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

[cinderaimee]

Catching up!

I love the first haircut at the MK barbershop! My younger son definitely needed a haircut going up to the trip and I never had time to take him in so I had it as a vague plan that maybe we'd just take him there once we got on vacation, but then my MIL took him for a haircut one day after school right before we left. I'd love to try it out one time though!

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.

That is a really amazing picture!

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.

People are the worst.

I took a peek at the fireworks show.

What a great view!

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.

whoops!

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.

I'm still sad I didn't manage to take my kids on this on either of our trips, I think they would have liked it.

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!

Of course!

 

[disgeek009]

My younger son definitely needed a haircut going up to the trip and I never had time to take him in so I had it as a vague plan that maybe we'd just take him there once we got on vacation, but then my MIL took him for a haircut one day after school right before we left. I'd love to try it out one time though!

Ha! A case of 'helping' not being that helpful.

I'm still sad I didn't manage to take my kids on this on either of our trips, I think they would have liked it.

Are they changing the ride before your next trip?

 

[cinderaimee]

Are they changing the ride before your next trip?

Oh, not that I know of - I just don't know if they'll be as entertained by it next time we go to Disney and they're older.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Phew, finally caught up!

None of the pastries were heated, so it was kind of like eating cold bread.

Yeah I felt the same way. I wish they had warm options!

 

[disgeek009]

Yeah I felt the same way. I wish they had warm options!

I imagine that it wouldn't have bothered me if we were there in summer?

 

[disgeek009]

Whoa! Everything looks different on Disboards. This will take some getting used to... Here is the continuation of our trip report. Animal Kingdom day!

We got up at 7:30a this day. DD woke up a few times last night coughing and had a runny nose this morning. But she was in good spirits so we stuck with the plan.

It was another cold morning and DH even complained that he missed Seattle weather. But we checked the weather at home and it was even colder there. It seems like the whole country was cold this week.



We got to Animal Kingdom a little before 9a. For animal safety, our balloon was taken away as soon as we entered and they gave us a claim ticket to get it back when we left. Our first fastpass was for Kilimanjaro Safari at 9:15a. We still had 20 minutes so we got a photo taken in front of the Tree of Life. We saw crowds of people were running toward Pandora. And CMs were calling out, "no running."



When we got to Kilimanjaro Safari, the wait time said 5 minutes. So we got in the standby line hoping that we could save our fastpass for later. But it didn’t feel like we moved much in 5 minutes and when I checked the wait times app, it now said 55 minutes! Considering we had a reservation for Tusker House soon, we bailed and backtracked our way out of the line.

We checked in at Tusker House and had a short wait. We were really hungry by now. We met Donald right away and I got DD a plate of food.



DH went next and he missed meeting Daisy. After Daisy walked away, DD turned to me and said she wanted to tell Daisy that she was sick. The food was good and we all had some jungle juice.



We met Mickey and Goofy as well. DD is still scared of Goofy's whiskers. There was also a little conga line with the characters which was cute.


I love you, but I'll still eat you.

DH made a pit stop after breakfast and DD and I went out to watch a musician play the African harp. DD danced a little bit.


Feel the beat of the music

I had rescheduled our fastpasses for Kilimanjaro Safari so we went to use them now. It was a fun ride and longer than I thought so it was good we didn’t get on earlier.




When we exited, DD saw a cart with toy baby animals and said “I want one, I want one." We stopped to take a look and couldn’t find the price. I was still looking for a price tag when DH bought the baby Simba in a swaddle ($30). DD was very pleased with her baby, which she named Leopard.


I don't know how to tuck you in, so I'm going to ask my parents to do it over and over and drive them crazy.

 

[disgeek009]

Our next fastpass window was approaching so we made our way to Pandora. It was really amazing! The detail in the planting areas was so impressive and it was hard to figure out what was real or fake. We spent some time just gazing around and taking pictures. We got in line for some photopass pictures.




This was our only magic shot of the trip. DH and DD were HORRIBLE at following directions. I have a few photos of me looking scared, in another direction, etc while they're flashing the thumbs up sign, grinning broadly.

Then we used our fastpass for Navi River Journey. While planning this trip, I had a little pang when I passed on Flights of Passage fastpasses, because I really, REALLY want to try it. But DD is too short, and I thought it would be better if we could wait until DH and I could ride together.



We got in line and marveled over the planting areas and DH and were gushing over all the themeing. But then we noticed that DD's nose was running again and the tissues were back at the stroller. We dug through my purse and all our pockets and couldn't find anything. We asked the CM at the podium if she had any tissues and she unhelpfully directed us to the nearest bathroom (not that near). Finally, I used an old hand warmer to wipe her nose. Ah, the joys of travelling with a toddler.

As we got on the boat, a little girl in the row behind us was screaming full-bodied screams that echoed around the cave because she thought it would be scary. Adding to the noise, her parents and even the CM were all trying to tell her it WASN'T scary. Thankfully, she calmed down when it got going. We enjoyed the ride and DD said we could do it again later. (Sure, if we want to wait in line for an hour)

We looked around some more and DD played with some drums. It was getting close to nap time, so I thought we could do one more thing before leaving.




We opted for Triceratops Spin. Walking over, we passed a stage and character dance party. DH tried to get DD to dance, but she only wanted him to carry her and refused to dance. Every time he put her down, she immediately raised her arms to be picked up again.

We rode Triceratops Spin. I sat in the front row and had a lever that would control height. And DH and DD sat in the back with the lever that controlled tilt. We had a fun ride tilting back and forth.


A lever? I must push

Then it was time to leave. We picked up a wilderness explorer booklet on the way out.


Whatever lady, just give me the sticker.

We also saw Devine


We went to guest relations to get our balloon and I took the opportunity to leave thank you comments for some of the cast members from our first day at Hollywood Studios.

We took the bus back to the hotel and DD ate the whole way. She had a granola bar, a cookie, and a lot of blueberries. I thought she lost her appetite because she’s sick, so I was glad she was eating lunch. Back at the hotel, she fell asleep cuddling her new baby.

NEXT: Dance party mania!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I imagine that it wouldn't have bothered me if we were there in summer?

I was there in September and still wanted warm stuff! I much preferred the French bakery as the stuff also felt fresher and more selection!

 

[disgeek009]

I was there in September and still wanted warm stuff! I much preferred the French bakery as the stuff also felt fresher and more selection!

I'll have to remember that for our next trip. I've never been to the French bakery, but I suspect we'll like it!

 

[disgeek009]

DD napped for 2 hours, which was expected since she had a little cold. DH also took a nap. I caught up online and ate the caramel-marshmallow roll I got the day before. Bliss! (And I didn't have to share with anyone!) DD woke up in a good mood and we got ready to head out again. There was little pressure to get anywhere at a certain time. Our last fastpass was for the Lion King show and there was no way we would make it. We didn’t have any dining reservation either, so our evening was free.

Back at Animal Kingdom, DH thought Triceratops Spin was a good ride for us so we turned right. We came across a dance party (the same one we saw earlier) with Baloo and Timon. This time, DD was willing to join in and we danced all the way until the end of the set.


She thought this wiggling tail was HILARIOUS.

We headed to Dinoland and stumbled on another street party. Chip and Dale were dancing in dinosaur costumes. DD really wanted to show Chip her Simba baby and kept holding him up for observation. Chip took Simba and held him up Lion King style and giggled. Later, DD asked me why Chip raised the baby (she hasn't seen The Lion King).




We danced for a while until I asked DD if she wanted to do a ride. We went on Triceratops Spin again and had a great time. DD brought her Simba baby with us and made me very nervous when she held him up so he could see too.



Exiting the ride, I pointed out that Pluto was at the dance party now so we joined in again. DD and a couple other girls held hands and danced together. Later, one of the girls brought out her bubble wand and DD chased bubbles for a long time. She also held up Simba so Pluto would get a good look at him too.



Finally, we left to get some dinner. We went to Flame Tree Barbecue and got macaroni and cheese, ribs, a side of fries and Diet Coke for DH. We got the food and then took turns visiting the bathroom to wash our hands. The sitting area was outside so it was a little uncomfortable eating with my winter coat on, but fine in the end. DD ate a lot of ribs and fries and did not eat one bite of macaroni and cheese (the only thing she wanted when we were ordering).



After dinner we wanted to see Pandora at night so we went over there. We marveled at the glowing walkway and took pictures of the glowing plants. I stopped at Pongu Pongu for a pongu lumpia. It was a pineapple cream cheese spring roll and made a great dessert. Then it was time to go.



DH was interested in this robot, which I have to admit was very impressive.

There was a projection show on the Tree of Life, but also a lot of people leaving the park. There was a long line for the bus but we were able to get on. I took one of the last seats and put DD on my lap. We sat next to a very nice woman from Ottawa and chatted back to the resort.

Tomorrow we would check out of the hotel, but we decided to get up early and pack the next morning instead of doing it tonight, so we just put DD to bed, took showers, and went to bed too.

NEXT: Checking out and a surprise (?) dining reservation

 

[disgeek009]

We started this day at 7:30a when DD woke up. DH stayed in bed for another hour. We packed everything up since we were checking out today. Around 9a I told DH that we would have to take an Uber to get to the restaurant on time. DH was very surprised that we had a breakfast reservation at 9:30a. (Even though I told him several times!)

We called the bellman to come take and store our bags. Then we checked out. I got some Marriott points for the two days that our room wasn’t cleaned. I checked the Lyft app and a regular Lyft would be $10 and get us there at 9:34a. A Minnie van would cost $29 and get us there at 9:53a. So even though I wanted to try a Minnie van, we opted for a Lyft.

We checked in at Kona Cafe a little late, but it was fine. We got a table right behind the podium. We ordered oatmeal for DD and DH and I each had Tonga toast. DH also got Kona coffee and I got a hot tea. I don’t really miss my coffee-drinking days, but was a little bit sorry to miss out on the Kona coffee.

Everything was great but I couldn’t finish all the Tonga toast (which I kind of regret now, since it was DELICIOUS). The server came by with a light up Tinkerbell for DD's birthday. And someone else came with leis for all of us. DD tried it on and said it was too ticklish.




After breakfast we got in line to meet Pluto. I think it was supposed to be for people at Ohana but DH just got in line and DD and I tagged along. It was fun.




Then we got on the monorail for the first time. It was nice to go through security before the monorail and not worry about doing it at the park. As soon as we entered, we saw the celebration parade again. DH had DD on his shoulders and one of the stilt walkers came to give her a high five. The weather today was much warmer and very humid. DH wished he wore shorts and I had to put my hair up.


Get it, Mr. Parade dancer

Then we headed toward Tomorrowland. But on the way there, a show started by the castle! It was the Royal Friendship Fair. We watched most of it but DD lost interest by the last song, so we left early.




We finally made it to the peoplemover. The line looked long but moved quickly. It was a nice ride.

 

[disgeek009]

By this time we were well into our first fastpass window. We walked over to Adventureland and got in line for Aladdin’s flying carpet. On the way there, DD got spit on by the camel.




After this ride I placed a mobile order at Aloha Isle for a dole cup. It took a while for it to show as ready. I think the app just froze (for the thousandth time). When I finally got the message that it was ready, I got in line and waited forever! It was really annoying for just one cup of ice cream. The one good thing to waiting so long is that I had time to think things through and I asked for an extra cup when I got to the window. We were able to scoop some out for DD and DH and I shared the rest. Until DD finished hers and asked for more. We gave her more. Then she finished that and we gave her the end of our cup. When she finished that she asked for more again. We finally distracted her telling her that we would go do a ride.



I sent DH and DD to the Swiss family treehouse while I looked for some postcards. We celebrated DD's birthday at home before our trip so I wanted to send postcard thank yous while we were here. Unfortunately they didn’t have any and I was directed to check the Emporium. When DH and DD finished with the tree house ( DH said she asked more "why"s than normal), I led the way to the Emporium.

It was a frustrating walk since DD kept jumping out and 'helping,' which forced the people behind us to swerve around us. She was getting tired by now and being more difficult. I finally had to buckle her in.

At the Emporium I found some postcards ($2 each!). They looked like the came from the 90s, but nothing else was available, so I got them. DD looked around and wanted us to buy more toys. We were able to redirect her attention until she saw a rack of swaddled babies like the Simba one we bought yesterday. They had a large variety here and there was one with the cat from Pinocchio. (His name is Figaro. I had to look it up.) She hugged and cried that she needed this one. We were able to pry it away from her but she cried and would not be distracted. We went back to the stroller and gave her the Simba baby, but that one was garbage now. We finally got her to calm down by giving her her old favorite lovey.


How can you offer me THIS?

Our next fastpass was for the Barnstormer and we had a fun, quick ride. After this, DH visited the bathroom and DD wanted a snack. I dug through our snack bag and gave her a granola bar. While she ate, I took the opportunity to write and address the postcards. I thought I packed a pen but couldn’t find it and had to use the sharpie we brought for autographs.

We played with the Casey Jr. trains a little bit. I think most of the water features were broken. There was only a mister and an elephant trunk dripping water. DD and a few other kids played with the little trickle of water. Then we went to Dumbo for our final fastpass.

Then it was time to go. We briefly got in line at a cart for some popcorn but it took so long that we gave up. I sent the postcards on our way out.

Then we had to figure out how to get to the Car Care Center to pick up a rental car. We asked some cast members but finally called the center directly. They gave us a number for the shuttle where we were able to schedule a pickup from the Transportation and Ticket Center.

So we took the monorail to the TTC. We were all so hot and thirsty, we were glad they had a little gift shop where we could pick up a bottle of water.

We waited at the bus area for a while until the shuttle came. Everything went smoothly at the car rental and we got a Chevy Impala. Then we drove back to the Dolphin to pick up our luggage. Our only concern with the Impala was that it wouldn't be able to hold all our luggage, but it was fine. The trunk is huge. It held all our luggage and DD's stroller. Later, DH told me we should always opt for an Impala when we get rental cars, since we rarely need anything bigger.

We took turns using the bathroom and I changed DD into pull-ups. They also had tissues in the bathroom so I got to replenish my stash. DD's nose was still runny and we’d been wiping it all day. I didn't want to get caught without tissues again. I also stopped into the little store to pick up a few snacks. Our bag of snacks was running low and nothing there seemed appetizing anymore. The store was well-stocked but expensive. I finally settled on trail mix, a fruit cup and a little packet of pretzels.


The baby simba was acceptable again.

DH programmed our next hotel into his phone and it said the drive would take four hours. DD ate a lot of the fruit and finished most of the pretzels. DH and I had the trail mix. DD lasted about an hour until she was crying for the iPad. We gave up hope that she would nap and she watched videos for most of the drive.

The drive was boring and there were sudden rains that would pour down. For the last hour traffic got worse and it was slow going. The rain seemed to cause a lot of accidents and we saw four in the last 50 miles. I used the time to catch up on the trip report. I also bought a ticket for the Frost Science Museum for the next day.

We pulled up to the hotel around 8p and DB and DB2 met us there as we arrived. We were staying at the Mondrian South Beach, which was really nice. Our room was huge! It had a little kitchenette and large living space but no drawers. Since we were staying for just two nights and we had plenty of space, we just opened the suitcases and left them on the floor.



Yes, we had a creepy girl-head watching us sleep.

This kitchenette made up for the creepy girl.

We were all tired and hungry so we just ate at the hotel cafe. DH and I shared a margherita pizza and chicken bbq pizza. They were good but certainly couldn’t compare to Via Napoli. DD had chicken tenders but mostly just ate fries. DB and DB2 were staying at a different hotel so they left after dinner.



We got settled quickly and gave DD a bath. The hotel provided a little kit of baby toiletries that came from France. I took a shower and went to bed at 10:30p. DH got his dive stuff ready and went to bed soon after.



NEXT: A very scientific morning!

 

[disgeek009]

DH left early to meet DB and DB2. They were taking a boat to the dive site so had to get there early. DD slept until 7:20a but I told her it was too early and she went back to sleep. I got up around 7:40a and DD woke up at 8:20a.

We opened the curtain and it was a bright and sunny day. We got dressed and headed out. I called a Lyft to go to the Frost Science Museum. We passed by a fancy island that looked like it was full of mansions and they each had a yacht parked outside. We also passed a LONG line of cruise ships from several different cruise lines. I looked for a Disney ship, but didn't see any.



We arrived at the museum a couple minutes before it opened at 9:30a. It was great timing because we basically had the museum to ourselves. The big oculus to view the pool was especially nice.


But we also saw a lot of other exhibits that were fun. DD liked a topography exhibit where she could push sand around. At one point she got sand in her eye and STILL wouldn’t leave.



We also saw an exhibit on flight that had a cute paper airplane launcher and a wind tunnel for paper helicopters and another one that would shoot a rocket up. The docent was a bit bored since we were the only people there and showed us how to use each and DD had a lot of fun. Especially at the helicopter tunnel, which she did at least a dozen times.


Paper airplane launcher

There were a couple of fun water tables that even I enjoyed. And the views from the upper levels were really great.




You can see the line of cruise ships from here.


This is the pool for the oculus we saw earlier.

The ticket included a show at the planetarium, so we got to see that too. DD thought it was scary and spent the show curled up in my lap.



After the show, we went to the cafe for lunch. I got a tuna melt with homemade chips and DD had a really yummy mac and cheese.



By then it was 12:30p and time to go back to the hotel. We got another Lyft and I put DD down for a nap. I caught up with the trip report and napped a bit too.

NEXT: South beach!

 

[DisneyDarlingness]

Omg your reports are getting more and more hilarious!!! The captions are killing me! Btw, every time I visit my family in California we all end up with 85C pastries at some point. It's inevitable. Paris Baguette makes an appearance too. I'm so glad the birthday info got added to all the reservations - those extra touches can really make a difference!

 

[disgeek009]

Omg your reports are getting more and more hilarious!!! The captions are killing me! Btw, every time I visit my family in California we all end up with 85C pastries at some point. It's inevitable. Paris Baguette makes an appearance too. I'm so glad the birthday info got added to all the reservations - those extra touches can really make a difference!

Ooo, I never heard of Paris Baguette! We'll probably go to Legoland California later this year so I'll definitely be on the lookout.

 

[DisneyDarlingness]

View attachment 391357
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!

View attachment 391356

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.

View attachment 391354
(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.

View attachment 391355
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.

View attachment 391358
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!

LOL the sticker gospel!!! So funny! "Have you heard the news??"
I totally relate to the husband being glued to the phone difficulties...I mean, what is so important you have to look at your email right now?? Ha ha!
Really loving this report, thank you for writing!

 

[DisneyDarlingness]

Ooo, I never heard of Paris Baguette! We'll probably go to Legoland California later this year so I'll definitely be on the lookout.

I think you'll like it! https://parisbaguette.com/locations/
It's actually Korean, I think, but there are a lot of fruit based cakes and things, and it's not too sweet. Legoland California is pretty fun - we went for the first time last year. The hotels there are amazing - very well-themed - although of course it's not Disney! They do have more of a focus on the Lego movies (Lego Movie, Lego Ninjago, etc.) so if you haven't seen one of those movies (Lego Movie was pretty great for adults, and I liked Lego Movie 2 also!) it could make meeting Emmet more meaningful when you're there. The buffet at the hotel with the knights and princess knights theme was tasty.

 

[disgeek009]

LOL the sticker gospel!!! So funny! "Have you heard the news??"
I totally relate to the husband being glued to the phone difficulties...I mean, what is so important you have to look at your email right now?? Ha ha!
Really loving this report, thank you for writing!

Seriously, she was so into those stickers! I don't know how she prioritizes these things, but those ones were extra special and she didn't use them until we got home.

I think you'll like it! https://parisbaguette.com/locations/
It's actually Korean, I think, but there are a lot of fruit based cakes and things, and it's not too sweet. Legoland California is pretty fun - we went for the first time last year. The hotels there are amazing - very well-themed - although of course it's not Disney! They do have more of a focus on the Lego movies (Lego Movie, Lego Ninjago, etc.) so if you haven't seen one of those movies (Lego Movie was pretty great for adults, and I liked Lego Movie 2 also!) it could make meeting Emmet more meaningful when you're there. The buffet at the hotel with the knights and princess knights theme was tasty.

Oh, good tips! We'll probably stay at Legoland Castle because it's the cheaper one between the two options. I'll have to show DD the Lego movies before we go, maybe have a movie night. I wonder if people write trip reports for Legoland? I'm going to look that up...

Jackpot! There are a bunch here: https://www.disboards.com/forums/southern-california-theme-parks.129/

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'm so behind! But playing catch up now! Love how you are finishing up your report!
Love how your daughter got her first haircut at Harmony! That place is so cute.
And your dinner at Via Napoli sounds amazing, I should try and get back there.
Your south beach hotel is huge!

 

[disgeek009]

I'm so behind! But playing catch up now! Love how you are finishing up your report!
Love how your daughter got her first haircut at Harmony! That place is so cute.
And your dinner at Via Napoli sounds amazing, I should try and get back there.
Your south beach hotel is huge!

I've been following your trip reports, and it seems like you're CONSTANTLY on vacation! Glad you have time for some reading too. lol
I think her first haircut experience was almost the same as Steve's!