Is She Ready To Be A Princess? Completed 10/12

[RGirl]

First, wonderful news on the MRI!

Second, loved the updates! What a great MK morning you had. Having recently experienced that burning sun, though, I could feel for you waiting in line for Jessie and Woody. So awesome that your DD got to meet them though - they are so great. I was so hard about her asking over and over about Bullseye - my DD will always glom onto some remark like that, take it to heart, and then not let go of it seemingly forever.

The birthday party pics are WONDERFUL! What a great job you did!!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Great news about your DH!

We skipped Enchanted Tales with Belle because I had no idea how DD would react. As soon as I think I can predict her behavior, she proves me wrong.

I love the picture of your DD with the Mickey bar and popcorn. She looks like an ad for Disney World. So cute. And yes, an ice bar and popcorn at the same time is great together, I can't think of a better combo!

Your Tangled birthday party was AMAZING! Your DD's invite pic was so pretty! I bet you DD had the time of her life! Its a shame the whole world can't appreciate the Disney details like the people on the Dis, isn't it?

 

[BeckyEsq]

We had a 5 pm ADR at Restaurant Akershus for Storybook Dining with the Princesses. In honor of this event DD wore her Belle dress:



She looked beautiful, but unfortunately the matching shoes I had put away to go with the dress were too small. Also, DD refused to wear the tiara. It was really big so I don't blame her. The tiaras aren't really made for toddlers.

We got a bus to Epcot and when we got there, we stopped by a PhotoPass photographer and got some pictures with Spaceship Earth in the background. DD had convinced me to let her bring Violet on this outing, and the photographer used it to get some great smiles out of her. Unfortunately, these photos got lost in the cloud somewhere and we never got them. This was a real source of disappointment to me because they were the only family photos we had taken that day. I called Disney and talked to a CM about it but they were just gone, for some reason they never uploaded.

We headed to World Showcase and over to Norway and checked in for our ADR. After checking in they have you stand in a line outside the restaurant until your name is called. I am not kidding when I say I think this is the hottest spot in all of Walt Disney World. It was so bad that they were sending out hostesses with trays of cups of water. First they gave them to everyone in front of us and ran out. Then they came back out and started handing them to everyone behind us. Thankfully they soon called our name and DD got her picture with Belle:






Dinner here was a combination buffet and full service. When I asked about DD since she wasn't old enough to be on the dining plan, the waitress offered to bring her a bowl of mashed potatoes or corn. I took her up on the corn but I was a little disappointed since other restaurants had offered her much more than this. She did eat some stuff from the buffet, including a roll and some carrots and cheese. I cracked up because sometimes the princesses would be talking to her and she would turn back to her bowl of corn and just spoon in a mouthful while they were there. Also, for some reason DD thought that a good topic of conversation was to hold up Violet to the princesses and tell them "I brought Violet!" like they cared. To their credit, Snow White and I think Aurora connected this to having "forest friends."

I enjoyed the food here. I liked the different cold salads on the buffet and my entrée of mushroom pasta was very good. The desserts were delicious. We also really enjoyed meeting the princesses, and the atmosphere was lovely and made for great pictures, some of my favorites of the trip.



Ariel tried to get DD to curtsy and DD twirled instead. We got it on video, it's cute.



As you can see from this one, DD was over any shyness she might have had with the princesses.



Snow White asked DD "Does Belle know you were in her closet?" Giggle giggle. Snow White is a little campy. lol



In all, I was pleased with this meal and we had a great time.

 

[BeckyEsq]

After dinner DH picked up some fastpasses for Maelstrom and then we just strolled around a bit. By this time it had cooled off a bit. I have to say that I think Epcot might be my favorite park in the evening. I just love how it looks in the twilight and when there's a nice breeze coming off the water. We bought DD a light up spinner toy that was pretty cute so she was happy. And then to our surprise we ran into Mulan! There was only one family in front of us and no PP photographer. DD was happy as she had recently been watching the movie a lot. Mulan was really sweet. She spent quite a while talking to DD, I guess because there was no line. She told her to make sure she went inside the pavilion to see the tree with her favorite pink flowers, which we of course did right afterwards.



After happily crossing another princess off our list we strolled a bit and saw a HUGE line to meet Snow White in Germany. It made me very glad we had already seen her! We went back to Norway and road Maelstrom and then of course had to play a bit in the gift shop.



We knew we weren't going to stay for Illuminations (people were already lining up) so we headed to Future World.



As we walked around CM's kept saying "Bonjour!" to DD which she thought was a riot. We were thinking about riding Spaceship Earth and as luck had it, right as we walked by it was reopening after being closed down so we were first in line!

After riding Spaceship Earth we headed back to POR. I got some nice pictures that evening:















When we got back to our building we saw that the pool was totally deserted. I said to DH "How fast can you change?" and another couple heading into their room laughed and said "we just said the same thing!" So we ended a very nice evening with a relaxing night swim.



I went to bed very happy that night. This was one of our nicest days on the trip.

Up next: we finally visit a different park!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

BEAUTIFUL pictures of DD with belle! We did lunch there last time. The girls liked it but I was bummed about our table. We were back in the corner and couldn't see when the parade happened and were right by a huge table of loud (tipsy) folks. Oh well.....

I hear you about the wait being so hot! It's like the sun is inches from your head right in that spot!

Oh, mulan! I hope we find her. Our youngest loves that movie.

I love your pictures of POR at night. It looks so pretty! I can't wait until we get there!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great pictures of DD with the princesses at Akershus. We love going there because of that interrsction and just the look on my DD's fave at basically princess overload

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I love your DD's Belle dress! So cute! We planned on doing Akershus, but I ended up canceling! Looks like so much fun for your DD! We missed Mulan, but I really wanted to see her!

 

[RGirl]

Awww - you got some great pics of your DD with the princesses! That's wonderful. We have done Akershus on each of our three trips. Such a great spot.

Sounds like you had an absolutely wonderful day.

 

[BeckyEsq]

Friday was our last full day of the trip, and we were up early to arrive at Hollywood Studios before it opened. In the past DH and I have really enjoyed this park, but we knew there wouldn't be too much DD could do. We were disappointed when we arrived to find out that the Muppets show was closed, since that would have been something she would have liked.



This was another time when we were unable to find a photopass photographer to get an entry photo. Since I prepaid for photopass plus I found this kind of annoying!

Now we had read all the hype about Toy Story Mania and we knew we just HAD to go there first. So after entering the park we headed in that direction and picked up fastpasses, then got in the line. I think the wait was around 20 minutes. DD was a little cranky and fussy during that line. She wasn't as interested in the old fashioned toys as we were!

We rode TSM and DD just sat between us and didn't have access to the controls, but she didn't care. I thought it was fun but not worth a long line. But I don't play video games so maybe it just wasn't my "thing," in spite of being a big Toy Story fan.

I think our fastpasses, picked up immediately at park opening, had about a three hour wait! So we decided to head over for the first showing of Disney Junior Live on Stage. DD loves all the Disney Junior shows so this was a must do for us and one of the main reasons we even bothered going to HS. It was worth it - she loved it!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:





Sofia the First!



Doc McStuffins!



Jake and the Neverland Pirates:



DD dancing:



After the show we decided to stop for some breakfast at Starring Rolls. Here are our cupcakes:



Now I couldn't taste the Butterfinger since I have a peanut allergy, but DH said it was the best cupcake he'd ever had. My strawberry cupcake was just okay. I don't really like baked goods that have been refrigerated, so maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I let it warm up a bit before eating it. Also, the line at Starring Rolls was insane and the ordering process in there is highly confusing.

After that we got in line to see Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc. DD was excited about this but at the last minute got a little nervous and so we had to get in the picture with her.



After that we let her play in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area. She LOVED this and didn't want to leave. I on the other hand was nervous the entire time. When we came in I asked the CM standing there if there was only one exit and he said yes. So I planted myself near there thinking at least I could make sure she didn't leave the play area by herself. But that meant I couldn't follow her around (not that I really could have any way -- it's really a maze and when a kid climbs up you really don't even know which slide they will come down). It made me nervous not being able to see her or know if she was stuck somewhere crying or if she was okay. At one point DH found her and she said she was lost but a bigger girl was helping her. Maybe she was just a little too young for me to feel comfortable there.



At the last minute we decided to try to catch the Beauty and the Beast show. We got there a bit too late and had to sit in the bleachers at the very back, in the sun. DH lasted about 3 minutes before saying he'd meet us afterwards. He just couldn't sit through that show in that heat. We didn't even have a cold drink at the time. I was really hurting myself and pretty dehydrated and it was blistering hot up there, but DD really enjoyed the show so I toughed it out.



We were both sweaty messes by the time it was over. Honestly I was so hot and dehydrated I started to feel sick. When we found DH he had a cold drink and I practically attacked him. I stopped in a gift shop and picked up a cute mug as a souvenir but we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. There wasn't really anything else that DD could do there that seemed worth it. This was when we did the unthinkable -- WE GAVE AWAY FAST PASSES TO TOY STORY MANIA! I gave them to a man and his son and they seemed happy to get them.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Your Disney Jr show pics make me sorry we skipped that! It looks like lots of fun! Oh well there's always next time right?

We really liked the HISTK playground, but it was such a nostalgia thing for me I think that was why I loved it so much! Also when we went in it, it was not crowded at all. DD stayed right with us the whole time. I could see if she was just a little bit older and more independent it would be super scary. I remember in the early 90's when we went as kids, my parents had to wait outside. That would be really scary My mom said she was the longest 30 minutes of her life!

I think its so strange to put the Disney Jr stuff in HS. The park is really geared to an older crowd. I guess they wanted something to bring the younger kids into that park too, but really seems kind of out of place there.

 

[BeckyEsq]

On our way out of Hollywood Studios we found a photopass photographer and had a family photo taken. Unfortunately, I had to delete it. I was totally humiliated when I saw it and realized that when I was holding DD my shirt got pulled askew and I was exposing a bit more than I intended! We did manage to get our only magic shot of the trip:



We went back to the hotel for a nap. I don't remember what we had for lunch that day, but it must have been something from the food court. Anyway we got cleaned up and ready for our last character meal of the trip.



We caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then took the monorail to the Contemporary for our 5 pm ADR at Chef Mickey's.





I told DD that Mickey made us dinner and she was pretty excited about that and kept asking me about it. As we were seated she spotted some of the characters visiting other tables and got pretty excited.

Now I know that Chef Mickey's gets mixed reviews but I thought it was great. It's definitely more for kids and more on the casual side, but I thought the food was great and there was a good selection. The characters were fun and DD really loved it. She ate pretty well too since there were a lot of things there that she liked.

The look on her face when Chef Mickey arrived was positively priceless:













Up next: we finally stay in a park after dark!

 

[wiigirl]

Really cute pics!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I don't blame your DH for leaving from the show. I don't think I could have say in the heat either.

The Disney jr show looks fun. We skipped it last time do some reason but its on our list for this coming trip.

Love the magic shot with the balloons!

Chef mickeys looks great! DD looks so excited to see Mickey! That look kids get on their faces may be my favorite part of going to Disney!

 

[RGirl]

Great updates! DHS is just hard sometimes, isn't it? And when it's blistering hot, yeah, well, I think you are reading my TR too, so you know.....

This was another time when we were unable to find a photopass photographer to get an entry photo. Since I prepaid for photopass plus I found this kind of annoying!

Did you feel like this pretty much all the time???? In the past, I have had GREAT PP experiences. I paid for PP+ this time, and it seemed like there were hardly any PP photogs around, the pictures they did take were blurry and, well, just bad, and a lot of them were missing!

The magic shot of your beautiful DD is really cute though.

You know, we did CM on our first trip for breakfast (when it was still touted as THE character meal) and then we did it for dinner this summer (after it has gotten blasted on here non-stop). We really enjoyed both experiences. I mean, the food is character-meal, buffet food - it's not gourmet, but it was fine - and the atmosphere is super-fun for kids.

 

[BeckyEsq]

Really cute pics!

Thank! I have to admit that whether I consider something to have been a success depends largely on how the pictures turn out. lol

I don't blame your DH for leaving from the show. I don't think I could have say in the heat either.

The Disney jr show looks fun. We skipped it last time do some reason but its on our list for this coming trip.

Love the magic shot with the balloons!

Chef mickeys looks great! DD looks so excited to see Mickey! That look kids get on their faces may be my favorite part of going to Disney!

I really didn't blame him either. I would have left if DD had let me. lol

Great updates! DHS is just hard sometimes, isn't it? And when it's blistering hot, yeah, well, I think you are reading my TR too, so you know.....


Did you feel like this pretty much all the time???? In the past, I have had GREAT PP experiences. I paid for PP+ this time, and it seemed like there were hardly any PP photogs around, the pictures they did take were blurry and, well, just bad, and a lot of them were missing!

The magic shot of your beautiful DD is really cute though.

You know, we did CM on our first trip for breakfast (when it was still touted as THE character meal) and then we did it for dinner this summer (after it has gotten blasted on here non-stop). We really enjoyed both experiences. I mean, the food is character-meal, buffet food - it's not gourmet, but it was fine - and the atmosphere is super-fun for kids.

Our days at HS were kind of similar. lol

I was disappointed a couple of times about the lack of photographers, yes. Especially right at park opening. I like to get pictures as early as possible before we get sweaty and stained. lol

I have to admit that since DD ate there really well, and for free, that might influence how I felt that CM's was "worth it." Maybe if I were paying for a bunch of kids or adults it wouldn't seem like it. But we enjoyed it and it was relaxing.

 

[BeckyEsq]

After dinner at Chef Mickey's we took the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom. It was a really beautiful evening. We just squeezed in to be last in line for the last meet and greet with Princess Tiana. I told DH to go ahead and see the Hall of Presidents while I waited in line with DD. That made him pretty happy! The line to meet Tiana and Naveen was looooong. I think it was the longest line we waited in all trip. When we got up there, DD was very shy of Prince Naveen. He seemed to have experienced this before, so he gracefully went to stand a few feet away so DD could visit with Tiana.



They had a nice chat about DD's play kitchen and her favorite foods.




Naveen tried to get in behind them for another picture, but DD was still jumpy around him. This was quite amusing to the other people standing around watching.



Afterwards DD kept asking me incessantly why Prince Naveen was "hiding."

After meeting our last princess of the trip and a potty break, we met up with DH and stopped at a snack cart to get a drink and a big old bucket of popcorn. Then we decided to ride Haunted Mansion one last time. As you can see, DD was so excited, she's blurred:



After that it was time to line up for the Main Street Electrical Parade. We found a spot and waited about a half an hour. I kept DD busy with popcorn and snacks. It was pretty hot at that time and we saw some heat lightening that made me nervous, but it never did rain. DD loved the show and kept asking "Is there another one?" after each float. She didn't want it to end!







After the parade we decided to head back to the room. The CM's did a pretty good job of keeping a route clear for people trying to leave the park. On the way out I snapped one last picture of the castle:



As always I was sad to leave the Magic Kingdom for the last time on our trip. I'm glad we got to see one parade and spend one evening in the parks.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I had to show my youngest your picture of tiana and prince Naveen! we missed them when we were last there. she is being tiana for Halloween and is so excited to see them on the next trip! she loves Naveen in the movie, but said she only wants to see tiana.

MSEP looks so pretty! we've never stayed to see it, but i'm excited to do it this time!

I love the blurry pic at HM--shows the excitement perfectly!

 

[BeckyEsq]

I had to show my youngest your picture of tiana and prince Naveen! we missed them when we were last there. she is being tiana for Halloween and is so excited to see them on the next trip! she loves Naveen in the movie, but said she only wants to see tiana.

MSEP looks so pretty! we've never stayed to see it, but i'm excited to do it this time!

I love the blurry pic at HM--shows the excitement perfectly!

That is a great Halloween costume, I love Tiana's dress, it's gorgeous. These two were SO sweet and definitely worth the wait. Both had a great sense of humor about the whole thing. Naveen said (in his accent) "It's always Prince Naveen..." when he saw she was scared. I guess it happens a lot. lol

I love MSEP! We saw it on our honeymoon. I love the music. I sort of dance the entire time. lol


I love that picture too -- normally I'd be mad at my photog skills but it just captures the moment perfectly!

 

[RGirl]

The last picture with Naveen is so funny!!!

What a great evening at the MK. *sigh* It's so hard to leave......

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Looks like a wonderful last evening! I cried when we left! It was really sad to go.

Love the pics with Tiana and Naveen. Its funny that so many little girls are leery of him.

Great update!