disneybaby31
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2009
- Messages
- 15
We were looking forward to our vacation and some special time with dd1 before our 2nd baby arrives in the fall. After much fear about swine flu, we left well equipped with Purrell, chlorox wipes and dial soap.
In general we tried to keep to our dds usual schedule and make sure she got naps. She actually took really long naps: 2-3 hours! I think it was the heat, excitement and walking. Being pregnant, it was also nice for me to have the break in the afternoon.
Favorite Rides / Experiences:
- Meeting Pooh at Animal Kingdom
- Festival of the Lion King Show
- Playground at Epcot
- Carousel at MK and Dumbo Ride
- Playhouse Disney at HS
- Pooh's playground at magic kingdom
Favorite Meals
- La Cellier
- Crystal Palace
- 1900 Park Fare
- Coral Reef
Sunday, 5/3
- Flight took off on time and we lucked out that the middle seat in our row was empty so DD got her own seat!
- Coloring, stickers, and snacks kept us happy for the first hour. The 2nd hour of our trip our daughter was a bit more fidgety.
- When we landed we went to the magical express - I was not very impressed. We waited close to 45 minutes. In general I didn't find Disney transportation very magical during our trip.
- Went to boardwalk villas to check in. I has used online check in. Was told our room wasn't ready. I asked if there was anything available now so that dd could get her nap in (it was already almost 2) - he was able to find us something on a high floor somewhat close to the elevators that was available. Yeah!
- Our 1bedroom villa was on the 4th floor overlooking the quiet pool and it was great!
- Our food delivery had arrived from gardengrocer. This ended up being great!
- Got dd down for a nap and hubby picked us up dinner at Boardwalk Bakery. We had a number of counterservice lunches there and liked it - it was a very generous amount of food on the dining plan.
- Had dinner at Spoodles - it was a lot to expect our dd to sit after being on the plane and bus. I had rigatoni and hubby had steak kabobs - both were OK
- Took a stroll over to Epcot.
Monday, 5/4
- DD slept well in the pack n play!
- Got up for extra magic hours at animal kingdom but it took us a bit longer to get ready then expected.
- Got to animal kingdom by 8:30
- Hubby and dd did the safari ride
- Went to Festival of the Lion King -dd loves this as she loves lions
- Went to a character meet & greet spot. DD loved it! She got to meet Pooh - her favorite. This was a highight.
- Had lunch at Flame tree barbeque. DD and I shared the fruit plate and hubby had a pulled pork sandwich. All was good.
- Waited a long time for the bus to get back for naps. It took us about an hour to get from animal kingdom to boardwalk villas - again not impressed w/ transportation
- After nap we headed to Epcot to explore a bit. Had dinner at La Cellier - DD loved the filet mignon and ate half of mine. Our best dinner meal from a food perspective.
- Husband went to EMH at HS at night and walked on or had a short wait for - TOT, rock n roll rollercoaster and Star Tours.
Tuesday, 5/5
- Got up for Epcot extra magic hours
- Walked onto "Living w/ the Land"
- Got in line at Seas w/ Nemo and Friends 5 minutes before it opened at 9 and quickly got on
- Waited for Turtle Talk w/ Crush - the waiting area / holding room for this was kind of crazy and disorganized
- Rode figment and checked out the image works playground
- Had lunch at Sunshine Seasons
- Headed back for naptime
- Dinner at Coral Reef - unfortunately we were in the farthest possible row from the aquarium window but we could still see and dd loved watching the divers. I had strip steak and husband had halibut. Food was just OK here.
- Dd had fun playing on the playground structure by the UK that is up as part of the flower and garden festival.
Wed, 5/6
- Had breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace at 9 - it was nice to be able to enter before the park opened!
- DD loved all the characters and the food at this buffet was probably our best breakfast
- Went on Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Ride - Short 10 -15 minute Wait
- Went on Dumbo - 30 min wait
- Went on Carousel twice - about a 5-10 minute wait
- Went on small world - Walk on
- Headed back for nap and pool time in the afternoon
- Had dinner from Morocco counterservice in Epcot in the evening. Food was good and it was a generous amount on the dining plan
Thursday, 5/7
- Went to visit family for the day and got a rental car from the desk at the Dolphin. It was nice to just walk over to the rental car desk, but they only had 1 person working and we waited in line for at least 20 minutes.
Friday, 5/8
- Did Cape May Cafe character breakfast w/ Minnie, Goofy and Donald at the beachclub. It was nice to just walk over
- Waited about 20 minutes for a bus to the magic kingdom.
- It was hotter today and seemed more crowded then on Wed. so we got less done.
- Rode teacups w/ a short wait. Alice actually came out and rode in the teacup next to dd and hubby.
- Went to pooh's playground -this was very popular w/ dd and she didn't wanted to leave.
- Visited Ariel's waterplay area
- Got some cold drinks
- Walked to toontown
- Visited the playground outside of donald's boat and minnie's country house
- It was very hot and the pathways seemed really crowded
- Headed to the bus to go back to the villa for naptime
- Had dinner at Mexico in Epcot. Probably our worst dinner food and service wise.
- Hubby and dd rode the mexico boat ride while I waited and waited for our check
- After dd went to bed, hubby went to Epcot evening extra magic hours, but there were still long waits for Test Track (80 min) so he just went on Spaceship Earth and did some souvenir shopping.
Saturday, 5/9
- Went to hollywood studios for extra magic hours but found that a lot of attractions for younger kids aren't open at EMH time, so we walked around a bit.
- Got in line for 1st showing of Playhouse Disney. We go to be in the front row. This show was a big hit.
- Went to showing of the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Had about a 20 minute wait and you do end up ulimately waiting in a small "holding room" like for Turtle Talk w/ Crush
- Had lunch at Sunset Ranch - one of our worst lunches, but was decent
- Went back for naptime
- Had Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Took a long time to get to the Grand Floridian by taking bus to magic kingdom and then monorail. DD dressed up in a cinderella dress and loved it! She really loved meeting cinderella and her sisters. Food seemed good but it was a little hard to eat w/ managing all the characters coming around. Server was not great - talked us into some $6 glow in the dark cup and brought out a cupcake for dd before she had any dinner, but otherwise a good experience.
Sunday, 5/10
- Headed home. Took Magical Express back to the airport. Picked up at 7:20 for a 10:00 flight.
In general
- Found it easiest when we got to parks early - but wished more rides for young children were open during extra magic hours.
- It was unseasonably warm while we were there - 92 all week - but no rain!
- We found it important to make sure our dd still got naps in and she slept very well.
- Not sure I would do the dining plan in the future until my children are older- it was a lot of food and it was a lot of sit down meals to expect a young child to sit for in just 1 week.
- We really liked Boardwalk Villas (just wished it was closer / easier to get to magic kingdom) - and the villa set up was perfect for us. It would be nice to try BLT someday
- The lines weren't bad for most of our trip but I did find the pathways in the parks really crowded - I am just not a crowd person
In general we tried to keep to our dds usual schedule and make sure she got naps. She actually took really long naps: 2-3 hours! I think it was the heat, excitement and walking. Being pregnant, it was also nice for me to have the break in the afternoon.
Favorite Rides / Experiences:
- Meeting Pooh at Animal Kingdom
- Festival of the Lion King Show
- Playground at Epcot
- Carousel at MK and Dumbo Ride
- Playhouse Disney at HS
- Pooh's playground at magic kingdom
Favorite Meals
- La Cellier
- Crystal Palace
- 1900 Park Fare
- Coral Reef
Sunday, 5/3
- Flight took off on time and we lucked out that the middle seat in our row was empty so DD got her own seat!
- Coloring, stickers, and snacks kept us happy for the first hour. The 2nd hour of our trip our daughter was a bit more fidgety.
- When we landed we went to the magical express - I was not very impressed. We waited close to 45 minutes. In general I didn't find Disney transportation very magical during our trip.
- Went to boardwalk villas to check in. I has used online check in. Was told our room wasn't ready. I asked if there was anything available now so that dd could get her nap in (it was already almost 2) - he was able to find us something on a high floor somewhat close to the elevators that was available. Yeah!
- Our 1bedroom villa was on the 4th floor overlooking the quiet pool and it was great!
- Our food delivery had arrived from gardengrocer. This ended up being great!
- Got dd down for a nap and hubby picked us up dinner at Boardwalk Bakery. We had a number of counterservice lunches there and liked it - it was a very generous amount of food on the dining plan.
- Had dinner at Spoodles - it was a lot to expect our dd to sit after being on the plane and bus. I had rigatoni and hubby had steak kabobs - both were OK
- Took a stroll over to Epcot.
Monday, 5/4
- DD slept well in the pack n play!
- Got up for extra magic hours at animal kingdom but it took us a bit longer to get ready then expected.
- Got to animal kingdom by 8:30
- Hubby and dd did the safari ride
- Went to Festival of the Lion King -dd loves this as she loves lions
- Went to a character meet & greet spot. DD loved it! She got to meet Pooh - her favorite. This was a highight.
- Had lunch at Flame tree barbeque. DD and I shared the fruit plate and hubby had a pulled pork sandwich. All was good.
- Waited a long time for the bus to get back for naps. It took us about an hour to get from animal kingdom to boardwalk villas - again not impressed w/ transportation
- After nap we headed to Epcot to explore a bit. Had dinner at La Cellier - DD loved the filet mignon and ate half of mine. Our best dinner meal from a food perspective.
- Husband went to EMH at HS at night and walked on or had a short wait for - TOT, rock n roll rollercoaster and Star Tours.
Tuesday, 5/5
- Got up for Epcot extra magic hours
- Walked onto "Living w/ the Land"
- Got in line at Seas w/ Nemo and Friends 5 minutes before it opened at 9 and quickly got on
- Waited for Turtle Talk w/ Crush - the waiting area / holding room for this was kind of crazy and disorganized
- Rode figment and checked out the image works playground
- Had lunch at Sunshine Seasons
- Headed back for naptime
- Dinner at Coral Reef - unfortunately we were in the farthest possible row from the aquarium window but we could still see and dd loved watching the divers. I had strip steak and husband had halibut. Food was just OK here.
- Dd had fun playing on the playground structure by the UK that is up as part of the flower and garden festival.
Wed, 5/6
- Had breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace at 9 - it was nice to be able to enter before the park opened!
- DD loved all the characters and the food at this buffet was probably our best breakfast
- Went on Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Ride - Short 10 -15 minute Wait
- Went on Dumbo - 30 min wait
- Went on Carousel twice - about a 5-10 minute wait
- Went on small world - Walk on
- Headed back for nap and pool time in the afternoon
- Had dinner from Morocco counterservice in Epcot in the evening. Food was good and it was a generous amount on the dining plan
Thursday, 5/7
- Went to visit family for the day and got a rental car from the desk at the Dolphin. It was nice to just walk over to the rental car desk, but they only had 1 person working and we waited in line for at least 20 minutes.
Friday, 5/8
- Did Cape May Cafe character breakfast w/ Minnie, Goofy and Donald at the beachclub. It was nice to just walk over
- Waited about 20 minutes for a bus to the magic kingdom.
- It was hotter today and seemed more crowded then on Wed. so we got less done.
- Rode teacups w/ a short wait. Alice actually came out and rode in the teacup next to dd and hubby.
- Went to pooh's playground -this was very popular w/ dd and she didn't wanted to leave.
- Visited Ariel's waterplay area
- Got some cold drinks
- Walked to toontown
- Visited the playground outside of donald's boat and minnie's country house
- It was very hot and the pathways seemed really crowded
- Headed to the bus to go back to the villa for naptime
- Had dinner at Mexico in Epcot. Probably our worst dinner food and service wise.
- Hubby and dd rode the mexico boat ride while I waited and waited for our check
- After dd went to bed, hubby went to Epcot evening extra magic hours, but there were still long waits for Test Track (80 min) so he just went on Spaceship Earth and did some souvenir shopping.
Saturday, 5/9
- Went to hollywood studios for extra magic hours but found that a lot of attractions for younger kids aren't open at EMH time, so we walked around a bit.
- Got in line for 1st showing of Playhouse Disney. We go to be in the front row. This show was a big hit.
- Went to showing of the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Had about a 20 minute wait and you do end up ulimately waiting in a small "holding room" like for Turtle Talk w/ Crush
- Had lunch at Sunset Ranch - one of our worst lunches, but was decent
- Went back for naptime
- Had Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Took a long time to get to the Grand Floridian by taking bus to magic kingdom and then monorail. DD dressed up in a cinderella dress and loved it! She really loved meeting cinderella and her sisters. Food seemed good but it was a little hard to eat w/ managing all the characters coming around. Server was not great - talked us into some $6 glow in the dark cup and brought out a cupcake for dd before she had any dinner, but otherwise a good experience.
Sunday, 5/10
- Headed home. Took Magical Express back to the airport. Picked up at 7:20 for a 10:00 flight.
In general
- Found it easiest when we got to parks early - but wished more rides for young children were open during extra magic hours.
- It was unseasonably warm while we were there - 92 all week - but no rain!
- We found it important to make sure our dd still got naps in and she slept very well.
- Not sure I would do the dining plan in the future until my children are older- it was a lot of food and it was a lot of sit down meals to expect a young child to sit for in just 1 week.
- We really liked Boardwalk Villas (just wished it was closer / easier to get to magic kingdom) - and the villa set up was perfect for us. It would be nice to try BLT someday
- The lines weren't bad for most of our trip but I did find the pathways in the parks really crowded - I am just not a crowd person
