arizonacolbys
Owner of 2 Crazy Labs!
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 2,280
Well, Ive now officially been home about 2 months from our fantastic Walt Disney World trip my baby girls first trip! We had such an awesome time & brought home the most wonderful souvenir one could ask for!! Now that Im about 14 weeks pregnant, Im finally feeling well enough to focus on writing this trip report & sharing our best trip yet with all of you. Weve had a very eventful couple of months. We celebrated our daughters first birthday the day after we flew home from FL (a bit crazy, but it was all so my hubby could witness her getting her smash cake & opening presents before he had to leave home.) My husband is now deployed overseas, so things have been very crazy here for me adjusting to being a single parent for now with a one year old & trying to deal with what seemed like never ending morning sickness!
A link to my very short pre-trip report is in my siggie!
Monday, August 3rd:The morning of our first trip with our baby girl (hubby & my 11th trip together) started very early! Our flight was at 7:45 am, so we got up by about 5 am & got showers & loaded up the car before waking up Maddie. She doesnt like getting up early (who can blame her?) and we were wanting her to get as much rest as possible anyways for her first plane ride & big vacation. We left the house around 6:15, got to my parents house around 6:30 & then headed to the airport. My Dad rode with us & then just drove our car back to his place while we were gone it just seemed like the easiest option with all our luggage & Maddies carseat, etc It worked out well & we were at the airport by about 7 am.
For the first time in my life, I honestly thought there was NO way we were going to catch our flight!! We didnt want to spend too much time sitting around the airport with a 10 ½ month old, but we apparently shouldve given ourselves more time to get thru security. Weve never flown out on a Monday morning before & I still cant believe the line for security that we saw. It weaved in & out through all the turnstiles & then was extending past the security line past at least 3 or 4 airline desks. We ended up checking our bags at the curb with the skycap (which was new for us) and thankfully, even with a baby in a stroller, we made it through security with time to spare. We were both SO nervous for about 30 minutes though! We got over to the gate & there was nobody even waiting to board anymore. I had a minute to run to the bathroom before boarding, but that was it. Our plan of grabbing a bite to eat for breakfast at the airport was totally out the window! We boarded the plane, gate checked our stroller & were on our way.
Maddie & I on her first plane ride:
The way this always works for us is that when you want your baby to sleep, or think she will sleep she doesnt! After getting her up 2 hours earlier than usual, driving to the airport, going thru security & boarding the plane, Maddie was now wide awake! Shes always been one to fight naps anyways, and this was just way too much excitement for her! She didnt want to miss a thing. She stayed awake on my lap for most of the 2 hour and 15 minute flight. She started getting a little fussy about 30 minutes before we landed not sure if the pressure may have been changing for her at that point, or she was just bored. She sucked on a bottle part of the flight & a bink the rest in hopes that her ears wouldnt bother her. She did pretty well, with no crying at all during our flight, just some fussing. Of course, the plane lands on the ground & starts taxiing, and wouldnt you know .Maddie falls asleep on my shoulder. Its so funny to me how she has a knack for doing that! She does the same thing all the time in the car is wide awake until we pull into the driveway, or better yet, a restaurant parking lot! LOL
We got off the plane pretty quickly, got our stroller back & made our way thru the airport. I was excited to take our first monorail ride at the airport! I love getting on the little monorail there & getting our first glimpse of the beautiful palm trees. It just feels like were finally at Disney when we take that little ride. We made our way down the Magical Express desk & even though there was a line at the desk, when I showed the CM my packet/vouchers they directed us right into the line for the bus to the Polynesian! No idea what the line at the desk was about or why we didnt have to wait in it, but no complaints here! We got on a bus pretty quickly & were able to get seats close to the front of the bus & with a good view of one of the tv screens. Shortly after we sat down, Maddie passed right back out on me again. She slept for most of the bus ride to the Polynesian it was definitely needed!
MCO airport:
I had completed our check-in online before arriving, so when we arrived at the Polynesian I was able to go right up the section of the desk used for online check-in guests & we were given our check-in packet, room keys & leis. Our room wasnt ready yet, but we were able to leave our cell phone number & they text you with your room number when its ready. I thought this was a great new benefit that they were doing. We were also told which building we would be in, which was nice to know.
Considering we never really had much of a breakfast, we were starving at this point. We walked thru the lobby & took some pictures & then made our way to Captain Cooks for some lunch. They had new touch screens that you used to place your lunch order a bit confusing at first, but soon we had them all figured out. Hubby got a really yummy pulled pork sandwich it had a delicious pineapple salsa or something on it. I had a few bites of that & half of the Grilled Cheese sandwich I got for Maddie. We also shared her apple sauce & chocolate chip cookie. We decided to get one refillable mug since we werent sure wed use it enough to justify buying 2.
After lunch, we were on a mission to get over to the Shades of Green to get our military tickets before we could head to a park. It was a beautiful walk over to the Shades, but a very hot & humid walk! We werent really used to the heat yet, especially since we had a cooler than usual summer in Ohio this year. We arrived at the Shades of Green & found our way to the ticket office. There was a very long line there! I ended up pushing Maddie around in her stroller until hubby got closer to the counter she wasnt good at sitting still & looking at nothing. We were very excited to be able to participate in the great military deal on tickets Disney was offering this year. Hubby got a 5 day hopping ticket to the parks and it included 5 visits to a waterpark as well all for free! I was eligible for a 5 Day park ticket for $99, but then we added on the Hopper option for $25 & the 5 waterpark visits for another $25. A deal I really thought couldnt be beat! In addition to that, we needed to purchase 6 day park hoppers for the rest of our trip we also got a slight military discount on those as well. This little venture took much longer than we anticipated, but cant complain about such a great ticket deal!
Mickey at the Shades of Green:
They had a Mickey statue in the lobby of the Shades of Green that Maddie just loved! It was really her first time seeing Mickey up close like that she was in love with watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv before the trip. She gets SO excited when Mickey comes on the screen at the start of the show!
We kept hoping maybe our room would be ready during our venture to the Shades, but no luck there. We walked back to the Polynesian, refilled our mug with Diet Coke & hopped on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom! It was Maddies first monorail ride we rode the silver one. She seemed to enjoy the ride & was taking everything in.
When we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, we went thru security & then had to get in line at Guest Services & exchange the vouchers for our free tickets it was definitely an afternoon filled with waiting! LOL We finally got up to the counter & got our vouchers exchanged for tickets & the CM was very nice at the window, thanked my husband for his service & told us to have a magical time.
Now, the time had come we were going to walk thru the gate, up Main Street & see Cinderella Castle for the first time with our baby girl. There was only one problem...
Maddie was sound asleep!
A link to my very short pre-trip report is in my siggie!
Monday, August 3rd:The morning of our first trip with our baby girl (hubby & my 11th trip together) started very early! Our flight was at 7:45 am, so we got up by about 5 am & got showers & loaded up the car before waking up Maddie. She doesnt like getting up early (who can blame her?) and we were wanting her to get as much rest as possible anyways for her first plane ride & big vacation. We left the house around 6:15, got to my parents house around 6:30 & then headed to the airport. My Dad rode with us & then just drove our car back to his place while we were gone it just seemed like the easiest option with all our luggage & Maddies carseat, etc It worked out well & we were at the airport by about 7 am.
For the first time in my life, I honestly thought there was NO way we were going to catch our flight!! We didnt want to spend too much time sitting around the airport with a 10 ½ month old, but we apparently shouldve given ourselves more time to get thru security. Weve never flown out on a Monday morning before & I still cant believe the line for security that we saw. It weaved in & out through all the turnstiles & then was extending past the security line past at least 3 or 4 airline desks. We ended up checking our bags at the curb with the skycap (which was new for us) and thankfully, even with a baby in a stroller, we made it through security with time to spare. We were both SO nervous for about 30 minutes though! We got over to the gate & there was nobody even waiting to board anymore. I had a minute to run to the bathroom before boarding, but that was it. Our plan of grabbing a bite to eat for breakfast at the airport was totally out the window! We boarded the plane, gate checked our stroller & were on our way.
Maddie & I on her first plane ride:
The way this always works for us is that when you want your baby to sleep, or think she will sleep she doesnt! After getting her up 2 hours earlier than usual, driving to the airport, going thru security & boarding the plane, Maddie was now wide awake! Shes always been one to fight naps anyways, and this was just way too much excitement for her! She didnt want to miss a thing. She stayed awake on my lap for most of the 2 hour and 15 minute flight. She started getting a little fussy about 30 minutes before we landed not sure if the pressure may have been changing for her at that point, or she was just bored. She sucked on a bottle part of the flight & a bink the rest in hopes that her ears wouldnt bother her. She did pretty well, with no crying at all during our flight, just some fussing. Of course, the plane lands on the ground & starts taxiing, and wouldnt you know .Maddie falls asleep on my shoulder. Its so funny to me how she has a knack for doing that! She does the same thing all the time in the car is wide awake until we pull into the driveway, or better yet, a restaurant parking lot! LOL
We got off the plane pretty quickly, got our stroller back & made our way thru the airport. I was excited to take our first monorail ride at the airport! I love getting on the little monorail there & getting our first glimpse of the beautiful palm trees. It just feels like were finally at Disney when we take that little ride. We made our way down the Magical Express desk & even though there was a line at the desk, when I showed the CM my packet/vouchers they directed us right into the line for the bus to the Polynesian! No idea what the line at the desk was about or why we didnt have to wait in it, but no complaints here! We got on a bus pretty quickly & were able to get seats close to the front of the bus & with a good view of one of the tv screens. Shortly after we sat down, Maddie passed right back out on me again. She slept for most of the bus ride to the Polynesian it was definitely needed!
MCO airport:
I had completed our check-in online before arriving, so when we arrived at the Polynesian I was able to go right up the section of the desk used for online check-in guests & we were given our check-in packet, room keys & leis. Our room wasnt ready yet, but we were able to leave our cell phone number & they text you with your room number when its ready. I thought this was a great new benefit that they were doing. We were also told which building we would be in, which was nice to know.
Considering we never really had much of a breakfast, we were starving at this point. We walked thru the lobby & took some pictures & then made our way to Captain Cooks for some lunch. They had new touch screens that you used to place your lunch order a bit confusing at first, but soon we had them all figured out. Hubby got a really yummy pulled pork sandwich it had a delicious pineapple salsa or something on it. I had a few bites of that & half of the Grilled Cheese sandwich I got for Maddie. We also shared her apple sauce & chocolate chip cookie. We decided to get one refillable mug since we werent sure wed use it enough to justify buying 2.
After lunch, we were on a mission to get over to the Shades of Green to get our military tickets before we could head to a park. It was a beautiful walk over to the Shades, but a very hot & humid walk! We werent really used to the heat yet, especially since we had a cooler than usual summer in Ohio this year. We arrived at the Shades of Green & found our way to the ticket office. There was a very long line there! I ended up pushing Maddie around in her stroller until hubby got closer to the counter she wasnt good at sitting still & looking at nothing. We were very excited to be able to participate in the great military deal on tickets Disney was offering this year. Hubby got a 5 day hopping ticket to the parks and it included 5 visits to a waterpark as well all for free! I was eligible for a 5 Day park ticket for $99, but then we added on the Hopper option for $25 & the 5 waterpark visits for another $25. A deal I really thought couldnt be beat! In addition to that, we needed to purchase 6 day park hoppers for the rest of our trip we also got a slight military discount on those as well. This little venture took much longer than we anticipated, but cant complain about such a great ticket deal!
Mickey at the Shades of Green:
They had a Mickey statue in the lobby of the Shades of Green that Maddie just loved! It was really her first time seeing Mickey up close like that she was in love with watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv before the trip. She gets SO excited when Mickey comes on the screen at the start of the show!
We kept hoping maybe our room would be ready during our venture to the Shades, but no luck there. We walked back to the Polynesian, refilled our mug with Diet Coke & hopped on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom! It was Maddies first monorail ride we rode the silver one. She seemed to enjoy the ride & was taking everything in.
When we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, we went thru security & then had to get in line at Guest Services & exchange the vouchers for our free tickets it was definitely an afternoon filled with waiting! LOL We finally got up to the counter & got our vouchers exchanged for tickets & the CM was very nice at the window, thanked my husband for his service & told us to have a magical time.
Now, the time had come we were going to walk thru the gate, up Main Street & see Cinderella Castle for the first time with our baby girl. There was only one problem...
Maddie was sound asleep!
The rest of day 1 will be up later today!
I love your TR so far. That's so cute Maddie loved the bed. I love that pic of her on the floor playing while you guys got ready to go eat. 
