2 Weeks in the World (and still not enough!) ~~UPDATED 9/17! Work calls & a kink~~

[Villainess]

I brought a separate bag of the items I would need in the morning so I wouldn’t have to open my suitcase, but that still didn’t stop me from fumbling in the dark to find it all. I didn’t want to turn all the lights on and wake up the kids until just before I needed to dress them but I did want to get my parents up so I turned on the bathroom lights and kept the door open. My dad wakes up about 3:30am due to my noise (I must not have been noisy enough – I was hoping they would be awake by 3:15 am ) and shortly after my mom wakes up. My dad proceeds to take a shower and while it is not a long one, my mom cannot get ready as all her stuff is in the bathroom, and she is not the fastest person to get ready to go anywhere: hair, make-up, check the room 100x to see if we forgot to pack the travel toothpaste that wasn’t coming with us anyway … During all of this, I’m waking up the kids, getting them dressed and watching the clock. As I’m dressing a half-awake DD, her nose has a rug burn-type scratch on it: the boo-boo of the hours' earlier thud. I check her over again and there are no other bumps or bruises, just the rug burn from her rubbing her face on the floor after her fall.

I’m nervous that we still are cutting it close. My dad gets the trolley for the suitcases and checks-out while my mom and I wait with the kids in the hotel foyer. The anticipation is mounting; we are all super excited, especially DD who is checking out the koi pond and waterfall, pointing in the air signaling “airplane”, and yelling “Yeah. Donald Duck!” DS is cuddling in Nonna’s arms and amusing himself with his pacifier. He is so easygoing!

We load the car back up, pack the kids in and we’re on our way to the park and fly. We pull into the park and fly and wait to check-in there. The shuttle bus pulls in and my mom and I were in a bit of a panic – it was 4:40am and the next shuttle was in 15 minutes if we didn’t make this one. Luckily we did! We pile on our suitcases, carry-ons, and stroller and off we go with another family headed to Acapulco, and a businessman who never stopped texting from the moment he boarded the shuttle to getting off. I'm impressed with people who can walk with their heads in down, texting, know where they are going, and they don't cause pedestrian accidents. I don't text but I know I wouldn't have that kind of coordination. OK, OT... back to the story.

As we’re approaching the airport entrance, the radio on the shuttle goes off. My ears perked up when I heard “Ford Explorer” as that is our SUV.

The driver asks, “Does anyone here have a green Ford Explorer?”

“Yes.” I replied and raised my hand.

“You forgot to give us the keys to the car.”

My dad pulls the keys out of his pocket and proceeds to hand them over to the driver. Another little hiccup! (You are all probably thinking, “Geez, I’m never traveling with this family!” LOL!)

We pull into the airport but the shuttle cannot drop us off at the check-in drop off closest to the ticketing area. Instead he lets us off by the parking area and we fumbled but managed to pull the luggage, and carry-ons while pushing the stroller with the kids across the street and into the airport.

We entered the airport on the baggage claim level, or lowest level and needed mid level for check-in. Pop Pop choose level 3 (gates). “We need level 2,” both Nonna and I repeated to no avail. We take the trip up, the door opens and Ta-Da! wrong level! Since we not only went to the wrong level but Pop Pop insisted on getting everything out of the elevator to inspect that it was the wrong level (we’ve only flown out of Newark a hundred times so I don’t know what he was thinking – maybe it was the excitement?), we had to wait for another elevator, pile all our ‘stuff’ back in and push the level 2 button. Going down?! Level 2 – Check-in!

The airport was much busier than I anticipated but then again, we arrived later than I had hoped. The line for check-in was very long and full of impatient people who screamed if you didn’t move 2 feet just as the line moved. Ahhhh, Newark! Wanna visit? LOL! We make it to the self-serve kiosk and print our boarding passes with no problem, but then waited another 5 minutes for the ticket agent to come over, check our ID’s, and take our luggage. I look at our boarding pass; we’re boarding at 5:54am. It is now 5:43 am. Looks like we’re not getting breakfast before we board and I will admit that I am nervous at this point. We still had to go through security!

Grabbing the first available elevator, we pile in and get to Terminal level; I’m happy to report that we chose the correct level on our first try this time. The security line was even longer than ticketing. I’m anxious, my mom is annoyed that we left as late as we did, and my dad didn’t understand why. I’m not sure if it is standard procedure for those traveling with double strollers (or because we have the world’s largest stroller)or not, but the FSA agent directed us to the shorter line for frequent fliers and airline employees. Whew! Maybe someone was looking out for us, but whatever the reason, I truly appreciated it!

We place everything in containers, I take out my quart size bag of liquids along with the bottle I made for DS to place in another container to go through the scanner – the agent barks, telling me to put it all back in my bag, take off my shoes and DD’s and fold up the stroller to put through the screener. I will admit that this security thing makes me uneasy and anxious; I know the agents deal with the same thing everyday and I thought I was doing the correct thing but it bothers me to see one agent allow a bottle of water and another one not 10 feet away confiscate it. To me it is chaotic. Just as the barking agent gives me instructions, another agent tells us not to fold up the stroller as the stroller wasn’t going to fit on the conveyor belt and through the screening machine anyway. I had to push it through and they took it off to the side, waved the wand over it and did some other wipe tests as well. They were finished checking that before we all got through the metal detector.

DD had to walk through the detector by herself which scared her as they didn’t let me walk through first. I was allowed to hold DS since he couldn’t walk. Nonna and Pop Pop follow-up the rear of our pack. We gather up our stuff, I put DD’s sandals back on and slide into mine but don’t buckle them as Pop Pop has put the kids back in the stroller and is walking ahead.

It’s 5:58am and boarding has begun. Off to the gate! Of course, our gate is at the far end of the terminal. We pass the restrooms, the food, other people strolling calmly to their gates … as we race to ours! (Imagine ‘Home Alone’ running through airport scene – okay, not quite that crazy but we were walking with great haste. Don’t worry, no one was knocked down, pushed, inconvenienced or otherwise injured during the course of filming this segment of our journey – we used stunt persons instead! LOL!)

We make it to the gate. A food kiosk! Do we have time? Hmmm… I hesitate walking over to it to check out the menu. In retrospect, we did have time to grab something and bring it on the plane, but we boarded instead. I said more than once, “We cannot do this anymore. We have to get here earlier.” Pop Pop was completely unfazed by all of this as this is what he prefers (he doesn’t have the attention span to sit still).

My dad was ahead with DD and DS in the stroller and hands the agent the boarding passes. He was only about 5 steps ahead bc I decided to walk out of my unbuckled sandal and had to retrieve it; but enough ahead that the agent stopped my mom and I and asked for our tickets (he didn’t see me lose my shoe – that is, my dad, not the agent). I explained that the kids were lap passengers and the boarding passes were for the 3 adults. The agent questioned my daughter’s age which surprised me as she is small – only 32” and 22lbs. I brought both my kids’ birth certificates just in case and presented them. He let us through and we meet up with my dad who is folding up the stroller. The stroller has 2 locks on it to keep it closed which we had already decided not to lock but the handler told us to lock it to make it easier for them to carry. I had an uneasy feeling about that since I knew they like to open the strollers up on the tarmac. Pushing aside the negative thought and insisting that common sense would rule in the end, I locked the stroller. My mom was complaining about not getting anything to eat and my dad was getting mad. I told them both to quit it, we’re on the plane, we’re on vacation and since we did have some snacks packed, we’ll eat them on the plane. I think the built up anxiety and lack of sleep finally got to all of us.

We find our seats and stow away our carry-ons. My dad sat in front of my mom and I with DS. They had a window seat and DS looked out the window while drinking his bottle, waiting for take-off. In the confusion of getting settled, I didn’t take my camera out of my carry-on to take pics of the kids on the plane. Luckily my mom had hers handy. DD sat on my lap looking out the window and was smiling ear to ear. A woman sat down in the seat next to my mom with a child sitting on her lap. The flight attendant came over right away to tell us that 2 lap passengers couldn’t fly in the same row (which we already knew and the reason why my dad was in the row in front of us). She pointed to me and said that DD and I would have to move. Now, if DD and I were by ourselves I would have no problem with that but I was with other passengers, most importantly my DS, who had never flown before. If there was a problem, I wanted to be close to him. The other woman graciously offered to move as she wasn’t traveling with anyone other than her child. I thanked her and she moved 3 rows ahead to a window seat. I noticed during the flight that her daughter was looking out the window and pointing to the clouds a lot so in the end it probably worked out better for her than the aisle seat she had.

We call Mom Mom and let her know that we’re on the plane. Yes, we will call as soon as we land. OK, we get a call from my sister. They’re at the airport – plenty of time to get their boarding passes, eat, walk calmly to the gate, watch other late arrivals’ Home Alone reenactments, etc. OK, we’ll see you in a few hours!

The plane was full and we were fortunate that no one moved into the empty aisle seat so we were able to spread out and DD had her own seat. DS fell asleep during the emergency procedure instructions followed by my dad shortly after take off. I was a bit nervous about take-off as DD had an ear infection 2 weeks before vacation but I was assured by both her pediatricians and the nurse that she would be fine – and she was. She looked out the window and pointed up in the air. We were on our way!!!!! As the plane’s wheels lifted off the ground I was able to relax and the weight of the previous few weeks seemed to melt away (during Feb and March, both DD and DS had RSV and were on nebulizer treatments multiple times day and night, very close to having to be admitted to the hospital and, only 13 days before vacation, my divorce was finalized).

 

[Villainess]

DD amused herself with the Sky Mall catalog and some other periodicals in the seat pocket. But that didn’t last long. I brought crayons and a coloring book which was fascinating for 1 ½ minutes. She began rubbing her eyes and was napping in a matter of minutes. I flipped through Sky Mall and read People and US magazines over my mom’s shoulder. I don’t usually read them but the TV programming they offered wasn’t appealing to me.

Some pics!
DD on my lap before takeoff - see her Minnie bow!

DS

Snack cart time! I figured it would be some sort of snack mix as that’s what we were given on our last flight at 7am. Surprise! It was a muffin! Breakfast! I asked for one for DD and reluctantly the flight attendant gave me one (I guess because she was sleeping). I knew that once she woke up, her first words would be, “Yum. Yum.” Sure enough, she woke up, spotted the muffin, and grabbed it.

Pic of clouds

It was a very smooth and quiet flight; no turbulence which allowed me to successfully change 2 diapers in the airplane bathroom, however it was not easy. DD just fit on the changing table and thought the entire process was hysterical. I’m glad she found it amusing! DS just gave me a puzzled look and helped me by holding his feet in the air.

I finished the diaper changes just in time for the seat belt sign to go on – we were beginning our descent! I sat DD on my lap to look out the window and she pointed to trees and houses. DS was sitting with my dad also looking out the window but he must have found it boring as he fell back to sleep – in an upright position!

DD preferred to sit in her own seat so I buckled her in and she was again interested in the Sky Mall catalog. The descent was quite smooth; I didn’t feel any pressure in my ears and neither DD or DS seemed bothered by it either. In moments we were on the ground, in Orlando, one step closer to WDW!

DD 'shopping'

You can see a bit of DD's rug burned nose.

I’m amazed to see how dependent we have all become on cell phones. Within seconds of the wheels touching the ground, all you hear are fumbling in bags and then, “Hi. Yeah we just landed. No, taxiing. I have a car service. OK, talk to you later.” My mom was not much better although she did wait until the flight attendant announced that it was okay to use them just as we were arriving at the gate.

And who did she call? No, not the Ghostbusters, but Mom Mom, of course! She heard from my sister; they were on their plane getting ready to take off and still slated to depart on time. Great! After giving a quick rundown of the flight, she said goodbye. We were in the middle-back of the plane and were nowhere near moving out of the plane anytime soon.

DS in his own seat as people exited the plane

I sat DD on my lap and we were watching the activity outside the plane. The baggage cart came over and the handlers were taking the strollers off the plane. I spotted mine and what followed caused my stomach to sink. The woman could not open the stroller; she didn’t see that it was locked and I’m assuming thought something was stuck. Common sense should indicate that you not force the stroller to open it, transport it to the tarmac and allow the owner to take care of it. But noooooooo… she kicked it, picked it up and dropped it, called another handler over and they began prying the stroller open. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I freak out on the plane. “That’s my stroller! They are breaking my stroller!” My mom hands me her camera to take pictures of what we are witnessing but another luggage cart pulls up and blocks most of my view. I got this picture but it doesn’t illustrate what they were doing.

Now, I’m pacing (if one can imagine pacing in the space of an airline seat row) and wishing that the people in front of us would exit the plane faster so I could find out what the condition of my stroller was in. We grab our stuff that was stowed, pick up the kids and off we go. As I exit the handler who had my stroller was telling her supervisor about a stroller falling apart and pointing to mine. I walked right up to the supervisor and explained, well, ranted is a better word what I witnessed and showed the picture that I took. The woman claimed that the stroller just “broke” – they broke the locks off the sides of the stroller and I said that was bc they decided to pry it open and pointed to the second handler. The woman knew that she was caught but in the end they point to the hot pink tag they place on the stroller which says they are not responsible and tell me to, “Have a nice day.” I was not done with this since the idiot handler in Newark was the one who told me to lock it. At the time I didn’t know, but during the course of the trip and since we’ve been back – the back left tire hasn’t been holding air and I’ve had to replace the inner tube – yes, could’ve happened anywhere but the way it was handled I wouldn’t be surprised if it contributed to the problem.

We place DD and DS in the stroller and head to the nearest restroom to change diapers and put DS in shorts. From there it was our first monorail ride! Pop Pop promised DD that she could walk to the monorail despite me wanting her in the stroller through the airport. This would be the first of many overrides I got regarding the stroller and let me tell you, it was super frustrating at times. DS is looking around in awe, taking it all in. DD is laughing and finds the monorail very cool, but she has to stand up like a “big girl” instead of sitting in the stroller or the window ledge.

We timed our arrival with that of the Cheer World competition so there were LOTS of all too perky cheerleaders running through the airport. We spotted a few from NJ and one from Brick – a town 20 minutes south of us.

We detoured to the Continental baggage relations office where I explained what happened a calmer fashion. They had already been notified of it (probably got a call saying some crazy woman was on a crusade about a stroller). I was told again they were not responsible to which I replied that they better think of a better excuse when they start to receive payment for baggage that is checked bc as I see it – if I pay for a service they can’t treat it like a sack of potatoes, especially something that is “Special Handling.” They had no response to that.

My parents persuaded me to let it go and not let it rain on the start of our vacation. I agreed and we proceeded to the Magical Express check-in. However, during our stroll over, it was still nawing at me and my stomach felt nauseous. DD falling out of bed, racing to the gate, and then the stroller had all gotten to me.

We arrived at the Magical Express check-in, and my mom entered the queue. There were a fair amount of people in line. I left a v/m for exDH letting him know we arrived and would call later in the week. After about 20 minutes, we all entered the OKW queue for the bus.
in queue

Apparently when my mom was checking in, there was some confusion since my sister and BIL were using ME earlier in the morning and then 2 different departure dates both using ME. With that all straightened out, we waited for the bus. I’ve used ME before, but my parents have only used it for service back to the airport so they this was a first for them.

DD ran around the stroller while DS watched her and laughed. We watched the Pop Century bus fill up and leave. Then it was our turn. I remembered the ME cast wearing Mickey Mouse gloves to ‘wave’ hello but non were wearing any today. I was hoping to see that again as I thought DD would get a kick out of it.

We waited a bit longer for a few more passengers and then off we went! DS thought it was great to sit on my lap and not be confined to a car seat. He hates his! I knew he would get used to this quickly. When the video began, DS was all smiles, kicking his feet and reaching his arms out towards Mickey and the gang. DD let out a gasp and was actually jumping up and down in Pop Pop’s lap. DS managed to watch the entire video but DD dozed off towards the end of our journey.

First stop – SSR. A few families exited and within 5 minutes we were onto OKW! Just around the corner and we pull through the gates. Aaahhh, home …

 

[MarieFan]

SO irritating about the stroller! I am all frustrated as I read it! I hope your trip turns out fabulous.

 

[Villainess]

SO irritating about the stroller! I am all frustrated as I read it! I hope your trip turns out fabulous.

Oh it does - I hope you continue on the adventure with us! I've already purchased a smaller double stroller for our next trip so I will be able to take the kids to parks by myself if my parents want to stay at the pool or sleep in, Pop Pop wants to play golf, Nonna gets a massage, etc.

 

[Villainess]

We pull up to the Hospitality House and file out of the bus; I guess everyone is staying at POFQ as we were the only ones to depart. We gather our belongings, take small children by the hand, and proceed to check-in.

OKW is my parents' home resort (in addition to SSR, but I've only stayed there once). I really feel like this is 'home' when we come to Disney; it's just this comfy feeling I get.

There were a few families ahead of us, only 1 checking-in, the others either having questions/problems and a few checking-out. To our surprise and delight, our room was ready! We had requested a few buildings on our reservation and for the first time in 15 years of being DVC owners, didn’t get any of them. No problem, though. It forces us to experience a new area of the resort. We got building 33- 3rd floor; ok, so we did get part of our request – we asked for 2nd or 3rd floor. Pop Pop decides to walk the kids in the stroller to our building while my mom and I ride in the golf cart with the luggage. Nonna receives a call from my sister; they landed and were waiting to get off the plane. Her flight was fine and yes, she was calling Mom Mom to let her know they landed! :lol:

We pass Pop Pop and the kids on Penninsular Road; the kids seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere as they walked. We passed a few buildings that were under renovations; they were being painted. A couple of Disney buses drove past – the excitement was building! I couldn’t wait to get to the Magic Kingdom! Within a few minutes, we arrived at building 33. The bellhop unloaded the golf cart and began trekking up the 3 flights of stairs. Yup, no elevator in this building. I’m sure the bellhop is used to it, though as he unloaded the suitcases rather quickly. I was pulling money out of my wallet when I received a call from Garden Grocer. They were on their way to OKW and wanted to know if we had arrived yet. Yes! I gave them our room number and would be there in 15 minutes. This was our first time using Garden Grocer. In the past, we have rented a car for the day we arrive and go to the food store. The cost to rent a car and car seats were just too high, on top of the convenience of ME, we decided to try Garden Grocer. Very happy we did

Pop Pop and the kids arrived in the room. He left the stroller downstairs since we wouldn’t be in the room for very long and he could not carry both kiddos and the stroller up 3 flights of stairs. DD immediately ran around the 2 bedroom, checking out the place. She found the Jacuzzi tub right away and wanted to climb in. Then we showed her and DS our view. We were on the water with a view of the golf course (I think a fairway, but don’t hold me to it as I don’t play golf and have no idea of the technical terms!) They loved it, especially the family of ducks swimming in the water below.

Garden Grocer arrived, and we went through the list of the items we ordered, making sure it was present and accounted for. Everything was there, I signed for it, gave the delivery guy a tip, and off he went. We were putting all the groceries away when Nonna received another call from my sister. They were on ME, almost to the resort. Prior to the trip, there was the possibility that we would already be at the park by the time my sister and BIL got to OKW, but since they landed early and got on ME right away, we decided that we would just wait for them to get to the resort and go to the parks together. It was agreed that everyone was hungry. Do we eat at Olivia’s then head to MK or grab something over at MK? None of could decide (nothing new in our family - you should see all of us sitting in the car at the corner of our street: "Where do you want to eat?" "I don't care." "What about you?" Doesn't matter to me.") so we opted to wait for my sister and BIL to get the room to figure it all out.

With the groceries away, I started to unpack the kids clothes. I was curious as to there condition since I used the travel space bags. I figured they would be wrinkled, but I was again pleasantly surprised that they were in excellent condition. I was just about done unpacking there stuff when BIL and my sister knocked on the door.

DD ran to answer the door with Pop Pop and was stunned to see BIL and my sister there. Her face was priceless; I wish I had the camera ready! It was this puzzled, “How did you get here look?” which grew to a huge grin with hugs and kisses following. BIL put their suitcases in the second bedroom and quickly the conversation turned to food and where to eat. Again, we debated over where to eat until we decided to just go to MK, but we needed to stop at the Hospitality House to get our P&PP tickets and BIL needed to purchase his parkhopper pass. The rest of us already had our annual passes.

We packed up the kiddos, diapers cleaned, Nonna insisting on packing jackets and blankets for them. I opted not to take my tripod with me since I felt like there would be too much to do with the kids and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to use it really. In hindsight, I wish I brought it for the parade and fireworks as my pictures for them came out iffy at best, but maybe next year! We walked up to Hospitality House, Pop Pop ran in and got the tickets. We walked to the bus stop and waited. Within 5 minutes, a MK bus was getting ready to pull in. I took the kids out of the stroller handing one of them to my sister, the other to Nonna, grabbed my diaper bag and camera stuff, blankets and jackets and threw them over my shoulder, and folded the stroller up just as the bus opened the door to let out some other guests. My dad would be carrying the stroller on and off for the trip; when he got to the door, the bus driver quickly directed him to the back door of the bus, stating that it is safer for him and other guests to carry it on from the back door and to request this for our stay. Ok, no problem, it certainly would be easier to not have to worry about him stepping on someone’s foot, etc.

On the bus and off we go! We make the left turn out of OKW. Next stop – Magic Kingdom!

 

[addicted2dizney]

Hi,
just joined in and loving your report so far.
Too funny about the cheerleaders! My DD is an all star cheerleader and as soon as I saw your trip dates I thought to myself... "Cheerleading Worlds!" lol..
Well, you were in good company because just about half of the jersey shore cheers in Freehold and were down there with you! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Villainess]

Hi,
just joined in and loving your report so far.
Too funny about the cheerleaders! My DD is an all star cheerleader and as soon as I saw your trip dates I thought to myself... "Cheerleading Worlds!" lol..
Well, you were in good company because just about half of the jersey shore cheers in Freehold and were down there with you! Can't wait to hear more!

Hi! and Welcome!!!!

My cousin is a cheerleader - I know she does her HS, both football and basketball and I believe all star as well as she is always going to competitions and such. I was too into vacation mode at the time, but I wish I had seen some of the coaches to speak with them and hand out some of my business cards for Cheer bows and Pony O's.

 

[Villainess]

to show you my DD's finished 2nd bday party invites! I finished all 41 of them at 1:25am.

 

[dolfinjuls]

Hi! I'm on board! Loving your trip report so far! Sorry to hear about your grandmother!

 

[dolfinjuls]

And I LOVE the invitations! 41! EEK!

 

[addicted2dizney]

You are sooo crafty and clever! I love your invites! You will have to PM me some information. My DD's gym has a mom in house that makes her bows but maybe I can get the info out to moms who like to purchase special practice bows for their kids!

 

[Villainess]

Hi! I'm on board! Loving your trip report so far! Sorry to hear about your grandmother!

Welcome aboard!!! Thanks, she was a wonderful woman!

And I LOVE the invitations! 41! EEK!

Thank you! Yeah, I know 41 is crazy. I'm being a good exDW and am hosting a joint bday party w/ exDH's family. Yes, I'm nuts.

You are sooo crafty and clever! I love your invites! You will have to PM me some information. My DD's gym has a mom in house that makes her bows but maybe I can get the info out to moms who like to purchase special practice bows for their kids!

Thank you. Invites are the other half of my business. LOL! I will PM you!

Next installment is coming up! I'm organizing pics!

 

[kafitty]

Your kids are SO STINKIN' CUTE!!! And i love your DD's name!

great TR, can't wait to hear more!

 

[Villainess]

Your kids are SO STINKIN' CUTE!!! And i love your DD's name!

great TR, can't wait to hear more!

Thank you and welcome!!!! DD is named after her great great grandmother.

 

[Villainess]

The bus was empty, 2 other families in addition to us. DD sat with BIL and DS with my sister and I. Again, DS was loving the no car seat as was DD! Despite the early awakening, everyone was in good spirits. In no time, we were coming around the bend with the Contemporary in sight, just under the waterway and there it was! Cinderella Castle!

I pointed the castle and Space Mountain out to DS and DD, they were looking around at everything in amazement. DD exclaimed, “Tree!” as she pointed to the topiary-cut trees in front of the Contemporary. Yes, sweetie, a tree and not your average tree, a Disney tree! Heck, I was so excited and then the music began! OMG!!!! There they went and did it! If one couldn’t be excited enough, they go and put the Mickey Mouse Club march on. I wanted to jump out of the bus and run to the gates! LOL! This is also one of DD’s favorites so she starts yelling “Don Duck!” which gets a few laughs from the other families. As she bounces up and down on BIL’s lap, I notice that my sister, Pop Pop and Nonna are all grins. DS has a grin on his face, probably bc of the excitement we all had, but it was adorable nonetheless.

The bus driver dropped us off at the YC/BC bus stop. Pop Pop grabs the stroller, carries it out the back of the bus and sets it up as we get off the bus. DD wants to walk and Pop Pop was ready to oblige when I protested a bit to just let us get to the gates and in the park first. Fine. Pop Pop pushes and promises DD she will get out at the gates. (I guess this is part of being a grandparent?)

As we walked to the entrance, we noticed the increase in crowds from our visit the previous May. However, we didn’t realize when we booked this trip that everyone had this week off for Spring Break. It was also a P&PP night as well, but since most of the crowds would be leaving in the following days, it really didn’t bother us. Having been to WDW many times for Christmas and Easter along with the summer (July 4th included) this wasn’t bad at all. We stopped in front of Pirate Mickey for some cheesy but obligatory photos and then off to the security line.

Pop Pop w/ the kiddos!

BIL walked through the no bag with Pop Pop while my sister, Nonna and I had the bags and stroller checked. Security checked and onto the gates! OK, here is the sappy part. As I pushed the stroller up to the turnstiles, I was overcome with a wave of emotion. My eyes filled with tears, a huge grin on my face, and on the verge of laughing uncontrollably, I placed my AP in the reader and my index finger on the scanner. The CM smiled as she opened the gate for the stroller and said, “First visit?” I nodded and pointed to DS and said 2nd for DD as I pushed them through. My ‘moment’ was interrupted by the “Oh geez, she’s crying already!” comment from my unemotional sister and followed with jests and laughter from Pop Pop and BIL. They didn’t heckle Nonna though as she hid her tears with her sunglasses.

Pop Pop took over the stroller pushing and I grabbed the camera (remember I took 5,000+). Pop Pop made a detour to City Hall where we picked up DS’s ‘My first trip’ pin and attached it to the stroller. The children were awestruck. I don’t know what they looked at first but they couldn’t take it in fast enough. I truly think their heads were spinning and they hadn’t seen the Castle yet!

We noticed Clarabelle and Horace as well as Pluto, Chip and Dale posing for pics. We joined the line for Clarabelle and Horace while Pop Pop ran into the Fire Dept. and purchased 2 autograph books. I pulled the Sharpies out of my bag and we waited for our turn. DS was curious, touching their faces and giving kisses while laughing. DD, on the other hand, was completely overwhelmed. She became apprehensive and scared. In hindsight, Clarabelle and Horace were probably not the best first characters for the DD and DS to see, but we all got caught up in the magic and seeing the characters that we forgot to allow DD and DS to take it all in. After holding DD for some pics, I thanked them and got in line for Pluto.

There were a few children in front of us, not too many, but enough for DS to fall asleep as we waited. Nonna buckled him in the stroller and let him sleep. Meanwhile, I was pointing to Pluto and DD was waving in line and blowing kisses. Yeah! She recognized him and was excited. OK, we’re next. She gets nervous again, so I picked her up and held her for the pic. Afterwards, as we walked away she yelled, “Bye!” and blew a kiss. I wasn’t disappointed, in fact I prepared myself for her to be a bit apprehensive at first, but was hoping that in time she would get comfortable around them.

Poor little man had fallen asleep without seeing the castle, but I wanted to get DD’s reaction to it. Pop Pop had the camera and I told him to snap a picture of her. What did we get – a picture of the castle.

This was DD’s expression once I got Pop Pop’s attention who was already walking down Main St.

Balloons on Main St

After Nonna snapped a picture every 3 feet as she walked up to the castle, we headed into Fantasyland. We still hadn’t eaten and BIL was reminding us, as if the rumbly in my tummy wasn’t enough of a reminder! We decided to eat at Pinocchio’s bc it wasn’t too busy and we were able to find a table relatively quickly. While we were starved, I didn’t want to eat a huge amount as we had ressies at Crystal Palace for dinner later on. I decided on the Chicken Caesar Salad which was good and DD had kids mac and cheese. DS ate baby food but was trying to grab any food he could get. Unfortunately with no teeth, he was quite limited to what I thought he could eat. (He is now 10 mos old with only 2 teeth and eats everything including steak!)

On our way to Pinocchio's my sister and DD stopped to pull out the sword.

We ate relatively quickly and walked next door to “It’s a Small World” making that our first attraction of the trip. This was a break from the usual POTC tradition. BIL is good for one ride on the happiest boat that ever sailed so this would be it!
DD on line

BIL and my sister decided to go off on their own and check out some of the other attractions by themselves.

Chapter 6a: Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth! Part II coming up!

 

[addicted2dizney]

awww... I got goosebumps when you talked about the mickey mouse music! I get all choked up too! Thank God for the Dis! we know we are not alone!

 

[Villainess]

DD was starting to get drowsy so the rest of us decided to walk around a bit and let DS soak up some atmosphere. We headed back to Main St. and City Hall so my parents could renew their DDE card for our dinner tonight at Crystal Palace. The CMs absolutely adored DS and of course, he was being a ham, smiling and flirting with the girls. So, they gave him stickers! LOL! I thanked them and put them away since he would eat them.

It was almost time for the afternoon parade – Dreams Come True Parade – and we followed some of the City Hall CMs outside to catch it. By this time DD was out like a light, but hey she’s had a long day, and it’s only 3pm with a long night to follow. I knew she would get to see the parade during our stay.

We located a spot in front of City Hall, right on the curb which surprised me since it was so close to starting time. DS wanted to get out of the stroller so Pop Pop held him, pointing out trees, the train, etc. He was completely overwhelmed as his smile just grew and grew. And then the music starts! I’ve never heard such squeals come out of him before. Too too cute!

DS was just learning to wave and I’m embarrassed to say, it looked more like a Nazi salute than an actual wave, but when the characters on the floats went by waving to everyone, DS was very proud and happy to ‘wave’ back.

While I watched the parade, I also noticed a gentleman across the street from where we were standing. He was in a wheelchair, obviously physically disabled and from my observations, probably mentally disabled as well. He was in his absolute glory watching this parade. I think if he could, he would have jumped out of his wheelchair, that is how happy and excited he was. As emotional as I was watching the expressions of DS with the characters, I was getting just as choked up seeing the magic that was being spread to this gentleman.

DD slept through the entire parade – and then some! We headed into the Emporium and I purchased DD her Belle costume to wear to the P&PP that night as well as a Mickey, Donald & Goofy pirate tee shirt and shorts set for DS to wear. They didn’t have any costumes his size . We continued our way through the stores exiting at Casey’s and opted to head into Adventureland.

The bumps on the bridge caused DD to stir and she woke up refreshed and wanting to get out of the stroller. Pop Pop immediately complied despite my objection as I assumed we would be stopping in a matter of minutes for an attraction anyway. We did – POTC! Yippee!

Excuse the interruption with a few words from your OP ..

POTC is my favorite ride, even before the movie and Johnny Depp. Despite my love for Cpt. Jack, I was totally against the remodeling and told Imagineer Jason Surrell at a Lunch w/ an Imagineer that I went to w/ exDH (Jason actually told us about the overhaul before it was officially announced; we learned some other interesting tidbits and rumors that later became true, so if you ever have the opportunity to do Dining w/ an Imagineer, I highly recommend it!). I will also add that I dream about Cpt. Jack (hey, every villainess deserves a pirate, right?!) and couldn’t wait until P&PP to ‘meet’ Cpt. Jack (I was getting a pic w/ him and me, then the kids could take a pic if they wanted).

now back to your regularly scheduled trip report ...

OK, back to POTC. In the many months leading up to this trip, I did what every good mother does – teach her DD to say “Yo Ho, Yo Ho” at the sight of anything pirates or Cpt. Jack. We have a picture of the POTC 3 on our fridge and DD points and begins singing. So I was very proud to here her singing “Yo Ho, Yo Ho” as we walked into the queue area. She even swings her arm back and forth!

We waited for 3 boats before it was our turn to board and had the front row! Yes! I had switched lenses on my camera to my 50mm, f/1.8 and was hoping to get some decent pics sans flash and of course of Davy Jones. My attempts – the best of Davy Jones, not too shabby but room for improvement.

Approaching the drop, I made sure that DD, who was seated next to me, was holding on, and that I had a good hold of her. DS was sitting in Nonna’s arms. DD wasn’t scared and laughed during the drop! She continued to sing “Yo Ho” throughout the ride, much to the amusement of our fellow passengers.

As we rode through the fire scene (not sure what the official name of this scene is – a to anyone who knows!) I fought the temptation to call out to George, as he has jinxed previous trips and rides on POTC. I am a believer of George!

We walked over to Frontierland to check out the pins and I found this guy amusing.

It was getting close to our ADR’s at Crystal Palace so we began walking over there. A quick call to my sister informed us that she and BIL were already over there, just relaxing. She would check-in for us. Another phone call. This time on my cell phone. Guess who? Yup. Mom Mom! “What are you up to?” “How is the weather?” “I bet it’s crowded.” “Do the kids like it?” “How is the heat?” And so forth. Nonna takes over the calls where the questions are repeated with the same answers and also some other gossip and news about Grandma. She had a good day today. Good days are hit and miss and when she doesn’t call her sons-in-laws a j@ck *ss and doesn’t need to take morphine, we call it a good day (she also was suffering from early stages of Alzheimer’s).

We waited about 15 minutes for our table to be ready. After settling in and getting the kids buckled in the highchairs, our server takes our drink orders, explains the character route and invites us to the buffet. DD wants to come with me. I unbuckle her, and she wants to walk. OK, but hold my hand. She does. We walked over to the buffet and then she spotted Eeyore. He was at a table we were passing by and DD freaked out. It wasn’t that she didn’t know who he was but I think the size as opposed to TV size got to her. I walked her by and waved to Eeyore, saying hello just so she could see that there was nothing to be afraid of. BIL was already on his way back to the table with a plate full of food by the time I got there. Nonna was behind me followed by my sister and shortly after Pop Pop. BIL was watching DS at the table.

The food was decent. It wasn’t awful (except for the prime rib which was very fatty) but I can’t say it is a favorite of mine. I much preferred the CP breakfast last year and will definitely go back to CP but for breakfast. I’ve never had lunch there, but I’m assuming it is like dinner?

The characters came to visit and DD was still shy, but wanted their autographs. She would hand them the book and pen and even blow them kisses. She just didn’t want to stand next to them. So it showed me that she wasn’t petrified just needed some time to warm up! DS was loving the attention. Piglet even fed him his bottle!

DD participated in the parade and when it was over tried to go over to Pooh who was at another table, but I steered her away since that wouldn’t have been fair to the children he was meeting.

I hit the buffet a 2nd time for dessert and as you can see, DD enjoyed hers very much!

Coming up … DD transforms into Belle and DS is Aarrrgh a pirate, will I swoon at the sight of Cpt. Jack?, how will those P&PP parade and firework pics turn out w/o a tripod?

 

[susieq76]

Love the TR- I'm actually tearing up b/c it is making me remember my DS' first trip and their expressions! Can't wait for more- and sorry about your great grandma!

 

[ty&brenmom]

Love the bows you made for you daughter's hair and the invite so cute.
I am also loving your trip report. One day I am hoping that more of my family will join me at disneyworld

 

[dolfinjuls]

Loved your last installment! You took some really great pics!