Three Kids, Three and Under (My First Trip Report!!) March 2016

[Ltrainn03]

Hi all!! I am a longtime lurker and have finally decided to stop hiding and join.

This is the tale of a family of five from the Chicago suburbs courageously roadtripping to Disney and staying in a studio at AKL- Kidani Village.

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The Cast

The Mrs.

First is me. I'm the 'brains' behind this operation. I'm a [almost] 32 year old, new stay at home mom of three. I'm a teacher by trade, but recently made the decision to leave the classroom to focus on our children. A lifelong Disney fan, former CM, and new travel agent, I absolutely love experiencing WDW through my children's eyes.

My Favorites​

Park: EPCOT
Resort: BWV

Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Attraction: Soarin
Character: Megara
Restaurant: Sanaa​

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The Mr.

The Mr., 40, was a Disney sceptic until 2015 when I took him to his first trip to the World. Now, he's hooked. He's a high school principal and loves that he just needs to pack his own bag and hop in the passenger seat when it's time to hit the road.

The Mr.'s Favorites​

Park: Magic Kingdom
Resort: BWV

Movie: Up
Attraction: Tower of Terror
Character: Flynn Rider
Restaurant: Akershus (loves the bacon!)
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M

M is my oldest and at three years old, has made the drive from Chicago to WDW twice now. She loves impressing me with her knowledge of all things Disney and can officially sing the entire "Why Stay At A Disney Resort- The Musical" by heart.​

M's Favorites (her responses are listed)
Park: Hollywood Studios
Resort: "Animal Kingdom Lodge, but I want to also stay at the cabins [Ft. Wilderness] and the Beach Club"
Movie: Tangled
Attraction: Barnstormer and the Mine Train
Character: Rapunzel
Restaurant: Columbia Harbor House (tables with view of Rapunzel's Tower)

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C

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C is one of the smartest, sassiest 2 year olds you'll ever meet. She has some medical needs (you might notice her brace in the picture with the Mr.) which pushed our June vacation up to March. You probably won't see her smiling too much on this trip (a total contrast from last year), but I assure you that she's a total ham in front of the camera these days. Having a little brother took a bit of adjusting for her.

C's Favorites
Park: Magic Kingdom
Resort: Grand Floridian
Movie: Princess and the Frog
Attraction: Trolley Show
Character: Minnie
Restaurant: The Mara (zebra dome freak!)

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B

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B was just 8 weeks old when we courageously took this trip. He was still young enough where he slept through almost all of it. These days, he is 8 months old. He also absolutely loves 'dancing Mickey' (the Youtube video above) and is constantly perfecting his crawl with the hopes of actually walking.

B's Favorites
Park: Animal Kingdom
Resort: AKL
Movie: Frozen
Attraction: Prince Charming's Regal Carousel
Character: Mickey
Restaurant: Chef Mickey's

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Cast Extras

Grammie and Pop Pop

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These are my parents! They are truly the most selfless, compassionate people I know and my dad is the reason why I love Disney so much. They're also the reason why I am such a planner. They travel on a whim which is something I absolutely cannot do. I planned this trip in secret with the Mr. being the only one who knew about it. Between me being on maternity leave at the time of this trip and C's mounting medical bills, we really didn't want to hear anyone tell us we were crazy for going on this trip. Anyway, we booked our trip with rented DVC points and my parents, completely separate from us, decided to take their RV to the Tampa area at the exact same time. Once we shared with them that we were leaving for Disney in a few days, they adjusted their plans and were able to book a site at Fort Wilderness.

Let's get this started!

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[Ltrainn03]

Table of Contents

Intros
Departure Day 2/28
Arrival Day: Part One 2/29
Arrival Day: Part Two 2/29
Animal Kingdom: Part One 3/1
Animal Kingdom: Part Two 3/1
Animal Kingdom: Part Three 3/1
Disney Springs 3/1
Epcot: Part One 3/2

 

[Ltrainn03]

Departure Day 2/28

I'm apologizing for a total lack of pictures for this trip. Traveling with a newborn, in addition to the two toddlers, added a new level of craziness. Thank goodness for Memory Maker!!

Prepping for departure this time was more challenging than expected. Three kids three and under kicks my butt at times. Thankfully some of the girl's Disney clothes from our June 2015 trip still fit them so I really only needed to get them 1-2 new outfits. I found these super cute leggings at Target and paired them with a turquoise dress/tunic.

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Knowing we'd have free laundry at Kidani took a lot of pressure off of packing. My biggest concern was the weather. It was a bit chilly the week before our trip so I was sceptic about the warm temps predicted for our stay.

Since B was born on 12/28, the Mr. was on winter break from school at the time and didn't need to take off any time from work. Our trip was his 'paternity leave'. As educators, it is extremely rare to be taking a vacation outside of the traditional summer/winter/spring breaks so I was thrilled to be traveling with lower crowd levels.

We had all day on Saturday 2/27 to get things organized. After dinner, the Mr. loaded up the luggage carrier with things that we knew we wouldn't need until we reached WDW. Inside our van, we loaded up as much as possible. The two girls are in the third row, B is in the second row, and we keep the other second row seat stowed away. Trunk space is limited to pretty much just our double stroller and umbrella stroller. We have an car fridge plugged in somewhere in the back and then have our snack bag, overnight bag, and each girl's 'entertainment bag'. The only things the girls bring with them on the road are whatever they can fit in these small backpacks. Pretty much they only bring a few 'stuffies'. Other than a movie and snacks, our kids don't really need any entertainment on the road.

We got the girls to bed at their regular bedtime of 8pm and then B, myself, and the Mr. were in bed pretty early ourselves. When B woke up around 3am, I woke up the Mr. who would then be in charge of getting the girls changed and in the van while I nursed B. By 3:30am, the kids were loaded in the van, the Mr. was in the passenger seat, and I was in the driver seat.

We live west of Chicago and for the first thirty minutes that it takes us to get to the interstate (I-80), everyone was asleep except my two year old who was giving me a play by play of each light, stop sign, etc. I hopped on I-80 and took that east to I-57 with zero problems. Finally about an hour into the drive, my daughter fell asleep and it was just me and the radio. Side note: Our feeding plan for B was that I would drive/pump and my husband would bottle feed on the road. B had only had one bottle EVER prior to this road trip so we were saying a Hail Mary that he'd be okay. He managed...

Three hours later we made our first stop in Effingham. This was a little sooner than I wanted, but B woke up the girls hungry so we decided to stop, use the restroom, get breakfast, and fuel up. I will note that all three of our kids were in diapers then which made it easier not to worry about accidents. We got our food to go and the Mr. fed the kids while I drove.

Around 9am we were seeing this...

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The next few hours were fine. B would GRAAAAAAZE on milk. C and M were fine with their movies (really good travelers!!!).

Around 10:30am we were seeing this.....

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Sometime around 2pm EST we stopped just short of Chattanooga. This time we just got gas and used the restroom. Once we got back on the road, we fed the girls some snacks. We weren't having a significant lunch since we were planning to eat a big dinner.

This was our home stretch for the day! The girls took their nap shortly after getting back on the road and we officially converted to EST for the trip! B was up and down. Soon we were in Atlanta and I think that most I-75 travelers will admit that Atlanta is really bad when it comes to traffic. Coming from someone from Chicago, that really means something. Anyway, we got to Atlanta and since it was a Sunday, traffic wasn't tooooo bad. The Mr. admired this car...

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Our goal for the day was Macon, which is about an hour south of Atlanta. No pictures, but we arrived in Macon around 6pm. Typically, we like to stay at the Residence Inn (with a government rate), but all rooms were booked so we were able to get a suite at the adjacent Courtyard. There are tradeoffs between the two hotels here. Residence Inn's one bedroom suites have smaller space but an evening social, complimentary breakfast, and indoor pool. Courtyard has more space in the suite. We ordered carryout dinner from Cheddar's and the Mr. picked it up while I got things settled for the night. After dinner, everyone got cleaned up, the kids watched Little Einsteins on Netflix, and we were in bed around 10.

 

[tazdev3225]

Joining in. My daughter has 3 boys and the 2 little ones are 14 months apart. We are taking a trip next year and will have two 2 y/o's and a 3 y/o in the group, DD's friend is going too with her baby. Thankfully no baby feedings to worry about. Can't wait to see how your trip goes.

 

[Ltrainn03]

Arrival Day: Part One 2/29

It's Disney Day and Leap Day!

On a personal note, today marked me being at WDW every month. February was the only month I hadn't visited and when the opportunity to plan this last minute trip came about, I was thrilled to reach my goal of visiting every month!

Nothing is better than waking up knowing you'll soon be at Disney! B slept better than expected and he and I were up around 6. We snuck out and filled the van up with gas and grabbed breakfast for everyone to eat on the road. Back at the room, the Mr. started getting the girls ready. We were packed and back on the road around 8am. The drive from Macon to WDW is a leisurely 6 hours maximum with stops. B was asleep almost immediately. This ride was extremely uneventful.

Just after 10am we were seeing this....

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We decided to forego our usual stop at the Welcome Center because B was sleeping and we NEVER wake a sleeping baby. Around 11:30am we made our one stop of the day at exit 374 (Micanopy). This was probably the worst stop I've made ever while on a road trip. We weren't in dire need to stop yet, but B had just woken up and we knew we needed to get gas sometime before the girls napped so we stopped in Micanopy (the first exit after B woke). This is in between Gainesville and Ocala. This exit just had two gas stations and nothing else. We went to the first one, but it was full and looked like nobody was moving anytime soon so we went over to the second one. I think there was only one other car there. I brought the girls in while the Mr. filled up. We walked in and it was dirty. I didn't want to load up the kids and wait for an open spot at the other gas station so we just dealt with it. There was another family using the one restroom so I just waited with the girls in the dirty gas station. We waited and waited and finally were able to use the restroom. Totally gross!!!! This was one of those times that I was thankful the girls weren't potty trained yet. We walked back toward the van and I had a bit of a mom fail. I was carrying C and let M walk ahead to the van. It was just a few feet but the one other car that was there started going in reverse and 'gently' ran into M. It was only for a split second before I got her out of the way, but she still technically got hit by a car. Mom fail.

Anyway, so we loaded back up and once we were on the road, the Mr. got the girls settled with lunch. We ate our leftovers from last night's dinner. I can't say enough good things about our car fridge/cooler. It's so nice not having to deal with ice and we are able to bring it into hotels and plug it in a regular outlet. Soon enough we were on the turnpike and the girls were napping. I actually think there was a time when EVERYONE [except me of course] was asleep at once. Glorious!

From here, things went pretty quick. We still hadn't received our text yet saying out room was ready. Boo! Last June we received our text from BWV by this point so I was starting to get a little worried. Everyone woke up just before exiting at Western Way. From there, we followed signs for Animal Kingdom Lodge until we pulled up to this...

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[Ltrainn03]

Arrival Day: Part 2 [2/29]

Arriving at Kidani, we parked in short term parking. At Kidani, most of the parking is directly under the resort, but since we didn't have a room yet, we just parked at in the short term parking out front. This under ground parking is one of the reasons why we chose Kidani over Jambo and unfortunately, eventually, we were forced to park in a regular lot reserved for oversized vehicles since we had a luggage carrier. This still really irks me since we were planning to drive everywhere during this trip. Lugging three kids (one was always screaming) through the lobby multiple times a day was what I was trying to avoid here. Oh well...

We parked and walked in. I had been to Jambo a few years ago, but this was my first time every at Kidani. Knowing that this lobby was smaller, I was actually shocked at how beautiful it was. It didn't feel small at all. I sent the Mr. with the girls out to look at the animals while I spoke with the front desk. I tried to keep info about our resort secret and they were absolutely shocked at how gorgeous it was and then adding the animals just made them even more excited. At the front desk, they told me our room wasn't ready yet, but they did give me our room number.

I found the most amazing PRIVATE restroom off of the lobby to change B and before I even met up with the Mr., I received our text saying our room was ready. The Mr. pulled up the van and had bell services load up of luggage. Surprisingly, it fit all on one cart. I want to note that the only way to have access to a luggage cart is to use bell services. You can't just use it yourself. We tip them, of course, but it would be nice to save a little bit and just do it yourself. Without the cart, it would take us SEVERAL trips. We made our way to our standard studio, located near the Rafiki elevator.

This was our view...

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Not too bad for a standard view. We were right at the border of the pool and the Pembe Savannah. For us, it wasn't worth booking a savannah view. We're only in our rooms mid day and over night, plus there were locations to view the animals in the halls and at the lobby. We rented points for this stay from a DVC member that I connected with online. This is our second time working with her and I have nothing but positive things to say about our experiences with her. If anyone wants her contact information, please let me know.

After quickly getting settled, we changed for the pool and stopped by the lobby to check out some animals.

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I will note that to access the pool you exit through the lobby and then walk a short distance to the pool. Some think it's an inconvenience, but it really wasn't too bad. With the savanna in the interior of the resort, this is just how things have to be.

The girls had a blast at the pool/splash pad!

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The pool area at Kidani is amazing! The actual pool is zero entry which is sooo nice with little ones. In the kids zone, there are a lot of splash features, but there is also the playground. Out of the dozen resort I've stayed at, this is hands down the best pool/play area for kids.

After spending some time at the pool, we changed and walked over to Jambo House. There is the option of taking a bus between the resorts. I believe that the Disney Springs bus goes from Jambo to Kidani and the rest of the busses do Kidani to Jambo. Double check though. We decided to walk. Kidani and Jambo are separate 'resorts' that make up Animal Kingdom Lodge. The walk between the two wasn't bad. I'm thinking it was maybe 10 minutes. Guests at Kidani can use the pool at Jambo and the resorts share movies/campfires. Once we got to Jambo, we headed straight to the Mara which is the resort's quick service dining location. The lobby is on the second floor, almost like a walk out basement, so to get to the Mara you go down to the first floor. We ordered a pepperoni flatebread and chicken nuggets with fries. When we order quick service, we never order 'meals' with drinks and desserts. We usually order two full entrees and split them between the four of us. At the Mara you order with a CM and then they buzz us when it is ready. There was only one other family here when we were ordering but I could see this system being really convenient when it's super busy. Once our food was ready, we headed to the outdoor seating area which is adjacent to the pool. There is also a nice sized indoor seating area.

After eating, we checked out the rest of Jambo's savannah viewing areas and ended up at the fire pit for some story telling. One thing that really impressed me about AKL is the amount of activities at the resort. I'm talking more than just activities by the pool. They have those, but they also have 'cultural representatives' that lead activities at both Jambo and Kidani. On this night, I found myself sitting in a rocking chair gathered around a fire pit listening to an African man tell African folktales. It was a memorable experience. Next, we found the movie area near the pool. It was Cinderella! We found seats and watched about half before B decided it was getting to be his bedtime.

We went back to Kidani, got everyone into pjs, and realized the girls weren't quite ready for bed. Our plan at Disney is to wear the girls out, but not overtire them. The Mr. then took C and M out to check out the savannah at night. The girls LOVED the nighttime goggles!

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They also spent some time in the lobby watching cartoons. Each night, there were extra CMs in the lobby with little games and stickers in addition to the cartoons. We missed the nighttime excitement we had at the Boardwalk, but they provided some extras to help make up for it.

 

[PrncessA]

Hi I am joining in! I'm a Chicago Suburbs mom as well, although we have never driven down. Three kiddos under the age of 3! I can't wait to hear more.

 

[BellaBaby]

Great TR so far! I have 3 kids; 2 years apart (2 girls and a boy). It seems like only yesterday they were that tiny! Time goes so fast; but we still enjoy our family Disney trips! Anyway, score on that standard room view! Were you able to see many animals from there? We stayed at Jambo a few yrs ago and enjoyed it.

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

[Ltrainn03]

Animal Kingdom Part 1 [3/1]

Animal Kingdom was our first part of the trip; very fitting for us staying at Kidani. B woke at 2 and then 6am. Surprisingly, he never woke up anyone else in the middle of the night. This ended up being a consistent pattern which worked really well since he could be our alarm clock each day.

M woke up right away, got dressed, and struck her 'princess pose' while the rest of us got ready. You'll notice she's laying on a couch. With the five of us staying in a studio, the Mr. and M slept in the bed, C was in a pack n play, B was either in a rock n play or with me, and I was on the couch. Don't judge. It worked really well for us in a studio.

C was still sleeping. She's a HUGE fan of the pack n play. At 2.5 now, she still loves it although it's becoming a tight squeeze. She's also a HUGE fan of her stuffies. The girls got Duffy for Christmas 2014 and I brought them on their first trip in June 2015 even though they had no interest in him. Between last trip and this trip, C turned out to be a huge Duffy fan. He is her absolute favorite! I ordered Shellie Mae on the Parks app and had it waiting for us in Johari Treasures upon our arrival. C loves her too!

B waited patiently for C to wake and for us to get going.

I changed my lock screen to a screen shot of our fastpasses.

We left Kidani super early (7:30?) and drove to Animal Kingdom. This took maybe 5 minutes. We parked in the very first row. Yay! We only waited for about 2 minutes before being let in, but during that time, a CM asked us if it was our first visit. I told them it was B's first visit so he gave us a pin. Side note: I pinned it on my wrap for pretty much the entire time and looooots of people assumed it was my first visit which made me chuckle since I'm a former CM. Anyway, we walked straight to Africa just after 8am. There aren't many 'firsts' left for me at WDW, but this morning I was having one. We were having breakfast at Tusker House and I have never been there. We parked our stroller and waited about three minutes before being escorted to our table. I think I mentioned that we booked this trip about 4 months in advance, which I consider to be last minute for WDW standards. Originally I was disappointed to only be able to get a 8:25 ADR. I scouted MDE each day for months trying for an earlier time slot with no luck. This time worked out perfectly as we were seated in a spot that didn't even get the first character until after 8:45.

First was Donald.

Then Mickey...

Then Daisy...

Then Goofy...

B slept through it all. I get asked frequently about dining with an infant. I wore B in the ring sling literally our entire trip. I did see some parents lug around a car seat into the restaurants. That's just not my style. If a baby is too little to put in a high chair, I recommend wearing them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this breakfast. The juice (I don't know they call it here, but it's the same as O'hana) was great, the food was fantastic, and we have no complaints. The buffet included a few more ethnic options which were very fitting for being in Africa.

Up next, we spend some more time in Africa...

 

[awalker1015]

Love your report!!!! Your children are adorable.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Great TR so far!!!

I love the idea of changing your lock screen to a screenshot of your itinerary for the day. That's definitely a "Pro Tip"

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I am following along! I find you so brave in so many ways! 3 kids under 3, driving all the way from Chicago, an infant! Can't wait to hear how the rest of trip goes!

I have to say, making your home screen the images of your fast passes, Brilliant!

 

[Ltrainn03]

Animal Kingdom Part Two [3/1]

We just left our very filling breakfast at Tusker House.

At 9:30, we made our way to the safari with our FP+. As always, the girls loved it! For anyone who thinks that Animal Kingdom is just a zoo... we go to our zoo (just outside Chicago) just about every week. We get a membership each year and it's my go-to spot with the kids. Our zoo is pretty high quality and my girls can name almost every animal there. They still love Animal Kingdom! DAK truly transports guests into different lands more than just animal viewing. DAK is more than just checking out animals. End rant.

B was still sleeping and I was hoping he'd make it through without getting too hungry. At eight weeks old, when he was hungry, he would totally freak out.

Next, we made our way through the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail (still getting used to the new name). After getting our stroller from the safari, I feel like we always second guess which direction to head in for the trail. We always enjoy this and it was early enough in the day where it wasn't too crowded. Last time, we somehow missed the hippos so I was determined to see them this time around. Halfway through, B woke and decided it was time to eat. I nursed him on a bench on the trail and had multiple people sit next to met and not even notice. Eventually we caught up to the Mr. and the girls (they kept walking ahead) and we head toward the Tree of Life. I love taking the little paths in Discovery Island. We let both girls out of the stroller to burn off some energy. C is a monopalegic, no function in left arm, and her balance is greatly effected. Like most 2 year olds, she likes to be independent. This area around the Tree of Life provided her with an uncrowded area to walk about. She falls very frequently, but this area made it 'safe' (as safe as can be) for her to fall and get up without being trampled.

We had a FP+ for Adventurer's Outpost and arrived around 10:30.

I know this isn't worth the fastpass, but we keep it simple at Animal Kingdom and don't do many long line attractions. With them being little, we skip the shows and Kali. The Mr. loves Dinosaur, but I told him he could only pick one big kid ride this time and he picked Everest.

From here, we headed toward Everest. Now, M knew she was going to be riding the 7DMT this trip and kept thinking that Everest was the mine train. I'm a chicken so the Mr. was going to be the only one riding Everest. Our plan was to drop the Mr. off at Everest while I continue to check out the monkeys while he rode. Last trip, before M was even tall enough to ride 7DMT she threw a fit for not being able to ride Everest. So we dropped the Mr. off at Everest without really alerting M that we were near something that she couldn't ride (the Mr. seriously needs me escorting him to rides; otherwise he'll get lost).

The Mr. rode Everest with FP+ and then single rider.

While the Mr. was braving Everest, I was braving Animal Kingdom with three kids, three and under, and took the kids to see the monkeys. Then I got a water at the Royal Anandapur Tea Company. This is hands down the worst free ice water I received ever at WDW. It was in a cheap cup and tasted awful. I was on the hunt for a Mickey pretzel for the girls, but most of the side counter service food trucks being closed (March), I wasn't able to find one. Soon enough, we were reunited with the Mr. and we took some pictures in front of Everest.

Next, we wrap up Animal Kingdom and have a 'relaxing' evening.

 

[Ltrainn03]

Animal Kingdom Part 3 [3/1]

After reuniting with the Mr. and celebrating him braving Everest, we headed over to Dinoland U.S.A. where we rode Triceratop Spin not once, but twice! The first time, I rode with C and B since I was wearing him. The Mr. rode with M. C was freaking out the entire time. I didn't really understand since she loved Dumbo and the Magic Carpets last trip. It turns out, she didn't like the song that was playing. Side note: I know I've mentioned C's disability. Do you know how I learned that C didn't like the music at Triceratop Spin? She told me. Not even two years old, C has been speaking in full sentences for maaany months. I am beyond grateful for her superb verbal skills. Her disability is caused from mistakes made during her birth. This 'situation' also involved being deprived of oxygen and in a lot of cases oxygen deprivation leads to serious complications. Anyway, I am grateful that she is doing as well as she is.

This is not my video, but if you skip to :45 you can hear the music C's talking about.

After finishing our first round of Triceratop Spin and discovering C's hatred for the music, we talked about the music situation and she decided to ride again. Everyone did better this time! We realized that it was after 12:30 and we needed to get going. C definitely takes a mid-day nap, and M always rests and usually naps. We headed toward the exit and stopped to take a few pictures.

The girls were definitely getting tired and hot. We stopped at the restrooms near the exit/Rainforest (totally should've stopped at the baby center) and changed C. C then ended up falling asleep between the restroom and the van.

Soon we were at Kidani and the Mr. dropped off me and the kids at the lobby. Remember, we had a luggage carrier that they said was too tall for the parking garage beneath the resort. B was extremely unhappy [a precursor to every single trip through the lobby], but I wore him while pushing the girls back to our room. The Mr. brought the van back to the oversized vehicle lot. Eye rolls here... our Chrysler Town and Country is not oversized. He then met us back in the room. I nursed B and then got ready to leave. Our plan for mid day naps this trip was for the Mr. to stay in the room with the girls taking naps and I would find something to do with B. Last time we were at the Boardwalk so finding something to do with the non-napping child (last time C was taking two naps per day so she never napped during mid day break) was EASY. As the Mr. got the girls settled down, I left and made my way back to our van.

My destination was the Target on 192. From Kidani, I was there within ten minutes. This brought back find memories for me because the last time I was a CM I lived just past there (route 27 in between 192 and I-4). At Target, I wanted to get B some more sleepers. I decided that I wanted him to have his legs covered during our trip so I got some things for him. I also got some leggings for myself. This Target is definitely the place to get some off property Disney items!

After Target, I headed to Fort Wilderness. I took the longer way, taking 192 all the way to World Drive. Grammie and Pop Pop (my parents) were kinda planning a trip for Spring 2016 in their RV. The Mr. and I were secretly planning our trip during my maternity leave. The week prior to our trip, we finally told my parents about it. For various reasons, we knew they'd be skeptical about this vacation. One we told them about our trip, they said they were hoping to spend that week in the South and we going to be in Clearwater at the same time. Once they realized we were going to be at WDW the same time they were in Clearwater, they decided to shorten their time in Clearwater and spend a couple of days at Fort Wilderness. While I know they love spending time with my kids at Disney, I know they were worried that we wouldn't be able to handle B on vacation. Seriously??

So B and I arrived at Fort Wilderness (my parents added me as a day guest to their reservation) and I found their campsite. I didn't grow up camping and my parents don't really seem like 'campers'. They bought this massive RV last year and use it to drive to Michigan or Florida mostly. It's pretty much my dad's midlife crisis purchase and my mom goes along with it because, after decades of driving from Chicago to WDW in a minivan, she loves having a kitchen and a king bed while on the road.

We hung out at their campsite for about an hour and then I decided I better head back to Kidani. I asked my parents if they wanted to come with and then go to Disney Springs for dinner. They agreed and hopped in my van with me back to Kidani.


Up next, splashing at Kidani and a night at Disney Springs.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Awesome report! I love it. Beautiful family and I totally get the part about not relaying information to parents except one need to know basis. You have to do what is best for your family.

 

[Ltrainn03]

Evening at Disney Springs 3/1


Our first full day at WDW began with a prepark opening breakfast at Tusker House, then we explored DAK until around 1pm. After returning to Kidani for our midday break, the Mr. and I split up. He stayed at the resort for naps with C and M and I took B for some errands and to meet up with my parents at Fort Wilderness.

Realizing that nap time was nearly over, I needed to get back to Kidani. My parents hopped in my van and decided to hang out with us for the night. The Mr. texted me saying they were at the pool so I parked in short term parking and headed there with B and my parents. I simply cannot rave enough about this pool area at Kidani. I have stayed at all of the resorts except the very highest deluxe resorts, and I can say that this pool area is definitely on the top of my list. It's different than Stormalong Bay, but definitely right up there. The entire area is relaxing, inviting, and with its many seating areas, never felt crowded.

This is part of the splash zone. There's also a slide, wading pool, and bucket that dumps water. In the same area, you'll find a small playground with safe climbing equipment. The entire area is separated from the main pool area. I think there was only two access points here so it's pretty secluded and you don't have to worry about little ones running off.

The zero depth entry was AMAZING!! Granted, we didn't spend a ton of time here, but we didn't even bother with the life jackets. The girls just loved being able to splash around (in March!!) and have fun. The pool itself was decent size and not at all crowded. We didn't do the water slide, but it looked quite long and you can see toward the back of the pool is where it lands. Directly behind me was the pool bar which definitely did not disappoint.

Here's the March calendar for afternoons at the pool. I will say it was weird having one night in February and the rest in March. The movie started a full hour earlier our first night so definitely make sure to check out your calendar.

M and C played in the zero depth part and we just waded. When they saw my parents were there, they got all weird. After a few minutes, M got excited to see them, but C continued to be weird and repeated herself saying 'Go away' to my mom. We think she thought my parents were taking them away. That's a two year old for you! We let them play for a little bit and then all went up to our room. The girls got changed and then we headed out. The girls marveled at the animals in our hallway and then toward the lobby.

Our plan was to meet at Earl of Sandwich. We couldn't all fit in our van so my parents took the bus and we drove. As soon as we got in the van, the Mr. got a phone call for a job interview (the first of two this trip and nearly thirty interviews for the next few months). Back story: The Mr. was a teacher looking for an administrative position with the hopes of me being able to stay home with the kids.

Last trip, we purposefully avoided Disney Springs with all of the construction so this was our first time going with the parking garages. We made a mistake. We got off to park in the first garage only to realize that we couldn't fit with the luggage carrier so we ended up in overflow. We definitely should've kept going to the next garage (even if that meant overflow) because we ended up parking pretty much at La Nouba. My parents definitely beat us taking the bus. We walked all the way to Earl and got in line. Within minutes, we ordered an Italian, Earl Club, and a side of Mac n Cheese. We might of gotten a second side (pasta salad), but I can't remember. We ate most of it and brought the rest 'home' to our fridge. We ate outside underneath some twinkling lights and it was magical.

After dinner, we made our way here...

Goofy's Candy Company! This is one of my personal favorites, but I must say that I feel that they are getting stingy. In regards to the made to order items, I have fond memories of rice krispies being covered in M&Ms on both sides and then having a dip on them. At this time, it was a single side coating of M&Ms. Still very delicious, but lacking in comparison to past trips to the Co. Keeping time in mind, we headed over to World of Disney where we let each of the girls pick out a very small souvenir. M got a snow globe magnet and C got something similar. I really wanted to check out the toy store (we have huge Duffy fans in our house), the kitchen store, the Christmas store, and some of the newer shops, but we were limited on time since B would be 'declaring his presence' at any time'. The CM checking us out at WOD double checked that we weren't flying home since the magnet was too big/liquid to carry on. We drove, but I never would have thought of that!

We checked out a few performers and made our way back to our van all the way on the west end. We drove back to Kidani, got everyone ready for bed, and the girls and the Mr. set off on their nightly excursion to the lobby for tv time with other kids and the night time animal viewing.

Tomorrow, EPCOT!!!! [my favorite park]

 

[ChiBub]

I'm really enjoying your report so far! I tried to talk my husband into a trip while I was on maternity leave with #2 but that nasty "budget" got in the way. You're making it look so easy though! Can't wait to read more.

 

[Katniss]

Joining in. Love your report so far and great pictures to treasure. Can't wait for more...

 

[bebec22]

Love your report so far. I'm taking my kids in Feb 2017. Two kids 2 and under. I admire your bravery with 3 kids 3 and under! I totally think I have that top you're wearing on your AK day, A Pea in the Pod?? My daughter is 6 months old and I still wear it all the time!

 

[nco91590]

Your kids are gorge! Enjoying your report

We're heading down in March 11 - 15 and I'm curious to see how the weather/crowds were for you.