My Most Insane Disney Trip Ever!!

[coachlevy]

My husband’s track team was going to WDW for Spring Break so I figured I’d tag along with the kids. What I didn't realize is that traveling with a 4 month old to Disney is a little crazy. Although it was a very hectic trip we still had loads of fun and I am ready to go back again!

Cast of Characters:
Me: 30, teacher turned stay at home mom and huge Disney fan. I have 17 trips under my belt, including Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. I love planning and am a little OCD about it.
DH: 35, teacher and track coach. He says he only goes to Disney for me, but always takes part in the planning and enjoys it.
DS: Will be 3 in June. Born and bred to LOVE Disney. He loves every aspect of it from the characters, rides, parade music, and even looking at the maps. This was his 4th trip.
DD: : 4 months old and already being brainwashed to love Disney.
DM: My mom…the best mom and grandmother in the world. She came on the trip to help me out since DH would be occupied with his track team.

My Disney Kids

Day 1:
Our trip began with a few bumps. The flight was delayed due to mechanical problems in the plane, but the airline said to come to the airport anyway in case another plane became available. We left the house at 8:15 for a 10:30 flight. The flight did not leave until 2 PM and it was not easy entertaining the little ones in the airport. DD was actually very good, she slept in her carseat, nursed, and played a little bit. DS was good in the airport, but was a little cranky on the plane because he couldn’t sleep (he still naps everyday for 2 hours). I packed a bag of snacks, new toys and games to keep him occupied. DD slept in DM’s arms for most of the flight which allowed me to deal with DS.
After landing, retrieving baggage, and walking halfway across the airport we finally made it to the Magical Express bus. The infant seat was not allowed on the bus so I put DD in the baby bjorn so she could sleep undisturbed. It seemed like a good idea, but she didn’t fall asleep until she was in my arms on the bus. DS enjoyed the bus ride and watching the characters on T.V. We arrived at the hotel at 6:15, unloaded all of our cargo, and waited for DH to check-in. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach this time because it is one of the few hotels offered through the Wide World of Sports program. Normally we stay at deluxe hotels, but this time we didn’t have an option. The CBR is nice, the rooms are a good size, and the new pool is fun. It’s no Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge though. Anyway, DH was frantic to check-in so he could bring the team to the track before it got dark. In his haste, he accepted rooms on the second floor when we requested a first room floor. This made the week a little difficult because DM and I had to carry an infant seat, two strollers, help DS climb the stairs, and hold our backpacks. It was absolutely crazy and exhausting!
We stopped by the room to quickly change before heading to the food court for dinner. Originally we were supposed to go to Downtown Disney and meet my aunt, my sister, and her family. Since we landed so late we ate at the food court and they all met us for dessert. DS was so happy to eat (he loves food) and I was starving too. DD was so overtired and screamed for 15 minutes. It was the first time I was unable to soothe her using the stroller or rocking her in my arms. What worked was walking/ bouncing her in the baby bjorn. After a stressful meal we walked back to our room and tried to get settled.
We ordered food from Garden Grocer (it’s a great website that delivers food anywhere in WDW) and had to deal with the delivery before going to bed. DH and the team ordered about $500 worth of food and since they were at the track we had to make sure everything was there. Fun, fun, fun. Thankfully DM and my aunt dealt with the food while I got DS ready for bed. Finally at 9 PM DS fell asleep. DD woke up for a feeding and didn’t go back to sleep until after 10. DH came back to the room at around 10 and realized that our fridge was broken. He called housekeeping and they said they’d bring a new one. This didn’t happen until 11:15 and I was so tired. As soon as we moved the food I collapsed on the bed. What a fun way to start a trip in WDW!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Signing on for more! I often say that trip reports and pictures are what keep me sane until our next WDW vacaton.

 

[Suzanna1973]

Subscribing

40 days till our trip and I can get the disney magicby reading about YOUR trip!!!

BTW...your son looks IDENTICAL to a boy in my daycare. He will be 3 in June TOO!

 

[lizet313]

Can't wait to hear more your kids are adorable. Rough start but it glad that day is over

 

[Cory's Gal]

Your kids are so cute! Can't wait to hear about your adventure!! Moms are the best!!!

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Your kids are beautiful. I'll be back to read more.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

Wow! What an exhausting day! I got tired and I was just reading... can't wait to hear more. By the way - your kids are cuties!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm in!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm in!

 

[erinsmom]

I'm in. A 4 month old, are you crazy!? But she sure is cute in her Minnie hat.

 

[coachlevy]

Thanks for all of your replies. It's great to know people are reading. Here is our first day at the parks:
The kids didn’t sleep well last night and I was pretty tired. DS slept in bed with me and DH and kept rolling around saying, “I don’t like this bed.” DD woke a lot too, but luckily I nursed her back to sleep each time. We ate breakfast in the room and left at 8 AM to catch a bus to Hollywood Studios. We arrived at 8:45 and met up with my sister and her family. We waited for rope drop and headed straight to Toy Story Mania (along with half of the people in the park). The wait was about 10 minutes even at opening. DD was sleeping in the baby carrier and the Cast Member said it was fine to ride with her like that. DS did not like the talking Potato Head and said he didn’t want to go on the ride (this seemed to be a theme of the trip). I told him it was a fun ride like Buzz Lightyear and was excited to "shoot green guys." He wanted to ride with DM and my aunt, so I rode with my sister and niece. DD was in the carrier and the safety bar came down so tightly that she woke up screaming. We asked the cast member to stop the ride so I could get off, but she said she couldn’t. This made me really angry and seemed very un-Disney-like. Thankfully DD calmed down and went back to sleep, despite all the twists and turns in the ride. The ride itself is really well done and I’m glad I got to see it. Woody and friends take you through various carnival games while wearing 3D glasses. It's a definite must see while at teh studios.
DD asleep in Baby Bjorn:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9da38b3127ccec6b3ebb63f3200000040O00QaMmrhq1aMQe3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/[/img}
We went to the Muppet Show next but decided to leave because it was a 10 minute wait and DS didn’t want to see it. We walked outside to a downpour and turned back around to see the Muppets. I stood with DD (still sleeping in the carrier) in the aisle next to DS and my family. DS was a little scared towards the end so we left a few minutes early. Outside it was still pouring so we ran to our strollers and covered up with our ponchos. DS wouldn’t stop talking about Fozzie and the remote control pie, and continues to talk about it at home. In fact, he asked me to make a pie tonight like the one Fozzie had. I made a pudding pie because I wasn't sure exactly what pie Fozzie had, but it was a big hit! :banana:DS and I had our ponchos and I put DD in her stroller with a rain cover. DM and my aunt didn’t have ponchos so I ran to find them some. They were a hot seller because boxes were being wheeled into the store as I arrived. The cast member commented on my yellow Mickey poncho from 2002. I bought the current clear ponchos for my family and ran back with them. The rain had let up a bit so we headed towards American Idol. I promised DS we would see the Cars, but they weren’t there due to the weather. I think I was more disappointed than him!
Me and DS with ponchos:
[img] http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9da38b3127ccec6b3e8bafe9700000040O00QaMmrhq1aMQe3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

DD in rain gear:

American Idol seemed like a lot of fun from the little bit that I saw. DD was asleep when we arrived but the loud noises woke her up and she was not happy. I had to go outside with her and walk her in the baby bjorn. The rest of the family enjoyed AI and DS even voted for his favorite singer. After the show the rain had ended and the sun was shining. Playhouse Disney was next on our agenda. DS was excited to see Toodles. We arrived 15 minutes before the show so I decided to go see some characters in the animation building. I never went in there before and it is a great place for characters with hardly any wait. The CM told us we could do the animation tour or walk through the gift shop to meet the characters. We walked through the shop and there were so many characters: the Incredibles, Sorcerer Mickey, Bolt characters, Little Einsteins, Goofy, and Chip and Dale were all there. We didn’t have much time so we saw Jo-Jo and Goliath and Little Einsteins. DS doesn’t watch TV so he didn’t know the first two characters and was a little apprehensive. He knows the Einstein’s from a game we have and he was happy to see them. I couldn’t remember their names so he reminded me. DD was awake and happy so she joined in for some photos too (unfortunately my aunt used the video mode on the camera so I can’t post them). DS saw Goofy walking by and screamed, “Goofy!” He was so excited to see a more familiar character.
We walked outside just in time for Playhouse Disney. DD started fussing so I nursed her once the show started. DS freaked out and screamed, “I don’t want to go to Playhouse Disney” repeatedly. He closed his eyes and covered them while screaming. It was really very funny. We all had to turn our faces to hide our laughter. I asked him if he wanted a snack because he loves to eat, but he only wanted to leave. I stopped nursing DD so we could exit. Now DS was calm, but DD was screaming. Ahh…the most magical place on earth. Everything worked out fine because we found a bench outside and I fed both kids. I always pack lunch for DS to make things easier because he always seems to be hungry. It started raining lightly during our little picnic, followed by loud thunder. I finished nursing and we ran for cover before the downpour started again. We waited under an awning outside of The Little Mermaid show for about 15 minutes. There weren’t many people there until the show let out and then it was total chaos. There wasn’t enough room for everyone exiting the show. But people bravely ran out into the storm like it was no big deal. We left the park when the rain slowed a little bit. I felt like we didn’t see much that morning, but we still had fun.
A bus arrived just as we were walking to the stop. We all went into panic mode knowing that we had to get both kids out of strollers and fold them up. This was no easy task. DM always dealt with DS while I handled DD. I brought the Snap and Go stroller because it is lightweight and attaches to the infant seat. It was a little difficult to carry the stroller and infant seat on the bus. Also, some buses have seats only along the side while others have rows with two seats on each side. The latter is a nightmare when navigating the infant seat and stroller. I’m still not sure why we didn’t rent a car. We always rent a car when we go, but DH said I didn’t want to waste money on a car. Maybe I was pregnant and not thinking clearly when I made that decision. Anyway, after a short bus ride to the hotel we grabbed everything and then carried it up to our second floor room. Once in the room I got both kids to nap at the same time. I decided to go for a run even though it was a little hot. It was good stress relief after the hectic morning. The funny thing was that there was a tornado a little north of Orlando and it was so windy and rainy during my run. There were 40 mph winds that were blowing me from one side of the path to the other. At least it kept me cool.
Cute Topiaries at HS:

When I returned from my run DD was awake and DS was out like a light. I was debating whether or not to go to a park that night due to the weather. I certainly didn’t want DD in those windy conditions. DH watched the weather channel and said the storm was moving out, so we decided to go. We left for Epcot at 5:30 dressed in pants and long sleeves. It was chilly, but at least there was no rain. There was some wind so I kept the rain cover on DD’s stroller. Epcot looked beautiful because of the Flower and Garden Festival. We took some pictures with the princess topiaries in the background.
Me, DS, and DM

DS was excited to see the “baseball”, but was eager to eat dinner. We went to Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavillion. We had to park the strollers outside so I carried DD in her infant seat. What a pain! We ordered our food in shifts so I didn’t have to lug DD around. She was pretty cranky from lack of sleep so I ate my dinner standing up and rocking her. She finally fell asleep and I could relax a bit.
DD during dinner:

DS during dinner:

DM and my aunt wanted to go on Soarin but there was a 75 minute wait and all fastpasses were distributed. Instead we went to the Seas with Nemo. DM stayed outside with DD so I went with DS. He was excited for the ride until we walked through the dark queue. He said, “I don’t want to do this” but I talked him into it. He absolutely loved the ride and even rode it again with DM. He was yelling, “Hi Nemo, Hi Dory” as if they could hear him. We quickly checked out the shark exhibit because I knew it was almost time to feed DD. Every trip we take a picture with a different shark (because the line for Bruce is always so long) so DS chose the hammerhead. (note on the photo: he is wearing pants that rode up his legs…I wouldn’t put him in shorts with socks and croc shoes!)

I nursed DD after the ride and DS went on again with DM and my aunt. I chose a spot outside the Coral Reef restaurant and enjoyed some quiet time. DS wanted to do Nemo again, but we got him to take some pictures instead of the ride. People were allowing their kids to climb in the display so I let DS as well (I never would have done it otherwise…it seemed a little wrong). Here is DS and some fish friends:

We also stopped by the seagulls to take a picture. DD was awake and happy so I stuck her in too:

DS had a fun time listening to the birds (mine, mine, mine) and counting how many times they sprayed water.
We walked to World Showcase with no set agenda and it was nice. The wind had stopped and it was a beautiful night. I snapped these pictures as the sun was setting:

DD was in the baby bjorn and I couldn’t resist a picture in Canada:
[inmg] http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9da38b3127ccec6b2847ede2900000040O00QaMmrhq1aMQe3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/[/img]
We walked through the Morocco pavilion and stopped at the Kidcot station. DS decorated a mask, but lost interest in it quickly. We continued walking and met up with DH and his team in Mexico. Everyone went on the ride except me and DD who was sleeping peacefully. I walked around with her and scoped out our dessert options. I decided on Mickey ice-cream sandwiches and Dove bars (they are sooooo good). After the ride we had 10 minutes before Illuminations. We sat where World Showcase and Future World meet. DS kept saying he didn’t want fireworks and seemed really scared. He didn’t want to finish his dessert so I knew he was serious. I walked closer to Future World with him, but he wanted to go back once he heard the music. DS has been listening to the Illuminations soundtrack since he was born and absolutely loves it. On his past 3 trips he really enjoyed the show too. He was really happy with the music and enjoyed the fireworks too. In fact, he wanted more when it was over. I also love Illuminations…there is something about the music and the story it tells.
DS after the fireworks:

We left the park, rode the bus, carried everyone and everything upstairs, and got ready for bed. DS finally fell asleep at 10, but DD was just nursing at that time. She was extremely fussy and gassy. I think it had something to do with the water I was drinking because something was up with her digestive system the entire trip. She finally fell asleep at midnight Another exhausting day, but lots of fun. Tomorrow we visit the MK and I almost have a nervous breakdown because things don’t go as planned.

 

[luckylady]

I'm in. Cute kids. Love that last picture of DS, to cute.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I wish we would encounter 10 and 15 minute wait times. When we travel, the shortest waits are usually 30 minutes.

Thanks for the update. I'm still hangin' around for more.

 

[coachlevy]

Thanks for the compliments about the kiddies. Now onto day 3 of our trip.
Day 3:
What a crazy night! DD was really fussy and woke at 3:30, 4:30, and 6:30. Luckily I nursed her back to sleep and she slept another hour. She woke up so happy you’d think that it was a normal night of sleep. Here are my two angels sleeping together at 7 AM:

I pushed the bed against the wall so I wouldn’t have to worry about DS falling out.
We ate breakfast in the room and DS was very excited for MK. He grabbed his Mickey ears and was ready to go.

We left the room at 8 AM, a little bit ahead of schedule. By the time we got to the bus stop it was 8:06. We sat and talked about everything we would see that day. DS enjoyed watching the buses and recognized the names. He would say, “An Epcot bus” or whatever destination it said. We saw 3 buses for the studios, 2 AK, 1 Epcot, 1 Downtown Disney, and 1 MK. The MK bus was too full so it passed right by us. The attendant at the bus stop said that a MK bus was not coming for awhile, and we were better off taking the next bus to Epcot and riding the monorail. She knew that the next bus was for Epcot and said this would be faster. It was now 8:35. I had planned to be at the park by 8:45 to see the little pre-show and enter when it opened. I plan my Disney trips months in advance, mapping out which parks we’ll visit based on early entry times, and always arrive prior to opening. In most aspects of life I can go with the flow, except when it comes to Disney or my running (I’m a little OCD about both). So I was very stressed out by this glitch in our travel plans. We boarded the Epcot bus and jumped on the monorail to MK. I kept looking at my watch and panicking. I’m not sure why…I couldn’t change the situation. DM told me the world wouldn’t end because we missed the opening and she had a point. I realized that we never would have ridden the monorail this trip if the bus arrived on time. DS enjoyed the ride and I managed to calm myself a little bit. We stepped off the monorail at the TTC only to find a huge line for the MK monorail. Again panic set in as I thought of the long line we would have to wait for Dumbo and other rides. Disney must have expected huge crowds (it was Easter week) and they had charter buses waiting to drive to the MK. It was like a dream come true. We boarded a very comfortable bus and rode to MK in style. I thought this was a genius idea by Disney. It saved us so much time too.
We finally walked through the park gates at 9:20. Not terrible, but certainly enough to make my heart race. All my stress melted away once I was on Main Street. I love being at MK, hearing the music, and seeing the castle. It really is the happiest place on earth. I love seeing DS’s reaction too. He screamed, “The castle!” and was so excited. DS wanted to ride Dumbo and the Carousel before we even entered Fantasyland (he knows the park really well), so we devised a plan to save time. DS and I went to the Pooh ride, DM waited on line for Dumbo, and my aunt waited with DD who was sleeping in the stroller. Pooh is always a favorite for DS. He remembered the whole ride from our last trip in June and told me what was coming next. We met up with DM at Dumbo and they still had a 10 minute wait. The ride is really such a bust, but every kid adores it. Here are some pictures:

DS rode the Carousel with DM and my aunt while I pushed DD in the stroller. He absolutely loves this ride and would be content riding this, Dumbo, and Pooh.

DD woke up after a 20 minute “nap” and did not want to be in the infant seat. I put her in the baby bjorn thinking she’d fall asleep, but she just wanted to hang out. After the Carousel we waited for Pooh and Tigger. They start their day at 10 AM and it was 9:50. DM waited on line (we were 2nd) and I went with DS to Pooh’s Playful Spot. It’s such a fun place to let the kids run around for a few minutes. DS enjoyed the slide and water area, although he would only get his hands wet (easier for me). We met Tigger and Pooh, but DS wanted to know where Darby was. Apparently she was busy doing super sleuth work. I told DS to give hugs and kisses the Tigger and he did both. Here are some pics:
DS kissing Tigger:

DS, DD, Me, Tigger, and Pooh

Next we walked to Tomorrowland to get a Fastpass for Buzz Lightyear. DS really wanted to ride Small World so we went there next. On our last trip we went on 7 times. This was our first time and we had a 10 minute wait. DS remembered everything from the ride and immediately wanted to see the hula girls. We would tell him each country we passed which he filed away for later use (he knows all the countries on the globe so this was very exciting for him). He talked about everything we passed and said things like, “now we’re in Australia” when we saw a koala. DD was awake and wide eyed for the entire ride. After Small World we walked to Tomorrowland where I nursed DD. DM and my aunt went on Carousel of Progress with DS. He thought he was going on a real carousel and was not happy with the show. After nursing DD I waited in line to see Buzz Lightyear. The line was really long. Even when DS came out we still had a lot of people ahead of us so we just went on the ride instead. Actually DS went with DM because DD was really cranky. This is one of my favorite rides at MK, but getting DD to sleep was more important than riding it. It was really hard for her to sleep with all the noise and being so overtired. Finally I got her to sleep by swinging the infant seat back and forth. I got a lot of looks while I was doing this. People were probably thinking, "look at this nut with an infant in Disney." Oh well.
We left the park at 12:15 because it was hot and we were all cranky. We did the whole bus thing and got back to the room at 1. DS fell asleep at 2, despite his sister’s screaming. Like I said she was so overtired because she wasn’t napping. I finally got her to sleep in her seat at 2:30 and I collapsed on the bed. I didn’t sleep, but it was nice to rest for awhile. DS woke up at 4:30 and we walked to the main pool. The new kiddie pool at CBR is awesome. It is a big pirate ship with several slides and lots of spraying water. It even dumps buckets of water on you every so often. DS wanted to go in pirate pool, but was very cautious. He wanted to go down the slide, but didn’t want to go under the waterfall to get to it. I gave him my sunglasses so his eyes wouldn’t get wet and that did the trick. He absolutely loved the slide. Here are some pics:
DS on the slide:

Pirate Pool:

My only complaint about the pool is that it was too crowded. There were kids running all over and pushing a lot too. After a few rounds on the slide we went to the main pool. I put DD in and she liked it.
We had plans to go to MK again at night but I wasn’t feeling well. My legs were really hurting after the pool, I was exhausted, and nauseous. I thought if I ate something I’d feel better so I had a snack at the room. I didn’t want to sit in the room all night so we went to Downtown Disney. I figured there wasn't too much walking and we could leave if I didn't feel well. We ate at Wolfgang Puck Express at the Marketplace. We also found the “Everything $10 and under” store which is probably the smallest store in all of Disney. I was feeling pretty terrible so we left after a few stores. We waited awhile for a bus. I was shivering while we waited and it wasn’t even that cold. I have no idea what was wrong with me. I guess I just "hit the wall" from all the running around, carrying, and extra nursing sessions. I was disappointed that we didn't go to Ghiradelli for ice-cream, Lego Land, and World of Disney. I've been there so many times and thankfully DS didn't complain. We rode the bus back and DS said every stop at our hotel. “Jamaica is next,” he’d say, followed by every other stop. He has an amazing memory and remembered every stop in order. I didn’t even remember the names! I had promised him ice-cream at Downtown Disney, but talked him into getting it at the hotel because I felt so bad. DM got off at the food court stop while I went with DD back to the room. The kids were asleep early and I was able to go to bed at 9:30. I prayed that I would feel better tomorrow for Day 2 of the MK.

 

[luckylady]

Oh I hope yout better. If you go back when the kids are little ask them for a guardrail for the bed.Another fun day.

 

[coachlevy]

I never thought to ask for a guardrail...thanks for the tip luckylady.

Day 4:
I woke up at 7:30 feeling refreshed and ready to go. DD only woke once for a quick feeding so I felt like I slept so long. DM and DS went to the food court for breakfast while I nursed DD and got ready. DS was in heaven going to the food court. He ate Mickey waffles, strawberries, yogurt, and applesauce. We decided to take the bus from Old Port Royal so we didn’t have a repeat of yesterday. This was a good plan because our bus passed right by some villages.
We arrived at MK a little after 9 and I was okay with it. Feeling sick last night gave me a whole new perspective on Disney. Although slowing down was against my nature, I needed to do it for the sake of my kids. What use would I be if I was sick in bed? Anyway, our first stop was Toontown Fair to meet some characters. We walked all the way there to learn that Goofy, Pluto, and Donald aren’t there anymore. It is now Pixie Hollow and the other characters are located throughout the park. I knew about Pixie Hollow, but I didn’t know it replaced the other characters. I was annoyed at myself for this slip-up and waste of time but it wasn’t a big deal. We moved on to see Mickey, but the line was really long. DS was surprisingly ok with all of this. On our way to Fantasyland he saw the teacups and wanted to ride them. This is one ride I will not do and luckily DM loves it. The two of them had fun riding together :

While they waited for the ride I went to get fastpasses for Peter Pan and Pooh. I used my card for Pooh and DM’s card for Peter Pan since only one of us would ride with DS. After the teacups DM wanted to go on Pirates. We walked to Adventureland and on the way spotted Donald in Frontierland. There was a little bit of a line but we waited anyway. DS saw the Liberty Belle Steamboat and thought it was the greatest thing. We watched it go down the river before meeting Donald in Davy Crocket gear.
DS with Frontierland Donald:

After meeting Donald we stopped in the bathroom where DS decided to sing the alphabet really loud. It was very funny and got a lot of attention which he loved. This became his routine every time we entered a bathroom the rest of the trip. Anyway, DM and DS went on Pirates while I walked with a sleeping DD. I waited on line for Hook and Smee, but DS came out of the ride so quickly we didn’t see them. He did not like the ride…I think it was a little too scary for him. Now it was time to use our fastpasses so we walked back to Fantasyland for Pooh. DS was so excited to see the Woozles and Heffalumps. Funny how yesterday he didn’t want to go on this ride and now he wouldn’t stop talking about it. Toddlers are very interesting. Here are some pictures from the ride:
Woozles

DS and a Heffalump

DS was singing the Heffalump and Woozle song and really making me laugh. The lyrics are, “A heffalump and woozle is very confusil” and you can imagine a 2 year old singing that. Next time we go I must take pictures of the entire ride because DS keeps asking for the rain, Tigger, and Pooh in a honey pot. We met up with DH and gave him the fastpass to ride Peter Pan with DS. They enjoyed the ride and came out laughing because the dog’s name is Nana and that’s what DS calls DM. DM stayed with DD while the rest of us went on Small World. We had a fun time on the ride and laughed at DS saying all of the countries. He remembered everything! DM, on the other hand, had a very difficult time with DD. First, DD had an accident and needed a change of clothes so DM changed her in the bathroom. Then DD cried and screamed until DM rocked her in her arms. DM said she got a lot of looks like she was torturing the child. As soon as I came out of the ride she handed her to me and I was able to calm her down. DM was very stressed and in need of a cocktail (or a plane ticket back home!).
Before we left the park DS was getting his haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop. He got his first haircut there at 14 months, and on our last trip we stopped in for some blue gel and Mickey’s in his hair. He desperately needed a haircut, but wanted to wait until Disney. There was a line at the shop so DM waited and I took DS to the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It Parade It was a little gathering before the parade with hula hoops and a bean bag toss. The cast member gave out Mardi Gras beads for participating. Here is DS with a hula hoop and having lots of fun:

We missed the actual street party because it takes place near the castle, but we saw all of the floats pass. DS was dancing like crazy to the music and yelling the names of the characters. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Mr. Incredible, Frozone, Chip, Dale, Jesse, Woody, Baloo, and Louie. There were also stilt walkers and lots of dancers. The music was upbeat and it looked like so much fun. Apparently some other characters pop out of boxes as they get closer to the castle.
The haircut was a milestone for DS because he agreed to a buzz cut. At home he is deathly afraid of the buzzer, but someone worked their Disney magic for him to agree to this. Here are some pictures in the barber shop:
Waiting for his haircut:

Checking out the buzzer:

Enjoying the tickle:

We were lucky to have entertainment during the haircut. A barber shop quartet sang songs and told jokes. They were dressed in pin stripes, suspenders, and hats. They looked adorable and sang really well. DS wanted no part of them and when they asked him his name he said, “No, you guys go out right now.” It was very funny. I wish I had a picture of them singing, but I don’t. DH got his haircut also because it was way past due. He also wanted it to be a special moment for him and DS, but DS wanted out of the shop as soon as he was done so he could be as far away from the quartet as possible. We did take a picture of the two boys with their haircuts outside the shop:

We left MK, ate lunch back at the room, and got both kids napped at the same time . I used this time to run even though it was really hot. CBR has a great path that circles the hotel. It was really hot, but not as bad as I thought. I returned to the room dripping wet to find DM holding DD. The little insomniac slept for about 10 minutes so DM held her until I returned. Poor DM! I rocked her to sleep in her infant seat and she slept for about an hour. They both woke up at around 4:30. We went to the pool in our village and met up with DH. It was a little windy so I kept DD out, but DS had fun getting wet.
After a brief swim session we went back to the room to get ready for the evening. We decided to go to Epcot for dinner. We walked to the bus stop near the food court. DS was very funny while we waited because he yelled out every bus that passed. He even saw a Magical Express bus and said, “airport bus” so excitedly. People around us were entertained. Our first mission at Epcot was to check the wait for Soarin. It was the same as the other day…75 minutes and no fastpasses. So we didn’t do that ride. DS saw Nemo and wanted to ride it again with DM. He loved it as usual. I sat outside with DD who was sleeping. After the ride we walked to Morocco for dinner. We ate at Tangiere Café. I ordered lentils, couscous, and hummus for DS. He ate hummus by the spoonful like it was ice-cream and tried to eat mine also. DD woke up during the meal so I nursed her while eating. Next to the restaurant there was a playground area set up for the Flower and Garden Show. DS enjoyed crawling through tunnels, climbing, and sliding. I wish they always had a playground at Epcot to give the kids a chance to move around. World Showcase can be pretty boring for a little one. We walked to Japan and decided to turn around for Future World. Since we were here the other night we weren’t in the mood to do all of World Showcase. We stopped in the UK to look at the Flower and Garden Festival display. It was so cute…tea cups as planters. The plants were also different kinds of teas. This made DM very happy. For dessert we wanted hard ice-cream, which is very difficult to find in Epcot. We checked several spots and were ready to leave when DM spotted the Edy’s ice-cream shop in Future World. She and DS went inside while I went to the MouseGear store to look for Donald and Goofy jibbitz. I never went in that store and was amazed how big it is. I think it is my new favorite store in WDW. Usually I like World of Disney, but MouseGear had everything and was not as overwhelming. They were all out of the jibbitz I wanted but I enjoyed looking around for a few minutes. We sat and ate our ice-cream outside the store and watched the fountain with different colored lights. Basically we came to Epcot to eat because we left after our dessert. The bus ride back was fun because DS said all the stops and had people laughing. DH came back to the room for a quick hello before I put the kids to bed. He also brought oatmeal raisin cookies from the food court that were so delicious. I ate three of them right before going to bed! Today was the best day of the trip so far. I was able to relax and not worry too much about scheduling. I was still tired at the end of the day, but who isn’t after a day in the parks?

 

[coachlevy]

Sorry it took so long to post...I've been having computer problems.

Day 5: Today we visited Animal Kingdom. Both kids slept well (DD woke once for a feeding) and I felt good. We walked to Old Port Royal for some tea and waited for a bus there. The bus stopped at Blizzard Beach first which was a little annoying since nobody was going there and there wasn’t anybody waiting there since it was before the park opened. We arrived at AK a few minutes after 9. This worked out well because we missed the huge rush and still had short wait times. Our first ride was Kilamanjaro Safari. I went on with DS and DM stayed with DD who was napping so peacefully. DS was so excited for the ride. I told him we would see animals in the grassland and he rattled off various animals. He was too funny on the ride because he kept asking for every animal before we saw it and narrating what we saw. He’d say, “Now we saw an elephant, the zebra is next” during the entire ride. Unfortunately we didn’t see a zebra so he talked about that incessantly. We did see giraffes, hippos, rhinos, elephants, and crocodiles. We seemed to see more animals on this trip than ever before. Normally we go in the summer when it is super hot and the animals are less active.
Giraffe on Safari ride:

Our next stop was Camp Minnie-Mickey to meet some characters. As we entered we saw Kenai and Koda from Brother Bear. DS is obsessed with bears and loves these guys. He even calls himself Kenai and his sister Koda because he has light hair like Kenai and she has dark hair like Koda. He ran up to the bears and gave them huge hugs and kisses. It was very cute. Here are some pictures:

It was 10 minutes until the Festival of the Lion King, but DS didn’t want to go. We’ve seen the show twice before so I let DM make the decision. She said no so we spent the time with characters instead. It was actually a good idea because the lines were fairly short during the show. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale. Minnie was wearing a safari hat and DS wanted to know where her bow was. While on line for Goofy he had to take a break for cappuccino. I love the stories the cast members tell about the characters! DS thought this was really funny (I told him he needed coffee) and kept repeating this all day. The line for Chip and Dale was so long because the Lion King show had just let out. I used this opportunity to nurse DD and give DS a snack. The line filtered out and we had a short wait. DS ran so fast to see Chip and Dale that they were hardly ready for him. Here are some pictures of DS, DD, and DM with characters:
Mickey and my crew:

Minnie and DS:

Goofy and DS:

Chip, DS, and Dale

As we were leaving Camp Minnie-Mickey DM spotted this cute fishing scene with Mickey, Pluto, and Donald that I had never seen before. Here is part of it:

Our next stop was Dinoland. DS really likes the Triceratop Spin ride. He went on with DM and I waited on a very long line to see Pluto. DD fell asleep while on line. DS enjoyed his ride, but his favorite part of Dinoland was watching Primevel Whirl. The line for Pluto was right next to the ride and he was mesmerized. He kept yelling, “now they go up….now they go down” every time someone passed. Finally we reached Pluto and DS ran to give him hugs and kisses.
DS and Pluto:

It was really hot at this point so we thought we’d check out Bug’s Life. DM wanted to see it so she went with DS. I walked around with DD, but got a call from DM a few minutes later that they were finished. DS freaked out once they got in the theater and said he didn’t want to see bugs. I kind of knew this would happen, but I figured I’d give him a chance. We decided to look for a bite to eat instead. DD woke up while we were walking and was very unhappy. I had to rock her in her seat so we stopped at a bench. I fed DS lunch while swinging DD. She would not calm down and was screaming like crazy. It took so long to calm her down and she didn’t fall asleep! With all the chaos we left the park and waited awhile for a bus. DD finally fell asleep as we waited for the bus with lots of rocking. We never ate lunch so DM and I were quite hungry.
Back at the room both kids napped for a little bit (DD a very little bit and DS 2 hours!). We planned to visit the pool, but it was windy and chilly. Instead I took DS to the playground and DM walked with DD. The playground was not good for a 2 year old (no slide, just an area to climb with no way down), but he still had fun. We met some boys by the beach and they showed DS how to make a sand castle. The boys were older and really tried to teach DS. It was very cute. They even gave him a pail and shovel to keep. DD was overtired and crying again so I went to deal with her and DM made sandcastles with DS.
We quickly showered and got ready for dinner at the food court. I was so excited for a cheeseburger and fries, and they were so good. I bought some cookies to eat later also. The bus ride to MK was a disaster. DM called it the bus ride from hell, which DS later repeated and had us hysterical. The bus had rows two by two, making it difficult to get on with an infant seat. Also it was so crowded. Thankfully someone gave me their seat. There were so many people standing in the aisle that I had to put the infant seat on my lap. It was also 1000 degrees on the bus. DM and DS were sitting in the front so I probably looked like a crazy lady with an infant in Disney. Anyway, since there was no room in the aisle I had DD on my lap and the stroller balanced carefully with my other hand. Thankfully some kind man held the stroller for me. The bus stopped at every single village before departing for MK and it seemed to take forever. DD was due for a feeding and started crying loudly. I wasn’t thrilled about nursing her on the bus, but I had no choice. I am always very discreet about it, but we were packed in the bus so tightly people were practically on my lap. But it stopped her from crying and saved everyone from an even worse bus ride. I held her on my lap until we were close to MK. I asked someone to help me off the bus and met up with DM and DS. Boy were we glad that was over.
MK was very crowded but it looked so lovely at night. That is my absolute favorite time to go there. We met up with DH at the Noodle Station where he was finishing dinner with his track team. I called him earlier and told him to get a fastpass for Buzz Lightyear so he could go on with DS. The boys and track girls went on Buzz while DM, DD, and I checked out Laugh Floor Comedy Club. This is one attraction I hadn’t seen in my previous trips and was very cute. DD was surprisingly calm and quiet during the show. The show was longer than the Buzz Lightyear ride so we met up with DS and DH in Fantasyland. They were on Small World again. DD was extremely unhappy while we were waiting so I sat on the ground rocking her seat. Again I received a lot of looks. I finally calmed her down and we met up with DS and DH.
We headed towards Main St. to view Spectromagic. We walked through the castle, paused to look at the beautiful mosaic, and slowly made our way to our viewing spot. We always watch the parade near Tony’s, but tonight we arrived too late for a good spot. There was some space outside the Confectionary so we sat there. It was just myself, DS, DD, and DM. DH and his track girls stopped for ice-cream and braved the very long line (of course we put in our own orders though!). DS was starting to get antsy about the parade saying, “No, I don’t want the parade.” Since he did this for most of the trip I figured he’d get over it. Plus he’s seen the parade 3 times and loved every minute of it. To distract him for awhile I brought him to the Chapeau Shop to pick out ears for DD. We got the classic pink Minnie ears with her name, but they have so many different options now. You can make your own ears by buying a base, ears, and patches. They had lots of different colors and patterns to choose. The price is about the same as the regular ears too. When DS outgrows his ears I will let him create his own. The lettering on the hat wouldn’t be ready for an hour so we needed to check back after the parade.
Back at our spot on Main Street, DS was excited because two marching bands passed us. However, once the lights dimmed and the music started he freaked. I moved him back a few feet and DH arrived just in time with ice-cream. This calmed him for about 20 seconds until one of the floats let out smoke from underneath. DD also decided this was a good time to cry. So I’m trying to eat my ice-cream sundae, move DS to a “safe” place, and keep DD from losing it. DM was helping in this too while eating a chocolate ice-cream cone. The whole thing was very comical, especially since ice-cream was dripping all over DM, the infant seat, and my sneakers (the seat and sneakers are still stained with chocolate!). My goal was to get DS to the sidewalk, but there was so much traffic we couldn’t fit everything (strollers and kids) under the ropes. Finally we made it and DS was happier. So much for watching the parade. We finished our ice-cream and DD fell asleep on her own. We went back to the Chapeau for the Minnie ears and they were so cute!
This was our last night in the parks and normally I am a little sad to leave, but not this time! We left before Wishes (it was at 10…way too late) with DH and his track girls. As we walked to the bus DH told his girls that I cry every time we leave (this is a complete exaggeration…I get a little teary). The bus pulled up just as we arrived and I made DH take DD, fold the stroller, and get on the bus by himself. All week he kept saying, “what’s the big deal”, so I let him experience it firsthand. It’s not that big a deal for him, but for a tiny person like me it is! I helped DS on the bus and DM grabbed his stroller. Back in the room both kids were awake so we took some pictures of them in their ears.
DD in her Minnie ears:

Both kids in ears:

The kids finally went to sleep around 10 and I packed a little bit before going to bed. I can’t believe we’re all done in the parks. I have one more post about our last day in the world. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!

 

[noahdove]

Interesting so far I think it would be hard to travel with a tiny baby, at least to Disney You can only take just so much stuff

 

[coachlevy]

Last Day:
This is the first trip I can say that I’m glad it’s the last day. I set my alarm for 6:30 to run before anyone woke up. The sky was amazing as the sun rose, and there were 5 hot air balloons floating. It was so peaceful. When I returned to the room everyone was sleeping. DM didn’t even know that I left which I was happy about. She deserves a medal for coming on this trip. DH had it made staying with another coach…lol.
Everyone woke by 7:30 and we ate breakfast in the room. It was nice not having to rush around to get ready for a park. DM walked around with DD so she would fall asleep and I walked with DS to the playground. My goal this morning was to tire out the little guy so he would take an early nap. Our flight wasn’t until 6:30 so we had to leave by 3 with the Magical Express. I made him walk to the Jamaica playground (2 villages from us) because it is more suited for toddlers. There was a truck smoothing out the sand when we got there so we had to wait. DS thought it was a lawn mower (he is obsessed with gardening equipment) and was ecstatic. After playing a little bit and making sand castles we walked back to our room to get stuff for the pool. I met DM there and thankfully, DD was sound asleep. I went in the pool with DS and he had a blast. The pirate pool was temporarily closed, but we had fun in the main pool. It was a zero entry pool so DS was able to kick and swim easily. When DD woke up I brought her in the pool too. It was very relaxing just hanging out at the pool. I even got to sit in a lounge chair for a few minutes. Here are some pics at the pool:

DD in her bikini:

Finally the pirate pool opened and DS ran around like crazy. He wasn’t afraid anymore and he didn’t want to leave. Back at the room I got both kids to nap. DM went downstairs to do laundry which was the best idea ever. It was so nice to come home and not have to worry about dirty clothes. I packed everything I could and got myself ready.
The hotel was very accommodating and let us check out at 3 PM. DH called the day before saying that we had two young children that needed to nap. I was very gracious for the this. I woke DS at 2:30 and we prepared to leave the room. DH had some of his track kids help us with luggage. We walked to the Custom House and waited for the Magical Express. It arrived quickly and we were ready to go. I held DD in my arms for the ride and sat next to DS. They played a video with all the characters leaving WDW and going to the airport. DS enjoyed watching, but was so sad when it was over. He said, “where they went?” I told him they went back to MK and he cried saying, “I want them here….I go back to Disney.” Being the overly emotional mom that I am I started to cry! This was also the point I became sad about leaving and asked DH when we’re coming back. The plan is next summer when DD is 18 months and will appreciate some of what’s going on (and will be much easier to deal with I hope!).
Everything at the airport went smoothly. The only problem was that DM’s suitcase fell on DS. He cried a little bit, but was fine. DM felt so bad. DD was sleeping in the baby bjorn and looked so uncomfortable. But she was asleep and I wasn’t about to mess with her. We ate dinner at the food court (pizza) before going to our gate. DD woke up in time for a feeding before boarding. Boarding was a pain, especially because the man checking tickets was rude. He said DS didn’t have a ticket and wasn’t going to let us on the plane. Finally he figured it out and we boarded the plane. Both kids were well behaved on the plane. DS enjoyed his activity books and playing cards. I also brought 2 Mickey rice krispy treats (one for me, one for him), and that kept him quiet for a long time. DD was happy when awake and slept in my arms for a long time.
We landed in NY close to 9 PM and we were all tired. Our baggage came quickly and we waited for DH to get the car. While we were waiting my nose started bleeding like crazy. I started to get really nervous because the only time I get bloody noses is when I’m pregnant (I’m not, thank goodness!). We got to the car and DS was sad about Disney. He kept saying, “I want to go back.” My little Disney boy. I was very happy to arrive home and crawl into my own bed.
Looking back on the trip it was a little crazy to go with DD. But I really did have a good time, like I always do in Disney. A few things I wish were different are renting a car, staying on the first floor, and having DD on a better sleep schedule. The funny thing is now she sleeps so well. She takes two 2 hour naps, a short afternoon nap, and goes to sleep at 6:45. DH asked last night if I want to go to Disney this summer so we can experience it as a family. This is the first time in my life I said no to a Disney trip! I really want to wait until DD is older. DH also talked about going next February with his track team. DD will be 14 months and that is when we first took DS, so that is a possibility. I’ll definitely be back there sometime in 2010 and I can’t wait to start planningHere is a picture I forgot to put in the first post. When we went with DS the first time I made him a shirt that said, “My First Trip to Disney” but the pattern wouldn’t fit on a onesie. I didn’t want DD to feel neglected years down the road so I made this sign for her:

Thank you all for reading. I hope I gave some insight about what not to do when traveling with an infant. I wish everyone many happy times at Disney.

I also have a question. I saw several buses that said, "Aristocats" and was wondering what they were and where they go.