Is that a character?! Quick, run the other way! A Nov/Dec Trip Report!

Welcome to my trip report – thanks in advance for taking time to read!

Now that the holidays have wrapped and we’re back to “normal” life, I thought it was about time I stopped reading about everyone else’s trip and get rolling on my report! I had so much fun writing my first report last spring that I decided to take another crack at it (I’ve linked my first report to my signature if you’re interested). Thanks for joining me on this adventure!

The Cast & StatsThe trip included me (Mike), DW (Chrissy) and DD (Addie). Addie turned two a couple weeks before we left, so this was her official “2nd Birthday Trip”!

Trip Dates: November 29 – December 6, 2011

Resort: Boardwalk Villas

Chrissy and I are both HUGE Disney fans. We were engaged in the Rose Garden at Cinderella castle in March 2002 (almost 10 years…yikes!) and spent our honeymoon in WDW and aboard the Disney Magic in October 2003. Since then, we’ve visited at least once or twice a year. The only trip that we ever had to be “postponed” was a holiday trip we had planned for December 2009 (I was going to sing in the Candlelight Processional!). We had it all booked and a couple weeks later found out that Chrissy was pregnant and our little princess was due in November. So, we decided to postpone until June 2010 and take her on her first Disney adventure when she was 7 months old. We had an incredible trip but decided to wait until she was two to take her again. There was no way we could wait that long to return, so last March the two of us had a little getaway in the world to satisfy us until this trip! (my trip report from that adventure is posted below!) Although we were really excited to take her back now that she was older, we were also very nervous about the “terrible two’s” rearing their ugly head!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Next up was something I had been looking forward to for months – my first haircut at Harmony Barbershop! I’ve always wanted to do it, but forget to make an appointment before every trip. The few times I’ve tried to do a walk-in, they’re always booked solid. Back in September I was reading a TR from Matty30 and read about his experience there. I called that day and booked an appointment before I forgot – so “Thanks Matt”!

Great report so far! My wife thought it was pretty cool that I received a shout out on the boards! I haven't been around here a lot lately but I had to give your report a read after she told me about it.

Happy to hear you guys enjoyed the barbershop. That is one of my favorite memories and will be a staple on all future trips for sure!

Keep up the great report!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

Great trip report :sohappy:can't wait for the rest. We are thinking about going down the exact same time 2012 so I can't wait to hear what that week was like with the crowds and weather and etc.....We have three children that are 17, 14, and 9 and are passed the child meltdown age. But believe it or not you'll miss it someday so enjoy those "not so" Terrible twos.

Glad you're enjoying the report...much more to come! The week was great - we've only ever done holidays at WDW from Christmas day on, so this was a nice change of pace. It was crowded, but not really bad at all. The weater was PERFECT! It was chilly in the morning/evening, but very comfortable throughout the day. I'm sure we'll miss the two's one day...they're already going to fast. Other than that weekend with her medicine (and a few incidents you'll read about in the report), the two's haven't been too terrible!! :ROFLOL:

Thanks again for reading!

Hello fellow Illinois'en!! :wave:
That's so cute that you and your wife got to take your little princess to Disney World :sohappy: I'm glad she cooperated for you guys on the journey there! Don't worry I'm sure your daughter will LOVE the characters once she's a little older. Haha! Can't wait to read more!

Hello from "down south"! (ok...not that far down south, but south of you!) We had a few magic character moments later in the trip, but for the most part, my report title held true! Thanks for reading...more to come!

Great report so far! My wife thought it was pretty cool that I received a shout out on the boards! I haven't been around here a lot lately but I had to give your report a read after she told me about it.

Happy to hear you guys enjoyed the barbershop. That is one of my favorite memories and will be a staple on all future trips for sure!

Keep up the great report!

Hey Matt - glad you were able to read your "shout out"! This was trip #16 for me and I've missed the barber shop every time til now...and I really do credit your report for that! I ALWAYS forget about it until we're there and it's too late. I was reading your report at my office one afternoon and called from there to make the appointment. It wa a lot of fun...so thanks again!

Loved your report....hope mine is as entertaining...enjoy!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Hey Matt - glad you were able to read your "shout out"! This was trip #16 for me and I've missed the barber shop every time til now...and I really do credit your report for that! I ALWAYS forget about it until we're there and it's too late. I was reading your report at my office one afternoon and called from there to make the appointment. It wa a lot of fun...so thanks again!

Loved your report....hope mine is as entertaining...enjoy!

I have to give credit to these boards as well for ensuring I booked my barber appointment as well. It really is almost a hidden gem of sorts. A lot of fun!

I appreciate the kind words about my report...that was also a first for me so at least I didn't bore everyone! Your report is off to a great start! Addie is a cutie that's for sure. Keep it up...with no WDW trip anywhere in my foreseeable future living vicariously through these reports is all I've got!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

I have to give credit to these boards as well for ensuring I booked my barber appointment as well. It really is almost a hidden gem of sorts. A lot of fun!

I appreciate the kind words about my report...that was also a first for me so at least I didn't bore everyone! Your report is off to a great start! Addie is a cutie that's for sure. Keep it up...with no WDW trip anywhere in my foreseeable future living vicariously through these reports is all I've got!

Thanks again Matt! I'll be updating more tomorrow. Realized this afternoon that my flash drive with my report and pics is at my office...oops!:brick:

 

[erstwo]

Okay - so many things. First - I called today and booked my son's haircut appointment - so thanks for that reminder here at the end (so far) :wave:

Next - great trip report!

Finally - I think it's totally normal that your daughter wouldn't like the characters at this point. My daughter was not quite 18 months when she went for the first time in 2008 and she wanted nothing to do with the characters then. Now, she can't wait to see them! They're her favorite part. So have hope! She'll come around eventually! :sohappy:

 

[mamamouse]

Wow in your last report I couldn't figure out who she looked like more,but now she definately looks more like u . She's adorable!!! I'm loving your report awesome job so far

 

[DisneyFan1003]

Day Three – Thursday, December 1

Chrissy and I were both relieved that Addie slept through the night and didn’t wake up until about 7:30. We enjoyed a bit of a lazy morning in the room. We had breakfast and let Addie play for a bit before heading out to EPCOT around 9:15. I loved the fact that we could just walk there – no buses today! It was a cool morning but was shaping up to be a beautiful day!

Love EPCOT in the morning!

Ready for EPCOT

During our discussion the night before, we vowed to ride at least ONE “big person” ride today! Once we made it through the International Gateway, I grabbed our AP’s and took off to The Land to grab some FP’s for Soarin’. I was shocked that our return time was 10:40 – I thought for sure it would be later than that! Chrissy and Addie eventually caught up to me and we decided to take a boat ride through Living with the Land. The ride is obviously way over Addie’s head, but she loved the boat and thought the Mickey shaped veggies were pretty funny.

Lemon shake-up anyone?

Pepper plants decorated for the holidays

Hidden Mickey!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

After that, we left The Land and walked over to the Living Seas for a journey into the sea to find Nemo.

Heading to Nemo!

Addie had a blast and kept yelling “there he is” every time Nemo popped into view. We’ve always thought this ride was just “ok” but loved watching Addie get into it – quite obvious which age group Disney was targeting with this one! We hopped off our clamshell and walked over to the fish tanks. I swear if we hadn’t taken her away, Addie would still be sitting there watching the fish! Each tank was more fascinating than the next, but especially those containing “Nemo” and “Dory”! I attempted to get the traditional picture in the shark’s mouth, but Addie wasn’t having it. I guess, at second glance, Bruce is a bit intimidating!

We heard the announcement that the next Turtle Talk show was about to begin, so we headed over. Addie wanted to sit with us rather than down in front. She sat glued to the screen, but I don’t think she was really old enough to understand what was going on – at least she said “bye turtle” as we were leaving!

Snack time

By this time, we were getting very close to FP return. We found a seat in Sunshine Seasons for Chrissy and Addie to have a snack while I rode Soarin’ and it was great, as always! The screen didn’t seem nearly as dirty as the last time, so I was relieved that no giant dust balls were threatening to attach California that day. I exited and Chrissy and I did a rider swap. Addie was finished with her snack as well as finished sitting around, so she and I took a stroll around FW while waiting for Chrissy. We walked past the Character Stop and I pointed out Mickey and Minnie through the window. She hesitantly waved so I asked “would you like to go give them a big hug?” to which she shook her head and said “no way Daddy…bye Mickey!” and that was that! A few minutes later we found ourselves in Mouse Gears – you can always count on a store full of “eye candy” to distract a toddler! Addie wanted out of the stroller and walked around with eyes as big as saucers. I bought a couple Mickey ear Santa hats for MVMCP later in the trip. By the time we made it out of line, Chrissy had texted and was on her way to meet us.

 

[DisneyFan1003]

After a quick pit stop at the Baby Care Center, it was lunchtime! Since we were so close to Mexico, we decided to grab lunch at LaCantina. We both had the chicken tacos and they were excellent as always.

We were just finishing lunch and packing up our stuff when Addie started to get fussy and within about 3 minutes had worked herself up into a meltdown. It was past time for a nap and I think she just hit a wall. We started walking through WS towards the international gateway as she settled a bit. I got her back into her stroller and within 30 seconds, she was passed out cold! Obviously we hadn’t timed our day out to her liking! We both really wanted her awake to see Illuminations that night, so rather than press our luck, we walked back to BW. She woke up for a few minutes when we got back to the room and was out again – and ended up napping for over two hours! Chrissy was ready to take a little nap herself, so I seized the opportunity to grab my camera and head out to take some pictures.

Last year, Chrissy and Addie got me a new DSLR for Father’s Day and I had been itching to play with it at WDW. Up to this point in the trip, I found it to be more cumbersome than anything. Definitely not easy trying to use that in the park while corralling a toddler! I was on a mission for gingerbread pictures on this trip and now was my chance to grab some. We currently have a wall in our kitchen that contains an arrangement of four large picture frames. I had taken some photos of WDW restaurant signs, made them look at “artsy” in PhotoShop and hung those pictures in the frames (looks really cool), so I had the idea to swap out those photos at the holidays with gingerbread pictures from WDW. I played around a bit out on the Boardwalk and got some photos in the BW and BC lobbies. The gazebo in the BW was easy, but that carousel was tough! I wanted to ask if I could just turn it off for a minute to get my picture – hard to do while spinning! Here’s a few of the better shots I got (I’m still REALLY new to doing stuff with this camera!) Definitely not as good as a lot of the photos on the boards, but not too bad for my first attempt!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

More photos....

 

[DisneyFan1003]

Okay - so many things. First - I called today and booked my son's haircut appointment - so thanks for that reminder here at the end (so far) :wave:

Next - great trip report!

Finally - I think it's totally normal that your daughter wouldn't like the characters at this point. My daughter was not quite 18 months when she went for the first time in 2008 and she wanted nothing to do with the characters then. Now, she can't wait to see them! They're her favorite part. So have hope! She'll come around eventually! :sohappy:

Thanks for reading...and glad that I helped promote haircuts at WDW!! :ROFLOL:

We were kind of surprised by just how much the characters freaked her out...when she was 7 months, she couldn't stop touching them, waving, etc. I guess toddlers get more jaded in their old age! Hahaha! Hoping she comes around by this fall...but we did have a couple "moments" later in the trip. Keep reading!

Wow in your last report I couldn't figure out who she looked like more,but now she definately looks more like u . She's adorable!!! I'm loving your report awesome job so far

Thanks! Nice to hear that SOMEONE thinks she looks like me! Eveyrone always says she's "all Chrissy"...I'd like to think I had some influence as well! :ROFLOL:

 

[DisneyFan1003]

I had completely lost track of time and then realized I had also lost track of my phone! I started to panic thinking that I had set it down somewhere…for half a second I thought “why don’t I call it to see if I can find it”….then I realized I didn’t have a phone and wouldn’t hear it if it did ring! Crossing my fingers that it was back at the room, I took off for the room. I got back and found my phone in the kitchen! Chrissy had tried to call to find out where I was and found it in my bag…oops! Addie was up by the time I got back so we let her have a snack and play before heading back to EPCOT around 3:30. We stopped for some pictures by the tree before a stop at SE. The line was short and we crossed our fingers that the dark wouldn’t become an issue. Thankfully it wasn’t and Addie really seemed to enjoy the ride We were also relieved that we didn’t have a lot of stops during the trip – nowhere to go if Addie started to panic!

I stopped by Art of Disney to scope out what they had – I was on the hunt for something special but found nothing, so we were on our way back to the WS. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the countries and bought a really cool blown glass Mickey ornament in Germany. While exploring the toy store in Germany, Addie did her first official Kidcot stop! She had a lot of fun coloring Duffy on a stick and insisted on carrying him with her the rest of the evening.

First official Kidcot stop

Before we could stop the little vandal, she had pulled a flower out of the landscaping!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

While passing through Italy, we saw that Sergio was getting ready to start his performance, so we grabbed a spot and enjoyed the show. Addie was on the fence about Sergio but fell off that fence when Sergio blew his whistle a little too close – she was done after that! We took her inside and she instantly took notice of another Kidcot stop. We continued on our stroll and realized it was almost time for our ADR’s at Nine Dragons! We took Addie for a quick pit stop and were on our way out of the restroom when we encountered a woman who apparently attempted to drink her way around the world…and lost….all over the sidewalk! Fortunately we only caught the scene after the action....unfortunately this was not going to be our only encounter with puke on this trip!

After side-stepping the mess, we walked to China and checked in at Nine Dragons. We were seated within five minutes (a definite improvement over our experience at Liberty Tree!) and settled in for one of our favorite table service meals. We both ordered the honey sesame chicken. While we were waiting for our food to arrive, Addie started to get a little restless and fussy. Leading up to this trip, we had been trying to encourage Addie to use a straw, but she would have nothing to do with it. Suddenly, straws were her main focus. When our server brought our drinks, she instantly wanted the straw and was insisting on drinking out of a cup – but didn’t get that you can’t pick up the cup and tip it without spilling! I took her out to the gardens for a few minutes until she settled down while Chrissy disposed of the straws. When I got back, our food arrived. Our server was so nice – after delivering our meals, she brought Addie a bowl of noodles (we had brought her dinner with us) and explained that these were a favorite of little ones at Nine Dragons. Addie DOVE into that bowl of noodles and was a happy camper for the rest of the meal! The place was packed but both the food and the service were outstanding. We enjoyed a FANTASTIC meal and were on our way.

 

[DisneyFan1003]

Up to this point, we really hadn’t experienced many rides/attractions at EPCOT and decided that Addie might like a spin in the imagination pavilion. We arrived shortly before 7:00 and laughed at the zero minute wait and the fact that we ALWAYS seem to ride this one alone. She really liked Figment and didn’t even flinch at the end when the walls blast open. Whew! We took her through ImageWorks after the ride and she LOVED it. Her favorite part was the station were you run through the lights to make the instruments sound off. She was running and laughing and was soon joined by a couple other little kids about her age. We had a lot of fun watching them all play – funny how the things we used to walk by were now the “main attraction” of our trip!

Upon leaving ImageWorks, we stopped by the PhotoPass photographer for a few pictures in front of the decorations.

 

[DisneyFan1003]

We went through MouseGears again and found a Minnie Mouse cup with a straw – maybe this would do the trick!

Chillin' out with the new Minnie straw cup

Back in the WS, we watched Off Kilter for a few minutes and made our way to UK . I noticed that Pooh and Tigger were at the back of the toy shop. I walked Addie back there and told her they wanted to say hi. She seemed excited until we rounded the corner and saw them. Hands over the eyes and she started to cry. Oh well…at least I tried!

We walked to France and took Addie to another Kidcot stop. While she was playing, Chrissy went through the bakery and picked up dessert and hot chocolate. The evening had gotten quite chilly and we were all bundled up, so the hot chocolate was the perfect treat. We found a small table in the middle of the France pavilion and enjoyed our snack. Addie was having a great time and was entertaining other guests seated around us.

Gotta hydrate at these Kidcot stops!

Snacktime in France


More gingerbread!

We took our hot chocolate and continued on to AA and stopped to watch Candlelight Processional. We love that show! We’re both LOVE Christmas but have always visited WDW on Christmas day or after. Even though it was always still the holidays, it was a bit anti-climactic because we knew Christmas was over. As we stood there watching the show and drinking hot chocolate, I smiled realizing that this was just the beginning of the holiday season! The decorations and music were beautiful. Addie was enthralled by the music and lights of the show – when it ended, I put her back in her stroller and she immediately fell asleep! We let her nap as we found a spot for Illuminations. Wanting to get out of the park as soon as the show was over, we staked out a spot on the bridge between France and the entrance to the Int’l Gateway. I woke Addie up as the show was starting – she watched for a few minutes and, before we knew it, her head was on my shoulder and she was out again!

Once illuminations ended, I carried her all the way back to BW – that walk was MUCH longer carrying her than it was pushing her! We made it back up to our room around 10:00 and got her changed and ready for bed. Thankfully she was out light a light within a few minutes! We LOVE having a 1BR villa on nights like this – she was asleep in the living room and we were able to sit in bed and watch a movie without disturbing her. It did feel weird to be back in the room watching a movie rather than out taking advantage of EMH, but they always say having a kid changes everything! No kidding!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

Day Four – Friday, December 2

We were again blessed with a full night sleep and woke up around 7:15. It’s amazing how much more refreshed you feel at WDW when you’re not out until 2 or 3 and then attempting to get up and out by rope drop! We all got ready, had some breakfast and took off for DHS around 9:00. The morning was cool but beautiful – we were prepared to walk to the park, but as we were coming out onto the Boardwalk, a Friendship boat was pulling up. Addie loves boats, so we decided to skip the walk and ride instead.

Before we knew it, we were pulling up to the dock – I love being so close to the parks! We made it through an EPIC bag check line (why they only had a few lines running at park opening is beyond me) and walked through the gates just before 9:30. I grabbed our AP’s and dashed off to get FP’s for TSM. By the time I made it to the front of the line, the return time was already 1:45- yikes!

I found Chrissy and Addie and we decided to attempt Disney Jr. Live. Addie is a huge fan of Mickey’s Clubhouse so we were hoping for the best - not knowing what to expect from the show. If you’ve never been, guests enter the theater and everyone sits on the floor. There is a live cast member who is the “host” and all the characters are actually large puppets/marionettes. Once Addie realized that these weren’t the “real” characters, she started to get into it – singing along and shouting out character names as they came on stage. She even recognized the characters from Jake & the Neverland Pirates. After the Jake segment, they shot off confetti cannons that showered the audience with gold doubloons, which was a major hit with the kids. Addie couldn’t pick them up fast enough! We breathed a big sigh of relief when the show ended with no hands over the eyes…maybe we were turning a corner in regards to characters…maybe!

Daisy looks a bit stoned!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

After leaving the show, we decided to take a ride through the movies and visit GMR. On our way through the hub, we spotted Donald, Daisy & Pluto. Chrissy asked Addie if she’d like to say “hi” and was answered with a loud “no” followed by hands over the eyes…oh well, we tried! The line for GMR was only about 10 minutes and, although she didn’t really “get” any of the movies in the queue, the huge screen was pretty interesting. For the first time in several trips, we had a great tour guide – he was easy to understand, had great energy and seemed to really enjoy what he was doing. Our last few guides either had very heavy accents or looked like they’d rather be anywhere than the GMR! We were stopped in the gangster sequence which got pretty loud. We thought we were going to lose Addie for a second, but just as she looked like she was on the verge of tears, we started moving and she spotted John Wayne’s horse. A horsey can always save the day! Surprisingly, the Alien sequence didn’t faze her and in Oz, she simply pointed at the Wicked Witch and said “witch” – witch indeed kiddo!

We did a little bit of window shopping down Sunset and made a pit stop at the Baby Care Center before making our way to the 11:30 showing of Beauty and the Beast. Addie is a HUGE fan of Belle (especially “yellow Belle” as she calls her in her ball gown) so this was something we had really been looking forward to seeing. Addie did not disappoint – she was glued to that stage the entire time. Honestly, I don’t think she ever blinked! We had sat towards the back just to be safe, but later wished we had found seats a little closer. I guess there’s always next time! When “yellow Belle” came on stage, I thought she was going to pop! It was certainly one of those moments you picture in your mind before bringing your little one to WDW. Even though it wasn’t a face-to-face character moment, we were not about to complain!

Not a blink while Belle was on stage!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

We had lunch ADR’s at Mama Melrose, so we took off in that direction as soon as the show let out (thankful for our seats at the back of the theater at this time!). We checked in and were seated in less than 10 minutes. We had ordered drinks, settled in and set Addie up with crayons when it happened – the waiter brought our drinks with straws and Addie’s milk in a paper cup with lid and straw. We looked at each other and realized we had forgotten to tell the server about our drink issues! Addie immediately grabbed the cup, attempted to drink and spilled milk on her pants. While cleaning her up, and removing the straws from her reach, she started to lose it – majorly lose it!

Now, we’ve been VERY lucky parents in that, up until this trip, we could probably count the number of meltdown/tantrums thrown by Addie on one hand, and that includes Thanksgiving. And those few that had occurred had never been in public. So, to say, as parents, we were unprepared as how best to deal with this would be an understatement. Not wanting her to make a scene or ruin lunch for those around us, I scooped her up and headed outside where she lost it. It took me a good 15 minutes to get her to settle down and, standing in the middle of DHS, it felt like hours. When she was finally under control, we went back inside to find that our food had arrived. I was sweating, frustrated and had a screaming headache. As soon as I put her down in her chair, she smiled and said “Yum Daddy…pizza!” ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! All I could do was laugh! We enjoyed a fantastic lunch – the pizza was incredible (needless to say – there were no pictures!). We always have a great meal at Mama Melrose and hope next time there will be a bit less drama!

Unfortunately, after lunch, it was obvious that Addie had hit a wall. It had gotten quite warm outside, she was tired and that meltdown was still just under the surface. She fought getting back into her stroller and began to wail. We gave each other the “it’s time to go” look and pushed our little wailing princess towards the front of the park. Just as we were approaching the crossroads, it appeared that Addie had found herself at her own crossroad and decided she was all better. We pushed her through some of the shops and she was out cold in less than 5 minutes. No complaints on this end!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

We were near the Villains shop when we noticed one of the street shows setting up shot. The “director” caught me taking a picture and, after posing for me, asked my name and pulled me into the show! They were doing their own version of the dating game and I was the bachelor who had to choose my date. I had a great time – the performers were fantastic and a really fun crowd gathered around and were adding to the show. I recognized the voice of one of the bachelorettes as Paige Turner – one of my all-time favorite DHS characters. Although the crowd was encouraging me to choose #1, the young Hollywood starlet, I had to follow my heart and choose bachelorette #3, Paige Turner! The director asked me who I was with and when I acknowledged Chrissy and sleeping Addie, Paige knelt down in front of the stroller and told sleeping Addie that she was her new mommy and she was going to take her for ice cream. It was hysterical and the crowd was going nuts. As my parting gift, I was given two FP’s for Tower of Terror! We thanked everyone for the good time and both enjoyed the fact that Disney had given us a little “magic moment” to make up for the not-so-magic moment we had at lunch!

Bachelorette #2! She was the old, rich widow!

It's me & Bachelorette #3 - Paige Turner!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

TSM FP’s for 1:45 and knew we didn’t really have time for a rider swap on ToT, so we found a nice young couple and gave them our FP’s. They were really excited and we were happy to have passed on a little magic moment ourselves! We had planned on grabbing some dessert at Starring Rolls, but the show sidetracked us, so we made our way to Pixar Place. By the time we arrived at TSM, Addie was up and in a much better mood. We had about 10 minutes to kill before our return time, so we walked around Pixar Place and Addie was on a mission to name every Toy Story character she could find. We approached the windows to the meet & greet area and spotted Woody and Buzz inside. She started knocking on the window, waving and blowing kisses. Woody and Buzz were in between greets so they took a couple seconds to wave back and walk towards the window. I couldn’t believe how excited Addie was to see them! I immediately asked that golden question “should we go inside and say hi?” – Addie responded with her canned answer “no way Daddy!” Oh well, I tried!