Always Let Your (Preschooler) Be Your Guide. My First Trip Report! COMPLETE

[gallmcduck]

I thought the response from the twenty-somethings too funny Do ya think parades princesess were not their idea of a good time!

Fizzy juice exactly what I would do, fizzy juice always gives my kids a lift.

My photos do exactly the same sometimes, I edit them but when I post some come out too big and other don't

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm so glad that your daughter enjoyed BTMRR! And how awesome to get some pixie dust too!

I don't see anything wrong with sugaring your kids up in Disney, its not bad parenting- its a survival tactic!

I have actually never seen the parade- but I'm sure I will someday. Probably right about the time that Everett realizes that there is a parade.

 

[Fall1]

Great report, your family is so cute!!!

 

[shan23877]

I love the pic on the Magic Carpets. She's shining!

Thank you! She had a lot of fun on that ride.

I thought the response from the twenty-somethings too funny Do ya think parades princesess were not their idea of a good time!

Fizzy juice exactly what I would do, fizzy juice always gives my kids a lift.

My photos do exactly the same sometimes, I edit them but when I post some come out too big and other don't

Not sure Maddie's new friends were planning a character stalking trip like we were Coke became our Disney crutch in the afternoons for sure! Thanks for the back up on pic situation. I'm not sure why some are smaller and some are larger

I'm so glad that your daughter enjoyed BTMRR! And how awesome to get some pixie dust too!

I don't see anything wrong with sugaring your kids up in Disney, its not bad parenting- its a survival tactic!

I have actually never seen the parade- but I'm sure I will someday. Probably right about the time that Everett realizes that there is a parade.

DH and I are NOT parade people. Hopefully we won't have to see them too many more times . Coke and cookies became a very important part of our days.

 

[lbuzz52]

I LOVE the excitement and enthusiam your dd has! sounds like she's like mine- never met a stranger i can't wait to hear more!

 

[LilAnn]

Definitely nothing wrong with a little bit of sugar to help your little one get through the day. I think we used cotton candy at times. But really, the excitement of being at disney with her character friends was more than enough excitement to keep our little gal awake.

Sounds like a perfect first roller coaster ride at Disney!

 

[shan23877]

Great report, your family is so cute!!!

Thank you so much! I like them (most of the time)

I LOVE the excitement and enthusiam your dd has! sounds like she's like mine- never met a stranger i can't wait to hear more!

She used to be a little more shy, but these days she'll jabber to whomever is willing to listen!

Definitely nothing wrong with a little bit of sugar to help your little one get through the day. I think we used cotton candy at times. But really, the excitement of being at disney with her character friends was more than enough excitement to keep our little gal awake.

Sounds like a perfect first roller coaster ride at Disney!

We certainly found that sugary snacks were very important to our Disney touring plans

 

[shan23877]

We were on our way to Splash Mountain, and DD was VERY excited. Having done extensive research, she knew that she was tall enough for 2 of the 3 mountains and she was getting on both today! Using our FP we were able to get on really quickly, but during the ride DD was strangely quiet. When it was over we were eager to hear what she thought. “I do not want to do that again” What???? As it turns out our little dare devil was scared of how dark it was! She also mentioned that she didn’t like that the “scary bear was trying to hurt that poor rabbit, but the dropping down in the water part was good”. We were shocked and felt bad for DD because she was so looking forward to the ride.

Luckily, at the exit of the ride we spotted Woody and Jessie, and nothing cheers DD up like some character meet and greets!! Since Splash had been a let down the cowpokes were a welcome diversion. DH and DD dressed up as Woody and Jessie for Halloween last year so we weren’t about to pass them by. The line moved pretty slowly, but the characters were fun, and worth the wait.

A few pictures while waiting in line

​

And then we met them!

At this point our only agenda was our 7:20 ADR at Crystal Palace, MSEP, and Wishes, so we consulted our tour guide. Maddie wanted “More princesses”, so, we headed to Liberty Square. Tiana and Naveen were due out any minute, so we got in line. We were the 3rd or 4th group waiting and the line moved pretty quickly. Tiana and Naveen were GREAT. He was hilarious and she was really sweet with all the kids.

more 'waiting in line' photos

It had started to sprinkle, but not enough for us to take cover, so we started walking back toward Fantasyland. We wanted to check out Rapunzel’s lair and see if the line was as bad as it was rumored to be. Apparently when it started raining Rapunzel had been taken inside, and everyone who had been in line left. In an amazing stroke of luck we were walking by when her handler was taking the rope down for folks to line up. We had to wait a couple of minutes for her to come out, but we were first in line! From what I saw later, finding Rapunzel with no line might have been the most magical part of the trip!

Next up was the teacups.

DH does NOT do the teacups or any other “throw up rides” for that matter , so he sat this one out. We only had to wait for about 10 minutes, and Maddie and I had a great time. It was almost time for our ADR, so we decided to head over to the Crystal Palace and get checked in.

​

“A Cinderella fountain? Disney is the best EVER!”

and she didn't even know the half of it...

 

[kmedina]

I am not a huge fan of the "throw up" rides either. By the way, I love that expression and plan on stealing it from here on out.

Wow, your DD really lucked out with the princesses. Your DH and DD were Woody and Jesse for Halloween! That sounds so sweet. I would love to see a pic of that.

 

[dismagiclover]

I had to chuckle a bit that it was the dark ride part of Splash Mountain that scared your DD, but that the hill was great. You just never know with kids. Absolutely adorable pictures with the characters. You are right about the pixie dust involved with getting to see Rapunzel so easily. You must be living right

 

[jc040404]

Too bad she wasn't a big Splash Mountain fan, but I can understand how it bothered her. Cute that she liked the dropping down in the water part though. That's the only thing about it I don't like!

Wow! That was some awesome luck with Ranpuzel!! I can't wait to hear how she liked CP!

 

[shan23877]

I am not a huge fan of the "throw up" rides either. By the way, I love that expression and plan on stealing it from here on out.

Wow, your DD really lucked out with the princesses. Your DH and DD were Woody and Jesse for Halloween! That sounds so sweet. I would love to see a pic of that.

Steal away! He's been saying that for years! She got so lucky with the characters that first day. I can't say it lasted the whole trip though I'll post the Halloween pics next!

I had to chuckle a bit that it was the dark ride part of Splash Mountain that scared your DD, but that the hill was great. You just never know with kids. Absolutely adorable pictures with the characters. You are right about the pixie dust involved with getting to see Rapunzel so easily. You must be living right

Who knew that would get her?! We did get lucky meeting Rapunzel, must have been first-trip mojo!

Too bad she wasn't a big Splash Mountain fan, but I can understand how it bothered her. Cute that she liked the dropping down in the water part though. That's the only thing about it I don't like!

Wow! That was some awesome luck with Ranpuzel!! I can't wait to hear how she liked CP!

Super Rapunzel luck. Those lines got crazy!! She's a little thrill ride lover, I guess I should have seen the 'dark ride' thing coming because she really hates Halloween decorations and the like. CP update coming soon! Thanks for reading along!

 

[shan23877]

Here are a few pictures from last Halloween. I'm not sure where she got the idea that her daddy had to dress up with her, but I'm glad he goes along with it. This year she's been saying that she'd be a princess and he'd be her prince. Easy enough cosume to piece together for him. But, then she decided that she'd specifically be Snow White or Belle (because of the dark hair-she's a stickler for authenticity). DH was not amused when I suggested that he be the Beast or Dopey I just don't understand why Hope you enjoy the pictures! I just started sewing a year or two ago, so I was pretty pleased with how the costumes turned out!

 

[kmedina]

They look adorable. It is so sweet that your DH did that for her and so cute that she came up with the idea on her own. I am voting for Belle, because that would be one cool costume to make him Beast.

You did a great job making the costumes. I am always impressed with homemade costumes, because the cookie cutter ones are rarely ever nice. DS4 wanted to be Handy Manny this year. Since I do not sew at all, I ordered his costume. It has not come in yet, but it looks so cheap online. The way they look and the price you pay do not always coincide either.

 

[shan23877]

They look adorable. It is so sweet that your DH did that for her and so cute that she came up with the idea on her own. I am voting for Belle, because that would be one cool costume to make him Beast.

You did a great job making the costumes. I am always impressed with homemade costumes, because the cookie cutter ones are rarely ever nice. DS4 wanted to be Handy Manny this year. Since I do not sew at all, I ordered his costume. It has not come in yet, but it looks so cheap online. The way they look and the price you pay do not always coincide either.

Thanks! Maddie is leaning toward Snow White, and I might buy it, but I'm nervous. I know what you mean about them looking kind of cheap. I've made her all of the princess dresses for playing dress up, and Snow White was a real pain to make. I've also been making quilts for Christmas already, so it would be a time saver. I wish that I knew they'd look nice (like the ones at Disney)

 

[LilAnn]

Wow, that is seriously some awesome luck with Rapunzel. We barely saw a "short" line for her and we thought we were lucky that we only had to wait 45 minutes. Normally, we would have passed that kind of line up, but DD really wanted to meet Rapunzel because she is the only princess she hasn't really met yet. Of course.

Love the Jessie and Woody costumes. So impressed that you made it yourself! It looks great! I think you'll remember from my TR that my DD is obsessed with Jessie. Funny because she is leaning towards a princess this year for halloween too. She goes back and forth between a princess, Minnie and maybe Jessie again.

I love that you tour the way we do. It makes the trip less stressful and the kids just have so much fun!

 

[shan23877]

Wow, that is seriously some awesome luck with Rapunzel. We barely saw a "short" line for her and we thought we were lucky that we only had to wait 45 minutes. Normally, we would have passed that kind of line up, but DD really wanted to meet Rapunzel because she is the only princess she hasn't really met yet. Of course.

Love the Jessie and Woody costumes. So impressed that you made it yourself! It looks great! I think you'll remember from my TR that my DD is obsessed with Jessie. Funny because she is leaning towards a princess this year for halloween too. She goes back and forth between a princess, Minnie and maybe Jessie again.

I love that you tour the way we do. It makes the trip less stressful and the kids just have so much fun!

I couldn't believe how lucky we got with Rapunzel. Of course, DD ended up needing to see her again b/c she forgot to have her sign the autograph book! Thanks for the compliment. I think we'll buy the costume this year, I've made all the dresses for her for dress up (some twice), so I'm kinda done with princess dresses
We would not tour any other way now. Why take the kids to Disney if not to let them experience it the way they want to? We'll have plenty of years for the rest of it, not too many years to meet princesses!

 

[shan23877]

I know this has been slow moving, I hope some of you are still reading!


This trip we were on the dining plan, so how did we decide to maximize our TS credits? With Character Dining of course! DH and I know that we’ll have plenty of years to take advantage of the great dining options at Disney, but a short amount of time in which DD will be so infatuated with characters. With that in mind, we got ADRs for one character meal each day. We had low expectations for the food, and knew that these meals would really be all about the experience. On tap for the 1st day of our trip was Crystal Palace.

Our ADR was for 7:20. We got checked in by 6:55. There were no available seats on the porch so we just kind of hung out at the bottom of the steps. The area where we were waiting was really crowded and chaotic, and was just not bringing out the best in us. Unfortunately we had to wait to be called in until 7:30. By that time we were in dire need of some magic. Bring on Pooh and friends! Our server was really friendly, explained the characters’ routes, and kept the Cokes filled. The food was pretty standard stuff, nothing to write home (or a TR!) about. I think I had some turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, and some veggies. DH had the beef, mashed potatoes, more beef, and maybe some pork. DD had mac & cheese and chicken nuggets (which is hilarious because in real life she’s never even had a chicken nugget. She’s sort of picky but mostly we just steer clear of fast food whenever possible.) For dessert we all had the “ice cream”. The food was good enough that we left with full bellies and happy DD.


First up was Eyore. We had strict instructions from Uncle Cory to get a photo of him.

Next was Piglet

Mr. Hunny Pot himself

And finally, Tigger! He seemed to be the most popular by far. It took FOREVER for him to get around the room.

The characters seemed to take a little longer to get around the room than they do at some other places, but it’s probably because they spent a good deal of time with each family. Maddie did not participate in the parade of kids and characters because we were filling our plates, but she was ok with that. All in all we enjoyed ourselves, but will probably stick to breakfast there in the future (all the better to be ahead of the crowds!)

After dinner we took a few pictures...

and headed over the hub to line up for MSEP. I was looking forward to seeing it since I remember it from childhood. Sadly, by the time dinner was over there was not a good spot to view the parade from. We ended up behind lots of people. Luckily DD was able to grab a VIP seat on DH’s shoulders so she could see pretty well. I will post a few pictures, but forgive me for the lack of good ones. I am 4’11” and all of these were taken while I was standing on tip toe with my arms extended above my head. So basically I took them all blind.

After MSEP I decided to scout a better location for The Magic, the Memories, and You and Wishes. I found a spot next to a trash can to the left of the castle. Perfect! I could put DD between me and the trash can, and DH could stand behind her so that she wouldn’t be squeezed out. (During the afternoon parade, a few very enthusiastic non-English speaking folks REALLY liked Maddie’s viewing spot. I like to think it was the language barrier keeping them from understanding our repeated “Excuse Me”s.) As it turns out the gentleman sitting next to us for Wishes was an off duty photo pass photographer, and he was a lot of fun to talk to. He also gave me the heads up during M, M, Y! telling me when to get my camera ready etc. What a beautiful show!! I dare anyone to watch it without getting a tear in their eye. DH and I both thought we saw a picture of DD during the show, but it was one of the smaller pictures so we couldn’t be 100% sure.

And finally what DD had been dreaming about (Disney Fireworks!!) Wishes!

“Mommy! Did you see Tinkerbell? I finally saw it!”

Tinkerbell is the green blur to the right

Wishes was amazing as always, the perfect way to end a magical first day in the Magic Kingdom. MK had EMH until 2 am, but even we weren’t crazy enough to attempt anything else in the park. We joined the throngs at the bus stop, and were able to get on the first one back to POFQ. DD fell asleep on my lap on the way, but woke up as soon as we got off the bus (which would become a pattern).
Back in the room she had a minor melt down. She began sobbing because she missed the dogs. We called Uncle Cory (who lives with us so was tasked with keeping the 2 dogs alive until DD returned) and he assured her that he had indeed remembered to feed them, let them out, and was not being too mean to little dog. Satisfied, she passed out within 5 minutes of lying down. Since we hadn’t returned to the room since we arrived, DH and I had some more work to do. He ran to the vending area to get us some Cokes for the morning (we’re not coffee drinkers, and caffeine would be key) and I unpacked. When he returned I downloaded the days photos, and he repacked the park bag for the next day. We set the alarm for 6 am, laid out a special “invitation” for DD to find in the morning, and hit the sack. We had a very important date with some princesses in a castle to rest up for.

 

[BPATSMouse]

Dropping in from Lisa's TR. I noticed you are a fellow Illinoisian and Disney enthusiast, great combonation. I'm enjoying your TR and looking forward to more.

 

[kmedina]

The MSEP pic of the castle does not seem blurry (unless my vision is fading). It is nice. I cannot wait to read about the invitation.