Disney World 2019

Going to Disney World this month was one of the best experiences for our little family!  You often hear people talk about how much work it is, how expensive it is, how tiring it is, and the biggest one- “the kid(s) are too little to remember it later, so we’ll wait until they’re older.”

I want to immediately say we disagreed with all of that, especially the part about a kid being too little/young to remember the trip.  That much is true, but honestly- Will and I had enough fun making memories and seeing her face light up that we didn’t care if she wouldn’t remember.  The immediate moments were still fun and they are memories that WE will always have, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Disney World CAN be expensive, so if you are contemplating a trip, I urge you to take the time to truly plan your trip and explore the many different ways you can save money.  If any of you know me, you know I am a bargain hunter and love a good deal.  I mean, basically everything Annabelle owns is bought second hand and all of our furniture is mostly hand-me-downs or from estate sales and we fix it or paint it, or I just wait until I can get something on sale or bargain for it!  Disney World is easily the same way, with a little patience and a lot of searching! Will and I budget EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR that we bring in to some part of our lifestyle- and we try to save as much as possible.  One of Will’s favorite stories to share from when I was pregnant with Annabelle is that I accidentally burned dinner one night, it was late, I was tired, super pregnant, and he came home from working.  I was MAD.  He threw out some ideas for food and I just kept telling him nope, it wasn’t in the budget, we weren’t going out.  Seriously- it was to get tacos from Taco Bell, that’s it- but boy, I was going to stay in budget!  (Don’t worry- we ended up eating Taco Bell, and all is fine in the world right now.)  I just throw this ridiculous story out there to say, budgeting and saving makes things like this once in a while so much easier.  We don’t go on trips aside from family visits, and since we live in a tiny town, we don’t spend much money on doing things outside of the house or eating out, and that takes a big chunk of most people’s money on a weekly basis!  Next tip- and ONLY if you are responsible enough to pay it off each month- we use a credit card to buy the things we do need, therefor earning lots of points every month that we have never spent on anything! You lose a lot of points spending them directly with Disney or on the flights to Disney, however- the loophole that we found was to spend our points on buying Sam’s Club gift cards first!  We then took the Sam’s Club gift cards and bought Disney gift cards in bulk, but in the smallest amounts possible- so like packs of $25.00 gift cards.  Disney only lets you redeem ONE gift card at a time, so this is where the patience comes in- applying one gift card, checking out, and starting over.  BUT, if it meant saving money, we did it- and guess what, it wasn’t that hard!  SO, all that to say- if your reasoning to not do a Disney trip once is the expense, explore your options- it just may take a little work!  We’re glad we did it!

As for how much work it takes and how tiring it is- it is! It’s Disney World, not a relaxing, sit on the beach all day and read vacation.  However, YOU make it as busy and as filled as you choose.  I’m part of a Disney mom’s group on Facebook and learned so many tips on there!  Will and I also knew that taking a 16 month old and me, being 30 weeks pregnant, was going to cut in to what we could do.  I googled and searched in depth about each of the parks.  With our circumstances, Magic Kingdom alone was our best bet- so we had three park days in Magic Kingdom, and it was perfect.  There was plenty for me and Annabelle Grace to ride and see, and that’s where our time went.  We also decided to do her nap in our room each day- so yes, we left the park every day for a few hours, but it made the afternoons and next days a lot better since she was well-rested.  Will and I are usually pretty willing to give up time doing anything for our kid to get a solid nap or night of sleep, and it ALWAYS serves us well.  Plus, the little chance to sit down was good for me too!  I never once had my feet swell or hurt and we clocked close to 20,000 steps each day!  I could go in depth about our meal choices, fast passes, and more, and if you have any questions about any of that, let me know!  Otherwise- time for the fun part- the trip itself with pictures!!

This trip to Disney World was Annabelle Grace’s FIRST flight! such a big, fun deal!

Annabelle Grace got to meet the pilot on the first flight and got her first set of wings! I was trying to hold her and a diaper backpack and obviously took a horrible picture, but who cares!

She really did SO well, especially on the first leg of our flight!  Our flight on the way there had one layover in Atlanta, and it wasn’t a long one.  We got off the plane and found food and were headed to our gate to eat and wait for our next flight…. Just imagine your self strolling along, people all around in a busy airport, and your baby decides to cartwheel out of her stroller, head first onto the very hard floor…  well that was us! She’s usually buckled in her stroller, and since we were just going from one plane to a gate, we sat her in it, got food and were walking the rest of the way.  Will was holding the carseat, we both had a back pack on, and I was pushing the stroller with AG in it.  She happened to notice her empty cup in the cupholder and decided to stand up.  The cup fell out and I was stopping to sit her down, and she went after the cup…. now, imagine the screaming that followed… it was a little loud.  So now I was carrying her and pushing the stroller as Will continued to carry the carseat to the OPPOSITE side of the airport where our gate was.  Thankfully she was perfectly fine and stopped crying really pretty fast- no swelling, no funny pupils, just ready for lunch and her nap.  (I have never been more thankful for a hurt-free accident!)  Here we are, after the fall, and our kid, munching down on her lunch with the cup she jumped out to get…. whew!

We thought we were pretty golden the second half of our flight because she went to sleep right on cue with her regular nap time, before the plane took off.  Unfortunately it was a pretty bumpy take off and ride in general, so she woke up 20 minutes later and didn’t sleep again until that evening.  She still stayed in good spirits surprisingly and we were able to keep her pretty occupied with markers and paper and her plane window!

Finally, we made it!  We got to ride the “Magical Express” (the Disney bus) to the Contemporary Resort, and that took maybe 40ish minutes, everyone still in good spirits!

Once we made it to our room, we picked up our groceries I had ordered (another EASY way to save money and packing space on diapers, wipes, and snacks we would need anyhow,) and waited for Tio (uncle) Clancy and Tia (aunt) Natalie to show up!  They also were joining us for the first two nights in the hotel and then two park days to follow!  We did not attempt a park day on our check in day because it was 4/4:30pm when we arrived anyhow.  We had a quick dinner at the Contempo Cafe inside of our hotel.  It’s just quick food/order at the counter/seat yourself.  It ended up being pretty good and helped us get Annabelle Grace down close to her normal bed time!

Since we decided to keep Annabelle Grace on her schedule as much as possible (her bedtime is 7pm central time,) we actually were able to keep her awake until around 8pm eastern time!  Our room had a view of the park/castle and we could see the fireworks at night either with her or after putting her down since we came back each night.  Such a wonderful bonus!

Such a great travel day!  But, I know you’re all waiting for the real fun of the park days, so here we go!!  The Contemporary Resort is an awesome choice if you’re wanting to stay at a park hotel and have super young kids especially!  The monorail actually goes straight through the hotel/ stops inside of it for you to ride, and goes through two other resorts and the park only.  When returning from Magic Kingdom, The Contemporary is the first stop on the monorail!  The other awesome thing about this particular hotel is that you can actually walk to Magic Kingdom from it!  The walkway is about half a mile long, and even with my 30 week pregnant self- it took us 10 minutes to walk (there is a security check point on the way that takes a little time to walk through,) so not bad at all! We ended up using the walk way more than the monorail!  Will actually figured out the hotel reservations for this trip, and I was very pleased with his choice!  (The whole way this trip originated is another fun(ny) story.  Maybe I’ll add it somewhere else.. we’ll see!)

Our first breakfast of the trip was at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian.  We had reservations for 8:05am.  Breakfast at this restaurant is known as the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast!  It is buffet style, and you meet Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Pooh Bear, and have a picture moment at the end with Tigger!  If you’re wondering- we did choose to have the dining plan with Disney.  When debating if you should get one of the plans or not, I suggest first deciding the number of character meals vs quick service meals you will have and the time you’re willing to give up for them.  For us, it was a better deal  to use the plan this time.  Annabelle is little enough that we wanted a solid sit-down option, better/healthier food options, and we knew she wouldn’t miss park time yet.  We also liked the idea of multiple character meetings in one meal.  They do tell you to plan on a 90 minute meal, IF you want to meet all of the characters, otherwise, you leave when it’s convenient for you.  We actually saw all of the characters at each of our meals and were done in an hour.  Kids under three are free in the parks, and actually don’t get a meal plan either.  They eat off of your plate if you order meals, or can have their own plate at a buffet.  Another reason we liked the character meals- easy for us to ensure we had SOMETHING for her to eat, and no extra charge.  Anyhow- pictures!

We met:

Mary Poppins

The Mad Hatter

Alice in Wonderland (who unfortunately got overshadowed by Pooh Bear IMMEDIATELY.)  Annabelle Grace has never really seen Pooh Bear before, but she does love any type of stuffed animal, so we figured she would like the animal characters.  We figured right!  The pictures with Alice are pretty priceless though!

Pooh Bear- the highlight of her breakfast!

Just look at both of their faces!

and of course….

Tigger!

After breakfast, it was on to MAGIC KINGDOM! FINALLY!

Obligatory castle photos!  Yes, we did do the matching family shirts!  Natalie picked these out and ordered for everyone, I picked the second park day shirts out and ordered for everyone!  Aren’t we cute?!

We had a big first day! When we showed up, there was maybe a 10 minute wait to see Tinkerbelle, so we did that first!  We had our three fast passes booked for before lunch- The Flight of Peter Pan, The Haunted Mansion, and The Jungle Cruise.  We also had time to do the Magic Carpets ride in between the Haunted Mansion and The Jungle Cruise- again, all before lunch!

Meeting Tinkerbelle was fun!  I didn’t realize how decorated it would be around her! Annabelle smiled a lot walking up to her and in the fairy room, but once she got near her for a picture, she resorted to her blank stare and mean-mugging looks!

On to our first fast pass attraction- The Flight of Peter Pan.  This ride ALWAYS has such long wait times, and since it is one that both Annabelle Grace and I can ride, I booked a fast pass for all of us on it.  I don’t think any of us had been on it before?  I know neither Will nor myself had.  All I do know is- I wouldn’t waste another fast pass on it unless we have a child that is obsessed with Peter Pan.  It was both mine and Will’s least favorite ride/attraction that we did.  Oh well, still fun- just not worth the wait to me or to use a fast pass on again!

Next was The Haunted Mansion!  It was fun- lots of “pretend ghosts” floating around!

We ended up with some spare time before our Jungle Cruise fast pass before lunch so we headed that direction and made a pit stop at the Magic Carpets!  Annabelle Grace LOVED watching them fly around while we waited and got very mad when she couldn’t see them.  She was also quickly getting ready for nap time!

After the Magic Carpet ride we quickly satisfied the hungry and tired little one of the family before our Jungle Cruise ride! We got Dole Whip soft serve ice cream.  Mine was vanilla and pineapple swirled, and it was delicious!

Jungle Cruise time!  Annabelle Grace ended up LOVING the Jungle Cruise.  Our weather was pretty perfect and she liked all the water and pretend animals throughout the tour!

Finally, time for lunch!  We had another Character Meal for lunch at the Crystal Palace inside of Magic Kingdom.  Just like most other character meals, this one was also buffet style.  Here we would meet Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, and Pooh Bear! (Thank goodness- as happy as she was with Pooh Bear at breakfast, we knew she would like seeing him again!)  Annabelle Grace powered through lunch and loved meeting the characters!  Again, we were pretty fortunate and met all the characters in a hair over an hour! (We were more than prepared at any of these meals to meet what we could, and leave if necessary!  Again- a well rested baby has served us well in the past!)

We met:

Eeyore!

Tigger!

Piglet!

and our beloved……

Pooh Bear! (Clancy captured such a precious smile on her!)

After lunch, it was about 2:00pm on the dot when we got back to our room, which was perfect for AG’s 1:00pm nap time.  She slept like a rock and so did Daddy!

The evening after her nap was pretty easy going.  We didn’t have anything booked for the evening, and no big meals to make it to.  It was the only FULL park day Clancy and Natalie would have with us, so we wanted this night to be the one we pushed Annabelle a little later so that we could see the fireworks in the park.  We ended up waking her up around 4:45pm and headed back to the park.  We picked out our Minnie Mouse Ears and Will got himself a Donald Duck hat.  He let Annabelle decide what hat he should get, and that’s the one she picked!  On to Splash Mountain for Clancy and Natalie!  It was definitely dark by this point, and cold, but they did it! Annabelle really liked watching the water rafts come down and we saw Clancy and Natalie when they did!  Afterwards we headed to dinner.  We ended up at Columbia House Harbour.  It’s a quick service food stop, but none of us were super impressed by it.  Not horrible, but not great either.  Before the fireworks, Will finally decided he too wanted to do the Splash Mountain Roller Coaster so he and Clancy literally RAN to get on it before the wait time got long.  Natalie, Annabelle and I all waited and watched!  They ended up with a great brother picture from the ride!

I’m so glad we got to see the fireworks in the park for one of our nights.  They are super pretty and very enjoyable from our room, but being in the park just makes them magical.  I held our sweet baby in my arms, and yep, I teared up.  Her little head on my shoulder while the disney music played and the stream of fireworks, went off, all while still carrying our unborn baby, just made me so happy to have the little family that I do.  Such a special moment for me!  Yes, everyone else got a kick out of it, but what can I say- I’m an emotionally happy crier!

We all crashed pretty fast after getting Annabelle down!  However, the little stinker decided to wake up at 5:15am and got pretty mad!  We knew we had another long day ahead of us, so instead of letting her cry for a minute and put herself back to sleep and risking her not going back to sleep, we grabbed her and threw her in bed with us.  She does not sleep with us, so I was not prepared for the crazy, in my space baby I was about to have all over me.  I pretty much didn’t go back to sleep, but since this was such a special vacation, I also kind of loved having her curled up so tight on top of me and asleep!  I’ve always loved watching how peaceful she looks when she sleeps!

First stop of the day was breakfast!  We had reservations at the Be Our Guest restaurant inside of Magic Kingdom!  The Be Our Guest restaurant is inside of the Beauty and the Beast castle, and our reservations were before the park opened, so we got to go inside early!  Breakfast has no characters and is actually considered a quick service meal, but you still make reservations and pick a table to sit at!  You order from a menu, so not buffet style.  The food for breakfast was excellent!  If you do dinner in the castle, you do get to meet the Beast, but it does end up requiring two meal credits per person.  Most character dinners, like the ones we have above are all one meal credit per person.

Since we got into the park early, we had to do some more castle pictures in our other set of matching shirts! (You can never have too many!)

Breakfast!  It was my idea to do more castle pictures before breakfast, and then we all realized what time it was…. They also have all of the paths closed off to anyone without reservations, so you only have one path you can take- once we found it, I pretty much ran to make sure we kept our spot!  I made it with two minutes to spare! Whew! (I don’t know how difficult Disney World is with late reservations, and I didn’t want to chance us missing out!)

Cheers to another great day ahead!

View of the castle behind us!

We had our three fast passes planned for before lunch again.  We would see the Enchanted Tales with Belle, ride the Flying Dumbo ride, and the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  We ended up with a lot of spare time before our first fast pass attraction so we all headed for the Tea Cups!  We all squeezed in one!  Annabelle has a tea set at home, so I think she was pretty fascinated by the huge teapot in the middle.

Still with time to spare, Clancy, Natalie and Will were all headed to ride Space Mountain. Annabelle Grace and I decided to do the Tea Cups again!

On the way to the roller coaster, Will actually found a different ride that both Annabelle Grace and I could also do, so he skipped the roller coaster to come back for us so we could all ride something together! Such a sweet husband and dad!  He found a ride called the People Mover.  It ended up being great! It’s basically just a train-type of ride, but Annabelle really enjoyed it!  It also has one portion of it that goes through the Space Mountain ride, so Will posed with the sign behind him- we were hoping we were maybe inside at the same time as Clancy and Natalie!

Next up was Enchanted Tales with Belle!  Clancy and Will were picked to participate in the story time!  Annabelle Grace liked watching it more than I thought she would.  At the end you get to take turns meeting/taking a picture with Belle.  When I moved AG to get in line, she actually got really upset and cried- I think it’s because she couldn’t see anymore and thought she was missing out!  We did get our picture in the end though!

We found a little time to squeeze the Carousel in too!

The Flying Dumbo ride was next!  Like the Magic Carpet ride- Annabelle Grace loved watching them fly around while we waited in line!

Before our last fast pass ride, we stopped in to meet Goofy and Donald Duck and then pick out a snack!  Clancy and Natalie happened to notice the wait time was about 15 minutes, and it was in a tent right by the Flying Dumbo ride!

Donald Duck really enjoyed Will’s hat!

Finally time for the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride!  Like Peter Pan’s Flight, this ride always seems to have really long wait times.  Unlike the Peter Pan ride though, we liked this one much better!  Annabelle Grace seemed pretty happy seeing lots of Pooh Bear and Tigger!

We broke up our day by having a character meal for lunch at Chef Mickey’s!  Chef Mickey’s is actually inside of the Contemporary Resort, so it was a perfect lunch spot for us- once we were done we would be able to go straight to our room to put Annabelle Grace down for her nap.  Based on the time we had reservations for, we were actually considered part of “brunch,” so lots of breakfast and lunch options!  At Chef Mickey’s you meet Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto!

We met:

Goofy

Minnie Mouse

Donald Duck- though Annabelle Grace was more into her waffle during his meet and greet!

Mickey Mouse

Pluto

Clancy and Natalie decided to head out after lunch, so it was just the three of us for the rest of the day/remainder of the trip!  We put Annabelle Grace down and Will headed back in to Magic Kingdom to ride Thunder Mountain while I sat on our balcony and rested myself!

Will enjoying his quick nap alone time in Magic Kingdom:

During her nap I went ahead and booked us another fast pass to meet Rapunzel, from Tangled, and Tiana, from the Princess and the Frog!  We also ended up squeezing another ride in on The People Mover, having a strawberry smoothie for snack, and getting some quick pictures in front of the castle while it was dark before heading back to our resort for a quick dinner and early bedtime!

Waiting in line to meet more princesses!  She truly does love seeing them and looking at them, but goes straight in to “stranger danger” mode when it’s her turn to actually meet them!

Rapunzel, from Tangled

She did really like the flowers in Rapunzel’s hair!

Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog:

Next up, back on the People Mover attraction! She sat on Daddy’s side this time!

Finishing out the evening with more pictures in front of the castle!  At night it lights up and looks more like the “Frozen Castle” instead of Cinderella’s castle!

One we took ourselves at dusk:

One we had the photo pass people take for us!

One picture outside of Magic Kingdom too, in front of the entrance, because why not?!

We finished out day two with a quick dinner at The Contempo Cafe again inside of our hotel.  During dinner Boomie Facetimed us for a quick Disney update, then we headed back to our room!  We got Annabelle ready for bed, though she WANTED to see outside once more before laying her down- so we all walked on the balcony for a few minutes, then off to bed!!  Will and I hung out outside while she fell asleep and were able to enjoy the fireworks while we waited!  Perfect ending to another great Disney day!

Magic Kingdom, day three, was our last and final park day!  Unfortunately Annabelle Grace did wake up and seemed to have the start of a little cold, so we hoped she would be able to hang in there most of the day, but, we also knew we would be able to take it a little easy if necessary, which was good!  Our first stop was breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table!  This restaurant is inside of the Cinderella castle, inside of Magic Kingdom! It is VERYYYYYYY hard to get reservations at, especially if your trip isn’t actually booked before the 180 day mark when you can start making reservations.  We did not have our trip even on our calendar at 180 days before this reservation, so I was super surprised I was even able to get one, none-the-less, a breakfast BEFORE the park opened!  To be completely honest- I was super excited to take Annabelle Grace, but this reservation was more for me than any of the three of us!  I knew she would like animal characters better than people characters, BUT I wanted to go inside the castle, and I loved all the princess movies (still do!) So, the reservation was made when I found an opening!

The food is actually “order from a menu,” not buffet style like the other character meals we did.  This one does require two meal credits/person though. (Annabelle was free since she was under three.) During this reservation you get a special photo opportunity before your meal with Cinderella.  Once seated, during your visit you meet Snow White, Aurora, from Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, from the Little Mermaid, and Jasmine, from Aladdin.  They also give out a coloring sheet to the kids, wands or swords to every member at your table, and little “wishing stars” to each member of the table!”

The food was excellent and Will even admitted that this was his favorite dining experience of the whole trip! Win-Win!

Obviously since we were going to a “royal” breakfast, Annabelle Grace needed her very own ball gown! We decided on the “Belle” gown from Beauty and the Beast and actually found little discounted shoes with Chip and Mrs. Potts on them to match!  The tiara headband was actually part of the Christmas gift Clancy and Natalie gave her!  She looked the part! (aside from a little under the weather!) (the paci did not go with her!)

Since our reservations were once again before the park opened, we were allowed in early!  We got there early enough that we had one of the photo pass people take our picture in front of the castle at a different spot and we were able to walk through the princess gift shop!

It was cool getting to see the park so empty too!

One we checked in with our reservation we got to wait our turn to meet Cinderella! Once again, AG was a little hesitant!

We were seated and brought a plate of really good pastries, juice, water, decaf coffee, and a mimosa for Will, he cheers-ed himself since he didn’t have Clancy to cheers with this time!

We got our wishing stars and our swords and wands!  Annabelle Grace loved all these little toys!

Our food came, and it was as delicious as all the blogs and reviews I read said it would be!  Will got some type of beef tenderloin on top of a frittata and I had shrimp and grits, Annabelle Grace was allowed to pick eggs or a mickey mouse waffle for free since she was under three! (we did the waffle!)

While dining the princesses were each introduced one at a time, with a song from each of their movies! Every few minutes we would meet another princess as she walked by!

We met:

Snow White- Annabelle didn’t dislike her, but also didn’t give too much of a smile!  She did smile and blow her a kiss as soon as she turned to go to the next table, of course!

Aurora, from Sleeping Beauty- wasn’t really a fan of her at all!

Ariel, from the Little Mermaid- Annabelle Grace fell in LOVE with her!  Ariel really stuck with it to work for a smile and in less than a minute she had our girl laughing and grinning and playing so big with her! My heart melted watching how happy she was!  We took tons of pictures- well Will did, and I can’t pick just three to post!  He really captured some great ones!

Jasmine, from Aladdin- Annabelle Grace also really liked her!  She took time to play with her a little too and Annabelle Grace loved showing her her wand!  Once again, my mama heart melted! (She loves animated people, and Ariel and Jasmine were animated enough to get her to grin and play!)

We finished up our food and headed out!  Once again, we had an awesome experience at this reservation!  I should also be completely honest and say that I teared up at the end of this meal too! I know, I know, I’m such a sappy, emotional being, but I was just so dang happy! Will caught it on camera too! hahaha… I would blame it on pregnancy hormones, but really, that’s just my personality!  I think I was just so happy that our daughter had suchhhhhh a good time at this meal, and it was pretty unexpected for her to get so excited at this particular meal that my heart was in over-drive!

Next up was our first fast pass of the day!  The Adventures of the Little Mermaid! (So perfect since she loved Ariel so much!) She loved it too, by the way!

We threw in another ride on the People Mover (yep, third or fourth ride on this attraction this trip… the line is pretty fast moving and it was so easy and fun for Annabelle Grace!) and a snack before our next fast pass reservation on It’s A Small World!

Lucky for us, after the People Mover, we still had some extra time and we were going to go to the Winnie the Pooh gift shop to pick out a stuffed animal for her to take home.  I mentioned that I was surprised the only way you could meet him was at the character meals.  Will thought he remembered a spot where they did meet and greets with Pooh and Tigger.  Sure enough, he was right!  It never showed up as an “attraction” when I googled ideas for tots or checked the wait times on the app, so super dad move by Will!

We got to the spot, and had a 15-20 minute wait.  AG didn’t notice them for a while, which was good.  We finally got to the front row of waiting and the lady started throwing out subtle hints that Pooh and Tigger would have to take a break to go eat cake for 15 minutes.  At this point AG was starting to get a little anxious, and we were only two visits away before our turn.  I KNEW it would be us that got cut off, so I kept watching the crew member who was watching her watch.  The family before us did there meet and greet and the crew member was really watching her watch at this point.  As SOON as they were walking off, I quickly moved Annabelle to Pooh and Tigger!  I’m so glad I did, as they definitely walked out right behind us after our meet and greet!

Anyhow, meeting them again was just the cherry on the sundae for Annabelle Grace!  The photo pass people got so many great pictures, and she was so, so happy!  Immediately gave them hugs, played peek-a-book, and even wanted Tigger to pick her up!

Pooh Bear loved my shirt! (I also got SO many compliments on it throughout the park!)

Peek-a-boo!

One last smile, and of course, hugs to go!

We finally made it to our “It’s a Small World” fastpass time slot!  At this point Annabelle Grace was pretty much done and ready for a nap, so we knew we would ride this ride, grab food, and head back for an early nap.

She ended up falling asleep before we could even get somewhere to order food, which was fine- we would do a stroller nap until we got back to the room.

Will and I still needed lunch.  I ended up with a sweet and spicy chicken and waffle sandwich from the Sleepy Hollow quick service food place- it was really good!  Will got his mini corndogs from Casey’s!  Both of us were happy and satisfied!  We ate our food while walking back to the resort.  AG did end up waking up, but was still pretty out of it.

We laid her down and she slept for maybe another hour or so.  Will headed back to the park by himself again, hoping to ride another roller coaster (since neither myself now AG could do them) and unfortunately waited in line until almost his turn, and they closed the ride down, so he didn’t get to do it!  It worked out though because Annabelle woke up and he met us back at the hotel.  We changed our dinner reservations to an earlier time since she had a shorter more broken nap, and we knew we would possibly need to be back earlier to pack too.

We headed back to the park and had just enough time to grab a snack and ride the Flying Dumbo ride! We missed getting a picture, but we did it!

Our dinner reservations were for another character meal back at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian.  Dinner is buffet style and known as Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner.  The food was great on the buffet!  You have the opportunity to meet Prince Charming, Cinderella, Anastasia and Drisella (her wicked step sisters) and her evil step mother!  At the end when you leave, you get to take a picture with her glass slipper!

Annabelle was pretty worn out and still not feeling 100% by this meal- completely understandable after a day of traveling followed by there big park days, even staying on her nap schedule!  We didn’t really care if we met everyone, but we actually did!

She did clap with a lot of excitement when they started introducing the characters though!

We met:

Prince Charming

Cinderella

We watched them dance in the center of the room!

Anastasia, the wicked step sister

Drisella, the wicked step sister

The Evil Step Mother- Annabelle Grace actually hated her, and cried, maybe she knew she was evil?!

We finished our dinner and had our picture taken wit the glass slipper!

We made one last stop to Magic Kingdom and rode the Jungle Cruise one more time and I got the Dole Whip float I had been wanting to try the whole trip!  It was pretty delicious.

We said goodbye to Magic Kingdom and headed back to our room to pack up and get Annabelle Grace to bed!  We actually had to be ready for the Disney bus and downstairs by 4:45am. (so 3:45am to her little body!)  We speedily packed and showered and got to bed.

Waking up so early wasn’t fun, and our poor kid was so tired and starting to sound even more stopped up!  Such a trooper though, she hung in there, eating a cheesestick at 4:45am!

The Disney bus alone was about a 45 minute ride with all of its stops on the way to the airport.  I finally got positioned well enough to get Annabelle to go to sleep on me for 20-30 minutes.  She never napped again after that!

We got on our first flight and kept her pretty entertained for the most part with snacks and toys.  We did end up holding her a lot more through these two flights.  She wanted to sleep so badly, but just couldn’t fall asleep.  Honestly, both Will and I were pretty pleased with how well she did flying home.  Being as tired as she was and not feeling too well, our flight had the potential to be horrible.  She let out a few cries here and there, but if we picked her up and played for a minute, she was fine again.

We were all a little worn out looking!

On our second flight she still refused to sleep, but hung in there none the less.  A few cries here and there, but most of the time, fine if we picked her up or found something to play with or eat.  She loved playing with Will’s hat, but was half falling asleep trying to play with it!

We made it home and still had a 1.5 hour drive home.  She finally fell asleep on the drive home, so we actually ended up driving around for an extra hour, just to get her rested a little more.

Our trip was really fantastic, and both of us couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.  We have talked about our favorite moments, food, and rides, and really it’s just so hard to pick one of each!  We’re looking forward to going back one day as a family of four at some point!

“That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up.” – Walt Disney

“Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.” -Walt Disney