Take Your 2-Year-Old to Disney! Aug '17 TR * COMPLETE 1/10/19

Completely out of my mind excited. We've had a paper chain countdown since 99 days. No shame. We rented DVC points through David's and we're staying at BLT :love: I am pumped. Mostly because we won't have to fold the stroller :laughing:

We started a paper chain at 100 days! :hyper: Great minds think alike!
BLT! Awesome! And not having to fold the stroller is a great perk!

Following along! Last year was our DD and DS's first trip, and Disney is wonderful by itself but seeing the magic through their eyes made it 110% better!!!

Definitely! Thanks for following along.

Enjoying your trip report! We just got back from our Labor Day week trip and experienced Pandora and FOP for the first time, as well. I feel the same way as you. So amazing!!!!

I'm so glad you're enjoying the TR and that you had an amazing trip!

Wow, that really is amazing all that they did for DD's meal. And then free on top of that. Glad to see your allergy fears were put to rest and you all could actually enjoy the meal!

Yup, it was such an awesome way to start.

Too funny. I guess some stories are just told over and over, as I never made the Pocahontas connection but I've always said Avatar was just Dances with Wolves on another planet :-)

I've never seen Dances with Wolves... :blush: But I guess now I don't have to! :rotfl:

So glad you got to ride and the wait wasn't too long. Can't wait to experience it for myself!

I can't wait to see what you think!

Joining in, so happy to see a TR from you! Also, so glad that you've made Ryann a WDW fan - your DH will no choice now, haha.

Totally agree about taking two year olds. One of my favorite trips was when Izzy was 23 months, actually (just made the cut off for a free flight too!)

I cannot wait to ride FoP! I've heard so many amazing reviews like yours! Only a couple more weeks to go!

Thanks! So glad you're here! :goodvibes DH is totally outnumbered now! Muah ha ha! Taking a 2 year old was awesome but I can't imagine doing it by myself! Was that one of the trips you did just the two of you?

Jumping in to follow along! Love it so far!

We will be taking our almost 2yo twins to WDW for the first time next November. Like your DH, I had some mixed feelings about whether they would be too young, but ultimately decided to go for it, especially since my oldest DS will be 10 and we want to take him one more time before he's a tween/teen.

So happy to have you follow along! :goodvibes Glad you're going for it! How old was your oldest DS for his first trip?
 
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Chapter 4
In Which the Magic Begins

I was exhausted from last night's adventure and waking up too early and then being too excited to fall back asleep. And of course, even though I was up early, we still didn't leave on time. I literally have recurring nightmares that I'm in WDW and am so late I ruin all my plans, so I was basically living my nightmare! :scared:

It actually wasn't so bad. I wanted to leave by 7 and we were out the door at 7:10. As we headed to Bus Stop #2 I saw a bus coming so I ran to catch it but it was for AK, followed closely by buses for Epcot and DHS. Of course. According to the schedule at the bus stop, we would have 10 minutes to wait.


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I took this on the way to the bus stop. Doesn't DH look thrilled for our first park day? :laughing:

Someone was excited though!
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A bus came at 7:30 and we were arriving at MK at 7:55. Security and entering the park were a breeze and soon we were on Main Street. I had pictured this moment in my mind so many times, as we walked toward DD's first look at the castle. It didn't go exactly as I had imagined, as she seemed to have a hard time finding it at first...

I just love that smile and shriek at the end.

We had an ADR at Be Our Guest at 8:20 but I knew we would be able to get in once we got there, even if we were early, and I wanted to be early so we would definitely be out in time to get on line for PP before the park officially opened. We headed that way and I very quickly snapped a few pictures as we walked.

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She's munching on some cheerios and didn't care to stop chewing and smile for the picture.
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We checked in at BOG at about 8:10 and got on this line. I was starting to worry about having enough time to eat and get out. Even though this line looked really long, once it started moving we moved all the way inside.

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As soon as we were inside DD gasped and pointed at the ballroom and exclaimed "Be Our Guest!" which was totally shocking because she's never actually seen Beauty & the Beast. We've watched "Be Our Guest" on YouTube but that's all, so I guess she somehow recognized it from that? Obviously she's a Disney-freak in the making with raw, natural talent.

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At 8:21 we paid using dining credits and looked for a table. We walked into the West Wing just to check it out but decided it was too dark to eat with DD. I was nervous about the meal because of her allergies and wanted to be able to see exactly what she was eating. We got our drinks and sat in the ballroom near the entrance/exit and waited for our food. And waited. And waited. And watched people who came in after us get their food. I was starting to get really nervous that our food wasn't going to come, that we had somehow gotten skipped even though we had pre-ordered and by the time we sorted it out, we wouldn't have time to eat and still get to Peter Pan before 9. After 20 minutes of waiting I was in an all-out panic and I think DH was ready to kill me. Between worrying about not getting our food, and also worrying about DD's food being delivered in the same cart as meals with egg, I was about to hyperventilate. Two CMs had come to check our receipt and still no food! I was going to ask for help from a third CM when two of our meals came. I was so relieved we hadn't been forgotten and even more relieved to learn that DD's food wouldn't be arriving with the regular meals. A manager brought hers out separately and confirmed it was an allergy meal. I had been fuming because the whole reason I booked BOG was so we could easily get to PP before the masses. Now that our food had arrived, I realized I had been stressing out way too much and needed to calm down. I wonder if our food took so long because the allergy meal had to be prepared separately. If so, it was well worth the wait because DD ate safely and she really enjoyed her pastries.

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I just have to say, this breakfast was a great use of our dining plan quick-service credits, but it's a terrible value out-of-pocket. DD's meal cost $14. She literally got one waffle. Oh and a few pieces of fruit. I can't complain about the pastries because they were safe and delicious and this was a very exciting treat for her, but this really wasn't $14 worth of food. And if you think that was pricey, the adult meals were $24 each!

When DH and I are eating unsafe food near DD, we take turns eating. I let him eat first since he can't stand when his food gets cold. He had eggs, bacon, and home fries. He scarfed it down and hurried to wash his hands so I could eat. He said it was okay.

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My quiche was really good, but in my rush to eat it I was thinking it was really lacking some sort of crust. Uh duh... it was that buttery, flaky, crust right underneath it. I had maybe two bites left when I realized the crust was separate but still underneath.


(continued in the next post)
 
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My quiche with my separate crust :laughing:
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DH and my pastries:
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DD ate a ton of cake for breakfast and took one bite of her waffle. She didn't really want her fruit other than a grape so I cut it in half like I do at home. She apparently didn't want it cut because she cried hysterically and threw it on the floor. You know what that means... Time to go! I packed her waffle in a to-go box and we ran out of BOG just as the welcome show was starting. Perfect timing!

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The line for PP stretched back to the carousel but I knew that was only because no one was being allowed in the queue yet. As soon as the welcome show finished we were able to walk all the way through the queue, which looked really neat, and we were on the ride maybe a minute later. DD seemed overstimulated and didn't really react to the ride.

Next we went to Winnie the Pooh. We entered the queue at 9:10 and the posted wait was 15 minutes. It was actually a 10 minute wait but DD really enjoyed the interactive queue.

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She loved the ride. She was totally enraptured the whole time. It was pure magic.

Our priorities this morning were to meet Mary Poppins and Peter Pan. We still had some time before Mary was scheduled to meet so we went to meet Ariel at her grotto. She had a 10 minute posted wait time but it was actually only 2 minutes. This would be DD's first face character ever and I wasn't sure how she would react.

Before I was even ready to take a video, the CM told her it was her turn and she ran right to Ariel. I was shocked at how quickly and confidently she just took off running. She was so happy to see Ariel and also really excited about having her sign her autograph book.

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DD was very quiet but she was so taken with Ariel and this was such an awesome first character experience. I was floating as we left the grotto.

Here are a few Photopass pictures that I accidentally left out of the first part:

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We didn't even pose her. She just did that on her own!


Up Next:
"Wanted: A nanny for two adorable children"
 

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We had a pretty long wait for our PPO BOG breakfast that we preordered too! I was just as nervous as you, but in the end it all worked out and we got 2 rides on mine train before the masses got there.
 


Following along! We were there 2 weeks after you! I also loooovveed Flight of Passage! And the lab was so cool with so many hidden details I would have liked spending more time there, but the line there moves too quickly! All the people holding up the line to take a selfie with the avatar!
 
Someone was excited though!
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She looks so excited!!!! Love, love, love her shirt

It didn't go exactly as I had imagined, as she seemed to have a hard time finding it at first...
This is precious and so perfect!

As soon as we were inside DD gasped and pointed at the ballroom and exclaimed "Be Our Guest!" which was totally shocking because she's never actually seen Beauty & the Beast. We've watched "Be Our Guest" on YouTube but that's all, so I guess she somehow recognized it from that? Obviously she's a Disney-freak in the making with raw, natural talent.
Wow, that is some serious natural talent there. I wonder where she got it from!

Now that our food had arrived, I realized I had been stressing out way too much and needed to calm down. I wonder if our food took so long because the allergy meal had to be prepared separately. If so, it was well worth the wait because DD ate safely and she really enjoyed her pastries.
Did this become your norm for the rest of the trip? Sounds logical it takes longer to prepare an allergy meal, just wondering if you encountered this everywhere.

efore I was even ready to take a video, the CM told her it was her turn and she ran right to Ariel. I was shocked at how quickly and confidently she just took off running. She was so happy to see Ariel and also really excited about having her sign her autograph book.

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Success!!!! She looks so enamored with her
 
We had a pretty long wait for our PPO BOG breakfast that we preordered too! I was just as nervous as you, but in the end it all worked out and we got 2 rides on mine train before the masses got there.

That's awesome! I knew we wouldn't get to ride PP before the park opened but I was still happy to know I would have a super short wait on line.

Following along! We were there 2 weeks after you! I also loooovveed Flight of Passage! And the lab was so cool with so many hidden details I would have liked spending more time there, but the line there moves too quickly! All the people holding up the line to take a selfie with the avatar!

Welcome! How were the crowds when you were there? Are you writing a TR?

Love, love, love her shirt

S made the shirt for her!

Wow, that is some serious natural talent there. I wonder where she got it from!

;)::yes::

Did this become your norm for the rest of the trip? Sounds logical it takes longer to prepare an allergy meal, just wondering if you encountered this everywhere.

Yes and no... BOG was our only quick service restaurant where we ordered for Ryann. At the sit-down restaurants, we did have to wait because her food was prepared fresh and Bobby and I were almost always eating off the buffet. But considering they were cooking her things that weren't even on the menu a lot of the times, I felt like it ways taken care of very quickly. For the most part, we had really great dining experiences throughout the trip. Just a few hiccups...
 


Hi guys, I just want to update on why I've been absent from the boards!

I've taken a little break to focus on a side-project. I'm working on a video of all the best pictures and video clips from the trip. I was going to save this for after the trip report but part of the reason I'm making it is so that DD will hopefully remember the trip better. As the weeks are passing, she's talking about Disney World less and less so I decided I'd work on the video now as quickly as I can so that she'll have it to watch and help her remember :goodvibes

I'm hoping to have it finished by next weekend, and then I'll return to continue the TR with more regular updates. I'm so sorry for the disappearance, and hope that you will all continue to follow the TR when I return!
 
Chapter 5
In Which We are Practically Perfect in Every Way

Up next was one of our most important "Must-Do"s of the whole trip. We needed to find Mary Poppins. Mary was one of the first Disney characters Ryann was exposed to, and she has always loved her, Bert, and all of the songs. To be fair, Mary has always been one of my favorite characters too and I was so excited to meet her and especially for Ryann to meet her. Before the trip, I subscribed to Kenny the Pirate's character locator for the first time. According to his site, Mary would be arriving in her greeting location in Liberty Square in a few minutes. We headed over and I wasn't even sure we were in the right place because there was nothing and nobody around.

I checked the MDE app and Mary Poppins wasn't even on it! I had definitely seen her listed on the app under characters a few days before, but today she wasn't on there at all. I saw a group of CMs walking toward us so I asked them, and they had no idea. I was so sad and disappointed. One of them offered to go double check for us, so we waited for him to return. As it got later and later, and eventually passed the time we were expecting her, I had given up hope. When he came back, he told us that Mary was on her way, and showed us where we could line up. Not even 2 minutes later the music in the area changed to "Jolly Holiday" and Mary walked over to us, held Ryann's hand, and led her to a nearby gazebo. Guys, I seriously had tears streaming down my face as I watched this unfold. It was just so freaking magical, I couldn't even take it. Ryann was completely in awe of her.


Ryann was very shy and quiet. She'd literally been talking about seeing Mary Poppins for months, and she was so star-struck I don't think she said a single word to her. But regardless, the whole meet was so magical and I'm so glad we stuck around to wait for her. My subscription to the character locator was totally worth it just for this meet alone.

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I was on such a high that I totally forgot that I had been planning to go meet Peter Pan right after this, another high priority on our Must-Do list. Instead, we wandered over to Tomorrowland. It was 9:45 and Buzz was supposed to meet at 10. While we waited we put on sunscreen and DD kept saying she wanted to hug Buzz. DH asked her what Buzz says and DD says, "Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious." Someone was still thinking about meeting Mary Poppins :goodvibes


We were second in line for Buzz and as soon as he came into view DD turned to me and urgently said, "I don't want to hug him, Mommy!" Oops... I guess I should have warned her that he wouldn't be the size of a toy. I picked her up but she was still a little scared. To make conversation, I asked Buzz if we could push his red button. He seriously jumped away from me and showed me there was a pretend button in the background scenery that we could push instead. Oops, sorry Buzz! Didn't mean to scare you.

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Next we used our FP for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. DD didn't like it. We got stuck for a couple minutes and she kept saying "C'mon Mommy, let's go." She didn't even want to push the button to shoot the laser.

At 10:40 we got to Goofy's Barnstomer.

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At first the CM didn't think she was tall enough but when she stood up straight she just barely made it! The CM was definitely rooting for her to be able to make it. He let me keep adjusting her feet until she was fully standing up as straight as possible :laughing: The wait was posted as 15 minutes but it was really only a 10 minute wait. It was really sunny now and uncomfortably hot. DD finished her waffle from breakfast while we waited.
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The CM at the front of the line said he would have to measure DD again, which I expected. But then he said to just go, so we did. She was really excited for the big roller coaster, and she stayed excited the whole way up... but as soon as we started to go fast she got really scared and started screaming. Like a good mom, I filmed the whole thing. Don't worry, I also hugged her and assured her that I had her. She calmed down a little but when we got off she said, "I don't like that ride!"

DH ran through the splash area with DD. I wish I had brought her water shoes so she could have played, but I left them in our room.

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We went to Pete's Silly Sideshow and let DD choose who she wanted to meet. I was glad she picked Donald and Goofy because they had a 2 minute wait. Minnie and Daisy's line was way longer. When we got inside and she saw them, she wanted to meet them too but we just told her maybe later, and she was fine with that answer. At first she didn't want to go to Donald, so DH went to him first and gave him a hug. Then DD ran right up to give him a hug too. DH taught her to say that Donald is the best, although she didn't want to say it to him. DH did, and Donald got very excited.

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^^ This is a guy who claims he doesn't like Disney
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Showing Goofy her shirt:

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At some point while we were in Fantasyland I realized I had totally forgotten to go meet Peter Pan and was so mad at myself. I wanted to see him at his first set because his meet and greet is so popular. After we met Goofy and Donald, I realized we had another opportunity to meet Peter Pan now, so we raced over there. We got there at 11:50, 10 minutes before he was scheduled to arrive. There were a few groups of people waiting in front of us but it wasn't bad at all compared to how many people lined up behind us. While we were waiting, DD kept yelling "Peter, where are you!?"

I changed her into her Peter Pan shirt that S had made for her while we were waiting. It's hard to see but it says "I'm so fly I Neverland"
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One of the groups in front of us were Disney-bounding extraordinaires. I really wished I could be friends with them.

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DD was so excited when it was finally her turn. She ran to Peter and was completely in awe of him. He talked to her about the "pixie dust" on her shirt. DH asked where Tink is, and DD repeated after him, which was really cute. Peter pointed toward Main Street and started describing to DD how she will shrink down to the size of a fairy. All the while he's talking, DD just kept snuggling up closer and closer to his face. Finally Peter actually made a comment about how she really likes to cuddle. It was really funny, and then I realized that I hadn't been filming this whole time! I got the very end but I was so mad at myself for not realizing that the video never started. I was practically in tears and DH kept telling me to let it go, which aggravated me even more.

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She's so close to him her eyes are practically crossed :rotfl:

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I didn't mention it, but we rode Peter Pan's flight earlier with a FP. I honestly don't even remember where we squeezed that in to our busy morning and it's not in my notes. But I know we did it. We had our 3rd FP coming up now for something I had never done before...

I took a castle pic while we were on our way to our destination. I don't have many pics with such a beautiful blue sky from this trip...
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I've taken a little break to focus on a side-project. I'm working on a video of all the best pictures and video clips from the trip. I was going to save this for after the trip report but part of the reason I'm making it is so that DD will hopefully remember the trip better.
Hope all is going well! I put together an iMovie of all of our trips and its always great to go back and revisit it!

uys, I seriously had tears streaming down my face as I watched this unfold. It was just so freaking magical, I couldn't even take it. Ryann was completely in awe of her.
What a magical interaction!!! Glad you all waited and Mary was everything she should be. Casey had the starstruck thing going on all our early trips, but Ryann will eventually learn that it is completely normal for someone from your TV to come to life :-)

Ryann was very shy and quiet. She'd literally been talking about seeing Mary Poppins for months, and she was so star-struck I don't think she said a single word to her. But regardless, the whole meet was so magical and I'm so glad we stuck around to wait for her. My subscription to the character locator was totally worth just for this meet alone.

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Love this picture. Glad both of you enjoyed it!

We were second in line for Buzz and as soon as he came into view DD turned to me and urgently said, "I don't want to hug him, Mommy!"
Oh no! I can only fathom what a kid is thinking when a toy comes to life in a movie and then in real life. Gotta blow her little mind! I don't think I'd wanna hug him either.

She was really excited for the big roller coaster, and she stayed excited the whole way up... but as soon as we started to go fast she got really scared and started screaming. Like a good mom, I filmed the whole thing. Don't worry, I also hugged her and assured her that I had her. She calmed down a little but when we got off she said, "I don't like that ride!"
This was Casey's exact reaction when we first did the roller coaster. I'm happy to report though at the ripe old age of 6 she conquered her first upside down roller coaster this weekend and I fully think ole' Goofy got her started in the right direction
 
Hope all is going well! I put together an iMovie of all of our trips and its always great to go back and revisit it!

I finished it today! :hyper: DD hasn't seen it yet. DH said he would watch it tonight. I realize it may also be good propaganda to convince DH to book another trip :rotfl:

What a magical interaction!!! Glad you all waited and Mary was everything she should be. Casey had the starstruck thing going on all our early trips, but Ryann will eventually learn that it is completely normal for someone from your TV to come to life :-)

It was amazing! And you're right... by the end of the trip she was talking up a storm with everyone.

Oh no! I can only fathom what a kid is thinking when a toy comes to life in a movie and then in real life. Gotta blow her little mind! I don't think I'd wanna hug him either.

Yeah, I didn't think how scary that would be. She definitely expected him to be small like her toy Buzz.

This was Casey's exact reaction when we first did the roller coaster. I'm happy to report though at the ripe old age of 6 she conquered her first upside down roller coaster this weekend and I fully think ole' Goofy got her started in the right direction

Wow Casey! I didn't go on my first upside down coaster until I was 18! Good for her! Did she like it?
 
Chapter 6
In which Pixie Dust Will Help You Nap

It was weird seeing MK decorated for Fall and Halloween already. I had seriously considered getting tickets for MNSSHP but ultimately decided it wasn't worth it until DD was a little older. I didn't think she would last until midnight, and I'd rather wait and go when she can really enjoy it. It's expensive, even just for 2 people!
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We were on our way to use our 3rd scheduled FP.

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The standby wait for Mickey was 45 minutes and for Tinkerbell was 40 minutes. We had a FP to meet Mickey, which I had never done at this location before. We decided to also use our bonus FP that we had received yesterday for our trouble with changing rooms. This bonus FP was awesome. All we had to do was show up to any attraction (except 7DMT) and scan our magic band whenever we wanted, and it would automatically let us in as though we had a FP scheduled. Not gonna lie, it felt super VIP.

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Tinkerbell was super chatty and spent such a long time with DD. She also commented about the pixie dust on DD's shirt and asked us if Peter Pan talked a lot about her. This was another fabulous meet.

Then we used our regular FP to meet Mickey. He must have been taking a break after seeing us because they had stopped the line and when it was our turn, we were the only ones in the room with him. It was really neat. DD really liked the projection of the card on the ground.
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Mickey talking was really neat. He asked the kid in front of us to pretend they were on Roadster Racers. DD loves that show so that would've been cool if he said that to DD. He asked her if she wanted to help him wave the checkered flag at the race. She didn't really get it and just stood there. Then Mickey was like, "Never mind, how about a picture?" :laughing:

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My original plan was to leave the park by 12 to go back to Coronado for a nap. It was now 1:00. We waited a few minutes for a bus while DD snacked in the stroller.
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When we got back to the room she got a bath and was down for her nap a little bit after 2. She was in the pack n play and DH and I were each laying down in our own bed. DD kept telling us to sleep and wake up, clearly thinking naptime was a game. She was so chatty I finally told DH that we needed to pretend we were sleeping. She kept talking and saying a lot of things I didn't even understand. The last thing I heard her say was something about pixie dust and then she finally fell asleep at 2:45.

I got my leftovers from dinner last night out of the fridge and took them to Cafe Rix to heat up in the microwave. They were still so yummy.
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The plan was to leave Coronado at 4 to return to MK.
 
I subscribed to Kenny the Pirate's character locator for the first time.

Tell me more about this! Does it cost money?? Is it an app?

Ryann was very shy and quiet. She'd literally been talking about seeing Mary Poppins for months, and she was so star-struck I don't think she said a single word to her.

How sweet!

She was really excited for the big roller coaster, and she stayed excited the whole way up... but as soon as we started to go fast she got really scared and started screaming.

Ah! We just measured our 3 year old and she's tall enough for this on our upcoming trip. I hope it doesn't scare her! Did Ryann seem to get over it quickly?
 
Tell me more about this! Does it cost money?? Is it an app?

It's not an app. It's a website but it worked great on my phone. Google Kenny the Pirate (I'm not sure what the rules are on the boards about posting links) and it should come right up. I think it was about $8 and it was totally worth it! I had never gone out of my way before to meet characters before this trip so I needed all the help I could get. He updates the site every week with character schedules and it has maps to show you exactly where to find them. There is info on the MDE app too with character times and locations but Kenny had more info and characters than the Disney app.

Ah! We just measured our 3 year old and she's tall enough for this on our upcoming trip. I hope it doesn't scare her! Did Ryann seem to get over it quickly?

She got over it super fast. 5 minutes later she was asking to ride it again and I was like uh no you just screamed and said you didn't like it! She wasn't crying on the ride, so I guess she wasn't that scared, but I really didn't want to take her on again and chance her freaking out even more.
 
Yes! I'm not too far behind, I think i'll be able to start from the beginning :yay:

I'll be back!
 
Wow Casey! I didn't go on my first upside down coaster until I was 18! Good for her! Did she like it?
She loved it. After we went through the loop she screamed I did it, I did it, followed closely by that was awesome!!!! Hoping we can get her on rocking' roller coaster next month

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Tinkerbell was super chatty and spent such a long time with DD. She also commented about the pixie dust on DD's shirt and asked us if Peter Pan talked a lot about her. This was another fabulous meet.
This picture is perfect. Love how Ryann is posing!

The plan was to leave Coronado at 4 to return to MK.
I'm guessing after she didn't go down until 2:45 this may not go so well for you...
 
I always told DH that the plan was to bring DD to Disney before she turned 3. He used to say he wanted to wait until she was 5, and I would say that 5 will be a great age too, but we're also going to take her before she's 3 ::yes:: I don't think he believed me that she wasn't "too young" and that there would be "nothing for her to do." These are things I've heard a lot - not just from him - and they're just so wrong. If you know you're only going to take your child once, then I can understand waiting until they're a little older, but I know we will be back and she had an AMAZING time. So to those of you who may be thinking about it, BRING YOUR 2 YEAR OLD TO DISNEY! I hope that all the pictures and videos I took will be enough to help her remember it, but even if she doesn't, I will. This trip was filled with magical moments and special memories that I will always cherish.

I'm so glad you agree as well! I think for a lot of people, they think it will just be a waste of time and/or difficult (I got a lot of that from people without kids) but man it is so worth it! Especially while they are still free. Yes, it is a lot of work, but having those memories for me is top priority......



Also, I need me some Disney in my life, so I pretty much have to bring them along! :rotfl2:


Don't you just love gel manis?! They last so long!

Oh how I wish I had DH's sleeping abilities.

Same. My brain constantly works and going over things, especially right when i'm settling down for the night :sad2:

She really doesn't like being woken (who does!?) but when I said, "Where are we going today?" she hopped right out of bed and said "Disney World!" I had seriously been imagining this moment in my head for months and it was everything I had hoped it would be.

Yay!!!

We got her dressed and downstairs for breakfast and finished up the last of the packing and were out the door at 9:07, just 7 minutes behind schedule which is *very* impressive for me.

Seriously, super impressive. Honestly, anything within 30 minutes of your scheduled time is good. Under 10 minutes? Spectacular!



Great picture!

I got the headphones for less than $10 on Amazon just for this trip.

Thank goodness I saw A playing with this a few days before we left and was able to order it on Amazon. That brush gets filled with water and then you just paint and the colors show up. When it dries it turns back to black & white like new and you can paint all over again. This was the best!

Yes thanks for both of these! Was going to ask about those headphones (They look super comfy!) and i'll check out that book too, thanks!


I think DD looks so much like your hubby!



Are these rooms considered old now?! Dang, when we stayed at CSR Jan 2010, these were the new rooms!:scared1: Crazy that these will be refurbed!

One of the nice things about building 2 was that there was no construction noise back here whatsoever. After discussing it some more we decided we were really unhappy that we had to walk twice as far due to how far away the elevator was, and stairs were not an option with the strollers. I'm not one to complain but I was really upset about our room location. M called the front desk to see if there were any other rooms available to switch to. We were given a few options and chose to downgrade to a room with 2 queen beds in building 3, close to the elevators. There was only a very slight price difference but we were credited a few dollars each night. We now had a connecting room which was nice and the location was WAY better. But the best part of this was that we were also given 3 extra fastpasses to use in Magic Kingdom tomorrow! :hyper:

Sorry for all the frustration, but glad you had a great outcome!

They also insisted that DD's meal was on the house and between their kindness and generosity and the safely prepared meal for DD, the trip was off to a super magical start.

That is amazing! Very awesome how well they worked with you.

This may not seem like that big of a deal, but this was only the third time ever that DD was eating food at a restaurant. The first time she only took a few bites and ended up with hives all over her arm (most likely from contact and not from ingestion, but still upsetting). The second time was a success, but it was a very stressful meal for me because I was so nervous. For some reason, this time I felt totally comfortable and confident and I was actually able to relax and enjoy my own meal while DD ate hers. We all ate together at a restaurant and it was amazing.

Aw man, sorry momma. If one of my children had an allergy, I would be so anxious about eating out. So happy that you were able to relax a little bit, knowing that her meal was safe for her.

I was so tired but had been planning some solo time at AK and really didn't want to skip it. I considered staying back and going to bed early for about 1.5 seconds before I realized that tired or not, I would completely regret staying back and there was no way I would regret going out, even if I was tired tomorrow. I may have rushed DD's bedtime routine because I couldn't wait to go, but she was so overtired and still running around like a total nut so she really needed a quick bedtime. Then I peaced out.

:hippie:


Are we not snapchat buds?!? :confused3

So... I'm not a huge fan of the movie Avatar. I enjoyed it and thought it was visually stunning, but the story just felt like another version of Pocahontas.

100% agree! Visually, it's everything and more. Storyline is dead-on Pocahontas. I like Pocahontas personally, but Dan loathes it.

It was really pathetic how buried in my phone I was.

Um, not that pathetic since you got this pic down below!


:love:

I thought it was a rock until I looked back at the pictures later! :laughing:


:rotfl2:It took my eyes several seconds to refocus on the 'rock', hilarious!

My 1st nephew was born on Thursday night (to add to my collection of 5 nieces) and we had a quick visit with him on Friday but we're going to go visit again this evening.

Yay Congratulations!

On the way home Ryann started crying that she "wanted to go to Disney World to see Mickey and Peter Pan and go on the rides."

Calvin has whined several times about wanting to go back to DL or WDW, and while my face is displeased, my insides are jumping for joy that he loves Disney as much as I do :teeth:


Wow! I really haven't been following much Disney news (and also, trying to be surprised when I get there and see all the changes!) but geez, this is for Rivers of Light correct?

*sorry, I quoted these nearly 6 hours ago and left the computer and couldn't remember

There's just something about SE, especially at night, that's just so magical for me.

YES! It's so weird, I enjoy SE during the day, but night is a completely different experience and gives me such a joyous feeling.

I casually pretended it didn't happen as I turned around and walked right back in to grab some napkins.

:rotfl2::rotfl:

The two parties on either side of me were both large groups that had no interest in talking to me so I was pretty lonely.

:sad1: It's much more difficult to talk to groups when it's a larger group, for sure. Admittedly, DH and I get bored of each other sometimes :lmao:, so every once in a while we'll engage with people around us. I'm a chatterbox 99% of the time :hyper2: and Dan likes to play on his phone.

I snapped a few blurry pictures as I hurried through. I'm going to put the rest of my pics in a spoiler box in case anyone doesn't want to see them.

Thanks for this, I really haven't seen much.

*THIS*RIDE*WAS*LIFE-CHANGING*

EEP! I'm sooooooo excited! I have heard nothing but amazing things! Is it pretty intense for a 5 year old? I'm not even sure he would make the height limit. Need to research more....

They said to check with the hotel concierge and that I may have to request transportation that early.

You can request early transportation, for like a bus? I had no idea you could do that.

I wanted to leave by 7 and we were out the door at 7:10.

Dude you are amazing!

A bus came at 7:30 and we were arriving at MK at 7:55. Security and entering the park were a breeze and soon we were on Main Street. I had pictured this moment in my mind so many times, as we walked toward DD's first look at the castle. It didn't go exactly as I had imagined, as she seemed to have a hard time finding it at first...

First it was :rotfl:then it was :love:pixiedust:. Such a cute video!

We walked into the West Wing just to check it out but decided it was too dark to eat with DD.

Oh my gosh, so dark right?! Like ridiculously dark. I'll never be able to eat in there again I think.

You know what that means... Time to go!

YUP!:wave2:


She is so into Ariel, how adorable.




Practically perfect picture!

To make conversation, I asked Buzz if we could push his red button. He seriously jumped away from me and showed me there was a pretend button in the background scenery that we could push instead. Oops, sorry Buzz! Didn't mean to scare you.

:lmao:

Like a good mom, I filmed the whole thing.

Naturally.


Pfft, doesn't love Disney?! Could have fooled me.

"I'm so fly I Neverland"

:laughing:Love this!

One of the groups in front of us were Disney-bounding extraordinaires. I really wished I could be friends with them.

:lmao:I don't know why this made me laugh so much, but it did!


Haha, Peter's personal space is gone!

All we had to do was show up to any attraction (except 7DMT) and scan our magic band whenever we wanted, and it would automatically let us in as though we had a FP scheduled. Not gonna lie, it felt super VIP.

Very cool.


The last thing I heard her say was something about pixie dust and then she finally fell asleep at 2:45.

Eeek, so cute :lmao:
 
Hoping we can get her on rocking' roller coaster next month

That would be awesome!!

I'm guessing after she didn't go down until 2:45 this may not go so well for you...

It wasn't too bad actually...

Caught up and joining in! :goodvibes Loving your TR so far, Ryann is absolutely adorable!!

Welcome! And thank you! :goodvibes

but man it is so worth it! Especially while they are still free. Yes, it is a lot of work, but having those memories for me is top priority......

Hi! So happy you made it over here!!!! ^ Exactly!

Also, I need me some Disney in my life, so I pretty much have to bring them along! :rotfl2:

And this too :thumbsup2

My brain constantly works and going over things, especially right when i'm settling down for the night :sad2:

For me it's in the middle of the night, if I hear Ryann move, that's it my brain is on and I'll be awake for hours. Same thing if I'm up super early in the morning.

I think DD looks so much like your hubby!

She does in that pic but most of the time I think she looks like me. It's the eyes.

Are these rooms considered old now?! Dang, when we stayed at CSR Jan 2010, these were the new rooms!:scared1: Crazy that these will be refurbed!

Yup. The new rooms look very different and modern.

Are we not snapchat buds?!? :confused3

No we're not! You can PM your username if you want :)

Wow! I really haven't been following much Disney news (and also, trying to be surprised when I get there and see all the changes!) but geez, this is for Rivers of Light correct?

*sorry, I quoted these nearly 6 hours ago and left the computer and couldn't remember

Haha yes it was.

YES! It's so weird, I enjoy SE during the day, but night is a completely different experience and gives me such a joyous feeling.

So it's not just me! I think it's because when I was younger I remembered SE lit up more than I remembered the castle. Isn't that crazy? It just stirs up happy childhood feelings.

EEP! I'm sooooooo excited! I have heard nothing but amazing things! Is it pretty intense for a 5 year old? I'm not even sure he would make the height limit. Need to research more....

It is pretty intense. Not roller coaster intense... it's so hard to describe. It's intense because it's so realistic. I'm trying to imagine my 6 year old niece on it and I feel like she could do it. How tall is he? The height reqt is 44"

You can request early transportation, for like a bus? I had no idea you could do that.

Me either. I had never heard that before the CMs said it. And we didn't try it so I don't know if that was accurate. I would have used the Minnie Van but it wasn't rolled out yet (and spoiler alert, we didn't even go to AK that morning)

Pfft, doesn't love Disney?! Could have fooled me.

Right!?!?
 

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