Disney in July isn't so bad after all!

[coachlevy]

I somehow convinced my husband into another trip to Disney even though we were just there in February. Back in February I jokingly said that it would be fun to celebrate my 30th birthday at WDW. Well my wonderful hubby came through and I got to visit the mouse again! We left on 6/29 and returned on the fourth of July.

Cast of Characters:

Me: Stay at home mom, just turned 30, 4 months pregnant. Usually very laid back except I become a Type A personality when planning my trips to Disney. This was my 17th trip to WDW.
DH: Teacher and track coach, 34. Says he’s not a fan of Disney, but has taken 6 trips in the past 7 years. He really loves it but doesn’t like to admit it.
DS: Just turned two last month and has been brainwashed since birth to love all things Disney. Knows every Disney character, music from parades and shows, loves looking at old Disney photos, and practically memorized the maps of each park. This was his 3rd trip.

Day 1: Our alarm was set for 5:30 AM, but I was so excited that I woke up at 4:30. I decided to use my elliptical machine since I had time. I’m not sure what I was thinking because I was so tired later. We left the house at 6 for our 8:50 flight. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. The flight was really good and DS was well behaved the entire time.
We arrived in Orlando slightly tired, but excited to begin our trip. DH got his luggage, then we got DS’s suitcase, but mine was nowhere in sight. After about 15 minutes everyone from the flight retrieved their luggage and there was still no sign of mine. I went to report the missing bag and the airline said they would try to track it down. It could take hours or even days. The thing I was most concerned about were the diapers I packed! Thankfully I had all of my toiletries and medication for DS in my carry on bag.
We went to get our rental car and then made a trip to Walmart to buy diapers and some clothes for me. I hate shopping so I grabbed the first few tank tops I saw, a couple of shorts, a bathing suit, and some other necessities. DS fell asleep in his stroller while we shopped, but only slept for 30 minutes. DH bought some snacks for the room and we managed to spend $100 on everything. Oh well. We stopped at Publix to get some food for the room also.
Finally we were on our way to Disney. We checked into Old Key West and our room was ready right away. DS was crazy in the room and running around saying, “room, Old Key West” for about 20 minutes. I tried to lay down with him on the bed (I was exhausted!!!) but he would not sleep. He was talking the entire time, but at least we rested a little bit. While I rested I felt the baby move for the first time. It was probably thinking, “thank goodness my mom is taking a break!” After an hour of rest time, we got ready for dinner and an evening at Downtown Disney.
We ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express where we all ordered pizza. While we were eating there was a huge thunderstorm and downpour. We waited 30 minutes after our meal for the rain to stop. It was crazy! DS loved the thunder and kept trying to run outside and get wet. After dinner we visited the World of Disney store to buy a souveneir for DS. He wanted Lemieur from “Beauty and the Beast”, but they didn’t have one. They suggested Once Upon a Toy, but they didn’t have him either. We took some pictures with the Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Potato Head outside the store.
DS and DH with Mr. Potato Head

We ate ice cream at Ghiradelli and spent $20! I was a little disappointed with my sundae, but DS was in heaven. Here's the little piggy eating his cone and side of whipped cream. That's my huge sundae in the picture.

We drove back to the hotel and were greeted with a surprise: my suitcase was found and waiting for me in the hotel lobby! I was really glad to have all my stuff back. We all went to bed at 9:30 because it was such a long day. Tomorrow the real fun begins as we visit MK and MGM.

 

[jmskinner]

Hi, thought I would hop aboard. Your little boy is a cutie.

 

[irky416]

I can't wait to hear more! Your DS is cute. He looks so happy with the ice cream!

 

[IcePrincess467]

Dh actually found your thread and I wanted to sub to it so we can keep up with it! We are heading to the world on the 17th!!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Signing up for the trippie too!

We skipped Ghiradelli's last trip. We ran out of time and I said we would come back for dinner next year. I was joking. My kids totally remembered it and have been begging to have ice cream for dinner when we go back.

How exciting to feel the the baby's first kicks at WDW. What a great memory.

 

[coachlevy]

Day 2: As you read this you will probably think there is something wrong with me because I woke up at 5:45 to go for a run. Who does that in Disney? I couldn’t really sleep so I decided to just go and check out the hotel grounds. Even at such an early hour it was so humid! I returned to the room to find DS awake and eating his breakfast. After dressing him we walked to the pool area and I filled my mug with tea. DS played in the playground while I drank my tea. OKW has a cute playground with an enormous pail and shovel. Here is DS inside the pail:

We returned to the room and left for MK at 8 AM sharp. DS was so excited when he saw the monorail and Mickey statue in the TTC. We arrived at MK at 8:40 with plenty of time to see the pre-show before the park opens. DS remembered the show from our last trip and kept asking for the man in the hat and zip-a-dee-doo-dah (which they sing during the show). He danced and clapped to the music and I did my usual tearing up routine (it only happens once each trip, usually right before we enter the park). At least I had sunglasses so DH couldn’t make fun of me.
After fighting the crowds we finally entered MK. I love gazing down Main Street and seeing the castle. It makes me so happy, and watching DS’s reaction makes it even more special. DS pointed and screamed when he saw the castle, but he was still talking about the man in the hat and the music from the pre-show. We made a beeline for Dumbo before the line got out of hand. DH took DS because spinning in circles doesn’t agree with pregnancy. Here they are before take off:

DS was not a big fan of the ride and apparently decided it was all done in the middle.
After Dumbo we gave DS a choice of Peter Pan or Pooh ride and he chose the former. As we walked toward Peter Pan DS pointed at Ariel’s Grotto and said, “Ariel.” I was shocked that he remembered from February. Disney is really in this kid’s blood! Peter Pan was relaxing for all of us. We went to the Pooh ride next because I figured there would be such a long line. There was no wait at all and we got right on the right. DS loved seeing all the characters and the Woozles. He asked for more when we finished and did his little Tigger dance. Here he is with a Woozle:

Our next ride was “it’s a small world,” which we rode 7 times during our visit. Believe it or not I wasn’t even sick of it! DS was quiet and wide eyed the entire time. He pointed out some of his favorite things like the hula girls and windmills. He also sang a verse at the end of the ride which was very funny. We put DS in the stroller and headed to Toontown Fair to see Mickey. I thought Toontown opened at 10 AM, but at 9:50 there was already a line to see Mickey. DS happily ate his snack while we waited, but once he finished he tried to make a run for Mickey and Minnie (2 for 1 this day…not bad!). I had to hold him back until it was our turn. Once it was our turn I let him loose and he ran into Mickey’s arms. It was priceless. He said, “Hi Mickey, Hi Minnie”, gave some kisses, and then posed for some photos. Most pictures have him sucking his thumb or with a goofy grin because he’s saying, “cheese.”
DS hugging Mickey

Posing with Mickey and Minnie

As soon as he said his goodbyes he asked for Pluto, who was next on our list. We went to the Judge’s Tent and waited 15 minutes to see the characters. DS was getting a little cranky at this point, but was fine once we entered the room. He screamed, “Donald” and “Pluto” and tried to run to them. Goofy was first in the line up and DS ran and gave him a huge hug (this is the pattern for every character- hug, suck thumb, smile for pictures). We got Goofy’s autograph in our homemade book. I printed pictures of each character so DS would know who signed his book. DS was so excited and said, “Goofy color book” while he signed. He did this routine for Pluto and Donald as well. After his picture with Donald he ran back to him and sat down next to him. Donald kept laughing and stood next to DS. DS said goodbye to all the characters and we were on our way. Here are some more pics of the little guy:
Pluto and DS

DS and Goofy

While we were in the room with characters we were chosen to receive special “Year of a Million Dream” Mickey ears. They were pretty cool, but I’d rather we won a stay in the Cinderella suite or a trip to visit all the Disney parks. Oh well, something is better than nothing!
It was super hot when we exited the Judge’s Tent so we headed to Donald’s Boat to cool off. DS had so much fun playing in the water. Here he is in one of the windows of the boat:

After getting thoroughly soaked we went to Tomorrowland to see Buzz Lightyear. I found this great website (through the DIS of course) that tells you what time the characters appear and their location. We avoided so many lines and were able to see so many characters. DS enjoyed seeing Buzz and ran right up to him and said, “To Infinity and Beyond,” complete with hand gesture. Buzz uses a cool stamp to sign his autograph.
DS and Buzz

DS noticed Stitch (and screamed his name), but he was leaving when we got to his line. It was getting late and very hot so we went to Peco Bill’s to eat lunch. They have really good salads there so that’s why we walked so far. We left the park at 11:45 and were back at the hotel by 12:15. DS napped for 2 hours while I tried to nap with no success.
After our rest time we visited the pool. OKW has a very basic pool and a very small kiddie pool (it’s a big circle). We spent time in both pools and had fun. We dried off and checked out the Community Room. This is one feature I really liked at OKW. It’s a big room with a pool table, arts and crafts station, TV’s, toy box, and other fun stuff. DS loved playing with the trucks in the toy box and we spent 30 minutes there. I finally got him to leave and brought him to the playground. DS loved the ABC’s on the playground and playing in the pail.
We returned to the room after an hour and got ready for our night at MGM. DS was crazy in the room, running all over the place and having a grand old time. We drove to MGM, I mean Hollywood Studios, and got a really close parking spot. As soon as we left the car it started to pour so we ran for cover. Amazingly, the downpour only lasted for 30 seconds and then it drizzled most of the evening. We first went to Toy Story Mania, but the wait was 90 minutes and all fastpasses were distributed for the day. I kind of figured this would happen because we got there so late. We went to Toy Story Pizza Planet for a quick dinner. We all ate veggie pizza’s which were not very good. I felt bad for DH because the portion was so small (he made up for it later though). After dinner we went to Playhouse Disney. DS was in a trance until he saw Toodles who he then called during the entire show. The show is very cute and all the little ones were dancing and singing along. The show ended at 6:45 and I wanted to see the final show of Beauty and the Beast so we literally ran to the theater. Thank goodness MGM is small and we made it quickly. In all my trips to WDW I’ve never seen this show so I was excited. Also, DS loves the characters and I couldn’t wait to see his reaction. He loved every minute of the show and watched intently. Of course he called for Beast and Lemieur once he saw them and asked for more. Here is a picture with all the main players in the show:

The show was great and Gaston was hilarious.
When the show ended we stopped at the nearby candy store. DS picked out a Pooh cookie that took him about 30 minutes to eat. He was so happy though! This is a child who doesn’t eat a lot of junk at home so you can imagine his delight during this trip.
DS and his Pooh cookie

We walked around some of the shops and took a picture by the Sorcerer Hat before leaving the park.

We made a stop at the food place in the hotel for some Mickey bars. It was so yummy! This is another great thing I’ve missed in all my visits to WDW. Back in the room I let DS run around a little bit before putting him to bed. We read a few books (Mickey and Minnie, of course) and he was in his crib by 9. However, he didn’t fall asleep until 9:30 because he wouldn’t stop talking about his day. He recounted all the characters from Beauty and the Beast, his Pooh cookie, and anything else he could remember. What a great way to fall asleep. I turned in right after him and DH wasn’t too far behind. Another great day in WDW!

 

[VanniGirl]

Sounds like you have a great trip - looking forward to reading more.

Your son is adorable!

 

[irky416]

Your son is so cute! I love that first picture. It sounds like you guys had fun.

 

[Moonlitdreams82]

I absolutely love the pictures of him sucking his thumb! So adorable!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Ice Cream and Pooh cookies Yum Yum!

What's the website that tells you about the characters?

 

[noahdove]

Exciting so far

 

[coachlevy]

In my haste to post my TR, I forgot to thank everyone for the nice comments. So thanks! I will try to post more tomorrow.

 

[JohnsDear]

I love seeing Disney through a child's eyes...great trip report! Can't wait for your next installment.

 

[coachlevy]

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post. I always like to post a full day together which took me forever to complete. Thanks again for all of your comments. Here is the latest installment of our 3rd day in the parks.
Another early morning for me. I woke at 6 AM to go for a run. I found a trail that led to Saratoga Springs and explored that hotel and got very lost. It seemed like a nice place to stay. After showering I took DS to the playground while we waited for DH to run and get ready (we are a very active family, even in Disney). We left at 8 for MK. When we arrived at the TTC there was a big crowd and lines everywhere. It was early entry day so they only let resort guests on the monorail. I couldn’t believe I missed this in my planning. I checked and double checked the internet for park hours, extra magic hours, parade times, and everything else. DH poked fun at me for not knowing something about Disney. At least we were able to enjoy 15 minutes of morning park hours before the crazy crowds entered.
DS at the TTC:

Our first ride was Buzz Lightyear and we actually waited for 5 minutes. DS loved the ride and asked to ride twice. The second time there was no line at all. Here he is “shooting green guys.”

As we exited the line, DS saw Stitch and starting jumping up and down screaming his name. We waited on a short line and then let DS loose. He ran up to him, posed for pictures, and got his autograph book signed.
DS and Stitch

Next we went to the Pooh ride where DS waved to his favorite characters, the Woozles. When we exited the ride into the store (I love how Disney does that) the Cast Member gave DS a huge Pooh doll and insisted we take some pictures. What a nice touch!
DS and Pooh doll:

We exited the Pooh ride at 9:29 and I wanted to be by the teacups at 9:30 to meet Alice and the Mad Hatter. I knew the times each character made their first appearance from that website I mentioned earlier, so I made it a goal to meet as many characters without waiting too long. We were third in line and we waited while Alice and the Mad Hatter finisehd spinning on the teacups. DS loved Alice and asked for the Queen of Hearts (to which Alice replied, “oh no, you don’t want her here.”). The Mad Hatter got a kick out of his picture in the autograph book because it looked nothing like him. He and Alice talked about this for a minute. I was surprised how much time they spent talking with each other and to DS. It was really nice. DS wanted to ride the teacups so DH bravely got on line. Thank goodness for being pregnant because I hate this ride! DS changed his mind at the last minute so DH escaped the dizzying ride.
DS with Alice and Mad Hatter

Since we were on a character rampage, we walked to Adventureland to see Rafiki and Timon. I never even knew they were in the MK, but they were on the right as you cross the bridge entering Adventureland. DS ran towards them both yelling their names and getting huge hugs. We got their autographs and DH and I joined in for a picture:

Our next stop was Frontierland for Woody’s Cowboy Camp. I just love this little show! DS was dancing and clapping with so much enthusiasm during the show. It was too funny. The cowboys tried to get him to ride a pony or dance with them, but he was content doing his own thing.
DS and Cowgirl

We left the show a minute early in order to be first on line for the character greeting. They line up by Splash Mountain a few minutes after teh show. We were first on line and waited about 5 minutes. During this time DS called for Woody, but unfortunately only Jessie showed up. DS was still happy and posed with Jessie:

Our next character encounter was not planned; we happened to see Captain Hook and Mr. Smee at the end of a small line. DS was very excited and ran to Hook with arms wide open. The cast member commented how nobody ever gives Hook hugs. Poor Hook!
DS with Hook and Smee

The real reason for walking through Adventureland was to find Jasmine and Aladdin. We were first on line…hooray! DS was hungry so I fed him lunch while we waited. Jasmine came off the Magic Carpet ride and greeted DS. Aladdin was MIA, apparently taking care of business with Genie. I love the excuses the cast members give you. They also told us Woody was taking care of Bullseye when he didn’t show. DS did his usual routine with Jasmine and we took cute pictures. Here he is with the princess.

Although it was getting close to nap time, DS really wanted to ride Small World again. This probably was not the best idea for a few reasons. First, there was actually a line for the ride. We waited about 15 minutes! DH stopped to get a sandwich and said he’d meet us on line. That never happened so DS and I rode together. After the ride we exited the park , rode the monorail, and finally arrived at our car. Well DH was more concerned with eating his lunch than following directions and we got really lost. We actually exited Disney World! It took us 45 minutes to get back to OKW and by that time I was starving. To make matters worse, DS was super cranky and tired. He actually fell asleep in the car which is a rare thing. We carried him into the room and he slept for almost 3 hours.
After nap time we went to the pool for a little swim. It was a really quick visit because we had a 5:30 reservation at ‘Ohana. We left our room at 5 and arrived at the Polynesian by 5:15. I always wanted to try ‘Ohana, but I’m not really sure why. It really isn’t my type of food. Anyway, we arrived and had to wait about 15 minutes for our table. Once we were seated we waited another few minutes to meet with the chef due to DS’s peanut allergy (we learned about this only a few days before this trip!). The chef explained what foods contained peanuts and made sure that they were not brought to our table. All of the Disney restaurants were very helpful about the allergy, and they definitely take it very seriously. ‘Ohana is a very fun place to eat with all the entertainment and the constant supply of food. DH LOVED the meal and couldn’t get enough of the wings. DS was not interested in any of the activities because he is a serious eater. Nothing can distract him from his food. We did get a Hawaiian lai (no idea how to spell that word) and abandoned his food for a minute to take a picture.

The dessert was the best part of the meal-pineapple bread pudding with banana foster sauce. The 3 of us ate two helpings!
We left ‘Ohana completely stuffed and boarded the monorail to MK. I was excited because Wishes was playing tonight. But I was in for a big surprise. At the last minute Disney decided to show the special 4th of July fireworks. DH said he read this on the Times Guide and assumed I knew. Boy did he gloat for awhile after my second planning mishap. All of this happened after we walked through the gate at MK. I was so disappointed so we decided to reverse our plans for tonight with tomorrow night’s plans. This involved going back on the monorail and driving our car to Epcot. Now you’re probably thinking I’m completely crazy, but there was only one night that Wishes was happening during our trip and I had to see it. I can’t explain my fascination with the show, but I find the whole thing extremely moving. Also, DS loves the music and I really wanted to see his reaction. Thankfully DH was very accommodating to my mistake and we went to Epcot instead.
Epcot turned out to be a really good idea. It was an EMH night so we got to spend even more time in the park. Getting there was no easy task though. DH decided that we should park at the Beach Club to avoid the crowds leaving after Illuminations. Parking was not a problem, but we got lost on the path that leads you to the International Gateway entrance. We were in the middle of the woods outside the Beach Club Villas. To make matters worse DS really had to use the bathroom. Finally we found our way to the entrance by going back through the hotel entrance. All of this took about 15 minutes. Of course we made a bathroom stop for DS, so it was really more like 25 minutes before we got to Epcot.
Once we were in the park it was smooth sailing. We got our EMH bracelets (DS yanked his off immediately) and walked around World Showcase. Here we are posing for a picture:

We took the long route to Mexico and went on the Rio del Tiempo ride. DS always enjoys this ride and likes to yell for Donald. On the way out we grabbed a mask from the Kidcot station to color at a later time. I was looking forward to seeing many of the Kidcot stations, but due to my poor planning this didn’t happen. There’s always next time. We exited the Mexico pavilion about 15 minutes before Illuminations began. We found a nice viewing spot where World Showcase and Future World meet. DS was so excited while we waited and danced like crazy. His cute dancing actually earned him a free slushie because we were standing near a stand. Imagine that…something free in Disney! Our viewing spot was really great as we were right underneath the fireworks. We also had a terrific view of the laser lights, which I never really noticed before. Illuminations is another show that I feel an emotional connection. It’s definitely the music. DS loves listening to the music at home and even coordinated a little dance. When the music started he was shocked and excited at the same time. He began his little dance routine and then DH put him on his shoulders to watch the fireworks. The loud noises didn’t phase him at all and he had a ball. It was so nice to watch his facial expressions as the music changed. He asked for more when it was over.
DS and DH watching Illuminations

My plan was to visit the Nemo ride during EMH. We walked very slowly with a huge crowd toward Future World. When we passed Character Connection we noticed a line forming for characters. Even though we saw all of the characters there we felt compelled to get on line. We waited about 20 minutes to see the characters, but it was worth it because there were 5 in the room. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Stitch, and Goofy. DS was really cute with the characters and everyone was commenting on his behavior. We left the park at 10 and we were all asleep by 11. What a long and exciting day it was. Tomorrow we visit AK and MK again.
DS with some characters

And the whole family with our favorite mouse:

 

[Becx N Gav]

This is a great report, your son is so cute Sounds like you had loads of fun!

I'm loving your character stalking plan could you possibly post a link to the website you mentioned? The last couple of trips we always seemed to find the characters but the queues were long and we were en-route for a ride or something!

Can't wait to hear more

 

[RachelNinja]

This is a great TR! Your DS is absolutely adorable, especially with all of his character interactions! Hook was lucky that day to get such a great, warm hug! I also really liked the picture with the cowgirl. I wonder if it made that CM's day!

 

[Tink3Bell]

You little boy is so cute. My husband doesn't like disney but every year we say we will take a year off and I find him telling me about the specials they have and free dining, for my sake of course so off we go for the thirs year in a row.

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Really impressed with all your character interactions. Got to find that website you were talking about.

 

[coachlevy]

Here is the website for live entertainment at WDW and the times for character appearances. It is awesome!
www.pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm

 

[maxiesmom]

What a cute family you all are!

It looks like you were having a wonderful time. Can't wait to read more and see more pics.