Baby on the High Seas - A Fantasy Eastern Caribbean Trip Report *new 4/15*

[schmass]

Day 8, Part 2 – Afternoon at the Grand Floridian!




Sorry for once again taking an extended break from updating; I was having issues with Photobucket. So I’m really excited that it looks like we don’t have to use Photobucket anymore!


When I left off, we were headed back to the Grand Floridian. I was a little disappointed that we wouldn’t get to see the Festival of Fantasy parade, but Rory wouldn’t nap in the stroller, and I received a text that our room was ready. We thought it was best if we headed back to the resort for naptime.


We took the monorail back, and ended up in the main building. Michael wanted to stop in the gift shop to buy Rory some sunglasses. He had a pair before and hated wearing them, so I really didn’t want to spend the money on Mickey sunglasses. But Rory surprised me and he loved wearing them! Here we are walking into the DVC building at the GF and Rory acting like a big shot in his new glasses.



Our room was on the 6th floor, and I was really impressed when we walked in.


Here are a few shots of the room:





We ended up moving the pack n play to a better location after this picture was taken...



I loved the split bathroom – two showers!




Continued in next post...

 

[schmass]

(Continued from last post)

From the balcony, the view to the right:





Zooming in on the Polynesian DVC construction:



And to the left:



Zooming in - hey, I can see Space Mountain!






Straight ahead:






After snapping the pictures of the room, we decided there was a much better spot for the pack n play. Remember that split bathroom? The part with the sink and second shower fit the pack n play perfectly, and we could shut the door! Once we made that little change, we all went down for a nap. It was around 3:15 at this point.

I woke up around 4:45 feeling great, while Michael and Rory continued to sleep. I went out to enjoy the view on the balcony and waited for them to wake. I started to get a little nervous that we might miss our 5:30 dinner reservation at the Plaza. I was wondering if I should wake them up, and then all of a sudden Rory was behind me banging on the balcony door. We quickly got ready, speed-walked to the main building to catch the monorail, and were on our way!

Up Next: Final Night of our Vacation - Magic Kingdom style!

 

[Dugette]

That is an adorable picture of Rory in his sunglasses! He looks SO happy - adorable!

What a great room! And that view! Smart to give Rory his own "bedroom". When you said he was banging on the balcony door, I pictured him somehow getting out of the Pack 'n' Play AND the bathroom and I was quite amazed - and then I realized that Michael probably got him up.

 

[KatMark]

Rory is rocking the sunglasses.

I love your room...it is beautiful. Nice views too.

And great idea on the pack and play in the bathroom area.

I can't wait to hear about the last night (even though I hate last days).

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

the room looks fantastic! the pic of Rory in his sunglasses is too cute!

 

[schmass]

That is an adorable picture of Rory in his sunglasses! He looks SO happy - adorable!

Thank you! I couldn't believe how much he loved the glasses. He wouldn't wear his other pair for more than 3 seconds at a time.

What a great room! And that view! Smart to give Rory his own "bedroom". When you said he was banging on the balcony door, I pictured him somehow getting out of the Pack 'n' Play AND the bathroom and I was quite amazed - and then I realized that Michael probably got him up.

His own "bedroom" worked out really well for all of us. I'm kind of sad that we won't be staying there in April because the setup of the room was so great. Haha yes, Michael got him out of the pack n play. I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to climb out of it next time, though!

Rory is rocking the sunglasses.

He definitely thought he was cool!

I love your room...it is beautiful. Nice views too.

It was my favorite DVC studio that we've stayed in yet. We were sad we were only there for one night!

And great idea on the pack and play in the bathroom area.

Definitely one of the better ideas we've had! Worked out so well for all of us!

I can't wait to hear about the last night (even though I hate last days).

I know, last days, even in someone else's TRs are so rough. Good thing there's usually a new trip in the works!

the room looks fantastic! the pic of Rory in his sunglasses is too cute!

It truly was a great room! We didn't want to leave. He was all smiles when wearing those glasses!

 

[Imagineer5]

Eek beautiful studio! I am glad to see the split bathroom is in there as well - and even better you were able to make a small private bedroom for Rory! LOL! Glad everyone got a nice little nap in and you woke up in time for dinner. The view is beautiful too! We had the standard view so got to watch the monorail go by, but no fireworks or lake.

 

[schmass]

Eek beautiful studio! I am glad to see the split bathroom is in there as well - and even better you were able to make a small private bedroom for Rory! LOL! Glad everyone got a nice little nap in and you woke up in time for dinner. The view is beautiful too! We had the standard view so got to watch the monorail go by, but no fireworks or lake.

The studio was so beautiful I can't even imagine what the 1 and 2 bedrooms look like! Yes, we were lucky we had a great view!

 

[schmass]

I’m taking a little break from my TR (probably because it’s almost over and I’m not ready for that!) to do a little PTR for my April trip. I’m not going to do a separate PTR, so any feedback on our plans would be great.


This trip will be to celebrate Rory’s 2nd birthday, as well as his last trip as an only child. He is getting excited for his little SISTER , but he doesn’t really understand the change that is coming. Originally we were going to go to Disneyland Paris for a few days in March. Since I have to go to Germany for work for a few days, Michael and Rory were going to tag along and then we’d go to Paris. However, even with my flight being covered, the trip was adding up fast. Then we found out I was pregnant, so we decided to save our money and our vacation days.


When I heard about the 4-day DVC tickets for $199, I realized that we could do a short WDW for pretty cheap, and we decided to go for it! We didn’t have specific dates that we needed to go, although I wanted to do it before Rory turns 2 (May 10th), to save on airfare. After looking at both DVC availability and airfare, we came up with Sunday, April 26 – Thursday, April 30th. I found an early morning flight on Sunday and an evening flight on Thursday to maximize our time. Of course since then Delta has changed the times of both flights and now we get in later and leave earlier, but that’s okay. Since I will be 27 weeks pregnant for the trip, I think we’ll be taking it easy and not trying to do everything anyway.


We’ll be staying in a standard view studio at the Boardwalk Villas. We love the Boardwalk and this will be our 4th time staying there. Michael and I stayed in a Boardwalk view room one time and that was awesome, but we like to save points and get a standard view if it’s available. Since this trip is all about saving, that is the route we went this time. Since we know we’ll be doing Epcot one day and DHS one day, the location is perfect. I will really miss that split bathroom we had in the Grand Floridian, though!


Here’s our itinerary so far:


Sunday, April 26th – Our flight arrives at 11:30am. I figure we’ll be at BWV by 1pm and will grab a quick lunch from the Boardwalk Bakery and head over to DHS. I hope to be there by 2pm. Must-dos include the Frozen Sing Along, Toy Story Mania, and the Disney Jr. Live show. We currently have a dinner reservation at 50’s Prime Time Café. This day is a little hard to plan because I have no idea when Rory will nap.


Monday, April 27th – This is our Epcot day. Must-dos here include cronuts and the brioche ice cream sandwich from France, as well as Nemo, Soarin’, Character Spot, Test Track (Michael only ). We have a dinner reservation for Garden Grill, which I’m really excited about. I’d like to take a break back at the BWV so Rory can nap and swim in the scary clown pool. And I really, really want to see Illuminations. It is my favorite of the nighttime entertainment options at WDW, so I hope that Rory will sleep in the stroller.


Tuesday, April 28th – We’ll go to Animal Kingdom for rope drop. Our must-dos here are Festival of the Lion King, the Safari (undecided as to whether I will ride this one or not), Triceratop Spin for Rory, Expedition Everest for Michael. I’d also like to take the train out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We’ve never done this before and I thought Rory might enjoy it – anyone have experience with this area? I’d like to leave around 2pm or so and head back to BWV for nap/swimming. I currently have 6pm dinner reservations at Trattoria al Forno. The reviews I’ve read so far have me exploring other options. I’d love to try Flying Fish, which would be a splurge, but it looks so good. I can get a reservation there, but would it be okay to bring an almost 2-year old there? Any advice here would be great!


Wednesday, April 29th – Magic Kingdom day! There are way too many must-dos to list for today, but I really want to see the Festival of Fantasy parade. We have 1pm lunch reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern. I’m thinking that we won’t take a break back at the hotel this day, and will just end the evening on the early side. Either that, or we’ll take a late break after the parade and then head back to MK around 6 or so – any ideas here?


Thursday, April 30th – We fly back home at 6:30pm. We will be taking the Magical Express, so I’m guessing we’ll be on a 3:30pm bus. I’m not sure what we’ll do this day, but I’m thinking some combination of pool time and Downtown Disney. Again, any ideas are welcome!



I’d really love any input/ideas/feedback on our plans. This is one of the hardest trips I have yet to plan due to not knowing when Rory will nap. This past week he has transitioned himself to one nap around 1pm, so we’ll see if that sticks for the next few months! I’m also bringing our Britax B-Agile stroller this time because of the awesome recline, so hopefully we can get him to sleep in the stroller. I think Rory is getting excited for the trip because he found my MagicBand from our last trip and has been wearing it around for the past few days – he even insists on sleeping with it!


Thanks for reading, and I’ll post our evening at MK soon!

 

[Dugette]

He is getting excited for his little SISTER ,

Woohoo, congratulations on a little princess!!! That is awesome. Little girls are so fun! (I'm sure boys are too, but I can't speak from experience there).

We’ll be staying in a standard view studio at the Boardwalk Villas. We love the Boardwalk and this will be our 4th time staying there. Michael and I stayed in a Boardwalk view room one time and that was awesome, but we like to save points and get a standard view if it’s available. Since this trip is all about saving, that is the route we went this time. Since we know we’ll be doing Epcot one day and DHS one day, the location is perfect.

I'm super excited about our stay at the Boardwalk Villas in May, especially for location between two parks, as you mentioned.

the Safari (undecided as to whether I will ride this one or not)

I know that I've read that if you DO choose to do it to ask for the front row, as it's less bumpy.

I’d also like to take the train out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We’ve never done this before and I thought Rory might enjoy it – anyone have experience with this area?

We did this in August! Izzy's two favorite things there were: 1.) Meeting Chip and Dale (twice) and 2.) Petting and chasing and brushing the goats. If Rory would like either of those things and/or a train ride to/from, it's probably worth a trip. Sometimes they have animal surgeries and such going on, but not much was happening when we were there. Rafiki was doing meets too, but Izzy wasn't interested in him.

I’d love to try Flying Fish, which would be a splurge, but it looks so good. I can get a reservation there, but would it be okay to bring an almost 2-year old there? Any advice here would be great!

Never been there, but I know I've read TRs where they've mentioned it's really kid-friendly for a nice place. I know there's fun desserts for the kids - I remember seeing those pics!

This is one of the hardest trips I have yet to plan due to not knowing when Rory will nap. This past week he has transitioned himself to one nap around 1pm, so we’ll see if that sticks for the next few months! I’m also bringing our Britax B-Agile stroller this time because of the awesome recline, so hopefully we can get him to sleep in the stroller.

If he sticks with the one nap, it will probably be about 2 hours long. Though, keep in mind that all the activity of WDW and travel may wear him out and he could go back to 2 naps some days (Izzy did back in Dec. 2013). I think it helps a lot that you are able to walk to your hotel from the first two days' worth of parks - you are not far away if needed. We have the same stroller and it works really well for naps with that recline and big shade. If he's easily distracted, either a blanket over the top (if he tolerates it, but Izzy just yanks it down) or else face the stroller against a wall or something boring for a bit and that has worked to get Izzy to sleep. Good luck!

I think Rory is getting excited for the trip because he found my MagicBand from our last trip and has been wearing it around for the past few days – he even insists on sleeping with it!

That is adorable!!

 

[Imagineer5]

I’m taking a little break from my TR (probably because it’s almost over and I’m not ready for that!) to do a little PTR for my April trip. I’m not going to do a separate PTR, so any feedback on our plans would be great.


This trip will be to celebrate Rory’s 2nd birthday, as well as his last trip as an only child. He is getting excited for his little SISTER , but he doesn’t really understand the change that is coming. Originally we were going to go to Disneyland Paris for a few days in March. Since I have to go to Germany for work for a few days, Michael and Rory were going to tag along and then we’d go to Paris. However, even with my flight being covered, the trip was adding up fast. Then we found out I was pregnant, so we decided to save our money and our vacation days.


When I heard about the 4-day DVC tickets for $199, I realized that we could do a short WDW for pretty cheap, and we decided to go for it! We didn’t have specific dates that we needed to go, although I wanted to do it before Rory turns 2 (May 10th), to save on airfare. After looking at both DVC availability and airfare, we came up with Sunday, April 26 – Thursday, April 30th. I found an early morning flight on Sunday and an evening flight on Thursday to maximize our time. Of course since then Delta has changed the times of both flights and now we get in later and leave earlier, but that’s okay. Since I will be 27 weeks pregnant for the trip, I think we’ll be taking it easy and not trying to do everything anyway.


We’ll be staying in a standard view studio at the Boardwalk Villas. We love the Boardwalk and this will be our 4th time staying there. Michael and I stayed in a Boardwalk view room one time and that was awesome, but we like to save points and get a standard view if it’s available. Since this trip is all about saving, that is the route we went this time. Since we know we’ll be doing Epcot one day and DHS one day, the location is perfect. I will really miss that split bathroom we had in the Grand Floridian, though!


Here’s our itinerary so far:


Sunday, April 26th – Our flight arrives at 11:30am. I figure we’ll be at BWV by 1pm and will grab a quick lunch from the Boardwalk Bakery and head over to DHS. I hope to be there by 2pm. Must-dos include the Frozen Sing Along, Toy Story Mania, and the Disney Jr. Live show. We currently have a dinner reservation at 50’s Prime Time Café. This day is a little hard to plan because I have no idea when Rory will nap.


Monday, April 27th – This is our Epcot day. Must-dos here include cronuts and the brioche ice cream sandwich from France, as well as Nemo, Soarin’, Character Spot, Test Track (Michael only ). We have a dinner reservation for Garden Grill, which I’m really excited about. I’d like to take a break back at the BWV so Rory can nap and swim in the scary clown pool. And I really, really want to see Illuminations. It is my favorite of the nighttime entertainment options at WDW, so I hope that Rory will sleep in the stroller.


Tuesday, April 28th – We’ll go to Animal Kingdom for rope drop. Our must-dos here are Festival of the Lion King, the Safari (undecided as to whether I will ride this one or not), Triceratop Spin for Rory, Expedition Everest for Michael. I’d also like to take the train out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We’ve never done this before and I thought Rory might enjoy it – anyone have experience with this area? I’d like to leave around 2pm or so and head back to BWV for nap/swimming. I currently have 6pm dinner reservations at Trattoria al Forno. The reviews I’ve read so far have me exploring other options. I’d love to try Flying Fish, which would be a splurge, but it looks so good. I can get a reservation there, but would it be okay to bring an almost 2-year old there? Any advice here would be great!


Wednesday, April 29th – Magic Kingdom day! There are way too many must-dos to list for today, but I really want to see the Festival of Fantasy parade. We have 1pm lunch reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern. I’m thinking that we won’t take a break back at the hotel this day, and will just end the evening on the early side. Either that, or we’ll take a late break after the parade and then head back to MK around 6 or so – any ideas here?


Thursday, April 30th – We fly back home at 6:30pm. We will be taking the Magical Express, so I’m guessing we’ll be on a 3:30pm bus. I’m not sure what we’ll do this day, but I’m thinking some combination of pool time and Downtown Disney. Again, any ideas are welcome!



I’d really love any input/ideas/feedback on our plans. This is one of the hardest trips I have yet to plan due to not knowing when Rory will nap. This past week he has transitioned himself to one nap around 1pm, so we’ll see if that sticks for the next few months! I’m also bringing our Britax B-Agile stroller this time because of the awesome recline, so hopefully we can get him to sleep in the stroller. I think Rory is getting excited for the trip because he found my MagicBand from our last trip and has been wearing it around for the past few days – he even insists on sleeping with it!


Thanks for reading, and I’ll post our evening at MK soon!

Congrats on the girl!! eek!! She will be SO much fun!

I wish you were coming just a few days later! Then we could meet up! Sounds like some really great plans though.

Sunday April 26 - DHS day sounds good. Nice to keep things pretty loose and you'll be able to book those fastpasses soon. If it were me, I'd plan to put Aria down for a nap as soon as we got to BWV in the stroller, then if the room isn't ready yet just walk straight to the park, if it is, do a little unpacking in the room all while Aria is getting her nap in. Then the first hour or so of being in DHS plan some activities like your DH riding ToT/RnRC or visiting the animation academy or shopping etc, then plan to schedule the FPs for after then.

Monday april 27 - EPCOT sounds relaxing as well! Garden Grill will be SO much fun!! An afternoon break before heading back for dinner then Illuminations would be perfect, and at least Illuminations won't be too late that if he stays awake I bet he'll fall asleep right afterwards. If you want him to sleep through it I'd get those toddler ear muff things. Aria's slept through Wishes that way. There is so much to do at EPCOT with a toddler but at a slower pace, you'll have fun! LWTL, Innoventions (maybe the great piggy bank race??), Kidkot stations where he can color in duffy's, etc).

Tuesday april 28 - AK rope drop will be great. I don't get why the safari isn't recommended for pregnant women. It's slightly bumpy but otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to ride. Rafiki's is great and perfect for a low key thing to do! I bet Rory will love the train ride and petting/brushing the goats! So fun. I haven't read the Trattoria reviews and plan to eat there in May, if only to try it once! BUT if you're considering Flying Fish I would 100% visit there! (We are also eating there in May!). YUM. One of the best restaurants IMO. And no, anything on Disney is totally toddler friendly (well except V&A). Aria has been there many times!

Wednesday april 29 - do you not have park hoppers? One day at MK is sooo little! Though of course you've done it many times before so it isn't like you HAVE to visit everything. I'd try to stick it out all day if Rory will nap in the stroller (can you get an earlier lunch ressie so he can nap bt lunch at the parade?) and then stay til as late as you want. If he won't then I'd leave after the parade and then come back. I bet he'd love to do the tomorrowland speedyway. Any idea if he'll be 35"? Maybe your husband will be able to take him on the Barnstormer.

Thursday, DTD and pool time sound wonderful!

Sounds like a great trip! I can't wait to activate my new AP and then have all the possibilities in front of us for quick trips down there!

 

[KatMark]

First, I'm so disappointed that I miss you by just three days.

I think your plans sound great. I am not sure of the bad reviews you've read of the new Italian restaurant at the Boardwalk. Andy and Des ate there in December twice and loved it both times.

I'm not a big fan of 50's Prime Time, but I know others love it (same with Garden Grill). We LOVE Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch; Mark is very disappointed that it is closed when we are there in October.

I'm pretty sure there is a sign at the Safari that if you are expecting, not to ride? I really don't remember for sure.

I like your last day plans of hanging at the pool (although I'd be at the quiet pool and not the scary clown pool ) and DTD.

I hate when the airlines change your flights after you've booked them. They've already done that to my Phoenix trip next month and my October trip.

 

[Flossbolna]

Sounds like a lovely trip!

I think Rafiki's Planet Watch could be really fun for Rory. And if you have never been there, it should be worth a look. At AK, make sure to wander all the trails in the Oasis and around the Tree of Life to look at animals if that's something that Rory enjoys. And I always thought that the Boneyard would be just the most fun thing for toddlers.

I love Flying Fish, it is my favorite restaurant at WDW. It has an upscale fairground atmosphere (if that makes sense) and I don't think kids are out of place. I have seen plenty of families eating there. But it might be a longer meal, so I am not sure how comfortable you are that Rory will sit through it. It is pretty noisy in there (in fact this is one of the reasons why some people don't like this restaurant), so no one will notice if he is not totally quiet. But I am sure you would not enjoy a dinner with a screaming baby either - but that goes for wherever you are eating. So, I would say go for it!

Are you still going to Germany in March? If by any chance you happen to be in Nuremberg then and have time and would like to meet up, send me a PM (or conversation as they are now called).

 

[schmass]

Woohoo, congratulations on a little princess!!! That is awesome. Little girls are so fun! (I'm sure boys are too, but I can't speak from experience there).

Thank you - we are so excited!

I'm super excited about our stay at the Boardwalk Villas in May, especially for location between two parks, as you mentioned.

It really is a great resort. I love the atmosphere of the Boardwalk, and it is so convenient! You just have to get past the loooong hallways and scary clown pool!

I know that I've read that if you DO choose to do it to ask for the front row, as it's less bumpy.

Good to know!

We did this in August! Izzy's two favorite things there were: 1.) Meeting Chip and Dale (twice) and 2.) Petting and chasing and brushing the goats. If Rory would like either of those things and/or a train ride to/from, it's probably worth a trip. Sometimes they have animal surgeries and such going on, but not much was happening when we were there. Rafiki was doing meets too, but Izzy wasn't interested in him.

At this point I don't know if he'll like petting the goats, but I think he'd at least like to see them. And I'm sure he'll enjoy the train ride, if nothing else!

Never been there, but I know I've read TRs where they've mentioned it's really kid-friendly for a nice place. I know there's fun desserts for the kids - I remember seeing those pics!

Rory does pretty well at restaurants 99% of the time, so we decided to go for it. I am really excited for this meal!

If he sticks with the one nap, it will probably be about 2 hours long. Though, keep in mind that all the activity of WDW and travel may wear him out and he could go back to 2 naps some days (Izzy did back in Dec. 2013). I think it helps a lot that you are able to walk to your hotel from the first two days' worth of parks - you are not far away if needed. We have the same stroller and it works really well for naps with that recline and big shade. If he's easily distracted, either a blanket over the top (if he tolerates it, but Izzy just yanks it down) or else face the stroller against a wall or something boring for a bit and that has worked to get Izzy to sleep. Good luck!

He definitely naps the best in this stroller, so hopefully he'll sleep in it even in Disney! We tried the blanket over the stroller when we took him at 9 months old, and he thought it was a game...

That is adorable!!

Thanks, he now wears his own Magicband, and wants me to be wearing my pink one. It is too funny.

Thank you so much for all your feedback!

 

[schmass]

Congrats on the girl!! eek!! She will be SO much fun!

Thank you! I am excited to be able to buy all things pink!

I wish you were coming just a few days later! Then we could meet up! Sounds like some really great plans though.

I know, I realized after we booked how many people are going in early May. I'm so sad to miss out on potential Dis-meets by just a few days. Maybe we can meet up in MA at some point!

Sunday April 26 - DHS day sounds good. Nice to keep things pretty loose and you'll be able to book those fastpasses soon. If it were me, I'd plan to put Aria down for a nap as soon as we got to BWV in the stroller, then if the room isn't ready yet just walk straight to the park, if it is, do a little unpacking in the room all while Aria is getting her nap in. Then the first hour or so of being in DHS plan some activities like your DH riding ToT/RnRC or visiting the animation academy or shopping etc, then plan to schedule the FPs for after then.

This is a good idea. My hope is that he falls asleep on the walk over to DHS. It makes it hard to book the FPs though, since I don't want him to miss anything!!

Monday april 27 - EPCOT sounds relaxing as well! Garden Grill will be SO much fun!! An afternoon break before heading back for dinner then Illuminations would be perfect, and at least Illuminations won't be too late that if he stays awake I bet he'll fall asleep right afterwards. If you want him to sleep through it I'd get those toddler ear muff things. Aria's slept through Wishes that way. There is so much to do at EPCOT with a toddler but at a slower pace, you'll have fun! LWTL, Innoventions (maybe the great piggy bank race??), Kidkot stations where he can color in duffy's, etc).

I completely forgot about the Kidcot stations. He might really like that. I think there will also be playground set up for the F&G Festival, too. Our short trip is suddenly feeling way too short!

Tuesday april 28 - AK rope drop will be great. I don't get why the safari isn't recommended for pregnant women. It's slightly bumpy but otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to ride. Rafiki's is great and perfect for a low key thing to do! I bet Rory will love the train ride and petting/brushing the goats! So fun. I haven't read the Trattoria reviews and plan to eat there in May, if only to try it once! BUT if you're considering Flying Fish I would 100% visit there! (We are also eating there in May!). YUM. One of the best restaurants IMO. And no, anything on Disney is totally toddler friendly (well except V&A). Aria has been there many times!

I'm looking forward to checking out Rafiki's since we've never been! Good to know that Aria has been to Flying Fish many times and that really little kids are welcome. I ended up switching our reservation, and now we're really excited for this meal.

Wednesday april 29 - do you not have park hoppers? One day at MK is sooo little! Though of course you've done it many times before so it isn't like you HAVE to visit everything. I'd try to stick it out all day if Rory will nap in the stroller (can you get an earlier lunch ressie so he can nap bt lunch at the parade?) and then stay til as late as you want. If he won't then I'd leave after the parade and then come back. I bet he'd love to do the tomorrowland speedyway. Any idea if he'll be 35"? Maybe your husband will be able to take him on the Barnstormer.

No park hoppers for us this time. We got the DVC 4-day passes, which specify that you can go to each park one day. The price was right for the tickets, so we're happy enough with them! Good idea about the lunch ressie - I was able to switch it to 11:55, so thanks for that suggestion! I'm sure he will eventually take a nap in the stroller, so hopefully we can stay and not need to take a break. I'm really excited for him to do the speedway - his first height requirement ride! Haha, there is no way that he'll be tall enough for the Barnstormer.... he will barely make the speedway requirement. He doesn't look like it in pictures, but he is really tiny. He is 21 months and still wears 6-12 month pants!

Thursday, DTD and pool time sound wonderful!

I'm excited to get over to DTD after not having been there in a few years!

Sounds like a great trip! I can't wait to activate my new AP and then have all the possibilities in front of us for quick trips down there!

Thanks! Maybe one of our trips will overlap at some point! Thanks for all your input!

 

[schmass]

First, I'm so disappointed that I miss you by just three days.

I KNOW! I'm so disappointed, too. I think our September trips were off by just a few days, as well. Maybe next year!

I think your plans sound great. I am not sure of the bad reviews you've read of the new Italian restaurant at the Boardwalk. Andy and Des ate there in December twice and loved it both times.

I did end up switching our reservation to Flying Fish, but I'm sure that we'll get to Tratorria al Forno at some point. Maybe we'll even try it for breakfast on our last day. Good to know that there are people who have loved it - the majority of reviews I read on the Dis were not great.

I'm not a big fan of 50's Prime Time, but I know others love it (same with Garden Grill). We LOVE Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch; Mark is very disappointed that it is closed when we are there in October.

I haven't been to Liberty Tree Tavern since I was a kid - I'm really looking forward to it!

I'm pretty sure there is a sign at the Safari that if you are expecting, not to ride? I really don't remember for sure.

Yes, it has a warning, but I'm not really sure why. It can be a little bumpy, but our streets around here are worse with all the potholes!

I like your last day plans of hanging at the pool (although I'd be at the quiet pool and not the scary clown pool ) and DTD.

It will be interesting to see how Rory reacts to the clown. He's probably still too young to realize how creepy it is!

I hate when the airlines change your flights after you've booked them. They've already done that to my Phoenix trip next month and my October trip.

Wow, they already changed them for October?? I just hope they don't change ours again!

 

[schmass]

Sounds like a lovely trip!

I think Rafiki's Planet Watch could be really fun for Rory. And if you have never been there, it should be worth a look. At AK, make sure to wander all the trails in the Oasis and around the Tree of Life to look at animals if that's something that Rory enjoys. And I always thought that the Boneyard would be just the most fun thing for toddlers.

Oh yeah, the Boneyard - how could I forget??? We will definitely have to let him spend a little time in there!

I love Flying Fish, it is my favorite restaurant at WDW. It has an upscale fairground atmosphere (if that makes sense) and I don't think kids are out of place. I have seen plenty of families eating there. But it might be a longer meal, so I am not sure how comfortable you are that Rory will sit through it. It is pretty noisy in there (in fact this is one of the reasons why some people don't like this restaurant), so no one will notice if he is not totally quiet. But I am sure you would not enjoy a dinner with a screaming baby either - but that goes for wherever you are eating. So, I would say go for it!

We decided to go for it, and are really looking forward to it? Do you have a favorite meal to get there? Rory does well at restaurants, and even with most of the long meals on the cruise he did really well. It sounds like there is a lot of stuff for him to look at in there, too, which should keep him entertained.

Are you still going to Germany in March? If by any chance you happen to be in Nuremberg then and have time and would like to meet up, send me a PM (or conversation as they are now called).

I am! I'll be there March 4-7th, but I'll be in boring old Bonn. Too bad that it isn't closer to Nuremberg, I would love to meet up!

 

[schmass]

Day 8, Part 3: Final Night, Magic Kingdom style!

After a quick trip on the monorail, we were once again entering the Magic Kingdom. Although I was worried about not making our reservation at The Plaza, we made it right on time. We checked in and were asked to wait for a few minutes, so we tried to keep Rory entertained. After about 5 minutes we were called inside and led to our table. It was our first time eating here, and we enjoyed it. We had a great server, and she was very good with Rory.





After dinner we realized that Rory needed to be changed. Michael took him to the Baby Care Center, and when he came back, Rory was in a new outfit. In the remainder of the pictures from this evening and tomorrow, you will see many recycled outfits – at this point in the trip it turned into “wear whatever is somewhat clean” mode.


We stopped for a few pictures on Main St. while on our way to Fantasyland.







We decided to ride the Carousel, as there was hardly a line for it, and we thought Rory would enjoy it. He did not want to wait in the short line, and was climbing all over the place in anticipation of the ride.



I ended up picking him up so that he wouldn’t bother the other people in line.



We chose a horse, and he was so fidgety until the ride started going. Then he loved it!




From there we went to It’s a Small World – again there was no wait. He started to look pretty tired (look at that yawn!), but after the ride he was fine. Maybe IASW is already boring to him?!





This was right after the ride – not ready for bed yet!




From there we went on the Teacups. Michael and I love rides, and the faster, the better. So whenever we would go on the Teacups in the past, we would work together to get that thing spinning FAST. This time, I was holding Rory and therefore wouldn’t be helping to spin, and figured that Michael would take it easy since our baby was with us. But no, he was making us whip around really fast.




Rory loved it...until he didn't. What happened next was probably the scariest moment I’ve had in my life. Rory went from giggling and having a blast, to looking like he was in shock or going to have a seizure or something. I was SCREAMING at Michael to stop the teacup, which he did, but it took a bit to slow down. Rory ended up being okay, but it was so scary. I was embarrassed getting off the ride, as anyone watching probably thought we were the worst parents in the world for putting our baby through that.

I thought we might be calling it a night at that point, but Rory seemed to want to keep going. We headed over to Buzz Lightyear. I told Michael that we needed to spin the car as minimally as possible, but Rory of course wanted to control it, and had us spinning around quite a bit.

Continued in next post...

 

[schmass]

(Continued from previous post)


It was about 8:15 at this point and we decided to head back to the room. With one last look at the castle, we headed for the monorail and went back to the Grand Floridian.




Rory got a second wind once we were back, and was playing with his glow sticks again. He liked the extra bed in the room.





I was out on the balcony and could see the Electric Water Pageant as it was outside of the Polynesian. I took some pictures of it, but then I deleted them, thinking that I’d get better ones when it stopped in front of the Grand Floridian. What I didn’t realize, was that I actually had a much better view when it was in front of the Poly. The DVC section of the GF is so far down to one end, that when it did stop in front of the GF, it was too far away to really see anything. So if you’re ever staying in the DVC section of the GF and want to see the EWP, make sure to catch it when it’s in front of the Poly!


Rory was more interested in running back and forth between the room and the balcony than the Electric Water Pageant.




As I was heading inside the room, I could see fireworks and was confused since they were not in the direction of the MK. I later found out that they were the special Frozen fireworks. I didn’t have a great view, but it was still a nice bonus.


We put Rory to bed in the bathroom (ha!), and turned in ourselves not much longer after that. We wanted to be up early as we had some things we wanted to do before leaving in the afternoon.


Up next: Saying hello to a new friend, and goodbye to Disney World!

 

[Imagineer5]

OMG that tea cup debacle sounds scary! Glad it all turned out okay and he was still good to go afterwards. I don't do the spinny stuff so Andrew knows not to spin if I'm on it, but Aria seems to love it. The Plaza has never really excited me food-wise but glad it was a great dinner! I love the photo of your family in front of the castle. And the Dumbo artwork behind that pull down bed at the VGF is so beautiful.