PTR: Orlando Trip, Our first with a toddler!

[PREMiERdrum]

After months of planning, we packed up the family truckster for a week in sunny Florida; Our first big vacation since our daughter was born last April.

 

We drove overnight, leaving late Friday night and headed straight to Daytona Beach. We couldn't check in to our resort until 4pm but we wanted to drive overnight so Avery would sleep. After a long night of driving we pulled right onto the beach and had some fun!

 

We checked into our resort Saturday afternoon and spent Sunday around the pool. For this trip, we stayed at Vacation Village at Parkway, an RCI affiliated resort that we were able to trade into from our home timeshare at Massanutten in Virginia.

 

Monday was our first park day, starting out with a brief stop at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The only reason we hit the studios was mainly to catch the newly freshened Disney Junior: Live on Stage! Avery is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so we knew she had to see the show. She loved it, barely moving the entire time.

 

After wrapping up at the studios, we headed to the Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day. We arrived and Aves was able to meet Daisy Duck as soon as we got there, which she loved. After that, we did the new Town Square Theater Meet and Greet with Mickey and Minnie. I can't say enough good things about this experience! The room groupings were small, and the CM's were more than happy to let us linger as long as we liked for her to spend some time with them.

 

After meeting Mickey, we headed to the Harmony Barber Shop for something very special: Avery's very first haircut! This was awesome, the barber did a great job holding her attention and making her feel special the whole time. She capped off the cut with some pixie dust and a special ears cap, embroidered with "first haircut" on the back.

 

I was completely impressed with the amount of attractions she did that day: Pirates, Dumbo, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, it's a small world, The Laugh Floor, TTA Peoplemover, Jungle Cruise, and the Mad Hatters Tea Party.

 

We ended that day with the Main Street Electrical Parade. Avery loved all the lights, but man does this one look old and tired. Time for something new here.

 

We spent Wednesday at SeaWorld, which was much different with a 13 month old! We made a few loops around the park, feeding the Stingrays, Dolphins, and Sea Lions, but not seeing any shows. This park is still beautiful, but I've been disappointed with the food quality since the ownership change.

 

Thursday began with Animal Kingdom, and the weather was perfect for it. We started by getting FP's for Kilimanjaro Safari and then hopping on the train out to the Conservation Station. Avery enjoyed the "affection section" petting zoo, but this who area has a very non-Disney feel to it. We did the safari next, and then a few odds and ends before leaving the park.

 

From Animal Kingdom we departed for our favorite park: EPCOT. Here, were were able to do the Character Spot meet and greet first, as Avery can't get enough of these characters. This was followed by a long nap (for her, not us) in her stroller as we staked out a shady bench in FutureWorld. We followed the nap with rides on SSE, The Seas, Living With The Land, and Journey Into Imagination, all of which she absolutely loved! We had dinner at the Rose and Crown before making the World Showcase loop. She really loved all the sights, sounds, and smells of the different countries, and she rode Norway's Maelstrom without even batting an eye! We did a few rerides on SSE and JII before heading home for the night.

 

The rest of the trip was spent lounging by the pool and spending the evenings at Downtown Disney.

 

It was very, very different than any other vacation we've ever taken, but it was so much better in so many ways! It's exciting to think about how her reactions to these things will change over the years.

 

Now, onto the pics!

 

Travel / Resort Randoms

 

Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

Magic Kingdom

 

First Haircut!

 

Mainstreet

 

Evening Randoms, MSEP

 

SeaWorld

 

 

Breakfast!

 

Seeing the Stingrays:

 

Feeding the Dolphins:

 

Riding the Carousel of the Sea and Swishy Fishy

 

Park randoms:

 

 

Animal Kingdom

 

Rafiki's Planet Watch / Affection Section

 

Kilimanjaro Safari

 

EPCOT

[SharkTums]

Any pictures from the new pirates section of the Disney Junior Show?

[PREMiERdrum]

Any pictures from the new pirates section of the Disney Junior Show?

 

I'll check the SD cards when I get home, but I don't think we got anything usable. The lighting in the venue made it really tough. I'll double check and post if I have anything. The Neverland Pirates section was very cute, the puppets were very well done.