1st Trip as Mommy & Daddy! Celebrating DSs 1st Bday Nov 11-UPDATE 11/13 TR LINK!

[exwdwcm]

yeah for the Premier passport! it sounds like a great savings given your trips to both. We are just doing one day at DL in 2 weeks, and had to shell out the $80 for a one day ticket. OUCH! my family is like, doesn't your AP work there, i was like, um, no, i wish! We only have the WDW AP. sounds like a great deal for you guys!

yeah for getting your flights booked and times you like. For me, the times are almost as important as the price. I am sure Paxton will do fine. Have your flights out of NOLA been full in the past? Maybe he will sleep in your lap anyhow.

LOL at the circus pic- too cute. Glad he enjoyed some of it and you are so right, most of the WDW experiences are 20 minutes or so anyhow, so that works out well.

As for the stroller and napping...Will never was one to nap in his stroller. In fact in 8 days there, he only slept in his stroller once. We took the midday break each day. But i know AK is hard. We will do almost a full day at AK too- it is just easier than taking a break with their early closing time. You can always play it by ear on how he is doing. I think they have rocking chairs and stuff in the baby centers too, so you could always hide out there for a little break/nap/rocking for him.

The plans are looking good so far. Can't wait to see the rest!

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi there, just stumbled across your PTR, but I've seen you posting in some other TR's I read. I've still got a few pages to get caught up on, but looks good so far.

You should send your DH over to the DIS Dad's Club sometime. We promise not to get him into too much trouble.

 

[khertz]

Yeah for flying!

Yeah for a countdown calendar. (Too early for me though - we start @ 50 days).

Yeah for Premiere Pass!

Last time I didn't start our countdown until 75 days, but I was just anxious to start doing something with the trip, I guess. I love walking past that countdown every morning and seeing those Mickey heads disappear one by one!

yeah for the Premier passport! it sounds like a great savings given your trips to both. We are just doing one day at DL in 2 weeks, and had to shell out the $80 for a one day ticket. OUCH! my family is like, doesn't your AP work there, i was like, um, no, i wish! We only have the WDW AP. sounds like a great deal for you guys!

Oh my gosh, that does stink! Going to WDW so many times, you never think about having to shell out all that money for just 1 day. It would be great if you could at least get a discount on a 1-day ticket for holding an AP at the other park...

yeah for getting your flights booked and times you like. For me, the times are almost as important as the price. I am sure Paxton will do fine. Have your flights out of NOLA been full in the past? Maybe he will sleep in your lap anyhow.

From what I can remember, our flights have always been full. I'm anticipating these will also, because they are really at prime times (at least, to me anyway!). And on our departure day, the flights before & after ours have 1 stop with a plane change for the same price as our direct flight. On the way back, we might have some luck because for some reason, it's the only flight that day more expensive than the rest, but it is the most convenient time for us. Hopefully more people will take the other cheaper flights instead!

LOL at the circus pic- too cute. Glad he enjoyed some of it and you are so right, most of the WDW experiences are 20 minutes or so anyhow, so that works out well.

As for the stroller and napping...Will never was one to nap in his stroller. In fact in 8 days there, he only slept in his stroller once. We took the midday break each day. But i know AK is hard. We will do almost a full day at AK too- it is just easier than taking a break with their early closing time. You can always play it by ear on how he is doing. I think they have rocking chairs and stuff in the baby centers too, so you could always hide out there for a little break/nap/rocking for him.

He has slept in the stroller in the past no problem, so I'm just hoping that the activity going on around him won't make him want to "tough it out" and stay awake so he can see everything. My ideal would be if he took a shorter nap in the stroller in the morning, and we could get him to take his longer one at the resort in the afternoon. But we are going to see how it goes the first couple of days. Like you said, it just stinks that AK works best our 1st day and taking a long afternoon break, you really can't go back with the closing being so early. That day we'll definitely just have to play by ear and see how he does. We plan on checking out all of the Baby Centers too, especially for when DS (or me & DH!) needs a little break from the touring!

The plans are looking good so far. Can't wait to see the rest!

Thanks!!

Hi there, just stumbled across your PTR, but I've seen you posting in some other TR's I read. I've still got a few pages to get caught up on, but looks good so far.

You should send your DH over to the DIS Dad's Club sometime. We promise not to get him into too much trouble.

I just commented over on yours. I showed DH your comment & he said he is a little intimidated, but I'll try to get him to jump on in. He definitely loves being a DIS Dad! I'm a little scared to ask what kind of trouble he could potentially get into over there, but I'll just close my eyes & plug my ears.

 

[afwdwfan]

I just commented over on yours. I showed DH your comment & he said he is a little intimidated, but I'll try to get him to jump on in. He definitely loves being a DIS Dad! I'm a little scared to ask what kind of trouble he could potentially get into over there, but I'll just close my eyes & plug my ears.

We're harmless for the most part. Bacon, cheeseballs, Dole Whips and any other delicious food item are usually at the center of the conversation going on in the thread, but if somebody mentions Beverly, they're covering up a curse word. It's really a great group of guys... new dads all the way to granddads and there's always something fun going on. A little late to get in on it this year since the football league just filled up, but we always have fantasy sports leagues too.


About your Who Dat Nation status: Let me just say that I'm a Colts fan, but if I had to pick an NFC team... I was sitting in the student section at Purdue games watching Drew play and will always be a fan.


Ok,caught up now. Looks like a fun trip at PCB. DW and I went there for our honeymoon in 2008 and we ate at just about every restaurant you guys went to. The only one we missed was Five Guys... didn't even know that one was there.

I'm glad you got to do the circus and see how well he sat through the show. We took DS to a couple of Cincinnati Reds games last summer. Honestly, I preferred taking him when he was around 9 - 12 months. It is much harder to get him to sit through things now. I'd think for the typical Disney show, you're going to be taking him at a great age. He'll have plenty of colors and movement to watch and may not be quite as inattentive as an active full blown toddler yet.

Congratulations on getting the flights you wanted. Hopefully, you'll have enough empty seats that he won't have to be a lap baby. We talked about flying for our trip too, but in the end, we just felt like it would be easier to load up the truck and drive 14 hours than to have to go through the hassle of getting to and through the airport. Each way definitely has its advantages and drawbacks.

 

[CandleontheWater]

A premier annual pass! Be still my beating heart! That is so awesome! I'm really excited (and a little jealous!) that you will be able to take advantage of both WDW and DL in one year. I've only been to DL once, but I always have dream plans in my head for making back over to the west coast.

I think you made the right decision about plane tickets, I'll put it this way, my DH is a pilot and we never buy tickets for Everett. DH always says if things go a little bit wrong, he'll be fine either way, but it things go VERY wrong, a car seat isn't going to make a difference. The chances of something going moderately wrong (where being in a car seat would mean no injury, but being held would) are statistically very, very, VERY small.

If you are worried, you could get a baby b'air flight vest so that way you can hook Paxton right into your seatbelt, which would keep him secure in case of extreme turbulence (the kind where you wouldn't be able to keep him in your arms, which is also statistically VERY, VERY small). We have one, and we sometimes use it, but mostly Everett is free range.

 

[vamassey1]

Great news about the flights and the tickets. I'm jealous that you get to do both parks too. I've never been to Disneyland.

 

[DDuck4Life]

I'm back with a new look. l'll be around posting more than before. I promise

You should send your DH over to the DIS Dad's Club sometime. We promise not to get him into too much trouble.

I'll have to head over there and check it out.

 

[khertz]

We're harmless for the most part. Bacon, cheeseballs, Dole Whips and any other delicious food item are usually at the center of the conversation going on in the thread, but if somebody mentions Beverly, they're covering up a curse word. It's really a great group of guys... new dads all the way to granddads and there's always something fun going on. A little late to get in on it this year since the football league just filled up, but we always have fantasy sports leagues too.


About your Who Dat Nation status: Let me just say that I'm a Colts fan, but if I had to pick an NFC team... I was sitting in the student section at Purdue games watching Drew play and will always be a fan.

Drew Brees! Not only is he a great quarterback, he just an amazing guy in general. The Sportsman of the Year article SI did on him a couple of years ago was so great. Love him!


Ok,caught up now. Looks like a fun trip at PCB. DW and I went there for our honeymoon in 2008 and we ate at just about every restaurant you guys went to. The only one we missed was Five Guys... didn't even know that one was there.

I'm glad you got to do the circus and see how well he sat through the show. We took DS to a couple of Cincinnati Reds games last summer. Honestly, I preferred taking him when he was around 9 - 12 months. It is much harder to get him to sit through things now. I'd think for the typical Disney show, you're going to be taking him at a great age. He'll have plenty of colors and movement to watch and may not be quite as inattentive as an active full blown toddler yet.

I'm really hoping this will be the case, because after that, he will be full blown toddler, so this might be the last trip for awhile to enjoy the shows!!

Congratulations on getting the flights you wanted. Hopefully, you'll have enough empty seats that he won't have to be a lap baby. We talked about flying for our trip too, but in the end, we just felt like it would be easier to load up the truck and drive 14 hours than to have to go through the hassle of getting to and through the airport. Each way definitely has its advantages and drawbacks.

We definitely struggled with the fly vs. drive argument for a LONG time. For awhile, we were both set on driving, then I thought flying would be better and started trying to convince DH. I finally got him on my side, then started thinking of all the negatives to flying and positives to driving. It was so back and forth. Every time one of us had the other convinced, we'd change our own mind! Now I'm just glad we have it settled and I can start working out what we'll have to do differently now that we are not going to be able to bring everything with us!

A premier annual pass! Be still my beating heart! That is so awesome! I'm really excited (and a little jealous!) that you will be able to take advantage of both WDW and DL in one year. I've only been to DL once, but I always have dream plans in my head for making back over to the west coast.

As much as I hated when DH went offshore, I gotta give his company props for sending him to California. If he wouldn't have spent that solo day in DL, I have a feeling it would have been a LONG time before we ever made it to Walt's park! The next year of trips will be pretty whirlwind, but I don't see that keeping up for the following years.

I think you made the right decision about plane tickets, I'll put it this way, my DH is a pilot and we never buy tickets for Everett. DH always says if things go a little bit wrong, he'll be fine either way, but it things go VERY wrong, a car seat isn't going to make a difference. The chances of something going moderately wrong (where being in a car seat would mean no injury, but being held would) are statistically very, very, VERY small.

Reading that actually made me feel a lot better, coming from a pilot! (Or a pilot's wife, rather ) I'm still holding out hope for a flight that isn't full, but I'm to the point where I think I'll be ok if it is and he has to sit on our laps.

If you are worried, you could get a baby b'air flight vest so that way you can hook Paxton right into your seatbelt, which would keep him secure in case of extreme turbulence (the kind where you wouldn't be able to keep him in your arms, which is also statistically VERY, VERY small). We have one, and we sometimes use it, but mostly Everett is free range.

Thanks for the link!

Great news about the flights and the tickets. I'm jealous that you get to do both parks too. I've never been to Disneyland.

I have been wanting to visit DL for a long time, but I didn't think we'd be doing that until our kids were grown. I'm pretty excited to get a chance to visit the park Walt built!

I'm back with a new look. l'll be around posting more than before. I promise



I'll have to head over there and check it out.

I'm holding you to that promise now!

 

[khertz]

DAY 3 - November 7th

Another early morning for us! We'll get up and eat some breakfast in the room before getting in the car and making our way to Hollywood Studios!

We have always had an easy time getting there for rope drop in the past, but we will have a 1 year old with us this time around, so things might not go as easily! But the goal is rope drop of course, so that we can follow the crowds to Pixar Place and pick up some FPs for Toy Story Mania!

Now before, we always rode the ride, then grabbed FPs. But I'm thinking with DS we won't really have an easy time playing the games, so we probably won't try to get in as many rides as we can as we have in the past. So while I park the stroller and extract DS, DH can pick up our FPs, and we can either ride standby then, or just move on to something else.

There is not going to be a whole lot we want to do here in the morning. We will probably ride RnRC as single riders, and ToT standby if the line is not long or get FPs when we can. We'll also ride the Great Movie Ride, and see the Disney Junior show earlier in the day. I'm not a fan of Star Tours really, but I'm sure DH and I will want to try it at least once to experience the updated attraction.

We are planning to save the shows for our afternoon at DHS, and there will be a few things we'll likely skip, like LMA, and Indiana Jones.

Lunch is scheduled for 11:30 at our favorite DHS restaurant, Sci-Fi!

We'll ride whatever we missed in the morning, probably using our FPs that we've collected, then head back to Bonnet Creek for a swim and a nap in the early part of the afternoon.

After our break, we will be going back to Epcot!

If we get there around 4 pm, we'll head over to try the Visa Meet & Greet before it closes at 4:30, but if not, we'll just go right to our focus for the evening, the World Showcase.

I always say this, but I'm hoping to spend more time than usual exploring the pavilions. And probably rather than trying to see them all, we'll choose a few each that we really want to see and spend our time checking out the shops, etc. Since we'll be there for the last week of F&W, we are going to try a few samplings from the booths. However, neither of us are very adventurous eaters, so I'm sure everyone will be sorely disappointed in our few selections, but oh well!

I'd also like to hit up the couple of attractions in WS, no matter how lame!

Dinner will again be QS, probably from Liberty Inn or some fish & chips. Or maybe we will find enough to munch on from the F&W booths!

IllumiNations is showing at 9 pm that night, so depending on DS's mood and how good of a nap he took earlier, we may try to stay for the show. But I'm not counting on it! He still goes to bed pretty early (8:30 is LATE for him!), so all signs point to no, but we still have a few months to see.

If not, hopefully we'll be back to Bonnet Creek in enough time to see the fireworks from the balcony!

Up next - A relaxing day at Bonnet Creek!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Your day 3 plans look like fun! I think you should definitely give the new Star Tours a try, its really fun and very different from the old show.

I also don't think the Grand Fiesta tour is lame at all! DS loves that ride, and I used to love El Rio, before he came along. I hope you guys can make it to illuminations, maybe Paxton will end up falling asleep in the stroller, and then you can stay- guilt free!

 

[afwdwfan]

It seems like Sci-Fi is one of the most polarizng restaurants there is. People either love it or hate it. I have to say that it is probably my favorite place to eat lunch on property when it's hot. Sitting in a dark air conditioned room for an hour or so is the perfect break.

I know what you mean about Illuminations. We really want to see it too, but DS hasn't exactly been a fan of explosions. I hope we can see it, but if not... well what can you do about it?

 

[khertz]

Your day 3 plans look like fun! I think you should definitely give the new Star Tours a try, its really fun and very different from the old show.

I also don't think the Grand Fiesta tour is lame at all! DS loves that ride, and I used to love El Rio, before he came along. I hope you guys can make it to illuminations, maybe Paxton will end up falling asleep in the stroller, and then you can stay- guilt free!

I doubt we will ride it many times (unless we really really like it), but we are definitely going to give the new ST a try. I actually enjoyed the old one for the most part, so I'm sure I'll like the updated version.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for a stroller sleeper! We are going to buy him some protective ear muffs so that hopefully the loud noises won't bother him. However, we ARE talking about the kid who fell asleep at a Mardi Gras parade and slept through the marching bands like it was nothing!

It seems like Sci-Fi is one of the most polarizng restaurants there is. People either love it or hate it. I have to say that it is probably my favorite place to eat lunch on property when it's hot. Sitting in a dark air conditioned room for an hour or so is the perfect break.

I know what you mean about Illuminations. We really want to see it too, but DS hasn't exactly been a fan of explosions. I hope we can see it, but if not... well what can you do about it?

I know what you mean about Sci-Fi! I always read bad reviews, but it is a must-do restaurant for us! We just get burgers usually, but I love the atmosphere and it is usually pretty quiet with everyone watching the movie reels. That might change come November when we get DS in there!

We are getting him these ear muffs for the possibility of him being scared of the explosions:

Peltor Kid Quality Headband Style Earmuffs

He really hasn't been exposed to any kind of fireworks, so I know it will probably be scary for him. I wanted to take him to the July 4th fireworks near our house, but he was passed out sleeping well before they started. Hopefully they will help, but if not, you're right, what can ya do?

 

[afwdwfan]

I know what you mean about Sci-Fi! I always read bad reviews, but it is a must-do restaurant for us! We just get burgers usually, but I love the atmosphere and it is usually pretty quiet with everyone watching the movie reels. That might change come November when we get DS in there!

We are getting him these ear muffs for the possibility of him being scared of the explosions:

Peltor Kid Quality Headband Style Earmuffs

He really hasn't been exposed to any kind of fireworks, so I know it will probably be scary for him. I wanted to take him to the July 4th fireworks near our house, but he was passed out sleeping well before they started. Hopefully they will help, but if not, you're right, what can ya do?

Thank you for posting that link! I've been meaning to do a Google search on those things, but just keep forgetting to do it. I think we might be ordering a pair.

 

[leshunlenese]

i love HS but my DS really didnt enjoy it much. And the headliners there are for big kids. Hang on to your DS on TSM, we went around once and my DS hit his head because it swings around pretty fast.

 

[DDuck4Life]

Your day 3 plans look like fun! I think you should definitely give the new Star Tours a try, its really fun and very different from the old show.

I know I plan to ride it a couple of times. I want to try to see some of the different destinations! Hopefully the line is not too long and I'm able to this while DW and DS wait.

i love HS but my DS really didnt enjoy it much. And the headliners there are for big kids. Hang on to your DS on TSM, we went around once and my DS hit his head because it swings around pretty fast.

DW is going to have to hold on tight to DS, I won't be much help since I'll be trying for a high score.
I'm kidding

 

[vamassey1]

I hope you make that rope drop. It's so important for TSM. This rope drop always makes me the most nervous due to the stampede.

We ate at Sci Fi once but haven't been back. Not that we didn't like it, but just haven't been around again yet.

You son should enjoy the Disney Junior Live.

 

[khertz]

Thank you for posting that link! I've been meaning to do a Google search on those things, but just keep forgetting to do it. I think we might be ordering a pair.

No problem! DH even found them a little cheaper on Amazon.

i love HS but my DS really didnt enjoy it much. And the headliners there are for big kids. Hang on to your DS on TSM, we went around once and my DS hit his head because it swings around pretty fast.

Yeah, DHS has always been a favorite of me & DH, but we will probably end up spending a lot less time there now that we have DS. Thanks for the tip on TSM! I remember being nervous about the spinning when I was pregnant, but holding a toddler is probably a lot scarier!

DW is going to have to hold on tight to DS, I won't be much help since I'll be trying for a high score.
I'm kidding

Oh, you're SO funny!

I hope you make that rope drop. It's so important for TSM. This rope drop always makes me the most nervous due to the stampede.

We ate at Sci Fi once but haven't been back. Not that we didn't like it, but just haven't been around again yet.

You son should enjoy the Disney Junior Live.

Yeah, I'm thinking I'll use the same strategy I did when I was pregnant: hang to the back of the rush and let DH get in line for FPs while I make my way over there and park the stroller. I'm not trying to run with the crowd while pushing a stroller! I don't remember it being that bad in December, but in August, there were people actually running! It's just a ride, people!!

He likes singing & dancing, so I think he'll enjoy a lot of the shows. We've never done the Playhouse Disney/Disney Jr. show, so it'll be new for all of us. I'm thinking he'll like it! He likes some of the shows on TV.

 

[khertz]

DAY 4 - November 8th

This day will be a first for us, a rest day! In all my trips to WDW, we have always had a packed schedule for all days of the trip. But since we are in the spirit of doing things a little differently with DS coming along, we are planning a day to relax.

The plans are to "sleep in" DS doesn't really know the meaning of that any more, so sleep in more means we are going to let DS wake us up instead of worrying about being up at any certain time. I have a feeling we will still be up in PLENTY of time to get to the Contemporary in time for our 9:35 am breakfast with Mickey and the gang at Chef Mickey's!

This will also be DS's very first character meal, so I'm hoping he'll have already enjoyed the characters with no drama in the parks and this meal will be fun for all 3 of us.

After breakfast, we'll head back to Bonnet Creek and do something that will also be a first for us...enjoy the gorgeous resort!! We have stayed at many amazing Wyndham resorts with tons of activities going on every day, and we've always had way too much planned to actually do any of them. We did do a blackjack tournament and massage at the resort in Las Vegas, but that's about it. I think they have ice cream socials, and toddler play times that we could maybe try at BC, and if not, we will just stick with the pool and the playground.

I'm looking forward to the lazy river myself!

We'll have lunch in the room, and we'll probably ALL need a nice long nap in the afternoon. After we feel rested up and maybe play some more, we'll head out to Epcot for dinner at Via Napoli for our 5:45 pm ADR.

I'm excited to try this restaurant!

If we are feeling up to it, we might spend some more time checking out the World Showcase or the Boardwalk, but we may just head back to the resort for a good night's sleep.

UP NEXT: An early EARLY morning in Magic Kingdom!

And some bonus pics of DS's 9 month photos...My baby is growing up so fast!!

 

[exwdwcm]

I LOVE his 9mos pics! So handsome and getting so big. Love those little shoes too!

Day 3 looks great. I can tell you from personal experience, TSM is not as fun with a toddler. All 3 of us rode together and William wanted to have a gun, so one of us let him have ours, which meant one of us didn't get to play. Or if he sat in the middle, he still wanted to try and help with the gun, so count on at least one of you not being able to actually shoot for real points. But those are the sacrifices we make as parents !!!! So we might not ride it twice either, we might just get a FP and move on to other things.

I love Sci-Fi too- we are both total nerds when it comes to Sci-Fi and William enjoyed sitting in a car and the movies.

Day 4 looks nice too. I know what you mean about sleeping in. We are lucky if Will sleeps until 8am now, which is actually really nice. We get him up at 7am-7;15am most days and I have to wake him up. But on weekends, if he is really pooped (i.e. no nap), he will sleep until 8am. It's like heaven! So 8 would probably be the latest we would get to sleep anyhow and DH is an early riser anyways, even on weekends, he is up at like 6 or 7 at least. But just having a down day, away from all the stimulation of the parks is a good thing. The lazy river there looks amazing, as does the playground!

 

[khertz]

I LOVE his 9mos pics! So handsome and getting so big. Love those little shoes too!

Day 3 looks great. I can tell you from personal experience, TSM is not as fun with a toddler. All 3 of us rode together and William wanted to have a gun, so one of us let him have ours, which meant one of us didn't get to play. Or if he sat in the middle, he still wanted to try and help with the gun, so count on at least one of you not being able to actually shoot for real points. But those are the sacrifices we make as parents !!!! So we might not ride it twice either, we might just get a FP and move on to other things.

I love Sci-Fi too- we are both total nerds when it comes to Sci-Fi and William enjoyed sitting in a car and the movies.

Day 4 looks nice too. I know what you mean about sleeping in. We are lucky if Will sleeps until 8am now, which is actually really nice. We get him up at 7am-7;15am most days and I have to wake him up. But on weekends, if he is really pooped (i.e. no nap), he will sleep until 8am. It's like heaven! So 8 would probably be the latest we would get to sleep anyhow and DH is an early riser anyways, even on weekends, he is up at like 6 or 7 at least. But just having a down day, away from all the stimulation of the parks is a good thing. The lazy river there looks amazing, as does the playground!

I'm guessing I'll have to get my TSM "fix" by playing the game on the Wii. I'm hoping we can at least ride just twice so we can each take a turn holding Paxton and each have a turn playing. Paxton is already at that stage where he loves to "help" with EVERYTHING!

He is usually up by about 7 every day on his own, so it would be truly amazing if he slept until 8 on our rest day. Maybe we will have him so pooped out from touring the parks for 3 days straight, he will sleep in! We were having trouble with him sleeping a couple of weeks ago, and had many mornings where he was up and ready to go a little after 5 am. All we could say was, "At least if he keeps this up, we will always be at the parks before rope drop!" Luckily it was short lived and I consider us lucky to "sleep in" until 7 now!