Trip Report The brave little princess "met" her Magic Kingdom! (completed)

Hi everyone!
Well, it's been over a month since we had our little trip to the World... better late than never!

The cast: me, Sudcaro, aka Mom. Hubby, aka Dad. And our sweet, now 4 year old sweetpea known as the Brave Little Princess (BLP) because she is a two time cancer survivor.
When and where : November 30 to December 2 2014, at the Animal Kingdom lodge.
What: discovering the Magic Kingdom (first time in Orlando for all of us) and enjoying the beautiful resort.

Our pre-trip report is here:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...-brave-little-princess-two-pics-added.891962/

We drove from SC and we stopped on the way, not too far from Orlando, as we wanted to arrive at our resort as early as we could to drop off our stuff and head to the MK.
The BLP didn't know we were going to WDW, and since it was also a beach trip she thought that was where we were headed that morning. She didn't really understand why I started to cry when I saw that...

I honestly was a mess. So excited and anxious and impatient and happy and what not. I told her it was happy tears because there was a surprise around the corner...
She started wondering where we were actually going when she saw that:

I was an even worse mess by then... I was shaking all over with excitment. And my daughter was looking at me like I was crazy (which is understandable, lol).

It didn't take us very long to get to the AKL gate... And there we had our first big laugh of the day: the CM at the gate, Luis, started talking to my husband... in Spanish. Except, my husband can't speak that language, he's not even Latino or Latino looking... Why Luis addressed us in Spanish will always be a mystery, lol.
Anyway, we made our way to the AKL, and wow. Amazing. It felt wonderful from the first seconds. The warm welcome, and that lobby... just incredible.
The BLP was still wondering where we were, and asking for us not to forget her beach toys...
We checked in very quickly, and although it was only around 10, our bedroom was ready. We decided to go and see it, of course. It was beautiful, as expected. But the BLP was intrigued...although it looked very African, this room had weird things going on, such as...

or the most amazing curtains I have ever seen (I really, really, REALLY want these!)

I asked my daughter if she knew where we were but she kept repeating "I don't know"... Knowing my child, I know she knew , but was afraid to say it and be disappointed...
So we remained silent, and got back to the car...

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

After a short drive, here it is!

We parked in the Peter Pan section, climbed in the shuttle... My heart was pounding like crazy!
Since it was our first time, we decided to skip the monorail and take the ferry instead... A first for our BLP, who had never been on a boat before.

The boat leaves... I tell my daughter she has to wear something special, and take a Minnie Mouse ears headband I bought before the trip out of my bag.
Then, we get to see something really beautiful in the distance...

Guess who started to cry...again? Yep. Guilty as charged.

Finally, we're there! Somebody said "magic"?

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

The park was very crowded, but it didn't take away the smiles we had on our faces...
The BLP was very excited, as you can imagine. Hubby was laid back, as always. As for yours truly... I honestly thought I was going to lose my mind, lol. Too much adrenaline, I suppose. I hadn't felt that way in a very long time. And after all the BLP had been through, we really needed to do fun things as a family. WDW definitely was the best place to start!

It didn't take us very long to meet our first character, as Pluto was there. The BLP wanted to meet him, of course, so in line we went! How exciting!

After we left Pluto, my daughter kept telling me "Oh mama, Pluto's fur is soooo soft!". It indeed was. Kuddos to the people who take care of all the costumes, as they are doing a crazy good job.

Up main street we went... And there it was!

Just as we were wondering where to go to grab some quick lunch, we heard some loud music coming our way... It was time for the Move it! Shake it! Whatever! Dance party.

And the king of the party:

It was great to see all these beloved characters, including Stitch, Baloo, King Louie, the genie... very exciting for us who hadn't been in the park that long.
But there's a thing we hated about the dance party : it is way too loud. Deafening. Honestly hard to bear. I understand it has to be heard, but honestly, it's too much.
So we didn't stick around very long, and headed to Tomorowland for a much needed lunch...

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Yay!! I can't wait to read more Your BLP is gorgeous!

I so agree with you on the dance party parade being too loud. The overall loudness in general became a running joke with us while we were there. Every where you go, music is just blaring. The worst was just walking through the parks, if our daughter wanted to talk to us or ask us something, we would have to pull over, bend down to her in the stroller and yell at each other.

My husband and I were extremely fortunate to get to stay in AKL in 2009 before our daughter was born. A family friend is a DVC member and she let us use her points as a wedding gift. Isn't it amazing?

I can't believe you were able to keep the trip a surprise from your daughter!

 

[mrdrift]

Great start to your family Magical trip. You have a cute BLP and glad the family was able to take her to Disney World for a vacation. I hope you were able to see everything the family wanted on your trip. Following along.

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

I can't believe you were able to keep the trip a surprise from your daughter!

Believe me, it was hard. I was so excited that at times I felt like telling her. But then I thought not saying anything would make it worth it in the end.

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

And to Tomorrowland we went, a little hungry. We stopped at Cosmic Ray's and got some grilled chicken + sides... honestly, nothing to call home about. Very average. The sweetpea threw a fit, she didn't want to eat or drink anything and wanted to go back outside - of course, she wanted to have fun, not be stuck in some noisy cafeteria! After we were done, we stopped at an ice cream cart for a treat... Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream bar, of course!
I felt thirsty so I went to those water fountains I had read a lot about here on the forum, and expected to drink some kind of yukky water... and what do you know, it was just fine. No weird taste whatsoever!

It was then time for us to use our first FP for the day... Dumbo!
We arrived quite close to the end of our window, but hey, as long as you show up...
It was the BLP's very first time on a merry go round, and she loved it!

Soon it was time for our second FP, so to The many adventures of Winnie the Pooh we went! The line was huge, so we were very happy to have a FP. It's a cute ride, a little fast maybe, but fine. Except... there was a little glitch: the whole ride stopped, suddenly. We were stuck in one of the rooms... and just our luck, it had to be one the dark portions of the ride! The BLP doesn't like the dark much, and of course she wasn't in a familiar environment, so she felt a little uncomfortable. Finally, the ride started again... only to stop once more. This time we were not in the dark anymore, so it was fine.
Needlesss to say the BLP left saying she didn't like the ride

I had something in mind to cheer her up, though... The Winnie and Tigger meet and greet! There was quite a line so I asked my daughter if she was OK with the wait, and she was so excited to meet them "for real" that it ended up not being an issue at all.
Pooh and Tigger were not very dynamic. They would just give quick hugs and sign autographs and pose for pictures, but didn't do anything special... I guess the "friends" were getting hot and tired, because soon there was a switch... I told the sweetpea they were going on a potty break, lol. I'm glad that switch took place a little before it was our turn, because WOW, what a difference did it make! New Winnie was acting silly, new Tigger was very, very bouncy... We had a blast with them both!
I must confess something here... I've never really been a fan of Pooh... But I was so happy with this experience that I hugged him twice and told him I loved him! lol

Next up, meet Merida! Or so we hoped. The line was closing as we arrived, "because of the parade". Fortunately the BLP didn't know there was a princess meeting there, so no disappointment - yes, we do keep lots of secrets, and this one was certainly not the last one...

We were not planning to see the parade that day, but made a spur of the moment decision and decided to go and watch it anyway! We found a little spot... definitely not the best in the house, as it was so close to parade time... but fine enough, provided I carried my daughter in my arms for her to get a nicer view, while my husband would try to move about to take pictures... Since we showed up late, the wait was minimal. There again, I didn't say anything to the BLP... I wanted to see the look on her face when she saw beloved characters! And it didn't fail.

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

I wish I could have taken pictures of my BLP while we were watching the parade... She had the most beautiful smile, and her eyes were sparkling with joy... For some reason she didn't expect to see princesses that day, and there they were! Along with many other beloved characters.
It's been said a lot, but I will repeat it: this parade is amazing!

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

The parade was over, so it was time for Merida! We were really determined to meet her, and since we were not far from fairytale gardens, it didn't take us long to get there. There already was a small line, and the garden hadn't opened yet. The BLP asked us what we were doing there so I told her a princess was going to come and meet some guests... I just didn't tell her who! Needless to say she was very impatient to meet her very first princess. So was I.
Finally, the line moved, and there she was, the other brave princess! Our BLP was overjoyed.
After a short wait, it was our turn to meet Merida. She walked towards the BLP to greet her, and the little one was so excited that she started jumping from one foot to the other... Merida told her "oh, you're quite a dancer I'm sure, come on, show me your moves!". So the BLP started to twirl and dance, and Merida imitated her! My daughter couldn't believe it: she was dancing with the real Merida!

"Our" Merida was really nice and fun to be around.
When we left her, the BLP turned to me and said "mom, what language does Merida speak?" . I have to say, she had an excellent Scottish accent. Kuddos to her (unless she really is from Scotland!).

Merida is one of the princess we enjoyed meeting the most. Even my husband, who later confessed Merida was actually his favorite Disney princess. What? Hubby has a favorite princess? Look what WDW did to my guy!

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

After meeting Merida, we decided to just walk around, watch people, enjoy our surroundings. All the rides had crazy lines and we didn't feel like waiting so we just walked and walked...
We finally got near the spot where I knew princess Jasmine might be... and indeed she was there. Only, the line was just closing, and her next appearance would be much later. I told my sweetpea that we could come back there tomorrow, since Jasmine would be there, and the BLP was fine with it. She was a little tired and we had decided not to stay in the park until late, so we might be gone the next time she showed up.
We also had a last FP to use... meeting Mickey! Down Main street we walked, and skipped the line to meet the big cheese himself. I knew my daughter would be glad to see him, but I didn't expect her to exchange tons of hugs and kisses with him! She just didn't want to leave him. She was mesmerized!
But she was a good sport, she didn't cry or anything when we finally left him... I was a little afraid she might insist on staying, but no, she was fine with going.

We decided to call it a day. It was hot, crowded, and we had already had a lot of excitement. We also wanted to enjoy a quiet evening, and be full of energy for our second MK day!
This time we took the monorail, went back to our parking spot, and headed to the AKL.

 

[LisaBelle]

I am loving your report already. I had tears in my eyes when I read about how emotional you were when you saw those magical WDW signs! Your BLP is adorable. So glad she enjoyed meeting the characters. Can't wait to read more.

 

[mrdrift]

Your BLP is so cute in the character interaction pictures. It's amazing to see the smile on kids meeting there favorite character. Following along.

 

[disneyfirstLJ]

Following along, your daughter is so cute!

 

[Dgeek]

I'm glad that you were having such a great time. The Blp is so cute meeting the characters.

 

[FlaggNL]

Great start of the TR! Love all the pictures! It all feels so familiar when reading the TR! Off course following along!!

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

Thank you everyone!

So, it's late afternoon, we are a bit tired, and very, very happy to be back at the Animal Kingdom lodge, and get to really enjoy this:

Love the doors in this hotel!

And of course, Mickey is (kind of) there too!

After a little rest, we head to the Mara, and we are starving!
We are lucky because our room is very close to the Mara, and on the same level

It's a very nice place, and not too crowded, so the wait was quite short.
My husband and I decided to try the African stew, and wow, it's amazing! We had two other meals at the Mara, and picked the stew each time.

Then it was time for dessert, a time I was really looking forward to... I had picked Zebra Domes, since everyone here on WDWMagic seemed to say it was incredible and... well... how can I say this... They're nothing great. I was a little disappointed, after all I had read I really expected something delicious and unique, and it was just OK. I didn't even take pictures, as it's something I honestly don't care forgetting about. My husband didn't enjoy them that much either. No, we're not picky eaters or anything, we just didn't see them as anything special or worth having over and over again. We didn't eat all of them, and actually ended up forgetting the leftovers in the fridge on the day we left, ooops. Something that had never happened to us, and I feel sorry it happened this time (I hate waste, by the way).

After we were done with dinner, it was time to go back to our lovely room and catch some much needed zzzs But only after the BLP told us at least 100 times that she had to meet princess Jasmine the following day, as promised

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Loving your TR! I have welled up with tears several times over the BLPs reactions and character interactions.

Oh, and don't feel bad about zebra domes...I had a very similar reaction. We ate dinner at Boma back in 2010...I loaded up a plate of treats...and the zebra domes were no more rave-worthy or exciting than anything else on the plate. It just reminded me of some of the desserts you might get on a Viennese table at a wedding.

 

[Doc Disney]

Following along! Loving the report so far! Your daughters reaction to meeting/seeing all the characters is so sweet, especially with Mickey!

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

Thanks everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted lately, I had two birthday parties to organize, my child and her injured dad to take care of... and more stuff going on. I will try to post pictures over the weekend.

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

DAY 2

We woke up not too early, as we had decided not to try and be at the MK at rope drop. Why? Two reasons: the park opened at 8 that day, which was way too early for us ; but also because we are going back to WDW in March! So no need to rush or try to squeeze in everything on that first trip

We parked in the Simba section, then walked all the way to the monorail, and there we were!
It was about 9.30-9.40 by then, perfect timing for our first FP for the day: meet Rapunzel and Cinderella!
As usual, the BLP didn't know what we were going to do, so once inside Fairytale Hall, I told her she needed two little things: a tutu and a flower hairband, in order to look princess-y! Then I told her we were expected by two princesses! Needless to say she was excited! Of course she asked who we were going to meet, so I told her she had to guess, which was easy (one always loses her shoe, and the other has very, very long hair!).

Soon it was time to come in, and there they were. The sweetpea had a huge smile on her face... And then came our turn. And it happened. Rapunzel came towards us and... I started to cry. You see, Rapunzel is my absolute favorite. Seeing her, and seeing my BLP so happy... Anyway, Rapunzel gave me a big hug, and I calmed down.
Our Rapunzel was super nice and friendly.

I so look pregnant on this picture and I'm not! Whatever

Next up: Cinderella! And what a downer after meeting Rapunzel. She was nice but... blah. Not much going on there. Even our pictures came out blah (all blurry!)

Once outside, the BLP and I tried to get the sword out of the stone...

Then we went for a little stroll... I wanted to see Rapunzel's village - of course! For some reason, we had walked everywhere the day before, except there... Go figure.

And finally:

It is beautiful. But honestly! So tiny! Tangled deserves a little more than that.