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

[Dugette]

She certainly does!
What is this "sleep" that you speak of?
That's a pretty darned good reason to keep using it!
Gee... Ya think?!?!?!!?
Or I may just be too stupid to remember.
Probably that.
Makes total sense.

And the collective intelligence of the planet goes down by a tiny fraction.
Good for Dug!

Our cat is not shy about expressing herself. That "sleep" is something I still can't manage to get enough of. It was a little awkward with Dug saying that loudly to the unsympathetic flight attendant, but the recliners didn't even seem to notice.

Hi there! I found your most recent TR so I'm going to follow along. Yay! I'm going to take time to go back and read your others as I have time, because I just can't believe how old your daughter is! I have to hear about her other WDW adventures.

So happy to see you here! You caught this one early and I'm pretty slow, so you shouldn't have any trouble keeping up and reading some others too. I'm also currently doing an Aulani TR and will be updating that concurrently with this one. Oh, and I cannot believe how old she is either! It really does just happen SO fast.

This update reminded me so much of flying with Dylan when he was 22 months old. All of the luggage, the snacks, the toys, the movies on an electronic device, poop (oh, the poop!). He's 7 years old now (can you believe it?) and I have forgotten about diapers and planes. I'm so glad you survived.

Honestly, I can barely believe he's 7 now! That little toddler in your reports is stuck in my mind. Haha, that's good you've forgotten about diapers and planes, because I believe you had quite a story about that in one of your reports! By the way, did you go to WDW recently? I'm thinking so, but can't remember when. If so, how was the trip?

I also had an ear issue like Dug about 3 years ago. I had 2 sinus surgeries to clear up breathing issues, and my first flight after my surgeries...I was fighting a cold. We flew all the way across the country and had 3 up and downs on the plane. By the time I got home I was almost in tears it hurt so bad. I couldn't hear anything in one ear. I woke up the next morning and it hadn't popped. I went to a dr 2 days later and he said the fluid from my cold had gone to my ear and got stuck. His words were " your eardrum hasn't ruptured yet..." It was miserable. I now use ear plugs when I fly and it helps a lot.

Oh my gosh, that sounds awful! I'd be terrified, especially with it continuing so long. Glad you are able to keep the problems at bay now!

I also love sleep. I applaud your ability to get to bed at least close to your goal - I always end up staying up really late the night before and get next to no sleep. So...I'm super cheery on travel day!

Haha, I have a problem nearly every night in meeting my goal. Not just the travel nights. I'm too much of a night owl and not enough of a morning person. I REALLY try hard on the travel nights, though, as I don't want to sacrifice enjoyment of the long-anticipated vacation.

I can't believe how squished poor Izzy's legs and feet were! I always peek behind me and if the person is asleep I do a half way recline. Otherwise, I just leave it! Also, what's with the snarky flight attendant? Ugh. Traveling is already stressful enough without the attitude!

I know, she literally couldn't move her feet at all without touching the seat in front of her. I think that's smart to peek back and assess the situation. And, yeah, I don't know what was up with that flight attendant. I was just so taken aback by being basically reprimanded by her. I mean, it would be one thing if Izzy was endlessly kicking the seat for fun and I was doing nothing, but it was just one kick when I turned away and she was upset and squirming. I had made an effort to keep her from kicking/pushing the seat the rest of the flight and had talked to her about how we don't push other people's seats each time (though I may have "missed" a few of them after the seat reclined ).

Uggh to the reclining. When DS was 21 months old we were returning from WDW and there was a family of three in front of us. The teenaged son reclined but DS fell asleep before the flight took off so he didn't seem bothered by it. He literally woke up as we were descending 2.5 hours later and started screaming because his ears hurt. Well as I spent about 15 minutes trying to calm him down the woman ( and I use that term loosely, I would rather call her the name of a female dog) in the family in front of us turned around and YELLED at DS ( who was UNDER 2) for kicking her son's ( who was 6 feet tal) seat the WHOLE FLIGHT. Uhm he was asleep the whole flight you evil monster. Who yells at a BABY. I was so livid I actually stood up and told her to sit down and may have accidentally spilled some water I was drinking on her seat when I did ( it was actually an accident but I was kinda happy she had to sit in my ice cube mess the rest of the way. The whole plane booed her and the flight attendant told her to mind her business. I mean who YELLS at a baby. _

That is just awful! I cannot believe some people. It's like they think buying a plane ticket means they own the plane. I'm sure it has something to do with stuffing too many people into tight quarters for hours. But still, common courtesy is not that hard. Sorry you had to deal with that.

yay!!!

Still waiting for her to do it again, but it was something, at least!

I'm here for your newest TR!

I agree with you on people that recline. I'll never understand that self-entitlement people have!

Glad to have you here! The reclining without a care in the world just baffles me. I understand if a person wants to sleep, but almost everyone who has reclined in front of us has just done it to take up more space just for the heck of it. Like how do you not notice there's a baby on her mom's lap in back of you that barely has enough room as it is? (past flights, when she was under 2)

Joining in! I can't believe how Izzy has grown She's a cutie-pie.

And thank you! I am constantly amazed at how quickly she's growing up. Not just physically, but just as a person. Tonight, she had a conversation with me where she was telling me that my room was awesome because I have a bathroom in it and a light. She said she wanted a bathroom in her room, but couldn't find it anywhere, so she had to go buy one. Love hearing what comes out of her mouth!

And who could blame her from kicking that seat in front -- some people are just not considerate travelers not cool!

Exactly! And, since I didn't even see it happen, I'm not even sure that she actually kicked the seat. I mean, if she so much as tried to stretch her leg, that would have been a "kick" with her lack of legroom. And, also, it just seemed like that reclining situation could have been a teaching moment for the mom - about being considerate of those around you - and instead she taught her daughter to ignore the needs of others and think only of herself.

 

[ashw100]

Okay so I thought I commented but I guess I didn't . I'm sorry your flight was less than perfect. Flying with kids is so difficult but then to have inconsiderate that so funn that Izzy watches it without sound, my guy does the same thing . It seems like after your stressful travels you'll need some Disney magic.

 

[Dugette]

Okay so I thought I commented but I guess I didn't . I'm sorry your flight was less than perfect. Flying with kids is so difficult but then to have inconsiderate that so funn that Izzy watches it without sound, my guy does the same thing . It seems like after your stressful travels you'll need some Disney magic.

No worries! The flight was about par for the course with a toddler, I'd say. The recliners just pushed me over the edge, especially since it happens just about every time. Haha, I don't know how they watch movies without sound, but works for me if that's what she wants to do. We will need some Disney Magic for sure, as there's a giant ball of stress coming still...

 

[Dugette]

MCO = My Child’s Ornery

So, we left off at 12:34pm, as we were deplaning at MCO. Our scheduled arrival time was 12:08pm, but I think we were a bit late, then just took some time to unload. On most trips, we’ve gone to a family restroom near the elevators and changed into hot-weather clothes (coming from Minnesota, we’re not often wearing them pre-flight). This time, we spotted a nice, newer family restroom near our gate, so headed there instead. Time to break out the shorts and t-shirts, yay! Or so we thought.

You see, there was one member of our party that wanted to wear sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt and jacket in 90 degree weather. REALLY wanted to. Basically, putting shorts on her would be akin to putting a straightjacket on her. She was willing to put everything she had into the battle against the shorts. And she did.

We started trying to change her into shorts and a short-sleeve t-shirt and she was at the normal level of grumpy-about-unapproved-outfit-change, so we kept on with getting her out of her sweats. But then she LOST IT. I think this was probably the worst tantrum we’d ever seen from her (she’s generally not too tantrum-y). She was just screaming / shrieking / crying / throwing herself around…rather scary (especially in a non-cushiony bathroom). And nothing would calm her. And, since she was just in her underwear, we were kind of committed to this outfit change. But it’s amazing how evasively a toddler can manage to maneuver when they don’t want you to put clothes on them or hold them, etc. They also become ridiculously strong, causing you to fear they will forcefully throw themselves headfirst onto the hard floor and sustain injuries.

So, that went on for a while until we decided to lead by example and VERY excitedly put on our shorts and t-shirts. Surely that would help, right? Nope. Still wailing.

Well, let’s re-arrange our bags a bit to give her some time to calm down and come to her senses. We moved things around, packed up the Minnesota clothes, and got our park bag ready to go. Any better yet? Nope.

At this point, there was nothing left to do but have both of us forcibly dress her. And it definitely took two of us with all the kicking and flailing involved. And the whole time, the screaming is so intense that I’m just praying this is a really soundproof restroom or else we’ll come out to find a crowd and the authorities gathered around, wondering what was happening in there (thankfully, it must have been fairly soundproof, since nobody was waiting for us).

We did eventually manage to get clothes on her without her succeeding in ripping them back off. Shoes and socks were also a struggle, but we finally got the job done. Knowing what I know now, I wish we’d skipped this change, as our room ended up being ready and we could have changed there, but we didn’t know that at the time (and certainly didn’t anticipate this being a big ordeal). It really set the tone for the whole trip, though – our schedule was already off and we were in disbelief that we’d just been through that. Ironically, after returning home, Izzy wants to wear shorts ALL THE TIME, even if it is a chilly-ish day.

We did not get pictures during the ordeal, but I do have this from shortly after we got clothes on her (and before we struggled with shoes). You can sort-of see how upset she still is:



We finally made it out of that stinkin’ restroom at 1pm, after having blown nearly a half an hour trying to change our toddler into more comfortable clothes.

As we made our way to the mini monorail, she wanted to drag her Minnie backpack along the same way we were dragging our luggage (of course, hers didn’t have wheels):



This took forever. You can tell she was slow because Dug, back problems and all, got way ahead of us. Eventually, I was given permission (by Izzy) to pick her up and hold her backpack, so we caught back up.

Once we boarded the monorail, Izzy wanted to stand with me and hold onto a pole:



At 1:15pm, we finally arrived at the Magical Express:







Our original plan had been to take the ME to the Boardwalk Villas, check in, then head to Epcot – with a goal of walking into Epcot about 2pm. Not looking so good at this point.

As we were walking up to the Magical Express Cast Member, Izzy tripped and scuffed up her knees a bit. Dug just happened to catch that on camera:



She was fine, but it didn’t help her mood any. By the way, the luggage I’m pulling is a wheeled carry-on with our stroller bag on top of it – filled with all sorts of randomness like the Minnesota clothes and some of the carry-on items, etc.

When we got up to the desk, the CM gave Izzy a Mickey and an Olaf sticker, which cheered her up some:



Our bands worked just fine and we quickly walked through the nearly empty queue area:



There’s the stickers:



We walked all the way up, then just had to wait a couple minutes before being led to a bus. Waiting:





Yeah, I don't look stressed at all...

Izzy spotted a familiar face:



Soon, we were being ushered to our bus. It turned out to be a Disney Cruise bus, which was perfectly acceptable, considering we’d be boarding one in a few days :





We grabbed some seats and checked out the regular old Magical Express bus next to us, through our porthole:



Family selfie time:



Since Izzy didn’t really need any foot room, I was able to store her toys and snacks there:



She admired the seat fabric:



We took more selfies to pass the time while we sat there parked:





We pulled out at 1:34pm. As we were driving along, I got this wonderful text message:



(Shortly before that I’d gotten a message that it wasn’t quite ready yet, but soon).

We tried to look up information on the room location/view, but had trouble finding anything worthwhile on our phones and decided to just be surprised when we got there.

By about 2pm, we were passing under these:





So, we were a bit behind schedule, but not terrible, all things considered.

Our first stop was the Yacht Club. It was quick and I noticed this event area as we pulled out:



Wonder what was going on there that day?

A few minutes later, we were at the Beach Club:



As we pulled up, Izzy told me that she “loved it” and it was her “favorite”. Huh, well that’s great, kid – we’ll come back and stay here our last night. She was pleased with that.

Finally, we arrived at our “home” for the next few days:



We collected our things and headed in. Goodbye DCL bus:



We’ll follow one of you again soon, on the way to our cruise!

Izzy and I couldn’t wait to get inside:



She got a kick out of the little carousel in the lobby:



She also loved the horsie chandelier:



We enjoyed just taking in the lobby and soaking in that we were finally there :



Since we’d done online check-in, we’d been sent our room number and were able to go directly to our room. We set off to find it, with Izzy’s help. When we got up to floor 4, I told Izzy to find room number 4060 for me and SHE DID. Literally ran down the hall, went to the correct door, and stood there pointing. I have NO idea how she did it, but it was pretty awesome:



Our room turned out to be very near the lobby (which had been one of our requests) and we really enjoyed the location. There was nice artwork in the room:



And it turned out that our balcony view was pretty awesome too:



I like how we can’t quite see the creepy clown, due to the tree. Perfect!

It was about 2:30pm, but we had finally arrived and were ready to start our vacation!

Up next: Heading into Epcot in search of food, with a surprise along the way.

 

[purplelover88]

Our room turned out to be very near the lobby

Thank goodness for that. When we stayed at the boardwalk our room was the second to last from the end and it took literally 6-7 minutes to get there from the elevator. So glad you were able to get something close by.

I see that Izzy already has good taste with the Beach Club. That's adorable that she had already picked it as her favorite just from a bus window.

 

[Imagineer5]

What an ordeal at the airport! I am attempting to imagine the scenario and all I can see are crowds of people outside seeing if you're harming a kid in there (as you said). Glad you all made it in one piece!

That event at the Yacht club looks terrible -who wants an event in the parking lot?!?!?!

Your room was right by my room - we were on the 3rd floor with the same view.I also requested one close to the lobby

 

[Disneymoon09]

Sunset Cliffs is here! (yep, I'm creepy like that) I remember LOVING your TR's! (Ok back to Dugette's TR...lol)

Oh..those tantrums are known well here...very well. And usually over clothes too. Apparently the right shoes REALLY matter to the under 3 crowd. Who knew?

I love the boardwalk view!

 

[amazingact21]

Oh man, toddlers and their meltdowns. It's kind of baffling how intense/loud/violent they can be. When a kid is upset, it's like the whole world is crumbling down around them. And you're totally right, it's crazy how someone so small can be so tough and strong!
I'm sorry Izzy had one of those meltdowns right after the plane ride. Didn't make traveling very smooth and stress-free. I guess it was good that it was in a private family bathroom and not out where anyone else could overhear. THOSE are always so much fun.


Good job Izzy on finding the room! That's awesome. And even better that your room was close to the lobby. I've heard horror stories about how long those hallways are.

I love the artwork in the room! One of the cooler pieces I've seen in a Disney resort.

 

[Leshaface]

Yep, definitely not happy with what's happening.

As is standard for me, I set a goal of being in bed at a certain time and did not achieve it.

This is a goal i'll never meet...even though I set this goal every stinking time. Why must I set myself up for failure, I have no idea!

(Dug was roommates with his friend when he adopted Kitty about 14 years ago Yes, she's a senior cat).

Aw she looks great for her age!

guess I missed that pocket in front with the luggage tags for the cruise, oops!

Isn't that just a suggested speed...or...??

We had two large checked bags, stuffed to the gills (we got those free, since we each have the Sun Country credit card), then we had the stroller, carseat, 3 carry-on roller bags, 2 backpacks, and a purse/bag. Oh, and a little bag with raingear (stroller cover, umbrellas, rain jackets, etc.) that I put in the stroller bag once we got it ready to gate-check (my sneaky trick for things you can't fit in a checked bag! )

I know, I try with everything in me to be a light packer and I just can't! Is it @Captain_Oblivious wife that does amazing packing?? Like 2 suitcases for all of them?!

All the dreams came true! Too bad.”

That's a good one.

It was unexpected – the house wasn’t even on the market! They had just started to look at moving to a new house and a realtor they’d talked with mentioned they had a client looking for a house just like theirs. And, sure enough, they were – and made an offer they couldn’t refuse. However, they have yet to find a new house – and I believe they need to be out by the end of July. The pressure is on! I can’t imagine how stressful that is for them.

Wow that is great but super scary! Hopefully they do great under pressure and can find something soon

(yes, we are WINNING on toddler nutrition so far this day! )

And, for the record, I have looked at the official guidelines and I’ve never seen a specific cutoff age. She was nice enough, though, and said she’d “let it slide” this time.

I didn't think there was a cut off age either. I for sure though you could do this until like kindergarten/1st grade age right?

And we got there and she went through all the motions before declaring that she didn’t like that potty and didn’t want to go. Ugh. Get used to this. We went back out to meet Dug.

Here's a hug for all future potty trips from me to you.

I flipped it just right and found the FAA label, hidden underneath. Whew, we were good to go!

Sure enough, the TSA person wanted to see the carseat sticker and this time I knew right where it was, so no problem.

What the heck?! I've never seen that sticker on mine and I know ours is FAA approved. Where is it?

Nearly every flight that I have taken with Izzy has been like this. I mean, probably only a small percentage of people actually recline their seats on a plane, right?

I never recline my seat. But, i'm also not that big so don't need that extra 2 inches to recline.

Aw what a good little worker!

Oh, wait, I just remembered that we got her a banana at Barrio and I think she ate it on the plane. Whew, we are respectable parents!

Parent of the Year award!

MCO = My Child’s Ornery

But then she LOST IT. I think this was probably the worst tantrum we’d ever seen from her (she’s generally not too tantrum-y). She was just screaming / shrieking / crying / throwing herself around…rather scary (especially in a non-cushiony bathroom). And nothing would calm her. And, since she was just in her underwear, we were kind of committed to this outfit change.

Yikes, i'm sorry! Now as a parent, I SO know how it feels to be in that situation.

We finally made it out of that stinkin’ restroom at 1pm, after having blown nearly a half an hour trying to change our toddler into more comfortable clothes.

Whew that's a lot of time!

I think you look just fine!

There's a happy moment!

Yay!

Literally ran down the hall, went to the correct door, and stood there pointing. I have NO idea how she did it, but it was pretty awesome:

Good job Izzy, what a smart girl!

 

[jdfmommy]

Oh no! I've had situations like that in public bathrooms and they are NO FUN! It really is amazing how strong they get when they're tantruming (is that a word?) like that! And slippery - or maybe that's just me because I always start stress-sweating when stuff like that happens.

But yay for your room being ready and your amazing view!!!

 

[melduckie]

Following! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[pkondz]

MCO = My Child’s Ornery

Clever.

You see, there was one member of our party that wanted to wear sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt and jacket in 90 degree weather. REALLY wanted to. Basically, putting shorts on her would be akin to putting a straightjacket on her. She was willing to put everything she had into the battle against the shorts. And she did.

Oh, dear.

I think this was probably the worst tantrum we’d ever seen from her

Wait 'til she's a teenager.

But it’s amazing how evasively a toddler can manage to maneuver when they don’t want you to put clothes on them or hold them, etc.

I remember those days.

They also become ridiculously strong, causing you to fear they will forcefully throw themselves headfirst onto the hard floor and sustain injuries.

Lots of fun, no?


No.

So, that went on for a while until we decided to lead by example and VERY excitedly put on our shorts and t-shirts. Surely that would help, right? Nope. Still wailing.

Good try, though. But they catch on so darned fast.

And the whole time, the screaming is so intense that I’m just praying this is a really soundproof restroom or else we’ll come out to find a crowd and the authorities gathered around, wondering what was happening in there

Probably people heard.... and just slowly backed away.

(thankfully, it must have been fairly soundproof, since nobody was waiting for us).

See?

Ironically, after returning home, Izzy wants to wear shorts ALL THE TIME, even if it is a chilly-ish day.

We did not get pictures during the ordeal,

No? How odd. Since when my girls were little and misbehaving and getting on my last nerve, I always wanted to take a picture of it.

You can sort-of see how upset she still is:

Yup.

As we made our way to the mini monorail, she wanted to drag her Minnie backpack along the same way we were dragging our luggage (of course, hers didn’t have wheels):

She wants to be a big girl.

Once we boarded the monorail, Izzy wanted to stand with me and hold onto a pole:

Well of course! How often is she in a moving vehicle and not strapped in tight?

As we were walking up to the Magical Express Cast Member, Izzy tripped and scuffed up her knees a bit.

Oh, boy. And you were probably cringing on the inside.

When we got up to the desk, the CM gave Izzy a Mickey and an Olaf sticker, which cheered her up some:

CM's are the greatest.

Yeah, I don't look stressed at all...

"Take the picture. I'll smile. And if you don't hurry it up... I will end you."

Family selfie time:

Phew! Looking a bit more relaxed now.

We pulled out at 1:34pm. As we were driving along, I got this wonderful text message:

Nice. Wish I could do that but my phone doesn't work in a foreign country.

By about 2pm, we were passing under these:

That's when the Disney part of the vacation starts.

Since we’d done online check-in, we’d been sent our room number and were able to go directly to our room.

So you didn't have to even go to the lobby at all?
Or did you?

I'll never experience this since I have to pick up my magic band there.

When we got up to floor 4, I told Izzy to find room number 4060 for me and SHE DID. Literally ran down the hall, went to the correct door, and stood there pointing. I have NO idea how she did it, but it was pretty awesome:

Good for her! And I'm not surprised that you were surprised.
I would've been too if either of my DDs did that at that age.

I like how we can’t quite see the creepy clown, due to the tree. Perfect!

Sweet view.. and no clown!

 

[afwdwfan]

This time, we spotted a nice, newer family restroom near our gate, so headed there instead. Time to break out the shorts and t-shirts, yay!

Great idea!

You see, there was one member of our party that wanted to wear sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt and jacket in 90 degree weather. REALLY wanted to

Come on, Dug!

Oh, that's not who you meant?

But it’s amazing how evasively a toddler can manage to maneuver when they don’t want you to put clothes on them or hold them, etc.

30 pounds can be extremely hard to pick up when it doesn't want to be picked up.

Knowing what I know now, I wish we’d skipped this change, as our room ended up being ready and we could have changed there, but we didn’t know that at the time (and certainly didn’t anticipate this being a big ordeal)

Who would have expected it? Oh well, life with a toddler...

As we made our way to the mini monorail, she wanted to drag her Minnie backpack along the same way we were dragging our luggage (of course, hers didn’t have wheels):

Hey, as long as she's happy.

When we got up to the desk, the CM gave Izzy a Mickey and an Olaf sticker, which cheered her up some:

Stickers usually help. I'm glad they could cheer her up a bit.

She admired the seat fabric:

Mickey heads and anchors. What's not to like?

(Shortly before that I’d gotten a message that it wasn’t quite ready yet, but soon).

Well, I'm glad they got it ready! Always nice to be able to go straight to the room.

As we pulled up, Izzy told me that she “loved it” and it was her “favorite”. Huh, well that’s great, kid – we’ll come back and stay here our last night. She was pleased with that.

Or as she likes to say... "later."

When we got up to floor 4, I told Izzy to find room number 4060 for me and SHE DID. Literally ran down the hall, went to the correct door, and stood there pointing. I have NO idea how she did it, but it was pretty awesome:

So has she been learning her numbers? Or did she see it and know what to look for?

Our room turned out to be very near the lobby (which had been one of our requests) and we really enjoyed the location

That's good. I've never been there but always see mention about how long the hallways are at Boardwalk. I'd hate to be at the end of one.

And it turned out that our balcony view was pretty awesome too:



I like how we can’t quite see the creepy clown, due to the tree. Perfect!

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw the picture. Definitely a great view.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Although I don't have kids myself, I'm significantly older than my sister so I remember her crazy toddler tantrums. It's too bad it threw a wretch in your plans but I'm glad you eventually got everybody changed (and I do love Izzy's outfit!).

How appropriate to give you a cruise bus!

I loved the receiving the texts with the room number! I'd never done online check-in before but I'm officially converted!

I was impressed with the Beach Club, myself. Your daughter has great taste.

Way to go, Izzy, on finding the room! Kids are so darn smart - it's amazing what they do when we're not expecting it.

Your view is AWESOME! It's wonderful to hear that you were close to the lobby and didn't have a crazy-long walk at the end of the day.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

wow, that sounds so stressful - especially for it to be right after getting off the plane and all you want to do is a quick change and quickly get to Disney World (I mean, not like you were getting her changed to go to the dentist or something). It is amazing how strong they can be and definitely have been there fearing that they would flail their heads back and smack the floor, etc.

Cool that your room was ready and you were happy with your location - definitely a bit freaky how Izzy went right to the correct room. Granted, I think Peter would actively pick every wrong room on purpose don't to annoy me and (in his mind) "be so funny!

All things considered, 2pm and in your room really isn't too bad/that behind schedule (although I am sure if felt like you were a lot later than that)

 

[BibbitybobityLu]

Ironically, after returning home, Izzy wants to wear shorts ALL THE TIME, even if it is a chilly-ish day.

Well of course!

You can sort-of see how upset she still is:

Aww! Not a happy bunny!

When we got up to the desk, the CM gave Izzy a Mickey and an Olaf sticker, which cheered her up some:

Stickers make everything better

Yeah, I don't look stressed at all...

I think you look great! Especially after Rumble In the Restroom! I always thought toddlers would make the best WWF wrestler!

And it turned out that our balcony view was pretty awesome too:



I like how we can’t quite see the creepy clown, due to the tree. Perfect!

That is a perfect view! Way to go tree! That clown....no...just no...

 

[hokieinpa]

They also become ridiculously strong, causing you to fear they will forcefully throw themselves headfirst onto the hard floor and sustain injuries.

And the whole time, the screaming is so intense that I’m just praying this is a really soundproof restroom or else we’ll come out to find a crowd and the authorities gathered around, wondering what was happening in there

Ok, I know it was totally NOT funny at the time but this paints a pretty funny picture. One that I can totally see happening to us.

We walked all the way up, then just had to wait a couple minutes before being led to a bus.

Short waits are always a good thing, especially with grumpy toddlers!

Soon, we were being ushered to our bus. It turned out to be a Disney Cruise bus, which was perfectly acceptable, considering we’d be boarding one in a few days

Nice preview for later on in your trip!

Family selfie time:

Selfies are always a good way to pass the time!

As we were driving along, I got this wonderful text message:

That's so great that your room was ready! Not having to deal with dropping things off at luggage services, etc. is much easier!

Finally, we arrived at our “home” for the next few days:

Boardwalk looks like such a fun resort. Awesome!

And it turned out that our balcony view was pretty awesome too:

What a great view. Even more awesome!

I like how we can’t quite see the creepy clown, due to the tree. Perfect!

The most awesome. That slide is quite creepy!

It was about 2:30pm, but we had finally arrived and were ready to start our vacation!

Yay!

 

[Dugette]

Thank goodness for that. When we stayed at the boardwalk our room was the second to last from the end and it took literally 6-7 minutes to get there from the elevator. So glad you were able to get something close by.

Oh, wow! I know that I've heard it can be a long walk, so I am glad we got some pixie dust!

I see that Izzy already has good taste with the Beach Club. That's adorable that she had already picked it as her favorite just from a bus window.

I was just so surprised when we pulled up and she was like, "I LOVE it! It's my favorite!"

What an ordeal at the airport! I am attempting to imagine the scenario and all I can see are crowds of people outside seeing if you're harming a kid in there (as you said). Glad you all made it in one piece!

I was seriously so nervous to open that door! I definitely had images in my mind of crowds gathered around thinking we were harming her. Thankful that nothing much at all was happening when we actually did head out.

That event at the Yacht club looks terrible -who wants an event in the parking lot?!?!?!

Haha, true! But it is still in Disney!

Your room was right by my room - we were on the 3rd floor with the same view.I also requested one close to the lobby

Oh, cool - I really liked the location!

Sunset Cliffs is here! (yep, I'm creepy like that) I remember LOVING your TR's! (Ok back to Dugette's TR...lol)

I'll second this! Her report when Dylan was 21 months old was one of the first I read and I really loved it. I think it got me hooked on TRs and inspired me to start writing.

Oh..those tantrums are known well here...very well. And usually over clothes too. Apparently the right shoes REALLY matter to the under 3 crowd. Who knew?

They are so fashion-conscious! Izzy is VERY picky with what she wears these days. With that in mind, I tried not to get too attached to any certain outfits at any time of the trip (and I think that went well), but I really didn't want her to roast that afternoon.

I love the boardwalk view!

Me too! I went into the room with really no view expectations and this was a nice treat!

Oh man, toddlers and their meltdowns. It's kind of baffling how intense/loud/violent they can be. When a kid is upset, it's like the whole world is crumbling down around them. And you're totally right, it's crazy how someone so small can be so tough and strong!
I'm sorry Izzy had one of those meltdowns right after the plane ride. Didn't make traveling very smooth and stress-free. I guess it was good that it was in a private family bathroom and not out where anyone else could overhear. THOSE are always so much fun.

I always feel like such a wimp when I can't manage to hold/dress her. I mean, she's 3 feet tall and 30 pounds...it seems like it shouldn't be an issue. But it's amazing how they can make it impossible to hold onto them, etc. And you're right - family restroom was definitely better than normal one!

Good job Izzy on finding the room! That's awesome. And even better that your room was close to the lobby. I've heard horror stories about how long those hallways are.

I still can't believe she found the right room on her first try! And we loved the room location. Not at all like the nightmare stories I've heard.

I love the artwork in the room! One of the cooler pieces I've seen in a Disney resort.

I'm not a huge art lover in general, but I enjoyed that one!

Yep, definitely not happy with what's happening.

Kitty does not hide her displeasure.

This is a goal i'll never meet...even though I set this goal every stinking time. Why must I set myself up for failure, I have no idea!

Same here.

Aw she looks great for her age!

Thanks, she seems to be holding up pretty well. She used to be a fat cat and lost a lot of weight a few years ago, so I think that has helped her a lot. You really only can tell her age when you see her having trouble with a jump (arthritis).

Oopsie!

Isn't that just a suggested speed...or...??

I hope so! It's so hard to drive a car that slow.

I know, I try with everything in me to be a light packer and I just can't! Is it @Captain_Oblivious wife that does amazing packing?? Like 2 suitcases for all of them?!

I think you are right! I remember being absolutely dumbfounded as to how someone can do that!

That's a good one.

And he said it in a total deadpan way, which was amusing.

Wow that is great but super scary! Hopefully they do great under pressure and can find something soon

The nice thing is that they're comfortable with improvising for a few months on their housing, if need be. They don't have kids and feel like they can get by. And she's going to be out of town for work a lot anyway.

I think we've covered all the important food groups, right?

I didn't think there was a cut off age either. I for sure though you could do this until like kindergarten/1st grade age right?

I had actually checked the TSA website before the trip and didn't see any specific age mentioned, so who knows.

Here's a hug for all future potty trips from me to you.

Thanks, I will need that!

What the heck?! I've never seen that sticker on mine and I know ours is FAA approved. Where is it?

I'm sure they're all different, so inspect it when you have a chance. Ours was on the bottom somewhere, I think (ha, I've already forgotten...).

I never recline my seat. But, i'm also not that big so don't need that extra 2 inches to recline.

Same here, never recline. With the exception of a nighttime flight where everyone sleeps. Not sure I even have then, though.

Aw what a good little worker!

Yep, she was knocking out the homework.

Parent of the Year award!

Why, thank you!

Yikes, i'm sorry! Now as a parent, I SO know how it feels to be in that situation.

Yeah, not really the good time people imagine when they dream of having kids.

Whew that's a lot of time!

I know! I felt like we were in there for an hour.

I think you look just fine!

Aw, thanks! I can tell that I look a bit frazzled.

There's a happy moment!

Yay!

Yay!

It was pretty cool getting that text.

Good job Izzy, what a smart girl!

I am just baffled as to how she managed that! It was pretty cool, though!

 

[Dugette]

Oh no! I've had situations like that in public bathrooms and they are NO FUN! It really is amazing how strong they get when they're tantruming (is that a word?) like that! And slippery - or maybe that's just me because I always start stress-sweating when stuff like that happens.

I totally agree - they are strong and slippery! Like you pick them up and they just ooze out of your grip, it's ridiculous!

But yay for your room being ready and your amazing view!!!

Those were both a welcome treat!

Following! Can't wait to hear more!

Glad to have you joining in!

Clever.

Thanks! I really had to brainstorm for the "O".

Oh, dear.

Wait 'til she's a teenager.

I remember those days.

Lots of fun, no?
No.

Good try, though. But they catch on so darned fast.

Good times! Do they tantrum as teenagers too? That would be a lot harder to pick up!

Probably people heard.... and just slowly backed away.

See?

Very well could be. But I didn't see anyone peeking at us from around a corner, so hopefully it didn't sound too awful.

I'm not sure she will ever want to wear pants again...

No? How odd. Since when my girls were little and misbehaving and getting on my last nerve, I always wanted to take a picture of it.

Yup.

Well, were you doing a TR where people often say, "Pictures, or it didn't happen?" And sometimes I just like being able to document her bad moments - she's pretty good at being adorable and I think people have a hard time believing she has a full range of behavior sometimes.

She wants to be a big girl.

That's for sure! Don't ever call her a baby or she will correct you!

Well of course! How often is she in a moving vehicle and not strapped in tight?

Um, never. Unless it's Disney.

Oh, boy. And you were probably cringing on the inside.

A little bit, yes. Just hoping we didn't have to deal with an injury, but she was okay.

CM's are the greatest.

Agreed!

"Take the picture. I'll smile. And if you don't hurry it up... I will end you."

And that pretty much sums it up!

Phew! Looking a bit more relaxed now.

Yes, better!

Nice. Wish I could do that but my phone doesn't work in a foreign country.

Oh, that's a bummer. I hadn't ever thought about that. It was a nice perk, though.

That's when the Disney part of the vacation starts.

Let the magic begin!

So you didn't have to even go to the lobby at all?
Or did you?

I'll never experience this since I have to pick up my magic band there.

Only needed to go there to enter the building, then head to our room. Can you use a Magic Band from a past trip to do that? Well, I guess you wouldn't know your room number with no text, so probably not.

Good for her! And I'm not surprised that you were surprised.
I would've been too if either of my DDs did that at that age.

I truly have no idea how she did it. Good guess, I suppose.

Sweet view.. and no clown!

Great idea!

You would think...

Come on, Dug!

Oh, that's not who you meant?

30 pounds can be extremely hard to pick up when it doesn't want to be picked up.

Absolutely!

Who would have expected it? Oh well, life with a toddler...

Indeed.

Hey, as long as she's happy.

That's our motto.

Stickers usually help. I'm glad they could cheer her up a bit.

Me too. Anything to cheer her up was welcome.

Mickey heads and anchors. What's not to like?

It was kind-of cool to be on a DCL bus since we were driving a rental car to our cruise.

Well, I'm glad they got it ready! Always nice to be able to go straight to the room.

That was nice! First time we've experienced that text and go-to-room thing.

Or as she likes to say... "later."

So true.

So has she been learning her numbers? Or did she see it and know what to look for?

She knows numbers only a bit. I don't think well enough to recognize the room number. I have to think it was just a really good guess.

That's good. I've never been there but always see mention about how long the hallways are at Boardwalk. I'd hate to be at the end of one.

Me too. I was very pleased with the location.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw the picture. Definitely a great view.

Loved it!

 

[Dugette]

Although I don't have kids myself, I'm significantly older than my sister so I remember her crazy toddler tantrums. It's too bad it threw a wretch in your plans but I'm glad you eventually got everybody changed (and I do love Izzy's outfit!).

Thanks on the outfit! Well, despite the toddler tantrums, it seems like your sister turned out great, so that helps!

How appropriate to give you a cruise bus!

I know, it made a lot of sense because this trip originally was all about the cruise.

I loved the receiving the texts with the room number! I'd never done online check-in before but I'm officially converted!

We always do online check-in, but this was the first time we got texts and were able to go straight to the room. Pretty sweet.

I was impressed with the Beach Club, myself. Your daughter has great taste.

Ha, thanks!

Way to go, Izzy, on finding the room! Kids are so darn smart - it's amazing what they do when we're not expecting it.

I never expected her to actually find the room when I asked her. So amazing!

Your view is AWESOME! It's wonderful to hear that you were close to the lobby and didn't have a crazy-long walk at the end of the day.

I'd stay in this room again in a heartbeat. Very happy with it.

wow, that sounds so stressful - especially for it to be right after getting off the plane and all you want to do is a quick change and quickly get to Disney World (I mean, not like you were getting her changed to go to the dentist or something). It is amazing how strong they can be and definitely have been there fearing that they would flail their heads back and smack the floor, etc.

Yeah, it was not exactly the excited-to-be-in-Florida arrival we would hope for. We thought we were just making a simple, quick stop. Who knew?

Cool that your room was ready and you were happy with your location - definitely a bit freaky how Izzy went right to the correct room. Granted, I think Peter would actively pick every wrong room on purpose don't to annoy me and (in his mind) "be so funny!

Somehow, I can picture Peter doing that. So wild that she went to the right room and seemed fairly sure of it.

All things considered, 2pm and in your room really isn't too bad/that behind schedule (although I am sure if felt like you were a lot later than that)

No, it wasn't terrible. We will definitely run much further behind schedule throughout the trip.

Well of course!

She has official been converted to a shorts-only person.

Aww! Not a happy bunny!

Not a bit.

Stickers make everything better

They sure help!

I think you look great! Especially after Rumble In the Restroom! I always thought toddlers would make the best WWF wrestler!

Rumble in the Restroom! I love that! Maybe that should have been my chapter title! And thanks!

That is a perfect view! Way to go tree! That clown....no...just no...

Dug is not fond of clowns at all, so this was perfect.

Ok, I know it was totally NOT funny at the time but this paints a pretty funny picture. One that I can totally see happening to us.

In retrospect, somewhat amusing. You just never quite know where/when a toddler is going to lose their mind on you.

Short waits are always a good thing, especially with grumpy toddlers!

Absolutely! We have a very lucky track record with the ME and short waits!

Nice preview for later on in your trip!

Especially since we wouldn't be riding one, as we would pick up a rental car for the drive to/from the port. Nice to get in one at some point.

Selfies are always a good way to pass the time!

Izzy loves seeing herself, so definitely a good way to pass that time.

That's so great that your room was ready! Not having to deal with dropping things off at luggage services, etc. is much easier!

Yes, that was a nice time-saver.

Boardwalk looks like such a fun resort. Awesome!

We really loved it there!

What a great view. Even more awesome!

Wonderful surprise to step out and take that in.

The most awesome. That slide is quite creepy!

That was just perfect!

Yay!

It's about time!