"I'm NOT a Princess, I'm Izzy!" - May '15 Land/Sea ~ Updated 6/4: Link to Disneyland TR!!!

[Dugette]

Omg. I'm aching for you even months after. There is NOTHING worse (ok, maybe that's not true, but in this context) than an expensive, non-negotiable experience that your kid is just NOT having. And the screaming-- I sure hope people were sympathetic, especially since you were trying so hard to help her. (People who ignore their kids while they cause chaos do not have my sympathy-- like the kid at LTT who quite literally kicked me--I mean like seriously kicked my leg--for ten minutes while he lay screaming in the booth next to my chair while his parents totally ignored him. I have zero sympathy for that family.) I'm so glad your immediately-scheduled next meal went better. I am glad that at least the pictures and videos make it look like she enjoyed parts of it, but, man. Toddlers. Aren't they something?

Wow, that's awful about the kid kicking you! I agree, so long as the parent is trying to help the kid. And I know some parents are trying to help their kid by ignoring them (no attention = stop screaming for some kids), but when they are bothering others, then that's not enough.

On the comment about the "expensive, non-negotiable experience" - on our recent WDW visit, I took Izzy to Be Our Guest for lunch. For unknown reasons, she freaked out at the check in desk while I was paying and could only say, "I don't want to eat here!" over and over while in tears. I had to drag her in like that, since there was really no backing out of our pre-order ADR at that point. I have no idea what her deal was, but she seemed to fear the ballroom, so I let her pick a different room to eat in and she calmed down - whew! Kids!

The Rebel Hangar does look really cool - would be neat to bring it back as another option in DHS since they seem to keep adding Star Wars related things. Does give me hope for how cool the dining options in the actual Land will be once done!

I sure hope they will have some cool dining at DHS someday! This one was a gem vs. the regular offerings.

Gotta love those light up cubes with the drinks - though I bit annoying you couldn't just buy one without a drink.

I know, it was annoying. At least she let us get a relatively cheap drink and not another fancy one.

I love Fantasmic! so many Disney feels with the show. (side note: was just listening to the Disneyland Podcast where Micheal Bowling is going through Disneyland in the 90s and part of it covers when they premiered Fantasmic! at Disneyland and about the construction for it and how big a hit it was, etc.)

It's a fun show - someday, I'll have to see the Disneyland one!

That was an awesome CM! Love when they do a bit of pixie dust like that and really, I am sure that costs Disney next to nothing but makes your trip that much more magical!

Exactly! And this was one of those pixie dustings that took me totally by surprise. She was so sweet to do that!

That Pixie Dust Bubble Maker was certainly well deserved! So nice to see that your night ended on a happy note

Thanks! It really ended the evening on a high note.

Oops!! I hope that doesn't turn out to be a problem later.

Good idea! I'll probably wear mine to bed the night before our next trip

Can't hurt!

Great idea!

That stroller bag is handy for a bit of luggage overage...

I probably wouldn't laugh

Well, you kinda have to, since this is the person printing your boarding passes and checking your bags.

Wow that's really lucky! Too bad they're moving...

Well, the nice thing about this TR taking me so long is that I can tell you they didn't move far away and still happily give us airport rides.

That's what I was thinking!

I found it so odd that she was using her experience as a traveller dealing with the TSA instead of her experience as a TSA agent to tell me the "rules." Especially since she was wrong, so far as I can tell.

Oh, toddlers!

Glad we are through that stage!

My carseat didn't get checked last year. I did make sure it was FAA approved ahead of time though, just in case!

Yes, good to make sure you know where that sticker is, just in case.

Wow that was pretty rude of the flight attendant. Sheesh

It really was!

This is probably a preview of what my next trip will be

I hope it goes better than that for you! Learn from our mistakes. (But, of course, expect your kid to throw you curve balls anyway).

Awesome view!

Good reflexes! That sounds very scary...

It was! They are so quick to get into trouble!

Oh well, so much for getting to eat before arriving at Epcot

Schedule flying out window...

I've only had a cronut from Dunkin Donuts and while I thought it was good, it wasn't amazing. Yours looks pretty good with the ice cream though!

The ice cream was probably the best part.

That would be me too.

Awesome picture of THAT guy

 

[Dugette]

Dining in the Castle

It was yet another early morning after a late night for us. We also were moving hotels this day. Originally, we had wanted the Beach Club Villas for our post-cruise stay, but couldn’t get any availability, except for the last night of our trip (renting DVC points). We took that last night and waitlisted the rest at BCV while booking BWV. As you can see, that waitlist never came through, so we were stuck with this. I think we had packed up during our break the previous day and were pretty much ready for Bell Services to transfer all our stuff this morning.

I started the day by taking some pictures from our balcony before we had to move out. You can see this night's destination over there :











In that last one, you can see how big our balcony was compared to the ones above us.

We got Izzy (still in her clothes from last night) up around 7am:



She actually agreed to wear the Ariel dress I’d picked out for her this day, so that was a victory! But, of course, she ended up crying shortly after, for reasons I no longer recall :



She was then quickly cheered up by playing with the (no longer floating) balloon again:





Ah, once again, farewell balcony and Boardwalk Villas :



Bell Services arrived and took our things and we left the room at 7:39am:



As you can see, the balloon came with us.

Goodbye, once again, Boardwalk :







I have to say, we were really happy with our stay at the Boardwalk Villas. I think we were lucky to have great rooms on both ends of the cruise, but I also loved the proximity to both Epcot and the Studios. No complaints about our stay there and I would do it again.

Then we were off to the Magic Kingdom! We made it there at 8:19am, which was pre-park-opening still, but not as early as we’d hoped:



We headed for the breakfast reservation line:



And here is the rest of the crowd (Memorial Day, so probably a bigger rope drop crowd than normal), awaiting the now-defunct train station opening show (that Izzy never got to see!):



Meanwhile, as they waited, we were heading down Main Street:



We stopped for all the Photopass shots we could along the way:











In case you’re thinking any of these photos are a little too cute, I’ll just throw this in here for laughs :



We also got the traditional walking-to-the-castle picture (idea stolen from @Imagineer5 ):



And, this time, we really were walking to the castle! Our breakfast destination:





















Continued in next post…

 

[Dugette]

Continued from last post…









We checked in at 8:38am – oops, late again! (8:20am ADR) It was fun to actually go inside the castle for once, as we’d never done Cinderella's Royal Table before. As we were waiting for our turn to meet “Rella” (as Izzy called her at that time), Izzy decided she needed to go potty. I took her and I don’t think she actually went, as usual on this trip. Then we got back in line and met the princess "Rella" herself at 8:45am. Izzy used her patented hug-tackle to bring her down :







Guess Cindy doesn’t get tackled by toddlers all the time. They had a super cute meet, though:



Here’s the Photopass shots:









And the best part:



After the meet, I noticed Izzy had a lipstick kiss on her cheek. Izzy was so thrilled when I showed her a picture of that. Really cute!

And here’s some adorable video:

After our lovely meet, we passed up this guy:



And then got in the tiny elevator to go upstairs:



We took a look at our surroundings up there:







I was a bit surprised at how small the space was. We were led to a non-window table:



And here’s the breakfast menu:





This is the pastry plate they start you with:



I like the Mickey muffins!

So, I don’t know if it was just our waitress (she wasn’t great) or if this is standard, but I was a bit disappointed with the food/drink service for Izzy. Granted, we brought her to this expensive meal before she turned 3 to save on the cost, so we weren’t expecting much...but they didn’t bring her ANY food (or even offer or stick around long enough for us to ask). I thought that toddlers were supposed to get a plate of something? Izzy ended up just eating muffin, so I guess it was fine, but that was odd – all other fixed-price places “included” food for her. I know that we could have fed her off of our plates, but she wouldn’t have liked either of our meals. The other thing that bothered me was that we hadn’t given Izzy juice to drink at that point in her life (and still don’t at home, but let it slide at preschool and such). But the waitress randomly came over and gave her a glass of juice! What?! She didn’t even ask. Luckily, Izzy didn’t particularly care for it or drink much, but that really didn’t sit well with me. Glad it was just our preference vs. her having an allergy to it or something, but still. However, on the bright side, Izzy also got a Wishing Star and wand, which she loved. Here she is with her entire breakfast + wand:



Very happy with her wand:



Random shot of the ceiling:



More wand fun:



The princesses came out and the ceiling twinkled. Then Aurora held a little gathering of kids right behind us, but Izzy didn’t want to sit down there with them. Instead, she watched from her chair:



You can see that Cinderella kiss on her cheek there!

After that finished up, Aurora came over to meet Izzy:



In my series of “unflattering princess facial expression” photos, I present this one :



Not as good as Cinderella’s eyes bugging out at Akershus, but still fun. Reminder of that one :



Anyway, here’s a sweeter one with Aurora:



Looks like Izzy wanted to cast a spell on her:



And here’s the video:

Continued in next post…

 

[Dugette]

Continued from previous post…

Snow White came by next. The meet was brief, but better than the one at Akershus the other morning:







Here’s the video:

(click to watch)

And then our food arrived. It looks like Dug got the Lobster & Crab Crepes:



And I got the Caramel Apple Stuffed French Toast:



Here’s what that looked like inside:



I think we both enjoyed our meals. Meanwhile, Izzy made a wand-holder out of a muffin :



You can also see I gave her my berries for sustenance.

Next up was a princess that Izzy had never actually met before: Jasmine. And she was great! She told Izzy all about the Magic Carpet ride and her handsome prince:





And the video (at the end, you can hear Izzy wondering when Ariel is coming ):

(click to watch)

Finally, the princess Izzy couldn’t wait for, Ariel! Izzy started by offering Ariel her Mickey muffin. Looks like Ariel appreciated seeing her buddy Flounder on Izzy’s dress (oh, just checked the video and it’s her BFF – “Best Fish Friend” ):







It was kind-of like Izzy was in a fog during this meet – maybe in awe of meeting her idol? Or just 2.5-year-old zoned out? So, here’s the video:

I mentioned not being thrilled with our waitress. Early on, I had asked for water and she just FINALLY brought it at the end of our meal. We also paid the bill at that point. We used our Tables in Wonderland discount and I also was using up our Disney Gift Cards this day (last full day and I didn’t want to charge anything else to the room with the resort transfer we were doing), so I gave her two gift cards to cover the payment (My vague memory is that we pre-paid for this meal by credit card and were told we could change it to gift cards when we got there?) She returned and explained the various receipts that come with using two gift cards, gave me two cards back, and showed me the remaining balance. With all of this going on, I didn’t realize that she had given me two cards back, but not the two I needed. She gave me the empty gift card (no longer needed) and the remaining gift card, but NOT the Tables in Wonderland card. Spoiler for later in the day when I figure that one out….also, spoiler – this day starts off nice, but really goes downhill. You’ve been warned.

But back to CRT. We got up to head out and took one last look around:



This one pretty much says it all:



A few more of the place:











Overall, we were glad we did this, but as you saw, it had its issues. But, hey, paying for two for breakfast with TiW and discounted gift cards (Target discount) is about as good a deal as you can get there. So, still worthwhile. Fun to try it out!

And then we were back outside the castle, around 9:30am:



We saw the Royal Merrimakers having fun with passers-by, but we were headed to the carousel, as we had promised Izzy a ride on the horsies:





Want to know what I’m doing there? Plotting. Well, I noticed that nobody was riding “Cinderella’s horse” on the previous ride, so I was watching it like a hawk to make a run for it so that Izzy could ride Cindy’s horse right after eating in Cindy’s castle. And….it worked! You can identify her horse by the ribbon on its tail:





Izzy was pretty pleased with Mommy’s pick of horse when I explained it to her. We rode together (once again, reminding me how long ago this trip was, as she rides a horse by herself now):





Dug rode next to us:



And we had a lovely spin to start our day in the Magic Kingdom:







After our ride, we stopped for a minute to see what the Royal Merrimakers were up to now. This guy couldn’t budge the sword:



But this girl pulled it out :



Pretty cool to see!

And then we were off to ride a bunch of stuff!

Up next: A lovely day at the Magic Kingdom. Well, mostly. With some disappointments. You know, the usual.

 

[Imagineer5]

I thought that toddlers were supposed to get a plate of something? Izzy ended up just eating muffin, so I guess it was fine, but that was odd – all other fixed-price places “included” food for her. I know that we could have fed her off of our plates, but she wouldn’t have liked either of our meals. The other thing that bothered me was that we hadn’t given Izzy juice to drink at that point in her life

They have always brought out food for under-3's at CRT, in my experience. We did CRT a number of times while Aria was under 3 (because, well, free!) and she always got a plate! That is disappointing.

The juice I'd have been thankful for lol! But I don't care if she drinks juice. I am def surprised she didn't ask (especially as you mentioned - allergies!)

NOT the Tables in Wonderland card

UGH! We've had bad luck with using that here, I will say, it always gets applied but the server seems annoyed by it.

And….it worked! You can identify her horse by the ribbon on its tail:

Um, I had NO IDEA about this! Wow! Will have to look next time!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

(that Izzy never got to see!)

Me either!

Great Picture!

I thought that toddlers were supposed to get a plate of something? Izzy ended up just eating muffin, so I guess it was fine, but that was odd – all other fixed-price places “included” food for her.

We went on our first trip, and my youngest was just under 3. Our waitress asked if we want to share with her or order her a meal. We opted to order her a meal, as her big sis was not in a sharing mood.

Not as good as Cinderella’s eyes bugging out at Akershus, but still fun. Reminder of that one :

Awesome!

They didn't even give her a plate!?! I think your waitress wasn't so great...

She gave me the empty gift card (no longer needed) and the remaining gift card, but NOT the Tables in Wonderland card. Spoiler for later in the day when I figure that one out….also, spoiler – this day starts off nice, but really goes downhill. You’ve been warned.

Oh man! I hope the day wasn't too bad...

 

[Dugette]

They have always brought out food for under-3's at CRT, in my experience. We did CRT a number of times while Aria was under 3 (because, well, free!) and she always got a plate! That is disappointing.

I thought I had seen the under-3's being fed in TRs! But our waitress didn't even come around enough to question about it. Glad that Izzy didn't seem to notice and that I'd brought her some milk.

The juice I'd have been thankful for lol! But I don't care if she drinks juice. I am def surprised she didn't ask (especially as you mentioned - allergies!)

Yeah, I mean it's not uncommon for parents of 2 year olds to limit their juice intake due to the high sugar content combined with easily-addicted toddlers, so I was just surprised they'd present it right to her without ever asking us. And, of course, heaven forbid you take away something from a 2-year-old, so you're basically stuck with it and hoping your kid doesn't decide it's her new must-have-always item. Kind of like (but not the same as) if they were to just bring Maya a glass of chocolate milk. It just seems like they could have either asked if we wanted it or offered a choice of milk or juice or whatever. (But just know, I'm not a total juice-a-phobe - we definitely had the juice at Tusker House last trip! )

UGH! We've had bad luck with using that here, I will say, it always gets applied but the server seems annoyed by it.

Interesting. I'm guessing because it's a pre-paid ADR and they have to refund and re-charge to apply the discount? Good to know.

Um, I had NO IDEA about this! Wow! Will have to look next time!

I read about it here on the DIS. Of course, I just looked for info now and it seems it's not an official Disney thing, but something CM's started telling people for extra magic. Still fun for me!

Me either!

Aw, bummer!

Great Picture!

Thanks!

We went on our first trip, and my youngest was just under 3. Our waitress asked if we want to share with her or order her a meal. We opted to order her a meal, as her big sis was not in a sharing mood.

That would have been really nice if she ever came to our table long enough to ask. Oh, well.

Awesome!

Haha, I love that one!

They didn't even give her a plate!?! I think your waitress wasn't so great...

I think she had that little plate that you get for the muffins, but that's it. She really wasn't very good and mostly ignored us.

Oh man! I hope the day wasn't too bad...

Well, we're still at WDW and there's no huge crisis, so that's good. It was more of a "what can go wrong, will go wrong" kind of day.

 

[Dugette]

A Bunch of Pooh

It was a lovely morning in the Magic Kingdom. About 10am and not too terribly crowded yet:



We were headed here :



We were doing standby / play time before the line got too long. Dug took lots of photos in the queue and I’ll post a bunch simply because I always seem to be too busy watching my kid to look around at all the detail and really enjoyed seeing these:



























Izzy was excited to find “Yore” in the hunny walls:













A random note, but at one point we could see the CM view of the FP entry and I found it interesting to see everyone’s name pop up in large print on the screen for the CM (and those of us in line) to view when they scanned their band.

Anyway, after that fun play time, we were off into the wild world of Pooh:





Naturally, Izzy liked the stuffed animals in the gift shop afterwards:





We did not add to her collection, though.

Instead, we headed across the way to use a FP+ for this:



Dug went in with his FP+ for his first ever ride on the 7DMT and got a Rider Swap for me. While he was in there, I looked around for something Izzy and I could do with a low wait. This one fit the bill, plus she really enjoys it:







Unfortunately, during that experience I got a text from Dug: he couldn’t quite get the lap bar on 7DMT to click into place and wasn’t able to ride. He was upset and mostly just embarrassed to have to get out. This isn’t the sort of thing that happens at WDW. It’s one of the things we love about WDW – it’s very accessible to everyone. There is nothing else he can’t ride, unless you count a past attraction – Sum of All Thrills, but that had a tester seat, so he was able to try it discretely and then pass. There are multiple other rides with tester seats, but NOT 7DMT. Which, of course, is the tightest fit for big and/or tall people of any WDW ride. Heck, the Barnstormer is downright roomy in comparison. You can tell this still upsets me. I actually researched as much as I could prior to the trip as to whether or not he’d be able to ride, in an attempt to avoid that embarrassing moment. And it really did come down to what several would-be riders said in the posts I read – “every body type, even with the same height/weight stats, is different.” I mean, there were reports online of people larger than him having no trouble (which gave us enough hope to try) and reports of people smaller than him unable to ride. I personally think it comes down to two factors about your legs – how long they are and how wide your thighs are, because of the upside-down-U-shaped bar that you have to squeeze them under.

At any rate, after he got out of there, he went straight to a FP kiosk to try to change his FP+ to something else. He ended up getting a bit emotional while talking about it to the CM working there. The CM was an older gentleman and said that he also couldn’t ride, as his legs were too long. He was very sympathetic and gave Dug a handwritten FP for anything (on an official form) and a bottle of water. Very nice! (I kinda wonder if he deals with this a lot?)

After meeting back up with poor Dug, I went to use my 7DMT FP+ next and decided to get the Rider Swap again anyway (this was prior to Izzy being tall enough). They went off to Dumbo and I headed in:



I asked a couple CMs about reports I’d read online of larger folks being allowed to use the full row/one lap bar for each leg. But they said that wasn’t allowed. Oh, well, can’t hurt to ask since people had reported being allowed to do it.

I had a nice ride:



7DMT was getting pretty busy:



I was glad to have this to go again fairly quickly:







I saved the 2nd Rider Swap for later, if I had time to use it. I wanted to go take pictures of Dug and Izzy riding Dumbo next.

Up next: More fun in Fantasyland.

 

[annie170]

I had a very similar experience at Cinderella's Castle in 2013. We are usually on the dining plan and my daughter had to talk me into eating there using the two dining credits. My granddaughter was 4 and grandson was 2 at the time. The service was slow, our meals were cold, and my grandson was given no food. He didn't even get a wishing star, wand or anything that would have made him happy. Cindy's Castle is a one and done for us. We've never had any issues at Akershus and that is our go to place for a princess meal. Using one dining credit doesn't hurt either!

Winnie the Pooh has such a cute waiting area, but the germaphobe in me always wonders how many hands have touched that honey wall!

I am so sorry Dug wasn't able to ride 7DMT. I'm pretty petite, so I haven't had any issues, but I noticed how small it was the first time I rode. We were just there in January with two of our daughters and their families. My husband and one son-in-law are bigger guys and had a hard time getting in and out. Why did Disney make this ride so small? I've got to believe there have been a lot of complaints. I've heard there are a lot of rides at Universal like this.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

we never done resort hoping but is convenient how they can transfer your luggage - hope it worked out smoothly

Really is great how you got that large balcony!

Really nice Family picture!:

That is really odd they didn't offer food for Izzy. The one time we ate breakfast at CRT the waiter was very clear with what a child under 3 gets (as we had 2 with us). I know it included French Toast Sticks and I think fruit or something with it. Also odd about the juice without asking - wondering if she got tables mixed up or something as obviously potentially dangerous to provide something to a child without the parents realizing it

That's great you got on Cindy's horse! I knew of the horse but actually never happened to see it in person - great job!

The queue at Pooh really is fun for the kids - and nothing is super technologically advanced, just a number of fun little things

I am so sorry for Dug - really is too bad and one thing I am not a fan of about that ride. Especially for a ride marketed as a "family coaster" you'd think they'd ensure as many people as possible can ride it. And if it is one of those things were it really depends on your very individual body they should have a "tester" seat for people to try out before getting in line. really sorry!

 

[cindianne320]

I'm so sorry that Dug wasn't able to ride 7DMT. I actually teared up reading this. What a huge disappointment/embarrassment. I'm glad the CM tried to make it right.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I got a text from Dug: he couldn’t quite get the lap bar on 7DMT to click into place and wasn’t able to ride.

That is a major bummer!!! Why would Disney design the ride that way?!? I mean it isn't a crazy rollercoaster...

The CM was an older gentleman and said that he also couldn’t ride, as his legs were too long. He was very sympathetic and gave Dug a handwritten FP for anything (on an official form) and a bottle of water.

That was super nice of the CM! They are probably instructed to do so, if someone make even a little bit of a deal of it. Which is the very least they can do...

I hope he got to use his anywhere fastness on something good!

 

[Imagineer5]

Great photos while playing at Pooh, that is always a fun time!! I know you mentioned the 7DMT thing, but sad to actually read about the experience (although, he was given a FP for anywhere and a bottle of water, so that's something! plus you got extra Rider Swaps lol!). Glad you enjoyed the ride! They really should have a tester seat off to the side, at least.

 

[schmass]

I'm sorry you had a lousy waitress at CRT - disappointing to pay alot of money for a meal and have a subpar experience. At least Izzy seemed pretty happy, though!

And also sorry about Dug not being able to ride 7DMT. That was very sweet of the CM to give him the FP and water. And good idea to do the teacups while one adult is on 7DMT - I will have to remember that when we go!

 

[heathsf]

So, we went and asked at the podium what we should do and they told us to go ahead and do Soarin’ and just come back when we were done, so long as it was before 7:45pm. Yay!

Good idea to ask them!

Reading about your dinner here has me so excited to eat here for the first time this summer! I couldn't get all the videos to work (I think internet issues on my end) but what I saw was adorable!

Yes, that’s right, macaroni and cheese (her favorite food!), topped with Goldfish crackers (one of her favorite snacks!) Did she eat it? Uh, no. Toddlers.

Haha. "Toddlers" is right!

So, instead, Izzy just led us to a wandering Chip:

It was all a ploy!

And that was fun, but I have to say that I was really looking forward to a few minutes of eating in peace without a toddler making demands of me…and that didn’t really happen, since the characters kept interrupting my attempts to eat dinner.

A few minutes of eating in peace?

I rather enjoyed the view. Very different than being around the lagoon. You don’t see the globe, but you still see most of the fireworks. And certainly hear the soundtrack.

Awesome!

 

[Dugette]

I had a very similar experience at Cinderella's Castle in 2013. We are usually on the dining plan and my daughter had to talk me into eating there using the two dining credits. My granddaughter was 4 and grandson was 2 at the time. The service was slow, our meals were cold, and my grandson was given no food. He didn't even get a wishing star, wand or anything that would have made him happy. Cindy's Castle is a one and done for us. We've never had any issues at Akershus and that is our go to place for a princess meal. Using one dining credit doesn't hurt either!

Oh, no! Not even a wand or sword or whatever they give boys? What a bummer! Now I'm glad she at least got the wishing star and wand! A place that expensive really needs to make sure everyone is always on their A Game there. Such a shame they don't always seem to be.

Winnie the Pooh has such a cute waiting area, but the germaphobe in me always wonders how many hands have touched that honey wall!

Haha, I'm not even a germaphobe, but I've definitely had that thought too. Really, on all the queues with interactive stuff, like Haunted Mansion even.

I am so sorry Dug wasn't able to ride 7DMT. I'm pretty petite, so I haven't had any issues, but I noticed how small it was the first time I rode. We were just there in January with two of our daughters and their families. My husband and one son-in-law are bigger guys and had a hard time getting in and out. Why did Disney make this ride so small? I've got to believe there have been a lot of complaints. I've heard there are a lot of rides at Universal like this.

I've heard that about Universal too, which is one of the main reasons we haven't gone. I kind-of get that they may have needed this ride to be smaller in order to have the lower height requirement, but it is odd for Disney. I agree - I'm not that big, but it is a tight feel anyway. Guess it's just sized for the 7 dwarfs?

we never done resort hoping but is convenient how they can transfer your luggage - hope it worked out smoothly

Well, I'll say that we've done resort transfers a number of times and it usually goes quite well. The luggage service is smooth and easy. This time, because that's the way this day was going, there was a problem. (not a big problem, but one that consumed a lot of time we didn't have).

Really is great how you got that large balcony!

It was pretty cool, just wish we'd had more free time to enjoy it.

Really nice Family picture!:

Thanks!

That is really odd they didn't offer food for Izzy. The one time we ate breakfast at CRT the waiter was very clear with what a child under 3 gets (as we had 2 with us). I know it included French Toast Sticks and I think fruit or something with it. Also odd about the juice without asking - wondering if she got tables mixed up or something as obviously potentially dangerous to provide something to a child without the parents realizing it

Oh, Izzy would have loved French Toast Sticks! Yeah, I wondered if she just was confused on the juice or if that's just what they do?

That's great you got on Cindy's horse! I knew of the horse but actually never happened to see it in person - great job!

Thanks, I'm pretty sure I've ridden it before, but makes it more special when you can get your kid on it right after eating in the castle.

The queue at Pooh really is fun for the kids - and nothing is super technologically advanced, just a number of fun little things

Agreed.

I am so sorry for Dug - really is too bad and one thing I am not a fan of about that ride. Especially for a ride marketed as a "family coaster" you'd think they'd ensure as many people as possible can ride it. And if it is one of those things were it really depends on your very individual body they should have a "tester" seat for people to try out before getting in line. really sorry!

That's what really bugs me - there is no tester seat (unless something has changed, but I don't think so). Why can't they do this? So far as I can tell from searching online, this is the ride that people have the most problems fitting into, so why force people to potentially wait in a horribly long line (luckily we had FP), then find out they can't ride after that wait and in front of everyone. So, so un-Disney. And the annoying thing is that even if Dug has lost weight/leg girth, the only way we can figure out if he might fit now is to do that again. I don't know that he will ever be willing to take that risk.

 

[Dugette]

I'm so sorry that Dug wasn't able to ride 7DMT. I actually teared up reading this. What a huge disappointment/embarrassment. I'm glad the CM tried to make it right.

I know, it was really disappointing. Especially when you've done your research, know he can ride everything else, etc.

That is a major bummer!!! Why would Disney design the ride that way?!? I mean it isn't a crazy rollercoaster...

I know, it probably doesn't even need restraints. (Well, except on those sudden stops). I think it's because they allow smaller kids on it and want to keep them snug? But apparently they don't care about that on the Barnstormer? I don't get it.

That was super nice of the CM! They are probably instructed to do so, if someone make even a little bit of a deal of it. Which is the very least they can do...

I hope he got to use his anywhere fastness on something good!

I am glad he found a kind CM at that moment. I felt really bad I couldn't be there for him right away, but I think I got the text while getting on the teacups. Probably no coincidence that CM had a pad full of guest satisfaction slips where he could give away FP and water, etc.

Great photos while playing at Pooh, that is always a fun time!!

Thanks, we always have fun in there.

I know you mentioned the 7DMT thing, but sad to actually read about the experience (although, he was given a FP for anywhere and a bottle of water, so that's something! plus you got extra Rider Swaps lol!). Glad you enjoyed the ride! They really should have a tester seat off to the side, at least.

I know, I got to ride 7DMT a little more than I was expecting that day (but felt a bit guilty doing it ). I really just wish they had a tester seat, though, and I can't understand why they haven't put one in yet. I mean, not getting to ride is one thing and that's something that we can deal with, but humiliating a guest is not as easy to deal with.

I'm sorry you had a lousy waitress at CRT - disappointing to pay alot of money for a meal and have a subpar experience. At least Izzy seemed pretty happy, though!

Yeah, I'm glad Izzy was young enough to not really know what she was missing (um, like her breakfast ). We still enjoyed it, but things seemed a bit off with the service.

And also sorry about Dug not being able to ride 7DMT. That was very sweet of the CM to give him the FP and water. And good idea to do the teacups while one adult is on 7DMT - I will have to remember that when we go!

Yeah, 7DMT was quite a disappointment, but I'm glad he ended up with a good CM helping him at the FP kiosk. And, yes, teacups is a great option while doing 7DMT RS! That and Pooh.

Good idea to ask them!

Figured it was better than missing FP or dinner.

Reading about your dinner here has me so excited to eat here for the first time this summer! I couldn't get all the videos to work (I think internet issues on my end) but what I saw was adorable!

Can't wait for you to eat there! It's always a lot of fun - good food and characters galore.

Haha. "Toddlers" is right!

It was all a ploy!

She's a smart one!

A few minutes of eating in peace?

Awesome!

Great way to end the night for sure!

 

[Dugette]

Izzy's First Coaster

Dug gave Izzy a little bit of playtime before going out to ride Dumbo:







After that, they took a spin on their flying elephant :



And I was on my way over:



And managed to catch them going around :



They were soon on their way out to meet me:



They had fun, but Izzy was excited when she spotted me at the exit and immediately wanted me to hold her. Of course.

Next, we were splitting up. Dug went to jump on the train to get over to BTMRR, since he had a Rider Swap to use up. Meanwhile, I was about to take Izzy on her first roller coaster!! Back on this trip, the only one she met the height requirement for was the Barnstormer, so that’s where we were headed:



We did standby, which didn’t appear to be too long, but it sure felt long. It was the hot part of the day where the sun just beats down on this queue. Plus, there was a breeze and Izzy really disliked “wind” at that point (don’t worry, she no longer minds wind, but dislikes sunshine ). And, about halfway through our wait, I started to panic because we hadn’t taken Izzy to a bathroom for a bit and if she had a desperate potty request soon, we’d have to wait in the line all over again. Thankfully, she made no such requests and we made it up to the loading area:



We got in our seats and soon were off on the 30 second thrill of a lifetime :





So, what’d she think of her first coaster? Looks like she’s having fun, right? Well, that smile lasted until right after we started going down the hill. Then it turned to stunned silence for the rest of the ride. I have video proof – I couldn’t get her to say a word at the end (pardon my dorkiness in the video):

Don’t worry, though, as she later claimed to like it a lot. In fact, I can now say (since it’s been nearly 2 years ) that she is my thrill ride buddy. Loves all the big ones (40”). Unless it’s Tower of Terror – not that. Otherwise, she’s in favor of speed and thrills.

While we were waiting for and riding Barnstormer, this was Dug’s journey:















After Barnstormer, Izzy and I hopped on the train to head over to where Dug was and meet up:



Clearly, she wasn’t too scarred by the Barnstormer.

Looks like she wanted to hold hands with the troublesome dancers :



So, we were going along, enjoying a pleasant train ride, when I looked out and saw this:



Woody AND Jessie?! Yes, please! Since I hadn’t gotten a text back yet from Dug, I figured he was still riding, so Izzy and I jumped off the train (at the stop, don’t worry) and got in line for the meet. I think some other people had the same idea, as the line behind us got longer quickly, but we weren’t too far back.

I must have gotten in touch with Dug while we waited, as he came over. He decided not to wait and just to get back on the train and head to the lunch ADR that we needed to get to. But Izzy and I stuck it out. Even though it was starting to rain lightly. We were only a few families back when the CMs abruptly shut down the meet, ushered Woody and Jessie to shelter, and basically sent us all away. Boo. That was quite the bummer. In fact, Izzy has yet to actually have a meet with Jessie, despite a couple other close encounters since then. And, of course, she doesn’t meet at WDW anymore, so that doesn’t help. Someday!

Meanwhile, I think Dug was riding the train:



Fake Disney deer:



Must be after he disembarked:



After our bust of a meet, Izzy and I had to sadly board the train again:



We were both sad about not getting to meet Jessie, but poor Izzy was really bummed about it. So, wasted time and we were going to be late to lunch for no good reason. Ugh.

Our train ride did feature actual deer, though:



Luckily, the rain had mostly stopped by the time we made it to our lunch destination:













So, we were really exceptionally awful this trip at getting to our ADRs on time. Or even close. I believe we got to this 12:25pm ADR around 12:45pm. Thanks, Jessie!

We went to the pre-order register to pay and they had all kinds of trouble taking gift cards for some reason. I don’t remember why, but it took forever. They did finally get everything working, though, so we got to go grab a table. My request was a table by the snow window in the ballroom and Dug and Izzy led us there. This is a really random little video, but gives you some idea of walking with a toddler (and now, at 4, walking with Izzy is still pretty much the same ):

(click to watch)

Seated right by this:



Nice! Izzy liked the snow, just a true Minnesotan should.

Up next: the dining room presents our lunch, of course!

 

[Imagineer5]

Aw so cute to see Izzy's first ride on Barnstormer!! I forgot how long ago this TR takes place lol!

That really stinks about Jessie and Woody. Have you attempted any characterpalooza's at DHS? We met her there once.

Glad you got a great table at BoG!

 

[BlvInMagic]

Awe, I love the video of you guys on the BarnStormer... it's priceless and her expressions are such a hoot!