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

[RachSal]

Thanks for posting! I'm following you because we are brining our DD who will have just turned 3 and our DS who will be 5 there in May. It is great to see what works for you!

 

[annie170]

Your daughter is truly adorable! The photos with the princesses are just precious.
I'm glad your husband is doing well and was able to enjoy your trip.
Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

How precious! I love how much DD enjoyed meeting the princesses! Those moments are priceless!

 

[AprilRenee]

Joining in. Love your mommy memos. We're planning on going for my son's first trip in jan 2015. He'll be 2 yrs and 9months so I'm excited to see how your trip goes and take notes!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

i'm joining in. we are going in January (check out my PTR if you have time) and staying at POR, so i'm excited to hear how you like it. last time we went, our youngest was almost 3 and our oldest just 5. it was a great time to go--they were in love with EVERYTHING! it was so fun to watch them. i'm glad your DH is getting better and could enjoy the trip. can't wait to read more!

 

[bostonminnie]

I'm joining in! My son will be 2 on our next trip and I am interested in reading your mommy memos

 

[Raenstoirm]

Subscribing too. We will be taking my nephew early 2014. He turns 3 just before halloween, so this is important stuff for me to know!

 

[BeckyEsq]

and that is why a trip to WDW is more than a vacation ... and why no matter what they charge I will gladly pay it

I agree!

Hello!

I'm joining in and excited to hear about a fellow teacher's trip to the world. We are going to try to take our three kiddos (13,11,and7) to Disney World this year during Spring Break. The summer heat scares me a bit with kids trailing along... I'm excited to hear how it went for you! Your little girl is BEAUTIFUL!

PS - Even though she didn't have her Mickey t-shirt on for that Meet and Greet, I LOVE that she had Cinderella on for her Cinderella meeting!

Thanks! Yeah that did work out well and of course all the princesses complimented it.

Thanks for posting! I'm following you because we are brining our DD who will have just turned 3 and our DS who will be 5 there in May. It is great to see what works for you!

Welcome!

Your daughter is truly adorable! The photos with the princesses are just precious.
I'm glad your husband is doing well and was able to enjoy your trip.
Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

Thanks!!

How precious! I love how much DD enjoyed meeting the princesses! Those moments are priceless!

They really are!

Joining in. Love your mommy memos. We're planning on going for my son's first trip in jan 2015. He'll be 2 yrs and 9months so I'm excited to see how your trip goes and take notes!

Thanks. I will try to include more memos if I can think of stuff that's helpful.

i'm joining in. we are going in January (check out my PTR if you have time) and staying at POR, so i'm excited to hear how you like it. last time we went, our youngest was almost 3 and our oldest just 5. it was a great time to go--they were in love with EVERYTHING! it was so fun to watch them. i'm glad your DH is getting better and could enjoy the trip. can't wait to read more!

I will try to check out your PTR soon!

I'm joining in! My son will be 2 on our next trip and I am interested in reading your mommy memos

Thanks and welcome!

Subscribing too. We will be taking my nephew early 2014. He turns 3 just before halloween, so this is important stuff for me to know!

It's a great age.

 

[BeckyEsq]

Day 2, Part 3: Are We in the Dungeon?

As we headed back towards the Castle we ran smack into the Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Street Party. Now, given how hot it was and how there is no shade in the hub area near the castle I would not have lined up for this. But since we ran right into it, it was really fun! For one brief moment I thought DD would get to dance with Jessie, one of her favorite characters. But Jessie was just about to get back on her float.




DD didn't care and sat back in her stroller to watch the parade floats go by. She was calling out the names of all the characters and waving to them. It was so cute and sweet and one of those moments that choked me up!








After the parade ended we decided to head to Adventureland.

Moms Memo: I had a bad mommy moment here. We stopped for a potty break and I realized that DDs pullup was wet. This was my fault for not making time for a potty break. In my defense, she didnt ask to go (Im sure she was too distracted, first day in the MK and all, who can blame her?), and our fastpasses for the princesses were about to expire! We had been heading to the restroom when we ran into the parade. Anyway it was a good example of how I was glad I had worn a pullup on her.

After a bathroom break we decided to share a Dole Whip. We got a swirl because as much as I love pineapple, I find a pineapple Dole Whip to be a little too sweet. To my surprise DD did not like it! All she wanted was the bottle of water we also bought. Maybe she was just too hot for something sweet. It was sunny and blazingly hot at that time.
The sign for Pirates of the Caribbean said 45 minutes but we decided to get in line anyway and it only took about 25. We all revived just being out of the sun in line. DD danced and sang her way through the line. She kept asking me if we were in the dungeon. I was so happy that DD loved the ride ! That has the potential to be a little scary but she liked it. She was holding onto my leg pretty tightly but thats about it. J Afterwards we bought her a telescope in the gift shop for $4.95. This was a great little toy and actually worked. Sadly, we must have lost it somewhere because we couldn't find it when we packed to go home.



We had picked up a fast pass for the Jungle Cruise before doing Pirates so we rode that next . DD liked it. Then we went to see the Enchanted Tiki Room. She really enjoyed that and we enjoyed the AC!
After that we decided we were too hot to go on . We headed back to Riverside around 2 pm. We filled up our mugs, DH and I showered and I gave DD a bath before we headed out for our evening in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[maryr1oz]

Really enjoying your report!

Your daughter is such a cutie

 

[MrsTeddy]

What a little beauty! We brought our son last summer at about the same age and I can completely relate on the pull up front!

 

[BeckyEsq]

So after cleaning up we headed back to the Magic Kingdom around 4 pm. In the afternoons we typically used the North Depot which was closer to our building. The bus might be crowded when we got on, but then everyone got off at the main stop at the South Depot and we could get seats without having to line up at the main stop. When we got to the Magic Kingdom the entrance area was not too busy and I was able to get this adorable picture:


We had an ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern for 5:10 pm. We headed to Liberty Square and I decided to stop in the Christmas store. We started a tradition on our honeymoon of buying a Christmas ornament every time we travel. I also collect Disney character ornaments. So I was planning to buy a few. I was disappointed though by the selection this time around! I really feel the quality of the ornaments has gone way down. The Hallmark ornaments are much nicer for characters. In the past I had Lenox ornaments personalized with the year on them and I had planned to get another one on this trip, but they don’t carry them anymore! I left without buying anything.

We got to LTT a few minutes before our ADR and they took us early. They had coloring pages for DD and she was so happy to sit there and color and drink her water, while DH and I had iced tea. Now DH and I have been to LTT for dinner before, first on our honeymoon (when it was a character meal) and one other time. This is one of our favorite places to eat in WDW, and this time did not disappoint. The meal is family style. We had delicious rolls and butter, salad, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sliced turkey, sliced beef, vegetables, and stuffing. I was really happy with how well DD ate here. She ate some vegetables from our salad, a roll, and a lot of macaroni and cheese. Dessert was an apple and cranberry cake with ice cream on it and I was surprised by how much she liked it, she ate most of it! I thought the atmosphere was nice in there too, not too loud and our table was against a wall and it didn’t feel crowded.

After we left LTT since we were already in Liberty Square we asked DD if she would like to ride the Haunted Mansion, and she said yeah! If I remember correctly the line took about 20 minutes. DD really enjoyed the interactive queue and we had a good laugh when she got squirted by one of the tombstones.






She wasn’t even afraid in the stretching room. The only bad part was when they put everyone in a corralling area that eventually goes down to a single file line to board the cars. DH was carrying her then and I have no doubt if he put her down she would have been trampled. It was super crowded and people were pushing a bit. One woman was complaining and told me her son had been knocked down the last time they rode. We were able to all ride together in one vehicle, with DD between us. She loved it! She knows the song from one of her singalong DVDs and she was not afraid at all. One of her favorite ovies is The Nightmare Before Christmas so I guess she just likes campy “scary” stuff. Lol Also, when I asked her if she was scared she said "No, they're (meaning the ghosts) afraid of Daddy!"

After that we decided to call it a night. On the way out I stopped in Uptown Jewelers to check out the Chamilia charms. DH had gotten me a Pandora bracelet for Mother’s Day, with a charm with DD’s birthstone on it. I had my eye on the Dreams Really Do Come True Charm, because I always say that DD is my little dream come true. The girl working there told me that it really depends on the charm whether a Chamilia will fit on a Pandora bracelet, and that she once tried on 15 Mickey heads for a woman before they got one to fit. Well, the very first charm fit my bracelet perfectly, so I figured I was meant to have it. J
My notes say we were the only ones on the bus on the way back to POR. By 9 DD was asleep and DH and I were playing on our Kindles, saving our energy for another big day in the parks!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

We also buy an ornament every time we go to Disney (usually one with the year on it, also one for each kid for their 1st Christmas) but we usually get them at the Christmas store at DTD - seem to have more options and more personalization.

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We are following along too, after following you here from our TR. We're glad you had a good time, and love hearing about your trip and what worked well. Looks like lots of fun so far!

 

[BeckyEsq]

We were up early on Wednesday morning and made it to the Magic Kingdom a little past 8:30. We dressed DD in her Snow White costume that morning. This was the dress from littledressupshop.com. It was lightweight and very comfortable for her, and she looked adorable.

We got to see the opening show.








DD loved it and she was waving to Mickey when he arrived:



It was pretty darned adorable! Mom's Memo: You can see above the id bracelets I bought on Etsy to have DD wear with our cell phone number on it. Never had to use it thank goodness but it gave me some added comfort.

My goal that morning was to get DD's picture with Snow White while she had her dress on (and before she got all messed up and sweaty!) I knew from Kenny the Pirate's site that she appeared next to City Hall at 9:15. So I sent DH to get fastpasses for Dumbo and Barnstormer while DD and I headed over there for pictures. We were the only ones in line and it was shady there and DD relaxed with a snack and posed for some pictures.



A few minutes past 9 a castmember came up to us and said "I'm sorry, Snow White won't be available here this morning." I just said "oh, no!" and looked disappointed. Then she said "I tell you what I can do, I can take you to the Castle to see her since she's appearing at Cinderella's Royal Table." Well, I said, sure, THANK YOU!! So this very nice CM Barbara walked us up to the Castle. Now, DD had asked me if we could go inside the castle and I just sort of dodged the question, because I had decided we'd save CRT for another trip. So she was excited when I told her we'd get to go in the castle! We went past all the people waiting in line to see Cinderella and got to ride up in the elevator, which DD thought was magic. Upstairs we waited for a few minutes and I texted DH "In Castle explain later!" When Snow White was announced, she stopped to see DD and also gave her a magic wand!







I actually felt a little guilty that we got to do this! Barbara escorted us back down to the exit and I thanked her profusely and my happy DD skipped out of the Castle to start our day in Fantasyland.

Note: I sent an email to Disney Guest Services after our trip commending Barbara for being so helpful and thanking Disney for allowing their CM's to help out guests this way.

 

[BeckyEsq]

I thought I'd post a little about our experiences meeting the characters with our almost but not quite 3 year old daughter.

First, several months before our trip, someone on these boards (wish I could remember who to thank them!) recommended the Disney Sing Along DVD's that show children interacting with the characters in the parks. We bought two of them, the Disneyland Fun and the Camping one:

http://www.amazon.com/Sing-Along-So...=1378773728&sr=8-4&keywords=disney+sing+along

http://www.amazon.com/Sing-Along-So...=1378773728&sr=8-9&keywords=disney+sing+along

DD loved these and watched them over and over again. I think they really helped her to understand what the characters would look like, so she wasn't shocked that Mickey was bigger than she was, etc. Also, the Disneyland fun video had a part about the Haunted Mansion that she made me play over and over again. I think that's part of the reason she was willing to ride HM!

DD was also very familiar with the characters. We watched quite a few Disney movies before our trip, read a LOT of Disney books, and she had quite a few toys (including the Fisher Price Princess Songs castle that Santa brought her). This helped her excitement levels as well.

I should note that we decided NOT to buy an autograph book. DD doesn't know her letters yet and really doesn't understand the concept of signing one's name. We decided to delay getting an autograph book for another trip. That way we didn't have to lug it around, or worry about juggling it along with the camera. Once she's older she will get more out of it and can also handle keeping track of it a bit more herself.

Overall we enjoyed all of our character interactions. Sometimes I gave DD tips when she was going to meet a face character, like suggesting she tell Tiana about her play kitchen. The princesses were also really great about initiating conversation with her. With the other characters she would start out by waving to them then she would go up to them and they would often shake hands, and then if I suggested a hug she would go for that as well. The only characters she was a bit nervous of were Sully and Mike, so she made DH and I pose with her when we met them.

We made character greetings a priority on this trip since DD was too small to ride many of the rides and we found she really was the perfect age for them. These were definitely some of my favorite moments from the trip!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

your pictures with snow white are so sweet! snow white AND going inside the castle AND a magic elevator ride?!? well, there's a little pixie dust to start your day! :

 

[BeckyEsq]

So after meeting up with DH we decided it was time to head to Storybook Circus since we hadn't really covered that part of New Fantasyland the day before. I forgot to mention how disappointed we were that the Carousel was closed. Somehow I had missed this ahead of time so we were surprised to see it all boarded up.



I have to say how much I loved this area of the park. The theming is really fun. Everything seemed to be scaled really well, so rides were not too spread out yet there didn't seem to be any bottlenecks. We went into Big Top Souvenirs to buy a drink and I really loved it in there. It had a great selection of snacks and souvenirs and it was so big that it was hard to believe it would ever become crowded.



We had fastpasses for Dumbo and for Goofy's Barnstormer, but as it turned out we really didn't need them at that hour of the morning. I get motion sick on rides that go in circles, so DH took DD on Dumbo. They wound up riding twice in a row, once on each side. Seeing your child ride Dumbo for the first time is one of those moments I had looked forward to forever.





DD loved Dumbo and probably would have ridden six times if we had let her. It was only with the promise of Goofy's rollercoaster that we got her to leave!

DH took her on first:



Afterward she insisted I ride with her. Man, I think my rollercoaster riding days are just about over, because even that little ride made me . I remember when I could ride any rollercoaster, over and over!

At that point DD was saying "What can we ride next???" She was definitely catching on! We decided to ride Peter Pan's Flight before the line got too long. It was nice that with two adults and one child, we were able to all sit together in one seat. In fact, this was true of most of the rides.

Next we rode It's A Small World. We were feeling the heat by that time so it was a nice respite. I actually love that ride and DD loved it too.






Now, DD had noticed Pooh when we walked by it and kept asking to ride. So we picked up some fastpasses, because the line was unbelievably long -- I think 60 minutes? We decided it was time for lunch, but first I convinced DD to use the potty -- because it was "Tangled's potty." lol



We really needed to use a QS credit (we had trouble doing that!) so we decided to have lunch at Columbia Harbour House. I sent DD and DH upstairs to sit while I got in line to order. I had the lobster roll, which I enjoyed. DD had a kid's meal. I think it was chicken nuggets and grapes. I think DH had some kind of salad. We enjoyed our meal there and the cool and relatively quiet atmosphere upstairs was nice. We had two incidents there though. DD was running around the table (we were at a round table in a corner with no one else around) and she fell. There were some tears and she required some cuddling. Then DH stood up to clear our plates and conked his head on the lantern hanging over the table. It wasn't exactly centered over the table, it was off to the side a bit, and really a hazard! When we left there was a guy doing customer satisfaction surveys so we told him about it. Everything else there was great though and I definitely recommend this as a QS choice in the MK.

Finally it was time to use our fastpasses for Pooh. So we headed over there and... the ride was down. We were too tired and hot at this point to come up with another plan. DD was quite happy to play in Pooh's house though.



I noticed that some cool air was blowing on me from somewhere while I stood there watching her, so I was content to let her play. As it turned out, probably five minutes later the ride started up, and the CM told us to go ahead in, we got to be first! We didn't have to use our FP's, so we saved them. DD loved this ride. In fact I think it made her a bigger Pooh fan because she's been asking to watch the movies more since we got home. I was just happy she was happy!



After exiting we used our fastpasses to ride again. Honestly, this is a ride DD will probably outgrow quickly, so I really didn't mind. The gift shop at the exit is a serious hazard though! I thought we'd never get her out of there. I think I had to use a lollipop to get her out of there and back into her stroller.

We were pretty beat by then so we decided to head back to the hotel. I think we left around 1:30.

Back at POR we used the lovely Acadia House fountain for a photo shoot.




BTW, I brought shorts and a T to the parks for DD and offered several times to change her into them, but she wanted to leave her princess dress on.

Then it was naptime for DD. I laid down with her and she went right out. While she was sleeping I went over to the main building to check out the gift shop and fill up our mugs. I bought the Sailor Outfit for her new Duffy and dressed him up while she was asleep to surprise her when she woke.



Next up: Our Anniversary Dinner

 

[STLMickeyMom]

What a fun update! I love the storybook circus area. We'd never really been big dumbo fans before but I adore it now. Especially when it's all lit up at night. So pretty!
We haven't tried the barnstormer yet, but I hear you about riding rollercoasters. I took one of the boys I nanny and a friend of his on an amusement park road trip before school started. After a week of rollercoasters, i can honestly say I've never been so bruised and sore in my life! I remember my dad riding with me when I was young and now I understand why he was so grumpy at the end of the day!
The tangled bathrooms look so cute!! And I can't wait to try the pooh ride. We skipped it last time cuz of the long lines.
We're staying at POR in january. Its our first time there--i can't wait!Your DDs pic at the fountain is too stinkin' adorable! Our oldest does that sweet headtilt too. How do they go from little toddlers to supermodel so fast?
Can't wait to read more!