Trip Report *COMPLETED* A One-derful Birthday Celebration

Helloooooo humans! If you've read my last report, you'll remember that we took our then six-month-old to WDW, and it was a huge adjustment from the way we used to do Disney. It obviously didn't scare us off though, because we are getting ready to go back for more! I hope you all enjoy following along! Let's get down to business!

Who: The usual crew, me (Katie), my husband and Disney partner-in-crime for many many trips, Jason, and our son, Lincoln, PLUS my mom (we'll call her Grandmama), and my younger sister (we'll call her Auntie A, or A) - you may remember my mom and sis from my cruise TR. We're looking forward to having some extra hands to help with Lincoln, and Grandmama has even offered to take care of bedtime a couple nights so J and I can stay out late!

When: Monday, May 30th - Saturday, June 4th

Where: Port Orleans French Quarter! An all-time favorite for us. We'll miss having access to the Skyliner (makes it sooo much easier when you have a stroller), but I can't pass up a stay at POFQ, especially at the same price we paid to stay at Pop back in December.

Why: This kid is about to be ONE on June 5th! I cannot believe how quickly the past year has absolutely flown by. I cry every time I think about it, or look at pictures from when he was so tiny, so I'm sure I'll be an absolute wreck on his actual birthday.

Funnily enough, one of the first things I thought about when we found out we were pregnant is the fact that we're going to be stuck going to WDW in the summer if we want to celebrate his birthdays there. We've been in mid-May and September multiple times, so we're hoping it's not too much worse, as far as heat goes. We're also nervous about summer break crowds, but honestly, I don't think the crowd levels have felt "normal" since our last pre-COVID trip. I don't know if there's just an influx of people making up for cancelled 2020 trips, or if this is our new normal.

We are leaving two weeks from today, and I hope to post at least a couple more updates between now and then!

 

[k8einwdw]

Last time I was in Epcot, we had my great niece who was 1-1/2 at the time and was just starting to learn wobbly walking. While my niece and her husband rode Soarin', I had Calleigh being entertained at that carpet area you speak of. I finally had to pick her up and walk her around because her little knees were getting carpet burned so badly! But what a great place to people watch!

It's a great place for littles to get out some energy while they wait!

 

[k8einwdw]

Friday, June 3rd - Epcot Day - Continued

I took a couple pics before we left SSE - it felt like a requirement since I was wearing a SSE shirt and SSE ears!

And then it was time for our GOTG Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lane!

Jason and I rode first, while Grandmama and Auntie A walked around with Lincoln, who had just awoken from his nap. We really enjoyed the theming of the queue.

And before we knew it, it was time for the pre-show. They didn't have the timing down pat yet, because we all had to awkwardly stand around for a few minutes after the pre-show ended. We started to get nervous...

But in no time, Sgt. Terry Jeffords was filling us in on our mission, and we were ready to help the Guardians crew. Side note, J mentioned to me before the trip that he read somewhere that Dave Bautista updated his contract with Marvel so that Drax would wear a shirt going forward. I guess that change took effect prior to the filming of the clips for Cosmic Rewind, or maybe Disney made that change themselves for the ride.

Jason and I were assigned Row 7 on the ride, and we got "Disco Inferno" as our song. We laughed the entire way through the ride! After we got out, it was time for Grandmama and Auntie A to ride. They got Row 3, and "September." We all absolutely loved this ride, and we all agreed that it's our new favorite Disney coaster! I was never a big fan of Ellen's Energy Adventure, but I was unsure what to think when Disney announced that they were adding a Guardians coaster to Epcot. I'm still not sold on how it fits into the park, but it is an incredible coaster, and a lot of fun!

Up next: L's favorite part of the day

 

[k8einwdw]

Friday, June 3rd - Epcot Day - Continued

After we had all ridden GOTG Cosmic Rewind via Lightning Lane, we wanted to stick around Future World while we waited for our boarding group to be called. We were all feeling snack-ish, so we decided to grab some food from the Sunshine Griddle booth. Between the four of us, we got the Avocado Toast, Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites, and Froot Loops shake. The cinnamon roll bites were delicious, but super rich, so I'm glad we got an order to split. The avocado toast was delicious as well, and the bright flavors balanced out the sweetness of the cinnamon roll bites.

After our snack, we wanted to take Lincoln over to the Seas pavilion so he could enjoy the aquarium. We stopped along the way in the butterfly garden.

When we got to the Seas, we decided to skip the ride and head straight into the aquarium. Lincoln loved watching and waving at all of the fish!

While we were in the Seas pavilion, our boarding group got called, so it was time to head back over to GOTG. We stopped to admire the flower blankets by the Imagination pavilion on the way - this is probably my favorite display at Flower and Garden every year!

When we got back to GOTG, Grandmama and Auntie A rode first, and got Row 3 and "September" again. While they were riding, Jason and I hung out in Connections Café, and Jason also popped into the GOTG git shop. When Grandmama and Auntie A got off, Jason and I rode via rider swap (so we were able to use the LL line), and we also got Row 3 and "September." It's kismet that I'm writing this on the 21st of September!




We all enjoyed Cosmic Rewind the second time, but agreed that twice was enough for one day, so we wouldn't try for another boarding group in the afternoon. Besides, it was after 1:00, and we hadn't set foot in World Showcase yet!

Up next: World Showcase

 

[k8einwdw]

Speaking of GOTG, I'm excited to see which songs they play on the ride for the holiday season!

My guesses are:
- "Last Christmas" - Wham!
- "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" - Jackson 5
- "Feliz Navidad" - Jose Feliciano
- "Step into Christmas" - Elton John

 

[Tuvalu]

You are only allowed one GotG virtual Boarding Group per day - the exception being Deluxe resort guests on a Monday. At 6 pm Deluxe resort guests may try for a BG to ride during extra magic hours. Em was able to do this in June.

The only other way to ride twice is what you did - score a virtual BG and pay for an Individual Lightning Lane.

 

[k8einwdw]

You are only allowed one GotG virtual Boarding Group per day - the exception being Deluxe resort guests on a Monday. At 6 pm Deluxe resort guests may try for a BG to ride during extra magic hours. Em was able to do this in June.

The only other way to ride twice is what you did - score a virtual BG and pay for an Individual Lightning Lane.

Well, there you go. We had seen vloggers get two boarding groups in a day, but they must have been staying onsite at a Deluxe.

 

[fractal]

Friday, June 3rd - Epcot Day - Continued

I took a couple pics before we left SSE - it felt like a requirement since I was wearing a SSE shirt and SSE ears!

View attachment 668105
View attachment 668106

And then it was time for our GOTG Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lane!

View attachment 668107

Jason and I rode first, while Grandmama and Auntie A walked around with Lincoln, who had just awoken from his nap. We really enjoyed the theming of the queue.

View attachment 668108
View attachment 668109

And before we knew it, it was time for the pre-show. They didn't have the timing down pat yet, because we all had to awkwardly stand around for a few minutes after the pre-show ended. We started to get nervous...

View attachment 668110

But in no time, Sgt. Terry Jeffords was filling us in on our mission, and we were ready to help the Guardians crew. Side note, J mentioned to me before the trip that he read somewhere that Dave Bautista updated his contract with Marvel so that Drax would wear a shirt going forward. I guess that change took effect prior to the filming of the clips for Cosmic Rewind, or maybe Disney made that change themselves for the ride.

View attachment 668111
View attachment 668112

Jason and I were assigned Row 7 on the ride, and we got "Disco Inferno" as our song. We laughed the entire way through the ride! After we got out, it was time for Grandmama and Auntie A to ride. They got Row 3, and "September." We all absolutely loved this ride, and we all agreed that it's our new favorite Disney coaster! I was never a big fan of Ellen's Energy Adventure, but I was unsure what to think when Disney announced that they were adding a Guardians coaster to Epcot. I'm still not sold on how it fits into the park, but it is an incredible coaster, and a lot of fun!

Up next: L's favorite part of the day

There is something about this coaster that makes you just laugh with joy!

I did not know that about Drax wearing a shirt.

 

[k8einwdw]

I did not know that about Drax wearing a shirt.

I wouldn't have noticed if J hadn't pointed it out!

 

[k8einwdw]

Friday, June 3rd - Epcot Day - Continued

After finishing up our second go-round on GOTG Cosmic Rewind, it was finally time to head into World Showcase!

We headed to Mexico, and Lincoln fell asleep in the stroller on the way there. We took advantage of his nap by grabbing the Taco Vampiro from the Jardin de Fiestas booth in Mexico. The taco was on the small side for $8, but it was delicious nonetheless!

We also decided to grab some margs from Choza de Margarita. Jason is boring and always goes for a house or top shelf margarita (on the rocks, no rim), while I prefer fruity and frozen.



So, J got the Top Shelf Clasica, and I got the Fiesta. The Fiesta is supposed to be a combination of the strawberry, classic lime, and mango, but they were out of mango, so it was just strawberry and lime. It was good, but I think I would have liked it more with the mango. It was, however, stronger than I expected. I breastfed Lincoln for 10 months, and generally stayed away from hard liquor during that time. Evidently that time away affected my tolerance, because I had to sit down for a few minutes after finishing my drink.

Lincoln woke up shortly after we finished our drinks, so we decided to head into the Mexico pavilion to ride the Three Caballeros. Lincoln loved it, so afterward, we bought him a Donald Duck plush. After browsing the other merch in Mexico, we headed on to Norway. Jason and I normally breeze through Norway, unless we're riding Frozen, since the merch is all either 1) Frozen, 2) Laila Perfume, or 3) Helly Hansen clothing. But Grandmama and Auntie A hadn't been into the Norway pavilion in a while, so we tagged along with them.

After Norway, we moved on to Germany, where J and I split the Toasted Pretzel Bread with Black Forest Ham and Gruyere, and I believe J had a beer as well. Grandmama and Auntie A made some purchases in Karamell Kuche.

I normally like to stop in the Christmas store in Germany, but it was time to Lincoln to have a bottle, so we moved on to China, where I knew I could find a shaded bench on which to feed Lincoln. While I fed L, Grandmama and Auntie A perused the China shops. We skipped Italy, since we had just eaten there the night prior, but I did stop to get a pic of my favorite topiary.

We also skipped the America pavilion. It was a while before the next Voices of Liberty showing, and we didn't think L would sit through the American Adventure show.

We also skipped over the Japan pavilion, since we had gone through those shops the night before.

In Morocco, we stopped in Tangierine Cafe, where I had the Grilled Lamb Kefta kebab, and Grandmama and Auntie A had the Mediterranean flatbread. The kebab was...fine...but I wish I had gotten the flatbread as well.

Here’s L enjoying his “boon”…this thing ended up being a pain in the to have in the parks. We were constantly getting smacked in the face with it while pushing the stroller. Next trip, we buy the balloon on the last day.

Bonus picture - my mom sent this to me after the trip, but I can't tell which pavilion she took it in - I'm thinking maybe Italy? Regardless, it's one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Up next - "If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff."

 

[MickeyCB]

We stopped to admire the flower blankets by the Imagination pavilion on the way - this is probably my favorite display at Flower and Garden every year!

I love this photo! The flowers, catching the monorail, it's awesome!

 

[k8einwdw]

I love this photo! The flowers, catching the monorail, it's awesome!

It’s always exciting when you can catch a pic of the monorail in this spot! Especially when you don’t have to stand there for 15 minutes waiting for it to come by.

 

[k8einwdw]

Friday, June 3rd - Epcot Day - Continued

When we made it to the France pavilion, Jason and I decided to take Lincoln on Ratatouille using the multi-experience LL we got from ROTR being down the night prior. My mom has been to France a handful of times for work, and had another trip coming up later in the summer, on which Auntie A was to tag along, so I suggested that they might enjoy watching "Impressions de France". Of course, I had forgotten that they were showing the "Beauty and the Beast" singalong for most of the day, so the two of them ended up browsing the shops in France while we rode Ratatouille. Lincoln had been a little anxious when we had ridden Ratatouille on his first trip, but he seemed to enjoy it a lot more this time around. I can only imagine it's confusing for a little one though, since they can't wear the 3D glasses.

After we got off the ride, we found Grandmama and Auntie A relaxing and enjoying some treats from Les Halles. I had said for quite a few trips that I was going to get ice cream from L'Artisan de Glaces, and I always ended up forgetting about it on our Epcot day. I was determined to make it happen this time around, so L hung out with Grandmama and Auntie A while Jason accompanied me into the ice cream shop. He wasn't in the mood for anything sweet, but I got the Croque Glace (one scoop of ice cream with choice of sauce in a brioche bun, pressed warm). I chose the Caramel Fleur de Sel ice cream with chocolate sauce. I felt for the cast members though - it seemed like every person in line ordered the Croque Glace, and they take a while to make, so it took forever to get through the line. This was really good though! It's amazing how the ice cream doesn't melt everywhere inside the warm bun. This definitely won't be my last time getting this treat.

After we enjoyed our treats, it was time to move on to the UK pavilion. Jason had been saving his appetite most of the day, because he wanted to get fish and chips, so he, L, and I headed to the fish and chip shop, while Grandmama and Auntie A checked out the shops in UK. I don't eat fish, so I didn't partake, but Jason shared some with Lincoln, and they both enjoyed their meal. After they had eaten, we moved on to Canada, where Jason and I shared an Ottawa Apple from the popcorn cart (Crown Royal, Maple, Apple Infusion, and Cranberry Juice). I had heard about this drink on TikTok and wanted to try it, and I'm glad I did! I'm not usually a huge whisky drinker, but I really enjoyed this drink.

This night was supposed to be Grandmama and Auntie A's night to stay out late, but they were feeling beat after four days in the parks, so we all headed out of the park around 6:15 after finishing up at World Showcase. We headed back to POFQ, where we got L down for the night at 8:00. After L was down, I showered, and we both got as much as we could packed up before heading to bed around 10:30.

Up next: Check-Out Day

 

[k8einwdw]

Saturday, June 4th - Check-Out Day

Lincoln woke up around 3:50 am but thankfully, I was able to get him back down to sleep, and we all got up for the day at 6:00. We all got ourselves ready and finished packing up. J ran down to Bell Services to check out a luggage cart. We loaded it down, and we left our rooms around 7:20.

There is something special about walking the grounds of a Disney resort before most guests are out and about. It's peaceful, you're immersed in the theming, and you just know that behind those other doors, there are other families preparing to make magical memories. Kids will be waking up that morning to go see Cinderella Castle for the first time. A couple might be getting engaged that day. But in that quiet moment, when most guests are still asleep in their beds, that peaceful magic is just for you. Whether you're staying at Pop Century or the Polynesian, there is nothing quite like early morning energy at a Disney resort. I took some pics of the POFQ grounds on our way out, to remember this quiet moment.

We loaded up our cars, returned our luggage cart, and said our farewells to French Quarter, and we were on our way out around 7:40. We had an 8:05 breakfast reservation at Kona Café, so we headed to the Poly. Upon our arrival, I checked us in for our reservation, and we were seated just a few minutes later. My mom stayed at the Poly with her family back in 1980, and ate Tonga Toast for breakfast every day of their trip, so I booked this breakfast especially for her.

For breakfast, Grandmama and Auntie A both got Tonga Toast, Jason got the special spare rib hash, Lincoln got the kids' Mickey pancakes, and I got regular pancakes with the macadamia nut butter and pineapple topping that comes on the Macadamia Nut pancakes. Auntie A and I got the POG juice, and Grandmama and Jason got the Kona Coffee.

Everyone loved their meal, and our server surprised us with a cupcake for the soon-to-be birthday boy.

We settled our bill, and all used the facilities and grabbed some to-go coffees from Kona Island on our way out. We left the Poly around 9:00, and unfortunately hit quite a bit of traffic on our way home, so it was a looong travel day for us.

Up next: Final thoughts and souvenirs

 

[k8einwdw]

Bonus Post

The day after we returned from our trip, it was Lincoln's first birthday!

I can not believe how far we'd come in a year. From navigating being first-time parents, to going through a very scary surgery, it was the hardest and best year of our lives. Lincoln is the little love of our lives, and we'd do it all again a million times.

 

[Wicked Sisters]

That year has flown by. He gets cuter every day and that is a super cake.

 

[k8einwdw]

That year has flown by. He gets cuter every day and that is a super cake.

It has absolutely flown by! Would you believe Auntie A made the cake (and cupcakes) in less than 24 hours after we got back from the trip?!

 

[Loco_driver]

Hollywood Studios is the worst park for babies and toddlers

FTFY!

 

[fractal]

Happy belated to Lincoln! Great cake and best place to chow down on it!

 

[k8einwdw]

FTFY!

HS has always been my least favorite park in WDW, but even more so now!

Happy belated to Lincoln! Great cake and best place to chow down on it!

Thank you!

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Excellent TR. I will probably be reading it again closer to my trip to be reminded of all your great tips.

Lincoln is such a cutie. You really summed it up well that the first year being the hardest and best year. Here’s to more best years and less hard ones.