Kelsey, her husband, and their 2 year old daughter spent spring break at Walt Disney World. They had a split stay and lots of flexibility.
The Basics
Kelsey and her family flew from New England out of a smaller airport. They flew Southwest direct and brought a carseat for their daughter. They left New England on March 13 and their trip was scheduled to end on March 19.
They hired a furloughed cast member from Ears for Each Other Facebook Group to meet them at the airport and bring them back at the end of their trip.
Kelsey and her family booked a split stay at Boardwalk Villas and Bay Lake Tower. They booked through Disney for one bedroom villas at each hotel.
They are staying in a one bedroom so that they could have some of their own space. They are also glad to have a kitchen for breakfast in the morning and a washer and dryer in their room.
They will spend the first portion of the trip from March 13-17 at Boardwalk Villas and then switched to Bay Lake Tower until March 19.
Kelsey was uncharacteristically spontaneous and extended her trip with her daughter another two nights! They were able to get an upgrade from a Little Mermaid room to a Finding Nemo Suite at Art of Animation.
Arrival Day (March 13)
They were up at 4:30 a.m. to get to the airport. Kelsey thought her daughter would sleep on the way to the airport or on the plane and she didn’t. She was happy and it was a lovely flight.
They were on the way to the resort by 9 a.m. and her daughter was falling asleep. Their room at Boardwalk Villas was ready around 10 a.m. and they went up to try and rest. They LOVED the room. The convenience of the Boardwalk is so wonderful.
This was not Kelsey’s first time staying in a DVC room. She called down to the front desk to get a pack ‘n’ play and high chair. She’d requested it but it wasn’t in the room when they arrived.
Originally Kelsey had the pack ‘n’ play in the living room and she and her husband slept in the bedroom. However, it wasn’t cozy enough for her so they moved the pack ‘n’ play into the bedroom near them.
Kelsey’s daughter was too excited to rest so they hopped on a bus to Animal Kingdom. They had great luck getting on a bus right away and got right to Animal Kingdom.
They went straight to Nomad Lounge at 11:47 a.m. and the wait was 90 minutes. They opted to get some food at Harambe Market. They were called back to Nomad Lounge but had already eaten. It was not 90 minutes.
After lunch, they wandered around Animal Kingdom. They took photos and just really enjoyed being outside. They loved the warm weather and sunshine!
They left Animal Kingdom to get back to the resort. They had a Prime Now grocery order and had a Beaches and Cream reservation for dinner.
They had wonderful service and a great dinner. They shared a peanut butter sundae and it was delicious!
Unfortunately they had a lot of trouble with their Prime Now order. They didn’t receive some of their items which were then delivered later. It was very frustrating.
Hollywood Studios (March 14)
Kelsey and her husband woke up and tried to get boarding passes for Rise of the Resistance, but they could not get them. They were both very frustrated that they didn’t get a boarding group.
They woke up early, had breakfast in their room, did some laundry, and left for Hollywood Studios. They arrived around 8:30 a.m. for a 9 a.m. park opening.
They were able to go right to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway twice in a row without a wait! Kelsey’s daughter loved it.
They got coffee and rode Toy Story Mania with minimal wait. Her daughter wanted to do it again but the line had grown so they opted to try again later.
Kelsey’s husband went to do something and Kelsey and her daughter got some great photos with Baby Yoda. They went into Galaxy’s Edge and it was already very crowded. They got Ronto Wraps and that was really fun.
It was time for their 11:05 a.m. lunch reservation at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. Kelsey and her family got the sampler platter to split and it was delicious!
After lunch they went back to their resort to rest. Kelsey’s daughter napped and they relaxed until it was time for their dinner at Garden Grill at 4:45 p.m. They walked right over from the resort and it was very hot.
The dinner was very fun. Kelsey’s daughter was able to play around in the booth, see the characters, and eat. The food was delicious and the character interaction was great.
After their dinner they went to the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Kelsey’s daughter LOVED it so they got to ride it again. It was wonderful.
After seeing the fish, they walked back to their resort and went to bed.
Epcot (March 15)
They had a relaxing morning that included a jetted bath for Kelsey’s daughter! They walked over to Epcot around 10 a.m. Kelsey thought they’d get to go in at 10 a.m. but they weren’t let in until 10:15 a.m.
They went straight to Frozen Ever After and rode that without a wait at 10:25 a.m. Kelsey’s daughter like it but didn’t ask to ride again, so they headed over to get some coffee.
After coffee they got some snacks from the food booths around the World Showcase. They would have gone to more food booths but Kelsey’s daughter was getting cranky and needed to rest. They picked up pizza at the pizza window before going back to their room for a rest.
This is where things really changed with regard to their trip plans! Kelsey’s daughter really wanted to see the fish and wasn’t as interested in the characters. They moved their dinner reservation for Coral Reef dinner to the following night and canceled their Hollywood and Vine dinner.
They opted to get Boardwalk Bakery for dinner and spent the afternoon at the pool. It was absolutely wonderful to have a relaxing evening as a family.
Hollywood Studios (March 16)
Kelsey and her family got up and got a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance! As they walked to Hollywood Studios they could tell it would be a busier day. The pathway was already more crowded.
They got to Hollywood Studios and were able to ride Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Toy Story Mania two times before 9:20 a.m. They also mobile ordered lunch at Woody’s Lunchbox.
They took some photos with the most hilarious photopass photographer. He was great!
They got some Ronto Wraps and sat down to eat in a quiet area in Galaxy’s Edge. This also gave Kelsey’s daughter an opportunity to take her mask off. Kelsey also really liked the disposable masks over the cloth ones. She was glad to have options.
While Kelsey’s husband waited to be called for Rise of the Resistance, Kelsey and her daughter went to the Disney Junior Dance Party. She LOVED it!
Kelsey opted to not ride Rise this time. She’d done it before. They stopped at Woody’s Lunchbox for lunch before walking back to their resort.
After their rest, they took the boat to Epcot. Kelsey’s daughter loved it! They had to ride the Seas with Nemo and Friends again as soon as they arrived.
Kelsey’s daughter loved the aquarium. They had dinner at Coral Reef and Kelsey was able to get a rum dole whip. She’s happy she tried it but didn’t enjoy it.
They rode the Seas with Nemo and Friends and spent more time in the aquarium. Kelsey was finally able to get her daughter out of the aquarium with a bribe to go back to the room!
Animal Kingdom (March 17)
Kelsey and her family got up and dropped their bags with bell services to be transferred to Bay Lake Tower. They waited a long time for a bus to Animal Kingdom and didn’t end up arriving until 7:50 a.m. for an 8 a.m. park opening.
They went right to Kilimanjaro Safaris and the line was very long. Kelsey thought she’d have time to grab Starbucks but the line went very quickly!
The Safari was very long because of a lot of animals blocking the path. They were able to see the lions very close.
Kelsey and her daughter went to TriceraTop Spin while her husband rode Expedition Everest. The line for the Safari was even longer – winding all the way through the park.
They switched and Kelsey went on DINOSAUR and her husband took their daughter on TriceraTop Spin again. She was able to ride 5 times in a row!
The lines for everything was very long and it was difficult to get around the park. They went around past Expedition Everest to Nomad Lounge. They had a great time there and Kelsey’s daughter was able to crawl around a bit.
They also could see the cavalcades during their time at Nomad Lounge which was lovely! This was the end of their time at Animal Kingdom.
They walked out to the bus and got on a bus to the Contemporary. Unfortunately they had to switch buses twice, which was very inconvenient.
Their room was ready when they arrived at Bay Lake Tower. It was lovely! They had an accessible room and it was lovely. The view was gorgeous. They could see the lake and the Magic Kingdom from the 9th floor.
Their luggage had arrived but it was not brought to the room. Kelsey called down and they were able to bring it up to them.
Kelsey’s daughter had fallen asleep on the bus but did not sleep in the room. They decided to get up and go over to Magic Kingdom! They went straight to Journey of the Little Mermaid and rode it twice in a row.
They also took some photo pass photos while they were at the Magic Kingdom. Kelsey’s daughter had a blast. It was so convenient to pop over to the Magic Kingdom!
They were back to the hotel in time for their California Grill dinner reservation at 5 p.m. It was nice to have an earlier dinner because there weren’t as many people there and there were other children.
This was their first time at California Grill and it was wonderful. The service, food, and drinks were all great. Kelsey brought stickers and things to keep her daughter occupied during their meal.
They took the elevator back down to their room after a wonderful day.
Magic Kingdom (March 18)
Kelsey’s daughter slept in a bit and they got into Magic Kingdom around 7:30 a.m. for an 8 a.m. park opening. Walking over and doing bag check and security was so convenient!
They went straight to Pirates of the Caribbean and it was running before the park opened. Her daughter loved it! They then did rider switch for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. While he rode, Kelsey and her daughter got nutella waffles. They went on Peter Pan’s Flight and then Haunted Mansion.
Unfortunately Haunted Mansion stopped for about 10 minutes while they were on it. Kelsey’s daughter wasn’t scared, but she did find a raven she loved.
They then rode on Mad Tea Party, got coffee, and sat down to watch the cavalcades. Kelsey’s daughter had a great time! Kelsey’s husband met them there after Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Kelsey and her daughter got a personalized Christmas ornament for her daughter as well. They ended up coming back that evening to pick it up.
They mobile ordered Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe for lunch and it was good. After lunch they walked back and rested.
They took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. They’d planned to go to the Tiki Room before their dinner reservation but they saw the Princess Cavalcade and Piglet!
They had a great dinner at Skipper Canteen! Everyone enjoyed it. It was raining while they were eating dinner so the mobile ordered Contempo Cafe and went back to bed. This was their planned last night.
Magic Kingdom (March 19)
They woke up and went to the Magic Kingdom. They went on the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and loved it. Kelsey’s daughter wanted to ride again so she took her on while her husband got them breakfast.
They took photos with Cinderella’s carriage. It was located between the Friar’s Nook and Be Our Guest.
After the photo shoot, Kelsey’s husband took their daughter on Haunted Mansion. Then they did Mad Tea Party and Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
Kelsey thought she would be tall enough for Barnstromer, but she wasn’t tall enough. This was disappointing but crisis averted with Journey of the Little Mermaid. They finished up with Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
Then they went back to check out and go to their lunch at The Wave. The wait for the Wave was very long. Their reservation was at 11:25 a.m. but they still didn’t get called at noon.
Their plan was to walk around the Contemporary after lunch. Kelsey needed to schedule them to get on Magical Express at 1:15 p.m. because their private driver had cancelled.
That’s when Kelsey decided she wanted to stay. Her husband needed to go back to get ready to be a groomsman for a wedding. But Kelsey and her daughter could stay!
Kelsey went back in to see how much it would cost to stay another night at the Contemporary. It was expensive so she started looking on her phone and found rooms at Pop Century and Art of Animation that weren’t expensive.
At 2:45 p.m. Kelsey had changed their flights to fly home two days later for her and her daughter and was coordinating hotel rooms for the next two nights. She was able to get a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation.
Staying two extra nights was very spontaneous and not something Kelsey would normally do. But it was lovely! Kelsey’s husband went to the airport and she and her daughter began the next part of their trip.
Kelsey got her daughter, bags, and went through security to the Magic Kingdom to get a bus to Art of Animation. She arrived at the bus stop at 3:45 p.m. She missed the first bus because it was too full but she was able to get on a bus!
Because of their long wait, they didn’t get to Art of Animation until 5:05 p.m. It was a very long wait. They did get to Art of Animation and got something to eat at the food court. Before they made the trek to the Little Mermaid rooms, Kelsey was upgraded to the Finding Nemo suites!
March 20-21
This time was very special for Kelsey and her daughter, starting with their room! It was perfect because Finding Nemo is Kelsey’s daughter’s favorite! The room was magical.
They spent the next couple of days exploring the resort, riding the skyliner, seeing some characters at the resort, and having so much fun.
The weather was beautiful during the first part of their trip, but it wasn’t great the additional two days. The playground at Pop Century was much better and less crowded than the Art of Animation Playground.
Kelsey and her daughter took a later (6 p.m.) flight and she didn’t sleep until the very end of the flight. They had a wonderful trip together and Kelsey is very glad she opted to stay the extra few days!
Key Takeaways
- Kelsey and her husband used a routine going through security that really worked for them. She always took the diaper bag and he always took their daughter in the stroller. It made things super simple because they always did the same thing and knew what they needed to do.
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Annamari
Monday 14th of June 2021
This was such a fantastic trip report! Thank you!
Matt
Sunday 16th of May 2021
This episode was adorable and I loved it the most. As a parent of an almost two year old, it was really inspiring! Especially the fun add on at the end of doing two non-park days with a kid!
Amber L
Thursday 8th of April 2021
We traveled to WDW Feb 6-12 and got the same photopass photographer at HS!! He was sooo much fun! I wish I could remember his name! I’m not sure if he moves around, but we found him close to the Trolley Car Cafe, taking pictures with the Chinese Theater in the background. He moved and flipped the camera around like you were in a professional photo shoot! So hilarious! He even had the kids jump and had us adults lift our arms and a leg to look like we were jumping in one photo!
Beth Bugg
Monday 5th of April 2021
Do you have the link or information on how to contact the furloughed Cast Members to contact for airport pick-up?
Shannon Albert
Tuesday 6th of April 2021
Since he canceled her return trip we chose not to include his info, but you can find others in the Ears for Each Other FB Group.