Final Thoughts on Disney Trip & Slideshow!

There are a few things that I want to remember about this trip that didn’t necessarily fit into the daily trip report. People have asked us many questions about various things, so here are some answers!

* Clara Beth developed the CUTEST little lisp while we were there! She calls both Minnie and Mickey “Mouthse”. She also uses it when saying mineths (mine), Buboths (Bubo’s), or anything else that ends with an “s”. It is the CUTEST sound EVER, and I hope it doesn’t go away too soon!

* The Polynesian- It was great. I loved it and think it was worth the extra money. I’m not so sure that Collin does. He also loved it, but doesn’t think it’s worth more than 3 times the amount of the Value Resorts, because you really don’t spend all that much time in the room. I see his point, but the transportation made it so convenient to come back for naps, food, etc…

I will say that being that close to the Magic Kingdom may have made us “over-do” (if there is such a thing!) that park. Because it was so easy to get there, we would do that park for convenience. There’s so much more we could have done in all 3 other parks, and we may have done it if we had been at another resort.

If we do stay at The Poly ever again, I will definitely request a 1st floor room. It was so easy to let the kids play outside on our little “lawn”. Also, we had grand plans of sitting outside on the patio with Brandon and Jessica after the kids went to bed and talking or having a glass of wine. We were able to do this one night (don’t worry, the hotel room door was dead-bolted and we had the baby monitor, AND we were only right outside the room), but most nights we were exhausted and needed to go to bed as early as the kids! If, however, we were on the 2nd or 3rd floor, we would have only had a balcony with a wall separating us, so we wouldn’t have been able to talk with the Grangers. And being on the first floor made it so easy for us to go back and forth between the rooms from the outside. It really felt like we had our own little corner of the resort to ourselves!

* Strollers- This is probably the question I have been asked the most since we returned, and what Jessica and I worried the most about before we left. We travelled with our Joovy Caboose, bought specifically for this trip, and the Grangers had their Maclaren Double (side by side). When we went to Disney last year, Mak was two and a half, and didn’t use a stroller. The kid walked EVERYWHERE! It was amazing! This time, though, I knew he would need one because he’s more of a stroller kid now than he was a year ago. I would say that both strollers worked well, but each had their strong/weak points. Ours was narrow and easier to get through stores or tight crowds, but the Maclaren was much lighter and easier to push. When both boys were in our stroller it was HEAVY and nearly impossible for me to push! For the most part, though, I would recommend either of the strollers we used.

*Doing Disney with an 18 month old- Clara Beth went to Disney when she was 4 months old and when she was 11 months old, and was much easier to handle both of those times. She had more fun on this trip than she did on the others, but she was much more difficult! She thinks she’s big enough to walk around, but in reality she is nowhere near stable enough or fast enough, and definitely still requires a stroller. She screamed and pitched a fit every time we put her in the stroller, and many times it took a lollipop to calm her down (great parenting, I know). It was still worth it to see her there, enjoying everything about Disney. No, she won’t remember it, but I will, and I had so much fun watching her have fun!

*Going with friends- Definitely another much-asked question! It was great! We loved it! I think it helped that we vacationed at the beach together this summer, and that we know each other so well. We said from the very beginning that we were all free to do our own thing. If some wanted to rest or do something entirely different, that was cool. And that definitely happened. We were together a TON, but also apart some. The kids loved having built-in playmates, and they got along well, too. And Collin and I both loved having friends there. It’s something that I would absolutely do again! Maybe in March, Brandon? 🙂

Overall, we had a FABULOUS trip that I know I will remember forever. This is the first time I have done a day-by day report, and I’m so glad that I did! It may have been long and boring for some of you, but at least I will always be able to look back on it and remember all the fun we had. It’s now something that I plan to do for all of our trips.

Thank-you, Grangers, for going with us! Y’all are FABULOUS friends and were so much FUN!!!

And finally, the slideshow!