Our First Family Disney Trip… Take Two! - May 2024 PTR (Update 4/30 - Hollywood Studios Must-Dos)

[Mollydolly334]

Sorry to hear that your trip out west was tough!! Traveling with kids can be so tricky But, I'm a firm believer in "shaking things out", and it sounds like that trip did the trick for you guys. I'm predicting that now that this "first trip" is over with and you worked through the kinks, it'll be smooth sailing in Disney World

Your ADRs look amazing!!! We are also so excited to try Roundup Rodeo BBQ

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The Great Gear Rundown
a.k.a. Thank goodness for Amazon

Thank you for your commiseration about our crazy vacation! I’m sure we’ll have hiccups and plan changes at Disney World (I always do) but hope we can avoid the number the issues we had on trip. Especially the vomiting!

Despite our troubles, we did have some good moments on our trip!

Here are the girls enjoying their new sunglasses, a family picture in Lower Antelope Canyon (so beautiful!), and another family shot at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park (the lowest point/elevation in the United States).







One great thing about taking this additional trip is I was able to try out some of the gear we also plan to use at Disney World. I was thrilled to discover everything we picked worked well!

Our major purchase was two new bags – a different “diaper bag” and a new “park bag” for me:



The bag on the left, an Osprey Daylite Plus Pack, stood in as our diaper bag. I like our daily diaper bag (a Petunia Pickle Bottom Meta Backpack) but wanted a bag that was more “smushable” in the bottom of a stroller. We chose the Osprey pack as we thought it would be more versatile once we’re out of the diaper bag years.

This bag was excellent! It had 20L of storage capacity and multiple pockets and places to stuff things. It also has great pockets to hold water bottles on each side – I carried the girls’ water bottles everywhere. I’m so excited to use this in Disney World and I highly recommend this backpack in general.

The bag on the right is my new park/travel bag, an Eddie Bauer Ripstop Sling. I’ve used the same park bag for years, but I’ve found my travel purse was no longer ideal when I needed to carry more than my own stuff. I apparently wanted the Goldilocks of sling bags, as I looked at a ton and most were either too small or too big. Enter this Eddie Bauer bag! It was perfect for my needs, as it has a great pocket with organization slots in the front and a big section in the back. It even includes a side pocket that’s perfect for an umbrella. Another win!

Another purchase I made for both trips was new, higher-quality rain jackets for the girls:



I chose a Columbia Hikebound Jacket for M (it came in pink!) and a REI Rainier Jacket for L. Thankfully we only needed them for wind on this trip, but they should work very well against the occasional Disney monsoon on our next trip!

One item I purchased thanks to several Disney mom influencers was a set of Bumkins travel bags:



Let me tell you – these are AWESOME. I used the three bags to hold L’s meal essentials (bibs, disposable placemats, silverware, and a cup bungee cord), mealtime activities (crayons, stickers, and a small notebook), and our additional straps (an extra cup strap and toy straps). These bags were great and I wish I’d bought them years ago. It sure beats pulling one thing at a time out of your diaper bag! Highly recommended, especially if you’re still in the diaper bag years.

A few extra things I bought mostly for Disney World include a set of extra large wet bags (to hold extra clothes and items under the stroller), a side Mickey stroller sling for quick-grab items, and a Gooseket toddler carrier to help our arms while holding L in queues:



Thankfully I packed one of the wet bags for this trip – it came in very handy for the stinky vomit laundry.

I have mixed thoughts on the toddler carrier – it is very small (which is great) but is not as supportive as one of our better child carriers. We’ll see what we think of it on the trip.

Our other Disney-specific items include all the gear to keep us cool:



I ordered two new (pink) stroller fans. We have one stroller fan that works but it often falls off our stroller, so I was happy to order a new one with the wraparound arms. I ordered two as I don’t want M to complain if she doesn’t have one, too.

I also ordered the set of two Mickey mini fans – these are great! They are SUPER lightweight, and I plan to carry them in my park bag to use while waiting in line. I even ordered a set for my in-laws who are going to Disney World next week and they loved them too.

Finally, I ordered a set of cooling towels, just in case. I’m not sure how much we’ll use them, but I figured they’re easy to store as we’ll have the stroller.

Other things I purchased for Disney include some magic band protectors (which I've never used, but the new bands are expensive!), a few reusable straws and snack bags, and two bright pink bandanas to put on the stroller handle for easy identification.

We already have water bottles for everyone, as well as umbrellas and disposable ponchos for my husband and I. I also have sound protection earmuffs or headphones for both kids.

The only "major" item I still need to purchase is a portable charger for our phones. We have an iPhone (me) and an Andriod (G), so we'll need something that works for both. If you have a favorite lightweight portable charger, I'd love to hear about it!

Is there any other "must-have" gear that you recommend?

Up Next: Countdown and an ADR switch

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Sorry to hear that your trip out west was tough!! Traveling with kids can be so tricky But, I'm a firm believer in "shaking things out", and it sounds like that trip did the trick for you guys. I'm predicting that now that this "first trip" is over with and you worked through the kinks, it'll be smooth sailing in Disney World

Thanks, Molly. This trip had so many things that went wrong that it was almost comical (at least, it will be in the future!). I'm happy our flights went so well (L did so well on the plane!) and that we managed to squeeze out a few fun moments despite all our troubles. I was pleased I was so prepared (I had extra Ziploc bags! And extra wet bags! And an extra duckie pacifier after L threw up on the first one!) so that bodes well for Disney World.

I'm very optimistic about our next trip and hopeful we'll enjoy run-of-the-mill issues next time.

Your ADRs look amazing!!! We are also so excited to try Roundup Rodeo BBQ

Thanks! I'm thrilled with how well our ADRs turned out - so many great ones! I'm also very excited to try Roundup Rodeo BBQ - it looks super fun. Your lineup of ADRs also looks fantastic!

 

[jrmint427]

The only "major" item I still need to purchase is a portable charger for our phones. We have an iPhone (me) and an Andriod (G), so we'll need something that works for both. If you have a favorite lightweight portable charger, I'd love to hear about it!

Is there any other "must-have" gear that you recommend?

I think you’ve covered everything! We ordered it in our grocery order but we were glad to have liquid hand soap in our room and Epsom salt to soak our feet at night.

My favorite charger was one that attached to the back of my phone with a magnet rather than needing a cord - I think there are quite a few options like that! I also ended up using the Fuel Rod at the parks ($30 with unlimited free “refills”) thanks to forgetting my charger one day.

 

[ambula603]

Whew, that trip sounds BUMPY! We loved the slot canyons but when we went it was post-Covid so we had masks on. Seeing those pictures is now WILD (and I hate it because the photos are great but the masks are ugly!)

Stomach bugs are the worst. We seem to always get sick on trips, despite my best efforts for prevention. I don't know if it's better to all be sick at the same time or one at a time!

I LOVE all the bags. You can never have too many bag options! We are down to just one small backpack in the park now that my girls are older, but I miss having a stroller and bags to store more stuff!

This is the first I have checked in since we returned from DL (see report in sig!), your trip is getting really close now!

 

[vamassey1]

Yes, just 42 days to go! I think M and I will start a countdown chain soon - she wants the colors to be related to princesses and Pixar characters (she specifically mentioned the Incredibles). Duly noted!

A countdown chain is a fun activity for M. Have you made mousekeeping envelopes? Those are fun too.

Here are the girls enjoying their new sunglasses, a family picture in Lower Antelope Canyon (so beautiful!), and another family shot at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park (the lowest point/elevation in the United States).

Great photos! Your girls are precious.

Lots of great kid products. I'm going to pass some to Michelle for our next family trip.

 

[pkondz]

hope we can avoid the number the issues we had on trip. Especially the vomiting!

Really? Many people pay good money for the privilege of vomiting.

Oh. Wait. That's drinking... the vomiting comes later.

awwww...

Nice family shot.

Looks just a wee bit breezy.

I was thrilled to discover everything we picked worked well!

Great!

 

[suse66]

We’re back from our trip to the Grand Canyon and Death Valley and it was… rough. Perhaps the toughest vacation we’ve ever had. Our eight day trip included no less than an interstate closure, a backup hotel, a souvenir debacle, an angry driver, additional airport screening after our bag was flagged, crossing paths with a huge (50+ people) literal biker gang (they ignored us but it was unnerving), and almost running out of gas.

If that wasn’t enough, both kids developed a stomach bug (on different days of the trip, thankfully?) so we had to deal with throwing up and yucky laundry. IT. WAS. NOT. FUN.

Oooof! What an experience!

As expected, the only one to give me trouble was the Topolino’s Terrace breakfast. I knew getting an ADR at the time I wanted would be tough at 60+1, but I wasn’t expecting they would have nothing within 2.5 hours of when I preferred to eat. We’re visiting Topolino’s on our resort rest day at the Beach Club and I wanted an ADR around 9:00am to maximize swim time. Instead I had to settle for 11:40am - I’m happy there was a reservation (the remaining slots went fast!) but hope I can shift it closer to the morning to give us plenty of pool time.

The advantage of a later ADR time at Topolinos is you can have a leisurely morning then brunch will tide you over most of the day. Perhaps a poolside dinner will be in order.

As for Animal Kingdom, G thought going to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma made more sense than eating lunch at Tusker House. I didn’t want to eat at both on the same day as the menus are similar. Therefore, we’ll try Sa’tuli Canteen for lunch on our Animal Kingdom day, which I’m very excited to try for the first time. M should also LOVE seeing the animals at AKL (and honestly, I’m pretty excited to visit that resort again myself!).

Love that plan!

When I discussed all the ADRs with Grant, I had him choose our Epcot dinner and what to do on our Animal Kingdom day. Grant chose La Hacienda over other options (Le Cellier, Chefs de France, etc.) as he throught M would be most excited about their food (chips and salsa are always a winner). I’m a little sad to miss out on the Cheddar Cheese soup, but I’ve loved both meals I’ve had at La Hacienda and agree it’s the right choice for right now.

I am eager to hear what you think about La Hacienda. I haven't dined there as yet and definitely want to try it out.

One great thing about taking this additional trip is I was able to try out some of the gear we also plan to use at Disney World. I was thrilled to discover everything we picked worked well!

You made some great purchases!

I chose a Columbia Hikebound Jacket for M (it came in pink!) and a REI Rainier Jacket for L. Thankfully we only needed them for wind on this trip, but they should work very well against the occasional Disney monsoon on our next trip!

Love those jackets!

I also ordered the set of two Mickey mini fans – these are great! They are SUPER lightweight, and I plan to carry them in my park bag to use while waiting in line. I even ordered a set for my in-laws who are going to Disney World next week and they loved them too.

From Amazon as well? I wonder if they are available on the Canadian site?

 

[pkondz]

From Amazon as well? I wonder if they are available on the Canadian site?

Yes they are!
Just plug in Mickey mini fans into the search bar and several options pop up.



There are also Prime options if you prefer. And single vs multiple packages.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I think you’ve covered everything! We ordered it in our grocery order but we were glad to have liquid hand soap in our room and Epsom salt to soak our feet at night.

I appreciate your feedback! I remember reading about those items when you mentioned your groceries in your TR - those are two really good ideas!

My favorite charger was one that attached to the back of my phone with a magnet rather than needing a cord - I think there are quite a few options like that! I also ended up using the Fuel Rod at the parks ($30 with unlimited free “refills”) thanks to forgetting my charger one day.

Nifty! There are so many choices that’s it’s easy to be overwhelmed.

I’ve considered fuel rods - I can purchase a two-pack on Amazon and then exchange them in the parks as needed. My only hesitation is fuel rods are most convenient at Disney but a portable charger may be more helpful for traveling in general… choices!

Whew, that trip sounds BUMPY! We loved the slot canyons but when we went it was post-Covid so we had masks on. Seeing those pictures is now WILD (and I hate it because the photos are great but the masks are ugly!)

It was VERY bumpy! We’ve always traveled with our kids (including two trips with both of them last year) and we’ve never had so many obstacles and issues. Hopefully this one can rank as our “worst trip” so the next ones are better!

The masks certainly date the pictures! Interestingly, most of the canyon tour guides wore masks on our tour - I understand given how many hundreds of people they’re thiscloseto each day.

Stomach bugs are the worst. We seem to always get sick on trips, despite my best efforts for prevention. I don't know if it's better to all be sick at the same time or one at a time!

Oh goodness, they sure are! Especially with young kids - our 17-month-old kept looking at us like, “what have you done to me?!”

In this case it was helpful that they were sick one at a time. We were able to devote time to the sick one as-needed and the other could entertain themself (which was most effective with the five-year-old, of course).

I LOVE all the bags. You can never have too many bag options! We are down to just one small backpack in the park now that my girls are older, but I miss having a stroller and bags to store more stuff!

Thanks! I was really pleased with both of them - it’s always a shot in the dark whether or not a bag is just right for your needs, and I was happy we chose well.

I’ve never traveled in Disney World with a stroller - other than toting our water bottles (and perhaps our nicer rain jackets), I look forward to the day we can be stroller-free! They’re great for storing stuff but I’m anticipating a hassle with finding stroller parking spots and keeping from clipping people that jump in front of us.

This is the first I have checked in since we returned from DL (see report in sig!), your trip is getting really close now!

SO CLOSE! Just 38 days to go now!

I saw your TR link in the @StarWarsMomofGirls! PTR and read the whole thing! I read it on my phone so didn’t have a chance to comment yet - I’ll do it soon! (Also, bleh that your husband got sick, too! What a bummer.)

A countdown chain is a fun activity for M. Have you made mousekeeping envelopes? Those are fun too.

We made our countdown chain last night! It’s not Etsy-worthy (I had to do most of it with L in my lap!) but M loves it and that’s all that matters. Pictures coming soon!

We’ll have minimal Mousekeeping as we rented DVC points - our split-stay means we won’t have any full cleanings on our trip. We’ll have trash and towel service on day four at the Poly and nothing at the BCV (although we’ll likely request additional towels and I’ve read they’ll empty trash if requested). I will leave Mousekeeping tips for the person who cleans at the end of our two stays!

Great photos! Your girls are precious.

Lots of great kid products. I'm going to pass some to Michelle for our next family trip.

Thank you! I’m glad we got a few great pictures despite all the illnesses.

Yes, please do! I highly endorse the Osprey pack, the Bumpkins bags, and the placemats and the sippy cup strap. I have a feeling I’ll love both the stroller and mini Mickey fans, too!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Really? Many people pay good money for the privilege of vomiting.

Oh. Wait. That's drinking... the vomiting comes later.

awwww...

Nice family shot.

Looks just a wee bit breezy.

Thank you! And yes, it was VERY windy that day in Death Valley! It was so windy it was almost uncomfortable at Ubehebe Crater - we didn’t climb the full hill and explore as much as we’d planned. This was also the day our car door was grabbed by the wind and hit the car next to us - that ruined G’s day when he had to deal with the car owner who lost his mind.

Great!

It was nice to confirm that things worked!

Oooof! What an experience!

It was a tough trip. We did enjoy a few highlights but I couldn’t believe how many things (most unexpected and completely out of our control) came up.

At least the next trip should be better?

The advantage of a later ADR time at Topolinos is you can have a leisurely morning then brunch will tide you over most of the day. Perhaps a poolside dinner will be in order.

Yes, that’s certainly true! The only downside is I want our youngest to get a chance to enjoy the pool (she LOVED the pool last summer) and she takes an afternoon nap. I’m cautiously optimistic that I can shift our meal a bit (especially the evening before, based on what I see online) - even an hour would help.

If not, we’ll make it work!

Love that plan!

I’m very excited about this plan! I’d love to try Satu’li Canteen (I’ve heard nothing but great things!) and I’m very happy to visit AKL again. I stayed at AKL in 2012 and fell in love with the place. I went to Boma for dinner on my last trip in 2016 and loved it - I think my family will enjoy our time there!

I am eager to hear what you think about La Hacienda. I haven't dined there as yet and definitely want to try it out.

I’ve been to La Hacienda twice (in 2013 and 2015) and really enjoyed it both times. The restaurant is big and bright with huge beautiful windows that look onto World Showcase. I was also pleasantly surprised by the food. I didn’t have high expectations, but it was very fresh and tasty. I still remember my sweet corn ice cream dessert from 2013 - it made quite an impression considering it was eleven years ago!

I’m looking forward to eating there again!

You made some great purchases!

Thanks! I was very happy with everything we bought. I’m excited to use all of it in Disney World!

Love those jackets!

Thank you! They’re great - much higher quality than the ones I usually purchase from Target. They worked very well against the wind and should be excellent in heavy rain as well!

From Amazon as well? I wonder if they are available on the Canadian site?

Yes they are!
Just plug in Mickey mini fans into the search bar and several options pop up.

Yes, thank you @pkondz ! Those are exactly right! We bought a set of two (and I’m considering getting another one before our trip in case M wants to steal mine… ).

 

[vamassey1]

We made our countdown chain last night! It’s not Etsy-worthy (I had to do most of it with L in my lap!) but M loves it and that’s all that matters. Pictures coming soon!

I bet she had a blast doing this.

We’ll have minimal Mousekeeping as we rented DVC points - our split-stay means we won’t have any full cleanings on our trip. We’ll have trash and towel service on day four at the Poly and nothing at the BCV (although we’ll likely request additional towels and I’ve read they’ll empty trash if requested). I will leave Mousekeeping tips for the person who cleans at the end of our two stays!

I forgot about that. Less Mousekeeping should be good for your privacy, not nap time interruptions.

 

[pkondz]

This was also the day our car door was grabbed by the wind and hit the car next to us - that ruined G’s day when he had to deal with the car owner who lost his mind.

Oh geez. Not good.

At least the next trip should be better?

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I bet she had a blast doing this.

She absolutely did! She was most excited to pick which characters were featured on the chain. I was excited that she was excited!

I forgot about that. Less Mousekeeping should be good for your privacy, not nap time interruptions.

I've never minded (and actually enjoyed!) daily mousekeeping/housekeeping visits at hotels, but I agree it becomes more challenging with naptime. The only thing I'm unsure of is I believe Disney still does daily room checks so I'll stop by the front desk when we check in to request they do those checks in the morning due to naptime.

Oh geez. Not good.

No, it wasn't. There were 30+ mph winds and G was opened a rear door to get M out of the car when the wind grabbed it and moved it a few inches. The way that guy flew out of his car (he and his family were still sitting in it) you'd think we'd just rammed his parked car after doing 50mph in the parking lot.

Interestingly, I contacted our insurance agent when we returned home to give them a heads up. As of now, no claim has been turned in which is somewhat surprising given the guy's reaction. Perhaps he actually looked at his car and noticed there was hardly any damage?*

*Yes, there was a small paint exchange as our door definitely hit his door, but there was no indent or visible scratch. Perhaps it was a new car? Or he was having a really bad day and took it out on G? We'd be happy to fix what we/the wind caused, but he didn't have to be such a weenie about it. People, man.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The Countdown has Begun!
a.k.a. Craft Time!

I love counting down to Disney trips but I did something I’ve never done before… M and I made a countdown chain!



The chain is now draped across her bookshelf (just like we do for our Christmas countdown chain) and we’ll pull off a ring every night. I numbered the rings so we can keep track of how many days are left. (Ask me how many times M counted rings on prior chains… )

We were pretty low-key on the design because I had L in my lap for most of the construction.

The best part of the chain, though, is M chose which characters would be featured on the chain. She wanted the countdown chain to feature princesses and Pixar characters - Mom chose the colors and cut the strips (three colors per character) once M decided on characters.

We ended up with eight princesses (Elsa, Belle, Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, Merida, Rapunzel, and Aurora) and five Pixar characters (The Incredibles, Sully, Remy, Nemo, and Dory) for a total of 39 rings. Along with the numbers I added the character to the first of their rings so we could remember them as we removed the rings.



The picture of the top of the bookshelf shows Belle (yellow, red, and brown), Remy (gray, pink, and white) and Elsa (blue, white, and yellow).

Do you know how many Disney characters feature yellow? I cut so many yellow strips!

We pulled off our first ring last night - Snow White only has her blue and yellow rings left. (See? More yellow!)

I do have one other exciting update…

I switched our dessert party!

For fun, I searched all the dessert parties the week of our visit. Imagine my surprise when availability showed up for the pre-party on the date we wanted!

What?!

The availability stayed the rest of the day so I had a chance to discuss it with G. I was hardly through the pros and cons of the two parties when he said, “Book it!”

I jumped on MDE and booked the pre-party. Once the ADR confirmation came through and both parties showed up in MDE, I cancelled the post-party. I still need to call Disney to get a refund for L’s seat but that should be easy. Why the dessert party doesn’t have the same nice setup as Cinderella’s Royal Table with their ability to pre-select an “infant” as a party member I’ll never know.

But, woo hoo!

I’d love to try the post-party someday but the pre-party is absolutely the right choice at this time in our lives. The fireworks will be late enough for the two girls - I’m happy they’ll get a chance to enjoy a few desserts before they’re tired and cranky. And we’ll get to try more desserts, too !

I hope someone else was just as overjoyed to find a post-party ADR as I was to find the pre-party* ADR. There’s at least one party of two available but all other tables appear to be gone for the post-party.

*Believe it or not, there are still reservations for the dessert pre-party days later for multiple party sizes. This somewhat backs up my thought that they didn’t release or blocked that original pre-party the day ADRs were released… but since I found an ADR, who cares!

Now I just need an ADR to magically appear for Topolino’s at a better time and we’ll be all set!

Up Next: Magic Kingdom Must-Dos

 

[pkondz]

She absolutely did! She was most excited to pick which characters were featured on the chain. I was excited that she was excited!



I've never minded (and actually enjoyed!) daily mousekeeping/housekeeping visits at hotels, but I agree it becomes more challenging with naptime. The only thing I'm unsure of is I believe Disney still does daily room checks so I'll stop by the front desk when we check in to request they do those checks in the morning due to naptime.



No, it wasn't. There were 30+ mph winds and G was opened a rear door to get M out of the car when the wind grabbed it and moved it a few inches. The way that guy flew out of his car (he and his family were still sitting in it) you'd think we'd just rammed his parked car after doing 50mph in the parking lot.

Interestingly, I contacted our insurance agent when we returned home to give them a heads up. As of now, no claim has been turned in which is somewhat surprising given the guy's reaction. Perhaps he actually looked at his car and noticed there was hardly any damage?*

*Yes, there was a small paint exchange as our door definitely hit his door, but there was no indent or visible scratch. Perhaps it was a new car? Or he was having a really bad day and took it out on G? We'd be happy to fix what we/the wind caused, but he didn't have to be such a weenie about it. People, man.

New car. Gotta be.

M and I made a countdown chain!

Awww.

And yay for the party switch!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

New car. Gotta be.

Awww.

And yay for the party switch!

Thank you!

And yes, I was so excited! The pre-party will work SO much better for us with two young kids. Bring on the desserts!

 

[jrmint427]

M and I made a countdown chain!

That's so cute!

The availability stayed the rest of the day so I had a chance to discuss it with G. I was hardly through the pros and cons of the two parties when he said, “Book it!”

So exciting! Hoping Topolino's comes through for you soon too!

 

[vamassey1]

Love your countdown chain! You're right, there is a lot of characters with yellow.

That's great that you were able to switch to the Pre-Party. It should work much better for your girls.

 

[ambula603]

What a cute chain. That sort of planning is what makes the trip so fun and will always stay in her memory!

YAYYYY for pre-party ADR! We have never done one so I can't wait to read about it.