One adult and a toddler III, the return

[kangaandroo]

Stacey Zitto—July 2004---Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort

WHO:
• Stacey (Me) - Stay-at-Home-Mom, former pet store owner, former sales rep for pet supply distributor, long time Disney fan.
• John-Dear husband who puts up with my Disney obsession. Willing to accompany me when he can, but usually working when we’re in Orlando
• Annika-Dear daughter, 19 months old for this trip (her fifth) to The World

WHAT:
Just the baby and I in the parks


WHERE:
Orlando, Florida- 3 Caribbean Beach Resort

WHEN:
July 25-38, 2004
WHY:
John needs to be at WDW for a Petland trade show, so Annika and I are tagging along.

HOW:
The theme for this trip is autographs, pictures and whatever else we can do without melting in the heat.



PRE-TRIP
This has been a crazy and kind of special year for the Zitto family. John qualified for a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass which allows me to fly free any time I fly with him. Because Annika is under two, she can still fly free we have been traveling A LOT! Whenever John has to travel for work we join him if we can. Florida has recently been added to his territory, so this trip was our 4th to WDW this year. This won’t continue next year because we’ll be joined in February by Zitto Child #2 and while doing the parks alone with one young child is quite manageable, I can’t imagine it with a toddler and an infant. So I was very excited to find out that John had to attend a trade show at the Yacht & Beach Clubs. It gave us another opportunity to get to WDW. We didn’t stay at Y&B (boo hoo) because John felt that it was too much for his company to pay, but we did get a great AP rate at CBR, so we took it. John rented a car so he could easily get back and forth between the resorts. I had no agenda this time other than to get as many autographs and character photos as I could for Annika’s scrapbook. She loves the characters and loves looking at her book and telling me who they are. I also wanted to try to see Spectromagic and Wishes, neither of which I had seen the prior 3 trips.

Sunday, July 25, 2004

We had a 10:30 flight, so we didn’t have to get up painfully early. Nonetheless, I woke at 4:30 and couldn’t fall back asleep. I watched a few shows from my Tivo until Annika and John woke up. W left home at 7:00 and made a short stop for a bagel on the way down to BWI. When we got there we couldn’t believe the crowds. It was MOBBED! Even so, Southwest is incredibly efficient and we were through the line in no time. We were through security quickly, thanks to Annika’s stroller. When we got to our gate, I took care of diapers and such and got myself a sandwich for the flight. Being pregnant, I get very hungry and I can’t wait when I need food! Before we knew it, it was time to board. We got the bulkhead, and even though it was a very full flight, the seat between us was unoccupied! Yea! Annika was kind of cranky because she was sleepy, but she fell asleep shortly after take-off. I ate ½ of my sandwich before I joined her in slumber land and John got to enjoy his newspaper in peace. I woke up shortly before we began our descent into Orlando. I finished my sandwich and we chatted with the flight attendant for a bit, and then we were there. I gave Annika a fresh diaper while John retrieved the stroller and then we took the monorail to the main terminal. Annika was squirmy until the mono started moving and then she said “wee!” Our bags came off quickly and the Dollar Fastlane line was non-existent, so we were off to our car in no time. We had a silver Sebring and John started it up to cool off before we put the car seat in. Unfortunately, he closed the car doors for it to cool down, not realizing that the car locked automatically when the ignition was started. He went for help while I loaded the open trunk. Then Annika and I walked around nearby cars and she told me what color they were (gway, bwack, wed, bwue, gween...) I got tired of holding her and put her down and she immediately she climbed into her car seat which was sitting on the ground, which was fine with me. Help arrived pretty quickly and we were on our way.

We followed signs to WDW and soon entered the gates. We thought we were following signs but somehow ended up at Animal Kingdom. We got directions and turned around and this time paid more attention. We drove into CBR and John noted right away that he liked it better than Pop Century. We had a bit of a wait at the Custom House, but not too terrible. I had neglected to fax in a room request so we asked for a room not too far from a bus stop while we were being checked in. We ended up in Jamaica 4408, a corner room, which I have to say was a PERFECT location. Close to a bus stop, right on one of the quiet courtyards, and an easy walk to Old Port Royale. We got into the room, relaxed a bit and then took a walk to check out our pool, beach and Old Port Royale. We both thought the resort was lovely and really liked the little island. Annika loved seeing the ducks. I was impressed with Barefoot Bay. We went into the food court so I could get my refillable mug and some caffeine free Diet Coke. Then we strolled back to the room and gathered up our belongings for the evening. The plan was to go over to Y&B to check out the convention facilities, have a late lunch/early dinner at Beaches and Cream and then split up. John would go take care of some business and then attend the company banquet while Annika and I hoofed it over to Epcot, strolled through and grabbed the monorail to the Magic Kingdom where we would stay for Spectromagic and Illuminations. We drove to Y&B, a very short trip and checked out the convention center. I saw an old friend from when I was in the pet business. John got some details about the schedule and we were off to Beaches and Cream. Annika had fallen asleep in the car on the way over to Y&B, so she just continued to nap in the stroller. We didn’t have to wait for a seat at Y&B. We each ordered a cheeseburger with fresh fruit and chatted with a nice family from Kentucky while we waited for our food. Annika woke up right before our food got to us and surprisingly she actually shared some hamburger with us. She has been a terrible eater, and whenever she eats something new I am very excited. She even asked for more “beef.” Of course we couldn’t leave without ice cream, so we ordered a hot fudge Sunday to share among the three of us. Now, Annika LOVES “o’cweam,” so we had a lot of help in finishing it. By the way, I have to agree that the burgers at B&C are in fact the best at WDW. When we finished we went outside to check out Stormalong Bay and were duly impressed. Then John walked us out to the boardwalk and we kissed and went our separate ways. The walk to Epcot is easy and at 5ish, there was no wait for security or to get in the gate. We walked to the UK and into the Pooh shop to see if Pooh or his friends were there. Just as we walked in, Pooh and Piglet walked in! Piglet is Annika’s favorite at the moment (one night she said, in her sleep, “Pidet, pink”) and she was thrilled to see him and Pooh. We didn’t need photos or autographs from them as we already had them, so we just went up for some hugs and kisses (and some nose “beeping”.) Then we were off again toward future world. I thought about stopping to finally see Off Kilter, but decided to keep going to get to the MK. I wanted to see the fountains dance, and to get an Olympics pin so we did both. We went into Mouse Gear to cool off and have a look around and I had to take my traditional first ride on Spaceship Earth. Then, we were off to the monorail.

Once at the MK, we got through security quickly and right into the park. We went immediately up to ride the train as I always seem to miss it and I think the last time I rode it was in 1989! We had a very nice, if a bit crowded ride all the way around and disembarked back at Town Square. There were many characters out in the Town Square, so we hopped in line to see Daisy Duck. We also got autographs and pictures from Friar Tuck, Sheriff of Nottingham, Timon and just a photo from King Louie because he can’t sign. I was terribly thirsty by this point, so I got a bottle of water in the sweet shop and we walked up to the hub and through Tomorrowland to Toontown. I checked to see what characters were doing the meet and greets, but we had photos and autographs of all of them already, so we walked back out and over to Fantasyland. I thought about standing in line to see Ariel, but the line was enormous so I just let Annika play in the fountains which she LOVED! She was running around shrieking with joy like the bigger kids and even jumping on the pads that make the water squirt, though she was too small to make anything happen. It was really adorable and I let her play for about 45 minutes. Then we needed to get to a bathroom for a potty break and diaper change before the parade. When we were finished we walked over to Frontierland where we bought a soft pretzel with cheese and a bottle of water and staked out a spot for Spectromagic. It was about 8:40 with the parade scheduled for 9:00. We sat next to a family from western Kentucky. It was hard to keep Annika occupied and in one place, but we managed while sharing the pretzel and water. Once the parade started it wasn’t hard to keep her attention. She was mesmerized. Between the lights, the music and the characters, I don’t think she blinked the whole parade. I loved it too. It was very much worth staying up late in order to get to see this parade. Annika especially liked the dragonflies and butterflies, and of course loved seeing her favorite Disney characters. After the parade, we made on more potty stop (Being pregnant makes these all to frequent for me!) and then worked our way to the hub to watch wishes. We got a spot about a dozen feet in front of the Partners statue. Annika was very sleepy and kind of cranky, so I picked her up and put her in the sling and waited for the show to begin. When the music started and I saw Tinkerbelle’s Flight for the first time and the fireworks began, I actually got tears in my eyes. No I know that makes me a huge dork, but I am pregnant and hormonal and all that...The music and the fireworks were beautifully choreographed. I really loved the show. Annika said lots of “wows” and told me what colors and shapes the fireworks were, and what color the castle was at any given time. When the show ended, we slowly made our way down Main Street with the sea of humanity that was leaving the park. By the time we got to the bus stop, she was asleep. We got on the second bus with the help of some very nice guests and other than a few moments of fussiness while we got settled, Annika slept the whole way back to the hotel. The very nice guests happened to be getting off at Jamaica too, so they helped me get the stroller off. I made the short walk back to the room and John let me in and took all of the heavy stuff off of my hands so I could put Annika to sleep. I got her into bed and she slept pretty much through the night. I was very restless but slept OK once I wound down.

Monday, July 26, 2004

My original plan had called for Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom, but when I got back so late I thought I might change the plan, but we were up early anyway, so we went ahead and stuck to our original plan. We just missed a bus on our way to the bus stop, but another came along fairly soon, so we got to the park shortly before official opening time. They were letting people in to the oasis and by the time we walked through, they were just opening the rest of the park. I had hoped to see some characters out early, but no such luck. I asked around, but it no one was going to be out until regular park hours. That being the case, we just wandered a bit. I bought Annika a small stuffed Safari Pooh (she gets one stuffed character per trip and they all sit in the front window of our house.) and we walked toward the Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. They didn’t open until 9:00 and I considered a fastpass for the safari, but decided to heed the warning to avoid the ride if pregnant. We got a frozen Lemonade to share and sat by one of the pin carts and talked to the CM running it as well as a few guests who came by. Soon it was time for the train ride which was nice, and took the walk to Conservation Station. I took Annika into the petting zoo area, but she was really only interested in playing in a water puddle, not in the animals. Then we went inside. We had a nice time looking at the exhibits, the puppet show and talking to some CMs. Annika loved the huge mural. Then I let her run around a bit to burn some energy while we waited for Stanley. No big surprise that she recognized him. We watch Stanley most days at home. We got our picture, and headed back to the train. She was getting cranky and she fell asleep almost immediately after I put her back in the stroller. That was my cue to head over to Flame Tree Bar-B-Q, my favorite food at WDW. I got the pulled pork meal deal and a diet coke. A nice guest helped me to get the food table since I was pushing a stroller. Because they don’t use drink lids in AK, it’s a little bit dicey trying to carry a tray and push a stroller! I enjoyed my meal in peace while my princess slept and then I headed in the direction of Camp Minnie Mickey to see what characters would be available. They were all characters that we already had in our book, so we went back to see if Lilo and Stitch were out, stopping at the pin cart along the way to make a trade and talk with two very nice CMs. Stitch was out, so we stood in line to see him. Annika had recently learned Lilo and Stitch’s names so she was excited to see him. The CM had a pin on his lanyard that I was trying to find for Heidi Commerford’s (another TR writer) sons. It was a green lanyard so I was afraid he wouldn’t trade with me, but when I told him it was for a child he was nice enough to make the trade. Thanks! We had our photo taken with Stitch and wanted one with Lilo as well but she wasn’t due out for another 20 minutes so we went to the baby center to nurse and change a diaper in the mean time. That done we came out and headed back toward Lilo. On the way back we saw Flik was doing autographs and photos so we added him to our book. Unfortunately, by the time we finished, Lilo had also finished and wouldn’t be back out for over an hour. I was pretty much ready to leave by that time, so we walked toward the exit. We stopped on the way to use our tickets from the meal deal to share an orange Popsicle and a bottle of water. Then we left. The bus ride back was uneventful. When we got back to the room it hadn’t been made up yet, so after sitting in the AC for a bit, we got ready to go to the pool. Annika enjoyed playing in the children’s pool and we spent a couple of hours out there. I had a few conversations with some of the other moms. On mom had an extra shovel and bucket from the food court and she very generously gave it to Annika. Thank you! We went back to the room to relax, nurse and wait for John to return. At around 5:00 Annika was getting restless so we walked over to the beach and she played in the sand for a while. There was some thunder and it looked like a storm was coming, a pity because we were planning on spending the evening by the pool as it was John’s only free night. We headed back to the room and got there just as John was returning. Great timing! It had started to sprinkle and before long it was seriously raining. John had a rain poncho they had given him at the trade show and he offered it to me, but I declined. I let him use it and carry Annika for me for our walk to Old Port Royale. We decided to have dinner at Shutters. John had pork chops and I had the seared tuna. Annika shared my rice and ate a bit of John’s pork. I couldn’t finish my tuna (and shouldn’t be eating much of it anyway because of my pregnancy) so John finished it. Annika was getting restless so I took her out while John settled the bill. We picked up and ice cream sandwich and a Mickey Bar at the marketplace and ate them before going out into the downpour again. This time John insisted that Annika and I use the poncho so I put it on her and kind of wrapped the rest of it around my head so I was also covered. John borrowed a tray and held it over his head as we hurried back to the room. I don’t usually put photos in my TR’s but I have to insert this one:

Annika stayed dry but John and I got pretty wet! We decided to just call it a night and relax. We played with Annika and read her some books. We watched some TV and she fell asleep. John and I watched some more TV until we pooped out and then hit the sack.

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

When we woke up we walked over to OPR to have some breakfast. On the way we stopped to feed the ducks. John just had coffee and I had the stuffed French toast which Annika enthusiastically shared. We fed the ducks some more on the way back to the room and talked to a really nice CM who was refilling the food machines. We got back to the room and I got my stuff and John walked us over to our bus stop. This time we waited so long for a bus that a woman actually called to see what the problem was. It turns out that a truck was blocking the entrance and the busses couldn’t get in. Once on, we had just a short trip to MGM and when we got in they were just letting EMH guests into the main part of the park. EMH was a waste of time for us because none of the rides were appropriate for Annika, We walked over to Muppet Vision and a show had just started. I sat down on a bench to wait for the next show and Annika fell asleep. It was INCREDIBLY hot and uncomfortable so I sought AC and water. I went into the writer’s café for a bit and then got a bottle of water at the bakery. Annika woke up just a couple of minutes too late to get into the first showing of Playhouse Disney Live, so we waited around for the characters to come out. Before they did, a bunch or Green Army Men from Toy Story came out and we did a photo and autograph with one of them. Then I went to the pin store under the hat and pre-ordered the Aladdin CD and got a lanyard and two trading pins for doing so. Soon the characters came out and I was quite disappointed. The only one we didn’t have was Lilo who was posing with Stitch. Even though we had him already, we posed with both “Wiwo” and ‘Titch.” Then we bolted over to Mickey Avenue to pose with the new JoJo and Goliath characters from Playhouse Disney’s JoJo’s Circus. Annika saw them and squealed “Circus!” It was very cute. By then it was terribly crowded, not to mention hot, at MGM, so I decided to skip our PS at 50’s Prime Time Café and head over to Epcot. Since we had never taken a friendship, that was we did this time. The ride was a bit slow with all of the stops, but it was cool and rather relaxing. I decided to have sushi at Tempura Kiku, but when I got there I found it wasn’t open until noon and I was hungry so we ate at Yakatori instead, rice for Annika and miso soup, shrimp tempura, and a California roll for me. Before we went to eat though, we walked through the Mitsukoshi department store. When we walked in the door, Annika obviously recognized the Japanese décor and said “sushi!” See, she is brilliant! After lunch we got our very first Kaki Gori ever! We had the rainbow. It was good but I think I’ll go for the strawberry next time. The tangerine part was ok, but I didn’t really care for the melon. By the time we were finished it was time for the busload of characters to arrive and Japan and it did so right on schedule. The only one whose photo we needed was Meeko, so we got right in line. After Meeko we visited with Chip and Dale (our first with the two of them together) and then we decided to let other folks have a turn. It was awfully hot! On our way around toward America we passed Goofy who had NO ONE in his line, so I pushed Annika’s stroller over to him and they had some excellent one-on-one time. Annika beeped his nose and told him what color his pants (“bwoo”) and shirt (“ornts”) were. It was very nice to have a character all to ourselves, but sadly, a minute or so into our bonding with Goofy, he was recalled to his bus. It was fun while it lasted! We walked on in the unbelievable heat, pausing in Germany to pose with Dopey, only to find that he was leaving momentarily. Ah, well, maybe next time. About then Annika fell asleep so I just wandered, going into as many shops as possible, just to escape the heat. I made a small purchase in China but no others. The heat was unbearable so we just worked our way toward the front. At some point Annika woke up so we just got outta dodge. We took the bus back to the hotel to shower and rest up for the evening’s activities, an international dinner party, complete with characters, followed up by a dessert party and viewing of IllumiNations at Epcot, sponsored by Petland and Nutro Pet Foods. This was the closing event of John’s trade show and we were very excited about it. John came back and we all relaxed a bit and got ready for the evening’s festivities. We put Annika in a brand new sun dress with a matching hat, but she refused to wear the hat. She looked adorable anyway. We hopped in the car and headed for the Yacht Club convention center. We chatted with some friends from the pet industry while we waited for the doors to open and then we went in. I got us drinks while John went into the dining room with Annika. By the time I joined them Annika was sitting in a row boat with Italian Goofy. Italian Pluto was right there with them. We played with them for a while and then moved over to the other stations to play with Donald and Daisy and then with Chip and Dale. There weren’t very many children there so the kids really got some quality time with the characters. Then we went back to Pluto and Goofy. We were on our hands and knees playing with Pluto and his dog bone. It was really fantastic! Annika was the most comfortable with the characters that I’ve ever seen her. Soon it was time for them all to go on break, and shortly thereafter, out came one of the living statues from Italy, and then Timon and Rafiki, and finally Asian Mickey and Mickey. We did pictures with all of them and let Annika have some hugs. We also had some food (yummy egg rolls!) When the DJ started to play party music, Annika was the first one to dance. She stood in the spotlight on the dance floor and danced. I’m really in trouble with her. She’s quite a performer! By the time the characters switched back to the first group, things were rocking on the dance floor. Annika and I were dancing and John was watching. Soon, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, Chip and Dale joined us on the dance floor. Can you imagine anything more fun for a Disney fanatic than dancing “Shout” with Goofy and the Chicken Dance with Chip?! We had a BLAST. Eventually I was pooped. Being pregnant and dancing with a toddler in you arms does take a toll, so I sat down to nurse Annika a bit. She fell asleep shortly before it was time to leave to walk to Epcot for Dessert and IllumiNations. The weather was looking iffy, so they provided us each with a Mickey rain Poncho, just in case. We walked over and into Epcot. We didn’t need tickets, but did need to go through security. Then we went into a pavilion that I didn’t even know existed, somewhere in Canada. There we were served cookies and other baked goods for dessert. Annika still slept. Soon it was time to walk over to the patio on the water in France for our viewing of IllumiNations. The spot was excellent, the show, of course, was excellent and despite the noise, Annika didn’t wake up at all during the show. When the show ended, we said goodbye to some friends and headed back to the Yacht Club for our car. Annika woke up when we put her in the car seat, but was in an ok mood. Back to our hotel and we got Annika changed and to sleep pretty quickly. We were pretty tired so we soon followed in her footsteps.

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

We were heading home this evening and planned to spend a good part of the day at the pool. John had some work to do, so I decided to take Annika to the MK to get some last photos and autographs. We went over to OPR for breakfast. We all shared a breakfast platter. I really lose a lot of my appetite in the Florida heat. Then, John went to the room and we went to the bus stop. A MK bus came quickly and we hopped on. I didn’t even bring a stroller or backpack, so security was easy, only my fanny pack need to be checked. We went in and there were many characters in Town Square. We got Dopey, the Governor from Pocahontas, Princess Aurora, Gepetto, and Robin Hood. Then we went over to the Teacups and got Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Then we hopped in line to get Ariel. The line was about 10 or 15 minutes long, but it was the first time I had seen it fewer than 40. Annika wouldn’t sit on her lap, but we still got a good picture. Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration had just ended so there were a lot of characters out around the hub. We got a bunch more and then we headed back to the hotel. Once again it was VERY hot. Annika fell asleep on the ride back and slept for nearly two hours on the bed in the room once we got back. I walked over to OPR to get us some lunch and then John headed over to the pool while I waited for the baby to wake up. John had already loaded the car, so when she was up, we vacated the room and went to the pool. We spent a few nice hours by the pool, though Annika was not so enthusiastic about swimming, and then we got dressed and headed to the car and the airport, with a quick stop for gas and Wendy’s. We had only a short wait at the airport and Annika made friends with a group of teenagers who gave her bubbles, Mardi Gras beads, and Cheerios. We got the bulkhead seat on the plane with no one else in our row. Annika slept much of the flight, which was without incident. We landed, got our bags, took the shuttle to our car and drove home, with a quick snack stop at a convenience store.

Some Final Thoughts

This was an interesting trip. We went on almost no rides (I refuse to stand in line in that heat!) We mostly saw characters and enjoyed just being there. The dinner and IllumiNations event was fantastic! It was a really magical memory. This was the first time I had been her this year when I left without knowing when I would return. That’s a little sad.

Sorry I didn’t give the kind of detail I usually do, but I really wanted to get this TR out while I was still really feeling the magic.

I still have to do a report on my short trip in June and my one day at DCA, but I’ll do them when I can. I still don’t know when I’ll be back. I though maybe the beginning of October, but I’ll be helping my Mom recuperate from some minor back surgery, so if I’m still feeling up to it (I’ll be pretty pregnant by then) maybe I’ll go for a few days in late October or early November. I REALLY want to try the Food and Wine Festival.

Thanks for reading!

Stacey Zitto

Send comments to staceyrbz@aol.com

 

[Minniespal]

Great report ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[marybet]

Great report.

 

[tinawv]

Thanks Stacey for the great trip report. It sounds like you are going to have a showgirl in the family. LoL

 

[kangaandroo]

"Thanks Stacey for the great trip report. It sounds like you are going to have a showgirl in the family."

Yeah...we already do! she is a lot of fun though!

 

[lovesdumbo]

Great report! How fun with your DD! My baby Emma is 19 months so I can really relate. I took a trip in late Oct 02 when I was 6 months pregnant with Emma. I wanted to take my oldest (3 1/2 at the time) while she was still young enough to believe in the magic. I didn't know when I'd get there with 3 kids. I left DH at home with my 20 month old wild boy. I never dreamed we'd go for son's 3rd birthday (in Jan, Emma turned 1 ten days later). Nor did I think I'd convince DH to go again in Oct and we plan to go again next Oct before Emma turns 3. The Food & Wine Fest was great while pregnant!