We’ve just returned from our week-long vacation at Disney World! While it was tons of fun, there is nothing like coming home to your own bed, more specifically – the babies own bed! You know how I’ve talked about how E is such a wonderful traveler and adventurer? Well, apparently she doesn’t like Flordia. We had one tough week with that little cookie. She definitely gave my sanity a run for it’s money, but we still managed to have some fun and made lots of family memories.
This was a big family trip as we were traveling with my in-laws (both of E’s grandparents, aunt, and uncle). We stayed in a nice big suite with a full kitchen, dining room, and a balcony with a view of the fireworks each night! It was really nice and it was wonderful to be able to cook some of our own meals instead of eating out all of the time.
We flew in late Saturday and got to the resort on Sunday. We got settled in and did some grocery shopping at the busiest Wal-mart I have ever seen! You would have thought the world was ending and people were scavenging for whatever they could grab. It was nuts.
On Monday, we did a little lounging in the lazy river and then went shopping at the outdoor mall, Disney Springs. It was SO hot! We didn’t make it very long. We stopped at the Lego store and built our little Lego figure family, got a cupcake from the cupcake ATM at Sprinkles, some Starbucks and headed back to the resort. My husband and I are not really big shoppers and it was so hot for E (and me – I don’t do heat well). Luckily, after we left, the grandparents picked up a cute Mickey Mouse stroller fan that we were able to use the rest of the week. A stroller fan is a must in that heat!
On Tuesday, we started the day at Epcot. We rode the Finding Nemo ride (E’s first amusement ride!) and looked at the fish in the aquarium. It was so fun to watch her take it all in and wave at all the fish. It wasn’t much longer before the heat started to get to the cranky baby and the throwing shoes tantrums started to happen. We decided we weren’t ready to commit to the “walk around the world” and turned back while everyone else stayed to check it out. I was starting to realize Disney World with a one-year-old looks a lot different!
After a little afternoon rest and a swim, we met back up at Hollywood Studios in the evening. We watched a couple of shows, got some dinner, rode some rides, caught the fireworks and left with the masses when the park closed. I liked Hollywood Studios because it was a lot smaller and the rides were a lot of fun!
On Wednesday the guys all went to play golf and the girls stayed back. We went for a swim, but E was pretty cranky from the late night and she wasn’t really feeling it. She ended up falling asleep on me and we got some lunch.
That night, we went to Medieval Times for dinner and that was a blast! E was so pumped. She was clapping and squealing and pointing. She also loved the chicken dinner. She will hardly ever eat meat so I was surprised!
On Thursday, we planned to go to The Magic Kingdom later in the day in the hopes to avoid some of the heat. We hung out at the resort that morning and explored a little.
Unfortunately, it was pretty rainy that afternoon (more than just the daily rain shower) and it was super humid! We had a few hiccups getting started in the park, but I was hopeful for some good behavior since she slept all afternoon right up until we left! We got to ride some rides with her and she did pretty well in the beginning. Like any one-year-old, she sure does not like waiting in lines! My favorite ride was the Dumbo ride with my little family! It was also neat because they had a play area inside for the kids and called you up when it was time to get in line for your ride.
Of course, we had to get some Mickey Ears! We squeezed in a few more rides before the little one was done-zo.
The park started to get really crowded and hard to maneuver when they started blocking things off for the parade and the fireworks. This was also right around the time E was starting to get cranky because she was tired. I hoped and hoped she would fall asleep in her stroller, but alas, that doesn’t happen every easy. We tried to find a place for dinner while navigating the crowds and my frustration, anxiety, lack of sleep, and exhaustion from the week got the best of me and mommy needed a time out.
I did end up checking out the Baby Care station and nursed E in a recliner in a nice air conditioned room. They also had a little kitchen, highchairs, and a diaper changing room. It was a pretty nice place away from all of the crazy for a little break.
Although the break didn’t help much, as you might have been able to tell from the child in the stroller who I had to take off with as she reached maximum scream-age at this point! She finally, FINALLY, fell asleep and I got a Mickey pretzel and some cheese. I sat down on the curb by myself in front of Cinderella’s castle while I tried to collect my marbles. What a day! We all did meet up again and were able to snag some great pictures in front of the castle while E was passed out in her stroller!
On Friday, everyone went to Universal Studios, but we decided to hang back. We took a trip to the Orlando Science Center (hello air conditioning!) and E had a blast running around! She had spent a lot of time in her stroller during the week so she was happy to be able to roam free.
For dinner, we went to the world’s largest entertainment McDonald’s, Epic McDonald’s. And guess what I had?! Pasta! From McDonald’s, on a glass plate, with a real fork! It was actually really delicious. They had pizza on their menu as well and touch screen kiosks that you could customize your burger. They also had a pretty nice dessert selection with hand dipped ice cream and cakes! Upstairs, they have an arcade and a huge play place. I’d have to say, it was pretty epic, for a McDonald’s.
Saturday was our last full day and that morning, my husband and I went out on an airboat adventure! We saw a couple of young alligators and some other wildlife. I also got to hold a small alligator. It was a lot of fun!
We took it easy the rest of the day and headed home on Sunday. It was quite a trip and on the way home we all agreed maybe we won’t go back to Disney in the summer!
We definitely had a challenging week with our little girl, but I don’t blame her much. It was so hot and our schedule was all wonky. She normally runs our show but since it wasn’t just the three of us most of the time, it was hard to do that. She did have a blast seeing her Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle every day! I think she still feels a little attention deprived after a week with everyone! We are grateful to have spent that time with our family this past week, but like they say, there is no place like home 🙂
Girl, you are brave taking a one year old to Disney! I can’t even imagine! It looks like you got a lot in, and had some fun. 🙂 We are hoping to take the girls when they are a bit older (read: I don’t have to stress about naps).
Yes! Naps were definitely the biggest issue! We did have a good time, but it will be awhile before we see Disney again!!