Disney Trip Report (Extremely long)

[dcrunnergirl52]

I know we have a lot of ladies heading to Disney soon, so here is my long trip report:

Saturday: We flew out on Saturday morning on JetBlue. The airport was relatively easy, and although the flight was bumpy, we did fine. DH sat with DS2, while I sat with DD and DS1. I packed backpacks for P&F that were full of new toys and books, as well as earphones to watch TV on the plane.

We arrived in Orlando around 11am, and took the Magical Express from the airport to the hotel. This was probably the most challenging part of the trip because they wouldn’t allow carseats on the bus, and DS2 didn’t want to be held. It was like holding a 25lb squid for 90 minutes. The only good thing about it was that it made me glad we got DS2 his own seat on the flights because there is no way he could ever be a lap baby. Anyway, we got to the hotel, and checked in. We didn’t know you could check into Bay Lake Tower itself, and instead checked in at the Contemporary, where the lobby was crazy crowded. We finally got to our one-bedroom suite, and it was gorgeous. I just loved everything about it. After unpacking a bit and having our groceries delivered, we headed down to the Contempo Café for a quick-service meal/lunch. I got the lobster roll, and it was so good. I had it three more times throughout our stay. The benefit of the dining plan is that you don’t worry what your lunch costs because it’s already paid for, so eating lobster four times in one week was no big deal.

After lunch, we walked to Magic Kingdom. We had our single City Mini GT from home and a double City Mini that we rented from Orlando Strollers. When we got to Magic Kingdom, we did Ariel’s Under Sea ride, the Tomorrowland Speedway, and the Casey Jr. Splash Station. It was a good way to start the vacation with just a little intro to Magic Kingdom and for us to get our bearings. We just went back to the hotel after that and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sunday: We had breakfast in the room, and then took the bus to Hollywood Studios. The bus ride was very rough because we had to hold DS2, and it was a 30 minute ride since it stopped at three other resorts. We got to the park, and did a bunch of shows and rides, including the Disney, Jr. show, which was awesome for the kids and meeting Buzz and Woody at Pixar Place. The best was the Frozen Sing-a-Long, where DD got to sing her heart out. Everyone around us was laughing because she had her eyes closed and was just full of emotion while singing. We ate lunch at 50s Prime Time Café, which was delicious, and then visited Lightning McQueen, saw the Muppets show (good), and rode Toy Story Midway Mania (awesome). We attempted to see Mr. Incredible but the line was too long.

We stayed at Hollywood Studios until 5pm, and then took the bus back, so we were there from 8:30am-5am. DS2 napped a bit, but the other kids didn't. We came back to the hotel, and I got takeout from Contempo Cafe for dinner while DH did baths. The kids ate dinner, and then DS2 went to bed. DD and DS1 watched TV, and then I took them to the bonfire at our hotel to roast marshmallows. Thankfully, everyone went to sleep easily because it was such a big day.

Monday: We got up early and did a character breakfast at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom with Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Goofy, and Daisy. The kids loved it, and the food was really good. We then did the safari ride (very cool), saw the Lion King show (awesome), and just walked around the park. DS1 loved the Lion King show, shouting at the end, “THANK YOU, SIMBA.” You can walk up to the “characters” (animatronics) after the show and somehow they are able to sort of interact with you, and DS1 was so excited when Simba waved to him.

After that, we just walked around. It was SO, SO, SO hot and crowded. Just wall-to-wall people. We left there around 2pm and went back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch, we put on bathing suits to go swimming, but it started to thunder. Instead, we hung out in the hotel's playroom with crafts, arcade games, etc. until the pool re-opened. We had a great time in the pool because it was relatively empty since not many people knew it reopened. DD and DS1 went down the HUGE, 20-foot water slide by themselves. I couldn't believe it. After swimming, we got take-out from Contempo Café at the hotel and then the kids went to sleep fairly easily.

Tuesday: Everyone woke up early, so we went to Epcot for early hours, getting there around 8:30am on the monorail. We did a couple of rides, including the Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush. I highly recommend Crush. It was really cool. DS1 was just in heaven. And, because we were there so early, we were able to walk right into those rides, and not even wait for our FastPasses later in the day. In the same building as the Nemo ride, they also have a pretty cool aquarium, which I didn’t know about/remember from my previous visits. We could have spent a lot of time there because it had the same fish as most large aquariums but at a more manageable size. The only downside was that strollers weren’t allowed so after a while, DS2 started to get fussy from being carried around, and we had to leave.

After that, we crossed over to the World Showcase in Epcot and went to lunch in "Italy" at Via Napoli, which had some of the best pizzas/food we've ever eaten. So good. And, the kids were well behaved, which was amazing. During lunch, it poured rain, but by the time we got out, it stopped and was sunny out. DS2 and DS1 fell asleep in the strollers, so we did a round of visits with characters/princesses with DD. She got to meet Jasmine (DS1 was actually still awake for this), Sleeping Beauty, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Alice in Wonderland. She was just in love with the whole thing. DS1 woke up while we were in line for Alice, and did his usual freaking out/crying when he wakes up still tired, and cried for 20 minutes. Then DS2 started up too. We got them quiet and then went back to explore more of Epcot, when it started to pour. We did the two Innoventions buildings, tasted all the Coca Cola products, and just wandered around in the rain. The kids didn't mind getting soaked. I had ponchos in my bag but we didn't bother with them.

We left the park at 5pm, so we stayed the whole day. On the monorail on the way home, there wasn't room for all of us in the same train car, so DH went in a different one. Of course, he got off at the wrong stop and had to walk back to our hotel from Magic Kingdom. I made it back to the hotel with the kids, and we ordered takeout food, and DH met up with us. We got back to the room around 6pm, did baths, kids ate dinner, and put everyone to bed. A long, but awesome day.

Wednesday: We got up early to be at rope drop at Magic Kingdom. I loved the little show they put on to start the day. And then, as soon as the park opened, DH, me, and ten thousand other people all ran to get in line to meet Anna and Elsa. It felt like running in a race because people were passing each other, yelling, etc. It was crazy. I got to Princess Fairytale Hall, and then saw DH. We jumped in line, and only had about a 5 minute wait. Anna and Elsa were together in the same room, but you get to meet them separately, and they spent a good amount of time with each child. I was very impressed. DD was in heaven. DS1 got all giggly and goofy when he met Anna. It was a magical experience for all of us.

After that, we rode the carousel, It’s a Small World, the Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan’s Flight, and met Chip and Dale and Tinkerbell. We had lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. This was probably our worst meal. The food was just mediocre, and they kept us waiting for about 25 minutes past our reservation. We actually had gotten there about 20 minutes early, so it was a long wait. After lunch, the kids were exhausted and just acting up so much because they were overstimulated, overtired, and overwhelmed. We ended up going back to the hotel early with the hopes that the kids would all nap when we got there. Of course, that didn’t happen, so we just did quiet time with lots of TV. Around 5:30pm, we went back to Magic Kingdom, and it was relatively empty, so we got to go on a few rides (Buzz Lightyear—so much fun) and just walk around without a million other people. We also went to the Incredibles Dance Party, which was a lot of fun. It gave the kids some time to just run free, dance, and not be told they had stand in line, watch out for anyone, ride in a stroller, etc. They needed that to burn off some energy.

After the dance party, we had dinner at Cosmic Rays (decent, not great but the music entertained the kids), and then we watched the Main Street Electrical Parade and then the fireworks, which were all awesome. It was such a fun night and the kids did great staying up so late. Getting out of the fireworks was a chaotic with such a huge mass of people all funneling to the exit, but we got home in about 20 minutes since MK is such a short walk to Bay Lake Tower. By that point, it was nearly 10pm, and we all just collapsed into bed.

Thursday: This was our last day at the parks. We thought the kids would sleep in because they were up so late the night before, but nope, everyone was up and rarin’ to go by 6:15am. We headed back to Magic Kingdom, where we stood in the hottest, sweatiest line ever to meet Ariel. Apparently they didn’t turn the air conditioning on right away, so it was just awful. But, the kids were excited to meet her, and it was worth the wait. We then just walked around and did all the final things we wanted to see and do: ride Dumbo (loved the play area for kids to wait in), Barnstormer and the train, meet Goofy and Donald one more time, try a Dole Whip (good but not sure it lived up to the hype), eat at Casey’s Corner (yum!), shop, etc. We were going to try to stay the entire day, but we knew it was time to go when the kids were acting up so much and so extremely tired that at one point, DD, DS1, DS2, and I were all crying in the middle of Magic Kingdom. We decided our time in the parks was over and to end on a high note. We went back to the hotel and swam in the pool, to give the kids some downtime. We even skipped our reservation at 1900 Park Fare to meet Cinderella because we knew we were done. Plus, DS1 had told me earlier in the week that he didn’t want to see any of Cinderella’s stepsisters, so I was a little concerned he’d react badly at the dinner.

Friday: We just got up early and took the Magical Express to the airport. We got home around 3pm.

Overall, looking back, we had a wonderful time. In was, however, a ton of work, with three little kids. In the heat of the moment, I was vowing that we’d never travel with the kids again (especially on the flight home when JetBlue split up our family and we couldn’t find anyone to switch seats with us). However, by the time we got home and after I started looking at all the smiles in the pictures, it made me want to go immediately back. I’ve decided it was a bit like a marathon: during it, you’re working so hard and wondering if it’s worth it…the minute it’s over, you can’t wait to do it again. Thankfully, we’ve vowed to go back in a few years when DS2 is older, so we’ll get to experience the magic another time.

When we do it again, I would plan for a longer stay, so that we could take a day or two of down time in the middle of the week. I think that would have helped us all. Or, at the very least, we could have been less rushed at the parks. So, I would do an 8-9 day stay. Here are a few other tips based on our experience:

• When the bus drops you off at the Contemporary, walk over to BLT and check in there. It’s way less crowded.
• The rooms on the lake side have a great view of the electrical boat parade, which we loved watching every night. Plus, it made it seem like we were an oceanside resort to have water out the window.
• We originally thought we’d use the double stroller with a ride-on board throughout the trip. But, the ride-on board made the stroller uncomfortable to push, so we ended up taking two strollers everywhere. We are so glad we did because all three kids really did need a place to sit.
• If you have young toddlers who are into everything, bring duct tape or painters tape to keep drawers shut, put over outlets, etc. It really helped to keep DS2 out of the kitchen drawers.
• Bring travel magnadoodles to keep the kids occupied in line along with lots of snacks. The waits can be long for some rides and especially the meet and greets.
• Try to get all your FastPasses and desired activities done as soon as you arrive, so the kids are waiting in line when they are fresh and crowds are low.
• Use a Disney travel agent to help plan your trip. It made my life so much easier. 

[dcrunnergirl52]

And, here are some photos (I highly recommend getting the Memory Maker...those photographers are great at getting the kids to look and smile at the camera):

[kittycatlove]

Sounds like you had a great trip. We got back last weekend and am ready to go back.

[browneyedgirl9]

Sounds like a good trip! I can't wait to take DS.

[redheadk]

What a fun trip!

Which company did you use to order groceries from?

[dcrunnergirl]

Sept 27, 2014 20:31:43 GMT -5 redheadk said:

What a fun trip!

Which company did you use to order groceries from?

We used Garden Grocers.

[dcrunnergirl]

Sept 27, 2014 20:44:13 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Thanks for posting!

I'm staying at the Contemporary and will have to try a lobster roll (or two)!

Good to know strollers aren't allowed in The Seas. Ugh.

I loved your photos! You have an adorable family.

A Q
- the only thing my kid is afraid of is Ursula. Thoughts on the MK Little Mermaid ride?

The Ursula was pretty scary and my kids covered their ears and eyes at that part.

[ilikedonuts]

thanks for your report!

we check into BLT 3 weeks from today! I am sooooooo ready to "go home"! We own at BLT and I love it there sooooo much!

[dcrunnergirl]

Sept 27, 2014 21:41:06 GMT -5 @cookiemonster03 said:

Do you think it makes sense to do fast passes for early hours? Or midday thinking a lines will be shorter early?

If you can get to the parks when they open, I'd say do the 1-3 rides/characters you want early and save the passes for other things you really want or like parade seats.

[ilikedonuts]

Sept 27, 2014 21:41:06 GMT -5 @cookiemonster03 said:

Do you think it makes sense to do fast passes for early hours? Or midday thinking a lines will be shorter early?

if you book another FP after you use the first 3 so if you schedule them all for last thing in the day, then you can't take advantage of that. MK is the best park to take advantage of the 4th FP (and 5th, 6th, if you can, but that's rare).

[ilikedonuts]

Sept 27, 2014 20:44:13 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Thanks for posting!

I'm staying at the Contemporary and will have to try a lobster roll (or two)!

Good to know strollers aren't allowed in The Seas. Ugh.

I loved your photos! You have an adorable family.

A Q
- the only thing my kid is afraid of is Ursula. Thoughts on the MK Little Mermaid ride?

Strollers aren't allowed in The Land (where Soarin', a counter service and Living with the Land are located) either.

[shell403b]

Thank you for posting! I'd like to take E in a few years, along with my nephews. So informative!

[sent]

What is the Memory Maker?

[dcrunnergirl]

Sept 27, 2014 21:57:34 GMT -5 sent said:

What is the Memory Maker?

It's a service from Disney where they have photographers all around the park to take your pics on rides, with characters, at scenic places, etc. and then at the end of your trip you can download them all. We got about 100 awesome pictures. It costs about $150 but they sometimes run promos to get it free, which is what we did.

[dcrunnergirl]

Sept 27, 2014 21:56:25 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Sept 27, 2014 20:44:13 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Thanks for posting!

I'm staying at the Contemporary and will have to try a lobster roll (or two)!

Good to know strollers aren't allowed in The Seas. Ugh.

I loved your photos! You have an adorable family.

A Q
- the only thing my kid is afraid of is Ursula. Thoughts on the MK Little Mermaid ride?

Strollers aren't allowed in The Land (where Soarin', a counter service and Living with the Land are located) either.

They actually aren't allowed in places like waiting in character lines. DH and I would take turns holding him, and we both got a workout.

[ilikedonuts]

Disney is how I justify my 10+ babywearing choices lol

Well we are going to be wearing both kids.... we should have options.... some are better for specific situations...

[bronxgirl]

sounds awesome!

[dcrunnergirl]

Sept 27, 2014 22:08:28 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Disney is how I justify my 10+ babywearing choices lol

Well we are going to be wearing both kids.... we should have options.... some are better for specific situations...

I wish DS2 would tolerate being worn....it would have made life much easier. He'll do a hiking backpack carrier, but that wasn't practical along with the strollers.

[Deleted]

Love your report and your attitude about the work and fun of a Disney trip. Thanks for sharing. It got me excited to leave in 12 days!

[zarapipe]

Thanks for your report, sounds like you were brave and had lots of fun!

[whitepicketfence]

Sounds like you had a great time!

Did you use your double stroller a lot in the parks? We're trying to decide whether or not we'll need ours. The girls will be 5, 4, and 15 months when we go.

[egishere]

Great trip report! Sounds like a fun time! I can't wait to take my trio in a couple of years.