Disney World with a toddler January 2019 COMPLETE - Link to new trip report 10/6

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Who's a good planner? Me!

Cute picture!! Gold star for planning!!

I looked up and was delighted to see Eddie Valiant’s office above us.

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I never noticed that before!!

She mentioned "headband" while Sophia was there and only after she left did I understand that she wanted to show Sophia HER headband. I let her hold it and she waved it at Sophia as she made the rounds at the other tables. When Sophia passed by on the way to another table, DD waved the headband so enthusiastically that Sophia stopped again and played with DD for a minute. My heart swelled. DD was so earnest and Sophia was so generous with her time.

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That is so sweet. Love it when the characters spend extra time with those kids who really like them.

Meanwhile, we saw the table next to us get cupcakes and birthday cards signed by all the characters. I tried to add DD’s birthday to our reservation through the Disney app, but it didn’t look like it was an option. DH flagged down our server to tell her and she got someone else to help too. A father at a nearby table said he had to call the dining reservation hotline to get his daughter’s birthday noted on their reservations. The cast member that stopped to help was fantastic! She asked about our other reservations and said she would reach out to them. Since today was our first day, I scrolled through our plans and said there were a lot. She was unphased. She took down my name and DD's name and went to work. A bit later she came back and said she was able to reach out to all our reservations and told them about the birthday. We thanked her profusely.

That's great service!! Love it when you get someone that gives you that extra pixie dust!
 
That's great service!! Love it when you get someone that gives you that extra pixie dust!

Agreed! This breakfast was basically the first thing we did at Disney World, and right away I felt like we entered the 'Disney Zone' where everyone is SO NICE. And we didn't even find out how amazing she was until later that evening.
 
After watching the stormtroopers march by, I made us hurry to Toy Story land for our first fastpass: Alien Swirling Saucers.

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Toy Story Land was packed!

As soon as we arrived, we ran into another little parade of toy soldiers. One of them noticed DD's birthday button and called out "Happy birthday!"

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At the fastpass podium, we had to pull out our tickets again since we didn’t have magic bands. The standby wait was an hour so I was really glad we had the fastpass. The ride was basically the same as Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree at California Adventures, so we knew we would like it. I only wish we could get another fastpass, but of course we couldn't.

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We wandered around and asked a vendor where we could get magic bands. She told us customizable bands were in Launch Bay so we headed there. Along the way, we saw a row of stalls where we could meet characters. We met most of them already at breakfast but Pluto was there too. We went into Launch Bay and went through the motions of customizing a band for DH but then saw that it would be $30 and stopped. I wanted to see the pre-made bands first.

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DH liked the store so I took DD to meet Pluto while he looked around. He joined us shortly after.


Pluto went in for a dog treat as we waited and the cast member handed out Pluto stickers to everyone. DD gave hers to me. One of the toddlers in front of us went up to meet Pluto and got so scared she ran away from him in a panic. It was kind of cute. Right before our turn, the cast member asked if we would mind waiting for a make-a-wish family to go first. I think it might have been the first time I noticed a make-a-wish family in the parks. At our turn, DD was very wary of Pluto and would only pose for a picture if DH acted as a buffer between them. She was willing to give him a high five and bop his nose though.

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We walked toward the shops at the entrance, stopping for some pictures along the way. We saw a Photopass photographer standing alone and asked her where we could get magic bands. She gestured to a shop and said “inside.” We asked her to take our picture and she agreed.

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Then we went into the store she indicated and did not see any magic bands. We had to ask directions again and were pointed to the Dark Room.

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There, we found a whole wall and spent some time picking our bands. I selected a pink band with snacks, DH picked one with the seven dwarves (surprising me), and DD only wanted one that was blue but of course did not want the cheaper solid-colored ones. In the end, she liked one that had Mickey on it and when we picked it up we saw that it said “it’s my birthday” so that seemed fitting. The guy at checkout was great. He doted on DD and gave her a happy birthday sticker that came from "Mickey" himself! Then he very patiently walked us through the steps of setting up the bands and threw away our trash.

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Happy with our bands, we thought about what to do next. I asked DD if she wanted to rest and she said yes so we headed out of the park. We stopped for a photopass picture on the way. While we were waiting, a family pushed their way into the photo spot, causing the photographer to ask them to move aside. They ignored him and took their time taking their own pictures as we all waited. It was very rude.

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There was a long line for the boat but DD liked looking at the ducks at the shore. A second later she said she needed the potty. Ugh! I took her back as fast as I could (yay for the new magic band!) but it wasn't fast enough. When we returned, it was just DH and our stroller at the boat launch.

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Just us and the ducks.

Back at the room, DD had some snacks and then laid down to nap. She was out like a light. DH was asleep even faster. I took the time to update the trip report notes. I also considered our remaining fastpasses and canceled the one I had for the Indiana Jones Stunt show and got one for the Frozen sing along later in the afternoon.

Next: Snacks, a fun show, and bubble wand drama!
 


DD woke up around 3:40p. We got ready and left the room around 4p. We saw a boat pull up and ran for it but it was going to Epcot so we had to wait anyway. As we were waiting I canceled our newly made fastpass to the Frozen sing along and replaced it with the Beauty and the Beast show a little later.

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Toddler are so easily impressed.

In the park we wanted to get a snack before the show. I insisted on trying Starring Rolls since I read so much about it and knew they had good cupcakes. We walked back and forth and I consulted the map and DH finally asked directions. He was told that it closed three years ago! I’m a little irritated since it still shows up on the app and they have patio umbrellas with “Starring Rolls” on them. But I let it go. We stopped at a stand that sold Mickey pretzels and churros and got one of each. It was the perfect size and DD loved the churro.

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After this we parked the stroller and used our fastpass for Beauty and the Beast. It felt like we waited a long time in line and then in the seat, but the show started exactly on time at 5p so we didn’t wait more than 20 minutes.

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I love this selfie DH took while waiting. Dat cheek tho!

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DD loved the show. Her eyes were glued to the stage the whole time. I kept eyeing her to watch her reaction and I think she gave the show a good review. I was a bit nervous during the fight scene but she was fine. After the show I asked her if she liked it but she only wanted to know about the status of her bubble wand. While we were waiting for the show to start, a baby had his bubble wand a few seats away. DD saw this and immediately wanted hers too. I told her it was in her stroller and we could get it after the show. So she asked and asked about it, driving DH and me crazy.

The bubble wand was one we got in Disneyland last year. I thought we did a good job remembering to bring it with us on this trip. Back at the stroller we got the wand out and had to buy more bubble juice. But it was time for our next fastpass, so the bubble wand would have to wait until after the Disney Junior Dance Party. It was fun, and DD really liked the various surprises that would fall from the ceiling. Bubbles, leaves, streamers. She only did a little dancing, but I think she enjoyed it.

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When we exited, it was dark outside. DD was asking about the bubble wand AGAIN, so we looked around and found a stand that sold refills. We got two little bottles for $2 each. Sigh. DH refilled the wand and it was great! For five minutes. As we strolled toward Toy Story land, the wand slowed down and the light stopped shining. We needed new batteries. Doh!

At Toy Story land, I checked the wait times app and the wait for Alien Swirling Saucers jumped from 35 minutes (long, but acceptable) to 55 (thank you, next). The shortest wait time was for a meet with Olaf, so we decided that was good enough. I was also interested since it meant we could collect another autograph in our character encyclopedia.

Just as we got in line the wait time jumped from 15 to 25. I felt every minute of the wait. I gave DD some glow sticks when it got dark and now she made a sword out of them and was poking me and DH. I showed her all the autographs we collected so far. And then showed her again. DH was glued to his phone (eye roll) He became more engaged as we got closer to the front, though.


When we made it inside, DD made friends with the kids behind us. It started with her stomping her feet to show them how her shoes lit up. They gamely stomped back to show that theirs did not. Then it turned into a kind of jumping game where she jumped and they jumped. It was all really cute, made even cuter by the fact that they didn’t speak English. One of the older girls later said they were from Brazil and asked where we were from. They also asked about the character encyclopedia I was holding, so I flipped through it and showed them the autographs. At the front of the line, the cast member said that Olaf didn’t do autographs and handed us a card instead. I was very disappointed and the kids behind us were too.

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I think this was during a jumping exchange.


DD was wary of Olaf but warmed up after he let her touch his nose and she concluded that it wasn’t pokey. (I don’t really know what her definition of pokey is. Maybe spongy?)

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The one good thing to come out of waiting so long was that it was the perfect time to head over to Mama Melrose for our dinner reservation.

Continued next post...
 
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We asked for directions to the restaurant at the DVC booth, and they gave DD a bunch of stickers. Then we saw this Star Wars mural and DH wanted to take a picture. So here they are, both happy.

This morning when the CM at Hollywood and Vine (her name was Stephanie) helped add the birthday note to our reservations, she said that she used to work at Mama Melrose and she made sure that they would treat us right. I didn’t really think about this until we really got deluxe treatment!

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We were just sitting at the table when three people came and gave DD a chef's hat with hand-drawn decorations. They said happy birthday and adjusted the hat to fit DD's little head. They told us dessert would be on them. Our server, Clara, was also excellent. We ordered a fish meal with rice and vegetables for DD. I got shrimp champanelle and DH got spaghetti and meatballs. It was all really good, especially mine. Clara came by and encouraged DD to eat more fish and told her to take three more bites before dessert.

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(I thought I had pictures of our meals, but no. I'll do better next time.)

By the time we got dessert menus, I was too full and just told DH to pick. Clara said there would be something special for the princess. When she came out with dessert, she brought TWO cheesecakes and a chocolate cupcake for DD. Everything was delicious. DD ate all the Mickey sprinkles from the cupcake.

We thanked her profusely and left a hefty tip. By now it was after park hours and very empty walking toward the exit. That is, until we got to Hollywood Blvd and there was a HUGE crowd that must have just come from Fantasmic.

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Blurry, but you get the idea.

It was almost 9p and I was getting worried that the boat wouldn’t run much longer. We got in line for the boat and it was VERY LONG. DD and some other kids liked looking at the ducks there. At one point DD ran back to the stroller to get her stickers so she could show them to the ducks. They were unimpressed.

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Bringing the sticker gospel to the ducks.

One boat came and filled up and we had to wait for the next. When we finally got back to the hotel it was well past 9:30p so we just skipped the bath and put DD to bed. She fell asleep pretty quickly. I took a shower and stayed up until 11p before I went to sleep too.

Next: Magic Kingdom and a breakfast at Cinderella's Castle!
 
I love the magic bands you picked out!

While we were waiting, a family pushed their way into the photo spot, causing the photographer to ask them to move aside. They ignored him and took their time taking their own pictures as we all waited. It was very rude.

The same thing happened to us at Animal Kingdom! Why do people act like this?

I told her it was in her stroller and we could get it after the show. So she asked and asked about it, driving DH and me crazy.

Ah yes, the old "ask for the same thing 600 times and see if my parents change their mind" game. My older one is six and still does this. :sad2:

When she came out with dessert, she brought TWO cheesecakes and a chocolate cupcake for DD. Everything was delicious.

Yum! What an amazing dose of pixie dust, it sounds like you got the royal treatment!

At one point DD ran back to the stroller to get her stickers so she could show them to the ducks. They were unimpressed.

:rotfl:
 


We were heading to Magic Kingdom today!

We had to get up early because we had reservations to Cinderella’s Royal Table. Part of me was kind of obsessed that we would miss the reservation and woke up at 4a, 6a, 7a and 7:07a. DD woke up at 7:17a and we started the day. We left the room a little before 8a, just as planned. We stopped by the front desk to figure out why our room wasn’t cleaned yesterday. He told us we signed up for the "green choice" which meant it would be cleaned every three days. I didn’t remember signing up for this and asked to cancel it, which he did.

It was sunny but cold so we wore our coats again. We were down at the bus stop by 8a and the bus came at 8:18a. We got to the Magic Kingdom before the official opening time. DH's magic band had some trouble reading his fingerprint so DD and I got a photopass picture taken while we waited to sort that out.

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Probably not the best picture, with DD squinting into the sun. Minnie looks good, though.

As we walked up Main Street, we stopped for another picture in front of the castle.

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Then we parked ourselves at the hub to see the opening show. It was brief and cute and DD waved happily at Mickey.

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Then we followed the crowds into Fantasyland. We had 20 minutes until we had to check in for breakfast so we went to ride Adventures of Winnie the Pooh first. The games in line were a lot of fun and soon we were in our honeypot.

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After the ride, we searched a long time for our stroller until DH finally found it in a completely different parking lot.

Then we ran to the castle for breakfast. I had high hopes for this meal in the days leading up to the trip. Mostly because it was such a hard reservation to get, I suppose. We were a bit late, but still had a lengthy wait downstairs. The CM there was very nice and took a picture for us.

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Then we were led upstairs to our table.

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It was nice that it was a sit-down meal, so we didn't have to time buffet runs around character meetings. But the food wasn't very good. I got a classic breakfast, which was on par with what I would get at a Denny's, and DH got a steak breakfast with a practically inedible steak that was overcooked and super salty. The princesses made the rounds and DD was SO INDIFFERENT.

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We met Snow White first, and I thought DD might be a little interested since they were dressed alike. Nope, didn't care.

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Then we got food and the princesses really could not compete with the pastry.

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Just kidding (kind of). She posed nicely with most of them.

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But I watched a girl at a neighboring table jump up and hug all the princesses and was just SO EXCITED, and DD's reaction was definitely not that. At least we collected a few more autographs in our book. Our server was very prompt and even brought out a fruit cup at our request, which isn’t usually included for the infant meal (which is just a Mickey waffle). We each got wands, which DD really likes and held onto all day. So overall, I was a bit disappointed, but honestly it was probably my fault since DD is just not that into princesses.


NEXT: We try to do as many rides as we can before nap time!
 
If anyone is still reading, sorry for the slow pace of this trip report! We were gone for a couple weeks and with all the preparations for our vacation BEFORE and catching up on life AFTER, this trip report has been sadly neglected. I put myself on a schedule now, and I'm going to post installments each Sunday which should wrap this up in a couple months. Hopefully we'll be able to decide on another trip in that time since I'm in the unusual position of not having any vacation to plan for! Now on to the rest of our morning at Magic Kingdom:

After breakfast DH had a quick phone meeting for work, so I took DD to the carousel and Philharmagic. She loved the carousel and didn’t like Philharmagic (too scary).

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Then we reunited with DH and decided to try the Mad Tea Party. The wait time on the app and sign said 20 minutes but it was at least 35, if not 40. It seemed like a huge waste of time for a ride that I don’t particularly like. While waiting in line, I canceled our fastpass for Tales with Belle and replaced it with Barnstormer in the afternoon. Since DD was so uninterested in the princesses we met already, I didn’t think she would enjoy Tales with Belle.

After the tea cups we used a fastpass for Dumbo. DD wanted to sit with DH so I got a Dumbo in front of them to video them. It was really fun.

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We looked around the circus area after the ride and visited the Casey Jr. trains.

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This little girl had a bubble wand and they played together for a while. So sweet.

Then it was almost time for DD's first haircut appointment so we walked toward the hub. There was a big parade for Mickey’s celebration so we stopped to watch.

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After it ended, we followed the parade all the way to the end, which was conveniently right next to the Harmony Barber Shop. It's really tucked in there, so I'm not sure we would have seen it if we weren't following the parade.

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At the barber shop, we found out the reservation was actually for 4:40p and I had the time wrong. But it worked out well since we had to head back to the hotel for nap time anyway.
As we waited for the bus, DD amused herself by waving her wand around and spreading 'sprinkles.' Sprinkles on pants and shoes and her stroller.

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Sprinkles for daddy.

On the bus, I evaluated the fastpasses for the rest of our trip and cancelled any that were around 3p and got later ones instead. At the rate we were going, we weren’t going to make it to anything between 1p and 4p.

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Back in the hotel, our room was still not cleaned and the trash was overflowing. I gave DD a bunch of blueberries and a granola bar and then she laid down to nap. She fell asleep around 2:30p. I caught up on the trip report and also napped for a few minutes.

NEXT: An afternoon of firsts!
 
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DD slept all the way until 4p. We got her ready quickly and ran out to catch the bus. The sign said the next bus would come at 4:19p so I estimated that we would be a little late for her haircut. We made it just in time.

DD had been saying she didn’t want the haircut but was more agreeable after they gave her a spinning Elsa toy to hold.

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We just had the stylist cut a little bit, so it was over fast. I took a lot of pictures and the hairstylist pointed out the good shots to take.

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I pulled out the good camera for this and I didn't notice until now that you can actually see the bits of hair falling here.

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Everything is better with glitter, right? Right??

She gave us some hair in a little pouch and a certificate and hat. It was quick and fun and totally worth $25. When I was waiting to pay, one little girl was screaming bloody murder during her hair cut.

We saw there were a lot of balloon vendors on Main Street. We stopped and bought one for DD. ($13) It helped a lot with finding the stroller but kept banging into our heads when we walked, so I don't know if it was a smart purchase or not.

After this we used a fast pass for Pirates of the Caribbean.

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It was scarier than I remembered and DD didn’t like it much. At least she didn’t cry and wasn’t genuinely scared.
I read about rum cake at Tortuga Tavern so we tried that next. It was tiny and dry and none of us liked it except DD, who wanted more.

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We left to use our fastpass for Barnstormer. There was a family in front of us as we approached the fastpass entrance. They had a little boy with them that was too short to ride. They got really mad at the CM and complained and complained and blocked the tapstiles. A line of people grew behind us.

Finally they stepped to the side and we were able to scan our magic bands. DD passed the height test and we were on our way.

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DH was incredulous when he saw the coaster but I knew DD would like it. She laughed with delight and loved it.

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She wanted to do it again and when we saw that the wait time was 15 minutes we got back in line. It felt longer than 15 because so many fastpass people came up but we still liked it the second time around too.

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After this we speed-walked to Liberty Tree Tavern. We checked in and visited the bathroom. When we were seated, rolls and salad came out promptly.

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Then entrees. DD ate a lot of the mac and cheese. DH and I cleaned our plates. Everything was delicious.

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Dessert was really good too. DD ate a lot of ice cream. I was really full by the end and my pants felt uncomfortably tight.


We made our way out during a projection show. There were a lot of crowds but cast members did a good job keeping traffic moving.

We had good luck with the bus since it was already waiting at the stop . Back at the hotel, we gave DD a shower and she went to bed.

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I took a peek at the fireworks show.

We took showers and followed. Or tried. One of our neighbors decided to have a party. I think they were convention guests. I heard yelling and music and a lot of "whoo"s. Fortunately, DH and DD fell asleep before the party started. I contemplated calling to complain but (ironically) was afraid that the sound of my talking would wake DD. I think someone else must have complained because around 11:30p I heard some doors slamming and then it was quiet.

NEXT: Coldy and windy morning at Epcot
 
Then we were led upstairs to our table.

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It was nice that it was a sit-down meal, so we didn't have to time buffet runs around character meetings. But the food wasn't very good. I got a classic breakfast, which was on par with what I would get at a Denny's, and DH got a steak breakfast with a practically inedible steak that was overcooked and super salty. The princesses made the rounds and DD was SO INDIFFERENT.

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We met Snow White first, and I thought DD might be a little interested since they were dressed alike. Nope, didn't care.

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Then we got food and the princesses really could not compete with the pastry.

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Just kidding (kind of). She posed nicely with most of them.

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But I watched a girl at a neighboring table jump up and hug all the princesses and was just SO EXCITED, and DD's reaction was definitely not that. At least we collected a few more autographs in our book. Our server was very prompt and even brought out a fruit cup at our request, which isn’t usually included for the infant meal (which is just a Mickey waffle). We each got wands, which DD really likes and held onto all day. So overall, I was a bit disappointed, but honestly it was probably my fault since DD is just not that into princesses.

NEXT: We try to do as many rides as we can before nap time!
I waited my whole life to get into the castle. My wife was excited to be there for the breakfast. My kids, 5 and 6, were also indifferent to the experience. I have been to real castles in Europe so the castle was underwhelming. But I got to check it off my list of Disney experiences. The other restaurants I checked off 2 years ago was Victoria and Alberts and Remy!
 
I waited my whole life to get into the castle. My wife was excited to be there for the breakfast. My kids, 5 and 6, were also indifferent to the experience. I have been to real castles in Europe so the castle was underwhelming. But I got to check it off my list of Disney experiences. The other restaurants I checked off 2 years ago was Victoria and Alberts and Remy!

I thought the 'castle' was very nice, if a bit cramped. There was a family trying to go down the staircase just as we were going up and it was a tight squeeze!

I'm jealous that you got to go to Victora and Alberts and Remy. I've only seen them in trip reports and both look amazing!
 
DD woke up at 7a today and we half-slept until 8a. I got ready and DH took his time. We left the room a little after 9a. Our first stop was the front desk to ask about getting the room cleaned (again). Then we headed out to catch the boat.

It was a cold day today. The high was only 59 so we were glad to have our coats from Seattle. Our first fastpass was for Frozen Ever After so we headed to Norway. The ride was great! DH and I both loved it and and wanted to ride again. DD thought it was scary.

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We stopped at the Kringla bakery for breakfast. DH got a lesfe and kringla and I got skool bread. DD saw a snowman cupcake and asked for it over and over, so we also got a set of four mini cupcakes. We also got cappuccino and hot tea. Everything was fine but not as good as I hoped. None of the pastries were heated, so it was kind of like eating cold bread. We sat in the outdoor sitting area which was also cold. DD just licked the frosting off of all the cupcakes.

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Cupcakes in the pre-licked state.

DH had another phone meeting for work around this time so I looked at the wait times app and decided on Figment. We walked over together and the balloon, which was great for finding the stroller, was a nuisance in the wind. It blew around and hit us in the face and sometimes hit the people around us too.

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We stopped for a picture along the way. We did not visit any of the Festival of the Arts booths, btw.

I took DD into Figment while DH looked for a warm place for his meeting. DD thought Figment was too loud and had her hands over her ears the whole time. She didn’t like it much.

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She's smiling, but was very unhappy when it turned stinky.

When we came out we played a little with the interactives there and DD liked making her own Figment.

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Outside the building, she loved the fountain that sprayed arcs of water. Until one was slightly misaligned and fell right on her head. I rushed her back to the stroller to get the blanket and dry her off.

We walked over to the seas with Nemo and used our fastpass. DD liked it, which was great because I thought DH could take her again when he joined us. We hung out in the aquarium area for a while.

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"Buy this for me, okay mommy?"

But at noon I moved us over to The Land so we could get lunch at Sunshine Seasons. I texted DH to tell him where we were.

We got salmon with rice and beans for DD, a pulled pork sandwich for DH and Asian noodle salad for me.

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It was pretty busy inside but we found a table. DH finally finished his meeting and joined us. By then, he had missed the fastpass window for the Nemo ride so I rescheduled for the afternoon. When we left, we passed by Garden Grill and I saw a couple CMs standing by the entrance. I asked if the restaurant was closed that day, and she confirmed that it was closed for two days for maintenance. So that explains why I wasn't able to get a reservation there.

We headed out at 1p and caught a boat back to the hotel. The room was clean! Hurrah! DD was really antsy and didn’t fall asleep until 3p.

NEXT: A chilly evening at Epot and an authentic Italian experience.
 
DD woke up at 4:20p and I managed to get her (and DH) ready to go by 4:35p. But even so, DH would not make his fast pass for Nemo by 5p so I cancelled and got one for a little later. Strangely, it overlapped our fastpass for spaceship earth but it let me book it anyway.

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Fresh from her nap and freshly burrito-ed.

We got to Nemo at 5:30p and DH took DD for another ride. I met them at the exit. We browsed through the aquarium a bit then headed to our next fastpass.

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The wait for spaceship earth was only 5 minutes but we still used our fastpass. We were probably a few minutes after the window but it was fine. DD started out thinking the ride was scary but liked it when she saw the stars and lights and especially liked the movie of her future.

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That's DH's "I think she'll be scared" face

It was cold and windy when we exited. I asked DH if he wanted to do living with the land but he thought DD wouldn’t like it and I had to agree. So even though it had just a 5 minute wait, we passed.

I thought DD would like the Three Callaberos so we walked over to the Mexico pavilion. Along the way we saw a photographer setting up and got some pictures taken.

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During the walk, the wait time for the Three Callaberos went down from 10 to 5 and we basically walked on. DD really liked this one, especially the fireworks at the end. She asked to do it again before we even got off the boat.

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"Again, mommy"
 
But we were late for our dining reservation and had to rush to Italy. DD was so hungry that she asked for a snack during the walk and cried real tears when I told her to wait for dinner. At Via Napoli there was a long line to check in and the lobby was crammed full of people. When we finally got to check in, he told us to wait in the lobby until we were called. So we stood to the side and watched the chefs at work. We were so hungry at this point that DH saw a huge, table-sized pizza and said (half seriously) that he could eat it by himself. Also, standing by the podium, I overheard group after group being turned away because they didn’t have reservations. With my own obsessive planning as second nature, I was kind of surprised at how many people didn’t plan ahead.

When we were seated we had a very friendly server. She dissuaded us from ordering two large pizzas. (We saw the recommendation on the menu that one large pizza was for 2-3 people but our hunger told us it was a lie.) Our orders were taken but DH had to ask three times until Diet Coke was brought to him. And the pizza (that came out before the appetizer) was actually the wrong order. (Half pepperoni, half four cheese when our order was for half margherita, half four cheese) I joked to DH it was like we were actually in Italy.

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I ordered melon and prosciutto for an appetizer. DD immediately grabbed a chunk of melon. And DH told me he didn’t like prosciutto (news to me) so I ate most of the prosciutto by myself. It wasn’t the best appetizer and I wouldn’t recommend it.

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Eating her melon like it's a walkie talkie.

The pizza, on the other hand, was divine. And really did taste like Italian pizza. We finished all of it. If I had to do it again, I think I would just get margherita, though. The four cheese pizza was a bit heavy.

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During dinner, a few tables around us had birthdays and a bunch of servers gathered around and sang happy birthday in Italian. DD liked this and wanted singing for her too. So we told our server that it was DD's birthday and she was great. She asked DD what type of ice cream she wanted and DD responded chocolate. (Sara, the server, asked DD directly, which was really nice. I didn’t have to translate, and I think DD liked being treated like a big girl). I also ordered a cannoli, which honestly is not my favorite dessert but we figured that it would be authentic. DH got two scoops of gelato.

They made a big production of singing to DD which I thought she would love. Instead, she sat stone-faced and wouldn’t even thank them afterwards. Toddlers! However, she loved the ice cream and ate as much as she could before it melted. And then she ate more of DH’s. The cannoli was really good. The shell was light and crispy with that delicious deep-fried flavor but no greasiness. It definitely went up in my personal dessert rankings.

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DH's gelato

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Delicious canoli

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Emotionless robot girl eating her dessert

Walking out, it was freezing! My jaw started to hurt from the cold and the wind blew my hair around. We walked next door to the German pavilion. During dinner, I told DH that I was just sorry we didn’t have time to stop at Karamelle Kuche so he said that we could just get something and bring it back to the room. I picked out a caramel and marshmallow swirl.

Back outside, DH set a fast pace back to the boat dock. He was walking so fast that I had to jog every few steps to keep up. When we got close, we saw a boat pulling up so we ran for it. By the time we were on the boat we were both very warm.

We gave DD a shower and put her to bed at 9:30p. By the time I came out of the shower, she was already asleep. I went to sleep a bit later at 11p.

NEXT: Animal Kingdom with NO rides on Flight of Passage (sob!)
 

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