My AP-ALOOZA Continues (WE RENEWED!!) ~ NEW TR link posted!

[Imagineer5]

Working on an update for disneyland in between selling selling selling Aria's clothes to get some $$ for WDW in 3 weeks OF COURSE today my wait list spot comes up for my favorite upcycle designer, so I am taking that too. This round she is making a Nemo shorties set, a unicorn dress (a really cute tee) and a Dumbo dress - she found me a tee! So excited

I'm only $200 away from the trip cost though so making progress (even with my new upcycle order).

Also I found out that a local friend of mine will be at WDW the same time and is planning to be at the MK June 10th! Which means I can cancel KNO idea since I can at least ride Seven Dwarves since she can watch Aria, IF Dugette doesn't come. We are trying to work out all the details though for her coming...fun rental car issues and all that! LOL.

Ok back to work...and selling clothes...and the DL TR!

 

[Imagineer5]

Ok on to the good stuff!! Saturday May 3rd! It was a full Disneyland day. We had lunch planned at the Blue Bayou and no dinner plans because we were doing the Fantasmic dessert reserved seating. The day started out earlyyy – we were all still on eastern time a bit, so were up and ready to go around 6AM! (the awful night’s sleep didn’t help that any). But all in good spirits so that is what matters. We had a couple snacks but wanted some coffees and something slightly more substantial so we headed to the coffee shop right at the DLH – we both got iced mochas I think and they were delicious, plus bagels & cream cheese. Aria had some of my bagel along with apple sauce that I had.

After a quick breakfast we decided to head to the park – it was maybe 7:15 at this time and DL was opening at 8 for early entry so we were in line for bag check by about 7:25 and in about 5 minutes they opened up bag check and we got through quickly and made it to a turnstyle with only 1 family ahead of us. Supposedly #14 was the one to go to (it was sort of hidden behind a tree), but this time there were already 3-4 families lined up.

Cool baby! (and you can see Lynda all ready with the paper tickets, room key & military ID!)

I stepped back to snap a pic about 20 minutes out from opening - not bad so far.

Pretty train station

Then came back to find Aria wanted to sit on the ground with Lynda

I asked Lynda to take a pic of Aria and me

She was very cooperative...haha

At around 7:45 a CM came out and started checking our tickets. She looked at ours and said they do not get us into the park for early entry, at which point we pointed out the DLH room keys we had (out and ready) and she said early entry was NOT for hotel guests. UMM I KNEW that was wrong so I insisted, and she went to check. A few minutes later she came back and said “oh that must be a new policy, they never used to allow resort guests in on these days” OK I think she was WRONG but either way I was not going to argue, we just wanted in the park! So she printed our tickets (we still had the paper voucher) and let us through right at 7:50. At this point, we made our dash to the end of main street for the official rope drop. It was Lynda’s first time doing a rope drop dash so she thought it was hilarious. We ended up right at the rope on the left hand side.

Looking at the empty castle -

Looking right (I love the Matterhorn look inside the park)

People coming up to the line

Aria getting ready!

At 8 on the dot they let us in and we headed with everyone else to Fantasyland. At the DL, none of the FL rides have FP’s so you really need to ride them during EE. Our plan was to focus on those for the first hour. Actually speaking of plans, here are my DL plans again:

A STAR next to the item means we DID do it today!! (maybe not in this order though)

8:05 Peter Pan *
8:10 Dumbo *
8:15 Pinocchio
8:25 Snow White *
8:30 Mr. Toad *
8:40 Mad Tea Party *
8:50 revisit a FL ride
9:05 Storybook Land Canal Boats *
9:15 Casey Jr Circus Train
9:20 grab BTMRR FP (Lynda runs over)
9:30 Buzz
9:40 Head to Space, Lynda rides and we grab rider swap; L&A ride Astro Orbiter or Autopia (also check FP Autopia times)
10:00 Go to ToonTown for opening; grab FP’s for Roger Rabbit
10:05 Mickeys House & meet mickey *
10:15 Minnie’s House & meet Minnie *
10:40 Chip & Dale Treehouse*
10:50 Donald’s Boat (let Aria play) *
11:00 Goofy’s Playhouse *
11:10 Ride Roger Rabbit
11:30 Head towards lunch at Blue Bayou – check Jungle Cruise FP’s, ride BTMRR & get Rider Swap if that FP is working
12:40 Check HM * wait; ride Pooh *- check Space FP times and possibly send runner to Space
1:00 Aria goes down for a nap –
We ride Splash single rider each *
We ride Matterhorn Single rider *
Use Space FP’s *
3:00 Aria wakes up
Be at the Royal Theater for the 3:15 show
Afterwards
Check out Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
8:00 Fantasmic Dessert Party seating *

So not too bad! Let’s see how we did it all!

So the first stop was Peter Pan – I think we were 5 or 6 families behind and that was just because we had to quickly park the stroller. I had completely forgotten how SMALL Disneyland’s FL is – it is just TINY (and Dumbo is teeny compared to the new double dumbo!). LOVE the Castle which is of course smaller, but the park itself just feels so much more cramped. I think that added to the feeling of the increased crowds we had during the trip. This morning was CRAZY though especially with a bunch of rides going down…but let’s get through PP first! We hopped right on and we had a fun ride. I think aria did her first “ALL DONE! THAT WAS FUN!” statement at the end of Peter Pan, which she carried through the rest of the trip – it was SO cute. If she truly had a good time, her “that was fun!!” was very excited. For some reason she also said it at the end of things (ah-hem, Fantasmic later tonight) that really scared her, but she said it in a near-crying way and not excited. I told her not to say it if she didn’t really have fun, and towards the end of the trip she was telling me when she was scared (but still did GREAT on ALL the rides!).

(I wish I had spent more time before the trip with my new lens - it actually zoomed in and out OPPOSITE from my old lens, so if I quickly wanted to zoom out I always zoomed in and sometimes didn't notice. For low-light situations, you needed to be zoomed out to let the most light in, but at the start of the trip I kept getting zoomed in instead of out. I hope this made sense, but it sort of drove me crazy!)

See? I know better pictures would have been captured if I was more familiar with the lens and not being silly.

Anyway we came out of Peter Pan and wanted to do Dumbo but noticed it was not working, so we quickly hopped on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Yep, just as creepy as I remember! We were all happy to get off of it. It might have been even creepier, now that I had Aria and could judge her reaction to it.

The ride cars are cute though

And this makes me SO sad. She was being so cute, and alas my settings were off and I wasn't paying attention. This is the best pic i could get out of Lightroom (post-processing). AWFUL! This happens again later in the trip. So sad!

continued in next post!

 

[Imagineer5]

Then we headed over to Pinocchio…which was also down (GRR, they were really testing our patience!) so we opted for the nearby Snow White instead. BUT…alas that was down too. So instead we headed to the Matterhorn and Lynda hopped in the single rider line while I think I took Aria to the bathroom and then we met back up to get in line for Dumbo. Aria was so excited to ride it and had such a fun time on it! I got lots of “whee!!’s” haha!

Aria & I rode together and Lynda sat behind us.

Hehe she was having a blast!

Love the top of the ride

There is a quick photo op spot so we stopped after the ride and Aria said hi to the "baby elephant"

It was still before 9 (yes, we did still get a TON done in the first hour!) so we checked on Pinocchio (still closed) then Snow White (open) and rode Snow White.

I think this ride is a fun one for FL though sort of dark, too.

Continued in next post!

 

[Imagineer5]

Only to find out Lynda dropped her prescription sun glasses on the ride! Eek! She was going to leave them but I told her to tell the CM at the end of the ride and they stopped the ride once everyone was off and got them (sounds lengthy but the process took less than 10 minutes!) Meanwhile I took Aria on the carousel – Lynda was already done and recovered her sunglasses so she took a few pics of us riding around!

A quick sword pic!

After the carousel (which BTW was the one ride that was taken OFF of the refurb list) I headed over to try and ride the Matterhorn single rider. It was not to be though as the ride broke down while I was in line (thankfully only had been there 2 minutes) so we re-assessed and decided on the tea cups while we were waiting for the Storybook Canal Boats to open. It was around 9:15 at this point and the tea cups had no wait (canal boats were supposed to open at 9). So we had a nice ride – it wasn’t as bad as I remember since we made a pact not to turn the wheel! Phew, I normally get really sick on it but it was nice riding without the additional spin. Aria had a ton of fun riding these, so I guess my years of bypassing the tea cups are over.

We got off of the tea cups and saw a line for the canal boats so hopped in line. This one was unfortunately one of our longest waits of the trip – we ended up waiting a good 25 minutes for the boats! Ugh! THIS ride though for some reason is quintessentially Disneyland to me, as I remember riding it when I was 7 and it has always been one of my favorites (seriously, THIS and Indiana Jones are the reasons I LOVE Disneyland). So it was worth the wait as we all really enjoyed it. I loved sharing the ride with Aria – at the beginning of the ride you go through a whale’s mouth (see pic) and Aria was acting a little scared, but she then saw the light at the other end and actually laughed at herself and said “ohh!!” – it was so cute. From then on she was really excited to see the small villages. One reason our wait was so long was because a boat in front of us was carrying a veterinarian or something and they had a carrier with baby ducks – apparently a mama duck and her babies were separated overnight and the DL CM’s reunited them, so I did snap a quick pic of the reunited family. So sweet! Aria loves birds of all kinds, so she was very excited to see the ducks.

Reunited family!

85% of the villages seemed to be best visible from the left hand side of the boat...boo!

This was a really cute Dutch village

Pinocchio's Village

Prince Eric's castle

When we got off of the ride, it was about 9:50 and Toontown was nearing its 10 AM opening. It was at the top of my MUST DO list for our trip, as I knew Aria would like to see Minnie & Mickey’s houses along with everything else there. It is also (now) something unique to DL so it was definitely a must! So we headed over that way!

 

[Dugette]

Glad you were able to get in for early entry! Pretty cool seeing the empty park beyond the rope.

Geez, yeah, lots of rides down. Glad she had a blast on Dumbo, though.

Oh, sweet, I don't like to spin the tea cups either, so we're good if we ride that together. (well, unless Izzy muscles it around...)

The Canal Boats are neat. I remember going on them back in 2006. That's cute how Aria was laughing at herself for being scared.

Looking forward to Toontown!

 

[khertz]

Another trip!!! I'm so jealous, but that's really awesome that you are able to get away and get a chance to ride 7DMT!! Hopefully Dugette can make it down with you.

Even with the closures, it seems like y'all were able to get so much done during early entry. DL's Fantasyland definitely does feel more cramped, but I do like that there is so many more attractions there for Paxton, especially when he was only 18 months old on our trip. It was nice to have a ton of options to take him on when DH and I were riding other stuff that he couldn't go on!

Aria's pigtails in these pics are just killing me with the cute!!

 

[JulieODC]

I now see why everyone is excited about Trader Sam's coming to the Poly! YUM!

That pool looks perfect for a toddler. And, so glad Aria napped so well in the stroller. That's such a lifesaver!

Loving all the detailed DL photos! I haven't read many DL reports, and have never been myself....so its cool to see!

OMG -- I am SO jealous of all your upcoming trips...but especially the June trip and getting to ride the mine train! We are at POR on Friday for one night, and leave on our cruise on Saturday...but I feel like that one night, and being SO close to the parks will be such a tease, that we'll want to plan something at WDW soon!!

 

[Imagineer5]

Glad you were able to get in for early entry! Pretty cool seeing the empty park beyond the rope.

Geez, yeah, lots of rides down. Glad she had a blast on Dumbo, though.

Oh, sweet, I don't like to spin the tea cups either, so we're good if we ride that together. (well, unless Izzy muscles it around...)

The Canal Boats are neat. I remember going on them back in 2006. That's cute how Aria was laughing at herself for being scared.

Looking forward to Toontown!

Yes there were a few tense moments as we planned for early entry at both parks the whole trip! haha. OK good to know about tea cups, hopefully that'll be a good afternoon ride without much line...I love the canal boats, and they were closed on my last trip!

Another trip!!! I'm so jealous, but that's really awesome that you are able to get away and get a chance to ride 7DMT!! Hopefully Dugette can make it down with you.

Even with the closures, it seems like y'all were able to get so much done during early entry. DL's Fantasyland definitely does feel more cramped, but I do like that there is so many more attractions there for Paxton, especially when he was only 18 months old on our trip. It was nice to have a ton of options to take him on when DH and I were riding other stuff that he couldn't go on!

Aria's pigtails in these pics are just killing me with the cute!!

Hahahha thank you!!! YES we were able to get a ton done thankfully it just felt like a lot of back and forth, you know? I couldn't believe how cramped it felt, but was even more surprised at how much I had forgotten. I LOVE the castle though, and even better was Aria's exclamation of "castle!!" every time it came into view (and she still does, looking at the photos!). Love it!

I now see why everyone is excited about Trader Sam's coming to the Poly! YUM!

That pool looks perfect for a toddler. And, so glad Aria napped so well in the stroller. That's such a lifesaver!

Loving all the detailed DL photos! I haven't read many DL reports, and have never been myself....so its cool to see!

OMG -- I am SO jealous of all your upcoming trips...but especially the June trip and getting to ride the mine train! We are at POR on Friday for one night, and leave on our cruise on Saturday...but I feel like that one night, and being SO close to the parks will be such a tease, that we'll want to plan something at WDW soon!!

YES seriously I am trying to figure out a way to buy into DVC when the poly opens - 1) trader sam's 2) possibility of getting the bungalows. SO awesome!! The pool was AMAZING too and I read that the poly is getting a "water splash area" or something like that so hoping something like that goes in. Can't wait to check out the GF one.

I definitely found myself taking more photos at DL because everything seemed "new" to me whereas WDW I feel like I've already photographed it all! (not really but you know what I mean). I can't believe your cruise is THIS weekend!! WOW!! SO jealous of your cruise!! Going to be so much fun! I can't wait to ride seven dwarves!

 

[Imagineer5]

OK it's official - this is a GIRL's trip to WDW!! Less than 3 weeks away now! It will be Dugette (not sure if I can call you by name?? LOL) and her DD Izzy (20 months) and Aria (2years 4months) and me.

We have a 2 bedroom condo at Silver Lake resort and have a (ah-hem) economy car (my bad, going to be interesting getting 2 strollers, suitcases and 2 car seats in there...Dugette has offered to sit in between the car seats if we need space! ).

Our plans are all booked now (after a snafu when I was being silly thinking we could enter during EMH mornings)...so here goes!!

June 10th - Aria & I arrive at 9:15AM, get car, head to Silver Lake and attempt to check in, then hit the pool for a bit. Grab a quick lunch somewhere and then head back to airport to pick up our friends (their flight gets in at 1:10). From there we'll head back to resort, probably stopping at the grocery store for waters, milk, etc. Get settled then head over to the Poly where we have dinner reservations at 5PM at Kona!!

Then we have these FP selections:

Dugette: Buzz 5:55-6:55
Lauren: Barnstormer 6:05-7:05 (Izzy isn't tall enough for Barnstormer so we are going to go separately though she might come with us to grab a rider swap in case Aria LOVES it and wants to ride again!)

then:
Seven Dwarves 7:15-8:15 (rider swap)
Space 7:05-8:05 (rider swap)

MSEP for 8:40 for the 9PM parade, then we will watch Wishes afterwards.

Pretty awesome considering without FP+ there is no way we'd get to ride so many rides, though hoping we can get the girls on a few too (Dumbo, Pooh, depending on wait times). Otherwise maybe check out the Pete's silly circus where Minnie, Daisy, Goofy & Donald are? IDK we'll check out wait times that night.

June 11th:

The Wave for breakfast at 7:30 then head to MK

Ride FL rides without much wait (Peter Pan, IASW, Pooh, Ariel, Dumbo, Tea Cups, etc) then head to Pirates then Jungle cruise FP 9:30-10:30 (assuming it'll be right around 10:20 at this point). From there head to Town Square to meet Tinkerbelle at her new location, with a FP 10:30-11:30! After that maybe grab a snack or hop on a short wait ride (TTA??) before 12:15 FP for the Speedway (Dugette is not sure if Izzy will make 32" for this one so she will check on it the night before).

After the speedway we will hop in the car and drive to EPCOT! Hopefully hop on Spaceship Earth without much wait and then put the girls down for naps in the strollers while we switch off on Test Track single rider. & also check on getting FP's for when they wake up.

Maybe grab margaritas?

When they wake up it would be nice to ride Nemo and check out the Seas (I'm going to sound like a broken record, but Aria LOVES this!) then hopefully have a FP for Living with the land or the wait isn't too long.

Then head to Biergarten for dinner!! Maybe ride Maelstrom. After this we might try to head back for a dip in the pool before bed?

June 12th -

AK at 9am! Ride the safari first thing, then head to Dinoland to take turns riding Dinosaur (hopefully no FP necessary but we could get a rider swap card if needed). while each other is riding, take the girls on the triceratop spin & let them play at the boneyard! Dugette possibly rides EE SR! & maybe check out some trails!

Then 10:45 Tusker house late breakfast/early lunch where we get to meet Safari Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto!

After BF, head to Rafiki's Planet watch to pet some goats, then we will head out of the park to the MK! Girls will take naps in the stroller while we switch off:

1:15-2:15 Seven Dwarves
1:50-2:50 BTMRR
2:20-3:20 Splash
2:55-3:55 Space

Then they wake up and we can possibly get in a no-wait ride (or play at splash pad) before an early dinner at Crystal Palace!! (3:45).

FP for Ariel's at 4:25-5:25 then we will check on getting more FP!

No other specific plans for the evening, but prob won't stay again for Wishes?

June 13th

7:30 ADR at Cape May character breakfast!! After this, possibly head back to resort to swim for a little bit? Then we all hop in car to get to airport, Dugette will grab a car for the day (it was cheaper than adding her on to the reservation and extending the car). My flight is at 12:10 but hers isn't until after 6PM. Not sure how she will fill that time (beach? DTD?).

And that's it!! a fun filled totally last minute trip! So excited for the reservations we were able to get (though I am still looking into a drop for a before-park opening CRT or CP breakfast and possibly Garden grill or Akershus dinner). (I have the TiW card so wanted to try to do more TS than CS).

BTW as of an invoice being paid today, I will have made all the $$ needed for the trip!

 

[Dugette]

OK it's official - this is a GIRL's trip to WDW!! Less than 3 weeks away now! It will be Dugette (not sure if I can call you by name?? LOL) and her DD Izzy (20 months) and Aria (2years 4months) and me.

Can't wait! I think this will be a really fun time for all of us!

We have a 2 bedroom condo at Silver Lake resort and have a (ah-hem) economy car (my bad, going to be interesting getting 2 strollers, suitcases and 2 car seats in there...Dugette has offered to sit in between the car seats if we need space! ).

I'm really looking forward to the nice, big condo. Should be great for the girls to run around. Will be very different for me, since we always stay on-site. And I think we've got the car worked out okay now with having bags held for us.

Our plans are all booked now (after a snafu when I was being silly thinking we could enter during EMH mornings)...so here goes!!

June 10th - Aria & I arrive at 9:15AM, get car, head to Silver Lake and attempt to check in, then hit the pool for a bit. Grab a quick lunch somewhere and then head back to airport to pick up our friends (their flight gets in at 1:10). From there we'll head back to resort, probably stopping at the grocery store for waters, milk, etc. Get settled then head over to the Poly where we have dinner reservations at 5PM at Kona!!

Then we have these FP selections:

Dugette: Buzz 5:55-6:55
Lauren: Barnstormer 6:05-7:05 (Izzy isn't tall enough for Barnstormer so we are going to go separately though she might come with us to grab a rider swap in case Aria LOVES it and wants to ride again!)

then:
Seven Dwarves 7:15-8:15 (rider swap)
Space 7:05-8:05 (rider swap)

MSEP for 8:40 for the 9PM parade, then we will watch Wishes afterwards.

Pretty awesome considering without FP+ there is no way we'd get to ride so many rides, though hoping we can get the girls on a few too (Dumbo, Pooh, depending on wait times). Otherwise maybe check out the Pete's silly circus where Minnie, Daisy, Goofy & Donald are? IDK we'll check out wait times that night.

I think this will be a really fun night. We also now have plans to try to get to Poly a bit early to take a look at all the construction/changes. DVC bungalows are being built and the waterfall is being removed, from what I understand. Glad I got to stay there in December before things really started changing. Anyway, the evening at the MK should be a blast and I'm super excited to try the Mine Train. Also, since I missed Wishes/Celebrate the Magic/MSEP last trip, this will be perfect!

June 11th:

The Wave for breakfast at 7:30 then head to MK

Ride FL rides without much wait (Peter Pan, IASW, Pooh, Ariel, Dumbo, Tea Cups, etc) then head to Pirates then Jungle cruise FP 9:30-10:30 (assuming it'll be right around 10:20 at this point). From there head to Town Square to meet Tinkerbelle at her new location, with a FP 10:30-11:30! After that maybe grab a snack or hop on a short wait ride (TTA??) before 12:15 FP for the Speedway (Dugette is not sure if Izzy will make 32" for this one so she will check on it the night before).

Excited to try a new restaurant, as I haven't been to the Wave. Can't wait for the early Fantasyland spree. I think Izzy will love it all. And she knows Tinkerbelle now, so that will be great. She actually said goodnight to two of the Tinkerbelle's on her drapes tonight. And insisted on watching "The Pirate Fairy" during dinner. So, I guess she will enjoy Pirates too.

After the speedway we will hop in the car and drive to EPCOT! Hopefully hop on Spaceship Earth without much wait and then put the girls down for naps in the strollers while we switch off on Test Track single rider. & also check on getting FP's for when they wake up.

Maybe grab margaritas?

Excited to try the "new" Test Track again, since I only got on it once before. And yes on the margaritas! We may grab something from inside the pyramid in Mexico and maybe hang out inside the Hacienda seating area for some A/C while enjoying them.

When they wake up it would be nice to ride Nemo and check out the Seas (I'm going to sound like a broken record, but Aria LOVES this!) then hopefully have a FP for Living with the land or the wait isn't too long.

Then head to Biergarten for dinner!! Maybe ride Maelstrom. After this we might try to head back for a dip in the pool before bed?

Sounds like fun! We missed Living with the Land last time, so that's a must-do. I think Izzy will enjoy the Biergarten entertainment (unless we get in at Akershus or Garden Grill, of course).

June 12th -

AK at 9am! Ride the safari first thing, then head to Dinoland to take turns riding Dinosaur (hopefully no FP necessary but we could get a rider swap card if needed). while each other is riding, take the girls on the triceratop spin & let them play at the boneyard! Dugette possibly rides EE SR! & maybe check out some trails!

Then 10:45 Tusker house late breakfast/early lunch where we get to meet Safari Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto!

After BF, head to Rafiki's Planet watch to pet some goats, then we will head out of the park to the MK!

Should be a good morning and will be hitting a number of things I missed on our last trip (Dinosaur, Boneyard, Triceratop Spin, Rafiki's). I'm also excited for the Tusker House character breakfast!

Girls will take naps in the stroller while we switch off:

1:15-2:15 Seven Dwarves
1:50-2:50 BTMRR
2:20-3:20 Splash
2:55-3:55 Space

Then they wake up and we can possibly get in a no-wait ride (or play at splash pad) before an early dinner at Crystal Palace!! (3:45).

FP for Ariel's at 4:25-5:25 then we will check on getting more FP!

No other specific plans for the evening, but prob won't stay again for Wishes?

Should be a productive nap time, if the girls cooperate! Pooh and friends will be fun. We've only done breakfast at CP, so this will be different. Probably use our Rider Swaps in the evening and catch whatever we missed from our list.

June 13th

7:30 ADR at Cape May character breakfast!! After this, possibly head back to resort to swim for a little bit? Then we all hop in car to get to airport, Dugette will grab a car for the day (it was cheaper than adding her on to the reservation and extending the car). My flight is at 12:10 but hers isn't until after 6PM. Not sure how she will fill that time (beach? DTD?).

And that's it!! a fun filled totally last minute trip! So excited for the reservations we were able to get (though I am still looking into a drop for a before-park opening CRT or CP breakfast and possibly Garden grill or Akershus dinner). (I have the TiW card so wanted to try to do more TS than CS).

Another new-to-me meal with Cape May. I think Izzy will love the character meets! How we spend the last 6 hours depends on whether or not I upgrade to an AP. We wanted to do our next trip by September 2015, before Izzy turns 3. We are now thinking it would be nice to hit Star Wars Weekends for Dug, so that would put us in probably May and the AP would still be good. So, if I do that, Izzy and I will probably go back to a park. If not, we'll improvise. We never have had a car, so it's tempting to venture off property while we can (beach or something). We'll see.

Should be a fun trip with two seasoned Disney fans co-planning. I think we have very similar tastes and touring styles, so it should work well. Hoping the girls have fun together. Izzy is just getting to the age where she seems to be playing "with" other kids vs. "alongside" them, so that may help. And, you know, if Izzy runs out of cute outfits, I'm sure Aria can help her out.

BTW as of an invoice being paid today, I will have made all the $$ needed for the trip!

Yay for being paid-for!

And, finally, let this be a lesson to all of you DIS-ers: careful what you "jokingly" offer another DIS-er. You may just end up at WDW in a year you didn't plan to go.

 

[Imagineer5]

Can't wait! I think this will be a really fun time for all of us!


I'm really looking forward to the nice, big condo. Should be great for the girls to run around. Will be very different for me, since we always stay on-site. And I think we've got the car worked out okay now with having bags held for us.


I think this will be a really fun night. We also now have plans to try to get to Poly a bit early to take a look at all the construction/changes. DVC bungalows are being built and the waterfall is being removed, from what I understand. Glad I got to stay there in December before things really started changing. Anyway, the evening at the MK should be a blast and I'm super excited to try the Mine Train. Also, since I missed Wishes/Celebrate the Magic/MSEP last trip, this will be perfect!


Excited to try a new restaurant, as I haven't been to the Wave. Can't wait for the early Fantasyland spree. I think Izzy will love it all. And she knows Tinkerbelle now, so that will be great. She actually said goodnight to two of the Tinkerbelle's on her drapes tonight. And insisted on watching "The Pirate Fairy" during dinner. So, I guess she will enjoy Pirates too.


Excited to try the "new" Test Track again, since I only got on it once before. And yes on the margaritas! We may grab something from inside the pyramid in Mexico and maybe hang out inside the Hacienda seating area for some A/C while enjoying them.



Sounds like fun! We missed Living with the Land last time, so that's a must-do. I think Izzy will enjoy the Biergarten entertainment (unless we get in at Akershus or Garden Grill, of course).


Should be a good morning and will be hitting a number of things I missed on our last trip (Dinosaur, Boneyard, Triceratop Spin, Rafiki's). I'm also excited for the Tusker House character breakfast!


Should be a productive nap time, if the girls cooperate! Pooh and friends will be fun. We've only done breakfast at CP, so this will be different. Probably use our Rider Swaps in the evening and catch whatever we missed from our list.


Another new-to-me meal with Cape May. I think Izzy will love the character meets! How we spend the last 6 hours depends on whether or not I upgrade to an AP. We wanted to do our next trip by September 2015, before Izzy turns 3. We are now thinking it would be nice to hit Star Wars Weekends for Dug, so that would put us in probably May and the AP would still be good. So, if I do that, Izzy and I will probably go back to a park. If not, we'll improvise. We never have had a car, so it's tempting to venture off property while we can (beach or something). We'll see.

Should be a fun trip with two seasoned Disney fans co-planning. I think we have very similar tastes and touring styles, so it should work well. Hoping the girls have fun together. Izzy is just getting to the age where she seems to be playing "with" other kids vs. "alongside" them, so that may help. And, you know, if Izzy runs out of cute outfits, I'm sure Aria can help her out.


Yay for being paid-for!

And, finally, let this be a lesson to all of you DIS-ers: careful what you "jokingly" offer another DIS-er. You may just end up at WDW in a year you didn't plan to go.

So excited for all the plans! But I had to laugh at your statement at the end! hey - you booked the flight all on your own!! So glad you decided to join us, it will be a fun few days! Aria is used to playing with older kids (she's the youngest of the 6 at her daycare) so interested to see how she does with Izzy! They'll hopefully hit it off quickly though and enjoy have someone to chase around!

Yes you know I already started planning out outfits based on what characters we may be seeing...

 

[Dugette]

So excited for all the plans! But I had to laugh at your statement at the end! hey - you booked the flight all on your own!! So glad you decided to join us, it will be a fun few days! Aria is used to playing with older kids (she's the youngest of the 6 at her daycare) so interested to see how she does with Izzy! They'll hopefully hit it off quickly though and enjoy have someone to chase around!

Yes you know I already started planning out outfits based on what characters we may be seeing...

Izzy was the youngest of her daycare group for a long time too, but now there are two younger babies (siblings of others). She still seems to really favor older kids, though (7 year old girls are actually her favorites). But, when I picked her up yesterday from daycare, she went over and said goodbye to the girl who is about Aria's age, so hoping that's a good sign. Maybe they can bond while sipping milk out of their matching Thermos cups and discussing their love for Minnie Mouse.

I need to go through Izzy's clothes and see what she has for Disney clothes that still fit and are appropriate for hot weather. I'm pretty sure she has a Minnie-in-France outfit that will work, but not entirely sure what else. Probably something, though.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Glad things worked out that you got into the park for the early hours. Bummer that so much was closed though - and with so much down already whenever something else "broke" it really must have seemed bad. Seems like you still got a lot done! I really like how the teacups look without a roof unlike at WDW

Can't wait for the next update!

****************************

Oh, that's cool that you are staying at Silver Lake resort - that is where we stayed our last trip and very much enjoyed it. The units are really big and everything seemed of good quality. We were in the unit right by the back entrance (we could see the top of Expedition Everest from our balcony) and that was also by the smaller pool which has zero entry which was good with the kids.

Your plans sound great and really highlight the positive side to FP+! Just hope the girls read the itinerary so they are clear when exactly they are supposed to nap and when to wake up

 

[Imagineer5]

Izzy was the youngest of her daycare group for a long time too, but now there are two younger babies (siblings of others). She still seems to really favor older kids, though (7 year old girls are actually her favorites). But, when I picked her up yesterday from daycare, she went over and said goodbye to the girl who is about Aria's age, so hoping that's a good sign. Maybe they can bond while sipping milk out of their matching Thermos cups and discussing their love for Minnie Mouse. I need to go through Izzy's clothes and see what she has for Disney clothes that still fit and are appropriate for hot weather. I'm pretty sure she has a Minnie-in-France outfit that will work, but not entirely sure what else. Probably something, though.

Hahah that is really cute! It's amazing how much they grow, I'm sure you'll find something though (or have an excuse to shop!)

Glad things worked out that you got into the park for the early hours. Bummer that so much was closed though - and with so much down already whenever something else "broke" it really must have seemed bad. Seems like you still got a lot done! I really like how the teacups look without a roof unlike at WDW Can't wait for the next update! **************************** Oh, that's cool that you are staying at Silver Lake resort - that is where we stayed our last trip and very much enjoyed it. The units are really big and everything seemed of good quality. We were in the unit right by the back entrance (we could see the top of Expedition Everest from our balcony) and that was also by the smaller pool which has zero entry which was good with the kids. Your plans sound great and really highlight the positive side to FP+! Just hope the girls read the itinerary so they are clear when exactly they are supposed to nap and when to wake up

Yes closures really tried to get us down. Lynda is so up beat though it really helped keep my attitude in check. Had Andrew been there I bet we'd have fought by then.

I hope dugette sees your comments on silver lake! It's her first time staying off site so I hope she loves it. Sounds like I stayed in the same building as you last time - the zero entry pool ended up being our favorite! The location right around the corner from AK is what I remember most though ESP after staying at a few other off site locations. I hate having to drive the 192 strip so I'm very happy to be able to avoid it.

 

[Dugette]

Your plans sound great and really highlight the positive side to FP+! Just hope the girls read the itinerary so they are clear when exactly they are supposed to nap and when to wake up

We need a Fast Pass+ for naps. Maybe Disney will put it on their little Magic Bands.

I hope dugette sees your comments on silver lake! It's her first time staying off site so I hope she loves it. Sounds like I stayed in the same building as you last time - the zero entry pool ended up being our favorite! The location right around the corner from AK is what I remember most though ESP after staying at a few other off site locations. I hate having to drive the 192 strip so I'm very happy to be able to avoid it.

I'm excited about the resort, actually. I am going to miss the Magical Express for my bag, but at least I've got the Lauren's-Economy-Car Express. (but Thank You, really!) Travelling with a toddler has given me a new appreciation of space to spread out and the conveniences of a kitchen for storing milk/washing sippy cups, etc. And with the car, I maybe can be less of a crazy packer, since we'll be able to run to the store for some things. And it's cheaper than Pop, so there's that. Pools sound nice too!

 

[Imagineer5]

We need a Fast Pass+ for naps. Maybe Disney will put it on their little Magic Bands. I'm excited about the resort, actually. I am going to miss the Magical Express for my bag, but at least I've got the Lauren's-Economy-Car Express. (but Thank You, really!) Travelling with a toddler has given me a new appreciation of space to spread out and the conveniences of a kitchen for storing milk/washing sippy cups, etc. And with the car, I maybe can be less of a crazy packer, since we'll be able to run to the store for some things. And it's cheaper than Pop, so there's that. Pools sound nice too!

Oops I forgot to comment about the nap thing! I don't remember reading about how Izzy naps but Aria is always ready for her afternoon nap after lunch lol! She will say nap time! And is very happy to be laid down. Hopefully that will continue - but that is why I am able to plan for rides during that time. Of course how long she naps is up in the air depending on heat and noises.

 

[dtr_angel]

That's so exciting that Dugette & Izzy will be joining you! I am so excited for you guys. I cannot wait to hear all about it.

I loved our off site stay for the price & space. I hope Dugette & Izzy love it too! Sounds like they have a great pool. Gavin loved the zero entry pool at Windsor Hills.

We had planned on staying on-site for our December trip but right now our dates are excluded from everything. We liked Windsor Hills so much we are probably going to stay there again (esp since it looks like we're staying nine nights!) but I will have to check out Silver Lake. Is it by Sherberth Rd? We took that route to get to AKL and AK. Where do you book through for Silver Lake?

Can't wait to hear more about your DL trip!

 

[Dugette]

Oops I forgot to comment about the nap thing! I don't remember reading about how Izzy naps but Aria is always ready for her afternoon nap after lunch lol! She will say nap time! And is very happy to be laid down. Hopefully that will continue - but that is why I am able to plan for rides during that time. Of course how long she naps is up in the air depending on heat and noises.

Ha ha, cute! I wonder if Izzy will take it more seriously if Aria tells her that it is nap time vs. me telling her. I think they nap around the same time and about the same amount of time, in general. At daycare, Izzy goes down easily after lunch. On our last WDW trip, we watched for her to start looking tired and reclined her while she was drifting off. She may not be quite as eager as Aria, but I think we should be okay.

On a side note, I looked at the Lines app tonight and the Mine Train appears to be up and running with an hour++ wait.

 

[Dugette]

Joint trip thoughts that I figured might be worth sharing here:

So, regarding Izzy and Aria getting along - I asked our daycare provider yesterday about how Izzy gets along with the girl that is Aria's age (born the same month). She said they get along GREAT and never have any issues with each-other. I asked if they play together or just play alongside each other. She said mostly alongside, but Izzy lets the other girl push her around on the trike. So, that's good. But, obviously, every kid is different. Hope they have fun together.

I also went through Izzy's closet and found she still has a number of Disney shirts/outfits that should fit her (18 month size, but she's small and still can wear them). Some are repeats from the last trip, but oh well. Maybe I will post pictures over in my very-off-topic December TR.

I hope that yesterday isn't a sign of how this trip will be. I picked Izzy up from daycare and attempted to get her into her carseat. This resulted in incredible toddler strength and stunts and screaming and eventually she managed to get into the drivers seat, where she happily pushed all of the buttons she could find. It literally took me 15 minutes and multiple attempts before I was able to successfully able to pin her down and strap her in while she turned red and screamed. Yeah, don't really want to do that every time we park-hop.

When we got home, I unbuckled her and she dived straight into the driver's seat again. However, this time she honked the horn several times and scared herself, so maybe that will put an end to these antics.

So, then I took her on a stroller ride through the neighborhood and let her play on the playground. Naturally, she wanted to climb up and go down the slide over and over for the rest of her life. Eventually, I had to carry her away, screaming again (promises of anything else we'd do fell on deaf ears). She was impossible to get back into her stroller, so I had to walk a couple blocks pushing her stroller and carrying her (if I set her down, she tried to bolt back to the playground). When we were far enough from the playground, I was able to set her down and she pushed her own stroller all the way home. (and got distracted when I pointed out a doggie, then fell and bumped her head on the stroller).

Bedtime lately has become another opportunity for screaming. She used to go right down easily. Now, once we put her in the crib, it's red-faced screaming, arms out desperately reaching for me, that look in her eye of "why would you leave me??!!", and her yelling "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" But, to her credit, after I close the door and leave the room, it all stops within 30 seconds. By the time I go grab the video monitor, she is laying down and falling asleep. So, you may have this to look forward to in a couple weeks. However, she's been sleeping through the night since NYC, so that's awesome.

Ah, toddlers. Her favorite word lately is "No". Even when she means yes.

Anyway, I think we'll have a good time and she is actually a really good kid most of the time. Just flexing her toddler muscles lately.

Also, we watched some WDW youtube videos tonight. She was indifferent to Wishes, so maybe that will be good (not scared of fireworks)? She didn't really pay attention to the Mine Train either, but I did. Looks fun! She was more interested in the Pirate Fairy movie - she is a big fairy fan these days. So, good we're meeting Tink!

 

[Imagineer5]

Joint trip thoughts that I figured might be worth sharing here: So, regarding Izzy and Aria getting along - I asked our daycare provider yesterday about how Izzy gets along with the girl that is Aria's age (born the same month). She said they get along GREAT and never have any issues with each-other. I asked if they play together or just play alongside each other. She said mostly alongside, but Izzy lets the other girl push her around on the trike. So, that's good. But, obviously, every kid is different. Hope they have fun together. I also went through Izzy's closet and found she still has a number of Disney shirts/outfits that should fit her (18 month size, but she's small and still can wear them). Some are repeats from the last trip, but oh well. Maybe I will post pictures over in my very-off-topic December TR. I hope that yesterday isn't a sign of how this trip will be. I picked Izzy up from daycare and attempted to get her into her carseat. This resulted in incredible toddler strength and stunts and screaming and eventually she managed to get into the drivers seat, where she happily pushed all of the buttons she could find. It literally took me 15 minutes and multiple attempts before I was able to successfully able to pin her down and strap her in while she turned red and screamed. Yeah, don't really want to do that every time we park-hop. When we got home, I unbuckled her and she dived straight into the driver's seat again. However, this time she honked the horn several times and scared herself, so maybe that will put an end to these antics. So, then I took her on a stroller ride through the neighborhood and let her play on the playground. Naturally, she wanted to climb up and go down the slide over and over for the rest of her life. Eventually, I had to carry her away, screaming again (promises of anything else we'd do fell on deaf ears). She was impossible to get back into her stroller, so I had to walk a couple blocks pushing her stroller and carrying her (if I set her down, she tried to bolt back to the playground). When we were far enough from the playground, I was able to set her down and she pushed her own stroller all the way home. (and got distracted when I pointed out a doggie, then fell and bumped her head on the stroller). Bedtime lately has become another opportunity for screaming. She used to go right down easily. Now, once we put her in the crib, it's red-faced screaming, arms out desperately reaching for me, that look in her eye of "why would you leave me??!!", and her yelling "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" But, to her credit, after I close the door and leave the room, it all stops within 30 seconds. By the time I go grab the video monitor, she is laying down and falling asleep. So, you may have this to look forward to in a couple weeks. However, she's been sleeping through the night since NYC, so that's awesome. Ah, toddlers. Her favorite word lately is "No". Even when she means yes. Anyway, I think we'll have a good time and she is actually a really good kid most of the time. Just flexing her toddler muscles lately. Also, we watched some WDW youtube videos tonight. She was indifferent to Wishes, so maybe that will be good (not scared of fireworks)? She didn't really pay attention to the Mine Train either, but I did. Looks fun! She was more interested in the Pirate Fairy movie - she is a big fairy fan these days. So, good we're meeting Tink!

Don't worry aria has recently decided to stop listening altogether! Hahahahaha. The last few days she has just 100% ignored whatever we say!

Maybe at WDW there will be so many great things to promise As a replacement item (when we leave the boneyard the promise to go meet Donald and daisy might be a good draw? Or to go ride the triceratop spin?). It's all so fun so hopefully she will be more willing to listen. If they just play alongside each other that'd be fine! Aria is big into chasing or being chased so maybe she'll get Izzy to run after her

And, WDW and pools will wear them out so hopefully she will fall right asleep!! Awesome she is sleeping through the night (one reason I was hoping for the 2br lol!).

Don't worry about it - we will have a blast! Kids act so differently in other situations or with new people I am wary of how aria will behave but it'll still be awesome!