We headed out last Friday when Olivia was finished with school. We were lucky enough to have Michael's parents come with us, although we ended up taking two cars. We had too much luggage and strollers in the back of the van. I thought I had packed plenty, but ended up doing laundry halfway through the week!
I have been planning this trip for 9 months (yes, NINE months!). Disney sent us a special offer off of rooms last December. Paige was a newborn and I was in the emotional mess after having a baby. When I saw the offer, I demanded we go to Disney. Luckily, Michael agreed with me and I then started researching like crazy! In addition to the room discount, we also got free dining (2 meals and 1 snack per day per person). Disney can be expensive, but I feel we got the best deal possible!
Anyway, we decided to stop halfway on Friday and it made a huge difference! We weren't exhausted when we arrived and had enough time to head to Magic Kingdom before our first dinner reservation.
I made that pillow for Olivia, but that's not how it's supposed to work, ha! We finally moved her into a booster (even though she is still only 34 pounds) and her head flops around when she falls asleep. She looked incredibly uncomfortable, so I rigged this up for her.
We stayed at Port Orleans, French Quarter and loved it. Everyone we came into contact with at Disney was so friendly. Every cast member (employee of Disney) called Olivia and Paige "Princess." Olivia ate it up!
Heading to Magic Kingdom on our first night:
We took 2 strollers, but ended up only bringing 1 in after the 2nd day. Why? Because Paige absolutely refused to ride in one. Fun times.
We had just enough time to ride It's a Small World, Peter Pan, explore the New Fantasyland and meet Ariel in her grotto.
After that, we headed to 'Ohanas in the Polynesian resort for dinner. I made all our reservations 6 months ago. These places fill up fast! I thought this meal was our best. It was one of the places where they keep bringing food until you tell them to stop! The food was great and Olivia enjoyed learning a hula dance and getting a lei.
She then drug Michael over for a father/daughter dance:
Disney is great with food allergies, too. At every meal, a chef came and asked me what foods I was avoiding, then either told me what I could eat or made something just for me. It was fantastic! The best part was knowing Paige could eat whatever I was having. She loves to eat.
Great way to start our trip!
We headed out bright and early the next morning to Hollywood Studios. September is a great month to go, because the crowds are low. I looked up the predictions on which parks were supposed to have the lowest crowds to decide which park to go to each day. Hollywood studios has lots of kid friendly shows, which Olivia loves. We let the boys go to a stunt show while the girls went to see The Little Mermaid. Then we joined back up to catch Disney Jr., have lunch, and watch Beauty and the Beast.
Papaw, Michael, and I even got to hit the "big" rides, while Mamaw stayed with the girls. It was extremely hot, so we decided to take a break back at the hotel and come back later for dinner and fireworks. We did run into Goofy on our way out:
They were both a little scared of him! Olivia got better with the characters as the week progressed. Paige? Not so much.
It was nice to take a break and go back when it was a little cooler. Waiting for dinner:
Papaw and Livi standing in front of one of the sets:
When we were walking towards the viewing area for the fireworks (which is more than fireworks- it's a whole production, with water, lights, actors, everything! It was awesome), we ran into a dance party in front of the hat:
Olivia was being a little shy at first, but finally warmed up:
One of my favorite memories!
The next morning we were back at Magic Kingdom! Waiting on the monorail:
One of the few times Paige was in the stroller! They are also sporting one of the shirts I made for them. Funny thing is, I also made matching shirts for me and Mamaw, but I accidentally shrunk them, ha!
In front of the castle:
Riding the carousel:
I can't remember these characters names, but they were hysterical! They were going on and on about "Princess" Olivia.
We hopped on It's a Small World and Peter Pan (again- Olivia's favorites!):
Paige was not as impressed:
We the headed to New Fantasyland and rode The Adventures of the Little Mermaid twice in row without waiting! By this point we were hungry. Luckily, the week before our trip, I got an email asking us to try out a Fast Pass option at the new restaurant in Belle's castle, called Be Our Guest. I ordered online for us, then we checked in at our appointed time and skipped the entire line. It was great! The new castle is awesome and the food was great!
After lunch, we headed to Tomorrowland and rode a few rides, including Buzz Lightyear:
We were pretty hot and tired by this point, so we decided to head back for a rest. We had a big night planned at Cinderella's Royal Table...
To be continued!!
