Let the memories (of our May 2011 trip) begin! *UPDATED SEPT. 18th- LINK to NEW TR!*

[JAMIESMITH]

So cute showing off her manicure!

 

[jzappavigna]

Signing up!

 

[TanzUnited99]

I love the photos of the character spot and am glad that Beatriz enjoyed the meet and greet! The pics of her with Minnie look soo cute!

Aaw on giving up TT for DH - that is def true love!

 

[lbuzz52]

I love the picture of B sleeping with her skirt all perched around her. Almost looks like it was posed that way- too cute!

Glad the character spot was successful this time!

 

[mousegear]

I have to say that when DS was little, I loved every moment but especially sleeping DS. He looked so peaceful and angelic that it was rewarding to see the face after chasing him around all day! I have to say, Beatriz really did well at Disney! She held herself all day and finally falling asleep on the way back. I think for little ones, Disney is sensory over load and it makes them excited and tired at the same time.

 

[Queila]

So cute showing off her manicure!

She is a girly girl....

Signing up!

honey!

I love the photos of the character spot and am glad that Beatriz enjoyed the meet and greet! The pics of her with Minnie look soo cute!

Aaw on giving up TT for DH - that is def true love!

Thanks. I am glad we finally got some great pictures with the characters...

I love the picture of B sleeping with her skirt all perched around her. Almost looks like it was posed that way- too cute!

Glad the character spot was successful this time!

I love that picture too!

I have to say that when DS was little, I loved every moment but especially sleeping DS. He looked so peaceful and angelic that it was rewarding to see the face after chasing him around all day! I have to say, Beatriz really did well at Disney! She held herself all day and finally falling asleep on the way back. I think for little ones, Disney is sensory over load and it makes them excited and tired at the same time.

I know exactly what you mean! The sleeping Beatriz at the end of the day is such a great Beatriz! The overload of sights and sounds is a lot even for us...

 

[Queila]

Day 4- Sunday- May, 15th 2011- Morning at Magic Kingdom

So originally this was supposed to be our day off the theme parks. I wanted it to be a little break from all the running around and try to enjoy a morning in the pool either at our hotel or in a water park.

However, the rain from the day before brought a "cold system" over Orlando and the day just did not seem like a water park type of day so Joey and I went back to the drawing board and re organized our schedule for the rest of the week.

The truth is that we were not that tired either. We had slept in every morning so far and we had had a "mellow" day at Epcot the day before.

And just like that our family ended up doing something we had never done before: ROPE DROP AT MAGIC KINGDOM!!

I have to say that now I finally get it. We accomplished so much in our first couple of hours at MK and by the time the park was starting to get crowded we had finished with Fantasyland. From now on rope drop is the way to go!

Waiting for our bus to Magic Kingdom:

Waiting to get in the park:

I have to say I the rope drop show. So much so it brought yet again tears to my eyes. Joey actually caught my ugly cry on video BUT I will spare you from that.

Inside the park Beatriz was the FIRST guest of the day to take pictures with Daisy Duck:

Beatriz had a lot of fun with her autograph book also. She would look for the right page and hand it to each character with such joy. It was very cute to see and I hope it takes her a good while before she outgrows the meeting the characters phase.

So we walk down main street and stop for some quick pictures in front of the castle:

Beatriz did not want to pose with us. Too bad for her...

Then we headed straight to Fantasyland. On our first day at MK we had done the Mad Tea Party and Cinderella's Carrousel but now we had the rest of Fantasyland to try to conquer in one morning.

Where should we start?

Peter Pan's Flight! On our previous trips we never made it to Peter Pan because the waiting time was always so long so this was another first for our family. We walked straight in!

Here we go!!!!!

We got out of Peter Pan and Mary Poppins was getting ready to greet guests. We did not have her autograph yet so we got in line.

While I was waiting with Beatriz Joey runs to get a FP for Winnie the Pooh. With the FP's in hand we walk straight in to one of my favorites: Philharmagic!

We have time for pictures with the glasses:

And just as we are about to get into the theater it happened again. Beatriz announces she has to go to the bathroom and by the look of it we did not have too much time. I swear there were moments I considered putting her back on diapers.

So I had to walk out of the theater and bring her to pee. By the time I came back there was already a bit of a line up and we had to wait bit before the next show.

I really, really like Philharmagic (specially the Aladin scene) and Beatriz enjoyed it even more this time around.

Next up was It's a Small World:

Beatriz had fun at this one too. Not as much as at the Grand Fiesta Tour but I can tell she loves the boat rides.

And after it was time to use our FP for Winnie the Pooh (no pictures though). We did not get to experience the new interactive features of the queue but from what I could see it is a big hit with the kids.

So the only ride left to do in Fantasyland at this point was Dumbo but we decided to leave it for our last day at MK.

While Joey went on a potty break of his own I brought Beatriz to the gift shop to get some pixie dust:

Not sure she fully understood the concept but she played along:

So what shall we do next? Decisions, decisions, decisions:

When Joey got back we agreed we should go to Adventureland and see if we could squeeze in another ride before lunch time.

Can I just say how GREAT it felt to see the multitude of people arriving at the park and heading towards Fantasyland knowing that we had just been in 4 different attractions, met 2 different characters and even had 2 potty breaks with practically zero waiting?

​

 

[mousegear]

Rope Drop is the only way we do the park even with off-peak season. It's just too nice to walk straight into rides/shows and get everything done in a few hours. We are usually the out of the park by lunch time to enjoy afternoon breaks with pool/tv in the room. Thankfully, our DS and I are early morning risers so it helps. Just need to drag sleeping DH or we just leave him and meet him later.

 

[jzappavigna]

i agree! Rope drop is the way to go.

It was my first rope drops at MK and loved it. You get so much done in so little time.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Oh gosh, I seem to have fallen behind... time to catch up!

Awwww... Beatriz is adorable with the characters. I love the one where she is showing Minnie her nails, so cute. She did look a bit hesitant when she met Pluto, but that's awesome you guys got to meet so many characters

I'm sorry you didn't get to ride on Test Track ): Oh well, always next year And you got to explore Everything Pop instead. A fair trade right there

Oooo... that's awesome you guys got to go to Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom! It's my goal now to try to make it to that every trip. I just love the opening show and the mad dash to get to the rides as soon as they open the gates. Great fun!

That's awesome you got to do so many rides and M&Gs, Beatriz meeting Daisy was almost as cute as her little interaction with Minnie, very cute. And it's amazing the height difference between her and Mary Poppins, WOW, but she looked like she enjoyed meeting her

to getting Pixie Dust for Beatriz, I'm sure she'll understand the concept some day.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Wow you guys got a lot done at MK! Your making me change my mind about not hitting RD - think I will def be considering it for MK as really want to see the opening show!

Yay on Beatriz being the first guest to visit Daisy Duck and I love the pics of you and DH in front of the castle!

 

[Queila]

Rope Drop is the only way we do the park even with off-peak season. It's just too nice to walk straight into rides/shows and get everything done in a few hours. We are usually the out of the park by lunch time to enjoy afternoon breaks with pool/tv in the room. Thankfully, our DS and I are early morning risers so it helps. Just need to drag sleeping DH or we just leave him and meet him later.

I am definitely a rope drop convert now. I did not think it really mattered in a "low" season but it made a big difference! And I am OK to wake up early if you consider it is for a good cause. Much better than waking up early to go to work, right?

i agree! Rope drop is the way to go.

It was my first rope drops at MK and loved it. You get so much done in so little time.

Hey hi there handsome...

Oh gosh, I seem to have fallen behind... time to catch up!

Awwww... Beatriz is adorable with the characters. I love the one where she is showing Minnie her nails, so cute. She did look a bit hesitant when she met Pluto, but that's awesome you guys got to meet so many characters

I'm sorry you didn't get to ride on Test Track ): Oh well, always next year And you got to explore Everything Pop instead. A fair trade right there

Oooo... that's awesome you guys got to go to Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom! It's my goal now to try to make it to that every trip. I just love the opening show and the mad dash to get to the rides as soon as they open the gates. Great fun!

That's awesome you got to do so many rides and M&Gs, Beatriz meeting Daisy was almost as cute as her little interaction with Minnie, very cute. And it's amazing the height difference between her and Mary Poppins, WOW, but she looked like she enjoyed meeting her

to getting Pixie Dust for Beatriz, I'm sure she'll understand the concept some day.

Can't wait to read more!

I think Pluto's height was a bit intimidating but I was proud of her for doing it. She is really tiny my little Bea...

Rope drop is the way to go from now on! Next time we will try to do it in other parks too and see if it makes such a difference.

The interaction with the characters this time was really cute to see. She does believe they are real.

Wow you guys got a lot done at MK! Your making me change my mind about not hitting RD - think I will def be considering it for MK as really want to see the opening show!

Yay on Beatriz being the first guest to visit Daisy Duck and I love the pics of you and DH in front of the castle!

The opening show is maybe 5 minutes long but it is very cute. It brought tears to my eyes and it was already our 4th day at Disney.

 

[natebenma]

Day 4- Sunday- May, 15th 2011- Morning at Magic Kingdom

And just like that our family ended up doing something we had never done before: ROPE DROP AT MAGIC KINGDOM!!

I have to say that now I finally get it. We accomplished so much in our first couple of hours at MK and by the time the park was starting to get crowded we had finished with Fantasyland. From now on rope drop is the way to go!

Inside the park Beatriz was the FIRST guest of the day to take pictures with Daisy Duck:

Peter Pan's Flight! On our previous trips we never made it to Peter Pan because the waiting time was always so long so this was another first for our family. We walked straight in!

​

i agree! Rope drop is the way to go.

It was my first rope drops at MK and loved it. You get so much done in so little time.

YEAH!!! Converts to rope drop! The first couple of hours at the park, especially MK, are golden!

I love that Daisy got right down to Beatriz' level. I can't imagine that she can go eye to eye with many characters.

How did you like Peter Pan? This has always been one of our favorites (at least Mark and me), but it is not worth waiting in line, so early or FP is the only way to do this one. Does Beatriz know the movie? I have to say that it is not the most politically correct of movies.

 

[Bethpremier]

This has got to be the best review I have ever read!

 

[Queila]

YEAH!!! Converts to rope drop! The first couple of hours at the park, especially MK, are golden!

I love that Daisy got right down to Beatriz' level. I can't imagine that she can go eye to eye with many characters.

How did you like Peter Pan? This has always been one of our favorites (at least Mark and me), but it is not worth waiting in line, so early or FP is the only way to do this one. Does Beatriz know the movie? I have to say that it is not the most politically correct of movies.

She is tiny my little Beatriz. We are hoping that by the time we go back next year she will be able to go on some cool rides like Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad.

I thought Peter Pan is very well done and I can understand now why there is always a big wait for that. We do not have the Peter Pan movie at home but I guess she already watched it at her daycare because she recognizes the characters... Now that I think of it, how appropriate is watching that movie at the day care?

This has got to be the best review I have ever read!

Thank yoU! I am very flattered.

 

[Queila]

Day 4- Sunday- May, 15th 2011- Magic Kingdom- Part Deux

On hour first half day we had toured Tomorrowland and we had just finished touring Fantasyland. So it was time to move to a new land and put some other cool rides under our belt.

Adventureland here we come!

My initial idea was to go check the wait times for Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise and see if we could squeeze them before our lunch time.

We were on a roll and very excited about hitting more rides so what could possibly slow us down??

What about THIS!

Prince Eric and Ariel together?? We couldn't pass this opportunity, right?? I have to admit I am not sure who was more excited about this one, Beatriz or myself.

I wanted to be in a picture also so we posed for a family shot.

The character interaction was great. Ariel noticed the pixie- dust on Bea's hair and Eric played along nicely when we asked hm about Max.

It was a magical moment straight from under the sea.

While we were waiting in line we saw some people buying Dole Whips and we were dying to have one but we did not want to spoil our meal so we decided to wait and come back after lunch. Looking back I am not sure why we were being so "proper". Weren't we on vacation??

So shall we go check the Jungle Cruise now?

Sure but wait! Who do I see over there???

HOLY! If it is not ANOTHER power couple!

So that is where they all hang out,eh? Adventureland! It makes sense... you know... they are very adventurous people after all.

Once again, great character interaction. Just like Eric and Ariel, they both went down on their knees to talk to Beatriz:

And then Jasmine noticed Bea's gold bracelet:

Aladin gave her a hug:

And checks out her gold:

AND her manicure:

They joked around saying that where they come from whoever owns the gold calls the shot so she must hold the power... We just replied by saying "you'd better believe it".

So all this character interaction was not only time consuming but it really opened our apetite. We decided to leave the rides for our last day at MK and head straight to Pecos Bill for our meal!

We are not really burger and fries type of people, SPECIALLY at Disney, but we always make an exception for Pecos Bill. You gotta have it at least once during the trip.

Angus burgers for everybody, chocolate cake for me, carrot cake for Joey.

Beatriz had half of her burger and most of her fries. Again, Joey had to help her to finish her meal.

Unfortunately we were too full to go for those dole whips so that too had to be pushed to our last day at MK. Have you noticed the trend by now? Tons of stuff started getting "pushed" to that third visit to MK and you probably already know what ended up happening...

So the plan for the afternoon was to go back to the hotel to sleep so we could all be refreshed fot our meal at Jiko's at 17h30. I couldn't bear the thought of having an overexcited child in such a nice restaurant.

However, turning my back to a park is the hardest thing to do and I always feel like we can do just one more thing...

As we are starting to make our way out the "Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it" parade was just getting started around the hub so we HAD TO stop for that.

Beatriz and I actually joined the party and danced with Jessie at some point and Joey made a little video of it and I will try to upload it and post it here soon.

When the parade finished we really had to go if we wanted to have time to rest.

Beatriz wasn't happy to leave either:

She fell asleep in the bus and took a nice, long nap. I took the following picture with my phone and posted on Facebook that day with the following caption: "Overdosed on pixie dust".

Next up:
Super at Jiko​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Wow, you seemed to be bombarded by all these characters in Adventureland, but it looked like great interactions. Great pictures with Ariel and Eric! Beatriz looked adorable by herself with them Same with Aladdin and Jasmine. They seemed very engaged with her. I love the whole thing with them looking at her gold bracelet, she's got the power, look out Sorry you didn't get the chance to have a Dole Whip in all of this :/

Oh those burgers look REALLY good. I really need to give Pecos Bill a second chance, because I think it is calling to me Haha I'll have to see if they match up to other amazing burgers I've had in the past year

Awwww... Beatriz's faces when having to leave after the parade is just so sad. At least you had the dinner at Jiko to look forward to at the "Overdosed on pixie dust" caption, there is never enough pixie dust in the world

Can't wait to read more!

 

[mousegear]

It seems you guys had fun-filled day at MK. I've never got to watch the afternoon parade since 2000. That was before DS and we did all day at the park..... We've always got up early and did RD with DS and take afternoon breaks after lunch so no parade.... I kind of miss them. I'm hoping to catch one at AK and DHS this year.

What a great way to end.... taking a nap on the bus!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay on meeting two great Disney couples! Love the interaction that took place and lol at the person with the gold having all the power! Will have to remember that one!

Oh no on not getting to have the Dole Whips...hope you manage to fit them in on your last MK day.

Aaw love the pic of Beatriz sleeping and the caption of 'overdosed on pixie dust!'

 

[Queila]

Wow, you seemed to be bombarded by all these characters in Adventureland, but it looked like great interactions. Great pictures with Ariel and Eric! Beatriz looked adorable by herself with them Same with Aladdin and Jasmine. They seemed very engaged with her. I love the whole thing with them looking at her gold bracelet, she's got the power, look out Sorry you didn't get the chance to have a Dole Whip in all of this :/

Oh those burgers look REALLY good. I really need to give Pecos Bill a second chance, because I think it is calling to me Haha I'll have to see if they match up to other amazing burgers I've had in the past year

Awwww... Beatriz's faces when having to leave after the parade is just so sad. At least you had the dinner at Jiko to look forward to at the "Overdosed on pixie dust" caption, there is never enough pixie dust in the world

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks. It was a morning packed with a lot of fun and it makes me miss Magic Kingdom greatly right now.

It seems you guys had fun-filled day at MK. I've never got to watch the afternoon parade since 2000. That was before DS and we did all day at the park..... We've always got up early and did RD with DS and take afternoon breaks after lunch so no parade.... I kind of miss them. I'm hoping to catch one at AK and DHS this year.

What a great way to end.... taking a nap on the bus!

You know what? This parade is NOT the afternoon parade. This one happens several times during the day around the hub and it is more like a big party celebration. In 2010 we caught a bit of it in the morning (maybe 10ish) and this time it was probably a little before 1pm when we caught it from the beginning. The afternoon parade happens once a day at 3pm and we left before that.

Yay on meeting two great Disney couples! Love the interaction that took place and lol at the person with the gold having all the power! Will have to remember that one!

Oh no on not getting to have the Dole Whips...hope you manage to fit them in on your last MK day.

Aaw love the pic of Beatriz sleeping and the caption of 'overdosed on pixie dust!'

The interaction with the characters was really nice and makes the meet & greet waiting time worth it at the end.