Once, Twice, Three Times to Disney!?! - Updated (finally!) 7/22

[I_Luv_Stitch]

Just caught up after being in WDW recently! Luke's reactions to the rides just melt my heart!
Congratulations on baby Anna, she is gorgeous her nursery is so cute as well!

 

[buddha112]

Congrats. Great TR so far.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

That sounds like June in my family. My mom is the 14th, my grandma and my sister and I on the 16th (sister and I are twins) and my son on the 19th - he was actually due on the 14th but was 5 days late!

I know late July through August I am going to be broke with all these birthdays to buy for!

Congrats!!

Just caught up after being in WDW recently! Luke's reactions to the rides just melt my heart!
Congratulations on baby Anna, she is gorgeous her nursery is so cute as well!

Thank you! I am jealous of your recent trip. Although I won't be jealous too long since we leave 4 weeks from today!!!

Congrats. Great TR so far.

Thank you. Glad you are enjoying it!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

So my loyal readers, I have once again left you for too long. I do have a precious newborn taking up all my time with baby snuggles, but I still have to make time for my fans. To make it up to you, here are some super cute baby pictures from Annie's newborn shoot...















Up next: some actual trip report! (if the baby stays asleep)

 

[buddha112]

Great pics

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Luke's First Roller Coaster...and Other Fun!

So when we left off, we had just headed back to the resort for an afternoon nap. It is always difficult to move a sleeping Luke and keep him asleep, and this time was no different. But we did all manage to rest a little and headed back to Magic Kingdom around 4:30. We headed straight to Storybook Circus, passing some balloons and Disney ducks on the way.






Our first stop was actually Big Top Souvenirs as I was hungry for a snack. We got a caramel apple to share, which I have no photos of. Luke took a couple bites, but it was mostly for James and I. Luke had some snacks that I had packed for him.

Refueled, we used our fastpasses to ride Dumbo (which I also have no pictures of - sorry guys!). Luke loved it as he always has (and just like every other toddler on Earth I think). But while riding, he had spotted something he was even more excited about. So our next stop was at the Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station!

Luke had a blast! If there's water involved, it's a safe bet my little water baby will enjoy it.










I thought I was going to have to drag him out of there kicking and screaming, but fortunately the short toddler attention span worked in my favor, and he got tired of it after a while.

We checked his height at Barnstormer and he just made it!




So we got in line for Luke's first roller coaster. I had him ride with James as James is better at using his strong man arm to hold Luke steady so he doesn't jostle around on the ride.








I was really worried about how he would do and if he would be scared, but I was worried for nothing. He loved it! So much so that he cried and begged to go again. Fortunately, his mom is a genius and anticipating that he may feel that way, I had switched James' unused Mine Train fastpass to Barnstormer during our afternoon break. So they were able to jump right back on the ride!




Needless to say, Luke loved his second ride as much as the first! After the second ride, we were able to convince him to move on. So we headed over to the Fantasyland FP kiosks to see what was still available. We scored with some Haunted Mansion fastpasses! We decided that we would check out Philharmagic since we were right there and had a little while until our FP time. Luke was a little scared at parts, but enjoyed it overall.

Next we were headed to use our fastpasses, but my notes say we rode Peter Pan first. Not sure how, since we didn't have a regular fastpass and I know we didn't ride standby. All I can think is that maybe we had an anytime fastpass from a ride being closed?

Anyways, after that we headed over and rode one of mommy's favorites! No pictures, so you will have to take my word that we enjoyed our time with the 999 happy haunts.

After the Haunted Mansion, we started making our way out of the park as we had dinner reservations to get to! We stopped at Casey's on the way out to get corn dog nuggets for Luke to eat. He loved these and it was a good call, since he slept through most of dinner!

I must say, Luke missed out since we were dining at the fabulous Ohana! I only took two food pics, but they are two of my favorite things...the potstickers and the Lapu Lapu! Yum!






Luke woke up just in time to enjoy the beautiful fireworks...






...and then shortly after, this happened....







And thus concludes our wonderful action-packed first day! Stay tuned.

 

[toomuchtv]

The newborn photo shoot is awesome!!! Love the pics of Luke and Annie

Do you put Luke in swim clothes for Casey Jr, or just change his clothes after? I have a water baby, too, and I'm so excited to see him play in this next May!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Great pics

Thank you! We thought they turned out really nice!

The newborn photo shoot is awesome!!! Love the pics of Luke and Annie

Thank you!

Do you put Luke in swim clothes for Casey Jr, or just change his clothes after? I have a water baby, too, and I'm so excited to see him play in this next May!

We usually put him in at least swim shoes so his regular sneakers don't get wet. A lot of times we will just completely change him into swim clothes and then when he is done we will just change him back into park clothes.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

A Lazy Morning at Epcot

After a long night the night before, we slept in until 8 the next morning. (Even Luke, and that is unheard of for him - probably the latest he has slept in his life!) Mama and Dada were excited for the extra sleep and didn't care that we were getting a late start. This is one of my favorite parts about fastpass plus is that you can get a lot of value out of it even on a late arrival day or when you want to sleep in. We are usually early risers and it still works well for us because we can rope drop one headliner while having a fastpass for another or rope drop one park and use fastpasses in the afternoon for a different park. I really do like it, but I digress....

Since we were in no hurry, we stopped at the End Zone Food Court for some breakfast. We got Luke some Mickey waffles, a breakfast platter for me, and a cheese danish and breakfast croissant sandwich for DH. I'm sad to say none of this got photographed, but I did take a very foggy photo of our resort....




I think this photo speaks volumes as to how hot and humid it already was at 9 am! The breakfast was good. Nothing stood out as fantastic, but it hit the spot. After breakfast, we got in line for the bus. We only waited a few minutes before we were on our way!

It was about 10 by the time we made it into the park. We stopped for the all-important "giant ball" photos...






Photos out of the way, we headed straight to Spaceship Earth as our first ride of the day. I can't remember if we used a fastpass or if the line was short, but I do know we were on the ride fairly quickly. This is one of my favorites and I'm happy to say Luke really enjoys it too (and has grown to love it even more on our last couple trips - but I'm getting ahead of myself!). Luke chose our future which was interesting.

This is the only clear photo I have of our pictures on the screen:



Yep! If you are observant, you realized that is not us! Not sure if that was the car ahead of or behind ours or the people that rode in our car before us? Either way, we were disappointed not to see our picture!

Our next stop was at Nemo which is one of Luke's favorites! It doesn't really do much for me, but it is always nice and cool and the line is usually short! After the ride, we enjoyed looking around the aquarium and Luke enjoyed the little kids' play area.




Up next we decided to try something new to us - Turtle Talk with Crush.




It was a cute show, but Luke was too young to get much out of it. Continuing our goal of focusing on things Luke could do, we headed to ride Figment next. I was surprised to find it had a wait. It has been a walk-on every time I've ridden it. But I guess those summer crowds have something to do with it! The wait wasn't long...probably about 10 minutes before we were journeying into imagination.

We had reservations at our favorite restaurant in Epcot (and maybe the world!) for lunch, but we still had some time. So we decided to walk over to another ride that's usually a walk-on. But first, Luke spotted someone that caught his eye. So we jumped in line and only waited about 5 minutes to meet....




Duffy! Luke was very excited, despite having no previous knowledge of Duffy's existence! He went in for a super long hug and high five.






After that spontaneous meet and greet, we continued on to Mexico. I had to take a photo in here - this pavilion is just gorgeous!




And then I was excited to find that the summer crowds had not affected the Gran Fiesta Tour - it was still a walk-on! My notes don't say, but knowing Luke, it's likely we rode this a couple times!

By that time, it was time to make our way to Canada for the greatest meal known to man...the mushroom risotto and filet with truffle butter!

But again, I am getting ahead of myself. We were seated quickly and my sweet boy was being well-behaved and in a good mood...




However, about 10 seconds after this photo was taken, he proceeded to take one of the large seeds off the dinner roll and shove it right up his nose! I couldn't get it out, he was getting worked up, and I was starting to freak out. I had read all these stories of objects in the nose causing the nasal passage to swell around it, or it making it into the sinus and then causing a horrible infection...

So I was worried. I did not want to wind up in the ER. But he was too little to blow it out and I couldn't reach it. But in a stroke of genius and drawing from my NoseFrida experience, I came up with a plan. So I took a clean drinking straw and took Luke to the bathroom and using my own suction was able to dislodge the seed! (Yes, this is gross. No, I did not get the seed or any boogers in my mouth. Yes, this is the kind of thing that you do when you are a parent.)

Crisis averted, we went back to lunch like nothing had happened. DH and I both ordered the filet and I think we brought something for Luke to eat here.




The filet was fantastic, as always. It was not the best one I have ever had there, but still excellent. I'm salivating now just thinking about it...

After lunch and all that excitement, Luke promptly fell asleep in the stroller.






And that is where I will leave off for now...

 

[I_Luv_Stitch]

Those photos of your precious Annie are just gorgeous, and the ones with Luke cuddling her melted my heart!
So glad Luke loved Barnstormer! your Le Cellier meal sounded eventful with the seed, but the food looked delicious!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Those photos of your precious Annie are just gorgeous, and the ones with Luke cuddling her melted my heart!

Thank you!

So glad Luke loved Barnstormer! your Le Cellier meal sounded eventful with the seed, but the food looked delicious!

I'm thinking he may be my adventurous kid! He saw Splash Mountain on a tv show and has been talking about wanting to ride it. The huge drop didn't phase him at all. Now I just hope he is 40" on our trip!

Le Cellier was delicious as always! Not sure what happened - never before nor since has Luke ever stuck anything in his nose!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

A Character-Filled Afternoon

After our eventful lunch, Luke had fallen asleep. So DH and I used that opportunity to taking a relaxing stroll around the World Showcase.










We made a stop in front of the American Pavilion to get one of my favorites - the Red Stag Lemonade! Then we found a shady spot by the water to just relax and take it all in. I love having these laid back moments in the midst of all the busy touring to just "stop and smell the roses". Epcot is my favorite park, in part because it is so beautiful!

Taking it easy...






We had some company...




After a lovely rest, our next stop was a must...




I can't seem to pass by without stopping in here. Probably because I start smelling the delicious caramel smells from 100 feet away!

We got a couple treats, but packed them up (it took great restraint!) since we had another table service planned for dinner. We usually try to limit it to one table service per day, but on a short trip it's hard to get in all our favorites!

Since we were already there, we decided to grab the boat back to Future World.




Luke was waking up, so we headed over for another ride on Spaceship Earth.




I have no pictures of our future because the photos weren't working again (this time we just got the stock characters).

Our next stop was at the Character Spot. The characters were cute, but the interactions were very brief. Luke loved Mickey the most, he was so excited to see him!










Goofy was also a hit!
















But poor Minnie didn't get much love at all! In Luke's opinion, she just didn't stack up to Mickey and Goofy! Just a quick hug and he was done!








After a nice character visit, we headed over the The Land to use our fastpasses for Soarin'. I rode first while James and Luke hung out. Then we were going to switch, but James again declined his turn. He said he would rather just focus on stuff Luke could do. I enjoyed my ride very much. Soarin' is one of my very favorites. I am sad that the old version is gone and hope that I love the new version just as much.

Since James skipped his Soarin' turn, we still had time to kill before dinner, so we hopped in line for Living with the Land. I always take lots of pictures on this ride and I have none from this time, so I have to assume I had a toddler in my lap!

Next up we had a super fun character meal, but I have a lot of pictures, so that will have to be a separate post.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

A Character-Filled Afternoon (continued)

It was finally time for our much-awaited dinner at Garden Grill! We were seated very quickly at a booth on the lower level with a great view.




We got the bread (which I could eat my body weight in! ) and snapped a quick photo.



And then the characters started coming around! First up was the Big Cheese himself. This was the best interaction!! Mickey was comparing his feet to Luke's and Luke thought that was hysterical! They took turns kind of dancing and tapping their feet. So cute! Mickey even got a kiss on the nose!










Next up were those crazy chipmunks. They were very silly - dancing with Luke and playing peek-a-boo with him!












Last but not least is Pluto! He was acting like the silly pup that he is and Luke enjoyed hugging him and petting his whiskers.






Our sweet server brought Luke out a birthday card signed by all the characters and a piece of birthday cake. This is the only food picture I took.




Coincidentally, it was also the only thing that Luke ate out of the whole dinner! Oh well, it is his birthday after all! If he only wants to eat cake, that's okay.

This meal was fantastic! The food was really delicious and the scenery of Living with the Land is really nice. But the best part of this meal is the outstanding character interaction. This is the best character interaction we have had at any character meal. We will definitely be back! I only wish it was in a different park, as Epcot has so many good options for dining.

Next up: we tackle Animal Kingdom!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

"Why yes, I'd love some rum with my dole whip!"

So we have made it to our Animal Kingdom morning. Since it was a short trip, we decided to do a half day at Animal Kingdom and a half day at Hollywood Studios. In order to make the most of it, we got up nice and early for Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom. We didn't make it right at 8, but we were there a few minutes after 8. But even in a hurry, we have to make time for a photo stop!




After entering, we quickly made our way to Kilimanjaro Safari. It was a walk-on, so we were on our way in no time!




Look at the baby giraffe!







It was an excellent safari and Luke had a great time! The only downside to doing the safari during Extra Magic Hours is that it is such a long ride that it was almost time for the park to open by the time we were done. We could have rushed to another ride, but instead decided to enjoy the Pagani Trail before the crowds arrived.










This was such a nice way to enjoy the trail! We had the whole thing to ourselves and didn't have to fight for rail space to see the animals. I love the hippos!

After the trail, the park was open and we were feeling the need for a snack. I grabbed my favorite, the jalapeno cheese pretzel (RIP old friend ) to share with DH. We also picked up some fruit and cheese for Luke.








We all enjoyed our snacks and then decided to catch the train out to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Luke had a blast at the petting area!







Sweet hugs for the goats!

He also enjoyed running around the rest of the Conservation Station.










After he had gotten his fill of the area, we headed back on the train. And Mama decided she needed another snack. I made my way over to Tamu Tamu to get a dole whip. And what's better than a dole whip? A dole whip topped with rum!




This is perfection. The key is to let the dole whip get soft and stir the rum in evenly. Then it doesn't taste boozy, it just tastes like dole whip with a hint of coconut!

I let Luke had a bite off the top (untouched by alcohol) before stirring it together and he was a fan! Needless to say, DH and I were fans as well!

Our next stop was Expedition Everest. DH and I took turns riding while the non-riding parent played with Luke at the water play area (one of his favorite spots in all of Disney!).








After facing the Yeti, we decided it was time to get some food for Luke. DH and I were still good from our snacks. So we stopped in at Flame Tree BBQ and grabbed Luke a hot dog kid's meal which he promptly devoured!

With his tummy full, Luke was ready to tackle more Animal Kingdom. So we went over to DinoLand and hopped in a short line for Triceratops Spin. I rode with my buddy, but actually got DH to take a picture this time!




I was surprised that Luke was willing to quit after one ride without protesting. But I think he was getting tired and was ready for a rest. So we decided to make our way back to the resort. But first, we had to make a stop at one of my faves - It's Tough to be a Bug.




Luke enjoyed it, but he was definitely spent, so we got in line for the bus. We only had a short wait, and soon we were seeing these beautiful sights!








Up next: the one where it all falls apart...

 

[TinkLoverSam]

That does not look like the most comfortable nap position to me...

 

[DisneyParkLover]

That does not look like the most comfortable nap position to me...

Don't worry, we moved him after the photos!

Also, your wedding dress reminds me of my own (we got married in 2009)! Here is a photo:



I got excited to see yours in your signature since I don't think I've seen anyone with a dress even similar to mine!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Don't worry, we moved him after the photos!

Also, your wedding dress reminds me of my own (we got married in 2009)! Here is a photo:



I got excited to see yours in your signature since I don't think I've seen anyone with a dress even similar to mine!

Alfred Angelo dream in color right? We got married in 2010!


Speaking of Animal Kingdom day...

 

[toomuchtv]

Ha! My wedding dress was Alfred Angelo dream in color as well, but a different color (rose) and a different style. We got married in 2010, too.

Everytime I see pictures of a kid playing in the water at Animal Kingdom, it makes me second-guess my current plans for next year (only 2 parks--MK & Epcot). My son would LOVE that and all the animals.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Ha! My wedding dress was Alfred Angelo dream in color as well, but a different color (rose) and a different style. We got married in 2010, too.

Everytime I see pictures of a kid playing in the water at Animal Kingdom, it makes me second-guess my current plans for next year (only 2 parks--MK & Epcot). My son would LOVE that and all the animals.

Maybe there is something about Disney lovers that make us also love that line of wedding dresses!

My son loves Animal Kingdom. It is definitely his second favorite park after Magic Kingdom. I don't know how much time you have, but it would be worthwhile to at least work in a half day at Animal Kingdom if you can!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

The One Where It All Falls Apart

As we all know, most (if not all) of Disney trips have some less-than-magical moments. Ones where we are hot or rained on, stressed, exhausted, etc. and we just lose it. Rides break down, crowds are heavier than expected, or our plans just fall apart. Because Disney trips are expensive and so much time goes in to planning them, having things not work out can be even more frustrating. This afternoon is an example of one of those less-than-magical moments in an otherwise magical trip.

When we left off, we were all back in our hotel room and Luke was asleep. We were all in need of a rest from a long, hot morning, so this was working out perfectly. Well...that lasted all of two seconds. Luke woke up shortly after we got back to the room and refused to go back to sleep. We tried...for hours! Finally, around 4 (after nearly 3 hours of no one getting any rest) we headed to Hollywood Studios for our afternoon plans.




We had dinner reservations, but it wasn't quite time so we headed to check out some things with short lines. First up was Muppet Vision 3D. The Muppets have never been a personal favorite, but the show was cute (and the air conditioning was a plus!).




Since we were in the area, we figured we better go meet a couple of Luke's favorite characters - Lightning McQueen and Mater!






Cars was Luke's favorite movie at the time of this trip and he was very excited to meet these guys! He was so cute hugging the cars! As we left the Cars meet and greet, we saw another pair of characters coming out. So we jumped in line and were one of the first groups to see Phineas and Ferb.










Even though neither Luke nor DH had any idea who these guys are (and I have never seen the show), Luke really enjoyed meeting them. And they took some extra time with him since they had no line. It was a very cute meet! Then a quick stop to see the fountain:




And finally it was time for the part of the trip I was most excited about! Luke was obsessed with the Disney Junior characters, especially Doc, Jake, and Sofia. So when we decided to book this trip, the first thing I did was call to try to get a character meal with them for Luke's birthday. The lady on the phone said she could get us a character meal plus the Fantasmic package around 5:30. I was so excited! Luke was going to love this!

Well, by now many of the Disney veterans may realize the problem - the cast member on the phone was just plain wrong. After being seated and waiting and waiting, I realized (and our server confirmed) that dinner has no characters! I was crushed. This was the one thing that I wanted to be really special for my son's birthday. The server was very nice and tried to fix it, but it really couldn't be fixed. We only had one morning left and already had plans at Magic Kingdom, so there was no time to move the meal. And since it was so late in the day, the characters were no longer available anywhere in the parks.

At this point, Luke was having a meltdown due to not having a nap. So DH had to take him out. And I was too upset to eat much. So for those keeping score...we met no characters and paid a ridiculous amount of money for Luke to eat nothing and DH and I to eat less than one plate combined. I was hot, tired, and extremely disappointed that this special dinner I had planned for my son's birthday was ruined. I'm not ashamed to say that Luke was not the only one who left the restaurant in tears.

But at the end of the day, we were still at Disney, so I sucked it up and we moved on. We jumped in line for the Great Movie Ride. It was about a 20 minute wait and Luke enjoyed the ride.

Next up we had fastpasses for Toy Story. This one is always a hit! Luke was too little to really "play", but he really liked the ride anyway. Afterwards, we headed to Sunset Boulevard. Our Tower of Terror fastpasses were next, but once again, James refused his turn. So it was just a quick ride for me.

Then over to Rock N Roller Coaster. I was able to convince DH to take a turn riding this, so we each went through the single rider line, which was pretty short.

After this, it was time to make our way over to Fantasmic! The only good thing that came out of our dinner was these tickets. We got great seats with a short wait (and it was packed!). And I am happy to say that Luke loved the show so much! It was a perfect end to a not-so-perfect evening.


















Up next: our last day at Disney