Disneyland Paris Planning with Nine: Part 9, Last Minute Preparations

As you join me today we have just a few weeks left until our first family trip to DLP and Tinks first visit to see The Mouse.

We have made a Countdown wall chart to tick off the last 16 days which Tink helped to make by covering in Tinkerbell and Pooh Bear stickers.

We have been watching films to get in the mood, Tangled, Toy Story 3 and Finding Nemo seem to be firm favourites at the moment.

We have also been looking at rides, attractions and shows on YouTube, it's funny to watch her face when they start singing in French, she looks most bemused.

Tink is only 2 years and 5 months, so she knows that at some point we are going to see Mickey, but she is just not sure when. It is also confusing for her when we talk about DLP and WDW. She understands that we have to travel to see Mickey, but is not sure why sometimes we mention going on a train (the Euro Tunnel) or sometimes a plane.

But she'll get it all one day. It's not every 2 year old that gets to go to 2 different Disney Parks in one year!

I've started washing and packing the holiday clothes. We've bought several new items of clothing for this trip including some Disney tee-shirts for all of us. We've all ot new shorts too and Tink has new shoes, sandals and a waterproof jacket.

I've been collecting stickers and crayoning books to keep her entertained on the journey, and she has some new books and an electronic game as a surprise too. It's not as long a travel day as when we fly to FL but it'll be a good 4 to 5 hours in the car which is more than enough for a toddler.

I'm planning to load up the iPad with some more Mickey and Manny too, if it doesn't get used on the journey it'll definately get used in the farm house later on.

We've made a decision to skip the hotel breakfast and make to most of EMH by getting straight to the Park and grabbing a coffee and cake to-go from one of the bakeries instead. This suits us as we don't need to bet Tink up too early (France is an hour in front of the UK) and she isn't a breakfast person anyway. She'll be happy with some milk or juice and a pastry in the Park.

We plan to meet the rest of the family when the Parks open and have a leisurely stroll about, taking in the sights and soaking up the atmosphere. Then it'll be lunch and nap time, then back to the Parks for some rides. We've got a short list of rides and attractions we'd like to do, but none of them are must-do's. We'll be happy exploring and letting Tink stop and play where she wants to. No doubt I'll be spending my hard saved Euros like they're going out of fashion along the way, I know a certain one year old in NC will be getting her belated birthday present from DLP this year!

I'm excited to find some new souvenirs to go with my Disney collections and top of the list are some coffee mugs and Christmas decorations.

I'll also be getting a couple of pins to go with my growing hoard and hope to get a nice one to commemorate Tinks first visit too and first ride and/or attraction.

Then it'll be something quick and easy for dinner (I vote Earl of Sandwich yummy) before heading back to the room. There are night time shows and fireworks at DLP like at WDW but as we are only there for 2 nights and will hopefully be visiting annually now that we are Shareholders, I don't mind missing out on this in order that Tink has a rested night to enjoy as full a day as possible.

And that'll be that!  The trip is all paid for, spending money saved up. Clothing bought, washed, packed.  Toiletries and travel essentials purchased or sought out from last year.  Books and magazines purchased for any down time we might have (I'm taking my WDW planning guides haha).

Let the countdown to DLP commence!

In WDW news, when we get back from our trip to France it'll be about 2.5 months til our trip. By then the holiday itself will be paid for including the Park tickets and our extra special treat, Premium Class seats for the flight!

More about that in my next installment though when I tell you all about DLP and what's next on the planning list for our first trip to FL with Tink.

See ya real soon!

Contributed by Janine P. of Swindon, England. She is a proud wife, mommy to Felicity and one of our Minnie Moms.  Follow along throughout this monthly series as she plans her first trip to Disneyland Paris.

• New Series from Nine
• Part 1: Questions
• Part 2: When to Go?
• Part 3: Where to Stay?
• Part 4: Where to Eat?
• Holidays at DLP
• Part 5: Dates Booked
• Part 6: Attractions at Disneyland Park
• Part 7: Walt Disney Studios
• Part 8: Almost Ready!

Guest Post: A Toddler's First Experience with Character Greetings

Last December we took our then 23 month old to Walt Disney World for the first time for a 5 night, 4 day vacation. I was so excited to introduce him to the place I love so much! I spent hours reading web sites, other blogs, books and message boards about taking a toddler to WDW. I carefully mapped out our trip so there wouldn’t be any late nights right before early mornings, or late breakfast reservations too close to an early lunch and even mapped out when we could head back to the resort to rest. I booked breakfast on our first day at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom with Pooh and friends. I wanted to eat here early so we could get a good photo of the family in front of the castle before all the crowds started piling in the park. We did get a good photo, but the breakfast was a disaster! That’s when I realized I missed a key component in planning my trip: prepare your toddler for meeting characters!

 

My son knew all the main characters by name from watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Toy Story. He even knew a few others from books we’ve read and the vacation guides we used in our planning. I didn’t think there would be any problem when it came to meeting these same characters at the parks. I couldn’t have been more wrong! He was TERRIFIED to say the least. He was excited when they were 10 feet away or more, but once they came closer this is what we got: 

I’m sure he was thinking “Get those big animals away from me RIGHT NOW!”

As our trip progressed, he slowly warmed up to the characters. I still had to hold him as we approached the characters, but by the end, he was giving high fives to his new friends from the comfort of my arms!

As our next trip is fast approaching, I have some thoughts on how to get your toddler prepared for meeting the characters. 

• Make sure your toddler is familiar with the characters before your trip and knows some of their names. Watch cartoons and movies, read books, watch youtube videos of meet and greets, and look at pictures.
• If possible, show your toddler photographs of family members with the characters from the parks. Try to explain how “big” the characters are when you get to meet them. Show your toddler that Goofy and Woody are taller than daddy. Show him that Donald and Pinocchio are the same size as mommy. They aren’t going to be the same size as the stuffed animals in his crib!
• While you are making plans for your vacation, remember to take it slow! My advice: don’t book a character meal first thing! Save those for later in the trip. 
• Once you are at the parks, try to meet the face characters first. These are the characters that have a human face: Mary Poppins, the princesses, Alice, Aladdin, etc. These characters are easier for toddlers to get to know since they can talk and interact with you. If you must have a character meal on the first day, consider a meal with these face characters.
• Once your toddler is used to the face characters, try progressing to the masked characters. Sit for a few parades and watch some stage shows. Watch the other children meet the characters. Let your toddler know that they aren’t scary.
• When you think your toddler is ready to meet the masked characters, take it slow! Don’t force it on him. Carry him to the character and talk him through it. Tell the character and the handler that you just want to visit and say hi without any hugs or high fives. Let another family member approach the character and give hugs and high fives. This shows that they are our friends!
• Avoid the villains and witches at all cost! Even when your toddler is comfortable with the masked characters, the villains area always scary!
• Follow the lead of your toddler. If they never warm up to the characters, accept that fact and move on with your vacation. Don’t push it on your child. It will only make it a miserable experience for the whole family!

Contributed by Beth G. of Decatur, AL. Married mom of two boys trying to stay sane as a full time youth minister, mom and Disney blogger; creator of A Disney Moms Blog and proud member of the Magical Blogorail Green.

I've Created a Monster

A cute, little, smart, Disney loving one, but a monster no less.

Tink has been getting her regular dose of Disney her whole life (just over two years.) She insists on her Mickey, Minnie, Eeyore and Ariel dolls for naps and bedtime. Her favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Yesterday, after she saw a little bit of a Tinkerbell movie, she was saying, "I'm Tinkerbell." (Well, yes, Baby, you are.) She travels like a champ and went to Walt Disney World for her first birthday and at 18 months.

So where's the "monster" come in? Innocently enough, I sang her the theme song from Carousel of Progress, "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" a while back. She was still hooked on "Jingle Bells" and "Frosty the Snowman" and I was just wanting to sing something else. Tink loved the new song and started asking for it. It became a regular part of the routine, along with "Jesus Loves Me" and "You are My Sunshine." I kept the "Four Parks, One World" CDs in the kitchen radio, and she would get excited when her song would come on.

For our recent cross-country move, I put the CDs into the van's changer to have a kid-friendly (and Mama-friendly for that matter) music option ready to go. I normally try to limit her TV time but on that trip, all bets were off and she watched Disney and PBS shows for 1300 miles. We didn't really need the music much. She did ask for "Great Big Gomorrow again" a few times but no big deal.

However, on a recent trip exploring our new area, my plan of kid-friendly, calms her down music blew up in my face. We were stuck in traffic on the way over to the beach (crying for me, aren't you?) and the toys and such that I could reach just weren't working. I turned on Tink's favorite song and she was happy. We tried to let the CD play on to its soothing Epcot background music but shortly after the end of "GBBT," my husband and I would hear "Great Big Gomorrow again" from the back seat. We'd restart the song and all was well. This went on enough times that my husband finally used the repeat feature to keep the song going on a loop. After a while, I turned off the front speakers so he and I didn't have to hear the song as clearly. Let's just say, she insisted on listening to "GBBT" all of the remainder of the trip. Yes, we could have said no, but she's done really well with all the changes we've put her through in the last few weeks and we had her way off schedule on this particular day. So we listened to "GBBT" for over 2 hours that day.

Now, any time we get in the van, that little voice from the back is asking for "Great Big Gomorrow again." Yes, I created the monster, but I just can't take that song much more.

Team Post: I Never...

Ridge: Whenever I go to WDW there are things that just don’t ever get done. It‘s not that they are any less fun but either they have run their course with me or I am simply not willing to wait in the massive lines anymore.

Number one thing I generally don’t do is character meets. Unless I am with others or a character breakfast, there just isn’t a character that I would wait to see. Unless you count me breaking this rule on my last trip. Since the demise of Mickey’s Toontown Fair, Mickey is now available at other locations. The one I was actually excited about is the Hall of Presidents meet with Mickey in Colonial vestments. Mickey looks good in a tri-corner hat.

Astro-Orbiters.  While heights in general don’t bother me (I’m a licensed private pilot,) I am not a fan of things that are bolted to a pole and spin unless I have the chance to inspect it before flight. It’s not that I don’t trust it, because I don’t but I remember riding it once as a small lad and it not being something I have ever really wanted to do again. So far I have been able to maintain that resolution.

Something that is slowly working its way into the never or rarely do category is Test Track. I used to love Test Track, but with the lack of ABS skid test and queue making all the intense noise and the heat vision camera not always working, I have started losing interest.

I have never been over to Beaches and Cream. It sounds like a wonderful place and I have had nothing but plans for years to go over and have a No Way Jose or with a group a Kitchen Sink. Maybe I can pull it off on my next trip.

Disney Quest is also something I have skipped. I went once right after it opened and because I was young and it was new and I had fun. But I eventually grew out of video games and just didn’t care anymore, but now I am playing games again. I think it is time to give it a go once more just to see what is new in arcade style gaming.

Characters in Flight.  This isn’t really a never do; this is a never done. It isn’t because I don’t want to but every time I go over the wind is too high or weather is bad in general.


Amy: While we always try to explore what's new at Walt Disney World, it does seem that there are a few things that we just don't do.

I intentionally pass on the water rides. I think Splash Mountain is a fantastic attraction but it's a once every 5 years or so ride for me. I always end up soaked and I just don't find that to be fun. Not to sound like a stick in the mud, but I prefer to show up for ADRs with dry clothes. I've ridden Kali River Rapids only once and then I took a change of clothes.

I enjoy the films at Epcot, especially "O Canada!" but those aren't an every trip thing for me. I'm sure that's partially influenced by the fact that we frequently visit during the Food and Wine Festival and the booths keep us mainly on the promenade.

I've never been to DisneyQuest. Just not my thing but hey, I doubt I'm the target audience there anyway.

I always want to see the Beauty and the Beast stage show and Flights of Wonder, but the times just don't tend to work out.

Please don't throw things at your computer, but I haven't seen the candy artist at Epcot.

There are still a few restaurants left to explore, but I consider most of those in the "haven't gotten to it yet" than the "I avoid it or forget about it" category. However, I do avoid Cinderella's Royal Table. I prefer the old days there. With two daughters, I'm sure I'll go again someday, but for now, no thanks. I also pass on the mega-sized, huge chain, super loud restaurants at Downtown Disney. I've given them a shot, but with the other unique options on Disney property, I'll skip these over the top eateries.

I don't do so, but I always want to yell at people who never experience "American Adventure."


DisneyDad:  Over the years of going to Walt Disney World, I feel like I have done most everything once. There are, however, a few things that I have not done or don’t repeat too often. We have favorite things that are must-do on each trip, but I don’t think much about the opposite. Some of the things I never do are not because I have an aversion to something, but often because my wife does not want to do something and I don’t often go off by myself to do/ride anything.

One ride I have done “once” falls into this category. My wife does not want to get wet on a ride, so I only remember riding Splash Mountain once or twice. I love the ride, and even now as I write this I can hear “everybody has a laughin place” in my head. There is another water ride I have never been on at AK and that is Kali River Rapids. Like my wife, the idea of walking around in wet shoes and jeans does not sound appealing to me.

I’ve stayed away from “The American Idol Experience” at the Hollywood Studios. I am one of the few people in the USA that does not watch this on TV, so the attraction at the Studios does not hold any “attraction” to me. So, on every trip I will bypass this.

Tink enjoying the beginning of "Playhouse Disney:
Live on Stage" in Granddaddy's lap

There are things I did do, then didn’t do, and now are doing again. When my kids were young I sat on the floor with them to see Bear in the Big Blue House at the Studios. For a long time, I stayed away from this attraction and its many iterations. On our last trip, I sat in the floor again with my granddaughter as my feet and legs went to sleep to see Playhouse Disney Live on Stage (now Disney Junior Live on Stage). While I enjoyed the show and watching my granddaughter excitedly watching Mickey and Handy Mandy, without her I would not have taken time to sit in the floor to see the show.

Many of the things I don’t do fall into the “age appropriate” category. Rides that have thousands of children in the line are probably things I will bypass. I have ridden on Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel and in the Mad Tea Party tea cups and will do so again with my granddaughters, for now, I will bypass these as well as Dumbo the Flying Elephant and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. I love Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow Whites Scary Adventures and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but not the long lines. Although, if the lines are short, you’ll see me on these too.


What are your "never do's" at Walt Disney World?

iPhone for Toddlers Part 1

With the release of the iPhone4 this past week, I thought I'd share some of the apps and such that we like for Tink.  I have an iPod Touch, my brother has the new iPhone, and my parents have an iPad.  No, I didn't leave my husband out.  He's content with his company Blackberry. 

My iPod is a great "I've tried everything" trick for calming and entertaining the kiddo.  It doesn't take up much room in my bag and is something I'd carry anyway.  They're surprisingly tough.  I have a cover on mine and the iPod has done just fine on more than a few falls to the tile floor.

I had downloaded a toddler app or two when I got the Touch for Christmas.  However, I realized its potential value while planning for our April trip to Walt Disney World.  This device would allow me to have games, videos, music, and photos to entertain the little one on our flights.  Once books, snacks, small toys, and tearing up the SkyMall catalog lost their appeal, I still had an ace in the hole.  Check out the full airline post here.

I'll review a few items at a time.  More will appear in future Mommy Monday posts.

TV Shows:  Episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse are available through iTunes for $1.99 each.  I've only purchased one.  Tink still doesn't have much of an attention span and kids like watching the same things over and over and over anyway.  (Chris--Peter No Tail.  Ugh.)  We have Mickey's Color Adventure which is a cute story that teaches basic colors.  I love that They Might Be Giants does the theme music for this show. 

Podcasts:  Sesame Street has a free weekly video podcast.  Just subscribe through iTunes.  Each episode is 6-8 minutes long and can really buy you a little time.  The current series is focusing on one letter each week.  Older epidsodes are also available for download and those featured the word of the day.  Sesame Street is trying to be far hipper than I remember, so that's now called "The Word on the Street." 

Apps:  One of the best dollars I have spent on an app was for Toddler Phone.  It's a pretty simple app but Tink loves it.  It has 10 buttons like those on a phone and each makes a different noise.  There are 4 screens to reinforce different topics: numbers, animals, colors, and sounds.  The one called sounds includes things like a car horn, doorbell, baby laughing, and a train whistle.  This app can entertain for a long time, just keep the volume low. 

Photos:  Tink likes looking at the photos of the baby on my iPod.  I think she likes photo time with Granny and her iPad even more.  She's even learned how to swipe the screen to advance the pictures.  The photo viewer is simple and no extra charge.    

Do you allow your toddler to play with your iPod or smartphone?  What apps do you like?  Any funny stories?