First off, thank you to those that helped me plan a perfect first time experience for my 4 year old daughter. We had an absolute blast, and were lucky with great weather and low crowds. Sure, there were some attractions that were closed, but for us the low crowds were worth it!
We arrived last Tuesday afternoon and stayed at the Fairfield Inn. Took a private shuttle through 24/7. They were prompt and efficient ($37 to the hotel/$31 back to the airport. The hotel was great for what we paid, and a 5-10 minute walk to the park entrance. We would absolutely stay there again, beds were comfy and clean. If you forget something (like we did a few times!) it was a pain though to go back and forth.
The first day, we visited Build a Bear and had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. No park tickets that day (thank you to those that gave us suggestions on what to do!) Goofy's Kitchen was a lot of fun. Food was pretty good for what I normally expect a buffet to be. Many choices for both the adults and kids. This was our first character experience with Kiana. She loved the interaction and was not shy at all. We must've seen 5-7? characters, at least! We were there for almost 2 hours, never feeling rushed and truly enjoyed ourselves.
The next day was our first park day. With all of the suggestions on this board, we headed right to Peter Pan. Both parks was pretty empty, only having to wait no more than 10 minutes if that.
We did the full package at Bippity Boppity Boutique and it was well worth it. She was in complete awe and they did a fantastic job making her into a princess. They took lots of pictures, and allowed me to take just as much. Cost was approx $225 with the outfit and accessories (she chose Aurora). The rest of the day, cast members would refer to her as "Princess" She loved the attention!
Afterwards we did lunch at Ariel's Grotto. Again, in complete awe of the Princesses. Food was just ok. I asked for medium rare for my steak but got medium. Oh well, we were there for the Princesses! All came by our table, spent maybe 2 minutes or so. She loved it, but I feel like the character interaction at Goofy's Kitchen was much better.
Thursday morning we did Breakfast with Minnie. Food was pretty good. Character interaction was great!!! Lots more characters, probably just as much if not more than Goofy's Kitchen. Several of the characters came back and forth, taking lots of pictures and were very playful. She barely ate she was so busy playing.
Since the parks were slow we cancelled our WOC dinner reservations (Trattoria) and opted for an early dinner at Cafe Orleans. Great surprise! Initially the menu didn't appeal to me as much, but my husband and I shared a huge salad and the monte cristo sandwhich. Delicious!! Kiana had the spaghetti and ate that up!
We did get FP for WOC and got the blue section. Showed up an hour before the show started and it was crowded. We didn't have the best view but don't regret cancelling the dinner. It was fun at Cafe Orleans and we spent a lot of time at the park before the show. All in all, it was money saved. It was a great show though, and maybe next time we'll get there earlier or do the reservations.
Friday was our last day at the park, and what a difference in crowds! We're very glad that we were able to enjoy the parks on Wed-Thursday without lots of wait times. The parade and fireworks were beautiful! Did dinner at Rancho del Zocalo. Food was delicious and prices very reasonable!
Saturday morning we did Breakfast with Mickey before our afternoon flight. There were just 4 characters there, and not very crowded. Kiana played with them and danced alongside. Again, we were there for 2 hours or so. Food was great, and service was fantastic.
All in all, we did do a lot of character meals and yes, they took up lots of time but she really enjoyed it. I felt it was money well spent. The FP tips were so helpful (Thank you, Hydroguy). She was quite the daredevil, loving all of the rollercoaster type of rides. Luckilly she was tall enough.
We also had a picture autograph book that I read on another site that worked awesome for her:
http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Junior...6704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326672039&sr=8-1
This made it so I could explain all of the characters to her.
Another tip I read her was to watch some of the popular Disney movies prior to the trip. Very helpful! We brought lots of snacks and bottled water that kept us going all day. Did a nap on Thursday and Friday, late afternoon which helped!
Thanks again to all on this board. We had a great trip, and felt very prepared with all of the discussions on this board!
We arrived last Tuesday afternoon and stayed at the Fairfield Inn. Took a private shuttle through 24/7. They were prompt and efficient ($37 to the hotel/$31 back to the airport. The hotel was great for what we paid, and a 5-10 minute walk to the park entrance. We would absolutely stay there again, beds were comfy and clean. If you forget something (like we did a few times!) it was a pain though to go back and forth.
The first day, we visited Build a Bear and had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. No park tickets that day (thank you to those that gave us suggestions on what to do!) Goofy's Kitchen was a lot of fun. Food was pretty good for what I normally expect a buffet to be. Many choices for both the adults and kids. This was our first character experience with Kiana. She loved the interaction and was not shy at all. We must've seen 5-7? characters, at least! We were there for almost 2 hours, never feeling rushed and truly enjoyed ourselves.
The next day was our first park day. With all of the suggestions on this board, we headed right to Peter Pan. Both parks was pretty empty, only having to wait no more than 10 minutes if that.
We did the full package at Bippity Boppity Boutique and it was well worth it. She was in complete awe and they did a fantastic job making her into a princess. They took lots of pictures, and allowed me to take just as much. Cost was approx $225 with the outfit and accessories (she chose Aurora). The rest of the day, cast members would refer to her as "Princess" She loved the attention!
Afterwards we did lunch at Ariel's Grotto. Again, in complete awe of the Princesses. Food was just ok. I asked for medium rare for my steak but got medium. Oh well, we were there for the Princesses! All came by our table, spent maybe 2 minutes or so. She loved it, but I feel like the character interaction at Goofy's Kitchen was much better.
Thursday morning we did Breakfast with Minnie. Food was pretty good. Character interaction was great!!! Lots more characters, probably just as much if not more than Goofy's Kitchen. Several of the characters came back and forth, taking lots of pictures and were very playful. She barely ate she was so busy playing.
Since the parks were slow we cancelled our WOC dinner reservations (Trattoria) and opted for an early dinner at Cafe Orleans. Great surprise! Initially the menu didn't appeal to me as much, but my husband and I shared a huge salad and the monte cristo sandwhich. Delicious!! Kiana had the spaghetti and ate that up!
We did get FP for WOC and got the blue section. Showed up an hour before the show started and it was crowded. We didn't have the best view but don't regret cancelling the dinner. It was fun at Cafe Orleans and we spent a lot of time at the park before the show. All in all, it was money saved. It was a great show though, and maybe next time we'll get there earlier or do the reservations.
Friday was our last day at the park, and what a difference in crowds! We're very glad that we were able to enjoy the parks on Wed-Thursday without lots of wait times. The parade and fireworks were beautiful! Did dinner at Rancho del Zocalo. Food was delicious and prices very reasonable!
Saturday morning we did Breakfast with Mickey before our afternoon flight. There were just 4 characters there, and not very crowded. Kiana played with them and danced alongside. Again, we were there for 2 hours or so. Food was great, and service was fantastic.
All in all, we did do a lot of character meals and yes, they took up lots of time but she really enjoyed it. I felt it was money well spent. The FP tips were so helpful (Thank you, Hydroguy). She was quite the daredevil, loving all of the rollercoaster type of rides. Luckilly she was tall enough.
We also had a picture autograph book that I read on another site that worked awesome for her:
http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Junior...6704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326672039&sr=8-1
This made it so I could explain all of the characters to her.
Another tip I read her was to watch some of the popular Disney movies prior to the trip. Very helpful! We brought lots of snacks and bottled water that kept us going all day. Did a nap on Thursday and Friday, late afternoon which helped!
Thanks again to all on this board. We had a great trip, and felt very prepared with all of the discussions on this board!
