Celebrating 3 beautiful girls for 3 days

[cliston90]

Hello all,

Newbie here, and I am taking my family on a kind of spur of the moment trip. It didn't start out that way, and I am making it way more complicated than it has to be...but that's just the way I am and I don't have anything better to do during the last week of my hubby's deployment.(ha, yeah right)

So anyways, we are headed out to DL at the beginning of August. This will be my whole family's (me and my husband included) first time and a very special one at that. He will just be returning from deployment and getting to meet our 6 month baby girl for the first time. He will also be returning to our 5 and 1/2 year old daughter and our other daughter just turning 2. We already have our 3 day park hopper tickets and are staying at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel.

So we have 3 beautiful girls to celebrate on 3 separate days.
Day 1 will actually be the day of our 2 year olds birthday. She loves everything Mickey & Minnie. I am hoping to do Minnie & Friends Breakfast just to kick off our trip. I have to call in the morning to see if we can still get in (Again, I didn't realize how much goes into planning this stuff and am biting my nails because I waited til last minute) I would also like to do a less expensive option for dinner but still have a little cake celebration... anyone know if this is possible?

Day 2 Will be our 5 year olds 1/2 birthday celebration since Daddy was deployed for her birthday. She loves princess's so I am wanting the older 2 to dress up (thinking about making their dresses, but it was just an idea I found today and again, kicking myself for it being last minute) Anyone know of cheap places to get princess dresses? Also planning on doing Ariel's Grotto for dinner or lunch. I want to celebrate her 1/2 birthday with 1/2 a cake. Do you know if they would do this or if we can bring a 1/2 cake in to DL?

Day 3 will be to celebrate our baby girl. Daddy was deployed for her birth so just want to do a little something special for her too but of course since she is little, it will be more of a last day to do anything and everything day.

I just purchased our PP+

So I'd just like general ideas and opinions about must see's/ do's for the girls and their ages. I heard at WDW they had a place where they can do hair cuts. Any place like that at DL? Our 2 year old still hasn't had her first cut and she has beatiful locks, but I wouldn't mind getting her first cut at DL.

Anyway we can go about getting cheaper meals? Even though we are only paying for 1 child, that's about $70-100/ meal

Please help me calm down about the trip because I am getting more nercous than excited for it.

 

[Karenann*]

Welcome!!! And what a magical time in store for you and your family!
Not sure about the cake possibilities but http://allears.net has menus from the parks. There are lots of choices and price ranges.
There is so much helpful info here to use planning your trip...one week out or one year!
Have a wonderful trip!!!!!

 

[skiingfast]

No barber shop in DL.

Go into a store or guest services and ask for Birthday buttons. The girls can wear them the whole trip. Parents can get Celebrating buttons which the girls will like you to wear. You will probably get a special dessert wearing these buttons at your meals.

See if you can do Minnie and Friends at the earliest time before the park is open. If the park opens at 8am this is 7:10 on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays.


The Anaheim Plaza is about a 7 minute walk to the gates. You could bring or get a cake nearby and put it in the fridge in the room. The reason I suggest this is because you can not bring a cake into the park but they can make birthday caked, they are just expensive.

You can get costumes sometimes at WalMart, maybe a Halloween store is opening nearby. Also amazon.com.

 

[cliston90]

Thank you! I was thinking about just buying a cake (or 2) at a local walmart or something and storing it in the room. We are driving so we have a chance to stop and do something like that.

I just read the Dining Thread and am hoping that we can do a few Character meals, since with the girls ages, that is primarily why we are there.

I am still very on edge, seeing people who plan months to a year in advance, <-- that is the kind of person I usually am, but the opportunity presented itself and so here I find myself. TIA

 

[cliston90]

See if you can do Minnie and Friends at the earliest time before the park is open. If the park opens at 8am this is 7:10 on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays.

Not on Monday? That is when DD's Bday is :-( May have to switch things up a little then.

 

[ArchOwl]

Oh don't be nervous! Lots of people do last minute trips, heck I just decided to go a little over a week from today. Booked the hotel, made two ressies, and I am good to go!

It sounds like a very special trip and you are well on your way to having a great time. You should have no problem getting your reservation at Minnie's and Ariel's. I think Skiingfast was trying to get you in the parks earlier by suggesting a breakfast on those days, but don't worry, Minnie's is open everyday. If it is important to do Minnie's on Monday, you can definitely do that. You just might want to have a later breakfast. Those first couple of hours in the park are very precious due to low crowds and most people don't want to eat during them. So maybe eat a light breakfast and schedule Minnie's around 10am if possible.

As far as recommendations go, I would consider getting an autograph book for the girls when they visit the characters. The princesses and fairies are always a big hit with my nieces, but they also enjoy the Pooh characters who are out by Splash Mountain. They are also looking forward to seeing the Soundsational Parade in a few months. The Little Mermaid ride in DCA is a must do as is watching Aladdin. The Fantasyland rides are a favorite in DL, but make sure to hit them first thing in the morning, because the lines can get long.

Do take full advantage of Fastpass and use it in conjunction with child swap so you and your husband can ride the more thrilling attractions. There are usually tamer rides nearby that one parent can do while the other is riding.

There is really no way to lessen the cost of character meals, since they charge per person, but many meals at the resort are totally shareable. DH and I split lots of things, like the fried chicken plate at Plaza Inn for lunch, the platters at Rancho del Zocalo, and the huge meals at the Medditerranean Grill in DCA. You can also save money by having breakfast in your room if you have a small fridge.

Let us know what other questions you have and relax. .

 

[smiles33]

How wonderful to celebrate at DLR when your DH returns from deployment! THANK YOU and your family for the sacrifices you make for our country!

My DDs were 2 and 5 when we went in September, so you might want to read my TR for their experiences. We did the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for DD5, but the min age is 3 so DD2 didn't do it at the time. It was $50 for a fancy hairstyle, makeup, tiara, and nailpolish (we brought out own Belle dress). I also picked up a bunch of souvenirs ahead of time thanks to a Disney.com clearance sale ($5 for satin "nightgowns" that looked like decent princess dresses to my girls).

Have a great time!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Sounds like an amazing trip. You have some great ideas above. I just wanted to chime in with -- when you get birthday buttons, tell them about your husband and ask if you could get him an Honorary Citizen button. It's not one that is generally asked for, but as an active military, it's certainly appropriate.

Also, you may want to schedule into your day the Flag Retreat Ceremony at Town Square. While all Park guests are invited to gather around (and it's sad how few actually do), all members of every branch of the military is invited to step forward and be in the inner circle of the ceremony. It would be a nice chance for your girls to see their father be part of something special, honoring his service to our country.

Sidenote: I cannot imagine not having your husband present at the birth of your child. I know your family is not alone in this scenario, but I just wanted to say thank you for the sacrifices you and your family have made for our country. Enjoy your very special trip (which I would say is for FOUR special "girls" - yourself included ).

- Dreams

 

[interstate70s]

Your going to have a wonderful time! One suggestion I would make is to prepare the girls a little by watching you tube videos of rides. Little people can get overwhelmed by the fantasyland dark rides even the ones that can seem pretty benign to adults. I 'd probably start them in bugsland and outdoor fantasyland rides before attempting the more immersive rides. Same goes for characters, my son liked them at that age but was overwhelmed by them at first.

 

[teachU2]

Sidenote: I cannot imagine not having your husband present at the birth of your child. I know your family is not alone in this scenario, but I just wanted to say thank you for the sacrifices you and your family have made for our country. Enjoy your very special trip (which I would say is for FOUR special "girls" - yourself included ). - Dreams

I agree. Thanks so much for your service to our country. As a family, you are making incredible sacrifices. Enjoy your trip! You will get tons of great advice here so no more nail biting. lol

I just remembered. I saw some princess dresses at the Disney store yesterday. I didn't check the price b/c I have a son, but right now there are having a 25% off sale. You can go here http://www.disneystore.com/ for the code. Print out and take to the store or buy online if you have time before your trip.

 

[lisachrystine]

Anyone know of cheap places to get princess dresses?

We have had great luck with getting princess dresses at garage sales and craiglist. We got a beautiful Disney Store Snow White dress off of craigslist for about $5. It's luck of the draw if you can find one before you go, but definitely worth checking out. We also got a Tinkerbell costume at a kids consignment store, so if you have any of those near you (we have Once Upon A Child), that's another good place to look.

 

[cliston90]

Thank you all for your support and encouraging words. It was our first deployment and a VERY eventful one for us including but not limited to the birth of our youngest daughter. The most recent thing is that he was due home last weekend and they got extended a week so all I have heard this week is, "He is SUPPOSED to be home! WHERE is he?!?" And all I can say is, "I feel the same way, and he will be home soon." I luckily get to say that but I keep all of the families in our prayers that don't get to see their soldier again.

Thank you for all your help with the trip, I am taking many notes so keep them coming. I'd really like to do Minnie's early Monday morning as our first thing, since the girls don't know we are going, I want to get them acquainted with the characters. I am planning on making an autograph book for each of the girls, or possibly "Birthday cards" for the characters to sign. Any ideas are welcome.

 

[teachU2]

Thank you for all your help with the trip, I am taking many notes so keep them coming. I'd really like to do Minnie's early Monday morning as our first thing, since the girls don't know we are going, I want to get them acquainted with the characters. I am planning on making an autograph book for each of the girls, or possibly "Birthday cards" for the characters to sign. Any ideas are welcome.

I love the birthday card idea. That is super cool and creative!