Our Rockin' Trip to the World~February TR! UPDATE 5/15 ~ LINK TO PTR!!!!!!

[JPFamilyMom]

Big HUGS, I know how frustrating it can be when someone tries to parent over you. It doesn't matter what the situation is, when someone thinks they know best for your child it doesn't help any situation. As parents we learn just like our kids and we have to experience things for ourselves and learn and grow from them too, not have someone telling us what to do (even if they think they are helping) Sorry that had a damper on your dinner experience, at least the food was good right and I'm sure the Lapu helped a little An early night in can be a good thing for a better tomorrow, so I hope that was the case for you. Can't wait to read how your next day went

 

[Moira222]

Ohana sounds lovely! It was a close pick but we are going to the Luau at Poly instead of Ohana, thought I wrote it as a maybe on the agenda for sunday morning before we go. the breakfast there sounds wonderful!.

Your mom sounds like my sister in law on our last trip. She has no children and definitely thinks that kids have an "off" button. She'd play with Katie and then expect her to quiet down at meals. I also lean toward the "if she's no worse than any one else's kids, we're good to go" theory at WDW...or even in other kids places locally. She really doesn't act up she just gets really silly.

Hopefully the whole trip was not like that.

 

[heathsf]

I'm loving your updates! You got me super excited for Ohana and my first visit to the Poly in August!

 

[norybell]

I just read the whole thing...I love your song-title chapter titles!

This is especially interesting to me, since we just took my 3-year-old niece on her first trip to WDW, and I'm finding lots of similarities between the things she liked (and didn't) and the things Max is liking! (what a cutie, by the way!)

And how cool that you got to have a part solo / part social late night in there!

Can't wait for more!

 

[All7OfUs]

I have no idea how this quote made it this far with no one commenting on it.

And I will leave it at that!

I'm not even sure what this was referring to anymore. But all I can do is say thank you. For leaving it alone that is.

 

[PirateKate]

One of the great things about taking toddlers to Disney World is that at any given moment, there is likely to be another kid close by acting much worse than either of my two. Did you try pointing out one of those kids to your mom?

 

[tinacaplan]

Awww, such a bummer your mom was bringing you down. I made a vow in 2008 never to take family again (other than my immediate), but now, wondering if I will re-consider sometime soon. My mom has expressed interest in going again, but she and I tour sooooooooooooooooo differently, it makes if difficult for both of us.

That said, your dinner sounds like it was great as usual. Rarely do I read about a bad meal at 'Ohana.

As for kids' behavior- it is always a joy to see kids who can sit still, speak quietly, and use basic table manners, appropriate TO THE SETTING they are in. It really has to be guaged by where you're at. DisneyWorld is one place you can be a bit noisier and "wigglier" than normal. Our basic rule is that if our children are drawing attention to our family by their behavior then it needs to be modified. Pretty simple.

Yeah, there's a reason I'm not telling anyone about our trip in July! Didn't realize that going with family would be difficult. What was I thinking?

Max is generally fine, just not the calm child I think my mom wishes he was.

Love the 'Ohana update! This is my one can't miss adr, I love the food. I would have been happy skipping all the skewers of meat and just having wings, noodles and dessert. I don't really like lettuce but surprisingly liked the salad there. I even tried to make the lime dressing once but it didn't taste anything like theirs.

My mom would be the total opposite. She lets Caitlin do whatever she wants. Caitlin is the only grandchild my mom has so she gets whatever she wants and is able to do pretty much whatever she wants at Grandma's.

Thanks! We really liked 'Ohana! We'll see if we make it back again in July. We have an ADR there as of right now. It was also good because it was a meal where Max ate things other than mac and cheese, which it is so easy for kids to do at Disney, if you let them. And I'm with you...I could have lived without the skewers of meat; they were not my favorite part of the meal by any means.

Hi Tina! Just wanted to say that I'm loving your trip report Thanks for sharing (and allowing me to live vicariously for a bit... we're planning for our first trip to WDW, so I love reading about other people's adventures).

Sorry that your mom was being a downer, that's really frustrating to have someone that's being negative... especially in a place that's fun and happy like Disney!

Looking forward to reading more about your trip

Thanks! I hope to have another update up soon!

I totally can relate to the relationship you have with your Mom. My Mom and I are the same way. One year I brought her down to Disney with us and got her an adjoining room. We paid for everything. I know she has never traveled and it was something we wanted to do.
We were fighting like cats and dogs the whole trip! She did nothing but complain the whole trip and is a smoker so she was stopping to smoke every few feet. I haven't brought her back since. She has commented she would love to go on a cruise but I am not going to put myself through that... anywho..lol
Ohanna's is awesome! We have done the Spirit of Aloha dinner show and the breakfast both were very good.

So sorry about that! Moms are tough. My husband still can't figure out my relationship with mine; she drives me nuts, but I still talk to her almost everyday! Sometimes more than once!

Tina, two great updates. I'm glad you were able to accomplish what you set out to at the MK in the morning. And I'm sorry your mom was a "downer" on your trip...it sure can dampen an otherwise delightful time.

My mom was great at other times and I love her, but sometimes... it's hard. She also doesn't quite get the Disney magic as much as we do, and that can be tough, too. It had its ups and downs, that's for sure.

 

[tinacaplan]

"Almost Paradise", sung by Mike Reno of Loverboy (I was almost going to say it was a Loverboy song, but remembered it was a duet) and Ann Wilson of Heart.

I love the lapu lapu picture!

Wow...bonus point for picking up the involvement of both Loverboy and Heart.

Thanks...I love that pic, too!

I am not sure how I missed your updates

It happens! I am subbed to so many threads now that I feel like I'm missing things all the time! How many threads can one reasonably keep with?

I am so glad that people like that are the exception. I mean... I think we all encounter someone like here at least once on a trip, but really it is not as often as on might expect given the crowds, lines and or heat.

I agree! I'm always amazed, actually, at how nice people are at Disneyworld. Thanfully, women like her are the exception and always something to laugh about later.

That is so cool. When we were there in September, the queue was not finished. I am excited to see that in 8 or so months.



That happened to us too when we got fp's for PP. I love Philharmagic so it was a definite win for us.



What an awesome picture!



I know... when my dd was only 1, she was mesmerized by the song and dolls. Honestly, I could take it or leave it.



I am so glad that FINALLY, my dd likes this ride. It was too scary for a while.

We had a fun morning, but maybe not quite as much fun as I had hoped. The WP queue is cool. You'll love it and I'm sure Zoe will, too. Max was a bit overwhelmed by everything, I think. But this time I think he's going to be better acclimated to everything. We also (spoiler alert...OK, not really ) bought the Four Parks, One World CD when we were down there and listen to it quite a bit, so that will help, too. Preschool kids tend to prefer things that are familiar and Max is definitely like that.

I went through that in September. I don't see my mom but a few times a year, but even if I saw her more I think I would still have been struck by the realization that she is getting older. I think it is hard to think of our parents as "slowing down" .

It is tough and not something I was expecting, either. She always seems so energetic at home, but then again...when do I ever do that much walking with her when we're home? NEVER!

I am glad you enjoyed Ohana. It is on my list for December. I hope my guys will like it.

I am sorry your mom kinda ruined your calm. Going on a trip with family is a challenge... FOR SURE! (just remember my September TR )

We loved it! What's not to like about it?

And yes, I thought of you a few times while I was writing this...it can be...um...challenging, for sure!

I have no idea how this quote made it this far with no one commenting on it.

And I will leave it at that!


Tina- Love your updates! Our touring style and your style are TOTALLY different! I'm glad you were there at RD to be able to hit all those rides. I think I would be going bonkers if I had to keep leaving the parks like you did.

We LOVE 'Ohana. I can eat there for hours. Love the Smiling Mark pic! I had a sip of a Lapu once.. I prefer beer.

Sorry your mom was bringing you down a bit. I'm sure she means well but you know your son. I am thankful that my parents and Mel's parents have never questioned our parenting. I think I would lose it if they did.

Thanks, Tim. Believe me, I would have liked to have stayed in the parks a bit longer, but Max just wasn't having it and I didn't think about it enough beforehand and gave him way too many choices! He was very overwhelmed with everything. Plus, I fail to see the logic in fighting with your child over staying at Disneyworld. Would kind of spoil the magic for me, a bit.

My parents and I are super close and with everyone so close by...it can feel a bit like a double edged sword at times.

Great update, Tina!

Sorry your mom brought you down. I do not understand what Max could have done wrong. I mean we did see him behave at breakfast at Cape May and he was such a good kid!

And I am glad you liked Ohana. We have been many a times and our experiences were quite mixed. Fun, fun, fun times with exceptional food and stressed out waiters and so so food.

No wonder Max was tired - his day was looooooooong and so many new things to take in!

Can't wait for more ......

Thanks, Karin. I'm sure he did a number of things she would have had a problem with when we were at Cape May. Oh well. I love her, but all the closeness is tough sometimes. She plays a very active role in Max's life, and that's a big part of the reason why I think she feels its OK to comment whenever she fees like it.

And I could see how 'Ohana could be hit or miss. Luckily, it was a huge hit for us. Still not sure we'll be going back in July, but we'll see...

Big HUGS, I know how frustrating it can be when someone tries to parent over you. It doesn't matter what the situation is, when someone thinks they know best for your child it doesn't help any situation. As parents we learn just like our kids and we have to experience things for ourselves and learn and grow from them too, not have someone telling us what to do (even if they think they are helping) Sorry that had a damper on your dinner experience, at least the food was good right and I'm sure the Lapu helped a little An early night in can be a good thing for a better tomorrow, so I hope that was the case for you. Can't wait to read how your next day went

Thanks. It isn't easy. Sometimes with family I just have to tell them to back off a bit. And, yes, the food was great!

 

[tinacaplan]

Ohana sounds lovely! It was a close pick but we are going to the Luau at Poly instead of Ohana, thought I wrote it as a maybe on the agenda for sunday morning before we go. the breakfast there sounds wonderful!.

Your mom sounds like my sister in law on our last trip. She has no children and definitely thinks that kids have an "off" button. She'd play with Katie and then expect her to quiet down at meals. I also lean toward the "if she's no worse than any one else's kids, we're good to go" theory at WDW...or even in other kids places locally. She really doesn't act up she just gets really silly.

Hopefully the whole trip was not like that.

'Ohana is great. We loved it. Things got better, but I've learned that vacationing with the extended family has its negatives, as well.

I'm loving your updates! You got me super excited for Ohana and my first visit to the Poly in August!

and thank you! You'll love 'Ohana and the Poly is beautiful, if you're into lush landscaping and that sort of thing.

I just read the whole thing...I love your song-title chapter titles!

This is especially interesting to me, since we just took my 3-year-old niece on her first trip to WDW, and I'm finding lots of similarities between the things she liked (and didn't) and the things Max is liking! (what a cutie, by the way!)

And how cool that you got to have a part solo / part social late night in there!

Can't wait for more!

Thanks...we'll see how long I can keep up the song titles! Its not as easy I had thought. OK, I didn't think it was going to be easy, I just wanted to try.
Touring with a three year old is not easiest thing in the world, that's for sure. You also just don't know how your kid will react until you're there, as there is no place in the world like Disneyworld!

Evening EMHs at Mk worked out really well! Got to spend some more time with my Disfriends, as well as some time on my own, which is always nice. I'll be doing it again in July, even if I will be totally on own this time.

I'm not even sure what this was referring to anymore. But all I can do is say thank you. For leaving it alone that is.

It was about CHESESE!

One of the great things about taking toddlers to Disney World is that at any given moment, there is likely to be another kid close by acting much worse than either of my two. Did you try pointing out one of those kids to your mom?

Excellent point! I should have tried that!

 

[tinacaplan]

We were up and at ‘em early for our 8:00 ADR at Tusker House. This was our third straight morning of early character breakfasts. Insane? You be the judge.

A picture of my mom waiting at the bus stop for our ride to AKL. Disney: where even the soda machines are “themed.”

We were whisked off the Animal Kingdom pretty quickly. Max still thought the bus was a “ride.”

And, yes, my mom was the only one who I could reliably depend on to stop and pose for pictures:

We a short wait at the gate before they let anyone in. Max was content in his stroller, playing with his light-up Buzz Lightyear that had come with his drink the night before.

One of the best things about early character breakfasts is that you get into the parks so early. And this was another beautifully cool, misty morning, perfect for pictures as we walked through a nearly empty park.

Perhaps now would be a good time to stop and mention another one of my discoveries on this trip. Sometime in the last six months, my formerly fearless boy has developed a long list of things he’s afraid of and does not like. This extends from different foods to the dark to swimming. Apparently, he also added live birds to this list, as well. As soon as we started to see birds, Max started shrieking. This made enjoying the birds on the way in just a bit more complicated than it might have otherwise been. I was rather taken aback by this, as there are several key places around where we live to go and feed ducks and Max has always loved that.

Looking down the path to Camp Minnie Mickey:

Our destination:

We parked the stroller and made our way to the back entrance to the restaurant, where we stopped to take a picture with Donald:

I really liked this picture, actually, and briefly contemplated buying it when they came to our table with it later on, but thought better of it.

The buffet at Tusker House was great. I thought the variety of the food was excellent and everything tasted very fresh. In an uncharestic move, I hardly took any food porn! Please forgive me. The items were all pretty standard, although for my first plate, I did try out some of the African themed items. They were ok.

The real star of the show, from a culinary standpoint, had to be the delicious bread pudding. It is amazing with a warm vanilla sauce on top. I felt guilty eating this at 8:30 in the morning, but it was just SO GOOD. Truly, one of the most outstanding things I ate during the ENTIRE trip. I think its the reason I’m so set on returning to Tusker House in July.

The pudding:

Max, looking satiated after his meal:

As usual, he devoured a couple of Mickey waffles and a whole lot of watermelon!

Max has a real thing for Daisy, which you can see in this picture, the only decent character to shot to make it out of this breakfast:

Overall, we had a great experience at Tusker House. The food was great, our server was good, and the character interactions were good. Max even participated, albeit briefly, in the parade around the dining room. So far, our day at Animal Kingdom was off to a fantastic start...would the magic continue?

 

[All7OfUs]

Lovely start to your AK day!! I'm not sure I've EVER seen a photo of a misty park before. WOW! Hmmm... too bad of the newfound fear of birds; they are so cool to watch! Hopefully, he'll want to feed those ducks again soon, and see the The Flights of Wonder Show which is pretty cool too.

 

[dizneeat]

Fun update again, Tina!

Looks like a good start to your day!

I never knew the resorts had themed drinks dispencers! And I still love that Max counts the bus ride as a "ride"! Kids are so easy to please!
I love the photo of him and Daisy too!

Have a wonderful and magical Easter!

 

[tinkmom2]

What characters are at Tusker house besides Donald and Daisy? Is it all family style like Ohanna? We have ressies for our October trip.

 

[pinkxray]

AK looks so cool with the mist over it. Kind of looks like part of the theme.

We ate at Tuskerhouse before park opening last year and I loved being in the park early. I have no idea why I didn't book it this year. I guess the whole trying new things got in the way and not waking up super early everyday. Kind of wish we were eating there again though.



Max is so cute meeting Daisy. It looks like he did a great job with actually eating. Caitlin usually had part of a donut and a piece of waffle, but was usually on the lookout for characters and couldn't be bothered to eat.

 

[Queenofallthings]

I had a little catching up to do!

The update with your mom made me think back to when Jasmine was little and we would go to a restaurant and she would be a little on the loud side etc....it was me that was having a meltdown and my parents saying "leave her, she's just 2, or 3 or 4"....

I can't wait for our Tusker House Breakfast in August! We've never been and I'm super excited after all the great comments I've read about it! I want you to know that I too will be consuming that gorgeous bread pudding at 8am...we are on holidays after all

 

[tinacaplan]

Lovely start to your AK day!! I'm not sure I've EVER seen a photo of a misty park before. WOW! Hmmm... too bad of the newfound fear of birds; they are so cool to watch! Hopefully, he'll want to feed those ducks again soon, and see the The Flights of Wonder Show which is pretty cool too.

That's what happens when you get there before 8 a.m.! Actually, Max was much happier around the birds before the end of that day. I would love to see Flights of Wonder at some point, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon.

Fun update again, Tina!

Looks like a good start to your day!

I never knew the resorts had themed drinks dispencers! And I still love that Max counts the bus ride as a "ride"! Kids are so easy to please!
I love the photo of him and Daisy too!

Have a wonderful and magical Easter!

Happy Easter to you and Tom, as well. You wouldn't know about the soda machienes because they're at the bus stops!

What characters are at Tusker house besides Donald and Daisy? Is it all family style like Ohanna? We have ressies for our October trip.

At Tusker House, you meet Donald outside the restaurant and you take a photo with him there. Inside, I know that we met Daisy and Mickey, for sure. I think that Goofy and Pluto were there, as well, but I'm not completely positive about that. Certainly one of them was there. They're all dressed in safari gear. Its very cute. Tusker is a buffet, but its a delicious one! They have a few African items, along with more standard breakfast fare like scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, Mickey waffles and a ton of delicious fruit. I hope you enjoy it as much sa we did.

AK looks so cool with the mist over it. Kind of looks like part of the theme.

We ate at Tuskerhouse before park opening last year and I loved being in the park early. I have no idea why I didn't book it this year. I guess the whole trying new things got in the way and not waking up super early everyday. Kind of wish we were eating there again though.



Max is so cute meeting Daisy. It looks like he did a great job with actually eating. Caitlin usually had part of a donut and a piece of waffle, but was usually on the lookout for characters and couldn't be bothered to eat.

Max loves breakfast! Tusker House is the one character breakfast we're doing this time around and its because I just loved it so much! Delicious food and the characters and CMs were great.

I had a little catching up to do!

The update with your mom made me think back to when Jasmine was little and we would go to a restaurant and she would be a little on the loud side etc....it was me that was having a meltdown and my parents saying "leave her, she's just 2, or 3 or 4"....

I can't wait for our Tusker House Breakfast in August! We've never been and I'm super excited after all the great comments I've read about it! I want you to know that I too will be consuming that gorgeous bread pudding at 8am...we are on holidays after all

Little kids can be tough sometimes. My husband and I are constantly looking at eachother, thinking, is this normal?

And that is so true...it is a vacation! I hope that you like Tusker House. It was really fantastic!

 

[tinacaplan]

Following two days of not so sucessful touring with Max, I was a bit anxious to see how AK would turn out. This was our least favorite park during our anniversary trip, yet all of the TRs I had read in the meantime had gotten me really excited and pointed out the numerous things we had missed on that trip. I was eager to get out of Tusker House and get into line at the safari, which we did not experience during out first trip to AK.

My original plan had us out of Tusker before nine so as to be among the very first people in line for the safari. Unfortunately, we were off by about ten minutes or so and we were not first. However, there was still a very minimal line.

Max stole Mark’s sunglasses at some point while we were waiting, apparently...

We finally got on and were on our way. I was very excited for this ride and since it was in broad daylight, on a truck, I figured Max would at least not be terrified by it. And I was right. He wasn’t. Actually, we all sat in more less stunned silence through most of the trek. I just remember being completely awestruck, by the animals and by the amazing amount of thought and care that had gone into re-creating an African savanna. I felt like was on another continent, not on a ride in central Florida.

Most of my pictures turned out pretty poorly, but I will share a couple that turned out OK:

Once we were off, I checked my schedule and realized that we were going to just about make it to the first showing of FOLK, something that was high on everyone’s list of must-dos for the day. My mom has seen the Lion King show and loved it. Since our trip last February, we finally saw the Lion King for the first time. I know, I know...how? Not sure myself, as this has since become my favorite Disney movie, possibly of all time. Mark and Max are pretty huge fans, too! The music is just absolutely fantastic.

We made our way out of Africa and towards Camp Minnie Mickey.

We had a brief wait outside and it was getting warm! This might have been one of the warmest days we had in the parks, or at least it felt that way.

I was not expecting the bleacher style seating inside the theater, but my surprise was quickly swept away by the show itself. It was incredible. Max really enjoyed it, too. Those songs are just irresistible and it was wonderful to enjoy them in a large setting like that. I was sitting there, feeling some serious Disney magic, becoming a serious AK convert.

After the show let out, we wandered around a bit and Max took his picture with Thumper’s girlfirend, whatever her name is. Why her and not Thumper? Why? I’m so adamant about this for purely selfish reasons. My first grade class did what I am sure was an outstanding production of “Bambi” and guess who played Thumper? Oh, yes. That’s right. ME! And I was excellent, or so I’ve been told. I was certainly the loudest kid in the first grade, hands down, which is what I think won me the role in the first place.

It was getting close to noon and the park was definitely starting to fill up. If you want my biggest piece of advice about touring: get there for rope drop! Especially if you’re there at a really peak time of the year, like we were. I know this doesn’t work for everyone, but it absolutely did for us.

We were making our way toward Dinoland and made a stop at the Tree of Life to see “Its Tough to Be a Bug”, which Max actually enjoyed, having seen Bug’s Life not that long before the trip. Mark and I really like this, too.

After that, everyone was looking for a drink or a snack or something, so I suggested that we make our way toward Dinoland, in search of the Boneyard, and stop for something that strikes our fancy on our way. We ran into a cart just outside of the Dinoland, peddling frozen lemonade and jalepeno cream cheese-stuffed pretzels. Ah-MAZING!

I have to give some credit where its due here and shout out Brook’s TR for clueing me in about the Boneyard and about the delicious snack options in AK. We really enjoyed our snack and Max devoured a Mickey bar. Wish I had gotten some cute pictures, but you probably know this story by now!

Thus refueled, we made our way into Dinoland and I was pleasantly suprised that the Boneyard was right there. Max was thrilled, as he is a huge lover of playgrounds. Can you blame him? This place was incredible, if a little scary for parents. Mark did a great job of tailing Max around the area, while my mom and I watched from the sidelines.

Max would have gladly stayed there and played for the rest of the day, if we had let him. As it was, I think we were there for at least forty-five minutes.

Once we exited the Boneyard, we decided it was time to head back to the resort. My mom was fading and looking forward to some pool time and, given the glorious weather, who could blame her? I was, too! So was Max, for that matter. So we decided to head back to the resort to spend some time at the pool.

We had plans for Biergarten that evening at EPCOT...would we make it, or would it become yet another in a string of failed ADR attempts?

 

[KatMark]

Great day at AK, Tina. AK is actually our third favorite park (or second depending on how you look at MK and Epcot being almost tied in our books)...we prefer it a whiole lot ore over the Studios.

Max is doing great with the attractions and the characters.

 

[annmarieda]

Happy Easter!!!!!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Great day at AK, Tina. AK is actually our third favorite park (or second depending on how you look at MK and Epcot being almost tied in our books)...we prefer it a whole lot ore over the Studios.

This is exactly how my favorite parks are ordered as well.

Great update Tina. Max looks like he is having the time of his life.