Trip Report Mooooooooove! An Irma-centric first Disney trip

rag88 · Sep 12, 2017

Day One, Part One: "A-Pain"

I'll let Baby E narrate our journey through the chapter titles here. "A-pain" is how she says airplane, which I think can sometimes be very appropriate

Thankfully, unlike our travel home *insert foreboding music here*, our travel to Orlando was smooth and painless!

We live in St. Louis, and in the past we've always been able to grab a non-stop Southwest flight that leaves at some ungodly early hour and gets us into Orlando around 9 am local time. Apparently they've stopped running those flights, because the earliest non-stop left at 8:30 and wasn't supposed to arrive until 11:55. Oh well, that meant we didn't have to get E up even earlier, and that girly needs her sleep!

We decided to bring our "big" stroller, and gate-check it. This worked out very well for us. Thanks to family boarding, we were seated in row 8 for the flight, and even with the quick de-boarding, the stroller was waiting for us on the ramp. Our flight actually landed quite early, around 11:15, so we booked it to the fonorail and down to DME. I don't have any pictures of the lines there, because there weren't any! We were directed to lane 10, and there was only one older couple in front of us. They immediately scanned us through, onto a bus, and we were the last ones on so the bus pulled away almost immediately. Score! Bonus, it was announced that Animal Kingdom Lodge would be the first stop. So, making up a nice bit of time. So far we were impressed with the service we got by being in a Deluxe.

We quickly got to AKL around 12:15, and saw this beautiful sight:

Welcome home! I may have squealed. We've spent time at AKL on resort days before even though we were always staying at values, so I thought I was fully prepared to walk into that most beautiful lobby. But apparently when you're actually staying there, the lobby just *feels* even more awesome. :joyfull:

I walked up to check in, and this is where we were a little let down by our first Deluxe experience. Our CM was quite ... terse, more than anything else. He was obviously not having a good day, but I was sure to be friendly and always have a smile on my face. But this experience was definitely not magical. I had noted on our reservation (and our room request) that we were celebrating E's first visit, first birthday, and our 5th anniversary. None of this was mentioned, and no buttons were offered. I forgot to ask for them because I was so off-put by the CM's attitude, so I eventually had to go to the concierge desk later that day. I also had to ask him for a resort map since we had never stayed here, and he generally seemed like he just didn't want to talk to me at all. I asked if there was a note that I had requested a crib, and he told me there was but (imagine lots of snark here), "you can't get a crib, just a pack'n'play". I knew that in advance, it's just quicker to say a crib, okay? Ha. By this point, E was definitely tired and overdue for lunch and a nap, so we were needing that crib/pack'n'play ASAP. He said he'd put in a note for housekeeping to deliver one. Fine.

We payed only for a standard view, and I was hoping for a magical upgrade since we had so many celebrations. It was also obviously slow season, and when I checked online in the weeks leading up to our trip, all of the standard views were sold out, but none of the other categories were. Nonetheless, grouchy CM was not offering us anything, but they at least had a room ready, so we jumped on it. We were in 4210, which was actually a fantastic location for us. Only about a 2 minute walk to the lobby and therefore easy access to Mara, the pool, and the bus stops. Even more importantly (sadly enough), just one staircase and zero rooms away from the concierge desk where I would be having to spend a lot of time getting our Irma figured out. And, bonus, it did have a *partial* view!

On the whole, I would definitely recommend requesting this room specifically. It was convenient, had a view without the price (we saw giraffes and antelope mostly), and was still quiet.

I'm guessing everyone knows what these rooms look like (or at least you can google it), so I won't share all of my room photos unless requested, but I will note that E was fully prepared to use one of the big beds if her pack'n'play didn't show up (it did).

Since we were very hungry and had to wait for the pack'n'play to begin the nap process anyway, we headed down to the Mara. As mentioned previously, I am a meticulous planner, so I already knew what we would order

One BBQ pork sandwich ($10.79), and one African Potjie ($8.49) please! Both were delicious, and we shared with E. She's not a particularly adventurous eater. Don't get me wrong, she'll definitely eat anything you give her, and seemed to be on a growth spurt during this trip, so ate large quantities, but spices and sauces make her pretty apprehensive still. So, all of those African flavorings made her a little skeptical. On the other hand, Jeff and I really enjoyed them! Both were flavorful and definitely different than your standard counter service fare. For my money, I'd suggest the Potjie. It's approachable and super-filling for a very reasonable price.

Side note: during lunch, they were testing the fire alarms resort-wide. There were obnoxious blaring alarms all over the Mara, and this went on for about 15 minutes. Our food took about that long to come out as well. I fully understand the need for testing alarms, so I'm definitely not complaining about it, but given our state of travel exhaustion and hunger, we were pretty cranky! Jeff even said something like, "A great start to our Deluxe trip ..." :cry:

After lunch, we headed back up to the room and our "crib" was there! Yay! We had to rearrange some furniture to get it to fit in the room, but it worked and we all crashed for an hour and a half.

Coming up: An afternoon at Disney Springs!

rag88 · Sep 12, 2017

Day One, Part Two: "Heigh Ho"

Like any good Disney parent, I've been indoctrinating E for the past few months so that she'd be familiar with a lot of the things we would encounter around WDW. We watch Disney movies, she studies her Disney encyclopedia, and we have a wealth of Disney toys. Even our letter lessons have been about Disney (K is for Kristoff). She's a really sharp 19-month-old, and has a wealth of words in her arsenal. Her favorite movies are definitely Moana and Frozen, but for some reason she really latched on to the "Heigh Ho" song from Snow White. So now, whenever she's happy/content, she'll sing the words "Heigh Ho" over and over. It's awesome.

After a pretty short nap (she usually sleeps for 12 hours at night, and 2 hours in the afternoon, so we knew this trip would really be pushing her), we got up and caught a bus to Disney Springs.

Important note: we never had any bus trouble at all this trip. I know people complain about bus wait times at the deluxe resorts, and especially at AKL, but we never waited more than 6 minutes for a bus to arrive at the lodge, and all of our transit times were 20 minutes or less. Even on the way back to the resort, there was almost always an AKL bus waiting at the gate for us and departing quickly after we boarded. I'm think we got some transportation pixie dust this trip! :goodvibes

Since we've been absent from Disney for a couple of years, Disney Springs has obviously undergone significant changes. We were excited to walk around, enjoy the ambiance, and try a few new places to eat. That being said, 19-month-olds aren't known for their enjoyment of ambiance or patience in general, so we admittedly only spent a couple of hours there.

After walking through all of the fancy shops we can't afford, we headed to a known hit with E - the Lego store. E spent some time building Duplos, and then we decided to make some "friends".

Good thing we've gone over how to "make muscles!"

E calls him "Bzzzzzzzz"

She's saying "Hat!"

Finally, we wrapped around to the front of the store and found .... "Heigh Ho!" This led to much "Heigh Ho"-ing for the rest of the evening :thumbsup2

Next we headed to the World of Disney. E is well-loved by family, and had been given $100 in gift cards for her own personal use during the trip. $25 was already earmarked for her first haircut on Main Street, but that left $75 that she could spend however she would choose. We didn't want to pick things for her, so our plan was to release her into as many stores as possible, see what she repeatedly gravitated toward (since most Disney stores now carry all of the same merchandise), and buy it for her near the end of the trip.

Pro Tip: If you have a big Moana fan or Kristoff fan, perhaps find something to bring and surprise your kids with. There is a shocking lack of merch for anything related to Moana, and the only Kristoff merch are two figurine sets that he happens to be part of. E already has a Kristoff figurine that she carries around with her EVERYWHERE (he will likely show up in some photos eventually), so our original plans of steering her toward Kristoff and Moana toys really didn't work out.

By this time, it was almost 5:15 and we were hot and hungry. We had previously decided on going to Blaze because we knew it would be quick and relatively inexpensive. We knew we wanted to save room for dessert, so we loaded up one pizza (with lots of filling meats) and one side salad and split it among the three of us. This was a great way to go! We were pretty full and it was only about $15. Love this view from the dining room, too.

Pro Tip: By the time we left around 5:35, there was a line out the door and significantly down the walkway. And this was on a Wednesday night. I'm sure it moved quickly, but best to get there early if you can!

Next, we headed to our dessert location:

E and I are both big chocolate lovers. She says it how Anna and Elsa say it in Frozen, slightly whispered and reverential :laughing: Jeff has wider tastes, but he agreed to split the wonderful Mini Mickey with us. I barely got this picture before E ripped an ear off and popped it in her mouth!

This was not only cute, but very delicious. Would definitely recommend and order again. It's pricey, but the quality is similar to what you'd get a table service restaurant on Disney property, so I think it's actually a good value. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Disney cupcakes, but for only a couple of dollars more, I would definitely upgrade to this every time.

With our bellies full, we headed back to the bus stop so we could get back to the room, unpack our bags, and get E to sleep at a decent time. We were hoping for one rope-drop-to-night-show day, and the next day would be it. Could E stay awake and mildly happy from before 8 to after HEA? Only time will tell ...

ScarletBegonias · Sep 12, 2017

Following along!

PrincessL · Sep 12, 2017

I'm in! I love seeing how other families handle Disney

Mrhappyplace · Sep 12, 2017

It sounds like a rough start for your first deluxe stay I hope things improved for you. My wife and I were at the world during the same time and while I know castmembers were feeling a lot of pressure everyone we encountered was a pleasure.

kirksheppard · Sep 12, 2017

I wonder if it was Paul, the same guy I had twice in my stays at AKL years ago. He was unfriendly, rude, and not helpful. From your description, it sounds like him (or someone he trained! haha)

75disney · Sep 13, 2017

Your daughter is adorable. Your anecdotes about her reaction to things brings back memories of how my oldest daughter reacted on her first trip when she was 2. She's now 15; they grow up so fast. Treasure every precious moment with her this trip!

rag88 · Sep 13, 2017

Thank you, thank you all for joining in!

PrincessL said:
I'm in! I love seeing how other families handle Disney

Agreed - as a first-time parent travelling to Disney, even though I felt very comfortable with the type of Disney travel I'm used to, I read so many trip reports to try to get ideas for how to travel with baby girl.

Mrhappyplace said:
It sounds like a rough start for your first deluxe stay I hope things improved for you. My wife and I were at the world during the same time and while I know castmembers were feeling a lot of pressure everyone we encountered was a pleasure.

Totally agree - it was a tense time for everyone. In general, CMs were great as per usual. I feel bad starting out the trip report with a CM that wasn't overly helpful or friendly, because I don't want to get the impression that he ruiend the trip or was it a theme. Things start looking up from there!

kirksheppard said:
I wonder if it was Paul, the same guy I had twice in my stays at AKL years ago. He was unfriendly, rude, and not helpful. From your description, it sounds like him (or someone he trained! haha)

That seriously might have been his name! But he was one of only two or three CMs that we encountered that were like that. Obviously we do Disney a lot, so we knew it wasn't normal. But if that was our very first interaction at Disney ever ... oof.

75disney said:
Your daughter is adorable. Your anecdotes about her reaction to things brings back memories of how my oldest daughter reacted on her first trip when she was 2. She's now 15; they grow up so fast. Treasure every precious moment with her this trip!

Thank you so much! Before we had kids, we told ourselves we wouldn't do Disney with kids until they were capable of walking by themselves. But I'm so glad we took her when we did - she obviously had a blast, and developmentally I can tell it had a positive impact on her. And the memories I have from the trip are priceless. :happy:

rag88 · Sep 13, 2017

Forgot something important from our check-in. Baby E still drinks whole milk in the morning before breakfast and before bed (like I feel many young kids do). We ordered some milk and other food supplies from Prime Now to keep in the room. Now, E is a little picky about her milk. She likes it warm, and there was no microwave in our room. We asked at the concierge desk about the nearest microwave, and it's in the Mara. Our room was convenient to everything, but the Mara is a good 5-7 minute elevator ride/walk from our room. That twice a day while trying to get ready or get to bed wasn't awesome. The concierge CM was super helpful, and said she didn't think they were allowed to put microwaves in guest rooms, but would put in a request to housekeeping anyway. We got back from Disney Springs that evening, and there was a miracle microwave in our room! Soo...

Pro Tip: If your little one likes to have warm milk, or you want to be able to heat other foods - ask at concierge for a microwave. They may be able to help out!

PacNWTigger · Sep 13, 2017

Your little E is too cute for words! I'm glad that they were able to make some accommodations for you guys with the microwave. It's a good reminder that it definitely doesn't hurt to ask.

rag88 · Sep 13, 2017

PacNWTigger said:
Your little E is too cute for words! I'm glad that they were able to make some accommodations for you guys with the microwave. It's a good reminder that it definitely doesn't hurt to ask.

Thank you!! Yes, I think we'll keep her :inlove:

rag88 · Sep 13, 2017

Day Two, Part One: "Castle!"

I think this title can speak for itself. Today was the big day - E's first time in the Magic Kingdom! We woke E up around 7:45, with the goal of heading down to the bus stop at 8:00. Surprisingly, this worked very well and we were at the bus stop just after 8:00. We only had to wait a few minutes for a bus to arrive, and it wasn't even full, so we had a nice comfortable and quick ride to the Magic Kingdom. When we got there, we finally unloaded our well-laden "princess carriage" for the day!

We went through security rather easily. They're very intense about checking every little nook and cranny of every bag, but each time they let me bypass the metal detectors with the stroller. We made it past the gates by 8:30, which is actually much earlier than I was expecting. I ran a couple of steps ahead of the stroller so I could capture E's first reaction to the castle. She's watched enough Disney movies to recognize it ...

She immediately pointed, got excited, and exclaimed "Castle!" Cue the first Mama tears for the day :sad: I quickly wiped them off and made myself ready for our official family portrait:

We got to the hub by 8:42, and waited it out for the opening show. Soon enough, our day was off to a magical start.

Our original plan called for us bee-lining it to Peter Pan. I always follow the plan, so that's where we headed. We parked the stroller for the morning and headed to ... a closed-down Peter Pan. *Sigh* I guess this is where I should've realized I can't rely on my plans on this trip! *cough*Irma*cough*, but instead we skipped ahead one step and walked on to IASW. That's OK - a good Disney classic for E's first ever ride. And she LOVED it. Kept pointing and naming everything and generally being really engaged.

After we hopped off (the goodbye board recognized my MagicBand, but not anyone else's), Peter Pan was open, so we got on with a very minimal wait. I'll consider that a win! Next up, Rapunzel and Tiana only had a 5 minute wait posted, so we headed that way. We gave Edie a Disney Encyclopedia of Animated Characters for her 1st birthday in February. She's been studying it and obsessed with it ever since then, so she knows all of the characters' names. But, we were worried she might be *too* in love with it and be sad that they wrote in her book. So it was time to put our theory to the test!

I don't have any good pictures of Tiana (apparently capturing character interactions is difficult for Jeff!), but we talked about what it's like to be a frog and about the color green. Next up was Rapunzel, who complimented E's "sketchbook" and told us that Pascal was actually purple today because he ate too many grapes. E LOVES grapes, so that was a big hit with her. And, she was actually pleased that she got signatures in her book. Now that we're home, any time she turns to a page with an autograph, she points to it and says "Name!" Score.

After the princesses, we were supposed to head to more line-heavy rides in Fantasyland, but E saw the carousel and asked "please" to get on it. Who can reject a sweet 1-year-old who uses manners? Not this Mama. And it had no wait, so we hopped on.

Next up was a trip on Pooh, which I neglected to take pictures of, but then we went to our next big classic: Dumbo! Our Dumbo got to the top and then wouldn't move again, but E enjoyed flying around.

We only had a few minutes before our lunch reservation (where did we go? stay tuned ...), and the Main Street Band was playing right outside of Dumbo's queue. E loves dancing to music, and Jeff and I are both music-lovers (we even have a music room in our house with ... 12+ instruments in it), so we decided to take some time away from the plan and enjoy the music. This isn't something Jeff and I would normally do with our kamikaze park-touring strategy, but it was totally worth it. E loved it, we all got to just spend some relaxing time together enjoying a really talented group of entertainers. Disney really is gratifying, no matter your touring style!

I'll be back tomorrow with our afternoon at the MK and our first downpour ...

PrincessL · Sep 13, 2017

What a great morning! E is too cute! Love the matching shirts...Etsy??

PPF was also on a 30 min delay in opening when we tried to rope drop in early June...wonder what's up with that :cautious:

We also used the encyclopedia of characters as an autograph book. My 5 year old DS still loves to look at it! No princess autographs as we have all boys though :hilarious:

Looking forward to more!

riverside · Sep 13, 2017

Great trip report!!

rag88 · Sep 14, 2017

PrincessL said:
What a great morning! E is too cute! Love the matching shirts...Etsy??

PPF was also on a 30 min delay in opening when we tried to rope drop in early June...wonder what's up with that

We also used the encyclopedia of characters as an autograph book. My 5 year old DS still loves to look at it! No princess autographs as we have all boys though

Looking forward to more!

Actually, my mom got herself an embroidery machine a couple of years ago and now surprises us with embroidered things quite frequently! We had embroidered shirts from her on our travel day as well. Much better than having to buy them - maybe she should go into business!

riverside said:
Great trip report!!

Thank you! Glad you could join

rag88 · Sep 14, 2017

Day Two, Part Two: "Off!"

Whenever anyone asks E about her Disney trip, she immediately points to her hair and exclaims, "Off!" The centerpiece of our afternoon was her first haircut at the Main Street Barber Shop - but let's not get ahead of ourselves ...

First we got to get some lunch at Be Our Guest! Jeff and I had been here for dinner on a previous trip, but this was our first lunch experience.

Pro Tip: I'm not sure this even qualifies as a "pro" tip, but we saw TONS of people with reservations that had to stand in a significantly long line to place their BOG lunch orders. Just order online prior to arriving, folks! It's easy, you get to take your time to make your decision, and you get to bypass that line and go straight to your table.

For this meal, Jeff got the Croque Monsieur ($13.99) and I got the Braised Pork ($16.99). We each shared some things with E and supplemented with snacks we brought in the saddle bag for the stroller. The Braised Pork is definitely a good value - lots of meat. That being said, the description online doesn't mention any peppers, but it was well-laden with red peppers. If you're not a pepper fan, you may want to stay away. The Croque Monsieur was a bit disappointing - it was more like a nice grilled cheese than anything else. We also all split The Master's Cupcake ($4.99). Jeff and I were given the grey stuff during our dinner since it was our anniversary, and we liked it so we wanted to try some again. The cupcake really isn't the same stuff, and I think we were all a little let down by it. But we'd probably still order it again if we come back

After lunch, we exited into a major downpour. We were expecting lots of rain every day of our trip, so we had come prepared with ponchos. We had a little bit of familial contention because we didn't purchase a rain cover for our stroller - we just brought another poncho for it instead. But, we hadn't thought ahead about how to secure the poncho to the stroller, so our stroller was getting SOAKED, right before we wanted to put E in it for her stroller nap. Eek. But we left it where it was and trudged along to Little Mermaid. It was chilly since we were wet, but E likes that movie (as any redhead girl should), so we had fun. By the time we exited the ride, the downpour was over and we made it back to our stroller. As Jeff was removing the poncho and trying to dry things out as best he could, E passed the time saying "splash!" and playing in the puddles on the ground. It's the little things in life ...

We re-applied sunscreen (we're pale, pale folk) and stuck E in her stroller with the sunshade pulled and the fan running. Jeff and I had FP+ for 7DMT (neither of us has been), so we strolled that way. E was out before we even got there, and that was less than a 2 minute walk! Score! Jeff and I knew this vacation was going to be focused on E and what she wanted to do (as it should be), but there were a couple of rides that we had never been on and had height restrictions, so we agreed to make one FP+ per day for one of those height-restricted rides. Minimal time away from E, and it let us do our must-tries. After we both rode 7DMT (we could've each done it twice with rider swap, but it wasn't *that* great), we meandered and let E get her beauty sleep. The best beauty sleep happens under a castle, right?

I really wanted E to see Festival of Fantasy, and we had never seen it either, but she was still asleep. Since the crowds were so low, E and Jeff strolled in circles near the hub/Crystal Palace, and I quickly ran up when the parade was passing. It was fun! Especially love the Tangled and Merida floats. As soon as the parade was over, E woke up (napped for *almost* an hour and a half) and it started to drizzle again. Crowds were beginning to pick up a little, so we decided to head to Tom Sawyer's Island. I hadn't "wasted" time here in many, many years, but had seen it suggested as a good place to avoid some drizzle. It was the best decision!

Pro Tip: If your littles are just in that toddling stage, head to TSI. They get bored of being in the stroller, and your arms/back get tired of carting them through lines. TSI is a GREAT place that they can run around and not worry about being run into/over. And all of the trees do provide great cover from a light drizzle.

I think we could've stayed here for hours, honestly. E was seriously enjoying her freedom, and it felt like there were maybe 10 other people on the whole island with us. It definitely isn't our typical Disney touring style, but where else in a Disney park are you going to find scenes like these were you can't even hear another person? Amazing.

After E's nap we had all been feeling a little worn down and tired, but the trip to TSI really refreshed us and kept us going. We eventually did have to come back to the mainland, though - for a VERY important appointment!

Since you've been seeing our pictures, you already know that E definitely wasn't in *need* of a haircut, but she was born with a total baby mullet, so I justified the first haircut expenditure by saying it'd be so much better if we could even her out a bit. Plus, Disney folks are experts at entertaining kids and giving first haircuts, and E never sits still, so we surely needed some experts. I mean, check out the pure joy on that kid's face.

What a smart move! This is one of those memories that we'll have forever and ever. The actual haircutting lasted less than 5 minutes, and she really only took off about half an inch in a couple of places, but E obviously remembers it more than any other part of the trip, and Mama and Dada both count this as a highlight too. It's just one of those unique things that most people in the general public don't even know about. The price is seriously reasonable considering the exceptional service and that you get an embroidered ear hat (because, come on, we were going to buy one for her anyway).

We had such a fun time, it didn't eat up much time in our day at all, and E's baby mullet is at least slightly more even now. :rotfl2: And, you've probably noticed that E doesn't smile in pictures, like at all. She's a very serious studious little soul, but when the PhotoPass photographer grabbed my camera to take some pictures of all of us after the cut, E was so happy with her life, we actually grabbed this:

Seriously! That's the best family photo I think we've ever gotten, and we've had professional pictures taken 3 times in E's 19 months of life.

That brings us to about 4:15 during our MK - so several hours to go, assuming we make it all the way to HEA! Next up was the chance to show off E's new look to the Main Mouse himself!

Tuvalu · Sep 14, 2017

FYI ~ the red peppers in the braised pork at BOG are actually part of the green beans jardiniere which accompany it. I love red peppers and often order the green beans jardiniere (instead of fries) with my sandwiches at BOG.

75disney · Sep 14, 2017

rag88 said:
Day Two, Part Two: "Off!"

Whenever anyone asks E about her Disney trip, she immediately points to her hair and exclaims, "Off!" The centerpiece of our afternoon was her first haircut at the Main Street Barber Shop - but let's not get ahead of ourselves ...

First we got to get some lunch at Be Our Guest! Jeff and I had been here for dinner on a previous trip, but this was our first lunch experience.
View attachment 229624

Pro Tip: I'm not sure this even qualifies as a "pro" tip, but we saw TONS of people with reservations that had to stand in a significantly long line to place their BOG lunch orders. Just order online prior to arriving, folks! It's easy, you get to take your time to make your decision, and you get to bypass that line and go straight to your table.

For this meal, Jeff got the Croque Monsieur ($13.99) and I got the Braised Pork ($16.99). We each shared some things with E and supplemented with snacks we brought in the saddle bag for the stroller. The Braised Pork is definitely a good value - lots of meat. That being said, the description online doesn't mention any peppers, but it was well-laden with red peppers. If you're not a pepper fan, you may want to stay away. The Croque Monsieur was a bit disappointing - it was more like a nice grilled cheese than anything else. We also all split The Master's Cupcake ($4.99). Jeff and I were given the grey stuff during our dinner since it was our anniversary, and we liked it so we wanted to try some again. The cupcake really isn't the same stuff, and I think we were all a little let down by it. But we'd probably still order it again if we come back

After lunch, we exited into a major downpour. We were expecting lots of rain every day of our trip, so we had come prepared with ponchos. We had a little bit of familial contention because we didn't purchase a rain cover for our stroller - we just brought another poncho for it instead. But, we hadn't thought ahead about how to secure the poncho to the stroller, so our stroller was getting SOAKED, right before we wanted to put E in it for her stroller nap. Eek. But we left it where it was and trudged along to Little Mermaid. It was chilly since we were wet, but E likes that movie (as any redhead girl should), so we had fun. By the time we exited the ride, the downpour was over and we made it back to our stroller. As Jeff was removing the poncho and trying to dry things out as best he could, E passed the time saying "splash!" and playing in the puddles on the ground. It's the little things in life ...
View attachment 229625

We re-applied sunscreen (we're pale, pale folk) and stuck E in her stroller with the sunshade pulled and the fan running. Jeff and I had FP+ for 7DMT (neither of us has been), so we strolled that way. E was out before we even got there, and that was less than a 2 minute walk! Score! Jeff and I knew this vacation was going to be focused on E and what she wanted to do (as it should be), but there were a couple of rides that we had never been on and had height restrictions, so we agreed to make one FP+ per day for one of those height-restricted rides. Minimal time away from E, and it let us do our must-tries. After we both rode 7DMT (we could've each done it twice with rider swap, but it wasn't *that* great), we meandered and let E get her beauty sleep. The best beauty sleep happens under a castle, right?
View attachment 229626

I really wanted E to see Festival of Fantasy, and we had never seen it either, but she was still asleep. Since the crowds were so low, E and Jeff strolled in circles near the hub/Crystal Palace, and I quickly ran up when the parade was passing. It was fun! Especially love the Tangled and Merida floats. As soon as the parade was over, E woke up (napped for *almost* an hour and a half) and it started to drizzle again. Crowds were beginning to pick up a little, so we decided to head to Tom Sawyer's Island. I hadn't "wasted" time here in many, many years, but had seen it suggested as a good place to avoid some drizzle. It was the best decision!
View attachment 229627

Pro Tip: If your littles are just in that toddling stage, head to TSI. They get bored of being in the stroller, and your arms/back get tired of carting them through lines. TSI is a GREAT place that they can run around and not worry about being run into/over. And all of the trees do provide great cover from a light drizzle.
View attachment 229628

I think we could've stayed here for hours, honestly. E was seriously enjoying her freedom, and it felt like there were maybe 10 other people on the whole island with us. It definitely isn't our typical Disney touring style, but where else in a Disney park are you going to find scenes like these were you can't even hear another person? Amazing.
View attachment 229629

After E's nap we had all been feeling a little worn down and tired, but the trip to TSI really refreshed us and kept us going. We eventually did have to come back to the mainland, though - for a VERY important appointment!
View attachment 229630

Since you've been seeing our pictures, you already know that E definitely wasn't in *need* of a haircut, but she was born with a total baby mullet, so I justified the first haircut expenditure by saying it'd be so much better if we could even her out a bit. Plus, Disney folks are experts at entertaining kids and giving first haircuts, and E never sits still, so we surely needed some experts. I mean, check out the pure joy on that kid's face.
View attachment 229631

What a smart move! This is one of those memories that we'll have forever and ever. The actual haircutting lasted less than 5 minutes, and she really only took off about half an inch in a couple of places, but E obviously remembers it more than any other part of the trip, and Mama and Dada both count this as a highlight too. It's just one of those unique things that most people in the general public don't even know about. The price is seriously reasonable considering the exceptional service and that you get an embroidered ear hat (because, come on, we were going to buy one for her anyway).

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We had such a fun time, it didn't eat up much time in our day at all, and E's baby mullet is at least slightly more even now. :rotfl2: And, you've probably noticed that E doesn't smile in pictures, like at all. She's a very serious studious little soul, but when the PhotoPass photographer grabbed my camera to take some pictures of all of us after the cut, E was so happy with her life, we actually grabbed this:
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Seriously! That's the best family photo I think we've ever gotten, and we've had professional pictures taken 3 times in E's 19 months of life.

That brings us to about 4:15 during our MK - so several hours to go, assuming we make it all the way to HEA! Next up was the chance to show off E's new look to the Main Mouse himself!

Very cute. Did you save a few locks of hair for her baby book?

fractal · Sep 14, 2017

Tom Sawyer Island then the Barber Shop - awesome! Love the family pic in the barber chair - lots of smiles!

Trip Report Mooooooooove! An Irma-centric first Disney trip

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