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31 Aug 18, 01:48 PM
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Imagineer
 
Join Date: Oct 12
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Charlie's First DLP Adventure - August 2018 - Day 1: A Day of Many Firsts!
Index can be found here
Thursday 9th August 2018 Steps: 24,412 Miles: 9.95 The alarm went off bright and early at 7am but after such a long and busy travel day we were feeling pretty tired and as Charlie was still asleep we treated ourselves to two hits of the snooze button! By 7:30am Charlie was awake so I left him having some Daddy play time whilst I got showered and dressed. Eventually we were all ready for the day ahead and were out of the room by 8:40am. We were most sad to see that the weather was looking quite dire, it was absolutely pouring down with rain! But luckily we didn’t have to face the outside world just yet as we were heading straight for breakfast! On getting downstairs we were directed into Hunters Grill where the CM at the desk scanned our key cards and waved us in (we had added breakfast onto our booking with Magic Breaks so didn’t need to make any payment). We were immediately shown to a table at the back of the restaurant. I was quite excited by the Mickey Mouse highchairs… spot the new parent at Disney!  Paul stayed at the table with Charlie whilst I headed up to the buffet to grab some bits for him. I was quite impressed with the choice, it was a very similar offering to what we had seen at Newport Bay last year.    I picked up a selection for Charlie, including croissant, potatoes, bacon and fruit. He seemed particularly keen on the potatoes… that boy really does love a carb!    Whilst I sat with Charlie Paul headed up to get a plate for himself and returned with a selection of the cooked items and two boiled eggs. He also grabbed a juice for us both.  With the boys both tucking in I took my turn in grabbing some food and in traditional style went for a plate of sweet stuff! Croissant, pain au chocolate and a cinnamon swirl… is there a better breakfast? Also just in case that wasn’t enough sugar for one morning I also added in a hot chocolate for good measure!  With food devoured and our bellies full we headed out of the restaurant at 9:25am (not before picking up the mess Charlie had made… baby-led weaning sure is messy!) Charlie was getting a little sleepy by this point so we were hoping a little walk in the pushchair would do the trick in getting him to sleep. The rain had thankfully stopped but it still looked a little grey and chilly out so we tucked him up in his blanket so he could have a little snuggle.  Leaving the hotel we made our way around the lake heading towards the parks… the weather certainly had taken a turn from all that glorious sunshine we had seen yesterday!    By 9:45am we were arriving at Disneyland Parc. The others had been in the park early for a character breakfast at Plaza Gardens so we headed straight down to the castle to meet them. The sky sure was looking menacing, we could tell we were in for more rain!   As Charlie was still awake we decided now would be a good time to get his first attraction ticked off the list (after it not going to plan the night before!) so along with the others we headed in the direction of It’s a Small World. Paul took the opportunity to stop by the FP machines at Peter Pan’s Flight as we were passing to get us some passes for after we had ridden IASW.  On arriving at IASW it had started to rain again! I parked up the pushchair and waited for Paul to catch us up. Whilst waiting the rest of the group joined the queue so they ended up slightly ahead of us so our plan to all ride together didn’t quite work out as we ended up in the boat behind them!    Charlie was completely mesmerised! It’s not often this boy sits still on your lap but he sat perfectly with Paul as the boat made its way around, I think he was very taken with all the colours and movements… and of course the catchy tune that we all know and love! I was so happy this was his first every Disney ride, it will make even more special now!    On leaving IASW we headed straight to Peter Pan as our FPs were opening up at 10:30am and it was very close to ticking over to that time. Paul had also got passes for his Mum and John so they joined us on this one too whilst the others joined the standby queue which was at 20 minutes.   This was another ride that Charlie seemed to love! He held onto the bar the whole way round and was fixated on everything going on around him, I’m not going to lie I was close to tears watching him, such a dream come true to be experiencing the Disney rides we know and love with our own little person. On leaving Peter Pan we headed straight to Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups and were pleased to see it was only a 5 minute wait. We were soon all loaded into our cup but were quickly told by a CM that even though Charlie was on Paul’s lap we were only allowed 4 people per cup. She kindly then offered for two of us to ride with Charlie whilst two wait at the exit and then swap over so we all got a chance to ride with Charlie. Such a lovely gesture that we of course took up. Joan and I rode first and then swapped over so Paul and John could have their turn. Charlie didn’t seem phased, or overly dizzy, at riding twice in a row!    On leaving the tea cups it was clear that Charlie was very tired now so we made a plan to stop and give him a feed with the thinking that he would probably fall asleep soon after. As we were walking through Fantasyland we bumped into Paul’s sister who were heading over to Discoveryland so we joined them in that direction. Along the way we saw White Rabbit and Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum coming out for meet and greets.  On arriving in Discoveryland I decided to plot up in Cafe Hypernon to feed Charlie. At this point Paul took the opportunity to go off and ride Space Mountain with Tam (his sister) and her husband Craig whilst his Mum took Reece and Izzy (our niece and nephew). In order to be as undisturbed as possible I went right up to the top level at the very back and parked up at a table there. After a quick feed Charlie was soon sound sleep!  I didn’t stay undisturbed for long though as shortly after a whole dance school descended on the tables all around me! They were clearly performing later on in the day as were practising various dance moves in the small space behind us, Charlie was completely oblivious to all of this though and slept through it! At 12pm another dance school from the UK took to the stage at the front and started performing as part of the Disney Perfomring Arts on Stage. Not long after this had begun Paul returned and joined me at our table, on his way back to finding me he had also stopped at Buzz Lightyear and picked up some FPs with a return time of 1:45pm.   Charlie was still sound asleep despite all the commotion and noise going on around us, I was starting to get a dead arm at this point (he is a heavy boy!) so I passed him over to Paul… and still he stayed asleep!   Not long after we decided to head out but as we made our way through to the exit we spotted the rest of the group a few levels down having something to eat so we stopped by to check in on everyone’s plans. At this point Paul seemed to acquire an unwanted Twister lolly from someone’s meal deal which he managed to eat whilst still holding a sleeping Charlie… bonus Dad points right there!  After a bit of waiting around everyone finally started to make their move out, going in different directions. At this point we decided to transfer Charlie to the pushchair where he still stayed asleep! Feeling peckish we decided to go and grab something to eat ahead of our Buzz Lightyear FP and Paul’s Dad and Val decided to join us as they too needed lunch. Leaving Cafe Hypernon at 12:50pm (Yikes, I had been in there about an hour and a half!) we headed in the direction of Main Street to find food and on arriving there we settled on Market House Deli as I had heard good things about their Croque Monsiers. Alan and I joined the queue whilst Paul and Val headed outside with Charlie in the pushchair to find a table. We all went for the Croque Monsiers and Paul and I also got a Coke to share and I picked up an pureed apple pouch for Charlie. On making it outside Charlie had finally woken up and was also ready for some food so we grabbed a highchair so he could tuck in too.   The Croque Monsiers most certainly didn’t disappoint and Charlie had a good helping of mine too followed by the apple (ordinarily I let him spoon feed himself at home but for fear of how much mess that would make I gave him a helping hand!) On finishing up our food we had a quick wander around the closest shop to the Deli and Charlie was treated to a very gorgeous Mickey Mouse hoodie by Nanny and Grandad! The temperature had definitely dropped so this would come in very handy later!  As our Buzz Lightyear FPs were about to open up we said our goodbyes to Alan and Val and headed back over to Discoveryland.  Although this clearly wasn’t meant to be as on arriving outside we found it was down and as it was now raining again we didn’t fancy waiting around so instead decided to make our way over to Pirates of the Caribbean as we knew that was another ride that Charlie could also go on.   On arriving out front we found the wait time to be 20 minutes so we decided on parking up the pushchair that we would transfer Charlie into the baby carrier as that was quite a while to hold him when he gets wriggly! Now I have to say I think POTC in DLP is better than WDW… I’m not sure if it actually is but it feels longer and I like that there are more drops. Charlie once again seemed completely unphased, I love that he has an arm up in the ride photo… clearly a little daredevil already!  On exiting POTC we decided a drinks stop was in order as Charlie was also needing some milk so we headed back to Market House Deli where we grabbed a Coke and then once again sat outside.  Whilst we were sat there I noticed something most exciting… Charlie’s first tooth had appeared! At nine months we had yet to have any teeth come through so you can imagine my excitement that it had come through whilst we were at Disney! Charlie also seemed quite excited by this!  I had had my suspicions that this tooth was close to breaking through so in packing for the trip I had planned ahead and brought Charlie’s milestone cards with us so was happy I could document this special time when we were back at the hotel later in the day.  All the tooth excitement had definitely taken its toll on Charlie and he was once again very sleepy so I took him into Discovery Arcade and sat on a bench to feed him where it was a bit quieter and as if my magic he was soon sound asleep once again.  Shortly after falling asleep we transferred him into his pushchair and decided to make our way out of the park as by now it was 4:30pm. On the way out I stopped at the medallion machine as I wanted to get one for Charlie’s memory box (€2)  On passing through the Village I made a quick stop in Starbucks to pick up a caramel latte (€5.20), it had started to rain again at this point so a hot drink was much needed!  We arrived back at Sequoia Lodge at 5pm, stopping to have a little browse in the gift shop but not actually buying anything. Paul also made a stop by concierge to request an iron and ironing board (which was brought up to our room within about 10 minutes). Then it was up in the lift, with a necessary lift selfie taken!  On getting back to the room I gave Charlie a bath and Paul and I both got changed ready for the evening ahead.  We left the room at 7pm and as we hadn’t yet been in Walt Disney Studios and it wasn’t closing until 8pm we decided to head there to get a few rides done in the last hour of the day (this turned out to be a very good plan as it was lovely and quiet!). After a quick walk around the lake and through the village we were at the entrance by 7:15pm.     On making our way into the park we turned right and walked through Toon Studio and over to Flying Carpets Over Agrabah… which we was happy to see was only showing a 5 minute wait!   We narrowly missed out on the ride just loading so were at the front of the queue ready for the next ride. Whilst waiting the lovely CM working the ride was smiling and chatting to Charlie but he was playing very hard to get! Ordinarily he is super smiley and friendly with anyone he meets but not this evening, perhaps the French accent threw him!   We were soon loaded up onto our carpet and once again Charlie seemed quite happy to sit on Paul’s lap taking it all in! I think I was more scared of the height than he was!    On leaving our flying carpet behind we continued to make our way anti-clockwise around the park and through into Radiator Springs.  On doing my research prior to this trip I knew that Cars Quatre Roues Rallye didn’t have any height restriction so we headed on in as it was showing a 15 minute wait but we could see that people were walking straight on.   On getting to the front of the queue the CM eyed up Charlie and asked how old SHE was. I told him 9 months and in response he said he was too small to ride. Most odd as it definitely has no height restriction and I imagine if I had told him he was a year old he probably would have let us ride. Nevermind, there is always next time! He did kindly give us a pass to use on the magic carpets to make up for it which was a nice gesture (although sadly we never actually got around to using it!)  Our next stop was Toy Story Playland! I love this whole area and seeing it again made me very excited to see DHS’s offering when we next make it to WDW! We stopped to take some photos in front of Buzz and whilst there a friendly guy offered to take a photo of the three of us which was really lovely. We of course returned the favour and took a photo of him and his partner too.  Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin is the only ride in this area that Charlie is able to ride so we made a beeline for that and once again found a lovely short wait time of only 5 minutes! Luckily we got on this no problem (although if I had been asked I was all set to say Charlie was one… he would easily pass for it!)   We loaded onto the ride with me on the inside and Charlie on Paul’s lap. We had ridden this on our last trip and knew it thew you around a little bit so Paul was ready to hold on tightly to our little man! As the CM was doing the checks he got to our car and told us Charlie couldn’t be on Paul’s lap and had to sit on the bench between us… well this certainly made for an interesting ride, we were clinging onto him so tightly whilst trying not to slide all over each other as we went round and round… Charlie of course was not concerned in the slightest! By the time we came off Slinky Dog it was almost 8pm and time for the park to close so we made our way over to the exit, stopping by the NYC taxi for a quick photo!   Charlie was soon sound asleep in his pushchair so we took the opportunity to have a wander around a couple of the shops before exiting the park. I saw a few bits that I wanted to buy but didn’t fancy carrying things for the rest of the evening so we made a promise to come back!   On leaving Studios Paul had checked in with his Mum and John who were making their way through the village and over to Disneyland Parc so we met up with them to go in together. By 8:30pm we were making our way into the park.  On entering the park Charlie woke up, not quite the long nap we was expecting! So we made a quick stop in Discovery Arcade so I could give him a quick feed (the benches there proved very useful during this trip!) With Charlie sorted we all decided we were peckish so getting some food was in order! We decided on pizza so headed towards Fantasyland with the intention of going to Pizzeria Bella Notte… but on getting there we found it was closed! Plan B would be pizza at Colonel Haiti’s Pizza Outpost (we had eaten there on our last trip so knew it was nice). On walking back past the castle we noticed that the 9pm Starlit Princess Waltz had started so we stopped briefly to watch.   I just love how beautiful the castle looks at sunset, this is definitely my favourite time of day to be in the parks.  We made it Colonel Haiti’s at 9:15pm. Paul and John joined the queue to order the food whilst Joan and I took Charlie to find a table. I popped Charlie in a highchair and kept him entertained with some ricecakes whilst we waited for the food to arrive.     Paul and I both went for the pizza meal deal which came with garlic bread (Paul had the salad instead), a Magnum and a Coke. The food here once again didn’t disappoint and Charlie seemed to enjoy it too!  Once we had finished eating we decided to make our way down to the castle to find a spot to watch the illuminations. Arriving there at 10:30pm it was already pretty busy but we found a nice spot with a good view of the castle.  We got Charlie out of his pushchair and took it in turns to hold him whilst we waited for the start. Given how late it was he was so well behaved and enjoying watching all the people around us (clearly a nosey little thing like me!). At 11pm the fireworks began they were just wonderful. I probably didn’t pay as much attention to them as I normally would as I was so busy watching Charlie to see his reaction! I was a little worried he would be a bit frightened as he recently has become quite sensitive to loud noises (in particular the hoover!) but he was absolutely fine and happily was held by Paul and watched the whole thing. I thought my heart may just combust with pure love for them both! I love that the first time he was seeing fireworks was at Disney... we have set the bar very high here!  I of course did take a whole load of photos but they as always will never do the show justice… but here a few regardless!      Once the show finished we waited a while to let the crowds disperse and then started to make our way back up Main Street and to the exit. As we made our way through the Village we stopped in one of the shops as we wanted to pick up an additional Disney card for Tam’s birthday which was the next day. We found a lovely one for €3.99.  Leaving the village we made our way back around the lake and over to Sequoia Lodge.  We were back in the room by 12:10am and amazingly Charlie had managed to stay awake the whole walk home. By now he was very tired and emotional so I quickly got him ready for bed. Paul had heard from some of the others and they were down in the hotel bar so he headed out to meet them for a drink whilst I gave Charlie some milk. He was super emotional as a result of being very overtired, on Paul closing the door he had a bit of a meltdown but luckily it was nothing that a bit of Say Hello to the Sun couldn’t fix and very soon after was sound asleep! I pottered around for a bit before collapsing into bed at 1:15am… it had been a long and busy first full day! Paul was still downstairs when I fell asleep and I didn’t wake up when he came in so have no idea what time it was, I must have been dead to the world! It had been a great day of some special firsts for Charlie… his first Disney attraction, his first tooth and his first ever firework display! Tomorrow sees us hitting the Disneyland Parc for EMH and celebrating Tam’s birthday at Buffalo Bill’s! Day 2 can be found here Edited at 08:36 PM. |
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31 Aug 18, 05:20 PM
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Imagineer
 
Join Date: Jan 14
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I am so impressed that your tradition of cramming so much into a day and staying out late hasn’t changed despite having a baby. We were falling into bed by 9pm every night when we went
 What a lot of lovely firsts for you all today. |
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31 Aug 18, 05:45 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Jun 15
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What an amazing first day ! Love the Mickey high chair.
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31 Aug 18, 09:06 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 15
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Oh the post restaurant clear up
 I always try to tidy up as much as I can but sometimes still feel guilty leaving all the crumbs on the floor! Charlie is such a ride expert already...2 go's on the tea cups and POTC! What an exciting day with his first tooth and staying awake for the fireworks too  .Good idea to hit the studios an hour before closing, I'll need to remember that tip! Charlie did so well staying up so late, he clearly didn't want to miss a thing  .A fab day all round Lisa, you've got me so excited xx |
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1 Sep 18, 12:55 AM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Jul 14
Location: East Midlands
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What a fantastic day! So much done. Charlie is definitely going to be a rope drop to park close kind of guy when he grows up.
I think IASW is just perfect for a first Disney ride. We did the very same with our dd (although she was 5 when she got her first taste of Disney). I love that hoody Charlie has. Looks so cosy. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks, as always, for sharing
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1 Sep 18, 01:50 PM
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
Join Date: Oct 12
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I actually thought at the time we had done quite well to slow down the pace a bit when writing this all up I realised we hadn't really at all! Old habits die hard! 
I definitely recommend hitting Studios at the end of the day, its so lovely and quiet! I'm so excited for your trip next year, Libby is going to absolutely love it! 
I think IASW should be everyones first ride, it's a Disney institution! Love that it was your daughters too, makes it so special forever more
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1 Sep 18, 02:57 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Dec 15
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What a fantastic day! I can't believe how grey it started out though as I think we were mid-heatwave here!
You know I am going to say this but I always have food envy of Paul's breakfasts more than yours! Haha! Loved every minute of this. Charlie is so cute and I love all the photos, especially the one of the boys at the fireworks. The one with the Twister lolly made me laugh. I do hope you get back to complete your shopping - I am feeling nervous about this. Also, what is with that hand-written paper fast pass? DLP has a lot of catching up to do! Yay - next instalment please. You know I'm waiting for those cowboys... |
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2 Sep 18, 03:10 PM
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Disney Dreaming :)
Join Date: Jan 09
Location: Aberdeenshire
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Aww what a super fun day!
Charlie looks right at home at at Disney, wee trooper! Such a shame the weather wasn’t great during the day, but it looked lovely and clear at night! Such a shame they didn’t let Charlie on the Cars ride  I love that your pizza was star shaped! Haha! Still can’t believe Charlie got his first tooth in Disney. So wonderful Glad the fireworks didn’t scare Charlie and he lasted so long too, that was a very late night for a wee toot! Fab, can’t wait for day 2 xxx |
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2 Sep 18, 09:10 PM
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
Join Date: Oct 12
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Haha it was essentially a fastpass, and yes handwritten! DLP really need to get involved with Magicbands! Cowboys are being served up to you very soon... there will also be several photos of Paul in a cowboy hat... does that count too?!
Star shaped pizza, only at Disney! So delicious too! I will no doubt be telling the poor child the story of his Disney tooth for many, many years to come... what a milestone!
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3 Sep 18, 10:48 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Jul 09
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What a fantastic first day. You fitted so much in! Fab photos.
M x
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