~ A 21 month old, a celebrity sighting, & a whole lotta food~2 week trip~ 2/28 update

[ibedancin824]

Ahhh it seems so relaxing to be able to go visiting all the resorts but it is just wayyy too time consuming if you don't have car \

Great update!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Cool pictures of POFQ! It looks really nice.

I had to laugh at the toy monorail...on one of our trips we ended up getting that for my sister who is obsessed with monorails (and she's 19 now!).

I have never been to the West Side at DTD . Some day I'll have to get over there! Thanks for the pics.

 

[heaven2dc]

Another great installment! I can sympathize with you about the babysitting issue. I was always afraid to ask my mom to watch our oldest ones when they were little but she was in her late 60's and it was hard on her to run after a toddler. My husb was always the one who suggested it on the few occasions we even asked and he made me ask her. Now that I'm a grandma, I have come to realize I don't offer to babysit my granson (who will be 2 next month). My daughter moved in w/me and my gs is here 3 nights a week and it seems as soon as I come in the door, she is handing him over to me saying, "here! you take him!" She is a great mother but the way she says that makes me back off from wanting to watch him. I love being with him but I definitely don't like being taken advantage of - being asked to go along with them on little trips only to be the babysitter. sorry - I'll get off my rant

You are lucky to have your parents along to enjoy the trip with you and spend time with Dylan too. Loved the idea of visiting WDW resorts even if you stay off property - what a relaxing day you had!

 

[cjackearl]

Happy belated birthday to Dylan!

POFQ does look really neat. We nearly spent part of our vacation at POR and I was looking forward to the New Orleans theming.

How fun to get to see a movie in DTD, although I'm pretty cheap when it comes to movie admission. We only pay $4.50 here. I've never seen the Candy Cauldron. Those apples look amazing!

Sounds like Todd had a very nice Father's Day.

 

[LilAnn]

another fun update! I also love visiting some of the other resorts, but haven't been to POR before Great pictures! It makes me want to stay there one day. Can't wait to hear about how Ohana's goes.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Great pictures from Port Orleans! I hardly ever see pictures from there on the TR's I read and I've never been interested in staying there so I didn't look on the Resort Photos thread either. Now I might actually consider it in the future! And that is so funny you sent that teacher to the Crocs store...you SHOULD get commission!

I always end up with late ADR's for Ohana, but I stick with it because it is worth it! I can't wait to hear how it all goes.

I haven't been to DTD at night for almost five years now...it looks so pretty! Glad you guys liked the movie and your parents were able to watch Dylan!

 

[Gabes_mommy]

Great updates!

I love your pictures of POFQ - we have stayed there 4 times and I love it. I am thinking about trying POR for our next trip.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I've gotten caught back up...

First a Happy Belated 2nd Birthday to Dylan...

Second-Congrats on getting to go to DL over Thanksgiving-how fun is that? (I love DL...)

I love the way you went to the different hotels and checked them out...that's one of my favorite things to do to...

Wilderness Lodge is absolutely one of my favorite WDW hotels...in fact we stayed at the GC at DL and even though there is a big similarity-although WL is more rustic and GC more refined...I actually prefer the WL...(we took the tour one morning and the "ranger" said that it was most modeled on the Paradise Inn-the Lodge near Mt. Ranier in Washington...so Pacific NW is right on the money...

I loved your Dad' reaction to the HM...but I'm with you...you cool is that redo...

longing forward to more...

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Great update! I can't wait to hear about your dinner at Ohana.

Thanks for reading!

Great update as always! I too am looking forward to your report on Ohana as I have an ADR there for December.

We had an issue w/ our Ohana ADR....nothing bad, just not what was expected. I think it's in the next update.

Another terrific update!!
How can a disney vacation be topped??
In my opinion, it can't!!!!

I agree with your opinion. Isn't that why we all keep going back?

Wow, POFQ looks pretty neat! I've never been there...just visited POR to eat one night.

We didn't explore POR enough for my liking. I would love to try out a restaurant there sometime.

Ahhh it seems so relaxing to be able to go visiting all the resorts but it is just wayyy too time consuming if you don't have car \

Great update!

I agree with you. We wouldn't do it if we had to rely on Disney transportation. The monorail loop is pretty easy to do, but the rest are pretty spread out. We enjoy all of the different themes that they have created at the resorts.

Cool pictures of POFQ! It looks really nice.

I had to laugh at the toy monorail...on one of our trips we ended up getting that for my sister who is obsessed with monorails (and she's 19 now!).

I have never been to the West Side at DTD . Some day I'll have to get over there! Thanks for the pics.

He loves that toy monorail. It was probably the best $5 we spent on that trip. He still plays with it now that we are home.

The West Side is really fun. DisneyQuest is fun, although it has been a while since we have been there. They have some good restaurants over there. You should definitely check it out.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Another great installment! I can sympathize with you about the babysitting issue. I was always afraid to ask my mom to watch our oldest ones when they were little but she was in her late 60's and it was hard on her to run after a toddler. My husb was always the one who suggested it on the few occasions we even asked and he made me ask her. Now that I'm a grandma, I have come to realize I don't offer to babysit my granson (who will be 2 next month). My daughter moved in w/me and my gs is here 3 nights a week and it seems as soon as I come in the door, she is handing him over to me saying, "here! you take him!" She is a great mother but the way she says that makes me back off from wanting to watch him. I love being with him but I definitely don't like being taken advantage of - being asked to go along with them on little trips only to be the babysitter. sorry - I'll get off my rant

You are lucky to have your parents along to enjoy the trip with you and spend time with Dylan too. Loved the idea of visiting WDW resorts even if you stay off property - what a relaxing day you had!

Your story is the exact reason why I have such a hard time asking for them to babysit. We have friends who really take advantage of their parents and have the attitude that it is "owed" to them. I don't agree with that at all, and that was something I decided before we ever even had Dylan. My parents live about 2 hours away so we don't get to see them very often. Todd's parents live about 7 hours away. We have no grandparents in town to help us out when we get in a jam, so they really do like spending time with Dylan when we are around. I just have a hard time asking them to watch him for a couple of hours so we can have a date night. That's why I was saying I wish they would just offer to do it, because when they do I am SO appreciative! The other part of the problem is that we enjoy spending time w/ our parents, so we prefer to hang out with them when we see them.... I'm sure this will be an ongoing struggle in my conscience.

Happy belated birthday to Dylan!

POFQ does look really neat. We nearly spent part of our vacation at POR and I was looking forward to the New Orleans theming.

How fun to get to see a movie in DTD, although I'm pretty cheap when it comes to movie admission. We only pay $4.50 here. I've never seen the Candy Cauldron. Those apples look amazing!

Sounds like Todd had a very nice Father's Day.

Thanks. Dylan had a lot of fun on his birthday for his little friends.

I think the tickets for movies at DTD was around $8.50. I expected it to be more, so it didn't seem too bad. $4.50 is a great price! This was our first trip into the Candy Cauldron. It will not be our last, that is for sure.

another fun update! I also love visiting some of the other resorts, but haven't been to POR before Great pictures! It makes me want to stay there one day. Can't wait to hear about how Ohana's goes.

The feeling of POFQ and POR is so calm. I think it has to do with the water flowing in the back. We would love to stay here someday.

Great pictures from Port Orleans! I hardly ever see pictures from there on the TR's I read and I've never been interested in staying there so I didn't look on the Resort Photos thread either. Now I might actually consider it in the future! And that is so funny you sent that teacher to the Crocs store...you SHOULD get commission!

I always end up with late ADR's for Ohana, but I stick with it because it is worth it! I can't wait to hear how it all goes.

I haven't been to DTD at night for almost five years now...it looks so pretty! Glad you guys liked the movie and your parents were able to watch Dylan!

For years I have looked at the planning guides for WDW and I have always wanted to stay at POFQ. Not sure why...it is just one that draws me back. We have visited a few times and I still want to stay there.

We usually only go to DTD during the day to shop as well. It has a totally different feel at night.

Great updates!

I love your pictures of POFQ - we have stayed there 4 times and I love it. I am thinking about trying POR for our next trip.

I want to explore POR more. We usually spend most of our visit at POFQ. The buildings at POR are so different than POFQ.

I've gotten caught back up...

First a Happy Belated 2nd Birthday to Dylan...

Second-Congrats on getting to go to DL over Thanksgiving-how fun is that? (I love DL...)

I love the way you went to the different hotels and checked them out...that's one of my favorite things to do to...

Wilderness Lodge is absolutely one of my favorite WDW hotels...in fact we stayed at the GC at DL and even though there is a big similarity-although WL is more rustic and GC more refined...I actually prefer the WL...(we took the tour one morning and the "ranger" said that it was most modeled on the Paradise Inn-the Lodge near Mt. Ranier in Washington...so Pacific NW is right on the money...

I loved your Dad' reaction to the HM...but I'm with you...you cool is that redo...

longing forward to more...

Resort hopping is so much fun. We visited a couple of places on our honeymoon almost by accident. But it started a tradition for us for our future trips that we think is so much fun.

We have stayed once at GC in DL and it was heavenly. I think I prefer the GC to the WL, but it's because I like the Arts & Crafts style so much. We also really enjoyed having that entrance directly into DCA. What a bonus that was!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Great installment! I like going to the various Disney resorts and looking around too. We started to go to the Port Orleans resorts this past trip but ran out of time. Your pictures of the resort are so pretty.

I have the same problem asking my mother to watch my son even though he's now 12 and pretty much takes care of himself. I have always had a problem asking others, even when he was little, to watch him. So, I know where you are coming from. Your parents are very sweet to watch your little man for you.

It's nice that you and the hubby had some time alone walking around Downtown Disney and going to a movie. We usually try to go to Downtown Disney a couple of times....day and night. It's just so pretty at night.

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Great update! We are staying at POR for the beginning part of our trip in December...glad to hear it looks inviting! Are those white chocolate covered apples???? They look AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I think I will be getting AT LEAST one in December!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

What a wonderful finish to your already perfect day. That had to be so enjoyable for all of you. That Dylan is such a trooper. You are lucky with him and you know it.

I too was the same way on asking for babysitting help. I had no family here but as the girls got older they would go and spend a week at a time with them and it was great. Sheri was always real good to ask not assume we would sit. Although I would anytime.

I love to go see the other resorts too. Have to make my decisions of what is to come.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Great installment! I like going to the various Disney resorts and looking around too. We started to go to the Port Orleans resorts this past trip but ran out of time. Your pictures of the resort are so pretty.

I have the same problem asking my mother to watch my son even though he's now 12 and pretty much takes care of himself. I have always had a problem asking others, even when he was little, to watch him. So, I know where you are coming from. Your parents are very sweet to watch your little man for you.

It's nice that you and the hubby had some time alone walking around Downtown Disney and going to a movie. We usually try to go to Downtown Disney a couple of times....day and night. It's just so pretty at night.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who struggles with this. Todd thinks I'm ridiculous because he knows that both sets of our parents would not mind watching him. I just don't want people to feel like I am taking advantage of them...

I really like DTD. I'm not a big shopper but I love shopping there. And the difference between day and night is so huge, that it's nice to experience both. We barely ever go to movies anymore so it was a nice treat to get to go to 2 of them on this trip.

Great update! We are staying at POR for the beginning part of our trip in December...glad to hear it looks inviting! Are those white chocolate covered apples???? They look AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I think I will be getting AT LEAST one in December!

I LOVE white chocolate, and yes those were white chocolate covered apples. They were so tempting...but they were so big that I got intimidated. Silly me. It would have been worth it, even if I felt sick later.

What a wonderful finish to your already perfect day. That had to be so enjoyable for all of you. That Dylan is such a trooper. You are lucky with him and you know it.

I too was the same way on asking for babysitting help. I had no family here but as the girls got older they would go and spend a week at a time with them and it was great. Sheri was always real good to ask not assume we would sit. Although I would anytime.

I love to go see the other resorts too. Have to make my decisions of what is to come.

I think that is a good way to look at it...to ask but not assume. We really don't see my parents that often, and they don't live in town. So it's not easy to just drop him off at their house. He's such an easy kid though, so they never seem to mind when we ask them.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Monday, June 22, 2009

We woke up early today (7:15) because we needed to be leaving by 8:30. You ask, “Why do you think you can leave at 8:30 today, when that has been the goal every day and it has never happened?” Very good question. The answer is because we had an ADR at 9:35 for our FIRST character meal EVER. As in, no one in my family has ever been to any character meal. We have never felt the need since there were never any children around to enjoy it. Now that we have Dylan, I really wanted to have this experience for him to see the characters up close & personal.

Our ADR was for the Crystal Palace at the MK. My original plan was to do the Tusker House at AK but I could not get an ADR there for any day of our 2 week trip. The CP was suggested by many on the Dis, so that was our back up plan. I was a little disappointed because the Tucker House has Mickey Mouse & friends (which are Dylan’s favorites), but he knew about Pooh & friends from watching the show on Disney Channel so it was a good alternative.

We actually left on time (yay!) and drove to the MK. It is the farthest park from our condo so it took a while to get to the parking lot. Once we got there we parked in Pluto and took the tram. There was a very long line for the monorail and we saw that a ferry was pulling into the dock so we headed down to the ferry and were some of the first people on the boat. We walked all the way through the boat until we got to the rope at the front. This allowed us to get some really great pictures on the ride over. Of course, it was so humid that all of our lenses fogged up when started taking pictures, so that was a little annoying.

It felt like the ferry was going slower than normal and then we had to wait for the other ferry to leave the dock before we could pull in. We probably sat there for over 5 minutes without moving. Normally this would not matter but we were really close to our ADR time and I didn’t want to be late. We finally got off the boat and power-walked to the bag check. We got through quickly but by the time that we got into the park it was 9:30. It had taken us an hour to get from our door to the front of the park. I always forget what an ordeal it is to get from the parking lot to the turnstiles. We were hustling to get down Main Street but there were people everywhere. We were trying to weave through here & there but it felt like it took us forever to get to the Crystal Palace. When we got there it was 9:40. Darn it! We were 5 minutes late and there was a large crowd of people out in front of the restaurant.

I got in line to check in and there was a woman in front of me and she was arguing with the CM because she had an ADR #, but he couldn’t find her in the computer. She had a group of 10 people! He kept searching and she kept getting more irate, to the point of yelling at the guy. I felt bad for him. They finally worked it out somehow and I walked up to the window. The guy turned to his supervisor behind him and said, “I found her. Her ADR was for 8:25.” It was now 9:40!! I was so annoyed for the guy because she kept insisting that the mistake was his, and it turns out that she showed up over an hour late for her ADR, and they had 10 people in their group. It amazes me the way that some people act sometimes.

We checked in and waited out front. It was SO HOT and it was only 9:40 in the morning! We were all drenched in sweat and totally miserable. There were so many people waiting outside that there was no shade to stand in. Every time that someone’s name got called to go inside, that group would start cheering really loud. LOL

Dylan had been learning about stairs and he kept going up and down the stairs on his own. We couldn’t get him to stop. It was pretty cute, actually because it was like he was practicing.

They finally called our name and we got inside to the wonderful air conditioning. We have never been in the CP before and we were impressed by how pretty it was inside. I have seen pictures online but they really don’t do it justice.

We were seated on the right side and immediately Dylan sees Tigger & Pooh across the room and gets really excited. That was good news because we weren’t sure how he was going to respond. So we told him that they were all going to come over and say hi to him. He just nodded with wide eyes. LOL

Dylan looking for Tigger

My parents went to get food first and we waited since Tigger was nearby. The CM had given Dylan some string & confetti to play with and he was pretty happy with it. He had been keeping an eye on Tigger at the table next to us, and when it was finally our turn he just started talking to Tigger as soon as he walked up. He didn’t get scared or anything, which was great! Tigger got down on Dylan’s level and they started playing together. Dylan just jibber-jabbered along and Tigger just kept nodding like he understood everything that Dylan had to say. It was so cute.

Look mom, it’s Tigger!

After a little while I told Dylan that he should give Tigger a hug. He leaned right in. I have to say that this next photo of that moment is truly one of my favorites of the whole trip.

My parents came back with their food right then so they were able to take a family picture for us. As he left, Dylan was waving goodbye.

We went to get food next and I was pretty impressed with the selection of food. It tasted pretty good too. The only thing that I didn’t like was the bacon. It didn’t seem to have much flavor to it. But to be honest, I was so preoccupied with Dylan and the characters that I don’t remember much about the food. I took pictures of our plates though, so here they are.

Pooh started to get close and again, Dylan was keeping his eye on him. He came over to our table and got down by Dylan, and Dylan got scared & leaned towards me. Pooh immediately pulled back and stood behind Todd. He waited until Dylan felt more comfortable and started playing with him from behind Todd. Once Dylan warmed up even more, he came around to him and gave him a high 5. He kept playing with him until Dylan wanted to hug him too.

Playing with him from behind Todd.

Piglet was next. Again, Dylan waves but then gets scared. Piglet backed off as well, then started playing peek-a-boo. Dylan loved it and started laughing. He got really happy and hugged him eventually too. Piglet was very sweet and seemed to be really in tuned to how Dylan was responding. He never tried to push him more than he was willing to go.

Playing peek-a-boo

By this point Dylan was really excited about Piglet.

Last up was Eyore. Dylan wasn’t scared this time but he wasn’t overly excited either. I think he was getting it by this point, but he still wasn’t sure whenever someone new came up. The interaction between them was similar to the others and by the end they were friends too.

Our server took a picture of all of us together. I’m so happy that she did this because I realized that we didn’t get many pictures of all 5 of us throughout the trip.

It was time to go but we saw that Tigger was close by and making another round, so I took Dylan to change his diaper in the bathroom while Todd was paying. By the time that we got back, Tigger was walking up to the table. They played again for a bit and then one of the CM’s came up with some signs. They were having a little parade around the room and the kids were encouraged to jump in the parade. Todd walked Dylan around the room with the other kids. Dylan was jumping, skipping, and clapping to the music. The video of this is just precious to me.

Walking in the parade with Todd

A special hug for dad. Sigh…so sweet

All in all, this was a VERY successful meal and one of the highlights of our trip. I have been pretty doubtful in the past about character meals because they are more expensive. After this experience, I’m sure that we will try to fit in at least 1 character meal per trip. It is definitely worth it to have the time with the characters. I’m sure that if Dylan had met them while standing in line, he would not have had the same type of interaction. It was really nice to let him see the characters from across the room and get excited about them before they approached him. Also, we all felt that the food was pretty good and the restaurant itself was such a nice atmosphere. It all seemed worth the extra money that we paid.

Up next, more MK!

 

[funkenzie1]

i think i have been to that bahama breeze place. do you remember if they had coconut onion rings. they were so good.

 

[eecteacher82]

I'm loving your TR!!!! We leave on Friday with our DD who is 22 months old, so I am getting great info from you!!!! Can't wait for more!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

That picture of Dylan and Tigger. OMG. That precious serene look on his face is like 'this is what life is'. Amazing. The others are cute because he is so cute but the one is totally one to keep forever.

I love the one with you and whole family. That is so good to have. I don't think we can ever have enough pictures of all of us together having such a grand time.

I'm sure glad they didn't have your ressie mesed up. We never had one issue during the time we were there. I was very glad.

 

[tinkgurl]

Wow! What a great meal at CP! I just love the pic of him pointing at Tigger, "Look Mom! It's Tigger!" and leaning in to hug him! Those are just so precious.

 

[LKMang]

…delurking…

I love your TR! We are taking my son (who will be turning 1 on the trip!) in December and it is so fun and helpful to read about other families with little ones. We just got our reservations for Crystal Palace and I’m so excited after reading about your experience! I’m a little nervous about how my DS will react to the characters, but it seems like they know when to back off until the kid feels more comfortable.

The pictures you got are just priceless!!! Dylan is such a cutie!