Our 1st trip as a family of three!----Update 11/3 Our Favorites/Trip Wrap-Up

[LilAnn]

Very cute!
Beating on the drums is one of the small, simple pleasures of the Animal Kingdom experience for kids. They don't get to make such big noises too often and have the adults standing around them approve of it. My almost four year old granddaughter has always enjoyed smacking at them a bit as we go by.

Haha, that is very true. I rarely encourage her to bang on things at home!

Hi! Just found your TR today and caught up on all your installments. Your DD is the absolutely cutest! I love reading TRs, but I especially love it when I find other Asians on DIS too! Haha, for some reason, there aren't many Asian Disney fans in my real life other than DBF.

Hi and I love reading TRs and PTRs too! I'm obsessed. Although it definitely makes it harder when you don't have a trip of your own on the horizon. Thanks for joining. I have a few Disney fans in my real life, but not nearly enough! And only one is asian.

Aww, I love all of the pics at Camp Minnie Mickey! Your DD is quite the pro at character greetings! Glad to hear you liked Y&Y - it's on my list of places to try!

Thanks! This trip was definitely a new experience for me. I don't think I've really done Camp Minnie Mickey before. It was fun to see it through her eyes. You should try Y&Y one time if you are in the mood for some asian food.

Your daughter is so pretty that I had to pivot the laptop and make my DH look at her. SO happy you did this trip report as my son is around the same age and I am excited to see you liked Pop!

Subbing!

Awww, thanks! It looks like you guys are doing Pop soon? When are you going? Do you have a PTR?

 

[LilAnn]

Once we left our safari vehicles, we decided to continue our journey with a walk through the Pangani Trail. I knew our little girl would love the trail if it meant that we would see more animals. So off we went!

Do you see the excitement on her face? I’m pretty sure all of that gleefulness was due to some ducks or fish. Nothing we hadn’t seen before, but obviously she is easily amused.

I think she could have watched this duck swim back and forth for hours. It was cute seeing it’s little webbed feet swimming around in the water, but I wanted to see if we could spot the baby gorilla. Since she loves monkeys, it was easy to convince her to hop back into the stroller and continue down the trail.

We were in luck! The mama gorilla and her baby were on the move!

If you look carefully, you can see the baby gorilla hanging off the mama gorilla’s chest. There were so many people in this area, so it was a bit harder to linger here.

I wish we could have gotten a better look, but the CM said the mama gorilla was extremely protective. I can certainly understand that sentiment!

We went outside and saw another gorilla! I still can’t get over how huge they are!

Sorry, about only capturing the monkey butt! This next shot isn’t much better since the gorilla then went on the move.

We took a little breather after the trail to try to cool off and figure out what to do next.

We wanted to catch the Lion King show but there was still a bit of time before the next show, so we figured it would be a perfect time to visit a baby care center. I have to say, I love that Disney has one of these in each park. It’s a perfect place to cool off for a bit and take a toddler to the bathroom. AK had the biggest and nicest one of them all. Here she is watching a movie in the baby care center.

We figured we’d enjoy some air conditioning and rest up a bit while she had some down time. I think she was watching Tarzan here – appropriate for AK don’t you think?

After that we headed over and caught the Lion King show. We never saw this show before and it was fabulous! Unfortunately, I barely have any pics of this show since I was too busy taking little videos of it. It was such a fun show! We all loved it and I was glad that our little munchkin didn’t get too scared.

Orignally, we had also wanted to try to catch the Nemo show while we were in AK, but it was pretty hot out.

And we needed to get someone her nap! So we started our walk out towards the entrance of the park. However, we did manage a few pit stops along the way.

Once again, a little homage to my Thai roots.

Of course, our little girl had to do it once mommy did it.

Then we ran into a cute little kiddie rest stop (as I called it). Who can resist a hula hoop?

Do you think our little 2 year old was able to hula hoop? This is pretty much what happened each time…..

So we decided to do what we do at home. A little mommy-assisted hula hoop action.

Once she had enough of the hula hoops, we made our way out of the parks. Between the time and the heat, is it any surprise that she passed out in the car before we made it back to the resort. So we decided to drive around Orlando a bit, check out the sights and run some errands. Once she woke up, we headed back to Pop for some pool time!

We got a little surprise when we got back to the room. Yay for another towel creation!

Once we got to the pool, our little one decided she wanted to use her new inner tube rather than the life vest.

She was much happier with this, she barely wanted to take it off.

After splashing around in the pool for a bit, we decided to head over towards the main pool and check out the kiddie area there.

Oh my – she was having a blast here! She always loves water areas with water spraying out at her!

She even let daddy stop the water spray with his foot and then let it loose once she was ready. I have to say it was more relaxing to watch her play in this area than in the big pool where I was worried that she might slip through the inner tube.

 

[ladybugmom]

YAY!! Another great update!! So glad you got to see the FOTLK!! It's my favorite show!!! What a neat towel creation!!!

 

[dawnbu40]

Nice update! I never knew the baby care stations had places to just sit and watch a movie (probably since our baby days are long past) that is really nice!

Looks like the kiddie pool area was a lot of fun! Very cool towel creation

 

[MeMom]

Oh my – she was having a blast here! She always loves water areas with water spraying out at her!

We think Pop has the best kiddie pool of all the resorts we have stayed in so far. It's just a walk in, not climb down into, and it has the spray jets. The walking surface is easy on the feet and it has the nice enclosed sitting area for families.

We look forward to spending plenty of time there every day of our trip in just a few weeks!

 

[LilAnn]

YAY!! Another great update!! So glad you got to see the FOTLK!! It's my favorite show!!! What a neat towel creation!!!

I was excited we got to see FOTLK too! The towel creation made me happy - it's always the little things in life, right?

Nice update! I never knew the baby care stations had places to just sit and watch a movie (probably since our baby days are long past) that is really nice!

Looks like the kiddie pool area was a lot of fun! Very cool towel creation

Ironically, I never visted the baby care centers when we went in august and she was in diapers! However, we stopped often this trip. It was a great place to cool off and rest.

The Pop kiddie area really was fun! She loved the spray jets!

We think Pop has the best kiddie pool of all the resorts we have stayed in so far. It's just a walk in, not climb down into, and it has the spray jets. The walking surface is easy on the feet and it has the nice enclosed sitting area for families.

We look forward to spending plenty of time there every day of our trip in just a few weeks!

You described the kiddie area perfectly! I loved how soft the walking surface is there, too! Have fun when you go - wish we could be there now!

 

[RachelNinja]

It's so cute that your DD isn't afraid of the water in her face! She looks like she's having the time of her life. I mean, Disney park then a power nap and then pool time? I'd like that too!

 

[Trinity524]

I am going Sept 18-26th. I don't have a Pre-trip report. I guess it's because I am always looking at people's trip reports...lol!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Another great update!!! I can't believe you got to see the baby gorilla! How cool! I hope we get to see it in Sept, but I'm sure it won't look much like a baby anymore by then.

Love the pics at the pool and the kiddie area. Our room was on the 4th floor overlooking the kiddie pool in June. It was pretty quiet over in that corner. I've put a request on our Sept ressie to be by the bowling pin pool (we're not doing preferred this time). I kind of like a bit of noise and I'm trying to get to sleep.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Your last 2 updates were so fun to read. I really like the AK. It grows on me more & more with each visit. You are so right about all of the detail at that park. I think that it is the hottest park though. We had some pretty hot days last June, but our AK day was the worst, by far. I think all of the plants trap in the humidity or something.

The character meet pics were so cute. I really wanted to stop there, but the lines were all extremely long. There was a CM at each line & they all said it would be a 30 minute wait, so we passed on it. I like the safari clothing, so we will just have to do it next time.

We have never really stopped in the kid centers. I always take Dylan to change him in a regular bathroom. Good tip for next time!

 

[BippityBoo]

We LOVED the baby care center at AK!! I thought it was the best one at WDW. Glad you got to spend some time in the pool. Your DD's bathing suit matching her Daddy's is precious

 

[praisehisname]

So glad you got to see the baby gorilla! You got lucky with getting the cool towel creations, we never got any... The kiddie pool is so nice at Pop; when my kids were younger, they would have absolutely loved that!

 

[LilAnn]

It's so cute that your DD isn't afraid of the water in her face! She looks like she's having the time of her life. I mean, Disney park then a power nap and then pool time? I'd like that too!

She had so much fun and still talks about Disney every day! Just yesterday, we were at a friend's house and a disney commercial came on the tv and our friend said she pointed to the castle and screamed 'I went there!" I don't kow who wants to go back more - me or her!

I am going Sept 18-26th. I don't have a Pre-trip report. I guess it's because I am always looking at people's trip reports...lol!

I did that too! I am obsessed with reading other people's reports. I didn't take nearly enough pics since I wasn't planning on writing a TR. Sounds like you should have fantastic crowds on your trip!

Another great update!!! I can't believe you got to see the baby gorilla! How cool! I hope we get to see it in Sept, but I'm sure it won't look much like a baby anymore by then.

Love the pics at the pool and the kiddie area. Our room was on the 4th floor overlooking the kiddie pool in June. It was pretty quiet over in that corner. I've put a request on our Sept ressie to be by the bowling pin pool (we're not doing preferred this time). I kind of like a bit of noise and I'm trying to get to sleep.

We were on the 4th floor bear the bowling pin pool too! It was pretty quiet, but we weren't facing the pool. I think we were probably the loudest ones with a toddler! Hope you get to see the little gorilla when you go!

Your last 2 updates were so fun to read. I really like the AK. It grows on me more & more with each visit. You are so right about all of the detail at that park. I think that it is the hottest park though. We had some pretty hot days last June, but our AK day was the worst, by far. I think all of the plants trap in the humidity or something.

The character meet pics were so cute. I really wanted to stop there, but the lines were all extremely long. There was a CM at each line & they all said it would be a 30 minute wait, so we passed on it. I like the safari clothing, so we will just have to do it next time.

We have never really stopped in the kid centers. I always take Dylan to change him in a regular bathroom. Good tip for next time!

I do think that AK is the hottest park of them all! Even in the shade, you're just sweating. We got really lucky with the lines at the characters at Camp Minnie and Mickey. Some of the lesser known characters barely had any line.

We barely stopped at the baby centers in August, too. Wish we had since they are so much cooler and there are a ton of changing tables. I liked that there was a shorter toilet for the toddlers in some of the centers - made her happy. Plus there is so much more room to manuever than trying to squeeze into a regular bathroom stall. Although, probably doesn't compare to your airplane changing story! I still remember that!

We LOVED the baby care center at AK!! I thought it was the best one at WDW. Glad you got to spend some time in the pool. Your DD's bathing suit matching her Daddy's is precious

We did too! The matching daddy and little girl suits were unintentional. I can pretend we did that on purpose though.

So glad you got to see the baby gorilla! You got lucky with getting the cool towel creations, we never got any... The kiddie pool is so nice at Pop; when my kids were younger, they would have absolutely loved that!

We did get lucky with the towel creations. We only had the one on arrival when we stayed at BC in August. Which I thought was ironic since we paid so much more to stay there, but we got fantastic service at the Pop. I do have to say, the Pop kiddie area is great. The spray jets are so much fun for them.

 

[Princess_Au]

Just found your TR today and I am really enjoying it! Your dd is simply adorable! Our daughter will be almost 2 and a half when we go next May, so I love seeing that your daughter is having a great time despite being a toddler in the heat and crowds. Can't wait for more updates!

 

[lexmas]

Love the pictures...my does she look hot at AK, that's the best picture I've ever seen of sweltering heat.

I'll have to check out the baby care centers...I've been in the ones at Disneyland but not the ones at WDW yet.

The pop jets look fun! I can't wait for my kids to be able to play in these in September...I think it will be great! Pools make me nervous, so I love things like this!

Great update!

 

[LilAnn]

Just found your TR today and I am really enjoying it! Your dd is simply adorable! Our daughter will be almost 2 and a half when we go next May, so I love seeing that your daughter is having a great time despite being a toddler in the heat and crowds. Can't wait for more updates!

Hi and You will have a fantastic time next May! I compare my trip in May with a my trip in August a lot since they were completely different. She was about 21 months when we went in August and didn't like the characters but still had a blast. Hopefully it won't be quite as hot when you go next May. A short update is next. Hoping to put up more updates soon.

Love the pictures...my does she look hot at AK, that's the best picture I've ever seen of sweltering heat.

I'll have to check out the baby care centers...I've been in the ones at Disneyland but not the ones at WDW yet.

The pop jets look fun! I can't wait for my kids to be able to play in these in September...I think it will be great! Pools make me nervous, so I love things like this!

Great update!

It certainly does capture how we felt that day! It was hot! Pools make me nervous too, especially because she doesn't want us to "hover" around her anymore.

 

[LilAnn]

After cooling off with some much needed pool and water play, we got changed and headed over to Epcot for dinner. Again, we didn’t really have any set place in mind. We were just going to pick something out at the World Showcase.

The good thing about not having an ADR to get to, or a specific place in mind, was that we got to have some unexpected play time. Or at least the munchkin did.

Looks like that is her version of a roller coaster! We visited the Flower & Garden Festival a few years ago, but we never noticed all the cute little playgrounds that were set up. Then again, it was just the two of us back then! Needless to say, our little princess is a pro at spotting potential play opportunities.

She had to stop by to pet the donkey.

It’s so easy to get off schedule with a little one! It was getting late so we had to rein our little girl in and decided on dinner at the Yakitori House in Japan. My hubby went on ahead to get the food while I lagged behind with the little girlie. We had noticed in our wanderings that the World Showcase was PACKED! All of the possible places to get food were full of people and there were definitely a lot of people getting their drink on. So even though we took our time walking over to Japan, we still had to wait a good 20 minutes before daddy even walked back outside with our tray of food!

How did we spend our time while we waited for a table and our food? Why, take some more pictures of the star of this TR, of course!

When she’s in a good mood, she loves taking pictures. My little diva.

Again, we didn’t get any pictures of the food, but I think I had the udon noodle soup and my hubby had one of the curry and rice dishes. As I’ve mentioned before, our little girl loves her rice so she pretty much devoured the rice from his plate and the noodles from mine. My only complaint with this meal….why the heck did I order a noodle soup when it was 90 degrees outside? As if I wasn’t hot enough, I had to get a steaming hot bowl of food? I don’t know what I was thinking.

After our hot meal, we decided to continue our walk around the world showcase. Since our last visit to the showcase was cut short unexpectedly, we wanted to try to fit in some of the kid activities here. First, we paid a visit to Mexico for the boat ride with . That was a favorite ride of our little munchkin back in August. We would ride it over and over and over again. Apparently, this would not be the case this time around. While she still rode it, there were no requests to ride it again.

On our way out of Mexico, we stopped to pick up a little something.

She was so excited to get her mask, we thought we knew what we would be doing the rest of the night.

Well, we stopped after only 2 tags. Someone had run out of steam. All that heat and play and sure zap your energy!

Needless to say, she slept well that night.

We woke up feeling refreshed on Sunday morning, and ready for some breakfast.

We had a mission this day. We’ve missed out on it the past few trips, and we weren’t going to miss out on it this trip. We were headed to the Poly to get breakfast at Capt. Cooks to get…….

Yes! We finally got to try Tonga Toast! After all the months or reading about it and seeing pictures of it, we got a chance to try it firsthand.

Apparently, our little girl couldn’t wait for us to start eating.

Why was I not surprised to see that she liked the sugary, powdery coating? She wasn’t as much a fan of the banana inside, but she just moved on to the sausage and eggs. We were all happy campers that morning.

Next: a First Haircut!

 

[dawnbu40]

Wow what a fun and busy day you had!

Isn't it funny the things you have to see and do after hearing about them on the Dis? We have an adr in Aug at Kona so we can try Tonga Toast too

Can't wait to hear about the first haircut

 

[tinkgurl]

Aw...what a good mood she was in that night! We just might have to check out those kidcot stations!

Yessss...you got Tonga Toast! I could do without so much of that sugar on top though. Looks like DD was enjoying it!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

That tonga toast does look delicious!