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

[kmedina]

We had a bad bus experience leaving HS after Fantasmic one night. I am glad it did not affect your reservation, since they accepted her late.

BBB looks like so much fun, and Maddie sure looked like a little princess. My nieces did it on our last trip and enjoyed every minute of it. If I never have a daughter, I may just have to do it myself.

 

[baseballmickey]

The One With More Rapunzel and a Minor Meltdown

Wow, your DD is quite the little interrogator! I was half expecting to hear her ask how her hair grew back after she cut it in the movie!!

We did the Laugh Floor once and thought it was funny! I texted a joke and it was picked! I got a kick out of that.

The One Where Rosetta Steals the Show

More great characters! nice. But I can't believe there was a CM sanctioning holding places for people in line! The DIS would be in an uproar if that was officialy policy

My DD has finally discovered the fairies this year, so she'll finally get to meet them next trip.

The One Where We Were Holding Out On Her

Are there characters in EPCOT??

What? No pictures of DH's "Beverly Face"??

The afternoon rain showers are part of the experience. I feel weird if I am there and they don't happen!

That was very nice of those families to let you go ahead. More often than not, we get the other kind of families on line with us.

Another great meet with Belle and Beast. I am starting to think you guys are character magnets!!

The One With Crab Legs and Hang-Gliding

Sounds like a restaurant I'll never eat at. I don't mind seafood, but with the exception of lobster and now scallops, DW does not care for it. But then again, there was a time when lobster and scallops were shunned... maybe someday.

Very impressed DD rode Soarin AND TT. and you got the ride pic added to your photopass??? wow, never thought to ask about that. Then again, we don't ride many things that take a picture since DW and DD aren't into those rides.

The One Where The Buses Have Me Fuming

All I can say is, ugh! We've done the bus thing on several trips, and at this point we're car renters until perhaps one day when the kids are older and out of strollers, or maybe in a pinch and we can't afford the car.

The One With All the Fairy Godmothers

I read this one twice, both times slowly... I was absorbing everything, because DD is going to do this next trip. Thank you so much for sharing that!!

Your DD looks beautiful as a princess, even without the bangs! That must have been something else to see in person, and I can't imagine the feeling of having that special treatment the rest of the day. It makes me feel a certain way that us guys can't admit to in public forums. Now imagine if it was my own DD and not someone else's!!

Hey... I'm all caught up!! Woo hoo!

 

[shan23877]

We had a bad bus experience leaving HS after Fantasmic one night. I am glad it did not affect your reservation, since they accepted her late.

BBB looks like so much fun, and Maddie sure looked like a little princess. My nieces did it on our last trip and enjoyed every minute of it. If I never have a daughter, I may just have to do it myself.

It was our only bad bus experience of the trip, but I hate being late, so made me a little stressed out.

BBB was so much fun! I bet that girls of all ages would love it!

The One With More Rapunzel and a Minor Meltdown

Wow, your DD is quite the little interrogator! I was half expecting to hear her ask how her hair grew back after she cut it in the movie!!

I'm surprised that she didn't- the hair cut in the movie was a little traumatizing for her

We did the Laugh Floor once and thought it was funny! I texted a joke and it was picked! I got a kick out of that.

Awesome! We really enjoyed it.

The One Where Rosetta Steals the Show

More great characters! nice. But I can't believe there was a CM sanctioning holding places for people in line! The DIS would be in an uproar if that was officialy policy



My DD has finally discovered the fairies this year, so she'll finally get to meet them next trip.

The One Where We Were Holding Out On Her

Are there characters in EPCOT??

What? No pictures of DH's "Beverly Face"??

Didn't get the photo, but he wasn't a fan

The afternoon rain showers are part of the experience. I feel weird if I am there and they don't happen!

That was very nice of those families to let you go ahead. More often than not, we get the other kind of families on line with us.

We seemed to be in line with really friendly people most of the time, these people really stood out though.

Another great meet with Belle and Beast. I am starting to think you guys are character magnets!!

If by magnets you mean consulting the times guide several times a day to find out where DD's favorites were, then yes! we were

The One With Crab Legs and Hang-Gliding

Sounds like a restaurant I'll never eat at. I don't mind seafood, but with the exception of lobster and now scallops, DW does not care for it. But then again, there was a time when lobster and scallops were shunned... maybe someday.

That's too bad! I should have added a disclaimer -- It's really good IF you like seafood

Very impressed DD rode Soarin AND TT. and you got the ride pic added to your photopass??? wow, never thought to ask about that. Then again, we don't ride many things that take a picture since DW and DD aren't into those rides.

I think that TT is the only ride that will let you do it. She loved those rides, who knew it would be the dark ones?

The One Where The Buses Have Me Fuming

All I can say is, ugh! We've done the bus thing on several trips, and at this point we're car renters until perhaps one day when the kids are older and out of strollers, or maybe in a pinch and we can't afford the car.

We drove to PA in 2010, but we rented a car instead of putting the miles on ours. By the time we'd rented, paid for gas, and paid for food and drink along the way, it was the same price to fly. So, we opted for less travelling time, but couldn't justify an onsite rental.

We've NEVER had a problem like this one with the buses before and didn't after. We don't really mind them at all.

The One With All the Fairy Godmothers

I read this one twice, both times slowly... I was absorbing everything, because DD is going to do this next trip. Thank you so much for sharing that!!

Your DD looks beautiful as a princess, even without the bangs! That must have been something else to see in person, and I can't imagine the feeling of having that special treatment the rest of the day. It makes me feel a certain way that us guys can't admit to in public forums. Now imagine if it was my own DD and not someone else's!!

YAY for DD doing BBB! I had no idea how it would affect us, we knew that DD would love it, but didn't expect to have enjoyed it so much ourselves. If you have any questions about it, let me know.

Thanks for the compliment, I'll pass it along to her . I won't tell anyone, your man card won't be revoked, I promise

Hey... I'm all caught up!! Woo hoo!

Woo Hoo!!

 

[kokotg]

That is hilarious that they're "not allowed" to leave bangs down! I'm glad Maddie was okay with it!

She looks great! And so happy! I was getting a little wistful reading about it that I don't have a girl to take to BBB...and I'm SO not the princess-y type, so that's saying something

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Followed you over here from my TR and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it so far! I can't wait to hear more about it and see more of your pictures. Maddie is such a cutie!

 

[jenjacobs]

Great trip report. I came in because I have a preschooler and it was fun to read. Maddie is a doll! Great pictures and memories

 

[mya1k9]

I was so happy to see your update. Maddie looks so beautiful and what a great experience!! I wish we had looked more into the BBB, I just kind of blew it off as something else to spend money on but that is something my girls would have loved! This is such a fun trip report!!

 

[shan23877]

That is hilarious that they're "not allowed" to leave bangs down! I'm glad Maddie was okay with it!

She looks great! And so happy! I was getting a little wistful reading about it that I don't have a girl to take to BBB...and I'm SO not the princess-y type, so that's saying something

I have no idea what's up with the "no bangs" rule. So weird! Luckily she didn't care.

She was over the moon! I wish you had a little girl to take! I am really not the princess type, but she is. It was sooo great for her!

Followed you over here from my TR and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it so far! I can't wait to hear more about it and see more of your pictures. Maddie is such a cutie!

Thanks for reading! And thanks for the nice compliments! More soon, maybe not tonight, but soon!

Great trip report. I came in because I have a preschooler and it was fun to read. Maddie is a doll! Great pictures and memories

And thanks for joining in! We have many, many great memories, this was a wonderful trip!

I was so happy to see your update. Maddie looks so beautiful and what a great experience!! I wish we had looked more into the BBB, I just kind of blew it off as something else to spend money on but that is something my girls would have loved! This is such a fun trip report!!

Thank you! So many nice things--makes me want to get another update done right away! BBB is pricey, but we're so glad we did it. It was great!

 

[shan23877]

It was finally time to shop! We had an agenda for the morning. I wanted to get a Christmas ornament (I get them from all of our vacations), DH wanted an ESPN shirt from Team Mickey, DD wanted to spend some of the money she’d brought, and we need to build a couple of light sabers for Uncle Cory.

We went back to World of Disney first. DD had seen some of the sets of “little princesses” (the tiny plastic dolls with changeable rubber outfits) that she wanted, but DH and I had put our foot down about buying toys as souvenirs. We told her that if we could buy it at Target, then we weren’t buying it at Disney. She argued that Target doesn’t have the Tink or Mulan sets. (too smart for my own good) But, since she’d been saving up money all summer which she’d earned helping out in the yard and helping to wash the cars, she bought them with her money. We did get Maddie a stuffed Pascal and got a Mickey casserole dish for my MiL. I offered to let DD stuff a Mr. Potato Head box, but she wasn’t interested. I considered doing it myself, but if no one was going to play with it with me….

Next, it was light saber time. Uncle Cory and DH are big Star Wars fans, and have recently been watching the movies with Maddie. They sold her on the movies by telling her there’s a princess in them. Uncle Cory had requested that we build him 2 light sabers- one good guy and one bad guy. We were supposed to photograph ourselves assembling them, but we couldn’t really figure out how to do it, so the friendly CM did it for us. We did pose with the finished products though!

Bryan pretending that he was doing it himself

And Maddie and I ready for battle

We managed just a quick spin through the princess section before we left to hit the Lego Store. I love the Lego statues! It was super crowded inside, and since DH has no patience for browsing (or crowded stores), we didn’t stay long.

Trying to make me happy by posing

DH was ready to buy the things that we knew we wanted and eat some lunch, so he went to Team Mickey and DD and I went to the Christmas store. Maddie talked me into getting her an Arial ornament to commemorate her transformation, and I got my 2011 ornament. When we met back up with DH I tried to talk him into going to Design-A-Tee, but he wasn’t having it.

On our way to lunch. Eva the Diva in her chariot

DH had expressed interest in Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express for lunch, so we checked out the menus for both before deciding on EoS.

It was really busy but the line moved fast. DH got the meatball, I got the Italian, and DD got the grilled cheese. I was doing the ordering while Bryan and Maddie saved the seats they’d found, so I had to decide on sides for us on my own. I got him pasta salad and got chocolate pudding for DD and I. The sandwiches were fantastic and so were the desserts, but DH didn’t care for the pasta salad. To be fair though, he isn’t really a pasta or potato salad guy (he also doesn’t like chocolate so there weren’t many options for his side dish). Maddie and I couldn’t finish ours sandwiches (probably because we saved room for pudding) so Bry finished both of our sandwiches as well as his. He loved all three!

After lunch we decided to take the boat back to POFQ. The ride was nice enough, but our driver didn’t say a word the whole trip. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the entertaining drivers who drive the boats between Epcot and DHS?

Goodbye DTD! I'd love to do Characters in Flight someday.

Finally! Back on dry land!

Once we got back to POFQ we dropped the packages off in our room and headed to the bus stop. DD was a Princess now, and needed to show it off!

 

[kmedina]

Your family sounds a lot like mine. DS4 also knows just the right things to say for the things he wants us to buy him. They are so clever. DH always finishes the food that DS and I leave behind as well.

Maddie with Buzz is the cutest picture I've seen so far. Loving it. She really did look nice. It was expensive but so worth it. Another great report.

 

[baseballmickey]

I've broken 3 of those rubber outfits in the past year. Always at the shoulder as I try to stretch it to get the arms through.

Team Mickey is a must-do for me. I always have to get a little something to add to my collection.

Earl of Sandwich ROCKS! They just opened one Labor Day weekend, two blocks from my job in NYC. I've had the "Cannonballs!" (meatball sandwich) every saturday for lunch for the past month! And I always grab extra brownies (ghirardelli triple chocolate)!! oh man, is it saturday yet??

Can't wait to see what you do next!

 

[shan23877]

Your family sounds a lot like mine. DS4 also knows just the right things to say for the things he wants us to buy him. They are so clever. DH always finishes the food that DS and I leave behind as well.

Maddie with Buzz is the cutest picture I've seen so far. Loving it. She really did look nice. It was expensive but so worth it. Another great report.

She always seems to have a reason why we should get what she wants (usually it's shoes ).

We always make Bryan finish our food. Poor man usually ends up with 2 full meals!

BBB was so worth it! Thank you!

I've broken 3 of those rubber outfits in the past year. Always at the shoulder as I try to stretch it to get the arms through.

Team Mickey is a must-do for me. I always have to get a little something to add to my collection.

Earl of Sandwich ROCKS! They just opened one Labor Day weekend, two blocks from my job in NYC. I've had the "Cannonballs!" (meatball sandwich) every saturday for lunch for the past month! And I always grab extra brownies (ghirardelli triple chocolate)!! oh man, is it saturday yet??

Can't wait to see what you do next!

We seem to have a problem with not only the outfits, but the heads popping off, and only Uncle Cory seems to be able to fix them

Bryan had to get some ESPN gear b/c I'd just gotten new Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight shirts-he was jealous. We have so much Cubs stuff that they didn't have anything we needed so that was a load off the pocketbook

Yay for a new EoS! DH is huge meatball sub fan, he'd be so jealous! I seem to get the Italian no matter what sandwich shop I'm at. Enjoy your lunch on Saturday- only 4 more days!

 

[katt789]

Aww!! DD looks so cute & dolled up!! Man, if only I was 6 again! (or could justify spending that kind of money for someone else to put a bun & some glitter in my hair) I won't lie, I almost tried on/made Amy try on the largest of the princess dresses when we were in DTD, it looked like they might just fit

Looks like BBB was a good experience for ya!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Oh, those Princess figures and their darn clothes! We have an entire plastic container full of them. We have multiples of some, too, because of broken clothes and overly-generous grandparents. My girls got the Tink and Mulan sets for that same reason, and this year they added Alice because she's not at Target, either.

Is DTD ever not crowded??? Nice to get some shopping in! I've always wanted to try EoS but get outvoted.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay on it being shopping time! Lol at DD being smart and realising that Tink and Mulan sets weren't sold at Target!

Love the light saber battle pic

EoS sure had yummy sandwiches! That's a shame about the boat driver not saying a single word on the journey to POFQ - it looks like a relaxing mode of transport.

 

[shan23877]

Aww!! DD looks so cute & dolled up!! Man, if only I was 6 again! (or could justify spending that kind of money for someone else to put a bun & some glitter in my hair) I won't lie, I almost tried on/made Amy try on the largest of the princess dresses when we were in DTD, it looked like they might just fit

Looks like BBB was a good experience for ya!

Your right, it might not be worth the price for a bun . Amy looks very petite, so I bet the largest dress would have fit her! I'm really short and can usually fit into the largest kids clothes, but don't tell anyone.

BBB was great. We'll do it again.

Oh, those Princess figures and their darn clothes! We have an entire plastic container full of them. We have multiples of some, too, because of broken clothes and overly-generous grandparents. My girls got the Tink and Mulan sets for that same reason, and this year they added Alice because she's not at Target, either.

Is DTD ever not crowded??? Nice to get some shopping in! I've always wanted to try EoS but get outvoted.

Those darn figures is right. We also have a full bin and overly-generous grandparents. I think we have the carriage and horse stable to go with them too. I think the worst ones are the ones that come with shoes though. What a nightmare! If the four year old doesn't loose them, then the puppy will eat them. Maddie had already spent some of her money, so she couldn't get the Alice one too. It's on her list of things to buy next time though.

DTD wasn't too crowded as a whole, but Lego was mobbed. EoS is really good, I hope that your family will let Mom's vote carry a little more weight next time. It's worth checking out for sure.

Yay on it being shopping time! Lol at DD being smart and realising that Tink and Mulan sets weren't sold at Target!

Love the light saber battle pic

EoS sure had yummy sandwiches! That's a shame about the boat driver not saying a single word on the journey to POFQ - it looks like a relaxing mode of transport.

In hindsight, we should have gone shopping while Daddy was golfing, but this way was probably better for the budget

We have some really good pics of Mads and Uncle Cory battling it out when we got home too!

EoS was great! Is it just me or are the boat drivers usually a little more chatty? It was relaxing, but I'm a go-go person, so I was timing it to see if it was quicker than the bus!

 

[LilAnn]

Aww, cute updates. I loved the Ariel dress that she picked! The dress is so pretty and you don't see as many Ariel's walking around from BBB. I am up in the air about whether we will do that on a future trip with our little girl, with cost being the big factor. However, the dress looks like the ones you see in WOD for about $70 bucks alone, so I guess it all works out. So cute though.

Bummer about the non-talkative boat ride. We have had some pretty good ones back from DTD - some funny, some informative.

 

[SoonerGirl]

I love the Christmas store in DTD and I too always get an ornament (or two, or three ) from every trip. They are such great souvineers!

Yum! Earl of Sandwich, I need my drooling smilie but I'm too lazy to open photobucket so that I can post it

 

[shan23877]

Aww, cute updates. I loved the Ariel dress that she picked! The dress is so pretty and you don't see as many Ariel's walking around from BBB. I am up in the air about whether we will do that on a future trip with our little girl, with cost being the big factor. However, the dress looks like the ones you see in WOD for about $70 bucks alone, so I guess it all works out. So cute though.

Bummer about the non-talkative boat ride. We have had some pretty good ones back from DTD - some funny, some informative.

Thanks! You're right - there weren't many Arials, so that was kind of nice. I think these were the $70 dresses. We never would have bought a $70 dress for her just as a souvenier, but we couldn't say no to the BBB.

I don't know what was up with this boat driver. This was our first stay at POFQ, so we'd never done this boat ride either. It was weird!

I love the Christmas store in DTD and I too always get an ornament (or two, or three ) from every trip. They are such great souvineers!

Yum! Earl of Sandwich, I need my drooling smilie but I'm too lazy to open photobucket so that I can post it

I love Christmas ornaments as a souvenier! It makes me happy to remember those vacations when we put them on the tree.

EoS was really good. Drooling implied

 

[cajunbaby1]

What a great trip report!! The photos are awesome. I'm gonna be staying at the POFQ for a solo trip in dec and can't wait. Your little girl is too cute for words.
Glad you guys had a wonderful time.