but it wasn't my favorite. I think when I got it, it had been sitting under a heat lamp a little too long. Love all of these flavors together, though!

This was so good! It was so much better with the bread. Why can't they just serve it at Food and Wine with a piece of pretzel bread? I would pay extra. :confused3

SERIOUSLY. Best idea ever. And you know that pretzel bread cannot be that expensive! I would pay double for that pretzel bread. Or maybe we should just bring some from home (or Biergarten!?) and sneak it in.

It's a Cider & Black - hard cider and black currant juice. I love these. It may be my favorite drink in World Showcase, even above slushes in France and margaritas in Mexico. :scared1:

This looks amazing! Is it sweet? I must say I don't know what a currant is, but I do love me some hard cider.

Your post has added at least 2-3 items to my list of things to try next trip!! Hahaha.
 
Let me preface this post by saying it is entirely of Luke's first haircut. For those that have no interest in cute toddler photos, well this probably isn't the trip report for you! For those that have no interest in haircuts, at least this post will have lots of cute picture to make up for it!

I have extreme interest in cute toddler photos. And now I'm a haircut photo enthusiast because those pictures are SO adorable.

(It is also one of the perks of FP+. We were able to book the rides we wanted for early afternoon and not worry about rope drop this day.)

One of my favorite things! It's nice to be able to sleep in and relax and know that you can still catch your favorite rides. :)

Then it was time for the finishing touch - Mickey ears! They were embroidered with "First Haircut" on the back to commemorate the occasion! Susan placed them on and then gave Luke a mirror so he could check out his big boy haircut.

I am melting.. serious cuteness overload. Looks like he did such a great job!!

Everything was wonderful! This was our third time dining here, and every time the food is excellent. Definitely the best counter service in Magic Kingdom. Plus it is nice to get out of the heat and crowds and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. So this will stay our first pick for a quick meal at this park.

YUM! I must try lunch next time. Everything looks delicious, especially that tuna salad!
 
Ha, you and I had the opposite problems. When we got Izzy's first (and only) haircut there when she was 14 months, she really didn't even have enough hair to justify cutting. A few snips for the experience, really. And she has been mistaken for a boy many times. She has not had any other haircuts since and her hair is still pretty short. Oh, well. :confused3


Wow, who would have ever thought a kid could be so happy to get a haircut?! Super cute! :lovestruc What a great time he had with all the toys and bubbles!

Yum on the Be Our Guest lunch! I'm excited to go back there in May! We weren't planning to go this time, but I saw an opening (since it's by ADR now) and had to snatch it up! :thumbsup2


Perfect! Hope he sleeps well and you have some fun! :goodvibes

He really had a good time! I never could understand why people kept confusing him for a girl, especially since all his clothing is pretty masculine. Plus, if it's not clearly obvious what gender a baby is, I just say "what a cute baby". Don't just guess at a child's gender if you aren't sure. It's like assuming someone is pregnant...don't do it people...just don't do it.

I love the first haircut pictures! What a perfect memory! :)

It really was! I used up the full post with pictures and that is probably only half of the photos I have. It was such a cute experience and actually less than a toddler haircut in my home town without the Mickey ears and pixie dust you get. So it's a great value! Don't tell Disney though. I don't want them to jack up the price! :laughing:

I love the first haircut pictures. Reminds me of DS when he got his at 13 months old. He is 3.5 now!! Your little one is so precious.

Thank you! They really grow up so fast. I can't believe mine is just a few months from 2. It seems like just yesterday he was the tiny baby from my first trip report. :sad:
 
Ok, I'm glad you shared this! We originally planned to go during Jersey Week - we're from PA so no real theory to it except we wanted to catch a Halloween party.. but then we decided on the week after to catch Osborne and the Christmas Party.. weird that it was so empty!

I would definitely go again during Jersey Week. I know my trip report has kind of been back and forth on crowds. It was empty at Epcot and crowded at Magic Kingdom, but overall we felt like crowds were not really different from our late September/early October trip. We didn't experience any super long lines, the weather was WAY better than our last trip, and MVMCP and Osborne Lights started at the end of our trip.



Yum.... I tried this, but it wasn't my favorite. I think when I got it, it had been sitting under a heat lamp a little too long. Love all of these flavors together, though!

I'm wondering if that is why it was better our first trip. Since it was more crowded, all the items were coming out really fresh. This year it may have sat a little bit. It was still very good, just not as awesome as the year before.


SERIOUSLY. Best idea ever. And you know that pretzel bread cannot be that expensive! I would pay double for that pretzel bread. Or maybe we should just bring some from home (or Biergarten!?) and sneak it in.

Exactly! It just so happened that I had that pretzel bread. I don't usually take anything with me from a buffet, but I already had them on my plate and couldn't bear the thought of them just throwing them away. And they were so delicious with the cheese soup! I have had this combo at Le Cellier before, but for whatever reason it was even better at Food and Wine.


This looks amazing! Is it sweet? I must say I don't know what a currant is, but I do love me some hard cider.

It's got that fruity flavor from the cider and black currant, but it is not particularly sweet. My mom hates really sweet drinks, but loves this. IMHO, it is the perfect balance! So delicious!

I have extreme interest in cute toddler photos. And now I'm a haircut photo enthusiast because those pictures are SO adorable.

Thank you! These are some of my favorite photos from the trip!


One of my favorite things! It's nice to be able to sleep in and relax and know that you can still catch your favorite rides. :)

I know there are a lot of FP+ haters, but I really like it. We have had one trip during its testing and then this one with complete rollout, and both worked out great. We were able to book afternoon FP for arrival day or afternoon FP for one park and do rope drop at a different park. We were also able to easily change times or attractions on my phone in a minute or so. We booked 4th and 5th FPs from the kiosks a couple times (only at MK, we never needed them at other parks) and got some decent choices. It may be a whole different beast on a more crowded week, but I don't think we waited longer than 20-30 minutes for any ride our whole trip with some planning. And we could ride our favorites multiple times by utilizing rope drop, rider swap, and single rider. You can tell we had definite hiccups with our Magic Bands, but we really like FP+. When they didn't enforce return times, FP- was better, but I think FP+ is better than FP- with enforced return times.

I am melting.. serious cuteness overload. Looks like he did such a great job!!

Thank you!! :cloud9:

YUM! I must try lunch next time. Everything looks delicious, especially that tuna salad!

We have liked everything we had there. And the atmosphere is much closer to table service for quick service price. I also enjoy Columbia Harbor House and Peco's Bill, but Be Our Guest is my favorite.
 
The Three Mountains & More

We left off with us leaving lunch and Luke napping. This worked out perfectly timing wise, since I had booked FPs for rides that Luke couldn't ride after lunch hoping he would nap. And he did! So we walked across the park to use our first fastpass. We were headed towards "the wildest ride in the wilderness" - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! We got a rider swap and my parents jumped on first, while DH and I stayed with a sleeping Luke. It must be a universal nap time, since there were napping babies on either side of us too! My parents enjoyed their ride and we switched out so DH and I could ride.

Next we headed over ride Splash Mountain. I was super excited about this one, since I love Splash Mountain and I didn't get to ride it last trip (Luke was fussy when were scheduled to ride and I didn't make it back). My parents went first and Luke woke up shortly before they returned. So we took him to the play area, but there were too many big kids shoving him and knocking him over. :( I wish more of the play areas had designated toddler zones like at Dumbo. So when DH and I went to ride, my parents entertained him by letting him watch the boats instead.














Here are our lovely ride photos:






Luke was wide awake now, but the plans were for a couple more big rides, so we decided to stick to the plans and headed over to Space Mountain. We got the rider swap and my parents went and rode. DH and I took Luke to the arcade. He really liked it in there, so that's where my parents stayed with him while DH and I took our ride.










We enjoyed our ride here, but it can be a little rough. Space Mountain was my absolute favorite on my childhood trip and it remains a must-do for me even though it's no longer my favorite (may not even be in the top 5 now). Some ride photos:








Our last planned fastpass was for Seven Dwarves Mine Train. This was our first time riding it, so we were pretty excited! My parents got in line and waited and waited and waited. Finally, they called to tell us that they were being told to leave the line and that the ride would likely not reopen that day. (This was right after the fire, but we didn't know that at the time.) So I went to the CM at the ride to see if we could get paper FPs to come back. "No." Well, will they accept our FP on the Magic Band past the time slot if the ride reopens? "No." I had read sometimes if a ride is down they will let you use your FP for certain other rides. Can we do that? "No." Needless to say, I was pretty disenchanted with that particular CM. No explanation, no attempt to let us use our FP in any way. It is a bummer when you have 3 and they are telling you that 1/3 of your fastpasses are just wasted with no way to use/change/etc. Fortunately, while this was going on (unbeknownst to me), my parents had passed another CM who was super nice and was giving everyone paper FPs for Seven Dwarves Mine Train to use later. So it all wound up okay. Since we had a little time, we went across the way to ride Pooh, which had a pretty short wait. A couple photos:








After Pooh, we figured we'd better start heading out. We had dinner reservations at our first signature of the trip. Where were we going? I guess you'll have to wait and see!



 
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Joining in... Better late than never! Luke is absolutely precious! Glad you figured out the fastpasses for 7DMT, it's always disappointing when CMs are dismissive especially since we're spoiled with so many eager to make magic!
 
Lots of fun with the mountains. I'm glad naptime worked pretty well. I agree about the toddler play areas - it's hard to find places where the little ones don't get pushed around. Boo to the "no" CM at 7DMT. When a ride closes and you do have a FP+, I believe it will work anytime later in the day. That was what we were told, at least. Glad you ended up getting the paper ones. Looking forward to your signature dining!
 
o imagine our surprise to find World Showcase practically empty!
:dancer: What a pleasant surprise indeed!

I don't know if it was the chilly weather keeping people from coming out, but it was wonderful!!! And the cool weather was actually really nice since it can get warm with all the food booths.
I can imagine how it would be nice. When DH where there in Oct '13 there were quite a few dishes that we thought were tasty but that it was too hot to enjoy them.

Between juggling the food and Luke, I usually don't have a free hand to take photos.
I totally get the struggle. I don't expect to get many food pictures my self in May.

I assumed the boats ran until Epcot closed, for park hoppers?
Nope just an hour past Hollywood Studios closing.

There was another family in the same predicament (or should I say another family in the same boat? Bwahaha - I crack myself up with my puns!) as us, so it can't be too uncommon an occurrence for people to want to get back to DHS.

:boat: Well at least the captain was nice enough to take you anyways.
 
So apparently the alerts really dropped the ball on letting me know you had posted! :rotfl: I didn't see all the other posts until after I posted my last comments.

We had gotten to the point that people kept telling us how cute our little girl was. Sigh.
That's okay, people really can be clueless. The number of times I have had DD dressed head to toe pink with big pink bows on her head and yet still be called a boy! :rolleyes:

And it's not possible to walk past the beautiful castle without taking about 800 pictures
It really isn't!

So we took him to the play area, but there were too many big kids shoving him and knocking him over.
Ugh! Such a pet peeve. Leaving really is the best thing to do in those situations. ::yes::

So when DH and I went to ride, my parents entertained him by letting him watch the boats instead.
Who needs a playground when there are boats to watch?! :thumbsup2

So I went to the CM at the ride to see if we could get paper FPs to come back. "No." Well, will they accept our FP on the Magic Band past the time slot if the ride reopens? "No." I had read sometimes if a ride is down they will let you use your FP for certain other rides. Can we do that? "No." Needless to say, I was pretty disenchanted with that particular CM.
I wonder if he even knew what he was talking about. How rude of him.:confused3

Fortunately, while this was going on (unbeknownst to me), my parents had passed another CM who was super nice and was giving everyone paper FPs for Seven Dwarves Mine Train to use later.

Yay! At least they were able to find a CM with the right attitude.
 

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