02-11-18 to 02-16-18 with a 21mo old and a 3.5 year old

[MNswimmer18]

This is my first attempt at a trip report so bear with me. I found them really helpful when planning, so I hope this helps others. Also, it was a good way for me to remember how the trip went.

Who is who:

Me – Wife, mother, full-time employee. I enjoyed planning this trip. I took a lot from the boards and our experience on a trip a to CA year ago. I was 16/17 weeks pregnant on this trip.

DH – Husband, father, watches the kids 3-4 days a week and works full-time. Did not have much input on trip planning, though I shared the itinerary a few times.

DD – 3.5 year old who loves Mickey Mouse Club House, Disney princess, and changing her outfit 100 times a day.

DS – 21 month old who loves Mickey Mouse Club House and is a major goofball.

None of us have been to Disney World or Disneyland before. Our kids had no idea what Disney World was. DD knew we were going on a trip and we had to take a plane to get there.

Dates – February 11-16, 2018

Day 1 - Travel​

This morning was a little stressful. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 8:50 a.m. DH and his uncle (who drove us) did a great job of getting everything into uncle’s van. It was -5F when we left our house, which added to extra bundling. We got out the door a little later then I would like, and took a while to get through security. We decided to go all the way to our gate, then get coffee and milk for DS (he doesn’t eat breakfast until late – and just drinks 1-2 cups of milk first thing). Well, our gate was far away from any milk or coffee. I ended up walking all the way back by security. So I guess we should have gotten it right away. I was wearing DS to make it easier to get through security and just kept him on. I tried to pay and my card was declined. Therefore, I switched cards. They miss made our drinks, but I knew it was close on time so I did not say anything. I still had not seen milk yet. I finally ask someone, they showed me and I purchased some milk. Once again, my card was declined – I had DH’s wallet and had put my driver’s license in there with my credit card. Come to find out, for some odd reason DH had a credit card of mine that expired in 2016! Ugh. Anyway, as soon as I paid for the milk DS sees Bananas and is insistent that he needs one. I get one knowing we’re in a huge rush at this point, but that we only have snacks until our 2:45 lunch.

I rush back to the gate and they are already boarding. I had to use the restroom and get water, so I do that quickly. We had missed the family boarding time, but thankfully, they let us on before our zone. The flight went better than I expected. We hadn’t paid for a seat for DS and I was a little worried about that, but it went well. The kids liked the snacks I brought. I plane had touch screens for everyone so the kids watched Cars. I liked and didn’t like the touch screens. I wish there was a parent power button. We would turn them off, our kids would just barely touch them, and they were back on. DS napped for about an hour which was great. He wasn’t happy when he woke up when we landed.

Our flight was from 8:50 a.m. – 1:17 p.m. When we landed DS saw bags with Mickey Mouse and was really excited. He kept saying “Mouse”. We landed on time, and headed to the car rental place. I tried to check in using the kiosk, but that didn’t work so I had to wait in a long line. We finally get through and get to the car. We’re loading up car seats and luggage and I realized we never grabbed the pack n play from checked luggage. DH runs back inside while I finish getting the car situated. We’re leaving the airport and I know we’re not going to make our 2:45 lunch reservations for the Boathouse. DH calls and lets them know we’re on our way. I think we arrived around 3:15.

We got to Disney Springs and headed right to the Boathouse. I really liked Disney Springs – the parking was super easy (and free!), I liked that you don’t have to worry about crossing streets or cars once you’re in the shopping area. The Boathouse was amazing! DH had some oysters and the coriander seared ahi tuna. I had the broiled wild caught swordfish steak. The kids split mac n cheese and a hamburger which they hardly touched. DH said it was the best food he ever ate. I loved my swordfish steak too. DS ate the swordfish too. The service was also wonderful, we would defiantly go back, and almost did later in the week.

We left and drove to Target to get some food and supplies for our condo. We also picked up souvenirs, a t-shirt for me, a Mini Mouse backpack for DD, and a Mickey Mouse for DS. DH couldn’t find anything he wanted.

We find our way to the condo and get through the security gate. I go up first (we were on the 3rd floor) to make sure I can get in okay. It was a little confusing because there was a key lock box and a keypad on the door. I couldn’t get into the key box and called. They said if I had the keypad I only needed that. I liked that – we didn’t have to worry about the key all the time!

I get in, and then go back down and we all head up. The kids think it’s pretty cool. I keep an eye on the kids and putting stuff away as DH brings up everything else.

We get settled and DD wanted Cheerios (She might be slightly addicted to Cheerios and hadn’t had any that day. It’s also her comfort food, and go to if she’s tired and hungry), we let her eat then put them to bed. We watch the Olympics for a little bit then go to bed too. I hadn’t slept well the last two nights and was really tired, but I didn’t sleep well that night either.

A few random notes: We brought our own pack n play and stroller. I know we could have rented both, but the stroller was helpful in the airport, and both fly free. So, I didn’t want to hassle with paying for what we already had, and knew the quality and cleanliness of.

On our CA trip our flight landed about the same time. We were all hungry, but I knew my dad was making us dinner (we were heading there first – it was about a 2 hour drive). So, I didn’t want to stop at somewhere nice to eat, waste time, and be full for dinner. We stopped at McDonalds. DH didn’t like this and grumbled that it was our first ‘vacation’ meal. So this time I made extra sure to plan lunch as the first thing when we arrived.

At home, the kids don’t share a room (now they do though!), we had them sharing a room here. We would usually put DS down first, let DD stay up, and then she would go to bed. She would do such a good job with this. She never fussed that she wanted us to go in and tuck her in.


About our condo

We stayed at a gated community offsite in Windsor Palms Resort. I received a discount through my work. It was a two bedroom, two-bath condo for $74 a night. The community had a pool, hot tub, splash pad, park, and club house. These were right outside our door. We were told that there was a washer and dryer, but there wasn’t any supplies. They had told us there would be starter rolls of toilet paper and hand soap, but that’s it. This was very different from AIRBNB’s we’ve stayed at before (I know this wasn’t an AIRBNB). So we had to purchase things like toilet paper, dish soap, beach towels (we ended up getting 3 really cheap ones and leaving them there). They also didn’t have a lot of towels – only 4 full size towels, one hand towel, and one washcloth. The kitchen had some towels and washcloths, which we used to wash the dishes. I brought cloths so we didn’t have to wash half-way through since I didn’t know what the laundry situation was like. The washer and dryer were free and in unit, and I found out that the club house’s gift shop had a tiny package of laundry soap, and some basic groceries. Next time I will bring a few less cloths and buy the tiny laundry soap. At the end of the trip, we said we would stay there again for that price.

 

[MNswimmer18]

Day 2 - EPCOT

DD woke up at some unnatural hour. I think around 4:30 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. (which is 3:30-4:00 a.m. for us!) We couldn’t get her back down and I was awake anyway so we got up and ate Cheerios. I started to get the bags ready to go. We had the diaper bag and a small cooler. I’m so glad I brought the cooler. We put fresh fruit, crackers, and the kids water bottles with ice water in the cooler. We filled our water bottles with ice water before we left too. In the diaper bag, we had a princess dress for DD, change of clothes for DS, rain gear, hand sanitizer, wipes, signature books, sunglasses, and diapers. We used cloth diapers at home, and DS doesn’t like disposables when slightly wet (he’s only been in disposables on about 4-5 different occasions) so I put in extra diapers just in case (ended up having way too many). We also had the baby carrier. We left around 7:45 and got to EPCOT by 8:00.

We picked up our cards and first time buttons (these were recommended, but really we did not have anyone comment on them). By the time we had our cards the line to get in was huge! Next time I would get there even earlier the first day to pick up our cards. We heard the opening show, but couldn’t see anything. As we were heading to Soarin’ and our first FP we saw that it was only a 5 minute wait to meet Mickey and Mini so we did that even though we had a FP for it later. We were going to head to Soarin’ first, but it already had a 35 minute by the time we got there. We should have just done it then, though DS couldn’t ride on it – more on this later. We did Living with the Land and loved it. It was really cool to see, and we’re plant people so it was extra neat. The wait for Soarn’ was long so we headed to our 9:45 FP – Turtle Talk with Crush. DD likes turtles, so that was cool, but they didn’t really get that he was talking and responding to people there. After that, the wait for Soarin’ was over 55 minutes, DH and DD went in line, but he got out right away because DD was tired and he didn’t think she’d wait. We were going to do The Seas with Nemo & Friends, but decided to get Starbucks and start working our way to the World Showcase to make sure we got to lunch on time.

The kids were getting hungry so they had some snacks and we toured Mexico, did that ride. DS started most rides on my lap facing me. We could get him to turn around after we got going. DS was getting a little tired at this point too. I asked a CM what was in a building; they said it was to meet Elsa and Anna! There wasn’t a much of a wait so we went in and within 7 minutes we met them. I was using the app for ride and the map feature, but I didn’t realize I needed to select Characters. I wish I realized this earlier (I finally did on our last day. Ugh). We had reservations at 12:15 p.m. for lunch at Akershus. We got DD changed into her princess dress then went to check in. It wasn’t obvious that we all had to be there (I was thinking I would check in – then when they called our name DH could come over with DS who was loving running around at the moment). I realized our mistake and called him over and we got back in line. We went in, met Bell, and then we were brought to our table. The buffet options weren’t the best, but got the kids eating a little. I ordered some pasta, which was delicious, I forget what DH ordered, but he liked it. I meant to have the kids split the meatball option, but I think they ordered one for each of them. They had way too much food, and didn’t eat much. DD loved seeing the princess. After we left both kids were pretty tired. I wore DS and he fell asleep right away. DD fell asleep in the stroller, which was awesome. They don’t normally sleep in the stroller.

We kept doing the World Showcase – next time we’ll have to go into more places. We sure skipped a lot. DH kept asking me to keep an eye on Soarn’ because he really wanted to do it, but didn’t decide this until after he had gotten out of line. We wanted to do the Disney on Broadway Concert Series, but didn’t make it. DS woke up first, we were at one of the water features and there were ducks. He was really excited about the ducks! I think each kid ended up with over an hour nap. The kids played in the splash pad – one of their favorite things from the whole trip. After that we found a bathroom and changed their outfits.

We went back over to Future World and did The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Soarn’ finally had only a 45-minute wait. I got some food for the kids with DS while DH took DD to Soarn’. I got some of the Asian noodles, and milk at Sunshine Seasons. I was planning on just getting a snack for the kids, but they didn’t have many snack options. I got a fruit smoothie for myself, because I wasn’t too hungry. I didn’t think the food was great, but the kids ate it up. While we were waiting for DH and DD I realized how much my feet were killing me. I was wearing my sandals that I live in – in the summer. I’ve been wearing them once a week while walking on a pool deck for 2.5 hours, so I thought I would be fine. The arches were killing me – which hasn’t happened before with them. DD didn’t want to do Soarn’ again, so I limped there by myself.

After that we went back to World Showcase for our 6:00 FP for Frozen Ever After. That was a fun ride! After that, we left the park. I was wearing DS again because he was so tired. My feet were killing me. We walked to the car and drove the ~15 minutes to our condo. We let the kids run a round a little then put them to bed and I iced my feet. DH heated up my leftover swordfish – it was still wonderful. I needed help getting around the condo – really, I have a high pain tolerance, it really hurt. Plus, I didn’t want to fall while pregnant on vacation. I was really worried if I’d be able to do Animal Kingdom the next day. We talked about swapping the beach day with Animal Kingdom but decided not to. We watched the Olympics for a little then went to bed.

 

[MNswimmer18]

Day 3 – Animal Kingdom

Kids were up early again. I could walk a little better. It actually got better the longer I walked, but still hurt. I put on my tennis shoes to wear around the condo to give some extra support. I was still limping quite a bit when we left. We left around 7:45 a.m. for Animal Kingdom. We parked and DH suggested I take the Tram while he walked with the kids. We made it in and waiting by Starbucks well before 9:00 a.m. DH waited in line while I sat with the kids. They were being silly, which was fun. As soon as everything opened, DH got our coffee and we went to our first FP – the Safaris. This was so much fun! One of our highlights of the trip – we even contemplated doing it again. We saw a lot of animals and the kids loved it and would get so excited every time they saw a new one. This ride is one that is cautioned while pregnant and I had checked with my midwife. She thought it would be fine. Honestly, it was a little bumpy, but driving home in a snowstorm before we left had many more bumps.

We then had to take a bathroom break, which wasn’t great because we then had to walk all the way back to do the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. Had I realized how far it was to the restrooms, I think we would have just done the trail first. We then went on the Wildlife Express Train – but ended up not getting off. The kids liked the ‘ride’. We really enjoyed the entertainment that was right by the bathrooms – it was great all day long! We had a FP for the Festival of the Lion King at 10:30 a.m. but the night before I ended up moving it to the afternoon because it was going to be tight. We made our way to Asia for lunch at Yak & Yeti for our 11:30 reservations. It was starting to get really hot – I think it was over 85F every day. We’ve been in the -20’s to 20’sF at home so quite a difference! The kids love Asian food. The two of them ate four egg rolls, and some of our food. I had Lo mein and DD had Korean beef. For dessert, we had fried wontons, which were delicious! We used the water on the table to refill our water bottles (we had also refilled at Starbucks and the drinking fountain).

After lunch, we made our way to our next FP – Na’vi River Journey. At this point DH noted that all the rides we could all go on were boat rides! After this ride DS fell asleep in the stroller – I think this is the first time this has happened since he was an infant! We were walking around and saw that it was a short wait for A Bugs Life. I debated it, and in the end DH took DD in. I wish we hadn’t – I heard it wasn’t the best for small kids, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. I found a chair in the shade while they went. DH told me to go after, which I did. I didn’t like waiting in the cave like area all crammed in. I was starting to get claustrophobic and I don’t normally have an issue with that. I really wouldn’t recommend this ride for anyone younger than 10! So many kids were just screaming. I felt really bad about DD going. DH said she was scared, but thankfully she was on his lap and he kept covering her eyes.

I met up with them in Africa and DS was awake at this time. We talked about going to The Boneyard, but DH said he had walked by it and wasn’t impressed so we didn’t. We stopped and got some ice cream for the kids and I got a frozen lemonade. I could tell that they were really hot and wanted them to cool off a little. I made the mistake of saying this out load – more on this at MK. We headed to our FP for the Festival of the Lion King. Man, we had to wait in line a long time. When you have a FP for this I would recommend getting there at the end of the window. Then you don’t have to wait so long. DD had to go to the bathroom while we waited so DH took her. We had just started walking in when I could see him coming. This show was really cool! DS kept calling out all of the animals he saw, he was really excited.

After the show we walked around a little, and saw a meet and greet for Pocahontas. It didn’t seem like a long line, but we ended up waiting about 40 minutes. Of course, DD had to use the bathroom. DH took DD and made it back before it was our turn. We walked around a little more then decided we would head out. We left around 5:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. I once again took the Tram while DH walked with the kids. My feet were doing better, but I didn’t want to push it.

We stopped at Walmart on the way home and DH got a take and bake pizza. It was surprisingly good. After dinner we gave the kids a bath and let them hang out for a little bit, then to bed. We watched the Olympics again and talked about the next day, as we got ready for bed.

A few notes: I was trying to save money by not eating a lot in the park (though, I know our sit down options were more expensive, they were also more filling). Also, wanted to use lunch to force us to take a break. I really liked doing it that way. That way we didn’t have to find a table, wait in line, and it got us out of the heat. Other than lunches, the ice cream in Animal Kingdom, Starbucks, the dinner in EPCOT for the kids and a small dinner in Magic Kingdom we didn’t get any other food in the parks. We ate the majority of the snacks we brought into the parks.

Each night, as the kids were getting ready for bed I picked out their clothes for the next day. After they went to bed, I packed the diaper bag and the non-refrigerated snacks in the cooler. This made it so we only needed to eat, get dressed, fill water bottles, and put the fruit in the cooler in the morning.

We bought a TAS approved lock and locked the diaper bag to the stroller. We didn’t keep valuables in there, but wanted to deter people who thought we might.

 

[Stasieki]

I was there same timeframe as you. We were at AK same day as you too. Gosh... I feel like I was at the same Lion King as you. That heat was brutal. Felt like my September trips!

 

[tbre1982]

Going in April with my two little ones. Enjoy hearing your report of what they liked and didn't like!!

 

[mamawolfe417]

My last trip to Disney I was 16 weeks pregnant with my twin sons. I could not believe how much more my feet hurt than my normal Disney trips. We did less, took it slower, and I wasn't even really that big at the time, so I was not prepared for the pain. We are currently in the middle of planning our first trip with our boys (they will be 22 months just before the trip) so it's nice to get some insight on how this might go.

 

[MNswimmer18]

I was there same timeframe as you. We were at AK same day as you too. Gosh... I feel like I was at the same Lion King as you. That heat was brutal. Felt like my September trips!

It was sure a shock to our system. I had been watching the weather and the week before was so much cooler! That's neat you were in AK with us! Wasn't the Lion King an awesome show?!

 

[MNswimmer18]

My last trip to Disney I was 16 weeks pregnant with my twin sons. I could not believe how much more my feet hurt than my normal Disney trips. We did less, took it slower, and I wasn't even really that big at the time, so I was not prepared for the pain. We are currently in the middle of planning our first trip with our boys (they will be 22 months just before the trip) so it's nice to get some insight on how this might go.

So maybe it's a pregnancy thing?! It could be a combination of heat, pregnancy, amount of walking, and the shoes. I just don't know. I think about how bad my feet hurt when I'd see people with flimsy flip flops and I'd wonder how on earth they do that all day. I only wear flip flops at the pool because I can't handle the lack of support that long.

 

[MNswimmer18]

So I finally downloaded some pictures and went to upload them. What a pain that we can't just upload them to the site! I can't get my Photobucket account to do anything even though I only have 4% of my storage used. Any time I click on something another add pops up, and photobucket takes forever to think. Ugh. Maybe I'll try again later.

 

[MNswimmer18]

A few notes:​

DS doesn’t transfer when napping. If he falls asleep in the car and we try to put him in bed - 98% of the time it doesn’t work - he’s up . We figured by the time we go out of the park and back it would be at least 3 hours and DS wouldn’t transfer anyway. DD usually transfers, but she was really cutting down on her naps. That was part of our decision to just stay in the parks. Also, that’s why we rope dropped. We tend to be early risers and that way we could leave early if we wanted to.


Our kids did a combo of walking and riding in the stroller. I’m glad we had the stroller especially with DS being 21 months. They don’t nap in strollers at home, so I was glad both would nap in it at Disney World. With DD napping in it twice I would bring it again if we still have someone 4 and under. Plus, it was nice to have for the cooler, water bottles, and diaper bag.

Day 4 – Beach Day!​

That morning we got up as usual, DD always first out of the bed. She and I had Cheerios; DS actually ate a little bit this morning. We headed to Dunkin Donuts for donuts, which the kids loved. It worked out well because it was next to the gift shop DH saw that had cheap beach towels. We went to Target and I returned the diapers we had purchased – we had way over estimated how many we needed. I got a smaller pack of diapers, some more snacks, and more fruit. I wish I thought to get baby carrots, they would have been a perfect snack. I also got a coffee and we were on our way. I think it was about 9:30 at this point. We drove to Clearwater we found a great meter parking spot (Lot 34). We stopped in Starbucks for a coffee for DH, water for me, and bathroom break all around. Were on the beach by 11:30.


First, we took some cute pictures, then went and changed into swimsuits. We got very lucky because it was cloudy the whole drive, but within minutes of being at the beach it warmed up and was sunny. We played in the sand and water, and looked for seashells. Around 12:30, we decided to change and go grab lunch. We thought we might go back after lunch, but that didn’t end up happening. We changed, dropped of some stuff at the car and ended up not walking far – we ate at Touscans Bar and Grill that was right next to the parking lot.


The twice-baked potatoes were great. I had the Farmaggio burger – I was not impressed. I did not realize the cheese would be in the burger. DH had a burger, but I can’t remember what kind. The kids split a lunch. DS started to fall asleep in his chair so DH took him out while I finished and paid. When we got to the car, DS was asleep in his car seat (as noted this kid usually doesn’t transfer at all!). DH was in the car with the AC on. He said that DS was out as soon as he was picked up – he even slept through a diaper change in the back of the car. We headed back to our condo and DD fell asleep. Of course, halfway back we both had to use the bathroom and DS woke up as soon as I opened up my door. DD stayed asleep, thank goodness! The gas station we stopped at was disgusting! Next time I’m vetoing DH and stopping in a fast food restaurant. They are usually a little better. I was hoping DS would go back to sleep, but I knew better.


This was February 14, and I knew there was no way we were eating out that night. Partly because I didn’t want to deal with everyone, we didn’t have a reservation, and I thought it would better to just be at the condo. So we stopped at Walmart on our way and picked up stuff for spaghetti. DD slept all the way back to the condo!


If we would do this beach trip again with small kids I’d almost lean on doing something at where we’re staying (the splash pad would have been great) then leave around their nap time. Drive while they nap and spend the afternoon at the beach, eat dinner then head back. We heard that the sunsets there are beautiful.


When we got back to the condo we decided to go to the splash pad for a while. The kids were loving it! I checked out the club house – I was impressed what they had in the ‘gift shop’. Next time I stay somewhere that has a ‘gift shop’ I think I’ll ask in advance what they have. They had some basic food (milk, eggs, frozen pizza, frozen snacks, snacks, coke), small boxes of laundry detergent, small things of dish soap, and many other things. I’m sure a lot was overpriced, but some of it would have been worth it. They also had a game room, fitness center, and movie theater – which I knew, but it was cool to look at. We never used any of that.


We went up, got the kids in dry cloths, and made dinner. They love spaghetti and ate a lot. We got them cleaned up and to bed. We then got ready for our big day the next day – Magic Kingdom! I was worried about this day because I felt like there was more the kids could do here, and that the park was much bigger.

 

[twoolle]

Gas station bathrooms are the worst! I will only let DH stop at travel stop gas stations or AT. Otherwise it's a rest stop or fast food for me! So I get it!

 

[MNswimmer18]

Gas station bathrooms are the worst! I will only let DH stop at travel stop gas stations or AT. Otherwise it's a rest stop or fast food for me! So I get it!

Yep, never again!

 

[MNswimmer18]

Day 5 – Magic Kingdom

This is the only day our kids didn’t wake up on their own . DH and I woke up and finished getting ready. I was doing the whole ‘soft’ waking the kids up; opening their door, turning on the hallway light, using a blender, opening the blinds in their rooms. Still passed out. I have a picture of them still totally out at 7:15. I even took the covers off DD. DH was not as soft; he went in turned on lights and said it’s time to get up and go! Kids still took a bit. We finally got them dressed, DD wanted to wear her princess dress and DH said no. I told them that the first thing we were doing was meeting a princess so that was fine.


We got out the door only a little later than planned. We left around 7:50. Somehow, we missed the turn and had a 12-minute round trip detour. Ugh. When we got out of the car I was a little chilled and wished I had something long sleeve. I only had a tank top on. I figured it would warm up quickly though, and it did!


I didn’t think about the fact that when you get to Magic Kingdom you still have to get on the monorail or ferry to get to the actual park. We got there and the ferry was not running due to the fog. They had buses running, but we didn’t want to mess with the stroller on a bus. The line for the monorail was really long. I think we finally made it onto Main Street around 9:15 a.m. We rushed to our first FP – Meet Rapunzel and Tiana.


Then we watched Mickey’s PhilharMagic. DS didn’t mind it, but DD was a little scared. I don’t think I’d do the 3D stuff again with kids this age. We then rode on the Carousel – which they loved. DS didn’t want to get off. I’m glad we did it when we did because after that the line was long the rest of the day (I think the minimum we saw was 40 minutes - or else we would have done it again). We did Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid and the kids loved that. We wanted to meet Ariel, but the wait was 40 minutes and we didn’t think the kids would wait in line that well.


Our next FP was at 11:30 for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The kids liked this one. They wanted to play with the stuff in the standby line and where bummed that they couldn't . I think this is the point that DD said “can we get some ice cream to cool off?”. She picks up everything! That did not work though, much to her disappointment. We told DD that she had been such a good girl on the trip that she got to pick out one thing from the store (Fantasy Faire). She quickly picked out some Minnie Mouse ears. She had seen them in AK and had asked for them several times that day. DH tried to get her to look at other things to be sure, but when I told him that she asked for them a lot in AK he dropped it. She was very happy!


This must have been the store that they did BBB because the little girls were everywhere. We asked to take DD’s pictures even though she didn’t do it and they said yes. Her hair looks greasy from sunblock and sweat, so they are not the best. Next time I would do it earlier in the day.


We decided to make our way towards lunch. I wanted to make sure I knew where it was and figured we could do things close by. We went to Main Street, DH looked in some shops for a hat, then we went to the bakery and got Starbucks – man was that hidden. I had to ask where Starbucks was. I figured if there was one in the other two parks, there would be one here as well. We found The Crystal Palace and went past it to climb the Swiss Family Treehouse. I really liked this having watched the movie many times as a kid. DH hadn’t seen the movie, so we watched it when we got back. The kids enjoyed climbing the stairs. We had to pick up DS because he was going his speed and there were people behind us waiting. He wasn’t too happy with that.


We then went to check in. I waited in line while DH took the kids to watch whatever parade was going on. Our reservations were for 1:10 but I don’t think we were seated until 1:30. Pooh and Eeyore were already walking around. We hadn’t been to our table long when Pooh stopped by. I was surprised how much DS liked him. We have some Pooh books, but not a ton. After he walked away DS kept saying “Bear”. The kids ate well here. I didn’t like many of the options, but loved the sweet spoon cornbread. That was delicious and I had more than one serving - and have since made it at home!


We were going to try to go to Tom Sawyer Island after lunch, but the boat launch was closed. After we looked again, I think we should have gone to a different boat launch. We went to the Liberty Square Riverboat one and now I see that the correct boat launch was on the other side of it. We’ll have to do it next time. DS fell asleep around that time anyway. We made our way to Mad Tea Party. DH took DD on that ride. She really liked it. I could see her laughing. We kept checking Arial times, but the wait was long. We then went to our next 3:20 FP – Enchanted Tales with Belle. I took DD while DH stayed with sleeping DS. DD thought it was cool, but I’m not sure if she really understood what was going on. I think partly because she was tired. When we came out DS was awake. We were going to change the kids and head to the splash pad, but I realized I forgot to pack swimsuits. It ended up being fine because they didn’t like it. They like water coming up from the ground, but not down from above. We thought about taking the Railroad because I thought the kids would like it, but DH nixed that.


Since DH didn’t use his FP at Enchanted Tales with Bell I had gotten him one on Dumbo. After DD and I used ours we were set for our 4th so I booked us at Dumbo as well. The times were 30 minutes off, but they let us all go together. I think it was around 4:00. DS loved this ride and kept saying “again, again”. Too bad the standby line was somewhere around 50 minutes!


DH then spotted the M&G for Minnie and Daisy. That line was long and the kids kept going under the ropes. That was the longest line we had to wait in and they were a handful. I think partially because it’s just ropes, and because there’s nothing to look at. While we were in line, they said Minnie was on break and would be back in 40 minutes, but we could come back and they would bump us. Thankfully, Minnie came out before it was our turn. The kids liked seeing them. DS also wanted to see Donald and I think it was Goofy, but we didn’t want to wait in that line again.


I messed up and had gotten a FP for DH for Peter Pan’s Flight thinking we could do rider swap. Then I realized that because there wasn’t a height restriction they don’t have rider swap. DH told me to take DS and he would do something with DD. We went, and while in line I got us all FP for The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. I got out and DH calls to me from it’s a small world line. He says he can’t find his phone and asks me to check the stroller again. I check all over the stroller, before I give up I look in the diaper bag. It was at the very bottom of the diaper bag! I go back to it’s a small world. I can see him, but can’t get his attention. I get to him – he was very happy! I know people give this ride a hard time, but I actually liked it. The music didn’t bother me, and I liked how all the rooms were set up.


After that, we made our way to the Aladdin ride for our FP. At this point DH has decided we’re staying for the show. We had talked about our itinerary before we left for the trip, before I booked FP’s and the night before. I wish we had picked which night we would stay for the show because I would have let the kids sleep in that day. DD was diffidently getting tired. Going into it, I had accepted the fact that I didn’t think the kids would last until a show any night.


DS loved the Aladdin ride! Of course, it’s very similar to Dumbo. After that, we had a bathroom break and ate the remainder of our snacks. DH decided we should make our way to find a spot for the show. It was around 6:00 or 6:30 at this time. I thought he was a little crazy, but apparently not! We found a spot and then I went to go get food. I went to Casey’s Corner and ordered off the app – very easy. While waiting I was looking for somewhere on the app to order food for myself. I didn’t see many options nearby so I just placed another order for myself - DH said he wasn't hungery. I got everything and headed back.


Boy was it crowded! I made it back and we started to eat when we realized we were out of water – all four water bottles! I go back through the crowd – really getting crazy at this point! I look by the bathrooms, but couldn’t find one, so I went into the baby center to ask someone where one was and she pointed me to one in the building.


We hadn’t used any of the baby center’s yet. I was impressed with what I saw when I went in. I would definitely check it out if you have a baby, or a really picky eater. They had the food pouches and other baby food items. Also, looked like they had quite spaces if babies needed a break from all the stimulation.


As I was making my way back people were starting to get mad at me. I was trying to tell people I’m trying to get back to my family. I was about 8 feet away from them when they made the announcement for people to stand up. I spoke loudly and asked people to please wait one minute so I could get back to my family and pointed to them. Whew, that wasn’t fun. Note to self: check water and get food before finding a spot for the show!


DD was getting really tired and was almost asleep. DH was holding her and trying to keep her awake. DS was really excited because someone had a bubble maker behind us. I think this really saved us. If they were not there he would have been so bored and wanting to get going. Finally, the show started (it starts at 7:50 p.m.). It was a really amazing show. DD liked it, though I could really tell how tired she was. DS liked it for a while, but then wanted the bubbles again.


DH really liked it so I’m glad we stayed. DD fell asleep in the stroller as soon as we started walking towards the exit. I decided to just hold DS and not try to put him in the carrier. He was in a good mood so that helped. Whenever we passed the bubble makers he wanted one – didn’t happen. We waited for the ferry, which didn’t take too long (we have pictures in line at 8:35 p.m.). DS was excited about being on the ferry. We walked back to our car, changed DS diaper and made it out of the parking lot without having to wait again. DD slept the entire time. DS fell asleep right away. We transferred both kids from car to bed.


I’m a little bummed we didn’t do the Jungle Cruise, Tom Sawyer Island, or Pirates of the Caribbean, but I’m not sure when we would have fit them in. If we had known what the splash pad was like that’s probably when we would have done it instead. We’ll have to make sure to try them next time. Also, I had on my notes to try an Aloha Isle which never happened. That’s on the list for next time too!


We cleaned up a bit around the condo, getting ready for our last day. Then we headed to bed.

Random Note: I don't list them all - not even close, but we made a ton of restroom and water breaks. I drink a lot of water even when I'm not active. We would refill at restaurants, Starbucks and water fountains. I was a little disappointed that some of the companion bathrooms didn't have changing tables in them. Usually, the wait for a changing table was shorter for DH so he took DS in most of the time.

 

[sjrec]

With two little ones I’m so impressed with how much you got done every day! And what a great idea to break up the trip with a beach day!

 

[MNswimmer18]

With two little ones I’m so impressed with how much you got done every day! And what a great idea to break up the trip with a beach day!

Thanks! I was too. Our kids were such troopers. We really liked the beach day! We could have done a water park, or pool but figured this would give them a way to rest up for the rest of the trip with less stimulation. And the car ride was great for naps. Plus, they loved being on the sand and having something with zero entry to walk in.

 

[MNswimmer18]

This is the first time I've broken down the cost of a trip after the fact. I think I'll do that for future trips. Usually, we try to save money while on vacation by eating in, where we stay, etc. I don't think we did too bad this time, though it was diffidently one of our most expensive trips. I'd be interested to see how it compares with others. I compiled most these after looking at my bank account. We paid for some stuff with gift cards so I just listed a total for gift cards. Most of the gift cards went to food. One was a $100 VISA someone gave us, the rest were Disney gift cards I pre-purchased. I think next time I would get more Disney gift cards, now that I have a base to go off of.

Condo Rental: $436.45 - 5 nights for a 2 bed, 2 bath
Parking at Disney parks: $66 - 3 days
Plane tickets, Disney tickets and car rental: $2789.21 - 3 plane tickets, 6 adult Disney tickets & 3 child tickets (3 parks/person), and a small SUV
Eating out: $668.13 - includes all meals and snacks out
Souvenirs: $147.17 - I included the towels we ditched, and candy from Goofy Candy store here (DH said the candy was his souvenir). The towel's were $12.87.
Gas: $45.30
Groceries: $143.06 - includes cost of diapers and any food we purchased at Target or Walmart
Gift cards: $300

Grand Total: $4595.32
Per day cost: $768.89

 

[MNswimmer18]

Day 6 – Disney Springs and Homeward Bound

We go up in the morning and ate breakfast. We decided to head to the splash pad one more time. We got the kids in their swimsuits and headed over, only to find out that the pool opens at 8:00, but the splash pad doesn’t open until 9. It was only 8:05. I purchased some milk and went back to the condo to make some fruit smoothies (DH had for some reason purchased a really big bag of frozen fruit we needed to use up). I went back outside and they were playing at the playground. They played until 9:00 when the splash pad opened up. They really loved playing in it. Around 10:00, we went back to the condo and finished packing up. We headed off to Disney Springs. We walked around (DH was still looking for a hat) for a while.

We went into a few stores and enjoyed the different performers. They had a high school band, a high school orchestra, and a few other musicians in different areas. We were trying to decide on lunch. DH wanted to go to the Boathouse again, but we also wanted to ask around to see if there was anywhere else we should try. Our flight was at 6:55 p.m. so our plan was to eat lunch at DS and then eat dinner at the Airport.

We asked around and decided to go with Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. A lot of people suggested Rainforest Café, but we have one where we live, so we wanted something different. I was looking on the Disney app and many of the restaurants where saying they didn’t have reservations or didn’t have reservations until after 2:00 p.m. so I was a little worried. When we got to Raglan Road there was plenty of space and we got a spot on the patio right away. They must only book a small percentage on the app.

I had the Boaring Burger – I really liked it. I got it mostly for the toppings. DH got a burger too, but I can’t remember which one. After we left we walked around some more. I was hopping DS would fall asleep, but that was not happening. The kids were having fun running around. We decide to head to the airport or just drive around for a little once we got close to the airport.

Well, DS finally fell asleep on the way to the car. He transferred great - he must have been really tired! Soon both kids were asleep. We headed to the airport, but didn’t really find a good spot to stop and let them sleep a little longer. We thought we might be able to park the car at the rental place and sit there for a while – oh no. They had doors open as soon as we parked and ushering us out. DD transferred to the stroller still asleep. I put DS in the carrier hopping he would go back down, but he didn’t. We had someone help us to the Delta check in, which was a huge help.

We had checked in online, but I needed to print our tickets, and drop off one car seat and the pack n play. The woman at the counter wanted to charge us for the pack n play. I told her I’ve flown over 6 times on Delta with the pack n pay and haven’t been charged for it before. She was adamant, but said she would ask her supervisor. Her supervisor immediately said it was free. So I don’t know if she didn’t want to deal with us, or if it’s truly free. However, as I said, I’ve never been charged for it before.

The security line was extremely long. DD was still asleep, but DS wasn’t having it. He kept crying and trying to get out of the carrier. I decided I wouldn’t wear him again – he’s just getting too big and too strong. If I wasn’t pregnant, that would be another story. We finally make it up to our turn (I think we were in line for over 30 minutes at this point). DD woke up at and wasn’t happy. We make it through security and to our gate. There wasn’t a lot of food options around, so we finish off our snacks. None of us were very hungry so that ended up being okay.

We were the first to board, which was helpful. The flight was rough. The kids wanted to watch movies, but DS kept touching the screen – they really need an adult setting! I was hoping DS would fall asleep like he did on the way out, but was not so lucky. He was getting tired of being on the plane and getting fussy. DS fell asleep as we were making our approach (sleeping for about 10 minutes before we landed). DS was not happy about waking up. When we got off the plane, I had to rush DD to the bathroom, so left DH to fend for himself with the car seat and getting the stroller. We make it down to luggage claim and I sat with the kids while DH gets car seats in his uncle’s van and our stuff. When the pile is small enough, I helped grab the rest and the kids and we all loaded up. Both kids passed out on the ride home.

We made it home and kids in bed without waking up.

Post trip wrap up

DH was looking at the photo pass pictures and said he wished we did that. We had talked about it before we left for the trip and on day two. We did not end up doing it, but he said he didn’t like to always hand over his phone instead of enjoying the moment. He also noted that some of their pictures were better. So I think next time we will pay for it.

We talked about it and decided we would go again in 5-10 years. We have many other trips we would like to do too. I liked this age because DS was free to get in and free to fly. I think they both really enjoyed it a lot. DD has been talking about it. She said her favorite thing was the carousel and splash pads was her favorite part, but now she’s saying the rides – especially the boat rides.

As I’ve been working on this I can tell I already want to go back sooner rather than later. Part of the problem is DH works weekends (every weekend) so his PTO goes really quick. We already have all of his vacation planned for next year (a sisters wedding - out of state, visit another of my sisters/DC, visit college town for 10 year reunion, possibly another wedding or two) the following year we want to go to Utah and I think we have at least one maybe two weddings to go to, plus if he joins me for any of my bike rides or swims. Ugh. Plus we have some projects to do on our house.

The other day I was talking with DD about Disney World (she brought it up) and she said she wanted to go again. I said I do too, but it will be a while. She asked how long that was and I said "several years", she asked how long that was and I said 'maybe when you're 10" she said "how about when I'm 4". Nice try kid - she turns 4 in July.

 

[twoolle]

I hope you make it back soon! But I definitely understand wanting to go bmp other places too.

I always admire parents that fly with kids...only 1 of my 4 has ever been on an airplane...and once was enough!

 

[MNswimmer18]

I hope you make it back soon! But I definitely understand wanting to go bmp other places too.

I always admire parents that fly with kids...only 1 of my 4 has ever been on an airplane...and once was enough!

I'm surprised how much we've flown! DD flew twice by the time she was 4 months old! Once for a wedding and once solo with me to visit my grandmother - now she's up to 4 time. DS has now flown twice to CA and FL. We did drive to MT before DD was two weeks old and I drove DD with a sister and her son to MD for another sister's wedding - so we do go that route too. For us it depends on vacation time and time to travel. Especially since DH's vacation goes so fast! DH did say that we should either drive next trip, or have someone come along to help. DD has been asking so frequently when we get to go again. I hope it's sooner than I think.