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

[jc040404]

How fun! I missed all of this Oaken stuff. I'm not even sure where it was in the park? I guess that's what you get when you don't have a little princess in the family. I never looked into any of this stuff. I'm loving the pics of everyone in shorts, playing in snow. Awesome.

Nuts about Woody. I was expecting something exciting inside, too.

Cupcake looks too cute, and so does Izzy with frosting everywhere.

 

[cindianne320]

Finally catching up! What a fun mother-daughter trip! I can't believe you were able to do all 4 parks in such a whirlwind trip! You go, Mama!

Question about the double FP+. Does that only work if you have a toddler because only one of you needs the FP?

Can't wait to read more about your Frozen day- and hoping Lauren felt better, and no one else caught it!

 

[Dugette]

How fun! I missed all of this Oaken stuff. I'm not even sure where it was in the park? I guess that's what you get when you don't have a little princess in the family. I never looked into any of this stuff. I'm loving the pics of everyone in shorts, playing in snow. Awesome.

It was down a bit past TSM in the "Soundstage One" building - I just read that it has since moved to the Streets of America or something. Ha, the shorts in the snow is pretty funny, now that you mention it.

Nuts about Woody. I was expecting something exciting inside, too.

I know, it was just really anticlimactic, right? Here I am expecting something extra exciting and it was just: hi, pose for a photo, see ya.

Cupcake looks too cute, and so does Izzy with frosting everywhere.

I clearly underestimated how much she'd love frosting when I failed to get napkins.

Finally catching up! What a fun mother-daughter trip! I can't believe you were able to do all 4 parks in such a whirlwind trip! You go, Mama!

I can't believe it either! It was SO much fun, though. We packed in a ton of memorable moments, despite the short time at WDW.

Question about the double FP+. Does that only work if you have a toddler because only one of you needs the FP?

Yes, I was only able to use her band for one FP+ to any given attraction. Worked out fine since she's under 3 and doesn't actually need a FP+ for herself. So, I was basically taking the FP+ I was able to get from her band and using them for myself with her tagging along for free. Also, I did have Dug's band with me, but I didn't end up using it. In theory, though, if someone else had wanted to ride with us, I could have used his band to get a second FP+ and have that person wear it. If that makes sense. Just wasn't necessary for me this trip.

Can't wait to read more about your Frozen day- and hoping Lauren felt better, and no one else caught it!

More coming right up! And she did start feeling better as the day went on. And the girls didn't get sick. And I was fine...until I got home.

 

[Dugette]

On our way out of Oaken’s, we saw a photo spot where you can use the Aurasma app to get some sort of “Magic Shot” of Frozen stuff. There were only a couple people there, so I stopped to watch them monkey around with it and try to make it work. I had read that it was touchy, so I didn’t have high hopes. It was our turn after a couple minutes, so I tried it and couldn’t get it to work and we moved on. Exciting, huh? We moved on to finding the Photopass Magic Shots instead:





They also included this funny little video on our Memory Maker download:

(click to watch)

I think it might make more sense if we were dancing around too. This makes it feel like role reversal – like Olaf is posing for a picture and we are the “magic shot” being added into it. Cute, though.

Izzy looks so mad in this picture, probably because she has no idea Sven is photobombing us:



That’s a bit better:



We were done with both of those quickly (short lines) and on our way to check in for the package at 10:10am. I believe it was by Min and Bill’s. There was a roped-off area and we approached a CM to check in. They found us on their list and gave both of us lanyards and asked which sing-along time we wanted to attend:



I double-checked if it was right to give Izzy one, as she was free for the package and they said yes. I stashed hers away in the stroller basket, as I didn’t want her wearing it dangling around her neck. As a side note, this event was a GREAT deal for a parent/under-3-child combo. Only had to pay for me and we both could enjoy everything, including food and drink. I know for larger families this can be a big expense, but it was very worthwhile for us!

We asked for the 7pm Frozen sing-along show, by the way. That was the last one of the day and we wanted to spend the afternoon in Epcot, so that gave us some time to be away from DHS and still get back in time for a show. Or so we thought...

So, we were all checked in and lanyarded up at that point, but nobody opened the rope to let us into the package area (Lauren and Aria were already in there – with the shade and frozen lemonade, Lauren was feeling a lot better). Strange. Someone else came up who had already checked in – they asked to get in and the rope was opened for them. And closed very quickly before we could follow them in. I had to ask the CM to open the rope again, but for some reason it took forever – looking at lists, talking to all the other CMs, etc. Eventually they let a few of us in. Why not just let us in right after we check in? Seemed poorly managed.

Once we were in, we parked the stroller and found Lauren and Aria enjoying some frozen lemonade in the shade, right up by the rope. Izzy took a seat on the ground with them while I went to stock up on free snacks and drinks. I got two Mickey bars, 2 bottles of Diet Coke, and 2 bottles of water. I put all of the drinks in the stroller for later, except for one Diet Coke. And I grabbed Izzy’s milk for her.

When I got back, I tried to put Izzy’s bib on her for the Mickey bar. She would NOT wear it, despite it having Minnie on it and everything. Oh, well – I had a spare outfit for her that day, so decided to take my chances. The Mickey bars were really good – it had been a LONG time since I’d had one and the chocolate was thicker and better than I remembered. They were refreshing in the heat, but also got very melty very quickly. Izzy stopped enjoying hers once it started dripping. She gave it to me and we ended up tossing the remnants. Then came the task of cleaning her up. I must have been unprepared again and left the wipes in the stroller. Luckily, Lauren and a nearby mom shared napkins and wipes and I got the chocolate off of her hands and face (and mine, for that matter). Izzy really did not like being so messy and was very happy to be wiped off (she usually hates getting wiped up, though – I guess melted chocolate is especially gross in her world).

I went and grabbed her a strawberry lemonade next, as that would be refreshing and less messy. She wanted to sit in my lap to eat it:



Mmmmm, she loved it! Aria was enjoying one too:



Izzy liked it so much that she wouldn’t let me try a bite of it.

As we waited for the parade, I noticed a couple guests dressed like Anna and Elsa. Kids were taking pictures with them (across the street, mid-picture):



I guess that’s the Super Fast Pass + way to meet them?

As we waited, a streetmosphere guy came around giving away “free snowballs from Frozen.” I captured a bit on video:

(click to watch)

Before the parade, I got up and brought our drinks back to the stroller and tossed our trash, as I didn’t want to have to carry them and Izzy up to the stage after the procession passed.

Pretty soon, the parade began:



All the CMs were in their warmest attire. I’m sure they loved that during a hot Florida summer, ugh!

A snowcapped roof:



Skiing:







Hey, we know him! Kristoff, yay!

I think I thought it was cool that someone was driving this house:





The processional of kids that had been chosen to walk in the parade:



A horse:



And look who was riding in that horse’s sleigh:



Izzy waved back:



And that was pretty much the whole parade. Very brief.

After the parade passed, we moved up closer to the stage, along with the rest of the crowd. Random cute picture of Aria:



We had a good view:



And did you see that adorable little girl holding up her Elsa doll to see?! Not to mention that her Elsa doll is waving to Elsa on stage! Too cute.

Olaf showed up (on screen):



Izzy watched with interest:



After that, we had a giant group sing-along of Let It Go. I thought Izzy would love it, but I think she was getting really tired or maybe overstimulated. The video I took of her is just her rubbing her eyes and looking away, basically. I think she at least kinda liked it, though? I don’t know – I had fun singing, haha.

Up next: Toy Story Mania and lunch at a new-to-me restaurant!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Awe that Woody! What a bummer. Sounds like it really got you off track! The snow looked fun though.

The frozen event looks great! I can't even imagine how much Charlotte would love it!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Awww, more Magic Shots I missed.

Ah YAY, finally one I actually DID get with Sven.

Nice to hear that the Frozen package was a good deal. Plus, the lanyards look quite nice.

Hahaha, I saw that "free snowball" Guy. Hi-Larious!

Agreed. The "parade" was very short, but still pretty cute.

 

[schmass]

The Frozen events look like so much fun. I will have to check to see if anything is still being offered in the spring. Rory has recently become obsessed with Frozen!

 

[heathsf]

And we get to see the castle. For two seconds. Cause, you know, Fast Pass+.

I followed you over here from your post on my TR. I'm really enjoying so far! The above ^^^ is as far as I got and I had to quote it because this line had me cracking up

I've subscribed and I'm going to keep catching up soon!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

You were so successful at Magic Kingdom! I'm glad that Izzy started warming up to the characters - especially Ariel! Despite the fact you missed your evening swim, I think it was worth it for two character meets.

Darn that Woody and his insistence! Oh, well - at least it was a nice way to start the day even though it backed you up a bit.

As a Minnesotan, you know your snow. I wonder if the non-snow folks thought that's how all snow is like? Nonetheless, I'm sure it was a challenge to keep the snow "fresh" for everyone. Your story about the mom and her daughter (?) in front of you in line was quite touching.

Mmmm, a Mickey bar.

Oh, dear, I hope your foreshadowing about your Epcot plans and the singalong isn't TOO bad...

 

[Dugette]

Awe that Woody! What a bummer. Sounds like it really got you off track! The snow looked fun though.

Darn Woody. We just had to wait a long time to play in the snow, but it all worked out okay.

The frozen event looks great! I can't even imagine how much Charlotte would love it!

I bet she'd love it. I know Izzy would love it even more now that she's a bit older, so I can only imagine what Charlotte would think.

Awww, more Magic Shots I missed.

Ah YAY, finally one I actually DID get with Sven.

Yay for one you got! I kind-of lucked into all of them, to be honest. I hadn't really researched where they were, but knew they existed, and was lucky enough to walk by all of them and notice the backdrops.

Nice to hear that the Frozen package was a good deal. Plus, the lanyards look quite nice.

Can't beat a two-for-one admission on a hot and crowded day!

Hahaha, I saw that "free snowball" Guy. Hi-Larious!

He was great. And I loved the looks on the kids' faces when they got their "snowball."

Agreed. The "parade" was very short, but still pretty cute.

At least I knew it was short, so no disappointment. And you can't beat waiting in the shade with free refreshments!

The Frozen events look like so much fun. I will have to check to see if anything is still being offered in the spring. Rory has recently become obsessed with Frozen!

Yes, I know they have kept some of the things. The sing-along for sure. And parts of Oaken's, but not sure of the details. I should probably look into it too for our May trip.

I followed you over here from your post on my TR. I'm really enjoying so far! The above ^^^ is as far as I got and I had to quote it because this line had me cracking up

I've subscribed and I'm going to keep catching up soon!

Glad to see you here. Ha, yeah, it was so weird to have to race by the castle to get to our FP+ within the time frame.

You were so successful at Magic Kingdom! I'm glad that Izzy started warming up to the characters - especially Ariel! Despite the fact you missed your evening swim, I think it was worth it for two character meets.

Yeah, I think those meets (especially talking Mickey) were a lot more memorable than a swim. Izzy still gets a kick out of watching the choo-choo video. She will warm up a lot more throughout the rest of the trip too!

Darn that Woody and his insistence! Oh, well - at least it was a nice way to start the day even though it backed you up a bit.

Yeah, it was nice to finally do that meet. Just wish the circumstances had been a bit better. Or that he'd actually been excited to see us inside.

As a Minnesotan, you know your snow. I wonder if the non-snow folks thought that's how all snow is like? Nonetheless, I'm sure it was a challenge to keep the snow "fresh" for everyone. Your story about the mom and her daughter (?) in front of you in line was quite touching.

Good point - I bet some people left there thinking snow is all hard and icy - which it sometimes is, but not always. I was just fascinated with the mom bringing her to build a snowman - very touching.

Mmmm, a Mickey bar.

Not the same, but I may have just eaten a gelato ice cream bar right now...

Oh, dear, I hope your foreshadowing about your Epcot plans and the singalong isn't TOO bad...

Ha, you caught that. Well, it will be a slightly crazy adventure.

 

[JulieODC]

Great overview of the Frozen festivities -- looks like fun!

I visited Disney a few times many years ago with my BF's family, and they loved Disney for how accessible it was for their handicapped son (in a similar situation to the one you described). The sounds, smells, etc, and the accessibility for wheel chairs made it a wonderful experience for everyone.

 

[hokieinpa]

I got way behind on all the TRs I had been following so I'm paying catch up but....

I'm so impressed with you for taking at toddler alone on a plane and to Disney!!

Little Mermaid was my favorite ride at MK (it's my fav movie!) so I'm glad Izzy enjoyed that so much!

You totally seemed to rock the extra FP+ on both Magic Bands! Good to know for future visits!

We didn't make it to the snow at DHS. My boys were way too involved at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.

That's too bad that the great Woody interaction on the street didn't lead to a super cool meet! We had a pretty good meet with them but I would have expected more if I was you!

Can't wait to hear about more Frozen fun!

 

[Dugette]

Great overview of the Frozen festivities -- looks like fun!

Thanks, it was fun! And more to come later in the evening!

I visited Disney a few times many years ago with my BF's family, and they loved Disney for how accessible it was for their handicapped son (in a similar situation to the one you described). The sounds, smells, etc, and the accessibility for wheel chairs made it a wonderful experience for everyone.

That's great to hear. I did notice that the CMs did not bat an eye at rolling her up to the wall to build that snowman vs. how everyone else was going inside the walls. I'm sure they handle situations like this all the time - and apparently do it well.

I got way behind on all the TRs I had been following so I'm paying catch up but....

No problem, I know what that's like!

I'm so impressed with you for taking at toddler alone on a plane and to Disney!!

Thanks, it actually was not bad at all! It did help that Lauren and I had done the joint trip a couple months prior to this, so I had that experience of flying alone with Izzy, even though we met up at MCO and spent the trip together.

Little Mermaid was my favorite ride at MK (it's my fav movie!) so I'm glad Izzy enjoyed that so much!

Izzy loves Ariel! And I really like that ride - great addition to Fantasyland. I'd like to get in some more rides on it in May.

You totally seemed to rock the extra FP+ on both Magic Bands! Good to know for future visits!

It worked out really well for us. It was especially noticeable in the MK, as we were just going from ride to ride to ride with ease.

We didn't make it to the snow at DHS. My boys were way too involved at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.

I can see how that can happen - that's a pretty awesome playground.

That's too bad that the great Woody interaction on the street didn't lead to a super cool meet! We had a pretty good meet with them but I would have expected more if I was you!

I guess the pre-meet interaction really got my hopes up. Oh, well - maybe we'll have an awesome meet next trip.

Can't wait to hear about more Frozen fun!

Thanks!

 

[RGirl]

Hello! Trying to get in a little DIS time tonight before we head to DLR on Wednesday.

Oh my goodness! I love the Olaf and Sven magic shots. I have GOT to remember to show Willow the Sven ones - she will PASS OUT with glee!

Thank you so much for the info and descriptions of the Sing-Along event. I have read a lot of TRs, but this is the first real description of this I have read. It definitely sounds like something we would enjoy.

 

[Dugette]

Hello! Trying to get in a little DIS time tonight before we head to DLR on Wednesday.

Yay, you're leaving SO soon!

Oh my goodness! I love the Olaf and Sven magic shots. I have GOT to remember to show Willow the Sven ones - she will PASS OUT with glee!

I bet they have some shots like that at DCA with all the Frozen stuff going on there. Hope Willow loves it!

Thank you so much for the info and descriptions of the Sing-Along event. I have read a lot of TRs, but this is the first real description of this I have read. It definitely sounds like something we would enjoy.

Just to be clear, what we attended at this point was part of the parade/processional - just a brief appearance by Anna and Elsa, a small bit of chatter, and then singing the one song. The actual Sing-Along event is something we attend later this day. It's in a theater, seated, and there are "storytellers" that are hilarious and tell the tale of Frozen, interspersed with the songs and character appearances. Really fun too! I am definitely planning to do it again in May, as Izzy can now really sing a lot of the songs and they've kept the show going!

 

[Dugette]

Next on the agenda was using our Toy Story Mania Fast Pass+ reservations. Lauren and I had managed to sync up the times, so we were able to do this together. Not too long to wait:



I put Izzy in her own seat and made sure the lapbar was snug for those wild corners:



She did not want to wear the glasses or use the gun, but she was perfectly happy just looking around. Meanwhile, I managed to do okay:



After that ride, we all went to check in for our lunch ADR at the ‘50’s Prime Time Café. I had never set foot in this restaurant, so I was excited to see all the fun décor. Lauren made sure to request a TV table for us, so we were hoping we’d get a neat spot. We waited in the awesome “living room”. The girls claimed this little couch and Izzy would NOT let me sit down next to her:



Here’s a look around the waiting area:







Pretty cute! Though something odd about seeing people playing on their smart phones while sitting in a '50's living room...

The girls found an interesting coffee table, only they thought it was a picnic table and took a seat on the “bench”. I wasn’t quick enough to capture that picture, but here’s the table and you can see why they thought that:



We were very fortunate and Lauren’s request paid off, so we got this awesome TV table :



(And, yes, we are ALL wearing Olaf attire, haha). As you can see, Izzy is in a normal chair. She had been generally using a high chair up to that point, so we had one brought over. However, she absolutely refused to sit in it and climbed into the chair instead. We ended up just keeping the high chair nearby, in case she wanted to sit in it later (which she did, as you'll notice in later pictures). I’m guessing she wanted to be a big girl like Aria!

The girls did a little artwork:





Origami?

I had read about an appetizer here on the Disney Food Blog and knew I had to try it. It was the fried herb and garlic cheese (raspberry sauce under the warm cheese):



It was super good! I ended up sharing some of the accompaniments with the girls. Lauren was not planning on eating much, as she had been sick, so she was very happy to find chicken noodle soup on the menu. She ordered the chicken nugget meal for Aria (and Aria also enjoyed a sampling of salt and pepper – which you will understand if you read Lauren’s TR!). I didn’t order a meal for Izzy – just shared and gave her some of her own munchies I’d brought. I ordered the meatloaf, but I remember the server also recommending the Pot Roast quite strongly – I was just in more of a meatloaf mood, I guess. I knew there was a much loved Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake on the menu here, but I had to pass on that because 1). I wasn’t hungry enough and 2.) I had a lot of plans at Epcot that afternoon that involved eating. Here’s my meal:



I only ended up eating about half of it, due to reasons stated above. Not bad, though.

Our server was okay. He wasn’t terribly into the whole act, but did make sure that we kept our elbows off the table. We had a nice time, though. Lauren probably doesn’t know that, while she was off in the restroom with Aria, he actually “punished” another diner for putting her elbows on the table:



That was about the only drama we saw there.

Oh, and speaking of restroom trips, I had to whisk Izzy off for a dirty diaper change during the meal. Luckily, there was a restroom just down the hall. Then, after the meal, she needed another dirty diaper change! This is a kid who generally doesn’t have more than 1 every 2 days or so – but she was busy that day, I guess. The second time I was in that restroom, we chatted with the people who came up behind us – the daughter was about Izzy’s age and wearing an Elsa shirt and the mom was wearing the same Olaf shirt that I was!

Anyway, back to the meal. Aria’s kids meal came with a little ice cream sundae for dessert. She was kind enough to share a bit with Izzy:



What’s Izzy munching on? Why that would be her new obsession, Mickey Sprinkles:



Our TV kept on showing cool things:





Izzy made sure I knew that she spotted Minnie on TV at some point too.

I noticed a calendar across the room that said “Minneapolis” on it, so had to zoom in for a picture:



The remnants of Aria’s sundae:



Izzy and I just may have taken all of the lonely Mickey Sprinkles off that plate when she was done...

It was a nice comfort-food meal and cool to see the place. I’d go back again!

Up next: A tower, a nap, and a walk. To another country. To get treats for Mommy.

 

[JulieODC]

I haven't been to 50's PT in forever -- maybe next trip! Funny how the mid-century modern style is back in now, that living room doesn't look so dated anymore

Looks like a good lunch overall, and fun to get a TV table!! Gotta love any dining experience that has built in entertainment for little ones

 

[Imagineer5]

So fun to read about the experiences you had! The walking to the castle photo, I don't remember what we were doing? Maybe about to ride Barnstormer or something, I will have to check photos when I get to it, that was too bad you never got it though

That day started out so awful, that bug was not nice to me! Those frozen lemonades though were just about the most PERFECT thing you could ask for - I think we went through 4 of them?! Haha. And then to find chicken noodle soup?! The stars were definitely aligned! Lunch was a lot of fun and TSMM was great too. So glad we could spend that day with you. I look forward to our next meet ups! Just no more Disney bugs!

 

[schmass]

I love 50's Prime Time! We have always had a really good time there with our servers, and the food has always been really good, too. I don't really eat meat very often, but I do love their pot roast, so I understand why your server was pushing that - so good. I had actually made a reservation for Sci-Fi Drive-in (never eaten there) for our April trip, but changed it to 50's PTC, and am excited to return!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I love 50's Prime Time - I'm glad you got a chance to go there! I'm a big fan of the pot roast your server was pushing, but the meatloaf isn't too bad, either. If you go again you'll have to try the PBJ milkshake - it's fantastic!

I'm a bit jealous that you got a TV table! I've never been seated at one, but I may request it more strongly next time as we'll have three of us at our ADR.