I Like Warm Hugs! - Mommy/Toddler Trip ~ Updated 6/20: New Trip Report Link!

[hokieinpa]

So great that you got to catch Off Kilter!! I love Izzy's face. It's like..seriously?

Quite the training run you had!! I'm sorry the boat didn't work out this time. Glad you made it to most of the show! And even better that you get to see the whole thing in a few months!

 

[RGirl]

Hey there! It's been a while - I have now been sick for two months straight, it’s wearing on me. I hope you have finally started feeling better.

Very cool Off Kilter moment. I have read about them for years. And I have never had the luxury of a trip where I could stop and experience them. And now they are gone for some reason - seems strange, since I have never seen a pic of them without a huge crowd. Weird.

As repeat BW stayers, I know how you felt on the boat. It seems like FOREVER. Our first stay there, Willow was still in a stroller, so we always walked to DHS and it was awesome. Next stay, no stroller - no way could I force her little legs to do all that walking before we even entered the park. And that was my introduction to the Slow Boat to Nowhere. For impatient people (well, I’m impatient; you may not be), those boats are torture!

I’m so glad you managed to get into the show!!!! Persistence paid off there, because I’m sure a lot of people would have just given up. Phew!!!!!

 

[Dugette]

Hi there! Newbie to your reports here, late but joining in (and going to check out your others too!)

Glad to have you here! I have seen you around on other reports I follow. Haha, checking out my other reports may take some time - so darn many!

Oh man glad you made it for most of the show. We saw it in October and December. Definitely a big highlight of both trips!

So glad we get a chance to see it again in May! Especially because Izzy loves to sing now. It was fun (what we saw of it) back then too.

I'm glad you made it for most of the show! Too bad that you didn't have a great view, but at least you didn't miss out on the whole thing. I'm really looking forward to this in April, as Rory is obsessed with Frozen. His first sentence was "Let it Go!"

Aw, so cute that he said "Let It Go" as his first sentence! You have trained him well. I hope he loves it next month!

That is too cute about Izzy singing Shake it Off!

We still can't believe she just broke into singing along, as if she does it every day.

And I love her expression while you were watching Off Kilter. I'm so sad they are no longer there.

I think the kilts must have baffled her. I am super sad they are gone. They are my favorite! I hope they come back.

AHHHHHHHH, I am in love with the fact that you did an about face when you heard Off Kilter even with the time crunch.
I won't lie, I'm a full on heterosexual male, but even I have a crush on Jamie, lol.

Ha, yes, that is awesome and makes me feel much better! He's such a fun entertainer and very talented!

BAHAHA, Izzy clearly has a *** look on her face.

She's been really into identifying who is a boy and who is a girl lately. Maybe back on this trip she was just starting to figure it out and that darn kilt threw her off. Or maybe it was the new genre of music that puzzled her.

Funny that I was just talking about the Friendship Boats and their, um, slowness. They're lovely when you're just chillin', but when you need to actually get somewhere, nothing but pure frustration.

Totally agree. A pleasant ride when you're not in a hurry. Otherwise, a slow torture machine.

Wow, I'm tired just hearing about your journey. But thankfully you at least made it for most of the show and had a crowd that was into it.

It was pretty wild and tiring. But worth the run for a fun show with a good crowd.

HAHAHA!!! I love Izzy's face!!!

Thanks! Off Kilter really confused her, I guess.

I always wondered if you started walking at the exact time a boat left, who would win? I mean, I can speed walk pretty fast and run if I need to.

Totally depends on the boat, it seems. They seem to be really inconsistent. The one on the way there beat me. The one on the way back was much slower and I could have easily beat it walking. When in doubt, going by foot is a better way to make sure you know what time you'll get there.

Way to make it almost on time! And even better that you get to have a do-over in May!

Glad they let us in and really glad we can hopefully see the whole thing next time.

Yay! I am happy you made it in time for most of the show. The do over in May will be even better.

Thanks! Maybe we'll even do it more than once in May! Love the colorful smilie!

Love Izzy's faces!! She is so expressive.

Thanks! She loves a good selfie!

So great that you got to catch Off Kilter!! I love Izzy's face. It's like..seriously?

I was in such a hurry, but I just could not resist a small dose of Off Kilter's goodness - especially knowing they were going away soon. I guess Izzy didn't share my high opinion of them. Or maybe she was baffled by the dancing girls.

Quite the training run you had!! I'm sorry the boat didn't work out this time. Glad you made it to most of the show! And even better that you get to see the whole thing in a few months!

I never thought I'd charge through a Disney park with a stroller. But, hey, fun memory. Hope to never have to do that again. But I will happily see that show again!

Hey there! It's been a while - I have now been sick for two months straight, it’s wearing on me. I hope you have finally started feeling better.

I hope you are feeling better by now! Being sick for a long time is just the worst. I'm doing pretty good now, thanks!

Very cool Off Kilter moment. I have read about them for years. And I have never had the luxury of a trip where I could stop and experience them. And now they are gone for some reason - seems strange, since I have never seen a pic of them without a huge crowd. Weird.

I think they were really popular. Always a big standing room only crowd when we caught them. You'll have to find some videos of them sometime to enjoy. I'm so sad they are gone.

As repeat BW stayers, I know how you felt on the boat. It seems like FOREVER. Our first stay there, Willow was still in a stroller, so we always walked to DHS and it was awesome. Next stay, no stroller - no way could I force her little legs to do all that walking before we even entered the park. And that was my introduction to the Slow Boat to Nowhere. For impatient people (well, I’m impatient; you may not be), those boats are torture!

Totally agree! If you're at the end of the night and just relaxing, okay fine. But not when you're in a hurry - which seems to be common at Disney, what with all the ADR and FP+ times to make.

I’m so glad you managed to get into the show!!!! Persistence paid off there, because I’m sure a lot of people would have just given up. Phew!!!!!

Yeah, it was disheartening when I couldn't find any CMs. Then, when I did find the one I needed, it felt like he ignored me FOREVER while gabbing with the other guy - and the other CMs almost seemed like they were in training or something - it was clear they wouldn't be able to help, just the talking guy. But I am certainly persistent and it does often pay off.

 

[Tinker74]

Loving this trippie!! I have read all your reports this week.....I LOVE the detail you use! Your dd is one of the cutest toddlers I have ever seen..adorable! And you are such a fantastic and patient momma..

 

[collcass]

I'm really enjoying reading your trip report. I am bringing my 2 year old in October. i am so nervous. lol. I took y 4 older ones by myself, but they ranged from 6-12 then. It looks like you had a great trip

 

[Dugette]

Loving this trippie!! I have read all your reports this week.....I LOVE the detail you use! Your dd is one of the cutest toddlers I have ever seen..adorable! And you are such a fantastic and patient momma..

and thank you! Wow, you have had a busy week reading all of those! I hope they were easy enough to read - the DIS conversion got rid of a lot of punctuation and made the font tiny, so I'm sort-of annoyed. It sounds like the only fix is going into each post manually and correcting. Anyway, glad you like the detail. I sometimes worry that it's overwhelming to readers, but I know that I really appreciate reports that go into detail (especially when I was planning Izzy's first trip and didn't know what it would be like to bring a baby). Aw, and thank you for all the sweet compliments!

I'm really enjoying reading your trip report. I am bringing my 2 year old in October. i am so nervous. lol. I took y 4 older ones by myself, but they ranged from 6-12 then. It looks like you had a great trip

Thanks for joining in! How exciting that you're bringing a two year old! I know that some people feel it's a challenge, and I don't have experiences with older kids to compare it to, but I've loved bringing Izzy at a young age. Just so much fun and I'd do all the trips again in a heartbeat. And, hey, your two-year-old's free, so why not? I did (and still do) a lot of reading of TRs with toddlers to prepare myself and they really helped me to have great trips, having just seen how others do it.

 

[collcass]

Thanks for joining in! How exciting that you're bringing a two year old! I know that some people feel it's a challenge, and I don't have experiences with older kids to compare it to, but I've loved bringing Izzy at a young age. Just so much fun and I'd do all the trips again in a heartbeat. And, hey, your two-year-old's free, so why not? I did (and still do) a lot of reading of TRs with toddlers to prepare myself and they really helped me to have great trips, having just seen how others do it.

yes, I'm very excited, albeit, feeling a bit guilty for leaving the rest home. Bringing the olders was great fun with the exception being I up and booked it 2 days prior so no planning went into it & my then 9 yr o,d became gravely ill upon our return home so it was asters full week. I think it took me a few weeks to unpack lol. Jackson, the 2 yr old is a riot so it should be fun

 

[heathsf]

OH MY GOSH Izzy's face during Off Kilter. That is absolutely hilarious. I'm so sad that Off Kilter is gone. I definitely would have spent more time watching on my last trip They were awesome. Those girls certainly look like they were having a blast!

Ah! I was so nervous for you the whole time you were on the boat watching the minutes tick by. There's nothing more frustrating than being stuck when you know you're going to be late. I'm glad you made it with only a minor asthma attack

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Ack - as someone that has a need to be everywhere way earlier than could possibly be necessary, your story stressed me out a bit. I can picture you on the boat as it starts to slowly undock from the Boardwalk and then slowly head towards the Yactclub just thinking "Oh, for the love of .... I have a show to get to people! This friendship boat is not being friendly to me today! Where are the Get Somewhere in a Reasonable Amount of Time boats?!?!?!?"

And that is probably as close as I’ll ever get to a Run Disney event.

.... I hear that! Well, until they start my adults only drinking around the world showcase booze run, er, kinda quickly walk at least

Glad you did, eventually make it and got in to see it - It really is a cute and pretty well done show. I love how they included some lines/jokes that were definitely more aimed at adults as well.

haha, I can picture Izzy thinking, "wait, what?!?!? What is Anna doing?!?!?!? This is all wrong! Nothing is right about this!!!!"

Glad to hear you will get to see the full show though your next trip ---- and I fully expect you to be in line about an hour early

 

[Dugette]

yes, I'm very excited, albeit, feeling a bit guilty for leaving the rest home. Bringing the olders was great fun with the exception being I up and booked it 2 days prior so no planning went into it & my then 9 yr o,d became gravely ill upon our return home so it was asters full week. I think it took me a few weeks to unpack lol. Jackson, the 2 yr old is a riot so it should be fun

Oh, wow - such a spontaneous trip and how scary about your 9-year-old getting so sick! I hope you and Jackson have a blast together!

OH MY GOSH Izzy's face during Off Kilter. That is absolutely hilarious. I'm so sad that Off Kilter is gone. I definitely would have spent more time watching on my last trip They were awesome. Those girls certainly look like they were having a blast!

I just loved Off Kilter! They were so entertaining and they really got the crowds going too, as you could see. I wished I had more time than the few minutes I spent watching them.

Ah! I was so nervous for you the whole time you were on the boat watching the minutes tick by. There's nothing more frustrating than being stuck when you know you're going to be late. I'm glad you made it with only a minor asthma attack

It was just the worst feeling being stuck on there - running was almost a relief after that!

Ack - as someone that has a need to be everywhere way earlier than could possibly be necessary, your story stressed me out a bit. I can picture you on the boat as it starts to slowly undock from the Boardwalk and then slowly head towards the Yactclub just thinking "Oh, for the love of .... I have a show to get to people! This friendship boat is not being friendly to me today! Where are the Get Somewhere in a Reasonable Amount of Time boats?!?!?!?"

I actually had a terrible moment right as we were pulling out of the Boardwalk. It was like slow-motion, realizing that we were so "close" to DHS and were heading off in the opposite direction.

.... I hear that! Well, until they start my adults only drinking around the world showcase booze run, er, kinda quickly walk at least

That would be a VERY popular event, I suspect!

Glad you did, eventually make it and got in to see it - It really is a cute and pretty well done show. I love how they included some lines/jokes that were definitely more aimed at adults as well.

Yes, I can't wait to catch more of the jokes and such that we missed before. Lots of re-watchability to that show.

haha, I can picture Izzy thinking, "wait, what?!?!? What is Anna doing?!?!?!? This is all wrong! Nothing is right about this!!!!"

Yep, she had a big issue with that!

Glad to hear you will get to see the full show though your next trip ---- and I fully expect you to be in line about an hour early

Haha, or at least have a FP+ and show up within the window.

 

[Dugette]

We’ll Be Dancing Though the Night

After we got out of the Frozen Wheeze-Along, oh I mean Sing-Along , we had a FP+ for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. I’d made this as there really wasn’t much else and I had to make a third FP+ for DHS. So, it was questionable in the first place, as it wasn’t a priority and I didn’t know if Izzy would sit through another show. Plus, we were inching up on the end of the return time and I didn’t want to chance another late arrival. So, I decided to skip it. (I KNOW, skip a FP+?!)

On our run to the Frozen show, Izzy had spotted Lightning McQueen and Mater and yelled out, “Cars!!!” They were nearby, so I decided we should fill our pre-dessert-party time by meeting the cars. I texted Lauren from the line to let her know and they decided to come over and meet us. We waited a bit, but not too long. Just enough to catch up on our time apart.

When we got up to the cars, we had to take our own pictures, as they didn’t have a Photopass photographer there. I think Lauren took some with her camera and a CM took some of our group. You should be able to look for those in her report when she gets to this point. All you’ll see from me is the two terrible pictures I managed to take with my phone:





Yes, let’s climb on the car, that seems like a great idea.

After that meet, we headed on over to the Dessert Party. This was the final part of our Frozen Premium Package day. We had admission to a pre-fireworks dessert and dance party in a roped-off area in front of the stage. This actually turned out to be a really cool and worthwhile part of the package, I think. We had a great time.

Once we entered, we parked our strollers and then found a table that was low enough for the girls to reach (all were standing tables, but some were kid-height). Then we took turns hitting the dessert tables. This is the first plate I got for myself and Izzy:



There’s a push pop (pudding?), an Olaf marshmallow thing (I think?), a rice krispy treat, some sort of little tart where I thought Izzy would like the whipped cream on top, and two brownie bites, as I wanted at least one for myself. Ha, clearly my memory of specifics about the desserts is failing 6+ months later.

Izzy started off with the rice krispy treat:



After Izzy had gotten started, I went back to grab a drink too. I got the Iced Summer (rum, blue Curacao, pineapple juice, splash of Sprite). Here’s a picture of the drink stations:



And this is the area we were in. Our table was up in front, by the rope:



Lauren ended up getting the same drink. We learned quickly that we had to keep them away from the girls with that low table – they looked tempting. Lauren eventually went and got the girls some of the kids’ juice drink, which they enjoyed. Izzy even did really good at drinking out of a real cup, which was not something she did often back then. I also grabbed a Diet Coke because, hey, free! And I wanted something besides alcohol, as I was thirsty after that run!

Izzy really enjoyed the push pop. Here she is offering to share with me:



No, Mommy? Okay, more for me!:



Messy, but tasty! I think I might have gotten her a second one. Lauren also brought the girls a bowl of fruit from the fondue table, I think. You can see them enjoying apples here:



Once that was gone, I ended up getting another bowl for Izzy (and I think I gave some to Aria). I threw in a bunch of pretzels and some marshmallows I found up there too, I believe. Izzy loved the pretzels and I ended up eating the marshmallows (according to my notes, as I totally don’t remember this anymore ). Throughout the time, I managed to at least sample a bite of almost all the desserts! I also tried one of the other drinks called the Warm Winter Grog (ironically, served cold) (citrus vodka, lemonade, ginger beer). Good too. It disappeared before I finished, though, probably due to the diligent CM table clearing throughout the event.

For me, the highlight of the event was that the band was playing nearby and all of the kids were really enjoying the music and dancing. The kids around us, including our own, seemed to be having a blast. Izzy and Aria worked on their “dance moves”, which included such things as running around and around and around and around and around the table and also laying down on the ground. They were having a great time and it was really adorable to watch them having fun together. It was getting dark, so these are all hard to see, but here they are dancing together:



Laying on the ground together:



And some video of both (dancing-turned-laying-down):

(click to watch)

With all the activity, Izzy tried to escape under the nearby rope a couple times and I had to act fast to grab her. It was mostly fine, but one CM didn’t seem too happy about it. But, really, a 37-year-old mommy with drinks and desserts in hand cannot run around a table and under a rope quite as fast as a toddler. I did eventually stand there and try to be a wall. The other CM run-in I had was because Izzy had pulled on my lanyard and broken it. I didn't think much of it and threw it in a pocket or something. The CM insisted I wear it and I then realized it could be snapped back together and was not actually broken. So, they were definitely making sure nobody snuck into the package area without actually having purchased the package.

At one point, Izzy fell while running around the table and scraped her knee. It wasn’t terrible, but she needed comforting and you can see it in the next day’s pictures. On top of that, she was dancing with me once and holding my hands, then decided to lean back – well, it was HOT and our hands were sweaty – try as I might, I couldn’t keep her up and she slowly slid the last couple inches and hit the back of her head on the ground. Not terribly hard, but again, enough to need to cry it out and get hugs. Other than those scares, she was really having a blast and I could not believe all of the dance moves she had. I was laughing so hard, as I had no idea where she’d learned some of these things. So much fun. I have just a so-so clip of her dancing:

(click to watch)

I also have a brief clip of Aria rocking while eating:

(click to watch)

Toward the end, the girl from the table next to us came over and shared her glow cubes:



The whole time at the party was really fun – just relaxing and enjoying some treats, watching the girls have fun, and we even could see Epcot’s fireworks going off behind us!

Speaking of fireworks, it was close to the time for the show to start. We had decided to abandon our front-row spots and head to the back of the viewing area in order to see the most and make a quick getaway after the finale. So, we collected our things and our strollers and made our way to the back rope. We found a spot that was right next to a dessert cart that soon closed up. I hadn’t realized until then that the frozen bananas were an included free item. If only I wasn’t stuffed full of desserts, I would have liked to try one. Oh, well. I asked the dessert CM if the view was good and she said it was good and the fireworks came kind-of up and around the stage. Worked for us!

This was our view of the stage:



The girls sat in/on their strollers and munched on tortilla chips during the show:



I think Aria wore her earmuffs to block out the loud fireworks, but Izzy was just chilling in her stroller and didn’t mind it. I enjoyed seeing a new nighttime show at WDW. The stage and sky show was really good and I just tried to take it all in and enjoy. Therefore, I only took a few blurry pictures and will only post the best one:



As I was watching the show, I thought about what a great day it had been. This was the ONLY full non-travel day of this trip and it was totally worth it! We did so many things and had so much fun and had a great time with friends. Disney Magic.

The show ended and there was snow falling:



We were able to go under the rope and join the massive crowd that was pushing toward the exit. I tried to follow Lauren, but a stroller with a very young baby in an infant carrier cut in front of me – I had to yield to that, not wanting to ram a small baby. Which meant I had no chance of catching Lauren in the crazy crowd. People were packed in and doing dumb things like stepping on my stroller. So, Lauren and I ended up saying goodnight via text and Lauren said that Aria asked where Izzy went. Cute! It was really fun to spend a lot of our day together with them!

Here’s my snowy journey out of the park:







That was the best picture I could get of the giant sand Olaf without waiting in a crowd. And I needed to get to a bus!

Up next: Resort detour!

 

[heathsf]

Frozen Wheeze-Along

Yum! Dessert party looks fun and tasty!! Personally I'd be devouring the Olaf marshmallow first. Sorry, Olaf, but you look delicious. Although I do love a Disney rice krispie.

Aw how sweet that Izzy offered to share her push pop with you. She has better manners than me. I wouldn't be offering to share my dessert!

That is adorable that they had such a wonderful time dancing at the party! It sounds like the package was really worth it even just for this experience.

What a great day you had!!

 

[Imagineer5]

That night was SO much fun. It was made even better by being able to spend it with you and Izzy. The girls had an absolute ball with the dancing and music, and the treats were fun too. I can't see the videos here at work so i'll have to watch them tonight - and sorry I didn't realize I was hogging all the Cars pics lol!!

 

[collcass]

It looks like the frozen package was definitely worth it & the girls had a fabulous time!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That's a bummer there was no FP+ by the Cars cars - always seems fairly crowded there so you would think they would have one. Oh well, at least there was the CM there to take some pictures.

Glad you had such a good time at the dessert party. With the crowds they had there - just having a bit of elbow room was probably worth the cost alone. That's cute that they had low standing tables for the kids. Maybe in the future though they should set up more like baracades vs just ropes to help keep the little ones inside the holding cell

Warm Winter Grog (ironically, served cold) (citrus vodka, lemonade, ginger beer).

Maybe it was because the whole theme was a Frozen summer, so like it is the winter that is warm not the drink so you'd want a cold drink? I don't know. I remember the debates over what color light saber the Star Wars specialty drinks should have - so I think we all think more about these things than Disney does.

I was laughing so hard, as I had no idea where she’d learned some of these things.

Now I bet you are really wondering what goes on during Daddy-daughter time at home

This was the ONLY full non-travel day of this trip and it was totally worth it!

So glad to hear you say this, er, read you type this ... I know it was such a quick trip and while you were being cost conscious about it, it still wasn't "cheap" so glad that in the end you thought it was all worth it.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Have no fear, I have skipped quite a few FP+'s. Given that you have to pick 3, sometimes I just pick something that I might want to do but is in no way a priority.

I honestly don't understand any character meet not having a photographer. Not a huge deal to me generally, but for some it might be a very big deal.

I did see the area they had set up for dessert party and it looked pretty swanky I must admit. Plus Drinks!!!

So glad you had such a good time. It sounds like you realy enjoyed the time spent there and took it for what it was. Plus the added bonus of spending the time with DIS friends.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Skip a FP+! You know, we never actually even used a FP (the old paper ones) until our last trip. We would pull them and totally forget about it! Oh life before discovering the DIS!
That looks like a really fun night! We have never tried any of the dessert parties, but they look really fun and tasty!
It looked like it was pretty hot! I would be glad the warm winter drink was cold too! I hate the craziness after the fireworks are over. I wish people would be a little more considerate! Its hard work to move through a crowd with a stroller, much less try to stay with someone who is also trying to maneuver a stroller through the crowd.

 

[hokieinpa]

What a fun night after your mad dash (slow boat ride?) to the sing along!

The dessert party sounds totally worth it! What a fun way to spend the night. It sounds like there was a nice variety of snacks and drinks.

The videos of the girls dancing and playing are too cute! I love that Izzy was following right along with Aria!

The whole time at the party was really fun – just relaxing and enjoying some treats, watching the girls have fun, and we even could see Epcot’s fireworks going off behind us!

This sounds like a perfect Frozen night! I love those little times when Disney is actually relaxing instead of a rush!

 

[schmass]

That looks like such a fun event. I'm glad that you and Lauren were able to hang out and enjoy it together - the girls look like they had a great time together!

 

[kaetra]

Following along, love your trip report Thanks for sharing