Princess Pea's first trip to the World - Day 4 posted 4/11

[jess98ac]

Hi All!!

Welcome to my PTR. I've been meaning to start this for a while now, but just haven't gotten around to it. I'm hoping to use this as a place to gather my thoughts and bounce some ideas off of any of you who happen to read this!

Cast of characters -

Me - Jess - 33 year old Disney lover. This will be my 10th trip to WDW if you include a one day visit to Epcot (I do!). I'm a working mom to a crazy little 15 month old, and loving every minute of it. I usually plan for these trips (or any other trip really) pretty obsessively, but this time around I just don't have the free time I've had in the past!

DH - Dave - 35 year old who loves me enough to "put up" with my Disney loving. This will be our 4th trip together, and I think he went one or 2 other times as a kid. I'm interested to see how things go this time with DD there with us, she's such a Daddy's girl already!!

DD - Pea - she'll be 19 mos on our trip. She keeps us on our toes, but we've been blessed with a great baby. I can't wait to see how she likes WDW! She loves "MiMo" (her Minnie Mouse doll), and in the morning while we're all trying to get out the door to work and daycare, she watches the Little Einsteins and parts of Pooh and Friends and the Mickey Mouse Club. I'm hoping she'll recognize the characters and won't be afraid of them, but only time will tell!

My parents and sister are also coming along with us -

Mom - 50's, first time Grammie, and LOVING every minute of it. I've seen more of my parents in the last 15 mos than I had in the last 5 years, LOL!!! Loves going to Disney and is bummed that she can't do all the rides that she used to (ToT and RNR) due to high blood pressure.

Dad - 50s, first time Avo (Grandpa), and also LOVING every minute of it. Not much of a rider, he was always the designated bag holder, so this year he'll be the designated baby watcher for a few rides.

Sister - Laura, 30 - otherwise known as Tia. Also loves Disney and rides as much as I do, and is loving being an aunt. I have a feeling Princess Paige is going to be spoiled this trip!!

We're heading to WDW 12/5-12/12, and rented points to stay in a 2BR at OKW. We're very excited to have a kitchen AND be staying onsite. None of us have ever been there during the Christmas season, so we can't wait to check out all of the decorations!!!

 

[jess98ac]

Our ADR window opened yesterday, so I was up early (like even before DD!) to get online. I had some issues, but found a little work around, and was done with in 1/2 hour or so. I had 4 ADRs that I wanted, and I got 3 of the 4 close to or at the time I wanted, and the other at the time I wanted, but on a different day.

I really wanted to start our week off at CM on 12/5 around 5, but I couldn't get it. I couldn't get anything for our party (5 adults and 1 baby) at or around 5 any day all week except our last night, 12/11. I'll keep trying, but if I don't get it, it's not a big deal. We'll also be doing a CP breakfast at 8:15 on 12/8 (I wanted as close to 8 as possible), and have tier 2 ADRs for the 5PM HDDR on 12/10 (exactly what I wanted). DH and I have our night out alone on 12/9, and I was able to get 8:20 ADRs at Kouzzina (wanted 8PM) for that night.

The rest of our meals will either be made/cooked in the villa, or CS meals. I'm anticipating making breakfast (other than the CP day) in the villa, and we'll get a grocery delivery for some lunch and dinner foods, too.

 

[jess98ac]

This is my first trip with a baby, so I'll need some input. This is just a loose itinerary so far, basically just our park days, no real touring plans yet.


12/5 (Sat.) - set to arrive at MCO around noon, grab ME and hopefully be at OKW by 2. Hopefully our room will be ready and we can go get settled, if not, we'll grab lunch and explore until we can get it. I'm not sure what else to do with this day. We have 7 day park hoppers so we could do a park, but I definitely don't want to push it with DD since we'll be getting her up around 4:30 to get to the airport. I was hoping to get a 5ish dinner at CM, but there's nothing available. I plan to keep trying, but if nothing pops up, what do you guys suggest? Head to DHS just for the lights? MK for Spectro and then head out before Wishes (I'd like to do Wishes from the Poly another night).

12/6 (Sun.) - AK for RD, see as much as we can, possibly do picnic in the park for lunch. I've never seen the Nemo show, not sure if we can fit it in this day. If not, we'll try to get back for that another day. Since the park closes at 6, is it worth trying to fit in an afternoon break? Maybe break and then Epcot for Illuminations?

12/7 (Mon.) - Epcot for RD, tour FW, break at OKW, back to Epcot for WS CS for dinner. This might be a good night for us to do Wishes from the Poly? If not, possibly head to DHS for the lights if we don't go the 1st day, and then to DTD for a later dinner.

12/8 (Tues.) - 8:15 CP ADR. What time will we be able to get in to MK? After breakfast we'll do what we can at MK and head back to OKW for a break. After break, probably back to MK. My other thought would be to head to HS to see the lights while everyone is at F!, is that a good idea? I think it will be too intense for DD so I'm planning to skip it this time around.

12/9 (Wed.) - HS for RD, right to TSM to ride and/or get FP, see Playhouse Disney, ride ToT and RnR, that's about it. Other than those rides, there isn't much I want to see/do here, it's becoming my least favorite park. I'm thinking this might be a good day to rest and then do a resort tour to see the holiday decorations. It's halfway through our trip, so I'm sure DD, and probably the rest of us, will need the break. DH and I have 8:20 ADRs for Kouzzina, so the others will either eat in the villa or CS somewhere. That night my sister will meet DH and I at Jellyrolls after dinner.

12/10 (Thurs) - sleep in leisure morning, probably hit DTD. I'm thinking if we don't see Nemo on our AK day, we could head over for that and then do WS for a bit. We have 5PM HDDR ressies, so we will have to head to FW for that. If DD is still ok, I'd like to head to Epcot after that for Illuminations if we haven't seen it before then. If not, we'll head to DTD or back to OKW.

12/11 (Fri.) - MK day again. We don't need to be there for rope drop since we're planning that another day. We have CM at 5:05, so maybe another late morning to get going and/or see the monorail resorts' decorations. Depending on what time it is and how DD is, maybe we'll hit Epcot. There's EMH that night so it might be crazy, but I can't think of a better way to end our vacation than strolling through WS. We'll see.

Any tips? Tweaks?

Thanks!

 

[teedee]

I'm interested in seeing how your planning and trip go. I'll be taking my grandson for the first time next summer. He'll be 2 when we go. I'm a little worried about taking him so young, but like his nana he already shows signs of loving Disney. He LOVES all the Disney movies. Finding Nemo and Cars are his current favs.

Terri

 

[Gabes_mommy]

What a fun trip you have planned! We took our DS to Disney when he was about the same age your DD will be and we had a wonderful time.

I can't wait to hear more.

 

[jess98ac]

I'm interested in seeing how your planning and trip go. I'll be taking my grandson for the first time next summer. He'll be 2 when we go. I'm a little worried about taking him so young, but like his nana he already shows signs of loving Disney. He LOVES all the Disney movies. Finding Nemo and Cars are his current favs.

Terri

Welcome!! I'll be sure to report back about taking a toddler that age!

What a fun trip you have planned! We took our DS to Disney when he was about the same age your DD will be and we had a wonderful time.

I can't wait to hear more.

Welcome! Any tips for traveling with a little toddler? I'm hoping we've planned enough breaks. So far she naps great in her stroller, hopefully she'll stick to that and snooze when she's tired instead of getting cranky!

 

[KathyRN137]

We're heading to WDW 12/5-12/12, and rented points to stay in a 2BR at OKW. We're very excited to have a kitchen AND be staying onsite. None of us have ever been there during the Christmas season, so we can't wait to check out all of the decorations!!!

Ahh, you will love that 2BR at OKW! Sooo much space and the resort is so relaxing and laid-back!

And Christmas-time at WDW is extra-magical!

We'll also be doing a CP breakfast at 8:15 on 12/8 (I wanted as close to 8 as possible), and have tier 2 ADRs for the 5PM HDDR on 12/10 (exactly what I wanted). DH and I have our night out alone on 12/9, and I was able to get 8:20 ADRs at Kouzzina (wanted 8PM) for that night.

Sounds great! Have you done HDDR before? We love that!
And good luck getting Chef Mickey's! So glad you're getting to do a date night, too!

Kathy

 

[jess98ac]

Ahh, you will love that 2BR at OKW! Sooo much space and the resort is so relaxing and laid-back!

And Chrismas-time at WDW is extra-magical!




Sounds great! Have you done HDDR before? We love that!
And good luck getting Chef Mickey's! So glad you're getting to do a date night, too!

Kathy

Nope, never done HDDR, I'm really excited. We limited our TS meals, so hopefully this one lives up.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to keep CM for our last night. I don't want to push it on travel day. If everyone (mainly DD) is ok on arrival night, maybe we'll head to MK for Spectro.

 

[momtwoboys]

LOVE IT! Did you end up getting Chef Mickey's yet for dinner? My guys loved the dinner at Garden Grill too with Farmer Mickey, and gang! We spend very little time in DHS too, actually we have skipped it in years past. They loved TSM, but its true there's not much else for them. MK has the most for the little ones! I have great video footage of mine as toddlers gettin down to the Beatles tribute band in Epcot. She's going to have a BLAST!

 

[jess98ac]

LOVE IT! Did you end up getting Chef Mickey's yet for dinner? My guys loved the dinner at Garden Grill too with Farmer Mickey, and gang! We spend very little time in DHS too, actually we have skipped it in years past. They loved TSM, but its true there's not much else for them. MK has the most for the little ones! I have great video footage of mine as toddlers gettin down to the Beatles tribute band in Epcot. She's going to have a BLAST!

I'm pretty sure I'm just going to leave Chef Mickey's for our last night, we're going to have an early morning on the day we fly down, so I think I'll leave that day/night open.

 

[KathyRN137]

I'm pretty sure I'm just going to leave Chef Mickey's for our last night, we're going to have an early morning on the day we fly down, so I think I'll leave that day/night open.

That sounds wise! I've learned from experience that you should always make arrival day an easy one!


Kathy

 

[jess98ac]

Here's my second attempt!!


12/5 (Sat.) - set to arrive at MCO around noon, grab ME and hopefully be at OKW by 2. Hopefully our room will be ready and we can go get settled, if not, we'll grab lunch and explore until we can get it. I'm thinking we'll head to MK for a CS dinner after a rest, and then grab a spot for Spectro. I'm not concerned with doing rides at all, so we'll just stick close to the parade route and eat and hang out.

12/6 (Sun.) - AK for RD, see as much as we can, possibly do picnic in the park for lunch and definitely check out Nemo. Back to OKW for dinner and an early night.

12/7 (Mon.) - Epcot for RD, tour FW and possibly some of WS, break at OKW, DTD for for dinner/shopping.

12/8 (Tues.) - 8:15 CP ADR. After breakfast we'll do what we can at MK and head back to OKW for a break. After break, probably back to MK.

12/9 (Wed.) - HS for RD, right to TSM to ride and/or get FP, see Playhouse Disney, ride ToT and RnR, that's about it. Other than those rides, there isn't much I want to see/do here, it's becoming my least favorite park. I'm thinking this might be a good day to rest and then do a resort tour to see the holiday decorations. It's halfway through our trip, so I'm sure DD, and probably the rest of us, will need the break. DH and I have 8:20 ADRs for Kouzzina, so the others will either eat in the villa or CS somewhere. That night my sister will meet DH and I at Jellyrolls after dinner.

12/10 (Thurs) - sleep in leisure morning, head to WS until our 5PM HDDR ressie. After HDDR, hopefully back to Epcot for Illuminations.

12/11 (Fri.) - MK day again. We don't need to be there for rope drop since we're planning that another day. We have CM at 5:05, so maybe another late morning to get going and/or see the monorail resorts' decorations. Depending on what time it is and how DD is, maybe we'll hit Epcot. There's EMH that night so it might be crazy, but I can't think of a better way to end our vacation than strolling through WS. We'll see.

I just realized I forgot the Osborne Lights!! Should we try to hit those on Monday and do DTD on Tuesday since there's MVMCP and F! and we're avoiding both? Since we're spending Friday at MK, we don't necessarily need to go back on Tuesday after our break.

 

[jess98ac]

12/5 (Sat.) - set to arrive at MCO around noon, grab ME and hopefully be at OKW by 2. Hopefully our room will be ready and we can go get settled, if not, we'll grab lunch and explore until we can get it. I'm thinking we'll head to MK for a CS dinner after a rest, and then grab a spot for Spectro. I'm not concerned with doing rides at all, so we'll just stick close to the parade route and eat and hang out. didn't change

12/6 (Sun.) - AK for RD, see as much as we can, possibly do picnic in the park for lunch and definitely check out Nemo. Back to OKW for dinner and an early night.didn't change

12/7 (Mon.) - Epcot for RD, tour FW and possibly some of WS, break at OKW, DHS for Osborne Lights. I guess we'll play dinner by ear. If we do a later lunch, we'll snack before the lights and then do a later dinner after. If not, we'll do an early dinner at OKW, see the lights, and then maybe get ice cream somewhere or something.

12/8 (Tues.) - 8:15 CP ADR. After breakfast we'll do what we can at MK and head back to OKW for a later break, then head to DTD for dinner and shopping. If my dad and DH don't feel like shopping, they'll head back to OKW with DD. My sister really wants to see F!, so we may split up this night. She and my parents to DHS; DH, DD and I to DTD.

12/9 (Wed.) - HS for RD, right to TSM to ride and/or get FP, see Playhouse Disney, ride ToT and RnR, that's about it. I'd like to do GMR, too, if the rest of the party is interested. Other than those rides, there isn't much I want to see/do here, it's becoming my least favorite park. I'm thinking this might be a good day to rest and then do a resort tour to see the holiday decorations. It's halfway through our trip, so I'm sure DD, and probably the rest of us, will need the break. DH and I have 8:20 ADRs for Kouzzina, so the others will either eat in the villa or CS somewhere. That night my sister will meet DH and I at Jellyrolls after dinner. didn't change

12/10 (Thurs) - sleep in leisure morning, head to WS for lunch and until our 5PM HDDR ressie. After HDDR, hopefully back to Epcot for Illuminations. If sleeping in still means we're up and ready to go by 9ish (with DD, that's possible) then we'll try to see the monorail resorts' decorations this day and head to Epcot from the TTC.

12/11 (Fri.) - MK day again. We don't need to be there for rope drop since we're planning that another day. We have CM at 5:05, so maybe another late morning to get going and/or see the monorail resorts' decorations if we don't get there the day before. If we're up and ready to go, we'll head to MK for RD, break at OKW, and then head to CR for CM. Depending on what time it is and how DD is, maybe we'll hit Epcot after dinner. There's EMH that night so it might be crazy, but I can't think of a better way to end our vacation than strolling through WS. We'll see. didn't change much


I'm also compiling a list of things to ship to the resort. So far I know I want to send diapers, wipes, pasta, snacks, and cereal.

Getting closer to the 2 month mark, can't believe it!

 

[jess98ac]

Two months from today!!!

EEEEEE!!

 

[mandy2012]

 

[jess98ac]

I showed DD some clips of Playhouse Disney online and she LOVED it. She smiled and squealed and shook her little tooshie, so I hope she loves it as much in person!
Seven more weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[momtwoboys]

are you getting excited or WHAT????? She's going to love it! At that age Luke really loved and still does the Winnie the Pooh ride!!!

 

[jess98ac]

SO excited!!! I keep showing her stuff online and she loves it. I really hope she loves Mickey in person as she does right now. She gets so excited when she sees him on TV or the computer or even on her sippy cups, it's so funny. Six more weeks!!

 

[KathyRN137]

Awww, so cute! Love those little "tooshies!"


Kathy

 

[jess98ac]

It's official - ME docs arrived today!!! YAHOO!
The spelled my parents' names and sister's name wrong, so I'll have to contact them tomorrow, but still, so exciting!

Oh, and DH and I decided on Flying Fish for our night out instead of Kouzzina. Can't wait!