She's free before she's three, touring the world with a toddler (COMPLETE 12/4)

[GrandCalifornian]

Do they have the pressed penny books to purchase there? We are headed to BBB at the DTD location with my daughter before we head to MK and didn't know if you knew if they had them there...? I thought it would be something for my son to do while she had her special birthday surprise. I am loving following your TR and all your photos, your little one is so cute. I think we will have some tortured toddler photos in November, but I am looking forward to them!

I imagine they would have the penny books somewhere in DTD they are usually located on top of the penny machines. We got ours in the emporium at the MK but I'm pretty sure we saw them in every park and at DTD too. Allie really loves them and now we have to do them every time we go to Disneyland too. I can't wait to do BBB with Allie it looks like so much fun! Thanks for following along ~Melissa

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Today was another leisurely wake up day and I finally felt good and wanted a waffle for breakfast. Paul ran down to RF and got strawberry waffles for us to share, I was so excited when he brought them back because they were MICKEY WAFFLES. This truly made my morning

We had a lunch ADR in the MK so we took the boat over there to start the day.

The crowds were really light in the morning, and it felt like we had the park to ourselves. Looking at the picture below, there wasnt anyone else around.

We decided to pick up where we left off earlier in the trip and head into Frontierland and towards Pirates. The size of the park impressed us and we were starting to get a bit of a feel for what was where.

On our way to find Pirates of the Carribean (my favorite ride at Disneyland, surprisingly we didn't do it at DW on our honeymoon) we saw that the line for Splash Mountain was only 10 minutes. I couldn't pass up the opportunity and despite minor grumblings from the boys about the potential of getting wet I convinced them we had to ride it.

Yeah, even at home we rarely ride Splash Mountain, mainly because of the long lines, but also because I can be a baby about being wet for the rest of the day. I was reluctant to do it first thing, but we couldn't pass on the short wait time.

Nancy hung out with Allie while the rest of us rode. The logs are bigger in Florida than in California and you get to sit side by side with a lap bar as opposed to one in front of the other. It was fun and a little different then the DL version and we didn't get too wet. The guy in front of us soaked his video camera though, I thought it was funny, I mean really you ride on a log ride with your video camera out and don't expect it to get wet? After Splash we found Pirates. I insisted Allie take a potty break (back-story: Allie peed on me the last time we rode Pirates at DL, looked up at me said "Mommy I have to go potty" and then just went... on my lap... while we were on the boat) so after every one was done with that we basically walked on the ride. It was noticeably different from the DL version and was shorter too. The one in CA is still my favorite.

I was very surprised at the difference between Pirates at DL and MK. The MK version was so much shorter that a large section in the beginning seemed to be missing, and you actually get off the boats before they go up the lift and back to the entrance. It was still good, just different, and noticeably shorter (which I guess would have come in handy that last time when Allie had to go potty)

We left the stroller parked and walked over to the Jungle Cruise. Allie likes this one at DL and the FL version didn't disappoint. It was a longer ride with the same great corny jokes and the ever famous backside of water. I had seen coconuts in the Pirates "dump shop" to mail home and I wanted to send one to my sister. She had just moved into the dorms at Cal State Long Beach and was starting the first week of her freshman year and she HATES coconut on or in anything so I thought it would be a fun gift. It cost $22.00 I think for the coconut and the shipping, you fill out everything right there (they even have a sharpie) and mail it for you. She got in a couple days and said it was pretty funny and now it lives on her desk .

I was really looking forward to lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. We hadn't eaten here before but I had heard great things about it. We checked in a couple minutes early and it didn't take long before we were seated. I ordered the pot roast, Paul got the chicken pasta dish, and we decided to buy Allie mac and cheese with apple slices. The pot roast was excellent, Paul liked the pasta, and Allie didn't eat much of the mac and cheese but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. We got the ooey gooey toffee cake and the strawberry rhubarb crisp for dessert, both were good but we both liked the toffee cake the best. Allie ate just a little of her sundae. She wasn't a big eater on this trip, she's hit or miss with how much she'll eat.

I was really impressed by LTT too. It wasn't one of my favorite ADRs going into the trip, as I had just gone with it because of its location. The food ended up being very nice, and it made for a very comfortable break in the middle of a MK day. I would really like to do lunch there again. They had a great looking Cheeseburger that my Mom got, but I resisted the urge and went with the pasta which I really enjoyed. Like Melissa said though, the Desserts were great, and I loved the toffee cake despite not ordering it because I was afraid it would be too "toffee-ey" which, after trying it, I determined it was not, since it was way more ice cream then toffee.

When the waiter brought the checks he also brought a gift for Jim and Nancy for their anniversary, a Mickey and Minnie Christmas ornament. It was so nice of them.

After lunch we went over to the Hall of Presidents which I enjoyed. Paul and I just finished reading a biography about James Garfield (HIGHLY recommend the book Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard) and noticed after he introduced himself he patted his vice president on the back, very nice touch by Disney. Allie was ready for another real ride so we headed for the carousel. She wanted to ride a horse with a lion on it but we settled for one with an eagle and feathers.

The three of us rode the carousel and Grandma and Grandpa sat nearby and watched.

We heard rumors of people getting in to preview the New Fantasyland, and saw some people be escorted through a door in the construction wall by a cast member, but unfortunately we werent in that group.

After that we made our way down main street to check out a watch Nancy had seen on the first day and to get the sweatshirt I wanted. We took a boat back to the resort before the parade got going so we could have the afternoon to rent a pontoon boat.

I ran up to the room to drop some things off and grab the coupon for the boat rental that came with the room package. We walked by the pool, which was not crowded at all for 3:45 in the afternoon, and met back up by the boat rental dock.

We got down to the rental place about 3:45 and started the process of filling out paperwork and trying on lifejackets. I could tell Allie was getting tired and wasn't in a great mood but I went with it. We put the lifejacket on Allie and she just fell apart, screaming and crying and basically hating life. We have a boat and she'll fall asleep on it but this was a different life jacket, different boat, different day. She was still crying and a mess as we got on the boat and left the dock.

I finally decided she didn't need to be miserable no matter how tired she was so Paul brought us back to the dock and everyone else went out to explore on the boat. When I took the lifejacket off Allie immediately calmed down and said "Mommy I'm sorry I cried but I tried." My sweet girl tried. So now it was just the two of us and Allie just wanted to play so she played on the playground and in the sand on the beach. It was great down time for her and a great, go with the flow lesson. She met a friend and I talked to her mom for a while. We played on the beach until they got back with the boat so it was about an hour.

Taking the pontoon boat out was my big thing that I wanted to do on the trip, since we had a ball doing it on our honeymoon. I was sad that Allie wasnt having a good time, and was hoping she would fall asleep or get over it, but Melissa made the right call by taking her back to shore. We were able to text back and forth, and I took Grandma and Grandpa over to the Seven Seas Lagoon to boat up to the front of MK. We got this picture right up front:

Then we circled around for a waterfront tour of GF and the Poly before going back over the water bridge. We got this picture of different modes of Disney transportation as we crossed the bridge. The cool part was there was a bus underneath us at the time too

Since things were going well on the beach, we decided to stay out for our second half hour and we did a lap around Discovery Island. It is interesting to think about how it used to be a mini animal park before Animal Kingdom opened.

We were the only rental boat out on the lake, and since it was getting close to 5 PM the marinas were about to close. We got to talk to a couple different lake patrol people (not because we did anything wrong, just because I think they were bored and looking for something to do.) Then we circled back by the WL beach for a few more pictures before taking the boat back. Here I am in front of my favorite hotel, and you can see Allie and Melissa on the beach in the corner.

After the boat we headed back up to the rooms to recharge phone batteries and to relax a bit. When we started getting restless we decided dinner at the Poly sounded like fun so we took a boat to the Contemporary and then the Monorail to the Poly. We walked around a bit and checked out the gift shop then headed down to Captain Cooks for dinner.

Paul got the burger and fries and I got the grown up grilled cheese with poly chips. Allie finally fell asleep right before we ordered so no food for her.

It was the first food of the trip that was just 'meh'. It wasn't really bad, except for the poly chips which were basically inedible, but I wouldn't order the grilled cheese again.

It was a nice and quiet dinner though with Allie sleeping. We finally got to try a Dole Whip. We split a swirl and really liked it, now I see what all the buzz is about We also got a chocolate macadamia nut cupcake to go.

I also wasn't too impressed with the burger, but I think I was spoiled by a similar one at Roarin Fork. The dessert was good though, and I would definitely go back for a Dole Whip. The swirl seemed to be a great mixture of pineapple without being too sweet. The Poly has a nice pool, water view, and a neat location since you can hop on the monorail in the lobby or walk to the TTC to get an Epcot monorail. It is spread out between multiple buildings though.

We walked from there over to the TTC and enjoyed the resort along the way. It's a pretty resort, just not really our style, we really love the WL. Once at the TTC we rode the Monorail to Epcot. Just as we went into the Art of Animation store Jim called and said he was coming in the park.

We wanted to get Allie a mouse ear hat to match her DL one, so we headed to MouseGear and had one embroidered. We thought it would be cute to have similar ones from each coast. After we left the store, Grandpa wanted to see Illuminations based on our recommendation from a couple nights earlier. Allie was still asleep in the stroller, and the crowds were really light, so we got a spot right near the water with only half an hour to go before the show. While Grandpa babysat Allie, Melissa and I went over and checked out a shop in Canada and bought her a stuffed goat (she loves the Disney goats) and Melissa got a Disney cookbook. Then we went back and watched Illuminations together, and were again impressed.

It was particularly neat when they launched some fireworks from right in front of where we were by the water. The people next to us almost jumped out of their skin. After the show we headed for the buses and got a quick ride back to WL.

I can't believe Allie slept through all the noise of Illuminations but she didn't wake up until we were getting on the bus. She was so funny when she woke up and saw her new ear hat "I don't need more ears I almost have some." (Almost and already are interchangeable in her vocabulary). She was pretty hungry by the time we got back to the room so she had a pouch of applesauce, a Grammy Sammy, and half an uncrustables. We had brought some snack food from home and got the uncrustables with our garden grocer order of juice boxes and water. For dessert we shared the chocolate macadamia cupcake and the apple pie from Whispering Canyon, both were very good and successfully sent Allie on a sugar high. I'm not sure if it was so much the sugar or the fact that she napped so late in the day but she was WILD. It was the only night of the trip I had to pull her into bed with us. She calmed down in our bed and we all fell asleep. At about 3:45 I made Paul move her back over to her own bed so I could get some good sleep.

 

[Emteach]

Just joining in! Loving the TR so far, we returned from Disney in August and I have finally managed to start a TR as well. Your little lady is adorable and I love her handmade outfits!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Just joining in! Loving the TR so far, we returned from Disney in August and I have finally managed to start a TR as well. Your little lady is adorable and I love her handmade outfits!

Great! We are enjoying writing the trip report and going through the pictures and our trip journal. It really help that we took notes, we find ourselves asking things like "which day did we eat there?" or "what did we do after Hollywood Studios?" We'll enjoy checking out your TR as well.

Thanks for the compliments and for following along.

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I'm really enjoying your report...great photos and excellent storytelling...kudos! Allie's outfits are precious (I'm in awe of your seamstress abilities)! It's been a long time since I've been to Disney with a toddler, and you're bringing back lots of fond memories of "way back when"!

 

[MelMel11]

Count me in!! Enjoying your TR..

 

[WDWKOOK]

That was a delightful installment. Allie's dress is just darling and I liked being able to see the back of it while she was on the carrousel. You just have to have more girls so you can use all those precious outfits again and again

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I'm really enjoying your report...great photos and excellent storytelling...kudos! Allie's outfits are precious (I'm in awe of your seamstress abilities)! It's been a long time since I've been to Disney with a toddler, and you're bringing back lots of fond memories of "way back when"!

Welcome! Thanks for following along. I'm glad we are bringing back fond toddler memories, toddlers can be challenging at times, especially when she doesn't want to wear the dress Mommy wants her to wear if you know what I mean

Count me in!! Enjoying your TR..

Welcome, you are counted! Ok we aren't really keeping a count but we're still really glad you found our TR and liked it enough to stick around.

That was a delightful installment. Allie's dress is just darling and I liked being able to see the back of it while she was on the carrousel. You just have to have more girls so you can use all those precious outfits again and again

Ha! If Paul could put in an order for another baby it'd be a boy but I don't see another one in the future anytime soon. It would interfere too much with Disney! We are glad you're enjoying following along ~Melissa

 

[GrandCalifornian]

This isn't another full day update yet, but we just did our PhotoPass photo download so now we have the pictures that Disney photograpers took and we thought we'd share a few from the days we've already covered in the TR. We stoppped to have pictures taken each day, and it is neat to have ones with everybody in them. We found that some of the photographers are really enthusiastic about their job, and came up with different poses for us to do.

Here Allie was alseep before we made it out of AK on Monday:

Here is where we met Daisy at Epcot after Chef Mickey's:

As expected Allie looks tortured in some of the character ones, but Melissa and Stitch were both enthusiastic once Melissa shared that Stitch was her favorite.

The better photographers would come up with extra fun things to do, like this, where we saw Tinkerbelle but Allie must have missed her...

And here we got to smooch Allie in front of the castle:

Finally, at the end of our first day at Epcot I think Allie was about done. She looked better in some of the pictures, but we laughed at this one:

Overall we are glad that we got the PhotoPass. Between pictures we had them take at WDW and some more we did over a couple DLR trips once we got home we had over 280 pictures. We had pre-purchased the Photo CD for $100 before the price went up, and ordering the download was really easy. Once we bought it, we could redeem it at any time for all of the pictures in our account. The only trick is pictures only stay in the account for 30 days, so we figured we'd have a month from our first day at WDW to get as many as we wanted. They would have shipped us a CD for an extra $4.95 shipping but instead we chose to do an instant download. That was no additional cost, and we had the full resolution images the same day. Next time we would more seriously consider PhotoPass Plus, where you get the character meal and ride photos as well, and that currently costs $169.95 if you pre-order it before your trip.

We will be including PhotoPass pictures from the rest of the trip as we cover it, so stay tuned...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Paul got up early today and watched the sunrise from the balcony while Allie and I slept in and recovered from her antics the night before. I got up and took a shower while Paul went down to get more strawberry waffles (what I wouldn't give for those right now!). Once again they were delish!

Allie wasnt exactly hopping out of bed this morning, so it took a little coaxing to get her dressed and ready. The process started with watching some Mickey Mouse in bed with her stuffed friends:

She decided that she wanted to wear her new Mickey ears, and that wearing her Pirate dress would be ok so she could show Jake her Scully bird on it at lunch. (Since we had an ADR at Hollywood and Vine).

We headed to DHS after breakfast and our first stop was the Great Movie Ride. I had wanted to ride it on our last trip but we never got that far. We all rode and I enjoyed it. It was probably a little intense for Allie and I wouldn't have made her ride it had I known about the shoot out or especially the scene from Alien. Luckily she just snuggled close and missed the scary parts.

After that we went over to see what time the next Voyage of the Little Mermaid was and we had about 30 mins so we went and got a picture with Jake and then walked over to a gift shop where Allie picked out a stuffed Perry the Platypus (Allie tends to get what she wants when Mommy wants it too, which was definitely the case with the stuffed Perry) and we pressed another penny.

Allie was a little wild at this point, so we stopped and ran around in circles outside of the Animation building. She had a ball chasing me, then having me chase her, then climbing up and down the steps.

We went inside the Animation building and met Pooh, Allie was really excited to get to see him but looks tortured as usual in the pictures. It had started to rain while we were inside so we went to catch the Mermaid show but just missed it. If you want to see this show the CM said we needed to be 10 minutes early. We didn't end up getting to see it this trip, maybe we'll catch it next time.
I wanted to grab a couple of cupcakes at Starring Rolls for later so we headed over there. It was pretty busy with people trying to stay out of the rain but even with a line out the door it didn't take long to pick out a Butterfinger and a red velvet cupcake. I got them to go and by the time we were done there the rain had died down. We still had some time before our lunch ADR at Hollywood and Vine so we checked out One Mans Dream. It was neat seeing all of the Disney memorabilia and history I really enjoyed the walk through before the show. Allie got bored pretty quick but she was a good girl and pretty patient. It turns out we had seen the movie before at Disneyland during the 50th anniversary but its still a good one.

I really enjoyed the waiting area and all the models and displays in there too. I finally found the Ariel ride, it was just a scale model of the one in CA. The new Fantasyland looks like it is going to be really neat, and they had a large model of it on display, so well have to come back to see that once it is open. The movie was nice, but I kept compulsively checking my watch during it because we were rapidly approaching our noon ADR time.

It was finally time for lunch and it didn't take long to get seated and the restaurant was pretty quiet. The characters came around and were great with Allie even though she wasn't so great with them. Since the restaurant was so quiet everyone came around at least twice. I wish she had enjoyed the interaction more because we got more here than the other character meals. Oh well, she still enjoyed being in the same room as Jake, Manny, June, and Oso and the food was great.

I was really impressed with the food at Hollywood and Vine. Walking in I figured it would be a pretty basic buffet, with the characters as the main reason to go. The buffet line started with lots of salad options, then some already assembled sandwiches with cold cuts. They were amazing. I would probably have done the buffet for the sandwiches alone. The rest of the food was really good too, with lots of different things to try. I particularly enjoyed a meat and pasta dish, and the traditional Mickey chicken nuggets, but I also tried Salmon, and at least three other main course dishes that were all very good. After my dessert of a brownie topped with soft serve ice cream, I was stuffed.
On the way out Allie fell in love with the backdrop with the painted characters and wanted her picture taken with every one. It was slightly hysterical.

After lunch we headed back over to Muppet Vision. Grandma and Grandpa rode it while we walked around the shop and got to meet Phineas and Ferb. They were so excited to see Perry! Allie acted tortured as usual.

We meandered around while waiting for Grandma and Grandpa and ended up over by the Christmas store with the "snow" out front. Allie had fun climbing on it and chatting with the snowman.

We had to drag Allie away when Grandma and Grandpa came so we could go back over to the other side of the park to see the Beauty and the Beast stage show. We got there about 5 minutes late but they let us in anyway and there was plenty of seating left. It was a great show and I think Allie enjoyed it.

I thought the studio backlot tour sounded like fun and it was something Allie could do so we headed back across the park in that direction. We definitely didn't earn any points for touring efficiency but it helped burn off lunch .

Grandma decided to shop on the main street while we walked back to do the tram tour. Grandpa thought the whole park would just be like the tram tour, so he was really impressed with HS overall and the neat stuff it had to offer. I thought the tour was pretty neat, and particularly enjoyed the prop room that had all sorts of items from movies and TV shows. My favorite item in there was the Binford 6100 riding lawn mower from Home Improvement. Very cool!

I really enjoyed the part where you drive through the costume shop and would love to see more of that sometime. Allie got a little freaked out by Catastrophe Canyon but made it through ok with no tears. After the tour we met back up with Grandma and it was time to check out the cupcakes. Unfortunately the red velvet completely melted and I worried about the safety of the cream cheese frosting so I just tossed it . The butterfinger cupcake fared much better though and was divine! Don't worry about the red velvet I wasn't leaving Disney World without trying one

We were done with DHS for the day so we decided to head over to Epcot via the Friendship Boats.

These boats were another thing that we totally missed on our first trip. We actually had no idea how close HS and Epcot were, since we only visited HS once and only by Bus. We are generally fans of boats, and riding these one was cool too. They were lower profile than some other Disney boats, because they have to fit under some very low bridges. Like other boats at WDW, they aren't the fastest option, but they are fun, and it was a way to get to International Gateway without a whole lot of walking.

It was a nice boat ride with stops at the Swan and Dolphin, Yacht and Beach Club, and Boardwalk. We got off at International Gateway and headed over to Japan. Nancy wanted to buy a Japanese puzzle box for her sister's birthday, they'd had one when they were growing up.

In trying to keep Allie busy while Grandma was buying her box she picked out a Choco Kitty (friend of Hello Kitty) stuffed toy and a teeny tiny notebook. When we went to the register to pay for her new toys she asked the CM for a sticker (she suddenly asked every CM she saw for a sticker, a HUGE change from crying every time one offered one to her earlier in the trip. Toddlers can be so unpredictable sometimes), he felt bad because he didn't have any stickers so he gave her an origami crane. She LOVED that crane to death! Actually he is still in one piece he just doesn't flap his wings anymore. She liked the crane so much I went over and found an origami book so we could play with it some at home. It's still in the wrapper though, maybe we'll play with it this weekend After shopping in Japan Grandma was tired so Grandpa escorted her to the front of the park to catch a bus. I was ready for a snack and it was a warm afternoon so we decided to check another snack option off our list and found Kaki Gori. We got the cherry, tangerine, melon flavors and it was so yummy. A perfect refreshing snack.

While we were enjoying our shave ice we got to meet some Epcot ducks. They were particularly friendly and like goldfish crackers We continued around to Germany where we got large cokes (for other fountain diet coke aficionados you can get large fountain drinks in Germany for one snack credit. We enjoy those much better than the bottled version )

Mmmm Coke It was hard to resist getting another pretzel since we were there, but I was still full from lunch, cupcakes, and Kaki Gori so we just got drinks. We walked through the rest of World Showcase again and stopped to look at the model train display. It is neat how many different things there are to see in this part of the park. We worked our way toward the front of the park and Future World, and caught a picture of a rainbow over the Illuminations Globe.

We still hadn't done Club Cool and I was curious so we headed up that way. Allie really liked the ginger ale soda and I actually liked Beverly. Most people greatly dislike it but I'm just weird I guess. The other sodas were interesting too and the watermelon one stands out as being tasty too.

We met up with Grandpa near the front of the park and decided to go check out another resort so we hopped on a bus to Port Orleans Riverside. The resort is very pretty and I really liked the ruralness of it. It felt like a place that we might want to stay in the future. We did a pretty good walk around the resort and checked out Old Man Island and the Aligator Bayou sections along with the Mansions. We also saw a turtle in the lake, he was pretty big.

After we got our fill there we decided to go to DTD for dinner because Jim really wanted to try the meatloaf sandwich at Wolfgang Puck Express. We took the boat down there and it only took about 20 minutes. When we got to the restaurant the line was out the door but we waited anyway. When we got to the front of the line they informed us that they had sold out of the meatloaf. I really didn't want to try and go elsewhere for dinner since it was already pretty late, almost 9:30 so we just ordered other things. I got the margherita pizza and I think Paul got spaghetti and meatballs with cheesecake and creme brule for dessert. I really enjoyed the pizza, it was nice and light and very yummy.
I was bummed by the lack of the awesome meatloaf sandwich, and if by ourselves Grandpa and I would have walked out and tried Earl of Sandwich instead, but I really did enjoy the food we did eat. Grandpa particularly enjoyed the meatballs and said they were the best he has had, and he has tried a bunch. I thought they were good, but prefer ones from a local Italian place here. Melissa's pizza was awesome though, and had such a unique mix of flavors that went great together. I would order it again, and it left me thinking this Wolfgang Puck guy can cook!
After dinner Allie really wanted to ride the carousel so we did that and got to be the only ones on it because the token machine was broken. She loved having her pick of the ponies.

We were pretty tired by now so we got on the bus and headed for home.

It was a nice quick trip and we were back at WL within half an hour. It had been a long day and a really big loop, but we had covered a lot of things we wanted to see. I was glad we didn't have to get up early the next day though, when our only ADR was for a dinner show

 

[luckylady]

Great update. Very cool to have your pick of ponies to ride.

 

[Wood Nymph]

You really did a lot that day! Club Cool is always one of our favorite stops, with the Vegi Beta being my favorite. The Hollywood & Vine buffet looks like it might be something worth considering for our February trip.

Did you go to Disney Junior - Live on Stage? We went to that show one very cold January day, just to get warm. It looked like it would be cute for young kids.

 

[Grandpa Jim]

I'm the guy lucky enough to be Allie's Grandpa, Paul's Dad, and Melissa's father in law. I just read the TR for the first time, and I'm loving it. Melissa and Paul did so much planning for this trip, and EVERY decision they made was perfect. The hotel, the dining plan, Allie's outfits, EVERYTHING, was well thought out and just a joy. Melissa and Paul are such great parents, and being with them and Allie for 10 days and watching them parent was fantastic. Grandma and I both think this was the best vacation we've taken in our 40 years together. Thanks guys!
I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of my vacation!!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Great update. Very cool to have your pick of ponies to ride.

Yes, she loved it. Even though it is a tiny carousel compared to MK, she still wanted to ride and had a ball, so it was worth a few dollars.

You really did a lot that day! Club Cool is always one of our favorite stops, with the Vegi Beta being my favorite. The Hollywood & Vine buffet looks like it might be something worth considering for our February trip.

Did you go to Disney Junior - Live on Stage? We went to that show one very cold January day, just to get warm. It looked like it would be cute for young kids.

It definitely felt like a full day. I loved the variety we were able to fit in though. We had heard so much about Club Cool that we had to try it, and it was really fun. Hollywood and Vine surprised us with the food quality, and it had the best character interaction of any of our character meals all trip.

We didn't do Disney Junior Live on Stage this trip, but we have done it multiple times at home and Allie loves it, especially the gold debloons at the end. We figured we'd skip it to save time for different things we can't do closer to home, and because sitting on the floor wouldn't have been great for Grandma and Grandpa. Based on her choice of morning television though it is something she enjoys.

I'm the guy lucky enough to be Allie's Grandpa, Paul's Dad, and Melissa's father in law. I just read the TR for the first time, and I'm loving it. Melissa and Paul did so much planning for this trip, and EVERY decision they made was perfect. The hotel, the dining plan, Allie's outfits, EVERYTHING, was well thought out and just a joy. Melissa and Paul are such great parents, and being with them and Allie for 10 days and watching them parent was fantastic. Grandma and I both think this was the best vacation we've taken in our 40 years together. Thanks guys!
I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of my vacation!!

Aww, thanks Dad! We had the best trip, and reliving it in the TR is a kick. It is so neat that everything worked out so well. We're glad to have you in on the online version too!

 

[BeckyEsq]

We just started planning a trip for next summer when our daughter will be almost 3. Your report is exactly what I've been looking for! I am enjoying seeing how a toddler handled and reacted to everything. She's adorable and I love the outfits!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We just started planning a trip for next summer when our daughter will be almost 3. Your report is exactly what I've been looking for! I am enjoying seeing how a toddler handled and reacted to everything. She's adorable and I love the outfits!

Awesome! I am glad you found the TR, and that it gives you some useful information.

We wondered when would be the best time for her first WDW trip, and are so glad we decided to take her when we did. She clearly remembers the fun she had on the trip, and was old enough to pick her favorite things and ask to do them again. (Hence all the trips through Small World and the carousel rides).

Traveling around with her wasn't that difficult, but we are so glad we got a nice but small folding stroller (Baby Jogger City Mini) for the trip. As you can see, that was her napping spot of choice.

As for food, the dining plan worked really well because Disney is so great about kids under three. At all the buffet meals she was treated like a regular guest and given drinks and a plate, all at no charge. We thought we would be buying her lots more meals, but we only purchased one meal for her at LTT. The rest of the time she shared QS with us or enjoyed her snacks. Nobody went hungry, that's for sure.

One more thing that we enjoyed during the trip was the lack of crowds by going in September. This meant we didn't have to wait for much, which made things go nice and smoothly. I'm not sure how early in the summer you are planning on going, but going late and avoiding the crowds worked for us.

If there's any other questions you have feel free to ask and we'll share what we did. For us it worked out great and we are so glad we went. Happy planning and enjoy your trip!

 

[njkastle]

Hi! This is Gramma Nancy from the Kastle Family trip reports. Reading these reports and seeing the pictures is so much fun!! I'm so glad that Paul and Melissa took the time to record their notes and set up this report. To anyone who is considering going with their kids and grandkids to Disney World, I would just say...DO IT!!!! Your kids can set up everything so that it is fun for everyone. Take enough time so that you can relax when you need to, but still let the young'uns take off and have fun. This trip was truly "Disney Magic" from the young man who came up to us in the hotel lobby (the resort manager) that wanted to know how our trip was going, to the endless cast members that wished us a "Happy Anniversary" with special treats and their good wishes. Most of all, I am glad that we have passed on to our kids an appreciation of Disney quality. They get it and they will also pass it on.

 

[nmills]

I love your TR this is the only one I have actually came back to check on! I love your little ones dresses, they are too cute. We have only a couple more weeks until our trip and we cannot wait. My dad and stepmom are coming along with us so I feel our trip may be a little similar to yours, my daughter calls her "pop pop" every day to tell him how many days until our trip. I have to say I was excited to see grandma and grandpa joined in on the fun here on the DISboards. I hope we can squeeze in as much fun as you were able to during your trip, and that our outfits turn out as good as yours My husband tells me I am trying to fit too much stuff in for such a short trip, and now reading your report I think he is right and we are just going to go with the flow, do what the kids want and go at their pace.

 

[BeckyEsq]

Unfortunately we have to travel before school starts (DH is a teacher) so it will be in August. DD will be 35 months old for the trip.

I will check out your stroller recommendation -- dumb question but how does that work on the plane, does it count as a carryon? Do you just hand it to them as you board so you can use it in the airport?

Trying to decide how far out we should actually book the tirp, now that our minds are made up to go!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Hi! This is Gramma Nancy from the Kastle Family trip reports. Reading these reports and seeing the pictures is so much fun!! I'm so glad that Paul and Melissa took the time to record their notes and set up this report. To anyone who is considering going with their kids and grandkids to Disney World, I would just say...DO IT!!!! Your kids can set up everything so that it is fun for everyone. Take enough time so that you can relax when you need to, but still let the young'uns take off and have fun. This trip was truly "Disney Magic" from the young man who came up to us in the hotel lobby (the resort manager) that wanted to know how our trip was going, to the endless cast members that wished us a "Happy Anniversary" with special treats and their good wishes. Most of all, I am glad that we have passed on to our kids an appreciation of Disney quality. They get it and they will also pass it on.

Hi Mom! We're glad you had such a great time, and shared an appreciation of Disney quality. The planning we did though was with a lot of time spent reading these boards and seeing what worked for others. Now part of the fun is sharing it all in one place. We're glad you joined in.

I love your TR this is the only one I have actually came back to check on! I love your little ones dresses, they are too cute. We have only a couple more weeks until our trip and we cannot wait. My dad and stepmom are coming along with us so I feel our trip may be a little similar to yours, my daughter calls her "pop pop" every day to tell him how many days until our trip. I have to say I was excited to see grandma and grandpa joined in on the fun here on the DISboards. I hope we can squeeze in as much fun as you were able to during your trip, and that our outfits turn out as good as yours My husband tells me I am trying to fit too much stuff in for such a short trip, and now reading your report I think he is right and we are just going to go with the flow, do what the kids want and go at their pace.

We are so glad you came back to check on us! I'm glad you are enjoying Allie's wardrobe, sometimes it's challenging to get her dressed in the morning but having new fun things to wear made it better I think. I definitely think going with the flow and going at the youngest ones pace is a good idea, at least with Allie as soon as you start doing too much she pushes back twice as hard and I end up with a screaming crazy toddler. We really enjoyed the flexibility of only having no more than one ADR a day, and that let us do whatever we wanted on a given day. You can still squeeze a bunch in on one day though, stay tuned...

Unfortunately we have to travel before school starts (DH is a teacher) so it will be in August. DD will be 35 months old for the trip.

I will check out your stroller recommendation -- dumb question but how does that work on the plane, does it count as a carryon? Do you just hand it to them as you board so you can use it in the airport?

Trying to decide how far out we should actually book the tirp, now that our minds are made up to go!

August should still be a lot of fun. You can choose what you want to wait for, and many of Allie's favorites probably wouldn't have the crazy long lines of the most popular rides.

For the stroller, it was the neatest thing to gate check it. It was free, and didn't count against our carry ons and we just handed it to them as we walked on the plane, and it was waiting there for us when we got off. We did have a bag to put it in, which saved the stroller from some wear since now the bag needs to be patched or replaced before next trip, but the stroller came through unscathed. It was VERY nice to have the stroller with us in the airport, especially when we had delays on the way home. The reason we love the city mini is it folds with one hand, which came in very handy on busses and boats, it also fully reclines (for napping on the go), and has a massive sunshade.

I would say book it ASAP. Disney has a great cancellation policy, and some resorts fill up early. If a better deal or promotion comes out, you can get the discounted price by calling even if you are already booked. We did that this time to get free dining. Also, you will want to make sure you are all ready when you get to 180 days before your arrival, so you can make your ADRs.