Disney World Part 2 - Dining with Characters

Part of our Disney trip was spent having meals with characters. These you can book 180 days in advance, and for many of them, you need to. They fill up really fast! We did breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table (in Cinderella's Castle) and dinner at Chef Mickey's (in the Contemporary Resort). Both of them were spectacular and I recommend them both. They are definitely not inexpensive, but you can use table service credits from your dining plan to pay for them.

For breakfast, you are allowed to enter the park (Magic Kingdom) early if you have a reservation. Pro Tip: get an early reservation; they start at 8am, I believe. We had an 8:35am reservation and it was great. When we were leaving around 9:15am, the lines were getting really crazy! 

Anyway, you go into the castle, into Cinderella's Royal Table, which is right across from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. You make a quick stop downstairs to meet Cinderella and take pictures with her. This is where it starts getting backed up if you have a later reservation. We only had one family ahead of us. She does not come up for breakfast, as she pretty much is constantly meeting people who are coming in for breakfast, so this is your time for pictures and autographs.

I mentioned in a previous post how great those memory maker photos are; they captured this great moment of Emily, when she was walking up to see Cinderella. 

Twins! Emily even had her hair in a bun "just like Cinderella."

After meeting Cinderella, you head upstairs to the dining hall. Here, many of Cinderella's friends will be walking around the room, taking pictures and talking to the guests. Be sure to have your camera ready and accessible, as there are no photographers here. All of the pictures you get are ones you take yourself.

The first princess we met was Snow White, who was sure to show Emily how to hold up her dress like a princess.

During breakfast, all little princesses are given a magic wand and all little princes are given a sword. These wands and swords are to be used to make a wish on their very own wishing stars! After making a wish, and saying the magic words ("Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo!" of course), little flashes go off throughout the dining hall, which are supposed to be their wishes.

Emily making her wish!

I mentioned there were many princesses at breakfast that morning; including Cinderella, we met 5 princesses. You will almost constantly be getting up to meet a princess and take your picture. Also, if you're into that sort of thing, make sure you have your autograph book out, turned to a blank page, with the pen ready; they come by and quickly sign it while talking to you!  Even if you have all this ready, Ariel may still grab the crayon on the table to sign the book. 

Meeting Princess Aurora.

Meeting Princess Jasmine.

Meeting Princess Ariel.

Overall, breakfast was great! It's one of the pricier character dining options, but you get to meet 5 princesses, so there's that. It does work on the dining plan, but it costs 2 table service credits per guest. Guests under 3 are free, but still given juice and a Mickey waffle! Plus, the table gets pastries when they sit down, so the young kids have that, as well.

Later, we went to dinner at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort, which is one stop over on the monorail. Here, we met Mickey and his pals. The food is done buffet style with everything from a carving station to mac and cheese for the kiddos. Again, Emily ate for free, and she was mostly interested in the dessert buffet anyway. The food is OK, but the experience is pretty great. This is also on the dining plan and costs 1 table service credit per person, but gratuity isn't included in this one (it is at Cinderella's Royal Table).

When you walk in, you are immediately placed in line to take a picture with Chef Mickey (below, not the "real" Mickey). This goes straight to your photo pass options (memory maker). After taking your picture, you wait until your table is ready. Again, we had earlier reservations (5:30pm, they open at 5pm), so we did not wait long, maybe 5 minutes or so.

Family picture with "Chef Mickey."

While you are eating, Mickey and his pals will walk around to see you. These guys don't talk. Which is a little weird at first, but it doesn't really hinder the process. They do a lot of hand gestures. Again, make sure to have your cameras and autograph books ready! You'll be taking the pictures here, too.

Pluto was super excited to see Emily! The feeling was mutual.

Next, we saw Goofy, who sat down and made himself comfortable at our table. 

The big man himself made an appearance, as well. Here's Mickey!!

Big hugs for Mickey Mouse!

Donald is always trying to make sure you know he's "better" than Mickey, with his smug #1.

Last, but not least, Minnie Mouse stopped by. Emily decided she wanted to put her dress and ears on for Minnie. Minnie is her favorite. Because Emily was dressed like this, Minnie even signed her autograph book "To Mini Minnie." Although Emily doesn't enjoy being called that.

BEST FRIENDS.

So that's it for our character dining experiences. I completely recommend both options. I cannot say enough about how wonderful these character experiences are. I am so glad we did this. Again, make sure you book early! These fill up FAST!! Bon appetit!

Disney Princess Half Marathon/Pregnancy Update

Well, I've officially run a half marathon in the both of the first two trimesters of this pregnancy. I ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon at about 12 1/2 weeks pregnant, and now the Disney Princess Half Marathon at about 25 1/2 weeks pregnant. And honestly, the second one went better! Overall, this half is fun and unique, but there are a lot of things about it I just don't like. Since you asked, I give it a 7/10. 

Running into Magic Kingdom.

You really only spend maybe 3ish miles inside the parks, which is fun, but most of your route is along back roads and highways, not actually in the parks. Disney does a pretty good job of making sure there are characters along the route every couple of miles, so you can stop and take pictures if you so choose. Some areas of the race are pretty narrow, and it does get pretty congested; there were times I was forced to walk because there was nowhere else to go.

There were a good amount of spectators along the course, which is always a big plus.

Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa made appearances to wave at people.

Belle, the Beast, and a knocked-up Belle.

I mentioned there were characters along the course. The only real "princesses" taking pictures were Belle and Aurora. I only stopped for Belle, and I waited over 30 minutes to get this picture. I knew I'd have to wait, but this was a bit excessive. 

Overall, the race was fun. I'm glad I did it, but I don't think I'd do it again. The race coordinators screwed up my time qualification and I was placed in a much later corral. After talking with a few other runners that morning, it turns out I was not alone; many people had submitted times to be in a faster wave, but were for some reason placed in a much, much later corral. Now, I'm not out there trying to qualify for Boston or anything, but this had me starting with people who predominantly walk the whole thing, meaning there was A LOT of congestion to get around. Additionally, my later corral started an hour after the official start, delaying our park time. Not a huge deal, but a big inconvenience, and frustrating nonetheless. 

Oh, and fun little tidbit, our shuttle driver from the resort to Epcot got LOST. So, yeah, there's that.

OK, so now for a pregnancy update! I'm now 26ish weeks along. Feeling more and more movement every day. Sometimes it scares me how much he moves in there. Like if that's what you're doing now, with limited room, what are you going to do when you get out?! 

No idea how much weight I've gained, but I'm gonna guess all the frozen treats at Disney World did not help my cause. 

Commemorating Ryan Andrew's first trip to Disney World!

R.A. did well during the half marathon. I had one point around miles 8.5-10, where I think I got a bit dehydrated and started having some Braxton-Hicks type contractions. I walked a bit and was sure to get some water and Powerade at the 9 and 10 mile markers. Then I was fine to run and finish out the race with no more issues! I think he likes when I run. I met a couple other women who were pregnant, neither quite as far along. One specifically expressed how seeing me running gave her the push to keep going. I only heard one negative comment about a pregnant woman running, and that was later at the park, when some women behind me were discussing how they had seen a pregnant woman running the race and expressed how she probably should not have been doing that. I have no idea if they had seen me, or another woman, either way I gave them a look as if to say "you, ladies, are ignorant and misinformed, please shut it." Everyone else was super supportive! 

My next doctor's appointment is in just under 2 weeks. I'll have my gestational diabetes test, so fingers crossed that goes well! Next week I'm officially in the third trimester! This pregnancy is flying by!

Disney World Part 1

So, we went to Disney World! It was a rousing success. I'm going to post about 1/10th of the pictures we actually have and try to give little anecdotes and tips for traveling to Disney. So, enjoy!

The first "tip" I have is to use a Disney Travel Agent. Most of the time, Disney travel agents will plan and book your trip at no cost to you. They will answer any questions you have and do all the heavy lifting for you. If you are a novice to Disney, absolutely use a travel agent. If you are a Disney expert, I'd still use one just because it's easier, but you do you. Our travel agent was Mattie from Marvelous Mouse Travels (https://m.facebook.com/Mattie-Marvelous-Mouse-Travels-713398155447351/). She was great and a huge help!

In front of Cinderella's castle.

Tinkerbell even dropped into our picture!

Second Tip: Pay for memory maker. Memory maker is a one-time fee ($149 in advance, or $169 if you buy it after your trip - I think) and it allows you to download any of the pictures taken of you in the park. We had well over 50 pictures taken of us in the park, including family shots like these, and all of our meet and greets with characters. I cannot stress this enough. DO THIS. It makes it so much easier. Plus, the photos pop right up on your phone on the app almost instantly. Oh, that reminds me...

Third Tip: Download the My Disney Experience App. It keeps all your plans in one place (FastPasses, dinner reservations, etc.) and also lets you see all your photos taken in the park. Additionally, you can check wait times for attractions and find dining options that fit what your looking for (e.g., that take the dining plan - which we loved having the dining plan, by the way).

Before going on Ariel's Under the Sea Adventure, one of Em's favorite rides!

We used the majority of our FastPasses to meet characters. We couldn't get a FastPass to meet Anna and Elsa (these are hot tickets!), but we checked the app and went over when the wait was lower - 40 minutes, rather than over an hour. It's worth the wait. Em LOVED meeting Anna. If the wait is 35-45 minutes, that will probably be the shortest it gets. You should probably go then!

Elsa told Emily she loved her shirt and wondered if she had been in a red snowball fight. Olaf would love red snow, she told Em.

These princesses are amazing - they talk and talk to the kids and do a really great job.

We did get FastPasses for Enchanted Tales with Belle. This is pretty cool. You start in Maurice's workshop and then go through a magic mirror, back in time, to the night Belle and the Beast fall in love. Volunteers are asked to help "act out" the story. But don't worry, even if you aren't chosen to be a main participant, all of the kids are able to play some "role" in the story. Emily was a salt shaker. Paul was chosen to be a knight, he had to guard the castle. I have never felt less safe. ;)

After the story, all the kids get to meet Belle and take their pictures with her. Pro tip: if you're lucky enough to be chosen to play the part of "the Beast," you get to dance with Belle for about 10 seconds. 

As a knight, Paul also had his picture taken with Belle. So the whole family met Belle!

Throughout the day, there is almost ALWAYS something going on outside of Cinderella's castle. One of our favorites was this Move It, Shake It, Dance Party (or something like that). Emily loved waving to Mickey and all his pals as they drove by on big parade floats.

Waiting for Mickey to drive by.

Another fun attraction is Mickey's Philharmagic. It's a 3D show in a theater, with really low wait times. I think we waited maybe 10 minutes, so don't use up a FastPass for this. But, it's fun and a nice break if it's hot outside.

Emily looks super thrilled!

I really can't stress it enough to get the memory maker. It's so nice to have all these pictures taken and not have to buy them individually. This was before breakfast at Cinderella's castle. More on that in another post.

Olaf even dropped by!

Emily had a stretch there where she was terrified of merry-go-rounds. She would demand to ride it and then freak out. So, you can imagine my hesitancy when she asked to ride this one. The first day I sent her alone with her father. I needed a break after running that morning. But, after loving it the first day, I was happy to ride with her the second day!

With my girl, riding an innocent merry-go-round horse.

On the second day at the park, we checked out Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride. This is the usual theme park ride, in which you sit in some sort of vehicle and spin around, you can control whether you go up or down. Magic Kingdom has 3 of these variations: this one, a Dumbo one, and one with spaceships or something. We were nervous on whether or not Em would like it, but we gave it a go!

She kept making us go up and down! She loved it!

We lucked out (that seems to be part of the Disney experience) and Aladdin and Jasmine were about to come out nearby. We waited in line for maybe 10-15 minutes and got to meet them both. This was the second time Em had met Jasmine, as she had dropped by at breakfast at Cinderella's castle (more on that in another post), but the first time Em met Aladdin.

After meeting Aladdin, Emily told me, very enthusiastically, all about how Aladdin was telling her about Jasmine's tiger. Some tigers bite people, you know. But rest assured, Jasmine's tiger is nice.

These two really hit it off. 

Later, as we were walking through the park, we saw Mary Poppins hanging about! Upon meeting Emily, she told her she was sure Emily would be "a very serious big sister." Emily agreed. Mary Poppins told her that was probably a good thing, as "one should never make a spectacle of themselves." 

OK, so this moment was much cooler for me, than Emily.

Another lucky find, we stumbled on Chip and Dale! (I keep saying we stumbled on them - you can check the app and it will tell you exactly when characters will be out and where they will be; I just didn't check this.) Chip and Dale were in love with Emily. Actually, they tried to kidnap her. Emily was all too willing to go with them, something we should probably talk to her about.

Another pro trip: go to see these guys around noon. We went closer to 10:30 and the sun was right in Emily's eyes during the pictures.

Fourth Tip: FastPasses for young kids are best spent are character meet and greets. The rides they'll want to do (e.g., Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride, Ariel's Under the Sea Adventure, It's a Small World) all have wait times typically under 30 minutes, whereas most of the wait times to meet a princess is 30-60 minutes. 

I 100% recommend getting FastPasses to meet Mickey at Towne Square. He is AMAZING. I cannot stress this enough. He is so personable and enthusiastic with every single person. He had us riding around in a fake train. The wait for this can be pretty hefty, so the FastPass makes it super nice.

He told Emily he loved her dress and that it reminded him of someone!

So we met a few more princesses at their meet-and-greets. Cinderella and Rapunzel are together. We had FastPasses for this. Without FastPasses you will probably wait at least 30 minutes, but usually under an hour. It may be worth the FastPass. We met Cinderella twice, once at breakfast and once here. This is the only place I know of that you can meet Rapunzel. 

Twinsies!

Rapunzel telling Emily something very important. I believe this was when she pointed out that Emily had long hair and she must be growing it out to look like hers!

Some of our pictures are of moments where Emily is hugging the characters or talking to them. These were all taken by the photo pass people and were available on memory maker. It's not like you just get one or two staged pictures. They are snapping photos from the moment you step up, until you leave.

We then met Ariel, who we also had FastPasses to see. Again, without a FastPass it's probably a 30-45 minute wait. With the FastPass it's 5. 

We met Ariel at breakfast in her princess dress and here in her flippers!

Fifth Tip: Bring in lots of water and snacks. You can bring in pretty much anything, short of glass and selfie sticks (I'm serious about the selfie sticks). Water will cost you $2.75 per bottle if you don't bring some. You can also refill it in the park, but it tastes a little weird, so if you wanna go that route is bring a filtered water bottle. And it's always nice to have goldfish on hand. 

Sixth Tip: Bring or rent a stroller with a shade. Em rode around most of the time and actually fell asleep for about an hour one day. 

OK, so this was super long. I'm going to have another post about our breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table and dinner at Chef Mickey's. Which, spoiler alert, I totally recommend. 

Birthday Party and 25-week Pregnancy Update

Over the past week or so, we've worked more on potty training, gone shopping, gone to a birthday party, and started preparing for DISNEY!! So, here's a recap of events...

Potty training is going mostly well. We still put Em in a diaper when she's sleeping (both at nap and at night) because she will not wake up to go, nor will she get out of bed when no one is in the room (which I'm totally on board with). However, I think we may have to forego the diaper at nap here soon, as she seems to have figured that out, and waits to use the bathroom in her diaper at nap. Otherwise, she's doing really well, barely having any accidents (knock on wood).

We have even ventured out a time or two. Here we went to the mall to get her friend a birthday present (not from Sephora; that was for me).

After dinner, we got some ice cream, because, why the hell not? Side note: I love Paul's face here.

We went to one of those inflatable places for Emily's friend's birthday party. Emily was very tentative at first. It is a bit overwhelming. As a parent, this place is incredibly stressful for me. There's no delineation of ages/sizes, so in one bounce area, there may be a 2 year old and a 6 year old haphazardly throwing their bodies around. It's pure chaos. 

Going down the little slide - she liked this one.

After a while, Em warmed up, and by the end, didn't want to leave!

Em's daycare was closed on Monday this week for staff training, so I stayed home and hung out with her. She helped me go grocery shopping. And by "helped" I mean she ate her Starbucks cake pop and then threw things in the cart. She actually was pretty good while we shopped, it just took me 3 times as long as it normally does.

Eating her cake pop, throwing shade.

So, pregnancy update! I'm 25 weeks now. I gained 4 pounds in between doctor's visits, so about a pound a week. I think I'm up a total of 15-20 pounds or so. Ryan Andrew seems to have made himself comfortable resting on my sciatic nerve, which is hideously uncomfortable. I'll be sure to hang that over his head for the rest of his life. He has been kicking a lot more, recently, and especially gets going when his sister is talking nearby. Emily has been ridiculously adorable, giving him lots of hugs and kisses and telling him she loves him "so much." Enjoying it now, who knows how she'll react when he's actually here.

I've still been running and doing yoga on the weekends. It seems to give me more energy for the rest of the week. At my next appointment I have my gestational diabetes test. My doctor actually sent me home with the glucose drink; I just drink it 45 minutes before my appointment, so I don't have to sit in the office for an hour. I like that.

A couple of belly pictures: at the gym and after eating a hot fudge brownie sundae. You know, balance.

I'm trying to remember to take more belly pictures. Don't want to start that whole "we have more pictures of your sister because she was our first" thing too soon. Plus, Emily likes posing with the weeks sign.

25 weeks; only 15 weeks to go!

Saturday we leave for sunny Florida! Which is definitely needed after the pretty awful weather we've been having here. Sunday I "run" the Disney Princess Half Marathon and then Sunday and Monday we will spend our days at Magic Kingdom. When we get back, I'll update with lots of pictures!