Our last trip to Disney (as a family of 3)! *new 2/3/16 link to new TR*

[Cando86]

What a great first day! It sounds like you didn't push it too hard - there's always risk of that on the first day when you're just so excited to be there! Can't wait to read more

 

[schmass]

Day 2 - April 27th - morning at Epcot



Rory usually sleeps very well, but I don’t think he was very comfortable in the pack n play. He kind of tossed and turned all night long, and at 5:30am he was making quite a bit of noise. We got him back down, and he and I both woke up for the day at 6:30. He watched Mickey cartoons in our bed while I got ready.


The two of us went in search of non-dairy milk, but found that the General Store didn’t open until 8am, and it was only 7am. So we headed to the Boardwalk Bakery. It was hard to resist all of the delicious looking items in there, but somehow I managed to walk out with only two little (and expensive!)boxes of soy milk. Rory drank one, and I kept the other for my coffee for the next few days. We went back to the room and had a quick breakfast, and then we were off to Epcot.


Normally we avoid Extra Magic Hours, but the Epcot morning EMH was added after I had already made our plans, so we decided to keep our schedule the same and try and make it to the park early. We took the boat over since it was right there waiting, and made it to the park just after 8.

Michael went on Test Track and Rory and I stopped to take a few pictures of the Lightning McQueen and Mater topiaries.

There was a little Cars-themed playground, but it didn’t open until 9, so we went to Mouse Gears to kill a little time.


Next up was Spaceship Earth

Followed by Nemo. Rory liked both of these, but what he really loved was Turtle Talk with Crush. He loved looking at the fish in the waiting area, as well.

He loves Finding Nemo, and the turtle scene is his favorite, so we shouldn’t have been surprised that he loved the show so much.


When we left the Seas, we headed over to our FP+ at Character Spot. The cast member at the front of the line gave Rory a sticker, and he had fun showing his sticker to all of the characters he met. He really loved meeting them, and would run up to each one, give them hugs, kisses, and high fives; he did really great with them!

He was looking pretty tired, but we figured we could get in one more ride before naptime, since there weren’t any lines. We headed to Figment, and then checked out the interactive area for a few minutes.

After that, we reclined the stroller, and Rory went right out. This was perfect timing for us to get a cronut, since he couldn’t eat that, and would definitely want it. Michael and I shared one, and it was as good as I remembered! Michael thought we should each get our own, but I wanted to check out some of the food booths that were there for Flower and Garden Festival, so wanted to save room. We walked around a bit and finally stopped at Japan. We got the steamed bun with chicken curry, and frushi, which is what I really wanted to try. They were both really good! I have been craving fruit, fruit, and more fruit this pregnancy, so I really loved the frushi.

We had FP+ for Soarin’, so we headed over to the Land pavilion. Rory was still asleep, so Michael sat outside with him while I went in to ride first. I kept checking the sign to make sure it was okay for me to ride, but there was no warning for expectant mothers – yay! After a great ride, I went out and Michael went in for his turn.

Up next: more Epcot plus pool time!

 

[schmass]

What a great first day! It sounds like you didn't push it too hard - there's always risk of that on the first day when you're just so excited to be there! Can't wait to read more

Thank you! Yes, it was a great first day, and only got better from that point on!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like things were working out with the EMH (park looks pretty empty in the pictures you posed) ... other than the general store not being open yet.

Love the pictures of Rory showing off his sticker - that is super cute!

Walking around World Showcase with a sleeping child in a stroller is one of the true joys for a parent

 

[KatMark]

Yay...an update. And such a fun one too.

God they do rip you off for milk, etc., at those places.

I Loved those Cars toparies.

I'm glad Rory enjoyed Spaceship Earth and Nemo; adn I think all kids love Turtle Talk...it is so adorable. I bet Rory will be ready to ask a question when he gets a bit older.

And what simply adorable picturs of Rory with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. He looks like he is really enjoying his character interaction this trip. I stll can't believe how big he has gotten.

And that you and Michael got to share the Cronut. I love those things (I'll probably put on 10 pounds next month because I definitely plan on more than one or two).

 

[Dugette]

He is still pretty little, about 24 pounds - not sure how big Izzy is.

Izzy's about 30 pounds.

It was hard to resist all of the delicious looking items in there, but somehow I managed to walk out with only two little (and expensive!)boxes of soy milk.

I did the same thing one morning - passed up all the yummy items just to get a carton of milk. Takes some willpower! Glad you found some soy milk, though!

He really loved meeting them, and would run up to each one, give them hugs, kisses, and high fives; he did really great with them!

Way to go, Rory! Glad he did so well. Love that he was showing off his sticker too!

Sounds like a good start to an Epcot day. Great that he napped so well in the stroller. And yay for getting to snack around the world a bit!

 

[schmass]

sounds like things were working out with the EMH (park looks pretty empty in the pictures you posed) ... other than the general store not being open yet.

It was empty in the park and it put us way ahead of schedule. It made me wonder why we don't do the early EMH more often. I think we will in the future, especially since we'll be up early for at least the next few years.

Love the pictures of Rory showing off his sticker - that is super cute!

Thank you - It really was cute watching him show off to the characters.

Walking around World Showcase with a sleeping child in a stroller is one of the true joys for a parent

Ah, yes, it was.

Yay...an update. And such a fun one too.

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

God they do rip you off for milk, etc., at those places.

Uh-huh. It was crazy! I had already overpaid for the almond milk through Garden Grocer, but that seemed like nothing compared to the price of the tiny cartons of soy milk.

I Loved those Cars toparies.

They were cute - Rory really loved them too, as he is really into Cars right now.

I'm glad Rory enjoyed Spaceship Earth and Nemo; adn I think all kids love Turtle Talk...it is so adorable. I bet Rory will be ready to ask a question when he gets a bit older.

We thought he might want to sit on the floor with all the kids, but I think he was still a bit young for that. I forgot to mention in my update, but it was really funny - all the kids that asked a question kept asking the same thing. It became a big joke with Crush.

And what simply adorable picturs of Rory with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. He looks like he is really enjoying his character interaction this trip. I stll can't believe how big he has gotten.

He LOVED the characters. I loved seeing him run up to them and then start talking to them and pointing things out to them. Such a change from the last trip.

And that you and Michael got to share the Cronut. I love those things (I'll probably put on 10 pounds next month because I definitely plan on more than one or two).

They are ridiculously good. The only reason we just shared one is because we were only in Epcot for one day and there were other things I wanted to eat.

I did the same thing one morning - passed up all the yummy items just to get a carton of milk. Takes some willpower! Glad you found some soy milk, though!

Michael didn't do as well passing up the treats - he would go in there and come out with way too much. Once it was in our room, my willpower wasn't as good!

Way to go, Rory! Glad he did so well. Love that he was showing off his sticker too!

I was glad, too. He had so much fun with them!

Sounds like a good start to an Epcot day. Great that he napped so well in the stroller. And yay for getting to snack around the world a bit!

It was a great start, and I was so happy that we brought the B-Agile this time. I think it definitely made the difference in his stroller-napping. Those snacks were yummy! I could go for the frushi right now.

 

[Imagineer5]

So cute! A very nice morning, we found EMH at EPCOT to be totally useless, but that was when it was just Aria and me so no one was riding TT or anything. Glad you were able to enjoy Nemo and the character spot pics are so cute! And World Showcase eating with a napping toddler is just perfect! Mmm yes fruit is about the only thing that sounds good to me, too (and juice, I made Andrew go out and get the ingredients to make the Poly Lilikoi juice last week bc I was craving it LOL).

 

[schmass]

So cute! A very nice morning, we found EMH at EPCOT to be totally useless, but that was when it was just Aria and me so no one was riding TT or anything. Glad you were able to enjoy Nemo and the character spot pics are so cute! And World Showcase eating with a napping toddler is just perfect! Mmm yes fruit is about the only thing that sounds good to me, too (and juice, I made Andrew go out and get the ingredients to make the Poly Lilikoi juice last week bc I was craving it LOL).

I can imagine that EMH at Epcot without someone riding the bigger rides might be not as worth it. It worked out well for Michael, and it was kind of nice for me to wander Mouse Gears with NO ONE else around!

I was very happy that Rory decided to take some stroller naps this trip - worked out well!

My doctor actually chastised me for eating too much fruit yesterday! I haven't gained that much weight this time around but he warned me against all the sugar. I'm not too concerned though, it is better than the doughnut sundaes I was eating when pregnant with Rory.

 

[schmass]

Day 2 Continued

Rory woke up a few minutes later, so I took him over to the Monsters University playground that we had spotted earlier. He LOVED this!

I texted Michael to let him know where we were, and he met us over there after Soarin’. We dragged Rory away from the playground by telling him we were going to see Mickey again. We wanted to go to the Visa cardholder meet and greet, something that we have never done before. We walked over to Innoventions, and there was a short line. We didn’t know which characters would be there until we got in the room. When we got in there, Rory said hello to Pluto and then to Minnie.

Then he started walking around looking for Mickey. It was so funny. Pluto and Minnie were just kind of looking at him, like what is he doing? So I explained to them that they thought Mickey was hiding behind the backdrop.

Once he realized Mickey wasn’t going to be there, Rory posed for a family picture.

We decided to head back to the resort for some pool time, but I wanted to get the kale salad from the Urban Eats booth on the way out. I got that and Michael got the tilapia. We both liked what we ordered, and the kale salad was surprisingly filling – I would definitely recommend it!

We walked back to BWV and picked up the kids turkey sandwich at the Boardwalk Bakery for Rory again. I think he knew that he was going swimming, and so he did something very out of character for him, and barely ate anything. I’m pretty sure he just wanted to get in the pool. We saved his lunch for later, although he never did end up eating it.


He had fun splashing around in the kiddie pool for a while.

Then he saw a huge ball over in the big pool and wanted to go play with that. He thought he was a big kid, and fortunately the girls playing with this ball were very nice to him and let him play with them.

Michael asked the lifeguard if there was a height requirement for the slide and she told him that if we were comfortable with him going down, he could. Michael asked if they could go together, and she said no, it is only one at a time. Then she added, we didn’t hear it from her, but they could always do it one time and get told not to do it again from the lifeguard over by the slide, but at least they could do it one time. Michael thought this was a great idea, so we put a life jacket on Rory and off they went. Well, no one said anything, so they ended up going down the slide 3 times.

Then they got in trouble for it, so that was that. Poor Rory kept saying, “slide, slide” and wanted to go down again, but we brought him back to the kiddie pool so he couldn’t see it anymore.


We eventually headed back to the room to get ready to return to Epcot - we had an exciting meal planned for Rory!

 

[Imagineer5]

was very happy that Rory decided to take some stroller naps this trip - worked out well!

My doctor actually chastised me for eating too much fruit yesterday! I haven't gained that much weight this time around but he warned me against all the sugar. I'm not too concerned though, it is better than the doughnut sundaes I was eating when pregnant with Rory.

Glad he took some great stroller naps. I'm surprised your doc said anything- there are so many worse foods to eat than fruit! Geez. And yes I had a doughnut yesterday I am planning on a banana cream pie to make this weekend, and made Andrew go out for Oreos last weekend. SO yes, don't feel bad about fruit! LMAO

I texted Michael to let him know where we were, and he met us over there after Soarin’. We dragged Rory away from the playground by telling him we were going to see Mickey again

I wish we'd had more time at the playground (and wish they were there year round!) they are so much fun.

Michael asked the lifeguard if there was a height requirement for the slide and she told him that if we were comfortable with him going down, he could. Michael asked if they could go together, and she said no, it is only one at a time. Then she added, we didn’t hear it from her, but they could always do it one time and get told not to do it again from the lifeguard over by the slide, but at least they could do it one time.

Ugh I wish I had seen this before our BWV stay! Aria never got enough nerve to go down by herself She would have loved it with me though. Glad Rory did!

 

[cindianne320]

What a fun afternoon! We really need to make time to bring the kids swimming at the resorts- we always seem to be rushing from one thing to the next and it gets left out.
Can't wait to hear about the special dinner!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm not too concerned though, it is better than the doughnut sundaes I was eating when pregnant with Rory.

dangit! now I want a doughnut sundae! and not for nothing, but if the concern is "too much fruit" you are probably doing a good job! Reminds me of Judi's last pregnancy when she was going through peanut butter cups like they were going out of style and tried to convince me that it was a healthy option since it had protein (no mention of the chocolate surrounding said protein)


Glad they have that Monsters U playset. A big play area for kids to runaround in is one thing EPCOT doesn't really have ... actually, they could have just put a Frozen themed one in near Norway and called it a day rather than getting rid of Maestrom

Love that pictures ... "hey, I know you!"


Looks like a fun time at the pool - and love the advice from the life guard

 

[DVC Emily]

It looks like you had so much fun!! I love the pictures of Rory meeting the characters! Way too cute The frushi looks delicious too! I've never had a chance to try it but it's definitely on my list, something that looks so pretty has to taste good too right?

 

[luckylady]

I can just see him running to Minnie and that smile on his face, priceless.i think you have a thrill seeker in the making, big slide for on do little.

 

[jandlinz]

Rory's interactions with the characters are adorable. I love how he just ran right in there. The topiaries are amazing. Sounds like a fun time at the pool. What a great tip from the lifeguard!
-Lindsey

 

[Dugette]

so I took him over to the Monsters University playground that we had spotted earlier. He LOVED this!

Looks like fun! We did the Cars one, but didn't make it over to that one.

When we got in there, Rory said hello to Pluto and then to Minnie.

Funny, we did the Visa meet twice this trip and it was Minnie & Pluto both times too.

Then he started walking around looking for Mickey. It was so funny. Pluto and Minnie were just kind of looking at him, like what is he doing? So I explained to them that they thought Mickey was hiding behind the backdrop.

Smart kid! Reminds me of how Izzy yelled out, "Where's Pluto?" when we saw Disney Junior. They know if someone's missing!

Well, no one said anything, so they ended up going down the slide 3 times.

Sounds like fun! I wanted to do that slide, but we never ended up making it to the Boardwalk pools. Glad he got to do it a few times, but poor Rory having to leave the slide is no fun - I know what that's like.

 

[schmass]

Glad he took some great stroller naps. I'm surprised your doc said anything- there are so many worse foods to eat than fruit! Geez. And yes I had a doughnut yesterday I am planning on a banana cream pie to make this weekend, and made Andrew go out for Oreos last weekend. SO yes, don't feel bad about fruit! LMAO

I told my aunt who works in a hospital about my doctor's comment about the fruit. She said that even when you're doing everything right, they feel like they need to tell you SOMETHING so that we feel like we still need them! I hope your pie turned out well!

I wish we'd had more time at the playground (and wish they were there year round!) they are so much fun.

I know, we could have spent all day there and Rory would have been happy!

Ugh I wish I had seen this before our BWV stay! Aria never got enough nerve to go down by herself She would have loved it with me though. Glad Rory did!

And by your next trip I bet she'll be going down it all by herself! You can use this tip for baby girl #2!

What a fun afternoon! We really need to make time to bring the kids swimming at the resorts- we always seem to be rushing from one thing to the next and it gets left out.
Can't wait to hear about the special dinner!

We used to never take a break to swim, but Rory is such a water bug that I can't deny him some pool time. I know exactly how you feel though with the rushing to the next planned activity.

dangit! now I want a doughnut sundae! and not for nothing, but if the concern is "too much fruit" you are probably doing a good job! Reminds me of Judi's last pregnancy when she was going through peanut butter cups like they were going out of style and tried to convince me that it was a healthy option since it had protein (no mention of the chocolate surrounding said protein)

I love Judi's rationalizing of the peanut butter cups! Last pregnancy I did the same thing when I wanted a banana split for dinner..."but it has a BANANA - it's healthy!"

Glad they have that Monsters U playset. A big play area for kids to runaround in is one thing EPCOT doesn't really have ... actually, they could have just put a Frozen themed one in near Norway and called it a day rather than getting rid of Maestrom

This is so true, I bet that would have gone over extremely well!

Love that pictures ... "hey, I know you!"

He really did think the characters were his old friends, it was so cute.

Looks like a fun time at the pool - and love the advice from the life guard

I know, when Michael told me what the lifeguard said I couldn't believe it. Although it was also a BWV lifeguard that told us a few years ago how to "sneak in" to Stormalong Bay. We never tried it though.

It looks like you had so much fun!! I love the pictures of Rory meeting the characters! Way too cute The frushi looks delicious too! I've never had a chance to try it but it's definitely on my list, something that looks so pretty has to taste good too right?

We did have a great day! Yes, definitely try the frushi when you get a chance. So good!

I can just see him running to Minnie and that smile on his face, priceless.i think you have a thrill seeker in the making, big slide for on do little.

I think you're right about the thrill seeker in the making. We call him our cautious daredevil!

Rory's interactions with the characters are adorable. I love how he just ran right in there. The topiaries are amazing. Sounds like a fun time at the pool. What a great tip from the lifeguard!
-Lindsey

He really was cute with the characters, and so different from 6 months prior. The topiaries are so beautiful!

Looks like fun! We did the Cars one, but didn't make it over to that one.

We were too early for the Cars one, but that looked like fun, too.

Funny, we did the Visa meet twice this trip and it was Minnie & Pluto both times too.

When we walked by later, Mickey was in there, but we could only go once!

Smart kid! Reminds me of how Izzy yelled out, "Where's Pluto?" when we saw Disney Junior. They know if someone's missing!

So cute! It's amazing how much they are aware of at such a young age!

Sounds like fun! I wanted to do that slide, but we never ended up making it to the Boardwalk pools. Glad he got to do it a few times, but poor Rory having to leave the slide is no fun - I know what that's like.

They had a blast! You made it to Stormalong Bay, right? If so, you didn't really miss much at the Boardwalk pool!

 

[Dugette]

You made it to Stormalong Bay, right? If so, you didn't really miss much at the Boardwalk pool!

Um, yeah, about that...so does just me for 5 minutes count? I got to go down the slide. Our BCV stay was a disaster from start to finish. At least we had a bit of pool/ocean time on the cruise.

 

[schmass]

Um, yeah, about that...so does just me for 5 minutes count? I got to go down the slide. Our BCV stay was a disaster from start to finish. At least we had a bit of pool/ocean time on the cruise.

OH NO! That is really sad to hear!