Disney 2012–Day 8–Magic Kingdom

Nicole and I had arranged back in the spring that our families would dine with Cinderella and Prince Charming for supper Friday evening.  That morning we called one another and decided to share the day together at the Magic Kingdom.  We met for breakfast in our resort and then made our way to the MK for a day of fun together! 
It was another hot day but Hannah wanted to wear her Cinderella costume (thanks to a kind friend for loaning it to us!) so she did.  I eventually convinced her to change into shorts and a t-shirt until it was time for us to go for supper.  She sure does look adorable though!
We rode Splash Mountain together and this time Hannah enjoyed it much more.  My little miss has a sensitive nose and unfortunately at her height she has the lap bar right in front o her face.  Being that Splash Mountain is a water ride the covering on the bar gets wet constantly and thus smells mouldy.  Poor kid!  The first time we rode it she plugged her nose the entire ride.  This time Mommy took a plastic bag and wrapped it around the bar and she enjoyed it much more.  It’s the little things that count.  Our group of 6 going down the big hill.  Can you hear us screaming?
Just before 5 we boarded the monorail and made our way to the Grand Floridian where we would dine with Cinderella and others at 1900 Park Fare.  All the kiddos dressed for the occasion!
Our one and only group shot of the entire trip.  Oops!  At least it’s a good one!
Hannah loves that there is a kiddie bar at every buffet full of yummy food she can reach herself.
Shortly after we returned to our table Cinderella, her family and Prince Charming arrived.  First to arrive was Drizella
Little I was there for the dinner too but he preferred to play hard to get!
Followed by Lady Tremaine
Cinderella was as beautiful as always and fussed over our princesses and little pirate.

Hannah and Prince Charming
The final friend to visit our table was Drizella and she was absolutely wonderful!  She was funny, chatty and had all of us laughing.  This is what happened when she asked M her favourite princess.

I think Hannah was imitating Drizella’s smile here.
Later the kiddos had an opportunity to dance with Drizella.  Look at how much fun they had!

Just a cute pic of my little princess.
After supper we hopped back on the monorail and traveled back to the Magic Kingdom for an evening of fun,
We went for a spin on Aladdin’s carpets, on a few more rides and then watched Wishes Nighttime Spectacular in front o the castle.

We boarded our bus and headed back to Pop Century.  Our kiddos at the end of a great day!  We had a wonderful time with you Nicole, Kevvie, M & I!  Thanks for sharing some of your vacation with us.  See you Saturday at gymnastics!

Disney 2012–Day 7–Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney

After changing our plans a bit due to Hurricane Isaac, Hannah and I headed to Typhoon Lagoon on Thursday, ready for a day of swimming, sun and sand!
When Hannah and I go to Disney we allow them to take care of all the transportation from the moment we land in Orlando until the moment our feet board the plane home.  Disney’s Magical Express is a free service that transports resort guests and their luggage to and from the airport.  What a treat to check our luggage in Buffalo and not see it again until it’s delivered to our resort room.  The same thing happens on the way home.
On this day like all others Hannah and I walked to the front of our resort and boarded a bus bound for Typhoon Lagoon.  It was a hot, hot, sunny day and a perfect day to spend together enjoying some water park fun!  Visiting Disney in August is not for those who are bothered by the heat.  Just standing still finds you melting in the heat and humidity that is Florida in August.  We don’t mind it though and it’s worth it to us to take advantage of their Free Dining Offer.

The majority of our pics from the day were captured on a waterproof camera but I also ventured out with my point and shoot a couple of times.
Hannah spent a good portion of the day wearing her life jacket.  She’s becoming a strong little swimmer but due to the wave pool and the waves that flow into the inlets and create strong undertows she wore it without a moments complaint. 
We went on a couple of water slides but spent the majority of the day just hanging out together in the shallow water and playing, playing, playing!  Occasionally we ventured out into the wave area but those waves were fierce and we were both more comfortable in the inlet….or floating around the lazy river that circles the perimeter of the park.  Check out the force of those waves!

Towards the end of the day Hannah decided to try out the kiddie slides where we were and quickly fell in love!  She went down them over and over and over again!  I would follow her to the line and make note of the bathing suit of the child in front of her so that I’d be close when she came down since I couldn’t see the top of the slide.  This video shows how much fun she had but also gives you a good idea of the under tows as a wave had just come in from the big pool.  Check out how much fun she was having!

Mmm…enjoying a popsicle on a hot summer’s day.

Ah, I’m melting!  Auntie M, Hannah has learned the wisdom you taught your girls.

All buses from Typhoon Lagoon go to Downtown Disney so we decided to stop there for supper and a bit of shopping.  Hannah fell asleep on the bus ride over to DD so I found a comfortable bench in the shade, pulled out a novel I’d brought for just such times and she napped for an hour or so.  A time to recharge her batteries.  Unfortunately Mommy learned the hard way that I need to ensure Hannah drinks lots of water in the heat.  In the parks we drank water constantly but I wasn’t as diligent at the water park as we were drinking apple juice and iced tea so Hannah’s tummy was a little sore when we arrived at DD.   We found a place to sit for a bit, topped up her fluids and within about 30 mins she was good to go again!
Posing with the princesses outside the big Disney store.
When we first arrived at DD and Hannah’s tummy was off we went into the Disney store to cool off while rehydrating.  She was approached by a cast member offering to sprinkle her with Pixie Dust but at the time it was just too much and brought my little sweetie to tears.  Poor little lamb.  We moved outside and found a bench to sit and cuddle while giving her sips of water and once she was better we ventured back into the store.  At this time Hannah asked to find the Pixie Dust lady and was only too happy to be sprinkled this time!

Hannah requested we go to Goofy’s Candy Store and she caught the eye of cast members there and was soon holding samples in each hand.   She was one happy little girl!  She couldn't decide which treat to try first but based on the tell tale sprinkles stuck to her adorable rosebud lips, I'm guessing the chocolate and sprinkle covered marshmallow won out.
Now, for one of those funny kiddo moments.  If you look at the picture above again you'll notice some AH-MA-ZING apples over Hannah's left shoulder.  They are granny smith apples covered in Werther's Caramels and then dipped in crushed peanuts.  Hannah and I shared one together the day prior to this while watching Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios.  While she was munching on her samples this day I ordered one of these apples sliced up.  She didn't even hesitate to call me out! 

Hannah's statement to Mommy, 'I know Mommy.  That’s your snack after I'm sleeping!' 

Heehee....I told you she was a clever little girl and oh how right she was!  These little beauties are one of Mommy's treats at Disney and I make no apologizes for them.  After walking a bunch of miles in the blazing Florida sun while often carrying an adorable little princess, these are my treat while blogging.  (My mouth is watering just looking at the picture!)

After purchasing Mommy’s indulgence we continued on.  This is a traditional picture spot for us and many others.  So traditional in fact that one of my dossier pictures that went to China was taken at this exact location!!
Our last stop of the evening was at Wolfgang Puck’s where Hannah enjoyed delicious spaghetti and Mommy a delicious pizza!Yummo!  These restaurants honour the Disney Dining Plan so these were fully covered too.  What a treat to go on vacation and not have to think about paying for food.

Can we stay at Disney?  This time together is amazing and a blessing for both of us!!!

Disney 2012–Day 6, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Part II

Deciding we’d pop back to our resort for a quick swim I did something new that worked out wonderfully.  Rather than having to take the stroller back with us which would require folding it on the buses each way and carrying it on and off, I pushed it to the restaurant where we had a supper reservation later in the day, put our backpack with stuff like a change of clothes, sunscreen, snacks, etc. in the bottom and we headed back to the resort a little lighter than normal.  Ah!  Travelling without the stroller if only for a couple of bus rides was a nice treat!  I leave our backpack of stuff below the stroller each time we go on a ride, to a show or in to a meal so I was very comfortable with this.  All important things like room keys, park passes, camera and money are carried in a fanny pack on my waist so the things in the stroller are just extras.  Also, I feel very comfortable leaving my stroller there with great confidence that nothing will be touched.
When we got to the room there was a message from our friends saying that only minutes earlier they’d headed to their pool at Art of Animation for a swim and wondered if we wanted to join them.  (There ended up being 3 families from our gymnastics club all here at the same time.  We all visit together while the kids are in their classes and it was fun to be at Disney together too even though we did most things as individual families.) 
Due to the upcoming time of our supper reservation I wasn’t going swimming and was originally just going to let Hannah play in the splash pad at our resort but instead we headed across the bridge to visit with Kim, Jason and their kiddos.  Hannah wore her water wings and they encouraged me to take some time to myself.   Ahhhhhh!  A wonderful gift.  A 30 minute break in a 10 day stretch of 1 on 1 was a wonderful treat.  I kept walking over to watch them play but it was a nice gift to have a couple of minutes to recharge my Mommy batteries.
Nemo Splash pad.  Fun!
For supper that night Hannah and I had reservations at the 50s Prime Time Cafe.  I’m sure this picture will bring back fond memories for my parents.  Hmmm…remember the olden days when we actually had to walk to the TV to change the station??  A far cry from being able to set my PVR at home sitting in this restaurant in Florida!!
I remember my parents having a table shaped something like this when I was a kid!
Even the tables are 50’s style, many of them featuring black and white TVs showing things like I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke.  The food is Mom’s home cooking style and the wait staff are hilarious.  There was one waitress feeding a dad his vegetables choo-choo train style at a table near us !  Heh! 
After supper we went to watch The American Idol Experience which was something new to both of us as and then went to Muppet Vision 3-D which is a favourite of ours.

After leaving the theatre we decided to visit with Mater and Lightening McQueen where we said ‘Hi’ for Hannah’s friend Ben.
By this time our second set of Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania were due (for those who have been to WDW in the past, Disney now honours the return times on FP’s and you must return within the printed 1 hour time frame) so we rode that
and made our way out of the park.  Another wonderful Disney day under our belts!  I’m LOVING all this one-on-one time with my girlie!!!

Disney 2012–Day 6–Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Part I

Hannah and I donned our matching t-shirts that we’d made for last year’s trip and were set for another day of fun.  Before our trip I’d had to move Hannah’s applique from a size 24 month t-shirt to a size 4!  What a difference a year makes!
We began our day with a character meal once again.  Nicole and I both found this trip that the first part of our trip was the time to book breakfasts and then as the latter part of the trip came around we moved to lunches and suppers as it became more and more challenging to wake up early in the morning and arrive in time for a breakfast reservation.  At Disney Hannah and I are on very much of a vacation time frame and bedtime is often pushed a couple of hours later than normal.  That being said I am blessed to have a daughter who will sleep when she’s tired, regardless of where she is.  This trip she slept through fireworks, parades, bus rides, boat rides and shopping at Downtown Disney.  That’s my girl! 
Upon arriving at Hollywood Studios we picked up FastPasses for Toy Story Mania (Hannah’s favourite ride of all the parks and one that she calls the ‘Pop Pop Ride!) we walked back to Hollywood and Vine and enjoyed dining with some the friends Hannah watches on Disney Junior.
Secret Agent Oso
June from The Little Einsteins
Handy Mandy
and Jake from the Neverland Pirates.

As with all of the character dinners there was an opportunity for the kids to participate.  This time Hannah enjoyed Dancing with June

After breakfast it was time to use our FastPasses and ride Toy Story Mania! 

We also watched Disney Junior – Live on Stage and Voyage of the Little Mermaid.
We also had an opportunity to visit with Buzz and Woody.  This time they had a neat area set up that allowed us to take fun pics while we waited.  Hannah had a blast using Mommy’s camera to take pics too.

Photo Fun! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Way to go photographer Hannah! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

When it was our time to visit Buzz and Woody they didn’t disappoint.  When we arrived poor Woody was slumped in the corner but thankfully with soon perked up.

At this point Hannah asked to head back to the Resort for a swim and I thought it was a great idea!  She’s one smart cookie!  Coming soon….more of our adventures at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!