We drove up around lunch on Friday. Caroline took a great nap, then woke up in time to terrorize a Dunkin Donuts, and then watched The Little Mermaid until we arrived in Lake Buena Vista. Caroline loves Sebastian. Every time he comes on screen, she points at him. When King Tritan yells at Sebastian, Caroline screams at King Tritan. When the chef tries to cook Sebastian, Caroline screams at the chef. It's hilarious. We tried to find her a stuffed Sebastian at Disney with no luck. Poor Caroline.
When we got to Lake Buena Vista, we checked into our hotel (the Hilton because we're swanky like that), got settled, and then drove to the hotel where Josh's parents are staying. They were thrilled to see little Caroline and she was happy to see them, too. She decided they were her BFF's within minutes. We all went to Downtown Disney together for a wonderful dinner. We ate at Fulton's Crab House which, as you can see on the website, is a restaurant inside a giant boat. I had a glass of sauvignon blanc and the shrimp scampi - delish! Caroline had water, a lot of crackers with cream cheese herb spread, some bread, and an amazing look bowl of macaroni and cheese. The best part of her macaroni and cheese? The goldfish (the snack, not the actual fish) on top - she gobbled them up!
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| I spy a sweet girl soaring through the crowds <3 |
Saturday was Magic Kingdom day! We got there bright and early, ready to make the most of the day. When we got inside, Caroline immediately made friends with Goofy. As you can see, she was very confused.
Once we got acquainted with Goofy, we headed straight to Cinderella's Castle. Every little girl wants to rush to the castle, right? We lucked out because right as we got there, a show was starting. Caroline loved the show. She waved at the characters and danced to the music.
Once we were done seeing the Castle, we headed to Prince Charming's Carousel. What better first ride for our girl than a Disney classic? Barb and I waited in line with her while Josh stood by with the camera ready. Caroline watched the carousel go round and round. Once she figured out how this whole "wait in line to get on the ride" thing worked, and saw that she was in line to get on a horse, she tried to wiggle out of my arms to run up to the horses. Oh dear. Once we got on the ride, she and I got on our horse and off we went. She had a blast! She was smiling and laughing. It was an amazing first ride experience for her. I was so proud of her :)
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| After the ride we became Minnie Mouse. Clearly she was thrilled to have something on her head, ugh. |
Our next ride was a big girl ride… The Haunted Mansion! The Brians are a horror-loving crew and Caroline had to be initiated. Thank goodness for FastPass because we got right to the front of the line. She sat in my lap (they don't warn you about how low the safety bars go and poor thing got squished, but she didn't seem to mind) and was SO GOOD the entire ride. It's so dark in there I couldn't see her face to decide if she enjoyed the ride, but she didn't cry so it must have been okay!
After The Haunted Mansion, it was definitely lunch time for Caroline (and me, duh). We ate at The Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant. The chicken caesar salad was actually quite tasty and Caroline seemed to enjoy her cheese pizza.
We then headed to Fantasyland again (FastPass makes your schedules crazy and adds to lots of extra walking #firstworldproblems) because it was time for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. We rode in a honey pot and traveled through a Winnie the Pooh book. Caroline cuddled with daddy this time. She seemed to enjoy the ride. It had some crazy dream sequence similar to the creepy sequence in Dumbo; Josh decided the dream sequence in Winnie the Pooh was far scarier than The Haunted Mansion ride.
After the Winnie the Pooh ride it was definitely time for a Caroline nap. We put her in her stroller she fell asleep almost immediately. We split up from Josh's parents for a bit to do our own things. They rode Space Mountain while we relaxed in the shade with Caroline for a bit, got some delicious ice cream, and caught a bit of a parade from Frontierland after she woke up! We then took her to the Casey Jr. Splash n' Soak Station, where kids can play in a water-based play area. It was a good opportunity for her to walk around for a bit without being in the way of thousands of people. She didn't show much interest in playing in the water but loved watching the older kids run around. It was definitely a good choice for her!
We then met up with the Brians for an early dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, which is a family-style restaurant in Liberty Square. They sat us in the Jefferson Room; so fitting for me since I'm from a half-UVA family! We had salad, rolls (Caroline loved them), turkey, beef, pork, stuffing, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese (Caroline ate most of it), green beans, mashed potatoes, and something for dessert that I didn't have. It was yummy! Caroline made a huge mess with her macaroni and cheese so please note the outfit change that took place; oh Caroline.
After dinner we headed to Fantasyland once again (no wonder my legs are so sore) and rode on Under The Sea, the Little Mermaid ride. Caroline squeezed into my lap and we rode a giant clam shell through the story of The Little Mermaid. She seemed to enjoy the ride. It was a great ride (the giant Ursula is the greatest thing I saw all day) and she got to see her beloved Sebastian in action!
We then headed to another Brian Family favorite, Pirates of the Caribbean! Unfortunately, we hit this ride without a FastPass and Caroline was not a fan of the line. She was a bit of a fussy mess but we survived. She wasn't scared on this ride either and even handled the small dip into the water (and the slight splash) like an absolute champ. She's officially a pirate!
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| I don't know why her eyes look like that - she looks like a different baby with light eyes! |
After Pirates of the Caribbean she started acting sleepy again. I volunteered to walk her around and see if she would nap, while Josh and his family headed over to Thunder Mountain. Caroline and I used that opportunity to get her Mickey Mouse Ears! She earned her ears so they are even embroidered with her name; perfect!
I then met up with the Brians again and we decided to hop on It's a Small World After All before the electrical parade started. Caroline loved the ride. She sat in her Papa's lap and just looked around in amazement. Her favorite three rides: Prince Charming's Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and It's a Small World After All.
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| That belly was the star of the show! |
After the parade, we moved to view the fireworks. I picked that time of all times to try to find a bathroom, not knowing the basically usher you around and set up barricades. I got completely separated and couldn't get back to the group, so I watched the fireworks alone. Le sigh. They were still beautiful even from my lonely, partly blocked spot. I then had to fight the swarms of people to make it back to the group after the show as over. Picture thousands of tourists trying to leave the park while you're just trying to make it back to your family. Ugh, too bad I couldn't get my hands on a glass of wine at that moment because I needed one. Darn you Disney and your rules!
Anywho, after seeing the mass of people leaving and knowing Caroline would soon be back to snoozing (she woke up and saw some of the fireworks), we decided to hang around the park a bit longer. Josh's parents volunteered to watch Caroline while we rode Space Mountain. We endured the 45 minute wait (which began around 11:00pm, way past my bedtime) and had a blast on the ride! It was worth the wait to get my one roller coaster ride in.
We then walked to the bus area to hop on the shuttle back to the Brians' hotel. Caroline had to get out of her stroller, so I grabbed her and we cuddled on the bus. We then said goodnight and headed back to our hotel, got Caroline to bed, and then collapsed. Such a fun, exhausting day! We had SO much fun!
Sunday, we checked out of the hotel, had breakfast, walked around Downtown Disney a bit, and then went to the Brians' hotel again for some quality pool time! Caroline looked like such a babe in her tankini swimsuit. She wasn't so fond of the floating, but loved playing on the steps, climbing on the steps, and sitting on the steps. After the pool she took a nap in the Brians' hotel room, and then we hit the road.
It was a wonderful weekend and an amazing experience! I'm so glad Caroline got to enjoy Disney World. I doubt she'll really remember much, if anything, but that just gives us an excuse to go back! :)
