A Throwback Trip Report! - 7 Years Ago!

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hello Everyone!!!!

I have been a bit absent from the boards lately. But I woke up this morning with my time hop reminding me that 7 years ago today, we were all packed up and ready to go on our very first trip to Disney!

Which inspired me to do this throwback trip report!

If you have followed along with my more current trip reports, you know who we all are and WELCOME BACK!!! But if you are new, you might want to know who we are before you follow along...

There is me, Ariella, your trip reporter!
At the time, I did all of this planning with a good old fashioned Travel Guide BOOKS! You know those things made out of paper... And advise from friends and family who had gone already. Crazy I know! I didn't even know that the dis existed yet.


Andy, my husband
At the time, Andy wasn't dyeing to go to Disney. But def was on board with taking the girls.


Morgan
At the time of this trip, Morgan was just finishing daycare and getting ready to head into Kindergarten. This trip was to be a once in like 6 years trip.... ha! And we wanted to go before Morgan started Kindergarten. Morgan was heavily into Princesses at the time and loved all Disney movies.


Gwen
At the time of this trip, Gwen was JUST shy of being 3. So, she was FREE!!! It was a perfect age, as she was 2 month shy of being 3, so she was old enough to really enjoy most of the stuff. I would argue it is the perfect age to take a kid of the first time. Gwen was also, VERY into Princesses but also was still into things like Dora, as well. Fun fact, Gwen decided a week before we left for this trip, that she wanted to potty train. NOT good timing to be in theme parks with a toddler who is JUST figuring out potty training.


This trip was 7 years ago tomorrow, so 2013!. And to set the tone of the time frame. Disney had paper fast passes, The Little Mermaid ride had recently opened up but Fairy Tale Hall and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had not opened up yet. You needed to rope drop to get Fast passes for Toy Story Mania. Disney Springs was still Downtown Disney (which we didn't even bother going to). The Main Street Electrical Parade still happened! And Be Our Guest Dinner was THE HOT dinning reservation to get!

We booked a package on the Disney website WITH airfare included. I don't think that is even a thing anymore! We booked the Poly based on recommendation of our friends due to location and being able to roll the stroller on and off of the monorail. Which was perfect for this first trip. And I believe we were there Saturday to Sunday.

I have no trip notes, so this will be based only on memories and all of the pictures we took to jog my memory.

I am hoping to post each day of the trip, starting tomorrow! So, follow along as I go down memory lane! And see how little Morgan and Gwen were!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Yay, I'm 1st!!!

Gwen and Morgan are so itty bitty! This will be such a fun TR I'm so happy you decided to do it!!

 

[smilie]

OMG, baby Morgan and Gwen!! I love this.

 

[Lesley Wake]

I love this idea! The girls are so itty bitty!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Following! It’s crazy how time flies, isn’t it?
Can’t wait to read more!

 

[DLo]

Loving this !!! The girls are so precious! Can’t wait to hear about not only your first trip but to see how different things were then.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Yay, I'm 1st!!!

Gwen and Morgan are so itty bitty! This will be such a fun TR I'm so happy you decided to do it!!

Yeah! Glad you are hear!!! They were so itty bitty! I was prepping pictures for tomorrow and am already loving this.

I love this idea! The girls are so itty bitty!

Thanks!!! Right just some good old reminiscing fun!

Following! It’s crazy how time flies, isn’t it?
Can’t wait to read more!

Welcome!!! And it is sooo crazy how fast time goes by!

Loving this !!! The girls are so precious! Can’t wait to hear about not only your first trip but to see how different things were then.

Thanks. You can thank Timehop for the idea!

 

[kastoney]

Who are these people even? A visit once every six years and mini Morgan’s and Gwen’s? Seriously fab idea and I can’t wait for more.

 

[buzzrelly]

Hi Ariella! What a fun idea! I'd love to do a throwback TR but when my kids were that little, digital photography wasn't even a thing!

 

[Tracy161]

I didn't even know that the dis existed yet.

The horror! Thank goodness you found it!

OMG Morgan and Gwen are SO little!!! Thanks for sharing this trip with us. It's great to see you back

 

[pixiemama91]

What a great idea to reminisce! This august was supposed to be my youngest's trip right before going to Kindergarten but we will have to see if it will still happen. I agree that age 2 right before 3 is a great age to bring kids. That was the age we first went to Disney when my now 10 year old was that age. Such fond memories even though I had no idea what I was doing on that trip.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Good Morning Everyone!!!! The 1st installment coming up shortly!

Who are these people even? A visit once every six years and mini Morgan’s and Gwen’s? Seriously fab idea and I can’t wait for more.

Right?!?! I think I knew 6 years wasn't going to happen on the first day. Ha! Glad you are here!

Hi Ariella! What a fun idea! I'd love to do a throwback TR but when my kids were that little, digital photography wasn't even a thing!

I think we had dualing cameras for the trip, a big DSLR and a small point and shoot. But I think at this point in time using my camera phone was still not great.

The horror! Thank goodness you found it!

Right? I made it here eventually.

OMG Morgan and Gwen are SO little!!! Thanks for sharing this trip with us. It's great to see you back

Thanks!!! Glad you are hear!

What a great idea to reminisce! This august was supposed to be my youngest's trip right before going to Kindergarten but we will have to see if it will still happen. I agree that age 2 right before 3 is a great age to bring kids. That was the age we first went to Disney when my now 10 year old was that age. Such fond memories even though I had no idea what I was doing on that trip.

I hope you get to go on your trip in August if you guys want to go! This trip is so different than the trips we take now. And I love all of them!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Travel Day!

So, this trip wasn't a secret but the girls were so little that they didn't really know what to expect. So, we didn't really have to hid it. We had a flight out fairly early in the morning. My sister drove us to the airport and dropped us off.

This was the girls very first time on an airplane, and they were super excitied and nervous all at the same time.
Very First Plane ride by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We flew US Airways, which I don't think even exists anymore... And were able to board with family boarding. We got settled quickly.

Still a thumb sucker by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Morgan was a HUGE thumb sucker! And for way to long, but I am happy to report at the age of 12, she is no longer a thumb sucker!

We were settled and ready to go!
Ready to Go! by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Gwen was a ball of nerves flying this time. She went from crying...
Nervous about Flying by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

To a happy bubba (as we called her back then)
But also Happy. by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

This is how the girls spent most of the plane ride:
Settling in for the flight by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

And before we knew it we were in Orlando.

When we were getting off the plane, I remember a family who was leaving and they gave Morgan and Gwen a Mickey Balloon! One of those clear ones with the blue Mickey balloon inside it! They were super excitied about it. As adults, we hated the balloon after a few days of it tied to the double stroller and hitting us in the head. But it was a nice disney magic touch!

I remember us wondering around trying to find magical express. I don't know if it wasn't marked as well as it is now, or if we were just clueless. But we did find it eventually.

Tired on Magical Express by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We had gotten up early, so we tried to get the girls to nap on the bus. Morgan was better and more successful at that than Gwen was...

Too excited to sleep on Magical Express by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Gwen was too excitied. I also remember Gwen LOVING the old cartoons that they played on the bus. The bus was basically quiet and all you could hear was her little belly laugh at all of the physical comedy. And everyone around us laughed at how cute her laugh was.

Before long we were at the Poly! I remember being welcomed off the bus and escorted to the check in guest. Our room was ready, so we went over to bell hop and asked for our garden grocer order and stroller rental. They guys found out stuff and offered to drive us over in a golf cart to our room! I had a lot of stuff, I remember ordering diapers and wipes, fresh fruit and milk. So, I am sure we had a decent amount of bags.

I am sure we didn't hang around too long before we headed to Magic Kingdom!!! I am sure we hoped on the monorail and in we went.

We made it! by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We had FINALLY arrived. I am not really sure what time it was, but it must have still been early in the day.

Our first look at the castle by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Our VERY FIRST look at the Castle!!!!!!

Do you think the girls were excitied?!?!

The girls underwhelmed by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Nope. They kind of had this underwhelmed first look. I think part of it was that it had taken so long to get there and they really didn't know what to expect.
What are we looking at? by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Don't worry they warmed up. So, we had ZERO plans on what to do today! Can you believe that!!! No idea where anything was or want we wanted to do!

We made our way up to the castle and must have gone through the castle. Once we saw the caroseul, the girls wanted to ride, of course... And there really was no line. So, we hopped in line.

Andy & Morgan by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Me and Gwen by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Gwen by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Morgan by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It was a great first ride for the trip! I think they were finally starting to "get" it.

After that, we wandered around a bit...

Peeking at Merida by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We saw Merida as we walked by! I think the line was capped for her to go on a break, so we moved on.

Gastons by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We found Gaston's!

And it think our end destination was The Little Mermaid Ride. But there was a super long wait, as it was fairly new. I think we located the fast pass machine and were able to get a fast pass for later in the day.

Since we had time to kill, we headed back to meet Merida!

Merida Tapistry by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Details by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Even on my first trip, I was enjoying the details and photographing it!

Waiting there turn by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
For our first trip, we made these autograph books out of the A to Z books Disney made. I had ordered them off of amazon, had staples cut the binding off and put a spiral bind on it. We also added some pages of some newer missing characthers.

Morgan just looks sooo little waiting here. This was a long wait for a character.

Talking about Curly Hair by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
But we made it eventually...

Merida and Gwen chatted about having curly hair for a bit...

1st Meet n Greet by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
At this point in time, I truely think that they both believed they were meeting THE REAL Merida! They both loved meeting her!

Getting 1st autograph by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
I can tell how nervous Gwen was, with her fingers wedged into her mouth.

Girls and Merida by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Merida was a great meet! She had a nice accent and super nice. She spent a good amount of time with them as well.

At this time, they had 2 activites to do after you met Merida. First you got one try and shooting a bow and arrow.

Gwen Bow by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Gwen Shooting by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Gwen Arrow by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Gwen clearly liked doing it.

Morgan's Turn by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Morgan Bow by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Morgan Bow by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Morgan Bow by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Morgan loved that as well.

Then after that, there were a few places where you took a crayon and did a rubbing on the stones in the area. Which the girls enjoyed doing as well. And then we moved on. having the 2 other items, really rounded out the expierence with meeting Merida!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

After that, we were HOT! It was June and it was hot. So, somehow we found our way over to Mickey's Philharmonic. Probably because Andy's sister probably recommended it.



We loved it! Gwen and Morgan reached out to grab all of the stuff. And Gwen walked around the rest of the days saying she has gems in her hands. It was soooo cute! Jasmine was also her favorite Princess at the time, so she was super happy to see Jasmine in it.

After being cooled off, it was time for our VERY FIRST FAST PASS!!! We headed back over to The Journey of Little Mermaid!



This was a HUGE hit with the girls! They were the perfect age for this ride.



The ride itself is exactly the same, so I will spare you all the photos we took. But I do remember that the last scene sometimes worked and sometimes didn't over the course of the trip. (As this was NOT our last time on the ride)

I still have no idea what time it is, but it looks like we stopped for some food finally. And we went to Pinnocho's Village Haus for some flat bread pizza. I am pretty sure Andy's friend told us about the window that over looks It's a Small World. And there was a table open!



I know, we didn't want to push ourselves today. We were up early and we knew that we wanted to get the girls a good nights rest tonight. So, we decided on one last things before we left the park.

We ended up deciding on doing the Stage Show in front of the castle. And this ended up being a great way to end the first day!




The girls LOVED seeing both the Princesses and all of the Princes! And at the time, Aurora was Morgan's favorite princess, so she was over the moon to see Aurora and Prince Philip!








They were memorized by all of it!




And taken aback by all of it!


It really was a great way to start off the trip. It was like seeing a summary of all of the characters. Of course the show is completely different now. But we loved it.

Pretty sure we made our way out after that.

As this is the picture I have of Morgan...

We must have grabbed food at the poly and relaxed for the evening. I know we tried to keep to a strict 8:00 bed time as best as possible this trip.


Looks like they calmed down with a little ipad shows and then lights out!


Morgan did want to sleep on the chair. But I think that only lasted the first night.

But it meant Gwen got a Queen bed all to herself the first night.


And that was our first day!!!!

Tomorrow we head to Animal Kingdom and a Princess Dinner!

 

[vamassey1]

AWWWWW the girls were so tiny & precious. With all the uncertainty and changes a throw back trip is perfect for right now. I really miss paper fastpasses. I agree that 2 close to 3 is a great age. John Paul was around this age when we took him in December. Looking forward to more.

 

[Isabelle12345]

That is such a fun idea! I love watching the girls enjoy Disney at that age...
When we went in February my kids were exactly at that age and like you, I wasn’t expecting to get into it so much... but we are now looking into buying DVC so I guess was bitten by the Disney bug!
Can’t wait to read more!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Then after that, there were a few places where you took a crayon and did a rubbing on the stones in the area. Which the girls enjoyed doing as well. And then we moved on. having the 2 other items, really rounded out the expierence with meeting Merida!

I forgot to quote all the cuteness! But looks like a pretty successful first day and intro to Disney!

I did love the Merida activities post character meet! Really a way to up the experience!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Joining in! How fun to look back at your first family trip.
The girls are so adorable. Love going back in time.
Andi was a thumb sucker for a long time! She was the best baby, toddler, and young girl and I firmly believe sucking her thumb helped.
I’m proud to say at 20 she doesn’t suck her thumb anymore either haha

 

[Tracy161]

Gwen was too excitied. I also remember Gwen LOVING the old cartoons that they played on the bus. The bus was basically quiet and all you could hear was her little belly laugh at all of the physical comedy.

Aww, I bet she had the whole bus entertained the whole ride to Disney

I am pretty sure Andy's friend told us about the window that over looks It's a Small World. And there was a table open!

I love that spot!

What a perfect first day! Isn't it hard to believe there was once a time when you didn't know Disney inside and out?!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

With all the uncertainty and changes a throw back trip is perfect for right now. I really miss paper fastpasses.

It has def been fun reminising about the trip! I hate to say it, but I don't miss paper fast passes. I hated trying to figure out where the the machine was, treaking across the park just to get the fast pass, and then turn around and go somewhere else to kill time.

When we went in February my kids were exactly at that age and like you, I wasn’t expecting to get into it so much... but we are now looking into buying DVC so I guess was bitten by the Disney bug!
Can’t wait to read more!

They get us roped in!!!!

I forgot to quote all the cuteness! But looks like a pretty successful first day and intro to Disney!

It's ok, I know it is a different kind of trip report.

Andi was a thumb sucker for a long time! She was the best baby, toddler, and young girl and I firmly believe sucking her thumb helped.
I’m proud to say at 20 she doesn’t suck her thumb anymore either haha

Ha! I am sure Andi would be thrilled to know you are sharing that!

What a perfect first day! Isn't it hard to believe there was once a time when you didn't know Disney inside and out?!

Right? This coming day demostates how we had no idea where we were going.