WDW with a teething ten-month-old, a tale of survival- finsihed 5/11!!

[DisneyMom]

Hope you had a great visit with your parents - I know they enjoyed your little guy! I kept my grandson last night - he's 13 months old now, walking and such a joy! We'll be enjoying Disney in only 47 more days!!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Ok, when we last left off we had made it through security, and we were working on finding our gate. Unfortunately Regan was having problems with the video monitors, and they were displaying incorrect gate information. We went to the gate indicated on the screen, but after we had settled in and DH had gotten some breakfast, we heard over the loud speaker that we were at the incorrect gate and had to schlep all our stuff across the way. At least we were still in the same terminal! Needless to say that all this confusion lead to some very angry passengers and inevitable delays. I’m usually pretty easy going on vacation, but even I was a little frustrated, I hate delays when it comes to getting down to Disney!

While we were waiting I struck up a conversation with another mom who had a son just about Everett’s age. It turns out that she lives close by and we have friends in common! They were also traveling to Disney and we were comparing vacation notes while our boys crawled around and looked out the window at the planes.

The flight was pretty booked, but there were some empty seats. DH and I had a window and middle seat and an older gentleman sat on the isle. I’m not sure if he took one look at Everett and got scared off, or if he wanted more room to stretch out, but as soon as he could he moved to one of the empty seats. This worked out really well for us, because it would be easier to fly with a bag a weasels than with Everett. Having the whole row gave Everett more room to be at his wiggly best. The woman I talked with in the airport was seated behind us, and her son slept almost the whole way, lucky! I did my best to keep Everett entertained with his usual plane favorites (systematically destroying Sky Mall and perusing the emergency procedures) combined with some favorite toys from home, and he did pretty well. I know many Disers advocate getting a separate seat for babies and then keeping them strapped in their car seats for the flights, but that would not work well for Everett. He would scream THE.WHOLE.TIME (which is pretty much what he does every time we get in the car), he just hates being restrained. I could barely get him to sit quietly during take-off and landing.
We survived the flight, and was able to make up some time at the baggage claim. We (of course) took the preview monorail to the baggage claim! Its our Disney warm-up!

We met my mother outside by the car rental desks, and she had already been shopping. Her excuse was that she arrived earlier and didn’t have anything else to do We quickly got through the rental car desk, no line yay! and was out picking out our vehicle in no time. I rented a mid-sized car because I was really concerned with fitting all our luggage, plus my mother and her stuff! We ended up with a Ford Fusion and it had great trunk space! We were able to fit everything, get the car seat installed, and headed out to 417! I pointed out all the palm trees to Everett and instructed him to look for alligators in all the retention ponds!

We made a quick stop at a Publix to pick up baby food and breakfast items for us, along with extra children’s motrin. DH almost choked when the bill came close to $100! I’m still not exactly sure how we ended up spending all that, but we certainly ended up using it all! I make all of DS’s baby food at home, so I guess I don’t realize how quickly baby food adds up at $1 a jar! I’m missing the days when he was just breastfed, it was so much cheaper and easier. The check-out woman at Publix asked us if we were on vacation, and she told us that 95% of their customers are either vacationers or Disney employees.

Soon enough we were on our way, and heading toward this beautiful sight!

Land of purple signs, here we come. We somehow missed the turn to Saratoga, I don’t know how we always seem to do that, how many times have we been there!!?? But we were able to drive by the new Best Friends kennel, it looks great! When we got back on track, we headed into Saratoga Springs and straight for the Carriage house. Here are some pictures from the lobby (which I got to know very well over the next few mornings)!

My mom and I both got our room request in the Springs, and by a stroke of luck both rooms were ready. My package from diapers.com came with no trouble, and we were give our welcome packet and parking pass. After our requisite “welcome home” (it never gets old), we piled back into the car to unload and unpack for eight days of bliss! I even managed to take some pictures of the room before it looked like Babies R Us threw up inside of it!

Next up- a late lunch at Artist Pallate, how dirty do you think the rugs are at Saratoga?, and will we make it to dinner at Citricos?

 

[CandleontheWater]

Wow, I'm not sure how I didn't realize you lived in the DC area! I went to school at GW and lived in Alexandria for a year after! I love Regan too!!!! Oh and I am also enjoying your report, lol!

How cool! It must have been fun to go to college in DC! Where did you live in Alexandria? We love living in Old Town

Loving your report!!! I am also a military wife. I will be vacationing at WDW with a 10 month old (and 3 yr old) in December. Thanks for the tips!

Its great to have another military wife along for the ride!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Your Metro story reminds me of my visit to Paris. In an effort to save money, we took the metro to Paris Nord to take a train to Belgium for a few days, so we were lugging a bit with us. That was difficult enough, I couldn't imagine it with a little one! Many props to you!

Thank you! It was an adventure!

Enjoying your TR! I never took my DD to WDW as a small child. We just started our "obsession" about 5 years ago. I think no matter what age you take your kid to WDW, there is going to be some kind of issue, whether it be baby issue, terrible twos, defiant pre teens, or moody teen agers. But the great memories you have will out weight the bad things. I always wish I did get to take my DD as a smaller child, but just didn't have the funds to really do anything. Now we have a blast on all our mom/daughter trips!!

I agree, it will be interesting to see how the challenges change with age! I'm sure you have a wonderful time with your daughter! I really enjoyed taking trips with my parents as an adult!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Hope you had a great visit with your parents - I know they enjoyed your little guy! I kept my grandson last night - he's 13 months old now, walking and such a joy! We'll be enjoying Disney in only 47 more days!!

We had a wonderful trip home! If you would like to see some photos of our adventures, a trip to the Norwalk Martime Center, check out condosta.com/myblog. My brother took all the photos! I hope you enjoy your trip! Its coming up real soon!

 

[stephielela]

How cool! It must have been fun to go to college in DC! Where did you live in Alexandria? We love living in Old Town

I lived in the Foxchase apartment complex, not quite in Old Town, but just up the road, rigth across from the shoppign center with the Harris Teeter in it. I love the DC area! I miss the shopping most! I lived in Pentagon City for a year before I moved to Alexandria and I worked at the mall there... it was heaven for me!

Ok back to your report,

 

[CandleontheWater]

I lived in the Foxchase apartment complex, not quite in Old Town, but just up the road, rigth across from the shoppign center with the Harris Teeter in it. I love the DC area! I miss the shopping most! I lived in Pentagon City for a year before I moved to Alexandria and I worked at the mall there... it was heaven for me!

Ok back to your report,

I know exactly where that is! I drive by there all the time to take Everett to gymboree on S. Picket st! I love shopping at the Pentagon City Mall, its so easy off the metro!

 

[G'day Disney]

Loving your trip report, great info for our little one's first trip at 18mths of age! I fear he is hopelessly unprepared, not used to loud noise, crowds etc

 

[PirateKate]

I just found your trip report and love it. We are taking our boys in precisely one month and four days. (I was going to stick a excited smiley in here, but not even the dancing banana seemed to portray enough enthusiasm.)

I have taken my boys once before when they were 6 weeks and 15 months, so I know a bit about babies at Disney, but going with a nine-month-old is going to be new. Totally agree with your baby code.

Sorry to hear your little boy has such a bad time with teething. My boys never seem to make much fuss about teething, but they are very easygoing about most things.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[CandleontheWater]

After a quick unloading of the car we headed off to Artist Palate for a late lunch. I had been appeasing Everett with puffs, but he needed something more substantial and I was starving as well. It was an awesomely short walk from our room at the Springs, and I think being so close has spoiled me. We used to always request Congress Park rooms for the DTD view, but I’m beginning to think being close to the carriage house beats out the view.

I suppose I should stop here and make a trip report confession, there will be no food photos. I’m sorry to disappoint the foodies, but I personally think its silly to take food photos (please don’t stop reading!) plus DH would probably have me committed (he thinks I’m crazy enough already). I do remember what I ate (buffalo chicken flatbread) and suffice to say it was fine.

After lunch we headed back to seriously unpack all our stuff. I personally don’t care all that much about unpacking, I’d be happy living out of a suitcase, but it drives DH bonkers. He cannot relax and chill out until all of his clothes are out of the suitcase and put away. It’s a good thing we got back to the room when we did, because I was starting to see the corner of his eye twitch while we were eating lunch. While we were unpacking, I let Everett crawl around the room a little. He had been so cooped up between the plane and the car rides and the high chair at lunch he needed to burn off some energy. I’m not one of those moms who worry about dirt and germs, in my previous life (before stay-at-home mom-hood) I was an archaeologist, so I have a pretty intimate relationship with dirt. My personal motto is “a challenged immune system is a healthy immune system. I threw down some of his toys and let him go at it for about 20 mins while we got everything in order. When I went to pick him up, he was filthy, shockingly so! I’m usually concerned about dirt, but seriously, he got dirtier in the 20 mins crawling around on the floors of Saratoga Springs than he did crawling around for 20 mins at Regan National Airport. I actually took pictures so I can show you how dirty he got, and after that I pretty much tried to keep him in the pack and play.

The dark spots on his knees and feet are not shadows, they are dirt!

a close up of his feet

DH then needed to get some work done for the graduate classes he is taking this semester, so my mom and decided to head to DTD to keep Everett out of his hair. We walked by the boat launch but just missed it, so we ended up walking to DTD. It’s a pretty short walk and it was a beautiful evening, so it was really enjoyable. We went into the Christmas store, because I have been looking for a Disney tree skirt and my mom loves Christmas ornaments. I did find some tree skirts, but I didn’t purchase any because I know that DH would have freaked at me spending $80 on Christmas decorations. I guess I’ll just have to keep on looking. My mother did not end up purchasing any ornaments, but she did buy a few Christmas themed board books for Everett.

Everett and my Mom

After a quick photo-op, we headed to my favorite place, the pin store! I am addicted to Disney pins! I have around 500 of them and I’ve been collecting since 2006. I love browsing the pin selections, and I was really happy to have my mom with me, because she is much more patient than DH! After looking around for a good ½ hour, I made my selection (a Main St Electrical Parade Pin featuring Elliot covered in rhinestones) and headed to check out. Pete’s Dragon is my favorite Disney movie, and I adore Elliot, so I was very excited about my find!

After the pin store it was getting late so we decided to head back. We decided to try for the boat this time around. I walked over to the boat launch near the Rainforest Café, and discovered that the boat to SSR did not stop there! I talked to the CM at the dock, and he told me that we had to go to the PI stop to get the boat home. Since the boat was just about to leave to go that way, we jumped on. I didn’t realize that the boat first went to the West Side and then to PI, but we ended up having an enjoyable boat tour of DTD. I got to point out to Everett all the shuttered clubs at PI, especially the Adventurers Club, which had been my favorite. It still makes me sad to see that lonely, dark building when I think of all the fun times I had inside over the years.

Characters in Flight- which I will NEVER do!

view of Fultons from the boat

my beloved home-SSR

Everett enjoying the boat ride

We were headed back to SSR because I had made an ADR at Citricos for that night and I was still debating with DH whether we were going to go. Originally the plan was my friends Bryan and Amy were going to join us, but something came up at work and Bryan was not able to get down for Thursday night and would not be arriving at WDW until Friday afternoon. I know how cheap DH is, so I offered to cancel the ADR, thinking that saving the money would make him happy and more flexible about the rest of the week. My mother, on the other hand, was encouraging us to go to dinner, since she was around to watch Everett and we rarely get to go out as a couple. DH hadn’t been in the best mood all day (he hates traveling) and was leaning toward canceling, but getting to unpack, relax and get ahead on his school work must have done wonders because when we got back from DTD he decided that we should keep the ADR and go to dinner. The ADR was for 8:30, but we had gotten back to the hotel late, so I scrambled to get myself ready and Everett ready for my mom to take him for the night. We managed to get everything settled and DH and I were out the door by 8 pm.

I was very happy that DH had agreed to keep the ADR because Citricos was the only signature restaurant that I had not yet eaten at, and I was really excited to give it a try. I was also hoping to catch Hallowishes from the pier at the GF, since we did not plan to go to MNSSHP, and Hallowishes is my all time second favorite Disney fireworks show (after the pirate and princess party).

We were pulling up to the GF in no time, and quickly had the car valet parked (thanks TIW card!) I accidentally left my camera at the hotel, so I have no photos for the rest of the evening, but if you’re reading this, I’m sure you have some idea of what the GF looks like. It is just a lovely hotel and it is my dream to stay there someday. I have always wanted to stay at the GF ever since it first opened when I was a little girl. We headed into the lobby and up the staircase and into the waiting area for Citricos. We were seated quickly and I took some time to look around the restaurant. It is very pretty, and I like the open kitchen, but I don’t think it is as intimate or romantic as Narcoosees. I was surprised at how many small children were present, even so late at night. There was a family seated right next to us, with two kids totally passed out, heads down on the table. Well, at least they were quiet!

Our waiter was phenomenal, I wish I remembered his name, but unfortunately it has slipped my mind. He was great about answering our questions, and even brought out some wines for us to taste so we could best decide what to order with dinner. I ordered the pork two ways and DH had the veal shank. Since it was late, and we wanted to be sure to catch the fireworks, and we wanted to save room for dessert, we decided against an appetizer. Our server did bring us out a amuse-bouche from the chef, a duck dumpling, that was very delicious. Our wines were very good as well and the food was excellent. For dessert we ordered the chocolate banana torte, which was heavenly. Chocolate and bananas have to be the perfect food combination! DH and I also enjoyed having some adult conversation over dinner, something that is a rare event in our house now-a-days!

After we were finished our server showed us the fastest way out to marina. He took us to through a passage to the concierge elevator, and sent us right down. We were there in plenty of time and found a great spot on a bench by the water. I was really excited that the Hallowishes music was playing through the speakers, and even though the view wasn’t as great as you would get from the Poly, it still was awesome being able to see the show, hear the music and appreciate all the perimeter fireworks.

After the fireworks we collected our car- here is a tip if you use the TIW card to valet park your car- before you give the car to the valet, take your Disney parking pass and put it in the glovebox. Often Disney will mess up the TIW valet parking and charge it to your room, if you do not have the parking pass out and visible, they cannot do that. We then headed back to SSR for a good night sleep so we could wake up for rope drop early. I may have conceded not to go into the parks today, but if my family thinks they can keep me from rope drop tomorrow, they have another thing coming!

 

[CandleontheWater]

10/1

Even though this morning was the first in a long time that I could sleep in, I still was up by 6:30 am. Come on now, it was the first full day of our vacation, the first day of food and wine, and our friends Bryan and Amy were coming into town, how could I be expected to sleep! DH did not feel the same way, so I quickly got dressed and left him snoozing and headed over to my Mom’s room to get Everett ready for the day. When I got into my Mom’s room, Everett was already awake, had eaten breakfast and was catching some Stacy while my mom got ready. She knows me well, and had figured I’d be up bright and early and expecting everyone to be ready for rope drop!

Even though I was up early, between nursing Everett and getting him dressed and slathered up with sunscreen, I still managed to be running late. I really wanted to leave the hotel no later than 8 am, so we could drive over to Epcot with plenty of time. My mom suggested skipping making breakfast and getting something at Epcot, (she knows my weakness for bacon, egg, and cheese croissants at Sunshine seasons) but I had bought all this breakfast food, and I was determined to make good use of it. Also, DH would be in a much better mood to spend money at F&W later that day if we ate breakfast in the room as opposed to spending money in the parks. Dh had wandered over to my Mom’s room right about the time when we were discussing breakfast, so I put him to work making English muffins we could take to go while I finished up getting everything ready for the day and out to the car.

We managed to get everything loaded up and were out the door a little later than anticipated, but still with good time, and with our English muffins to boot! Dh drove and I watched attentively for any monorails to point out to Everett and just daydreamed about the wonderful day ahead of us. I was so lost in thought that I forgot about my muffin and didn’t manage to finish it before we pulled into the Epcot parking lot. When we had pulled into our space, I got out and put the English muffin (wrapped in a napkin) on the roof of the car, and unbuckled Everett while DH got the stroller ready. I got Everett all settled, and when I went back to the grab my muffin from the roof of the car, it had disappeared! When I exclaimed “What happened to my English muffin” Dh and my mom both looked at me like I was crazy for a second, and then DH noticed that a few yards ahead a bird was chowing down on my breakfast. That stupid bird swooped down, stole it off the roof of the car and was now enjoying my English muffin! I wanted to go over and give the bird a swift kick, but DH deterred me (I’m sure he was remembering another bird confrontation incident from my past), with reminding me that we were getting close to rope drop, and we still had to go through bag check.

Bird, you won this round, but don’t worry, I’ll find my revenge when you least expect it!

I quickly got over my thwarted breakfast when the Epcot ball came into view. I started instinctively walking faster, anxious to get this day started. I did stop and take a photo of my Mom, DS and DH before enter the bag queue, which moved surprisingly quick for 1st thing in the morning.

I am all-star at picking a good line, I was through before either my mother or DH. Sometimes I wish they’d just follow right on my heels, but I suppose if I hadn’t been walking so fast, it might have been a little easier on them We made it just in the nick of time right before rope drop. We were a little far back, so I couldn’t see the opening ceremony, but I did take a few pictures of the crowds, which I thought were pretty light considering it was the first day of food and wine!

After the rope dropped, I joined the throngs of people stampeding toward Soarin’. Since I am the fastest walker, I took DH, and my Mom’s tickets intent on getting fastpasses and then meeting them back at Test Track. Even thought I was pretty far back to begin with, I used my well-honed fast walking skills and got up close to the front of the pack. As a side note, I participate in stroller strides, a mom fitness class, and when we are doing the power walking portion of the class, I always imagine myself walking to get fastpasses for inspiration. I can actually walk as fast as some people run

I just love being in the crowds of people first thing on a Disney morning, I find it so energizing and exciting. I love going down the escalator into the Land Pavilion and waving to all the CM who always look like they are having a great time also. Maybe they are having a great time because they are laughing at all the crazy tourists who predictably do the same thing day in and day out, but regardless it really helps to set the mood. I managed to find a fast moving fastpass queue (here is a tip, always try and get behind people who look like they know what they are doing, things like Disney apparel, pin lanyards, and crocs are a dead give-away) and quickly had fastpasses in hand and headed over to Test Track.

My mom volunteered to stay with Everett while DH and I rode. I was really excited because we had missed Test Track the last two trips, and I hadn’t ridden it since before I got pregnant! It was the same as always, but always so much fun. I was a little disappointed they were not keeping people in the room for the pre-show but there were no lines or crowds to speak of, so they just had us walk through. In fact it was so dead that we got to go through a second time, because there was no one waiting to get into our car when we pulled up to exit the ride!

We then “chose to go” to Mars on Mission Space. DH and I love this ride. I rode it for the first time with him on the night we got engaged, so it will always be special in my mind. DH really loves this ride because he is a pilot in real life, and loves playing the pilot on the ride. I love to joke with him when we (predictably) crash land, but he always swears that he’ll do better next time. My mom decided to stay with Everett and do some shopping, because she doesn’t do spinny rides, and thinks that the green side is pretty boring. DH and I got right on, there wasn’t any wait to speak of again, and we were teamed up with two other individuals. DH wasn’t the pilot this time, and even thought I told him that I’d ask the other two guys if they’d switch places with us, he didn’t want to bother. We watched Gary Sinise (I’m glad they don’t skip the pre-show on this ride!), and then endured the (what seems like) 10 extra minutes of warning before boarding our space craft. Once inside DH and I set about hitting all the buttons that we could. DH actually knows what all the buttons are for, and pretends he’s actually pre-flighting the aircraft, but I just like making things light up. We then took our trip, and minus one disastrous landing, had a pretty good time.

We met my Mom at the exit, near the playground and she showed up what she had been up to while we were on Mars. She had bought Everett a very cute Buzz lightyear shirt and a Toy Story soccer ball.

Since Everett had fallen asleep in the stroller, Mark and I decided to play the game. I really love playing the game, its especially fun when my whole family is present and all eight of us play, but it is fun with just me and DH also. We had to wait around for some others to join us, but before long we were actively working to fix our spaceship. DH and I are really fast at the game, chalk it up to years of practice, but the people who stand on the platform and actually fix the aircraft had no idea what they were doing, so we lost. I was the fix champion though, I even beat DH, so I was pretty pleased with my performance. I’ll have to remember to put that on my application to NASA.

Next up- back to the future and welcoming Bryan and Amy!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Whoops, double post! Sorry!

 

[wlake]

Sounds great so far! We took my boys to Boston when the older one was 3 and the younger one was 4 months old, and just the two strollers and a diaper bag on the subway was enough for me! I'm impressed! (But I must admit, I'm cheap enough where I'd seriously consider the metro too.)

 

[PirateKate]

Great updates! I can't believe how dirty Everett got playing in the room. I would have thought Disney rooms would have pretty clean floors. I share your germ philosophy, although I don't have anything as cool as a archeology career to back it up.

Did you ever get breakfast somewhere after the bird ate it?

 

[afwdwfan]

I just happened to stumble across this report, and I'm glad I found it. We have a 10 month old that we're thinking about attempting Disney with sometime next year. I look forward to reading some first hand experience to help us decide whether we're nuts or not.

About that teething thing... I feel your pain. Or his pain, or whatever it is.

 

[kaileighbug]

I'm enjoying the TR so far. DH is trying to talk me into another one and I still want to be able to go and have fun while DD is still young enough for all the magic of wdw. Its nice to get the perspective of someone taking a little one.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Alright, so I know its been a while, but I'm back and I'm going to plug along on finishing this trip report. Between Thanksgiving, Everett's 1st birthday, Christmas, and then Everett's Baptism, its been a whirlwind few months. I still have my trusty travel journal, and I hope my memories are not too rusty, so here we go!

When I left off we were headed away from Mission Space and on to Captain EO! I have very fond memories of the show from my 1st trip to Epcot in 1986, and my mother really wanted to see it because we weren’t sure if it would still be around during her next trip in November. Everett had also fallen asleep so we were hoping that he would wake up on the walk over so we would be able to go into the show.

Luckily he was all bright eyed by the time we got over to Imagination, and we were able to settle into the pre-show area and wait for the next show. I was able to catch some photos and relive some memories.

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I was admittedly a little nervous about taking Everett into the show, because I knew that it would be loud, and I wasn’t sure how well he’d do sitting through it. When we went into the show I took Everett and moved all the way down to the end of the row, so we could make a quick exit if we needed to. Luckily the show wasn’t too crowded, so we didn’t have any trouble getting an end seat.

Everett was surprisingly good during the performance, he wasn’t afraid of the noises, and spent the majority of the show standing on my lap looking behind us, interested in where the lights were coming from. There wasn’t anyone behind us, so we weren’t disturbing anyone, and he remained mostly quiet.

I do have to say I enjoyed this blast from the past, but I’m really in no rush to see it again on upcoming trips. I like it better than HISTA, but it really hasn’t aged well, and this is coming from someone who loves the 80s.

After the show we split up, Everett needed to be nursed and changed and DH was getting pretty hungry. He could swear that he smelled the F&W festival all the way from the Imagination Pavilion. I took Everett over to the baby care center and got him all situated and my mother and DH took made their first foray into the Food and Wine Festival.

When I was done with Everett my Mom and DH met me outside of the baby care center, and they were nice enough to bring me a Spanikopita, one of my favorites from the Greek booth! We then began walking toward Mexico.

I took a pit stop outside of the Argentina booth to pick up one of my favorite tasties from previous F&W festivals, the beef skewer with Chimichurri Sauce (could it be that I just like saying Chimichurri?) and I also decided to try something new, the Corn the Cheese Empanada. Neither were disappointing, and neither lasted long enough to be shared.

Right about this time I got a text message from Bryan and Amy, they had arrived! I was so excited to see my friends, we hadn’t been together since the summer when they came to DC to visit. My mother decided to take Everett back to the hotel for a proper nap, and we headed over to meet them, at, where else, Captain EO. Bryan had not gotten a chance to see it yet, so we traveled back down memory lane for the second time that day.

Once Bryan had that out of his system, it was a unanimous vote to head over to F&W to get the party started. We ended up going counter-clockwise, and started once again in Greece. I decided to hold off so I’d have room for different tasties, but Amy got a Spanikopita, and DH tried the smoked meat platter from Charcuterie and Cheese.

Next stop was Canada, where Amy and Bryan split the famous Cheddar Cheese soup, and then on to Ireland where I was finally able to try the famous Fisherman’s Pie, which did not disappoint.

From there we made a very predictable detour into the Rose and Crown, one of our favorite places in WS. We have had many fun evenings hanging out there, having a few drinking and listening to the hat lady. I’m pretty sure it was Bryan’s idea, but the next thing I knew we were all agreeing to a round a Irish car bombs, hey, we were on vacation! I even got a fellow guest to videotape the debauchery, and if I can figure out how, I’ll post a link. I think it was at that point that I realized that we were the people everyone on the Dis loves to hate (read: people who actually drink at the F&W festival), but we were having a good time and not infringing on anyone else’s vacation.

From Rose and Crown we continued our counter clockwise travels, stopping to partake in one of my favorites, the Grey Goose lemonade Slushy, and DH also stopped for some Escargots. We also hit up Morocco for a kefta and baklava, and Australia for the Grilled Lamb Chop.

We had managed to time it just right that we made it to the USA with enough time to get a Sam Adams (just for DH and the others, I was still a nursing mom, and had enough) right before the fife and drum corps started up. We stayed on for the Voices of Liberty (which I also got some video of) but did not stay for the whole American Adventure. The natives were restless and there was lots more F&W to go!

 

[CandleontheWater]

10/1- continued
I’ll first off apologize for the lack of photos, I know that every good trip report is positively peppered with pictures, but we were having so much fun just being together and catching up with old friends, that I wasn’t even thinking about the camera. I promise later days will have more photos!

Well we were continuing our trek around WS. It was a beautiful day, and despite it being the first day of F&W, we didn’t find it to be overwhelmingly crowded.

Our next stop was Italy, where I just HAD to have a cannoli. I am half Italian and cannolis were a part of every birthday/holiday/general celebration in my family. There is even a very old, very important saying about cannolis “See a cannoli and pass it up, all day long you’ll have bad luck”. I certainly wasn’t about to risk any bad luck on a Disney day! I think DH also got the Cheese Ravioli and his opinion was ‘meh’.

We then headed over to Germany, where I got an old favorite, the sausage in pretzel bread. While in Germany, Bryan got a text from our friend Shane, who had finally made it to Epcot. He was in Norway and had run into Andy, another friend of ours and a big Disney foodie. We met them in Norway, and decided to back track because DH wanted to try one of the beer flights at the brewers collection stand, and Andy wanted to check out one of the new booths, South Korea.

Boy, was I glad we made this decision, because otherwise I might have missed my absolute favorite tasty from the F&W festival, the Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw. My usual plan is not to repeat foods at the festival, until I have tried everything that appeals to me at least once. I totally broke this rule when it came to the lettuce wraps. From this point on, every time I walked by the booth I made a detour. In fact I really wish I could have one right now, drool!

While in line for the South Korea both, Andy spied the executive chef for the F&W festival. He stepped out of line to go talk to him, and the chef was very gracious. He asked us how we were enjoying everything and seemed very interested in the guest experience. I was glad we had Andy with us, because I certainly wouldn’t have recognized him on my own. I do love Disney food, but I am certainly not a foodie groupie.

We also had another celebrity encounter while hanging around eating our South Korean tasties, none other than Lou Mongello of the WDW radio show. I have met him on many occasions, (it was much easier being an active part of the Disney community when I lived in Florida and was only a two hour drive from the parks) and he did stop for a quick hello before continuing on with his F&W tour. The group he was shepherding was enormous, it is amazing how much the Disney community has grown since I first got involved in 2006.

At this point we were getting pretty tired from being on our feet all day, so we decided (at Andy’s recommendation) to head over to La Cava de Tequilla for a little break and some margaritas for the crew. I had not had the chance to go there previously, but it is a wonderful little place, tucked back into the Mexico pavilion. It was getting more crowded, because it was getting near evening time, but we were still able to score a small table and some chairs. It is just the sort of place that I could imagine getting sucked into , and end up spending a whole afternoon sitting around eating and drinking and enjoying the company of some good friends (that is, before I had kids).

At this point, I broke off and left everyone to their margaritas (I’d have to wait until later in the week for mine), and met up with my mom, who had come back to the park with Everett. She had eaten dinner with Everett back at the resort, but had brought him back so I could nurse, and we could spend some time together enjoying WS.

We headed right over to the baby care center so I could take care of Everett, and then my mom, my little man and I spend some time wandering around WS. It had gotten progressively more crowded, but Everett was such a good boy, enjoying the sights and sounds and just people watching. My mom was able to get a few extra tasties at some of the booths, and was doing reconnaissance for her upcoming anniversary trip with my Dad in November.

We looped around counter clockwise, and met up with Bryan, Amy, DH, Andy, Shane and others at the International Gateway for the All About the Mouse Illuminations Dessert party meet.

Jonathan, his wife Amber and their daughter Elizabeth were also there, which was really fun for me and Everett. Everett and Elizabeth were born about a month apart, so they had a great time meeting each other, and Amber and I got to compare notes about how the trip was going for both of the munchkins.

My mom ended up taking Everett and heading back to the resort before Illuminations because it was past his bedtime and he was getting a little cranky. I was so thankful my Mom volunteered to join us on the trip, because it gave me a chance to just hang out with my friends, and it is so nice to take a break from 24-7 mom mode. As wonderful as Everett was with the crowds and being in the stroller, I don’t think he would have enjoyed a whole afternoon of touring the WS, so I don’t think I would have been able to spend as much time at the F&W festival just standing around chatting and eating and drinking. I knew that my Disney trips were going to change drastically with the addition of Everett, but it was nice to have a little slice of our old vacationing style.

This was my very first Illuminations dessert party and I was very curious to see how it all would work. We were waiting by the International Gateway and about a ½ hour before Illuminations began, a CM took us to the little island between France and England. Our dessert party was set up on the top tier of the island, and there was a wedding dessert part on the bottom tier. It was really cool to see how Disney sets up for a wedding, and I’ll admit I was a little jealous. I really wanted a Disney wedding, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us.

The dessert spread for the party was awesome! They had lemon bars, cookies, and two different types of cupcakes, along with coffee, tea and punch. I, of course, had to try each of the desserts, if only I had thought of taking some pictures!

The dessert party was a farewell party of sorts, marking the end of the All About the Mouse Disney podcast. In that it was a little melancholy, all of the people attending had been big fans, myself included, and we were all sad to see such a wonderful show reach the end of its run. AATM had been my little community, my ‘home base’ in the Disney universe. I had met and become good friends with Bryan and Amy because of the podcast, and had met and made many other wonderful friends. Of course our friendships were not ending, but things would be a little different going forward.

That being said, the sense of community at the party was wonderful, we had all gathered to enjoy something that was very special to all of us. If you have never had the chance to watch Illuminations with a group of like-minded Disney fans, I’d definitely put it on your bucket list. It is an entirely different experience and so special to see the show surrounded by others who feel the same way that you do. Looking around at all the rapt faces of my friends as the music swelled, I felt such a sense of joy. This is what all vacations should be like.

After the show, still humming some of the music, we said good-bye to most of our friends. Many people wanted to get back to the resorts and get a good nights sleep for the next morning. Since DH, Bryan, Amy, and I had planned a relaxing day, we decided to hit one more place before we turned in for the night. We were joined by our friend Shane, who is such a total commando and committed to having the best Disney time possible, he threw caution to the wind and toughed it out with us for a nightcap. Sleep is what you do when you get home from vacation, right?

We headed over to the Swan and Dolphin via the International Gateway to end our evening at Kimonos. Bryan and Amy usually stay at the Swalphin, and we have stayed there with them on multiple occasions. While we are there we usually spend at least one night at the Karaoke bar Kimonos. I am a terrible singer, but I have been known to get up on stage once or twice, (what happens on vacation, stays on vacation, right?!!) This night however, the distinction went to Bryan, who flawlessly performed Barenaked Ladies One Week. He was so good he got a standing ovation from the crowd. I don’t think he missed a single lyric. He is a performer in real life, and sings the song with his band, so he has had practice, but it still is no easy feat (especially after a few chocolate martinis).

After that we figured we’d end the evening on a high note and Bryan and Amy went upstairs to their room, and Shane, DH and I walked over to get the bus from the Boardwalk to DTD. This was a mistake, since it was pretty late and ended up taking about an hour all told to get back home to Saratoga. The next night we wised up and just took a cab!

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Hi! I live outside DC too! We're doing our first trip with a baby in a few weeks. Ella is going to be 7.5 months when we head to Disney. I love your Trip Report!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Hi! I live outside DC too! We're doing our first trip with a baby in a few weeks. Ella is going to be 7.5 months when we head to Disney. I love your Trip Report!

Thanks so much! I'm working on getting a new update out today!