Evie's First Trip to Disney World

Hi everyone!  We just got back from my first trip to Disney World!  My mommy didn't know if I'd like it because I get scared of large crowds and noises.  She wrote me a social story about our trip before we went.  I asked her to read that book at least twice a day to me. 

Then we got on an airplane (I love airplanes) and went to Florida!   Mommy was busy going to work for 2 days. I got to swim at my Yin-Yin and Ya-Ya's timeshare resort and I loved it. 

Mommy was really happy about having something called Sonny's BBQ for dinner.  For dinner, there was no high chair in our hotel room, so Mommy pulled out a portable kids' desk for me and I ate dinner off of that.

We changed hotels to be closer to Disney World, so we could take a bus to see Cinderella.  I love singing Wheels on the Bus when we're on the bus!  Our resort was called Port Orleans Riverside.  Mommy picked it because it was a Moderate level resort with a toddler pool.  It's supposed to be one of the quietest resorts at Disney.  It was definitely quiet!  The main building where we checked in was really pretty and had lots of sofas for me to play on. It had a working water mill, a food court, and an arcade too.  I saw a big horse and carriage and said "Neigh" to the horse.  There was a boat too!

There was a problem with the resort seeing our special requests for our hotel room to be on the first floor.  So we got a royal upgrade from Princess Tiana and we got to be in a royal room instead of the standard rooms!  I loved the fireworks on the headboards! 

There was a lot of walking at Port Orleans Riverside, which looks like a plantation with a river along it. The river has snakes and gators!  We came out of the main building and crossed a bridge to come to our building.  Port Orleans is so big, the land space is as big as Epcot's!  

EPCOT

Mommy and Daddy and Yin-Yin and Ya-Ya took me to Epcot the first day.  There was a very big white ball that everyone made a big fuss over.  I couldn't play with it, so not sure why everyone was so happy about it.  It was SO hot!  We went into stores a lot to get some air conditioning.  

My favorite part was seeing Winnie the Pooh in Great Britain.  He was a big yellow bear and he was so soft!  I gave him a kiss.  I got very drowsy in my stroller and fell asleep while everyone else ate lunch in France at a cafe.  Mommy and Yin-Yin tried the Chinese teriyaki bao as part of the International Food and Wine Festival.  

Afterwards, in Norway, I walked over to the kids' table where they gave me a sticker and a suitcase baggie to collect stickers from other countries.   We used our Disability Access Pass to get on the Frozen ride, which cut down the wait in line from about 50 minutes to 5 minutes.  I enjoyed seeing Olaf, but I was scared because it was dark and there were loud snow monsters.

We stopped by the Character Meet and Greet and I met Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie.  I high-fived Mickey, did not like Goofy, and kissed Minnie.  It was a little scary with lots of people being excited, cameras flashing, and people clapping, but I made it through.

We also went on the Nemo ride, but it was also dark and loud, and I hid my face in Mommy's neck until the turtles came out. But I LOVED the Aquarium outside of Nemo's ride!

For dinner, we went to The Land, which is next to Nemo's ride, and there was a nice big area to eat a quick dinner and rest.  It was a good first day!  Not sure why everyone was saying their feet hurt. Mine felt good. 

MAGIC KINGDOM

We were supposed to go to Animal Kingdom today, but realized that the Magic Kingdom closed early the next day at 6 pm, so we switched our days.  I knew I was going to meet princesses today, and I signed "Yes" really hard when Mommy asked me if I wanted to meet princesses.

We went on the Winnie the Pooh ride.  It was a long wait for a short ride, but I did like this ride the most out of all the rides so far.  I pointed at Pooh when I saw him. 

We used the DAS pass for the It's A Small World ride.  Guys--I don't know about this ride. The song is catchy, but it's very long and they sing really loudly.  I did like pointing at the animals I saw on the ride.  But I kept asking Mommy if we could get off and she said no. 

We also went to a place called Princess Fairytale to meet Princess Cinderella and Princess Elena of Avalor.  I recognized Cinderella and blew her a kiss.  I did not know who Princess Elena was, and didn't want to stand with her for a picture.  

Auntie Jill (our Disney planner) got us a reservation at The Plaza for dinner.  Mommy told them I was sensitive to noise and they got us a corner table by ourselves.  I still asked Yin-Yin to take me outside.  

There were a lot of people hanging out in the streets to get ready for the fireworks.  But we were ready to go home.  I love being in our hotel.  I just like to sit on the bed and read books or watch music. 

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

We made a last minute switch from Animal Kingdom to Hollywood Studios because Mommy couldn't do another day in the 90+ degree heat, and AK is the least air-conditioned park.
We took the Port Orleans bus to Hollywood Studios, and I decided to take a nap right when we arrived. This meant that Mommy and Daddy got to go see the new Star Wars land!  Daddy was very happy.  He asked Kylo Ren for a selfie, and Kylo Ren said a very firm "NO."  Then Mommy went behind the storm troopers and got a picture with them anyway.  They went on the Star Wars simulator ride, and they only had to wait 30 minutes to get on!

When I woke up, we went to the Frozen show.  Mommy was really happy, because whenever she mentioned the DAS pass, people just waved us right on to the ride or show.  I wasn't too sure about the Frozen show, but when they sang "Let It Go," I perked up and started waving my arms.

The People Mover car ride wasn't bad.  I liked the A/C and looked around, but at some points it was very dark and I heard people screaming.  Daddy said it was from a roller coaster in the next room.

Everyone was really happy that Uncle Joe suggested we go to the ABC Commissary to eat and to rest.  I took a nap on top of Mommy for 2 hours in the Commissary.  That is my favorite place to nap.

For dinner, we went to the Brown Derby restaurant. We didn't have a reservation, but since we went at 5 pm, there was a seat, and we got a corner booth!  I wasn't scared in this restaurant. It had a nice vibe and plenty of space.

DISNEY SPRINGS
The next day, we took the ferry boat from Port Orleans to Disney Springs.  It was still really hot, but we made it to Earl of Sandwich and the biggest Walt Disney Store in the world.  There was also a Ghirardelli store, a Lego store, and lots of food.

Then we headed back to ride on the Disney Magical Express to the airplane to go home.  Daddy really liked that we could check our bags onto the plane from the hotel so he didn't have to carry as much.

It was a good trip, but I was so happy to be home, that I did a tour of my living room and asked to play flashcards at 1 am with Mommy.

See Mommy's tips below for Disney!  (She will do a separate post about sensory and tubie needs at Disney)

MOMMY'S TIPS

1. Disney app: definitely download this--you can skip the line and do mobile food orders at quick service locations, order fast passes, see your hotel reservations, find hours of each park, see bus schedules and updates, and so much more.  There's also a Disney Play app that is interactive with what's in the parks.

2. Two words: NECKLACE. FAN.
This was my saving grace for the hot weather.  If you are going in December, you are so smart.  But if you're going when it's hot, get this fan. Even the Disney cast members were asking me where I got it.



3.  Sun umbrella: If you have black hair like I do, then you know that direct sun can make you feel like your brain is frying.  I loved having this umbrella when we were walking long distances outside.


4. Cooling cloths:  I saw lots of people with these, although they bought the Mickey version. I love that I bought them cheaper ahead of time.


5. Cooling Gel Patches: I put one of these on the back of my neck and one my forehead under my hat and really felt the difference.




6. Collapsible water bottle:  Ice water is free and plentiful at any Disney quick service food place.  I just kept refilling my water bottle with ice water wherever we went.


7. Spare cell phone battery:  SO IMPORTANT.  With all the pictures you take, and surfing the net when you rest, you will drain your phone battery by lunch. This also charged my fan necklace when it died!



8. TILE for electronics: One of us lost our phone on the People Mover--luckily it was on a seat and was found, but having a TILE on your cell phone could be the difference between losing your phone and not losing it.

9. Fanny Pack:  The last time I wore a fanny pack was in the early 90's, but I have wholeheartedly embraced this again for the amusement park situation.  It kept my hands free, and I easily stored my wallet, Evie's glasses, Magic Band for Evie, and my phone in this one!


 10. Stroller Fan:  I am annoyed that I left this at home and kept wishing I had it for Evie's stroller.  She definitely felt the heat, and wouldn't use my fan.  This one would have stayed mostly out of sight.  

11. Stroller: We used a City Mini GT stroller, and it held up really well.  It had good shade and reclining for Evie, and was durable enough and comfortable enough for us.  A stroller caddy and a Mommy hook were key for taking along our bags and drinks!

12. Disney planner: our friend Jill, who is also a Disney planner, took care of booking our resort, getting fast passes, reserving the Magical Express, and so much more. It was great to have someone else paying attention to the details! 

*If you use our Amazon links, Amazon gives us credit that we use towards Evie's book fund, and we all know how much she loves books!

Thanks to all who followed our feed during our trip to Disney!  It was a great/magical time! Stay tuned for Mommy's blog post on sensory issues and feeding tubes at Disney!