The Candelight Processional packages came out on 08-26-11 last year. It is nice that they are moving it up this year. We had a 5:40pm at Teppan Edo and were given passes to the 8:15pm show. It worked out nicely, because by the time we finshed our meal and headed out, the package line was already very long. We just got in it. You can still get a 5pm dining time, because new dining times will open when the packages open. I do not think they will give you the 6:45 time with a 5pm reservation, because it would be a tight connection. It is possible to make it with seats a little father back, but they pick the show time based on your dining time. If you want the 6:45pm show, you can ask for the last possible seating time for dinner. I am guessing it will be somewhere in the 4pm hour, like 4:30pm.
I hope she meant June 26th!! LOL. Wonder what's so special about the 26th. I'm on the phone now. Teppan Edo might be a bit longer of a meal than Garden Grill considering it's a show sort of too? KWIM? We'll see what they give me! I just didn't want to go to the show too late, esp with reserved area for Illuminations afterwards.
Aria is getting so big! She is adorable-- especially in the Belle dress. =) Love everything you bought, especially the one with the castle print that looks a little like it's a small world. Can't wait to see her wearing everything in the parks!
Aw thank you!! Yea I loved the fabric but didn't really love how it's made (IE I could make it better and I have only made a few outfits LOL - kinda annoyed at paying for that...)
I love Aria's clothes! You did a great job! I'm going to do a clothing post soon too! I'm just waiting on some etsy orders as well!
We took Logan at 8 months and I was pretty good with NIP (I'm great with #2 no choice!ha) but I found I needed to either try in a dark attraction (Carousel of Progress worked great) or go to the BCC because he was just too distracted and stimulated by things around us!
She will be on solids then right? I just gave him a good serving of "food" that day because he wasn't too into nursing with all the was going on.
I love the 2nd dress you got you posted for yourself! You will look cute with all those clothing options!
I have no advice on the kids night out, we haven't tried it and don't plan to this trip since my ILs will be with us.
You MK plans sound great! I'm thining on our MK day our first ride will be Dumbo! I heard that line gets crazy as the day goes on!
Thanks!! Yeah my Etsy order is taking a LOT longer than expected. Haven't heard back about when I will finally get the order, but a week after ordering she had just finally gotten the supplies. UGH!
Part of my NIP issue is yes - she will get so distracted! I don't think I'll have a problem nursing in the BCC even if it's a big room - it's all other mothers nursing so that doesn't bother me. I'm really considering bringing my My Brest Friend nursing pillow - I got a travel blow up one - and I think it'll make the experience much better even if it is a bit bulky to use. We will have the big stroller so plenty of space underneath for it!
Yes she should be on solids by then! We plan to start at 6m, so end July/early August!
Dumbo might be a good choice since no FP's are available!
Like I said DS was 7 months old our first trip and I have no regrets and absolutely loved our trip. There were some characters he just loved. He would rock back and forth and smile. He liked to try to eat Pluto's whiskers, Donald's bill, pretty much anything he could get his hands on. What surprised me most was his love for princes. He loved Mulan, Tiana, and Snow White. I think it helped that they were so animated. He even reached out for Mulan to hold him. He also liked all their "pretties" Crowns, necklaces etc. I secretly wanted him to get super excited about seeing Mickey since he has his stuffed animals and books and what not, but most of the time we seen him he would smile and be more curious than anything. One time he even ignored Mickey and just kept smiling at Minnie..it was pretty funny.
We actually only did quick service meals, as we were to afraid of how he would do with restaurants. Looking back I'm sure he would have done fine but we didnt have a strong schedule when we left so I was nervous. On a side note we did put him in one the high chairs at one of the restaurants and he did great in it, it wasn't too big. He is also small for his age. I think he was around 13 or 14 pounds. We did put a blanket behind him just to make it a little bit more snug.
Before our trip we really had not developed a good nap schedule either. We did the opposite of most people and actually began a schedule while in Disney and brought it home with us. By day 2 or 3 we found out that around 10 am he would get sleepy so we would just recline his stroller and put a blanket in front so he could sleep. It worked great. I definitely recommend a full recline stroller and something with a big shade. (I own a Joovy Kooper to give you an idea) While he slept we would just walk around the park or take turns riding rides. We have alot of Photopass pictures with little feet hanging out of the stroller...it is cute and makes me laugh.
I still need to read your new updates so I will do that now
AW I love hearing about how much he liked the characters - especially the princesses! TOO CUTE! You should post pictures!!
That's funny you were able to establish a schedule while at Disney!! IDK what our schedule will be by then. It just depends on what time she wakes up (any time between 5-7AM) which determines when her naps, feedings, etc are. So not really a strict schedule. It might be easier if I wasn't working - Tues-Thurs I wake her at 5AM to get ready, but on the other days I would prefer her to sleep longer since I don't have to wake up!!
I'll see you at Crystal Palace for our birthdays!
Yep!!
LOVE all the clothes you got!! I especially love the Belle costume. She looks so precious in it. Etsy has some of the cutest personalized applique t-shirts; that's probably what I will be getting for my son for park days...is that what you got? That's my guess.
Kudos for making the cute stuff for Aria...makes me wish I could sew.
Woohoo! Can't wait to see what you guys got! You are CORRECT! For the one and only guesser....!!
LOL
What a great way to kick off your trip! Oct. 5th will be a very special day (it's my bday too)
! OK, I feel out of the loop because I've never heard of anything about paintbrushes at TSI!
Oh so much fun!! So at 10AM when TSI opens they have paintbrushes hidden (I think 25?) around the island. If you find one and give it to the person at the exit they will give you FP's! First time we had a choice of Splash or BTMRR, and second time we grabbed another couple and said they were in our group since they hadn't found any paintbrushes, and they gave us FP's to Splash, BTMRR, and I think 1 other one too. From what I read, due to the new FP system they won't be doing this anymore (but it really shouldn't affect it if they are keeping the old FP system too so IDK). This was one of our FAVORITE things to do, mainly bc not that many ppl knew about it!
That's awesome it's your bday too!! Jenny105's birthday too (30th!). So cool!
I am also considering doing Kids Nite Out for the night we have an ADR at California Grill (which I LOVE
). I have a lot of research to do about the organization first, but I have yet to read anything but good reviews. I think it will be nice to have a few hours to connect with DH and enjoy a nice dinner. And since you're staying right there at BLT, you know you'll be close in case she gets upset and needs you.
The chocolate lava cake at Cali Grill is hands down the best dessert I've ever had, so I'm looking forward to that and the filet! Yum! Your choices sound yummy too!
How could I forget about their lava cake? I got that last time and it was amazing. But I also really like that banana thing. Hey, it's my BDAY, so I will just get both!
Yeah the more I think about it, I think Kids Nite out might be the way to go!
Hope this doesn't discourage you, because every child is different, but my 10 month old definitely is still nursing more than 3 times a day (more like 5-6). Sometimes it's quick "snacks" though, and with all there is to see and do at WDW, he may be too distracted to "snack" and I'm hoping he might consolidate sessions to a few times a day while we're there to get what he really needs in addition to solid foods. He'll be 14 months but I intend to nurse as long as is mutually desirable.
Maybe by then Aria will have more control of her body and would be able to nurse while upright in your Beco...? My son would now rather nurse sitting straight up in my lap than lying down, and has even done it standing in front of me before (sorry if that's TMI
). Or if you're into pumping and would be more comfortable bottle feeding, you could try that. I understand about not wanting to NIP though. My son is way too easily distracted to actually concentrate on nursing and keep a blanket over his head in a noisy public place, and I'm not really into giving a free show.
Looking forward to hearing more plans.
Sorry , Imeant 3 times during the day, not including 1st time in the morning and last at night - she currently eats about 6 times (sometimes just 5) during the day, but one of those is right when she wakes up, and the last one is right before bed. Which I guess i need to account for if we are letting her fall asleep in her stroller .... But i didn't mean 3 TOTAL!
That's pretty neat he'll nurse sitting (or standing LOL that seems a little different!!) - yes that would help, When did he start doing that? I do pump but can't imagine pumping at the parks and then feeding her, I think going to the nearest BCC would be easier than dealing with all of that.
My current goal is to get to 12m with Aria. After that, we'll see how things are going. At that point if she still enjoys nursing (when not at daycare) maybe she can have milk during the day and then nurse at night/morning so I can stop pumping. THAT would be very nice, though it does provide a nice break at work!
Your plans sound great!! And Aria looks positively ADORABLE in her Belle costume!! Great choice.
There is actually a thread that popped up on the Theme Parks board this morning about Kids Nite Out
here. There are not a ton of replies yet, but it may be worth subscribing so you can see when other people post their experiences. For the record, I googled some information on it while looking for a similar service in California and found nothing but glowing reviews of the Orlando service! We didn't end up using it because of the minimum time needed, but it might be worth it for a birthday night out for you! I am really ready for him to be big enough to go to the different Kids Clubs, I think he would just love that! Next year he should be old enough, so maybe DH and I can get a night out for dinner & some attractions while Paxton has fun at the Club.
Just as a warning, it took us probably about 15-20 minutes to upgrade our park tickets to the Premier AP's last year, so if you are doing that plus getting the other tickets, I would either be there right at 7:30 am or try to walk over and do it the night before if you can, just to make sure you don't end up wasting your empty park time before breakfast at the guest relations window!
Good luck with nursing at the BCC's! I was too nervous to attempt it which is one of the reasons we waited to take Paxton until he was 1. I think now I would be more comfortable with that aspect of having a baby in the parks that was still nursing, but I'm still not crazy about NIP. Now that I've seen the BCCs with my own two eyes, I think I would be more okay with using those and taking baby #2 around 9 or 10 months if possible instead of waiting until he/she is 1 yr old.
Thank you!! Yes, I look forward to her being able to go to the kids clubs - that will be great bc I know she will be having a good time too. I've only heard good things too, so I think we might do it. I just wish my bday was later in the trip so it wasn't our first full day together that I do baby sitting!
Good warning on the guest services, I might head over there right at 7:30 and have Andrew bring Aria down a couple minutes afterwards if he's running behind or Aria needs changing or a bath or something. Thanks!
I like that two of the BCC's (AK and DHS I think) you get a private nursing room that DH can go into AND you can bring the stroller in! That's really nice!
The clothes you made for Aria turned out beautifully! I am not a great sewer, but if this baby is a little girl, I may have to dust off the sewing machine and give it a whirl. The choices in custom girls clothes are just too cute to resist trying for myself! Its just not the same for boys!
I think your first day looks great! We did an early breakfast at CP recently and got lots of great photos of us and Main St and the Castle with no other people in them. The Photopass photographers were out also, so that was a nice touch.
I bet Aria will do great with the characters, she is young enough that she hasn't hit the afraid stage. I bet it will be priceless, I can't wait to see the pictures when you get back!
The nursing areas in the BCC are awesome! I ended up using them a lot when we went in April and June because it was just too hot and sticky to nurse outside. The BCC in the MK is pretty convenient to everything, and easy to get to, so I don't think it will take too much time out of your day.
I have never done Kids Nite Out (yet!) but I also have heard nothing but good things about them! Its a tough decision, I can completely understand wanting Aria with you, and then I can understand the allure of having a adults-only evening with no distractions. I'm not sure that they will let you take the stroller into CG, I personally have had good luck with bringing strollers into restaurants, but I recently read a TR where they wouldn't allow them. I don't think they are consistent on the rules, which is really frustrating. Good luck with your choice!
Aw thank you!!
That's fantastic to hear the PP are out so early, I wasn't sure bc I never paid them much attention before LOL. It would be wonderful to get some great pics that first morning!
I can't WAIT for Aria to meet the characters! I hope the pictures turn out great! Either way, as you said, the experience is going to be priceless (good or bad LOL!).
Yes that is another reason for the BCC's and nursing - it will be so hot! I bet we'll both enjoy a bit of AC and relaxation. Too bad my DH hates being on his own, he'll just have to get over it hahaha.
It is very frustrating regarding strollers in restaurants. IDK how that's going to play out when she's napping and they won't let us bring it in. Guess we will find out! Hopefully she'll get out of the stage where she wakes up from naps screaming before then! LOL
I think your birthday/MK day sounds great. The decision on whether or not to leave her is a hard one. We usually take the kids to special dinners but love the times we do not take them as well. Our 16 year anniversary is Wednesday and after a couple of the meals we just had at
Disneyland, I am happy to say we are leaving them for it.
Thanks!! Yikes - I can't wait to hear about your DL trip, sounds like you had some interesting restaurant experiences?!?!
Looks like day 2 will be great! Peter Pan was Alex's first ride at WDW. He loved looking down at everything. It was great! Even though he was sick. I've never eaten at the wave but it looks good. Your birthday dinner sounds nice too. Should be a great day! Your 30's aren't so bad. I turned 30 last September.
Looks like we did the same thing....have a baby and then a few months later turn 30 haha!
Too cute! I think PP would be a good choice - but there are so many good choices! LOL
Love the pictures of Aria and the clothes you made and bought for both of you. I need to buy more dresses. I just never do because I feel like I need to try them on first
I do have quite a few skirts that I love though. I love the pic of you and Aria sleeping together. Did you steal DH's pillow? LOL I used to bring Alex to bed with me too when he woke up in the middle of the night. I miss those snuggles.
Thank you! I always like to try things on, but couldn't beat the prices on Zulily and so far have liked everything I got!!
Your first day sounds great! I just love Cali Grill!
And I am with you on booking meals that don't require a CC to hold... we usually keep our ADRs, but have cancelled/rearranged a few the day of and don't want to be penalized for that!
Yeah thanks!! I hate skipping reservations, but the CC hold really makes me worried about doing that, esp with a baby now. So trying to think ahead to the ADR's we *might* not make and make sure they are at restaurants we won't be penalized for skipping!
I had issues like that on Ebay a couple times.
