Taking Little Miss to Meet the Mouse! ~ A May 2015 PTR ~ Trip Report Link Posted!!

[Gracefulskinny]

Taking Little Miss to Meet the Mouse!

Introduction:

Hi there and welcome to my PTR! While I have done a TR in the past {See my signature down below if you want to check it out} this is my first ever PTR. Let’s get started with the Who:

First there is me, the super planner of the family. I am a stay at home mom and spend my time “home schooling” (as much as you do home school a 2 year old) my 2 year old DD. I have always had a heart for Disney and do not know the full number of times I have been to Disney but this will be the second trip I have planned myself. My favorite princesses are Tiana, Belle and Ariel. And in my opinion the best ride in all of Disney world is the Peoplemover! Give me a Dole Whip Float and the Peoplemover and I am a happy girl!


Next is DH, also known as Pirate Fuzzball here on the Boards. He is in IT and is the one to bring home the bacon so that I can stay home with little miss. He went to Disney a few times as a kid but never really caught the Disney bug until I came along. I am proud to say that I have convinced this reluctant Disney fan to find a Love for Disney. He’s not at the willingly wearing mickey shirts stage (yet) but I’ll take it. His favorite characters are Stitch and all things Star Wars. His favorite Rides are Tower of Terror, Star Tours, and Mission Space: Orange.

Finally there is Little Miss. She will be just a month shy of 3 when we take our trip. {And yes that timing was strategic.} Right now she is truly in love with all things “Mouse!” She also loves all the songs from Frozen. This will be her first trip to Disney.
​

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Table of Contents:


The When and Why
The Where
Dining Dilemmas
Mickey Mail
Disney Training
Disney Family Movie Night-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Disney Shoes
Disney Hording
Disney Training Jackpot!
Getting Crafty- Autograph Book
Disney Family Movie Night-Toy Story 2
The Great Lambie Emergency
Park Hours!
Am I Crazy, or Does this Idea have Merit???
First Draft Itinerary Mapped Out
Disney Family Movie Night- The Little Mermaid
Finalizing ADRs
ADR DAY!
Changes
Disney Family Movie Night: Tangled
Disney Training Update
Getting Crafty- First of the Magicbands
Quick Excitement
Family Movie Night and a Christmas Adventure with a Side of Disney Training
Spring Discounts
Where Are We Staying? - Round 3
Family Movie Night: Beauty and the Beast
Getting Crafty- Magicbands part 2
The Great Stroller Decision
Etsy Dresses and Consignment Finds
Disney Training: The Zoo
Disney Family Movie Night: The Princess and the Frog
Consignment Finds- Round 2
Getting Crafty- Making Bows
Park Plans- Park Day 1
Park Plans- Park Day 2
Park Plans- Park Day 3
Park Plans- Park Day 4
Park Plans- Park Day 5
Park Plans- Park Day 6
Booking The FastPasses
Disney World Themed Birthday Party
Family Movie Night- Toy Story 3
Family Movie Night- Finding Nemo
Flower and Garden and Epcot Snacks
Snacks around the World
PINS!
Disney Clothes!
Getting Crafty- Bowpalooza!
Thank You Notes
Getting Crafty- Stroller Location Device
Getting Crafty- Making Shirts
Mickey Mail and Magic Bands!!!
Getting Crafty-Magicbands!
Final Plans- Day 1
Final Plans- Day 2
Final Plans- Day 3
Final Plans- Day 4
Final Plans- Day 5
Final Plans- Day 6
Final Plans- Day 7
Final Plans- Day 8
Final Plans- Day 9
Final Plans- Day 10
Welcome Gift
Must Dos
The Great Potty Debate
How to Find us in the Parks

 

[Gracefulskinny]

The When and Why:

It took some time to decide when to go because we knew that we wanted her first trip to be before her 3rd birthday and we wanted to avoid summer and Christmas crowds. What we did have nailed down was that we wanted 10 days 9 nights at Disney with 6 park days. We also knew that ideally we would arrive home on a Friday or Saturday.

When I started seeing trip reports from the Flower and Garden festival this year I knew that I wanted to try to experience it. Then around Mother’s day I decided how awesome it would be to get to spend Mother’s day at Disney.
What threw a wrench in deciding was whether we wanted to do Star Wars Weekends or not. After looking into it DH decided that while the Star Wars stuff might be fun it’s just not worth the extra packed crowds to experience things.

So with that in mind we decided to shoot for early May.
Our Dates are 5/6-5/15 2015.​

The things I am most looking forward to:
~Enjoying the Flower and Garden Festival
~ Introducing Little Miss to my happy place. (I expect crying will be involved at least once)
~Spending my Mother’s day with a Dole Whip on the Peoplemover and ending it watching Wishes. {Anyone with thoughts on the Dessert Party?}

 

[Gracefulskinny]

The Where:

I have to say that this time around choosing which hotel to stay at was pretty much a no brainer for DH and me. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside for our last trip and truly feel in love with the resort. We knew before we ever left that it was where we wanted to be on our next trip.

So why do we love POR so much?
There just something magical and transporting about the resort. And even in the midst of all the excitement and Hubbub of being at Disney there is a certain peace that is just embedded in that resort.

We really are hoping to stay in the Mansion section again. Not only do we prefer the look of the mansion section over the Alligator Bayou section, this time around we will be dealing with strollers and so an elevator will be necessary.

This is what the King rooms look like. This was our room last time. I really wish that we could splurge on a Royal room because not only do they look fabulous inside the rooms but it would ensure us a Mansion Section room and would free us up to request a high floor like we prefer. With just a standard booked I am still undecided about requesting such because the last thing we want to deal with is hauling a stroller up a flight of stairs along with a sleeping princess at the end of an exhausting day if we get stuck in the Alligator Bayou section.

As of right now a Royal room isn’t quiet in the budget, but maybe Santa will be nice this year and I’ll get some extra Disney money for Christmas and my birthday. I’m not holding out too much hope for discounts because the free dining was excluded at POR this last round anyways and with a deposit in place to lock in a trip already I doubt I’ll be getting a pin code this time. They only tease me with those when I know I’m not able to make a trip.​

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

The Where:

I have to say that this time around choosing which hotel to stay at was pretty much a no brainer for DH and me. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside for our last trip and truly feel in love with the resort. We knew before we ever left that it was where we wanted to be on our next trip.

So why do we love POR so much?
There just something magical and transporting about the resort. And even in the midst of all the excitement and Hubbub of being at Disney there is a certain peace that is just embedded in that resort.
​

Loved reading your reasons for loving POR ... it's one of the few places I haven't stayed because, truth be told, I haven't run into others in the past who've recommended it. Your words, "a certain peace ... embedded in that resort" make me believe it's worth a second look. Only problem is now my traveling fam is five ... and not sure the Alligator Bayou rooms with the pull down Murphy will quite suit our needs?

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Yeah I have heard that there can be a bit of an issue with storage in the AB rooms. But don't let that scare you away from the resort. If you haven't looked it up already, a few disers run an incredeble FAQ thread for any and all questions for POR over in the Resorts section.

Also if you haven't done it check out http://portorleans.org

Its absolutely great. If its the largeness of the resort that scares you off, DH and I were in the back most mansion last time and neither of us thought that the walk was that extreme and the buses where rarely an issue.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Dining Dilemmas

Ahhh the ever challenging issue when planning a trip locking down where you want to eat before the 180 mark hits. Not only do you have the “what TS meals do we want to be sure to do” question, we also have the ever elusive “do we plan a few meals extra in the off chance we nab free dining”.

On our last trip DH and I ended up feeling that ADRs on Park days kind of locked you into a schedule and made things a little to lock tight. At the same time, if we are lucky enough to nab free dining {because after doing some math it looks like that it might actually save us money this time. } we would like to maximize the value of it and only booking one ts meal per rest day leaves a lot of TS credits on the table.

So here’s what we know so far:
~ We for sure want to do the Hoop De Doo Revue and because we like to eat later we will do the 8:30 show and swing for the Cat 1 seating.
~We also know we want to give the 1900 Park Fare Dinner a try. Again we will probably swing for a later time frame and shoot for the 7:30-8ish zone.

These are ones I can’t decide on and poor dh is probably going to go crazy from my waffling so opinions from others would be most welcome..

~Ohana Dinner- we absolutely loved it last time and at first it seemed like a no brainer however there are a few things giving me second thoughts…
* The Big Menu Changes- two of our favorites from the last meal have been altered or removed along with all the other changes. I fell in love with that salad last time and I have been trying to find a recreation of it since and have failed. (Not the honey lime dressing the passion fruit one) And the noodles last time were wonderful and took DH right back to his Hawaiian Roots. And while they are still on the menu reports back are that they have become more bland with the menu change and that they are not the same.
*The construction- yes it would appear that most of it is planned to be done by then but let’s face facts here and get realistic, as of late Disney has not proven themselves to have a great track record of sticking to construction time frames. What they have done to the resort just seems to be a big mess and I don’t know if I want to deal with the rigmarole to get over there.

Picture Courtesy of Google

~Kona Breakfast- This comes highly rated and the same appeal to DH’s Hawaiian roots applies here but the timing of when we would be there becomes an issue. We have decided to try Rope Dropping this time but part of the point of rest days is to give us a day to sleep in and recover from waking up early and I’m afraid scheduling a breakfast ADR would be the opposite of helpful. However the lure of those Macadamia Pancakes and fresh Kona Coffee is quite strong.

You also can't forget the Construction worries listed for Ohana also apply here.

Picture Courtesy of Google

~The Crystal Palace early entry breakfast- again same worries about pushing my family too hard. But the appeal of getting in before others and experiencing an almost empty park is almost too much to pass up.

~Boatwrights – DH ate there last time and while we found it good and there are things on the menu we would eat again we both feel that nothing there is worth a special trip for. However seeing as we are staying at POR having a day in the middle be a go nowhere spend the day in the pool eat dinner at the resort and recover kind of day does hold a high level of appeal.


Last on the Dining Dilemmas is what to do on Mother’s Day itself. Mother’s Day falls on a Park day and I know I am going to want to watch Wishes from somewhere I am ensured to hear the music. For this reason I think I can rule out Yachtsman or any Epcot restaurant. I considered the Wishes Dessert Party but after hearing many negative reviews for it and then looking up videos from it on you tube I have discovered that they don’t pipe the audio in directly from the party. You have to listen faintly from Main Street. And frankly, if I’m going to pay for the privilege of a side view with mediocre desserts and still deal with a bit of crowding at the railing I at the very least expect to be able to fully hear the audio from it.
I got the idea yesterday to look into a private cruise but I know little to nothing about them and I expect they are way outside our budget.

So here’s a look into the mad house that is my mind at the moment. Any opinions one way or the other would be appreciated.
​

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Hi Gracefulskinny

I wanted to post a few thoughts about your dining dilemmas - I'm not going to "requote" you, but let me know if I miss anything:

First, kudos for opening this up to suggestions - that's always been one of the most fun things I've encountered in PTR's - love having others weigh in on the planning!!

My own weird way of doing this is to make a simple list and allow only one (yes ONE) final reason why I would choose to select THAT restaurant for an ADR ... so, in the same vain, I'm going to give you my ONE item of response to your selections so far ... then ... I'll toss in a few of our faves (you know, just to confuse )

O'Hana - great experience every time I've gone - even after the dreaded "potato" incident of 2009 (see, they pulled these absolutely to die for potatoes from the menu ... everyone decried the new noodles ... until the noodles found their own place of "love" ... as you know, because it's one of the items you're sad to see change. My opinion - if you imagine walking away from your trip with the thought of, "Man, I missed O'Hana", then do it!

Kona - if you do O'Hana, I'd skip Kona. Breakfast is yummy - but I personally think something will be lost without the waterfall and foliage in the center atrium

Crystal Palace - great for some morning pics with an empty park ... and the food is good. However, we went one time with the kiddos and really don't see a need to go back.

Boatwrights - I'd say on this one, skip the ADR ... you're at the resort and this could be one of those "Oh crap, we're tired today and don't feel like going in for the 'other plans' ... let's just do Boatwright's" kind of places.

Mother's Day - consider Liberty Tree Tavern ... really good food and allows you to step outside into MK and take in Wishes.

Some other food suggestions:
Breakfast at Boma in Animal Kingdom Lodge ... this is the ONE we can never do without
50's Prime Time cafe ... ham it up with the waiter/waitress and you'll have an absolutely memorable blast!
Take the boat over to Downtown Disney and hit the new Splitsville ... I hear its a great night out with some excellent food (it's on our definite ADR list for the next trip)

Thanks for letting me weigh in!!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Thanks for chiming in! Very helpful!

I think you bring up a great point about Ohana and that is exactly the outside perspective I think I needed. I think we could easily find outselves regretting skipping Ohana. And your right we might just kick ourselves for doing so.

I think you might have just sealed the deal on Kona. With the atmosphere changed I think the one meal will be enough there.

Boma has been sitting on the fence of consideration. How much of a hassle will it be to get over there?

As for Boatwrights, I think your right. It totally is a make a last minute reservation type deal.

Is Liberty Tree Tavern that good? I haven't heard very many (if any) good things about it. Albeit it's been a long while since I've looked into it.

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Thanks for chiming in! Very helpful!

Absolutely ... glad you gave me the chance to express myself

Boma has been sitting on the fence of consideration. How much of a hassle will it be to get over there?

Hmm ... no more (or less) than the usual ... our preference has been to go to AK then ride the AKL bus to the resort ... the other option would be to catch the AKL bus from DTD, but I've heard all things in and around DTD are a bit of a mess right now.

Have you visited the Animal Kingdom Lodge in the past?

Is Liberty Tree Tavern that good? I haven't heard very many (if any) good things about it. Albeit it's been a long while since I've looked into it.

I honestly believe Liberty Tree, like a lot of restaurants, really relies on personal taste. I have a cousin who can't go to Disney without his requisite meal here. I guess I was thinking of two factors ... (1) you want to be able to head out from the restaurant and be immediately within the vicinity of MK so you can take in Wishes ... this is definitely the "best" sit down restaurant for that (unless, of course, you want to introduce the California Grille into the mix - that would be AWESOME) ... (2) Since it's "family style", you get a lot of time to interact since you're not picking out food to order.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

You've convinced me on Boma. We've never been to AKL and on our Non park days I am trying to plan meals that will bring a taste of the parks to Little Miss so that we don't feel like we are missing out on anything by skipping a park.

You make a very strong point for Liberty Tree Tavern and Family style service. Especially since we will have a near 3yr old in tow. Too bad they don't serve that Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake at Dinner then I just might be sold! Having looked at the menu I do like the veggie options by that point in the vacation I know I'll be very happy to see them. I can also tell that if nothing else DD would be delighted in the Mash potatoes mac and cheese and carrots. So going in knowing we won't have an "Eat your Dinner" battle certainly has its perks.

As for California Grill, I've looked into it and the menu just doesn't appeal to me. Add in that I would probably spend more time worried that DD will disturb others and I don't see it being all that relaxing.

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

You've convinced me on Boma. We've never been to AKL and on our Non park days I am trying to plan meals that will bring a taste of the parks to Little Miss so that we don't feel like we are missing out on anything by skipping a park.

Oh wow ... knowing you've never been to AKL, DEFINITELY go ... after your meal, walk out by the pool - at the end of the pool there's a Savannah look out and always a Disney CM there who can answer questions about the animals. I think you'll all enjoy it (and the resort DEFINITELY screams of a Disney park type experience).

Too bad they don't serve that Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake at Dinner

UGGGHHHH

I can also tell that if nothing else DD would be delighted in the Mash potatoes mac and cheese and carrots. So going in knowing we won't have an "Eat your Dinner" battle certainly has its perks.

Agreed on that ... definitely a family friendly menu

As for California Grill, I've looked into it and the menu just doesn't appeal to me.

Truth be told, it's the reason we've only gone back once ... I know the tastes are fantastic, but I just see way too many items on other menus that draw me in!

What's your fave food ever eaten at Dis?

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Mickey Mail

WE GOT THE FIRST OF OUR MICKEY MAIL!!!
I don’t know about you but trips always seem so much more official and real when Mickey sends something in the mail to confirm it. Last time we worked with a different TA and never got anything straight from the mouse himself. So when this came in the mail a few days ago I got excited! It even came with a cute magnet that has all the reservation dates on it.
​

 

[Gracefulskinny]

What's your fave food ever eaten at Dis?

As of right now, I'd say its a toss up between our meal at Ohana and the orange pineapple dole whip float. And you can never go wrong with a good ole fashioned Mickey Bar!

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Mickey Mail

I don’t know about you but trips always seem so much more official and real when Mickey sends something in the mail to confirm it. Last time we worked with a different TA and never got anything straight from the mouse himself. So when this came in the mail a few days ago I got excited! It even came with a cute magnet that has all the reservation dates on it.
​

Absolutely agree ... our challenge this time is that we're keeping the trip as a surprise (reveal on Christmas Day) ... so the "magnet" has to stay hidden

As of right now, I'd say its a toss up between our meal at Ohana and the orange pineapple dole whip float. And you can never go wrong with a good ole fashioned Mickey Bar!

Oh man, I have an unhealthy addiction to those Mickey Bars!! I found out recently that the current recipe for Dole Whips is not only Lactose free, but overall, dairy free ... this news IMMENSELY pleased my wife, "JJ Tinker Wish" .. she's in heaven knowing she can indulge on a frozen treat and not need to worry about the repercussions!!

O'Hana is on our "we're considering it" list for the first night in Disney!!

BTW, glad to see an update on your PTR

 

[Gracefulskinny]

There's more to come over the next few days. We ended up with a busy weekend.

DH is the same with Dairy. He actually has a full allergic reaction to it. (Not that he lets that stop him from enjoying it when he can)

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Disney Training

It should come as no shock that being in Disney means A TON of walking. Last time DH and I got lazy and really didn’t prepare ourselves well for that amount of walking and I found myself having ankle issues just from the walk from the bus stop to the main gate.
I have vowed to do all within my power to prevent that this time around. I am trying to build up my endurance so I am doing my best to work out 1-3 times a week. This is turning out to be something a little easier said than done with a toddler to keep up with.

One of our most important Disney training activities is going on family outings where walking and crowds are involved. A favorite place for us to do this right now is our local mall. Each floor is about a mile long loop and with the crowds and exciting stores not only are we all building our endurance (Little Miss is not excluded from the training. We may be bringing a stroller but we will do our best not to rely on it. ) but we are training Little Miss in the concept of “We can look, but that doesn't mean we are buying it”. It also helps DH and I get a firm understanding where her limits on walking are.
Currently I want to get myself to a point where I can easily walk 5 miles a day. If I could build up to 10 that would be fabulous but I just don’t see that happening.

So what is it that you and your family do to prepare and attempt to prevent the exhaustion of Disney?
​

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Disney Family Movie Night-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

To ensure that Little Miss has an appreciation and understanding of what she is seeing while down at Disney DH and I have decided to start up Family Movie Nights as a way of introducing characters and attractions. Currently our list is about 23 movies long. We are starting the movie nights now with a goal of one a week until our trip. Starting now gives us a buffer in case we need to skip some weeks here and there.





To kick things off we started with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In honor of the German Heritage of Snow White we decided to try our Hand at making Pretzels



We found THIS LINK that showed us how to make them and found that they really did end up being super easy to make and were pretty tasty. I’m thinking we might try them again when we have our Planning DVD movie night.








For our overall meal we ended up having “Seven Dwarfs Bachelor Beans” {BBQ beans and hot dogs} Pretzels with queso to dip, “Can’t see the forest through the Trees” Broccoli, and “Not So Poison” Apple Pie for dessert.




Overall I would say that the meal ended up being quite the hit with Little Miss. She even batted my hand away when I tried to clear her plate. :LOL:




While the meal was cooking we gave Little Miss some snow white coloring sheets. And then after the meal we snuggled down and watched the movie.


It was a fun night and we are looking forward to continuing them. For this weekend I am trying to decide between Toy Story 2 (we watched the first one about 2-3 months before we knew about this trip) or Beauty and the Beast. I’ve got a few ideas in mind for each but can’t decide which to do first.

So which would you pick for the next one? And what are the top movies you make sure to see before a trip?
​

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Disney Training

It should come as no shock that being in Disney means A TON of walking.

One of our most important Disney training activities is going on family outings where walking and crowds are involved. A favorite place for us to do this right now is our local mall.

Currently I want to get myself to a point where I can easily walk 5 miles a day. If I could build up to 10 that would be fabulous but I just don’t see that happening.

So what is it that you and your family do to prepare and attempt to prevent the exhaustion of Disney?
​

GREAT move getting in the "training" before the trip - love how you and your DH are even thinking of things like your DD's stamina (and, of course, your own) as well as the teaching moments you've infused.

We also start to "train" months before our trips, typically rising early each day to take walks, hoping to ensure that endurance doesn't become an issue that detracts from the vacation experience.

One other key for us is ... shoe shopping (no, not high boots and fancy loafers at DSW) ... we're talking about making sure we've done everything possible to discover the most comfortable "long enduring" walking shoes for each family member. We've discovered (the hard way unfortunately) that the wrong shoes can truly ruin the vacation.

HAPPY TRAINING!! (I think 10 mi is within your grasp)

 

[Gracefulskinny]

GREAT move getting in the "training" before the trip - love how you and your DH are even thinking of things like your DD's stamina (and, of course, your own) as well as the teaching moments you've infused.

We also start to "train" months before our trips, typically rising early each day to take walks, hoping to ensure that endurance doesn't become an issue that detracts from the vacation experience.

One other key for us is ... shoe shopping (no, not high boots and fancy loafers at DSW) ... we're talking about making sure we've done everything possible to discover the most comfortable "long enduring" walking shoes for each family member. We've discovered (the hard way unfortunately) that the wrong shoes can truly ruin the vacation.

HAPPY TRAINING!! (I think 10 mi is within your grasp)

Thanks for the encoragment! I will say that knowing the painful lessons that await should I slack off on it certainly help to light a fire under my butt to fight through and make improvments.

Our last trip really made me realize how much my physical endurance took a hit when I got seriously sick while postpartum. Soon after our last trip I started really paying attention to my pittiful endurance and I kicked it in gear. At first I could barely do a mile with ankle supports on. I am now up to 2-3 without so maybe 10 is within my grasp. We will see. Thanks for the cheering. I'll certainly need it as we go along.

As for shoes.... That's a whole other post!