1st trip as a Mommy!! 1st PTR - November 24 - 29!!! Can't wait!!

[deedee2177]

So, I have had such a fun time reading the PTRs of other Disers that I decided to try my hand at one as well..no promises.

Here it goes!!

When: Departing from NC on 11/23 and returning on 11/29
Where: AoA LM room with FD and upgraded to DDP (thank you for that nice little pin number that came in the mail).
Who: Myself (35), My DH, DSD6 and DS (almost 10 months at time of the trip)

My sweet Stepdaughter (DSD6) and my little boy (DS7months)

Me and my husband

A little background:

I have been a Disney Nut for years, I grew up in the Florida Keys so it was a 6 hour drive to Disney. We would go every year for School Disney Trips and then of course family trips.

I got married on 2/26/11 and convinced my husband to go to WDW for our Honeymoon, I told him it had always been my dream. I could tell he was not too excited about the idea, but he went along with it. He had only been to WDW once and it had been 30 years ago. I tried to explain the magic about WDW but I could tell he was just going for me (good hubby). His daughter had been to WDW with her Mommy a few years before and we knew that this would probably be our only time to go as a couple. Overall we had a great time and my husband did discover the magic I had talked about, but unfortunately my hubby had a cracked tooth and was in alot of pain for the majority of the trip.

We had planned to take my DSD in November of 2011 however I was about 5 months pregnant with my son and we didn't think it was the best timing. So, that brings us to November of this year! This will be my first trip as a Mommy so the planning has definitely been more intense.

11/23/12 8:00am - Pick up Rental Car:

So the DH and I decided to rent an Intermediate SUV because of all the junk (I mean stuff) we need to pack! Since we are leaving the day after Thanksgiving I have a few days off before hand to get everything packed up and ready to go! We will drive to Savannah, GA on Friday and stay there for the night. When my DH and I went for our Disneymoon we drove right through, but decided a 10 hour car ride with the kids would be a bit too tough on them and us. So, we found that Savannah is about the half way point for us. Luckily, we won't be in too big of a rush that morning since we are just heading to GA. However, I'm sure that evening will be full of school work for my DSD since she is missing a week of school. Luckily she is only in 1st grade and I think I can still handle her work...if not I have my niece who is a 1st grade teacher on speed dial.

I think the biggest thing I keep trying to decide about is whether or not to pack my son's PNP or just get a bed rail or PNP from the hotel. We are getting a room with 2 beds so I think it would be do-able to have one of the kids sleep with me and the other one sleep with my DH. I'm not quite comfortable with both kids in the same bed yet...they would beat each other black and blue! I know if we take our own PNP it will take up some room in the vehicle, but my DH is a bit of a germ-a-phobe so he doesn't like the idea of using a PNP from a hotel. I'm actually leaning toward just getting a bed rail. So, any input from Disney Parents on this would be great!!!

11/24/12 -- AoA here we come!!!!

So, that Friday will be the big day. My Step-daughter is so excited about staying in the LM room. I have not stayed on site in years so I'm excited as well, I figured it would be easier staying onsite with the kids. If the baby gets cranky one of us can always take him back to the room. However, I am planning on having afternoon rest periods for the kids. I just feel that they can get so overloaded about everything and end up having a big breakdown. So, I'm hoping for an afternoon break to go back to the room to watch a movie or swim (weather permitting).

We will leave Savannah first thing in the morning (I want to be on the road no later then 8am). I'm planning on doing the Online Check-in before hand so I'm hoping that will make things a bit smoother. We should get to AoA around 1pm, so not sure if a room will be ready or not (fingers crossed it will be). If not, we will have lunch at the resort and wait on the room.

We will head over to MK as soon as we can unload stuff in our rooms. We have ADRs at Crystal Palace at 7:30pm that night. This is the first time I have used the dining plan and after looking at the cost of the Character Dinners I felt it was a better deal for me to upgrade to the DDP (especially since we had the Quick Service for free, we only had to pay about $180 difference to upgrade which was well below what we would have paid for if we paid for the Character Dinners separately).

My son's room is decorated in Winnie the Pooh so I'm very excited about this Character Dinner!! I'm also curious to see how he will react to the Characters, I'm hoping they don't scare him too much. My Step-Daughter is not too thrilled about this one, but she knows it's for her little brother.

Does anyone have any feedback on the dinners at Crystal Palace? Like I mentioned before this is a completely different trip for me as a Mommy. Usually I just go with friends or family and we just go as we please and stop at quick service places when we feel like it. It's been a long time since I ate a TS restaurant.

After dinner we plan on watching the parade and fireworks...I figure this is a great way to start our Disney Trip!!

I will provide my 11/25/12 update soon. I would love any feedback or suggestions!

 

[VACamm]

Yay i found your trip report!!

We love Crystal Palace character meal. The characters are amaaazing... The food is really yummy... And its such a happy place!! I think you will enjoy it!

Im subscribing to your PTR!

 

[deedee2177]

Yay i found your trip report!!

We love Crystal Palace character meal. The characters are amaaazing... The food is really yummy... And its such a happy place!! I think you will enjoy it!

Im subscribing to your PTR!

So glad to hear that! Thanks for subbing! I know you are getting so excited for your trip...getting close!!!!!

 

[deedee2177]

11/25/12:

This will be our first full day at the Parks!! We plan on just having breakfast in the room because none of us are big breakfast eaters, and since we are driving we have more flexibility on what we can pack. So, small boxes of cereal, pop tarts and granola bars will be what we will do us just fine in the morning.

We would like to head back to MK for the rope drop on this day. My DSD has not seen the opening ceremony before and I think she will get a kick out of it! DH and I keep trying to decide what would be best...the resort bus or driving our car over there. We will have the baby's stroller and it's pretty bulky but we want to bring it because it reclines and I think he will be more comfortable then the rental stroller. Not to mention we will definitely want to have it at the resort. So, maybe we will check out the bus the first day and see how it goes and take it from there.

We are planning on spending the majority of the morning at MK because I know it will be my DSD's favorite, and I have a very sneaky feeling we will be spending quite a bit of time in Fantasyland (which is fine with me). I'm also surprised just how many rides the baby will be able to go on, I read on the Disney's Moms Panel that he can go on any ride that does not have a height requirement.

We will probably take an afternoon break back at the resort for lunch (quick service) and a chill out period because we will be up late. We have ADRs at EPCOT's Coral Reef at 7:10 that evening, so I want to make sure the kids (and parents) have a time to rest in the afternoon. I figure we can head over to EPCOT after the afternoon break, and play around until our reservation. I have never eaten at Coral Reef before but I'm definitely looking forward to it. My DSD is excited to see the huge aquarium and based on the pictures it looks like every table has a pretty good view. After dinner we plan on sticking around for Illuminations.

I would really like and feedback or suggestions about Coral Reef and good viewing spots for Illuminations.

We will head back to the resort after Illuminations and call it a day!!! I have a feeling we won't have any problem with getting the kids to sleep this night.

I'll provide another update soon. Hope everyone is enjoying the read. I know I have really enjoyed reading the PTRs in this section.

 

[stackyallred]

Yay! I planned obsessively for my first trip after becoming a mommy (ok, I planned like that before, too ) and we took DS for his first time at 10 months! I am so glad for those memories. We leave in 2.5 weeks for his third trip and he's not even 3 yet! We did take the pack and play and it fit well in our room at POP. I think those rooms and the LM rooms are the same size/layout. Happy planning!

 

[deedee2177]

Yay! I planned obsessively for my first trip after becoming a mommy (ok, I planned like that before, too ) and we took DS for his first time at 10 months! I am so glad for those memories. We leave in 2.5 weeks for his third trip and he's not even 3 yet! We did take the pack and play and it fit well in our room at POP. I think those rooms and the LM rooms are the same size/layout. Happy planning!

Thanks so much about the feedback about the PNP! So, how was your trip with your son at 10 months? Any advice? My son will be almost 10 months old by the time we go. I think he will just be so enthralled by all the new things (sights, smells and sounds).

 

[stackyallred]

Thanks so much about the feedback about the PNP! So, how was your trip with your son at 10 months? Any advice? My son will be almost 10 months old by the time we go. I think he will just be so enthralled by all the new things (sights, smells and sounds).

Ok, let me start by saying that 1) DS was a very high maintenance baby 2) I struggled A LOT with anxiety until I was recently diagnosed with food allergies (turns out that was the cause of a lot of health issues). All that to say, we did have some "What was I thinking?!?" moments. BUT, those moments were few and far between. They just seem big when they are happening, you know (a screaming baby will do that to you!)? We had a great flight down (2.5 hours) and DS was absolutely wonderful...until he got tired. Our room wasn't ready right away and he usually sleeps in a dark room with a sound machine so the walking-around-in-the-stroller-nap didn't do much for his disposition... but we got him into bed early that night and he was cheery the next morning. There were a few other times that he had melt downs because of this sort of thing but we just stuck as much to our normal schedule as possible and that made a big difference! I also had to tell myself I was not the only mom in all of WDW whose child cried occasionally! He took a morning and afternoon nap back then, so we did let him fall asleep in the stroller for his morning nap then we would eat lunch in the park or back at POP, take him to the room for afternoon nap and then go back out for a few hours before bedtime. I know a lot of people wouldn't want to put up with that schedule, but we stick to that schedule at home (minus the morning nap now) and we just find it is worth it to keep us all sane and happy! I realize DS is pretty structured and not all kids are so I say your best bet is just try to let them lead you if you can. As I am sure you are quite aware, a happy baby = happy family! Of course, I know you will have an older child with you, so you will have her must-dos to consider, too. All in all, we had a good trip. He loved looking at the characters and all the sights and sounds. He loved each ride and actually slept quite well in the room. We got GREAT pics with the characters loving on him. Sure, he may not remember it, but we have GREAT memories and now that he is almost three, he loves looking at pics of himself as a little baby with Mickey. I am sure you will enjoy the time of year you are going, too since the weather will be cooler and the Christmas lights will be in full swing. I look forward to hearing more about it!

 

[deedee2177]

This is great! My son is not a big day napper, he takes a couple of cat naps through the day so I don't see that being so much an issue. I think I will have a more difficult time getting my step-daughter (and DH for that matter) to take an afternoon break.

I grew up going to Disney and I want to do the same thing for my kids. We want to try and go every other year. My Dad told me, he and my Mom want to do a Disney Cruise in a few years!!

 

[Fratthouse]

Joining in!! We are taking our one-year-old son to WDW in two weeks, so we are in the same boat! Working on trying to plan in order to maximize our time but not becoming too attached to the plan - in case DS doesn't cooperate It's a tough balance!

I was also amazed at all the rides DS will be able to go on! I've read several places that anything that doesn't have a height requirement is fair game - which seems a little crazy on somethings (astro orbiter???), but definitely makes for a more fun trip!

Look forward to hearing more of your plans!

 

[deedee2177]

Joining in!! We are taking our one-year-old son to WDW in two weeks, so we are in the same boat! Working on trying to plan in order to maximize our time but not becoming too attached to the plan - in case DS doesn't cooperate It's a tough balance!

I was also amazed at all the rides DS will be able to go on! I've read several places that anything that doesn't have a height requirement is fair game - which seems a little crazy on somethings (astro orbiter???), but definitely makes for a more fun trip!

Look forward to hearing more of your plans!

Thanks for joining in!! I would love to hear how it goes with your son in a couple of weeks!

One of my friends told me a tip about riding with the little ones. You can use a wearable baby carrier on some of the rides. They will let you keep that on with the baby...tends to be a little easier getting in and out of the ride. Luckily my son loves his little carrier so that might help us out some and he is big enough to face forward now so he can check out the ride as we go. I think we will just have to take it as it comes. Who knows the rides may overwhelm him even if he can go on them.

The trip is mainly for my Step-daughter we were planning on taking her last year, but had to postpone because of my pregnancy. So, it's really what she wants to do, but she is so sweet she told me she wants to make sure her brother has a good time too. AW!!

I hope you and your family have a great time!! Are you staying at a Disney Resort or off-site? I'm still struggling on whether to take his pack and play or not. I know he would sleep fine in the bed with me or my husband, but I don't know if we would get any good sleep that way...Lol

 

[Fratthouse]

Thanks for joining in!! I would love to hear how it goes with your son in a couple of weeks!

One of my friends told me a tip about riding with the little ones. You can use a wearable baby carrier on some of the rides. They will let you keep that on with the baby...tends to be a little easier getting in and out of the ride. Luckily my son loves his little carrier so that might help us out some and he is big enough to face forward now so he can check out the ride as we go. I think we will just have to take it as it comes. Who knows the rides may overwhelm him even if he can go on them. Good idea! DS kind of hates his carrier, but he might tolerate it just to get in and out of rides. Maybe we'll practice over the next couple of weeks

The trip is mainly for my Step-daughter we were planning on taking her last year, but had to postpone because of my pregnancy. So, it's really what she wants to do, but she is so sweet she told me she wants to make sure her brother has a good time too. AW!! So sweet!! We actually had to cancel our trip last year because it was scheduled for three weeks after my due date, so this is a make-up trip for us, too!

I hope you and your family have a great time!! Are you staying at a Disney Resort or off-site? I'm still struggling on whether to take his pack and play or not. I know he would sleep fine in the bed with me or my husband, but I don't know if we would get any good sleep that way...Lol We are staying at the Poly and planning on using their pack-n-play. We're flying, so we don't have the option of bringing our own. If he hates it (or if it's gross), we'll just have him sleep in bed with me. But I figure it's worth a shot on the pack-n-play. Also, no pressure, but in case you're interested, here's the link to my PTR - since we're planning similar trips http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45848347&postcount=4

 

[deedee2177]

Thanks for the link to your PTR I will definitely join!

 

[mom31]

Subbing. We are driving from NC (Fayetteville) in October. We're very used to long trips and are doing it in a day. My children are much older though.

11/25/12:

This will be our first full day at the Parks!! We plan on just having breakfast in the room because none of us are big breakfast eaters, and since we are driving we have more flexibility on what we can pack. So, small boxes of cereal, pop tarts and granola bars will be what we will do us just fine in the morning.

We would like to head back to MK for the rope drop on this day. My DSD has not seen the opening ceremony before and I think she will get a kick out of it! DH and I keep trying to decide what would be best...the resort bus or driving our car over there. We will have the baby's stroller and it's pretty bulky but we want to bring it because it reclines and I think he will be more comfortable then the rental stroller. Not to mention we will definitely want to have it at the resort. So, maybe we will check out the bus the first day and see how it goes and take it from there.

I would try to get the bus to wor for you. We drove our first day and it was a pain! It was bus all the way from then on.

We are planning on spending the majority of the morning at MK because I know it will be my DSD's favorite, and I have a very sneaky feeling we will be spending quite a bit of time in Fantasyland (which is fine with me). I'm also surprised just how many rides the baby will be able to go on, I read on the Disney's Moms Panel that he can go on any ride that does not have a height requirement.

We will probably take an afternoon break back at the resort for lunch (quick service) and a chill out period because we will be up late. We have ADRs at EPCOT's Coral Reef at 7:10 that evening, so I want to make sure the kids (and parents) have a time to rest in the afternoon. I figure we can head over to EPCOT after the afternoon break, and play around until our reservation. I have never eaten at Coral Reef before but I'm definitely looking forward to it. My DSD is excited to see the huge aquarium and based on the pictures it looks like every table has a pretty good view. After dinner we plan on sticking around for Illuminations.

I would really like and feedback or suggestions about Coral Reef and good viewing spots for Illuminations.

Coral Reef was pretty good. My ds (8 at the time) was fine with the stuff off the children's menu. There were a few choices. The food was pretty good but I was a little disappointed since it was taled up so much. Maybe my expectations were too high.

We will head back to the resort after Illuminations and call it a day!!! I have a feeling we won't have any problem with getting the kids to sleep this night.

I'll provide another update soon. Hope everyone is enjoying the read. I know I have really enjoyed reading the PTRs in this section.

 

[deedee2177]

Subbing. We are driving from NC (Fayetteville) in October. We're very used to long trips and are doing it in a day. My children are much older though.

If the kids were older we would probably just drive right through as well because in my mind the money we are spending for the hotels there and back translates into more days at Disney.

However, with a 6 yr old and a 10 month old we decided that it was best to break the trip up a bit.

I can't wait to get a chance to take a look at at your PTR.

 

[deedee2177]

So, this will be our 2nd full day at the Parks. The plan is to head to AK in the morning for EMH. Last year was my 1st time at AK, and we enjoyed the major attractions. However, my DH is not much of a show guy so we didn't get to see any so I definitely want to see Lion King and this time I can use my DSD6 as an excuse to see it. Maybe DH and DS can go off and hang out for awhile because I don't know if my 10 month old will sit still long enough for the show.

We have ADR's at the Rain Forest at 11am. DH and I ate here on our Honeymoon last year and really enjoyed it. I had been to one of these restaurants before, but it was a first for DH. We kept saying how much his daughter would love it, so we definitely wanted to make sure it was on the list of ADR's for this trip.

The afternoon of this day is still up in the air for us. My guess is we will probably stay at AK for awhile longer, and then head back to the resort around 3pm for a break for the kiddos (ok, who am I kidding it's a break for the adults too). After the break, we can head over to DHS for QS dinner and catch Fantasmic and hang out at the park until closing.

I did not make any ADRs for dinner this night, but I'm open to suggestions. Based on the restaurants I think DH would be happiest with Sci-Fi, but we may just stick to QS.

We are definitely getting excited about the trip, it seems to be right around the corner now that my DSD is back in school this week. I know how time flies by once kids are back in school.

 

[deedee2177]

Firstly, I want to apologize for not posting in awhile. I had to have back surgery so it's been a bit crazy!! After surgery the Doctor told me no Bending, Lifting or Twisting and I just looked at him like he had 3 heads...did he not realize I have a 7 month old at home?? Needless to say, I have had to depend on my husband alot to help with the baby. I just keep reminding him that I have to be all better for our Disney Trip in November.

The Good News today is that I heard back from my DSD's Principal and she approved the days that she would be missing in November and will classify them as an educational trip. I just need to get with her teacher before we leave and gather her work and decide on a project that she can do while we are away.

Some updates since my last post:

I have also gone back and added some pictures of my family to my first post...hope you all enjoy!

We have also had a minor change in plans to our second day in the Parks. We had initially planned to have dinner at the Coral Reef, but after further consideration we changed it to Rose & Crown. My DH is a pretty picky eater and after looking over the menus I figured he would enjoy R&C better. Not to mention we got a later reservation so I'm keeping my fingers crossed we can get a table outside and have a great view for Illuminations...fingers crossed for a little pixie dust that night!!

I finally made the decision to just use the PNP from the hotel instead of bringing ours...just too much trouble!! We are also on the look out for a lightweighter stroller that reclines (an inexpensive one). We have a great travel system that has a wonderful stroller for normal circumstances, but as we all know WDW is not a normal circumstance. I think a lighter one and not so bulky would be a lot easier to deal with while we are at the parks. I'm trying to convince my husband to use the buses while we are there so we don't have to mess with the car, and I know having a lightweight stroller will help with my argument. So, if any Disney Parents have any suggestions on a stroller like this please send my way. We did see one...a Jeep Stroller (who knew they made strollers) that seemed like what we are looking for but haven't made the purchase yet.

If anyone has any feedback on this stroller I would love to hear about it.

Let's Continue....

11/27/12 - Time to meet up with the Princesses
So, this is definitely the day my DSD is looking forward to the most. The day we have breakfast with the Princesses at the Castle. I wasn't able to get a reservation until 10am, but that is fine with me. I have a feeling we will all be pretty tired, so I do not have any problem with sleeping in a bit and not heading over to MK until our reservation time.

I honestly don't have anything planned for the afternoon. So, we will let DSD decide what she would like to do. I'm personally hoping she wants to head back to EPCOT and check things out again there, but we will wait and see.

Well, that's all I have for an update now, but will try and give another update soon! Please feel free to leave any feedback or comments.

 

[deedee2177]

It's so nice to be able to say we are going to Disney next month!! It's going to be here before we know, and we can't wait!!

So, I finally put my Disney Travel Binder together (my husband thinks I am a nut), but it's the only way I can keep things in order. I printed off all our ADR's (finally made our last ADR today, but that will come later in the post). Printed off our reservation for AoA, Rental Car Information, directions, packing lists and a spreadsheet that includes an "at a glance" overview of everything. Maybe my husband is right and I am a bit nuts. Oh well!

Ok, onto the update.

11/28/12 (last day in the Parks...boohoo)

So, this will definitely be a sad day, I always get so sad the last day in the parks, but I will try to make the best of it. Our morning is pretty open on this day so again we will leave it up to my step-daugther to decide where she would like to start the day. However, I know I want to end our trip in the MK...I always try to start and end our trip at the MK.

Like I mentioned before I made our final ADR for this day. We will be eating at The Plaza Restaurant at 3:20pm. So, it will be a late lunch, early dinner kind of meal but it was the only time I could get but I think it will work out for us just fine.

I want to end our day with Wishes and the park closes at 8pm, though I will be sad to leave I think it will work out best that the park is not staying open too late. We will all need a good night sleep because we have to travel back to NC. We are doing the same thing we did on the way to WDW...splitting up the trip into 2 days. Works out well because we won't be so rushed in the morning to get on the road, I won't go into our plans for the next day too much...I will save that for my next update.

So, until next time!

 

[momjeeps]

Sounds like good plans. I like that you are leaving time for DSD to choose. I notice we are scheduled to be in some parks at the same time. The one that stands out is 11/27. That will be our last day in the parks and we are going to MK.

41 days until we leave. I'm so excited!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[deedee2177]

Sounds like good plans. I like that you are leaving time for DSD to choose. I notice we are scheduled to be in some parks at the same time. The one that stands out is 11/27. That will be our last day in the parks and we are going to MK.

41 days until we leave. I'm so excited!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I have a feeling that MK is going to be my Step-daughter's favorite, but that is perfectly fine with me because that is my favorite as well. I always try to start and end my trips with the MK.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I think it's just crazy that you posted on my TR and we have the same arrival dates at the same place! That's so cool. (And we're both from Carolina!)

You asked about Crystal Palace. It is a fun place if you like the Winnie the Pooh characters. The food is so so. The characters are fun though. We have been to every character meal and dinner show Disney offers. If you have any questions at all I will be happy to help you out. I even have a page where you can look at the meals, photo ops, food, etc.

I didn't read everything because I still have to do History with my daughter, but your little girl would love the Epcot Princess Meal in Norway. Even my boys had fun over there. The food is much better than CP, but there's no Pooh Bear over there. It all depends on who you want to interact with. Another fun place for breakfast is O'Hana. There you have Mickey, Pluto, Stitch, and Lilo. They are so much fun and they come around 2-3 times each. (You get tons of pictures!)

If you have any questions ask away. I'm subscribing so I can come back and read more later.