Toddlers and Infants and Grandparents -- oh my! Lessons Learned!

[asudol]

I've had great pleasure in reading some of the trip reports posted by others, and learned many great tips -- So I felt I should repay the boards with our own lessons learned on our recent trip.

The Cast:

• Myself - 35M, grew up on road trips from Toronto Ontario area to Disney World.. Was at MK on opening day of Epcot (rode the monorail to EPCOT, saw the crowd and went to a nice calm day at MK
• Wife - 32F, only been to Disney World once, and that was with me as an adult in 2001.
• DD - Turned 3 the day we got home! First time to WDW, and for her birthday week to boot!! Playhouse Disney fanatic, Cars is her favorite movie of all time.. not so big on princesses.
• DS - 13 months old. Walking, but slow and not for long periods.. LOVES food (dining plan FTW!!)
• Grandpa - 65, Disney Fanatic... Disneyana collector, honeymoon at WDW
• Grandma - 62, not huge on rides, theme parks of any kind... but along for the kids.

The Scene:
Driving from just outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada to POR (Mansions)

Selected Keywords and topics covered...Port Orleans Riverside (POR), Beaches & Cream, Mickey's Back Yard BBQ, Photopass, Harmony Barbershop 1st Haircut, Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP), Crystal Palace, Hollywood & Vine, Chef Mickey's, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Deluxe Dining Plan

(Note: Will add pictures as I can get them uploaded)

 

[asudol]

Two cars.. apparently renting a mini-van would be as much as flying everyone down, so myself, DW, DS, DD in one car and grandparents in the other. We live about 2 hours apart, so we agreed to meet for breakfast across the US border in Niagara Falls area.

Tip: If you have a car without a luggage rack and are looking for a way to carry your luggage or other stuff on the roof, roofbag.com is the place for you... We paid <$200 for the premium bag, hooks, etc. Well worth it.. our poor Mazda 3 just couldn't carry all of the luggage AND the kids... even the strollers went in the bag on the roof.

Left home at 4am, hoping the kids would sleep in the car (they did!) and met at Bob Evans (mmm. biscuits and sausage gravy!!) for breakfast around 7. Reservations were booked on points for a Fairfield Inn in Charleston WV, so we had about 6-7 hours of driving after breakfast.

Tiny bit of backstory-- our DD has been battling a UTI and was on a second antibiotic the week prior to us leaving. We dropped off a sample to the lab two days before we left, expecting everything was clear.

On the drive, we call the doctor to confirm all is cleared up and get the news that the infection is still there and as bad as ever -- go to a hospital or clinic and get a prescription. yay.

Had a couple of nice stops along the way thumbsup2 50 McNuggets for $10? Note to self for future trips -- don't waste car space on food when Mickey D's can supply it cheaper) Ate some nice sandwiches, enjoyed the sun... While in the car, the dual DVD screens with Playhouse Disney episodes kept DD quiet and cookies and crackers kept DS quiet when he was awake. (Food does amazing things for that kid)

Get to Charleston. Not such a nice area, not such a nice hotel.. but it's a place to sleep and it's free. We don't take any chances, however, and unload everything in the roof carrier to lock in the room with us!! (We changed out route home so we didn't have to stay around there...)

While in Charleston, head over to the ER to get DD checked out. (Thank goodness for my work benefits that cover the USA). All we want is prescription, but they test her out anyway, agree that infection is bad and white a prescription. Head over to Rite Aid to fill it and we're told it's $600!!! Time to cancel the trip!!!!

(Grandparents were a godsend for the ER trip.. They watched DS while we were at the ER. I can't imagine 2 hours in the ER with screaming DS....)

Take prescription back and start looking for options... it's a Friday night, so nothing we can do until weekend is over anyway. Checked room carefully for signs of bedbugs -- all clear -- but A/C doesn't work in room, beds uncomfortable.. things can only get better!!

In bed later than expected and stressed to the limit... but have to sleep so we can hit the road for 4am again...

 

[ccgirl]

OMG!!! $600 for an antibiotic? What did you end up doing? So hoping this trip has a happy ending.

 

[asudol]

3:30am, out packing up the roof bag (very handy, but a pain to load and unload, so not a good idea to do this nightly....) DD complaining about her tummy, we're still stressed over $600 medication, DS is out of cookies...

Grab some juice to go, DW has a sandwich to keep her going, crackers for DS, Playhouse Disney on the DVD players and we're on our way!

Allergies must be acting up because my eye is watering -- but we must push on. Not feeling great, but likely because of the lack of sleep. DW isn't feeling great either, indigestion maybe.

The drive through WV was mostly uneventful as it was still dark.. DW getting worse, starting to throw up frequently. I'm not feeling great, grandma is feeling bloated too... only grandpa is doing fine. Apparently he didn't eat the lunch meat. Everyone was sick depending on how much of the meat each person ate. DW ate the most and she was REALLY sick. Did I say the trip couldn't get worse? I was wrong!

My eye is REALLY bothering me now, allergy meds aren't helping at all.. must be an infection (I used to get eye infections as a kid, but haven't had one in many years). We end up stopping in South Carolina at Bojangles for lunch . Forget KFC... we need Bojangles here!!

Happen to notice a Walmart as we drive past. Stop in out of curiosity and ask the pharmacist what DD's prescription would cost... Hospital wrote it for liquid form for DD, but they only carry capsules. They called and got the prescription changed for us (we have to open capsules, divide in half, and mix with apple sauce.. but it's worth the effort to make her better). Total cost? $27. Walmart $27. Rite Aid $600. Clearly they saw we were in a bind and were pleased to rip us off... very glad we waited!!! And huge thanks to Walmart for their help!

Look for Polysporin eye drops for my eye now that DD is looked after. No luck.. it's a prescription in the US!! Arrggh. Looks like another ER visit for this trip

Continue our drive down to Jacksonville FL, our last stop before Disney! Lovely hotel -- if you're ever passing through and need a place to stay, I highly recommend the Fairfield Inn just off Buttler Blvd... quite new, very clean... Stayed on points, which is always great.

Get kids to sleep at a reasonable time, we crash and sleep quite well knowing DD is on her meds finally... A weight lifted. Now to do something about my eye..

 

[asudol]

ccgirl - my reaction exactly!! As soon as I said I wasn't on a drug plan, the guy looked at me and said "you need a drug plan, this is a very very expensive prescription. You should go back to the hospital and have them prescribe something else."

Not the answer we wanted to hear when the tests showed only 2 antibiotics that will work with this strain.. Leave it to my daughter to get a 'superbug'..

At the ER, the doctor was concerned about the 2 antibiotics, too.. One was only available by IV and the other was this one.

Luckily, Walmart came to the rescue and it ended up costing $27.

Maybe it was just an error by Rite Aid... but if it was, I'm glad we didn't get it there -- not just for the cost, but who knows what they might have given us!!

... and thanks for tuning in The trip does get better!!

 

[asudol]

We arrive at POR before lunch and check in.. Birthday badge for DD, 1st Visit for DS... rooms aren't ready, but we'll get a text message when they are.

Head over to Downtown Disney for lunch and get our text message before we even get there!

Before I go on about the food, we had the free regular dining plan and upgraded to Deluxe for the trip. We would do this again next time, too.. read on for the tips we learned as we went along, and our experience with Deluxe vs Regular..

Had a quick lunch at the Earl of Sandwich -- I love this place! Prices have gone up, but the food is still great.. (Although no more baked potatos??? That was one of our favorites last time we were there...) Dining plan included the sandwich, dessert and drink. The sandwich was enough for us and the kids ate the dessert...

Back to the hotel, rooms 8293 and 8294. Acadian Place (building 80), 2nd floor, right on the corner by the parking. The building was a perfect location AFAIK -- right by a quiet pool, and close enough to the main building. The location of the rooms in the building was great since we drove just about everywhere, but it was a bit of a walk to get to the lobby on foot.

POR is showing it's age... I'm glad to hear it's going through a refurb -- it needs it. The grounds are nice, pools were great, the rooms were clean (and no signs of bedbugs in either room.. what is all the panic about??)... the rooms just felt ... 'Well enjoyed'...

We unpacked and moved right in.. clothes in drawers, toiletries on the counters, etc. Packed our beverages in the fridge, etc..

Observations....

• The fridge had a plastic cap that covered the temperature control. Likely someone before us popped it off and made it colder -- so cold that our cans of pop were exploding and our apple sauce, yogurt, etc was getting frozen... beware!
• People have mentioned it before -- I'll mention it again.. BRING a power strip!! There's a serious lack of power outlets in the rooms....
• The A/C doesn't require any special key presses or override to stay on... which was fantastic!!

Grandparents head out to Via Napoli for their ADR. (I'll try to get them to review it.. overall very good, but the fried pasta puck nearly broke their teeth...)

I leave DW,DD,DS in room to put everything away while I venture into 'Celebration' to visit the ER for my eye. If you ever need medical care at WDW... Celebration hospital was excellent... I was there for 2 hours total, but they were quite thorough.

Got a free tube of antibiotic ointment and a prescription for drops (guess we need to go back to Walmart!).

No time to visit a park as we had planned, thanks to ER trip but we packed up the kids and headed over to the Boardwalk for a stroll.

DD loved the juggler, we caught the tail end of the Epcot fireworks as we walked over the bridge to Y&BC, and ended up at Beaches & Cream for dinner.

IF YOU WANT TO TRY 'THE KITCHEN SINK', you need 4 guests on the dining plan to order it. We only had 2 and they refused, even though I could have made it through it.... Not sure if this was just our waitress or if it's policy -- and don't know if kids on the plan count or only adults.. but be aware before you go expecting a good photo op with an obscene amount of ice cream!!

This was also our first experience with Regular vs Deluxe dining. On the regular plan, the drinks are limited to the basic soft drinks, and there were limits on the menu items. When she realized we were on deluxe, it was "whatever you want"... ice cream floats for drinks, any dessert (except the kitchen sink , etc).. Burger came with fries, but we got onion rings as our 'appetizer'. Overall a very enjoyable meal, even if everyone was tired, sick, with eye infections and UTIs

The kids were passed out in the strollers by the time we left. DD is used to sleeping in her own bed -- she slept with me and was fine.

DS has always been in a crib... sleeping with DW was entirely new, so he took the opporunity to spend the night pouncing on her, etc instead of sleeping. Poor DW never had a chance!!

 

[heaven2dc]

I hope the rest of your trip finally gets some pixie dust - what a rough start! Hope all the meds start kicking in and your first full day was a magical one!

 

[ccgirl]

Yeah Walmart!!! I have never paid close to that for a prescription. I sure hope you all start to feel better soon.

 

[asudol]

The day started off slower than expected. I headed off property to Walmart to see about getting the prescription filled -- but the pharmacy didn't open until 9am , so I returned empty handed and we went on our way to the Magic Kingdom. This was our first day in the parks and we had plans for it to be a LONG day and catch MSEP and Wishes.

We didn't get into the park until 10, so we took the train right over to Toon Town Fair -- the area that DD would recognize immediately. Lots of "Happy Birthday"s for her as we travelled the monorail, into the park, etc.

First stop, Mickey's house! Disapointed a bit that everything is roped off, but DD still liked browsing, hoping to catch Mickey at home. No such luck -- he was in the Judge's tent, so into the line we go..

While waiting in line, somehow her Birthday pin fell off.. we were quite upset.. even though no real pixie dust was flying, the "Happy Birthday"s were nice . Asked a cast member when we had a chance and sure enough, they found it and were very happy to return it to her with more birthday wishes and attention.

I should point out that we saw many older kids with birthday pins that weren't getting the same attention... so while the pin helps, it's not everything...

When we finally got up to Mickey and Minnie, DD just completely lit up... This was finally what we were here for! DW actually teared up as we watched DD's reaction. Photopass guy was really good and took a bunch of pics with DD and with the three of us. (DS and grandparents waited outside). She was just beaming from ear to ear. Well worth the price of admission!

Next we thought we'd start the rides off right and loaded her onto Goofy's Barnstormer.. CM saw her birthday badge and asked if we wanted to ride in the front (I said yes) and we caught the next one at the front. I captured the whole ride on video from beside her and she was scared to death!! but she held her own and actually wanted to ride it again when we were done (we rode it many times over the week)..

By then it was time for our lunch at Crystal Palace, so we started heading over... Another lesson learned... if you're travelling in off-time, and not during food and wine festival, ADRs are not as necessary as everyone leads on about. We booked ADRs all over the place and they screwed up our schedule majorly... we cancelled a bunch and just played it by ear -- never got turned away, and often got our table within 5-10 mins of showing up... more on that later...

The food at Crystal Palace wasn't all that bad... many bad reviews, but really, it was a pretty good selection, and we were all stuffed. It's not gourmet eats by any stretch, but everyone was 'overall' happy with the meal. Dessert left a lot to be desired (except ice cream.. we had fun with that and made ice cream sandwiches with the cookies). The characters were great -- they all noticed her birthday pin and non-verbally said 'happy birthday' through their actions. DS was terrified of the giant characters, however.. and ultimately scared off Piglet before DD could say "hi"

Quick chat with Meg, the CM babysitting the characters, and we were all set, though -- When we were done, she arranged a private visit with Piglet - - Lots of pics, away from the tables.. very nice indeed! DD was thrilled!!

At the end of the meal, DD even got a birthday card signed by all the characters -- a nice little bonus (yes, I know all birthday goers get one, but she loved it!!)

After lunch it was time for a nap... so back to the hotel for a bit.. (to be continued)

 

[asudol]

Went back to the room for a bit, relaxed, tried to get the kids napping. Not a chance!

Back to MK in time to see the MSEP. DD was in awe! I wan in awe (I've only ever seen Spectromagic, but I've seen video and heard the music for MSEP).. got lots of HD video of the parade to remember it in case they take it away from us again. IMHO, MSEP is far more enjoyable.. I'm glad I got to see it!

Figure we'd grab a bite to eat before Wishes.... Not such a good idea. Grandpa wasn't eager to 'waste' a meal credit on junk and we kept walking and walking.. finally gave up and ate at Cosmic Rays. Don't do it.... Cosmic Rays was horrific... I think the only good thing about it was this tip for Deluxe diners:

Ask the CM to "at least try" putting an appetizer in the computer for counter service meals if you're on the deluxe dining. "The computer knows if it's allowed, right?" The registers *WILL* allow appetizer with the meal, even at counter service!! DW really wanted chili cheese fries with her dinner. The CM was cocky and said "can't do it, but I'll put it in to the computer anyway to show you".. and it worked... and he was embarassed, but happy to learn something Get your money's worth on the deluxe plan, folks!!

We did have one CM refuse to try.. but we had great success everywhere else, and used the appetizer for CS restaurants to feed the kids most of the time!

Anyway.. Cosmic Rays and the 'worst burger ever' made us miss Wishes

On a positive note, we have something to look forward to next time...

next... Why does Animal Kingdom feel so much hotter than any other park???

 

[asudol]

heaven2dc: All better now... but what luck for the start of a Disney vacation!! Last time DW and I were there we were sick as dogs as well...

At least for that trip we know it was just from being stupid Canadians and floating around Blizzard Beach while the CMs were in parkas...

Ooops

It's Florida... even when it's 45F it seems hot!

 

[asudol]

It's good to capture the memories somewhere anyway, so I'll continue, even if it's just for myself

I'm not sure why, but Animal Kingdom always seems hotter than the other parks! Maybe all the trees that keep out the breeze, or maybe there is Disney magic where they actually heat the air for the animals.. but WOW..

The day started off later than expected as we had to run out to the WalMart pharmacy.. who knew that they don't open until 9? Oh well... The final bit of misery from varied ilness was now out of the way and we can move on with the trip!!

Off to Animal Kingdom! A few nifty PhotoPass pics with Simba and Stitch (although the Simba ones never turned out ) and off we go! We arrived just in time to view a few animals on the way in and meet up with the grandparents at the set time. They had already done a bunch of things that they wanted to do, so we decide to pawn the kids off on them while DW and I ride Everest (RIP, Yeti). A nice couple in line asked if we had been on the Safari yet.. we hadn't, so they gave us their fastpasses Apparently they wouldn't have time.. so SCORE!

Come back to find the kids and grandparents around the midway/carnival area -- they got some great pics with Goofy and Pluto, and did a couple of minor rides.

Cut the granparents loose so they can see Bug's Life (DS and DD just weren't handling the 3D movies, or any 'show' attractions for that matter...) and we headed off to the Safari to hit our 12:30 ride time.

DS liked the bounciness of the safari keeps, DD was excited by the animals, so it was a good time, and brought us to lunch time!

Met back up with the grandparents and all decided that it's just too hot to stay at AK.. no motivation to do anything else at the park, so might as well eat at the POR food court instead, maybe go for a swim, and a good time to do some laundry.

Trek back to the resort and had an excellent meal in the food court. We all had either the 'create your own' pasta or salad. Cheesecake for dessert.. and we had the CM try to put in the bread sticks with marinara as an 'appetizer' and it worked So the kids picked off our pasta and mainly ate the breadsticks.

Get back to the pool/laundry area just in time for a huge storm to come through. Security kicked us out of the pool but that's fine because the kids ended up passing out anyway... Everyone rested up so we'd be ready for Mickey's Back Yard BBQ!

 

[asudol]

On the first day to MK, before heading back to the room we did stop at Harmony for DS's first haircut.. If you're taking a little one, well worth it..

For $18, you get the haircut (which was 'ok', but his first, so anything is better than nothing!), the experience, a certificate, they save some of the hair, and Mouse Ears that say "First Haircut" on the back... considering the ears with nothing on them are $12, this is a great deal!

DS wasn't so sure about it.. but in the end he seemed happy, and it was definitely a memory worth having!

now.. back to our regularly scheduled program..

 

[asudol]

If there's one character dinner to do with young kids, this is it... Likely it's more fun <6 years old based on the kids we saw, but we had a blast!!

Both kids had a great time, DD was in heaven... and the adults really enjoyed ourselves too.

The food:
We've read many different reviews.. Sorry to say, but those who didn't enjoy it must have no enjoyment out of their trips at all... The food consisted of salads, mac & cheese, beans, hotdogs, burgers, chicken, ribs and corn.

The corn was a write-off... extremely overcooked, although DS loved it anyway. Everyone enjoyed the hotdogs (we didn't try the burger). The chicken was quite moist considering how it was served and had great flavor. The ribs were AMAZING. Fall-off-the-bone and a really nice BBQ sauce.

One of the more enjoyable buffet meals we had at the park.. Beer and wine helped as did lemonade and pop for the kids.. and Mickey Premium bars, fruit bars, and other frozen treats for dessert.

The venue:
Picnic tables as far as you can see, in a covered pavilion. It was pouring rain, but we were dry inside... the walk from the bus stop to the pavilion was entertainingly wet, but it was hot, so the rain was nice.

The fun:
Best. Character Meal. Ever. As described by others, there's a live country band (I don't like country, but they were really good!), and for three sets the characters come out and dance with the guests. There's other entertainment as well, like a professional rope expert doing his lasso stuff, etc. Mostly, our DD was interested in the characters and used the down time of the cowboy to recharge

DS even got up to dance a little, but he's still a little wobbly, so mostly he stayed at the table bouncing around and making a mess.

DD on the other hand, was dressed in a "Minnie" dress and was dancing up a storm. First with Minnie, who noticed the dress and made a point of acknowledging it.. then Mickey, who gave her 2 big hugs in one song... she was on cloud 9!

She and another girl ended up running circles around Goofy, who reacted in a perfectly Goofy way, grabbing his head and rolling it around like he was all dizzy from watching them...

All in all, the kids were exhausted by the end of the night, but had a complete blast. DD has never been happier, and if we put on the videos of it, she immediately gets up and dances and beams ear to ear...

Well worth it -- we WILL do this one again!! Grandpa even commented on how 'the food is the same as hoop-de-doo, likely from the same kitchen -- but the entertainment is far better'.

Not sure this is good if you have older or no kids... but with young kids, this can't be beat!!

(Sadly, we didn't get too many pictures... but TONS of video!)

 

[ccgirl]

So glad you had such a great time. Your children are adorable. Do you remember the cost to upgrade to the deluxe dining plan?

 

[heaven2dc]

Your DD looked so cute when she first met Mickey & Minnie! It does make the price of admission all worth while

We haven't tried Mickey's Backyard Bar-b-que -I recommended it to a co-worker since they were staying at Wilderness Lodge but they didn't go. It would be fun to take my grandson in the future!

 

[asudol]

The next morning, we have a lunch ADR at Coral Reef in Epcot (thought DD would like the fishies) and then the expectation is to take off early and leave the kids with the grandparents for a "Night Out". ADR at Yachstman for dinner.. sounds lovely!

Grandparents ate at the Polynesian the day before at the little place beside Ohana and suggested we go there. As we're walking by, I suggest we take a chance and see what the wait is like at Ohana. "I'm required to tell you that there could be up to a 3 hour wait" says the CM with a smile. "I don't think it'll be that long, though "... Literally, we gave him our name, and as we were walking over for the cheesy pay-for picture, our pager went off...

Who needs ADRs?

So, table for 6 at Ohanas with <2 minute wait.. I've waited longer WITH ADRs... This was another great character meal.

Very typical style with the characters coming around, but the food was excellent. Sausages were far better than the garbage they sell in the POR foodcourt, fresh Mickey waffles, and pretty much all of the food was hot and fresh, served to the table 'family style'.

Their house juice was delicious, too.. and we had lots of it!

By this time, DS is getting a little better with the large moving stuffed creatures.. mainly with giant mice and dogs. That all changed when Stitch came by... even DD wasn't sure about him

All in all, a great surprise breakfast!


Off to EPCOT. Yes, we were bad. Bad Bad Bad... We left our cars at the Poly and took the monorail to TTC and over to Epcot... DD loved the monorail, and it was convenient with the strollers. Poly wasn't very busy -- the parking lot had TONS of space, so I don't feel too bad.

Important Tip for Parents
We fell into the trap at Epcot where we wanted to do all of the 'cool' things like Test Track, Mission: Space, etc that the kids can't do. With a 1 year old and 'just about 3' year old, there was no easy way to do this... Our lesson learned: Take a trip by yourselves if you want to do these things. If you're with the kids, listen to them and focus on them...

We left the kids with their grandmother at the little splash pad while grandpa, DW and myself rode Mission: Space and Test Track. This actually wasn't terrible, as the kids loved getting soaked..

Another important tip -- bring a change of clothes for the kids!! Nothing a trip to the gift shop can't fix. Cute outfits for DD and DS... $100 later... and we're good to go!

And just in time for the Nemo ride and our Coral Reef reservation. By then the kids are ready for a nap, so we figure they'll nap at the table... cranky DD can't ruin a good meal

Coral Reef isn't nearly as impressive as I remember it... although we did sit near one of the tank views which was nice. The food was quite good overall, but the service was mediocre. The meal ended with a nice birthday dessert for DD -- although at the expense of my dessert.. how cheesy is that??

After lunch we all went back to the hotel. DW and I got ourselves ready for our journey over to the Yacht Club for dinner while grandparents and kids went to the pool and ultimately over to Downtown Disney for dinner.

 

[Wiloughby1]

Great info so far! We'll be going back in May with my nearly 4 year DS and will be 18 mos DD and my parents!

Don't worry about slow readership. I have barely any readers on my PTR. It's your trip to remember!

 

[loveysbydesign]

great trip report! The Bar-b-q looks like fun..maybe we should switch our ressie from garden grill to that one?

 

[asudol]

Thanks They had a great time! Do NOT miss this one if you're taking your grandson. One tip: Let the kids be kids! We saw many parents grabbing the kids and pulling them away, etc.. none of the kids were obnoxious, none of them needed to be 'controlled'... so it was a shame to see their fun being interrupted continuously.

In one instance, my DD found a 'friend' on the dancefloor and the two girls held hands and danced around -- they were having a fantastic time... the other girl's aunt kept dragging her away, but they kept finding each other on the dance floor and dancing. Why ruin it? They were having fun.

Anyway...
The cost to upgrade was $30/person/night from the regular dining plan to deluxe.

We did our calculations and ended up only saving about $100 over the week by going deluxe based on the meals we ate. But that's still a good value..

We would not have eaten the same meals and likely would have skimped out... and the fact that the appetizer was included in all cases with the deluxe plan meant that we never worried about feeding the kids.

Even if we broke even, I'd still call the Deluxe plan worthwhile if nothing else than to 'not worry' about what you'll eat!