donaldbuzz&minnie
Happy to be here!
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2004
- Messages
- 1,728
Memo to me: Never, ever plan an early morning breakfast the first day of a trip to Disneyworld, even if you are trying to beat the Easter crowds and it sounds like a good idea 90 days earlier when you are booking the priority seatings. From now on, I am planning nothing but rest for the first day.
Both the grandchildren were just getting over colds as they boarded the plane the day before, but they did well and probably would have been fine if I'd let them sleep in the first morning. But we had Mickey and Minnie to meet, cute outfits to wear, pictures to take, and the Magic Kingdom to visit early in the morning before the invasion of the Easter hordes arrived. So off we went, blurry-eyed and trying to be polite about it. (And that was the adults. The kids were really cranky.) But Nana had a schedule to keep....what was I thinking???
Fortunately, the excitement of arriving at the Contemporary and taking our Chef Mickey's picture began to revive everyone. We got to our seats, orange juice and coffee were poured and now it was getting to be fun. Seeing our grandchildren with Mickey and Minnie for the first time was something I don't think I'll ever forget. DGS jumped out of his skin when Mickey first greeted him, but soon became entranced. DGD, our brave little 8 month old, immediately kissed Minnie on the nose. I hope the pictures come out - nothing like "Minnie" meeting Minnie. Wouldn't wear the ears though.
Then on to the Magic Kingdom. I was anxious to get us there because I had read everything I could get my hands on and knew that we had to make the most of the early morning hours. We had a 7 am breakfast seating, which seemed like plenty of time to eat and monorail to the Magic Kingdom if it opened at 9 am or even 8 for early entry. Then Disney changed the schedule and the MK opened at 7 am that morning! But I had already pushed everyone as hard as I dared to get them over for the breakfast, and so we relaxed enough to take the resort monorail "tour" over to the MK, and then it was on to Dumbo.
I was actually pleasantly surprised. We got on Dumbo around 8:30 with only about a ten minute wait. DGD rode with our daughter "the mom", while DGS rode on Bopa's lap - flying Dumbo way up in the sky. I was the photographer in the elephant in front, pivoting around in my seat to snap pictures of the slightly anxious little guy riding with his grandpa behind me. I was a little concerned that this ride might be more than a 2 year old could do, but the second he got off, his word to me (he still communicates pretty much one word at a time) was, "more!".
We rushed off to "do" the rest of Fantasyland at a pretty good clip. At one point we stopped to slather sunscreen on everyone, and DGS took that opportunity to grab my finger and drag me back to Dumbo, gesturing and letting me know he wanted "more!"
By this time everyone's sleep deprivation was being compensated for by the fun we were having. Some of the group hot-footed it over to the Haunted Mansion while some stayed in Fantasyland. We collected fast passes, and then ate an early lunch at Pecos Bill. After lunch we were able to get everyone on Big Thunder in shifts. Just as the second shift was getting on the ride, the 12:30 parade was starting. So our daughter, "the aunt", her husband and I found a perfect spot in Frontierland to watch the excitement with both the babies. The baby slept on her aunt's shoulder in the shade, while DGS and I called out to all the characters on the floats. It is so much fun to see all that with a child!!!
After the parade we all used our fastpasses to get on the Jungle Cruise. We had a fun guide who let DGS "drive" the boat once it was docked and before everyone got off. The whole boat cheered for him, which thrilled him to pieces. The kid is obsessed with anything with a motor - "boat!" "train!" "car!" "plane!" "truck!" We were at Disneyworld. He rode them all!
As we got off the Jungle Cruise, all of us realized we'd had enough. It was 1:30, hot, the crowds were building, and we were all tired. Fortunately, although our DVC studio wasn't quite ready, our 2 bedroom was. My husband and I hadn't told anyone where we were staying because we wanted it to be a surprise, so I was getting excited to see my "kids" reactions when we loaded everyone and everything into the cars. Antenna toppers waving in the wind, we took off for the short drive to the Boardwalk.
Both the grandchildren were just getting over colds as they boarded the plane the day before, but they did well and probably would have been fine if I'd let them sleep in the first morning. But we had Mickey and Minnie to meet, cute outfits to wear, pictures to take, and the Magic Kingdom to visit early in the morning before the invasion of the Easter hordes arrived. So off we went, blurry-eyed and trying to be polite about it. (And that was the adults. The kids were really cranky.) But Nana had a schedule to keep....what was I thinking???
Fortunately, the excitement of arriving at the Contemporary and taking our Chef Mickey's picture began to revive everyone. We got to our seats, orange juice and coffee were poured and now it was getting to be fun. Seeing our grandchildren with Mickey and Minnie for the first time was something I don't think I'll ever forget. DGS jumped out of his skin when Mickey first greeted him, but soon became entranced. DGD, our brave little 8 month old, immediately kissed Minnie on the nose. I hope the pictures come out - nothing like "Minnie" meeting Minnie. Wouldn't wear the ears though.
Then on to the Magic Kingdom. I was anxious to get us there because I had read everything I could get my hands on and knew that we had to make the most of the early morning hours. We had a 7 am breakfast seating, which seemed like plenty of time to eat and monorail to the Magic Kingdom if it opened at 9 am or even 8 for early entry. Then Disney changed the schedule and the MK opened at 7 am that morning! But I had already pushed everyone as hard as I dared to get them over for the breakfast, and so we relaxed enough to take the resort monorail "tour" over to the MK, and then it was on to Dumbo.
I was actually pleasantly surprised. We got on Dumbo around 8:30 with only about a ten minute wait. DGD rode with our daughter "the mom", while DGS rode on Bopa's lap - flying Dumbo way up in the sky. I was the photographer in the elephant in front, pivoting around in my seat to snap pictures of the slightly anxious little guy riding with his grandpa behind me. I was a little concerned that this ride might be more than a 2 year old could do, but the second he got off, his word to me (he still communicates pretty much one word at a time) was, "more!".
We rushed off to "do" the rest of Fantasyland at a pretty good clip. At one point we stopped to slather sunscreen on everyone, and DGS took that opportunity to grab my finger and drag me back to Dumbo, gesturing and letting me know he wanted "more!"
By this time everyone's sleep deprivation was being compensated for by the fun we were having. Some of the group hot-footed it over to the Haunted Mansion while some stayed in Fantasyland. We collected fast passes, and then ate an early lunch at Pecos Bill. After lunch we were able to get everyone on Big Thunder in shifts. Just as the second shift was getting on the ride, the 12:30 parade was starting. So our daughter, "the aunt", her husband and I found a perfect spot in Frontierland to watch the excitement with both the babies. The baby slept on her aunt's shoulder in the shade, while DGS and I called out to all the characters on the floats. It is so much fun to see all that with a child!!!
After the parade we all used our fastpasses to get on the Jungle Cruise. We had a fun guide who let DGS "drive" the boat once it was docked and before everyone got off. The whole boat cheered for him, which thrilled him to pieces. The kid is obsessed with anything with a motor - "boat!" "train!" "car!" "plane!" "truck!" We were at Disneyworld. He rode them all!
As we got off the Jungle Cruise, all of us realized we'd had enough. It was 1:30, hot, the crowds were building, and we were all tired. Fortunately, although our DVC studio wasn't quite ready, our 2 bedroom was. My husband and I hadn't told anyone where we were staying because we wanted it to be a surprise, so I was getting excited to see my "kids" reactions when we loaded everyone and everything into the cars. Antenna toppers waving in the wind, we took off for the short drive to the Boardwalk.
