Our First Family Disney Trip… Take Two! - May 2024 PTR (Update 6/4 - We're Back + Mini Synopsis)
- Thread starter SimplyGoofy
- Start date
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
It's Disney day!!! I hope you have the most magical trip. I look forward to hearing everything once you return!
cindianne320
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2010
You're there! I hope you have a magical trip!!
ambula603
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2019
I've been away but had to come here to check on you! I LOVE the outfits! That is one of my favorite parts of a Disney trip - the outfit coordination! They are going to look ADORABLE!
I can't wait to see and hear all about it, I hope you are having a fabulous trip!
I can't wait to see and hear all about it, I hope you are having a fabulous trip!
SimplyGoofy
"You are not Mickey Mouse... you are a rat!"
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2011
We’re Back (and Exhausted)!
a.k.a. Disney with kids is hard. But great.
We’re back from our magical trip! We accomplished a ton (thank you, Genie+!), made it to one nighttime spectacular, ate tons of tasty food, gathered a ton of character signatures, and made tons of memories.
Of course, we didn’t accomplish everything we’d hoped… I don’t think you ever do! I missed out on most Magic Kingdom snacks (I still need to try those egg rolls!), we skipped Fantasmic, and at least one of us missed a few must-do attractions (I missed out on the Peoplemover, M and L didn’t see Journey of Water, and all of us missed out on Smuggler’s Run).
It’s much more challenging to travel to Disney World with kids. My girls are troopers and did very well, but they certainly got tired and cranky (especially the five-year-old!) and limited some of our activity. That said, it was quite magical to see L smile and reach out for the dolls on It’s a Small World and witness M’s excitement about making it onto Flight of Passage (which she loved!).
I’ll get started on a trip report soon, but I thought a brief synopsis would help those of you who are heading to Disney World sooner rather than later.
The Good
The Fair
The Bad
Overall, there were many magical moments from our trip and I can’t wait to share them with you. Give me a few more days to bounce back and rest up and I’ll meet you over on the trip report board!
Also, thank you to those that left good luck messages that I didn’t respond to personally before our trip! I noticed and appreciated every one of them!
a.k.a. Disney with kids is hard. But great.
We’re back from our magical trip! We accomplished a ton (thank you, Genie+!), made it to one nighttime spectacular, ate tons of tasty food, gathered a ton of character signatures, and made tons of memories.
Of course, we didn’t accomplish everything we’d hoped… I don’t think you ever do! I missed out on most Magic Kingdom snacks (I still need to try those egg rolls!), we skipped Fantasmic, and at least one of us missed a few must-do attractions (I missed out on the Peoplemover, M and L didn’t see Journey of Water, and all of us missed out on Smuggler’s Run).
It’s much more challenging to travel to Disney World with kids. My girls are troopers and did very well, but they certainly got tired and cranky (especially the five-year-old!) and limited some of our activity. That said, it was quite magical to see L smile and reach out for the dolls on It’s a Small World and witness M’s excitement about making it onto Flight of Passage (which she loved!).
I’ll get started on a trip report soon, but I thought a brief synopsis would help those of you who are heading to Disney World sooner rather than later.
The Good
- The Polynesian - We loved the Poly. The room was spacious and super clean, the two bathrooms were wonderful, and the pool was great. We also loved our proximity to both the resort monorail and the TTC. We’d love to stay there again.
- Cast and Crew Transportation - They were excellent and I’d use them again in a heartbeat. They were communicative, prompt, and so friendly! If you’re looking for an easy transport option to Disney World (or the surrounding Orlando parks) I highly recommend them, especially if you need car seats or a stroller rental (our rental stroller was waiting in the car at pick up). Our transport to and from the airport was the easiest part of our trip and even my husband said they were worth every penny.
- Minnie Vans - We used them twice (once for our meal at the Wilderness Lodge and once on our resort transfer day) and both rides were excellent. Highly recommended, especially if you need one or two car seats.
- Genie+ and ILL - Perhaps controversial (and certainly, expensive for multiple days), but it worked SO well to get us into short lines. I’d never do Disney without it (or without whatever the current iteration is). I used Tom Bricker’s (Disney Tourist Blog) tips to book our first attraction of the day (testing your speed and using a clock does make a difference!) and used the modify button to my advantage. I’m a fan!
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique - Yes, it’s spendy… but if you have a little girl in the age range that would love to be a princess (or a fairy), you won’t regret it. M LOVED her experience there and wore her Tinkerbelle dress ALL DAY.
- Cinderella’s Royal Table - Color me shocked… I never thought this would be one of our favorite meals of the trip! The location was great (and perfect after our BBB experience!), the characters were excellent (Merida, in particular, was a delight), and our food was quite good!
- The SlumberPod - This was 100% worth the money. L slept SO well and we didn’t have to darken the room during naps. I spent several weeks before our trip acclimating L to the SlumberPod (I used it with a Pack N Play for her afternoon nap) and the acclimation period was necessary to get her used to it. Our hard work was worth it, though, as she went right down with no issues during our entire trip. In conjunction, it was also a breeze to order a Pack N Play from each resort - we had one within 10 minutes of making a call to Housekeeping. Super easy!
The Fair
- The Beach Club Villas - Their location is wonderful but the room left something to be desired. Despite its recent refurb, the room looked tired and several of the outlets weren’t great (either in location or usefulness) which is tough when you have so much to plug in.
- The Skyliner - I know what you’re thinking… why isn’t this in the “good” category? Honestly, after using the monorails and our feet, the Skyliner ranked third for us on transportation. Having to fold the double stroller was a pain in the keister, as was needing to switch skyliners to get to the Studios. The view was fun, though, and M loved seeing the different character wraps.
- Table Service with a Toddler - Not in the way you think. Be aware if you’re traveling with a child under three and eat at a fixed cost meal where you order a specific dish (CRT, Topolino’s, Be Our Guest), your toddler does not get to order a meal. They either need to eat off your plate (Topolino’s) or they’re offer you only mac and cheese (BOG) or a choice between chicken fingers and mac and cheese (CRT). If you want to order a meal, you pay the child’s price for them. If you child is like mine and loves mac and cheese you’ll be fine… but bring extra snacks or feed them beforehand if you have a picky toddler.
- The Double Stroller - We rented a double stroller from Cast and Crew - it was clean and worked well, but we are not used to a double stroller. They are bulky and heavy and cumbersome to fold up. We’re 100% happy we got a rental stroller (we wouldn’t have made it without one!) but look forward to the day when we can use a single stroller (or none at all!).
- Memory Maker - I love Memory Maker. That said, it’s tough to get young kids to stop for multiple pictures the way I could with my adult sister. It was still worth it thanks to our character meet and greets and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but think about how much you’ll be able to stop for photos before you drop nearly $200 on the cost.
The Bad
- The heat - It was SO hot when we were there - lucky for us, temperatures were about ten degrees higher than normal. I was a sweaty mess within twenty minutes of stepping outside. Most useful to us were our reusable water bottles (we didn’t drink enough the first day and paid for it), the stroller fans, handheld fans, and time in the A/C. Don’t be a martyr in the heat.
- The crowds - I’ve traveled to Disney World three times during Memorial Day weekend and NEVER seen it so crowded. To give perspective, the standby line for Star Tours was 45 minutes by mid-morning! Nuts! (Thank goodness for early mornings and Genie+!)
- The Entitlement - I’ve certainly seen it before, but G was astounded at the behavior of some folks. We all paid a ridiculous amount to be there… really, sir, you’re not better than the rest of us. Neither are you, ma’am.
- The Illnesses - Saving the best (or worst?) for last… the girls and I all came home with COVID. We didn’t realize it was COVID until we got home (I feel terrible about that!) and are thankfully improving, but it certainly ended the trip on a sour note. Amazingly, G does not have COVID (how, I have no idea, but he’s had several negative tests), but we’re all spent from our trip.
Overall, there were many magical moments from our trip and I can’t wait to share them with you. Give me a few more days to bounce back and rest up and I’ll meet you over on the trip report board!
Also, thank you to those that left good luck messages that I didn’t respond to personally before our trip! I noticed and appreciated every one of them!
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Woth2982
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2008
I had to chuckle to myself for this one. After doing MULTIPLE trips WITH a stroller, I was quite shocked how much I MISSED It when I did an adults only trip with my friends in December! Carrying my waterbottle and my backpack all day really started to bother my back (I had major spine surgery in 2019 so I have some residual back pain). I really wished I had my stroller just to put my stuff in to wheel around lol.
Oh No! I am so sorry you all got sick! Im kinda not shocked G doesnt have it. Covid is such a weird virus. In November my entire family rented an Air B&B and went to California, my parents were the only two who masked at all, and were the only two who got covid. We shared a house and mini van all week, so we were in tight spaces!
Totally agree with this. I don't love the skyliner. Sure it is convenient and fun, but after using the monorail Id vote this down. I would have taken the boat to Hollywood over the skyliner.
Isn't it the best? So glad you liked it! We have two of them and I could not imagine traveling without them!
1,000% YES! My DD STILL talks about becoming a Princess and cannot wait to do it again!
kclark9830
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2014
Oh no, so sorry you all got sick! But I can't wait to hear more about your trip. Welcome home!
cindianne320
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2010
Oh Bummer. We are headed there in a few weeks, and really hope to avoid the Vid...
pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Welcome back!
Great!
You never can...
I guess you'll just have to go back, right?
Yep. That'll happen.
And I really think that how parents handle that can make or break a vacation for the whole family.
The Entitlement - I’ve certainly seen it before, but G was astounded at the behavior of some folks. We all paid a ridiculous amount to be there… really, sir, you’re not better than the rest of us. Neither are you, ma’am.
I hate that. I really do.
Oh, no! But I'm glad that you're all improving.
Not shocked at all. Last time there with (adult) DD... it was her favourite meal of the trip. And possibly mine as well.
SimplyGoofy
"You are not Mickey Mouse... you are a rat!"
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2011
I think after so many trips sans stroller I’m used to touring without one. I think we do look forward to being able to leave it behind.
That said, it was a very helpful “stuff” holder - especially for our water bottles and cooling gear. I only carry a small bag at Disney (it used to be a purse and now a sling bag) and I’d probably need to upgrade once we stop using a stroller. Still, not needing to wrangle that thing on transportation (or worry about stroller parking) will be nice!
Thanks! We’re actually pretty certain that G did get COVID - he just didn’t have any sinus symptoms (and possibly a low viral count) so he didn’t trip the at-home tests. He developed bad body aches and a few other symptoms and we can’t imagine it’s anything else thanks to his exposure to us.
And yes, COVID is very bizarre! We all had slightly different symptoms (L and I were the closest as we both had congestion, a fever, and a cough) but the same illness.
Certainly, it was very convenient (it worked great to get us to Topolino’s!) and was a cool way to travel, but it felt like it took a long time even if it wasn’t any longer than other transportation.
I wasn’t so sure when we first got it - it completely freaked out L and she sobbed when I tried to put her in there. I backed up and started very slowly… I acclimated her over a two-week period and that finally did the trick. Minus getting sick, she slept so well on her trip! And it was so nice not to have to sit in the dark during naps!
BBB was excellent. Our fairy godmother in training was wonderful and M loved the whole thing. I was so happy we had an appointment first thing in the morning - it went faster than their 90 minute estimate as we didn’t have to wait as long. I’d love to do it again with L (and probably M again, as she’d still be in the age range).
Thank you! Thankfully we’re all improving. M is back to normal (she had the fewest symptoms of all of us) and all L has is her occasional barky cough. G’s body aches have diminished (we decided he probably got COVID even though he didn’t trip the at-home tests) and I just have some minor congestion and cough. I took an additional test today and my positive line is barely visible - I should be good to go out and about freely tomorrow! Hooray!
Meals for kids under three are only complicated at the restaurants I mentioned. At regular TS spots where everyone orders a la carte (Skipper Canteen, Ale and Compass, etc.), we just ordered L a meal. It was super easy at the buffet and family style places, too, as we could get L her own plate or filled a plate for her from the family style platter and we didn’t have to pay for her.
The “everyone orders one entre” fixed cost TS restaurants were the only thorn. It worked fine for us as L loves mac and cheese (honestly, that’s what we ordered even at regular restaurants!), but might be tough if you had a particular kid or certain allergies. It also worked well that we had a second older kid - M shared some of her food (fruit, vegetables) with L as well.
If there’s anything else I can help with (stroller parking, rider swap, etc.), let me know! I know you have a Disney expert with you (I know Danielle will be very helpful) and you’re all Disney vets, but I’m happy to help!
Thank you so much! Thankfully we’re all feeling much better and should be able to go out and about without restrictions as of this weekend. I think L and I will have a lingering cough for a while, but other than that we’re all much better.
I have all our pictures downloaded and plan to start to the trip report next week!
SimplyGoofy
"You are not Mickey Mouse... you are a rat!"
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2011
Thank you! Thankfully, we’re all feeling much better.
I have all our pictures downloaded and plan to start the report next week!
I think it’s tough to avoid illness at Disney World. You have an advantage with older kids, but it’s tougher to avoid a respiratory virus at any age when you’re packed in with so many different people. I think it’s also the case that people keep going even if they’re not feeling 100% at Disney World (look at us!
) as you hate to waste your limited days.I also saw an article in the New York Times that COVID cases are up and expected to rise this summer. Hopefully we’ll be spared from an additional illness since we hopefully caught the current strain.
All my fingers will remain crossed for you!
Thank you!
Looking back, we really accomplished a ton despite our breaks and days off. Genie+ really helped cut our time in line and all the character meals helped us collect those signatures.
Absolutely!
Isn’t that the truth. I think we did a good job of cutting our losses and retaining fair moods (G is better than that at me, but I did well considering we were in Disney World!).
I felt terrible for the kids where parents were… not very understanding or kind. They’re kids! They’re just as (or more) tired than us and waiting is hard! One particular incident that bothered me was a little boy in line with his family at the Anna and Elsa meet and greet (our longest line). He was happy but quite rambunctious, and I think his parents were tired of his shenanigans. That said, then HAVE SOMETHING FOR HIM TO DO rather than chase after and yell at him all the time. Considering this was at 10:00 in the morning I can’t imagine how they acted toward him at 8:00 at night.
It was so much fun to see what M and L reacted to the most! In particular for L, who couldn’t use words to state her preferences… her reactions to some of the attractions were a delight to watch.
I hate that. I really do.
Perhaps I didn’t notice it to the same degree when I was there last, but it certainly seemed worse. It really bothered my husband, who hates that kind of behavior.
It was a bummer, but it was a concern I had going in that we’d come home with some sort of illness. COVID wouldn’t have been my first choice, but thankfully we’re all feeling much better.
I’ve read so many mixed reviews of CRT (the character meets are rushed/the food is terrible/it takes forever to get seated) that I had fairly low expectations. I was thrilled that the meal went so well! We were called in nearly immediately to meet Cinderella, all the princesses were very chatty, and our food was quite delicious! We’d love to go back.
pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Now if only they could make it free...
Ah well... wishful thinking.
Good for you.
<sigh>I felt terrible for the kids where parents were… not very understanding or kind. They’re kids! They’re just as (or more) tired than us and waiting is hard! One particular incident that bothered me was a little boy in line with his family at the Anna and Elsa meet and greet (our longest line). He was happy but quite rambunctious, and I think his parents were tired of his shenanigans. That said, then HAVE SOMETHING FOR HIM TO DO rather than chase after and yell at him all the time. Considering this was at 10:00 in the morning I can’t imagine how they acted toward him at 8:00 at night.
Yeah... I've seen some not so magical parental reactions.
My all time favourite memory at Disney was with my youngest DD when she was 4 and not really talking very much yet.
I do believe Disney sees those comments and when something becomes apparent, steps are taken. Tony's used to be one of the worst restaurants on property... and now it's almost a "must do" when I'm in MK. CRT was getting a lot of poor food ratings too. But now?
Well, you can answer that yourself.
Mouse Tracker
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2024
Still better than a bus.
Totally agree, which park and goals can influence the need.
Getting to be pretty common everywhere, the level of self-absorption in that type of environment is astounding.he Entitlement - I’ve certainly seen it before, but G was astounded at the behavior of some folks. We all paid a ridiculous amount to be there… really, sir, you’re not better than the rest of us. Neither are you, ma’am.
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