A Mother-Daughter Trip! Now with BONUS BIRTHDAY Trip! (Final Thoughts Coming Soon!)

[RGirl]

Joining the party a little late!

Merry Christmas to you and Willow, Roni. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Welcome! Not late at all - I am just going to start on Day 4 (it's taking me forever!)!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Santa was very good to DD.

Except we are at WL...for now

Hope you had a magical Christmas.......can't wait to hear the NYE "Leap Year Disney surprise announcement"

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw that you had changed again!! What happened???

I hope you had a great Christmas! We had a lot of fun. I didn't know an announcement was coming. Any rumors????

I have enjoyed your TR with your beautiful daughter. I am seriously considering a trip for my dd(9) in May for the RunDisney Event. Only thing is that she will probably leave me in the dust

Great job

Thanks! I am really enjoying writing it. I hope you get to do a mother-daughter trip - it is so fun!

Merry Christmas!

 

[RGirl]

21. Surely We Must Need Another Princess Meal


It was Epcot day!!! We left our villa at about 7:30 to walk to Epcot because we had an 8:20 ADR at Akershus. The boardwalk was pretty darn deserted.

As was the International Gateway.

We were allowed into the park at a little after 7:30. It was cool and foggy, but the empty World Showcase looked beautiful.

Soon we arrived in Norway and checked in at Akershus.

This nice fellow came out to announce our royal family.

And soon we were waiting inside to meet Belle.

DD had a lovely time with Belle. She asked her (again) where the Beast was. This time, Belle told her that he was still sleeping. She also let DD know that she would see her later in France.

Soon we were seated at a table just across an aisle from our table last year. We picked up some food from the cold buffet.

And then Aurora came to visit.

Our server brought out the hot food. (Sorry I didn’t get a pic until after we had served up some of the food.)

The food here is pretty good, but as usual for us on this trip, we just weren’t very hungry for breakfast. Last year, the potato casserole here was so good that I made it for Christmas breakfast at home. This year, it was good, but it wasn’t quite as good as last year.

[Going to have too many pics here - cont. in next post!]

 

[RGirl]

[cont. from previous post]

But the food didn't really matter much as soon Cinderella was by for a visit with DD.

And then Snow White. Why is it that Snow White is always the most interactive and sweetest princess?

Finally, Ariel - who basically did a drive-by - she was out of there so fast, I barely got pictures.

As we were leaving, we passed Belle on her way through the restaurant to take a break. She remembered DD and reminded her that she would be seeing her again in France later with the Beast.

But it was only 9:00 at this point, so we had some FW to conquer!!! As we made our way from Akershus toward The Land, we met up with the Soarin’ mobs. We took it easy, parked the stroller, etc., and still made it to Soarin’ in plenty of time for a nice ride without a terrible wait.

DD enjoyed her first ride on Soarin’ very much. I enjoyed it too (did it last year), but man - can they clean the film or something??? There were huge dust specks in several of the scenes - the experience was still good, but they were a bit distracting. On the way out, we picked up a set of FPs.

From Soarin’, we zipped across FW to Test Track because DD really wanted to try it out, and we wanted to do it now before the crowds got too heavy. The posted wait time was already 25 minutes, although I really don’t think we waited that long. DD loved this ride - it was definitely her favorite Epcot ride. This was my first time on TT as well, and it was fun!

Given DD’s love for TT, we were definitely going to need FPs for later, but of course, our FP retrieval window was not open yet. We headed to SE and had a great ride!

While in line, DD was studying the park map. Man, Disney really is educational! DD really got so that she totally understood the concept of the maps, and she could find her way on them. So cool.

After our ride, we had just a few minutes until we could get our second set of FPs, so we decided to do a little shopping. DD helped me pick out a shirt, and I think we found something for my niece - DD finally has a cousin! While we were shopping, this elderly woman came up to DD and said, “Oh, honey, I am taking pictures of all the little princesses. Can I take your picture?” I thought this was a little odd - I mean, why does a stranger want pictures of my child. I was trying to figure out whether to ask her to move on when DD quite nicely told the woman she did not want her to take her picture - I think DD was annoyed that she was being distracted from her shopping! Later, she did permit ME to take a pic.

When we were done shopping, we grabbed a set of TT FPs.

And then we headed into WS.

Up next: 22. We Give WS Another Chance

 

[bbnursie]

I understand exactly how you feel about a stranger taking a picture of your DD. When we were in Disney while DS was getting his first haircut there were 3-4 people outside the window taking pictures of him through the glass. I never knew he was famous to want to take a picture . At least the lady asked before hand and even better that your DD told her no. What was the lady's response to that by the way?! BTW your DD is so stinking cute!

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like it was a good start to the day. Love all of the pictures with DD & the princesses. My favorite is the one of her & Belle hugging....so cute!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm now all caught up on your trip report. Great job!

Your DD is adorable and I love all of her princess costumes. Smart little girl you have for not wanting a stranger to take her picture.

 

[JanetMom]

Thanks for keeping up with your postings! Love seeing your pics and hearing about Disney as seen through your daughter's eyes.

Only 11 weeks until we arrive at the YC, so your trip report is helping me pass the time and helping me get excited about staying at an Epcot resort.

 

[Cin]

I just love the smiles on your daughter's face! All your pics are so beautiful, WDW is certainly a scenic place every where you look. I'll bet you can't wait to go back.

 

[hstrickland]

Glad y'all had a wonderful Christmas!! We always have our extended family over for Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning it's just us and the grandparents. My sister and her family usually fly in from CT on Christmas Day...busy, busy, busy!! But fun!!

I can't believe how empty EP looked and the Boardwalk!! The morning times at WDW are so peaceful....just love it! Looks like EP wasn't too crowded either. Glad y'all had a nice breakfast. And I'm almost certain that your Cinderella was the same one we had at CRT. I'm going to go back and look at our pictures. Sorry that Ariel was less than charming...she didn't look overly friendly

By the way...Willow looks sooooooo happy in all your pictures!! She was having an awesome time, wasn't she?!

 

[pas130]

YAY new pics. Loved Askerhus BF, and all the Princesses. We are doing CRT this trip, DD4s request. This will be our first time.


Now I want to move back to BC, miss that walk to Epcot

Willow is beautiful and amazing as always

 

[RGirl]

I understand exactly how you feel about a stranger taking a picture of your DD. When we were in Disney while DS was getting his first haircut there were 3-4 people outside the window taking pictures of him through the glass. I never knew he was famous to want to take a picture . At least the lady asked before hand and even better that your DD told her no. What was the lady's response to that by the way?! BTW your DD is so stinking cute!

Yeah, that was very weird! I don't know what people want with pics of other people's kids - it makes me uncomfortable. I can't really remember the woman's reaction - I think she was kind of surprised, but she was pretty nice about it; I kind of laughed and steered DD in another direction. And thanks! I think she's pretty cute myself.

Sounds like it was a good start to the day. Love all of the pictures with DD & the princesses. My favorite is the one of her & Belle hugging....so cute!

That pic with Belle is one of my absolute favorite pics from the entire trip.

I'm now all caught up on your trip report. Great job!

Your DD is adorable and I love all of her princess costumes. Smart little girl you have for not wanting a stranger to take her picture.

Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying the report! Yes, sometimes, I'm really glad that DD always speaks her mind.

Thanks for keeping up with your postings! Love seeing your pics and hearing about Disney as seen through your daughter's eyes.

Only 11 weeks until we arrive at the YC, so your trip report is helping me pass the time and helping me get excited about staying at an Epcot resort.

Oh, only 11 weeks! I'm so jealous!!! I have not been in the YC before, but it sure looks gorgeous from the outside and the pics I've seen. Have you stayed at an Epcot resort before? It's so awesome!

I just love the smiles on your daughter's face! All your pics are so beautiful, WDW is certainly a scenic place every where you look. I'll bet you can't wait to go back.

We definitely can't wait to go back. Kind of sad that we won't be back until 2013 at the earliest. But we have Disneyland to look forward to in just a few weeks and then our first Disney cruise this summer!

Glad y'all had a wonderful Christmas!! We always have our extended family over for Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning it's just us and the grandparents. My sister and her family usually fly in from CT on Christmas Day...busy, busy, busy!! But fun!!

I can't believe how empty EP looked and the Boardwalk!! The morning times at WDW are so peaceful....just love it! Looks like EP wasn't too crowded either. Glad y'all had a nice breakfast. And I'm almost certain that your Cinderella was the same one we had at CRT. I'm going to go back and look at our pictures. Sorry that Ariel was less than charming...she didn't look overly friendly

By the way...Willow looks sooooooo happy in all your pictures!! She was having an awesome time, wasn't she?!

Your Christmas sounds great! It's so fun to be surrounded by family for the holidays.

It was a really wonderful morning at Epcot - so quiet and peaceful that early. I can't imagine not getting to the parks early! Yeah, both Ariels we met this trip were not exactly stellar ambassadors of the Mer-World!

She really did have a great time. She still talks about it every day.

YAY new pics. Loved Askerhus BF, and all the Princesses. We are doing CRT this trip, DD4s request. This will be our first time.


Now I want to move back to BC, miss that walk to Epcot

Willow is beautiful and amazing as always

Is this your first time at CRT or your first time for breakfast there? We love it! But we have only ever done lunch. I know your DD is going to have a GREAT time!

I'm guessing your next update will have you back at the BC.

 

[RGirl]

22. We Give WS Another Chance
And into WS we went! We stopped first at Norway to ride Maelstrom, a first for both of us. Now, usually, when I say “no wait,” I mean that we walked right through the queue and got on. For this ride, there was literally no wait - I mean, we didn’t even wait for the person in front of us to board the boat, because there was no one in front of us! This attraction was EMPTY. But we had fun.

DD spotted this fabulous photo op.

As you know, one of my Epcot goals was actually to try a few of the F&W eats and other well-regarded DIS favorites. We mostly failed miserably, but we did try. Here in Norway, we took some time out to share a cloudberry horn. (Neither one of us had eaten much during the princess breakfast, so we were a little hungry.) This was yummy.

We headed to China and stopped at a F&W kiosk if you can believe that. I ordered the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles ($4.50) here. It was pretty yummy. And it was a very good-sized portion. By the time I had nearly finished it, I finally talked DD into trying it, and even she thought it was pretty good!

We checked out China after this - poked around the shops, etc. And then we saw that Mulan was out (one of the main reasons that we were hanging out in China)! We were the last family permitted to join the line. Phew! Because we were at the end of the line, we ended up chatting with the CM there who was letting people know that the line was closed. He was so sweet - Brandon - he had done the college program and then returned to Michigan, but he got bored there “and there was no castle,” so he came back! He said that he and the other CMs are the only people he knows who go to work to get happy after a bad day.

Anyway, DD had a great meet with Mulan.

We wandered on after that, stopping for a little refreshment.

DD got a frozen lemonade to enjoy, although I did not take a pic of that one! It was a beautiful day!

Eventually, we had reached France for the most important meeting of the trip. For months, DD has talked nonstop about wanting to meet the Beast. So we got in line - there were quite a few people in line already, and there were still at least 20 minutes before he was supposed to appear. But everyone in line was so nice - the people in front and behind us even watched the stroller for us and saved our spot when I had to run DD to the potty. (This is the worst thing about traveling without another adult, but luckily, we were surrounded by such wonderful people most of the time.) Eventually, Belle appeared, and she took pictures with those families content to meet just Belle. Pfft - we were NOT one of those families! (Of course, we had already met Belle twice this trip! ) Then Belle made her way down the entire meet-and-greet line and signed everyone’s autograph books for herself and the Beast. (DD was actually pretty upset that the Beast was not going to sign for himself. Belle explained that he was still working on writing. )

And then, about 10 minutes after the posted time, we finally saw the Beast approaching! We were all so excited! (No one more so than the hilarious lady in line in front of us - she asked me if I thought Belle would be insulted if she asked her to step out of the pic. And then, during her meeting with Belle and the Beast, she did ask her to step out, and Belle said, “You know, he IS married!” ) Eventually, it was our turn, and DD - for all her dreams of meeting the Beast - became pretty intimidated by his size and big claws. She stuck pretty close to Belle during this meeting.

After the Beast, we had one more Very Important Meeting to attend to before we could do anything else. So we headed on over to the UK and found ourselves second in line to meet DD’s beloved friend Mary Poppins. About 10 minutes after we arrived, Mary appeared. DD was very excited to show Mary that she had learned how to snap her fingers by copying Mary. Mary was lovely, but SO proper!

Up next: 23. Soarin’, Veggies, a Meltdown, and Some “Solo” Touring

 

[ZehnJahren]

Aw, great updates! You do have an adorable daughter.

I think that's awesome that your daughter feels empowered enough to say "no" to a stranger; I think many kids would feel like they couldn't or shouldn't say no to an adult talking to their parents. Very cool that she could speak up and say she doesn't want her picture taken.

Looks like you guys are having a GREAT trip!

 

[JanetMom]

Oh, only 11 weeks! I'm so jealous!!! I have not been in the YC before, but it sure looks gorgeous from the outside and the pics I've seen. Have you stayed at an Epcot resort before? It's so awesome!

We haven't stayed at an Epcot resort yet, which is why I'm loving your trip report. It is making me so excited to be there.

We have stayed at WL twice, CR once and I did a solo trip to CSR. Our last family trip was when we stayed at CR. We had an amazing CL room overlooking MK, but when we were visiting the Boardwalk area for a restaurant meal we know that our next stay would be at one of the Epcot resorts. As soon as we set foot on the boardwalk we all looked at each other and said "Next time we are staying here!" The next time was supposed to be in 2013, but we couldn't wait that long, so we had to book for 2012. We booked this trip back on April 9, so it has been a loonnng wait. I can't believe we are down to 10.5 weeks now.

I love the following three pictures. The pic with Mulan is gorgeous, the pic of the drink is something I can't wait to experience for myself, and Mary is my most favourite Disney character. I think I actually sighed out loud when I saw her on our last trip.

You have such a cute daughter, it is great that you captured so many great photos of her and your trip.

[/CENTER]

 

[amandaw]

OMG! Your DD is too cute with her sunglasses on in the picture with Mulan! Looks like y'all had some character meets!

 

[pas130]

Is this your first time at CRT or your first time for breakfast there? We love it! But we have only ever done lunch. I know your DD is going to have a GREAT time!

I'm guessing your next update will have you back at the BC.

It's our first CRT ever!!! And you've figured my changing out You did well at WS I can't get the kids to want to go, BUT we are doing more Epcot time for F&G SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I am in love with Willow such a Princess

 

[RGirl]

Aw, great updates! You do have an adorable daughter.

I think that's awesome that your daughter feels empowered enough to say "no" to a stranger; I think many kids would feel like they couldn't or shouldn't say no to an adult talking to their parents. Very cool that she could speak up and say she doesn't want her picture taken.

Looks like you guys are having a GREAT trip!

Thanks! You know, it's a fine line you walk as a parent trying to teach your kid to respect adults and at the same time speak up when an adult wants to do something that doesn't seem right. I am definitely glad that DD felt that she could opt out of having a stranger take her picture!

We haven't stayed at an Epcot resort yet, which is why I'm loving your trip report. It is making me so excited to be there.

We have stayed at WL twice, CR once and I did a solo trip to CSR. Our last family trip was when we stayed at CR. We had an amazing CL room overlooking MK, but when we were visiting the Boardwalk area for a restaurant meal we know that our next stay would be at one of the Epcot resorts. As soon as we set foot on the boardwalk we all looked at each other and said "Next time we are staying here!" The next time was supposed to be in 2013, but we couldn't wait that long, so we had to book for 2012. We booked this trip back on April 9, so it has been a loonnng wait. I can't believe we are down to 10.5 weeks now.

I love the following three pictures. The pic with Mulan is gorgeous, the pic of the drink is something I can't wait to experience for myself, and Mary is my most favourite Disney character. I think I actually sighed out loud when I saw her on our last trip.

You have such a cute daughter, it is great that you captured so many great photos of her and your trip.

I'm so excited for your trip! You've been lucky to stay at some amazing resorts, but I am sure that you will love being at an Epcot resort! Do that walk to DHS at least once - it is so quiet and relaxing.

I thought Mulan was so beautiful. And that drink was awesome. DD is a fiend for Mary Poppins! She was so excited to meet her. A friend is currently sewing a custom Jolly Holiday dress for DD for her surprise birthday trip to Disneyland - I can't wait for her to see it!!!

OMG! Your DD is too cute with her sunglasses on in the picture with Mulan! Looks like y'all had some character meets!

Thanks! We met every character we saw!

It's our first CRT ever!!! And you've figured my changing out You did well at WS I can't get the kids to want to go, BUT we are doing more Epcot time for F&G SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I am in love with Willow such a Princess

Oh, wow! Your DD is going to be in heaven at CRT!!!!

Hmm, so where are you staying now?

Willow really loves Epcot. She loves the rides, but she enjoys the rest as well. Of course, she LOVES to shop, so there is that......

 

[hstrickland]

Roni...you grabbed some awesome pictures with characters!!! We've never seen Mulan, nor the Beast And don't ya just love Mary Poppins?! We saw her at 1900 Park Fare...she was great! The weather you had was incredible, too!!!

Pas...CRT is a very magical experience. We've done breakfast and lunch and love both Although it is pricey, it's always been worth it to us. Even Stephen, our 10 year old likes it.

 

[pas130]

Pas...CRT is a very magical experience. We've done breakfast and lunch and love both Although it is pricey, it's always been worth it to us. Even Stephen, our 10 year old likes it.

My DS10 wanted to be sure he'd get a sword too

 

[RGirl]

Roni...you grabbed some awesome pictures with characters!!! We've never seen Mulan, nor the Beast And don't ya just love Mary Poppins?! We saw her at 1900 Park Fare...she was great! The weather you had was incredible, too!!!

Pas...CRT is a very magical experience. We've done breakfast and lunch and love both Although it is pricey, it's always been worth it to us. Even Stephen, our 10 year old likes it.

The Beast and Mary Poppins were two of Willow's absolute must-do's for this trip, so this was a very successful day!

My DS10 wanted to be sure he'd get a sword too

I'm sure he will get one! I even got my own wand this last time.