Kari710
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2012
- Messages
- 32
Our Disney Trip
March 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 2012 ~ All Star Movie Resort
Our first Disney trip!! Well, my husband went when he was a little boy, but he really doesn’t remember it. And my parents took my oldest sister in 1983, but they really didn’t remember much either. So, my Dad was being super generous and decided to take his 3 daughters and their families to Disney World! He would pay for everything including the dining plan, but we would have to pay for gas, souvenirs, and tips for the meals – we’ll take it!
There was a group of 13 of us:
My Dad and Mom
Sister, her husband, nephew (12)
Sister, her husband, nephew (10) Niece (5)
Me (Kari), my husband, our son (3yr3mo) and our daughter (17 months)
We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort and were in the 101 Dalmatian’s section. We wanted the Toy Story section, but we were very happy being in the 101 Dalmatian’s section. It was right in between the pools and wasn’t a far walk from the diner. We each had our own rooms and the rooms were very nice. I decorated my window because I heard on these boards that some people do that. I was happy to have my window like that and my husband even saw a cast member walk by with a clipboard checking it out. I don’t know what that was about, but I like that it was decorated so people walking by could stop and look.
I also put up all my sons Cars characters, but didn’t get a picture of it.
We were there for 3 whole days so we had to split the parks up and squeeze in what we could. As we left I felt like we saw all we could and experienced all we could. It’s possible to have a wonderful time with only 3 days at Disney. Yeah, there were a lot of things we missed, but we still had a great time. So here’s the story of our first Disney trip, told by me, 27 year old Disney lover, Mother of a 3 year old Mickey lover and a 17 month old Minnie lover!
*I can only insert 25 photos of into this post, so I will post more pics below!
~ Saturday March 24th ~ Travel, check-in & Downtown Disney ~
Woke up at about 4:30 am and left the house around 5:30. But before we left we got the kids in the car and got everything packed into the car and locked up the house and shut the door – with the keys still in the house! So we had to get into the house by popping out a screen of a front window that was not locked and DH climbed through the window. Oh boy!
We met up at my parents and left around 6:20am. We stopped for gas right away because my sister car was almost out of gas. Then we stopped again down highway 85 to get more gas and breakfast at Bojangles.
Eating their breakfast
Wooohoo!
At about 1:15 we got into Florida and at about 4:00 we got to Disney world! We went and checked in right away.
We’re there!!!
Check-in was fairly quick. He was doing all he could to get us all situated. We did have 4 rooms to check into. The guy was very nice, and we all got "1st Visit" pins!
DS and I walked to our room and everyone got back into their cars so they could park closer. The rooms were very nice and we were all so excited!
When we got unpacked we got back in the car to go to Downtown Disney to eat a Bongos Cuban café. DH really wanted a certain Cuban sandwich that he used to eat when he lived in Miami. So we went with the kids and had a Cuban meal. It was good, hot fresh. The soda was pretty expensive for the little cup we had, but I guess we expected that, being at Disney world! When we got back we went for a little walk around the hotel and checked everything out. Then we took the kids swimming. They loved it in the kiddie pool and liked the big pool also, but we didn’t have much time because it was getting late and I knew we needed to get them to bed because they had a few big days ahead of them. So we went back and got ready for bed. DD didn’t want to lie down in her pack-n-play. About a week before our trip she started climbing out of her crib. So the pack-n-play was no different. There she was climbing out like a maniac. So after about 45 minutes of putting her back in it with her crying we finally safely taped an afghan blanket over the top so she’d stop getting out! Well, it worked and we all finally got some sleep.
Eating a Cuban Sandwich, yum!
She loved the kiddie pool!
~Sunday March 25th ~ Day 1 ~ Epcot & Magic Kingdom ~
I woke up about 5:30 am and tossed and turned for about a half hour. Finally I just woke up around 6 and took a shower and got everything ready, laid the kids clothes out and stuff. Then I headed to the diner to get myself breakfast. I knew this might be the only calm meal I would have. I got sausage, eggs and hash browns and it was really good. My sister texted me to “wake up!” and I told her that I was a step ahead of her. So she met me at the diner. By the time I was done eating DH and the kids were awake so I went back and got them dressed and ready. And we all came back together so they could eat.
The group ready to take on Disney!
We wanted to be on the bus to Epcot at 7:30 and I think it was about 8:00 when we actually got on the bus. We didn’t have to wait too long before the bus labeled “Epcot” pulled up. I was very excited to get this Disney World experience started! We all stayed together, but as soon as we walked into Epcot that came to an end. My sisters have older kids so they had other things they wanted to do. Plus it was so crowded right there at the entrance. So, we planned to meet back for lunch. So DH and I went right to The Seas with Nemo and friends. The aquarium was nice and we got to hop right on the Nemo ride. It was cool and both the kids loved it.
Then we were going to head to the world showcase (that was something I really wanted to see) but I got a fast pass for Soarin’. I didn’t use it because the time for it was when we were eating lunch. Oh well, maybe next time. So we made our way over to the World Showcase and this might have been my favorite part of the trip. We were there before it really got crowded and it was just nice to stroll the kids around and take it all in. The architecture and landscaping was just gorgeous. And they are having a flower and garden festival so there were topiaries everywhere of Disney characters. Snow white and the seven dwarfs, Mrs. Potts and chip, Buzz, Woody, Lotso and many more. So as we walked the World showcase we just took our time.
We didn’t have to be back at the Seas until 1:20. In Norway we decided to ride the Maelstrom Adventure Cruise which was fun. There was no wait and we could sit down for a bit. The kids enjoyed it.
And then in Mexico we were able to get right in on the Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, which the kids also liked – It was a little more kid friendly than Maelstrom. So after that, we had just a bit of time to spare so, as DH took a smoke break, I took the kids to a gift shop and bought DS his Mickey Mouse ears and DD a little Minnie mouse which she dropped somewhere later on.
At 1:20 we met at Coral Reef for our sit down lunch. It was nice in there, but I thought there was going to be more views of the fish tanks. It was still very nice and really cool to see sharks swimming by. I got the braised pork shank, which was awesome! I never had couscous before, but it was so delicious.
DH had the grilled mahi-mahi which he enjoyed, but the portion was very small for him. DS had the grilled chicken with vegetables and he and DD liked that. Oh I also had a pina colava which was soooo good. I could have easily had another!
DD while we waited for our food - She loves her new Mickey Mouse!
So after lunch we all headed to the monorail to ride over to Magic Kingdom. There wasn’t a wait at all to get onto the monorail and it was pretty exciting to ride it. When we first got to magic kingdom we rode the Disney world railroad. There was about a 10 minute wait for that and while we waited DD fall asleep on my shoulder.
There's the castle!!!!!
Then we walked to the castle and watched the show that Mickey and friends put on. It was awesome to be there, right at the castle. Mickey told Minnie “Oh Minnie, you’ve always been a princess to me!” We were all so happy to finally be there, right by the castle! Then DH, I, the kids, my sister and her little girl went to the teacups while the others went to frontier land. Our son had been talking about the teacups as soon as we started planning our trip. So that was a “must do”. The line wasn’t too long and it was super fun. I was worried I was going to get sick afterwards, but I was fine. Then we headed over to the Dumbo ride. Waiting in line was quite the experience. First DS has to go to the bathroom. He was saying “Mama, pee pee grass?” because he wanted to just go right there,yikes! So, DH took him and was able to scoot back in line with us. Right before he got back I realized that DD had a dirty (poopy) diaper and it was leaking out everywhere! So I hopped out of the line, made a bee line for the stroller, got what I needed out of the diaper bag, rushed to the bathroom and changed her super quick. By the time I got back to the Dumbo ride they were next up and the cast member let me get back in line with them. I was very fortunate. So, we got to hop on the Dumbo ride! But then my camera battery died for the day. Boo! After Dumbo, DH took DS on the Tomorrowland Speedway. They loved it. And as they did that the girls went to ride the carousel. We were going to meet DH back at the teacups, so we walked close to the back end of the castle and stopped at Cinderella’s wishing well where my niece made some wishes. (One for her and one for each of her cousins)
When we met back we checked to see if the Barnstormer ride line was long and it was. And so was Dumbo (to ride it again) so we just decided to head back to the hotel since it was getting a little bit late. So we got back, had dinner at the hotel, gave the kids a bath, and got them ready for bed. My family was still all at Magic Kingdom so I left the hotel at about 9:20 and hopped on a bus to Magic Kingdom so I could see wishes! I made it to the park and made my way to the front of the castle just before 10:00 and was able to watch Wishes with my sisters and parents. It was awesome! After that my sisters had fast passes to ride Space Mountain and had an extra for my Dad, but he decided not to go, so I went. That ride was pretty cool. I screamed and screamed and my voice was scratchy the rest of the vacation. So then we made our way out of the park and got on the bus back to the hotel. The line was so long! But I guess it went pretty quick – needless to say I was glad I didn’t have the kids with me. My brother in law said “If there’s a stroller, there’s a sleeping kid in it!” This was about 11:10. We got back to the hotel at about 11:45 which was enough time for my sisters and their families to still get something from the diner at the hotel since it doesn’t close until midnight. Our first day at Disney world was great!
~Monday March 26 ~ Day 2 ~ Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios ~
The next morning we woke up at got everything ready and boarded the bus for Animal Kingdom. My family was able to get on the bus before us because we were lagging with the two younger kids.
^LOVE this pic, hehee
When we got there we headed right for the safari. And that was really remarkable. We were so close to a white rhino we could have touched it.
After that we went to Dinoland USA. I was excited to let the kids play in the boneyard and they had a good time on that. DS was able to climb up everything. And DD just had a good time walking through the tunnels. Then nature called and DD had another diaper that needed attention so we left the boneyard. We rode the triceratops spin which was pretty fun, I mean, the kids liked it anyways. We wanted to have DS ride the dinosaur ride, but he was about ½ inch short (must be 40”) so they weren’t letting him ride, but that’s okay. We just kind of walked around a bit and then my sister called and wanted to me to see “It’s tough to be a bug” with us at about 11:00. So before we did that we wanted to ride Expedition Everest so we took turns and rode it as single riders! How smart! We actually did have fast passes we picked up earlier in the day but with both kids we just thought we would take turns. I’m glad we were able to ride that ride for ourselves. It was really cool! But where was the animatronic Yeti? I didn’t see it, neither did DH, nor my Mom when she rode it later.
So then we made our way to “It’s tough to be a bug” and we had another bathroom mishap. DS had fallen asleep in the stroller and right as we were getting in line to wait for the show we realized he was soaked, he had peed his pants in his sleep! So, I pushed the stroller into the stroller parking area and tried to change his clothes all the while he’s whining and crying. So then I carried him all the way through the enormous trail to get to the amphitheater, and I couldn’t get into the show with everyone else, so I had to carry this cranky 3 year old all the way back to the stroller. It seemed like from the door of the amphitheater to the stroller parking was a mile long and I had to walk the whole way back squeezing my way through people. We missed the show, but oh well! The family loved it – from my little niece to my parents. We had reservations for character lunch at the Tusker house. So we made our way there and had to wait and wait to finally be seated. We were able to meet Donald Duck as we waited and have our picture taken with him. (Although we didn’t purchase any. The pictures they offered were way too much money we thought.) It was a character meal so we got to meet the safari Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey. This was the highlight of the kids’ day! (and mine too!) I was surprised that DS went up and gave them all hugs. The food at Tusker house was good. I got some more couscous again, since I love it, and they had some pork that was good also. And the little desserts they offered were delicious too.
^One of my favorite photos taken while at Disney
Right after lunch we made our way to the Lion King show which I really enjoyed. It was nice to sit and be off our feet and just enjoy a good presentation. And this was the point of the day where DD fell asleep on me again. I didn’t complain. I loved her falling asleep on me.
After Lion King we all went back to Dinoland because there was a ride that my nephews wanted to ride. (Primeval whirl) So we just hung out a little there and let the kids play on the dinosaurs. Then we left and hopped on a bus to Hollywood Studios.
As soon as we got to Hollywood Studios we went to Toy Story Mania to either get a fast pass (they were out) or to ride it, and the wait was about an hour so we passed. Maybe if the kids were older we would have waited, but DD out of the stroller would have been a major pain. So we headed over to the “Honey I shrunk the kids” movie set adventure. I really liked that and so did the kids. DH took DS and I had DD. Everything was smooth sailing until she discovered the super soaker that would squirt water every 15 seconds or so. She loved it! And she was soaked! Here she is trying to drink the water on the floor! omg...
(And was it me or does the big play-doh actually emit a play-doh scent!?) So after that good time I got her dressed into something else and we just kind of strolled around. We were going to eat at Min and Bills dockside diner, but there were very few things to choose from, so we just decided to go back to the hotel and eat and get ready for bed. This Disney World business made us all pretty tired...
I did tell DS that when we got back to the hotel he could go swimming. So, after we ate at the hotel (I had the chicken quesadilla and it was so good!) I got him and myself ready and we went to swim while DD went to sleep and DH hung out in the room. Then after I got him back in the room ready for bed I went with my sister to the poolside spirits bar for a pina colava! This was our last night at the hotel, might as well enjoy it! After a few drinks and a recap of our day I headed back to the room and DS was still awake waiting for his Mama. So I laid with him until he fell asleep and I straightened up the room and fell asleep not long after. Day 2 was just as wonderful!
~Day 3 ~ Tuesday, March 27th ~ Magic Kingdom (and downtown Disney ?) ~
(Not many pictures, but there will be more added below)
Day 3 I woke up with a heavy heart. I didn’t want this to be our last day at Disney world! I was enjoying it so much! But I woke early and got the whole room in order and packed up and took my shower and got ready for the day. So when DH and the kids woke up we just got dressed and headed for checkout and breakfast. We packed the car before breakfast so after we ate I checked out and that was super quick, then we got in the car and drove to Magic Kingdom. This was the day that we just decided to everyone go back to whatever park they ‘didn’t get enough of’ on the other days – and the park that everyone wanted to go back to was Magic Kingdom. (Well, my sister and my niece had done the bibidi bobidi boutique the night before and had a planned breakfast with the princesses at the castle. My niece was in heaven!) We drove to Magic Kingdom that morning instead of taking the bus. At this point in the trip the kids were pretty exhausted. DS wasn’t feeling too well this morning and as we were pulling into Magic Kingdom parking lot he threw up! Good thing I had a clean diaper handy. Then (TMI) he asked for a diaper so he could go to the bathroom. (again TMI) My son has a weird thing about taking off all his clothes when he goes #2. So here we are pulled into our parking space, he’s only wearing a diaper, squatting by the car as hundreds of people are walking past to get to the park. My poor boy. So he was finally done and feeling a little better for the moment and we got him dressed and into the stroller.
Being first-timers, we had no idea that after you park at Magic Kingdom you have to take either the monorail or the big boat to the park. So we took the boat which was actually really nice. DS had his head under his blankie and was starting to fall asleep. When we got into the park we kind of just took it easy and were deciding on what we were going to do with a sick toddler. But it was our last day and I wanted to stay for a bit to see if maybe he would feel batter and perk up after he woke up. We stopped in the far right corner of Main Street there was a little smoking area for DH. It was right past the Plaza ice cream parlor we became so familiar with I was able to get some really good shots with the castle right in the background.
After that we took a nice walk through Adventureland and Frontierland. And at some point I got a fast pass for the Jungle Cruise. We wanted to go over to Tom Sawyer Island, but it wasn’t open yet. After a while of walking, DS was still napping, so DH suggested that DD and I ride “It’s a small world.” And I’m so glad he mentioned it because this was a special part of our trip. Me and her, on the old classic Disney world ride. It was great. I couldn’t believe how ‘old fashioned’ it was compared to some of the other things I’ve seen there, but it was so awesome to ride it with her. And she loved it! She looked around and danced the whole time.
Afterwards we headed back to the front of the castle and there was a loud, upbeat parade going on. With Woody and Jessie, and the Genie, Mickey, Minnie, Baloo, etc. DS was still sleeping so I sat with the stroller while DH took DD over closer to the parade and let her see everything and dance around. That was really cool and I wish DS would have been awake for it. Then we headed to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (a few days before we had all gotten ice cream there and loved it!) So we headed back there for a sundae for hubby and a cone for DD and me. There’s that smoking section right past the ice cream parlor so we went there to sit and eat and, again, got a few shots with the castle behind.
We decided to just keep strolling around for a bit and DS eventually woke up, (yay!) One of the things I read about and wanted him to check out was the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house. I thought he would like it, so when he woke up DH took him through it and he really liked it. Then we made our way to the Liberty Bell River Boat because we thought that would be a good slow ride for DS. Our boat ride was not very full of people at all which was nice. After the river boat we had lunch. Ever since we started planning the trip and looking into places to eat I wanted to eat at Pecos Bill Café – I don’t know why, lol, but we ate there and it was really good. DH got a mushroom burger and I got a chicken wrap. The kids got a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and fries.
At Pecos Bill Cafe
Then we wanted to make our way over to the Jungle Cruise since we had a fast pass we could get right in. This was one of my favorite things to do! I liked it so much because there was so much to see – for the kids. And I’m sure they thought all the animals were real. They were very lifelike. And the jokes the guys told had us giggling through the whole thing. It was a good thing to do to sort of finish our day at magic kingdom. On our way out we stopped into the Emporium to buy some gifts. I regret not buying myself anything special. I got a few magnets for myself and a plastic snow globe as well as other things for the kids, but I didn’t get myself something nice. I’m the type of person that can buy things for others without a problem, but I don’t like spending money on myself, so I wish I could have – at least that day!
The original plan was to meet my sisters back at Downtown Disney to eat at the T-Rex café – we had reservations at 5:20. By the time we walked from the Jungle cruise, down Main Street, out of the park, hopped on the ferry, and walked back to the car (Simba 14!! DH took a pick so we would remember) the kids were knocked out. So, after much debate we decided to leave. Like I said, we had reservations and a free sit-down meal at T-Rex, but the kids were fast asleep and DS was sick so we decided to just end the trip there. I was so sad, I really felt like my heart was broken and I wanted to cry! Am I 6 years old? No, but I didn’t want it to be over!
I was so grateful and still so excited about the whole trip. I was glad I had the experience and the pictures I took. And that everything just went very well. Even though I wanted so badly to have that last meal at Disney I knew it was best for the kids to just leave. DH’s sister lives in Naples so we planned to drive down there after Disney and stay a few nights. So, even though we left the magical world of Disney we were headed to spend a few days with family, and would be there a few hours earlier which was nice.
Our Disney trip was amazing! As a first time visitor I just had the time of my life. The kids loved it and DS really can’t wait to go back. He keeps telling us, “We can go back to Disney World when we are bigger bigger bigger!”
Some advice I could give to anyone who is planning a trip, especially with kids…
-You can bring a small (or medium sized, clothe-like) cooler into the park. We kept in on the back of the stroller and had cold juice, milk, water readily available. But be careful if both kids get out of the stroller – it will tip backwards!
-Bring a change of clothes for each kid into the park. You never know when someone might get sick or find some water to play in. OR indulge into an ice cream cone and make themselves a mess!
- Check and change diapers often. Time passes quickly there and you want to keep your kids hydrated so diapers can fill quickly.
-If you are going with a smoker keep in mind smoke breaks for them. DH would stop to smoke somewhere and we’d just head to a bathroom, or go to a gift shop.
-Don’t forget if it’s in the budget to get yourself a little nice gift! If I could go back this would be one of the main things I would change. As we walked around the World Showcase (my favorite and most memorable part) I really wish I would have stopped into one of the many nice gift shops and got myself a little figurine or something.
-The Wishes show at 10:00 is really amazing, but personally, taking the kids back to the room and having DH stay with them was a good idea for us. I can see where people want to have their young kids see the show, but I also see how people would want to skip it. It’s just such a long day I don’t know how any kid even stays awake for it.
-Speaking of Wishes, we were very close to the castle during the show. We were actually right in front of the Walt Disney and Mickey statue and the images on the castle were a little blurry. My brother in law and nephew were farther back on Main Street and they said it was perfectly clear. So, maybe that’s just something you want to be back a little bit farther for.
-One more thing about wishes, I was able to leave my hotel at about 9:15, ride the bus to Magic Kingdom, and walk briskly to the front of the castle and I got there right before 10:00. I was by myself - If I had a stroller there was NO WAY I would have gotten to the castle. All of main street was packed with people.
-Fast pass! A wonderful invention! But this we did not know: You can only get a fast pass every 2 hours. So, you can’t get into a park and rush to your favorite rides and get two or three fast passes back to back, you have to wait two hours to get your next one.
-Ride as a single rider if you can and if it doesn’t bother you. You practically get to jump in line as groups of 3 or 5 need another rider to make it even. I didn’t know that you could ride as a single rider on certain rides, so this was a nice alternative to waiting in a long line if you don’t have a fast pass. As I mentioned we did this for Expedition Everest and we both rode it in less than 20 minutes. (I rode while he watched the kids, then he rode while I watched the kids) I wasn’t sure how the kid-swap thing worked – and still don’t because we never used it. We did our own version of kid swap
-The rooms in the All Stars Movies Resort do have a mini fridge. I read that they did, then read that they didn’t… but they do, ours did anyways
-There’s not much for toddlers in Hollywood Studios, in my opinion. There’s the Honey I shrunk the Kids Adventure, which my kids did love. And there is also the Toy Story Mania ride, but the wait was over an hour so we skipped out.
-Tusker House in Animal Kingdom was a great place to eat with the character meal. We had a buffet of lots of foods, and were able to meet the characters.
*You can do a lot at Disney World in just 3 days. Before our trip a lot of people told me that we needed at least 5 to 7 days... but unfortunately we didn't have the luxury of staying that long. Yeah, with 5 or 7 days we could have seen and done a lot more, but I feel like we used our time wisely and saw a lot and we did the main things we wanted to do. So, do plan ahead and make sure you are informed about all the parks, certain rides, and restaurants… Even with only a few days you can have an awesome and magical Disney trip!
I was happy to share my trip with you! If you have any questions please ask! *More pictures below!
March 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 2012 ~ All Star Movie Resort
Our first Disney trip!! Well, my husband went when he was a little boy, but he really doesn’t remember it. And my parents took my oldest sister in 1983, but they really didn’t remember much either. So, my Dad was being super generous and decided to take his 3 daughters and their families to Disney World! He would pay for everything including the dining plan, but we would have to pay for gas, souvenirs, and tips for the meals – we’ll take it!
There was a group of 13 of us:
My Dad and Mom
Sister, her husband, nephew (12)
Sister, her husband, nephew (10) Niece (5)
Me (Kari), my husband, our son (3yr3mo) and our daughter (17 months)
We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort and were in the 101 Dalmatian’s section. We wanted the Toy Story section, but we were very happy being in the 101 Dalmatian’s section. It was right in between the pools and wasn’t a far walk from the diner. We each had our own rooms and the rooms were very nice. I decorated my window because I heard on these boards that some people do that. I was happy to have my window like that and my husband even saw a cast member walk by with a clipboard checking it out. I don’t know what that was about, but I like that it was decorated so people walking by could stop and look.
I also put up all my sons Cars characters, but didn’t get a picture of it.
We were there for 3 whole days so we had to split the parks up and squeeze in what we could. As we left I felt like we saw all we could and experienced all we could. It’s possible to have a wonderful time with only 3 days at Disney. Yeah, there were a lot of things we missed, but we still had a great time. So here’s the story of our first Disney trip, told by me, 27 year old Disney lover, Mother of a 3 year old Mickey lover and a 17 month old Minnie lover!
*I can only insert 25 photos of into this post, so I will post more pics below!
~ Saturday March 24th ~ Travel, check-in & Downtown Disney ~
Woke up at about 4:30 am and left the house around 5:30. But before we left we got the kids in the car and got everything packed into the car and locked up the house and shut the door – with the keys still in the house! So we had to get into the house by popping out a screen of a front window that was not locked and DH climbed through the window. Oh boy!
We met up at my parents and left around 6:20am. We stopped for gas right away because my sister car was almost out of gas. Then we stopped again down highway 85 to get more gas and breakfast at Bojangles.
Eating their breakfast
Wooohoo!
At about 1:15 we got into Florida and at about 4:00 we got to Disney world! We went and checked in right away.
We’re there!!!
Check-in was fairly quick. He was doing all he could to get us all situated. We did have 4 rooms to check into. The guy was very nice, and we all got "1st Visit" pins!
DS and I walked to our room and everyone got back into their cars so they could park closer. The rooms were very nice and we were all so excited!
When we got unpacked we got back in the car to go to Downtown Disney to eat a Bongos Cuban café. DH really wanted a certain Cuban sandwich that he used to eat when he lived in Miami. So we went with the kids and had a Cuban meal. It was good, hot fresh. The soda was pretty expensive for the little cup we had, but I guess we expected that, being at Disney world! When we got back we went for a little walk around the hotel and checked everything out. Then we took the kids swimming. They loved it in the kiddie pool and liked the big pool also, but we didn’t have much time because it was getting late and I knew we needed to get them to bed because they had a few big days ahead of them. So we went back and got ready for bed. DD didn’t want to lie down in her pack-n-play. About a week before our trip she started climbing out of her crib. So the pack-n-play was no different. There she was climbing out like a maniac. So after about 45 minutes of putting her back in it with her crying we finally safely taped an afghan blanket over the top so she’d stop getting out! Well, it worked and we all finally got some sleep.
Eating a Cuban Sandwich, yum!
She loved the kiddie pool!
~Sunday March 25th ~ Day 1 ~ Epcot & Magic Kingdom ~
I woke up about 5:30 am and tossed and turned for about a half hour. Finally I just woke up around 6 and took a shower and got everything ready, laid the kids clothes out and stuff. Then I headed to the diner to get myself breakfast. I knew this might be the only calm meal I would have. I got sausage, eggs and hash browns and it was really good. My sister texted me to “wake up!” and I told her that I was a step ahead of her. So she met me at the diner. By the time I was done eating DH and the kids were awake so I went back and got them dressed and ready. And we all came back together so they could eat.
The group ready to take on Disney!
We wanted to be on the bus to Epcot at 7:30 and I think it was about 8:00 when we actually got on the bus. We didn’t have to wait too long before the bus labeled “Epcot” pulled up. I was very excited to get this Disney World experience started! We all stayed together, but as soon as we walked into Epcot that came to an end. My sisters have older kids so they had other things they wanted to do. Plus it was so crowded right there at the entrance. So, we planned to meet back for lunch. So DH and I went right to The Seas with Nemo and friends. The aquarium was nice and we got to hop right on the Nemo ride. It was cool and both the kids loved it.
Then we were going to head to the world showcase (that was something I really wanted to see) but I got a fast pass for Soarin’. I didn’t use it because the time for it was when we were eating lunch. Oh well, maybe next time. So we made our way over to the World Showcase and this might have been my favorite part of the trip. We were there before it really got crowded and it was just nice to stroll the kids around and take it all in. The architecture and landscaping was just gorgeous. And they are having a flower and garden festival so there were topiaries everywhere of Disney characters. Snow white and the seven dwarfs, Mrs. Potts and chip, Buzz, Woody, Lotso and many more. So as we walked the World showcase we just took our time.
We didn’t have to be back at the Seas until 1:20. In Norway we decided to ride the Maelstrom Adventure Cruise which was fun. There was no wait and we could sit down for a bit. The kids enjoyed it.
And then in Mexico we were able to get right in on the Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, which the kids also liked – It was a little more kid friendly than Maelstrom. So after that, we had just a bit of time to spare so, as DH took a smoke break, I took the kids to a gift shop and bought DS his Mickey Mouse ears and DD a little Minnie mouse which she dropped somewhere later on.
At 1:20 we met at Coral Reef for our sit down lunch. It was nice in there, but I thought there was going to be more views of the fish tanks. It was still very nice and really cool to see sharks swimming by. I got the braised pork shank, which was awesome! I never had couscous before, but it was so delicious.
DH had the grilled mahi-mahi which he enjoyed, but the portion was very small for him. DS had the grilled chicken with vegetables and he and DD liked that. Oh I also had a pina colava which was soooo good. I could have easily had another!
DD while we waited for our food - She loves her new Mickey Mouse!
So after lunch we all headed to the monorail to ride over to Magic Kingdom. There wasn’t a wait at all to get onto the monorail and it was pretty exciting to ride it. When we first got to magic kingdom we rode the Disney world railroad. There was about a 10 minute wait for that and while we waited DD fall asleep on my shoulder.
There's the castle!!!!!
Then we walked to the castle and watched the show that Mickey and friends put on. It was awesome to be there, right at the castle. Mickey told Minnie “Oh Minnie, you’ve always been a princess to me!” We were all so happy to finally be there, right by the castle! Then DH, I, the kids, my sister and her little girl went to the teacups while the others went to frontier land. Our son had been talking about the teacups as soon as we started planning our trip. So that was a “must do”. The line wasn’t too long and it was super fun. I was worried I was going to get sick afterwards, but I was fine. Then we headed over to the Dumbo ride. Waiting in line was quite the experience. First DS has to go to the bathroom. He was saying “Mama, pee pee grass?” because he wanted to just go right there,yikes! So, DH took him and was able to scoot back in line with us. Right before he got back I realized that DD had a dirty (poopy) diaper and it was leaking out everywhere! So I hopped out of the line, made a bee line for the stroller, got what I needed out of the diaper bag, rushed to the bathroom and changed her super quick. By the time I got back to the Dumbo ride they were next up and the cast member let me get back in line with them. I was very fortunate. So, we got to hop on the Dumbo ride! But then my camera battery died for the day. Boo! After Dumbo, DH took DS on the Tomorrowland Speedway. They loved it. And as they did that the girls went to ride the carousel. We were going to meet DH back at the teacups, so we walked close to the back end of the castle and stopped at Cinderella’s wishing well where my niece made some wishes. (One for her and one for each of her cousins)
When we met back we checked to see if the Barnstormer ride line was long and it was. And so was Dumbo (to ride it again) so we just decided to head back to the hotel since it was getting a little bit late. So we got back, had dinner at the hotel, gave the kids a bath, and got them ready for bed. My family was still all at Magic Kingdom so I left the hotel at about 9:20 and hopped on a bus to Magic Kingdom so I could see wishes! I made it to the park and made my way to the front of the castle just before 10:00 and was able to watch Wishes with my sisters and parents. It was awesome! After that my sisters had fast passes to ride Space Mountain and had an extra for my Dad, but he decided not to go, so I went. That ride was pretty cool. I screamed and screamed and my voice was scratchy the rest of the vacation. So then we made our way out of the park and got on the bus back to the hotel. The line was so long! But I guess it went pretty quick – needless to say I was glad I didn’t have the kids with me. My brother in law said “If there’s a stroller, there’s a sleeping kid in it!” This was about 11:10. We got back to the hotel at about 11:45 which was enough time for my sisters and their families to still get something from the diner at the hotel since it doesn’t close until midnight. Our first day at Disney world was great!
~Monday March 26 ~ Day 2 ~ Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios ~
The next morning we woke up at got everything ready and boarded the bus for Animal Kingdom. My family was able to get on the bus before us because we were lagging with the two younger kids.
^LOVE this pic, hehee
When we got there we headed right for the safari. And that was really remarkable. We were so close to a white rhino we could have touched it.
After that we went to Dinoland USA. I was excited to let the kids play in the boneyard and they had a good time on that. DS was able to climb up everything. And DD just had a good time walking through the tunnels. Then nature called and DD had another diaper that needed attention so we left the boneyard. We rode the triceratops spin which was pretty fun, I mean, the kids liked it anyways. We wanted to have DS ride the dinosaur ride, but he was about ½ inch short (must be 40”) so they weren’t letting him ride, but that’s okay. We just kind of walked around a bit and then my sister called and wanted to me to see “It’s tough to be a bug” with us at about 11:00. So before we did that we wanted to ride Expedition Everest so we took turns and rode it as single riders! How smart! We actually did have fast passes we picked up earlier in the day but with both kids we just thought we would take turns. I’m glad we were able to ride that ride for ourselves. It was really cool! But where was the animatronic Yeti? I didn’t see it, neither did DH, nor my Mom when she rode it later.
So then we made our way to “It’s tough to be a bug” and we had another bathroom mishap. DS had fallen asleep in the stroller and right as we were getting in line to wait for the show we realized he was soaked, he had peed his pants in his sleep! So, I pushed the stroller into the stroller parking area and tried to change his clothes all the while he’s whining and crying. So then I carried him all the way through the enormous trail to get to the amphitheater, and I couldn’t get into the show with everyone else, so I had to carry this cranky 3 year old all the way back to the stroller. It seemed like from the door of the amphitheater to the stroller parking was a mile long and I had to walk the whole way back squeezing my way through people. We missed the show, but oh well! The family loved it – from my little niece to my parents. We had reservations for character lunch at the Tusker house. So we made our way there and had to wait and wait to finally be seated. We were able to meet Donald Duck as we waited and have our picture taken with him. (Although we didn’t purchase any. The pictures they offered were way too much money we thought.) It was a character meal so we got to meet the safari Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey. This was the highlight of the kids’ day! (and mine too!) I was surprised that DS went up and gave them all hugs. The food at Tusker house was good. I got some more couscous again, since I love it, and they had some pork that was good also. And the little desserts they offered were delicious too.
^One of my favorite photos taken while at Disney
Right after lunch we made our way to the Lion King show which I really enjoyed. It was nice to sit and be off our feet and just enjoy a good presentation. And this was the point of the day where DD fell asleep on me again. I didn’t complain. I loved her falling asleep on me.
After Lion King we all went back to Dinoland because there was a ride that my nephews wanted to ride. (Primeval whirl) So we just hung out a little there and let the kids play on the dinosaurs. Then we left and hopped on a bus to Hollywood Studios.
As soon as we got to Hollywood Studios we went to Toy Story Mania to either get a fast pass (they were out) or to ride it, and the wait was about an hour so we passed. Maybe if the kids were older we would have waited, but DD out of the stroller would have been a major pain. So we headed over to the “Honey I shrunk the kids” movie set adventure. I really liked that and so did the kids. DH took DS and I had DD. Everything was smooth sailing until she discovered the super soaker that would squirt water every 15 seconds or so. She loved it! And she was soaked! Here she is trying to drink the water on the floor! omg...
(And was it me or does the big play-doh actually emit a play-doh scent!?) So after that good time I got her dressed into something else and we just kind of strolled around. We were going to eat at Min and Bills dockside diner, but there were very few things to choose from, so we just decided to go back to the hotel and eat and get ready for bed. This Disney World business made us all pretty tired...
I did tell DS that when we got back to the hotel he could go swimming. So, after we ate at the hotel (I had the chicken quesadilla and it was so good!) I got him and myself ready and we went to swim while DD went to sleep and DH hung out in the room. Then after I got him back in the room ready for bed I went with my sister to the poolside spirits bar for a pina colava! This was our last night at the hotel, might as well enjoy it! After a few drinks and a recap of our day I headed back to the room and DS was still awake waiting for his Mama. So I laid with him until he fell asleep and I straightened up the room and fell asleep not long after. Day 2 was just as wonderful!
~Day 3 ~ Tuesday, March 27th ~ Magic Kingdom (and downtown Disney ?) ~
(Not many pictures, but there will be more added below)
Day 3 I woke up with a heavy heart. I didn’t want this to be our last day at Disney world! I was enjoying it so much! But I woke early and got the whole room in order and packed up and took my shower and got ready for the day. So when DH and the kids woke up we just got dressed and headed for checkout and breakfast. We packed the car before breakfast so after we ate I checked out and that was super quick, then we got in the car and drove to Magic Kingdom. This was the day that we just decided to everyone go back to whatever park they ‘didn’t get enough of’ on the other days – and the park that everyone wanted to go back to was Magic Kingdom. (Well, my sister and my niece had done the bibidi bobidi boutique the night before and had a planned breakfast with the princesses at the castle. My niece was in heaven!) We drove to Magic Kingdom that morning instead of taking the bus. At this point in the trip the kids were pretty exhausted. DS wasn’t feeling too well this morning and as we were pulling into Magic Kingdom parking lot he threw up! Good thing I had a clean diaper handy. Then (TMI) he asked for a diaper so he could go to the bathroom. (again TMI) My son has a weird thing about taking off all his clothes when he goes #2. So here we are pulled into our parking space, he’s only wearing a diaper, squatting by the car as hundreds of people are walking past to get to the park. My poor boy. So he was finally done and feeling a little better for the moment and we got him dressed and into the stroller.
Being first-timers, we had no idea that after you park at Magic Kingdom you have to take either the monorail or the big boat to the park. So we took the boat which was actually really nice. DS had his head under his blankie and was starting to fall asleep. When we got into the park we kind of just took it easy and were deciding on what we were going to do with a sick toddler. But it was our last day and I wanted to stay for a bit to see if maybe he would feel batter and perk up after he woke up. We stopped in the far right corner of Main Street there was a little smoking area for DH. It was right past the Plaza ice cream parlor we became so familiar with I was able to get some really good shots with the castle right in the background.
After that we took a nice walk through Adventureland and Frontierland. And at some point I got a fast pass for the Jungle Cruise. We wanted to go over to Tom Sawyer Island, but it wasn’t open yet. After a while of walking, DS was still napping, so DH suggested that DD and I ride “It’s a small world.” And I’m so glad he mentioned it because this was a special part of our trip. Me and her, on the old classic Disney world ride. It was great. I couldn’t believe how ‘old fashioned’ it was compared to some of the other things I’ve seen there, but it was so awesome to ride it with her. And she loved it! She looked around and danced the whole time.
Afterwards we headed back to the front of the castle and there was a loud, upbeat parade going on. With Woody and Jessie, and the Genie, Mickey, Minnie, Baloo, etc. DS was still sleeping so I sat with the stroller while DH took DD over closer to the parade and let her see everything and dance around. That was really cool and I wish DS would have been awake for it. Then we headed to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (a few days before we had all gotten ice cream there and loved it!) So we headed back there for a sundae for hubby and a cone for DD and me. There’s that smoking section right past the ice cream parlor so we went there to sit and eat and, again, got a few shots with the castle behind.
We decided to just keep strolling around for a bit and DS eventually woke up, (yay!) One of the things I read about and wanted him to check out was the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house. I thought he would like it, so when he woke up DH took him through it and he really liked it. Then we made our way to the Liberty Bell River Boat because we thought that would be a good slow ride for DS. Our boat ride was not very full of people at all which was nice. After the river boat we had lunch. Ever since we started planning the trip and looking into places to eat I wanted to eat at Pecos Bill Café – I don’t know why, lol, but we ate there and it was really good. DH got a mushroom burger and I got a chicken wrap. The kids got a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and fries.
At Pecos Bill Cafe
Then we wanted to make our way over to the Jungle Cruise since we had a fast pass we could get right in. This was one of my favorite things to do! I liked it so much because there was so much to see – for the kids. And I’m sure they thought all the animals were real. They were very lifelike. And the jokes the guys told had us giggling through the whole thing. It was a good thing to do to sort of finish our day at magic kingdom. On our way out we stopped into the Emporium to buy some gifts. I regret not buying myself anything special. I got a few magnets for myself and a plastic snow globe as well as other things for the kids, but I didn’t get myself something nice. I’m the type of person that can buy things for others without a problem, but I don’t like spending money on myself, so I wish I could have – at least that day!
The original plan was to meet my sisters back at Downtown Disney to eat at the T-Rex café – we had reservations at 5:20. By the time we walked from the Jungle cruise, down Main Street, out of the park, hopped on the ferry, and walked back to the car (Simba 14!! DH took a pick so we would remember) the kids were knocked out. So, after much debate we decided to leave. Like I said, we had reservations and a free sit-down meal at T-Rex, but the kids were fast asleep and DS was sick so we decided to just end the trip there. I was so sad, I really felt like my heart was broken and I wanted to cry! Am I 6 years old? No, but I didn’t want it to be over!
I was so grateful and still so excited about the whole trip. I was glad I had the experience and the pictures I took. And that everything just went very well. Even though I wanted so badly to have that last meal at Disney I knew it was best for the kids to just leave. DH’s sister lives in Naples so we planned to drive down there after Disney and stay a few nights. So, even though we left the magical world of Disney we were headed to spend a few days with family, and would be there a few hours earlier which was nice.
Our Disney trip was amazing! As a first time visitor I just had the time of my life. The kids loved it and DS really can’t wait to go back. He keeps telling us, “We can go back to Disney World when we are bigger bigger bigger!”
Some advice I could give to anyone who is planning a trip, especially with kids…
-You can bring a small (or medium sized, clothe-like) cooler into the park. We kept in on the back of the stroller and had cold juice, milk, water readily available. But be careful if both kids get out of the stroller – it will tip backwards!
-Bring a change of clothes for each kid into the park. You never know when someone might get sick or find some water to play in. OR indulge into an ice cream cone and make themselves a mess!
- Check and change diapers often. Time passes quickly there and you want to keep your kids hydrated so diapers can fill quickly.
-If you are going with a smoker keep in mind smoke breaks for them. DH would stop to smoke somewhere and we’d just head to a bathroom, or go to a gift shop.
-Don’t forget if it’s in the budget to get yourself a little nice gift! If I could go back this would be one of the main things I would change. As we walked around the World Showcase (my favorite and most memorable part) I really wish I would have stopped into one of the many nice gift shops and got myself a little figurine or something.
-The Wishes show at 10:00 is really amazing, but personally, taking the kids back to the room and having DH stay with them was a good idea for us. I can see where people want to have their young kids see the show, but I also see how people would want to skip it. It’s just such a long day I don’t know how any kid even stays awake for it.
-Speaking of Wishes, we were very close to the castle during the show. We were actually right in front of the Walt Disney and Mickey statue and the images on the castle were a little blurry. My brother in law and nephew were farther back on Main Street and they said it was perfectly clear. So, maybe that’s just something you want to be back a little bit farther for.
-One more thing about wishes, I was able to leave my hotel at about 9:15, ride the bus to Magic Kingdom, and walk briskly to the front of the castle and I got there right before 10:00. I was by myself - If I had a stroller there was NO WAY I would have gotten to the castle. All of main street was packed with people.
-Fast pass! A wonderful invention! But this we did not know: You can only get a fast pass every 2 hours. So, you can’t get into a park and rush to your favorite rides and get two or three fast passes back to back, you have to wait two hours to get your next one.
-Ride as a single rider if you can and if it doesn’t bother you. You practically get to jump in line as groups of 3 or 5 need another rider to make it even. I didn’t know that you could ride as a single rider on certain rides, so this was a nice alternative to waiting in a long line if you don’t have a fast pass. As I mentioned we did this for Expedition Everest and we both rode it in less than 20 minutes. (I rode while he watched the kids, then he rode while I watched the kids) I wasn’t sure how the kid-swap thing worked – and still don’t because we never used it. We did our own version of kid swap
-The rooms in the All Stars Movies Resort do have a mini fridge. I read that they did, then read that they didn’t… but they do, ours did anyways
-There’s not much for toddlers in Hollywood Studios, in my opinion. There’s the Honey I shrunk the Kids Adventure, which my kids did love. And there is also the Toy Story Mania ride, but the wait was over an hour so we skipped out.
-Tusker House in Animal Kingdom was a great place to eat with the character meal. We had a buffet of lots of foods, and were able to meet the characters.
*You can do a lot at Disney World in just 3 days. Before our trip a lot of people told me that we needed at least 5 to 7 days... but unfortunately we didn't have the luxury of staying that long. Yeah, with 5 or 7 days we could have seen and done a lot more, but I feel like we used our time wisely and saw a lot and we did the main things we wanted to do. So, do plan ahead and make sure you are informed about all the parks, certain rides, and restaurants… Even with only a few days you can have an awesome and magical Disney trip!
I was happy to share my trip with you! If you have any questions please ask! *More pictures below!
