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Disney Springs with the Baby

3/20/2019

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I've been in that new mom fog... feeling trapped in my house, lonely, bored, covered in baby vomit. One day, when I could stand it no longer, I called my sister and asked if she'd be interested in meeting up at Disney Springs one day soon. As luck would have it, she and her wife had a Disney trip planned for the near future, and they'd be thrilled to spend a day at Disney Springs with us. YAY!
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We picked an excellent day. The weather was perfect - a cool breeze, not too hot, not too cold. The spring break crowds had not yet descended on Walt Disney World. Seriously, I don't know how or why, but it worked out better than I could have hoped. 

I knew it was going to be a good day when we pulled into the parking garage and there were plenty of spots available on the second level (this is the level with the pedestrian bridge to get into Disney Springs). We parked and waited for my sisters. 

Once my sisters arrived, we all headed toward the World of Disney store. This might be my favorite store at Disney Springs. It's enormous. Reagan was on the hunt for a new backpack bag to use as her everyday bag. 
Both boys hated it. Riley is always a pill when we are shopping - even shopping at Disney. Remy wanted to be held the entire time. He would have none of his stroller. While Jackie and Meghan were in line to purchase stuff, I took my babies outside. Riley said, "You know, Disney has the best popcorn." So naturally, we had to buy some. 

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Port Orleans Riverside

9/17/2018

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As I told you before, my husband asked me to book a room at Disney for our family. Whenever I make a Disney reservation of any kind, I call. Yes, you can book online... But I MUCH prefer to call and speak with someone. The cast members on the phone are incredibly helpful. They will search multiple dates, resorts and all sorts of combinations of Disney fun for you. When you call, make sure you ask for a Florida Resident or Annual Passholder discount (if you fall into either category). 
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So I called. It was between 2 nights at one of the All Stars (which are meh in my honest opinion) and 1 night at Port Orleans Riverside. I ran it by the hubs and he opted for Port Orleans. I was happy with his choice.

Port Orleans is an excellent Resort. It's near Epcot and Disney's Old Key West Resort. The Resort offers bus transportation to all the Parks and boat service to Disney Springs. 

There are two "sides" to the Resort - the Riverside and the French Quarter. They each have their own lobbies, gift shops, sets of eateries and pools. And the themes are different. The French Quarter is brightly colored, the outside of buildings resembles architecture from Bourbon Street. Basically, it's Mardi Gras every day at the French Quarter. 

We stayed on the Riverside. I prefer this one. It is a nod to the beautiful southern, grand plantations you find in the South. The cafeteria has a large mill on the outside, I suppose to resemble an old sugar mill. My kiddos love this one. And here, if you ask for it, you can book a room with some Tiana magic (complete with a light-up headboard). 
I've stayed at Port Orleans several times. It is one of my mom's preferred Resorts. And we have eaten here on numerous occasions - the first night we all arrived in Orlando for my sister's Disney wedding, when I brought the kids up last summer for a spontaneous day trip, and much more). But this was Stu's first time sleeping here, so it was a nice treat. I highly recommend this Disney Resort. 
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Post-Labor Day Vacay

9/7/2018

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About a month ago I received the greatest text message from my husband. It said, "Call and get a room at Disney for sometime in early September." In the 14 years Stu and I have been together, this is the second time he has ever initiated a Disney trip (The first was our 1st wedding anniversary. He surprised me with a room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.). Anyway, I called him right away to make sure he hadn't been hacked. 

Then I booked our trip and began counting down the days. For this mini vacay, we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. It's a gorgeous resort. 
We drove up on Tuesday (day after Labor Day) morning and headed straight for the Magic Kingdom. The kids had picked out Fast Passes ahead of time. The first was for Space Mountain at noon. 

The drive up was easy. Actually, it was incredible. The traffic was nearly nonexistent on the Turnpike. The funniest part was that Riley fell asleep in the backseat. I cannot remember the last time he slept in the car - including the drives from North Carolina and Tennessee. Crazy. 
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He woke up just as we exited the highway. 
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Epcot, Finally

5/23/2018

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Finally because, as you know from my previous post, I had entertained the idea of hitting Epcot first. Oh well, better late than never. 

And actually, I kind of mislead you. We have one brief stop to make. We spent about an hour at the pool. Coronado Springs Resort has an excellent pool area called The Dig Site. Reagan and I discovered it on our December trip. She raved about the slide for months. Now it was time to introduce it to her bro. Stu chilled in the pool. I reclined on a lounge chair, as is my usual poolside custom. It didn't take long for my skin to feel the effects of the blazing Florida sun. I called it quits at an hour. Buddy returned to the room with me. I left in the nick of time... one more minute and I would have become a painful tomato. 
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Ok, NOW Epcot.


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Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue

5/5/2018

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One of our favorite dinner spots at Walt Disney World is definitely the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. The food is great. The show is amazing. The ambiance is playful. 

Our most recent trip to Disney World was to celebrate my husband's 40th birthday. Perhaps you read about his poopy birthday party already. We had fun celebrating at home. But I am ALWAYS up for any excuse to head to Orlando. And a 40th birthday is nothing to shrug off and let simply pass by. I booked us a room at Coronado Springs Resort and got a table at the Hoop Dee Doo. 
*I've written about Coronado Springs before. We stayed there in December 2017. I'll be posting about our experience this time later. 
We drove our car from our hotel to the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. From the Outpost we hoped on a Disney bus and rode it down to the settlement. For the first time ever, in our Disney experience, everything went without a hitch and we made it to Pioneer Hall in record time... which meant we had an excess of time to kill before we needed to check in. Luckily, there is a playground. 

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Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2017

12/11/2017

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This year, Reagan's birthday is going to be overtaken by a cousin's wedding. So we went to Disney early in December to celebrate! This was the first time we had been to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We've been at Walt Disney World for Christmas festivities a handful of times in the past - including actually being there when Santa came (the two images below are from 12/25/10 at the Magic Kingdom)!

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Magic Kingdom - October 2017

10/19/2017

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It feels like we were just here... maybe because we were. 

Perhaps my goal should be to hit up at least one of the Disney theme parks each month for the duration of our passes. What do you think?
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Anyway, the kids had Monday off. Teacher workday. I scheduled some FastPasses and we headed up to the Magic Kingdom. Our first FP+ was for the Haunted Mansion. I was super bummed we didn't ride it in September, so I made sure it was on our list this time. This is one of my absolute favorite rides. 
Haunted Mansion

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Magic Kingdom - September 2017

10/5/2017

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We rested for a bit in the hotel room. Epcot was fun, but we needed a recharge before heading into the Magic Kingdom for the night. 
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From the All Star Resorts, you can take a Disney bus to any of the Parks (including the water parks and Disney Springs). We waited for the Magic Kingdom one. 

The buses always remind me of little Riley... he was utterly OBSESSED with them. We had to ride one, even if we had no real purpose in doing so. He just loved to be on them, around them, shouting when we saw them. 
Disney World buses
Here's Riley freaking out over his toy buses. We used to buy these every single time we came. At one point, we owned a fleet of Disney buses.
Disney World bus
He is literally jumping and squealing in excitement for this bus.
Alright, enough cute young Riley for now. 

*sigh* The Magic Kingdom in the fall is so beautiful. I love all the pumpkins and fall leaves. If only the temperature would cooperate and drop a few degrees...
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There was a snafu with our Magic Bands at the gate. Something went terribly wrong at the hotel check in... Somehow, my sister-in-law was checked in and Stu was left off. And the rest of us were wearing the wrong bands. We put the Bands in my bag and used our Annual Pass cards to gain entry and for our FP+. No worries. 
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Since you are only allowed 3 FastPasses per day and we used 2 at Epcot, our only one left was for Buzz Lightyear. That's Riley's favorite ride (next to Splash Mountain - which is currently closed for refurbishment) at MK. And Buzz ALWAYS has a long line. Anyone can ride it, kids love it, grown ups like it... plan to wait or FastPass this ride. 
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After Stu beat us all on Buzz, we went over to Space Mountain. The standby was ridiculously short, like 30 maybe. And Riley was game to try it. But, as we slowed down in line, he said he needed to go to the bathroom. So, he and I walked out in search of a potty. 

Stu and Reagan had a great time. Space Mountain is her favorite ride here. 

While we waited, Riley and I rode the PeopleMover. This is one of my MUST dos. I love this ride. There is very rarely a line for it. It is long (8 minutes) and it is relaxing. Some of the funniest and best photos we have are from this ride. Want to see some? 
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
This is from this trip. Riley was shouting HELLO and waving to all the people below. I love this one because he is so happy and carefree.
TTA PeopleMover
Reagan and Aunt Jackie
Walt Disney World
Riley, this trip. This pose is a family requirement.
Magic Kingdom
The photo that started it all - Reagan is one.
That was fun. Good times. Now, back to the present. 

We met up with Stu and Reagan. By this time, it was getting kind of late, so we went to the Starlight Cafe for dinner. It's across from the Tomorrowland Speedway. Riley had a tiny meltdown while waiting for the food. He told me he was done and just wanted to go back to the room. 
Magic Kingdom
Dinner in Tomorrowland
Dinner perked him up though. So we powered through. Both kids wanted to drive the race cars on the Speedway. The standby line was about 30 minutes. We went for it. This was BY FAR the funniest thing we did the entire trip. Reagan and Stu were in the first car. Riley and I right behind. Riley could not see the road ahead, he had no idea there was a rail keeping all the cars in specific lanes. He kept trying to pass Stu and Reagan, which would smash us into the center rail and cause our car to jerk around. I think my back cracked a dozen times. I laughed the entire time. Riley screamed and yelled and laughed the whole time. Luckily, Stu had the foresight to video it:
Reagan and I rode Space Mountain together. Riley was tired and did not feel like trying anything else new. So he and Stu hung out. They went on Buzz again (no line because people were at the castle waiting for the fireworks), then they watched the fireworks from the PeopleMover. 
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Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom
And that pretty much ended our night. We left just as they were doing the slide show on the castle (that's super cool to see, if you haven't seen it before, plan to at least once). The bus was packed, but we made it. 

It did not take long for the little Stus to pass out after their showers. Now it's time to rest up and get ready for Animal Kingdom! 
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Perhaps you'd like to read one of these:

Mini Golf, Disney Style

Disney with Your Special Needs Child

Living It Up - Hollywood Style

And please don't forget to vote & vote often. 
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Epcot - September 2017

10/3/2017

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Every single time we go, we have fun. Every single time we find something new to do. This trip was like Riley's first time... he experienced a world of new rides, new resort, new food. 
Epcot at Walt Disney World
This trip was simple:
  • Drive to Epcot on Monday morning. 
  • Pick up our Passes.
  • Ride some stuff (we FastPassed a few things).
  • Check into the All Star Sports Resort.
  • Go to the Magic Kingdom for dinner and more rides. 
  • Sleep.
  • Wake up early, get to the Animal Kingdom in hopes of making it on one of the new Avatar rides. 
  • Ride more stuff at Animal Kingdom. 
  • Eat lunch outside of the Parks and head home. 

Not a bad trip, right?

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Ft Wilderness Amenities

9/1/2016

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As you know, we LOVE staying in the cabins at Fort Wilderness. This Disney Resort has so many incredible things to offer families. 

​Food Options

One of the best things about staying at Fort Wilderness is the plethora of grub options. We typically pack several coolers and bring a pantry full of goodies. Each cabin has a full kitchen, including an oven/microwave combo and an outdoor grill. So making your own dinner is totally doable. You can bring eggs and milk to keep in the fridge and make a delicious breakfast when your kiddos wake up at 5am like ours. 
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Don't fret if you forget to pack something. There is an Outpost store on the Resort Property. You can ride your golf cart or a bus to pick up any essentials. Or, you can get in your vehicle and drive off Disney property... there are several Publixes within a few miles. 
You're on vacation, and you do not want to cook? No problem. There is no shortage of eateries at this Resort. 
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Screenshot for you. Click to be taken to the Resort page on MyDisneyExperience.
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Stu, Rea and the birthday girl chow down at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. That silver bucket holds the salad. Yum.
We LOVE Trail's End Restaurant. There have been many important family moments celebrated there. It is the absolute favorite of my youngest sister. And we took her there for her 21st birthday celebration (yes, we had a sisters' weekend at Disney to celebrate turning 21).  This place is buffet-style, all-you-can-eat, down-home delicious, southern grub. And the sweet tea is perfectly sweet. 
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Stu kids and Grammie at Trail's End.
The Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue is an experience. It is expensive, but it's something everyone should do at least once. It's dinner and a show. Dinner is table service and served family-style, which means everyone shares the grub. Here, you'll get the same, delicious, down-home cookin' you can find at Trail's End. We have been a handful of times to the Hoop-Dee-Doo, it's probably our second favorite place to eat. 
Mickey's Backyard BBQ is the BEST character dining experience at Disney. Yes, you can quote me on that. Yes, there are other great places to go and get up close and personal with the characters, but nothing like this. 
This BBQ is held outside, under a large pavilion. The dinner is served buffet-style (same food as the above spots). The food is so yummy. The tables are incredibly long picnic tables, and families are seated by Disney staff upon arrival. There is a stage and a few "dance spots." Once everyone has had a bit of time, the characters come out. You'll find Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale. They don't make the rounds as they do elsewhere. Here, they dance. And kids are encouraged to go dance with the characters. The characters are out for long periods of time and, trust me, you will have plenty of interaction with them. It's awesome. 
The Backyard BBQ is not available every night. They only run Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from now (Sept) through December. Then they drop down to Thursdays and Saturdays. This is a seasonal restaurant, the weather effects its dates of availability. Remember, I told you this was outside. You can always call Disney to ask questions, or to book (up to 180 in advance). 
You will NOT be disappointed.
For dining reservations and questions, call (407)WDW-DINE. 
You can book 180-days in advance.
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