[Updated 12/21] A Haircut, a Steve’s Special, and a Disco Inferno: A Trip of Firsts

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

Greetings internet strangers and fellow Disney fans! We have semi-recently (well… early 2024) returned from our fourth WDW trip. In our defense though, we had a baby in Spring 2023 and things take a little longer to get done these day. We had so much fun sharing our first three trip reports with you that we are back to share more stories featuring our family of 3 at WDW for the first time! If you want to explore those blasts from the past, read our past trip reports here (we think we were pretty funny):

Our First Trip/Honeymoon Trip: https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...time-trip-january-2019-completed-7-3.3748582/

Our Honeymoon 2.0 Return Trip: https://www.disboards.com/threads/y...19-honeymoon-2-0-trip-completed-1-18.3773723/

Our Post-COVID Trip: https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ember-2021-trip-report-finished-4-10.3862459/

Our last trip was in September of 2021, and a lot has changed in the Parks and our lives since then! As a refresher for those of you coming back from our previous report and as an introduction for any new internet friends, allow me to introduce us:

Who: Nick (me, a chemist), Tory (my wife and a microbiologist), and Baby M (our kiddo, who was 8 months old at the time of the trip)

What: A six night we-are-parents-now-and-this-is-our-baby’s-first-trip-extravaganza!

When: January 19-25 2024

Where: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Why: Because we were feeling confident as first time parents, and couldn’t wait any longer to expose our kiddo to the Disney bubble

Favorites (from this trip):

Nick

Ride: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Park: EPCOT

Snack: The guava pancake sandwich at several carts in Animal Kingdom

Drink: Steve’s Special at Nomad Lounge (I’ll explain later)

Restaurant: Sebastian’s Bistro

Lounge: Nomad Lounge


Tory

Ride: KIlimanjaro Safari

Park: Animal Kingdom

Snack: The guava pancake sandwich at several carts in Animal Kingdom

Drink: Monkey 47 Gin and Tonic from Toledo

Restaurant: Jiko - The Cooking Place

Lounge: Nomad Lounge


Baby M

Ride: Jungle Cruise

Park: Blizzard Beach

Snack: Figment’s Signature

Drink: Breastmilk

Restaurant: Jiko - The Cooking Place

Lounge: Nomad Lounge


Tory and I live in California and have been going to Disneyland all of our lives; however, it wasn’t until January of 2019 that we were able to make our first trip out to WDW to celebrate us getting married. We fell in love with the Disney Bubble and had the ability to really slow down and just relax. Unlike a day trip to Disneyland where we had to drive back home at the end of the day and enter back into the real world (filled with laundry, dishes, and responsibilities), our trips to WDW have been easy-going and laid-back. We knew going in that this trip was going to be even more laid back as we were traveling with a baby! Baby M came into our lives in spring of 2023. Our baby is so incredibly happy and easy going. After the newborn fog faded away, we realized we lucked out with a good sleeper who has the ability to nap almost anywhere (at least for the time being).

While on parental leave, Tory and I started dreaming of all the places we would get to bring Baby M. We made it a priority to take Baby M out into the world and expose our kiddo to all life had to offer. We knew that our travel would look different with a baby, but we were determined to try. So when Baby M was only two months old, Tory was browsing confirmed DVC reservations that were up for sale and found something perfect for us. SIx nights in a DVC studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House with a Savanna view for January. Baby M would be 8 months old at that point, and we justified booking the reservation by telling ourselves that even if Baby M wasn’t handling the travel or park time well, we could always sit on our room’s balcony and watch the animals go by. Baby M did so great though, and there was really only one afternoon where we spent on the balcony while he napped in the room.

Joining us for this trip are my parents (who return readers met on our last trip) and my brother and sister-in-law. When we told my parents that Tory was pregnant, my mom said “Just let us know when the first Disney World trip is scheduled”. I don’t think she expected it so soon! Given that we were flying across the country, she wanted to make this trip special so she coordinated a whole family trip.. This was also my brother and sister-in-law’s first WDW trip!

That’s enough preamble. I can’t wait to share with you all my thoughts and feelings about experiencing my happy place as a parent!

 

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

Day 1 - Travel Day!

Traveling three time zones east means an early start to the day for us West Coasters. Tory and I were up at 5 AM PST getting ourselves ready to go so that we could wake Baby M right before we left. Normally 5 AM is such an early wakeup time, but when you have a baby who wakes up at all hours of the night, it is easier to wake up than expected. Plus the excitement of a Disney World trip always gets us going! We woke up Baby M at 6 AM (normally bubba gets up between 6 AM and 7 AM, so it was nearly a full night of sleep), and we were out the door for the airport by 6:15 AM.

We got our bags dropped off and were through security by a little after 7 AM - a very easy morning so far! Baby M was in good spirits! We took our kiddo on a quick trip down to Southern California in December, and the plane ride went very smoothly, so we were pretty hopeful that this would go well. However, this was going to be a much longer travel day as we had 5 hours of flying and a layover in front of us before we got to Orlando.

We came prepared though with toys and plenty of snacks! We flew Southwest and side note: these graham crackers were delicious! Side side note: this spinner was pretty solid entertainment for Baby M.



We had a pretty uneventful pair of flights, and we were on the ground at MCO only 45 minutes later than scheduled. Before we even got off the plane, I got the text that our room was ready. It was all getting real!

First stop was for an MCO carpet picture! Ahhh, I nearly cried right then and there!

While waiting for our bags at baggage claim, Tory went downstairs to pick up our rental stroller. We used Kingdom Strollers. Being located at the airport was super convenient, however, the stroller we were given was quite old and several times over the course of the trip, we struggled to collapse it as the collapsing mechanism would stick or one of the parts would pop out of place. We did email the company at one point about the quality of the stroller, and they did offer to drop off a replacement for it the next morning. While waiting for a reply to our email though, we figured out the idiosyncrasies and how to get it to collapse semi-regularly, so decided to just use it the rest of the trip.

We had our bags and stroller before 7 PM, and had a very easy experience grabbing our rental car. The day before we left, we had placed a Target drive up order for supplies including diapers, wipes, baby snacks, and a couple of bottles of wine (in case we were nap-trapped in there more than expected).

Just after 8 PM, we passed under the famed arch! Since we had only ever Lyfted from MCO, this was our first time passing under the arch.

Ahh! Baby M was starting to get a little fussy on the drive. This was very understandable as it had been a long day of travel. Even Tory and I were starting to wear down.

We grabbed Baby M’s stuff first and headed into the lobby of AKL. No words can truly describe that moment when you walk into your WDW resort hotel lobby for the first time of your trip. It’s so great knowing that a fun time is ahead of you and that you can (temporarily) leave behind the stresses of the world. We stayed at AKL on our honeymoon, and fell in love with it. To come back - nearly 5 years to the day later - with our kiddo was just amazing. Our DVC studio was up on the 5th floor of the Zebra trail. We had the last in a series of rooms so we only had one shared wall. I had some trouble getting my Magic Band to unlock the door but Tory’s worked.




We took some quick room pictures before we started to unpack.

Everyone was craving some real food after a day of travel, so Tory sent me downstairs for food while she got Baby M settled. The Mara was still busy and cooking at 8:30 PM. With the falafel plate I ordered, they even said that it would be a few minutes as they needed to fry up some fresh falafel. However, I got all our food pretty quickly. I got the South African Vegetable Bowl and the Falafel Platter, plus some Zebra Domes (of course!) and took it back to the room.

The food was delicious and much needed given the long day of travel. I ate a couple of bites and then started back down to the car to grab more of our luggage. It took a couple of trips up and down, as you can’t really pack light with a baby!

We got Baby M down for the night around 9:30 PM after doing our typical bedtime routine. It was 6:30 PM to our bodies and Baby M normally goes to bed around 7 PM at home, so our bubba fell asleep quite easily. Unsurprisingly since the plane naps were probably not as great as ones at home. We had no idea if Baby M was going to adapt to the time change at all, so other than an early dinner reservation each night, we didn’t plan this trip heavily at all. We were just happy to be at WDW and were good playing it by ear and letting Baby M determine our schedule. It ended up that our kiddo went to sleep around 8:30 PM each night and woke up between 7 and 8 AM which was probably the best timing we could ask for.

We poured a glass of wine, cracked open the box of zebra domes, and sat out on the balcony soaking in the nighttime savanna for a while. There were no animals out, but we didn't mind. An ease came over us as we realized we had a great trip ahead!

We were asleep before midnight and were ready to start the adventure!

Stay tuned for our first full day at WDW featuring a Sanaa, a spilled $21 cocktail, and plenty of relaxation!

 

[Mary Pops In]

Congratulations on your little guy! He's got the cutest little baby face.

It sounds like you had a fairly easy travel day. Nothing like a cooperative and happy baby.

What resale company did you use?

 

[etzmn123]

Can’t wait to read more about your trip! We stayed at AKL for our daughter’s first trip too (this past December, she was 16 months).

 

[TJLogan]

Following. Can’t wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[hpygrll]

Following!

 

[Wayland10]

Following!

 

[alohamom]

Oh my goodness, the three of you on the MCO carpet shot is such a great family photo!
Following.

 

[PAsFab5]

Following along!!! Traveling to Disney with a baby (my granddaughter) for the first time in January so we need all the tips and tricks!

 

[DLo]

Following along . Read your prior TRs - looking forward to reading more about your adventures.

 

[rdkeim]

Following!

 

[Disney102015]

Following along! Looking forward to reading more.

a couple of bottles of wine (in case we were nap-trapped in there more than expected).

smart parenting move!

To come back - nearly 5 years to the day later - with our kiddo was just amazing

This made me tear up a bit! Baby’s first trip is so special!

 

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

Congratulations on your little guy! He's got the cutest little baby face.

It sounds like you had a fairly easy travel day. Nothing like a cooperative and happy baby.

What resale company did you use?

Thank you so much! He had started day care in October and had so many colds and illnesses that he passed along to Tory and I as well. I thought for sure one ofus might be sick or fussy for this trip, but thankfully we were all healthy for the week!

Can’t wait to read more about your trip! We stayed at AKL for our daughter’s first trip too (this past December, she was 16 months).

Aww that's so great! AKL is incredible!

Oh my goodness, the three of you on the MCO carpet shot is such a great family photo!
Following.

Thanks so much! I love it too!

Following. Can’t wait to hear more about your trip!

Following!

Following!

Following along!!! Traveling to Disney with a baby (my granddaughter) for the first time in January so we need all the tips and tricks!

Following along . Read your prior TRs - looking forward to reading more about your adventures.

Following!

Following along! Looking forward to reading more.


smart parenting move!

This made me tear up a bit! Baby’s first trip is so special!

Thanks so much for following all! Our first full day is coming up!

 

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

Day 2 - A chill day of non-park exploration

In the planning phase of this trip, we recognized that a theme park each day might be too much for Baby M (and us as new parents), so in an effort to slow down and ensure the three of us remained in good spirits, we planned two down days with no park plans. We thought this first full day should be a down day given the long travel day before and being unsure of how Baby M would handle the time change. Baby M slept quite well overnight with only one 3 AM wake up. He started stirring for the day around 9 AM and woke up so happy! I had woken up a little earlier and went down to grab Tory and I some breakfast and coffee from The Mara.

We let Baby M play on the floor for a little while as the two of us got ready. We then got Baby M ready and before too long, we were itching to get out and explore!

We popped Baby M into the stroller and headed out into AKL. As soon as we reached the lobby, a lovely CM offered to take a family photo. I think that’s why we didn’t unstrap and hold Baby M. That or maybe we were a little overwhelmed in the best possible way.

The lobby gives me chills every single time I come across it, and we took the opportunity to slowly explore and take in all the amazing art and artifacts.

We wandered outside to a viewing area to see the savanna. It was quite chilly the first few days of the trip with the highs in the 50s-low 60s, so the savanna was pretty quiet. Although an ostrich did wander up to say hi!

We stopped to take pictures with Baby M every chance we could. We were just so excited to show our kiddo everything!

We wandered out back to say “hi” to the flamingos as well!

We also came across an eland!

Around 10:45 AM, we started the walk over to Kidani Village. Our first ADR of the trip was at Sanaa, of course! This lunch was just the three of us, as my family was having a park day and would meet up with us for dinner. We arrived at Sanaa about a half hour before our ADR, so we took some cute photos in the rocking chairs outside.

Then, we wandered into a sitting area off the lobby and let Baby M feed. Our bubba ended up falling asleep - first official WDW nap in the books! Tory and I sat and chatted while taking in the view of the savanna. It was just a really peaceful moment. We had to wake Baby M before too long as there was food to be had!

In our three previous visits to WDW, we had been to Sanaa four times. So, of course our kiddo’s first Disney Dining experience was going to be Sanaa.

At 8 months old, Baby M was pretty adept at eating finger foods and bits of whatever we were eating. We also picked up plenty of puree pouches and baby puff snacks from Target to have options. We brought along disposable place mats and floor mats for the inevitable mess our baby creates while eating. As I was setting down a floor mat under the high chair, the manager came over and thanked us, noting that we certainly didn’t have to do that, but that it was greatly appreciated. Our server also noticed and thanked us. Baby M was all smiles this morning and was very excited to be in the high chair. BTW, we loved that Disney always had plenty of appropriately sized high chairs available and easily let you request one when checking in for your reservation via the app. This was also our first time checking in via the app, and we found it really easy to use - a somewhat shocking revelation considering Disney’s IT.

Baby M was a huge Sannaa fan - definitely our kiddo! We ripped off pieces of all the different flat breads that came with bread service and let Baby M try some of the non-spicy dips. I was quite tickled seeing our kiddo eat at Sanaa!

We were quite hungry and so in addition to bread service we ordered the salad trio and the Potjie meal with the dal and butter chicken.

Everything was as delicious as we remembered, and the warm curry and dal hit the spot as it was kind of chilly by Florida standards. I also had a Tusker Amber Lager. The food and the view of the savanna outside peeled layers of stress away and fully ushered us into vacation mode. Oh Sanaa, you never disappoint.

Our server was great with Baby M and being sure to place food on the table away out of reach. Certainly something we noticed across the week at all our table service experiences! Every restaurant was prepared to host us and Baby M, and welcomed us all graciously!

As our meal was drawing to a close, we hatched a plan for the afternoon. Baby M was getting due for a nap before too long. One of our biggest question marks coming into this trip was if Baby M would readily nap on the go in the stroller. Tory was eager to test this out so we started brainstorming places where we could go for a walk outside the parks. We landed on the Boardwalk/Yacht Club/Beach Club loop. Yay!

We settled our bill, cleaned up Baby M, and then walked back to Jambo House for a quick change and diaper bag refill before heading down to our rental car.

We opted to drive over to HS since we had a car. Aside from getting to AKL the night before, this was the first time we had driven on Disney property. It is certainly as confusing and technical as many on here describe! There are so many short merges or lanes that become exit only, so you really need to be paying attention.

Without too much trouble (and thanks to Tory’s co-piloting/navigation skills), we made it to the HS parking lot. And wouldn’t you know it, Baby M fell asleep on the less than 10 minute drive over!!! We decided to press on with our plan and Tory skillfully moved a sleeping Baby M over to the stroller. We pulled the shade down and began our walk. It was a crisp January day, but the afternoon sun was shining and the sky was dotted with puffy clouds.

 

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

We took a leisurely walk along the river (?) that connects HS to the EPCOT Resorts Area and soaked it all in. As we reached Beach Club, a sign that said Hurricane Hannah’s was open. That lured me in and I grabbed a Yuengling, which you can’t find all that much on the West Coast. I can’t think of too many other built locations that are perfect for a walk. It felt so great to be back!

About an hour after we arrived in the HS parking lot, Baby M woke up! That was a pretty darn good stroller nap! Now that Baby M was awake, I got to take my first Cool Disney Dad picture!

We wandered into Beach Club to soak in its beauty and just started a leisurely stroll through that resort. I guess Tory liked this sandcastle art, because that’s the only photo we have of our time at Beach Club.

We eventually ended up in the YC lobby, and found a quiet place for Tory to feed Baby M. I went into the Ale and Compass Lounge to see if they do to-go cocktails (of course they do!) and came back to Tory and Baby M holding a $21 Moscow Mule. Tory laughed about my choice of cocktail and the price point but I contended that I’m “Vacation Nick” and this is what he does. Tory had requested a drink on their menu that had an NA gin, but they were sadly out of it. Before heading back outside I took Baby M to the restroom in the Yacht Club lobby for a change only to find that there was no changing table! That may have been the only men’s room on the trip that I found didn’t have a changing table. Kudos to Disney for having changing tables in most mens’s rooms, but y’all missed one! SO i had to bing him back out to Tory unchanged.

We wanted to find some space for Baby M to explore, so we went outside Yacht Club and found a very quiet and shaded stretch of lawn in front of a pergola. The lighting and scenery were great so we wanted to take some pictures before sitting down. I had set my $21 mule down on the walkway to avoid spilling it, and not a minute later Tory was holding Baby M, stepped around the stroller, and down went the Mule. It was sad as there was ¾ of it still to be drank. RIP.

Tory and I joke about that Mule to this day. After all, no use crying over a spilled mule, especially on vacation!

We did end up getting some nice photos!

After a while of letting Baby M explore, we headed out to the dock to catch a boat back to Hollywood Studios. We thought like other forms of transportation that we would need to fold the stroller down, and so I took several minutes to figure out how to do it on our rental, as I had forgotten from earlier in the day. Also, this was when we truly realized how old the stroller was and how problematic the collapsing mechanism was. We actually ended up not getting on the first boat that arrived because we couldn’t figure it out!

Of course as soon as the second boat arrived and we boarded with a collapsed stroller, I saw several dads with completely unfolded strollers with kids in them.

The Friendship Boat back was quite crowded, but we got the last couple of seats, and before we knew it, we were back at HS, and back in our car.

We got back to AKL about an hour before our ADR downstairs at Jiko. Enough time for everyone to freshen up and for Baby M to sneak in a quick catnap. We ended up seeing the zebras get fed dinner from our balcony!

Given that we weren’t sure how Baby M would do with the time change, we planned all of our dinner ADRs to be early (before 6 PM local). First up was a Tory and Nick favorite: Jiko!

It was here that we met up with the rest of my family for the first time. My parents, brother, and SIL had been in the parks earlier that day. We met them in the Jiko lounge where my dad had already procured a bottle of wine. As we were saying our hellos and introducing my brother and SIL to Baby M, Tory wandered over to the bar to ask the bartender a fun question: Is there still a Brian that works here?

Longtime readers of my TRs will know that in 2019, we had a great bartender twice at the Jiko Lounge named Brian that we made a great connection with. The bartender stated to Tory that were two Brians and asked if she had any more information about him. Tory noted a vague description of him and that he had a daughter. The bartender went back into the kitchen and came back out with the Brian we remember! We explained that we had chatted with him a couple of times back in January 2019 and how he gushed about his baby daughter. He remembered us and that chat, and now we got to show him our baby. Haha. He showed us a few quick photos of his family, and confirmed that things are going well for him. He had been promoted to server! It was great to catch up with him briefly. The bartender was in disbelief that we had a great conversation with Brian! Unfortunately, he had just sat a large party, so he was unable to serve us, but he did check in with us during our meal.

Our server was fantastic though, and Jiko lived up to our memories of it. As my brother and SIL were new to the Jiko experience, we had to get the Wild Boar Tenderloin for the table. This somehow gets better with each visit! We also got a flatbread to share. I don’t remember much about it so I guess it was just okay.

For our mains, Tory got the sustainable fish, and I got the shortrib. We also ordered a side of their famous Mac and Cheese to share (but mostly for Baby M). Baby M ended up not caring much for the Mac, instead preferring the pap that came with the wild boar and the beans and grains at the base of my short rib! Tory ended up eating most of the Mac, which she noted was delicious. Tory and I were chuffed and getting very full!

A meal at Jiko wouldn’t be complete without dessert and a cup of coffee! We split the Potjie Pot which I don’t think we had tried before! Just another stellar dessert from Jiko!

Make a trip to Jiko if you haven’t already. It’s truly some of the best food on property!

Towards the end of the nearly 2 hour meal (!!), Baby M got tired of sitting so we went to play with the beads on the wall. He got a major kick out of it!

We said our goodbyes to my family and headed upstairs to get Baby M ready for bed around 8 PM.

We were very grateful for the tub in the bathroom, as many hotels nowadays just have showers. Another thing that made our trip easier with a baby. We got Baby M to bed without too much trouble, and then sat on the balcony for a while before calling it a night for ourselves.

Note: I don’t recall how many evenings I went down to the Mara for Zebra Domes after Baby M went to bed, but it was certainly more than half of the nights! Haha. We love them!

Coming up: Baby M’s first Park Day! It could really only be one place: Animal Kingdom! Plus, stay turned for adventures in napping on the go, my moment with the Steve’s Special, and our first oopsie while traveling with a baby!

 

[Gamedog]

Following along!

 

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

Day 3 - Me, myself, and Steve

After a successful first full day on Disney Property with an 8 month old baby, we figured why not try a theme park? Given his parents' massive love for it, Baby M’s first park had to be Animal Kingdom! We woke before Baby M and felt fairly well rested. We set about getting ourselves ready for the day. When Baby M woke up, we let him move around for a bit and eat some breakfast before getting him dressed in his special purchased Animal Kingdom outfit. We loved the little safari animals on it! We had Baby M in the stroller and out the door before 8 AM! Not too bad for a West Coast family!

To our dismay, the weather was forecasted to be chilly for at least the first half of our trip. So, we were all bundled in jackets as we made the short drive from AKL to the AK parking lot. My dad updated me that my family was having a slower start to the morning and they would be joining us later.

Everybody else at AK that morning was headed to either Pandora or Africa, but not us! We had one thought in mind for Baby M’s first ride: Triceratops Spin! We love(d) Dinoland and the convoluted, but creative backstory. The vibes at Dino-Rama, with the party music playing and the motion of the carnival rides, just work. I do understand the very valid criticisms and am excited to see what comes next for the area, but it will be missed - at least by us. Primeval Whirl and Triceratop Spin were our first two rides on our very first trip (our honeymoon back in January 2019), so it only felt fitting to give Baby M the same experience. At least as close to it as we could, considering Primeval Whirl is no more (and even if it wasn’t, Baby M probably wouldn’t have been able to ride given height requirements). So, Triceratop Spin it was!

By 8:22 AM, we were in line for Triceratop Spin. There was no line, but we did have to wait for the next cycle.

We had our first experience finding stroller parking and figuring out how much stuff to leave there versus take with us. We didn’t have any trouble finding our stroller that morning as it was pretty empty, but we did tie a bright orange Anaheim Ducks towel to the handlebar for easier identification. This is a hot tip for others traveling with littles for the first time! So many people use Kingdom Strollers (or similar stroller rental companies) and there were a lot of the exact same model in more crowded stroller parking sections.

Baby M liked it! He seemed to enjoy seeing Dino-Rama from a different vantage point and he really wanted to move the lever. Unfortunately, Tory and Baby M were sitting in the back seat so their level only tilted our Triceratops. I had control of flight level! Pharell Williams’ “Happy” was blasting, the sun was shining, and the air was crisp. It was a moment I won’t forget. It’s such a simple ride, but it was a whole new experience having Baby M along for the ride.

Next up was a must do for Baby M’s first trip and park day: Meeting Mickey and Minnie! We got in line at the Adventurer’s Outpost which was sporting a 25-minute wait. There didn’t seem to be too much of a line, but we did wait for nearly 20 minutes before being called in. We passed the time taking some pictures and feeding Baby M a teething cracker we had packed.

It was finally our turn! We loved Mickey and Minnie’s expedition outfits and the whole vibe of the meet and greet space. We loved it all except for one thing: the automated picture machine. My mom had purchased the PhotoPass package for the family for the trip, so we got to see what the machine was capable of. The results were not great. It certainly did well capturing the perfectly-staged photo, but it missed all the sweet moments of Baby M interacting with Mickey and Minnie since our backs were facing the machine. I had handed my phone to the CM in the room, and she did a much better job capturing those moments.

Baby M was certainly intrigued by Mickey and Minnie. They did a great job of letting him reach out and try to grab their noises and making kissing sounds at him. Super cute overall, and again, one of those memories I won’t forget! When we walked out of the meet-and-greet to our stroller, we couldn't find Baby M’s beanie. We walked up to the CM at the entrance to the queue and asked if she had seen a baby beanie, and she bent down and pulled it out of her kiosk! We must have dropped it when getting into line.

Tory and I didn’t have breakfast before leaving AKL, but we knew we wanted to try the new breakfast item in AK: the guava pancake breakfast sandwich!

We found one at Drinkwallah where Tory also grabbed a coffee.

We took them over to an area with tables located next to the river with a stunning view of the Tree of Life. We took some pictures, I took Baby M into the bathroom across the way for a diaper change, and we sat down to try this new treat.

As you may have guessed from our favorites of the trip at the top of the thread, this was a surprise hit! It’s a sausage patty and egg, surrounded by guava jelly, stuffed inside a pancake. Well worth the $8.99!

It was really tasty! I wanted to go back and get another one right then and there, but we were already on the move to our next destination.

Baby M’s next ride was the Kilimanjaro Safari! The wait time was posted at 40 minutes which seemed reasonable. We planned on giving Baby M some snacks while in line. It's really nice that you can keep the stroller for the length of the line as it made snacktime easier. After about 10 or so minutes, Baby M finished his nap and started getting fussy and so Tory picked him up. Wouldn’t you know it, he conked right out for a nap in Tory’s arms.

We weren’t expecting a nap so soon, and we were nervous that the nap would be interrupted by the safari, throwing him off his nap schedule. That ended up not being a problem as the line moved so slowly. It ended up being over an hour and fifteen minutes! I know that oftentimes this line can stall out if there are animals on the trail or other unexpected circumstances, but this wasn’t the last time today or on the trip where we ended up waiting a lot longer than the posted wait time.

While waiting and napping, we got to chatting with a lovely family from Wisconsin. They came every year to WDW, but had never been to Disneyland, so we told them all about the differences and why we love Walt’s original park. Pretty sure we sold them on a trip out to California!

Finally we made it to the front and woke Baby M up. It ended up being a ~40 minute nap, which was decent enough for him to wake up feeling recharged.

Finally, it was our turn to safari!

He was kind of drowsy at the beginning of the Safari, but by the end, I think he really enjoyed taking in the view of the savanna and all the animals. I love this picture of him and I.

It was still fairly cool, so there were tons of animals out and about. When the animals are active, there are few better experiences on Disney property in my opinion!

After we got off the safari, we wandered around a bit more. We could spend all day wandering around AK!

By this point, my family had made it into the park. We told them to meet us in Africa and while we waited we got some photopass pictures taken in front of the Fichwa Mickey. In writing this trip report, we learned that Fichwa is the Swahili word for “hidden”! The photos turned out so well!

We met up with my family and caught them up on our morning so far. We knew that we wanted to take them to see the Festival of the Lion King, and we started walking that way. It was 10:55 AM so we thought we could just catch the 11 AM show, but when we arrived the line was flowing out of the holding area and a CM said that the end of the line would not be getting into the 11 AM show, but the noon instead. It wasn't important to us to get front row seats so we decided to go for a stroll and get some family photos done in the meantime.

We then wandered further into Pandora where we browsed the gift shop and my family stopped at Pongu Pongu for a beverage. To our luck, they had the Guava Pancake Breakfast sandwich as well. I hyped it up to my dad who bought three for the family to share. The second one tasted just as good as the first!

After a quick bathroom stop, we headed back to Africa to hop in line for the noon FotLK.

We had really good seats in the Giraffe section. Tory and I love FotLK! It is Disney entertainment at its best! Baby M sure seemed to like it too for the first 10 minutes he saw. Tory had him in her arms and not even halfway through the show, he dozed off. Shockingly he slept through the rest of the show despite how loud it gets! The whole family had a good laugh about that. The rest of us enjoyed the end of the show. The monkeys will always be the stars of the show!

We waited to be some of the last out of the theater to ensure no one bumped into a sleeping Baby M. Tory was able to successfully transfer Baby M from her arms into the stroller asleep and he continued to nap!

I can’t remember what our plan was at this point apart from wandering around beautiful AK while Baby M napped. We ended up stopping for a snack at Mr. Kamal’s. Tory remembered loving their fries! I think this is old news, but the Mr. Kamal fries have changed. They don’t come smothered in sauce anymore. They are just seasoned fries. Still tasty, but not the same. I grabbed an IPA for the Disney-Dad-pushing-a-sleeping-child-in-the-stroller schtick.

Everest was still down so we headed back into Dinoland. We took some fun photos in front of this dino statue that Tory loves.

The rumors were swirling at that point that Dinoland and Dino-Rama may not be long for this world so we needed to say hi to Dr. Seeker one more time! Baby M was still napping, and my brother and SIL headed off on their own. So, my mom and I hopped in line for Dinosaur with a posted 30-minute wait. My Dad wanted to hang out with Baby M more once he woke up, so he stayed with Tory. We set Tory up with rider swap so that she could ride once my Mom and I got off.

 

[footballmouse]

 

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

Sorry to my readers for the long delay! I’m sure you’ve been getting impatient waiting for an update on how long the Dinosaur line ended up being. My lovely wife, Tory, is my editor and she recently got a promotion (yay!) that cuts down on her free time. We make the best team with me writing all the details down and her editing it into something coherent (Editor’s note: Thanks, love!) Don't worry though - we have every intention of finishing this trip report!

The wait for Dinosaur ended up being almost 90 minutes! Once we hopped in line, we saw the Lightning Lane line swell with people and spill out of the front. I assume everyone that had LLs for Everest received anytime LLs when that ride shut down and they used them at Dinosaur because I’ve never seen the line balloon like that! We got to the room before the preshow and then didn’t move for half an hour. It was clear that the ride had broken down. The CMs at the merge point were on the phone often and otherwise just standing around chatting. We must have heard the Bill Nye spiel about the age of the dinosaurs at least 5 times!

I got pretty annoyed. I don’t understand why they didn’t clear the line and tell people to come back if the ride was down. Instead, we all just stood there and the LL line got bigger (which I know because I was texting Tory who was sharing what she was seeing out front). Once they did start letting people into the preshows again, the ratio between LL folks and standby folks was crazy! Seemingly only 10 people from the standby line got to go into each preshow. I totally understand why the CMs had to do that given the LL/Genie+ system, but it was quite demoralizing after not moving at all for so long.

Once we finally did get on the ride, it was as campy as remembered! I love DInosaur and all its quirks, but it has never been worth a 90-minute wait.

When we finally made it back from the Cretaceous period, Baby M was up and in a great mood. My Dad had multiple cocktails in hand (including one for me!) and the LL line was still out the front door.

Tory opted not to use the rider swap, and I don’t blame her as it was likely still going to be a 20-minute wait in the LL line. She shared that Baby M finished a solid nap, they played a bit, and went for a stroll and a change. They didn’t go too far because Tory wasn’t expecting a 90-minute wait. Looking back, she would have popped Baby M in the stroller and headed back to see the gorillas. The most exciting thing that happened is Tory and Baby M were taking photos seated on the ground next to a trash can.

A cast member came to change out the trash and in the scramble to move out of her way, we got these random photos!

Then, to memorialize my trip back in time, we got some photopass shots out front. The Photopass CM was great and really took her time. We got some great photos, including one of Baby M that’s been my phone lock screen ever since.

Around 2:45 PM, with Everest still being down, all the lines were prohibitively long. Given that Baby M needed one more nap before our early 5:45 PM ADR, We decided to just take it easy and savor the beauty of AK by walking both animal trails!

It was a crisp January day in the low 60s, so a lot of animals were active - including the meerkats and birds! Always a great way to pass the time!

Sadly Tory’s favorite box of scientific equipment is still unlabeled. They removed it sometime between our second (September 2019 ) and third trip (September 2021), and we were hoping they would bring the label back. But, alas, no such luck.

Throwback to our honeymoon trip in this first photo here! (Editor's note: Now that I'm comparing these two photos, it's pretty clear that it's not the same box. I am convinced it doesn't exist anymore though. Does anyone know?!)

As a side note, AK was unexpectedly crowded today, even for a Sunday. It felt like we were bobbing and weaving through crowds for most of the late morning and afternoon. Expedition Everest was down every time we walked by it, so that likely contributed to the crowds elsewhere in the park.

We started discussing with my parents what to do until dinner. We knew Baby M would need one more nap to get through dinner, and we were contemplating what options we had for a quiet spot to allow him to nap at. My parents decided that they would go on ahead to Coronado Springs and grab some cocktails at any number of great lounges there. We were also headed towards the exits thinking that we would go back to AKL for an hour or head over to Coronado Springs and find a quiet place to hang out, but I was on my phone and saw that the Nomad Lounge walkup waitlist had opened up and it was only 15 minutes! I jumped on that!

Everyone online raved about the baby care centers, and we stopped in the AK one at this point. It was absolutely packed! After a quick change, we walked back out wondering if every baby care center was like this. We didn’t try on either of our other park days, so I am not sure. Anyways, we were soon off to Nomad Lounge!

We got indoor seats with a couch and Baby M drifted off quite quickly in Tory’s arms. Super grateful that he was able to sleep almost anywhere at that age!

It had been a pretty light day foodwise, so we knew we needed a snack with our drinks. We got the churros that we had heard so much about, but had never tried. They were delicious, especially with the vanilla crema.

To drink, Tory got an N/A version of one of the signature cocktails, and I asked our server if he knew about the Steve’s Special. He did and explained that it was an off-menu cocktail that some local created. I had read about it on Twitter and other social media, and was curious about it since I loved everything I’d had so far at Nomad Lounge. This had to be amazing too?!

Oh, it was! And strong too! I have since learned that the Steve’s Special is a play on the Lamu Libation. It’s a little less sweet with the Bacardi 151 mixed in! Baby M was happily napping away in Tory’s lap, and I was with my wife and kiddo in one of my happy places. It was perfect. I feel like I wax poetic about Nomad Lounge every trip, but how can you not?!

I finished my Steve’s Special, and with the help of the churros, the alcohol hadn’t hit me yet. Baby M was still napping and we had time before we needed to get going, so I ordered a second drink. I got the Annapurna Zing, on Tory’s behalf, since it is her favorite, and she wasn’t drinking at this point. As the drink arrived, Baby M woke up from what was a 30-40 minute nap. At home, he would take two naps a day at this age, but they would be longer and in a quiet space. So 3 naps in a theme park, each in the 30-minute-to-one-hour range worked for us, and more importantly worked for him! Once he woke up, he was in a great mood. He loved the detail on the couch we were sitting on.

Baby M was also obsessed with the lotus glow cube on top of my drink which was pretty funny. One of the fellow guests at an adjacent couch said we looked like an adorable family, and asked if we wanted our picture taken. Look at this great photo we got!

I finished up my drink and we leisurely made our way out of the park, stopping briefly for photos at the main entrance before Tory drove us over to Coronado Springs. Again, having a car with a baby was really nice!

After finding Toledo back in 2019, shortly after it opened, we can’t have a trip without a meal there! It’s criminally underrated! And the view from the top of the Gran Destino tower is quite lovely!

I’m sure we got some tapas to share with my parents as appetizers based on this photo of Tory with an appetizer plate in front of her, but I don’t have any pictures of them and it’s long gone from mine and Tory’s memories (Editor's Note: I'm pretty sure I'm pulling a crayon out of Baby M's mouth in this photo. The very sweet hostess gave us a kids menu with crayons, and of course, the crayons went straight into his mouth!) Tory got to have her customary Monkey 47 Gin and Tonic, and I smartly had water.

For mains, Tory had the filet of beef and I opted for the Rioja chicken. Both were fantastic, and Baby M got to try a little of both.

He certainly had fun trying and playing with new foods here. I think this was the first time he tried steak!

At one point before dessert arrived, he got a little fussy in the high chair, so I took him on a quick exploration walk. We took an elevator all the way down to the lobby that overlooks the downstairs bar and did some people watching. The sights and sounds of it all entranced Baby M and really calmed him down. There was clearly a conference occurring at Coronado Springs as the lobby was bustling with people in business attire. After a little while, we rode the elevator back up to find dessert had just arrived. No trip to Toledo is complete without having the Toledo Tapas Bar dessert! It was just as good as the other times we had it!

Given Baby M’s early bedtime, that should be a wrap on the stories of the day. However, I have one more story to tell!

We left Coronado Springs and drove back to AKL. When getting out of the car with a sleepy Baby M, we realized that we didn’t have our diaper bag with us! We figured we must have left it at Toledo. We were disappointed and confused as to how we had forgotten it, but not overly panicked as there was nothing too irreplaceable in it. We walked up to the front desk at AKL where we explained to the CM (who was also named Nick) the situation. Nick went above and beyond to help us. He called over to Coronado Springs immediately and when they said they hadn’t seen it, he called Toledo directly. Toledo put him on hold while they looked, and in the meantime he tried his best to make faces at and interact with a sleepy Baby M. After a couple more minutes on hold, he told us he would call up to our room with an update. Not 10 minutes after we got up to the room, as we were getting Baby M ready for bed, he called back with good news: Toledo had found the bag, and Disney was going to bring it to AKL! Nick said that it should be here in about an hour, but if we were going to sleep or needed to be with Baby M, we could pick it up in the morning. We thanked him profusely. 15 minutes after that call, just as we were putting Baby M into his sleep sack, the phone rang again. This time, a different CM let me know that they had the bag at the front desk! I thanked her and let her know I would be down to grab it soon. Before she hung up the call, she quickly apologized and said that she just now saw in the notes to not call the room, as we had a sleeping baby. I assured her that he wasn’t quite asleep yet, but appreciated the conscientiousness.

A true example of the Disney difference! The fact that less than an hour after we reported our bag missing, we had it back in our possession at a different resort is kind of crazy! I think this typifies one of my overarching feelings of the state of things at WDW for this trip as a whole. The parks have some issues, none of which are the CMs fault; however, they have to deal with the ramifications of the issues. But, the resorts are still amazing and allow the CMs to do those things we’ve come to expect of Disney customer service. The magic can still be found, you just have to go looking for it, particularly at the resorts or waterparks (Note: This may or may not be foreshadowing).

I’ll wrap up the day there. I didn’t realize I had so much to say! Another park day coming up next, featuring an unusual rope drop decision, a disco inferno, and another incredible CM interaction at a resort. Stay tuned!

 

[PassedTheEndorMoon]

Day 4 - Imagination and (Going Back to the Big Bang) is a blast!

I had an alarm set for 6:55 AM so I could be awake enough to get a GotG Boarding Group. Without too much fuss, I was successful (Tory thinks it was in the 60s and I recall it being in the 30s. Needless to say, it wasn’t Boarding Group 1.). I then promptly laid back down for a little more shut eye. Baby M woke up around 7:30 AM for a solid 11-hour night of sleep with just one wake up (this was pretty standard for him at this age). It was still gloomy and chilly, so there wasn’t that much activity out on the savannah yet, but there was one giraffe having some breakfast in the distance.

We got some breakfast from the Mara and got ready for the day. EPCOT opened at 9 AM that day with an 8:30 EMH (or half-hour, really).

We drove over to EPCOT around 8:15 AM and found the drive to be really straight-forward, but the process to park was quite slow for the park not yet being fully open. I had never been in the EPCOT parking lot, but it’s shockingly large! By the time we got through security and into the park, there were only 10 minutes left of EMH.

Ah, EPCOT! Even though AK is our favorite park, I still find myself reminiscing about EPCOT and picturing EPCOT in my mind more than any other park. Maybe it’s because there are so many scenic places to sit and relax, and as parents of a young child, daydreaming of relaxation is something we do a fair amount of! It was Festival of the Arts season when we went, and Tory bought Baby M a shirt to wear for the occasion, however since it was a little chilly, it was hidden under his sweater until the afternoon. Stay tuned for the reveal!

I pulled up the wait times and showed Tory that both Frozen and #RatRide were prohibitively long already with a baby. I knew exactly where we should go first instead! One of two must dos for me on the day was meeting Figment! I showed Tory that Figment starts meeting right at park open at 9 AM, so with a few minutes to spare, we made it to the Imagination Pavilion where we waited for the CMs to open the doors to the store and to his M&G.

I think I may have led my wife to believe that this was a more in demand M&G then reality proved to be. We were the only ones rope-dropping meeting Figment! I don’t think Tory was completely convinced that Figment was real as we were the only ones standing in his M&G area. There wasn’t even a CM standing around yet. Baby M seemed to love the lights in the M&G area though.

At 9:02 AM, a CM walked out, the music started, and out walked everyone’s favorite purple dragon from the Dreamport: Figment!

Tory filmed this occasion and finds it extremely humorous (and maybe a little sad) to hear a lone adult man (me) cheering wildly for Figment as he started his day! (Editor’s note: I find it humorous!)

Figment came over to us and led us directly to his photo spot. He was great! We all got hugs and interacted. Baby M was skeptical of Figment and once he got too close, Baby M’s little lip started trembling! However, Figment gave Baby M a card with his autograph, which Baby M promptly started chewing on and all was well. After Figment and his handler learned that Baby M hadn’t yet been on Journey into Imagination, they insisted we go there next.

The PhotoPass photos are great (thanks to a real photographer and not a box). I had a huge grin the whole time.

Baby M loved the signature card. It was a thicker card stock, and once FIgment handed it to Baby M, he did not let go of it. Over the next hour, he held onto that card and sucked/teethed on the corner of it. We eventually took it from him, as the paper was disintegrating into his mouth lol. We still have the card, with the corner missing, it’s an amazing memento that we will get to share with Baby M when he gets older and we reminisce about the baby days.

When we said goodbye to Figment, there was one other person lined up to meet Figment, so maybe it wasn’t the best Rope Drop strategy. But hey, we were all in great spirits!

After that, how could you not take Figment’s suggestion to ride Journey into Imagination?! Baby M’s first ride at EPCOT! There was no line less than 10 minutes after park opening, which was not surprising, and we walked right on.

Baby M liked it, I think! It’s certainly a lot to take in even for us adults! We definitely got some cute photos!

While the crowds were still low, we took advantage of having PhotoPass and stopped for some family photos.

Then, it was time to show Baby M one of the best things about EPCOT: Living with the Land!

I don’t even know how to describe how much I love this ride. It’s just so peaceful and entertaining. Baby M disagreed! Within a minute of getting on board, he got fussy and then fell asleep in Tory’s arms! It’s not a particularly loud attraction, but I was amazed he was able to doze off under those circumstances. Tory and I laughed about it (quietly) through the rest of the ride.

Unfortunately, with stroller parking being all the way out in front of the Land Pavilion, Baby M did wake up heading out of the Land, so the quick boat nap wasn’t going to be sufficient. We found a quiet spot across from the Land and let him snack and relax for a bit.

We were trying to coordinate with the rest of my family who were headed into the park for the day. It’s so nice to stop and soak it all in amidst a busy park day. Certainly, Tory and I have always tried to do that on previous trips, but having a little one along for the ride forces it.

We made plans with my parents to meet up in France to start Festival of the Arts-ing! And a stop in France wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Le Halles! The line was backed up into the seating area at the entrance of Les Halles which was shocking given how quiet Future World had been. I sent Tory and Baby M off to find a spot to hang out and keep a lookout for my parents while I waited. The line moved quite quickly, and within 15 minutes I had emerged with goodies: a pain au chocolat and the roulade!! The roulade changes shape and style every time we come and get one, but the flavor always remains the same. Bacon, cheese, and bread. What could be more French (or more delicious)?!

When I found Tory and Baby M on a bench on the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon, my family had arrived. The look on their faces as I brought out Les Halles pastries was hysterical, and my mom headed into France to get her own. We let Baby M try our treats. At that point in time, he loved just gnawing on hunks of bread, so of course he loved Les Halles.

While sitting and catching up with my dad, 11 AM struck and the Festival of the Arts food booths opened. The France booth wasn’t really on my radar, but since we were hanging out there, I had to try something!

My Dad and I walked over and got in line. The French college kid CMs at the booth were as blasé and seemingly bored as I would expect in actual Paris, but before too long I had a Vol-au-Vent with salmon, spinach, and a chardonnay shallot sauce in my hands. We had to try to get a blogger quality photo of it to share with y’all.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was tasty. It didn’t feel like the best choice at 11 AM, as it was pretty heavy from the buttery wine sauce, but hey, there are no rules on vacation!

While we were all hanging out, munching on French pastries, and playing with Baby M, we got the notification that our Cosmic Rewind boarding group had been called. As we started our walk back to Future World, Baby M started to get fussy. He needed a proper nap, as the catnap on LwtL wasn’t going to cut it for now. We popped him in the stroller, laid it as flat as it would go, pulled the shade down and let him doze off.

Tory found a quietish spot to pull up with the stroller and let Baby M nap. I went up to the front of the ride with my parents to inquire about the rider swap process here. While we waited for an available CM, we watched the CMs have to explain to several different guests about the VQ system and how they needed to be on their phones right at 1 PM if they wanted to try for the next slot. It made me very aware of just how much knowledge, research, and tech savviness it takes to truly make the most of a WDW vacation in this day and age. I hate that it's like this. It really hampers the enjoyment of the casual guest. And I think things are, in some cases, overcomplicated for seemingly no reason. However, I am a planner and a researcher, so I use that (selfishly) to my advantage.

The CM we spoke to was very helpful and explained how rider swap would work. My parents would go through the standby/VQ line and then Tory and I could come back through the LL line after my parents were done and could watch Baby M. With everything squared away, I said goodbye to my parents who hopped in line and I went back to Tory and a sleeping Baby M.

Before I get into more Festival of the Arts food commentary, I want to share that my parents were in line for Cosmic Rewind for nearly an hour and a half! From texts I got from my mom during the process, it was clear the ride had gone down at some point as they came to a standstill for a while. But much like our Dinosaur experience the day before, they never closed the ride or the line. This was crazy to me, and really highlights one of the problems with the VQ system. Not only do you have no idea when your group is going to get called, but when you join the physical line, there is no wait time sign. You have no idea how long your standby wait is going to be. I don’t think 90 minutes is the norm, obviously. But without any knowledge of how long the wait is going to be or when you’re going to get called (if you even get a Boarding Group, that is), how do you plan your day? It’s just not practical given all the other aspects of a trip that you have to plan: ADRs, tours, nap schedules, etc. The ride is such a fast loader, so I really hope they ditch the VQ here soon.

Okay, so with a contented napping baby, and (unbeknownst to us) time to kill, it was time to continue eating festival treats! I consulted with Tory, and she said that she needed a coffee first. She noted that as we pulled up to our quiet spot between Cosmic Rewind and Connections Cafe, she saw that the Joffery’s cart had a fun specialty iced coffee. She needed to say no more, and I quickly returned with Pistachio Palette Cold Brew. She is usually not one for sweet coffee drinks, but again, there are no rules on vacation! I tried a sip, and while super tasty, it was like dessert in a cup. However, with a sleeping baby and a coffee in hand, Tory was content.

So, after the first update from my mom that the line looked long, I ventured out to get some Festival treats! My first stop was The Deconstructed Dish where I picked up a Deconstructed Key Lime Pie and Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep with Bourbon. When I returned, Tory looked quite content people watching.

The deconstructed key lime pie was beautiful, and so fun! Every component worked and made sense. The ribbon of key lime in the middle was perfectly tart and tasted fresh. 10/10 - no notes.

The mint julep drink was, as I should have expected, very sweet. As former lab scientists who now work in offices and cubicles, having the strawberry puree in a pipette was not lost on us. 6/10.

After having finished those treats, there were still no sign of my parents coming back from space. So, I went out again, this time to the Deco Delights booth where I got the Neapolitan Dessert Trio and a pour of the Vanilla Porter. The beer was entirely disappointing. It was just super generic and very, very flat. The dessert trio almost looked too good to eat. I don’t have any notes on these but I vaguely remember the chocolate tart being the best, and the vanilla being the last one finished between the three of us. Tory recalls the vanilla one being dry and enjoying the strawberry mousse.

While I was out procuring the desert trio, Baby M woke up from a solid hour-long nap. He got to play on some real grass and eat some snacks of his own.

He was in awe of the dessert trio - look at that open mouth! You can also kind of see his Figment shirt here - it has Artist Figment painting on it!