Trip Report "Whoa!" Our Disney Trip through the eyes of our 15mo Old!

Hello everyone, we just got back from Disney on Saturday night, and I want to start my trip report before I start forgetting the little details. So here we go...I WILL be adding pictures, but the beginning of the trip report is being started while at work, so I will have to add them later!

First: Read my Pre trip Report Here: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...-for-mom-dad-babys-first-trip-sept-15.901000/


Thanks for reading along.. hope you enjoy!

When: 9/19-9/26
Where: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Who: Myself, My husband, and our 15 month old daughter Harper. Also, My Mom, Step Dad, and 5 year old Nephew.

Day1 Friday September 18th:
The day was finally here! The vacation that I had been looking forward to for TWO years. We had counted down from 400 something days, and now we were are at ZERO and within hours of departing. I worked a half day on Friday, but could barely concentrate at work. I kept staring at the clock on my computer wishing so 1pm. Finally, it rolled around. I changed into comfy pants, and met my husband outside since he picked me up. If you were reading along on my trip report, you will recall that my daughter Harper was sick, and I was feeling somewhat sick, but I didn't let it get me down! We were going to Disney World!! I hopped in the back seat and was ready to go! My parents had to wait for my Nephew to arrive so we drove across town and when to a vitamin store to get an energy drink I like before we left. At this point, I took command in the drivers seat, and we jumped right on I-81 to get the show on the road. Not long after, my parents were on their way too, we tried hard, but we just could not meet up together on the road. Eh, that's okay. We would work it out. I'm not sure of the exact route now, but we took 81 south, to 17 south and through some windy back roads with lots of winery's. We ended getting on I-95 at Fredericksburg, VA. The drive wasn't too bad, and I don't recall any issues at all.

We finally met up with my parents at the first rest stop once we got on 95. Harper had JUST fallen asleep when we stopped and she must have sensed it even though the car was running, because within minutes of stopping, she was awake. Well, crap... I needed her to nap, but she was up, so we got her out of the car and met my parents and walked inside. After quick bathroom stops, and a few minutes of leg stretching, we were back on the road ready to go!

(this is where I'm going to stop until I get access to my pictures!)




 
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betty rose

Well-Known Member
Day 2 September 19th

After passing under the Disney sign, I forgot that you still have a bit of a ride! It seemed to take forever to get to AKL! We had NO idea what we were doing, and my parents were at least 10 minutes behind us at this point, so we were just trying to figure it out on our own. By the time we reached the sign for AKL, Harps was having a complete meltdown! I was so glad we were getting out of the car soon!
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We pulled up to the resort and pulled under the huge awning. I was kind of freaking out because I’ve never done this before and they ascend on your car quickly! I wanted to wait for my parents, but didn’t really have time too! Before I knew it, a bell hop was taking things from our car and handing me a little paper ticket that I had NO IDEA what I was supposed to do with. As soon as all of our things were out from the car, my parents pulled up behind us. We waited for them and then we all walked in to the lobby together.
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Walking into the lobby of AKL literally took my breath away! The lobby was HUGE, and the smell! Oh my, the smell! I was standing there in awe of the place when Harper pipes up and says “WHOAAAAA!”(This became her phrase of the week!) To which I had to laugh! She was clearly blown away by it too! So I put her down and watched her roam all over the lobby. It was just beautiful. I couldn’t believe it! I was concerned that I wouldn’t like the theming of it for some reason, but it was amazing. I just loved it. My mom wanted to show us the resort, so we went for a quick walk out to the Savannah to see the animals, and we also found the quiet porches with the big rocking chairs and enjoyed those too!
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We checked in quickly and made it to our rooms. We asked for side by side rooms, and got them! We got rooms 4020 and 4022. We used our magic band, and opened the door! It was a nice room, would have loved to have a King instead of two queens! Oh well. Not a big deal! We used the other bed to hold our luggage all week. LOL. There was no couch, and a SMALL table, but we had an awesome view looking at the pool, so I could deal with that!
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We went down and picked up our stroller that we rented and went down to check out the playground, the pools, and the Mara quick service cafeteria. It was all SO pretty! I really wanted to go to MK this evening, but we were just tired and we kind of ran out of time! We grabbed dinner from the Mara this night. I got a pretty good cobb salad! Hubby bought our refillable mugs and I’m pretty sure the ONLY thing we put in them all week was ice water and maybe coffee once or twice. Ooops. Still, buying bottled water gets pretty expensive, so I’m glad we got them. Plus, they make nice little cups for travel once we got home, so there’s that! I don’t really remember doing much else this evening. We may have swam for a bit? But soon it was off to bed. I remember sleeping SO soundly! Harper slept pretty awesome too snuggled in between my husband and I. We had to be up super early for our ADR at Crystal Palace on Sunday, so we went to bed pretty early! All in all, getting to resort was amazing! It was quiet, and peaceful.
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I love your report, and your baby is soooo adorable! What a pretty little girl. Thanks for writing, this is a fun read! Thanks to @figmentfan423 for the heads up!
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Thank you! We really had a wonderful time! We can't wait to get back!

Thanks for sharing! I loved reading your TR :) What were the temps while you were there? Like 85/90? Thats what I am anticipating for our Sept trip. I'm actually more worried for my husband than our girls! So funny you mentioned your hair- that was a big concern of mine on our last trip! We were there in December so I wan't really worried about the heat, more so that it would get messy and tangled on rides. But I hate the way I look with my hair up so I wore it down the whole trip. Just had to brush it a lot :) I am so with you when it comes to family vacations and making memories. Our daughter was 3 (almost 4) on her first trip and so many family members criticized us for taking her to Disney at that age. We had an amazing time! If we knew Disney was a once in a life time experience, then yes, we would have waited til she was older. We know we'll be going several times though and it was amazing to experience the magic through her eyes. She was tall enough for many of the rides (Soarin, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain) and super into all the characters and princesses. It was a perfect age! She will be 5 when we go in Sept and our youngest will be one. I'm so glad to hear you loved your trip with your one year old! We stayed at Pop Century for our trip and like you with AKL, it was the perfect resort for us! Next to the main Hippy Dippy Pool, there was a smaller kiddie pool and our daughter still talks about that little pool!
Thanks again for sharing!
 

ScarletBegonias

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for sharing! I loved reading your TR :) What were the temps while you were there? Like 85/90? Thats what I am anticipating for our Sept trip. I'm actually more worried for my husband than our girls! So funny you mentioned your hair- that was a big concern of mine on our last trip! We were there in December so I wan't really worried about the heat, more so that it would get messy and tangled on rides. But I hate the way I look with my hair up so I wore it down the whole trip. Just had to brush it a lot :) I am so with you when it comes to family vacations and making memories. Our daughter was 3 (almost 4) on her first trip and so many family members criticized us for taking her to Disney at that age. We had an amazing time! If we knew Disney was a once in a life time experience, then yes, we would have waited til she was older. We know we'll be going several times though and it was amazing to experience the magic through her eyes. She was tall enough for many of the rides (Soarin, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain) and super into all the characters and princesses. It was a perfect age! She will be 5 when we go in Sept and our youngest will be one. I'm so glad to hear you loved your trip with your one year old! We stayed at Pop Century for our trip and like you with AKL, it was the perfect resort for us! Next to the main Hippy Dippy Pool, there was a smaller kiddie pool and our daughter still talks about that little pool!
Thanks again for sharing!

Thanks for reading!!! I'm not sure of the exact temps but I'm sure it was nearly 90 almost every day! The last couple days of the week were WAY hotter than the first half of the week! Still, I was surprised at how well my daughter did!

We are going again in April and staying at POP. I can't wait to see the pools! I think my daughter will love the larger than life statues all over the resort!
 

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