A Toddler and Tiaras: An August TR! Updated 2/2 EPCOT!

[TinkLoverSam]

I hope you enjoyed your trip, we go home Saturday

 

[AllysonL]

I can't wait to read your TR!! My daughter is 2 also (just turned 2 the beginning of August). We brought her last year, and I'd really love to get there with her again before she turns 3. So this TR is going to be especially interesting for me to see how you did it!
I also have a TON of DVC questions, as this is something I'm really considering. So I may bombard you with some of those as well!

 

[Grace W]

This is by far one of the cutest trip reports I have read. Love it.

 

[misscmac]

I have you moved. It is easy to get that many pictures. Easy to weed out the bad ones too.

Thank you! I think taking an obscene amount of pictures with a toddler is a necessity...even with nearly 1000 photos there are not that many of her actually smiling and/or looking at the camera!

I hope you enjoyed your trip, we go home Saturday

Thank you! Enjoy the rest of yours and have a safe trip home!

I can't wait to read your TR!! My daughter is 2 also (just turned 2 the beginning of August). We brought her last year, and I'd really love to get there with her again before she turns 3. So this TR is going to be especially interesting for me to see how you did it!
I also have a TON of DVC questions, as this is something I'm really considering. So I may bombard you with some of those as well!

Thanks for reading! This trip had its challenges with her but I have to say it was easier than when I brought her last year (just before she turned two). She really got into it this year! DVC has been great for us so far, and we definitely would like to add points gradually in the future. I am still a DVC newbie but would be happy to answer any questions!

This is by far one of the cutest trip reports I have read. Love it.

Thanks for joining!

 

[misscmac]

Day 1: Tuesday, August 11

The day was finally here! We had a very early (6:10 AM) flight out and the alarm was set for 3:45 AM. Though I had no trouble falling asleep the night before, I woke up at about 2:15 AM and could not fall back asleep; I was so worried I would miss the alarm!

I got up, got ready, and checked my packing list for the 5,246th time. Justin woke up and we loaded up the car, but didn't wake Addie until we were ready to leave. We hoped she would stay asleep for at least the ride to the airport, but she woke up (in a good mood though!). We got to the airport, went through security, bought breakfast and got Addie dressed, and before we knew it, it was time to board.




Addie has a peanut allergy and we are able to pre-board our Southwest flight in order to wipe down/clean her seat and tray area. Flight attendants will also serve an alternate snack on flights with passengers who have peanut allergies. Occasionally they have made announcements during boarding asking passengers to refrain from eating their own food with peanuts, however this announcement is inconsistent.




After an uneventful flight (which is a blessing with a toddler!) ...




...we landed at MCO! We boarded the "Mickey bus"




And in no time, we were pulling into the Beach Club! Our room wasn't ready yet (it was only about 10:15 AM) so we dropped off our carry on bags with bell services and headed right to the park. Where did we go first? Here's a hint:





EPCOT! We got to the World Showcase just before it opened and made a beeline for Mexico; we wanted to start this trip off with some margaritas! Unfortunately we arrived a bit too early for La Cava de Tequila...and then there was a little mishap that required changing the toddler's clothes and drying the stroller We killed some time by riding Gran Fiesta Tour and grabbing some snacks at La Cantina. Justin ordered the Tacos de Barbacoa which were delish, and we got Addie chicken fingers, which she barely ate (a recurring theme on this trip). After we finished eating we realized we forgot to take pictures of the food (also a recurring theme on this trip!).

FINALLY it was margarita time!



We each ordered the San Angel Inn margarita and it was as delicious and strong as I remembered! We slowly made our way to the Land pavilion, and took another boat ride on Living with the Land.





Continued in next post...

 

[misscmac]

Next we boarded a clamshell to find Nemo...





We spent a bit of time after the ride exploring the Seas pavilion, on both floors. I had never really walked around much here, but there is a lot to see and Addie absolutely loved it!





After checking out the sea creatures, we made our way out of EPCOT; it was time to put the parkhopper passes to good use!

 

[Bubbenstein]

A little late but joining in!

I definitely go a little crazy with ordering bows from Etsy before our trips! I would love to sit down and actually make them myself at some point. Yours turned out great! I had to laugh when I saw the picture of you covered in stickers during your flight...we have a 2 1/2 year old, so I totally can relate

A La Cava margarita is an excellent way to start a trip! Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report.

 

[Jenn504]

Thank you for including the links for the hair bow and autograph book. You have inspired me. I have two little girls (2, 4). We will be going down for Halloween. The two year old will be turning three during the trip. I have both girls scheduled to do biddi Bobbi boutique also. I have two months till we leave and I have been looking for things to do to personalize the trip. I have no creative, crafty side to me but I really think I could make those bows if I find the right material. The autograph book looks doabe too. I already have the Disney princess one, but we filled it up pretty fast last year. I think making a personal one is much better. I like being able to put pictures right next to the autograph.

I noticed you did do something to your daughter's magic band. Was it difficult. I have been looking into doing something too but have not found something that is in my abilities. I found those magic skins, but I am having difficulty finding pics and sizing them.

Looks like you had a good flight down, I dreaded that part of the trip. I live in Alaska so it just seems to take forever to get down there. That is great you get to board early to clean your seats because of the peanut allergies. I would never thought that is something people have to worry about.

Looking forward to reading more about your trip. Now I have to run to micheal's to see if I can find some cute ribbon.

 

[misscmac]

A little late but joining in!

I definitely go a little crazy with ordering bows from Etsy before our trips! I would love to sit down and actually make them myself at some point. Yours turned out great! I had to laugh when I saw the picture of you covered in stickers during your flight...we have a 2 1/2 year old, so I totally can relate

A La Cava margarita is an excellent way to start a trip! Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report.

Thanks for joining Etsy is a great website, but dangerous - so many great items! The stickers were a great distraction; my husband and I were both covered...whatever works!

Thank you for including the links for the hair bow and autograph book. You have inspired me. I have two little girls (2, 4). We will be going down for Halloween. The two year old will be turning three during the trip. I have both girls scheduled to do biddi Bobbi boutique also. I have two months till we leave and I have been looking for things to do to personalize the trip. I have no creative, crafty side to me but I really think I could make those bows if I find the right material. The autograph book looks doabe too. I already have the Disney princess one, but we filled it up pretty fast last year. I think making a personal one is much better. I like being able to put pictures right next to the autograph.

I noticed you did do something to your daughter's magic band. Was it difficult. I have been looking into doing something too but have not found something that is in my abilities. I found those magic skins, but I am having difficulty finding pics and sizing them.

Looks like you had a good flight down, I dreaded that part of the trip. I live in Alaska so it just seems to take forever to get down there. That is great you get to board early to clean your seats because of the peanut allergies. I would never thought that is something people have to worry about.

Looking forward to reading more about your trip. Now I have to run to micheal's to see if I can find some cute ribbon.

Thanks for reading! The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique was DEFINITELY one of the highlights of the trip - they are going to love it!

The bows and autograph book were definitely not as complicated as I thought (particularly the autograph book, because Staples really did all the work ). One tip that we received from a cast member in regard to the autograph book was to include your name and cell phone on the inside cover. This makes it easier to find in case it gets lost in the parks.

As for the Magic Bands, I ended up just getting a small container of white acrylic paint (only about $0.75 at Michael's) and doing polka dots on mine and Addie's bands. I had some clear Modge Podge at home and I covered mine with a thin layer, which helped the dots last a bit longer!

Good luck with your bows! I was just at Michael's and they had some cute Halloween ribbon out!

 

[misscmac]

Day 1, Part 3

We hopped on the monorail and made our way over to the Magic Kingdom, where we had a few FastPass+ reservations this evening! We popped into The Chapeau to check out the hats and to eavesdrop on a telephone conversation



and then headed to Tomorrowland for a ride on the Peoplemover (one of our favorite ways to cool off and relax for a few minutes).



I don't have photos, but next we went to Goofy's Barnstormer for Addie's first roller coaster ride! She loved it and had a big smile on her face the whole time (when we rode later on in the week, however, she sat in the very last row which was significantly faster, and was more scared!). Then Justin and I took turns riding



For those using rider swap at this attraction there is a nice little play area near the exit of this ride (and bonus: its in the shade!).

Next we headed over to the Jungle Cruise; this ride (and the jokes) will never get old for me!




Our third and final Fast Pass for the night was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Justin was going to ride first and within several minutes of him entering the line, I noticed they stopped letting people in. There was lightening in the vicinity so the ride was closing. There were still several trains worth of people exiting so I was really hoping he had made it (I got to ride last year on a "girl's trip") but no such luck. He was actually seated on the train when they shut it down, and then he had to get off. We met up back at the exit and within 2 minutes the skies opened up and it was pouring. We scrambled to get the raincover** on the stroller, losing Addie's sneakers in the process, and booked it out of the park to the bus stop.

We got back to the Beach Club, checked out our room, and then went to Hurricane Hannah's for some food (very good options here!). Each night at the Beach Club there is a fire down by the beach. The resort provides roasting sticks and a small bag of marshmallows for guests to have a little treat - we loved this, and it was the perfect end to a very long, but very fun day!




** For those traveling with children in a stroller, I would definitely suggest getting a raincover! We used it more during this trip than we have during the three years we have owned the stroller, however it was a lifesaver! Some of the rain we experienced was torrential, and even with the large canopy Addie would have been soaked (or, we would have come back out from an attraction to a soaked stroller).

 

[luvpooh]

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[JulieODC]

Hey!! I know you I was excited to find this TR -- I enjoyed seeing your IG pics, and can't wait to hear the stories behind them!

Sorry to hear about the wet stroller accident!! Ellie loved goofy's barnstorm -- she still talks about it to this day! We loved Hurricane Hannah's when we stayed at the YC - and it's such a nice setting too.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[AllysonL]

And I just realized we were there at the same time! I was there 8/14-8/16. We were in MK all day on the 15th in that awful rain.

 

[misscmac]

Looking forward to reading more!

Thank you!

Hey!! I know you I was excited to find this TR -- I enjoyed seeing your IG pics, and can't wait to hear the stories behind them!

Sorry to hear about the wet stroller accident!! Ellie loved goofy's barnstorm -- she still talks about it to this day! We loved Hurricane Hannah's when we stayed at the YC - and it's such a nice setting too.

Can't wait to read more!

Hi Julie, thanks for reading! The wet stroller was no fun but it dried up pretty quickly in the August Florida sun Hurricane Hannah's was great - I thought the options there were much better than inside at the Marketplace!

And I just realized we were there at the same time! I was there 8/14-8/16. We were in MK all day on the 15th in that awful rain.

We were caught in that rain after dinner - soaked to the bone! Although the rain we saw on the following Monday was actually even worse, if you can believe it!

 

[misscmac]

Wednesday, August 12, 2015: Part One

Our first full day in Disney!



Clearly I was up early even without my alarm! We were out of the room by 7:30 and walking into Animal Kingdom just as they opened.



We didn't have any FP+ reservations for this park today; we were heading to Hollywood Studios later and had decided to use them for that park instead. With that in mind, the first thing we wanted to do was the safari!





NOTE: There is no dancing on this ride.





This was one of the best experiences I have had on this ride; I would highly recommend going early in the morning! Addie absolutely loved her ride, and told us that her favorite animals were the "wildebeesteses".





Next we took turns riding....





"What do you mean I'm not tall enough to ride?"






10

 

[misscmac]

Wednesday, August 12, 2015: Part 2

After Everest we headed to Dino-Rama. We don't typically spend much time in this part of the park but found a great playground area so Addie could run around for a bit.



Next we rode Triceratops Spin, or, as Addie referred to it, "Dinosaur Dumbo"






Justin and I got a rider swap for Dinosaur and while he rode, we were photo-bombed by this guy:



I haven't been on that ride in several years and forgot how fun it was! After Dinosaur, we decided to go to Nemo and wait for the next show. One way to try to entertain a toddler in line? Take pictures of course!




This was the first time Addie has made it through the entire show; she is a recent fan of this movie and loved the musical. Twice, on separate previous trips she had a little meltdown and I had to make a quick exit , but I guess the third time is the charm!


When the show let out, we had just enough time to make our way over to Yak and Yeti for our first sit-down meal of the trip.



This was our first time dining here. We had 12:30 reservations and the lobby was pretty busy (I think I saw them turning some walk-ups away as well). We checked in a few minutes early and after waiting only a few minutes, we were seated.



Justin ordered a beer ( a Safari Amber )



I apologize for not having food pictures. Dining with a toddler is not always the most relaxing experience and by the time we remembered to take pictures we were halfway through our dishes!


We both really enjoyed the food here. I ordered the :

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs - marinated chicken, pineapple, onions, peppers, Teriyaki glaze, coconut-ginger rice, stir-fried vegetables

Instead of the rice I asked for double vegetables which were delicious. The portion size was HUGE. I ate half and could have easily shared this dish or saved it for a later lunch/dinner.

Justin ordered the :

Malaysian Seafood Curry - Mahi Mahi, scallops, little neck clams, mussels, shrimp, zucchini, roma tomatoes and red curry coconut broth with jasmine or brown rice

He opted for the brown rice. There were a few dead mussels in the dish, but overall the flavor was really good.

We both would definitely return here in the future. Also, if you're planning on dining here, take a look at the Landry's Select Club membership. There is a one-time $25 fee, however you get a $25 welcome reward, as well as an annual $25 birthday reward. We didn't find out about this until after the trip, but will definitely be signing up before our next visit!

 

[Nohal]

Enjoying your report. Addie is adorable.

 

[ChosenBelle]

We were there at the same time! Looks like you are having fun!

 

[magicallyDisney001]

Tagging along for the ride! I love the picture of Addie coming into AK; she looks so determined!

 

[misscmac]

*Disclaimer: sorry for the multiple posts! Not sure if I am doing something wring but I am only able to post 10 photos per post, so I am trying to separate them out a bit!



August 12: Day 2 Part 3

After wrapping up lunch, we caught a bus back to the resort to attempt to put Addie down for a nap. Spoiler alert: that was an epic fail! She played in the crib, while Justin and I sat quietly waiting for her to fall asleep. We waited...and waited...and then after an hour surrendered and decided to stroll over to



But first some pictures of the resort




The walk is about a mile. Its a really nice walk but there is little to no shade so keep that in mind in the summer months!

Frozen Fun was in full effect at Hollywood Studios




which was a good thing because our first FP+ was for the Frozen Sing Along Celebration! This show was slightly cheesy; I was a little disappointed that the audience wasn't really into it. I definitely expected there to be more participation.



Next up was a FP+ for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I've always been a fan of this show and Addie is growing to love it too! I will certainly miss it if they decide to close it as Hollywood Studios gets revamped.