No Request was too Extreme: A Post-Deployment Disney Trip *Completed

[amazingact21]

I'm loving the empty park! How lucky can you get. Landon sure looks like he's enjoying it. He looks like he owns this place. So sorry you missed the mine train. It's fun for the little bit of time it lasts. Your time will come. It's funny how different each pregnancy can be. I use to wonder if it had to do with the difference in having a boy and a girl. I was way more sick for the girls than my son. I hope it didn't effect too badly on this trip.

Wow what a Magical Moment! Pulling the sword out. My kids would have loved to do this. Someday when you show him the pictures he'll be amazed.

I miss those empty parks! There's something magical about being able to let your kid run around parts of the park without worrying about him running into another guest. With the way the crowd levels have been the last few years, I doubt Evie will ever experience that luxury.

I think the gender makes a difference in pregnancies, but that's just because I had 2 vastly different experiences. Like you, my girl made me way more nauseous than the boy.

I had never seen anyone actually pull the sword out before, so it took me a long time to realize what was happening. For Father's Day last year, I had Landon "paint" a picture frame, and I put one of those pictures in. It now sits in Alex's office. To me, when we see that photo, it reminds us how amazing this trip was, overall.

I recognize that Lollacup! We got the same one for Paxton, and now Delilah uses it. lol

I love those cups! We actually bought a new one for Evie, and we stocked up on straw replacements before we moved out here. And, as it turns out, we can get the cups at our base for, like, 10 dollars.

Eek!! I remember this same excitement from our WL stay a few years ago. It's incredible to see the fireworks from the comfort of your resort room with no crowds to battle on the way out of the park after!

LOVE the Main Street photos!! Minus that darn crane, of course. The crane drove DH bananas on our Feb trip. lol



Sorry breakfast did not go great with the characters, but this picture cracked me up!



That's AWESOME!!!! DS would be SOO excited to finally pull the sword from the stone one of these days!!

After staying at a monorail resort, I get why they are as expensive as they are. There's just something so relaxing about getting to see Wishes without being jostled or battling the FL heat or ignoring your tired feet. It's like your own private viewing area.
I really hope when the kids get older we can pull off another stay at the Poly so that they can experience it, too.

Way to go!


Well, on the bright side, maybe your first ride can be Landon's first ride on it too!


Aw, so sweet.


Wow!!! That is amazing! I didn't realize it until you said it - they just looked so happy I was focusing on that!


Cute picture!

That's a good way to look at Mine Train! And probably very true. Landon's been hanging out at the 37 inch mark for close to a year now. (He's super short for his age.) There's no way we'll be returning to Disney before his 4th birthday, and by that point I'd be downright shocked if he hadn't grown an inch. What a cool memory we could share...


It wasn't until the sword was going back down that I realized it, either. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, and I was freaking out a bit. I almost feel a little bad for Evie, because I feel like so many cool and unique things happened on this trip that it'll be hard to ever top it.

So awesome that Landon and Alex got to pull the Sword out of the stone! I have never seen one person, on any of our trips, ever accomplish this feat. Truly special and magical moment

I don't think I ever have, either. I think that because it's so rare, I forgot it does happen and that's what took me so long to comprehend what was happening in my head.

 

[natebenma]

OMG!!! The Sword! The Sword!!!

I am so thrilled for you!

Also, so glad Landon loved Dumbo. My boys still have not had their first rides on Dumbo. DH either. I did my first ride last summer.

I love the expression on Ariel's face. Oo- someone is not impressed with me!

Very cute picture of you and Landon on the carousel. I would not be able to tell you were not feeling well if you hadn't said anything.

 

[amazingact21]

OMG!!! The Sword! The Sword!!!

I am so thrilled for you!

Also, so glad Landon loved Dumbo. My boys still have not had their first rides on Dumbo. DH either. I did my first ride last summer.

I love the expression on Ariel's face. Oo- someone is not impressed with me!

Very cute picture of you and Landon on the carousel. I would not be able to tell you were not feeling well if you hadn't said anything.

The sword was one of my favorite moments of the trip. Talk about unforgettable. I framed one of those photos and it's now in Alex's office at work.

That's right, you did go on Dumbo that morning you had to yourself. Hopefully, one day, your boys will be able to experience it, if for no other reason than to say they've been on it!

 

[amazingact21]

It’s shaping up to be a pretty rainy day here in Germany, so I figured now is a good time to try and fit an update in. I really want to get both this report and my next one finished before the end of the year. Because maybe….just maybe….I’ll have more Disney material to write about by next summer.





February 28th, 2015 Part 3:


The downside to writing a trip report a year and a half later is that some of the details are fuzzy. I don’t know if it’s the lack of sleep or the kids driving me crazy this morning, but I was editing the photos for this update and having a hard time piecing together their order. So please bear with me, I’m 95% sure I’ve got the order of attractions correct, but if I don’t, I apologize.


Just gives me motivation to get these bad boys written faster!


In my last update, I mentioned we took Landon on Dumbo for a second time. That time around I got to sit with him, and I managed to take a couple photos of his reaction.


You don’t have to take my word for it; I think the pictures prove that Landon really does love Dumbo.







Alex and I decided to head back to the Polynesian around lunch time. We weren’t super hungry, but we wanted to give Landon an opportunity to nap in the room while we relaxed. Not to mention, I’d foolishly worn flip flops into the park, and I was terrified I was going to slip on the wet ground and fall.


On our way out of the park, we had to stop by the Baby Care Center and retrieve our stroller.

Yeah.

We hadn’t used it once that morning.


Landon walked through Magic Kingdom no problem.

If someone had told me that a 1 year could have that kind of staying power I wouldn’t have believed them. But there Landon was, rocking and rolling 2 hours after breakfast.

Nuts.




The three of us hung out at the Polynesian until close to 5 o’clock. Nothing really exciting or wonderful happened during that time so I don’t have any photographs of that stint.

Sorry.


It was still raining when we hopped on the monorail.

Just that kind of day.




Alex and I had Fastpasses to meet talking Mickey, and despite Landon not reacting well to characters so far, we were in denial and thought maybe if Mickey spoke he’d be okay.

(Alex would hate for me to not insert my complete baby brain moment right here, so I must include my complete brain burp. In the Mickey meet line, there’s a point where the fastpass and standby lines coincide and a CM ushers people into a holding room. Well, when it was our turn to go, a very noncommittal Cast Member just told us to go ahead without even looking at us. So me, my mind totally blanking, hooked a left and walked straight into the guests waiting in the standby line. They looked at me like I’d lost my mind while Alex shouted out, “Where are you going?!”

Smooth, Alicia. Real smooth.

Something Alex has yet to let me live down.)





Landon was unamused by our choice of activities:






Although, when it came to the actual meet, he didn’t seem to care one way or the other. He didn’t freak out, but he also didn’t seem to enjoy hearing Mickey’s voice.







Out in the dump shop, Alex and I went and bought a pair of Mickey ears for Landon. Since we’d just found out we were having another baby, we needed to tell family, and after that was taken care of, we would eventually need to make it Facebook official.


We’d thought about what we could do, and Alex came up with idea of getting some ears engraved with Big Brother and taking a photo of Landon wearing them.


I was hesitant to do that since this trip was 100% secret from certain members of our family. They would not have been too pleased to learn we were at Disney and didn’t tell them, but Alex made a point of saying we could just tell them we had a friend make them for us.

That worked.


The ears actually ended up being a cute souvenir from the trip.





While we were waiting for the ears to be engraved, I was messaging a DISer who’s not on the boards anymore but was pretty well known while she here. Mary Ellen (MEK on here) had run the Princess Half the weekend prior and was still visiting the parks. Her and her husband had dinner reservations at the MK so I was trying to coordinate a meet with them. I had met Mary Ellen twice (I think twice, it might have only been once) before, and I was really excited to see her again.

She’s a wonderful person, incredibly nice and I’ve felt like I’ve known her forever.


Her and Denny arrived in the park just about the time Alex was finishing up in the shop, so he was able to chase Landon around while I spoke with the two of them. It was great to be able to meet her husband and hear how her race went; Denny commented that Landon was a future runner with the way he was zooming around.


It was such a nice meet despite standing out in the drizzly rain and Landon being antsy. I was really grateful we were able to see each other again, and I can only hope our trips align again in the future.


We took some photos, but they weren’t great.


But, hey, no pics no proof, right?





We said our goodbyes shortly after taking those shots. Mary Ellen and Denny needed to head to their dinner, and we needed to get Landon out of the rain. He was starting to turn a little blue from the cold.


There was a certain attraction in Fantasyland that Landon hadn’t gone on yet, one that’s a classic.


One that is every kid’s kryptonite.




It’s a Small World!


Landon loved it, like always.

Dumbo might be thrilling and fun, but absolutely nothing tops Small World in Landon’s book.


Even to this day, the kid is obsessed with the ride. He likes to watch videos of not just Disney World’s version, but also the Disneyland in CA and the Hong Kong ride through. If there’s a Small World to be seen, Landon will sit through it.


I wouldn’t be surprised if one of his life goals when he grows up is to go on each and every one of them.

(One of the reasons we haven’t made our way to Disneyland Paris yet is the fact that their Small World is undergoing a long refurb and won’t be back up until spring of 2017.)




Immediately after we got off the attraction, we got back on for another spin.

Then, it was on to a quick dinner at Pecos Bill, where my pregnant self ate the best burger with sautéed onions I’d ever had.

I have zero clue what made the food so delicious, but when you’re pregnant and something just tastes right, it’s the most amazing thing ever.

I almost ordered a second burger.

It was that good.

Which just amuses me silly now that I’m looking back on the meal. Because it was Pecos Bill, for goodness sake.

Not a Le Cellier or a Yachtsman or California Grill dinner.

No.

It was a quick service dish from a place that doesn’t even carry that item anymore!


Little Evie made me weird…




Once dinner was over, Alex and I meandered over to Pirates and took a turn sailing through the Caribbean. Landon didn’t seem to like our adventure too much, though. We think the dark aspect was unnerving him.

He was finally getting to that age where fear plays into his experience.

So, as much as we would have liked to have taken advantage of the lack of lines that the ride had and gone again, we spared Landon the trouble and made our way back to Main Street.



Alex and I had agreed to make it another early night, simply because we were sick of being drizzled on. The bottoms of our pants were wet, we couldn’t get completely warm, and neither of us saw the sense in staying when we had an amazing room we could relax in.


The thoughts of families that still have time left on their vacation.

You know if that was our final night we’d have been closing the park down…



When we got to the town square, Alex noticed that the Mickey meet and greet had a five minute wait.

Probably because the nighttime shows were about to begin.

Alex really wanted to take Landon back to Mickey because he had realized that he hadn’t gotten in any of the photos earlier.

So, off we went!
(With me going the right direction this time around.)

Because it was getting pretty late, Landon was not cooperative this time.






Coming out of the town square theater, the MSEP was about three fourths of the way finished. Landon perked up when he saw all the lights on the floats, so rather than move on we watched the last of the parade.

It’s a cute parade, but I’ve seen it so many times now that it’s lost its luster.

But I also could just be biased, because I don’t think anything holds a candle to Festival of Fantasy.

That’s, hands down, my favorite Disney parade.

Ever.




Once the honoring America banner had gone past us, Alex and I had a quick discussion on whether or not to stay or beat the crowds out of the park. We had a 20 minute window to get out before Wishes started, and we chose to take it.

We’d gotten to see the fireworks the last 2 nights; we weren’t gonna be greedy and push our luck.


Fortunately, a monorail pulled into the station right as we walked up, and we were back at the Poly in no time.

Landon in his stroller, I glanced down at my phone once we were inside the resort and realized something extraordinary.


If we could book it to our room, we could make it in time to see Wishes!


Go, go, go!


Alex and I scanned our bands at our door, pulled Landon out of his seat, slid the glass door open at our window, and sat down just as the first fireworks lit up the sky.





We were watching Wishes for the 3rd night in a row!

How…HOW in the world did we get so lucky?!?!



I was in complete shock. We just went from watching the Main Street Electrical Parade in the Magic Kingdom to being back in our room watching Wishes. We accomplished that in a 20 minute stretch of time.

It was like each night of this trip was aiming to amaze me more and more.


Most folks would consider themselves lucky to have one or two of our experiences happen in a single trip, and here we were getting shocked and awed around every turn.


The day had started out with Landon pulling the sword from the stone and ended with us laying our heads at the flipping Polynesian resort.


If I didn’t have all these pictures, I’d think I’d dreamed this entire trip.


And as awesome as the trip had been so far, we still had another exciting day left.


One that would include a resort change!

 

[vamassey1]

The downside to writing a trip report a year and a half later is that some of the details are fuzzy. I don’t know if it’s the lack of sleep or the kids driving me crazy this morning, but I was editing the photos for this update and having a hard time piecing together their order. So please bear with me, I’m 95% sure I’ve got the order of attractions correct, but if I don’t, I apolo

Agreed, the longer the time since the trip the more you forget.

You don’t have to take my word for it; I think the pictures prove that Landon really does love Dumbo.

Yes you can see how much he loves it.

Landon walked through Magic Kingdom no problem.

Still amazed at this.

Although, when it came to the actual meet, he didn’t seem to care one way or the other. He didn’t freak out, but he also didn’t seem to enjoy hearing Mickey’s voice.

Sorry the Mouse failed to impress. Hopefully with age he will.

The ears actually ended up being a cute souvenir from the trip.

Very cute!

While we were waiting for the ears to be engraved, I was messaging a DISer who’s not on the boards anymore but was pretty well known while she here. Mary Ellen (MEK on here) had run the Princess Half the weekend prior and was still visiting the parks.

What a great Dis Meet!

It’s a Small World!

Danielle is 17 now and this is still her favorite and a must every trip.

Alex and I scanned our bands at our door, pulled Landon out of his seat, slid the glass door open at our window, and sat down just as the first fireworks lit up the sky.

Another perfect ending!

 

[rdkeim]

How awesome is it that the sword came up!? What's the rhyme or reason to it coming up or not? Is there a wizard behind a curtain? I loved reading MEK's TR's. Is there a reason she's not on the boards any longer?

 

[Dugette]

Because maybe….just maybe….I’ll have more Disney material to write about by next summer.

The downside to writing a trip report a year and a half later is that some of the details are fuzzy. I don’t know if it’s the lack of sleep or the kids driving me crazy this morning, but I was editing the photos for this update and having a hard time piecing together their order. So please bear with me, I’m 95% sure I’ve got the order of attractions correct, but if I don’t, I apologize.

Welcome to my life. And, in theory, our Photos app puts them in order, but for some reason it's not adjusting photos from Dug's phone to the right time zone and it's a mess trying to sort through that when my memory's poor as it is!

Ha, this is cute and pretty much sums it up.

Love this!

Even to this day, the kid is obsessed with the ride. He likes to watch videos of not just Disney World’s version, but also the Disneyland in CA and the Hong Kong ride through. If there’s a Small World to be seen, Landon will sit through it.


I wouldn’t be surprised if one of his life goals when he grows up is to go on each and every one of them.


(One of the reasons we haven’t made our way to Disneyland Paris yet is the fact that their Small World is undergoing a long refurb and won’t be back up until spring of 2017.)

Guess you've got to take him to all the Small Worlds, then.

That’s, hands down, my favorite Disney parade.


Ever.

You need to see Paint the Night.

Alex and I scanned our bands at our door, pulled Landon out of his seat, slid the glass door open at our window, and sat down just as the first fireworks lit up the sky.

That is amazing!

The day had started out with Landon pulling the sword from the stone and ended with us laying our heads at the flipping Polynesian resort.


If I didn’t have all these pictures, I’d think I’d dreamed this entire trip.

What an incredible day!

 

[afwdwfan]

Now if someone would just cut that tree down...

But seriously that's a great view. So awesome that you got to see the fireworks from your room so many times!

Again….I’m having major Disney withdrawls, folks!

I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been a Paris trip yet...

First in August of 2014, then in December, now in February.

And, spoiler alert….I still haven’t ridden it! Three subsequent trips to the MK and still no luck.

Don't worry too much. It's a cool ride and I like it... but I don't think I'd be devastated if I had to skip it. I certainly wouldn't wait in one of those ridiculously long standby lines for it. You'll get there eventually and maybe some of the hype will have died down enough to make the wait more manageable.

Awesome!!!!

Then, it was on to a quick dinner at Pecos Bill, where my pregnant self ate the best burger with sautéed onions I’d ever had.

I've never been pregnant and I've always felt that way about Pecos Bill's burgers. Too bad they've changed the menu.

You know if that was our final night we’d have been closing the park down…

Coming out of the town square theater, the MSEP was about three fourths of the way finished. Landon perked up when he saw all the lights on the floats, so rather than move on we watched the last of the parade.


It’s a cute parade, but I’ve seen it so many times now that it’s lost its luster.

I agree. DW loves it. I've always preferred Spectromagic to MSEP. But yes, Festival of Fantasy is better.

 

[natebenma]

Love, love, love the Mickey Hat/Big Brother reveal. That is so you!

So awesome that you met Mary Ellen and Denny! I have not had the chance yet, but I know she is as awesome in person as she is online! We have had several near misses, including on this trip, as she was flying into MCO on the same day I was flying out.

So, Small World > Dumbo.

Huh?

Then, it was on to a quick dinner at Pecos Bill, where my pregnant self ate the best burger with sautéed onions I’d ever had.


I have zero clue what made the food so delicious, but when you’re pregnant and something just tastes right, it’s the most amazing thing ever.


I almost ordered a second burger.


It was that good.


Which just amuses me silly now that I’m looking back on the meal. Because it was Pecos Bill, for goodness sake.

This made me smile!

We were watching Wishes for the 3rd night in a row!


How…HOW in the world did we get so lucky?!?!



I was in complete shock. We just went from watching the Main Street Electrical Parade in the Magic Kingdom to being back in our room watching Wishes. We accomplished that in a 20 minute stretch of time.

It's a Small World (and Kingdom) after all!

That is fantastic that you got to enjoy Wishes yet again, your own private viewing, without dealing with the crowds on Main Street.

 

[amazingact21]

Agreed, the longer the time since the trip the more you forget.


Yes you can see how much he loves it.

Still amazed at this.

Sorry the Mouse failed to impress. Hopefully with age he will.

Very cute!

What a great Dis Meet!

Danielle is 17 now and this is still her favorite and a must every trip.


Another perfect ending!

Fortunately for us, the character fear was a temporary event. He's since grown to love meet and greets!

I love Small World, too. I just get to use Landon as my excuse to ride it multiple times.

How awesome is it that the sword came up!? What's the rhyme or reason to it coming up or not? Is there a wizard behind a curtain? I loved reading MEK's TR's. Is there a reason she's not on the boards any longer?

I have no idea how the sword came up; I'm sure there was a wizard helping it along. But that was the first time I'd seen it happen, so who knows?
There was some mean things being said about other DISers, and I just think she'd had enough of trip report writing. I think keeping her reports going became more of a chore than an enjoyment, and when that happens it's not fun anymore.

Welcome to my life. And, in theory, our Photos app puts them in order, but for some reason it's not adjusting photos from Dug's phone to the right time zone and it's a mess trying to sort through that when my memory's poor as it is!

Ha, this is cute and pretty much sums it up.

Love this!


Guess you've got to take him to all the Small Worlds, then.


You need to see Paint the Night.


That is amazing!


What an incredible day!

I really want to see Paint the Night, and if rumors are to be believed, it might happen within a few years...I guess then I'd have to rephrase my statement to "favorite daytime parade"

 

[amazingact21]

I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been a Paris trip yet...

It's taken awhile to get completely settled over here.
But...Evie does have a 1st birthday coming up in a few months....

Don't worry too much. It's a cool ride and I like it... but I don't think I'd be devastated if I had to skip it. I certainly wouldn't wait in one of those ridiculously long standby lines for it. You'll get there eventually and maybe some of the hype will have died down enough to make the wait more manageable.


I've never been pregnant and I've always felt that way about Pecos Bill's burgers. Too bad they've changed the menu.



I agree. DW loves it. I've always preferred Spectromagic to MSEP. But yes, Festival of Fantasy is better.

That's what everyone has told me about Mine Train, so I'm not too terribly sad I haven't gone on it yet. It's more frustrating that it keeps alluding me. It's like that ride that always seems to be under refurb when you go.

Love, love, love the Mickey Hat/Big Brother reveal. That is so you!

So awesome that you met Mary Ellen and Denny! I have not had the chance yet, but I know she is as awesome in person as she is online! We have had several near misses, including on this trip, as she was flying into MCO on the same day I was flying out.

That's a shame that you've had several near misses with Mary Ellen. I really enjoy meeting up with her. I think she's the DISer I've seen in real life the most.

It's a Small World (and Kingdom) after all!

That is fantastic that you got to enjoy Wishes yet again, your own private viewing, without dealing with the crowds on Main Street.

It was amazing, and definitely not something I'll experience all the time. It was definitely cool to see what the hype of the Poly was all about.

 

[natebenma]

That's a shame that you've had several near misses with Mary Ellen. I really enjoy meeting up with her. I think she's the DISer I've seen in real life the most.

I think I probably "met" you through her trip reports.

 

[amazingact21]

March 1st, 2015 Part 1:



This was a bonus day for us. Back when we first booked at the Polynesian, the game plan was to spend the 3 nights at the resort then head over to a vacation condo Alex’s parents rented out for a family visit. Schedules changed, though, and the grandparents couldn’t get off work until the following day; we all talked and agreed to push the date back by a day. For my family, that meant we got another day in the parks.


I wanted to extend at the Poly because, well…I think my report speaks for itself. However, there was another resort that Alex was really interested in and the price of a night there was less than a night at the Poly. Originally, we tried to split it 2 and 2, but there just wasn’t any availability, so we had to take what we could get.


I was really wary of swapping resorts with a baby, but Alex was a champ that morning and got up extra early to pack everything up and load it into the car. We brought along an overnight bag and just threw the stuff we’d need for the short amount of time in it, rather than having to lug all our suitcases back into a new room.



I didn’t know how efficient we’d be that morning, so I didn’t book us Fastpasses until midday, leaving us a very easy paced morning. Alex got the room cleared, I got us breakfast, Landon played with a Monsters Inc antenna topper we’d bought him the previous evening in the Emporium.

Store full of toys and our kid wanted the foam ball…


We felt absurd paying five dollars for it, but it kept him occupied while we were busy so I wasn’t going to complain too much.



I don’t have the exact time my little family loaded up and bid farewell to the Poly, but I believe it was sometime around 10a.m.

Where were we headed?

f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr




Not so fast though, someone needed to sit in his stroller.

f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


And then needed some food.
Snacks of champions…




Once inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Alex and I got our first look at the park without the Sorcerer’s Hat.

f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


Alex was in the minority in that he actually liked the Hat and was sad to learn that it was torn down while he was gone.


But I didn’t really care one way or the other. I remembered the Water Tower days, so what was one more bygone icon to add to the list? Besides, the Chinese Theater was a nice sight way off in the distance.




Our first Fastpass of the day didn’t start for another 40 minutes, so Alex and I had some time to kill. We decided to stay in the general vicinity of our passes and kill some time in here:

f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr




More specifically:
f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



f7 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



The now non-existent animation building.

I think I was more upset about this part of the park closing than I was about the hat. Don’t get me wrong, I like Star Wars and the new additions are nice, but I felt like this was one of the more kid-friendly areas in DHS. Something that’s currently few and far between. It was tucked off to the side of the park, and it tended to have shorter character waits and plenty of room for the little ones to run around.


I have no doubt that the new Toy Story section will provide ample entertainment for the younger crowd, but I still wish there was a way Disney could squeeze this back somewhere.




Inside, Alex peeped at the waittime for Baymax and Hiro, who were still currently greeting guests there. (Seems like forever ago.) We had all just recently seen Big Hero 6, and Landon enjoyed watching Baymax on the screen.

f6 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr




Unfortunately, the wait was outrageous; so Alex took Landon off to explore while I went my own way for a bit and watched an animator at her work. It was pretty incredible to watch, and nobody else was around so I felt comfortable standing there and taking it all end for quite awhile.


It couldn’t last forever, though. Landon soon spotted me and the break was over.






Headed out the door, Alex walked Landon up to Baymax one more time for him to get a final glimpse. And it was then that Baymax’s handler, an awesome Cast Member whose name started with an M (I think) saw us standing there and decided to casually walk over and say hello. When Baymax finished greeting the family in line, M called Baymax over, and started to play around with him for a minute.








To other guests walking by, it appeared like the CM and Baymax were just having a bit of fun between meet and greets, but really they were giving us the chance to let Landon get a good look from a safe distance.


It was so incredibly nice of M. to do that for us. I felt a little guilty at not having to wait in the crazy long queue, but I was also extremely grateful because I knew from the past two days it would have been a waste of time. We would have gotten Landon right up next to Baymax and he would have freaked. At least this way there was a big gap between them.

Alex surreptitiously walked up to M. after he’d returned to his station and Baymax was busy meeting a new family and thanked him for that sly little number. We also stopped by guest services on our way out later that day and left a note commenting that he was a CM “that went out of his way to help Disney guests.”





Back outside, Landon was prepping for our next adventure of the day.




He was doing that by proclaiming his hunger.

Guess the granola bar had worn off already.

After a half hour.

It’s tough to have a toddler’s metabolism…



Alex and I took Landon into a shop to see if there were any gender neutral baby outfits for sale.

I had wanted Landon’s gender to be a surprise, but Alex didn’t so we agreed to find out. However, with this pregnancy, Alex told me he’d be patient and wait until the birth out of respect to me.


So, not a whole lot of baby shopping for me that trip!


We didn’t see anything that was a neutral color, so we settled on purchasing some popcorn.


Landon passed the time pointing out the letters in some signs.





I’m not a popcorn person. I eat it every great once in awhile at home, but otherwise steer clear of the stuff.

But again…weird pregnancy tastes had kicked in.

And my son was hungry.

He needed food.
And he was at Disney, so popcorn was definitely okay before lunchtime.




We took our loot and ate it while we waited in line for our Fastpasses.






Alex and I were taking Landon to see Disney Jr. Live.
Inside the theater, Landon didn’t seem too crazy about what was happening.


I think he was just upset that we’d put away the food.






When the show started, his interest was immediately piqued.
The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song?!







The actual Mickey Mouse clubhouse?!!





Yep, we’d found Landon’s most magical place in the parks. He kept wanting to jump up and dance around, luckily the parents in front of us didn’t mind a few trampled fingers from our overzealous son. We had to apologize several times, because Landon completely forgot personal space in his happiness over seeing Jake and Mickey.




I used to return to Disney year after year because of all the things I enjoyed seeing and experiencing, but since having Landon, I could care less about doing anything I want.

For me, it’s all about watching my kid’s face light up and see him actually believe his clubhouse friends were on that stage.

That’s what it’s all about.




And of course, with that comes the semi meltdown when said friends have to go away.




Poor fellow did not want to leave the theater.


The exit left Landon in a pretty sour mood, and what didn’t help was the early morning wake up he’d had. Alex and I weighed our options and figured leaving to check in to our new resort would be for the best.




However, we couldn’t leave DHS without picking a new-to-us cupcake from Starring Rolls!

A cupcake from there is a Disney tradition for us, and they have nifty to go containers that allowed us to bring it with.



So, for those of you keeping track, the road to my gestational diabetes was laid out that weekend with bread pudding, dole whip ice cream, blueberry scones, French fries, popcorn, and a cupcake…

Talk about an indulgent trip. I can assure you I did NOT eat like that the rest of my pregnancy.

Except when we returned to Disney in July.
Oops.




Up Next…Where were we headed? Would it live up to the hype? How would it measure against the Polynesian?

 

[natebenma]

GREAT update!!!

March 1st, 2015 Part 1:

Store full of toys and our kid wanted the foam ball…


We felt absurd paying five dollars for it, but it kept him occupied while we were busy so I wasn’t going to complain too much.

But I didn’t really care one way or the other. I remembered the Water Tower days, so what was one more bygone icon to add to the list? Besides, the Chinese Theater was a nice sight way off in the distance.

That's pretty much how I feel too. The Earful Tower has always been the symbol I associate with MGM/HS, so that is the one I miss most of all.

Headed out the door, Alex walked Landon up to Baymax one more time for him to get a final glimpse. And it was then that Baymax’s handler, an awesome Cast Member whose name started with an M (I think) saw us standing there and decided to casually walk over and say hello. When Baymax finished greeting the family in line, M called Baymax over, and started to play around with him for a minute.

I love, love, love all the (well-deserved) magic you are receiving on this trip.

Yep, we’d found Landon’s most magical place in the parks. He kept wanting to jump up and dance around, luckily the parents in front of us didn’t mind a few trampled fingers from our overzealous son. We had to apologize several times, because Landon completely forgot personal space in his happiness over seeing Jake and Mickey.





I used to return to Disney year after year because of all the things I enjoyed seeing and experiencing, but since having Landon, I could care less about doing anything I want.


For me, it’s all about watching my kid’s face light up and see him actually believe his clubhouse friends were on that stage.


That’s what it’s all about.

AWWWW!!!

The picture of Alex and Landon is precious and your pictures and descriptions of how mesmerized Landon was with the Disney Junior show were beautiful!

 

[afwdwfan]

Alex surreptitiously walked up to M. after he’d returned to his station and Baymax was busy meeting a new family and thanked him for that sly little number. We also stopped by guest services on our way out later that day and left a note commenting that he was a CM “that went out of his way to help Disney guests.”

That's great! That was really nice of him to try to help out. I'm glad to see you repaid the favor!

And he was at Disney, so popcorn was definitely okay before lunchtime.

I used to return to Disney year after year because of all the things I enjoyed seeing and experiencing, but since having Landon, I could care less about doing anything I want.


For me, it’s all about watching my kid’s face light up and see him actually believe his clubhouse friends were on that stage.


That’s what it’s all about.

It is even worth being numb from the waist down after sitting on the floor for half an hour.

However, we couldn’t leave DHS without picking a new-to-us cupcake from Starring Rolls!

So which one did you get?

 

[amazingact21]

GREAT update!!!

That's pretty much how I feel too. The Earful Tower has always been the symbol I associate with MGM/HS, so that is the one I miss most of all.

I love, love, love all the (well-deserved) magic you are receiving on this trip.


AWWWW!!!

The picture of Alex and Landon is precious and your pictures and descriptions of how mesmerized Landon was with the Disney Junior show were beautiful!

Thanks!
I'm very curious to see what will be the next park icon for DHS, especially with all the changes that are happening.

I was so glad I was able to capture Landon's amazement at the Disney Jr show. I was afraid it would be too dark. Of course, looking at them now, all I can think about is how little he used to be. He's so grown up now.

That's great! That was really nice of him to try to help out. I'm glad to see you repaid the favor!



It is even worth being numb from the waist down after sitting on the floor for half an hour.

So which one did you get?

Ugh, ain't that the truth. I always try to stretch my legs out as far as humanely possible to afford myself some extra room once everyone starts cramming in.
I remember sitting in that theater when we went later that July. Trying to get my 24 week pregnant self off that floor made for quite the sight...

I've got a picture of the cupcake I'll post in my next update. But Spoiler Alert: it wasn't our favorite.

 

[KarriTigger]

Great trip report! I too recall how different it was to travel with a toddler to WDW. But it's also pretty cool to see it through their eyes!

 

[amazingact21]

Great trip report! I too recall how different it was to travel with a toddler to WDW. But it's also pretty cool to see it through their eyes!

Thank you! Traveling with a toddler makes life interesting, that's for sure. You definitely have to slow your pace way down. But the look on their face is priceless. I cannot wait to start taking Evie to Disney and see how she reacts to the same things Landon did.

 

[amazingact21]

March 1st 2015 Part 2:


Alex and I got Landon situated in our car and left the DHS parking lot. He was acting up a bit from the backseat, so Alex suggested I give him the Monsters Inc antenna topper that he was playing with earlier that morning.

Sounded like a perfect idea.


I reached for the diaper bag.
Then pulled my arm back.

Uh oh.

Alex shot me a look.

What Uh Oh?


Sheepishly, I looked at Alex and had to tell him, “I remember the last place Landon had the ball.”

“Yes?”

“He rolled it behind the curtains at the Polynesian and forgot it there.”

Alex shot me another look.

I managed to score one of his classic, exasperated REALLY? looks.



Probably only the second or third one that trip, so hey, that was pretty good.


“So, we forgot it in the room?”

“Yep.”


Alex reached for his phone and told me to look up the Poly’s phone number and call it via Bluetooth.


When we got ahold of someone from the front desk, Alex explained to them that we’d just checked out and that we’d left a toy in the room. He asked if there was a way to see if the housekeeper had found it and put it in lost and found or something.


The CM checked for us, told us another family had already moved into the room (Man, that was fast!) and so if the keeper hadn’t retrieved it, then the ball would be lost forever.


A couple minutes on hold while the CM tracked down the right person and…

The ball was recovered!

*Insert a round of applause here.*


Alex asked the nice CM if they could hold on to it and he'd pick it up in an hour or so, and they agreed.




With that taken care of, it was back to concentrating on the events currently happening.


We were headed to a new resort!


I know you’re asking yourself, what place could possibly match up to the Polynesian? Where in the world could they be going that could make them even CONSIDER switching from that awesome amazing resort?


This family was coming from one of the ORIGINAL resorts!

Where to next?



Well….if you’re going to stay in such a Disney-rich historical building first, you might as well end the trip with a night at….


f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Why, another Disney Original, of course!



The Contemporary Resort!



Alex had been itching to stay at the Contemporary since he first saw it in 2010. Honestly, it’s never been one I’ve wanted to stay at before. I prefer a warmer theme than the Contemporary gives off, but I read marDgreen’s TR a few years ago when she stayed in a 2 bedroom Bay Lake suite, and I realized I should give the resort a chance.


And Alex had booked us a stay at my dream resort, it was only fair that I return the favor and stay at his.

So there we were.


Two monorail resorts in one trip.


I’m telling you, this trip was just unbelievable…




We pulled into the resort’s parking lot and unlike the Poly, there were dozens of empty spots.

f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


It was wild to see the Contemporary from ground level.

I’d only ever seen from the monorail before.




Check in was pretty easy. The CM who helped us was a little weird; we were trying to link the MagicBands we were already wearing from our Poly stay, and he kept looking at us like we were ridiculous for switching to a new hotel for one night.


The concept of resort hopping was just so foreign to him. At first, he was all excited about checking us into one of the famous Disney places on property, but then he learned we had already been here and were coming from another monorail resort, and he sort of lost his luster and charm.


It was strange.

But no matter, we were there and it was time to see our new room!



We were located on the 9th floor, all the way at the very end of the hallway.

Allllllllll the way down.

All the way.

Very last room.



Just get off the elevator and keep on walking.

Go, go, go, and hey, don’t look over the railing.


You’ll see the restaurants and all these tiny ant sized people milling about.



Needless to say, I got on the walkway and wasn’t overly thrilled with the layout. To me, it felt too busy.

One of the things I like best about my resort stays is that when you make it back to your “home” and leave the lobby area, the world becomes quieter and calmer. Usually, it’s just you and your family walking the halls or walkways; you kind of get the chance to breathe for the first time since leaving a crowded park and a crowded bus.


It’s where that park decompression starts.

Here at the Contemporary, you’re right smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle until you get inside your room.


And I didn’t care for that much.


I like my room to be separate from shops and food.


Alex, though?


He loved it.


He thought being right there in the middle of the action was awesome. He never had to leave that buzz that’s part of a Disney trip.


So, to each their own, I suppose.



Just like when we stayed at AKL, the first thing I did when we went into our room was check out our balcony and the views.

(Multiple value stays has led me to appreciate those balconies.)


We were on the Bay Lake side, so while no Wishes view, we still had a lot of interesting sights.





The closest I’ve gotten to the Wilderness Lodge.








The pool looked like a really nice area, especially the splash pad section, but unfortunately it was way too cold to check it out.







Turning our attention to the inside, I took photos of the interior.








The desk area was massive, but I preferred its location in the Polynesian. That entertainment stand just seemed like a waste of space, but I might have been biased. Anyplace we would have stayed wouldn’t compare to the Poly, and with it so fresh in my mind I was more critical than normal.


Closet and coffee area:






The bathroom led to quite the adventures.




I remember from Phil’s (TheMaxRebo) trip report that the sinks were a bit of a joke at the Contemporary, and he wasn’t kidding. In Disney’s effort to stick with theming, the bathroom lost all counter/storage space. There was zero counter space, not even enough of a ledge on the edge of the sinks to set stuff on.

For one night, it was no big deal. But if I had to deal with that for a week with older children, I’d have gone bonkers.


Unlike the Poly, the Contemporary separated their toilet from the shower, potentially allowing for two people to use the room at once.

Loved that about the room. Awesome little feature.


Downside….the bathrooms used sliding doors.

Which were pieces of cake of a one year to operate.


Landon’s favorite game was to slide the doors open and close, not only effectively killing any privacy but also putting me in constant fear he’d smash his little fingers.

This was definitely not the best design for rooming with toddlers.




After inspecting the room for a bit, (and waiting the typical five hours for the bedrails to be delivered. Seriously, why is it you request bedrails on your reservation yet it never appears come check in time, and then it takes forever and day for someone to bring them to you? I can't wait to be out of the bedrail stage.) Landon woke up from the nap he was taking and we went back outside to enjoy the view some more.


Alex pointed out that we could see Epcot way off in the distance, something we’d missed the first time.







If you’re going to relax the afternoon away, there’s no better place than on a balcony at Disney World.




I had to escape out there, anyways, because there was an aroma in the room that was extremely overpowerful. I know people love their Disney scents - I know I do - and I know there’s a classic Contemporary smell that has a big following, but our room was just overtaken with it.


I’m normally not a person that’s really affected by smells, but I guess my super sensitive pregnancy senses made me more susceptible than normal. Either way, I had to open the door and stay outside because I’d gotten a headache.

Alex figured the best thing for my head would be some chocolate, so he broke out our cupcake.


I’d picked the Butterfinger:


And while it was good, I think it was my second to least favorite.


My favorites that I’ve tried probably go:

Chocolate peanut butter
Red Velvet
Butterfinger
Marble


The treat did help me forget about the smell, but I still figured then would be a good time to go start on some laundry.

This trip was kept hush hush, and it would have looked a little funny had we shown up to my inlaws with a pile of dirty laundry and/or enough clothes to last twice as long as necessary.


So some cleaning was in order.

It took Alex and I a hot minute to find the laundry room.


It was in the garden section on the second floor.
Not exactly close, but it gave us a chance to check out that building.



Amusingly enough, Alex didn’t like that part of the resort at all, where I loved it. I told him I’d probably like the Contemporary a lot more if we stayed in one those rooms, because it was away from the main lobby area. But the whole reason Alex liked the resort was the fact that he could be really high up and feel like he was a part of everything.


It was kind of funny how the detail he was most drawn to was the aspect I hated.

Can’t agree on everything.


We agreed, though, while waiting for our laundry, that I would give the Contemporary another shot if – and only if – we got a theme park view. I told him I could deal with being in the tower if I could escape to my balcony and see Thunder and Space and the Castle.

Deal.




The next few hours consisted of Alex riding the monorail back over to the Polynesian to retrieve that darn antenna topper, me perusing the grounds with Landon, and all of us grabbing a quick bite to eat at the Contempo Café.

Alex and I got the whole grain spaghetti, and it was….not good.

It just wasn’t our cup of tea.


And I cook with whole grain at home, so I’m not saying it was because of that, it was just not a good meal. The meatballs were cold and tough, and noodles were undercooked, and there wasn’t enough sauce.
So, disappointing, but we learned our lesson. Can’t win them all.



After dinner, our clothes were finished in the dryer, so it was time to head out for our last park visit of the trip.

And despite having visited it every day, when you’re staying at the Contemporary, it goes without saying that we had to jump on the monorail and go straight to the Magic Kingdom.




Up Next…Landon makes some new friends

 

[TheMaxRebo]

How cool you got to stay at both the Poly and the Contemporary in the same trip

I think I feel a lot like you about the room and the place ... it's cool to be that close and have the monorail go right under your feet really, and the rooms were big and cool - but just not sure if it was my cup of tea. And yeah, the sinks are kinda ridiculous - unless you are bathing a baby in them

Wonder if renting points to stay at the Bay Lake Tower with a Theme Park view could be a good option for you in the future - might be best of both worlds

Glad you got the ball back! Less glad about your dinner that night ... but on to the absolute best part of staying at the Contemporary - the easy trip to the Magic Kingdom!