Our 2011, 11 Nights of Magic Trip Report

Bare with me on this Trip Report, it's my first and I'm one busy momma so it might take some time to complete. This trip started out being booked as our usual 8 nighter at our 2nd home BLT. The DH got a bit pumped about that 30% off resort deal and sprinkled some pixie dust (the Disney Visa card) and we added 3 nights at The Polynesian. We had never stayed there, have always been fans and thought this was a great opp to check it out. Yes, we were a little nervous of how our family of 5 would manage the studio room but we were just going to go for it.
Our family of 5 includes, myself, Beth, the DH, Lucas, DD6 Alexa, DS4 Liam and our little princess (AKA monster) 18 months Brielle.

Here they are enjoying Brielle's little pool together earlier this summer.

Supporting cast would be my father and brother for the duration. My sister and her boyfriend would crash our party for a few nights too. We pretty much always welcome the helping hands on our trips.

I have always been the one quoted "Disney is for all ages". With a big cheesy magical smile. My new answer to the Disney age question is "maybe 18 months is not the best age for Disney". She kept us on our toes but once we had her needs and limits figured out we managed just fine and truly did have a magical trip.

We flew out of Bradley, I ordered a Vodka Tonic to ease the pain of keeping Bree busy. She did great the first hour, started getting a bit restless and then we were in the middle of a kicking and screaming (I may use that phrase again a little later) meltdown. It only lasted 20 minutes but felt like an hour. I got her calmed down and sleeping when the flight attendant came over to tell me to buckle up we would be landing soon. So my sweet baby's 20 minute power nap was over. But we were in Orlando, yay! :sohappy:

Funny, she's screaming at me right now for her nap. I'll be back!

 

[bmarkelon]

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust friends, I realize it's a bit of a shaky intro but Hakuna Matata....we had one of our best trips yet!

We got leied at walking into the Poly, great way to start! The DH hopped the monorail with my brother, Alexa and Liam to scoop up our luggage that we had shipped down ahead of us. My dad, Bree and I stayed to check into our rooms. On our way to our room I grabbed my first ever Dole Whip at Captain Cook's! Boy, oh boy was that refreshing. The kids were pumped about lizards. I overheard a mother say she was having more fun chasing lizards than she was in the parks....ooookkkay. Whatev!

Our view from our balcony. MAGICAL! The DH was hoping to squeeze pool time in that afternoon but we had to get to DTD for our first time at TRex! Roar! I was pretty pumped to try it out and it's tradition to get into The World of Disney our first afternoon in, best overdose of Disney you can get!

Back when Liam was just over 2 we had walked into TRex just to take a peek and he immediately started crying. So we held off on trying it until this trip. He was a little freaked out during the meteor showers but we had a great time. Brielle was pretty hysterical in there. Every shower she would make a funny face and get pumped.

The DH and I split the Footprints Flatbread and the Colosso Nachos. We had that earlier bite to eat at Captain Cook's and weren't super hungry. But these two apps were so delicious! We will definitely be going back to this dining spot, fo sho!

 

[fractal]

Nice start to your TR!

T-Rex is definately a sensory overload experience. We ate there on our trip and it was wild!

 

[bmarkelon]

Nice start to your TR!

T-Rex is definately a sensory overload experience. We ate there on our trip and it was wild!

Thank you! Your trip report is so much fun! Where did you guys sit in TRex? We were at the Triceratops table, pretty cool. That Ice Room looked pretty neat!

 

[HollyBelle]

Our view from our balcony. MAGICAL!

TUVALU!!! Oh how I love thee!

Great start to the trip report. I'm looking forward to more.

 

[bmarkelon]

Magic Kingdom here we come!!

After spending just a little time in DTD we knew it was time to get back for bed, we were all wiped out from travelling. And poor Bree Bree had only had that 20 minute power nap. I found out fast that Brielle was not cool with the pack and play crib idea. Stood up screaming when I laid her down in it. So, just go with it Disney mom I am, I got her to sleep in my bed. Alexa took the day bed and the guys got the other queen. It's all good.

Up for the Early Magic Hour in Magic Kingdom. Yeehaw! First stop was Dumbo, next Regal Carousel, then Snow White, Pooh, Peter Pan and Small World. All these were done in just about an hour and a half! Gotta love it.

Bree was a trooper so far, she loved the rides! And then came Small World. You can say she was not a fan. Remember that "kicking and screaming" phrase I used earlier? Yup, she cried through the whole ride. Yikes. We had a 10AM ADR for the Crystal Palace. I hauled her off the baby center to buy Motrin...I don't think I've mentioned yet that her 4th molar is slowly working its way out. I met the family outside and she was still kicking and screaming. I told them to just go and I would take her back for a nap. DH seemed upset and wanted to cancel but I insisted. Just go with it!

Poor thing cried the whole monorail ride back. And let me tell you, people were not friendly or sympathetic at all. I was getting some pretty nasty glares. Oh well, what are you going to do. Sweet girl needed to catch up on her sleeping beauty-rest. 2 and half hour nap and we had a new princess!

POOL TIME!!! :sohappy:

Liam sure did love that Volcano slide. Such a cutie pie. Alexa is my more cautious....scaredy cat kiddo!

Epcot was up next. We would be dining at Chefs de France for the first time. My dad and brother went over to Tutto Italia for what my dad says was the best lasagna and one of his favorite entrees of the trip.

The kids were pumped for a visit from Remy but didn't know what to expect. We had a table by the window and therefore had a pretty funny experience with Marie!

The kids thought this was hysterical and it still stands out as one of our favorite Disney moments on this trip. That French Onion soup was delish and I had the best Creme Brulee I have ever had at that meal! :slurp:


Brielle is still napping right now, and I should probably be folding laundry. TTFN, ta-ta for now!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Loving the TR so far!!! Your kids are adorable!!

And how cute was Marie at the window? Those definitely are moments that will always stand out in your mind.... Can't wait to read more!! :wave:

 

[bmarkelon]

Loving the TR so far!!! Your kids are adorable!!

And how cute was Marie at the window? Those definitely are moments that will always stand out in your mind.... Can't wait to read more!! :wave:

Thanks so much!:wave: I'm really enjoying posting it...it's keeping all the memories and emotions fresh!

 

[bmarkelon]

The life-changing Tonga Toast

"What do you want me to do dress in drag and do the hula?!" Sorry, more trip report will have to do. Laundry is folded, stuffed shells prepared and Brielle is still sleeping! Woohoo!

We walked around the world a little more after dinner and then headed home, I love how Disney is "home" while you're there. We usually have pretty early nights while on our trips, we don't push the kids too much yet since they are still little.

Rise and Shine Mousketeers! It's time for our first ever Kona Cafe Breakfast.

Hello Tonga Toast, my name is Beth...good to finally meet you!! Yes, Tonga Toast is a wonderful, beautiful experience. This will be on every single one of our future itineraries for sure. Everyone loved their breakfasts here. It's the DH's new favorite restaurant. My father had the Samoan and licked his plate clean, DH had ham and cheese omlette, brother also had Tonga Toast. YUUUMMMMYY! While we were waiting for our meal to arrive Brielle grew a little impatient, surprise, surprise, so I walked her over to the gift shop and she grabbed the big Duffy, cha-ching and we had a happy baby.

We actually stayed out of the parks this day and soaked in the sun at the Poly pool as much as we could. My sister and her bf stopped in quick before heading out for their Clearwater Beach vacation. We all had a poolside cocktail and Alexa got a hair-wrap.

Back to Kona Cafe for dinner. This is kind of a dodgey experience....nothing to do with Kona. Every family does not come without drama, unfortunately we experienced some on this portion of our Disney trip. I won't bring the story down, it did not last....only a minor interuption. I basically just had to give my brother my mommy speech so he knew full well what my expectations were for the BLT portion of our stay. To sum it up..."take it easy on the boozin dude!" I digress. Those sticky wings were yummo! Can't believe I just said yummo! But they were....my dad had the rib-eye which I actually thought was a little better than my steak teriyaki. Lucas had the Coconut Almond Chicken and seemed pretty happy. Our first taste of the intense August rain storms came screaming through during dinner. The monorail was actually temporarily out of service...it was a doozy.

Lucas took Alexa and Liam out for some arcade time so I could get Brielle down for bed. She wasn't having it. Here's what we did instead....

The Water Pageant music is still sort of haunting me at night since we've been home. :hammer:

August 13~Happy 6 year Anniversary to us and Welcome Home to BLT

Thank you so much to Greeter Judy for helping me with check in at BLT. I was just a little shaken up and emotional about what had gone down with my brother. Lucas was getting us packed up and out of the Poly. Me and my 3 Mousketeers hopped on the monorail to get us checked in to our 2BR Lake View Villa.

I then had to pretty much run over to Magic Kingdom pushing our Joovy Sit and Stand stroller to get my little guy to the Pirate's League makeover. A little bit of a shaky start to a busy day. It all worked out of course, I am one determined Disney momma! Our cast member at Pirate's League was adorable...we loved her! Lauryn was her name. Liam just eats that experience right up. Anyone that hasn't done it has to check it out....I prefer it to Bibbidi.

Lucas comes in after getting our luggage to our new room. He stays with Liam and Brielle to finish up the Pirate's League and Alexa and I dash off to BBB. She picked out the Tiana dress and Diva hair-do. Our Fairy Godmother in training was by far one of the most obnoxious CMs I have ever come across. I have made a phone call already but will also be sending a full report in my email. She was super rude and picking on my sweet girl for being quiet and for liking Small World. She asked me where we were staying and I told her we just checked into BLT this morning with a happy smile on my face and she goes "oh, well excuse me". Very insulting the whole experience which was a total shame. But it all went over my sweet little girl's head....she was still eating up her pampering so I just put my focus on Alexa and tried to ignore the CM. It worked, I got all misty-eyed seeing her all dolled up and the look on her face. That's magical. I really couldn't look at my sweet princess without choking up! Yay Disney, I love you!!

 

[tink65]

Great TR so far! Love all your pics! Your daughter looks so cute as Princess Tianna! (spelling). I can't believe the CM was so rude to you. That's completely uncalled for! Oh well, glad you didn't let it take the focus of your daughter's BBB transformation.

Your son's pirate makeover is awesome! I am sure he loved every minute of it!

I can't believe how unsympathetic people can be. Crying little automatically increase a Mommies stress level without adding anything else in the mix!

Can't wait to continue reading!

 

[WDW_Princess24]

Hoping aboard your TR! You kids are just too cute, and that view from the Poly is gorgeous!!

 

[bmarkelon]

Great TR so far! Love all your pics! Your daughter looks so cute as Princess Tianna! (spelling). I can't believe the CM was so rude to you. That's completely uncalled for! Oh well, glad you didn't let it take the focus of your daughter's BBB transformation.

Your son's pirate makeover is awesome! I am sure he loved every minute of it!

I can't believe how unsympathetic people can be. Crying little automatically increase a Mommies stress level without adding anything else in the mix!

Can't wait to continue reading!

Thank you! The CM at BBB was a real bummer but I wasn't going to let her spoil the magic. I have sent a formal complaint to guest services, I don't want anyone else to have a negative experience with her.

Hoping aboard your TR! You kids are just too cute, and that view from the Poly is gorgeous!!

Welcome Aboard. "Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas"

 

[onelivelygirl]

You are my second TR. I am so happy I found this. I am taking my 18 mo. old niece in Oct. and I am thrilled to be reading about your experience. I hope you don't mind if I steal some of your ideas.

P.S. Those kiddos are too cute!

 

[bmarkelon]

You are my second TR. I am so happy I found this. I am taking my 18 mo. old niece in Oct. and I am thrilled to be reading about your experience. I hope you don't mind if I steal some of your ideas.

P.S. Those kiddos are too cute!

Absolutely! I am happy to help any way I can. I think that my little girl is a little bit more of a handful than some at 18 months....she has her two older siblings that she is trying to keep up with. Naps and food are key to keeping things smooth. Brielle loved her Minnie cell phone and purse, they kept her busy at meals for a bit. We had one of those rubber suction cup place mats that we used at the restaurants for her meals. Came in handy. I also bought a monkey child leash last minute that I was happy to have a few times. Feel free to steal any ideas or shoot me any questions. October is my favorite time of year to visit the parks!

 

[bmarkelon]

"You poor unfortunate souls!" Hehe, j/k....we've got lots more trip to discuss.

Okay, so Liam's makeover didn't last too long...he can't miss pool time! The boys hit the BLT pool. I got Bree down for a nap...Alexa and I just enjoyed some quiet snack time. Liam came back from the pool with a pretty Goth look, all that remained was his what looked like heavy dark eye-liner...you all know the look.

Lucas and I had a couple cocktails together before dinner....well, he had 2 Bud Lights and I had 2 cocktails. Then this family of 5 were on our walkway to the Magic Kingdom for our dinner at Tony's Town Square. We thoroughly enjoyed the Toasted Cheese and Garlic Bread, so yummy. The kids all had their fancy Buzz/Tink punch. The DH ordered his Chicken Parm, the usual....I was a little bummed to find out the Eggplant Parm was off the menu. So I went with the Shrimp Scampi which was good.

Brielle flipped mid meal when she saw the balloon guy walk by the window, so daddy dashed out grabbed her a Mickey balloon and we had a happy baby again.

Liam had promised me awhile ago that he would go on Haunted Mansion with me, I had missed it a couple trips in a row with my scared Alexa. So we split up....Daddy took the girls to Jungle Cruise and it was just my prince and I off for a scare. He had some fun with the interactive stuff....

We got into that first holding room and he freaked! I couldn't believe it, deep breaths momma....I took him by the hand out the exit. And my sweet boy says, "I'll go on that with you when I grow up mommy". Haha, of course no hard feelings...on this one anyway, that's just a little foreshadowing.:drevil:

So we decide to try Pirates and while we were in line it broke down...no rides for mommy and Liam tonight. We meet up with the rest of our party and bounce, calling it a night.


~Bedtime here for the kids....this is what I meant by bare with me on my TR...but I'm enjoying doing this and sharing it with you all!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Great start to the TR!!! LOVED your room view at the Poly! How awesome! It's challenge travleling with young kids, but it's still so much fun in between the meltdowns. We had a similar experience to your monorail meltdown on a bus back from DHS in December...and several other passengers had some biting sarcasm for me when we got off...but what can you do? I can't believe your BBB experience! Your daughter looked adorable and I'm glad it all went over her head, but still- that fairy godmother in training was beyond out of line. I'm so glad you complained. Loved the part about your son and the Haunted Mansion- can't wait to read more!:wave:

 

[mamamouse]

great report so far

 

[bmarkelon]

Great start to the TR!!! LOVED your room view at the Poly! How awesome! It's challenge travleling with young kids, but it's still so much fun in between the meltdowns. We had a similar experience to your monorail meltdown on a bus back from DHS in December...and several other passengers had some biting sarcasm for me when we got off...but what can you do? I can't believe your BBB experience! Your daughter looked adorable and I'm glad it all went over her head, but still- that fairy godmother in training was beyond out of line. I'm so glad you complained. Loved the part about your son and the Haunted Mansion- can't wait to read more!:wave:

Thank you! :wave: You are so right that the magic always makes up for the meltdowns. My little guy seriously says the silliest things. I should constantly be recording him.

great report so far

Thank you! Happy you're enjoying it, I'm new at this!

 

[bmarkelon]

Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

Let's see, where were we....right, it's Sunday August 14th and we are headed back over to Poly for one of our favorite character meals, Ohana. This one is Brielle's first character meal this trip since she obviously couldn't keep it together for the Crystal Palace.

I guess I understand the Stitch backlash/hate whatever you want to call it but I'm a fan. I think he's silly with the kids, kinda cute in a weird way and I've always thought it was a sweet movie with great music! I had another of my misty-eyed Disney magic moments here with our character interaction with Lilo. She seriously spent at least 10 minutes at our table and absolutely loved my baby girl Bree Bree.

Here is Bree with her first Mickey waffle of the trip, which would soon be smashed into Mickeys' eyeball.

Note that I have taken her waffle away to save Mickey another mess, I was a pal and wiped his eye off for him!

Stitch came over to our crew and dropped down to the ground to sit with the kids for awhile....after Brielle pulled his tail for a bit.

Mahalo Lilo and Stitch, we had fun!! Oh and a funny thing worth mention is that we have sit at the same table 3 times at the Ohana breakfast, kinda cool.


Time for a little pool action before Bree's nap and then Hollywood Studios. Brielle got to play on the BLT splash park today which I love for the little ones. Funny, after she played there in the fountains for awhile so would stop at any drain looking thing expecting it to spit water at her. Ex...the drains on the skywalk between the Contemporary and BLT.

Naptime, showers and then off to Hollywood! We grabbed Fast Passes for Star Tours, hit Muppets 3D and then over to our first time dining at Sci-Fi. Pretty tasty Reuben with onion rings...and a super duper think vanilla milkshake.

Next stop Star Tours! Liam, Lucas and I were the first group. Oh my gosh! What an awesome update on this attraction!! We LOVED it! I was so afraid that Liam was going to be afraid of that sea monster attack that I covered his eyes, he yelled at me about that after. Next, Alexa got on with my dad and brother which kind of surprised us since she had initially stated she was too scared. Lucas buys both kids a light saber, Alexa complains that hers isn't pink. And then Liam tells me he wants to go on the Tower of Terror!!!

I really didn't know how to handle this one. Lucas insists he's going to chicken out but tells me to walk him over there with my brother and he'll catch up. Liam was all pumped and I was doing my best to talk to him and prepare him for the ride on our walk over. I didn't want to freak him out but I also didn't want to completely lie. So here's what I said..."Liam it's an elevator, we sit down in with seat-belts. It goes up pretty high and then drops up and down a few times. But Mickey Mouse made it so it's super safe and tons of fun!" My speech worked, the three of us got on and he got a special TOT pin to mark his accomplishment.

And then we grabbed 2 cotton candies on our walk out and called it a night!

 

[silver1113]

What a wonderful TR. Loving the pics of the kiddies. I'm not sure why Stitch gets such a bad rap either. I like him myself.