4 Parks + 5 Staples in the Baby's Head = 9 Magical Days!! (9/17 The Last Hurrah!)

[lovedonaldduck]

I am so on the fence with Fantasmic. I'm afraid DD3 would be scared but I'd love to see the show. She didn't care for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin or the Barbossa water screen on POTC, what do you think? Should we hold off until she is a little older?

 

[luckylady]

I am so on the fence with Fantasmic. I'm afraid DD3 would be scared but I'd love to see the show. She didn't care for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin or the Barbossa water screen on POTC, what do you think? Should we hold off until she is a little older?

I would hold off until she is oldr. Although you could get her ear plugs hope there is a late show and she is asleep. That way you get to see it.
Loving the trip ya'll had. Wonderful writing and I can't wait to read more.

 

[thecapells]

I would hold off until she is oldr. Although you could get her ear plugs hope there is a late show and she is asleep. That way you get to see it.
Loving the trip ya'll had. Wonderful writing and I can't wait to read more.

I agree with luckylady.
If your little one scares easy (and it sounds like she does), the Villains get scary.
From Jafar's Snake to the animated villains on the water to the gunfight in Pocohontas to Maleficient's Dragon, it's alot for those who scare easy.
Like I said, my DD4 was in my lap shivering for alot of it.
But we tried to explain to her what was coming to prepare her and we made sure she knew it was all pretend.
That helped a bit and she enjoyed the experience overall.

 

[akayek31]

I didn't know fantasmic had all of that. I am definately going to seeing it next time I am there. I will do it with or without the kids lol.

 

[jmskinner]

I love Fantasmic. You did get great seats with the dining package. We have never tried, but may one day. DH isn't a big fan of the show though.

 

[thecapells]

I didn't know fantasmic had all of that. I am definately going to seeing it next time I am there. I will do it with or without the kids lol.

Oh, it's definitely an awesome show - I'd rate it the best of all the nighttime entertainment at the World.

I love Fantasmic. You did get great seats with the dining package. We have never tried, but may one day. DH isn't a big fan of the show though.

I'm just afraid that with Fantasmic dropping to 2 or 3 nights, seats are much harder to come by.
I've heard rumors of the reserved section being filled with other people on crowded nights.
So I'm not sure if it's still worth it...

 

[thecapells]

And what better way to start a day than with the Mouse himself?
But first we had to get up and that wasn’t so easy.
We got X out of his crib and put him on our bed to get dressed.
But he just curled back up and went back to sleep.

Turns out he wasn’t feeling so well – a bit of a bug I’d guess but more on that later.
He finally awoke and we headed to the bus stop.
We had hoped to grab a “Breakfast Bus.”
That is, sometimes if you are the only one travelling to breakfast at a resort (or if the driver is being nice),
they will drop you directly at the resort.
Back in 2006, we had breakfast at O’Hana and the driver took us directly to the Polynesian.
Unfortunately, we were out of luck and the driver told us to walk from Magic Kingdom.

We followed the path upon arrival and it really wasn’t too bad of a walk.
I’d say we arrived at the Contemporary in less than 10 minutes.
Then it was up the elevators to Chef Mickey’s!!

X was starting to feel a little better – at least good enough for a picture with his sister:

Then we were seated in the back room (we’re now 3-for-3 sitting back here).
We actually like it because it’s not out in the middle of everything.
Once we got settled, I made several runs for food and then Goofy started the character festivities!

And then Goofy went to visit X.
I love this shot because it’s not only got Goofy with his trademark ear pull but X is enthralled with him…

Next up was the #1 Duck himself!

DS and I were wearing our matching Donald v. Mickey shirts so we needed a picture together:

And then X needed a pic with favorite duck!

Chef Mickey was next to make his appearance.
Unfortunately, we had blinking issues.
DD blinked in one and DS blinked in another.
This is the best we could do:

We did get a nice shot of DS and my matching shirts with Mickey but Mom cut my arm off.
In her defense, she was holding X (who had enough of his high chair) and he was squirming all over.

Mickey’s Best Friend wandered by next.
Pluto always seems to interact the best and he usually gets right into the pictures.
That is, he either gets down to the kids’ level or makes sure he’s noticed somehow.
This time he helped DD light her birthday cupcake.

Last up was Mickey’s better half.
She took a pic with the big kids:

And then we had to get a shot of all the girls.

This was our first time at Chef Mickey’s for breakfast.
We had dined here twice for dinner – once earlier this trip and once in 2006.
We enjoyed it a lot for dinner but breakfast was really good as well.
They have the standard breakfast foods that most buffets have but there’s just something about starting your day with the Mouse.
Not to mention Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald.
I mean, we had all the Fab Five pictures complete before we even stepped into the parks!
You can’t beat that.
And then there’s the added benefit of taking the monorail to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop.
If you can’t be already inside the park like the Crystal Palace, this is the next best idea.

And then there’s the entertainment!
Besides the character photos, every 20 minutes or so, they have the Celebrate Mickey parade.
All the kids swing their napkins around, music plays, and the Fab Five parade around in all their glory.
Here’s a quick video of Mickey:


All in all, it was a great way to start off the day and well worth it!
We'll definitely be heading back this way for breakfast.

 

[thecapells]

And now, for the souvenir collectors...

Much like Cinderella’s Royal Table and Akershus in Norway, Chef Mickey’s has a Photo opportunity when you walk in.
Unfortunately, this one is not included in the price but we caved and bought it anyway.
The background is a big plate with Hidden Mickeys on it and you take it upon arrival after check-in.
During your meal, CM’s approach with the entire portfolio and try to tempt you (yeah, I know – it worked).
In our defense, it’s a nice portfolio.
The cover is a nice graphic of the Chef Mickey’s logo with the Mickey and the gang:

The inside starts with a nice stock photo of the Fab Five (with Pluto on all our fours).
There’s even some Mickey waffles in the corner.

You can then slip the picture out of the portfolio and it still has a Chef Mickey’s matting:

And lastly, for those of you who want a nice pic of just the characters:

The next page in the portfolio is where they insert your picture and its once again adorned with food in the corners:

It also comes in a Chef Mickey’s matting:

And can be pulled out of that to show off the nice glossy finish:

I like this picture especially since we can compare it to our 2006 trip when DS was 4:

I kind of miss that Chef Mickey sign they used to place in front of the families.
But I guess this way you can see more of yourself in the pictures.

Lastly, the back of the portfolio comes complete with the song lyrics from the Celebrate Mickey parade.
In addition, you get the recipes for Chef Mickey’s Breakfast Pizza and Shrimp with Tomato Feta Compote.
Enjoy!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.
It’s time to set sail on the high seas for DS’ private excursion!
Stay tuned…

 

[dawnbu40]

It looks like you all had a lot of fun at Chef Mickey's! The family pic is great! I hope X didn't come down with something! Looking forward to hearing about your oldest DS's adventure!

 

[sweetmama]

Poor sweet baby. Did they give him antibotics for the staples. I know they made my daughter super sick one time when she got too hot after taking them a few days.

 

[thecapells]

Poor sweet baby. Did they give him antibotics for the staples. I know they made my daughter super sick one time when she got too hot after taking them a few days.

He was on antibiotics but we think he was also overtired and dehydrated that day.

 

[jmskinner]

Enjoyed your pics of Chef Mickey's. Hope X was ok? I had to go look at our photo, we had the plate in front of us last June. I'm like you, I like the plate in front.

 

[All7OfUs]

Super, super cute pix of your gastronomic experiences at Chef Mickey's! If you have youngins', that's the place to go, for sure!

 

[DSNY4ever]

I just found this one, and what a wonderful trip report! Hats off to "Mom" for all of the wonderful "costume" changes throughout the trip, I especially loved you guys as the Incredibles. And your DD's day at the BBB, was so sweet to see. I have always wondered if that is worth the price, and clearly from those pictures it was worth every penny! And "Dad", you were definitely the highlight of this trip report- your enthusiasm about everything and the big grin on your face in every picture was priceless, I love when I see the parents having just as much fun as the kids, it really makes their experience that much better. What a wonderful memory you and your wife have given your kids

 

[es45]

Great trip report! I've ALMOST caught up but had to post one question:

Did you order the photo and card of Ariel for your DD that I saw in the hotel room pics? My DD5 will be celebrating her birthday at POP soon. It would be the perfect surprise for her if I could snag one. TIA

 

[thecapells]

I just found this one, and what a wonderful trip report! Hats off to "Mom" for all of the wonderful "costume" changes throughout the trip, I especially loved you guys as the Incredibles. And your DD's day at the BBB, was so sweet to see. I have always wondered if that is worth the price, and clearly from those pictures it was worth every penny! And "Dad", you were definitely the highlight of this trip report- your enthusiasm about everything and the big grin on your face in every picture was priceless, I love when I see the parents having just as much fun as the kids, it really makes their experience that much better. What a wonderful memory you and your wife have given your kids

Welcome and I'll definitely pass the kudos along to Mom.
As for my grin - I definitely love these trips as much as the kids.
And I live for the looks on their faces when they see all the surprises I've got cooked up!!
Case in point, another one is coming right up!!

Great trip report! I've ALMOST caught up but had to post one question:

Did you order the photo and card of Ariel for your DD that I saw in the hotel room pics? My DD5 will be celebrating her birthday at POP soon. It would be the perfect surprise for her if I could snag one. TIA

Welcome and glad you're reading.
As for the card, that part is easy.
Make sure you mention on your reservation and again at check-in that it's someone's birthday.
Usually they'll ask who that person's favorite character is and when the birthday is.
Since DD's birthday was a week before, I just picked a day in the middle of our trip.
On that day, your "surprise" should be waiting - it's usually balloons and a signed card.
No cost - just Disney magic!
We've done it twice (this past time and 2006 in DS' 4th Birthday).
No guarantees but I imagine they'll do something for the little one's bday!

 

[TheCapellsMom]

As for my grin - I definitely love these trips as much as the kids.
And I live for the looks on their faces when they see all the surprises I've got cooked up!!

Correction: He loves these trips MORE than the kids- MORE than all of us combined- MORE than is really healthy or sane!!!
However, I must admit that I am also guilty of a fair bit of "DisneyMania" myself so the blame does not belong to DH alone!!!

As for the costume changes, people have told me I am nuts (and I don't deny it) but the reality is that with 3 little kids, we need a change of clothes mid-day anyhow.

There's always spilled drinks, or a leaky diaper, or sitting in dirt, or splashing in puddles. Yeah- that last one is usually me- I love jumping in puddles- and since my family is usually fairly close to me, they are most likely to get soaked in the process!

But seriously- All you parents reading this be warned: if you buy your kids a Mickey ice cream pop they WILL need a new shirt afterwards!!! So you might as well plan for it and make an official "Disney Wardrobe" schedule like we do!!!

 

[thecapells]

After breakfast, DS and I took our leave.
Mom stayed with X and DD to finish up but we had other plans.
After a quick restroom stop, we boarded the monorail.
While we waited, I showed DS how to work the disposable camera we bought him.
I explained he had 27 pics to document his excursion.
He knew what his excursion was already because I wanted to prepare him for it.

So we got off at the Grand Floridian and headed for the marina.
Once there, I checked DS in and gave them my cell phone number in case of emergency.
If you haven’t guessed, DS was about to depart on a Pirate Cruise!!
Mom was dreading this as he would be out on the water for 2 hours without us and she’s paranoid.
I think if it wasn’t Disney, she never would’ve let him go.

After check-in, DS received a Pirates of the Carribbean lifevest and the coolest Mickey Pirate ears!!

The Lady Usepa was basically a ferry decked out with black sails, pirate slogans, and a Jolly Rodger:

The slogans were pretty funny

Then we met Captain Ron.
He seemed like a Jolly Pirate himself and DS was at ease.
We even got him to pose for a parting shot

Captain Ron then gathered all the buccaneers together and explained to the sea of red and white all of the rules.

Several other adult pirates went along to help Captain Ron and each child was given a buddy.
I love the fact that DS (the smallest brigand on the trip) was paired with the largest child there.
That made Dad feel much safer – I even called Mom to ease her mind.

The pirates clamored aboard and prepared to launch their vessel.

But you could see my little guy was still a bit nervous and not sure what to expect as he gave a shy wave…

And before we knew it, the boat headed out and they were off!

Captain Ron was giving out last minute instructions to the crew

And then he gathered them all up together for one big ARRGH!!!
Here’s what they sounded like (if you can ignore the Moms talking in the background):


And then the boat approached the horizon…

And I was left to myself.
I sat for a minute and watched the boat sail off.
There was a nice breeze and it was very calm and I couldn’t believe I was here at Disney all alone.
It was so peaceful.
But I had places to be - my solo excursion was yet to come!
But first, we need to hear about DS’ adventure!
Stay tuned for DS’ trip report complete with his own pictures!

 

[es45]

How perfect; we are considering this for our 2 DDs. Can't wait to read a first-hand account!

 

[dawnbu40]

It must have been tough to let your older kids both go off at different times without you and mom! The pictures you took were great though and I can't wait to hear his tales from his day as a Pirate!