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

[shan23877]

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.

Thank you! I hope you enjoy POFQ-I'm guessing you're pretty familiar with New Orleans? We loved it there!

A solo trip sounds great, I'm not sure what I'd do with myself!

 

[shan23877]

Recently minted princess in tow we hopped a bus bound for Disney Hollywood Studios.

Maddie was making friends with some people while we waited. The nice lady's children were grown, so she got a real kick out of the little princess. People are so nice to a little girl in a princess dress!

Maddie was very excited when the driver played the princess announcement for her.
“Did you hear that Daddy? That means you have to behave because I’m a princess”
Poor guy, we do tend to gang up on him.

Maddie's first glimpse of the Tower of Terror

We quickly arrived at DHS and the first CM we encountered at the turnstiles made a big show of bowing to DD and presenting her with several stickers. It was about 1pm by the time we arrived, and we knew that there probably weren’t any FP for TSM left, but we headed to Pixar Place anyway.

More PhotoPass of course!

Sure enough, FPs were all gone, and the standby time was 60 minutes, but DD insisted that she wanted to wait. We parked the stroller and joined the crowd. As soon as we took our place in line DD began asking to be carried. Well, asking is the wrong word. She raised her arms, looked at her daddy, and grunted. I’m sure you parents are familiar with this gesture. DH obliged, and now he too was pixie dusted. That stuff just jumped off of that dress.

Scary line

It was during our tenure in line that DH and I had our first (and only I think) not-so-great moment of the trip. I had already realized that I had made a critical planning error, and was frustrated with myself. I didn’t realize how much of the BBB experience was going to be enhanced by the CMs and characters. I realized too late that we should have been at MK after our BBB appointment. To me, the only solution was to return to MK after dinner, and let Maddie see some more of her princess friends. DH was hot; tired of carrying DD and sick of standing in line, so all he heard was “We need to go to MK”. Once I realized that he wasn’t really hearing me out, I did what any mature adult would do, and stopped speaking to him for a while.

Since I was still pouting, I missed my chance to get a picture of myself with Mr. Potato Head. I really love him!

I think the glasses make the outfit! I LOVE this picture of her!

Being silly

We did manage to talk things out before we boarded the ride (he agreed with my plan completely-smart man). Luckily we’ve been together for about 1 million years, so hard feelings didn’t linger, and we had a great time on the ride. DD and I rode together, so DH and I both got to be winners (we’re a little competitive. We no longer play Monopoly or Scrabble with one another), but he was tops in our car.

Terrible score, but I was helping Maddie learn how to play--Yeah that's why

Maddie loved the ride, and immediately wanted to do it again. Ummm, no.

We distracted her by pointing out the parade was about to start, so she and DH lined up to watch while went to grab some FP for Tower of Terror and popcorn for Maddie. They enjoyed the parade, but I had the camera so we didn’t get any pictures of it. ToT’s standby time was only 10 minutes, so I didn’t get any FP thinking that maybe we’d try Rider Swap again for RnRC.

After the parade, Maddie was ready for the ride that she had talked about most leading up to this trip. She had been practicing her Tower of Terror scream for months!

Ready to Ride!!

She thought the theming was “kind of scary” but was still excited to ride up until she saw the story. I didn’t think she’d be able to follow the story, but I was wrong. “I’m not going to disappear like that little girl am I Mommy?”

DH and I enjoyed the ride as usual. Maddie? “I don’t ever want to do that again.” We knew why but we asked anyway. “It made my beautiful dress fly up.” Not what we were expecting to hear and probably not the full story, but we weren’t going to push. At least we got to ride!

 

[shan23877]

DD decided that we owed her one, and suggested we go see the Little Mermaid show or Beauty and the Beast. DH and I aren’t really show or parade people - we’d rather keep moving but, luckily, B&B was just starting so we grabbed some seats. It was a good show, and Maddie loved it!

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"You walked in and Oops-A-Daisy!"

​

After we left the theater, Maddie decided to have a photo shoot, so we snapped some pics.

DH said he didn’t feel like risking another Rider Swap meltdown at RnRC, so we took off in the direction of some 4-wheeled friends.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I love how people treat little princesses! CMs, guests, other kids--they really seem to eat it up!!

You are one very brave, very patient family to wait for an hour! I'm not sure I could have done that, though I do feel the need to go through the standby line at some point.

You know what's great about the B&B show? You get to sit! It's a great show and all, but that's the highlight for me!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Oh no on TSMM FPs being distributed - I thought you were going to say you managed to get some as we went late one day and were lucky.

Also boo on having a not so great moment - am glad you managed to get it sorted so quickly

Yay on Maddie for trying ToT and I love her reason for not riding again

We loved B&TB as well and I love the photoshoot at the end.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Yikes! That line for TSMM is scary I'm sure my family would have had a not so magical moment waiting in that mess too!

I love B&TB! ToT though, well that one I can do without

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

Spent the better part of this evening reading through your TR. LOVING it!!! Your family is super cute! Keep it coming!

 

[shan23877]

I love how people treat little princesses! CMs, guests, other kids--they really seem to eat it up!!

You are one very brave, very patient family to wait for an hour! I'm not sure I could have done that, though I do feel the need to go through the standby line at some point.

You know what's great about the B&B show? You get to sit! It's a great show and all, but that's the highlight for me!

The way everyone treat the little princess is amazing! I couldn't believe it. It definatly made the experience.

I don't know about patient, but brave seems accurate in hindsight. That place was a zoo! At least it was air-conditioned.

I have to agree that the best part of the show is the break, it is lovely, but I get bored.

Oh no on TSMM FPs being distributed - I thought you were going to say you managed to get some as we went late one day and were lucky.

Also boo on having a not so great moment - am glad you managed to get it sorted so quickly

Yay on Maddie for trying ToT and I love her reason for not riding again

We loved B&TB as well and I love the photoshoot at the end.

No fastpass luck that day! I'm not proud of us, but I felt like I should be honest. I'm not too surprised that we did have a moment. It was hot, crowded, and we were tired!

She was soooo excited to ride it, but doesn't plan to do it again. Ever. A girl can't risk mussing her dress!

That wasn't our last photo shoot either...

Yikes! That line for TSMM is scary I'm sure my family would have had a not so magical moment waiting in that mess too!

I love B&TB! ToT though, well that one I can do without

It was terrible! We shouldn't have tried to wait it out, but we weren't sure if DH would be able to ride if we didn't. (He went golfing the day we were at DHS first thing in the morning).

B&B was a really good show, I just get antsy thinking about all of the other things we should be doing during the shows. I really need to learn to relax, because Maddie loved it!

ToT is one of Bryan and I's favorites, but I don't know how soon we'll talk Maddie into trying it again!

Spent the better part of this evening reading through your TR. LOVING it!!! Your family is super cute! Keep it coming!

Thanks for reading! And thanks for the kind words! I try to post pretty frequently, hope to get some more up tomorrow.

 

[kmedina]

The last time we did Toy Story from the standby line (at Dl), DS insisted I carry him through the one hour line. It was July, and I sweated through the entire line. He would not let my husband anywhere near him that whole day for some reason, so I had all the carrying him through the line honors.

My DS was tricked into riding ToT, since my husband called it an elevator ride, and he loves elevators. He said never again after we exited the ride again. Oddly enough, DH asked him if he wanted to ride on our upcoming trip, and he said yes. Methinks they will be utilizing the chicken exit.

DS loved the Beauty and the Beast show and thought Indy was a snoozefest. I agree with him. It is a really nice show. We agree on not being into parades, but I love the theater. Looks like another great day.

 

[katt789]

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.

Haha, yeah, I will definitely be taking my kids there one day (assuming I have a girl.....) BUT, I still buy some kids clothes, especially disney ones!!

 

[Caretames1]

Ok, I'm caught up again! I posted that I subbed, but didn't! I think I need some brain boost or something!


Maddie was so cute from her BBB make-over. I do have to tell you this, even though it's a spoiler from our trip. I asked if Kadence could keep some bangs out and they said that was fine. We did go to the DTD location as well. Kadence doesn't like her hair pulled back either, so it was nice that they allowed it.

I hear you on the carrying thing. When Kadence was younger she's just put her arms up and say "uppie" and the whine inserted in the voice was the nails on a chalkboard kind

I'm the kind od person that if I've seen it once I'm good, but it's different at Disney, I don't know why! Must be the magic

 

[Queenofallthings]

Subbing and now going back to read all about your adventure so far!!!

 

[kokotg]

Maddie's answer about why she didn't like TOT is hilarious . None of mine have been able to appreciate TOT until they were older...Gus really, really wanted to go on it (at Disneyland) when he was 3. He giggled hysterically through the whole thing, but we realized later that it was a nervous, terrified sort of giggling. And he didn't even have a princess dress to blame it on

 

[kcandbella]

Joining in! Sounds like a great trip so far. My DD was 4 on her first trip in May 2010 and we stayed at POR, so reading your report reminds me of that trip! Can't wait to read more.

 

[shan23877]

Ok, I'm caught up again! I posted that I subbed, but didn't! I think I need some brain boost or something!


Maddie was so cute from her BBB make-over. I do have to tell you this, even though it's a spoiler from our trip. I asked if Kadence could keep some bangs out and they said that was fine. We did go to the DTD location as well. Kadence doesn't like her hair pulled back either, so it was nice that they allowed it.

I hear you on the carrying thing. When Kadence was younger she's just put her arms up and say "uppie" and the whine inserted in the voice was the nails on a chalkboard kind

I'm the kind od person that if I've seen it once I'm good, but it's different at Disney, I don't know why! Must be the magic

How strange that they told us no... Oh, well, it ended well. There seems to be a lot of inconsistency in BBB policies from the stories I've heard. Not a huge deal, but not very Disney.

The "pick me up" grunt drives me nuts! And, making her use words doesn't really help because you don't want to pick her up to begin with

Subbing and now going back to read all about your adventure so far!!!

Thanks for joining in!

Maddie's answer about why she didn't like TOT is hilarious . None of mine have been able to appreciate TOT until they were older...Gus really, really wanted to go on it (at Disneyland) when he was 3. He giggled hysterically through the whole thing, but we realized later that it was a nervous, terrified sort of giggling. And he didn't even have a princess dress to blame it on

That was her kind of excuse for sure! I can totally understand why kids would be scared of it, but she's the one who wanted to do it.

Poor Gus. Probably would have been a whole different sort of upset if you made Gus ride in a dress... Does he enjoy it now? She claims that she'll never ride again.

Joining in! Sounds like a great trip so far. My DD was 4 on her first trip in May 2010 and we stayed at POR, so reading your report reminds me of that trip! Can't wait to read more.

Thanks for joining in! Sounds like great minds thinking alike!

 

[mya1k9]

Tht ToT dissapearing people scared my 5 year old also, she claimed she liked the ride but not the people (she did ride it twice just to show she wasn't chicken) but when her twin sister went to go for a third time (that one has no fears!)she was just done and said no!!! Loved Maddies excuse why she didn't want to ride again!

 

[kokotg]

Poor Gus. Probably would have been a whole different sort of upset if you made Gus ride in a dress... Does he enjoy it now? She claims that she'll never ride again.

He's getting there. It still makes him nervous, but he mostly enjoys it now. I remember it took Ari until he was 8 to really like it, even though he kept trying it at least once every trip from the time he was 5.

 

[shan23877]

After enjoying the Beauty and the Beast Show, it was character time. Maddie had learned her lesson in Epcot—she knew there were characters in every park!

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We decided to go through Pixar Place to check out the wait time for Woody and Buzz first. Even though she’d already met Woody, Maddie still wanted to get Buzz’s autograph (or stamp). The wait was posted at 45 minutes. None of us had the patience for that after our marathon wait for TSM, so we decided to try to come back later in the trip.

I was checking the times guides and cross-referencing the park map, but we were still having a hard time finding Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. We stopped off in a gift shop to get our bearings. While we were talking, a very nice guest over-heard us and pointed us in the right direction. The meet and greet was right behind the store we were in! There was no one in line, so maybe other people have a hard time finding it too. We stepped right up to meet the monsters, but at the last minute Maddie panicked and refused to meet them. Like any good Dad, Bryan stepped in.

​

Maddie was on a mission to see Mater and Lightning McQueen so we headed straight there. There were a few other people in line, but we only waited about 10 minutes. This is such a weird character meet to me. They can’t interact after all, but lots of kids seemed to want to get there picture taken with the famous cars. I suppose I’d stand in line to get my photo taken with the General Lee though since that’s an iconic car from my childhood. We took lots of pictures and moved on.

Maddie wanted Mommy to get in the picture too!

Her poses cracked me up. A princess down to her toes...

We passed the Phineous and Ferb meet but it was mobbed, and Maddie decided that she could skip it.

​

We only had a little bit of time before we needed to leave for our dinner ADR, so Bryan finally agreed to let us do a little browsing in the shops!

After we stopped for more Photo Pass of course!

The dress is trying to edge me out...

I picked up a Mickey shirt for Maddie and a cute pair of Tink cheer shorts for her to wear to dance and gymnastics. (Trying to explain to DH why she needs special clothes to wear over her leotards was a fun conversation BTW ). I paid and filled out the form to have them sent back to the resort. I’m not sure if the CM was new or the register was broken, but this poor guy was having the hardest time. In total I spent 15 minutes waiting for him to finish up the shipping portion of the transaction!

By then it was past time to be at the bus stop, so we hot-footed it to the stop for the Grand Floridian. Turns out, staying at the fancy resort doesn’t get you a closer bus stop . We waited about 15 minutes for a bus to arrive, and we were on our way. Prince Charming here we come!

 

[shan23877]

Tht ToT dissapearing people scared my 5 year old also, she claimed she liked the ride but not the people (she did ride it twice just to show she wasn't chicken) but when her twin sister went to go for a third time (that one has no fears!)she was just done and said no!!! Loved Maddies excuse why she didn't want to ride again!

I'm not sure why I thought the movie would be over her head. I should have known better. Good for your girls riding it twice! I thought mine was a little more of dare devil... She still says she's not doing it again, but all she mentions is the little girl, not the drop

How was your trip (it was very recent, right?) Are you planning a trip report? I'd love to hear how you did WDW with twin 5 year olds!

 

[kmedina]

We had no wait for Mike and Sully last trip as well. It sounds like a trend.

DS cannot wait to meet Phineas and Feb who were not there on our last trip. We just saw the live stage show, so he is really into them right now.

It stinks that the bus for GF is not close at HS. We are staying at GF for the first time in December and were looking forward to a better exit from that park, since we are once again attending Fantasmic (took over an hour to get from HS to CBR by bus). If there were sidewalks, we probably could have walked there faster than that.

I love her pics with the cars! It should not matter who a princess is posing with, she always needs to look her best. The pointed toes are half princess/half dancer.