ChaseTheWind
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- Joined
- Jan 1, 2017
Oh my gosh!! First time trips for kids are my favorite reports and yours is exceptional so far! Following along for sure!
Yay! Glad you're enjoying it!
Oh my gosh!! First time trips for kids are my favorite reports and yours is exceptional so far! Following along for sure!
Post 2: Arriving at the Art of Animation
Back when we booked our trip, we were torn between AoA, POR, and CBR. B and his parents had stayed at both POR and CBR in the past, and wanting to make this a unique experience for all of us, I decided on AoA. It didn't hurt that the Little Mermaid was the current obsession in our house, so the idea of staying in a room with seashells for headboards and Ariel's grotto in the bathtub was just too much to pass up.
B's parents ultimately decided they wanted to stay at the Poly for the first few nights and then make a transfer to our resort on Wednesday. This gave us access to a much closer room if we needed it for a midday break, and it also gave us time for us to be a little family of three as well as a great big happy family of five at different times in the day. This was important to me because we live hundreds of miles from our families, and we spend most of our vacation time traveling back home to see them. This would be our first trip as a family that didn't involve "going home," and I wanted some of the memories we made to be about us, just us.
When the bus pulled into the resort, I got a fluttery feeling in my stomach. In the days leading up to the trip, I had been prepared for this day to go wrong in so many ways. I was sure we'd have a nightmare in airport security or at the gate (once, on a previous trip where I was on my own with R, she took off running toward a secured area and had to be rescued by a baggage handler just inches away from an alarm system that would have shut down an entire terminal at Dulles). Not so. I was sure we'd be delayed on our flight or that R would be antsy or grumpy flying in the middle of naptime. Not so. I thought maybe our magic bands would malfunction, that the bus ride would be interminable, that our reservation would be lost. Of course, not so! The fluttery feeling I was having was complete excitement, but also relaxation. We were where we were supposed to be, with all the time in the world to enjoy every last detail.
As we exited the bus K and D stepped out from behind a pillar and surprised R, who didn't know they'd be joining us on the trip! Hugs and squeals were exchanged, and they took her inside to explore the lobby while I got us checked in (I had done online check in but unfortunately my credit card had expired since booking the trip and I couldn't get the reservation online to accept the new expiration date). They took in these great sketches:
I got our room assignment, in building 7 of the Little Mermaid section, and off we headed in that direction.
Again, I was prepared by posts here and elsewhere for a looooong walk to our room. I was pleasantly surprised (a theme for this trip if there ever was one) by how short the walk turned out to be compared to my expectations! Plus, wandering through the Lion King section was such a treat! Here's R and K goofing around in the boneyard on our way to our room:
R loved seeing Simba and "Scarf," her lion friends, every morning and evening. But the main attraction was, of course, the Little Mermaid section. Hold on for a bunch of pictures now!
So our room was in the Ursula building:
R loved her fingernails!
R also loved seeing King Triton every day, too.
After dropping our carryon bags in the room, we set out for a stroll around the rest of the property, walking along the water and counting the bowling pins at Pop Century. When we reached the Nemo section, R insisted on trying out the little playground while I snapped a few more shots of the great exterior theming in the area.
We took a quick tour of the Cars section, but R has not been super interested in the first movie (and I *loathed* the second one), so we didn't linger too long. The pool looks adorable, though! Although it was a bit on the early side, we were all a little hungry, so we headed inside to get a bite to eat at Landscape of Flavors.
That is, until we passed the arcade. R is a sucker for driving games, and the beauty of this - at least for now - is that she doesn't care if there's money in the game or not. She just wants to press the buttons and steer (which is why the only tantrum she had on the whole trip happened after we got off the Tomorrowland Speedway). So she pushed buttons and steered for a bit, discovered the photo booth and dragged us into it, and finally announced she was ready to eat. Thank goodness because I was starving!
And yet another moment when my hesitancy about Disney reared its head: fully prepared to find the food inedible, I walked into the cafeteria, took a breath, and ordered a chicken burger. B had a turkey sandwich, and R had a kid's pizza with apple slices. D had a salad, and K had some sort of burger. The food was . . . good! Not a bite left on any of our plates, with plenty of room for gelato, which is what we had next. Well, everyone but me. I had a turtle brownie.
Scratch that. I inhaled a turtle brownie. It was delicious. I shared with no one. It was delightful.
After dinner, D and K headed back to the Poly with plans to meet bright and early at the Magic Kingdom. We traipsed back to our room and opened the door hoping to see our luggage, but it was not meant to be. We waited another hour or so before the bags arrived, and another hour after that for my package from Amazon Pantry with a few breakfast staples and bottled water to arrive. Meanwhile we got cozy in our pjs, watched lots of cartoons, and talked excitedly about plans for the next day.
Once our items arrived, we turned in very early. R, who is a notoriously bad sleeper (has been since the day she was born), was out like a light by 8:00 or so, and by 9:00 even the two of us adults hit the pillows. I had lucked out with my own bed as R had requested Daddy share a bed with her the first night, and I luxuriated in the space! Soon we were all dreaming, and no one stirred until my alarm went off at 6:00 am, shooting me straight out bed and into the beginning of our day at MK!
And the truly magical moment that excited R to no end: the snow!
I love this day. It really helps me to see how a 3yr old's mind works. I didn't take my kids until they were 8/9 and now that they are in their teens, I forget what a preschooler is like. I already have detailed touring plans set up for our August trip but reports like these continue to reinforce the amount of flexibility I need to have.
If I could manage taking my father to WDW and not show an ounce of impatience when he asked to play video games with my son after Space Mountain followed by a leisurely breakfast snack (in the PRIME first hour after rope drop!), I can do anything Especially since that was a 7am rope drop and we had all hauled ourselves out of bed at a super early hour. And of course, those stops meant we faced a 20+ minute line at BTMR. OK - my Type A optimizer soul is still a wee bit upset haha. But I kept a giant smile on and we had an amazing time together. I'm planning to stay in the same frame of mind and expect to alter plans continually based on what my niece wants to do.
Sounds like a fun and productive day! I don't blame R for being nervous around the Stormtroopers--they're a bit intimidating even for a grown person!
Subbing! I am loving this trip report! <3
So glad you had a magical trip.
I can't get over how precious your little girl is.
What a fun and special trip- thanks for sharing! Can't wait to read about the rest of it.
LOVING this report...such great memories! Just a fun read even though my little kid days are far behind.
Plus I had to mention R's favorite book...that was a BIG favorite of ours as well when my 17yo was little!
"ALL THE HIPPOS GO BERSERK!!!"
Thank you!Great pics!
Great pictures!! Looks like an awesome time! What camera do you use? The details are amazing