I get that Universal doesn’t see as many kids as Disney, but this really surprised me. It was as if babies were a rare occurrence and even then it almost felt like the room was a legal checkpoint. As in, “Here’s our baby room JUST IN CASE someone needs it.”
Yikes... makes me glad we chose to leave Universal out of our plans this summer... especially with an 11 month old who currently still nurses, because he will only drink 1 - 3 ounces of fluid at most per day from a cup.
Like every little boy on the boards, Landon was excited to go on the train. Any form of transportation is a win in his book.
It still is.
They kept asking her to stop.
She was embarrassing them. She was embarrassing herself. She was being ridiculous.
I managed to catch that she was a 5th grade teacher and was taking photos in order to decorate her class next year in Harry Potter theme, and she wasn’t having any of her grandkids’ nonsense.
When they told her, “Magic’s not real you know. We’re kids and we know that.”
Her response was a smile, a shrug, and a “I believe in magic. I’m sorry you don’t. Maybe one day you will.”
That's awesome!
Eventually, it was our turn to board. The interior where the hallway and all the cars are was very dark so I put away the camera.
I just had my phone in my hand and was chastised by a TM that pictures aren't allowed. I'm surprised you weren't harassed for just carrying a camera.
I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but Universal did a spectacular job with the theming in its Harry Potter areas.
As a non-Potter fan, I appreciate it.
Nobody outright said it, but I think all of us were thinking that the day had gone better than anyone could have ever expected. I have no doubt Leslie and Eddie were prepared for us to take over and not listen to their advice. And honestly, there was a tiny part of Alex and I that were afraid we would do that too.
I can relate to how you felt. Because I've got to admit. When I got to the part of the TR when you said you were going to defer to their experience with Universal and let them be the guides... then you said they like to get a later start, it made me cringe and got my blood pressure up a little bit and I wasn't even there... I was just reading about it!
I'm glad it all worked out to be such an enjoyable day though.
This kind of sums up my family pretty well. Landon’s always acting silly, and Evie is forever shooting someone a dirty look.
Not much has changed in that regard…
Real family pictures are the best kind.
As we were walking away, I remember I pulled my sister in-law aside and thanked her for taking so many pictures for me. You guys are all too aware that usually one parent is not in photographs because they are usually the ones taking them. Unless you have Photopass at Disney or are brave enough to talk to a random stranger and ask a favor of them, your pictures aren’t all complete. But Leslie had been fantastic all day, reminding us to grab photos together and really making us feel like we had our own personal VIP tour guides.
Seriously.
No need for maps, people snapshotting those special moments, and always having someone tell us little tidbits of information…it was invaluable.
That's great! I'm glad you had that quality time with them and they seem to have really made a solid effort to show you all a good time and make sure you enjoyed everything.
When my father in-law was here visiting he came up to me one morning and asked, “So what’s with the decorative chopsticks on the wall?”
So now that’s what I refer to them as, much to Alex’s irritation…
Honestly, I watched the movies just to get a better sense of what they did there. And I couldn't tell you the difference from one wand to the next.
“Um, yes, guys, the baby room is off to the right here. One of you will need to take the kids that way while the rest return to the line here.”
The guy said this to me like I wouldn’t understand basic rules. Luckily, Alex managed to casually reply with, “Well, if someone was working here like I assume they are supposed to be, they would have been able to tell us that.”
Well done Alex. Somebody had to call them out for their failure. Especially if they want to cast the blame on you.
He was very upset that he got to watch other people ride and not him, and this only became more cruel when Alex and Eddie met up with us and Leslie and I got to leave. Landon had to watch as we waited in line, boarded a car, and then headed off through a tunnel.
Poor kid just didn’t understand why he wasn’t getting to ride ANYTHING. He was hot, frustrated, and becoming very hungry.
Totally understandable... poor guy.
And this ride is a prime example of why Universal isn't family friendly at all. Let's be honest, the only reason there's a height restriction on that ride is because of the ride design... the way the cars and seats are set up. They could change those cars into something that is more fully enclosed that you could sit a child in next to an adult safely and it wouldn't take a thing away from the ride at all. Yet they don't because Universal doesn't care.
My hangry level was returning. And I was feeling a tiny bit guilty over Landon’s predicament. The poor guy did not get on a single ride and was forced to sit in his stroller while the adults walked through shop after shop.
Not a very fun day for a 3 year old.
Not fun at all. But it seems like he handled everything really well, which says a lot.
I don’t remember much from the dinner except we all ordered burgers and I devoured mine. Usually, I’m one of the last to finish my meal at the table, but this time I was first. I barely tasted it.
Your hangry really was kicking in!
I also remember our server had some issues. She forgot everyone’s subsitutions and messed up the discounts on the checks, but after we were finished with the meal she told us that it was only her second day working there. So, we cut her some slack.
That stinks, but you kind of have to feel for her. As long as it really was her second day and she wasn't just feeding you a line to make sure she didn't get stiffed on the tip.
Dinner complete, Alex and I took the kids back to the room and got them ready for bed. Eddie and Leslie ran out to a local Italian ice shop they really enjoy and brought back two desserts for us.
That's full service tour guide stuff right there.
Of my 12 trips to Walt Disney World with Alex, 4 of them have been during the month of May. There’s something about experiencing the Flower and Garden Festival, the warm weather, and the lack of summer crowds that makes me happy.
I wouldn't know about that... May's a bad time but I wish I could do it!
I love that time of year so much, that’s I’m going back this year.
Wait, what?!
AWESOME!!!!
You read that right. Most of you guys already saw my blog post on social media explaining in detail my reasoning behind my trip, but I’ll go ahead and give a condensed version here, as well.
Yeah... I should probably follow that because I do a crappy job following the DIS. I haven't seen much of Alex on the Disdads Facebook lately... either that or it gets buried and I miss his posts.
The kids and I are going back to the states for 3 weeks.
I am actually going to fly internationally by myself with two toddlers.
Well, you did just say in a previous update about how great it is to fly with Landon...
Well, as a lot of you guys know, my family lives in one part of Florida and my in-laws live in another. What better way to Segway between the two families than with a stop in the middle at Disney?
I can't argue with that logic!
My mom and I will be going to Disney May 21st through May 26th.
I can’t believe I’m going back to Disney. It’s like a dream.
Landon’s at 39.5 inches with shoes right now, so I’m hoping and hoping he grows that final half an inch and I can take him on Thunder and Soarin’.
This should be incredible! Here's hoping he gets that half inch! Maybe you'll get that awesome CM that told us DD was tall enough for BTMRR when she was measuring about 39.5 at home.
Evie already has a passion for animals that I can’t wait to foster at Animal Kingdom.
You're going to miss Pandora by a day, right? Oh well, it's still going to be an awesome trip and I know you'll enjoy it.
The tickets now come with a 5 day option, which is fantastic. It means we get an extra day at Disney!
That's always a great thing!
It was a win-win all around. Landon would have a billion times more fun exploring Cabana Bay than he would spending another day watching everyone go on rides. Alex and I would get a break from the toddler. My siblings would have more of our attention, and my mother in-law would get some one on one time with her grandson.
Perfect!
I said goodbye to Landon, showed my mother inlaw where all his things were, and rushed out of the room. We had more Universal to explore! In our haste to leave, though, we had forgotten our bottle of sunscreen.
Because you don't look like you'd burn at all...
So we bought a bottle from the little shop right next to the security checkpoint.
It cost 12 dollars.
12 DOLLARS!!!
You need it, we got it. But it's gonna cost you.
You better believe Alex and I found a place in our suitcase to take that bottle with us to Germany. That sucker was gold.
(And guess how much we had to use it last summer? NONE.)
The wait for it was substantial, but we ran into the same incident as at Forbidden Journey. The Team Member at the entrance let us go through a separate line and told us she’d radio her coworker at the end to clear us.
Ok, maybe don't take toddlers to Universal, but if you can strap a baby onto your chest, you get the gold pass.
When we were sent into the waiting room, we all began the crisscross game of taking turns riding the attraction. I want to say it went: Leslie and me, Alex and Leslie, and then Leslie, me and Alex. I really enjoyed the Mummy. I thought it was a good mixture of storytelling and thrill. A bit more intense than Thunder Mountain but not as coaster as Rock N Roller Coaster. It is definitely one I’d go on in again should I ever return.
The Mummy's a great ride. I'm glad you had a chance to ride it!
It was finally time to try out Escape from Gringotts. I was a little hesitant to go on it after the Forbidden Journey trouble. We once again had amazing luck and were sent through a second line. Guests in the queue were a lot more vocal this time around about the unfairness of it. The wait time was at 90 minutes and you could tell people were getting impatient.
Sorry, guys. We didn’t force our way into the line. This is where the Team Member directed us.
It's that baby gold pass working for you.
That meant, in the two days we were there, Alex and I tried regular butterbeer, frozen butterbeer, butterbeer ice cream, and butterbeer fudge. I think we did pretty well.
So tell me again... did you like the butterbeer?
Dinner accomplished and back in our room, Alex tried calling Disney back. He was on hold for an hour before getting through to an operator.
Turns out…free dining had been released that morning.
Oh yeah... and I recall the free dining last year being extra crazy.
Alex and I woke up around 6 a.m. I got up and started getting dressed, and I happened to look over at Alex. He looked like death. Pale, bloodshot eyes, haggard…the whole nine yards.
I thought for sure we were about to be in for Round 2 of the stomach bug.
oh no...
Alex was definitely in rough shape; I hurried down to the food court to buy some eggs and toast so he could take some Motrin and while he was nibbling on the fare, I called Disney and cancelled our reservation at the Boardwalk. Well, actually, I had to move our reservation to a new date down the road and then call a few days later and cancel. With room-only bookings, you can only cancel without losing the first night’s deposit three days in advance.
Sucks that you had to deal with all that and a condescending CM but I'm glad you worked it out.
This wasn’t completely uncommon for him. He’s always suffered from headaches and a few months ago he had gotten a pretty rough one. We figured being out in the heat for two days straight, not drinking nearly enough water, the junk snacks we’d munched on, and the alcohol he’d consumed all blended together to make a lovely Migraine Cocktail.
Whatever the cause, I'm just glad he recovered and rallied back.
Despite the migraine, despite how late it already was, and despite the fact that we were all mentally tired, Alex persuaded me to go to a Disney park for an hour or so.
Landon, after all, still had his military ticket. And we’d never gotten him a meet and greet with his then-favorite character.
And a family had to eat. Why not get some food at Disney?
I can't argue with a perfect plan.
Alex wanted to see the new (at the time) Star Wars Launch Bay. We didn’t meet anyone or trade with Jawas, but we did check out the displays and tried to see what all the fuss was about. Personally, I loved the old Animation building and wished it hadn’t changed, but I accept that a lot of Star Wars fans were thrilled with this new area.
I'm a Star Wars fan and I think Launch Bay is overrated.
The meet was everything we hoped it would be and more. Alex and I were a little disappointed we weren’t spending our last Disney afternoon in a more classic park like Epcot, but after we saw Landon’s face light up when he got to Jake, being in our least favorite park didn’t matter.
Well worth it, especially after making him endure Universal.
The kid is now OBSESSED with Doc McStuffins. He had a Doc-themed birthday, he collects Doc toys, plays doctor all the time, and talks about the characters non-stop. If we had known that show was going to be such a big part of his life, we would have paid more attention to that meet!
Well... how about that. Did the fandom and obsession start that day?
It’s started so many conversations with people here about the parks, and even opened the door for me to meet one of my great friends. She’s a huge Disney fan like all of us, and when she saw my big she knew she was in the right company.
I'm glad it was such a big hit and gained you such a prestigious reputation. So have you been asked to help others plan
Disneyland Paris trips?
I hope your trip "home" is a good one! Enjoy your time with the Mouse and with family!
From the sound of it, it seems like you will do just fine. I hope you enjoy every moment you get to spend with your family and I look forward to your next update!
