But we got there and minus a few temper tantrums from Maddyn (Status Quo though), the flight was terrific. Halas nursed at the beginning and slept the rest of the flight. Maddyn watched her DVD and just enjoyed the flight. We landed, and forgot how hot & humid Orlando is. 89 today and the dewpoint was in the 60s..crazy! We got to the Polynesian, around 10:30. Check-in was at 3:00, so we were expecting the worse on our room. I was sweating (we were in our "Chicago/autumn/when-we-left-it-was-27-degrees" clothes) and really needed to nurse badly. Sure enough, we checked in and our room wasn't ready. They told us it could be three. I had requested a room (the same one we had last time) and asked if we'd be getting it. It is rare that you get your request, but I figured why not try. They told me I'd be getting the room next door to the one requested. I then asked if they had any "mother's" rooms where I could nurse until the room was ready. She called over the manager- who took pity on me I believe - and she made a call. Within minutes, they were able to get us a different room-- THE ONE I REQUESTED! How crazy is that! So we were able to get to the room right away.
I had been reading the dis-boards (A Disney forum for travelers wanting tips/advice/etc) and there had been concerns posted as of late on the conditions of the rooms, housekeeping, etc. Granted it is only day 1- but we got to our room and were quite pleased! No peeling paint, so clean you could smell the 'bleach scent' and great location. Just like we remembered it.
We ate lunch and then napped. Maddyn was in rare form and needed sleep desperately. She was quite the 2 year old at that point. She napped well and we headed over to Magic Kingdom. First- I must say we got REALLY lucky last year. We were at Disney in the "off season" both of our trips. Crowds were low, prices were low and it was pleasant temp-wise. Today was somewhat hellish. The crowds were INSANE, and it was super hot and humid. We barely had time to do any rides. To top it off- the Teacups were closed, and Pooh & Philharmagic are temporarily not doing Fast Passes. It's a MESS over there. Lines were 45-75 minutes long, and it was crowded. They also are expanding Fantasyland and adding some new rides- so a huge chunk of the park is now blocked off (like Pooh's playland and that whole area by Dumbo)- so there's not "resting spot/play area" for kids anymore. I totally didn't realize this and it was quite a disappointment.
Right now, we're going to hope it was just b/c it was Saturday and that the crowds are less during the week. Fingers crossed.
We ate dinner at The Plaza Restaurant. Nothing fancy, but you needed an ADR (Advanced Dining Reservation) or the wait was 75+ minutes. Location is right down Main Street by the Castle. We loved the food- basic stuff like sandwiches and such (Think Colonial Cafe/Perkins/etc) and it wasn't too pricey. They have an Ice Cream Parlor built in (that's what they are known for) and fantastic desserts. With Maddyn's tree nut allergy, we informed Disney before the trip of our reservations. When we were seated, the chef came out and greeted us- and told us she'd be personally making Maddyn's meal and make sure that everything was tree nut free and there would be no cross contamination. She brought out the allergy book showing all of the ingredients of every item on the menu and how she could substitute many items if need be. We were so impressed at how seriously Disney took her allergy- what a relief! We carry those EpiPens everywhere, but it's a relief knowing we won't need to use it.
We hit a few rides after dinner and came back and got ready for bed. What a long day. We just put the baby down, so I'm writing this up and hoping to get to sleep here soon. We were worried about the baby and Maddyn both being in the same room- so we're really praying that it works out and Halas sleeps long stretches without waking Maddyn up. Otherwise, this could be very interesting (and tiring)!
More to come. Tomorrow we have a character breakfast with Micky, Donald, Daisy and Goofy over at Animal Kingdom (Tusker House). We're hoping to spend time at Animal Kingdom and then head back to the hotel to enjoy the pool. The weather is supposed to be nice. Then we have the "coveted" Le Cellier reservations tomorrow evening over at Epcot. It's a steakhouse that's hard to get reservations for (I only got them b/c of a fluke that someone canceled and I stumbled upon the opening). Looking forward to it (not as much as Dave is, lol).
I'll try to post again if I'm not too tired!
ETA: Thanks Jared and Amanda for house sitting this week and watching Ry! We appreciate it!
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