A Whole New WDWorld: A March PTR (NEW! 6/27 TR link!)

[PirateKate]

We liked the character breakfast at Ohana several years ago. Then, I discovered the Tonga Toast and real Kona Coffee across the hall and we haven't made it back since. Sorry, boys, you'll have to meet Mickey elsewhere.

Have you given careful thought as to the timing of the ADR? You don't want to have to wake Claire up to go, but you also don't want it to be so late it runs into naptime. Character meals with grumpy babies are not very magical.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Another set of votes for both Chef Mickey's & Crystal Palace... I know that doesn't really help though.

We haven't been to Crystal Palace in a while but will be there for a pre-park opening breakfast on 3/1. I can't wait - we've never done the pre-opening walk up Main Street!

Chef Mickey's has become a favorite for us because Alex always chooses it as his favorite. We let each of the kids choose one (Zach usually picks Teppan Edo). We love it because we can see Mickey & friends without any lines. We'll be there for dinner on 2/27.

What are the dates of your ADRs?

Very cute picture of Claire looking out at the snow!

 

[MeMom]

We haven't been to Crystal Palace in a while but will be there for a pre-park opening breakfast on 3/1. I can't wait - we've never done the pre-opening walk up Main Street!

Jill, Brooklynn, Bella, and I will be in Magic Kingdom for opening on 3/1. We're hitting Dumbo and Peter Pan and then meeting up with some other DISers for a ride on Small World - at least that seems to be the plan as of now. Julie, would that work for you and your mom and Claire? Maybe we could to fill up a Small World boat and say a quick hello that morning? micandminforever will also be there. Possibly Brookelizabeth.

 

[oOJulieOo]

I'm here. So excited I'll get to meet Baby girl on her first trip to the World!

Hi Jill!

It will be so much fun to see you all again!

Brrrr! All that snow sure looks cold!

Character meals? Well, you know we love the Tusker House breakfast and that has Mickey. There is also the Cape May Cafe breakfast -- that might be fun! Of course, there is nothing quite so iconic as Chef Mickey's. Oh, and don't forget the princesses! That would make for some very cute pictures! What about one of the meals in Norway?

All that snow is melting today! It's at the point where it's old and dirty and we need it to melt so we can have some fresh, pretty snow!

That's the problem with Disney World...too many great options. That's not really a problem, huh?

Awww that picture of her standing at the door with all that snow is too cute!!!! I'm sure it was cold outside LOL!!!

As far as Character meals I have done a lot of them and really enjoyed them all...nothing beats a before park opening at Crystal palace (if you are an early riser), but I loved Chef Mickeys and Tusker House also!! Great meals and great interactions!!!

It's actually warmer today, and the snow is slowly melting away. I'm happy to see it go!

I'm starting to think Chef Mickey's is the way to go...

I really would like to do Tusker house at some point too, though.

We liked the character breakfast at Ohana several years ago. Then, I discovered the Tonga Toast and real Kona Coffee across the hall and we haven't made it back since. Sorry, boys, you'll have to meet Mickey elsewhere.

Have you given careful thought as to the timing of the ADR? You don't want to have to wake Claire up to go, but you also don't want it to be so late it runs into naptime. Character meals with grumpy babies are not very magical.

I've heard that Tonga toast is heaven on a plate. Haven't tried it yet, though!

Oh, not only have I given careful thought to the naptime issue, but I have been agonizing over it! I just don't know how to work that out. That's one of the reasons we're keeping ADRs to a minimum. This is going to be my next PTR installment, actually...how to work naps at Disney World! I am clueless!

Another set of votes for both Chef Mickey's & Crystal Palace... I know that doesn't really help though.

We haven't been to Crystal Palace in a while but will be there for a pre-park opening breakfast on 3/1. I can't wait - we've never done the pre-opening walk up Main Street!

Chef Mickey's has become a favorite for us because Alex always chooses it as his favorite. We let each of the kids choose one (Zach usually picks Teppan Edo). We love it because we can see Mickey & friends without any lines. We'll be there for dinner on 2/27.

What are the dates of your ADRs?

Very cute picture of Claire looking out at the snow!

Well, I'm stealing your park schedule from your ADR, so I'm going to be at the parks the same day as you. (much easier to steal your well-researched schedule than to make one of my own! ) So I'm going to have to rework these ADRs accordingly. If I can get a Chef Mickey's ADR that works into our schedule well, we'll do that. If not, it'll be CP for park opening.

I'm so excited that I'll get to meet you!!!

Jill, Brooklynn, Bella, and I will be in Magic Kingdom for opening on 3/1. We're hitting Dumbo and Peter Pan and then meeting up with some other DISers for a ride on Small World - at least that seems to be the plan as of now. Julie, would that work for you and your mom and Claire? Maybe we could to fill up a Small World boat and say a quick hello that morning? micandminforever will also be there. Possibly Brookelizabeth.

That works for us! Just let me know what time and I will see you there. Since I am stealing Amy's itinerary, we will be at MK that morning as well! I can't wait to meet everyone!!!

 

[oOJulieOo]

Okay, so we are the proud holders of 3 ADRs.

One at Crystal Palace before park opening.

One at Chef Mickey's.

And one at Boma.

Not sure we'll keep CP or Boma, but I'm really set on Chef Mickey's now. So I really hope we make it to that one!

Onto the next question(s)...

 

[oOJulieOo]

I have a lot of questions. I hope you all have a lot of answers!

I was going to split this up into a bunch of different posts because I wanted to focus on one thing at a time, but these questions are nagging at me, so here goes...

We’ve done some traveling with Claire in the past, but we’ve always had a car and access to a grocery store while we’ve been traveling. We’ve done many road trips, which are easy. I can shove everything I ever dreamed of into the car and we’re off. We’ve done one plane ride with her when we went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Yellowstone over the summer. We just bought diapers and wipes and all that stuff when we got there rather than traveling with it. Also, we brought her carseat with us to Wyoming because we did a lot of driving while we were there. Disney is a whole new ballgame for us. That brings us to my questions.

1. Carseats. When you go to Disney World and don’t rent a car, is it necessary to bring a car seat along? Babies just ride on grown-ups’ laps on the buses, right? And on Magical Express? Do they use car seats on Magical Express? I can’t remember.

2. Food. Do babies still eat baby food when they’re 11 months old? Claire eats a good mix of baby food and table food right now, but I’m not sure where we’ll be 2 months from now. If she’s still eating baby food, I think I’m just going to order some from Amazon and have it shipped to the resort. We get a lot of Claire’s baby food from Amazon as it is because they have all the organic stuff for way cheaper than we can get it in the stores. Have you ever had anything shipped to a Disney resort before? If so, have there been any problems? We had cases of water shipped for our last trip and it worked out just fine, but it was just water, so if it didn’t arrive, we would have been okay.

3. Diapers. We get Claire’s diapers delivered from Amazon normally, so I think we’ll just have diapers delivered to the resort. It seems crazy to take up the suitcase space for a week’s worth of diapers, so getting them shipped seems more convenient. I’m just worried that something will go wrong and we won’t get the diapers!


Thanks again for your help!

 

[WDWCP96]

Hi!

Carseats- I wouldn't take your car seat along unless you are buying a seat on the plane for Claire. Depending on how full the buses are you can sometimes leave them in the stroller at WDW or just hold her in your lap and fold up the stroller. On ME you would just hold her and the stroller would be put underneath with all the luggage.

Baby food-by 11 months she might be eating more solid foods but the baby food selection at Disney sucks to say the least so I would either do Garden Grocer or the other company so that you have it.


Diapers-Definitely get diapers and wipes delivered as we found out they are expensive. We ran out of wipes at Animal Kingdom and it cost us $3 for a small travel size package to get us through the rest of the day.






Diapers-

 

[DisMomAmy]

We have always brought our carseats & booster seats because we rent a car. Even when we stayed on property, we had rented a car for the first part of our trip. But without the rental car, I would agree that you don't need a car seat for anything unless Claire has her own seat on the plane.

As far as baby food, diapers & wipes go... We never dealt with the baby food issue, but have traveled with diapers & they do take up a lot of space! I would ship them ahead either from Amazon or Garden Grocer. I know GG is good about delivering to your resort right before arrival, but are probably more expensive than Amazon.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Julie, I am afraid I am not going to be any help on any of the questions. I can't even seem to remember what the kids were eating at 11 months old. Apparently, my mind is going in my old age.

 

[oOJulieOo]

Hi!

Carseats- I wouldn't take your car seat along unless you are buying a seat on the plane for Claire. Depending on how full the buses are you can sometimes leave them in the stroller at WDW or just hold her in your lap and fold up the stroller. On ME you would just hold her and the stroller would be put underneath with all the luggage.

Baby food-by 11 months she might be eating more solid foods but the baby food selection at Disney sucks to say the least so I would either do Garden Grocer or the other company so that you have it.


Diapers-Definitely get diapers and wipes delivered as we found out they are expensive. We ran out of wipes at Animal Kingdom and it cost us $3 for a small travel size package to get us through the rest of the day.






Diapers-

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I'm going to look into Garden Grocer and compare the prices to Amazon. Amazon will certainly be less expensive, but we will have to bring diapers and food home with us at the end of the trip because they deliver in such large quantities.

I feel nervous about Claire being on buses without a car seat! New mom-itis I guess? I know I don't want to lug that car seat around with us if I don't have to, though.

We have always brought our carseats & booster seats because we rent a car. Even when we stayed on property, we had rented a car for the first part of our trip. But without the rental car, I would agree that you don't need a car seat for anything unless Claire has her own seat on the plane.

As far as baby food, diapers & wipes go... We never dealt with the baby food issue, but have traveled with diapers & they do take up a lot of space! I would ship them ahead either from Amazon or Garden Grocer. I know GG is good about delivering to your resort right before arrival, but are probably more expensive than Amazon.

Thank you Amy!!!

Claire does not have her own seat on the plane, so we won't need the car seat for that. So we won't need it at all. One less thing to worry about, I guess!

I'm going to check out Garden Grocer prices...

Julie, I am afraid I am not going to be any help on any of the questions. I can't even seem to remember what the kids were eating at 11 months old. Apparently, my mind is going in my old age.

Haha! No worries, Jackie!

It appears that I've gotten the answers I needed!

 

[MeMom]

Jill just buys diapers and mails them to herself at Pop. I don't know if it's cheaper than ordering from somewhere, but I would guess it would be the same or less, and she has only the quantity she needs and wants.

Claire will be eating a good variety of food by then, but getting some fruit cups, bananas, yogurt and whatever you want to supplement would be a good thing. There are places that you can go for some variety from the chicken nuggets, PBJ, and burgers, though. At Sunshine Seasons, she could have potatoes and carrots and rice and such, for example. You'll just have to be a little aware and bring or ship some things to supplement.

Car seats are not even allowed on Magical Express, I don't think, and I have never seen one on any of the buses.

Isn't it fun to be planning this trip with all of this new stuff in mind?
These little bitty people come with a lot of stuff and a big agenda!

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

1. Carseats. When you go to Disney World and don’t rent a car, is it necessary to bring a car seat along? Babies just ride on grown-ups’ laps on the buses, right? And on Magical Express? Do they use car seats on Magical Express? I can’t remember.

Nope! No car seats needed. She will just sit in your lap on all Disney transporattion

2. Food. Do babies still eat baby food when they’re 11 months old? Claire eats a good mix of baby food and table food right now, but I’m not sure where we’ll be 2 months from now. If she’s still eating baby food, I think I’m just going to order some from Amazon and have it shipped to the resort. We get a lot of Claire’s baby food from Amazon as it is because they have all the organic stuff for way cheaper than we can get it in the stores. Have you ever had anything shipped to a Disney resort before? If so, have there been any problems? We had cases of water shipped for our last trip and it worked out just fine, but it was just water, so if it didn’t arrive, we would have been okay.

Both of my girls were completely on table food by 11 months old. They loved the mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza, and mashed potatoes. They shared off my food no matter where we eat with no problems. I do recommend getting a box of the Bibsters. They are disposable bibs so I could just stick one on for the meal and throw it away with the rest of our trash at the end. They come in a box of like 24 for $4 at Walmart. I have never ordered something and had it shipped straight to the resort but I have personally shipped a box of supplies to Pop Century on several occasions with no problems whatsoever.

3. Diapers. We get Claire’s diapers delivered from Amazon normally, so I think we’ll just have diapers delivered to the resort. It seems crazy to take up the suitcase space for a week’s worth of diapers, so getting them shipped seems more convenient. I’m just worried that something will go wrong and we won’t get the diapers!

Once again haven't shipped from Amazon, but anytime we fly I always ship a box down through UPS with diapers, wipes, goldfish, Cheerios, sippy cups. I only carry a day's worth of diapers in my carry on when we fly.

Hope all of this helps a little.

 

[oOJulieOo]

Jill just buys diapers and mails them to herself at Pop. I don't know if it's cheaper than ordering from somewhere, but I would guess it would be the same or less, and she has only the quantity she needs and wants.

Claire will be eating a good variety of food by then, but getting some fruit cups, bananas, yogurt and whatever you want to supplement would be a good thing. There are places that you can go for some variety from the chicken nuggets, PBJ, and burgers, though. At Sunshine Seasons, she could have potatoes and carrots and rice and such, for example. You'll just have to be a little aware and bring or ship some things to supplement.

Car seats are not even allowed on Magical Express, I don't think, and I have never seen one on any of the buses.

Isn't it fun to be planning this trip with all of this new stuff in mind?
These little bitty people come with a lot of stuff and a big agenda!

Thank you MeMom!

It is so much fun to be planning this trip with Claire in mind. And to think that I thought getting ready for a Disney trip was a lot of work before I had Claire!

Nope! No car seats needed. She will just sit in your lap on all Disney transporattion



Both of my girls were completely on table food by 11 months old. They loved the mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza, and mashed potatoes. They shared off my food no matter where we eat with no problems. I do recommend getting a box of the Bibsters. They are disposable bibs so I could just stick one on for the meal and throw it away with the rest of our trash at the end. They come in a box of like 24 for $4 at Walmart. I have never ordered something and had it shipped straight to the resort but I have personally shipped a box of supplies to Pop Century on several occasions with no problems whatsoever.




Once again haven't shipped from Amazon, but anytime we fly I always ship a box down through UPS with diapers, wipes, goldfish, Cheerios, sippy cups. I only carry a day's worth of diapers in my carry on when we fly.

Hope all of this helps a little.

Thank you Jill!!! You are the Disney with babies expert.

How do you address the box of stuff that you send to the resort?

I am definitely adding Bibsters to my shopping list.

It's hard to imagine Claire on all table food, but I know it will happen!

 

[mousescrapper]

Hi Julie...well I found my way over to your new PTR (from Amy's PTR )

I have been there w/ planning a trip in a short amount of time too...it is way doable! Being many times, you know most of the stuff...traveling w/ a child for the first time...that does take some getting used too. Very good friends of mine our vetern Disney travelers and went for the first time w/ their 2 kids last June...and although they enjoyed their trip...it was very different for them.

Going in w/ the right expectations you will have a wonderful trip for you, your Mom and Claire.

I think it is so nice your DH is happy for you to go, even if he doesn't want to.

I have a lot of questions. I hope you all have a lot of answers!

I was going to split this up into a bunch of different posts because I wanted to focus on one thing at a time, but these questions are nagging at me, so here goes...

We’ve done some traveling with Claire in the past, but we’ve always had a car and access to a grocery store while we’ve been traveling. We’ve done many road trips, which are easy. I can shove everything I ever dreamed of into the car and we’re off. We’ve done one plane ride with her when we went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Yellowstone over the summer. We just bought diapers and wipes and all that stuff when we got there rather than traveling with it. Also, we brought her carseat with us to Wyoming because we did a lot of driving while we were there. Disney is a whole new ballgame for us. That brings us to my questions.

1. Carseats. When you go to Disney World and don’t rent a car, is it necessary to bring a car seat along? Babies just ride on grown-ups’ laps on the buses, right? And on Magical Express? Do they use car seats on Magical Express? I can’t remember.

2. Food. Do babies still eat baby food when they’re 11 months old? Claire eats a good mix of baby food and table food right now, but I’m not sure where we’ll be 2 months from now. If she’s still eating baby food, I think I’m just going to order some from Amazon and have it shipped to the resort. We get a lot of Claire’s baby food from Amazon as it is because they have all the organic stuff for way cheaper than we can get it in the stores. Have you ever had anything shipped to a Disney resort before? If so, have there been any problems? We had cases of water shipped for our last trip and it worked out just fine, but it was just water, so if it didn’t arrive, we would have been okay.

3. Diapers. We get Claire’s diapers delivered from Amazon normally, so I think we’ll just have diapers delivered to the resort. It seems crazy to take up the suitcase space for a week’s worth of diapers, so getting them shipped seems more convenient. I’m just worried that something will go wrong and we won’t get the diapers!


Thanks again for your help!

so I know these questions have been answered...I have been there and questioned the same things (w/ the exception of #2)

I agree w/ other posters too.

You will NOT need a carseet at Disney on the DME or the buses. I know it sounds kind of freaky, but she'll be ok If she has her own seat on a plane and if you plan to travel alot I'd recommend investing in a safety belt harness vs lugging a big ol carseat. We have used one for our youngest 2 times now and it is great.

here is a link to the site:

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

check it out!

as far as shipping things to your hotel go for it! We have used Garden Grocer 2 times and it has worked wonderfully for us. Even sent diapers through them too. I'd back some essentials for day 1 in your carry-on and enough for a day and a 1/2 in your suitcase and send the rest. You should be able to call your resort and just inquire about shipping from a company how they would like the address labeled. But it should just be your name c/o the resort and that address.

You should be able to carry a meals worth of baby food through airport security too...which carrier/airport are you flying out of O'Hare or MDW?

I'd plan food for Claire based on what she is eating at home and try to mimic that as close as possible...pack or order snacks, etc she likes eats.

hope that helps.

looking forward to reading along!

Happy New Year!

Scrappie (Julie 2)

 

[oOJulieOo]

Happy New Year!

Today was my day to sleep in. DH was going to get up with the baby while I enjoyed some more precious sleep. But the promise of a new year was too much for me to handle and I got out of bed when Claire started jabbering in her crib and DH is still snoozing peacefully after a fun New Years celebration (photos to follow!).

2010 was a huge year for us, or course, with the birth of our beautiful baby girl. I don’t know that any year can top last year, but we sure are going to try in 2011.

If you know me from past reports, you know that we are a traveling family. DH and I thrive on making traveling plans and traveling to and exploring new and different places. We didn’t do quite as much traveling last year with me being pregnant at the beginning of the year and then taking care of a newborn the rest of the year. This year, however, we get back to it in a big way!

In February, we are planning a ski trip to Park City, Utah. We’ve been going on a ski trip every year since we got married in 2005, except last year when I was pregnant. This year, we return. That means that in the midst of my Disney planning, we are planning for a week in Park City. Making packing lists, deciding where to ski on which days, making a meal plan, grocery list, etc. Sometimes the two trips are getting mixed up in my mind because they are only 2 weeks apart! Another thing about the ski trip: I need to get myself in shape! I am currently in no shape to ski. I have been running 2 to 3 days each week and I begin training for a half marathon today, but my muscles, particularly my abdominal/core muscles are shot! I’m definitley going to need those for skiing. So in addition to half marathon training, I begin strength training today. As soon as DH gets out of bed. (Have you seen the new XBox Kinect thing? We have that and there’s a game called Your Shape: Fitness Evolved that kicks my butt!)

Then, in late February/early March, our Disney trip arrives! Yayayayayay!!! Hey! We’re going to Disney World next month! I’ve been furiously planning this trip since Monday, when I booked it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about Disney World throughout most of the day. I am just so excited!!!

Next, in late Spring, DH, Claire, my parents, and DH’s mom will go to Panama City Beach for a week. My aunt and uncle have 2 condos in the same building, right on the beach, so we’ll be making good use of those! A week on the beach sounds like a little slice of heaven to me right now. And with the grandparents coming along, we will have all the baby-sitting we need so DH and I can have plenty of time to ourselves.

And last, but certainly not least, we’ll go with DH’s family to Yosemite national park for Christmas. We’ll do lots of sledding, skiing, and exploring. Yosemite is where DH and I got married and this will be the first time we return since our wedding. It will be so special to share a Christmas there with Claire!

I feel like my mind is just swimming today, with lots of wonderful things. Life is good!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

All of your travel plans sound great! Yosemite at Christmas sounds wonderful.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I love hearing about all of your travel plans!!! I hope you plan on sharing pictures from all of them!!!

 

[oOJulieOo]

Hi Julie...well I found my way over to your new PTR (from Amy's PTR )

I have been there w/ planning a trip in a short amount of time too...it is way doable! Being many times, you know most of the stuff...traveling w/ a child for the first time...that does take some getting used too. Very good friends of mine our vetern Disney travelers and went for the first time w/ their 2 kids last June...and although they enjoyed their trip...it was very different for them.

Going in w/ the right expectations you will have a wonderful trip for you, your Mom and Claire.

I think it is so nice your DH is happy for you to go, even if he doesn't want to.




so I know these questions have been answered...I have been there and questioned the same things (w/ the exception of #2)

I agree w/ other posters too.

You will NOT need a carseet at Disney on the DME or the buses. I know it sounds kind of freaky, but she'll be ok If she has her own seat on a plane and if you plan to travel alot I'd recommend investing in a safety belt harness vs lugging a big ol carseat. We have used one for our youngest 2 times now and it is great.

here is a link to the site:

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

check it out!

as far as shipping things to your hotel go for it! We have used Garden Grocer 2 times and it has worked wonderfully for us. Even sent diapers through them too. I'd back some essentials for day 1 in your carry-on and enough for a day and a 1/2 in your suitcase and send the rest. You should be able to call your resort and just inquire about shipping from a company how they would like the address labeled. But it should just be your name c/o the resort and that address.

You should be able to carry a meals worth of baby food through airport security too...which carrier/airport are you flying out of O'Hare or MDW?

I'd plan food for Claire based on what she is eating at home and try to mimic that as close as possible...pack or order snacks, etc she likes eats.

hope that helps.

looking forward to reading along!

Happy New Year!

Scrappie (Julie 2)

Hi Julie! Thanks for that link. We definitely need to buy something like that because we have lots of traveling in our future.

We're flying out of Midway. How are they on the baby stuff through security? They were pretty lax about it in July when we flew, but it was just formula that we brought through then. Does baby food count as a liquid? Something to check on.

I'm adding Garden Grocer to my to-do list for today. I'm going to check out diapers and baby food and all that stuff.

All of your travel plans sound great! Yosemite at Christmas sounds wonderful.

I agree...Yosemite at Christmas sounds perfect! I've seen photos of the Ahwahnee all decorated for Christmas and it's absolutely stunning. Can't wait to see it in person!

I love hearing about all of your travel plans!!! I hope you plan on sharing pictures from all of them!!!

Of course i'll share pictures from our travels!

 

[DisMomAmy]

A very exciting year ahead!!

One of the things I used to take with me when I traveled with a toddler was disposable placemats that have tape on the back to stick to the table. I'm a bit of a germophobe so having a clean place for a little one to eat made me feel better.

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

Thank you Jill!!! You are the Disney with babies expert.

How do you address the box of stuff that you send to the resort?

I am definitely adding Bibsters to my shopping list.

It's hard to imagine Claire on all table food, but I know it will happen!

I just address it to the resort and put my name and the date of arrival.