This is Literally The Best Trip Ever! *Complete 11-10*

[MeeskaMomma]

Thanks for dropping in!
The poly was the best! Before this trip DH liked Disney trips because he liked to see me happy, but, he loved it there so much now he can't wait to go back!

My DD has always liked her sleep even when she was a little baby. She is a night owl like we are. But, she requires 10-11 hours a night and a 2-3 hour nap. Any less than that and she is crabby!

We enjoyed LTT the food was good and the themeing was cute!

What makes a man think popcorn on the way into an ADR is a good idea? I still get annoyed thinking about that!

Once we got DD in the stroller she really liked it but at first it was a battle! DD hated the buses but she loved the monorail! We we left I told her it would be her last monorail ride and she held on the pole and screamed "NOOOOOOOO!"

We always get my favorite pics in front of the tree of life even though it is my least favorite park! Those tall DH's can get some funny PP pics. One time we took a pic in front of the big hat in Hollywood Studios and it looked like DH was wearing the hat!

DD has loved going on the potty since our trip, it was pretty awesome! But everyone says girls are easier to train, so that could be part of it!

I love Disney for so many reasons, but you are right! Its really a bonding experience you can not get anywhere else!

Thanks for reading! I am glad to have you along.

All caught up!

Love the sports pixie dust!

It is a shame they lost some of your photos. We had a lot of pictures where DS looked miserable even though he was in a good mood. I think only one CM attempted to make him smile and that was at AK and it totally worked, I wish they would all do that, but I know they have to hurry!

Now I want to try a blood orange margarita! Have you had the piña Colava? The one swirled. It is amazing!

For some reason I thought pick a pearl was in DTD. I really wanted to do that! Obviously I need to spend more time on dis . Adding it as a must do for our next trip! I love pearls. I wear my pear earnings every day.

Love the France photo, I can't believe they lost the other ones! Bummer.

And now I will be looking into HDDMR. That looks fun and I love your outfits!

The stitch pictures are great! You can tell she was having so much fun.

Sorry abut the Ohana dinner melt down. That is so hard! We had our big meat down at coral reef. It has to be the pricey ones doesn't it? At least you got to enjoy some food

 

[Jackiemarie21]

All caught up!

Love the sports pixie dust!

It is a shame they lost some of your photos. We had a lot of pictures where DS looked miserable even though he was in a good mood. I think only one CM attempted to make him smile and that was at AK and it totally worked, I wish they would all do that, but I know they have to hurry!

Now I want to try a blood orange margarita! Have you had the piña Colava? The one swirled. It is amazing!

For some reason I thought pick a pearl was in DTD. I really wanted to do that! Obviously I need to spend more time on dis . Adding it as a must do for our next trip! I love pearls. I wear my pear earnings every day.

Love the France photo, I can't believe they lost the other ones! Bummer.

And now I will be looking into HDDMR. That looks fun and I love your outfits!

The stitch pictures are great! You can tell she was having so much fun.

Sorry abut the Ohana dinner melt down. That is so hard! We had our big meat down at coral reef. It has to be the pricey ones doesn't it? At least you got to enjoy some food

I know I really wish some of the PP photogs would be a little more engaging.

There is a PaP in DTD but the one in Epcot is cheaper. It was really fun!

I highly recommend the HDDMR, we had a great time! The HDDMR outfit was my favorite, thank you! Actually DD wanted to wear it again today to a playdate!

Our server said you never know when magical meltdown will happen, isn't that the truth? Its just part of taking a toddler and I would rather try and have a meltdown than miss the experience all together. The worst meltdown occurred at HBD, the update about that is coming soon!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Day 6
July 30, 2013​

Toady was one of those days when I had a plan, but my plan was ambitious and well, you will see...

I got up around 7:30 and started getting ready. I was hoping to leave by 8:30. We were heading to HS so we would have to take a bus which would take more time. After getting ready myself I woke DH and DD up around 8:15. They got ready and we were out the door by 8:35, not too bad. DH said he found a short cut to the bus stop. I am pretty sure I have mentioned my DH is directionally challenged, but if I haven't, he is. But, I thought he knew what he was talking about because while I get DD ready in the mornings and while she napped DH had been walking around the resort. What a mistake! We walked all the way around the Poly and by all the way, I mean clear on the other side of the resort! I kept saying this is not really a short cut, I think you made a wrong turn. But, DH insisted he was right. When we finally made it the bus stop we asked the transportation guy about a HS bus and he said one had just left four minutes ago! One thing that I liked about the Poly that was not at any resort we visited before was the transportation CM that stood at the bus stops. He kept track of the buses and could tell you how long it had been since a bus has been there and could call the switch board and see when the next bus could be expected. I am not sure if they just have those at the Deluxe resorts or if it is new program but it made the waiting a bit better.

Okay back on topic. We had 10:00 am ADR at Hollywood and Vine and I wanted to get to HS in time to get TSM FP before our ADR. When get got to the bus stop and realized we just missed the bus I knew this would not be possible. So we waited, and we waited and we waited. 4 buses for AK came, 2 for DTD but no HS! The CM there called and they said several buses had left but were full at the Contemporary so they went on the the park. He asked if they could send a bus straight to the Poly since so many people were waiting. Finally after nearly 45 minutes of waiting a bus arrived! The bus made no stops and took us directly to HS. We were at the front gates by 9:45. That was cutting it really close, so no TSM FP for us before breakfast! I sent DH with DD through the no bag line and on the restaurant while I got our bags checked. They checked in an as I was walking up they called us to our table. Not exactly how I wanted things to go, but we made it!

Our breakfast at Hollywood and Vine was wonderful! DD was so excited! She really loved the characters! Although, most of the shows they had characters from she doesn't really watch. She mostly watches movies not really Disney Jr. She does really like Doc and Henry Hugglemonster but they were not at H&V. It was okay though because the atmosphere is perfect for a toddler. As soon as our waitress came by and got our drink orders Jake stopped by. Even though Charlotte never watches the show she was excited to meet him:

After Jake DH went up to get DD some food. DH never gets her what I would, but she had a mickey waffle, bacon, eggs and a few strawberries. She was really excited about the bacon. Just as she started eating it the dancing started so DD took her bacon up with her. Even though Charlotte loves to boogie she was a little shy at first and just stood back and watched, eating her bacon.

After DH and I took turns getting our plates and then June stopped by:

There was a very short time (right around when I made our ADRs) that DD was really into Little Eisensteins, which was why I booked the reservation. Then, Charlotte didn't really seem interested in them anymore, but I still kept the ADR. Charlotte was excited to meet June, so that was worth it.

Then Handy Manny came. I am not sure DD had ever seen HM but he gave her lots of attention, so DD became a fan!

Shortly after Manny another dance party started. Jake came by and invited Charlotte up to dance but she was still being shy and just watched:

After that, Oso came by. This is another show DD was never really interested in but he also gave her lots of attention. So we now watch this show all the time!

A parade started around the restaurant and Oso picked Charlotte to walk around with him:

She loved this and at this point thought Oso was just there for her personal enjoyment and started chasing him around the restaurant. So it was time to go!

We liked this breakfast because it was lots of fun for DD. The food was okay. DH said if you compare it to "regular" food it was probably not bad, but after a week of eating Disney food, it so not great! We will probably hit it up again if they add Doc, but if not we most likely will not do it again.

Stay tuned to find out what else our HS had in store for us!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

whew....glad you made it to HS! those buses drive me nuts sometimes!

we did lunch at H&V last time we were there and the girls LOVED it! they liked june, didn't really know handy many or oso (although like his show now), and FLIPPED OUT for jake! we love jake and the pirates at our house and my friend had gotten them matching shirts with jake, izzy and cubby on them. jake made a big deal of pointing out that he was on their shirts and giving them lots of hugs. I thought they might pass out from the excitement!

I love how charlotte wouldn't abandon her bacon just to go dance! smart girl!

can't wait for more! I love HS!

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

Following along. That's so nice that your daughter had great character interactions at Hollywood & Vine. It's too bad you couldn't get the TSM fast passes. Maybe you were able to get them after your breakfast? will be staying tuned for more updates. Really liking your TR!!!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

So, after breakfast we ready to start our day in HS! If you read my PTR you know that I LOVE HS. When my parent took me as kid we started both trips there and spent lots of time in that park. I had tons of things I wanted to do with my own DD there. Some of the things I wanted to do were TSM, ToT (not with DD of course), Disney Jr show, character meet and greets, the backlot tour, the honey I shrunk the kids playground, and the great movie ride. I also wanted to try and do Lights Motor action since we had never done that before and I think DH would enjoy it. I knew this was a lot to get done in one day but so far we did not really have too many long lines so I thought we could do a lot!

Our first stop after breakfast was to get FP for TSM. Last time we went we just waited in the stand by line for 70 min! That was not an option with a two year old. So we got FP with a return time of 5:30-6:30 which would work well. We could go back take a nap and hit up TSM after our break. We checked out the Buzz and Woody meet and greet and it was 30 min wait. I thought about waiting for them, but DH wanted to keep moving. We settled on playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. I was so excited to take Charlotte there because I remember playing there with my little brother 20 years ago and we had a blast!

Charlotte had a really good time playing there. We let her play about 30 minutes and then we left. We checked out the line for the back lot tour, it was 45 minutes, waay to long. We made our way up to the Great Movie ride whose line was also pretty long. So, we made our way to the Animation Courtyard. We have never checked this area out before. The Disney Jr. show was starting in about 20 minutes, but we decided to do some character meet and greets. We went inside and Charlotte wanted to meet Ralph. So we got in that line. It was pretty long, but it was what she wanted to do. In about 20 minutes we finally got up to see Ralph:

Charlotte was so excited to meet Ralph she would not stop to pose for a picture! Charlotte also did her best I'm gonna wreck it impression, and Ralph did it for her too! It was so cute. When we got out of the meet and greet the Disney Jr. show had already started so we just moved on. Charlotte was getting sooo crabby! We stopped for a few PP+ pics:

I really wanted to ride ToT but the long was really long so I wanted to get a FP before we left. I had to wait until 12:55 (about 20 minutes) to pull another FP. We were all really hot and Charlotte was so crabby so we found a shady spot and shared a popcorn and some water.

When 12:55 hit Bob ran down and picked up my fast pass with a return time of 8:30-9:30, and then we left the park. When we got to the bus stop a bus was waiting for us so we hopped on and were shortly arriving at our resort.

We went through Captain Cooks to get Charlotte some milk and I spotted a Pina Colda cupcake I could not live without:

We put Charlotte down for a nap and Bob and I split the cupcake. Charlotte who was really tired and crabby, refused to nap. Things were not looking so good for our evening...

 

[Jackiemarie21]

So, with Charlotte refusing to nap I was really dreading this evening. We had a 6:30pm ADR at Hollywood Brown Derby. I have always wanted to try this restaurant and since my DD typically does well at restaurants I thought that we could do this signature restaurant. I am giving away the end, but things did not go well!

We left for HS around 4:45. This time we went the correct way to the bus stop and a bus pulled up really shortly. We were at HS by 5:15 and it was raining, hard! It only lasted a few minutes, so we stood under a roof until it was over. We made our way back into the park our first order of business was a few PP pics:

This one always cracks me up!

We then went back to TSM to use our FP. The ride was fun as always, but I am just not good at it!

Even with a two year old on his lap Bob beat me!

We stopped for a frozen coke and then wandered around the Streets of America for a while.

Bob liked this shop.

We found oursleves right in front of the Phineas and Ferb meet and greet with a very short line. I asked Charlotte if she wanted to meet them and she was so excited so we jumped in line. It was a fun meet and greet.

From there we went to the HBD to check in for our ADR. As we waited for our pager to go off the Monster University Dance party started right out side the restaurant. I made the mistake of letting Charlotte dance while we waited for our table. When I had to pull her away from the dancing we had a full on melt down. She would not sit at the table and kept trying to crawl under our booth. We both knew what we wanted so, Bob ordered while I took Charlotte outside. What made it hard was that was where she wanted to be so every time I tried to take her back to the table, the melt down started all over again. The manager even gave Charlotte a bag of pixie dust. A bag with glitter and a light up tinker bell. This kept her quiet long enough for me to eat one dinner roll. So we decided to take turns eating a keeping our unruly child outside. We both had the Cobb salad, the filet, cokes, and I had the grapefruit cake and Bob had the banana tower for dessert which we took to go. The food was AMAZING! I loved the salad a lot! It kind of stunk having to eat in shifts, but I did not want to ruin the dinner of the people around us. There are times when you tell your toddler we are sitting here so be quiet and eat, but this was too far gone to try that tactic. The only way to handle this was to get her out of that restaurant. The people at the table next to us, thanked Bob for not keeping our tantrum mess in the dining room. When Bob got finished getting our desserts and paying the bill he joined us at the dance party.

Pretty soon it was time to use my ToT FP. We walked in that direction. Bob and Charlotte found a table to sit at while I walked down to get in line for the ride. Even though I had a FP I still had to wait around 15 minutes. It was so worth it! I think ToT is the best ride in Disney! It is so fun. This was my first time riding it at night and that is even more fun! I sat next to a super cute 4 year old and her mom who were both riding for this first time.
My ride photo:

After that we were ready to leave. Charlotte was crabby and needed to get to bed fast. Again there was a bus waiting for us, so we got on and went back to the poly. We all took showers and turned in early!
I was very disappointed with how much we got accomplished, but I guess even the best trip ever has to have a low point right?

 

[Jackiemarie21]

whew....glad you made it to HS! those buses drive me nuts sometimes!

we did lunch at H&V last time we were there and the girls LOVED it! they liked june, didn't really know handy many or oso (although like his show now), and FLIPPED OUT for jake! we love jake and the pirates at our house and my friend had gotten them matching shirts with jake, izzy and cubby on them. jake made a big deal of pointing out that he was on their shirts and giving them lots of hugs. I thought they might pass out from the excitement!

I love how charlotte wouldn't abandon her bacon just to go dance! smart girl!

can't wait for more! I love HS!

I know! Part of the problem is that we just are not morning people! I think from now on we will skip breakfast ADRs unless we having a rest day and we can make it "brunch".

The funny thing is I didn't even realize she liked bacon. I have a hard time getting her to eat meat in general. We rarely eat bacon because I hate the smell. So I guess I should try serving bacon once in a while.

I love HS too, but our day was kind of stinky!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Following along. That's so nice that your daughter had great character interactions at Hollywood & Vine. It's too bad you couldn't get the TSM fast passes. Maybe you were able to get them after your breakfast? will be staying tuned for more updates. Really liking your TR!!!

Thanks for joining in!
We did end up getting our FP after all! Hollywood and Vine does have a great atmosphere for preschoolers!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Loving all the updates - and super glad that even on "bad" days Charlotte is able to have good character interactions.

It is funny how we never can think of all the little things that might upset/set off our kids - like Charlotte upset that Stich wasn't there for dinner after he was there for breakfast. For my DD it was that Pluto freaked her out b/c he was standing on two legs whereas on Nicky Mouse Clubhouse he walks on 4 like a normal dog

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Charlotte looks so tiny compared to Ralph! And that piña colada cupcake sound dee-licious!!

What is it with kids refusing naps? Don't they know they're gonna regret that decision when their adults!

The mom next to you on ToT was awful brave taking her 4 year old on. I think the line would freak out our 6 year old (or maybe that's me it creeps out!)

We don't eat bacon a lot because I hate making it and getting those little burns when the grease pops. I started buying the kind you can microwave, which is fine for me, but my husband informed me its not "real" bacon. Whatever....

 

[MeeskaMomma]

Oh travel with a toddler! I am so glad John is not the only one who sometimes just cannot sit still at a restaurant. We have definitely done the switching to eat thing.

It looks like you guys had some good fun even though it didn't go as planned. I really hope John interacts with the characters as well as charlotte did!

You have given me a lot to look forward to for HS!

 

[dismom9761]

Great update. It's not always easy with a toddler. I have a picture of my youngest in "time out" in HS when she was two or three.

 

[RGirl]

Whoa! That was a lot of updates!!! I hope I don't miss anything. You are killing me here!!!

Your H&V breakfast looked like a lot of fun. We have never done it, although I have booked it before (and later canceled). When DD was young enough to be into it, she wasn't watching TV, so she never knew Little Einsteins and such. And now that she is allowed to watch TV more regularly (as opposed to just weekend movie nights), she does love Jake and Sophia, but she has all of a sudden grown up into these Disney sitcoms like Good Luck Charlie, Dog with a Blog, Jessie. How did this happen???? I seriously missed a window there.

I'm sorry your DHS day didn't really go as you had hoped. As you will see VERY soon on my TR, we had a similar DHS day. Sometimes, it just happens. It looked like Charlotte had a lot of fun at the HISTK playground - I hate all WDW playgrounds because I am always losing sight of my child and it freaks me out!

Okay - I know I probably missed a lot. Sorry - my memory is failing me as I age rapidly.....

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Great update!

Thank you!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Loving all the updates - and super glad that even on "bad" days Charlotte is able to have good character interactions.

It is funny how we never can think of all the little things that might upset/set off our kids - like Charlotte upset that Stich wasn't there for dinner after he was there for breakfast. For my DD it was that Pluto freaked her out b/c he was standing on two legs whereas on Nicky Mouse Clubhouse he walks on 4 like a normal dog

The funny thing about Charlotte is that even when she is at her worst if she wants to she can turn on the charm! She really loved the characters and even when she was crabby they put her in a good mood!

You just never know what is going to set off toddlers. They can get so upset about the tiniest details! You never know what is going to be the trigger that starts a tantrum!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Charlotte looks so tiny compared to Ralph! And that piña colada cupcake sound dee-licious!!

What is it with kids refusing naps? Don't they know they're gonna regret that decision when their adults!

The mom next to you on ToT was awful brave taking her 4 year old on. I think the line would freak out our 6 year old (or maybe that's me it creeps out!)

We don't eat bacon a lot because I hate making it and getting those little burns when the grease pops. I started buying the kind you can microwave, which is fine for me, but my husband informed me its not "real" bacon. Whatever....

Ralph is sooo big I can not believe she was not afraid of him!

Oh it was Fantastic!

The naps, I know what I wouldn't give to have someone beg me to take a nap every day!

I know I hate cooking bacon and seriously that bacon smell takes forever to get out of the house!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Oh travel with a toddler! I am so glad John is not the only one who sometimes just cannot sit still at a restaurant. We have definitely done the switching to eat thing.

It looks like you guys had some good fun even though it didn't go as planned. I really hope John interacts with the characters as well as charlotte did!

You have given me a lot to look forward to for HS!

That was one thing I loved about WDW, when your kid is acting up in a restaurant there is usually at least one kid that is acting way worse, well with the exception of HBD. Charlotte was the worst kid in that place! When all else fails the switching to eat thing is a last resort!

I was really surprised with how well Charlotte did with the characters. I hope you guys have some fun in HS, it really is a great park!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Great update. It's not always easy with a toddler. I have a picture of my youngest in "time out" in HS when she was two or three.

Its always nice to hear of other people having experiences with toddler meltdowns. When its going on, you feel like the whole world is staring at you!