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

[PirateKate]

I always buy trip trinkets from the dollar section at Target, too. They both loved the slinky, which was great, until Carter got one end and Landon got the other and the slinky came to a untimely end. Next time, I think I'll get two of everything.

Most of the more popular toys from our recent trip came from Party City. The best items were two light up spinning toys. One was Buzz Lightyear and the other was Santa Claus. They both liked them a lot. Landon especially liked the Buzz Lightyear one because he could fit all of Buzz in his mouth.

 

[jenjolt]

Woot Woot for one month!!!

I have the Malinda crocs and I adore them!!!! Yours look awesome!!! So comfty!!!!

OOOH I do the same thing with gift cards it is so much fun to feel like you won't have to come up with a lot of money at the last minute!!!

 

[WDWCP96]

Love the crocs!

My mom has that Disney bag and the funny thing is that shel bought it in 1996 when I worked there.

As for toys I would say board books, light up spinning thing, a new small stuffed animal, I usually go for the quieter things when traveling by plane.

Also both of my boys have very sensitive skin and we can't use any of that Johnson and Johnson stuff so you might want to avoid that.

I am so jealous that you only have a month to go. I can't wait for our trip in June but that might because of this snow and being housebound these last couple of days.

 

[DanielleandBrady]

This is a great thread, thank you!! I am new to the DIS board and I am trying to learn as much as I can. DS and I are going to WDW in April 2011..soo excited!!! Can't wait to get to Disney!! Thanks for the information!! Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[mousescrapper]

Hey Julie...now that I got my megga 7 post MK post up I can get caught up w/ everyone else....

Is there anything else we should add to the list? I am sure this list will continue to grow as we count down to the trip. And I'm sure it will grow like a weed when we're actually there!

I am a Disney souvie addict one item we love at Disney for the little ones is the set of character squeezies...they are durable and fun!

When you get on a bus at Disney World, what do you do with the stroller? Fold it up and take it to your seat with you? Fold it up and leave it by the door? I guess I've never paid attention.

I'm the opposite opinion of the other posters, not to be a rabble rouser, but we have always taken the stroller that was part of our travel system. Now, I can't compare it to the umbrella type stroller, because I have no experience with that.

Is it bulkier on the bus? Yes. But is it worth it's weight in gold as far as your kiddo being comfortable? Oh, yes. I remember when Nemo was little, how comfortable that was for him to nap in, how much I could fit in the bottom basket, just how much easier it was to have that stroller we were used to.

Ok Julie the great stroller debate...we've all been there and I agree w/ TarzansKat. Untill just this past trip we have done the larger "bulky" stroller for our youngest. and the youngest I ever traveled w/ to Disney was 18 mo. granted I had a family of 5 or 6 stuff in there too...but to have the extra space underneath, more shade on the top and the recline for naps is a MUST! Yes it can be tricky on off buses (you need to do it yourself) but you are not alone...you won't be the only guest on the bus w/ a bulky stroller, some have two...who cares if you get dirty looks...stare back Most people get it, come on Disney = little kids. I'd bring what you think will make your time more managable and comfortable for you and Clarie and not based on the bus ride...ok that is my 2 cents.

Good morning everyone! And what a good morning it is. The sun is shining for the first time in several days, I have all the curtains open, letting the sunshine fill the house, and we have only one short month until we go to Disney World! Dance with me!


sun dance YEAH! it was a nice treat this morning huh?

The California Baby stuff is what we used last summer. It's supposedly all natural and Claire's skin had no reaction to it. However, I don't know just how well this will protect her against the sun. While we used it all of last summer, we also kept her covered while in the sun, so she didn't really have a chance to burn. We haven't tried the Johnson's or the Water Babies, but I think these will provide better protection against the sun. Water Babies is what I use for myself and it's great. I'm going to try these on her before the trip to see if she has a reaction.


just to throw another option out there for you...my NR has chronic excema that flares up even in heat...we use Aveeno Baby continuous Protection Sunblock lotion SPF 55, it's a bit much for 4 oz...but works really well for us. also I like for a spreay version Neutrogena waterguard kids sunblock mist SPF 70+

My next task is to begin buying little toys and things that will keep Claire occupied on the flights. I plan to hit the Target dollar section later today as they seem to have a lot of that sort of thing. Any ideas of things I can buy for this purpose?

anything non noisy is my rule of thumb, sorry that isn't very helpful...but something that will grab her attention something that lights up maybe w/out music or an off swtich for sound...good luck.

 

[TarzansKat]

I love a mom who knows the value of a good drink coupon.

Those spoons from Walgreens are cute, I may have to check those out.

Glad to hear it's sunnier in your world! We are getting positively dumped on with snow here in New England, and, I don't mean this any other way but literally, we are running out of places to put it.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Yeay for one month and the beginnings of the packing!!!

 

[hollisterluva92]

Yay for one month! I'm finally caught up from the last 3 updates and just let me say, I LOVE Claire's outfits! They are so cute! I would definitely agree with everyone on bringing the umbrella stroller! I remember in April I would feel sooo bad for the families who brought the whole travel system onto the busses. I had to hold someones baby girl because the poor mom was all alone and she had to hold onto the infant car seat and the stroller. Love all of your updates! Oh! And I love the crocs! I have to wear kids shoes and I have the girls version of those and I LOVE them!

 

[oOJulieOo]

I thought I subscribed to your PTR when I first found it but I guess not. I was really behind but I'm now all caught up!

I really like the boat ride to DTD and Earl of Sandwich is delicious. Hall of Presidents is on our must do list too. I'm praying for your family as you make the Switzerland decision.

Claire is such a cutie!

I keep doing that...thinking I'm subscribed to PTRs/TRs and then realizing much later that I'm not.

I'm going to have a look at the Earl of Sandwich menu tonight, maybe make some decisions on what I'll order. In any other world but Disney, I think it would be crazy to decide what I'm eating a month in advance!

I always buy trip trinkets from the dollar section at Target, too. They both loved the slinky, which was great, until Carter got one end and Landon got the other and the slinky came to a untimely end. Next time, I think I'll get two of everything.

Most of the more popular toys from our recent trip came from Party City. The best items were two light up spinning toys. One was Buzz Lightyear and the other was Santa Claus. They both liked them a lot. Landon especially liked the Buzz Lightyear one because he could fit all of Buzz in his mouth.

Oh! Light up toys! Good idea!

Poor slinky!

I'm going to check out party city. There's one right near my clinic. Thanks!

Woot Woot for one month!!!

I have the Malinda crocs and I adore them!!!! Yours look awesome!!! So comfty!!!!

OOOH I do the same thing with gift cards it is so much fun to feel like you won't have to come up with a lot of money at the last minute!!!

Were the Malinda crocs good at Disney World? Which color do you have? I kind of want more!

Love the crocs!

My mom has that Disney bag and the funny thing is that shel bought it in 1996 when I worked there.

As for toys I would say board books, light up spinning thing, a new small stuffed animal, I usually go for the quieter things when traveling by plane.

Also both of my boys have very sensitive skin and we can't use any of that Johnson and Johnson stuff so you might want to avoid that.

I am so jealous that you only have a month to go. I can't wait for our trip in June but that might because of this snow and being housebound these last couple of days.

I've had that bag for a long time, since before I was married. So at least 5 years, probably about 8 years. I guess it's a classic!

about the Johnson and Johnson. Maybe I'll just pass that one along and not even try it on Claire.

I found some Disney board books in the Target dollar spot yesterday. Good thinking with the quiet toys!

Well, when you're on your trip in June, I will be jealous because my trip will have long since passed us by!

This is a great thread, thank you!! I am new to the DIS board and I am trying to learn as much as I can. DS and I are going to WDW in April 2011..soo excited!!! Can't wait to get to Disney!! Thanks for the information!! Can't wait to read more!!!

Thanks and welcome to the DIS boards! I hope you like it as much as I do. I have learned so much here.

Yay for a trip with your DS!!! How old is he?

Hey Julie...now that I got my megga 7 post MK post up I can get caught up w/ everyone else....



I am a Disney souvie addict one item we love at Disney for the little ones is the set of character squeezies...they are durable and fun!





Ok Julie the great stroller debate...we've all been there and I agree w/ TarzansKat. Untill just this past trip we have done the larger "bulky" stroller for our youngest. and the youngest I ever traveled w/ to Disney was 18 mo. granted I had a family of 5 or 6 stuff in there too...but to have the extra space underneath, more shade on the top and the recline for naps is a MUST! Yes it can be tricky on off buses (you need to do it yourself) but you are not alone...you won't be the only guest on the bus w/ a bulky stroller, some have two...who cares if you get dirty looks...stare back Most people get it, come on Disney = little kids. I'd bring what you think will make your time more managable and comfortable for you and Clarie and not based on the bus ride...ok that is my 2 cents.



anything non noisy is my rule of thumb, sorry that isn't very helpful...but something that will grab her attention something that lights up maybe w/out music or an off swtich for sound...good luck.

On the contrary, the tip about choosing non-noisy toys is VERY helpful. I might not have thought of that. And then we would have had a bunch of our airplane neighbors annoyed with us!

I bought some accessories for my stroller yesterday to make it more like the big stroller. I have a thing that attaches and holds a sippy cup and a snack trap and also something that I can attach to the handles to hold my drinks and some other things. The umbrella-type stroller that I have does recline, so hopefully with these new accessories, we'll be okay. I'm going to use it while we're on our ski trip and I'll make the final decision then.

NOw, I need to go back over to your TR and read this mega update!

I love a mom who knows the value of a good drink coupon.

Those spoons from Walgreens are cute, I may have to check those out.

Glad to hear it's sunnier in your world! We are getting positively dumped on with snow here in New England, and, I don't mean this any other way but literally, we are running out of places to put it.

It's funny...we have a whole file folder full of those drink coupons because we generally don't drink on the airplane. Now that we have a potentially crabby baby with us, though, we will certainly be putting those coupons to good use!

I hope your Walgreens has the spoons because they were on clearance. They were $1.50 or something!

I hope that since you're still in an apartment, your snow removal is done for you! All that snow is just a pain!

We're back to the gray and cold today. It's okay, though...I'll take what I can get!

Yeay for one month and the beginnings of the packing!!!

Yay for one month! I'm finally caught up from the last 3 updates and just let me say, I LOVE Claire's outfits! They are so cute! I would definitely agree with everyone on bringing the umbrella stroller! I remember in April I would feel sooo bad for the families who brought the whole travel system onto the busses. I had to hold someones baby girl because the poor mom was all alone and she had to hold onto the infant car seat and the stroller. Love all of your updates! Oh! And I love the crocs! I have to wear kids shoes and I have the girls version of those and I LOVE them!

Maybe I'll have to get Claire the girl version of those Crocs. I didn't know they had that!

I can't even imagine trying to deal with the carseat and the stroller. You are so nice to hold the baby for that mom!

 

[ksl5f123]

Claire looks adorable in her Disney clothes!

for only one month to go. It is getting close now.

I love packing spreadsheets!!! I am an engineeer too, so mine is programmed to adjust the number of things that we need based on the number of days of the trip. I am such a geek!

I have bad skin allergies too - especially to suncreen. I have heard good things about California Baby, but haven't tried it. I have good luck with Water Babies as long as I don't put it on my face.

I love the crocs. It is so nice that they have some nicer looking ones now since they are so wonderfully comforable. The originals were so clunky.

As far as the plane goes, I recommend lots of snacks and a magna-doodle. My kids love when I draw stuff for them and it is nice to not have crayons rolling away. Some books with little doors to open are also a big hit in my family.

 

[TarzansKat]

Yes, believe me, I'm definitely enjoying someone else doing that snow removal for me, since next year that will not be the case!

 

[oOJulieOo]

Claire looks adorable in her Disney clothes!

for only one month to go. It is getting close now.

I love packing spreadsheets!!! I am an engineeer too, so mine is programmed to adjust the number of things that we need based on the number of days of the trip. I am such a geek!

I have bad skin allergies too - especially to suncreen. I have heard good things about California Baby, but haven't tried it. I have good luck with Water Babies as long as I don't put it on my face.

I love the crocs. It is so nice that they have some nicer looking ones now since they are so wonderfully comforable. The originals were so clunky.

As far as the plane goes, I recommend lots of snacks and a magna-doodle. My kids love when I draw stuff for them and it is nice to not have crayons rolling away. Some books with little doors to open are also a big hit in my family.

I have NO IDEA how to program a spreadsheet, but I might be tempted to learn if I could program it like you do for your trips!

I do hope the Water Babies sunscreen is okay for Claire's body because that stuff works so well. For her face, we'll stick with something more gentle. It seems like it will be easier to keep her face covered than it will be to keep the rest of her body covered.

I've been finding some fun little board books for the airplane. I'm going to try to find some with the little doors too. Thanks for the suggestion!

Yes, believe me, I'm definitely enjoying someone else doing that snow removal for me, since next year that will not be the case!

UGH!!! We're supposed to get 18 to 24 inches of snow starting tomorrow afternoon. What in the world does one do with 18 to 24 inches of snow?!

 

[oOJulieOo]

When I realized we had only a month to go until our trip, I kicked it into high gear with trip preparations.

My packing lists are nearly complete. Many of the items that won't be needed until we travel have been collected in the spare bedroom. I have a good start on airplane toys for Claire.

And we did a trial run of the umbrella-type stroller this weekend. There was a Travel and Adventure Show in Chicago this weekend, so DH, Claire, and I headed out to try to find some ideas for our next adventure. (If we do not end up going to Switzerland, of course!) The show was wonderful. There were vendors from all sorts of different travel companies, tourism boards, etc., all giving out information and chatting about the trips that they offer. There were so many places represented, from Michigan to Aruba to Disney Vacation Club cool1 to African Safaris. We spent a lot of time at the African Safari tables because that is my ultimate dream vacation. We WILL go on a safari one day. For now, the safari at Animal Kingdom will suffice.

The stroller was great! I was able to fit my full, giant diaper bag in the storage underneath, I was able to hang my purse on the handle, and Claire seemed to be very comfortable and content the whole time. I forgot how easy that thing is to open and close. I am officially taking that stroller as our trip stroller for Disney World. And I am now confident that I am making the right decision! Funny how a stroller can cause me anxiety!

The best part of the day, though, was when we got to listen to a talk given by none other than my travel idol, Rick Steves! If you're unfamiliar with him, Rick Steves writes travel guidebooks for all different countries. He also has television shows that appear on PBS. I own several of his guidebooks and DH and I have put good use. In Italy, he led us to delicious pizza in Naples and a beautiful and secluded beach on the Isle of Capri. In Greece, he led us to a delicious, authentic, family-style Greek dinner our first night in Athens and to the best location for a sunset view on Santorini. Whenever a Rick Steves show is on PBS, you can bet that I tune in. So at the Travel and Adventure show, Rick was scheduled to do a talk at 2:30. DH, Claire, and I took our seats at 2:20 and I was so excited, you would have thought I was there to see a rock star! Rick appeared on stage and began his talk and he did not disappoint. He was very engaging, much more so than I assumed he would be.

When I pulled out my camera to take a picture, DH chuckled a bit. When I pointed out the several other people who were taking pictures, however, the chuckling stopped! Apparently, I am not the only one who has a fondness for Mr. Steves!

Here is my prized photo:

Also at the Travel and Adventure Show were camel rides. Claire was very interested in this camel and was content to watch him for quite a long while.

Unfortunately for our adventure planning, the Travel and Adventure Show has left us more confused than ever as it has thrown a bunch more options into the mix for our summer vacation. Originally, we had planned to make use of my aunt and uncle's place in Panama City Beach. However, the weeks that it is available seem to fall during college Spring Break. Thanks, but no thanks! I would love to still do a beach vacation this summer. DH's requirement is that we have plenty of opportunity to explore nature. Any ideas that combine a beach and nature adventures?

Claire was so very good throughout the Travel and Adventure Show, even while listening to Rick speak. Apparently, all the excitement wore her out because this is what she looked like most of the way home:

 

[mrsksomeday]

Such a great idea to give the stroller a trial run. I am happy that it has calmed your anxiety about it for the trip. Sounds like you had a good day and it was so cool that you got to see Rick, I think I have seen some of his PBS stuff, he looks familiar.

I love that sleeping picture of Claire, she is so adorable!!

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

So glad your trial run with the smaller stroller went well. I don't think you will be sorry for that decision! 4 weeks from right now we will all be getting ready for our Small World Dis meet!!!

 

[oOJulieOo]

Such a great idea to give the stroller a trial run. I am happy that it has calmed your anxiety about it for the trip. Sounds like you had a good day and it was so cool that you got to see Rick, I think I have seen some of his PBS stuff, he looks familiar.

I love that sleeping picture of Claire, she is so adorable!!

We did have a great day Sunday. Seeing how interested Claire was in everything at the Travel Show made me even more excited about how she'll respond to everything at Disney World!

So glad your trial run with the smaller stroller went well. I don't think you will be sorry for that decision! 4 weeks from right now we will all be getting ready for our Small World Dis meet!!!

I can't wait for the Small World Dis meet! Only 4 weeks away!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

That travel show looks fun (real camels? WOW!) . A suggestion on the sun screen (I'm a Stage 3 Melanoma Survivor)...try Blue Lizard. It's a little harder to find but it works really well and is made for sensitive skin. Aisling has terrible skin (constant rashes on that kid) and that is has been the best for her. Water Babies works too (doesn't cause a rash) but we have to apply it a lot. Blue Lizard we don't have to re-apply as often.

 

[Cat0727]

Ahh that's so cool you got to see Rick Steves. I have a bunch of his guide books also & love them. Have you ever seen his travel DVD series? They are very good!

 

[oOJulieOo]

That travel show looks fun (real camels? WOW!) . A suggestion on the sun screen (I'm a Stage 3 Melanoma Survivor)...try Blue Lizard. It's a little harder to find but it works really well and is made for sensitive skin. Aisling has terrible skin (constant rashes on that kid) and that is has been the best for her. Water Babies works too (doesn't cause a rash) but we have to apply it a lot. Blue Lizard we don't have to re-apply as often.

That camel was freaking me out! It was just staring at us.

I'm going to look for Blue Lizard. Would they sell it at Target?

Ahh that's so cool you got to see Rick Steves. I have a bunch of his guide books also & love them. Have you ever seen his travel DVD series? They are very good!

DH and I just watched some of his shows on Hulu. I am now bound and determined to go on one of his tours!

 

[oOJulieOo]

We're in the midst of blizzard here in Chicago. It is CRAZY! 40 mile per hour winds, snow blowing all over the place, power flickering on and off. DH's office closed early today and his office and the PT clinic at which I work will be closed tomorrow.

So that means a SNOW DAY tomorrow!!!

I'm hoping that DH and I will get a big part of our ski trip preparations done tomorrow because we leave a week from tomorrow!

Claire and I were housebound today due to the weather, so I got a lot done as far as my Disney lists. So far, I have a packing list, garden grocer list, park bag/diaper bag list, airplane list. I am trying to get as organized as possible right now because I know I will be in a frenzy the week before the trip!

Today, I started thinking about my hair. My hair always goes haywire at Disney World. It gets frizzy and crazy and it drives me nuts! So I called my hairstylist and set up an appointment for a cut and color the week before the trip, because if my hair has to be frizzy and crazy, I don't want my roots to be showing too!

I also need to get a pedicure at some point in that week. I need to get my toes flip-flop ready!

Speaking of flip-flops, I'm really hoping for warm weather on our trip. So please join me in thinking warm thoughts!