Our First Trip as Parents! December 2012 TR - 8/6 OMG a TR link!

[MEK]

That's a wonderful "standard" view room that you got! I love that. I think the standard view rooms are such a great point bargain and you definitely scored with that view.

I absolutely love the kidani villas. They are awesome. I haven't stayed there for awhile and its about time to make a return visit.

The picture of the three of you on the couch is so cute.

Happy Holidays!

 

[mswings]

Wow! You have had some pretty amazing luck so far on this trip! Hope it continues that way for you

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm glad that your mom was able to relax and enjoy the flight. And that was awful kind of your DH to make sure she didn't have to drink alone!!!

That seems like quite a nice surprise when you're not expecting that kind of a view!! I can't think of a much better way to start things off!

 

[jedijill]

That's the view we had in November! Love the Savanna view for standard price! Did you see the Red River Hogs?

Happy Holidays!

Jill in CO

 

[dizneeat]

Yes! Weren't you supposed to be going to WDW in December too??

No - December is a time where it's very hard for us to get away, but we are going back in February.

 

[blabbermouth]

Great report so far, your poor MIL, she's brave though, I think a lot of people would chicken out entirely!

My DH is Portuguese too

I'm subscribing!

 

[singastory]

Hi! I've been reading your trip reports for about a year and finally decided to say hello... What a creeper! I hope you've had a wonderful holiday season so far and I can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[Cheryl726]

Enjoying your TR! You have a beautiful family, and I think you are very brave for doing this trip with a 2-month old!

 

[Leshaface]

When I checked in, I mentioned to the CM that I had two boxes shipped through Walmart. One was diapers and the other was water and she told me that they would be delivered to the room shortly. After being in the room for about 20 minutes they showed up! They delivered it immediately, which was awesome!

We didn’t unpack because we were only staying in this room for one night, so we all brushed our teeth and got ready to head to Downtown Disney for some dinner.

The bus stops are so nice at Kidani Village. Way different from Pop Century and Coronado Springs. There are some really cool tv’s here and is not too far from our room.

One thing that SUCKS about going to DTD is the wait for the bus. It always seems like that bus takes forever to come! And it did. We probably waited about 15 minutes and we told DM that the buses are hit or miss. But one did come finally!

The ride was so stinkin’ long! Definitely the longest bus ride we had the entire trip. And once we got there…WOAH! I had never seen DTD like this before. It was packed! Then I realized it is also Saturday night, which is probably why it was so nuts. But we did take this pic upon entering

The first store we walked into was the Christmas store and it was difficult to maneuver through! I think the most crowded part of the trip was this day for us and we weren’t even at a park!

We browsed around in there for as long as we could (like 5 minutes!) before we checked out with our purchases. DH bought this for our DS:

His first stocking and it’s super cute. But I wish there were more baby type stockings.

Mom purchased some ornaments for herself and off we went to go look for Earl of Sandwich which is right across the way but when we walked in….Oh..My…Gosh. The lines were insane. DH, who was determined to eat here, even though we had eaten at EoS 3 times on our Disneyland trip a month ago, even said no way! So instead we headed over to Wolfgang Puck Express and I’m so happy that we did!

Sorry, I only took 1 picture and it was of my food- the Roasted Turkey with cheddar, arugula, carmelized onions, port wine sauce, and horseradish cream. It was delicious!

However my mom got the Pepperoni pizza and it was FANTASTIC! Dh got the 4 cheese macaroni and that too, was great. We sat outside since it was nice and slightly warm and it was quiet where we were. The waiters, were amazing by the way. They didn’t forget about us, and they would even come outside once in a while to talk to us about the food, our baby, California, etc.

After dinner, I wanted to go by Ghirardelli to get us some warm chocolate chip cookies – Okay, so I know they are famous for their ice cream and hot chocolate, but do NOT overlook their cookies! In fact, my order took forever and I only ordered two cookies because they bake them fresh. I probably waited a good 15 minutes for my two cookies, but man are they worth it. And they take DVC! . While I was waiting there, a mother and her son were also waiting for their order and I got to talking to them and the little boy was so restless so I started playing with him and talking to him about his toy gun that he got. Their order finally got called and she walked up to get it and then started to walk away! I was like, “Wait! You forgot your son!” And she came back and said, “Oh man, I was so focused on getting to eat this right away, that I completely forgot!” I said, “Ghirardellis will do that to you!”

I finally got called and went outside to where my group was sitting, by that performers stage and it was so loud and crowded. I just asked if maybe we should try coming back here when it’s not so busy and luckily, they both agreed, so we made our way back to the bus stop.

It took about 10 minutes before our bus came and headed back to Kidani Village. Mom wanted to grab a sprite from the gift shop there, so I took some pictures of the lobby. Even though it’s small and not as grand as Jambo house, it’s still pretty!

A mickey head ornament

Check-in area

Back to the room we went, where DH and I received a special treat from DM: She would keep DS in the room with her while we got to sleep!!!! HALLELUJAH!





I think she was just excited to finally be at WDW and be with her grandson that she willingly wanted to take him for the night, not knowing how he slept (insert sneaky laugh here) But man, did me and DH sleep GOOD!

 

[dizneeat]

 

[MEK]

Oh No! to the mom who almost left you with her son! How embarrasing!

I agree that the ride from AKL to DTD is pretty darn long. Glad you guys opted for WPE. I think their food is awesome and the wait is so much better than EoS. Can't see your pics now because I am on a restricted computer, but the description of your food is making my mouth water.

How nice that you got a solid's night sleep for your first night!

 

[franandaj]

Yay for another update! We enjoyed WPE when we are there too. And I love Ghirardelli! I would have been anxious to get back to the room and use the jacuzzi tub!

Too bad the crowds were so hectic. I hope your switch to a new room goes smoothly.

 

[tinkgurl]

Yay for an update!

I hear ya on the DTD bus situation. It's always a hit or miss!

I LOVE the stocking you picked out! So cute!

WPE is so yummy! I always get sushi there.

All the Christmas decorations look beautiful. AKL is beautiful anyways, but the decorations just add to it!

 

[monica23535]

Oh man! I did not know about the warm cookies at Ghiradelli, that I definitely on my list for next time lol

I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner, we tried Wolfgang Pucks Express for the first time in October and I now see what the fuss is all about.

How nice is your Mom to let you guys get a good nights sleep

 

[MEK]

That is an adorable picture of the three of you! I love the cars stocking.

The Kidani lobby looks really pretty decorated for Christmas.

 

[Pinkocto]

So I came over ages ago but didn't subscribe. Ugh. Sorry I'm behind, must catch up. Hope you had a fabulous Christmas! And Happy New Year!

 

[Leshaface]

That's a wonderful "standard" view room that you got! I love that. I think the standard view rooms are such a great point bargain and you definitely scored with that view.

I absolutely love the kidani villas. They are awesome. I haven't stayed there for awhile and its about time to make a return visit.

The picture of the three of you on the couch is so cute.

Happy Holidays!

Oh man, we'll definitely be staying in the standard one bedroom again someday! It was so nice and spacious!

Wow! You have had some pretty amazing luck so far on this trip! Hope it continues that way for you

Thank you!

I'm glad that your mom was able to relax and enjoy the flight. And that was awful kind of your DH to make sure she didn't have to drink alone!!!

That seems like quite a nice surprise when you're not expecting that kind of a view!! I can't think of a much better way to start things off!

Wasn't it nice of DH to do that?!

That's the view we had in November! Love the Savanna view for standard price! Did you see the Red River Hogs?

Happy Holidays!

Jill in CO

No! I don't think we ever did! We saw zebras, giraffes and some type of antelope? But not the hogs!

No - December is a time where it's very hard for us to get away, but we are going back in February.

I'm a little late but hope you had a fantastic Christmas!

Great report so far, your poor MIL, she's brave though, I think a lot of people would chicken out entirely!

My DH is Portuguese too

I'm subscribing!

Oops, sorry if I mislead. We're all Mexican, but my Brother, who married a very nice Portuguese girl, is the one who introduced us to that liquour.

Hi! I've been reading your trip reports for about a year and finally decided to say hello... What a creeper! I hope you've had a wonderful holiday season so far and I can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Hi Creeper! JK of course. Thanks for saying hi!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Enjoying your TR! You have a beautiful family, and I think you are very brave for doing this trip with a 2-month old!

You know what, we were brave! I still can't believe we did it!

Am loving these pics you made!

Happy New Year to you and your family

Oh No! to the mom who almost left you with her son! How embarrasing!

I agree that the ride from AKL to DTD is pretty darn long. Glad you guys opted for WPE. I think their food is awesome and the wait is so much better than EoS. Can't see your pics now because I am on a restricted computer, but the description of your food is making my mouth water.

How nice that you got a solid's night sleep for your first night!

Yes! It was our first night actually being able to sleep with no baby! It was so weird but we loved it!

Yay for another update! We enjoyed WPE when we are there too. And I love Ghirardelli! I would have been anxious to get back to the room and use the jacuzzi tub!

Too bad the crowds were so hectic. I hope your switch to a new room goes smoothly.

You reminded me of something that i'll add to my next update

Yay for an update!

I hear ya on the DTD bus situation. It's always a hit or miss!

I LOVE the stocking you picked out! So cute!

WPE is so yummy! I always get sushi there.

All the Christmas decorations look beautiful. AKL is beautiful anyways, but the decorations just add to it!

Sushi?! I never even thought about getting sushi there! I so would have if I saw it on the menu. Poo poo!

Oh man! I did not know about the warm cookies at Ghiradelli, that I definitely on my list for next time lol

I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner, we tried Wolfgang Pucks Express for the first time in October and I now see what the fuss is all about.

How nice is your Mom to let you guys get a good nights sleep

Yes! You must try the cookies next time Monica! They are thick, gooey, warm and stinkin' delicious!

That is an adorable picture of the three of you! I love the cars stocking.

The Kidani lobby looks really pretty decorated for Christmas.

I think the Cars stocking is cute too! It grew on me and it's something he can keep when he's older too, instead of having a 'baby' stocking that we'll have to get rid of sooner.

So I came over ages ago but didn't subscribe. Ugh. Sorry I'm behind, must catch up. Hope you had a fabulous Christmas! And Happy New Year!

I was just catching up on your last update! No worries! It's been a little busy here so haven't done a lot of updating.

 

[Leshaface]

Okay, so I have to back up a quick sec. Alison reminded me of something. When we got back to our room, I took a shower in the master bathroom shower and holy cow! That shower head is spectacular! I stood under there for an extra 10 minutes after I was done because it felt so wonderful. When I got out, I told DH that he’s going to LOVE the shower (we both have an obsession with good shower heads) so he went in, and came out 20 minutes later (he usually takes a 5-7 minute shower) and was like, “ I took…..a bath. And I didn’t want to get out.” He never, I repeat, NEVER takes baths. He thinks it’s gross to bathe in your own dirty water. So when he told me this, he looked ashamed, yet fully relaxed! So if you’re ever at AKV, make sure you enjoy the shower and the tub!




Animal Kingdom day!!!

DH and I slept amazing because DM decided to take DS for the night. I ended up waking up around 6am (something that happened every day because I needed to pump – sorry if that’s TMI) and went out to the living room to find them both awake.

I made some coffee (I brought Starbucks coffee and filters from home) and got dressed and somewhat packed. We were switching rooms today because when we originally made reservations, we were supposed to come in that day. But then decided to add an extra day to our trip and use up all our points, and the only thing available was the 1 bedroom and no studios, so we took it anyway.

We all ended up leaving the room closer to 9:50am. I had this expectation that we would be at all parks within the first hour of opening, but I don’t think that ever happened. It’s just a little more difficult to have 4 people on the same schedule, instead of just 2.

Anyways, we went downstairs after Bell Services came to collect our bags, to check out of our 1 bedroom and check into our studio. We were also able to add our 7 day park hoppers that I purchased through Undercover Tourist to our new KTTW cards which was nice. Today was also the start of our Quick Service Dining Plan. Of course our room wasn’t ready, but was told that I would get a text when it was ready.

We sat waiting for an AK bus for about 8 minutes – you’d think since the park is right there, that there would be a plethora of buses but nope! According to this pic, it was 10:34am

Oh man, what a difference the bus ride was to AK versus to DTD. It took like 7 minutes!

Mom and Calvin’s first Disney World Park!

I started to get excited when I saw the Christmas tree! Yay first park decorations! Also you can tell by what everyone is wearing, that it's pretty warm and humid.

Loving the ornaments on the tree!

The first thing we did when we got into the park was exchange my Photopass Plus voucher for the Photopass card. Then we got our first PP pic!

DH just had to use his first snack on a Jalepeno cream cheese pretzel so there goes his 1 snack for the day. And he even got his pretzel in on the next few pics!

Notice the two pins on his stroller - one from Disneyland and the other from WDW!

After that we headed to the most popular ride EVER!

Primeval Whirl of course!

We knew mom would like this because it’s a little similar to Goofy’s Sky School over at Disney’s California Adventure. I decided to skip this one and waited with Calvin and messed around with instaframe instead.

Can you see them?

How about when I zoom in??

There they are! Sitting super far apart from each other


As we were walking around Dinoland we saw a short line for Goofy and Pluto so we got in it! They were dressed up in their Christmas attire.

I took a picture of the cute ornaments on the tree that was used in the background

I handed my mom the camera so she could take pictures of us too, besides the PP photographer

These are the pictures my mom took:

And Photopass pictures

 

[Pinkocto]

All caught up. Wonderful updates!

That was so cool about the comped drinks. Great start to the trip.

Love the 1BR. Oh my. I know I said I'm satisfied with studios but that really looked nice!

Bonus on the partial savannah view.

I agree, the DTD ride seems like forever from AKV. Even longer than the MK ride.

That stocking is too cute!

Oh my on the mom forgetting her child. I'm glad you were there to remind her! Those cookies must be really good!

 

[tinkgurl]

Yes, sushi! Check it out next time!

I want to try that shower head! You talked it up pretty good!