Our Character Crazy Trip Report

As you may have seen from my preTR, we have been planning this trip for a couple of years...and minus a few issues here and there- it was as magical as we'd hoped for- and then some. Sure, we only did a fraction of what we had planned, but that was to be expected with a trip only a week long and two young kids. Probably the only thing I couldn't plan for was DD2 to finally hit the terrible 2s on this trip- thankfully, DD4 who is normally Meltdown Mama - was pretty good. I also apologize in advance if my references aren't all spot on- i.e. if I don't know all of the proper names for things- I know a lot, but I'm no expert. I also apologize for some of my sub par pics- I had issues on and off all trip. So, here goes (with the holidays- please be patient as it may take a little longer for me to update this)...

Day 1

We left IAH in Houston around 7:45am on Dec 7th for arrival at MCO around 10:40am. Aside from it being very chilly by TX standards (low 30s) and the crabby hag who told me to make DD2 shut up (crying b/c I insisted she wear her seat belt for landing), it was a fairly uneventful flight + I was able to pick out Epcot from the air. We made our way to the DME area pretty quickly and didn't have to wait too long for a bus.

The drive seemed to last forever, especially since we weren't the first stop (and b/c DH and both girls were doing the whole “are we there yet” bit). Thankfully, it wasn't too long before we arrived at WL and the tree/decorations had enough to keep them preoccupied for a while (after a while, DD4 started demanding to see Mickey in the lobby of the hotel).

We checked in online, but we still waited close to 30 min to get our keys, etc. At least our room was ready, so we headed upstairs. The girls really loved the towel creations- even though they couldn't quite grasp that one of them was supposed to be mouse ears (they lost interest by day 2 of towels).

We got all of our stuff situated and headed over to MK after a quick stop by the front desk for 1st Visit buttons (they were out – so I got “I'm Celebrating” and used a Sharpie to write in “my 1st Visit.” I wanted the first ride over to be by boat, I just wasn't planning on it being so cold and windy. We froze for a while, but the girls tried to make the best of it (aside from refusing to wear coats).

The boat arrived pretty quickly, and we were off! The boat would become our FAVE means of transport for the whole trip. The girls were pretty psyched to be on a boat; so, not much needed to entertain them. The tree outside of the Contemporary got the first big reaction,
but as predicted- the castle was the WOW factor. DD4 already had a pretty good idea of where we were after going in the main gate and going through the MK gate on the DME bus. In fact, after that first “Wow, it's the castle...”

...my follow up questions to make sure she knew where we were and what it was happened to be greeted with a “yes, I know, now stop asking.”

Good thing DD2 was more in shock and awe.

Love how DH had to shift her head to see it

THE CASTLE!!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

And she got DD4 to finally act giddy!

After bag check and hearing about how the checker used to get free diapers when he worked for Pampers (jealous!), we were off. The girls spotted Daisy and Pluto up by the tree as soon as we entered, but it was Pinocchio that would be the first meet and greet.

I figured, they won't be dining with him like they will with Daisy and Pluto, so we headed that way + his line was shorter. Of course, Pinocchio took a break right as we got to the front of the line, a few people tried to cut in front of us (we settled that), and DD4 suddenly got shy- but DD2 was all about getting snuggles from one o her faves.

We made our way up Main Street when DH decided we all really needed some food, so we stopped off at Casey's. I'm not a big hot dog person, but mini corn dogs are perfect for the kids and of course the brownies were a hit with all.

We

We also had some nice entertainment. (Plus it was nice to sit and soak it in for a moment that we were finally there with the girls.)

And of course, all of the decorations were enough to help me get over postponing the set up of my own holiday decorations (yeah- I know, not all of these are right by Casey's, but it's all MSUSA area).

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Seems like the birds would also like our lunch (silly ibis)...

We caught a little bit of the band before getting up- really heard more than saw...

Somehow, we got separated so DD2 and I watched the parade together, while DD4 was farther down the street w/DH. Not the greatest spots, but we got a few pics.

After the parade, we headed to Fantasyland. Everyone was kind of cranky (including a rude little girl and her snotty mom who got pushy in line), but a ride on Dumbo cured all of that. At least the wait wasn't too bad- about 15 min. DD4 (who rode with me) loved the ups and downs of Dumbo so much that she gripped on to one of his ears on the way out, refusing to get off the ride.

We quieted that tantrum by heading over to THe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

As we approached the queue, Tigger came bouncing by and Pooh followed closely behind. Surprisingly, the girls were OK with us skipping meet and greet. We went through the stand by line b/c we wanted to try out everything in the new queue. What a blast!!!

I really wish we could have gotten pics of the images under the honey painting, but the honey comes back so quickly! At least standby was only about 10 minutes. DH and I loved the ride, but the girls were a bit scared (yet DD4 was begging to go on Snow White!). Next we headed over to the Tea Cups and walked right on.

DD4 was pretty excited, but DD2 didn't know what to make of this.

I warned DH not to spin us too fast, but he didn't listen. At first, the girls LOVED it.

But by the time we got off, I think DD2 was pretty close to tossing her corn dogs. I didn't feel too well myself! Oh well. So, we decided to grant DD4s wish to go on Snow White.

We warned her that it was scary and that the evil queen would pop out in peddler woman form at every turn, but she wanted to ride it. We held her hand through the ride and talked her through the movie as the ride progressed (since we know the movie VERY well). She didn't scream or cry, nor did she hide like DD2, but she is still reminding us that she never wants to go on that ride again! I guess at least there was no wait for this ride.

 

[stefan74]

I love your trip report so far!

 

[Alison1975]

Loving it!!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I love your trip report so far!

Thank you!!!:wave:

Loving it!!!

Thank you!!!:wave:

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We caught a little bit of the show in front of the castle and got a nice pic of the statue before heading over to the Jungle Cruise (we made sure to remind the girls about Walt Disney at this point and why Mickey is so important- DH lost them with Steamboat Willie- even though they've seen it)- although, every now and then DD4 would ask about "Mr. Walt." LOL

...at least Jungle Cruise was another ride with no line.

DD2 didn't know what to make of this, but DD4 loved it and is still begging to go on again. At least DD2 would still go to daddy at this point in the trip. (sorry the pics are dark- the sun was setting)

After convincing DD4 that we were not riding the Magic Carpets, we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean- one of my faves! The girls weren't thrilled that we passed up a meet and greet w/pirate Goofy, but we walked right on to PotC- yay! The girls were a little scared in the beginning, and a little bored with the rest of the ride, but I LOVED IT!!!

After this, we made our way back to the castle to see the lighting of the dream lights. DD2 was about ready to pass out since she has had 0 nap time and has been up since 4:30am (the older one at least slept on the flight out), but DD4 was amazed and DH was truly moved. And it was the first moment I knew I'd definitely picked the right time of year for the girls' first trip. (I swear- I have better castle dream light pics later on in the trip)

After this, we exited MK and hopped a monorail to the Contemporary. By this point, DD2 was zonked out. I'm still amazed that she lasted so long with 0 nap and up since 4:30am.

Love the Mickey lights up on CR!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Our dinner ressie at Chef Mickey's wasn't until 7:35pm, so DH and I took turns entertaining DD4. They were doing 7 Dwarf Bowling outside one of the shops (LOL), and they asked DD4 to play, but it freaked her out...so we shopped.

She'd later ask to bowl, but they'd cleaned up at this point. At least we also got to see some of the CR's holiday décor during the wait.

It was nice and the gingerbread tree above was VERY cool, but it more sparse and sterile – as expected. This was initially my first choice resort for this trip- but this visit made me realize I made the right resort choice for us.


It was now my turn to watch DD2 while she napped (poor girl was so cold that her nose and forehead turned sort of purple for quite a while)...

..and while doing so, I saw not 1- but 2 people miss this large bench/seat and totally wipe out. I chuckled a little, but not too much since I almost did the same thing (somehow, it blends into the carpet when you're right on top of it).

It was getting close to our dinner time, so we checked in, woke DD2 up, took our photo (which was soooo NOT CUTE), and sat down to wait for our table. In the less that 40 seconds we sat and waited, DD4 decided to take off her shoes. I was sooooo mad! Everyone was telling me I should take pics of this moment, but I was almost at my boiling point.

We scrambled to to get her footwear back on and make it to the table. The hostess at least got a good laugh. The girls were low on patience, so I am eternally grateful that they seated us in a spot where we'd get an almost instant character visit. About 2 min after seating, Donald came to the table. DD2 wasn't too sure about him, but DD4 was in love.

We were hungry, but Mickey was close behind. The girls had been begging all day to meet him and now it was their turn. I had gotten misty several times earlier in the day, but this was the first time I really felt the tears well up in my eyes. While Donald had been great with the girls, Mickey was pure AWESOMENESS!!! He hugged them, squeezed then, kissed them, played with their hair, poked the dimples in their cheeks, tickled their tummies and so on...and mommy and daddy just thanked him profusely and tried to mask the tears that kept forming. (if only I'd gotten better pics of our Chef Mickey's dinner)

Next up was Goofy. The girls were initially a little more put off by Goofy b/c he is so much bigger, so I took the lead. Every time I have ever been to Disney, Goofy is probably one of my fave characters b/c he makes interactions so much fun. So, we started playing around – high fives, playing with his nose, whiskers, hat...and finally the girls warmed up.

Pluto was next and like usual- he was super loveable...and the girls got a real kick out of him signing their books on his muzzle.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The Pluto interaction was a bit awkward after a while b/c Minnie showed up a bit early and was standing there waiting. It just felt odd b/c she wouldn't do anything until he was done.
(Hence why the girls are SOOOOOO distracted- not a single Pluto pic where they're not looking over to try and see if Minnie will join in)

The girls had been begging to see Minnie, but since there was so much overlap with Pluto- it just felt very forced. We still got a few pictures with her that were decent (well as decent as I was able to do that night- which isn't saying much).

The food was mediocre at best. At least the desserts were pretty...but I really wasn't paying for the food. I did this meal b/c it seemed like the best place for their first Mickey meeting- and it truly was- but now that we've done it- especially considering the food quality- it will probably be some time before we return. Seriously, the mashed potatoes were the only thing DH and I really liked...the ribs our server kept raving about were not to our liking. (I know- awful pic)

After waving our napkins, we got lucky and Donald came back around. Kind of funny- some kid just walked up to Donald and bopped him in the head with his balloon – Donald looked at me, shook his head like “what's wrong with that kid” and bopped the kid back with the balloon. I gave Donald the thumps up and he gave me a thumbs up right back and nodded his head.

While in the elevator mess to get up to the monorail platform (I was in no mood for this)- I caught one last pic of the gingerbread tree...

We headed back to WL and started getting ready for bed when I heard fireworks from MVMCP going off (really, I didn't know it was fireworks at first- we just heard a series of booms and ran to the balcony for the AWESOME surprise). We're just in a standard view room, so I wasn't sure what we'd be able to see, but we had a pretty nice – albeit, semi obstructed, view of it all (sorry for the pic quality). Then it was off to bed for the girls and a little bit of late night organizing for me (as day 2 is a BIG day). I swear- I need to do this with the girls every day b/c it's never been so easy to get them to sleep. :snore::lol:

One side note here...I'd heard people complain about the noise in some WL rooms overlooking the lobby and Whispering Canyon Cafe. Granted, we were on the 5th floor and off in a corner, but we barely heard a peep in our room. :sohappy: Alright...gotta get my stuff in order so I can start posting about day 2 (I think I took nearly 400 pics that day- YIKES!)

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

loving the trip report! your girls are so cute. can't wait to read more.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

loving the trip report! your girls are so cute. can't wait to read more.

Thanks! :wave:

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Day 2


We had a pre-MK opening breakfast scheduled at Crystal Palace. The whole morning got off to a rough start...i.e. Everyone was tired and cranky + I did something to my main camera and only the automatic settings were working (something I didn't realize until ¾ of the way through breakfast). Thankfully, the video camera take stills. So...we waited over 40 min for a bus to MK. They claimed a bus was there at 7:18am, but there was a group of us who'd been out there since before 7:10am who would beg to differ. It was also about 35 degrees outside and windy- so nobody was happy. At least the bus arrived early enough to afford us some time to take pre-park opening photos- I just wish they were on my good camera.

The next glitch...DD4 had to go potty – and while we got there, she was so flustered...well, you can guess what happened. After I got her cleaned up and stopped my own meltdown, we took a few more pics (the ones above) and checked in to CP. We only waited a couple of minutes for our table, so all was good- I just wish I was able to enjoy this pre-park opening entry a little bit more- oh well, maybe next time.

We were just sitting down and getting ourselves organized when Piglet came to our table (girls not even out of their jackets). Piglet was super sweet and gave the girls lots of kisses (of course, DH had to ask about Piglet's gender while this was all going on- really???).

Tigger showed up almost instantly after Piglet. He “bounced” around with the girls and they had a total blast (plus got a lot more kisses- it's just funny to hear the kissing noises through the costumes).

We finally got a decent break and were able to go up and get some food. Sadly, when it was my turn- I bumped my full glass of soda and got it all over the table and DD2 (ugh- another outfit change!!!). When I got back to the table, there were two kiddie cups of Coke sitting in front of me. One of the other waitresses in CP came up to me and said that I'd have to drink out of kids cups until I learned to be a big girl. LOL!

Our waitress saw the cups I was given and looked a little upset that I wasn't just given a normal grown up cup, so she brought me a new glass. I told her it was OK and I understood it was all in fun, but she felt bad. In the middle of this, the other sever came by- saw my replacement beverage in the grown up cup, brought over the other server- she said she wouldn't have taken her chances with it and then made the girls promise to keep an eye on me and report back if there was any funny business from mom. It TOTALLY turned my morning around. I sooooo needed that humor!

And the only funny business was the girls deciding it was silly face time...

On a side note, as much as my kids like waffles at home- this would be the day I'd find out that they do not like Mickey waffles. I tried regular and chocolate – and neither one would eat them. Is that even allowed???

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After this, Pooh came by. He wasn't as snuggly as the other characters (although I caught a snuggly moment-yay), but he was very flattered that the girls sleep with plush Pooh bears. He also showed us that "hunny is yummy in the tummy."

The parade was next. The girls didn't really understand it, but we went around with the characters just to get the full effect.

At the end of the parade, we ran into Eeyore. The girls are not big Eeyore fans, but their first instinct was to run to him, give him a bear hug, and pet his nose. (that's me trying to get dd2 back to the table)

Shortly after this, he made his way to our table and was super snuggly.

The morning crazies weren't over- right around this time – DD2 spilled orange juice all over herself. So, now she was covered in some soda and juice. The waitress and a manager in the restaurant felt really bad and were offering to do something so DD2 got some dry clothes. It was very thoughtful and sweet, but I told them she'd be changing into a princess gown immediately following this, so there was really no need. Still – great kindness on their parts and a fine example of the AWESOME service at Disney.


We actually got one more visit from Piglet and Tigger before leaving. I didn't realize I'd have to be teaching DD4 that it is unkind to mess with Tig's tail.

We snapped a couple of pics as we left CP...

...then snapped a few pics of a still fairly empty park, caught a little bit of the show on main street, and then headed up through the castle.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The girls saw the Fairy Godmother, Mary Poppins, and the Evil Stepmother/Stepsisters (I think we also saw Peter Pan on the way), but we really needed to get to the bathroom to change them into princess costumes b/c it was almost Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique time.

I think they had enough people doing the big package that included the costume and accessories that everyone else was being asked to change before the appointment. We saw one mom dressing her daughter outside next to the waiting area for Cinderella's Royal Table...we opted for the family bathroom over near Pinocchio's Village Haus.


I forgot my hair spray, but DD2 got some decent princessification with the cake glitter (pixie dust) and mini tiara comb I brought from home to go with her dress. Sadly, they would not sell me an extra sash for her.

(still love the oversized gloves and Mickey bracelet my mom made)

They both ended up being called princess all trip, no matter what they were wearing, so it really didn't bother me too much that we only got one sash.


As I expected, DD4 could not walk well in her glass slippers, but we got her back to the check in area for BBB...and waited, and waited, and waited.

Maybe it wouldn't have felt so long if the waiting area were larger- or it could be the number of girls in dresses with a whole lotta pouf. Either way, DD4 was still pretty excited and enjoyed showing us her invitation with her name.

It was finally DD4's turn.

I was a little surprised that she wasn't as giddy as the other girls, but I think she was still in awe of the whole thing...OR...she may really think she's a princess and it's sort of a sense of entitlement (she's a real piece of work). At one point, she and the other girls were complimenting each other on their gowns...like “oh, I love what you're wearing.”

At least she had a little fun with it...

During the process, DD2 got bored and jealous- yes, in a room filled with pixie dust- she was screaming at the top of her lungs. It certainly didn't help that I got a call I needed to take in the middle of all of this (there is like 1” of phone reception inside of BBB). I do have a shout out for the photographer. While taking pics of all the girls, he was trying to help entertain DD2. He gave her stickers, told her funny stories and made all sorts of silly faces...and by the end, he had her cracking up and calling him silly. It still wasn't enough to really occupy her attention, so DH stayed behind to snap pics of the reveal and finished princess while I entertained DD2. Before I left, I was at least able to catch a little bit of the make up process and DH (aka Prince Charming) helping dry her nails.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I will say this of the park authentic gowns...they are made exceptionally well. We have TONS of princess costumes at home, and while these were $60 each- they were really worth the $$$.

So, while I walked around Fantasyland with DD2 to keep her entertained, DH caught the reveal and completed princess pics of DD4.

(so sad I missed this- I really wanted to hear the Fairy Godmother in Training say Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo and cover her in "pixie dust")

(I'm happy and sad every time I see this- I soooo wanted to be there- I can't even tell if she was really happy)

What's funny- DH ended up paying for this one b/c I was outside. I was expecting him to balk at the price, but even he agreed it was a really good deal...hair style, tiara comb, rhinestone Mickey barette, comb, 2 bottles of nail polish, make up kit, pixie dust-LOL, make up application, light mani, and sash included...it's actually a better deal than our local kiddie salons.

Now I get to see my big baby and I added on her big crown (which I ended up wearing for a chunk of the day)...

After BBB we had some time to burn before lunch, so Cindy hopped in her carriage and we drove all the way to the carousel – LOL. (you can also see my lovely stroller marker made of old balloon streamer strings)

I know- we were supposed to go do pictures after this, but I thought the time would be better spent riding rides since we hadn't done any of that this day.


Before riding the carousel, DH had to run off for something so we went over to meet Mary Poppins. MP complimented the girls on their fine behavior; however, DD4 tarnished that image when MP caught her lifting the skirt of her Cinderella gown in the middle of the crowd to fix her underwear. She approached DD4 and told her it was not proper princess behavior. ROFL

(BTW- this body slam bear hug would become DD2's signature hugging style for most character greetings- what a crack up)

DH came back and it was off to the carousel. It took a little bit, but DD2 eventually warmed up to it.

DD4 and DH were much happier from the get go...

Maybe this ride will get me off the hook for that horse they keep asking to get...

(no such luck)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The girls wanted to ride the carousel again, but we dragged them up the street to It's a Small World. I didn't get misty once during BBB (probably b/c I missed the big stuff), but this- yes, this made me tear up. Maybe it was that we walked right on and I was remembering my first trip to WDW where we waited over 45 min to ride this.

After the ride we still had some time to kill before lunch. I forgot to FastPass Peter Pan earlier, but this really was the best time for us to ride. Stand By line said it was a 40 minute wait, but I think it wound up being more like 25-30. This ride would also mark the first time in this trip that I was all out crying. It just hit me like a wave while we were flying over London. Maybe it was seeing Nana just before we made the turn- I just love Peter Pan!

After this, it was time to check in for lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table.

DD4 and I had been talking about this and BBB for some time, so she knew these things would be happening, but I don't think she fully grasped what it all meant. We waited for about 10 min to get in and got on line for our pics with Cindy. Both girls got very excited when they saw her. Thankfully, they calmed down quickly and quietly waited their turn.

Cinderella was great with them and we didn't feel rushed at all.

We then headed upstairs for lunch.

 

[erstwo]

Okay! All done with my TR, so I'm here and I'm in!

Loving it already!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I loved all of the little details... part of me wanted to head back down to get even more than this, but I didn't want to miss any of the princesses.

We were seated off to one side on the upper level, but still had a nice view of Fantasyland from our table...also really loved the ceiling in the center area.

We had a bit of a wait for the princesses. DD2 insisted on climbing on DH, but DD4 colored.

After that it was princess time and the wishing ceremony. Jasmine and Belle were only so/so, but Ariel and Aurora were pretty good with the girls. I also wasn't expecting wand wars and wishing star battles.

It's funny DD2 was afraid of Ariel at first even though she's dressed like her. We never could get her to take her hand down from her face.

(wand and wishing star wars)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I was expecting the food to be sub par, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was tasty. DD2 was given a complimentary plate of pasta, DD4 had the pizza, DH had the pork, and I had Major Domo's pie. I do wish I'd ordered the build your own cupcake from the kids menu for my dessert since that tasted better than the mousse DH and I got. The mouse wasn't bad, it just taste very similar to other things we at during the trip. DH liked the pork, but didn't love it.

We looked up somewhere in the meal and DD2 had chipmunk cheeks- and she'd borrowed these grapes from DD4 to stuff her mouth.

Now on to dessert...still wish I had the cupcake!

We made our way back to WL for nap time so we'd have plenty of energy for Main Street Electrical Parade, Wishes, and dinner at 'Ohana.

We caught a little bit of the singing on the way out...

I really hope all of these guys aren't waiting for the boat as well...

These little girls are so wound up, but naptime comes so easily when you're at WDW

We're about to leave!!!

We're Back!!! And hopefully we'll all get a nap (it didn't happen for me, but everyone else got one)...temporary home sweet home!