I Like Warm Hugs! - Mommy/Toddler Trip ~ Updated 6/20: New Trip Report Link!

[Dugette]

Hello!!! We are back from DLR and I am recovered enough from the plague that struck me this week to get to work on catching up on the DIS! So I had to come here, of course!

Welcome back! Hope you had an amazing trip! Oh no - I may be familiar with the post-Disney-trip Plague (from this very trip... ).

I love that you can do better on TSMM with a toddler next to you than I can ever do. Willow and I are hilariously bad at that game - I like to think it’s because we don’t do it often, but honestly, we just suck at it.

I will admit that way back when the WDW Today podcast had an episode about how to get a good score on TSM - and I still have a foggy enough memory of the strategies to hit some good things (like the chickens ).

Ooooh, 50s! We have never eaten there, but I’m always tempted - it seems so fun. Your experience sounded great, and the food looked really yummy.

I would go back for sure. I did make an ADR for May, but not sure yet if we'll keep it (we've got a serious planning deficit going for May so far ).

Awesome ToT experience. And I agree - no WAY was that a 10-minute stand-by wait. No possible way with a line like that! That shirt you pictured - Willow and I ALWAYS think about getting it. So far, we have not. :

That line wasn't even moving! I have no idea why the posted wait was so short and people were believing it enough to get in that line. I never buy shirts at WDW, but I have to admit that was a really cute one.

Oh, I am loving reading about your nap time adventures - reminds me of a the ONE TIME ever that Willow napped in a stroller. It was Epcot, and I actually got to try a couple of F&WF things before it came to an end. You definitely made better use of your time - I WILL NOT forget to try the new France ice cream place this summer; it looks and sounds amazing! And you totally know that I’m going with the drunken ice cream concoction!

I think World Showcase is the best place to be for a stroller nap. Especially during F&W! Glad you got a "taste" of it, at least. Yes, those ice cream concoctions in France are pretty fun!

Going to try to make my way over to your PTR as well. I am terrible about keeping up with those - including my own, which I have not remembered to update in ages!

No worries! If it helps, all I've managed to do so far is write a short intro, so you're not behind!

 

[Dugette]

As Izzy was a hot little mess, I figured she could use an outfit and diaper change ASAP. I was just on the way out of Japan and remembered there were new restrooms in the American pavilion, so headed over there. (Funny story: in June, I remembered reading about nice restrooms in the American pavilion in Nermel9’s TR – we used the restrooms and were like, “Huh? These are just restrooms?” After the fact, I found out that there were in fact new restrooms on the OTHER side of the pavilion – facing it, they are on the right, don’t go left! ) So, I hit up the nice, new restroom facility:



And snuck an inside shot:



They were nice, but no Tangled Toilets!

I got Izzy all changed and freshened up and she seemed much happier. Yay for having a spare Frozen outfit packed! We headed back out at 3:42pm. The sky was blue and it was very nice out:



We just walked past Italy, as I’ve spent more time in there than some of the other countries and didn’t feel the need to roam it (haha, roam/Rome ) that day:



We also passed up the German train village:



However, I found myself taking an unexpected detour into a store called “Der Teddy Bear”, feeling a need to show Izzy bears:



I think she liked them. Back then, she just plain enjoyed teddy bears. She still does now, but she has some interesting bear stories going on in her imagination – mostly that bears hide in our closets. And some are mean bears that I need to protect her from. And some are nice bears and she introduces us to them, “Bear, this is Mommy and I’m Izzy.” Toddlers are hilarious!

This is where we were really headed, though:



That’s right, Sommerfest, otherwise known as land of big ice waters and Nudel Gratin:



Receipt shows 3:49pm and $4.04 total – yes, only 4 bucks for a giant water (free) and a tasty and filling snack/side! Great deal! I think I heard something recently about Nudel Gratin now having a ham option too, which sounds great, but this was essentially a fancy baked mac and cheese wedge. For what it’s worth, I remember getting giant ice waters here on a past trip too, so good stop if you’re thirsty on a hot day!

All of the indoor tables were taken, so we found an outdoor table that wasn’t too wet from the rain. I thought Izzy might be content in her stroller with her milk, but she wanted to sit in a chair by me. That was fine, but she ended up tipping the table towards her enough to get wet from water running off of it. Oh, well – it was hot and she dried out quickly. She enjoyed her milk while I savored the snack. It was really good, but I only wish I’d been hungrier! Izzy wasn’t interested until she eventually recognized the world “noodle” and wanted to give it a try:



After that taste, she loved it and could not get enough:



Oh, yeah, that’s the stuff!

After she ate her fill, I decided to toss the remnants (too full!) and move on. The lack of tables had people hovering, so we let someone take our table and headed out. Random I-love-World-Showcase picture:



At this point, we were on a mission to get to Future World:



We got there at 4:08pm, so moving along decently. Remember, we had a Living with the Land FP+ to use by 4:35pm. We were here and, believe it or not, I skipped Club Cool:



I was actually only going this way to cut through the empty part of the building for some A/C on the way to the Land Pavillion. But guess who we stumbled into right behind those doors? Izzy looks pleased about this accidental encounter:



I don’t know if they normally meet in here or what, but there was only one other family there and the CM said we could come meet them. Izzy was excited, so we stopped for an unanticipated character meet. I don’t know if she remembered them from Garden Grill in June (she loved them there too), but she was so happy to see them. When it was her turn, she ran up to them and hugged and hugged and hugged them both, then sat on Dale’s lap. It was so cute and really the start of the “I like warm hugs” type of character meets that epitomized this trip. Here are my pictures:







And the Photopass shots:











(Eh, it was close enough to her birthday to use this border).

What a fantastic and unexpected meet! I couldn’t believe how enthusiastic Izzy was – no character fear there at all! And it only took a few minutes, as it was 4:16pm when we moved on.

Up next: Riding a boat and meeting more characters!

 

[AprilRenee]

Roam/Rome. Hahahahaha I liked that one

And cute character meet!! They had a huge line every time we saw them on our trip! How nice to time that just right!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

love how DISers compare and contrast bathroom and how nothing can measure up to the Punzel Potties ... it's like the Forbidden Journey of bathrooms

$4 for a snack and big drink at Disney that was too much to fill you up? Yeah, I'd say that is a good deal

Chip and Dale usually meat outside of where you met them basically if you walk from The Land to the Innovations building they meet just to the right of the door - with the weather they probably moved them inside. Looks like a great meet and just amazes me how different kids can be as far as their attitude of meets from trip to trip even if it is only a matter of months.

 

[Imagineer5]

Awww love the update! First that noodle gratin is my favorite thing from Biergarten, good to know it's only $4 outside! I remember our visit to the American bathrooms and wondering about what was so special about them

The Chip & Dale meet is super cute. That is a HUGE plus to poor weather - when the characters go inside out of view! DHS is awesome for that too, we have had some awesome inside meets at the Animation Academy where no one knows to look for them.

 

[schmass]

I'm glad that the rain cleared up pretty quickly and you could enjoy the rest of your afternoon!

That meet with Chip & Dale looks adorable! What a great surprise!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

HA, you know you're in Disney when new restrooms are cause for excitement!!!

I just have to admire your ability to feed Izzy AND photograph it at the same time.

I wonder if Chip & Dale moved inside after the earlier rain? I know they usually meet outside around the corner from the Character Spot. Regardless, what a great bonus. Those unexpected meets are often the best.

 

[hokieinpa]

More Epcot fun!

Those do look like nice bathrooms. I'll have to keep them in mind. You should always know where the best bathroom is in Disney!

I'm glad Izzy got to see some bears! And cute story about introducing you to hear bear friends!! Does she have a Duffy?

It sounds like a great snack in Germany!

And what cute shots of Izzy with Chip and Dale! She did great with the characters!!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Oh how cute! I love the impromptu meet and greet. Izzy really looks happy!
I have missed so many fantastic snacks in EPCOT! I can't wait for the chance to try them!

I am so impressed by how much the two of you got accomplished!

 

[JulieODC]

Whew, lots of catching up to do!!

Glad Izzy took a solid stroller nap! I am fearing that we are getting beyond the days of stroller naps

I love L'Artisan des Glaces...the salted caramel is to-die-for! But, we missed out on our trip last week (we were at Epcot, and I said "i'll get it when we come back for Illuminations" -- but due to a fever, we skipped Illuminations, hence no ice cream for me. NEVER again will I make that mistake!)

That martini looks delish -- I agree, I like the way you roll too!

Glad the rain was short-lived, and the weather turned better so quickly!

 

[Dugette]

Roam/Rome. Hahahahaha I liked that one

Glad you enjoyed! I saw that in my notes and had to use it!

And cute character meet!! They had a huge line every time we saw them on our trip! How nice to time that just right!!

I know, I've only ever seen them with long lines in Epcot, but we just got really lucky. I don't think people knew they were there. We sure didn't - thank goodness I took the A/C route!

love how DISers compare and contrast bathroom and how nothing can measure up to the Punzel Potties ... it's like the Forbidden Journey of bathrooms

We're a fun bunch here!

$4 for a snack and big drink at Disney that was too much to fill you up? Yeah, I'd say that is a good deal

Very good deal!

Chip and Dale usually meat outside of where you met them basically if you walk from The Land to the Innovations building they meet just to the right of the door - with the weather they probably moved them inside. Looks like a great meet and just amazes me how different kids can be as far as their attitude of meets from trip to trip even if it is only a matter of months.

I had wondered if they had maybe moved inside due to rain. But, since it was nice out again by then, I wasn't sure. It's really crazy how much kids can change in a short time - character meets in June were very different than this August trip.

Awww love the update! First that noodle gratin is my favorite thing from Biergarten, good to know it's only $4 outside! I remember our visit to the American bathrooms and wondering about what was so special about them

Oh, cool, I didn't realize that was a Biergarten dish. But, yeah, good snack/small meal to pick up outside. I was so confused in June about those bathrooms.

The Chip & Dale meet is super cute. That is a HUGE plus to poor weather - when the characters go inside out of view! DHS is awesome for that too, we have had some awesome inside meets at the Animation Academy where no one knows to look for them.

It was a really cute meet! Love those guys! I guess I really lucked out running into them like that. Good to know about DHS too, as we'll be there a lot in May. I know that Minnie in her dressing room is a must-do, but I need to figure out who else.

 

[Dugette]

I'm glad that the rain cleared up pretty quickly and you could enjoy the rest of your afternoon!

That meet with Chip & Dale looks adorable! What a great surprise!

Me too - and that was really the only rain we dealt with. So glad we ran into Chip and Dale there - really got the character fun going for Izzy.

HA, you know you're in Disney when new restrooms are cause for excitement!!!

Only at Disney.

I just have to admire your ability to feed Izzy AND photograph it at the same time.

Haha, you are observant! You get pretty good at doing things one-handed when you have a toddler and are trying to document things for a TR.

I wonder if Chip & Dale moved inside after the earlier rain? I know they usually meet outside around the corner from the Character Spot. Regardless, what a great bonus. Those unexpected meets are often the best.

Sounds like that's what happened, based on these comments. It really was a great surprise to come across them there. Izzy was SO excited.

More Epcot fun!

Those do look like nice bathrooms. I'll have to keep them in mind. You should always know where the best bathroom is in Disney!

That's right! Why go to the old ones when you can go to the new ones?

I'm glad Izzy got to see some bears! And cute story about introducing you to hear bear friends!! Does she have a Duffy?

She does in fact have a Duffy! From our Dec. 2013 trip (her first trip). He's in her crib as we speak (along with like 20 other animals). She's not really all that interested in him for some reason, but he's there.

It sounds like a great snack in Germany!

It was! I just wish I'd been hungrier!

And what cute shots of Izzy with Chip and Dale! She did great with the characters!!

She did so great - and more like that to come!

Oh how cute! I love the impromptu meet and greet. Izzy really looks happy!

She was so happy. It was a great, unexpected meet. Chip and Dale are still high on her list of favorites.

I have missed so many fantastic snacks in EPCOT! I can't wait for the chance to try them!

That was kind-of my mission this day in Epcot - I knew I'd missed some good things on past trips and wanted to make up for it!

I am so impressed by how much the two of you got accomplished!

It was a whirlwind trip for sure. We did so much in so little time and had so much fun doing it!

Whew, lots of catching up to do!!

Glad Izzy took a solid stroller nap! I am fearing that we are getting beyond the days of stroller naps

Oh no - stroller naps going away? But I love them...

I love L'Artisan des Glaces...the salted caramel is to-die-for! But, we missed out on our trip last week (we were at Epcot, and I said "i'll get it when we come back for Illuminations" -- but due to a fever, we skipped Illuminations, hence no ice cream for me. NEVER again will I make that mistake!)

Ugh, never put off until later ice cream that you can eat right now.

That martini looks delish -- I agree, I like the way you roll too!

Well, you know, it was just another day of enjoying a martini while pushing around a sleeping toddler in the stroller.

Glad the rain was short-lived, and the weather turned better so quickly!

Me too!

 

[Dugette]

After our spontaneous hug-fest with Chip and Dale, we made it the rest of the way to the Land pavilion. Parked the stroller and went inside and downstairs…and totally ignored Soarin’ (the drawback of a mommy/toddler trip). We used “Izzy’s” FP+ and got right onto Living with the Land. First row!

Heading into the ride:



I guess I was getting excited about Hawaii in a few months:



Where is the jelly tree???:



Into the fish tunnel:



This was probably Izzy’s favorite part. She loved spotting the fishies:



Gators:



I was so proud of myself because I managed to snag a shot of a Hidden Mickey:



Back into the greenhouse:



Izzy really enjoyed looking around at everything (as did I):



Another (giant) Hidden Mickey:



I was on a roll with the Hidden Mickeys!

Man, what’s with all these super-technical names :



Another Hidden Mickey! This time it’s the produce itself:



Once again, it was another pleasant ride on LWTL. Always love a nice boat ride with fun things to look at. Izzy seemed to enjoy it too.

We headed out of The Land at 4:51pm, going to Innoventions for our Disney Visa character meet:



I’ve had bad luck with super long lines here before, but this day was good – only a couple families ahead of us! I asked the CM if Minnie might happen to be in there. She told me no, but she’d be in the Character Spot. I told her I’d been hoping to kill two birds with one stone and skip the Character Spot, given our too-late FP+ time. Oh, well.

When it was our turn, we walked in and Izzy was excited to spy some friends:





She was very happy to see Goofy and Mickey. Especially Mickey. But Goofy got some love too:





Post-photo hugs (CM took pics with my phone):







And a few Photopass shots:







It was a fun meet, even if Minnie wasn’t there. Fresh from her fun with Chip and Dale, Izzy was in a great mood and happy to interact with Mickey and Goofy.

Up next: Well, we’ve GOT to see Minnie. Even if that means leaving Goofy in the (pixie)dust.

 

[AprilRenee]

Cute pics!!!

Caden was not a fan of living with the land. In fact he ended up getting in big trouble (with mom) on that ride. lol
However, later he rode it with Andrew and Andrew said he was good and enjoyed it. little stinker!

Which reminds me, I need to get moving on my tr!! Ugh! Lol

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wow, I haven't been on Living with the Land in a long time. Like almost two years. It is such a pleasant ride. That is the perfect descriptor.

I'm still bitter that I can't get a Disney Visa since I live in Canada. Obviously I love the perks like special character meets. But mostly I just want a Disney Visa, because... it's a Disney Visa!!!

Awww, so close to the full Character Spot meet and great characters. Sorry there was no Minnie.

Izzy has really taken to the characters and it always does my heart good to see Mickey get so much love.

 

[RGirl]

Hello!

I had no idea there was a bear store in Epcot. I love the Izzy bear stories - how cute is that?

The snack looks so tasty! I love kids - they refuse to try something over and over and then finally do and steal most of it!

I always love an unexpected Chip ’n’ Dale meet - they are always so much fun! What cute pictures!

Oh, we love the Living with the Land attraction - I can’t really explain why, but we love it. Do you know that I have never remembered to do the Disney Visa meet? I don’t think I ever really knew where it was before. Maybe I can remember for our summer trip. Love your pics!

 

[Leshaface]

Haha! "Roam"

Still haven't been to Sommerfest. DH isn't at all interested though.

Love the Chip and Dale photos! Aw she looks so comfortable around them

Totally love LWTL and spoiler alert: we finally got to ride it!!

I always forget about the Disney Visa character meet. You get a free print out right? Is it immediately after the meet you get your photo?

 

[Dugette]

Cute pics!!!

Thanks!

Caden was not a fan of living with the land. In fact he ended up getting in big trouble (with mom) on that ride. lol
However, later he rode it with Andrew and Andrew said he was good and enjoyed it. little stinker!

Oh no! Now you've really got me wondering what Caden did.

Which reminds me, I need to get moving on my tr!! Ugh! Lol

Yes, I can't wait to read it!

Wow, I haven't been on Living with the Land in a long time. Like almost two years. It is such a pleasant ride. That is the perfect descriptor.

Yes, I think pleasant pretty much sums it up. It's not thrilling, it's not boring, I don't know...it's just pleasant.

I'm still bitter that I can't get a Disney Visa since I live in Canada. Obviously I love the perks like special character meets. But mostly I just want a Disney Visa, because... it's a Disney Visa!!!

Oh, I forgot that you can't get one! Mine has the castle on it. I have to admit I don't use it much lately (the rewards aren't as good as free flights), but I always like pulling it out and seeing the castle and having cashiers sometimes remark about how much they love Disney.

Awww, so close to the full Character Spot meet and great characters. Sorry there was no Minnie.

I know, it was two out of the three, but we were missing the most important one (to Izzy). In the past, we've gotten Minnie, so I had high hopes (Izzy's first trip was Minnie and Pluto in there), but they switch them up randomly and you just never know. I was actually surprised the CM told me in advance when I asked, as they seem to keep it a secret until you walk in.

Izzy has really taken to the characters and it always does my heart good to see Mickey get so much love.

She was such a character-lover on this trip! More than any before (though our November visit to Aulani was even more character-centric). She is quite fond of Mickey. After all, Minnie likes him so she should too!

Hello!

Hi!

I had no idea there was a bear store in Epcot. I love the Izzy bear stories - how cute is that?

I had no idea about that store either - it just caught my eye and I had to look. Surprisingly, it just seemed to be that little corner that had actual teddy bears. I wasn't in there long enough to know what else there was, though. It's so strange that Izzy is so obsessed with bears hiding in closets lately. I have no idea how she came up with that. It's pretty amusing, though.

The snack looks so tasty! I love kids - they refuse to try something over and over and then finally do and steal most of it!

Great snack! Yes, Izzy does that a lot - makes it hard to share, as she's either going to eat none or all.

I always love an unexpected Chip ’n’ Dale meet - they are always so much fun! What cute pictures!

I'm so glad we ran across them when we did. It was such a fun meet and really got Izzy comfortable with the characters for the rest of the trip.

Oh, we love the Living with the Land attraction - I can’t really explain why, but we love it. Do you know that I have never remembered to do the Disney Visa meet? I don’t think I ever really knew where it was before. Maybe I can remember for our summer trip. Love your pics!

I feel the same way - not really sure WHY I like LWTL so much, but I do. Yes, if you get a chance to swing by the Disney Visa thing and the line isn't long, it's a great chance to have one-on-one time with some characters. They used to have a lot more limited hours and we had trouble getting to it, but I think they are open much longer now.

Haha! "Roam"

Haha, another silly pun fan!

Still haven't been to Sommerfest. DH isn't at all interested though.

But, isn't there beer there?

Love the Chip and Dale photos! Aw she looks so comfortable around them

Thanks. She was really comfortable with them. Not sure exactly why, but it was great!

Totally love LWTL and spoiler alert: we finally got to ride it!!

Yay, you got to ride! This was your first time?! We didn't get to ride in June, so it was on my must-do list for this trip.

I always forget about the Disney Visa character meet. You get a free print out right? Is it immediately after the meet you get your photo?

Yes, you get a free print anytime that day. You have to get it at the Epcot Camera Shop place. You will see later, though, that it didn't work out so well for us on this quick trip. We do have the one from Izzy's first trip up on our mantle, though!

 

[schmass]

Aw, I love Living with the Land! Nice hidden Mickey shots! Have you ever done the Behind the Seeds tour? Probably not very interesting for a toddler, but Michael and I really enjoyed it when we did it a few years ago.

The Visa character meet is on my must-do list for April. I have never done it because I always forget about it, but I'm determined to do it next time! Cute photos!

 

[Imagineer5]

So fun! LWTL is a favorite for sure! Nice job on all the hidden mickeys!

The visa meet was so cute , love the close up of Izzy with Mickey! She has such a smug smile I love it!