Bear Hugs & Piggy Kisses - Baby's 1st Trip ~ Updated 12/6: Aulani TR Started!!!

[amazingact21]

The perk of Fastpass Plus. It's nice to be able to walk into Hollywood Studios for the first time that day and go staright on Toy Story Mania.


I never thought about sitting the baby between the seats. I could see where someone Izzy's age would be hard to keep seated, though. Landon's just learned to walk, and if he can stand, he will. Guess the best method is 2 turns on the ride and swapping baby duty each time.


How cool that you were able to meet up with some friends inside the park. Such a fun time when you get to hang out with people you know inside Disney. And I bet it was a nice change of pace to have somebody to talk to while Dug went on Star Tours!


Hmm, now I"m curious to see if you got to eat at Mama Melroses.

 

[knc25]

I'm here trying to catch up and figure out the app on my tablet

Same! I keep getting a planter haha

 

[knc25]

The Beach and Yacht Club are so gorgeous during Christmas time! The displays are amazing. Especially the village. I'm slowly but surely each year adding to my Christmas display. I'm going to say, 20 years from now, my table display will look like the Yacht Club display!

Agreed my favorite resort by far.

 

[Leshaface]

Hey you guys actually got a pretty decent score considering you were trying to get Izzy to sit down the entire time!

Cool that both of you guys got different scenes for Star Tours.

I'm kinda hoping you got into Mama Melrose so I can see if it was good!

 

[Dugette]

The perk of Fastpass Plus. It's nice to be able to walk into Hollywood Studios for the first time that day and go staright on Toy Story Mania.

So nice! The TSM stampede would not have been fun with a stroller. Glad to avoid that madness!

I never thought about sitting the baby between the seats. I could see where someone Izzy's age would be hard to keep seated, though. Landon's just learned to walk, and if he can stand, he will. Guess the best method is 2 turns on the ride and swapping baby duty each time.

Yay for Landon learning to walk! Yeah, I got the between seats idea from Imagineer5's TR. Maybe it works better with a kid a little older (or younger), but the I-love-to-stand age was tough. I do ride later with her on my lap and that actually goes much better. And she enjoyed trying to help me pull the trigger.

How cool that you were able to meet up with some friends inside the park. Such a fun time when you get to hang out with people you know inside Disney. And I bet it was a nice change of pace to have somebody to talk to while Dug went on Star Tours!

Yes, it was really nice to see them and chat about how awesome Disney is! I guess December is the time to meet up with friends, as we (accidentally) met up with another family of friends on our December 2010 trip.

Hmm, now I"m curious to see if you got to eat at Mama Melroses.

We'll see...

Same! I keep getting a planter haha

Agreed my favorite resort by far.

Hi, Kevin, and to the Disboards! Good luck with PM-ing people on the "singles" thread now that you've got your 10 posts. Glad to help with 1/5 of that. Also, have a nice trip next month! (I do my research on my followers! )

Hey you guys actually got a pretty decent score considering you were trying to get Izzy to sit down the entire time!

Ha, thanks! It started off okay, so that's probably where we got most of our points. By the end, I was barely doing anything. However, the nice thing about TSM is that you can randomly pull the trigger one-handed while your gun is just waving wildly around and you will probably get points.

Cool that both of you guys got different scenes for Star Tours.

Yeah and we get some other things on another day too!

I'm kinda hoping you got into Mama Melrose so I can see if it was good!

Me too! Oh, wait...

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I was wondering if the FP+ rider swap combo would work! Looks like it does!
The Osborne lights look so neat, I can't wait to see them in person some day! Great day! I can't wait to hear if you got into MM or not!

 

[Dugette]

I was wondering if the FP+ rider swap combo would work! Looks like it does!
The Osborne lights look so neat, I can't wait to see them in person some day! Great day! I can't wait to hear if you got into MM or not!

Yep, we never had any problems with doing Rider Swap with a Fast Pass+. Worked great.

Love the lights - they are pretty amazing to be surrounded by.

The walk-up experience at MM was...interesting...

 

[Dugette]

Before we head to dinner with our friends, I forgot to mention the Fast Pass situation. As you may remember, we had a Tower of Terror Fast Pass+ to use (and Rider Swap). We wouldn’t have time to do that in our window, though. However, our friends had a pile of unused Fast Passes and Rider Swaps for ToT, so they passed those on to us, as they had no plans to use them. Yay! We still had our Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster FP+ for later, but hoped we could make it there after dinner.

So, our party of 9 (5 adults, 2 kids, 2 babies) headed for Mama Melrose to see if we could wait for a table. We have never been to Mama Melrose, so I was interested to see what it was like. I went in with along with our friend (the wife) and, I think, the husband’s mom came in too. I know all the kids and Dug and the husband were waiting outside. So, our friend asked about getting on the list and the response was essentially:

1.) They were all full and could not get us in at all (I have to say that I was not surprised).
2.) They would help us find somewhere else to eat.
3.) There was one place they thought would probably be able to take us.
4.) We must have appeared desperate, because they didn’t tell us where or ask us if that was okay – they just called…some place else in DHS?
5.) We waited for what seemed like an eternity as they were on the phone. No clue who they were talking to.
6.) When they finally got off the phone, they told us that we had a reservation and had to head right over to…..The Sci-Fi Dine-In!

Our friends seemed fine with that, but Dug and I were a bit less than thrilled. Don’t get me wrong – we like Sci-Fi in general, but it just seemed like the worst possible place to go when you’re seeing friends and want to catch up with them over dinner. Plus, I was hoping Izzy (and their baby) would be okay, as I’ve heard it can be tough with toddlers because it is so quiet and they are so restless. But, off to the Sci-Fi we went. Parked our strollers and rushed right on over to check in. We had to wait a little bit and sat outside until they called us.

I knew there were some tables that were not the normal rows in cars, but with chairs facing each other, and I hoped we’d get one of those. Especially with two babies in high chairs. But it was not to be. Instead, we got our own car. It was the husband and two older kids in front, the mom and grandma in the middle (with baby in high chair at the side), and us in the back (with Izzy in high chair).

We got Izzy set up with her bib and a pouch of food:



Then we realized that we left something in the stroller. I think it was Izzy’s sippy cup of milk. So, I ran back out and grabbed it. Then back to the car. And I took this picture from the back of our car on my way:



Soon after returning, we realized that there was no way Izzy could eat off her placemat on the table, like at other restaurants. The high chair was too far away and had no tray, so not easy for a self-feeding toddler to eat. Both babies had that same kind of high chair, by the way. We brainstormed and realized that we could have Izzy eat out of her little snack cup instead (we were just going to give her some puffs to munch on, so that would work). Naturally, the snack cup was also still in the stroller, as we hadn’t planned on using it at dinner. So, back outside I went. And back in again. Mission accomplished:



Izzy seems to have made herself comfortable watching the movie. And our friends’ baby is enjoying checking out the other diners.

While I was doing sprints to supply Izzy with food and milk, our friends were dealing with food acquisition for their baby. Right away, they ordered an entrée that came with mashed potatoes on the side so that they could feed their daughter the potatoes. Well, our waitress was great and had a toddler of her own, so she understood that they really just wanted mashed potatoes. So, she just brought them a complimentary bowl of mashed potatoes right away. Very nice! They spoon-fed them to their daughter and everyone was happy.

We mostly chatted with the mom and grandma, since we couldn’t really yell across the car to the others. We did manage to have quite a bit of conversation, given the type of arrangement we had. I do think I saw other guests giving us looks, though. Because, you know, QUIET TIME! But maybe that was just my imagination. We weren’t loud or anything.

Anyway, we ordered an appetizer of fried pickles. I love fried pickles:



I think we gave one to Izzy and it ended up on the floor. Which was likely at that age. Just over the last couple months, she’s gotten much better about hanging on to her food. Not all of it, of course, but more of it than she used to!

We enjoyed the pickles. Also, because it’s Sci-Fi, you have to get a shake. We got what I believe was a peppermint one:



It was quite good (Dug and I shared). If I remember right, we both got bacon cheeseburgers, since we knew we couldn’t go wrong with those:



Man, that’s not a very appetizing picture, but they were as good as we remembered. We got different sides, so that we’d have something else for Izzy. One order of the cucumber salad:



We thought she’d enjoy this, as she loves green things. I’m pretty sure she just threw some on the floor and called it good, though. I actually thought it was pretty tasty and refreshing. We also got a side of fries:



It wouldn’t surprise me if Izzy ate a couple of them. I can’t remember now, but she does love fries (and rarely gets them, just like us).

Unlike our previous pre-kid/sans friends dining experience at Sci-Fi, I don’t think I saw really any of the movie this time. Too busy chatting with friends and attending to Izzy. It was fun and went well. The babies even were really well-behaved and enjoyed activities like reaching out to hold hands and looking at each other. Too cute!

Also, our waitress really went the extra mile. At some point, she showed up with two little bowls full of goldfish crackers for the babies. For free. Really unexpected, but perfect – Izzy loves both goldfish and little paper bowls! Kept her busy while we ate. Then, towards the end, she brought out a dish of ice cream, I think one for each of the kids, but I’m not certain. Izzy had only tried ice cream once before this trip, but she had loved it. So, we gave her a taste on a spoon and she was crazy for this little scoop of vanilla! We spoon-fed the ice cream to her and she was a happy little girl. I think I may have run off to the bathroom during this, as she was so pre-occupied that my leaving might not lead to a meltdown.

After Izzy was all sugared up and the rest of us were finished, we headed out (leaving our waitress a nice tip, of course). Turned out to be a pretty enjoyable experience. We couldn’t chat as much as we would have liked, but we got to know the grandma a lot better, since she was right in front of us and not pre-occupied with feeding a baby.

I think the others took a bathroom break on the way out. And I may have changed Izzy. Don’t remember.

By the time we got out of there, there was no realistic chance of using our Fast Passes and seeing more Osborne Lights (which we wanted to do, as it was a brief visit before dinner – we wanted to walk through and get Photopass pictures too). The park would be closing at 8pm and it was fast approaching.

At that point, our friends decided to split up. The grandma, the husband, and the daughters were tired and ready to head out (their older daughter was falling asleep in the stroller…and she had just turned 7! Disney can sure wipe you out). However, the wife and the son both were up for taking in some more of the Osborne Lights. So, they stuck around with us. We all made our way back to the holiday magic:









Our friend commented on how happy she was that they decided to stay. They were really enjoying taking everything in. We stopped at a Photopass spot with a fairly short line:



I should mention that Izzy seemed to enjoy herself. I’d figured she’d be dancing around, but it was crowded and she was tired, so she really just looked around while being carried/strollered through.

At some point along the way, I fairly suddenly got a headache and felt somewhat sick to my stomach. Not good. Our friend offered to take Izzy for me, which I took her up on. I think that meant that she was holding Izzy while pushing her son in the stroller for a bit. Not sure, though, as I was just trying to feel “normal” and walk steady. She pointed out that it was probably all of the noise and lights triggering the sudden sick feeling. I had never had that happen before, but that must be what it was. I was fine after we left. Something must have just really gotten to me. Weird. So, that put a damper on my enjoyment. It was still pretty, though.

Dug took some video at some point in our stroll. If you don’t want to start feeling as sick as I was, you might want to skip the last 30 seconds. You’ve been warned!:

(click to watch)

And some more pictures from our journey through the lights:

















After our walk through the lights and chatting along the way, we headed for the exit. Goodbye, DHS Christmas tree:



We said our goodbyes and shared hugs after exiting the park. Then, awkwardly, we ended up walking along with our friends a bit longer, down the bus pick-up area, as they had to meet the rest of the family somewhere far-flung to hop in the car with them. Since I’ve never had a car at Disney, I couldn’t tell you where they were going, but it seemed to be past all of the bus stops? At any rate, we split off and said our goodbyes yet again so we could get in line for our bus. We were going to take the Poly bus, but changed our minds (maybe due to a long line?) and got in line for the TTC bus instead, so we could walk back. Izzy’s first non-Magical-Express bus ride:



The bus came fairly quickly and we got seats along the side, facing the aisle. Izzy on my lap. She was pretty mellow by this point and just enjoyed the ride.

The bus was standing room only, so we had people in the aisle in front of us. One guy, pretty much right in front of us, was clearly the “life of the party” type and was loudly chatting with everyone around him. He talked about football and made some jokes and tried to get people involved (pretty successfully – Dug even tried to join in, though he’s definitely not a sports fanatic). Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Wish I could remember more of the details now, but that guy was pretty fun.

At some point – and I have no memory of why – the pneumonic device for North-East-South-West came up. The chatty guy was saying he always learned that it was “Never Eat Shredded Wheat”. A guy in the aisle further back in the bus chimed in at that point. He was Australian (with the accent!) and they always learned it as “Never Eat Soggy Weet-bix”. This had the chatty guy nearly rolling in the aisles with laughter, as he’d never heard that before (neither had I).

Spurred on by the banter with the chatty guy, the Australian really came out of his shell. Together, they amused a good chunk of the bus for the rest of the ride. It’s one of those things that’s hard to re-create in writing, but just hysterical at the time. I have to say this was probably the most amusing bus ride I can remember. We were all just laughing and laughing.

The Australian really brought things home by telling us all about how the “cute” animals in Australia are all really just scary human-killers. He was saying that kangaroos are actually really violent. And koalas are actually “killer koalas” – they jump out of trees onto people. So, I guess we all learned a lot about Australian animals that night – stay away from them!

After our super-fun bus ride, we got out at the TTC, popped open the stroller for Izzy, and walked back to the Poly. We were exhausted after a long day with no naps (for us). Got back to the room, got Izzy down to bed, cleaned her sippy cup and such, and ended up going to sleep ourselves. Wiped out!

So, we didn’t get to do Tower of Terror or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster that night, but we did have another visit to the Studios planned, so we’d try to hit them that day. Not the end of the world. But, in the spirit of going off plan, we also forgot something else that night. Something that did feel like the end of the world when we remembered it a whole 24 hours later.

Up next: Breakfast at Kona! Yum!

 

[cindianne320]

Man- you are good at the cliff hangers! I hope it turns out ok!

How fun to be able to meet up with friends in the World! Reading this TR makes me feel guilty that just DH and I are going in June (partly for a work convention for him/trip to WDW before) but in our defense we brought the kids in Oct and will take them again soon!

 

[AprilRenee]

OH NO!!! What did you forget??? You'd notice if it was the lovey before 24 hrs...so not that. I'm nervous!

Sounds like a fun time there though Going off plan is pretty fun sometimes!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Hi,

I rarely post, but wanted to let you know I love all your reports and updates. Thanks!

 

[olafgypsy]

I am simultaneously impressed and bemused by that CM at Mama Melrose. On the one hand, way to get things done! But on the other hand, wow, just...wow. I bet that they get so used to angry WDW noobs who don't know about doing ADRs that they get in the habit of doing pre-emotive damage control. Lucky you and your friends were able to roll with the punches!

Your bus ride sounds so fun! When I traveled the world as a penniless young twenty something i always hoped there would be Australians in my hostel because in general they're such a friendly, up for anything culture. Your bus emcee had just the right partner!

And speaking of scary Australian animals, ever seen this? http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/5554484a8c/killer-willard-the-boxing-kangaroo-from-that-happened

 

[TheMaxRebo]

wow, that is quite the cliff-hanger to get your readers coming back for more

Glad things worked out at Sci-fi (at least seemed to work out better than you feared with regards to conversing) and that was pretty good of the people at Mam Melrose to find another place that would take you in

Glad you enjoyed the Osborne lights (other than the sick feeling) though bummer about not getting on TOT or RRC - good thing you have another day there though

 

[Mom&RN]

Hi Dugette!! I've been pretty much off the DIS for a long time as my last year has been crazy hectic with starting a new job, having my one and only son get diagnosed with diabetes and then sending him off to college . Thankfully the job is going well and my son is doing fantastic . Anyway, I finally feel like I have DIS time again and I was so exciting to find your trip report!! Izzy is adorable, looking forward to reading all about your trip

 

[Dugette]

Man- you are good at the cliff hangers! I hope it turns out ok!

Ha, I didn't realize how much of a cliff-hanger that was. Everything is okay, but there is some major disappointment.

How fun to be able to meet up with friends in the World! Reading this TR makes me feel guilty that just DH and I are going in June (partly for a work convention for him/trip to WDW before) but in our defense we brought the kids in Oct and will take them again soon!

Enjoy the time there without the kids! Do all the things you want to do that are tougher to do with them in tow. And, yes, I don't think they're Disney deprived, so they'll be okay. Very cool that he has a work convention there, by the way. There's a conference that Dug really wants to go to at the Contemporary, but there is absolutely no way we can afford that trip (a month before Aulani). Oh, well.

OH NO!!! What did you forget??? You'd notice if it was the lovey before 24 hrs...so not that. I'm nervous!

Well, based on how I'm going, it'll probably be like 8 more updates and you'll find out. Don't be nervous, but it is a major bummer on the first trip as parents to have forgotten this (for me, in particular).

Sounds like a fun time there though Going off plan is pretty fun sometimes!

Yeah, we had a good night. We were really off plan on a lot of this trip. Even though we tried to make a do-able plan, we were just too ambitious.

Hi,

I rarely post, but wanted to let you know I love all your reports and updates. Thanks!

Thanks for popping in! I love to know who's out there! Glad you are enjoying!

I am simultaneously impressed and bemused by that CM at Mama Melrose. On the one hand, way to get things done! But on the other hand, wow, just...wow. I bet that they get so used to angry WDW noobs who don't know about doing ADRs that they get in the habit of doing pre-emotive damage control. Lucky you and your friends were able to roll with the punches!

It was so strange. I kept thinking - how did I miss where they're sending us? But I'm fairly certain I didn't. I think you are right - they are used to people who didn't plan and will take anything. Which I guess we were that night. I kinda wish they had gotten us 50's Prime Time, though. We've never been there and I bet it would've been fun with a big group. Oh, well.

Your bus ride sounds so fun! When I traveled the world as a penniless young twenty something i always hoped there would be Australians in my hostel because in general they're such a friendly, up for anything culture. Your bus emcee had just the right partner!

Yeah, he was a lot of fun. The first guy on his own was doing pretty well, but the Australian brought the comedy to a whole new level. Very fun.

And speaking of scary Australian animals, ever seen this? http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/5554484a8c/killer-willard-the-boxing-kangaroo-from-that-happened

Just watched it. Man, I'm not messing with any kangaroos...especially ones wearing boxing gloves! Yikes!

wow, that is quite the cliff-hanger to get your readers coming back for more

Ha, thanks! Guess that'll keep everyone around for awhile.

Glad things worked out at Sci-fi (at least seemed to work out better than you feared with regards to conversing) and that was pretty good of the people at Mam Melrose to find another place that would take you in

Yeah, everything worked out okay, just not as planned. We were lucky we had such a good waitress at Sci Fi, since that really helped make the dinner go well.

Glad you enjoyed the Osborne lights (other than the sick feeling) though bummer about not getting on TOT or RRC - good thing you have another day there though

Yeah, it was fun, but kind-of sad to get back and pull out the big pile of unused Fast Passes and Rider Swaps.

Hi Dugette!! I've been pretty much off the DIS for a long time as my last year has been crazy hectic with starting a new job, having my one and only son get diagnosed with diabetes and then sending him off to college . Thankfully the job is going well and my son is doing fantastic . Anyway, I finally feel like I have DIS time again and I was so exciting to find your trip report!! Izzy is adorable, looking forward to reading all about your trip

Yay, you're back! I'd been wondering what you were up to. I'm glad the job is going well and I'm sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis, though glad he's doing well too. And off to college, huh? Did he go far or can you visit? So glad to have you back again!

 

[Mom&RN]

It's good to be back! Just spent a lazy morning drinking coffee and reading your trip report. You write fantastic trip reports, I'm really enjoying it!! You were able to get such great family pictures. My son is about a 5 hour drive away so we've managed to see him about every 4-6 weeks. Not too bad. Izzy is totally adorable! Looking forward to more trip report

 

[dtr_angel]

I am so so sorry I'm so behind on comments. I have been reading just too lazy to attempt to comment from my phone or ipad. Sci Fi would be an awkward place to eat when you want to chat but it sounds like it worked out okay. That's so weird you did not have trays on your high chairs. It sounds like you had an awesome waitress and I'm glad both toddlers did well. I skimmed over your pictures from the Osbourne lights as I'm hoping to see them for myself this December (hoping the rumors are not true that 2013 was the last year) but I love the picture of you and Dug and Izzy together. I'm glad you felt better after you left the park. Sounds like sensory overload! Uh oh, well you had Izzy so at least you didn't forget her. Hopefully it wasn't anything too bad.

 

[JolllyHoliday]

I don't post too often but I have been following along with your trip report and enjoying it
Very much. Your daughter is a real cutie pie !!!

 

[JolllyHoliday]

I don't post too often but I have been following along with your trip report and enjoying it
Very much. Your daughter is a real cutie pie !!!

 

[Dugette]

It's good to be back! Just spent a lazy morning drinking coffee and reading your trip report. You write fantastic trip reports, I'm really enjoying it!! You were able to get such great family pictures. My son is about a 5 hour drive away so we've managed to see him about every 4-6 weeks. Not too bad. Izzy is totally adorable! Looking forward to more trip report

Sounds like a nice morning! I love those rare occasions when I have a chance to just sit down and read a good chunk of a trip report. And thank you! Glad you are enjoying it. That's pretty good seeing him that often from that distance. I just noticed your signature shows a May 2014 WL Club Level trip...sounds awesome! Glad you have something coming up!

I am so so sorry I'm so behind on comments. I have been reading just too lazy to attempt to comment from my phone or ipad.

Totally understand! I sometimes read on my phone but almost never comment from it. I try to remember to go back later and do so when I'm on my laptop, but that doesn't always happen. No worries!

Sci Fi would be an awkward place to eat when you want to chat but it sounds like it worked out okay. That's so weird you did not have trays on your high chairs. It sounds like you had an awesome waitress and I'm glad both toddlers did well.

Yeah, it was really awkward to try to converse there. But it was fun anyway. I was so surprised when I saw in your TR that you had a tray on your high chair! If only I'd known they had them, I would have asked. It worked out fine, but just not ideal for her to eat. The waitress was a real sweetheart and so great with the babies.

I skimmed over your pictures from the Osbourne lights as I'm hoping to see them for myself this December (hoping the rumors are not true that 2013 was the last year) but I love the picture of you and Dug and Izzy together. I'm glad you felt better after you left the park. Sounds like sensory overload!

Thanks on the picture! It's not too bad. We had hoped to do more Photopass pictures there, but it just didn't work out that night. Oh, well. I hope you get to see them next year!

Uh oh, well you had Izzy so at least you didn't forget her. Hopefully it wasn't anything too bad.

Thankfully, we didn't forget Izzy.

I don't post too often but I have been following along with your trip report and enjoying it
Very much. Your daughter is a real cutie pie !!!

Hi, there! Thanks for saying hi and glad you are here!