Before our magical vacation could begin, we had to travel by plane (2 planes to be exact) from OKC to Orlando and...oh how we love traveling with a 2 year old! You can be as prepared as possible (DVDs, snacks, games, loveys, drinks, stickers....) and still flying with a 2 year old is unpredictable.
Reese was scared on the first set of flights. I didn't see this coming. She wanted to sit on my lap, but for take off and landing this is a no-no, so basically she screamed from the moment she was placed in her own seat until we got up in the air and were able to hold her. Good times.
We got all kinds of looks from our fellow passengers--the "I feel for you look", the "shut that kid up" look, the "my kid will/would never act like that" look (from the childless folk), and the "how come I always get stuck riding next to the screaming child" look. Again, good times!
So we finally make it to the Orlando Airport, hopped on the Disney Magical Express Bus, and arrived at the Bay Lake Towers. I had never stayed at the Bay Lake Towers. They are kinda new-ish suite style rooms that have a mini washer and dryer and a separate living area, kitchen, and master bedroom. Originally, I thought I would rather stay somewhere else, but it ended up being the perfect place to stay this trip. We used the washer/dryer almost daily, we were a 5 minute WALK to the Magic Kingdom, had easy access to the monorail, and Reese really enjoyed the resorts swimming pool and splash pad area.
The first night we ate dinner at 'Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. Joe and I had eaten here before, so we knew it would be yummy. Plus, I love, love, LOVE this resort, so I always make sure to book this reservation. It might just be my favorite. Dinner is served family style and it's all you can eat. 'Nuff said--right? Pregnancy + All you can eat = heaven. There is bread, salad, dumplings, chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, noodles, sauteed vegetables, and bread pudding/ice cream for dessert. The servers just keep coming to your table with more and more food. This is a must do every trip!
These aren't great pictures (I realize) but it gives us a good memory of our first dinner at WDW. We all look pretty tired after our full travel day. Reese is yawning...yeah we pretty much ate, unpacked, bathed, and went to sleep that first night.
After all, we had to get our sleep for...
Day 1
We walked our 5 minutes to the Magic Kingdom park.
First stop was Chateau's to get Reese her first set of Mickey Ears.
I felt like a kid again when I walked up Main Street and saw Cinderella's Castle in the distance.
There is something magical about this castle.
Then it was time to go inside the castle for breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. The food was just okay, however the atmosphere was wonderful. You're treated like royalty (they call you king, queen, princess) and the princesses come to visit you at your table while you eat. We got our picture taken with Cinderella before breakfast
and then during our meal we were able to meet Jasmine, Ariel, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.
After breakfast, Reese and I rode the Carousel per her request. We rode on the bench. She never rides the horses. She only likes to ride in the bench or "peacock". The OKC Zoo has a bench that is in the shape of a peacock, so that's what she calls it. I always ask her if she'd like to ride the horses, but she always says, "No, peacock." I don't pressure her. Whatever makes her comfortable and happy is fine by me.
Next up was a 10 minute 3D movie called Mickey's Phillharmagic. It really is a cute show. Reese wore her 3D glasses for about the first 20 seconds (or so) then refused to put them back on. She still laughed and enjoyed the show even without being able to see it in 3D. She would shout out character names that she saw.
I was surprised she got as much out of it as she did since she wasn't wearing the glasses, but whatever works! Joe and I both liked it in 3D.
It's a Small World was a ride I was sure Reese would love and she did.
After the ride I asked Reese if she liked it and she said, "again!" Joe and I were happy she enjoyed it, but man that song stays in your head for a while! It's a small world after all...It's a small world after all...
We had gotten a fast pass to ride Peter Pan's Flight. Apparently, this ride is pretty popular. We thought it was a cute ride, but it was very short overall. Reese seemed to like it okay. Not as much as the carousel or It's a Small World boat ride, but hey--every ride can't be your favorite.
Minnie and Mickey's "Dream Away" Show started as soon as we left Fantasy Land, so we decided to watch it. It's nice to stumble upon shows at just the right time. This was Reese's first glimpse at Minnie and Mickey Mouse. It kept her interest.
We decided to walk back to the resort for a swim and a nap, but not before letting Reese experience her first Mickey chocolate ice cream bar. There was no good way to feed it to her, so we just gave it to her and said have at it.
Before
What were we thinking? Anyhoo, she had fun with it and enjoyed the bit she got into her mouth. It was actually a pretty easy clean up, too (despite what the bottom picture shows).
We spent some time swimming at the pool and then headed up to nap before our evening festivities.
We all enjoyed the nap.
The evening was spent at Hollywood Studios. We ate at Mama Melrose's. We signed up to do dinner and the Fantasmic Show. The major perk is that you get a pass to the Fantasmic Show which lets you enter earlier than the rest of the park goers wanting to watch it, too.
I chose this restaurant because Reese loves pasta. Anytime I ask her what she wants to eat at a restaurant or at home she almost always says "pasta."
See what I mean? LOVES pasta!
After dinner, (but before the Fantasmic Show) we went on The Great Movie Ride.
Now, I remembered bits of this ride, but had totally forgotten the Alien movie part where the alien tries to attack you from the ceiling. This scared poor Reese and she kept saying, "All done!" "All done!" I was sorry I took her on it. I hated to see her upset. We made it through though and she wasn't too traumatized in the end.
While Joe used his fast passes for The Rockin' Rollercoaster and The Tower of Terror, Reese and I watched The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. This is such a cute show. They have glow in the dark puppets and Ariel sings. We both really enjoyed it. Mother-Daughter time at its' best.
We ended our first day watching Fantasmic. This is an absolute great outdoor show. We bought Reese a light up spin toy and some popcorn and we were set. She seemed interested in the show overall, however, in the end Mickey is surrounded by fire and this visibly upset Reese. She said, "No, Mickey! Nooo!" I tried to explain to her that Mickey was okay, but tears still formed in her eyes. It might have been a combination of tiredness and not being able to fully understand what was going on. Either way her reaction was kinda sweet and kinda sad, too. In the end, evil is conquered (whew) and a bunch of Disney characters come out singing on boats, so at least we ended Fantasmic on a good note.
Needless to say we were all tired on our first full day.
We rested up to get ready for WDW Day 2.
Stay tuned!
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