COMPLETE:7 Nights at POP w/a 1 year old AKA...Pop Jets, Scary ducks, & Stranded at GF

[Cass]

I was afraid I'd stab the shroom wrong and it would fly and hit her and she'd have to be airlifted out of Epcot,

 

[Nanu57v]

Yeah, it sounds funny, but I really was afraid .

 

[candeeapril]

It was nice to meet you too. My kids fell asleep on Spaceship Earth also. On friday the 29th we also went to Kids eMH and they got to play "ring around the rosie" w/Mickey and Pluto and "duck, duck, goose" with them. Peter, wendy and Captain hook were playing "red light,green light" and Goofy rode the carousel. It was so cool. Wish we would have gone on one of the other days too.

 

[Haeg]

went to Kids eMH and they got to play "ring around the rosie" w/Mickey and Pluto and "duck, duck, goose" with them. Peter, wendy and Captain hook were playing "red light,green light" and Goofy rode the carousel. It was so cool. Wish we would have gone on one of the other days too.

Sorry for not knowing but what is kids eMH??

 

[candeeapril]

Sorry for not knowing but what is kids eMH??

emh=extra magic hours They had a program in aug-sept for pre-schoolers called magical begginings. They opened fantasyland 1 hour before the rest of the park opened for the magical beggings and the characters were all over they place and they played w/ the kids. I t was wonderful.

 

[Haeg]

So it's no longer happening for November visits.

 

[candeeapril]

So it's no longer happening for November visits.

NO it was a promotion for just the months of Aug and Sept. Sorry

 

[Msslaydbug]

Oh my goodness - you would think they would give that lady her own table or something. She couldn't even let them tough her ?! My goodness.

LOL at singing her to sleep with COP theme song !! That song gets stuck in my head every time. That is probably why I don't ride it anymore.

Cute balloons too. That was so nice of them to have them for you !! What a special touch !

 

[OhMari]

I wondered how the EMH worked for families. I guess if you have a child that wakes up very early, it finally pays off.

Thanks for posting.

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

We were there the same week and the ducks were scary! My 4 year old became hysterical because they were so aggressive. I don't think I will eat outside at Casey's again. We had to be on guard the whole time.

 

[Nanu57v]

I wondered how the EMH worked for families. I guess if you have a child that wakes up very early, it finally pays off.

Thanks for posting.

Indeed! DD wakes between 5:30 and 6:15 every AM. And she doesn't go to bed until 9! Today she is setting a record, but she was up crying for about 30 minutes at 4am and we couldn't console her until we figured she just wanted her blankie. If only she could just say "blankie."

 

[littleelvis]

Super Great Trip Report! We are going in Feb and we are bring our 18 month old for the first time, glad to know that things went so smoothly with you all. We aren't really bring a sitter but Dis MIL and FIL are going to be staying at WL and we are going to be staying at CR. Was there anything in the trip that was a lot harder with 18 month old? Just trying to understand what challenges a 18 month old with bring. Thanks for your help with the detailed trip report

 

[Nanu57v]

Was there anything in the trip that was a lot harder with 18 month old?

She needs time to run. When she was not mobile she was perfectly content in her stroller, but this time she needed time to run at the playgrounds or at the hotel. We also found that going back to the hotel in the afternoon was great for her temperment.

 

[Nanu57v]

The condition DH gave to us visiting Disney was that it had to be a relaxing vacation for him. For some reason he doesn't consider a 6:00 wakeup call the ideal relaxing vacation. So, today we let 'daddy' sleep in and DD and I went to MGM with my mom. As soon as we arrived my mom took DD and I walked/ran to the part where they were giving out the tickets for the Dan Zanes concert. I was NOT going to miss this. For some odd reason I thought they would be all gone and I had to hurry. No, plenty more. No
need to rush. In fact one CM I asked for directions said, "I don't think they're giving them out yet." We got tickets for the 11:15 show. I called DH and told him I got the tix so he should meet me in front of the theater at 11.

The three of us (mom, DD and I) then went to the courtyard near the Playhouse Disney show and let DD run around. We then got in line and sat up front for the first Playhouse Disney Live on Stage show.

Now, I don't think I'm biased or anything, but DD is the cutest 18 month old in the world. She just danced all the time whenever there was music. At the end she was dancing up a storm and the CMs were pretending to take photos like it was a publicity shoot or something.



Next we saw Ariel's show, and man do they stuff you like sardines in the waiting around. To make it even better, DD decides she has to play ring around the rosey with me, so I'm spinning around in a circle. The show was good, but the rain freaked out DD. I remembered in advance and pulled out one of her extra shirts to try and cover her head, but I couldn't cover everything.

DH called and said he didn't think he'd make it because he had to wait through so many busses and the next bus had two ECVs and two wheelchairs so he didn't think he'd get on.

We made it over to the theater for our 11:15 and found DH right about 11. He worries too much. We went into the theater and it was really cool. Like a good person I read the ticket which said "no filming," but everyone was, so I asked a CM. She said I could, and I said, "Oh I thought I read it somewhere," and she said ,"well, I think its okay, everyone else is doing it." So I filmed, too. But just snippets of DD dancing, not pirated Dan Zanes videos or anything. DD's favorite part was the train around the theater. She also enjoyed trying to escape through open doors. She danced tons, too.

Next DH and I went on Rock N Roller coaster (my mom got us fastpasses during the show) and Tower of Terror, while my mom watched DD. During this time she met Jojo and Little Einsteins and hugged them. She then fell asleep while in line for lunch.

After DH and I ate, he took DD back to the hotel and I got some time on my own. (DH hates MGM. Shows are boring, he says.) I saw The Great Movie Ride, Narnia, Backlot Tour, and Star Tours, then returned to the room. DH was just feeding DD her late lunch and I took her to play in the Pop Jets.

We ate at Le Cellier and this time actually arrived in PLENTY of time for dinner. We also decided to leave DD with grandma for the whole meal so we could really enjoy it. We both got the Cheese soup, but I also ordered some sort of crab and cheese appetizer. Steak of course for the main meal, and creme brulee for dessert. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The server here mentioned we were celebrating an anniversary, but nothing special was done.

After dinner, DH and I got DD and walked around the world a little. We did NOT stay for Illuminations. One time is enough for me.


***Tomorrow more issues with time management for ADRs, and busy busy day in the Parks...

 

[littleelvis]

She needs time to run. When she was not mobile she was perfectly content in her stroller, but this time she needed time to run at the playgrounds or at the hotel. We also found that going back to the hotel in the afternoon was great for her temperment.

Thanks we will remember to keep that in mind. We do sometimes forget to slow down for DS 14 months, but we will try (if we want him to be happy, and us too!) I can't wait to hear more.

 

[Nanu57v]

*Updated with pics* on day 4. Look for Day 5 tomorrow!

 

[Nanu57v]

You think we would've learned by now to alot PLENTY of time for Disney transportation.

So we had breakfast reservations at "10:40" at 1900 Park Faire for breakfast. We are running late of course, and then DH takes my key card and goes toward the busses with DD and I lock myself out of my room. So I had to track down DH and get the key card so I can go back into the room to give my mom back her scissors. DH is fuming. We get back to the busses about 10. After waiting through 2 busses it becomes evident we are not going to arrive on time. I call 1900 Park Faire and leave a message saying we are going to be about 20 minutes late and if we'll still be able to get in. They didn't call back so we just kept going.

We arrive a little after 11 and she says she'll have to take us as a walk-in but we were seating right away. DD saw Mary Poppins, Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, but wasn't so thrilled with Tigger and the other characters that are animal-like.

While we were waiting our 2 mintues for our table some lady who obviously wasn't having a relaxing vacation was complaining about a cake. She was fuming. I heard, "Well, I'm upset. Just forget it! You can just tell him to take the cake and shove it in his face!" Then the manager said, "I'm sorry, but... (trailed off too softly). ANd the upset lady said, "But I called first!" From what I could detect she was upset because her child's free birthday cake was the wrong flavor, but I could be off in my eavesdropping skillz, yo.

The food was so good! All the characters came around twice and the food was so filling! I didn't even get a chance to eat everything I wanted because I was full! DD scarfed down, too. The only downside was since we were so late, we didn't get our Disney anniversary magic because it wasn't noted on our walk-in ressie. When I was leaving I saw a cake and signed card and wondered if it was supposed to be for us. I couldn't care less about the cake because I was so full, but the card would've been nice. Oh well.

Me and pooh. (Yes, I'm wearing lime green and red pants. The laundry wasn't dry yet.)

Cinderella trying to disrupt DDs eating. "No time for you, eating"

What are you doing to my daddy, you big orange thing?

No, I will not look at the camera, I'm looking at you!

Fast-forward to nighttime and I looked at my ADR list. Breakfast was 10:20, not 10:40!

After brunch we went to Animal Kingdom. It was mobbed! It was Sunday. Before we even arrived my mom called to say they were out of Everest fastpasses. DD slept and my mom watched her, and DH and I went to check out the lines for the rides. Everything was WAY too long for our tastes, so we checked out Rafiki's Planet Watch. It was really neat! We saw the talking trashcan and figured out how it worked (no need to spoil it here).
We decided the lines were just too long so we went back to the room.

DD decided she wanted to go in the big pool. She screams through baths so this was a big step for her. The lifeguard gave us the world's smallest lifejacket for her to wear, and told us just to take it back to the room to change her into her suit. (I had been letting her play in the Pop Jets in regular clothes since she avoided the water at all costs). She ended up loving the lifejacket, hating the water.

We all went over to the Magic Kingdom about 7 and DD and I staked out primo seats for Spectromagic while DH went to get us some dinner. And so started the tray controversy. After purchasing our food, DH realized he couldn't possibly carry it. He was too afraid to take the tray lest (and I quote) "the Disney people make fun of be and beat me with a wet noodle." He also was too afraid to ask. My mom was coming to meet us, so I had to go meet him at the restaurant when she got to our spot. So mom came, and I walked to the restaurant, stopping to ask a CM the quickest way to get to "Americaland." I got to the Harbor House and looked all over for DH. He wasn't returning any of my calls. Finally he calls me. He decided to try and take the food back and he was over at our parade spot! Err. I hiked back to our spot and arrived 5 minutes before the parade started. I enjoyed my now cold fish and chips, by the way.

After the parade we were going to hit Tomorrowland and then watch the fireworks, but it took us like 30 minutes to move up Main Street so we just staked out a spot and waited. DD was getting tired, but when the fireworks started she woke up.

This was the Extra Magic Hours night and it was packed! Fortunately we got our bracelets on the way in. After the fireworks we rode the Wedway people mover (TTA) and DD fell asleep. The park was too crowded so we just went back to the hotel. Good thing we got those bracelets.

Notes for the future:

1. Double check ADR times
2. Allow plenty of time for Disney busses
3. Skip the parks on the weekends. Its too crowded.

 

[fizz13]

Just found your report and despite a few hiccups sounds like you're having a great time. DD is just gorgeous Can't wait to read more,

 

[Nanu57v]

Will type next update tonite!

 

[Nanu57v]

After the crazy crowds from Sunday, we decided to wake up early and go to AK. We got Everest fastpasses and then rode Everest standby and then Dinasour and Primeval Whirl, and then Everest with our Fastpasses. We did standby for the Kali River Rapids at some point. We then got fastpasses for Kilimanjaro Safaris. We ate lunch at Pizzafari while DD slept and then just as she awoke we rode the safari.

Back at the hotel DD played in the Pop Jets and the kiddie pool. Its amazing she would willingly walk into a pool!

We left for Chef Mickey's at 5. This gave us 1 hour 40 minutes to reach our destination. We decided for fun to take the bus to Epcot, then the Epcot monorail to MK, and then the resort monorail. So we are doing great on time, but the monorail was taking forever to leave Grand Floridian. At first we thought it had something to do with a wheelchair, but then they kept playing that monorail traffic message. Eventually I heard the conductor tell someone they are going to have to take everyone off, and a few minutes later they made the announcement that another monorail broke down on the track and they need to tow it to the Contemporary. We all had to get off, and since most of the train was going to MNSSHP, to take the ferry to MK!

I asked the conductor the quickest way to the Contemporary and he said ferry to MK and walk to Contemporary. Well, DH and I knew the ferry took forever, and the line was going to be attrocious with all those people! Plus, walking with DD wasn't going to happen, and our ADRs were only 10 minutes away by this point.

For some reason, I thought to ask the Grand Floridan Concierge desk for the quickest way to Contemporary and when I asked I'm thinking they'd say "bus to AK and then bus to Contemporary" subsituting the quickest park, but she said she could call a cab. Not really into paying cab fare, I asked for an alternative. Her manager walked by and she asked her. She said, "Let me see if we have another car available." (?????) Meanwhile another family walks up with ADRs also at 6:40. We talk, and it turns out the GF concierge is going to drive both families in an SUV to the Contemporary! Also, the desk clerk calls the restaurant to let them know we would be late. I felt obliged to say, "You guys know we're not staying here, right?" "Oh, yes, that's fine, absolutely," was the response.

So after we are driven to Chef Mickey's, we enjoy a great meal. I think that portrait package is incredibly overpriced, btw. The meal was great, DD was terrified of all the characters at first and then warmed up to them. Of course when I wasn't looking, Mickey crouched down and DD, in her princess dress, goes running into Mickey's arms! It should've been a Disney commercial. I snapped some photos but they came out a little fuzzy.

We also got anniversary cupcakes and special placemats. I got my cupcake boxed up, and of course I forgot it.

Princess DD

Our anniversary cupcakes

Us and the boss

DD warming up to Donald

Just a funny pic of DD and DH.

Right after running into Mickey's arms.

We were planning on hitting DTD after dinner, but it was 9:30 when we got back from dinner, so my mom watched DD and DH and I walked along Generation Gap Lake. We walked across the bridge as far as it goes, and then along the lake toward the 90s till we hit the fence.

There I saw the 'end of Disney magic'. It was amazing. Everything around me was so lush and beautiful, and when you peered through the fence it looked like an abandoned nuclear wasteland. The grass was weedy, the lights dirty, trays and trash littered the overgrown path. Crazy to believe it was part of Disney. It seemed like an eery look into the future when "gasp" Disney was no more. Anyway, hope they get a move on with that soon.

The walk was nice, and then after drinking some more Diet Coke from our refillable drink mugs, DH and I went to bed.