Toddler Twins take another Trip Aug/Sept '15 PTR: 3 MORE SLEEPS

[kcpinwdw]

Here is Ariel with DS at CRT

 

[kcpinwdw]

Princess Merida! A CRT surprise!

 

[skier_pete]

Great Ariel shot. Hope she didn't try to comb her hair with that one.

Looks like you had a great day, but as I read it, I don't miss doing WDW with a little one.

 

[kcpinwdw]

I don't miss doing WDW with a little one.

ha ha, probably true, I do look forward to when they are more independant! And no naps! And reliably potty trained!

 

[kcpinwdw]

Now that we have been home a week I am getting some significant Disney withdrawal and entering full on count down mode to our Aug/Sept trip. In fact, I probably should break out the graph paper and start mapping out what I have in preparation for FP time! I am very happy with all my ADRs so I am not searching for anymore. THe kids have been asking to go back every day. I probably should stop asking "what do you want to do today?"

In other news my kids got accepted to a great preschool, which starts the day after labor day... ie right after we get home from DIsney! Hopefully the transition home plus the transition to a new school wont be too hard on them.

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

Join in to hear about the traveling with toddlers. Mine will be a little over 2 for our Fall 2016 trip!

 

[kcpinwdw]

I've been thinking a little bit lately of doing something special during our next trip with just one kid, and then trading off. So my husband takes one for a while and I take one, to get some (very rare) one-on-one time. I think I need some help with ideas! We have a lots of "half days" planned for our Aug/Sept trip so I can be flexible, but we are not getting park hoppers so if these things are at a park they will need to be on that park's day(s).

I booked a CRT breakfast for 2, pre-park, for one experience. Not sure if my son or daughter will go, it depends on who I think will enjoy it more at the time. Not sure about else to do with a three year old! Is Sylvie too young for BBBoutique? She sure doesn't like it when I put her hair in a ponytail... I was also trying to think of something that might be fun for my husband and son to do together, if you have any ideas!

 

[cajunfan]

So they still do the pirate cruise for Wishes? That could be fun...not sure if it still happens though. If your little one likes American Girl Dolls, there is the Perfectly Princess Tea...pretty pricey, but most people like it.

 

[kcpinwdw]

So they still do the pirate cruise for Wishes?

Yup I have that booked for all of us on our "non park" day. I am really excited. The tea party is a good idea, I will have to look into it.

I called and got Bibbitti boppiti boutique reservations for the afternoon of our first MK day. Maybe i'll take the little lady to CRT afterwards and daddy and bring Ben home to the pool. I'll see if I can get a late lunch/early dinner reservation for two...

 

[kcpinwdw]

The other night I was grocery shopping and got a phone call from disney. The CM told me that the time of WIshes for Sept 2nd had been changed and they were going to update my reservation for the dessert party that night to reflect that. No big deal right?? Well today I log on to MDE and I notice that my reservation is indeed changed... to just two adults! Both kids were dropped off! Ugh! So I just emailed them to try and get it put back together. Of course MDE is showing no availability now so I hope it wont be a problem. Anyone ever experience anything like that? How did it go?

 

[skier_pete]

I'm sure they'll be able to fix your dessert party reservation. Did you keep the original confirmation information? I doubt they'll give you static, but if you have that, you with definitely be able to get it straightened out. (I keep all my e-mails, confirmation and cancelations, and planning this trip I've been keeping them on my phone as well.)

 

[kcpinwdw]

I think it is time to really start laying down our Aug/Sept PTR! I have to crank up the Touring Plans

I have decided that we will have family shirts for each day of our trip. So I will put a picture of that day's attire with my plans for that day. Then you will know us if you see us, ha ha ha. All my shirts are hand made and I am blogging the instructions at makeitwithmagic.com if you are interested in making your own.

Let's get started!

Day 1: Arrival day

Friday, August 28th. We are flying from Manchester, New Hampshire to MCO on Southwest. A direct flight and free checked bags for everyone! My plan is to pack in three suitcases and check and extra one since we always seem to "expand" on vacation.

Packing strategy: I will plan each days shirt and pack them together in a labeled Ziploc, so I just have to grab the one for the day. They will go in one suitcase with our toiletries and princess dresses. Then DH and I will share a second suitcase for PJs, bottoms, etc. The little kids will share a carry-on size suitcase, and we will check another empty or almost empty carry-on size suitcase as well. Magical express makes it easy!

Manchester is just under a three hour drive from our home so we will hit the road mid-morning on Friday, leaving some buffer room just in case. Plan on getting to airport around noon for our afternoon flight. No strollers and no car seats, so it should be an easy time in the airport. And for the first time in a long time, no rental car! (we often fly into Sanford, so no magical express). Anticipating an easy arrival into MCO, and looking forward to our family's first Magical Express trip.

We will arrive at the Beach Club around 7pm, I would guess. The kids will likely be pretty sleepy by then! Snacks from the hotel, then up to our room. I will have their PJs in my carry on so they can go right to bed without worrying about our luggage if it hasn't arrived yet.

Early to bed for all of us, I would imagine. We have a busy week ahead of us.

Here are our travel shirts:


Next up: DAY 2: Epcot!

 

[skier_pete]

Awesome direct flights and free checked bags. Us to! We should be in about 8 hours before you (we hope!)

Hopefully it's a good travel day. NO Hurricanes! The last time we went the week before labor day (in August) we arrived right at the tail end of TS Fay - which dumped 4 straight days of rain on central Florida. The result is we actually stumbled into 3 days of rare dry weather our first 3 days, but people that were already there said it had been miserable. That trip was bookended by Hurricane Gustav, which was nice enough to stay in the gulf, but caused it be really gusty our last couple of days.

One thing I've learned about the weather and Disney at this time of year...be prepared for terrible, and be happy with merely awful.

 

[kcpinwdw]

One thing I've learned about the weather and Disney at this time of year...be prepared for terrible, and be happy with merely awful.

Geez.... should I be getting trip insurance?

 

[skier_pete]

Geez.... should I be getting trip insurance?

My calculations say we have roughly a 5 % chance of having a hurricane pass near Florida at some point during that time we are there enough to affect our vacation weather-wise. Probably <1% chance of one actually canceling our flights.

That said - I do have trip insurance. Of course, I've gone 2 for 2 in cancelled flights this year (to and from Denver in February). My $100 investment in trip insurance paid back with $750, so I figure I'll come out ahead whether I "use" it or not.

 

[kcpinwdw]

Day 2: Epcot

Good morning Saturday! Today we get to feel like we are on vacation! I have picked Epcot to start based on crowd calendars and my refusal to take buses unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (so only our AK day). No rush getting up, though we are all early risers so I am anticipating I'll be up at 530 or 6 and headed down to the Marketplace to get our morning coffees and some breakfast for the kiddos. I think we will go with refillable mugs for the grown-ups this trip, because then I can get coffee every morning and we can have something in the afternoons while pool lounging. I hope that the new "length of stay" mug price counts split stays, because it's a no-go if I have to pay twice! I'll bring the goodies back to the room, everyone will probably be awake by 7:00 or 7:30. I think today we will wear our Mickey Mouse coordinating spray bleach shirts... though I have only completed the grown-up ones so far.



We will stroll down to the international gateway by 8:45 or so. We will probably start with the character spot, since lines will be nonexistent first thing in the morning. I am thinking that we will then to future world and ride Nemo, spend some time in the aquarium area, and then maybe do Figment as well. No rush and no headliners so hopefully no lines. THen around 1030 0r 11 we will start heading back towards Beach Club.

Beaches and Cream reservation for 11:30. I'll likely go to our room for our pool stuff so we can take a dip after eating. Then depending on the heat and the kids, we will either hang and swim for a few hours or go up to the room for a nap. Hoping for a big balcony so I can read outside while they sleep!

Around 4 or 4:30 we will pack it up and head back to Epcot, for dinner at Coral Reef. I am excited about Coral reef, despite the mixed reviews, for two reasons. First, my kids LOVE fish and aquariums so I think it will be a big hit. Second, I have a very fond memory of eating there as a child. I dont remember much of my first DIsney World trip, but I definitely remember eating at Coral Reef!

I dont have photos of eating at COral Reef, but here is one photo from lunch that day...



We will plan our FPs for after dinner, and hopefully all go on SOARIN', and child swap it if they are not tall enough yet. I doubt they will be, two inches is a lot to grown in a couple months I have no big interest in other headliners so I dont know what else we will FP, but probably NEMO and turtle talk, so we dont have to worry about lines to ride them again.

Last time we went to Epcot it was a rainy day!



And so cold, we had to buy the "purchase with purchase" fleece blanket for the kids! I have a feeling we will need the ponchos again, by my Olaf sweater will not be making an appearance this August!

Plan to be back to Beach Club no later than 7:30, for 8pm bedtime! Earlier if they didnt nap!

So, in a nutshell: 2 ADRS, lots of pool time, not many rides.

Coming up: DAY 3: Hollywood Studios!

 

[skier_pete]

Your day 2 plans seem really good. We used to do Character Connection 1st thing. The lines aren't as bad as they used to be though - since they doubled up the place. (Watch for when they shuffle you through one of two doors.) If you get really lucky and first in the door, you MIGHT get a picture with all the characters at once!

I think Coral Reef is great. The food is OK which I suppose people that are spending big bucks on meals think they should be getting haute cuisine, but it's Disney so lower those expectation a bit. My only piece of advice is get there 20 minutes before your ADR (the wait always seems bad here) and ask if you can get a seat by the tank or at least on the bottom tier. One time we were put in the very back of the restaurant, and you can see the tank, but it seems a 100 yards away. The next time we told them we'd wait for a seat on the tank, and the seating was GREAT. It's definitely worth a little extra wait. If you are worried that you don't want to wait to long - say the bottom two tiers...you just don't want to be up top.

This might be our first chance to DISmeet. We are spending the morning at DHS, but plan on being back at BCV no later than 1 PM for swimming /relaxing. Perhaps we will catch you by the pool! We will also be in Epcot in the evening, but while you are eating with Nemo and Dory, we will be eating with Jose Carioca and Donald.

 

[kcpinwdw]

If you get really lucky and first in the door, you MIGHT get a picture with all the characters at once!

did this happen to you? what a magical moment!

plan on being back at BCV no later than 1 PM for swimm

perfect! we have san angel inn ressie for our second epcot night... ate at hacienda last time and it was great!

 

[skier_pete]

did this happen to you? what a magical moment!

No - I've seen it happen though. The times we went there first thing, we were never close enough to the front to be the first family in the door. I have no idea if they still do it or not, just that I've seen it.

 

[kcpinwdw]

Day 3: Hollywood Studios

Sunday! Another day, another park we can just walk to... or maybe take the boat. Hollywood studios was a surprise hit on our trip in December, so I am really looking forward to coming back. In December we had saved it as our last park, because most of the family was heading home that day and didn't want to go. We did not have high expectations, and we had an incredible day. So this year I am looking forward to it a bit more!

We will like get up early again since we had a relatively early turn in last night. Breakfast at the resort, following my routing of getting up ahead of everyone and going downstairs, then bringing up a yummy spread (and of course coffee). One note is that last time we were at HS I had literally the WORST cup of coffee in my life. So I will caffeinate ahead of time!

I am hoping to get a FP for toy story, but we are considering going at rope drop as well. My son LOVED this ride. He just went bananas for it. He STILL talks about it! So it's not a bad idea to ride twice. Especially because it is not a very ride-heavy park. BUT, I was also thinking we may stay the whole day and not go back for a break, so I am considering not making rope drop at all and coming around lunch time. Morning at the pool sounds nice, but I am a ROPE DROP PERSON and not going feels sacrilegious. I had to look up how to spell sacrilegious, FYI.

So, Plan A involves rope drop and a very busy day with two rides on TSMM, and Plan B means a slow morning and only one ride on TSMM (which just seems like the more logical option as I am typing...)

We have a lunch ADR at 50's Prime Time Café, which I am excited to try. I tried to do a walk up once upon a time before DH and I were married and I knew anything about Disney, and of course we couldn't get in, but the place looked like so much fun I have always wanted to go back.

We'll see some characters too:


I am hoping for these FPs: Frozen sing along (around 11 so before lunch, because last year they fell asleep and we missed our FP). Then after lunch TSMM (right away), and a show for the later afternoon. if they want to stroller nap around 1 or 2 we will find some airconditioning. They had a very good stroller nap at HS last year and DH got one last photo with the hat before removal:


We have dinner at 430 at Mama Melrose's, with the fantasmic package. I am not sure we will make it that late, but if we need to scoot we will hand our tickets to another family and spread a little pixie dust. '

On our last trip the thing that made HS stand out above and beyond was the magic of characterpalooza. I read recently on Kenny the pirate's page that the location and frequency has been changing, but I hope there is some predictability when we go back because it was amazing for my kids. In December my daughter was still kind of shy around characters and one CM kind of latched on her to her and took her around to everyone. We just bought a set of little bus toys (my son was INTENSELY OBSESSED with the Disney transit system), and the CM got all the characters to play with her. It was very special.

If we make the first Fantasmic! show, great, but if not we will shuffle off home. Considering packing our PJs so kids can snooze right in the stroller since we wont have to move them until we get back to the room! Yeah for no buses!

Next up: Day 4: Back to Epcot for a magic Monday!