WDW Trip Report: Our Disney Year
In December 2008, my wife and I decided to take our daughter to Walt Disney World (WDW) for her second birthday. After a years worth of planning, training, research, and other ups and downs, we are home from the trip.
PRE-TRIP SUMMARY
The pre-trip summary, briefly, goes like this: We picked POP Century (POP) for the price, kid-friendliness, and good reviews. We decided to go while the Holiday events were going on because we never had, and theyre close to our daughters (Rosie) birthday. We trained her with trips to other theme parks (mostly Sesame Place) and other rides and hotel stays (to make sure she could wait well in line, meet large versions of her favorite characters, endure a long day outdoors and in a stroller, etc.). We introduced her to as many Disney characters as we could (thank you, Playhouse Disney and Sing-a-Long Songs DVDs). We booked through AAA, and when it was offered, took advantage of the Free Dining offer (Quick Service plan). I also ordered a few things from Garden Grocer and joined a fridge swap so we could keep snacks and beverages in the room, and so I didnt have to pack diapers and wipes. Lastly, knowing I had to bring her car seat on the plane, I figured out a way to attach it to the carry-on suitcase with bungee cords. That was a nice convenience. If anyone wants to know I managed it, let me know and Ill diagram it for you. I also chose to bring a light umbrella stroller rather than a larger one that would have allowed for more storage and nap-ability. That turned out to be a wise decision given my wifes lift restriction (see below).
We booked three dining reservations: 2 character meals and one other table-service restaurant. We were unsure of our character-interaction chances, so we wanted to make sure Rosie met the Pooh characters (at Crystal Palace) and Mickey and Friends (at Chef Mickeys). We initially booked a fancy dinner at Jiko, but courtesy and common sense prevailed, and we changed it to lunch at the more family friendly Whispering Canyon Café.
A few weeks before the trip, my wife required surgery that almost forced us to reschedule. She was now going to have a lift restriction, which meant she could not pick up a 30+ lb toddler (yeah, shes big). But we decided to keep the trip as is, take it slow, and Daddy would just buy a few bath bombs from Basin for his sure-to-ache back.
The day before departure, we packed up the car while Rosie was in daycare. We put her to bed in comfy PJs in hopes she would just stay asleep at least until we got to the airport at 5:45AM.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 4
The morning of departure, she did indeed wake up when I got her out of bed at 4:30AM, and she stayed awake. We talked to her about where we were going, who we were going to see, and what we were going to do. We flew out of Philadelphia around 7:10AM. This was Rosies first plane ride. We packed a bag full of toys and snacks, so when she appeared antsy, I just grabbed something new. That worked well, and she fell asleep about 90 minutes into the 150 minute flight. She didnt seem bothered by take off or landing at all, which was a huge relief.
We deplaned, changed Rosie into an outfit, and worked our way to Disneys Magical Express for our trip to POP and Rosies first bus ride. She did well except for the last two minutes, which would hold true for every bus ride on the entire vacation (unless she was asleep at destination).
We knew in advance that the first day was going to be rainy, but we hoped it would either be a brief downpour or a light mist. It was neither. A steady, medium-heavy rain welcomed us to Florida and POP. We arrived at the resort around 11:30 in anticipation of either an early park visit or a fortuitously ready room. Neither would happen. After we gathered our tickets from the Online Check-In desk (another wonderful new convenience), we checked our carry-on luggage and went to Everything POP (ePOP) for lunch. Being travel-weary, weather-beaten, and generally cranky, we picked less exciting menu choices so we could share them or get them quickly. I tried the Chicken Parm, which had no cheese except what I decided to sprinkle, but the sauce was sweet-but-not-too-sweet and the chicken was large and prepared well. My wife had the cheesesteak wrap, and she was not overly impressed.
A little later, I met the Fridge Swap moderator and we took care of that situation. But the rain persisted, our room was not ready, and our 2-year old was getting increasingly antsy-pantsy. To make matters worse, the hotel had to remove the giant blocks outside by the drop-off with which Rosie was enamored. We already bought her a Mickey necklace at the store, and she already lost it. By 2:30, our room was not ready and we decided to just don ponchos and head to a park. We chose Disneys Hollywood Studios (DHS) (formerly MGM Studios) since so many of the attractions are indoors.
On the way to the park, I received a text message that our room was ready. We were in the 60s themed building, first floor, close to the pool and lobby/bus stop (room 4101). The ride to DHS was short, and the park was not crowded due to the rain. We decided to go see Playhouse Disney Live (PDL) around 3:30PM. However, we could not go in any of the exhibits or rides with the stroller, and there was no covered stroller parking. So we stood under cover until it was time to go to PDL (where we could park the stroller under cover). Meanwhile, Rosie fell asleep. She was covered, and slept through the rain and all the walking around. We hoped she would wake up in time for the show. She did, barely, but you could tell she was confused. She wasnt upset, but wasnt overly energized when Mickey and friends (puppet versions) arrived on stage. The show was fun and cute, and afterwards Rosie kept repeating, Playhouse Disney Live!! We walked from PDL to a character greeting spot where we knew Rosie could find The Mouse and perhaps run around some, now that she was awake.
When we found him, she got excited but understandably wasnt interested in waiting in line. She was struggling to be put down, and when I did she would attempt to cut through the crowds to get to Mickey. I hadnt yet figured out that I could take her out of his vision and leave Mommy in line. Once I did, character lines were much, much better! When our turn came, I let Rosie walk up to Mickey. Pictures will show she was a little scared, but still approached him. Mickey took it all well, and when her turn was done, she seemed a little perplexed, and uninterested in any other characters (including Leo from Little Einsteins).
Afterwards, we optioned to check in to the room, get settled, and then to go dinner at Downtown Disney (DD). The room at POP was small, with two double-beds, made smaller by the presence of a portable crib, but we stored empty bags and boxes on top of the TV center, the car seat in an otherwise useless corner, the stroller under the sink, and other creative space-optimizing techniques.
Again, we hoped the rain would abate before we left for DD. It refused to do so, so we ate dinner at the first counter-service place we found, which was Earl of Sandwich. That is not a complaint. This place, while crowded, makes wonderful sandwiches and desserts. Rosie was asleep the whole time we were eating, but my wife got a sandwich with turkey, roast beef, and some funky sauce. I had the Jamaican chicken, which had banana peppers and a spicy sauce. They were both excellent and ready quickly. We walked around a couple stores, including purchasing bath products from Basin (which makes really nice soaps and bath salts/bombs) and a hoodie from World of Disney.
Adequately frustrated by the rain, we went back to the room around 8PM. Rosie was awake by this time, ate she some of Carries leftover sandwich and some fruit and other snacks we bought for her. We put her to bed around 10PM, and she cried for a couple minutes but settled down rather quickly. We were all tuckered out, and we knew that the next day would be a long and busy one!
SATURDAY DECEMBER 5
We booked breakfast at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom (MK) for 8:15am in hopes of getting a nice jump on some of the popular rides. It was still raining, which turned out to work in our favor. This day was supposed to be the day of the ABC parade taping, but it was postponed due to the rain. This meant that the park was fairly empty since most people knew to avoid the park (not us; I booked the breakfast before I knew about the taping).
We waited quite a while for our bus and watched several DHS busses come and go. This became a theme throughout the trip: bus transportation was frequent except for whichever park we were headed to. But we made the reservation on time, covering the stroller with a poncho to keep it dry. The rain also prevented us from taking in the beauty of the castle and the decorations, but we would have time for that later.
Our table had some Mickey-shaped foil confetti that Rosie loved. She nibbled on some food and we pointed out the Pooh characters walking around. Carrie and I had nice helpings of the Breakfast Lasagne, which is to die for. And will kill if you eat too much! Its basically layers of pancakes with custard, fruit, brown sugar, and other fattening things.
First to our table was Tigger. Rosie would not look at him. She wasnt crying, but she did cover her eyes to hide from him. She showed no interest in Eeyore when he came by. When Piglet reached us, we figured out that it works much better if we remove her from the seat and let her approach the character. It worked well for Piglet, and worked extremely well for Pooh. She hugged that big yellow bear for a good ten seconds! We stayed long enough to get a second Tigger visit, but she remained uninterested.
After breakfast, the rain was light but steady. We went to Fantasyland and rode the following: Carousel, Its a Small World (IASW), Peter Pan, IASW again (because of the rain, and these two were close to one another and also Rosie asked for IASW, calling it small world after all). We walked past Dumbo (with Rosie point at it saying ride that one!) to get a Fastpass ticket (FP) for the Pooh ride. Surprise! Two FPs for Mickeys Philharmagic also came out! We would use them later as well.
From there, we visited Mickeys Toontown Fair. Rosie made the 35 height requirement for Goofys Barnstormer, and the rain had stopped, so I decided to take her on her first roller coaster. Its a tame, tame ride, but a coaster nonetheless. She seemed to like it, though she didnt react strongly either way. Next, we went to Mickeys house which Rosie wasnt too interested in, but she loved seeing Plutos dog house. Behind the house was the Judges Tent where Mickey could be met. The line was about a half-hour long, and there was no where to take Rosie in the meantime, so we just dealt with her being cranky and impatient. I knew it would pay off.
When we were granted admission, we had Mickey AND Minnie, with only 2-3 families in front of us. When it was our turn, I put Rosie on the floor and she walked to both of them. Finally, we think she warmed up to the large characters. We have some precious pictures from that meeting, as well as some full family shots.
After that, we rode Pooh and went to lunch at the Columbia Harbor House. We all split a tuna sandwich and fish/chicken & chips. I heard great things about this restaurant, but we thought it was just okay. However, it got Rosie to eat fish (and not just lick off the ketchup) so we considered it a win. With the Mickey Philharmagic movie right there, we thought wed take that in and go back to the resort. But everyone was still awake and active, and the crowd was small so we soldiered on.
We parked the stroller in Liberty Square and contemplated the Haunted Mansion, but thought better of it and went to see the Country Bair Jamboree instead. Rosie fell fast asleep, so after the show we parked the stroller near the Liberty Belle so we could see the new Princess Tiana boat show. Rosie slept for a good 90 minutes. Meanwhile Carrie got us some Dole Whip (yum!) and FPs for Jungle Cruise.
After Rosie woke up, we did the following rides, all with great success: Jungle Cruise, Aladdins Magic Carpets, Tiki Room, and the Jungle Cruise again. We agreed that was a packed night, and with waking up super early, it was time to call it a night. We left MK around 5:45 and had dinner at ePOP (I had a yummy Reuben flatbread). Carrie was all done with walking, but I could tell Rosie didnt want to be cooped up in the room. We walked to the Generation Gap bridge, designed to eventually connect the two halves of POP, but since only one half is built, the bridge ended at a semi-circle. Rosie still had a fun time just running around. She would hold out her hand, say, Wait a minute, and then take off. We found an abandoned wheelchair and returned it, and watched some cartoons in the theater (a living room area with fun chairs and cartoons). We returned to the room around 8:30 or 9 and that was that.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 6
We attempted to go to Animal Kingdom (AK) at opening, but we just missed the rope drop show. And since it was sunny for the first time in a few days in Orlando, this park filled up quickly. We have initially hoped to spend all day here, and we were supposed to meet friends from Gainesville, but they were unable to make it and the crowds prohibited too much toddler-freedom.
We started by getting FP for the Safari, which by 9:15 already had a 30 minute wait. We walked through the jungle trek right next to the Safari (kudos to Disney for putting a time-consuming walk-through exhibit by an oft-FDd ride with typically long waits). Rosie loved the fish tank and the bridges, and we were able to give her ample opportunity to run around. We rode the Safari, which is 15-minutes of unpredictable animal encounters. Always fun, always impressive.
After the Safari, we walked to Camp Minnie-Mickey. We thought wed be able to see the Lion King show, but when we witnessed the stable of characters at the greeting lines, our morning was set. There was Donald, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and Thumper and girl bunny (whose name escapes me). We waited for all of them except the bunnies. I kept Rosie busy by looking at the decorations. Each character had its own tree, which was really cute. Rosie found berries, and when she met Chip and Dale, she gave them the berries. They pretended to eat them, and they rubbed their bellies. Priceless. By then, Rosie had the hang of this character greeting thing. After she was done with Minnie (which she decided on her own), she walked away from her saying I go see Mickey!
After that, she fell asleep in her stroller. We had lunch at Flame Tree BBQ, which I love but doesnt have much for those with lukewarm attitudes towards Q. I had the ribs, which were meaty and had a rub that can only be described as expert (brown sugar and spices; how can you go wrong?). My wife had the chicken, which was also very good, and she was able to share it with Rosie who woke up towards the end of the meal.
After lunch, we visited the Boneyard, a play area for kids under 10. That proved dangerous for 2-year olds (unlike some of the other play areas, designed for kids under 5). But we settled into the sandbox (which was more like a small-pebble box) and she played for a while. After that, we met Goofy and Pluto, which ended with a mad dash towards Triceratop Spin (I ride that one, said Rosie). By this time, we decided we were done with the AK. We werent able to stay in one place too long and kill time. The park is just too big to push a stroller with a 2-year old who doesnt want to sit down, and too crowded to let her run around.
We returned to POP, and rested for an hour or so. We planned to meet our Gainesville friends at Downtown Disney around 5, which we did. We dined at Cookes of Dublin for some true British-style fish and chips. I had battered scallops, which tasted good but the first one I bit into squirted out of the batter and onto the floor. After some play at the Lego playground and a walk through World of Disney, we went to POP for an early night.
MONDAY DECEMBER 7
We designated this as our chill day. We had no early plans. We had reservations at Whispering Canyon Café at Wilderness Lodge for 11:55. I had time to do a load of laundry, which was also part of the plan when we packed. But we were all done doing nothing earlier than we thought. We wound up at MK around 10:30, with enough time to walk around Main Street USA and ride the Railroad. At the first RR stop, Rosie clapped and said, Yay, which we taught her to do at the end of rides. But we intended to ride the whole loop. The rest of the trip was tougher, but when we were done we had time to go to WL for WCC.
WCC was fun and filling. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for families with children. Rosie really liked her lunch of mac with cheese and tomato sauce and chicken. I had the skillet, which included a delicious piece of sausage, decent ribs (not as good as FT in AK), and chicken. It was all-you-can-eat, but there was no need for a second serving.
This was also the only day we would be able to see the fireworks at MK, so we planned to spend the rest of the day there. Plus, it was evening Extra Magic Hours, so we knew that if everyone was still going strong at 9PM, we could still ride. At MK, we: met Daisy (getting the last of the Sensational Six out of the way), saw the Monsters, Inc show (Rosie fell asleep in line and napped for an hour afterwards), played in Poohs Playful Spot (we brought an extra outfit for the inevitable soaking), and rode Buzz Lightyear (Rosie controlled the spinning of the car and also commandeered our guns).
During the nap, we experienced a little touch of Disney magic and service. I wanted to buy Rosie a big balloon-in-a-balloon, but we had no cash. We asked the vendor if she took cards. She said no, but to check in City Hall and maybe we could pay there and get a coupon or something. During Rosies nap, I did just that. Instead of asking me for my credit card, they just gave me a coupon for complimentary balloon.
A note about Poohs Playful Spot (PPT): Pooh and Tigger were on hand for pictures, and there were signs posted that they were trying something new. They encouraged a parent to wait in line while the children played in the play area (I assume with another parent). I think most parents had probably been doing that on their own for years, but now they made it official. The trouble was it blocked off half of the play area. We werent interested in meeting the characters, so we were stuck in only a small part of PPT. But we were in the side with the water spouts, so Rosie was plenty happy.
After that, we watched the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It dance party/parade, which was fun. We wound up dancing with Frozone in the street (had we been in the right spot, we would have been able to dance with Mickey and Minnie, but thats ok). We stayed for the castle lighting, had dinner at Pinocchios Village Haus (I had the Mediterratean salad, which was yummy), rode Pooh (with a FP), and settled in for Wishes. Rosies mind was blown when Tinkerbell flew over her head. We watched from the bridge in Tomorrowland, which provided a nice view, wasnt crowded, and wasnt too loud.
Another bit of Disney Magic happened at dinner, by the way, sort of. The CM who wrung up our meal charged it to the room instead of using our meal plan entitlements (even though I told him we had the plan). With a managers help, and after some time, with Rosie screaming throughout the dining room, he refunded the cost of the meals but neglected to deduct the entitlements. I confessed this to the manager, and she said not to worry about it. So we got two free meals.
After Wishes, we rode IASW. By then, regular hours are over, so the crowds thinned enough to ride the Carousel and Dumbo with medium waits. I dont know why, but from the second she saw Dumbo, Rosie really wanted to ride it. Even after Aladdin and Triceratops Spin (which actually do more), and having never seen the movie, she still insisted on riding it. After that, we felt Mickeys Philharmagic would be a good way to close out the evening.
Back to POP, and to bed. The next day would be our last full day, and we had a lot planned
TUESDAY DECEMBER 8
We had reservations for Chef Mickeys 8:35AM. All Im going to say about it is the food was good, but the character interactions and service were lacking. We booked it because we were unsure if Rosie would be able to meet Mickey and Minnie otherwise. But since by this time that desire had been satisfied, these brief visits paled in comparison to the Judges Tent (and what would happen later that day). There were five characters at this meal (M&M, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald), which also meant that there was little time to actually eat between visits. So we didnt have time to get Rosie out of her chair for proper greetings.
After breakfast, we decided we had our fill of MK but needed to visit Epcot. Rosie fell asleep as we approached the Living Seas, so she missed the Nemo ride. We walked around and ended up in England after watching an entertaining performance by a Canadian lumberjack searching for Christmas across the Great White North. She woke up in England, but had no interest in running through the Hedge Maze.
We then backtracked to Imagination and rode the most annoying ride in all of WDW (Journey into Imagination), but Rosie seemed to like it (and the Imageworks play area that followed). After that, we went to lunch at Sunshine Seasons, which has great variety but above all an amazing dessert the Asian chocolate cake. Carrie had Mongolian beef (very salty) and I had sweet and sour chicken (too watery). But the cake made up for it.
After that, I remembered that as Disney Visa cardholders, we were entitled to a special character meet and greet. We found it in one of the Innoventions buildings (I forget which). The cast member was forbidden from telling us who was there, but we were promised a private audience. So we waited 20 minutes in hopes that the characters would not be Bert and a stupid penguin. When we entered the room, it was Mickey and Pluto. We had a good 4-5 minutes with them as they played with Rosie. Pluto got down on all fours, and many hugs and kisses were shared (and many excellent photos were taken). Like I hinted at above, way better than the Chef Mickeys experience.
We were all pretty hot and tired by this point (it was the first warm day of the trip), but on our way out of Epcot we stopped at the new Spaceship Earth. It was pleasant, and the descent which in the past was dull included a little computer game that cracked Rosie up.
Back at POP, Carrie napped and Rosie played in the kids pool (with water spouts) for over an hour. We planned on trying to get back to DHS for PDL, but we arrived too late. We had dinner at the ABC Commissary (chicken curry way too salty) while Rosie napped. We watched some of the Osborne lights, and took in the American Idol Experience finale. Rosie was quite the ham. She entertained older kids behind her with funny faces. The show itself was well done and enjoyable. The finalists could sing and had good stories.
We left right afterwards in hopes of beating the Fantasmic-watchers to the train, but the line was already outrageous. We opted to walk to Boardwalk, let Rosie run around, and then bus to DD and then to POP. Instead, I convinced Carrie to take a cab (several were waiting at BW). It was worth the $10 for the speed and convenience. Once back at POP, we started packing to prepare for
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 9
the sad last day. We reserved this day to make up for things we missed. And as Rosie had been asking for Playhouse Disney Live! since the first day, we decided to make sure we went back to DHS. First we finished packing, had breakfast at POP (chocolate chip pancakes and the breakfast bounty enough food to share among three people).
After checking out and checking in to the resort airline desk (an awesome feature), we headed to DHS. We walked in, surmised that there was no way we could do Toy Story Mania (too long of a wait, and the FPs were too late), went to see PDL, bought some gifts for friends, and left.
We took the boat to Epcot, during which Rosie fell asleep. We walked to Morocco and had lunch in the Tangerine Café. That was the best value for our dining plan the meal rung up to about $40 (the plan is $29/day each had we not received it for free through the promotion). Carrie had the chicken and lamb combo and I had the sliders (chicken, lamb, and falafel). They came with a bevy of side items and were satisfying and tasty. We had baklava for dessert. I said I would have one bite and wound up eating the whole thing.
We walked around the countries in the World Showcase. Rosie woke up around Germany, which is good since I really wanted to ride Maelstrom in Norway. There was no wait, so we rode. Rosie seemed a little scared by the dark, but I think she liked the big splash at the end.
We still wanted her to see the Nemo ride, so we took care of that. We tried to show her the fish in the Living Seas, but she showed no interest. Time was slipping away, so we decided to look at some Photopass pictures, cash in our coupon for a free 5 x 7 (thanks, Disney Visa!) and buy a few others. After that, it was back to POP to say good-bye to Walt Disney World!
ALL DONE!!
This report is long enough, but I will say that going with a two-year old opened a new world of magic for us. Seeing the characters and rides through her eyes made the experience new. And on the airplane on the way home, with about an hour left, she sat up and said, want all done ride! (as if the plane ride was part of WDW). We know she wont remember going, but we have pictures and our own memories. We are trying to keep it all fresh for her by asking her who she met (Mickey! Pluto! Goofy!) and what rides she went on (Small World After All! Elephant!). I think the length of time we went (six days, five nights) was perfect considering we didnt go to any water parks. About a day and a half was lost due to the rain, but we made up for it.
We want to wait until shes five for our next trip. Well see if we can! Itll be hard!!
In December 2008, my wife and I decided to take our daughter to Walt Disney World (WDW) for her second birthday. After a years worth of planning, training, research, and other ups and downs, we are home from the trip.
PRE-TRIP SUMMARY
The pre-trip summary, briefly, goes like this: We picked POP Century (POP) for the price, kid-friendliness, and good reviews. We decided to go while the Holiday events were going on because we never had, and theyre close to our daughters (Rosie) birthday. We trained her with trips to other theme parks (mostly Sesame Place) and other rides and hotel stays (to make sure she could wait well in line, meet large versions of her favorite characters, endure a long day outdoors and in a stroller, etc.). We introduced her to as many Disney characters as we could (thank you, Playhouse Disney and Sing-a-Long Songs DVDs). We booked through AAA, and when it was offered, took advantage of the Free Dining offer (Quick Service plan). I also ordered a few things from Garden Grocer and joined a fridge swap so we could keep snacks and beverages in the room, and so I didnt have to pack diapers and wipes. Lastly, knowing I had to bring her car seat on the plane, I figured out a way to attach it to the carry-on suitcase with bungee cords. That was a nice convenience. If anyone wants to know I managed it, let me know and Ill diagram it for you. I also chose to bring a light umbrella stroller rather than a larger one that would have allowed for more storage and nap-ability. That turned out to be a wise decision given my wifes lift restriction (see below).
We booked three dining reservations: 2 character meals and one other table-service restaurant. We were unsure of our character-interaction chances, so we wanted to make sure Rosie met the Pooh characters (at Crystal Palace) and Mickey and Friends (at Chef Mickeys). We initially booked a fancy dinner at Jiko, but courtesy and common sense prevailed, and we changed it to lunch at the more family friendly Whispering Canyon Café.
A few weeks before the trip, my wife required surgery that almost forced us to reschedule. She was now going to have a lift restriction, which meant she could not pick up a 30+ lb toddler (yeah, shes big). But we decided to keep the trip as is, take it slow, and Daddy would just buy a few bath bombs from Basin for his sure-to-ache back.
The day before departure, we packed up the car while Rosie was in daycare. We put her to bed in comfy PJs in hopes she would just stay asleep at least until we got to the airport at 5:45AM.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 4
The morning of departure, she did indeed wake up when I got her out of bed at 4:30AM, and she stayed awake. We talked to her about where we were going, who we were going to see, and what we were going to do. We flew out of Philadelphia around 7:10AM. This was Rosies first plane ride. We packed a bag full of toys and snacks, so when she appeared antsy, I just grabbed something new. That worked well, and she fell asleep about 90 minutes into the 150 minute flight. She didnt seem bothered by take off or landing at all, which was a huge relief.
We deplaned, changed Rosie into an outfit, and worked our way to Disneys Magical Express for our trip to POP and Rosies first bus ride. She did well except for the last two minutes, which would hold true for every bus ride on the entire vacation (unless she was asleep at destination).
We knew in advance that the first day was going to be rainy, but we hoped it would either be a brief downpour or a light mist. It was neither. A steady, medium-heavy rain welcomed us to Florida and POP. We arrived at the resort around 11:30 in anticipation of either an early park visit or a fortuitously ready room. Neither would happen. After we gathered our tickets from the Online Check-In desk (another wonderful new convenience), we checked our carry-on luggage and went to Everything POP (ePOP) for lunch. Being travel-weary, weather-beaten, and generally cranky, we picked less exciting menu choices so we could share them or get them quickly. I tried the Chicken Parm, which had no cheese except what I decided to sprinkle, but the sauce was sweet-but-not-too-sweet and the chicken was large and prepared well. My wife had the cheesesteak wrap, and she was not overly impressed.
A little later, I met the Fridge Swap moderator and we took care of that situation. But the rain persisted, our room was not ready, and our 2-year old was getting increasingly antsy-pantsy. To make matters worse, the hotel had to remove the giant blocks outside by the drop-off with which Rosie was enamored. We already bought her a Mickey necklace at the store, and she already lost it. By 2:30, our room was not ready and we decided to just don ponchos and head to a park. We chose Disneys Hollywood Studios (DHS) (formerly MGM Studios) since so many of the attractions are indoors.
On the way to the park, I received a text message that our room was ready. We were in the 60s themed building, first floor, close to the pool and lobby/bus stop (room 4101). The ride to DHS was short, and the park was not crowded due to the rain. We decided to go see Playhouse Disney Live (PDL) around 3:30PM. However, we could not go in any of the exhibits or rides with the stroller, and there was no covered stroller parking. So we stood under cover until it was time to go to PDL (where we could park the stroller under cover). Meanwhile, Rosie fell asleep. She was covered, and slept through the rain and all the walking around. We hoped she would wake up in time for the show. She did, barely, but you could tell she was confused. She wasnt upset, but wasnt overly energized when Mickey and friends (puppet versions) arrived on stage. The show was fun and cute, and afterwards Rosie kept repeating, Playhouse Disney Live!! We walked from PDL to a character greeting spot where we knew Rosie could find The Mouse and perhaps run around some, now that she was awake.
When we found him, she got excited but understandably wasnt interested in waiting in line. She was struggling to be put down, and when I did she would attempt to cut through the crowds to get to Mickey. I hadnt yet figured out that I could take her out of his vision and leave Mommy in line. Once I did, character lines were much, much better! When our turn came, I let Rosie walk up to Mickey. Pictures will show she was a little scared, but still approached him. Mickey took it all well, and when her turn was done, she seemed a little perplexed, and uninterested in any other characters (including Leo from Little Einsteins).
Afterwards, we optioned to check in to the room, get settled, and then to go dinner at Downtown Disney (DD). The room at POP was small, with two double-beds, made smaller by the presence of a portable crib, but we stored empty bags and boxes on top of the TV center, the car seat in an otherwise useless corner, the stroller under the sink, and other creative space-optimizing techniques.
Again, we hoped the rain would abate before we left for DD. It refused to do so, so we ate dinner at the first counter-service place we found, which was Earl of Sandwich. That is not a complaint. This place, while crowded, makes wonderful sandwiches and desserts. Rosie was asleep the whole time we were eating, but my wife got a sandwich with turkey, roast beef, and some funky sauce. I had the Jamaican chicken, which had banana peppers and a spicy sauce. They were both excellent and ready quickly. We walked around a couple stores, including purchasing bath products from Basin (which makes really nice soaps and bath salts/bombs) and a hoodie from World of Disney.
Adequately frustrated by the rain, we went back to the room around 8PM. Rosie was awake by this time, ate she some of Carries leftover sandwich and some fruit and other snacks we bought for her. We put her to bed around 10PM, and she cried for a couple minutes but settled down rather quickly. We were all tuckered out, and we knew that the next day would be a long and busy one!
SATURDAY DECEMBER 5
We booked breakfast at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom (MK) for 8:15am in hopes of getting a nice jump on some of the popular rides. It was still raining, which turned out to work in our favor. This day was supposed to be the day of the ABC parade taping, but it was postponed due to the rain. This meant that the park was fairly empty since most people knew to avoid the park (not us; I booked the breakfast before I knew about the taping).
We waited quite a while for our bus and watched several DHS busses come and go. This became a theme throughout the trip: bus transportation was frequent except for whichever park we were headed to. But we made the reservation on time, covering the stroller with a poncho to keep it dry. The rain also prevented us from taking in the beauty of the castle and the decorations, but we would have time for that later.
Our table had some Mickey-shaped foil confetti that Rosie loved. She nibbled on some food and we pointed out the Pooh characters walking around. Carrie and I had nice helpings of the Breakfast Lasagne, which is to die for. And will kill if you eat too much! Its basically layers of pancakes with custard, fruit, brown sugar, and other fattening things.
First to our table was Tigger. Rosie would not look at him. She wasnt crying, but she did cover her eyes to hide from him. She showed no interest in Eeyore when he came by. When Piglet reached us, we figured out that it works much better if we remove her from the seat and let her approach the character. It worked well for Piglet, and worked extremely well for Pooh. She hugged that big yellow bear for a good ten seconds! We stayed long enough to get a second Tigger visit, but she remained uninterested.
After breakfast, the rain was light but steady. We went to Fantasyland and rode the following: Carousel, Its a Small World (IASW), Peter Pan, IASW again (because of the rain, and these two were close to one another and also Rosie asked for IASW, calling it small world after all). We walked past Dumbo (with Rosie point at it saying ride that one!) to get a Fastpass ticket (FP) for the Pooh ride. Surprise! Two FPs for Mickeys Philharmagic also came out! We would use them later as well.
From there, we visited Mickeys Toontown Fair. Rosie made the 35 height requirement for Goofys Barnstormer, and the rain had stopped, so I decided to take her on her first roller coaster. Its a tame, tame ride, but a coaster nonetheless. She seemed to like it, though she didnt react strongly either way. Next, we went to Mickeys house which Rosie wasnt too interested in, but she loved seeing Plutos dog house. Behind the house was the Judges Tent where Mickey could be met. The line was about a half-hour long, and there was no where to take Rosie in the meantime, so we just dealt with her being cranky and impatient. I knew it would pay off.
When we were granted admission, we had Mickey AND Minnie, with only 2-3 families in front of us. When it was our turn, I put Rosie on the floor and she walked to both of them. Finally, we think she warmed up to the large characters. We have some precious pictures from that meeting, as well as some full family shots.
After that, we rode Pooh and went to lunch at the Columbia Harbor House. We all split a tuna sandwich and fish/chicken & chips. I heard great things about this restaurant, but we thought it was just okay. However, it got Rosie to eat fish (and not just lick off the ketchup) so we considered it a win. With the Mickey Philharmagic movie right there, we thought wed take that in and go back to the resort. But everyone was still awake and active, and the crowd was small so we soldiered on.
We parked the stroller in Liberty Square and contemplated the Haunted Mansion, but thought better of it and went to see the Country Bair Jamboree instead. Rosie fell fast asleep, so after the show we parked the stroller near the Liberty Belle so we could see the new Princess Tiana boat show. Rosie slept for a good 90 minutes. Meanwhile Carrie got us some Dole Whip (yum!) and FPs for Jungle Cruise.
After Rosie woke up, we did the following rides, all with great success: Jungle Cruise, Aladdins Magic Carpets, Tiki Room, and the Jungle Cruise again. We agreed that was a packed night, and with waking up super early, it was time to call it a night. We left MK around 5:45 and had dinner at ePOP (I had a yummy Reuben flatbread). Carrie was all done with walking, but I could tell Rosie didnt want to be cooped up in the room. We walked to the Generation Gap bridge, designed to eventually connect the two halves of POP, but since only one half is built, the bridge ended at a semi-circle. Rosie still had a fun time just running around. She would hold out her hand, say, Wait a minute, and then take off. We found an abandoned wheelchair and returned it, and watched some cartoons in the theater (a living room area with fun chairs and cartoons). We returned to the room around 8:30 or 9 and that was that.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 6
We attempted to go to Animal Kingdom (AK) at opening, but we just missed the rope drop show. And since it was sunny for the first time in a few days in Orlando, this park filled up quickly. We have initially hoped to spend all day here, and we were supposed to meet friends from Gainesville, but they were unable to make it and the crowds prohibited too much toddler-freedom.
We started by getting FP for the Safari, which by 9:15 already had a 30 minute wait. We walked through the jungle trek right next to the Safari (kudos to Disney for putting a time-consuming walk-through exhibit by an oft-FDd ride with typically long waits). Rosie loved the fish tank and the bridges, and we were able to give her ample opportunity to run around. We rode the Safari, which is 15-minutes of unpredictable animal encounters. Always fun, always impressive.
After the Safari, we walked to Camp Minnie-Mickey. We thought wed be able to see the Lion King show, but when we witnessed the stable of characters at the greeting lines, our morning was set. There was Donald, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and Thumper and girl bunny (whose name escapes me). We waited for all of them except the bunnies. I kept Rosie busy by looking at the decorations. Each character had its own tree, which was really cute. Rosie found berries, and when she met Chip and Dale, she gave them the berries. They pretended to eat them, and they rubbed their bellies. Priceless. By then, Rosie had the hang of this character greeting thing. After she was done with Minnie (which she decided on her own), she walked away from her saying I go see Mickey!
After that, she fell asleep in her stroller. We had lunch at Flame Tree BBQ, which I love but doesnt have much for those with lukewarm attitudes towards Q. I had the ribs, which were meaty and had a rub that can only be described as expert (brown sugar and spices; how can you go wrong?). My wife had the chicken, which was also very good, and she was able to share it with Rosie who woke up towards the end of the meal.
After lunch, we visited the Boneyard, a play area for kids under 10. That proved dangerous for 2-year olds (unlike some of the other play areas, designed for kids under 5). But we settled into the sandbox (which was more like a small-pebble box) and she played for a while. After that, we met Goofy and Pluto, which ended with a mad dash towards Triceratop Spin (I ride that one, said Rosie). By this time, we decided we were done with the AK. We werent able to stay in one place too long and kill time. The park is just too big to push a stroller with a 2-year old who doesnt want to sit down, and too crowded to let her run around.
We returned to POP, and rested for an hour or so. We planned to meet our Gainesville friends at Downtown Disney around 5, which we did. We dined at Cookes of Dublin for some true British-style fish and chips. I had battered scallops, which tasted good but the first one I bit into squirted out of the batter and onto the floor. After some play at the Lego playground and a walk through World of Disney, we went to POP for an early night.
MONDAY DECEMBER 7
We designated this as our chill day. We had no early plans. We had reservations at Whispering Canyon Café at Wilderness Lodge for 11:55. I had time to do a load of laundry, which was also part of the plan when we packed. But we were all done doing nothing earlier than we thought. We wound up at MK around 10:30, with enough time to walk around Main Street USA and ride the Railroad. At the first RR stop, Rosie clapped and said, Yay, which we taught her to do at the end of rides. But we intended to ride the whole loop. The rest of the trip was tougher, but when we were done we had time to go to WL for WCC.
WCC was fun and filling. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for families with children. Rosie really liked her lunch of mac with cheese and tomato sauce and chicken. I had the skillet, which included a delicious piece of sausage, decent ribs (not as good as FT in AK), and chicken. It was all-you-can-eat, but there was no need for a second serving.
This was also the only day we would be able to see the fireworks at MK, so we planned to spend the rest of the day there. Plus, it was evening Extra Magic Hours, so we knew that if everyone was still going strong at 9PM, we could still ride. At MK, we: met Daisy (getting the last of the Sensational Six out of the way), saw the Monsters, Inc show (Rosie fell asleep in line and napped for an hour afterwards), played in Poohs Playful Spot (we brought an extra outfit for the inevitable soaking), and rode Buzz Lightyear (Rosie controlled the spinning of the car and also commandeered our guns).
During the nap, we experienced a little touch of Disney magic and service. I wanted to buy Rosie a big balloon-in-a-balloon, but we had no cash. We asked the vendor if she took cards. She said no, but to check in City Hall and maybe we could pay there and get a coupon or something. During Rosies nap, I did just that. Instead of asking me for my credit card, they just gave me a coupon for complimentary balloon.
A note about Poohs Playful Spot (PPT): Pooh and Tigger were on hand for pictures, and there were signs posted that they were trying something new. They encouraged a parent to wait in line while the children played in the play area (I assume with another parent). I think most parents had probably been doing that on their own for years, but now they made it official. The trouble was it blocked off half of the play area. We werent interested in meeting the characters, so we were stuck in only a small part of PPT. But we were in the side with the water spouts, so Rosie was plenty happy.
After that, we watched the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It dance party/parade, which was fun. We wound up dancing with Frozone in the street (had we been in the right spot, we would have been able to dance with Mickey and Minnie, but thats ok). We stayed for the castle lighting, had dinner at Pinocchios Village Haus (I had the Mediterratean salad, which was yummy), rode Pooh (with a FP), and settled in for Wishes. Rosies mind was blown when Tinkerbell flew over her head. We watched from the bridge in Tomorrowland, which provided a nice view, wasnt crowded, and wasnt too loud.
Another bit of Disney Magic happened at dinner, by the way, sort of. The CM who wrung up our meal charged it to the room instead of using our meal plan entitlements (even though I told him we had the plan). With a managers help, and after some time, with Rosie screaming throughout the dining room, he refunded the cost of the meals but neglected to deduct the entitlements. I confessed this to the manager, and she said not to worry about it. So we got two free meals.
After Wishes, we rode IASW. By then, regular hours are over, so the crowds thinned enough to ride the Carousel and Dumbo with medium waits. I dont know why, but from the second she saw Dumbo, Rosie really wanted to ride it. Even after Aladdin and Triceratops Spin (which actually do more), and having never seen the movie, she still insisted on riding it. After that, we felt Mickeys Philharmagic would be a good way to close out the evening.
Back to POP, and to bed. The next day would be our last full day, and we had a lot planned
TUESDAY DECEMBER 8
We had reservations for Chef Mickeys 8:35AM. All Im going to say about it is the food was good, but the character interactions and service were lacking. We booked it because we were unsure if Rosie would be able to meet Mickey and Minnie otherwise. But since by this time that desire had been satisfied, these brief visits paled in comparison to the Judges Tent (and what would happen later that day). There were five characters at this meal (M&M, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald), which also meant that there was little time to actually eat between visits. So we didnt have time to get Rosie out of her chair for proper greetings.
After breakfast, we decided we had our fill of MK but needed to visit Epcot. Rosie fell asleep as we approached the Living Seas, so she missed the Nemo ride. We walked around and ended up in England after watching an entertaining performance by a Canadian lumberjack searching for Christmas across the Great White North. She woke up in England, but had no interest in running through the Hedge Maze.
We then backtracked to Imagination and rode the most annoying ride in all of WDW (Journey into Imagination), but Rosie seemed to like it (and the Imageworks play area that followed). After that, we went to lunch at Sunshine Seasons, which has great variety but above all an amazing dessert the Asian chocolate cake. Carrie had Mongolian beef (very salty) and I had sweet and sour chicken (too watery). But the cake made up for it.
After that, I remembered that as Disney Visa cardholders, we were entitled to a special character meet and greet. We found it in one of the Innoventions buildings (I forget which). The cast member was forbidden from telling us who was there, but we were promised a private audience. So we waited 20 minutes in hopes that the characters would not be Bert and a stupid penguin. When we entered the room, it was Mickey and Pluto. We had a good 4-5 minutes with them as they played with Rosie. Pluto got down on all fours, and many hugs and kisses were shared (and many excellent photos were taken). Like I hinted at above, way better than the Chef Mickeys experience.
We were all pretty hot and tired by this point (it was the first warm day of the trip), but on our way out of Epcot we stopped at the new Spaceship Earth. It was pleasant, and the descent which in the past was dull included a little computer game that cracked Rosie up.
Back at POP, Carrie napped and Rosie played in the kids pool (with water spouts) for over an hour. We planned on trying to get back to DHS for PDL, but we arrived too late. We had dinner at the ABC Commissary (chicken curry way too salty) while Rosie napped. We watched some of the Osborne lights, and took in the American Idol Experience finale. Rosie was quite the ham. She entertained older kids behind her with funny faces. The show itself was well done and enjoyable. The finalists could sing and had good stories.
We left right afterwards in hopes of beating the Fantasmic-watchers to the train, but the line was already outrageous. We opted to walk to Boardwalk, let Rosie run around, and then bus to DD and then to POP. Instead, I convinced Carrie to take a cab (several were waiting at BW). It was worth the $10 for the speed and convenience. Once back at POP, we started packing to prepare for
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 9
the sad last day. We reserved this day to make up for things we missed. And as Rosie had been asking for Playhouse Disney Live! since the first day, we decided to make sure we went back to DHS. First we finished packing, had breakfast at POP (chocolate chip pancakes and the breakfast bounty enough food to share among three people).
After checking out and checking in to the resort airline desk (an awesome feature), we headed to DHS. We walked in, surmised that there was no way we could do Toy Story Mania (too long of a wait, and the FPs were too late), went to see PDL, bought some gifts for friends, and left.
We took the boat to Epcot, during which Rosie fell asleep. We walked to Morocco and had lunch in the Tangerine Café. That was the best value for our dining plan the meal rung up to about $40 (the plan is $29/day each had we not received it for free through the promotion). Carrie had the chicken and lamb combo and I had the sliders (chicken, lamb, and falafel). They came with a bevy of side items and were satisfying and tasty. We had baklava for dessert. I said I would have one bite and wound up eating the whole thing.
We walked around the countries in the World Showcase. Rosie woke up around Germany, which is good since I really wanted to ride Maelstrom in Norway. There was no wait, so we rode. Rosie seemed a little scared by the dark, but I think she liked the big splash at the end.
We still wanted her to see the Nemo ride, so we took care of that. We tried to show her the fish in the Living Seas, but she showed no interest. Time was slipping away, so we decided to look at some Photopass pictures, cash in our coupon for a free 5 x 7 (thanks, Disney Visa!) and buy a few others. After that, it was back to POP to say good-bye to Walt Disney World!
ALL DONE!!
This report is long enough, but I will say that going with a two-year old opened a new world of magic for us. Seeing the characters and rides through her eyes made the experience new. And on the airplane on the way home, with about an hour left, she sat up and said, want all done ride! (as if the plane ride was part of WDW). We know she wont remember going, but we have pictures and our own memories. We are trying to keep it all fresh for her by asking her who she met (Mickey! Pluto! Goofy!) and what rides she went on (Small World After All! Elephant!). I think the length of time we went (six days, five nights) was perfect considering we didnt go to any water parks. About a day and a half was lost due to the rain, but we made up for it.
We want to wait until shes five for our next trip. Well see if we can! Itll be hard!!
