Our last first birthday - Part 4

[IloveJack]

Our last first birthday
We've taken each of our kids to the World for their first birthday. Penelope, aka "Eppy," is our last. We decided to make it super-special, so we're spending two weeks at Disney, with 10 days in the parks.

Cast:
Susan, (me), 36, 11th trip
David (DH), 31, 9th trip
Sammie (DD), 8, 7th trip
Lily (DD), 5, 5th trip
Joey (DS), 3, 4th tip
Eppy (DD), turning 1, 1st trip
Connie (DMom), 65, 3rd trip
Sam, (DDad), 68, 3rd trip

Tuesday, December 13
The alarm went off at 7:30, but we snoozed another 15 minutes. For once, we were actually sleeping well. We got dressed and left at 8:40 for 10am reservations. It was a long wait for an internal bus, and then we had to go to Disney Springs to catch a bus back to the Beach Club, which was another long wait. (Bus transportation was so unreliable that we drove pretty much everywhere after my parents left. The catch was, none of the busses were full, unless it was park closing). Even leaving an hour and 20 minutes early, we were still late for our reservation by 10 minutes.
We'd never eaten here before, and I hope it remains a "secret." Breakfast options were good and plentiful, and the characters were very friendly. A large family that was seated by us got on our nerves, as they tried to spoil the magic and pester the characters. They were already paying, and had seen all of them, when the dad yelled "go grab Donald's tail!" while Donald was visiting Lily. Donald was quick to back up into the corner by us, thereby hiding his tail, and went right on spending time with us. Then the dad said, rather loudly, "I wonder if he has a fan in there, to keep his rear blown up." I told David that people like that really annoy me, as even we, as adults, like to get lost in the magic while we're at Disney, and we don't need to be reminded (nor do we want our kids to realize) that there is a person inside that costume.
Anyhow... The characters came by quickly, and we met them all twice. Eppy was a little frightened of Goofy, but was okay with the others, as long as someone was holding her. Again, they loved the books and the vinylmation. We took our time eating, since there were many empty tables, and enjoyed "brunch."
Since we had to ride back to DTD...er, DS, we decided to walk through. It was all still under construction when we were last there. The new shops aren't exactly our cup of tea, and Dad decided to take a nap on a bench while we wandered. We went into and back out of the World of Disney. Mom was looking for gifts for my neice and nephew, but she wanted to check at the outlet store first. She was a little shellshocked at the prices, expecting Disney Store prices, not Disney World.
We took the kids to the Lego store and let them play in the legos for a while. Then we took pictures with all the giant figures. Mom was tired by then, so she went to join Dad, and we left the girls with them. We took Joey, and walked on down to the entertainment end, stopping for drinks at the Coke store, and peeking into the Star Wars store. David was wanting to buy a cigar, so Joey and I waited outside while he bought a Sosa cigar. Then we went back to meet up with everyone and head back to camp.
We had promised the kids they could swim, and although it was in the high 70s, it was still windy and cool. But the heated pool was nice, and we enjoyed playing in the water for an hour or so. Then it was back to get cleaned up. David and I left the kids with my parents, and went to Trails End to get chicken to go. Dinner was good, I just wish they had more choices of sides. None of my family will eat slaw, so that only leaves mac & cheese and potatoes. But the cornbread is so tasty!!
We all got loaded up and went to the character outlet on Vineland. I was glad we'd waited to buy anything. For $199, we got two adult coats, a baby outfit, a hoodie and tee for my neice, three large plush Mickey and Minnies, a medium plush Izzy, a die cast tractor trailer, a Buzz Nerf-style gun, a baseball, two purses, a backpack, a Christmas tote, and some candy. The kids were happy, and got to spend some of their money, and I was able to get my neice and nephew's Christmas finished.
Then it was back to camp for bed, later than I'd hoped, but before midnight, at least.

[faline]

Very relaxed day with some great shopping at the end!!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I don't understand why people try to ruin the magic. Sounds like a productive shopping trip

[deedee73]

Now that was some great shopping. Excellent job! Rude people trying to destroy the Disney magic should be banned from the parks IMHO.

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[IloveJack]

I don't understand why people try to ruin the magic.

Me either! Ruin it for your own kids in the privacy of your hotel room, but don't tell my kids that Mickey isn't real!

[Mackflava99]

Thanks for the report- seemed like a restful day -
Where is the Character outlet ?

[IloveJack]

Thanks for the report- seemed like a restful day -
Where is the Character outlet ?

It's at 8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, 32821. It's a quick drive from WDW, and worth the trip!