For the First Time in Forever...we finally get to go back!! a pre trip report

[Dugette]

Yay for a successful practice character meet! Way to go, Caden!

Your trip is really getting close now! Where in Kansas is Andrew's family? Just curious, as I used to go to Kansas often when my grandparents were alive (small town, north central KS) and I still have some more distant relatives in the state.

Hmmmm, toddler must-haves. I'm sure I have many, but my memory is not great, so take some notes from my TRs. Off the top of my head, I'll list off some random things, but Caden is obviously a bit older than Izzy and your needs may be different. And, first off, I'd say that anything you would take with you to the zoo and such, bring that and you'll have most of what you need. Things that are more specific to WDW:

*Sample-size spray bottle sunscreen. Found some at Target in the travel toiletry section this summer and stocked up. Really nice to have in the parks (kept in stroller console and could re-apply quickly and easily). Also, a hat and maybe sunglasses.

*Not sure what Caden drinks out of? I'm thinking normal cups? But maybe bring something insulated and filled with water or milk or whatever to the parks. If he gets hot, it's nice to just have something right there with you and you can refill as needed.

*On that same note, snacks. And possibly a snack cup or something that makes them easy to eat on the run. Depends what you bring. And maybe tethers to keep them from falling out of the stroller.

*Possibly a small misting fan. But your trip is in January, so not really a necessity.

*Glow sticks or other light-up toys for nighttime entertainment and to light up the stroller to help you find it.

*Any comfort item he may need if he gets overwhelmed or upset. But don't lose it, obviously.

*We always bring a small emergency medical kit. It doesn't get used often (and, if so, just for a wipe and band-aid), but I bring it anyway. Of course, the one time I could have used it recently (in Hawaii) was the one time that we ventured out without bringing much of anything with us. Oh, well.

*Cleaning items, like some wet wipes and a rag. Disney with a toddler can be a messy affair, at times. Oh, and ziplock bags - variety of sizes. They always come in handy for things.

*Rain gear: poncho/jacket, stroller cover, spare shoes, umbrella, etc.

*Back up batteries and chargers for any electronics (especially if you only take pics with cell phones).

*We really haven't needed this, but I know a lot of people bring some toys and/or games to be used while waiting in lines.

That's all I can think of off-hand.

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

 

[AprilRenee]

Replying on my phone so this quote thing isn't gonna work very well.

Yay for a successful practice character meet! Way to go, Caden!
--I was really happy he was so at ease with her. I'm thinking everything will be fabulous at Disney. He did great with all the Christmas characters we saw at our local festival this weekend. But I wasn't sure if it was mostly cause he knew a lot of them personally. And I was a little worried he'd get star struck with characters he knows and loves. But nope. He was cool. Yay! --


Your trip is really getting close now! Where in Kansas is Andrew's family? Just curious, as I used to go to Kansas often when my grandparents were alive (small town, north central KS) and I still have some more distant relatives in the state.
--he's from topeka so we're going there first then going to his extended family in Barton County. It's a little south (maybe?) from Salina KS. --


Hmmmm, toddler must-haves. I'm sure I have many, but my memory is not great, so take some notes from my TRs.
--I'm proud of myself. I had most of these on my list already! I just went thru a few toddler "packing lists" on dis and wrote down anything that seemed like a good idea without being overkill. Lol. ---

Off the top of my head, I'll list off some random things, but Caden is obviously a bit older than Izzy and your needs may be different. And, first off, I'd say that anything you would take with you to the zoo and such, bring that and you'll have most of what you need. Things that are more specific to WDW:

*Sample-size spray bottle sunscreen. Found some at Target in the travel toiletry section this summer and stocked up. Really nice to have in the parks (kept in stroller console and could re-apply quickly and easily).
Also, a hat and maybe sunglasses.
---how necessary do you think this is in Jan? I can't remember putting on sunscreen on either of our other jan trips. :/ maybe I'll check in at target and see if I can find a tiny size just in case---


*Not sure what Caden drinks out of? I'm thinking normal cups? But maybe bring something insulated and filled with water or milk or whatever to the parks. If he gets hot, it's nice to just have something right there with you and you can refill as needed.
---I'm planning to bring along a bottle of water each day and just refill as needed. That's what we've done in the past and it works well for us. Otherwise, yes he just uses a normal cup now. But he does turn into a monster when he's thirsty. It's very strange. So having water available at all times will be good. ---

*On that same note, snacks. And possibly a snack cup or something that makes them easy to eat on the run. Depends what you bring. And maybe tethers to keep them from falling out of the stroller.
---I was thinking Id just bring along a pouch for each day (he loves those things) cause he's not much of a snacker at home (probably cause I don't offer them ) but I just read someone who said that a small snack break stopped many meltdowns on their trip and it made me re-think my plan.
This weekend at the festival we noticed that eating lunch totally reset Caden's mood and all tantrums ended. So I decided to bring a few snack options each day. I'm thinking small baggies of gold fish, raisins, pretzels, and a pouch. That gives him some choices and might also help to entertain in lines. ---

*Possibly a small misting fan. But your trip is in January, so not really a necessity.
--I think we'll be ok without. Haven't needed the fans on either of our other 2 jan trips--

*Glow sticks or other light-up toys for nighttime entertainment and to light up the stroller to help you find it.
---Yep! Already on the list. How much do you think he'll care about a light up toy? Think glow sticks will do the trick or should I get a toy from the Disney store? I keep going back and forth about that one.---

*Any comfort item he may need if he gets overwhelmed or upset. But don't lose it, obviously.
--yep! We'll have Lovey along. And spare Lovey in the room. We have 2 and in Chicago last year we only brought 1 along so we were more obsessed with watching the Lovey than the kid. Lol. This time we'll be sure to have the spare along. And maybe find a way to label both in case of emergency --

*We always bring a small emergency medical kit. It doesn't get used often (and, if so, just for a wipe and band-aid), but I bring it anyway. Of course, the one time I could have used it recently (in Hawaii) was the one time that we ventured out without bringing much of anything with us. Oh, well.
-I had bandaids inmy list for the park bag. Thing I will want more than that?--

*Cleaning items, like some wet wipes and a rag. Disney with a toddler can be a messy affair, at times. Oh, and ziplock bags - variety of sizes. They always come in handy for things.
--check--

*Rain gear: poncho/jacket, stroller cover, spare shoes, umbrella, etc.
--am I gonna want the stroller cover? Should I buy one? What do you think?--


*Back up batteries and chargers for any electronics (especially if you only take pics with cell phones).
--need to buy one of those portable chargers. It's on the list. I'll definitely need it since I'm taking pics with the phone--

*We really haven't needed this, but I know a lot of people bring some toys and/or games to be used while waiting in lines.
--I think if we get desperate we'll just hand him a phone. Yep. We're those parents. But only when desperate. Usually we can avoid it. Lol ---

That's all I can think of off-hand. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

thanks!! Good list!! Very helpful!!
We did have a nice thanksgiving. Hope you did as well!

 

[Dugette]

Replies to your replies (I couldn't quote with the answers within a quote):

--he's from topeka so we're going there first then going to his extended family in Barton County. It's a little south (maybe?) from Salina KS. --

Cool, I know of those places. I think my dad was born in Topeka, actually. My grandparents always talked about Salina like going to the big city. (they didn't usually go further than Concordia, though)

---how necessary do you think this is in Jan? I can't remember putting on sunscreen on either of our other jan trips. :/ maybe I'll check in at target and see if I can find a tiny size just in case---
I'd bring it. It may not be sweltering hot, but there will still (most likely) be sun and you'll be out for long periods. Especially for Caden - his skin may be more sensitive and easily burned?

---I was thinking Id just bring along a pouch for each day (he loves those things) cause he's not much of a snacker at home (probably cause I don't offer them ) but I just read someone who said that a small snack break stopped many meltdowns on their trip and it made me re-think my plan.
This weekend at the festival we noticed that eating lunch totally reset Caden's mood and all tantrums ended. So I decided to bring a few snack options each day. I'm thinking small baggies of gold fish, raisins, pretzels, and a pouch. That gives him some choices and might also help to entertain in lines. ---
That sounds like a good plan. Not hard to bring them, so not a big deal if they go unused, but a good option to have if needed.

---Yep! Already on the list. How much do you think he'll care about a light up toy? Think glow sticks will do the trick or should I get a toy from the Disney store? I keep going back and forth about that one.---
I wouldn't spend a lot on anything. Not sure what you can find now, but back before our June trip I found a bunch of light up wands and other toys in the dollar section of Target. Not fancy, but super fun for a toddler. Otherwise, I'm sure the glow sticks will be a hit too.

-I had bandaids inmy list for the park bag. Thing I will want more than that?--
I think that's probably fine. There are lots of first aid places in the parks, if needed.

--am I gonna want the stroller cover? Should I buy one? What do you think?--
Hmmm, if you haven't needed one otherwise, I probably wouldn't spend the money unless you can get a deal. I've heard of people using the Disney ponchos as stroller covers, so maybe that will be sufficient. Or check the forecast right before leaving and see if it will get used much. We got ours before the December trip and didn't need to use it until June (used it a ton then, though).

--need to buy one of those portable chargers. It's on the list. I'll definitely need it since I'm taking pics with the phone--
Yes, super nice to have when you're out for long periods and using the phone a lot. We have a Mophie Powerstation and it seems to work well. Oh, I wonder if you can get a good Cyber Monday deal on something? Seems like there are always a lot of electronics on sale.

I'm so excited for your trip! I bet Caden (and you guys) will have a great time! I keep telling Dug how hard it is for me to keep myself from whisking Izzy back there now - she knows the characters so much better and would get even more out of it than before (i.e. - she met Buzz in August, but was pretty clueless and nervous, but she LOVES Buzz now and would probably yell his name and run up for hugs).

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Dugette has it all pretty covered ! We got an inexpensive light up toy from target and I wouldn't say it is essential to have one for a great trip, it did come in handy. Charlotte was soo sleepy one night and cranky. We were stuck in a crowd. I pulled out that light up toy and totally prevented melt down city! If you can get a cheap one, I would do it.

We had a stroller cover and used it once, it was nice to have that one time, but you could just get a poncho just as easily.

Snacks are a good idea! Everything is different in Disney, schedules, meals and meal times, you will use snacks! Charlotte rarely snacks at home, but did snack at Disney.


You are getting so close and with as busy as the holidays get, you are right, it will be here in no time!

 

[AprilRenee]

Replies to your replies (I couldn't quote with the answers within a quote):

--he's from topeka so we're going there first then going to his extended family in Barton County. It's a little south (maybe?) from Salina KS. --

Cool, I know of those places. I think my dad was born in Topeka, actually. My grandparents always talked about Salina like going to the big city. (they didn't usually go further than Concordia, though)

Lol! Yep! And Salina is so tiny!
And crazy that your dad was born in Topeka!

---how necessary do you think this is in Jan? I can't remember putting on sunscreen on either of our other jan trips. :/ maybe I'll check in at target and see if I can find a tiny size just in case---
I'd bring it. It may not be sweltering hot, but there will still (most likely) be sun and you'll be out for long periods. Especially for Caden - his skin may be more sensitive and easily burned?

Yeah, I'll bring some along...although, I'm trying to think...I honestly think I only put sunscreen on him once this summer for a hot day at the zoo...I'm a terrible mother haha but he hasn't gotten burned yet so I guess he's fine

---I was thinking Id just bring along a pouch for each day (he loves those things) cause he's not much of a snacker at home (probably cause I don't offer them ) but I just read someone who said that a small snack break stopped many meltdowns on their trip and it made me re-think my plan.
This weekend at the festival we noticed that eating lunch totally reset Caden's mood and all tantrums ended. So I decided to bring a few snack options each day. I'm thinking small baggies of gold fish, raisins, pretzels, and a pouch. That gives him some choices and might also help to entertain in lines. ---
That sounds like a good plan. Not hard to bring them, so not a big deal if they go unused, but a good option to have if needed.

Yep!

---Yep! Already on the list. How much do you think he'll care about a light up toy? Think glow sticks will do the trick or should I get a toy from the Disney store? I keep going back and forth about that one.---
I wouldn't spend a lot on anything. Not sure what you can find now, but back before our June trip I found a bunch of light up wands and other toys in the dollar section of Target. Not fancy, but super fun for a toddler. Otherwise, I'm sure the glow sticks will be a hit too.

I'll keep an eye out for a good light up toy. He had his eye on a cool R2D2 spinning one at the disney store the other night. I almost bought it for him that night. Maybe i'll go get it and put it in his stocking...cause i'm a sucker...lol

--am I gonna want the stroller cover? Should I buy one? What do you think?--
Hmmm, if you haven't needed one otherwise, I probably wouldn't spend the money unless you can get a deal. I've heard of people using the Disney ponchos as stroller covers, so maybe that will be sufficient. Or check the forecast right before leaving and see if it will get used much. We got ours before the December trip and didn't need to use it until June (used it a ton then, though).

I think I'll just use a poncho unless the forecast looks like a lot of rain. Thats a good plan.

--need to buy one of those portable chargers. It's on the list. I'll definitely need it since I'm taking pics with the phone--
Yes, super nice to have when you're out for long periods and using the phone a lot. We have a Mophie Powerstation and it seems to work well. Oh, I wonder if you can get a good Cyber Monday deal on something? Seems like there are always a lot of electronics on sale.

I think I found one I like. Gonna see if it's still a good price tomorrow after I deposit my paycheck. It's not a cyber monday deal...just an amazon price.

I'm so excited for your trip! I bet Caden (and you guys) will have a great time! I keep telling Dug how hard it is for me to keep myself from whisking Izzy back there now - she knows the characters so much better and would get even more out of it than before (i.e. - she met Buzz in August, but was pretty clueless and nervous, but she LOVES Buzz now and would probably yell his name and run up for hugs).

I believe it! And you have that AP burning a hole in your pocket! (or has it ended now?)
I am SO excited!! I just can't wait to share it with him. I hope I'm able to be calm and not get so excited that I put him on edge and prompt a bunch of meltdowns. I'll be ok for most of the trip...but I think that first night might be too much for me to hold it in lol. I just hope he doesn't get all out of sorts and overwhelmed and just cry I'm hoping that a late nap will put him in a good mood for an evening at the park.

 

[AprilRenee]

Dugette has it all pretty covered ! We got an inexpensive light up toy from target and I wouldn't say it is essential to have one for a great trip, it did come in handy. Charlotte was soo sleepy one night and cranky. We were stuck in a crowd. I pulled out that light up toy and totally prevented melt down city! If you can get a cheap one, I would do it.

I'm gonna run some errands tomorrow I think. I'll hit up Target and see what they have for light up toys. I'm SURE that would be cheaper than the R2D2 one I found at the disney store! And I can see how that would stop a meltdown quite nicely.

We had a stroller cover and used it once, it was nice to have that one time, but you could just get a poncho just as easily.

cool...I think I'll just plan on a poncho

Snacks are a good idea! Everything is different in Disney, schedules, meals and meal times, you will use snacks! Charlotte rarely snacks at home, but did snack at Disney.

That's a good point. I also have noticed just the last few days that caden has been getting really tearful and meltdown-y when he's hungry. He's doing that 2 yr old thing where he eats 1 bite of a meal and then he's done. So an hour later he's starving and crying and I can't figure out why he's all upset. another hour later I decide to give him a snack (or I get hungry and we make lunch) and suddenly he's all happy and cheerful again. Took me 2 days of meltdown after meltdown but I finally figured out that he's all weepy from being hungry. So yes, snacks are going to be a must to avoid sobbing fits lol

You are getting so close and with as busy as the holidays get, you are right, it will be here in no time!

I know!!!

 

[AprilRenee]

Doing a little Disney world prep
Read a book today about a little girl flying on a plane. And now we're watching Elsa light the castle and some parades

 

[STLMickeyMom]

All I got from this picture is "aawwww-look at Caden sucking his thumb and with a blankie...just like Maddie used to do!" She's given up the thumb but not the blanket. We'll probably have to sew that into her wedding dress....

 

[Dugette]

Yay for Disney training!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

That is super cute! I can't wait to see Caden's pics in Disney!

 

[AprilRenee]

2 posts today! First...some trip prep!
Went to party city today and found lots of fun disney stuff! And each thing was only $1!!!

Got 2 packs of reusable stickers with a playmat to stick them to. Cars theme and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Those will be for the plane ride!

I grabbed a Frozen Lanyard for me and a Mickey Mouse one for Caden. I'm not sure if he's going to want to wear some pins and pin trade along with Andrew but I figured for $1 I'd rather have one along with us then have to buy one there.

And then I got Mickey tattoos to use to decorate one of his magic bands (we are each going to have 2. Split stay).



Not too shabby!!!

I also bought him a snowman spinning light up toy at target last night, just pulled it out to take a picture of it, and it doesn't light up anymore. Boo on that! So I'll take it back and then I'm going back to party city and buying the Elsa one that Caden saw and loved. It's small, $5, and will be perfect for pulling out at the right moment!

Today he found an ear warmer headband I bought for Halloween night and goes "mimmie (Minnie) hat!" and then pulled it on his head LOL So of course I took a picture

 

[AprilRenee]

Just kidding...make that 3 posts

Our magic bands are supposed to be shipping today and tomorrow. I'm planning to decorate them cause I love being crafty!
Since we have a split stay now, we get 2 sets!! yay!! more decorating options!! So the plan is:

Caden:
red band - lightning mcqueen's eyes (acrylic paint)
yellow band - mickey mouse clubhouse tattoos

April:
Blue band - peter pan and kids flying thru the sky (paint/using our sillouette cutter to make stencils...found it at goodwill...I tell ya! Love that place!)
Pink band - Rapunzel and Flynn under the lanterns (this is more skill than I possess...however I have a student who is an amazing artist and loves disney too...so I've commissioned him to paint this band for me. I'm super excited to see what he does with it!)

Andrew:
Gray band: star wars something (paint) haven't quite decided how this one is going to look
Red band: Classic mickey. We're going to do a black mickey head and then either polka dots or tiny mickey heads in black and yellow.

I'm so super excited to do my own! I've been following the Did you Decorate your Magic Band thread for months and getting lots of ideas!

 

[AprilRenee]

And then finally...I'm stealing an idea from Duggette and doing a daily play by play of our trip...hopefully...we'll see how i'm doing after a few days. But i'm atleast gonna START with a play by play.

First up...Sun Jan 4th...my favorite day to think about! Arrival day


Our flight leaves at 10:25 am so we'll need to be at the airport about 8:30. So that means we need to be at my mom or dad's at 8. Means we need to leave the house at 7:30, so we need to get up about 6:30. WHAT THE HECK?!?! LOL I scheduled this flight so we WOULDN"T have an ungodly early morning. Ooops.
hmmm...maybe my dad will just pick us up from our house. That would save us some time. Dugette you're right...this is good to do and think thru everything!

OH man! I just got so excited! ok focus!

So our flight leaves at 10:30, nonstop, and we land at 1:40 Florida time.
We'll head straight to ME, they'll get our checked bags, and I'm planning to arrive at AoA around 2:30/2:45.
Caden's naptime is usually at 1p. When we're out and about he usually will hang in til about 2ish so I'm kinda doubting that he sleeps on the plane and ME will be too exciting (riding a HUGE bus...watching a Mickey movie...etc...he won't sleep). So the plan is to get to AoA and let him nap in our room. We'll probably let him go from 3-5p (which is 2-4p STL time so that's a pretty normal "busy day" naptime for him). I'm thinking that will work out ok.
While he naps we'll probably take turns exploring AoA/unpacking and sorting out our room. He's a pretty solid napper once he's asleep so I think that will be fine.
Who am I kidding? We're going to be DYING being AT disney but stuck in our room. Ugh!

Then FINALLY he will wake up...or we'll be done waiting and will wake him up lol and go to Landscape of Flavors (AoA's food court) and get some dinner. If he's still sleeping we may go get food and eat it in the room waiting for him to wake up.

Then off to the busses to go to MK!!! (EasyWDW puts this day at a 5 with MK being second most recommended)
MK is open til Midnight tonight and if he can make it, we're totally staying!! It'll only be 11p in Caden/STL time and he's stayed up that late before. He might get batty as a spacegoose but he should be ok.

When we arrive at MK we'll need to stop at the guest relations window to activate our tickets from our package starting the next day. We've done this before so I'm not too worried about it. But if for any reason we can't, plan B is to go to DTD.

Once we get our tickets we'll stop at the first kiosk and grab some FP+ for whatever is available. Last time when we got to MK on the sunday after new years it was a madhouse. So I'm thinking we'll probably need some FP for the first few rides til people start going to bed.

Then we'll walk up Main Street and take it all in. I know he'll be excited to see the Castle. He yells out "CASTLE!!!!" at the beginning of every disney movie and knows that the Castle IS disney world.

I'm thinking Small World is probably our best bet for "Caden's first Disney Ride." Dumbo is a classic but if we take him into a room full of things to play on, we wont be getting him on Dumbo without a fit. He needs to learn that rides are awesome first. lol

So small world is probably our best option.

Then priorities for the evening are:
Little Mermaid ride
Watch Wishes and maybe the Main Street Electrical Parade (I know he'd love that)
And then kinda see where we are. If Caden seems to be having fun, we'll keep going and ride some other rides in the post wishes low crowds (buzz? pirates? carousel? peter pan? meet mickey?).
If he's fading or melting down we may just bail and go to the hotel. He really could go either way so I don't want to 100% plan on partying all night cause I'll be bummed if we can't. So I'm going to plan on staying thru wishes and then see where we are.

Once we finish, we'll head back to AoA and crash.

Tomorrow morning is moving to POP, going to Epcot, Chef Mickey's for dinner, and possibly meeting up with my friend, her daughters (2 of my favorite students) and their dad and baby brother who just happen to be planning to be at Epcot on the same day!!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Now I'm really looking forward to stalking out your photos through our share! I dont mean that to be creepy! Caden's costumes are just awesome!

I am sincerely jealous after seeing the local production of The Little Mermaid. Our local theaters are a joke compared to that! My daughter takes dance and gymnastics, but I am always a little disappointed in the lack of preparation that goes into her recitals.

My daughter was barely four when she visited WDW for the first time. She really loved Flights of Wonder. You might consider taking Caden to see that.

 

[Dugette]

Oooh, good plane ride toys!

Good idea on the lanyards. If Caden is anything like Izzy, he will want to imitate whatever Daddy is doing and wear whatever he is wearing.

Bummer the light up toy didn’t work. I found that was the case with the dollar section ones at Target – I literally tried them all and bought the only one that worked! Glad you have a backup one you can get.

How cool! Izzy calls her “Mimmie” too!!! I thought she was the only one… oh, and cute look for Caden with that hat!

I’m excited to see how your Magic Bands turn out! I’m sure they’ll be great, based on your other crafty things! I’m always so impressed with that stuff, as I have zero talent in that area and, frankly, am a bit too lazy to try.

Ha, yes, the day-by-day detail posts are really helpful for thinking through the logistics of things, aren’t they? I always realize things by doing that, even though they didn’t catch my attention on my spreadsheet plans before.

My dad picked us up and gave us an airport ride for our Hawaii trip, so I highly recommend that! So convenient! He came in and played with Izzy while we did the last-minute things, loaded the luggage in the car (it probably wouldn’t have even fit in our car, but he has an Outback), and installed the travel carseat. It was great!

Wow, I’m jealous of your short flight! Not bad at all!

Good nap plan. You know, I think you’ll be okay holding off for a bit on the parks when you get the chance to wander AoA…what a cool-looking resort!

Are you not able to reserve FP+ in advance for your arrival day? Either way, given your late arrival time, you may want to get an Electrical Parade FP+. It is a nice viewing area and not crowded and you said Caden loves parades.

Ha, Izzy does the same thing – yelling out “castle” at the Disney movies!

Yes, Small World is always a good bet with a toddler. Otherwise, if Dumbo doesn’t have much wait (and it doesn’t seem to from my experience), they will let you skip right past the play area and get on the ride – so you can maybe keep him from looking in there.

If you can snag a FP+ for talking Mickey on the way out, that’s a fun way to end the night (what I did in August). It set the tone for lots of good character interactions. Mickey did a “let’s be trains…choo choo!” routine with Izzy and she loved it, after being shy upon entry.

Cool that you know people who will be there at the same time. Such a small world at WDW sometimes. (BTW, not sure if you saw my reply to your comment on my TR yet, but you should see if you and Leshaface will be crossing paths – you could have an awesome DIS-toddler meet!)

 

[AprilRenee]

Now I'm really looking forward to stalking out your photos through our share! I dont mean that to be creepy! Caden's costumes are just awesome!

I am sincerely jealous after seeing the local production of The Little Mermaid. Our local theaters are a joke compared to that! My daughter takes dance and gymnastics, but I am always a little disappointed in the lack of preparation that goes into her recitals.

My daughter was barely four when she visited WDW for the first time. She really loved Flights of Wonder. You might consider taking Caden to see that.

Hahaha! What a creaper Thanks for the costume compliment! I love making them!

And I'm glad you think our Little Mermaid show was cool looking! I'm the director and I was super proud of it! Sorry to hear your daughter's dance recitals aren't very rehearsed! That's very frustrating! I'm thankful to work for a place that aims for professionalism (within the abilities of kids).

Thanks for the tip on Flights of Wonder. DH and I saw it on our last trip and I wasn't sure about how Caden would do. Maybe we'll try it out. We could always leave if he wasn't so into it.

Oooh, good plane ride toys!

Right?? Reusable stickers? I almost bought like 3 more character sets!

Good idea on the lanyards. If Caden is anything like Izzy, he will want to imitate whatever Daddy is doing and wear whatever he is wearing.

I remembered you saying that about Izzy wanting to wear the magic bands and that's what made me go for it. He wouldn't ever wear the lanyard in normal life but if daddy is wearing one and trading pins I am pretty sure he's going to want to do it too.

I’m excited to see how your Magic Bands turn out! I’m sure they’ll be great, based on your other crafty things! I’m always so impressed with that stuff, as I have zero talent in that area and, frankly, am a bit too lazy to try.

I'm super excited too!! I need them to arrive now! lol 1 set should have shipped today. the other set ships tomorrow. but I haven't received any sort of notification of shipping so who knows.

Ha, yes, the day-by-day detail posts are really helpful for thinking through the logistics of things, aren’t they? I always realize things by doing that, even though they didn’t catch my attention on my spreadsheet plans before.

Thanks for the idea! I really thought I had it all planned out but once I started typing through it I realized I didnt haha

My dad picked us up and gave us an airport ride for our Hawaii trip, so I highly recommend that! So convenient! He came in and played with Izzy while we did the last-minute things, loaded the luggage in the car (it probably wouldn’t have even fit in our car, but he has an Outback), and installed the travel carseat. It was great!

Yeah, my dad usually does pick us up. I was thinking we'd want to park our cars somewhere else. But then I realized my brother will be here house sitting so it's probably fine to leave our cars here. (No garage so they're on the street)

Good nap plan. You know, I think you’ll be okay holding off for a bit on the parks when you get the chance to wander AoA…what a cool-looking resort!

Well here's the thing....we're gonna want to wander it with Caden too (cars area? yes please!! lol). I guess maybe it would be good to wander alone and then later we can go at Caden's pace instead of trying to see it all for ourselves.

Are you not able to reserve FP+ in advance for your arrival day? Either way, given your late arrival time, you may want to get an Electrical Parade FP+. It is a nice viewing area and not crowded and you said Caden loves parades.

No we can't! It's so stupid! We have enough tickets for all of our days, but since they are connected to our package starting on the 5th we have to pick them up at guest services. But that also means MDE won't let me start FP until the 5th. So I can't book in adv. figured that out later in the planning process. But since it's just the evening and we're just gonna go with the flow I don't think it'll be too much of a problem.
Are parades usually available as a same day FP? Honestly, I'd rather grab a Wishes FP cause I think it would be nice to watch them away from the crowd a bit. But I know he'd love that parade so maybe that's a better idea. We can always stay there for Wishes if we want. (or I think maybe it's suggested to move back a bit)

Ha, Izzy does the same thing – yelling out “castle” at the Disney movies!

Love it!! He also yells "Airplane to Disney World" when we drive past the airport haha. Brainwashing? What are you talking about? lol

Yes, Small World is always a good bet with a toddler. Otherwise, if Dumbo doesn’t have much wait (and it doesn’t seem to from my experience), they will let you skip right past the play area and get on the ride – so you can maybe keep him from looking in there.

Oh good to know! I didn't realized you could avoid the play area completely! I thought you had to walk thru it to get to the ride area! Cool. I feel like Dumbo is the classic first ride. But I also think it might freak him out a little (flying, open air, going up and down, in the dark). I know he'll like riding in a boat for Small World so that seems safest. lol

If you can snag a FP+ for talking Mickey on the way out, that’s a fun way to end the night (what I did in August). It set the tone for lots of good character interactions. Mickey did a “let’s be trains…choo choo!” routine with Izzy and she loved it, after being shy upon entry.

Talking Mickey is DEFINITELY on the list...I just was thinking there wouldn't be any FP+ left that late in the day. If there is, we'll totally grab one!
I also was wondering if it would be a better thing to do when he was fresh and not tired out. But if you did it on your way out of the park and she was ok maybe we'll try it.

Cool that you know people who will be there at the same time. Such a small world at WDW sometimes. (BTW, not sure if you saw my reply to your comment on my TR yet, but you should see if you and Leshaface will be crossing paths – you could have an awesome DIS-toddler meet!)

It's so awesome! They're one of our favorite families and I really love the mom. We can chat for hours. And one of the girls is Cadens babysitter and he LOVES her and she loves him. And Andrew and the dad really get along too. It would pretty much be awesome for all of us to be able to hang out!

I saw that! and Leshaface and I will be at 1 park on the same day (I looked at her PTR). It's either MK on our arrival day or it's Epcot day. Can't remember now.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Love the $1 stuff from party city. The stickers will be great on the plane! Too bad about your light up thing not working, I hate it when that happens.
Love the Minne hat picture of Caden.

I am excited to see your completed magic bands, they sound super cute!


You day 1 sounds great! I can see where doing the 1 month from today thing helps you sort everything out. Great idea!

 

[THiiNKTiiNKx0]

Loooove the goodies you picked up! You gave me some ideas for our trip so thank ya! Hopefully they'll let you in MK the first night but DTD is always a good first portion too.

Can't wait to see how your magic bands turn out

 

[AprilRenee]

Ok so I was too tired last night to do my epcot day...so I'll get that in today and hopefully tonight I can do our 3rd day so I'll get back on track.

I was too tired cause I was doing our T-SHIRTS!!!

We found a silhouette paper cutter at goodwill a few weeks ago, finally got a blade and cutting mat and I sat down yesterday to figure it out.
This was my first cut! I was excited!!



Took me a while but I have the hang of it now and I was able to import in my t-shirt designs and have the machine cut the shapes out of freezer paper for me!
Then I ironed them onto the shirts I got, painted over them with white paint, and let them dry!





The "Fin, Noggin, Dude" shirts are for our epcot day. And the mcqueen shirt is for a MK day. Andrew and I have character shirts too...or will once I make them. It got late and I ran out of steam.


Ok so Jan 5th, EPCOT day.

Today we will sleep in a little (assuming we stayed late at MK last night). Once we get up and get ready, we'll pack up our stuff and walk over to Pop to check in for our package. Today will likely be a breakfast in the room day...actually most days will be breakfast in the room days. lol. Later in the week if we have a lot of snacks to burn I may grab a muffin or something on the way to the bus.

Anyway, hopefully check in will be smooth and quick and then we'll grab a bus to Epcot.
At some point I think we're meeting up with our friends this day. Not really sure of the plan. If our friends want to join us all day we will try to get them matching FPs...or maybe I can talk her thru doing that in adv. I'm not sure if they're buying tickets at the gate or in adv. They're only doing 1 day. I'm also not sure if they will want to hang the whole day or just meet for lunch or what. So for now I'm going to operate under the assumption that they will either do whatever we want to do or they will do their own thing and just meet up at some point. Not really sure what they're hoping for.

ok...so we'll arrive (goal is to be there by 10) and go straight to the Nemo ride cause I wanted to get Caden on a ride first thing...and I know he'll love this! Once we get off that we'll try and hit the 10:30ish turtle talk.and head to soarin to use Andrew's FP+ (10:30-11:30) and grab a rider swap pass. Maybe while Andrew is riding I'll take Caden out to meet some characters at the entrance? or we'll go back to look at the aquarium or go to the exit area for Figment, or we'll each take him on living with the land. We'll play that by ear.
Then when Andrew is done we'll swap (Or I may just wait and save the Rider Swap pass and just ride with my 1:30 FP later.)
Once I'm done, if we haven't done Living with the Land yet, we'll do that together and then head to Spaceship Earth. (FP+ 11:30-12:30).
Then Figment, and we have a FP+ to meet Mickey and the gang at 12:30.
Then I'm thinking we'll explore inoventions (and possibly split up to ride Test Track? Not sure either of us care about that one that much) and then head for lunch.

If we're feeling another Soarin ride (or if I haven't ridden yet), we'll swap while eating lunch. Otherwise we'll head to world showcase and get lunch over there. Or we'll meet up with our friends for lunch? Ok I seriously have no idea for this day! lol

We'll wander world showcase while Caden stroller naps then maybe hit a few characters once he wakes up. I definitely want to meet Marie cause he LOVES the aristocats! I'm glad that she's still around (unlike the bugs life characters at AK ) We'll probably also hit Mexico and ride the boat once he wakes up...figures those would be on opposite ends of the world showcase. bah!

Then we'll head to the front of the park around 5:45 to catch the monorail and head to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey's (6:35).

Afterward we'll play it by ear, we may head back to Epcot to do another round of soarin (although after typing this all out I don't know that we're gonna want to do another rider swap hullabaloo), or we'll watch Illuminations, or we'll wander...I don't really know. Or if we're exhausted we'll head back to the hotel.

Basically the plan is, future world in the morning til lunch/naptime. Then world showcase til dinner. Probably could have typed that and skipped all the details

I think I'll tell our friends that we're planning on doing Future world in the morning (and tell them our FP times) and then World Showcase in the afternoon. And maybe suggest that we met for lunch and then enjoy World Showcase together. Or have them match our FP times and ride a ride or two together. I don't know...what would you guys suggest? I don't want to assume they're going to want to spend the whole day with us, but I'm cool with that as long as they're willing to follow the plan! haha

 

[Dugette]

Great find at Goodwill and nice job on the shirts!

Yes, it’s tough trying to work out meet-ups and still make your plans. The times I’ve met (non-DIS-er) people I know at WDW we’ve either run into each-other on accident or just met up for certain things (a meal or a ride or an event). Worked pretty well. It’s fun to share Disney with friends.

Sounds like you have a good list of options during your rider swaps. Are you planning to do single-rider on Test Track (vs. FP+)?

Ha, it’s probably good your plans are fairly flexible that day since you don’t know what your friends are planning. Are they big planners or pretty spontaneous? Just thinking about if you can get them to commit to any certain plan or if you’ll just have to improvise that day. Either way, it sounds like you have a reasonable (very do-able) number of goals that day and should be able to get what you want done even if they take you off course.