Hopping a Plane Alone with a Toddler...yes, I'm crazy (Jan. '13 TR)

[coneygoil]

Welcome to my trip report! I'm Nina. I've been to WDW about 30 times since my 1st birthday (the first time my parents brought me). I have a DD named Cady. She's been to WDW 4 times and once when I was pregnant with her.

Cady, Me, and my best friend, Alicia.

Here's a little back story about this trip. I always go with my parents to WDW (my DH hates Disney, so he's only been with us once). It's cheaper to share expenses and just easier usually. I wanted to go on a trip by myself for once! My best friend, Alicia, lives an hour and a half from Orlando so I decided to go stay with her for a week. Of course, Cady had to go with me because she goes everywhere with me! The plan was to stay with Alicia for a couple days, go to WDW for a couple days, and have one more full day of recuperation at Alicia's house before flying back home.

Not sure why I thought it a good idea, but I decided to hop a plane with my daughter, who was just one week shy of her 2nd birthday. Yes, I was crazy!

January 11th
Up in the Air We Go!

January 13th
Traffic on Disney Property???
Dancing Fountains
The Splashpad and Mexico
Off Kilter, here we come!
Don't Make Donald Duck Sad!
Art of Animation kind-of evening

January 14th
Magical Morning
First Look at New Fantasyland
Carousal of Not So Much Progress (and a special announcement!)
Here We Go Under the Sea
Our Evening at Pop and Mom Worries Ahoy!

January 15th
Exploring Pop with my little Minnie Mouse
Cady window shops for friends
Off to Animation Resort
Exploring AoA
Cady Zonks Out and DTD Fun

 

[saintstickets]

Sign me up fellow Mississippian! I'm subscribing and looking forward to your TR!

 

[Magic2000]

I have a granddaughter named Cady (real name is Cadence - we call her Cady). She will be going on her 3rd trip to Disney in September - and she is two years old also!!!

I LOVE Disney - and I am definitely turning her into a Disney nut too!!!

 

[JulieODC]

Subscribing! We'll be headed back to WDW with our 26 mo old DD in November, so I love following other toddler reports!

 

[coneygoil]

On the day of the flight, my nerves were on edge! It'd been 7 years since I'd flown on a plane. I had all these horrible scenarios like what if they won't let Cady board because she's so close to her 2nd birthday and I'd have to buy her a ticket. Or my best friend would go to the wrong airport to pick us up (we were flying into Tampa instead of Orlando). Or Cady would take the flight badly and scream the whole hour and a half on the plane.

Thankfully NONE of that happened!

We made it through baggage check (carrying a huge carseat, a big suitcase, carry on, and a backpack and child lol), security, and finally got to our gate. I was literally one of the last people to board. A nice Indian couple helped me with my carry on and directed me on what to do while boarding.

We got settled and waited for take off!

I made sure Cady had her pacifier right away since it could help with her ears. We had a window so Cady could see out.

But the little booger closed the window on take off and didn't want opened! I didn't get any pictures of the flight through the window because she kept closing it! Thankfully there was an empty seat between us and the lady who sat on our row, so Cady got her own seat for free She thought the tray tables were the best thing ever.

The flight went pretty smooth and Cady didn't have much time to get too antsy. I wished I could of taken pictures of the Tampa airport, but I didn't have a free hand (or arm or shoulder or leg ).

We found Alicia and her mom pretty fast! We took an elevator down and there they were right by the elevator! I was SO happy to see them. I didn't have to be a pack mule anymore!

It was about a 2 hour drive to their house from Tampa. Cady fell asleep on the way. She'd missed her afternoon nap with all the excitement of flying.

We spent the rest of the day and all day Saturday at Alicia's house. Cady loves Alicia's two dogs and loved (aka pestered) on them the whole time.

Sunday morning we would be on our way to WDW for 2 and a half days!!!

 

[coneygoil]

I have a granddaughter named Cady (real name is Cadence - we call her Cady). She will be going on her 3rd trip to Disney in September - and she is two years old also!!!

I LOVE Disney - and I am definitely turning her into a Disney nut too!!!

That's my daughter's full name - Cadence! We've only called her Cady since she was born. Poor child gonna be so confused when people start calling her by her full name!

 

[coneygoil]

Subscribing! We'll be headed back to WDW with our 26 mo old DD in November, so I love following other toddler reports!

It's extremely fun and sometimes frustrating going with a toddler, but the bit of frustration is worth the smiles on their faces!

 

[wiigirl]

In for your TR!

 

[RachelNinja]

You're so brave to take a flight on your own with Cady! Looking forward to this new kind of trip experience for you!

 

[Goofy442]

Great start can't wait to hear how it all went!

 

[coneygoil]

We were packed and ready by 8:30 the next morning, which totally shocked me! I'm usually fast at getting ready, but getting a toddler ready is a whole different story lol. Alicia took a back way to Disney, a way I had never been before because I didn't recognize any of the signs. But it was a nice drive and we made excellent timing!

Cady said the sun was in her eyes, so Alicia gave her one of the many pairs of sunglasses in her mom's SUV (we had to take her mom's car because hers was acting up and she didn't want us stranded!).

We made it to the back gate a little before 10! We were so excited!

Cady watched our entrance intently.

And then we hit traffic. Traffic on Disney property??? We thought it may have been an accident, but as we drew farther onto the property we realized it was a marathon! We were excited at first to see the marathon in progress and I started snapping away.

A lot of the runners were dressed in costume and it was cute to see that. As we got passed the runners, we noticed our way to Pop Century was closed. No problem. We know Disney property well. We'll find another way! Well, every way we tried was closed!!! At one point we were just 2 hundred yards from Pop and couldn't get to it. We drove around for nearly an hour until we actually drove right off the property again! I was on the verge of an anxiety attack. Poor Alicia had to be the leveled headed one at the moment lol. We drove back onto property and took the road toward Studios from there and FINALLY we found a way to Pop!

Talk about a huge sigh of relief!

 

[Goofy442]

We were there during the marathon, and yes the traffic was crazy. Glad to hear you made it.

 

[Imagineer5]

Hi! so glad I found your TR! My DD is 17m old and has been 4 times already! Our 5th is in a few weeks and I'll be taking her by myself! Plane trip and all, just like you. Going to be interesting! Can't wait to read more!

 

[coneygoil]

This was my very first trip I set up. No one helped. No one paid for it. It was all me, and I felt like such an adult as I got us checked in I was 30 on this trip and finally feeling like an adult But it was an amazing accomplishment to me!

I had reserved for 1 night at Pop and had used a promo code for 30% off. The original price was $120, but with the code it was $80 Thank goodness for promo codes!!! We decided to add another night because it would just be easier on us if we didn't have to worry about packing and all that junk the next morning. We could just take our time on our last morning there and soak up more of Disney.

The CM checking us in was slow and the line had been long, but our room was ready. I asked for a bottom room in the 70's sections. We were always an '80's section family, but after staying in the '70's building a couple trips ago, we liked it way better! The CM made some calls and we got the room we wanted! It wasn't in the courtyard, but that was okay. It was close to the corner where the big wheel is, so it was an okay location.

We brought our luggage in and I got Cady dressed for the day (she was still in her jammies lol). Then we were off to Epcot!

See Cady's birthday button? She wore it the whole trip.

As soon as we arrived at Epcot, we went looking for food since we hadn't had anything since a McDonald's breakfast.

**Funny pasted story: The first time Alicia came with us to WDW in '04, she accidentally left a McDonald's breakfast burrito in her backpack for the entire day and didn't realize it. **

Stopped for a fountain pic.

We chose The Land's counter service, and it's usually yummy but this time I was not impressed, especially for the outrageous prices! And I didn't take pictures of the food for some reason. This was the only one I took. Cady is wonder why her Aunt Lee is squeezing her apple juice box and making a funny face.

Imagination was the closest attraction to The Land, so we strolled over there to let Cadt play with the dancing fountains. She loved them and started a water trend throughout the trip.

SQUIRREL!

Cady's name on the birthday button was already gone and she'd just put it on.

She would have jumped in if I let her!

After the fun at the fountains, we headed to World Showcase and guess what stalled us before we could get there...the splash pad!

 

[Goofy442]

Great pictures Funny we said the same thing about the prices.

 

[coneygoil]

Our next stop was the splash pad at Epcot. Anyone who has a child (especially one that loves water!) knows you can't go passed this thing without having to stop! I'd hope Cady would just run around the water and maybe get a little wet. Yeah, that didn't happen. Silly me

See the little boy? Him and Cady became friends while they played. He accidentally knocked her down at one point. He helped her up and kissed her cheek. It was too cute!

As you can see she got so wet her skirt was falling off!

Cady was soaked by the time we pulled her away, but she had a great time! Her Little Mermaid outfit was just too wet to even wring out, so I changed her into her spare clothes. One thing about kids I've learned...always bring a spare change of clothes!!!

We were gonna hit the 3rd show of Off Kilter for the day but still had a little time, so we headed to Mexico to ride the Caballeros ride. Of course, we stopped along the way to change Cady in the Odyssey building. The bathrooms there are usually never crowded and very spacious. Also the baby station is located right next to those bathrooms. I've never used the baby stations, but I'm sure they come in handy for others with little ones.

Disney ducks are the best!

I didn't realize at the time how dangerous this looked. Please don't drop her, Alicia!

I'm still amazed at how good my iPhone camera takes pictures. The mega pixel is over double what my original Kodak digital had! The ride pics aren't the greatest, but they're pretty good

One last picture in Mexico before we headed off to get a good spot for Off Kilter!

 

[coneygoil]

We made our way from Mexico to Canada. It wasn't very crowded at Epcot. I knew it probably wouldn't be since it was the middle of January! Magic Kingdom the next day was a whole different story...

We stopped to admire the ducks and other foul, of course!

What a beautiful sight! With a little editing, this would be an amazing picture.

Cady had to follow a duck around. She was determined to pet it. I actually did pet. This guy sitting nearby said, "I wouldn't touch that. It has germs." lol dude, I own chickens. There's nothing more germy than chickens and I touch them all the time

We made it to Off Kilter and took a seat. Alicia went off to get a drink, I think. Cady did some posing for me.

A friendly Canadian couple was sitting bedside us. They stuck up a conversation with me and we talked for like 20 minutes! They were so darn nice. When the guy went to get them something to drink, he asked if I wanted anything. I told him just a tap water. He came back with a bottle water! I offered to give them money for it, but they wouldn't take it. The lady took to Cady and let Cady sit on her lap. Here's a pic I took of them after the show.

I've been a huge Off Kilter fan for like 10 years or so. We befriended the band members several years ago by bringing them a Mardi Gras king cake Randy the lead guitarist has always been my favorite. He always interacts with me while their performing and we ALWAYS need a picture together! He's also told us inside news that I cannot talk about. Don't let Disney know I said that!

Randy was not there sadly But my second favorite, Tony the keyboardist, was! He really loves our family and has given us tons of fastpasses and talks with us for like 20 minutes after the show is over. Only a couple months after this trip, Alicia texted me and said Tony had left the group. I was in complete shock and actually cried! I don't know details because Randy wouldn't let on to what happened, but we kind of pieced together what possibly happened to make Tony leave since he had told us his concerns in the past. The fiddler player, Kevin I think, is now an official member of the group (technically he always had been since he's been playing with them since they started). We befriended him on our April trip. He's cool but he's no Tony

Anyways, here's a few pics Alicia took.

We look crazy in this pic lol.

Our last pic with Tony. He promised he was gonna be there in April when we were coming again, but things change so quickly.

We left Canada on a mission to get henna tattoos!

 

[saintstickets]

Great update! Can you believe we've never stopped to listen to Off Kilter?!?! We always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere but I'll have to stop and listen when we return in October!

 

[Goofy442]

Wow if that was from your I phone I think my camera might stay home next trip. My DH has to see that show multiply times during our trip, I like it but not as much as him.

 

[coneygoil]

After Off Kilter, we just felt like strolling the World Showcase. It's my favorite part in all the parks! I love experiencing the other countries, because I may never get to visit any of them for real. Here's to hoping!

Alicia and I got hooked on the henna tattoos on my family's April '12 trip. Now it's a must to get one! This time around I picked out a cool little lizard.

Alicia got an eye of something, can't remember.

Snapped some pics here and there as we walked. These trees look new!

This looks like a leftover from Christmas. Wish there would of been more of that!

Cady insisted on pushing the stroller. It wasn't crowded so we let her have a little freedom.

Cady was very interested in the umbrellas at the kiosk in China. She had $20 to spend, so I asked her if she really, really wanted one. Silly mommy, of course, a toddler wants whatever it can get! I thought $12 was a great price for a cute umbrella like that. Cady picked out a lovely peacock.

She was cracking us up! All we could see was an umbrella with legs.

It's not a proper Disney trip without eating at the Norway bakery. I crave school bread!

Alicia got the chocolate mousse viking hat.

I should of gotten Cady her own school bread. She wouldn't share mine with me!

After the yummy treat aka supper, we rode the Maelstrom and then hung out in the Norway shop for a while just goofing off.

BEWARE OF THE FEARSOME VIKINGS!

We decided to start heading out since it was getting late, but had to stop when we saw Mexico Donald out! It's always a tradition to get a pic with him. Cady seemed excited to see Donald and kept waving at him. BUT when it was our turn, she got scared! I was shocked because the last trip back in April she wouldn't let go of the characters. She didn't cry, but she was very shy and wary.

Alicia tried to coaxed Cady over as I took pics.

Donald trying his best to be nice.

Well, at least we got a cute group pic. Probably the best one of the trip since all the other had Cady facing the other direction!

Our plan was to ride Spaceship Earth before we left and honestly, I'm pretty sure we didn't because Cady fell asleep. Time to go back to Pop, but the day wasn't over yet!