NQB's Orlando Trip Report

[Deleted]

I'm gonna take a cue from @starry and try to do a daily recap of my trip. So here goes!

The travelers: me, my husband who I've seen for like four waking hours in the past two weeks, our sixteen month old crayon eater plus my mom and 22 year old sister are staying with us for the first couple of days.

Where: We are staying at the Sheraton Vistana and so far we love it. Our suite is ginormous. We plan to visit all the Disney theme parks plus Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure.

Why: DH was in Orlando last week for work and I was itching for a family vacation. Plus Southwest flies direct and we had a flight credit.

Cost: I'll try to update this to help others plan/keep track for myself:

Airfare: $11 (points flight) plus free lap baby
WDW 5 day park tickets (no hop) $650
RCI change fee $125 (iffy on this)
Universal/Islands tickets $0! (DH got comped tickets!)
Lunch at House of Blues in a Downtown Disney $90
Groceries, diapers, beer $175
Airport parking $64

Stay tuned for how I survived the flight with my lap toddler!

[bronxgirl]

Have a great trip! I can't wait to read all about it.

[water*drop]

Have fun!

[kittycatlove]

Have fun! Can't wait to read all about it.

[Deleted]

Day One - Part one - Travel

I woke up at 5:30 so I could shower and do last minute stuff around the house before waking B at 6:20. He was groggy at first but then confused as to my sense of urgency. We left the house at 6:45 on the dot. I had waffled a bit on driving v. taxi but taxis suck in my city and I wanted to be in complete control of when we left. Plus (no flames!) I've never actually installed a car seat and didn't want to figure it out in a hurry.

I assumed no one would be on the road at 6:45 because yawn but we got stuck behind two school busses. It was practically an Olympic event carting a huge stroller with a duffel bag hanging off the bottom of the basket plus a car seat plus a wheeled suitcase plus a way overpacked diaper bag from the garage to baggage check. Two free bags rocks but I packed so much crap!

Walking to security was way easier sans my huge duffel and wheeled bag. They steered me to the Priority Line and we whizzed right through. At this point it's 7:25 and our flight departs at 8:10 so I decided we didn't have time for McDonalds. I planned on buying milk at a stand but as soon as I got to the gate a Southwest employee told me to talk to someone about my stroller and car seat, which they shortly checked for me. I was bummed to learn the flight was full but excited to be able to wait for boarding while just responsible for one bag plus one child.

Southwest lets families with kids board after the A group so I somehow was the first family boarder. I asked the agent if I should head to the front or the back and she said back. My airport is rare in that you can board from the back or front. I snagged the very last row aisle seat which was a huge score because B was able to go party with the flight attendants. Unfortunately there was a problem with the plane so we sat for almost an hour on the tarmac. B was fine this whole time but he pretty much wailed for a straight and awkward ten minutes while taking off.

Eventually he passed out in my lap and slept for 40 minutes. My biggest mistake was assuming there'd be milk on the plane. There was not. B threw his empty sippy in frustration. He's never liked juice but I gave him some and he happily drank it.

We walked up and down the length of the plane six times at least. We read five books, threw the Kindle in frustration, ate animal crackers, one pouch, two Dum Dums, carrot crisps and Cheddar Penquins (generic FTW).

DH met us in the terminal and B was so freaking excited to see him! I immediately made him change his diaper so I could have a moment to chill.

[toesie]

Dude, I can't believe you didn't bring 10 gallons of milk with you in the carry on bag.
Glad to hear you survived the flight. Have a great trip!

[Deleted]

Oct 10, 2014 20:11:55 GMT -5 toesie said:

Dude, I can't believe you didn't bring 10 gallons of milk with you in the carry on bag.
Glad to hear you survived the flight. Have a great trip!

When I was going through security they asked me if I had any liquids for him and I was all nope, NBD I'll ho but some. :-(

I know have 12 RTF milk boxes so I assume at least one will be left for the flight home.

[Deleted]

Oct 10, 2014 20:25:03 GMT -5 @this said:

sent is thinking "Those bitches, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!" lol

Have such a fun trip!

I saw a teenager with a bottle of milk in her seat back pocket during one of our walks and it was probably because I didn't have any cash that I didn't offer her like twenty bucks for it.

[Deleted]

Day One - Part Two - Downtown Disney

By the time we left the airport it was nearly one pm and I have only eaten animal crackers all day so we drive to Downtown Disney to eat. DH and I had eaten at House of Blues in 2009 and I remembered it as being a wide open room that B could presumably get his wiggles out in. That plus I figured Rainforest and T Rex restaurants would scare him with their sound effects.

We got right in and the service was great as was the good. DH wandered around with B for a while. It's nice not feeling like the awkward parent whose kid wants to talk to you when you're at Disney because most people have kids too. The one downside of House of Blues is that the high chair was way too low for our booth and the booster seat had no strap,

[fell asleep on couch, to be continued)

[mrslisa]

Sounds good! I am way too scared to keep track of how much we have spent. Which park are you going to tomorrow? Tomorrow the girls are doing the Bippity Boppity Boutique at Downtown Disney and then we are doing Magic Kingdom.

[sent]

Oct 10, 2014 20:25:03 GMT -5 @this said:

sent is thinking "Those bitches, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!" lol

Have such a fun trip!

And I keep my wallet stuffed with 20s, but not enough that TSA would care.  Because you know, credit cards and debit cards can fail.  (Husband's CC got compromised the morning we were leaving for Hawaii.  We got the call just as we were leaving for the airport.)

We won't be doing Orlando until late 2015 or early 2016 so looking forward to hearing about your trip.  Have fun!

[Deleted]

Day Two goes here

So tired!!!!!

Got to MK at 9:30 a.m.
B fell asleep before we went on any rides
DH, sister and I did It's a Small World

More goes here

Time for parade

[mrslisa]

Oct 11, 2014 19:51:40 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

Day Two goes here

So tired!!!!!

Got to MK at 9:30 a.m.
B fell asleep before we went on any rides
DH, sister and I did It's a Small World

More goes here

Time for parade

Where did you sit for the parade? 

We didn't go until about 3pm today and only made it to the end of the Electrical Light Parade.  We did pretty good ride wise with Fast Passes.  Hopefully you weren't anywhere near us at the end of the night.  DS cried the entire way out of the park and back to the hotel and then passed out.  It was one of those nights.

[Deleted]

Oct 11, 2014 21:41:17 GMT -5 mrslisa said:

Oct 11, 2014 19:51:40 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

Day Two goes here

So tired!!!!!

Got to MK at 9:30 a.m.
B fell asleep before we went on any rides
DH, sister and I did It's a Small World

More goes here

Time for parade

Where did you sit for the parade? 

We didn't go until about 3pm today and only made it to the end of the Electrical Light Parade.  We did pretty good ride wise with Fast Passes.  Hopefully you weren't anywhere near us at the end of the night.  DS cried the entire way out of the park and back to the hotel and then passed out.  It was one of those nights.

The parade was a cluster! We were having a quick dinner at Fantasyland and thought we could just saunter up to Main Street right before it started. Half of us got in and then they told the rest if us the parade was full. We sort of just pretended we were shopping in the shops instead but it was packed. Finally found a good spot right by the beginning of Main Street. Then we watched most of Wishes but by then B was about to lose his mind since he'd been awake for ten hours so we headed out.

Still a fun day though!

[Deleted]

Day Three - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure

Today was rough but worth it in the end. After being awake for ten solid hours last night for the first time in his life, B woke up in the MOTN screaming. Eyes closed, not hungry, no fever, screaming. We tried to calm him in every way imaginable. H left after thirty minutes to drive to all night pharmacy to get meds but luckily by the time he came back B had fallen asleep. Very crazy night.

We heard him wake up at 7 but he chatted to himself/rested until 8. My mom and sister slept til 9. Long story short we didn't get to Universal until 11:30 which was a bummer because I wanted to do more. Even bigger bummer was that B was so cranky for the first three hours we were there.

I took him on the Simpsons alien ride that's sort of like Dumbo and he was temporarily happy. Then we made our way to Diagon Alley which I loved. The line for Escape from Gringotts was 110 minutes and I couldn't leave B with my mom for that long while he was so cranky so we never rode it. Diagon Alley was awesome though and I got a wand at Ollivanders.

We left Diagon Alley to eat lunch at Richter's Burgers. The wait for food was way long but luckily B fell asleep. We ate and separated from my mom and sister. We went straight to Hogwarts Express. The wait said 60 minutes and I think we waited 40. It was enough for B to finish a somewhat solid nap. Loved the ride.

Over at IOA we hit up Hogsmeade which was cool. Got reprimanded by a cast member for changing Bs diaper in a shady corner against a wall. Felt embarrassed but the changing "tables" at Universal are just little counters right in everyone's way and B was so upset it was really a two man job. Family bathrooms would be better.

We got on line for Forbidden Journey and even though B screamed at us almost the entire time until we got him to the Child Swap room I will say it was one of the best rides I've ever been on. We probably could have snuck on again but B was at his limit.

After that we owed B some fun where we took him to Suess's Landing and rode the carousel four times, the One Fish Two Fish once and played in the play area - including fully emerging himself in water.

At that point my mom and sister were at Hogsmeade so we met them there. DH rode Dueling Dragons. We left and had dinner at a restaurant at City Walk. B woke up and was very pleasant for most of the meal.

Got home in time for most of the Giants game. Please send sleepy vibes. The plan is for EPCOT tomorrow but we need B to take his morning nap in any way possible. Unless it's teeth, he's had his hand in his mouth since yesterday.

[dcrunnergirl52]

Sounds like a great trip so far, although a lot of work, I know. And, big kudos to you for handling the lap baby alone, especially with a delay. Way to go, mama!

[Deleted]

Day Four - EPCOT

We had a great day! B slept from 10 til 7:45 when we heard him stirring but he chatted to himself til 8:15. We were happy he slept through after the previous nights madness. We took our time getting ready because my mom and sister slept late.

By 9:45 we were about to leave and B had grabbed his blanket out of the crib and was laying down on the kitchen floor. We prevented him from taking a short car seat nap by singing to him and he fell asleep shortly after entering the park. DH, mom and sis did the Figment ride. While I was waiting I scored a lunch reservation for 1:40 at Biergarten.

Met up with them and we headed to Mission Space while mom and sis left for the World Showcase. I rode Mission first while DH continued to watch B nap. I chose the more intense experience and it was awesome. When I got out B was awake so I took him to the play area in the interactive training center place set up at the end of the ride. He loved it and would have stayed longer. Fast Pass that we obtained the night before for this ride.

Next we did Turtle Talk with Crush. Walk on. Very cute and B loved the aquarium in the waiting area.

Walked to Germany and had lunch at Biergarten. This was awesome and I have a ton of pictures of him dancing down by the stage. Food heavy but good. We are getting our money's worth doing buffets with B because he eats a ton.

Next we headed back to Future World and used our Fast Passes for Soarin and Nemo. We had arrived ten minutes past the expiration time for our FP but it was no problem. We told them we were doing Child Swap and they handed DH a ticket to save his place in line. While DH did Soarin I took B to the Lion King movie - loved it. Soarin was fun but could stand to be updated. Nemo was cute.

Leaving the park we ran across Chip and Dale with no line. Left at 5:30 to take mom and sis to the airport. B slept in the car but woke up four our Walmart provision run.

We did bedtime at his usual time for a change and he's in his own room for the rest of the week, no more hogging my bathroom. DH and I made a frozen pizza in the oven and are relaxing in the living room. Also doing laundry! Very comfortable stay so far!

Stay tuned for tomorrow; Animal Kingdom and I POAS!

[Deleted]

Day Five - Pool and Animal Kingdom

B slept crappily last night. He must be teething. The plan was to spend the morning by the pool and then make our way leisurely to Animal Kingdom. Well B was not impressed by the pool so we just got packed up and headed there about ten. He passed out immediately in the car and we tried to sit in the parking lot and give him a good morning nap but that didn't work. So far the best days we've had involve us getting to the park before his first nap and letting him sleep an hour plus. It's weird because he doesn't take morning naps at day care but always does for us.

Overall the day was nice but B was particularly clingy and irritable. We started with Its Tough to Be A Bug and that was pretty cool. B was scared at points but when he wasn't screaming he loved it. Next we headed to the Boneyard which I had thought was going to be a giant sandbox. It was not and there wasn't much little kids could do there. He wouldn't really let us put him down anyway. Next we rode Triceratop Swirl which he was ambivalent about.

DH and I took turns riding Dinosaur and I liked that. Next we did Nemo the Musical which was AWESOME. We all loved it.

We had lunch reservations (reserved online two days before) at Tusker House. The food and character interactions were excellent. I could eat there again and we got really good pics. We met Safari Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. I'm surprised how much B loves characters. I showed him a YouTube video of the restaurant this morning to prepare him and he waved at the phone.

B crashed hard in his stroller after that so DH used our FP to ride the safari - though there was practically no line. One of the trucks broke down so he was gone nearly an hour. Meanwhile I pushed the stroller down the nature trail and hung out with a gorilla.

It started to rain so I put my poncho on but as soon as I put a poncho over the stroller B woke up. I'm kicking myself I forgot the rain cover. The rain only lasted a few minutes and all three of us did the safari. It was really amazing. The storyline of it being a "real" Safari was stupid though.

We planned to go to the Lion King show but we just missed the 5 pm show. It started to thunder so we headed to the parking lot just as the skies opened.

I feel like I skipped something in this installment but that was most of it.

We had dinner back at the hotel (cooked!). Then bath time and B ended up rejecting his crib so we put the mattress on the floor of his room. Now we are watching The Hangover and pondering my potential pregnancy.

Stay tuned to see how the Montessori hotel room works, more pee sticks and Hollywood Studios!

[Deleted]

Oct 14, 2014 19:13:40 GMT -5 TamiTaylor said:

POAS?

Oh yes, see my BF? Thread from this morning. It's faint so I'm not calling it yet. I peed on two more tonight and got the same. I didn't but a FRER because DH complimented my lack of pee crazy behavior.

Stay tuned!

[bronxgirl]

I loved Tusker House, too. I think that was my favorite food from all of the character meals. I love reading your trip report.

[Deleted]

Day Six - Late Day Hollywood Studios

B slept on the crib mattress on the floor last night because he hates the metal mini crib the hotel gave us and got a great nights sleep, but we were still tired and opted for a less intense park day. It was also teaming rain in the morning so we let B rest before heading to Hollywood Studios at 2.

The park was CROWDED. Oddly we didn't have to wait too long for anything but we ditched the stroller most of the day in favor of carrying B in the hiking backpack.

As soon as we got there we did Muppets 3D movie. It was cute but the theatre seats were obnoxiously small.

Next we played in the Frozen Snowground. I thought B would hate it but he was enthralled.

We walked into the Frozen Sing-a-long which was fun but not something I'd wait for. Girls in the audience were a little pissed the princesses only really make cameos in it.

We used our Fastpasses for The Voyage of the Little Mermaid which had some cool effects but the truncated story didn't make much sense. B loved it.

Then we used Fastpasses for Disney Junior. I thought it was cute but DH was annoyed that despite sitting on the floor the kids weren't really able to wiggle. We were in the front row so it was hard to explain to B that he couldn't rush the stage.

Then we had a quick dinner at the Commissary before heading to Fantasmic. It was amazing. I'm very glad we started the park late in the day so that we weren't all dragging by 7:30.

B went down easily tonight and I'm watching tv and staring at pee sticks. All in all a very pleasant day!

Stay tuned for our last park day at MK tomorrow and will I be bringing a souvenir home in my uterus?