Trip Report What kid cries when they're stuck in Disney for an extra day? Oh wait... Mine.

Good Morning Everyone!

We're only about 3.5 months post trip, but I'm finally having a little time to myself to type this out. This is my first actual trip report, so bare with me!

Who?
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This picture is from our trip in May 2018 for my daughter's 7th Birthday! This trip however we ditched the baby (Liam) with daddy and took a mommy (Kim)/daughter (Allyson) trip!

(Side note: My daughter struggled HORRIBLY after my son was born. She was an only child for 6.5 years and had a really hard time adjusting to baby brother getting so much of her attention - think having "accidents" constantly, acting out in school and at home, and starting to flat out ignore Liam. We actually had a meeting with her guidance counselor at school to try to get some help with these issues and after we talked to her she started to improve drastically. So at Christmas I surprised her with a big box full of Mickey Mouse balloons and told her we were taking this trip just us and I don't think I'd seen her so happy in MONTHS.)

When?
January 27 - February 2nd 3rd (Anyone that was in Orlando then will understand why there was a change)

Where?
Disney's Pop Century Resort!

Now onto the fun parts!

Sunday, January 27th:

Our flight out of PHL was leaving around 6:30pm so we left around 3pm to go to my ex's house so Allyson could spend time with daddy before we left and to, of course, leave Liam with him for the week. We left shortly after as it's about an hour ride to the airport.

Let me tell you, I've NEVER seen security at PHL as dead as it was. It's normally pretty fast, but there's always a line when I fly anywhere. Not the case this time. There was NO ONE. We literally just walked straight through the line and I think the entire process took MAYBE 5 minutes. We were off to a great start!

We stopped at Chickie's and Pete's for some crab fries and chicken strips and then found an empty area for Allyson to run around and climb on chairs without bothering anyone while we were waiting for our flight.

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I somehow forgot to check in for our flight until we got to the airport, so we were among the last people to board, and by the time we did there were NO seats left together. Allyson INSTANTLY burst into tears. 🤦‍♀️
Luckily the flight attendants on our SouthWest flight were quick to make an announcement asking if someone would be willing to switch seats and several people volunteered.

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And we're off!

After an uneventful flight we landed in Orlando around 9:45pm. By the time we landed all of the gift shops were closed, much to Allyson's disappointment, so we headed straight for a bathroom and then the Magical Express!

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We arrived to Pop a little after 10:30pm and headed straight for our room (we couldn't have been farther from the lobby if we'd tried, UGH) to get ready for tomorrow - Hollywood Studios!
 

kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Monday, January 28th - Hollywood Studios!

Let me start off with a short backstory - this trip was Allyson's 3rd trip to WDW and yet she had NEVER been to Hollywood Studios! I made the mistake on her first trip of planning it for Wednesday however by then she and my niece were both exhausted so we ended up skipping it for a pool day. On our trip in May 2018 it was planned as our last park day however it rained the ENTIRE week and on our last day we had horrible rain and thunderstorms the entire time.

Therefore this trip I planned it as our first park so that I knew for a fact that we'd make it.

Onto the fun stuff!

We got to Hollywood Studios around 9am and it was COLD. You'll see that Allyson is wearing a long sleeve shirt and that I have on a cardigan - neither were enough. You'll see that we get smarter on Tuesday, but unfortunately we weren't on day 1.

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We stopped for some photos and to check out some new ears (but didn't end up buying any this trip)
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At this point Allyson was certain that she was getting new ears this trip, but later when I'd ask she'd say she liked the ones she already had and just wanted to wear those.

Now we headed to our first FastPass of our trip - Alien Swirling Saucers in Toy Story Land!
(But not before stopping for a bunch of pictures)
Snapchat-445433430.jpg

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Allyson LOVED this ride, so much so that we ride it again later without a FastPass (but only a 20m wait). We were however bummed we didn't get to ride Slinky Dog Dash - but there was no way I was waiting 3+ hours.

Next we wandered Toy Story Land a bit, but it was getting SUPER crowded, so we decided to head out and go meet some of our favorite monsters, Sully and Mike!

While we made friends in line and were able to pass the time, we waited AT LEAST an hour. The only posted time is right outside the door and everyone was already lined up well into the museum, they don't even have anything listed in the MDE App. If they had we would have waited until later to meet them.

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More to come after work, I'm being yelled at that I've got too many photos attached to continue!
 

Swissmiss

Premium Member
Oddly enough at that age I bet mine would have too - when she was younger sometimes changing gears threw her for a loop. You took some great photos together - make sure to keep them somewhere to look at when she’s a snarky teenager so you can be reminded what a sweet looking 7 year old she was 😀
 

NessNewt

Well-Known Member
Following along! I completely understand, on our last trip, the kids just wanted to stay at the hotel and swim...they didn’t even care about the parks!o_O

I just asked my 8 year old what her favorite memories from our trip in 2017 were - she said the pool. 😂 This is also why we chose a moderate resort for our next trip - want to save a little money, but the pool needs to have a slide.
 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Good Morning Everyone!

We're only about 3.5 months post trip, but I'm finally having a little time to myself to type this out. This is my first actual trip report, so bare with me!

Who?
View attachment 374024
This picture is from our trip in May 2018 for my daughter's 7th Birthday! This trip however we ditched the baby (Liam) with daddy and took a mommy (Kim)/daughter (Allyson) trip!

(Side note: My daughter struggled HORRIBLY after my son was born. She was an only child for 6.5 years and had a really hard time adjusting to baby brother getting so much of her attention - think having "accidents" constantly, acting out in school and at home, and starting to flat out ignore Liam. We actually had a meeting with her guidance counselor at school to try to get some help with these issues and after we talked to her she started to improve drastically. So at Christmas I surprised her with a big box full of Mickey Mouse balloons and told her we were taking this trip just us and I don't think I'd seen her so happy in MONTHS.)

When?
January 27 - February 2nd 3rd (Anyone that was in Orlando then will understand why there was a change)

Where?
Disney's Pop Century Resort!

Now onto the fun parts!

Sunday, January 27th:

Our flight out of PHL was leaving around 6:30pm so we left around 3pm to go to my ex's house so Allyson could spend time with daddy before we left and to, of course, leave Liam with him for the week. We left shortly after as it's about an hour ride to the airport.

Let me tell you, I've NEVER seen security at PHL as dead as it was. It's normally pretty fast, but there's always a line when I fly anywhere. Not the case this time. There was NO ONE. We literally just walked straight through the line and I think the entire process took MAYBE 5 minutes. We were off to a great start!

We stopped at Chickie's and Pete's for some crab fries and chicken strips and then found an empty area for Allyson to run around and climb on chairs without bothering anyone while we were waiting for our flight.

View attachment 374025

I somehow forgot to check in for our flight until we got to the airport, so we were among the last people to board, and by the time we did there were NO seats left together. Allyson INSTANTLY burst into tears. 🤦‍♀️
Luckily the flight attendants on our SouthWest flight were quick to make an announcement asking if someone would be willing to switch seats and several people volunteered.

View attachment 374334
And we're off!

After an uneventful flight we landed in Orlando around 9:45pm. By the time we landed all of the gift shops were closed, much to Allyson's disappointment, so we headed straight for a bathroom and then the Magical Express!

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View attachment 374336

We arrived to Pop a little after 10:30pm and headed straight for our room (we couldn't have been farther from the lobby if we'd tried, UGH) to get ready for tomorrow - Hollywood Studios!
Aw....that's got to be scary for a 7 year old, to think she has to fly without mom. But, we were told back in 2016 by either Frontier or United airlines that there is a law that children under 13 HAVE to be in the same row with a parent or guardian. The airline will usually try to ask for volunteers to switch first, but if no one offers, they are required by law to switch people around to make sure your child is seated with at least one parent. They do not have to seat the whole family together, but each child must be seated with one of their parents, and they can not make you pay extra to do that. We were actually upgraded to economy comfort on that trip because they did not have any seats together in Economy standard, and we were all seated in different parts of the plane. So they seated us 2 and 2 in the only seats they had together on the flight. Just for future reference so you can reassure your daughter, should that happen again.

And I'm wondering....does your daughter by chance have Autism? Her bursting into tears because of changes sounds so much like my son. He would have done the exact same thing. And based on your title, I'm assuming that your DD had a hard time with the change in itinerary. My son used to burst into tears when we announced we had a surprise for the day, we were going to an amusement park, or a fun museum, or an indoor play place....places where he LOVED to go. But we have since learned that he has Autism and needs a predictable environment....no surprises. So we have to tell him where we are going, when, with whom, how we are getting there...the essential 5: Who, what, where, how, when. And that's for every day. This is the time you go to school, this is when you come home, who is picking you up, by bike or car, etc....this is what we are eating this night. We have a whiteboard with everyone's schedule for the whole week, and with the menu for each day, and it has done wonders for us curbing the meltdowns. He just can't handle the uncertainty....he dwells on what dinner will be, for example, and then that combined with school, and physical therapy, and chess club, and all the other stuff, stresses him out to where he would just burst into tears because he couldn't process it all. Any slight change...we need to stop at the grocery store on the way home from school, would set him off and he'd be screaming. Anyway, I obviously don't know you or your daughter....it just sounded so familiar to me and my heart goes out to her. It's scary to feel so out of control.
 

kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Aw....that's got to be scary for a 7 year old, to think she has to fly without mom. But, we were told back in 2016 by either Frontier or United airlines that there is a law that children under 13 HAVE to be in the same row with a parent or guardian. The airline will usually try to ask for volunteers to switch first, but if no one offers, they are required by law to switch people around to make sure your child is seated with at least one parent. They do not have to seat the whole family together, but each child must be seated with one of their parents, and they can not make you pay extra to do that. We were actually upgraded to economy comfort on that trip because they did not have any seats together in Economy standard, and we were all seated in different parts of the plane. So they seated us 2 and 2 in the only seats they had together on the flight. Just for future reference so you can reassure your daughter, should that happen again.

And I'm wondering....does your daughter by chance have Autism? Her bursting into tears because of changes sounds so much like my son. He would have done the exact same thing. And based on your title, I'm assuming that your DD had a hard time with the change in itinerary. My son used to burst into tears when we announced we had a surprise for the day, we were going to an amusement park, or a fun museum, or an indoor play place....places where he LOVED to go. But we have since learned that he has Autism and needs a predictable environment....no surprises. So we have to tell him where we are going, when, with whom, how we are getting there...the essential 5: Who, what, where, how, when. And that's for every day. This is the time you go to school, this is when you come home, who is picking you up, by bike or car, etc....this is what we are eating this night. We have a whiteboard with everyone's schedule for the whole week, and with the menu for each day, and it has done wonders for us curbing the meltdowns. He just can't handle the uncertainty....he dwells on what dinner will be, for example, and then that combined with school, and physical therapy, and chess club, and all the other stuff, stresses him out to where he would just burst into tears because he couldn't process it all. Any slight change...we need to stop at the grocery store on the way home from school, would set him off and he'd be screaming. Anyway, I obviously don't know you or your daughter....it just sounded so familiar to me and my heart goes out to her. It's scary to feel so out of control.

HOLY MOLY am I late to my own party, I'm going to finish this TR this weekend if it kills me. Hahaha.

No Autism here; we actually had her tested when she was about 3years old because she did have some signs of it: oversensitive motions and sounds being the primary ones, but her doctor informed me that it's not the case and has since had her reevaluated for the "gifted" program (having a high IQ) which she passed with flying colors. Apparently the emotional sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and other concerns I'd had at that time (nothing overwhelmingly screaming Autism, but enough that I had wanted to be proactive if that was the case) are all also linked to the "gifted" program as well.
She gets REALLY nervous on planes (no matter how many times we've flown in her life) and the idea of not sitting next to me just got her really upset I think.
 

kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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Back at it!
We, of course, can't go through our first day at the parks without a Mickey Ice Cream!

Then we decided to head toward our Fast Pass for Star Tours and to meet my favorite Star Wars character, Chewy!'

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(We had to make a quick outfit change so she could show him her shirt!)
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Okay, I will say, this was not my favorite character interaction of the trip. Chewy looked less then excited when he saw Allyson's shirt and barely moved or did anything. Just stood there for the picture and then walked away. He was great the last time I saw him (a few years ago I think), but this time was just meh.

Next we decided to take a stroll around Hollywood Studios while we were waiting for our late lunch reservation.
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And off to the Sci-Fi Dine-In we went!

I have to say, this was my first time eating here and I'm not sure if I would again. 😣
The best part of my entire meal was that we were on the dining plan so I got an "Oreo Orbiter" (think cookies and cream milkshake with alcohol in it). I got the Sci-Fi Barbeque Platter and was really unhappy. Everything was dry and just bleh. Allyson had a cheeseburger though and said it was good, so if we do ever go back I'll probably just get one. 🤷‍♀️

After lunch we went to the Chinese Theater where they had some hula hoops, bubbles, and other activities set up for the kids! Allyson seriously played in this area for probably 45 minutes.

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(I know I'm biased, but I think she's pretty adorable)

Then we went back to Toy Story Land to take a picture with an old friend!
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kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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Buzz was a GREAT interaction. We were last in his line and he didn't rush us, which was kind of surprising. He kept pointing at each character on Allyson's shirt and getting excited and then Allyson showed him that I was wearing a Buzz Lightyear dress and he came and gave me a big hug and made me take a picture with them. So cute! I'm not sure why that picture isn't on my computer, I'll have to upload it later!

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I just love that she loves Disney like her momma.

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Couldn't leave without seeing our favorite snowman!

Then we went back to the resort to get ready for Day 2: The Magic Kingdom!

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Allyson: "Mommy, look! I'm gonna get crushed!"

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We got to go to a semi empty Magic Kingdom because we had breakfast reservations for...

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Be Our Guest!
(Look, Allyson listened today when I told her to dress warmer! Haha)
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This poor guy!

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Can you tell what Allyson was most excited for?
Both of our food was SO GOOD! Allyson ate just enough that she was allowed to eat the grey stuff, and then we were off!

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It's against the rules to go to Disney without stopping at It's a Small World at least once.

I'll be back to upload more pictures tonight!
Thanks for stopping by again if you have!
 

kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Continuing our day at the Magic Kingdom!
(at this point I'm going to post mainly pictures unless I remember something really important. Haha)

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Every trip since her first back in 2015 we have to stop at Sleepy Hollow for a Mickey Waffle with obnoxious amounts of powdered sugar. Which ineviditably gets everywhere. 🤷‍♀️

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Running around like a crazy person, but she loves it! I have to admit, I LOVE this play area while waiting for Dumbo. We didn't even have to play at this point because I think the wait was only like 10 minutes, but Allyson needed to burn off some steam and I needed to sit (for anyone who didn't know, and because I forget if I wrote about it initially, I was in a rollover car accident on December 30, 2018 so being that our trip was only about 4 weeks later we had to take lots of breaks so I could sit or lay down if my back started to hurt).

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And now that the temperature was finally getting warm (think like 70 degrees) and would be the warmest of our entire trip, we were off to the resort to swim, but not without catching the parade on our way down Main Street!

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(YUP! I BROKE OUT THE FLIPPY FLOPS! - Believe it or not - these are the most comfortable shoes I own. They have memory soles which made my life so much better on this trip. I tried my sneakers at the airport and was so uncomfortable after all that walking, but these were great. AND they were only $8 from Walmart. Win!)

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The water was surprisingly nice and we got about an hour and a half of swimming in before we packed up and got ready for the dinner I was looking most forward to - Cape May Cafe!

So this trip we did the dining plan (we had the free Quick Service and then I upgraded) because Allyson LOVES sit down meals and since this was "her" trip I did what she wanted and I felt like this trip I got my money's worth for the upgrade. There were some places that we decided we didn't like as much, but some we still talk about now and it's 6+ months later. Cape May Cafe is one of the places she still talks about wanting to go back to. My PopPop actually goes every trip down (he goes to Disney 2x a year!) and recommended it to us and we will definitely be back.

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I can't believe I can't find food pictures. I'm slacking people. This is what happens when you keep putting things off. UGH!

Welp, back to the Magic Kingdom!
 

kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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I was trying to get her to actually smile and this was the best I got.

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Now onto DAY 3: EPCOT:

For anyone that doesn't know, Epcot is MY favorite park. I love walking around all of the countries and looking at the gift shops and trying food from all over the place.
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One of the 1st things we did was stopped at this adorable little set up they had with a chalk area and the Wreck It Ralph Playground. Allyson LOVED it and I loved that there was a fenced in area for her to play and I didn't have to worry quite as much about her while we rested for a few minutes.
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So Cute!!! I wish there were more areas like this around WDW. The rides, shows, and other attractions are great and all, but these fun little areas are perfect for burning off extra steam! We stopped back here again later, but I didn't take any pictures that time.
 

kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 3: Epcot (continued)

We had a Fastpass to make! So we ran over to Norway for some time with our favorite sisters, Anna and Elsa! We skipped their meet and greet this trip though, they were at an hour wait when we got there and it never dwindled down.
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I love these lanterns.
(P.S. After looking through these photos I've decided I'm going to upgrade my camera before my next trip in September 2020, so send me your camera recommendations! Right now I have a Nikon D3100 DSLR)

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But I do that all of the time without a fortune cooking... '

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We had lunch at the Nine Dragons Resturant!
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No complaints here - just happy and full bellies! Our server was amazing too!
Then we saw that our friend Daisy was out and they were getting ready to close her line, so we jumped right in!
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Then we went to help paint the mural!
 

kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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She ran out of paint and was very unhappy about it.
And we're off to London!
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And I was somehow suckered into buying matching swords for both Allyson and Liam.

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France<3
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And we decided to stop in France for one very important reason....
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.... maybe two very important reasons....
'
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Then a quick stroll through Morocco...
 

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kimberlymautz

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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And then onto Japan!

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And back to the US for some fun as well!

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She wanted to mail the post cards we got for Liam and her class!

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"MOMMY LOOK! ITS MUSHU!"

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So amazing! I wish we could have seen this before it was walked on and semi-destroyed. Tangled was Allyson's favorite Disney movie for the LONGEST time! (Now it varies day to day!)
 

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