WDW with a Toddler, or A Tour of WDW Play Areas - May 2012 - *FIN 5/30*

[Imagineer5]

Nice little weekend! So jealous you're only a two hour drive! Amazing! Lol

I can't believe you hadn't been to mk in a while. I guess its different when you can spend a weekend here and there. I always feel like we need to stay longer and longer so we can do more!

 

[MHTeacher]

Enjoyed reading about your last trip---makes this one all the more exciting, knowing that this time your little one actually gets to see all the excitement!

Sorry your little Andrew has been sick. Hope he's feeling better, and that no one else catches the same virus!

 

[tofubeast]

Hope your little guy feels better soon!! It's so not fun to see them sick. Much health to him!

 

[Elleshoodat]

Nice little weekend! So jealous you're only a two hour drive! Amazing! Lol

I can't believe you hadn't been to mk in a while. I guess its different when you can spend a weekend here and there. I always feel like we need to stay longer and longer so we can do more!

It is nice being so close ... but DH still doesn't take me as often as I'd like! We tend to rotate between MK, Epcot and AK, and rarely go to DHS. I don't know why -- I just don't feel it has much to offer us, as DH doesn't like thrill rides and most attractions there aren't super kid-friendly.

Enjoyed reading about your last trip---makes this one all the more exciting, knowing that this time your little one actually gets to see all the excitement!

Sorry your little Andrew has been sick. Hope he's feeling better, and that no one else catches the same virus!

Thanks for the well wishes! I can't WAIT to see everything through Andrew's eyes. Even if I don't step foot on one ride on my personal must-do list, it will be worth it to watch him experience the magic.

Hope your little guy feels better soon!! It's so not fun to see them sick. Much health to him!

Thanks so much. He is all better now, thank goodness. And you're right -- it stinks to see them so sick, especially when they're so little and can't tell you what's bothering them.

 

[Elleshoodat]

Looking at tofubeast's cute shirts in her report reminded me that I want to order a personalized Mickey Mouse shirt for Andrew's first visit. I've found some on Etsy and have it narrowed down to three, but now I'm stuck. Help!

Option 1: Cute, but the fabric of the letters is a bit busy.

Option 2: LOVE the use of the Disney font and the fact that it's dated.

Option 3: I like the use of the Disney font here, too, and that the shirt has a bit of a retro feel.

Which is your favorite?

 

[tofubeast]

Looking at tofubeast's cute shirts in her report reminded me that I want to order a personalized Mickey Mouse shirt for Andrew's first visit. I've found some on Etsy and have it narrowed down to three, but now I'm stuck. Help!

Which is your favorite?

Haha. Thanks for the shout out! I am going to probably use Etsy for a shirt for Miss J as well later this year.

My vote goes for shirt #2 because it is really cute and I also like the date. It will be a shirt you can always save for memories sake too.

So what stroller did you decide on?

 

[Rienchen]

I like shirt number 2, i think the mickey ears are so cute

I was at a baby expo today and got to push both the city mini and the britax b agile around, I know the model is slightly different over here in the UK(britax is a 4 wheeler here) but I loved the b-agile. The fabric is so soft and the seat feels so much sturdier. The only niggle I have is that the handle is fairly short, but luckily I am "only" 5"8 so the handle is just tall enough, if I was any taller I'd prefer the city mini.

 

[Elleshoodat]

Haha. Thanks for the shout out! I am going to probably use Etsy for a shirt for Miss J as well later this year.

My vote goes for shirt #2 because it is really cute and I also like the date. It will be a shirt you can always save for memories sake too.

So what stroller did you decide on?

I am leaning toward that one, too...

We bought the B-Agile! We've had it for a few weeks now, and soon I'm planning to write about how we like it so far. There are a couple of minor things I'm not loving (the handles are a bit short for me, and DS seems to slump rather than sit up straight), but overall it's working well for our needs.

I like shirt number 2, i think the mickey ears are so cute

I was at a baby expo today and got to push both the city mini and the britax b agile around, I know the model is slightly different over here in the UK(britax is a 4 wheeler here) but I loved the b-agile. The fabric is so soft and the seat feels so much sturdier. The only niggle I have is that the handle is fairly short, but luckily I am "only" 5"8 so the handle is just tall enough, if I was any taller I'd prefer the city mini.

That's exactly the issue I'm having with the B-Agile. I'm 5'9", and the handle could be a teensy bit longer for my liking. It has a ton of really great features, though, so I haven't yet decided whether that's a dealbreaker.

 

[tofubeast]

I am leaning toward that one, too...

We bought the B-Agile! We've had it for a few weeks now, and soon I'm planning to write about how we like it so far. There are a couple of minor things I'm not loving (the handles are a bit short for me, and DS seems to slump rather than sit up straight), but overall it's working well for our needs.



That's exactly the issue I'm having with the B-Agile. I'm 5'9", and the handle could be a teensy bit longer for my liking. It has a ton of really great features, though, so I haven't yet decided whether that's a dealbreaker.

I agree re: the handles. The slump is something that also happens with the City Mini. I just wish the strollers could be more erect. Other than that, I love my BA so far.

I was going to share that on my PTR I posted the results of my toddler ride/show survey. Just in case it is helpful for you with your upcoming May trip!

 

[MHTeacher]

All the shirts are cute--You can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[Elleshoodat]

I've been debating for a while whether to book a portrait session through Disney Event Photography, and today I went for it.

We have next to no pictures of the three of us and I want something we can use for Christmas cards and the like, plus these can serve as Andrew's 18-month portraits.

I booked a mini session for midmorning on the Thursday of our trip. It doesn't exactly fit into our park-touring plan -- I was hoping for midmorning that Saturday, but there is no availability at the Beach Club and I have my heart set on that location -- but I don't really mind having to rework our plans.

Bonus: Now I get to SHOP for coordinating outfits for me, DH and DS. Woot!

 

[Imagineer5]

I've been debating for a while whether to book a portrait session through Disney Event Photography, and today I went for it.

We have next to no pictures of the three of us and I want something we can use for Christmas cards and the like, plus these can serve as Andrew's 18-month portraits.

I booked a mini session for midmorning on the Thursday of our trip. It doesn't exactly fit into our park-touring plan -- I was hoping for midmorning that Saturday, but there is no availability at the Beach Club and I have my heart set on that location -- but I don't really mind having to rework our plans.

Bonus: Now I get to SHOP for coordinating outfits for me, DH and DS. Woot!

This is something I'm thinking about doing too! Can you give me info on pricing? I plan to prepay for a photopass cd, didn't know if that gives a little discount for a photo shoot? Will you get the pics on the cd? I hope so, so you can post them when you return!

 

[Elleshoodat]

This is something I'm thinking about doing too! Can you give me info on pricing? I plan to prepay for a photopass cd, didn't know if that gives a little discount for a photo shoot? Will you get the pics on the cd? I hope so, so you can post them when you return!

From what I understand, the portrait sessions are now completely separate from PhotoPass. All of the pricing information can be found here, but the flat fee for the 20-minute session we're doing is $150. There are some FAQs and reviews on the Resort Photos & Videos board, but a lot of the information is outdated.

I will definitely post pics with my TR. Hopefully that will help you decide!

Oh, and DH wants to use navy as the base for our color coordinating, and I've found a dress i think will work (and of course it won't be any trouble to find something with navy for DS). What do you think?

 

[tofubeast]

I love that dress. Perfect for a May photo shoot!! I can;t wait to see how your pics turn out! I will be doing PP again this year, but I think in the future, I would love to book a photo session.

 

[Elleshoodat]

I love that dress. Perfect for a May photo shoot!! I can;t wait to see how your pics turn out! I will be doing PP again this year, but I think in the future, I would love to book a photo session.

Thanks! I can't wait, either. Most of the reviews here on the DIS are positive, but there are some mixed -- mostly people not liking how they look in the pictures. I'm pretty critical of myself, too, so we shall see!

 

[Imagineer5]

Thanks for the info, I'll have to read more about it.

Love the dress and navy idea! Will work perfectly at the beach club!

 

[Elleshoodat]

Soooo my mom is in town this weekend visiting us (OK, let's be honest -- she mostly came to see Andrew), and we went shopping and bought a few different dresses. I'll end up wearing all of them to work/church/etc., but I don't know yet which one I will wear for our portrait session. Luckily I have a couple of months to decide, LOL. We also found a couple of cute options for Andrew.

Also, on Friday I was playing around on disneyworld.com and realized there's a better discount available for our resort and room type. I don't know if we had the Florida resident discount before and the spring room-only discount is better or what, but regardless I made a new reservation and saved us $37.

 

[MHTeacher]

First off, YAY for saving any amount of money! Secondly, love the dress, very cute!

I like the idea of the mini-portrait session. In fact, it got me to thinking.....My oldest is heading off to college at the end of the summer, maybe we should have a family portrait done?!? I'm seriously considering it!

 

[Elleshoodat]

First off, YAY for saving any amount of money! Secondly, love the dress, very cute!

I like the idea of the mini-portrait session. In fact, it got me to thinking.....My oldest is heading off to college at the end of the summer, maybe we should have a family portrait done?!? I'm seriously considering it!

Yes, yes, YES! I am all about family portraits, so I say go for it. I'd like to say you can wait and hear how our session goes before booking yours, but it seems like they book up fast. I wanted to have our shoot on Saturday morning, but the only thing available at Beach Club was Thursday morning.

 

[Elleshoodat]

"Talking" with tofubeast over on her PTR got me thinking about our Magic Kingdom day, and I realized I never did post our grand plans for Day 3.

The park opens at 9 a.m., and I plan to be there at rope drop. Our attractions to aim for, in no particular order (we’re going to hit Fantasyland first, obviously ):

• it’s a small world – A classic
• Dumbo – I don’t think I’ve ever been on this, but I feel like I’ll lose my Mommy Card if we don’t take DS on it.
• Jungle Cruise – Andrew looooves animals
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – …and Pooh bear.
• Peter Pan’s Flight – Another classic
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic – This one might be a bit of a challenge since it’s in the semidarkness and you have to stay seated for a while.
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority/PeopleMover – One of my favorite ways to relax in the MK
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – A lot for Andrew to look at and take in
• Carousel of Progress – This is one of my personal must-dos, even if DH has to chase DS around Tomorrowland for a while.
• Walt Disney World Railroad – Another way for us to unwind
• Pirates of the Caribbean/The Haunted Mansion – These two are up in the air since they’re dark rides, but DH LOVES HM so I have to let him get at least one ride in.
• A parade? – The afternoon parade would be fun for Andrew, but we will most likely be resting at the resort then.
• Magic, Memories & You – I’ve heard so many great things about this one.
• Wishes – This is my favorite of the nighttime shows, and I haven’t seen it in years. I would love, love, LOVE to stay and watch it, but we’ll see.

Luckily we get to sleep in the morning after our Magic Kingdom day. Unluckily we have to go home. Boo.