My AP-ALOOZA Continues (WE RENEWED!!) ~ NEW TR link posted!

[Imagineer5]

Congratulations! That is so exciting!!!

Thank you!!

 

[Imagineer5]

First, thanks for all the congrats! I am going to reevaluate some of my Fastpass selections after I post this (this pace is fast bc there were 11 days and I want all of them posted before I leave for our May trip!). I'm also nixing the kid's club evening while I walk around EPCOT - half of that fun would be to try the many adult beverage options, which obv I'll be skipping so instead I think we'll have a pizza party in the room. Sounds just as fun to me! While there in May, I have a plan to snap a photo of Aria in front of the castle with some props as our announcement, so once I have that pic I'll have to see what you guys think

The timing was so funny on this - I met with the RE doc, we had a plan for an IUI the next month, she prescribed me progesterone and about a week and a half after seeing her I called and said I need some bloodwork done because I was getting positive pregnancy tests! At 6 weeks she did an ultrasound and we saw a perfect heartbeat, and last night we had another ultrasound at my new OB's office. What an unexpected whirlwind. Aria is SO excited, though still trying to get the concept down. She went to the ultrasound last night and keeps asking to see the baby - this morning she asked if she could feed my baby...I told her she will have to wait until around Christmas time to do that and that caused a whole convo about Santa bringing the baby presents (Aria's idea was a baby car seat).

Last weekend I had a little fun with the City Select stroller and configuring the seats. Aria enjoyed riding around the house with her baby doll in the 2nd seat as I moved them around.

Thanks to @TheMaxRebo 's trip with his then-1 month old, I am planning on a 4th birthday trip for Aria next January when baby will be about 2 months old - I'll still be out on leave so won't have to take any time off for it. Oh, I am planning for a Thanksgiving baby hoping it's about a week early like Aria was, and we'll definitely be finding out the gender as early as we can!

Moving back to October-

Day 3- my birthday!
Today was a Magic Kingdom day, of course! Can’t have it any other way on your birthday!

But first, a photo of my rose from V&A the previous night

We started off with an 8AM Crystal Palace reservation which we all enjoyed - we even stopped for some photopass before hand

, and then headed to Fantasyland for some rides. We had a 7DMT Fp and were able to grab some rider switches for later on as well, and Jenn had no interest in getting on so she sat with Aria.

We rode Pooh and Ariel along with Dumbo and Barnstormer, and had FP’s for Peter Pan.

A very fun morning! Around 11 we headed to the other side of the park – I had split up BTMRR FP and Splash FP onto two magic bands each so we took turns riding (I got to ride twice, hehe) and then soon it was time for lunch. I had pre-ordered food at Be Our Guest (without checking with the IL’s first) but we were all able to change out our meal choices and found seats immediately (Actually, TheMaxRebo we sat at the same table we sat at with you in August).
Lunch was delicious, though I believe Jenn tried to steal my strawberry cupcake. She likes to steal my desserts after not ordering one for herself. ; )
After lunch we headed out for some relaxing time, as we still had Citricos and then Andrew Aria and I were heading back to the MK for a MNSSHP!
After aria woke up, we had enough time to enjoy some pool time as well before showers and getting changed. We went to the "main" pool further away from the DVC area, which has a huge zero entry area. BTW, I packed the pool noodle because we were working on her swimming.

That pool also had these fun little water fountains to play with

We then attempted another go at the splash area

But you can see she ran away

We all headed off for dinner at Citricos. I toyed with this evening because I had booked Citricos before deciding on MNSSHP, and I really wanted to be at the party by 7 to enjoy it to its fullest. I wasn’t able to choose many other “good” ADR’s however so I stuck with Citricos and Andrew KNEW my plan to eat and get on the monorail by 6:40 or so… dun dun dun…
We all had great meals. Our waiter was great as well – my experience here was much better than it was back in 2007 and I’m glad I gave it another try. HOWEVER just as I am expecting to ask for the check, ANDREW says he wants to order coffee. I gave him an evil eye and pouted for a minute, then decided to order a crème brulee since it sounded good. Again, Jenn thought it prudent to help me finish it (that helped my mood) and it was approximately 7:15 by the time we left. Still had to stop in the bathroom and change Aria into her costume though and then head out.
We didn’t miss too much of the party though and our goal was to visit all of the trick or treat trails and the dance parties, and stay for the second parade. Andrew apparently didn’t realize what time the second parade started, so he was furious when I refused to stand in a spot I couldn’t even see during the 1st parade. Anyway….the trick or treat trails were a lot of fun for Aria – she was really loving saying TRICK OR TREAT and this year she totally fell for Halloween – so much fun. Some of the trails the CM’s were handing out handfuls of candy to her and she ended up with a HUGE bag full. We visited the Villains dance party in Frontierland which was SO much fun, Aria and I were loving dancing around and it was neat to see the characters. They even had a photopass there so we got some photos – yay.

At one point we attempted to ride the Haunted Mansion but the line was HUGE, so instead we stopped for a photopass pic and headed to another treat trail.

The ONLY ride we ended up riding was the Barnstormer, haha! We did the trail from FL to Tomorrowland and ended up at another dance party where Aria got to dance with Mike and Sulley. We also were able to watch HalloWishes though I am forgetting where we stood – they are so cool though.

Here you can see the extent of our "costumes":

About 45 minutes before the 2nd parade, we found a ton of space along one side of Main Street and sat down.

Aria was still awake and happy though it was about 10:30 at this point! Andrew was driving me crazy as he was incredulous being in the park that late. I was ignoring him. The parade came and while fun and different, I much prefer the regular MSEP – but Halloween is definitely not my thing. Some aspects were a bit scary for Aria, and I thought it should have been about 2 x longer with many more characters – there weren’t very many in the parade. Just my thoughts, I know many people think it is amazing, but I guess it just isn’t my thing.
Overall for the party, Aria had a TON of fun on the trick or treat trails, but not sure if we need to do it again (though I have said that before and booked again, so who knows). Also we absolutely LOVE Christmas, so for a december trip I could see doing MVMCP again.
After the parade we headed for the monorail and Aria was asleep before we even got out of the park!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I have some news!! It's not "facebook official" yet as it's still early but it is affecting my May WDW trip planning so I wanted to share with you all.



View attachment 90134


Just had my 8 week ultrasound and everything looks great

Congratulations! That is very exciting! .... and if you follow our plan you will be back at WDW for New Years

edit: saw your next post that you are being more conservative than us and waiting until the baby is 2mo

Glad to hear everything is going well

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds like a fun day - you got on a number of big rides which is fun. That's funny you were sitting in the same seats we had at BOG - and good to know that changing meal options isn't a big to-do (that was our worry as we never know what mood the kids will be in)

Looks like fun in the pool at that zero entry area with the fountains looks perfect for those Aria's age.

Glad you meal was better this time at Citricos - though I can see getting annoyed when you saw the time pass by and your target time for getting to the party not being met.

Those pictures of Aria at the dance party are so cute! Those along almost make the night worth it - and all the candy was just a bonus. I like the hitch-hiking ghost picture too as she is the only one pointing the other way

 

[lilluv117]

I have some news!! It's not "facebook official" yet as it's still early but it is affecting my May WDW trip planning so I wanted to share with you all.


Just had my 8 week ultrasound and everything looks great

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! That's such exciting news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lilluv117]

What a fun morning at MK! I would not be sharing my strawberry cupcake though. Lol!! And I love the zero entry pools. Looks like a great day all around. Aria looks so cute in her costume! And who wouldn't love getting handfuls of candy?!

 

[schmass]

That is some crazy timing - so, so glad it all worked out! And the idea for an announcement with the castle is perfect. How are you feeling?

I'm glad that Citricos was a good experience. I haven't eaten there yet and feel like I never hear too much about it.

Aria looks so cute in her Halloween costume and looks like she's having the best time at the dance party!

The picture of you guys with the HM ghosts is great!

 

[Dugette]

this pace is fast bc there were 11 days and I want all of them posted before I leave for our May trip!

Wow, you are ambitious! And to think I've got 1/2 day to cover before leaving and I feel like that's pushing it.

While there in May, I have a plan to snap a photo of Aria in front of the castle with some props as our announcement, so once I have that pic I'll have to see what you guys think

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

She went to the ultrasound last night and keeps asking to see the baby - this morning she asked if she could feed my baby...I told her she will have to wait until around Christmas time to do that and that caused a whole convo about Santa bringing the baby presents (Aria's idea was a baby car seat).

Aw, that's so sweet! She's going to be such a great big sister! (By the way, Izzy is super excited about Santa lately. She saw a Christmas picture and has been saying, "Santa's coming back! With presents! He's coming back!")

I am planning on a 4th birthday trip for Aria next January when baby will be about 2 months old - I'll still be out on leave so won't have to take any time off for it.

Good idea to use your leave. I don't know that I could do it - thinking about doing anything with a 2-month-old exhausts me. But people do it every day. (If you want a TR about bringing a 9-week-old, DisneyParkLover's first one was about that and it went great).

Day 3- my birthday!

We started off with an 8AM Crystal Palace reservation which we all enjoyed - we even stopped for some photopass before hand

Great way to start the day! I'm going to miss doing CP this time, but excited to try CRT.

it was approximately 7:15 by the time we left.

Well, on the bright side, you wouldn't have had time for that nonexistent birthday cake anyway.

Anyway….the trick or treat trails were a lot of fun for Aria – she was really loving saying TRICK OR TREAT and this year she totally fell for Halloween – so much fun. Some of the trails the CM’s were handing out handfuls of candy to her and she ended up with a HUGE bag full.

Looks like you guys had a really fun time at the party! Izzy would love those treat trails too, I bet. Just tonight, she went to her bookshelf and found a Minnie/Halloween book and wanted to read it. She was so into it and excited for their costumes that it made me want to take her to a MNSSHP. (No plans, though. )

Haunted Mansion but the line was HUGE, so instead we stopped for a photopass pic

LOVE that picture!!

Here you can see the extent of our "costumes":

Nice, you even got Andrew wearing Olaf!

Aria was still awake and happy though it was about 10:30 at this point! Andrew was driving me crazy as he was incredulous being in the park that late. I was ignoring him.

This whole part is so funny to me. I mean, that would be really late for us to keep Izzy out, but pre-Izzy we once ARRIVED at the MK at midnight (it was open till 3am).

 

[JulieODC]

I just logged in after being away for several weeks, and this was the first trip report I clicked on. Hoping to see some news!

I am so, so, so happy and excited for You guys! Aria is going to be a great big sister!!

 

[khertz]

I think @TheMaxRebo has inspired quite a few of us, since we are planning to do the same thing! I can't pass up a trip during maternity leave when I won't have to use any additional vacation time! So sweet how excited Aria is about the baby! Paxton is excited to be a big brother and excited to have a baby sister, but he will randomly ask if that means I will have 2 kids and that is an idea he is not thrilled with.

Aria is so cute in her Anna costume! We are exactly the opposite when it comes to parties. We were huge fans of the Halloween party and can't wait to do it again, but weren't too impressed with the Christmas party. Just goes to show you there is something for everyone at Disney! It seems like y'all had a fun time though, even if Halloween is not your favorite. That pumpkin cutout photo is adorable! They didn't have that when we went in 2013. As if we aren't crazy enough for taking a newborn to Disney World, we are really trying to figure out how to squeeze in a Halloween party because we loved it so much!

 

[Imagineer5]

Congratulations! That is very exciting! .... and if you follow our plan you will be back at WDW for New Years

edit: saw your next post that you are being more conservative than us and waiting until the baby is 2mo

Glad to hear everything is going well

LOL well New years / Christmas time doesn't sound much fun with all the crowds, so 2 months it is as a birthday trip for Aria! Just need to figure out DH's leave, because while I think I could handle Aria and baby on the trip, Aria will be tall enough for the 40" rides by then and I'd hate to pass them all up due to the baby being there, so he needs to come with!

Sounds like a fun day - you got on a number of big rides which is fun. That's funny you were sitting in the same seats we had at BOG - and good to know that changing meal options isn't a big to-do (that was our worry as we never know what mood the kids will be in)

Looks like fun in the pool at that zero entry area with the fountains looks perfect for those Aria's age.

Glad you meal was better this time at Citricos - though I can see getting annoyed when you saw the time pass by and your target time for getting to the party not being met.

Those pictures of Aria at the dance party are so cute! Those along almost make the night worth it - and all the candy was just a bonus. I like the hitch-hiking ghost picture too as she is the only one pointing the other way

The dance party and trails was a huge hit. Of course writing about it and looking back on it, I could see doing it again next time we are there lol, maybe it was just the late parade that put a sour taste in my mouth esp when Aria didn't really enjoy the parade.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! That's such exciting news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you!!

What a fun morning at MK! I would not be sharing my strawberry cupcake though. Lol!! And I love the zero entry pools. Looks like a great day all around. Aria looks so cute in her costume! And who wouldn't love getting handfuls of candy?!

Hahhaa I really don't enjoy sharing my desserts, esp with MIL. I'll share with Aria any day

That is some crazy timing - so, so glad it all worked out! And the idea for an announcement with the castle is perfect. How are you feeling?

I'm glad that Citricos was a good experience. I haven't eaten there yet and feel like I never hear too much about it.

Aria looks so cute in her Halloween costume and looks like she's having the best time at the dance party!

The picture of you guys with the HM ghosts is great!

I'm feeling terrible! Blah. I actually took naps both days this past weekend while Aria was napping. Absolutely nothing sounds good to eat and my stomach isn't handling anything well.

Yeah Citricos is always pretty quiet on the boards it seems, though I think with some other options that also offer fireworks viewing (Cali grill and Narcoossees) it doesn't offer as much of a wow factor. But I'm glad we revisited.

Aw, that's so sweet! She's going to be such a great big sister! (By the way, Izzy is super excited about Santa lately. She saw a Christmas picture and has been saying, "Santa's coming back! With presents! He's coming back!")

So cute!! Christmas is talked about daily now it seems. Totally ready for it all over again. I asked aria if she knew what we were celebrating this coming weekend (this morning) and she said -- Christmas!! I had to be a Debbie downer and tell her mothers day (we are just doing a family outing that Andrew will (hopefully) plan as an early mother's day since we won't be home.

Good idea to use your leave. I don't know that I could do it - thinking about doing anything with a 2-month-old exhausts me. But people do it every day. (If you want a TR about bringing a 9-week-old, DisneyParkLover's first one was about that and it went great).

If the baby is anything like Aria was, then a 2 month old shouldn't be TOO bad. It was the first 6 weeks or so that were really rough but I put her on schedule around 6 weeks and by 8 weeks she was sleeping through the night and napping 4 times per day. I am going to be looking into a really good front carrier that I can nurse the baby in, though. I have a Beco butterfly but want something else.

Well, on the bright side, you wouldn't have had time for that nonexistent birthday cake anyway.

Shhhh I hadn't thought of that. I will be sure NOT to tell Andrew that part LOL!

This whole part is so funny to me. I mean, that would be really late for us to keep Izzy out, but pre-Izzy we once ARRIVED at the MK at midnight (it was open till 3am).

Sounds like you're going to outdo yourself in May by arriving at the MK around 1AM hahahaha. Yeah, NEVER ever going to happen here. Phew!

I just logged in after being away for several weeks, and this was the first trip report I clicked on. Hoping to see some news!

I am so, so, so happy and excited for You guys! Aria is going to be a great big sister!!

Thank you so so much!! I love seeing your sister pics of your sweet little ones! How are things going at home??

I think @TheMaxRebo has inspired quite a few of us, since we are planning to do the same thing! I can't pass up a trip during maternity leave when I won't have to use any additional vacation time! So sweet how excited Aria is about the baby! Paxton is excited to be a big brother and excited to have a baby sister, but he will randomly ask if that means I will have 2 kids and that is an idea he is not thrilled with.

Aria is so cute in her Anna costume! We are exactly the opposite when it comes to parties. We were huge fans of the Halloween party and can't wait to do it again, but weren't too impressed with the Christmas party. Just goes to show you there is something for everyone at Disney! It seems like y'all had a fun time though, even if Halloween is not your favorite. That pumpkin cutout photo is adorable! They didn't have that when we went in 2013. As if we aren't crazy enough for taking a newborn to Disney World, we are really trying to figure out how to squeeze in a Halloween party because we loved it so much!

Hahaha yep, that is the perfect time!! Aww I don't think Aria has yet realized she will have to share ME, so that will be interesting. I can see the "fun" of a baby sibling wearing off pretty fast after the baby comes, but it'll come back once they get a bit bigger.

The Halloween party WAS a ton of fun, maybe I was just remembering the parade and being disappointed by it. Just with the lack of characters and the overall feel of it - DH and I are just not into horror, Halloween, etc so it wasn't as much fun as I anticipated, but the rest of the night really was. Maybe I just need to leave Andrew at home for the next one?

 

[Imagineer5]

Day 4 – today AK opened at 8, we had lunch plans for Sanaa, then back to GF for some pool time before heading off to California Grill for dinner. It was Andrew’s parent’s last night and our last night at the GF, already! Luckily I had a FP for the Safari, so we didn’t need to rush to the AK for the 8AM opening. We started off with a fun safari

and then headed over to Rafiki’s – where thankfully John took a video of the interaction – Chip and Dale were gathering a circle of kids to dance! I haven’t seen this before, but Aria was having a blast!! She was able to dance with them (They were doing the hokey pokey along with some other ones) and then they went to the side for a meet and greet. SO much fun and a highlight of the day. It definitely solidified Aria’s love for them, too! (a couple of the dancing and I can't upload the video, but it really was cute!)

After that fun Aria spent a little time with the goats and we mad a quick Rafiki stop then we headed out.

I had FP’s for the Finding Nemo show but we ended up skipping it, and instead we rode EE a couple times (well I rode once, Andrew & John rode twice) and then headed to Dinosaur where Andrew rode despite his fear of the ride. Donald Duck was also meeting near Dinosaur so we got in a slightly long line to meet him

Aria had a spin on Triceratop spin and then we headed off for lunch at Sanaa.

Once we arrived we had a couple minutes to head outside to see the Savannah

At Sanaa, we were seated quickly and had a nice big table. We quickly ordered the tasting platter with all the different sauces, and devoured all the naan and had to order more. It was SOOOO good. We do Naan bread tastings at home now, though I wish I could buy some of their sauces bottled up! They have some TRUE spicy ones, which makes me happy. My dishes are gone from the menu, boo, so I ordered two appetizers – the potato samosas (LOVE) and another which was good as well. That was plenty for me with all that Naan. Everyone loved their meals and the IL’s still talk about it. (side note, I was thinking about this day and the Naan sampler and added in a lunch at Sanaa in May just to have it again. Hopefully my stomach cooperates)
We headed back to the resort afterwards and I talked Andrew into coming to the pool with me where we enjoyed the slide, then got aria once she woke up from her nap and we all enjoyed the pools a bit more before changing for dinner.

After some showers we were ready for dinner!

We took the monorail over to the Comtemporary and headed up to dinner slightly early. I believe fireworks were at 10 and I made the ADR for 7:30, which is already late for Aria, but I was hoping to see Wishes this evening somehow. Shortly after being seated I asked for the Chef I know, and about halfway through our meal the waiter said Oops I completely forgot about your request, and got him then. It was fun introducing him to the family though! Our waiter wasn’t very good, but our meals were delicious. Before we could order dessert, the chef brought out a big tasting platter of desserts for the table. That wowed everyone, and it was so much fun tasting it all. We were finished with the meal by 9 and hopped back on the monorail to head back – Jenn took Aria up to bed and Andrew, John and I headed out to watch Wishes from near the boat docks with a wonderful view. Wishes is always a perfect end to the night!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds like a fun morning at AK where you got in a lot of what you wanted pretty efficiently. The Dance Party with C&D sounds really fun and always love when your favorite part of a trip is one that you didn't even plan on!

Glad you enjoyed Sanaa again (even if your favorite dishes were removed, but their apps are really good there too - granted I am obviously speaking to the choir since you are the one who recommended Sanaa to us). The bread service is really good and fun! I wonder if somewhere online you can find recipes for their sauces/condiments

Bummer about your waiter at CG but glad the food was still very good. I love the big dessert sampler - that is great! It's fun to get to try a lot of different things (though, generally always one or two things you wish you had more of).

GF is one place we haven't watched Wishes from - always enjoy it from the Poly beach though so figure that is similar ... glad timing worked out for you

 

[JulieODC]

I love Aria's AK dress - so cute! And glad you enjoyed CG, despite the waiter....our last meal there was a disappointment due to the service :-( Those desserts look really good!

We're doing pretty well --- DD1 adjusted really, really well to being a big sister, and DD2 is a pretty good baby overall. I'm enjoying being on leave too, now that the weather is getting better! I know things will be tough when I'm back to work, so I'm enjoying every second that I'm off!

Now, to decide when to plan our next WDW trip.....(we've got a family destination wedding coming up in Mexico, which is sort of messing with our vacation time/plans/budget :-( )

Hope you are feeling good!

 

[Dugette]

How cool that Chip and Dale did a dance party! Looks like Aria had a blast. Those chipmunks sure know how to make toddlers love them.

Mmmmm, Sanaa. The second I worked AK into our May plans, I booked Sanaa for lunch. Hope you're able to fully enjoy it in May!

Looks like some fun pool time. Seeing Aria out there swimming is reminding me that we've got to get Izzy back into swimming lessons this summer - it's been awhile, since we did tumbling over the winter. When asked, Izzy says she went swimming, "Just one time!"

Glad you had a good meal at California Grill, despite the not-so-fabulous waiter. So nice of the chef to send out that dessert sampler! Looks tasty!

 

[Imagineer5]

Sounds like a fun morning at AK where you got in a lot of what you wanted pretty efficiently. The Dance Party with C&D sounds really fun and always love when your favorite part of a trip is one that you didn't even plan on!

Glad you enjoyed Sanaa again (even if your favorite dishes were removed, but their apps are really good there too - granted I am obviously speaking to the choir since you are the one who recommended Sanaa to us). The bread service is really good and fun! I wonder if somewhere online you can find recipes for their sauces/condiments

Bummer about your waiter at CG but glad the food was still very good. I love the big dessert sampler - that is great! It's fun to get to try a lot of different things (though, generally always one or two things you wish you had more of).

GF is one place we haven't watched Wishes from - always enjoy it from the Poly beach though so figure that is similar ... glad timing worked out for you

Yes you can't plan for the unexpected! Love when those things happen too. I will have to go search for Sanaa sauce recipes, though I don't think I found any last time I looked which was last year. They really need to bottle them! I'd buy a whole set, with the board and all!

Yeah very similar views from the GF and Poly - both beautiful spots!

I love Aria's AK dress - so cute! And glad you enjoyed CG, despite the waiter....our last meal there was a disappointment due to the service :-( Those desserts look really good!

We're doing pretty well --- DD1 adjusted really, really well to being a big sister, and DD2 is a pretty good baby overall. I'm enjoying being on leave too, now that the weather is getting better! I know things will be tough when I'm back to work, so I'm enjoying every second that I'm off!

Now, to decide when to plan our next WDW trip.....(we've got a family destination wedding coming up in Mexico, which is sort of messing with our vacation time/plans/budget :-( )

Hope you are feeling good!

Yeah I have really had poor service the last few times at CG. But knowing a chef has seemed to make up for it because he likes to send out desserts so I'll take that. I remember on our August trip when it was Aria and me, the table next to us had such a cute waiter who was cutting up the little kid's food, and my waiter was non existent. So I guess good ones DO exist! maybe I should text the chef and ask for a waiter recommendation??? Hmmm...

Well a destination wedding in Mexico is not something to sad-face about! LOL!! Are kids invited? That's been our issue - EVERY SINGLE WEDDING we have been invited to the last 3 years have been kid-less. We could have had a really fun SC weekend with Aria but instead, Andrew went by himself bc no kids were invited. Drives me batty! Where in mexico is the wedding?

How cool that Chip and Dale did a dance party! Looks like Aria had a blast. Those chipmunks sure know how to make toddlers love them.

Mmmmm, Sanaa. The second I worked AK into our May plans, I booked Sanaa for lunch. Hope you're able to fully enjoy it in May!

Looks like some fun pool time. Seeing Aria out there swimming is reminding me that we've got to get Izzy back into swimming lessons this summer - it's been awhile, since we did tumbling over the winter. When asked, Izzy says she went swimming, "Just one time!"

Glad you had a good meal at California Grill, despite the not-so-fabulous waiter. So nice of the chef to send out that dessert sampler! Looks tasty!

Yeah I didn't know they did that, and don't think I've ever seen it before. SO neat! And glad Aria wanted to get in there and dance along.

I originally had Y&Y planned, but then a week or so ago I dropped it because we have Tusker House for BF and Garden Grill for dinner LOL so that seemed like a lot. But I can see fitting in a naan sampler platter and maybe a mango smoothie and calling that lunch!

Yeah Aria has been doing pretty great in her swim lessons lately, they have been working on her putting her head underwater while swimming (with a noodle as support). I still feel like this shouldn't be taking so long. Izzy is seriously going to LOVE the Beach Club pool though. I am hoping Aria can go down the Boardwalk slide (despite the crazy clown mouth). In the fall I am hoping we can move away from swim lessons and she can take gymnastics (she's in swim and ballet now, but with baby I think one thing will be plenty!).

 

[Imagineer5]

Day 5 – today we checked out of GF early, bid farewell to the IL’s (who were taking the ME to the airport to pick up a rental car), quickly checked into BCV, and then went to Universal Studios. Halfway through this day I start having a lot more photos because I had to switch SD cards.

BTW, this was our view from the GF 2-bedroom standard view. The monorail was super quiet, so this was actually really neat to see!

We got to City Walk around 8:15 and the park didn't open until 9, so we stopped at Cinnabun for some "breakfast"

We actually started off in IoA first, riding Pteranodon Flyers with little wait (aria got to ride twice). Andrew went on the Hulk along with some other big rides, and we tried out the rider swap for Spiderman with no wait – the rider swap area was pretty blah though with nothing going on – I think Aria would prefer riding something rather than wait in a boring room. We did a tea-cup type ride, and headed to Seuss Landing and did all of those rides. (I'm sad to miss these photos because aria was in the cutest Lorax outfit and I got some really great pics of her playing in the Seuss area, but later I changed her into a harry potter dress). I even hopped on the High in the Sky Seuss ride which has a newly instated ridiculous height requirement because they are too lazy to change the restraints (Aria would LOVE that one). We took turns riding Flight of the Hippogriph with Aria and doing single rider at Forbidden journey, I believe she got on FotH 4 times that morning!

Then we hopped onto the Magical Express over to Diagon Alley. Andrew was very impressed with the train (as am I) and even moreso once he saw the new Diagon Alley.

I packed the wand that we purchased in August (and it's packed again for this trip) and we spent a little time doing some magic tricks around Diagon Alley

You can make it rain here

And turn on these lights

My plan was to wait until Aria was napping to get on the big rides, so we actually headed right out, stopping at this spinny ride

and towards Woody Woodpecker and also looked for a spot for lunch.

On the way we spotted Woody Woodpecker and ?? out with no one around, so Aria went up to tell them she loves their ride.

We found a Boulangerie with sandwiches that hit the spot, and took a couple spins on Woody and Aria got to play in the huge Woody play area, ride ET, and then it was nap time.

During her nap time I sent Andrew ahead to get into the SR line for Gringott’s but he had some bad luck and that took over an hour and the ride broke down a TON and then they didn’t even offer him to ride again. So he didn’t have the best Gringott’s experience unfortunately. I met him outside and hopped on myself, and also experienced some delays but was allowed on again right afterwards and had a flawless trip. After that we took turns on the Mummy (really awesome roller coaster BTW) and he went on Rip Ride Rockit (my August trip was enough for me for a lifetime) which he absolutely loved. Soon after Aria woke up around 3:30 we decided to head out. We definitely have a greater appreciation for Disney after visiting a universal park. Andrew is NOT a fan of Universal at all, I can handle the annoying people on the other hand.
We headed straight to our room at the BCV (I’d received a text around 1 or so with our room number) and we quickly unpacked for the rest of the trip. Oh I forgot to mention earlier that we had used the baggage delivery service since they could also keep a bag in the fridge for the day, so I also called to get our bags delivered.

Our view, with a very nice large balcony!

The bedroom

Bathroom (also a stand up shower)

Our plans for the evening included Cape May and going to the pool! Cape May is DH’s must do restaurant, and we had a very nice dinner here though the food isn’t the best for non-shellfish and meat eaters - BUT I always find enough to eat so it's fine! Aria wanted to wear her Minnie ears!

My plate - I found some pasta dishes, bread, hummus, cheeses and salmon. Oh and some tomato soup that was really good I had seconds!

Andrews starter!

'

My 2nd plate - I chanced the bone-in chicken and had a huge helping of delicious mashed potatoes

Andrew skipped dessert so I felt compelled to have his share as well. The left plate were the items Aria picked out. She enjoys going through the buffets picking her own things out (while I make her plate).

After dinner we convinced Andrew to go out to the pool for a bit and all had a blast. Yes, definitely the best pool at Disney. Love that there is the kiddie slide along with the big slide, tons of pools, small lazy river, and the huge sandy area. SO much fun for all ages.

Back in our room – Aria slept on the pull out couch in the living room and we watched TV for a bit in our room. It was nice having that much space, and with another on the way I believe it's the smallest size villa we'll be getting in the future.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

BTW - I did see a Facebook page that seems to have a number of Sanaa (Inspired at least) recipes: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sanaas-Recipe-Note-Book/552187004848298

Seems like a fairly productive day at Universal even if Andrew wasn't crazy about it/the feeling of it. That sucks that they wouldn't let him ride Gringotts again - I mean, you'd think they would be used to it by now (not the first day it had break downs) and also that they would be consistent. I mean, it's great you got to go again, but why did you get to and not him?

Glad there is enough at Cape May for you to eat and the desserts (at least) look good!

Definitely want to stay at least once at Beach Club or Yacht Club just so we can check out Storm Along Bay - it really does look fun!

 

[Imagineer5]

BTW - I did see a Facebook page that seems to have a number of Sanaa (Inspired at least) recipes: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sanaas-Recipe-Note-Book/552187004848298

Seems like a fairly productive day at Universal even if Andrew wasn't crazy about it/the feeling of it. That sucks that they wouldn't let him ride Gringotts again - I mean, you'd think they would be used to it by now (not the first day it had break downs) and also that they would be consistent. I mean, it's great you got to go again, but why did you get to and not him?

Glad there is enough at Cape May for you to eat and the desserts (at least) look good!

Definitely want to stay at least once at Beach Club or Yacht Club just so we can check out Storm Along Bay - it really does look fun!

Oh that Facebook page looks great! I don't think it is our Sanaa, but they sure have some amazing recipes. Right now I am having trouble stomaching anything beyond chicken noodle soup so I am going to refrain from cooking any of these, but hopefully in a few weeks that will come back full force and I can try out some of these recipes.

Yeah, I was really surprised. Secretly I think he just missed the announcement that he could ride again, but I didn't tell him that. Every time I've been on that ride I have been given the chance to ride again.

The pool is so great, and even better is it is perfect for so many ages, so Emma, Peter AND Olivia would all love it!

 

[Dugette]

Halfway through this day I start having a lot more photos because I had to switch SD cards.

Yay!

On the way we spotted Woody Woodpecker and ?? out with no one around, so Aria went up to tell them she loves their ride.

Aw, that's so sweet!

Oh and some tomato soup that was really good I had seconds!

That reminds me - have you tried Sanaa's Tomato Soup with Paneer Cheese? We like it and could be another option if you're looking for more choices there.

I had no idea this was there! Looks fun - I hope Izzy enjoys it too!