In my trip report last year, I said that it would be our last before we started Kindergarten over here, and thus, would not be traveling to Disney during the offseason anymore. But as we came home last May, I watched temperatures and crowds creep up every day and quite frankly, got the scaries. I asked my husband J, would it really be so bad if Nemo missed a week of Kindergarten next year? J so eloquently said, "It's Kindergarten. No one f***ing cares." So on my birthday last summer, I booked our trip to the homeland.
Who: Me, J, Nemo (5yo, almost 6, son), and Boo (3yo, almost 4, daughter)
What: Our 4th annual Walt Disney World vacation
When: April 27th - May 4th
Where: Pop Century Resort, where else? It's home.
Why: We had a tradition of excellence to uphold... at Disney.
Nemo's at the age where a lot of his friends are going to Disney for their first time. I planned lots of trips, offering the basic or advanced packages of service, all while trying not to scare people away with my passion for Disney. It was fun, but nowhere near as fun as going myself. After 365 days of waiting, it was finally our time. When I wrote Baby's First Trip Report 5 years ago, a lot of people advised to cherish these moments, kids grow up so fast. Let's just say I was definitely feeling that this year. You are welcomed to join in the fun as I document all the little things I never want to forget. Here we go!
The kids have been ready for this. They’re so aware of time now, keeping track of the countdown starting from 2 weeks out. The day before departure, they constantly asked, “Are we leaving now?” They were so excited, they wouldn't sleep when they should. After being put to bed at 7pm, Nemo burst into our room at 9pm saying, "It's dark outside now, time to go!" When I did wake him up at 4:30am, I said, "Time to wake up. Ready for Disney?" And he smiled in his sleep and said yes. Boo, who is considerably less talkative than Nemo, blurted out randomly in the car, “I’m so [ex]cited!"
We were in our 50's room by 10:30am: Room 3125. Back where it all started almost exactly two years ago with Lady and the Tramp and a 'Skyliner View'. Nemo was jumping up and down with joy. Boo was snoring in the stroller. She had fallen asleep on the bus ride over, which I was thrilled about, because I had big plans that did not involve sleeping this afternoon.
After we came home from the last trip, we had a vision for the next. After lots of swim le$$ons and time in the pool this past year, our kids had become little fish who absolutely love the water. The kids were ready to experience the thrills and ingenuity of Disney water parks.
While I was hoping that both water parks would be open by this year, it was too much to ask for. I knew that the kids would get a kick out of the Blizzard Beach theme, but I clearly had forgotten how wonderful Typhoon Lagoon was. Entering felt like a foreign land. We had not been here in about 10 years and I barely knew where anything was.
We navigated to Leaning Palms for lunch for the one thing I did do my research on: food, of course. J and I have been looking at Mobile Order pictures like it's our job every day for the past month or so. I was surprised the water park had such interesting options, and had been thinking about these Chicken Elote Nachos ever since. They were good good. J was a lot less interesting and got the Pulled Pork Sandwich, but he loved it. Man loves his sandwiches. I had the kids split the Angus Cheeseburger. Nemo has gotten kind of picky and burgers are something that he will eat without fail. Boo likes pretty much everything. We sat at a picnic table with a view of Miss Tilly and the Surf Pool. The weather was lovely. Mix of sun and clouds, 80 degrees and not getting any higher.
We started off small with Castaway Creek, aka the lazy river. Nemo loved his kid sized ring with the closed bottom and teetered back and forth a bunch. He fell off a few times and thought it was hilarious. Boo started off on one but then joined me in a double. It was divine. The theming, the foliage, bridges, bamboo forests, waterfalls, and some the Hidden Mickeys... we soaked it all in as we made a full lap around. The only thing they disliked was getting pummeled by the cave waterfall.
They were intrigued by the wave pool so we headed there next. They would yell as the waves made their way to us. They had a good time running away from the waves and holding on to our legs to steady themselves. Even at the very end where we were, it was surprisingly strong. Eventually, they decided to sit on the rock benches and have the waves crash into them there.
From there, they discovered Blustery Bay on the side and splashed about in calmer waters. They went up the stairs to the Bay Slides and I saw Nemo come down, and Boo came back down the stairs. She opted to lay in the water instead. She told me to put goggles on and look at her underwater. It was quite an adorable sight.
They were very interested in "the kids play area" so we went to Ketchakiddee Creek and spent the rest of our time there. I have no recollection of this place, probably because J and I didn't have kids when we were here last, and I was loving the detail. There were cute tot sized slides, a waterfall cave, and the S.S. Squirt, an elaborate spray area. And the little geysers and creek that you could walk in... I was enjoying myself!
Nemo's favorite was the kid tube ride. He had the biggest grin on his face as he went up and down the bumps and spun around. While he was waiting in line, he was bouncing the tube on the ground and I said, "Why don't you hold it under your arm like the kid in front of you?" And he said, "Yeah! I'm going to hold it under my arm like that pretty girl right there." He would wander around the area and just grab a tube when he wanted to go. He's my independent big boy now.
Boo is still a baby. She was getting cold (it was only 80 degrees), wanting rest and to be carried. In my rookie mistake, we forgot to pick up towels at the shop at the front of the park, and of course, we were all the way in the back. I was not confident I could watch both kids at the same time with Nemo still running wild, so J carried Boo all the way to the front of the park to get towels and came back. Parent strength... gets harder as your kids get heavier.
I knew it was time to go back to Pop and eat an early dinner and relax. We had good bus luck and I gave Nemo a piggyback ride for the first time in forever. Dinner was a happy surprise at Pop. J has seen the picture of a Cuban burger on the Everything Pop page on the site, but never on the Mobile Order menu. He would rant about how they had a picture of this delicious burger but then not actually offer it. But when we got to the food court, it was on the menu boards and he was so happy. I got the Greek Salad with Chicken and thoroughly enjoyed dining on olives and feta cheese. The kids split a humongous Chicken and Vegetables with Pasta kids meal. We sat in our favorite spot all alone and watched Disney music videos on TV.
We were going to head back to the room but the kids got a burst of energy and really wanted to go into the Hippy Dippy Pool, so of course we went. We were already dressed for it anyways. They had so much fun. Why do kids just love basic pools? It felt so nice to enjoy floating around the pool too instead of keeping an iron grip on them. We ran back to the room shivering and warmed them up in the tub and got their evening snacks ready so they could enjoy Bedtime Stories with their stuffed animals from home. Yeah, we're in that stage now. I happily unpacked our stuff and displayed the next day's clothes on the wall hooks.
It was time for bed... at 6pm. Boo had outgrown the crib so we had originally planned for her to sleep with me and Nemo to sleep with J, with a bed rail on their side. But we really wanted to stay up a bit and talk and look at things together. So we decided to take a chance and have them sleep together in the same bed with a pillow in between for a buffer. It took them a bit to calm down.
Nemo: Boo, are you still awake?
Boo: Yeah.
Nemo: *fake snoring*
Boo: Stop snoring
It was super cute though, and will be one of those things they remember doing as kids. I fell asleep feeling happy to be here in the place we’ve made so many memories, and we now share with our kids.
Who: Me, J, Nemo (5yo, almost 6, son), and Boo (3yo, almost 4, daughter)
What: Our 4th annual Walt Disney World vacation
When: April 27th - May 4th
Where: Pop Century Resort, where else? It's home.
Why: We had a tradition of excellence to uphold... at Disney.
Nemo's at the age where a lot of his friends are going to Disney for their first time. I planned lots of trips, offering the basic or advanced packages of service, all while trying not to scare people away with my passion for Disney. It was fun, but nowhere near as fun as going myself. After 365 days of waiting, it was finally our time. When I wrote Baby's First Trip Report 5 years ago, a lot of people advised to cherish these moments, kids grow up so fast. Let's just say I was definitely feeling that this year. You are welcomed to join in the fun as I document all the little things I never want to forget. Here we go!
The kids have been ready for this. They’re so aware of time now, keeping track of the countdown starting from 2 weeks out. The day before departure, they constantly asked, “Are we leaving now?” They were so excited, they wouldn't sleep when they should. After being put to bed at 7pm, Nemo burst into our room at 9pm saying, "It's dark outside now, time to go!" When I did wake him up at 4:30am, I said, "Time to wake up. Ready for Disney?" And he smiled in his sleep and said yes. Boo, who is considerably less talkative than Nemo, blurted out randomly in the car, “I’m so [ex]cited!"
We were in our 50's room by 10:30am: Room 3125. Back where it all started almost exactly two years ago with Lady and the Tramp and a 'Skyliner View'. Nemo was jumping up and down with joy. Boo was snoring in the stroller. She had fallen asleep on the bus ride over, which I was thrilled about, because I had big plans that did not involve sleeping this afternoon.
After we came home from the last trip, we had a vision for the next. After lots of swim le$$ons and time in the pool this past year, our kids had become little fish who absolutely love the water. The kids were ready to experience the thrills and ingenuity of Disney water parks.
While I was hoping that both water parks would be open by this year, it was too much to ask for. I knew that the kids would get a kick out of the Blizzard Beach theme, but I clearly had forgotten how wonderful Typhoon Lagoon was. Entering felt like a foreign land. We had not been here in about 10 years and I barely knew where anything was.
We navigated to Leaning Palms for lunch for the one thing I did do my research on: food, of course. J and I have been looking at Mobile Order pictures like it's our job every day for the past month or so. I was surprised the water park had such interesting options, and had been thinking about these Chicken Elote Nachos ever since. They were good good. J was a lot less interesting and got the Pulled Pork Sandwich, but he loved it. Man loves his sandwiches. I had the kids split the Angus Cheeseburger. Nemo has gotten kind of picky and burgers are something that he will eat without fail. Boo likes pretty much everything. We sat at a picnic table with a view of Miss Tilly and the Surf Pool. The weather was lovely. Mix of sun and clouds, 80 degrees and not getting any higher.
We started off small with Castaway Creek, aka the lazy river. Nemo loved his kid sized ring with the closed bottom and teetered back and forth a bunch. He fell off a few times and thought it was hilarious. Boo started off on one but then joined me in a double. It was divine. The theming, the foliage, bridges, bamboo forests, waterfalls, and some the Hidden Mickeys... we soaked it all in as we made a full lap around. The only thing they disliked was getting pummeled by the cave waterfall.
They were intrigued by the wave pool so we headed there next. They would yell as the waves made their way to us. They had a good time running away from the waves and holding on to our legs to steady themselves. Even at the very end where we were, it was surprisingly strong. Eventually, they decided to sit on the rock benches and have the waves crash into them there.
From there, they discovered Blustery Bay on the side and splashed about in calmer waters. They went up the stairs to the Bay Slides and I saw Nemo come down, and Boo came back down the stairs. She opted to lay in the water instead. She told me to put goggles on and look at her underwater. It was quite an adorable sight.
They were very interested in "the kids play area" so we went to Ketchakiddee Creek and spent the rest of our time there. I have no recollection of this place, probably because J and I didn't have kids when we were here last, and I was loving the detail. There were cute tot sized slides, a waterfall cave, and the S.S. Squirt, an elaborate spray area. And the little geysers and creek that you could walk in... I was enjoying myself!
Nemo's favorite was the kid tube ride. He had the biggest grin on his face as he went up and down the bumps and spun around. While he was waiting in line, he was bouncing the tube on the ground and I said, "Why don't you hold it under your arm like the kid in front of you?" And he said, "Yeah! I'm going to hold it under my arm like that pretty girl right there." He would wander around the area and just grab a tube when he wanted to go. He's my independent big boy now.
Boo is still a baby. She was getting cold (it was only 80 degrees), wanting rest and to be carried. In my rookie mistake, we forgot to pick up towels at the shop at the front of the park, and of course, we were all the way in the back. I was not confident I could watch both kids at the same time with Nemo still running wild, so J carried Boo all the way to the front of the park to get towels and came back. Parent strength... gets harder as your kids get heavier.
I knew it was time to go back to Pop and eat an early dinner and relax. We had good bus luck and I gave Nemo a piggyback ride for the first time in forever. Dinner was a happy surprise at Pop. J has seen the picture of a Cuban burger on the Everything Pop page on the site, but never on the Mobile Order menu. He would rant about how they had a picture of this delicious burger but then not actually offer it. But when we got to the food court, it was on the menu boards and he was so happy. I got the Greek Salad with Chicken and thoroughly enjoyed dining on olives and feta cheese. The kids split a humongous Chicken and Vegetables with Pasta kids meal. We sat in our favorite spot all alone and watched Disney music videos on TV.
We were going to head back to the room but the kids got a burst of energy and really wanted to go into the Hippy Dippy Pool, so of course we went. We were already dressed for it anyways. They had so much fun. Why do kids just love basic pools? It felt so nice to enjoy floating around the pool too instead of keeping an iron grip on them. We ran back to the room shivering and warmed them up in the tub and got their evening snacks ready so they could enjoy Bedtime Stories with their stuffed animals from home. Yeah, we're in that stage now. I happily unpacked our stuff and displayed the next day's clothes on the wall hooks.
It was time for bed... at 6pm. Boo had outgrown the crib so we had originally planned for her to sleep with me and Nemo to sleep with J, with a bed rail on their side. But we really wanted to stay up a bit and talk and look at things together. So we decided to take a chance and have them sleep together in the same bed with a pillow in between for a buffer. It took them a bit to calm down.
Nemo: Boo, are you still awake?
Boo: Yeah.
Nemo: *fake snoring*
Boo: Stop snoring
It was super cute though, and will be one of those things they remember doing as kids. I fell asleep feeling happy to be here in the place we’ve made so many memories, and we now share with our kids.
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they are good kids. Thank you so much! You are very kind. 
Hopefully you all get back soon!!
and we’re VERY excited for it. Thank you for the inspiration 
and for reading! 