Originally Posted By pipanale I'll be at the MK on Thursday and will officially kick off a new phase in my life...WDW as a PARENT! We have to be over on the West Coast of FLA for a wedding next weekend, and in a moment of utter unclarity, I suggested that the 3 of us swing by for a day. Of course, no plan goes as planned, so I'm now in NJ for work and am bolting from a presentation to catch a flight from EWR to MCO. My wife and daughter are dricing down from NC. Considering that I'm utterly insane and that my daughter seems to have inherited a lot of it from me, it should be interesting. It's going to be a very different experience. I can no longer plow people down, racing to do as many rides as possible all before 9:00AM. Now, if she wants to stare at a particularily interesting bush for 3 hours, I have to let her do it...because it's all about her on this trip. She seems very excited and has been asking when we're going to FLA every day for 3 weeks. My wife is not looking forward to 500+ miles of "Are we there yet?" So, if you're at the MK on Thursday, look for me. I'll either be bashing my head against a curb or just grinning from ear to ear watching our wee one experience the MK.
Originally Posted By Coachbagfanatic1 pipanale Good luck but I am sure that you will not need it. It's great with children at MK and you all will have fun. As you stated no plan goes as planned so just go with the flow. Have a blast.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 Be a kid along with your daughter it is so much fun. To see what they see. You'll have a blast.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey Pip! So glad to see my favorite Yankee is around again! You'll have a great time with your daughter. We took my nephew earlier this year and had a blast just watching how much fun he was having. Enjoy!
Originally Posted By pipanale Nikki: You're favorite Yankee is a Southerner now! Not that Raleigh qualifies as South anymore. I'm very excited. Ecven more so, as I mentioned, because I don't have to drive down. The kiddo is raring to go. She wants to see Mickey. Real. Bad. Any helpful hints form the population? We have breakfast at the Crystal Palace at 8:20 on Thursday AM. From there, it's into the park and a new chapter in our WDW adventure.
Originally Posted By pipanale We made it through the day. We had a ball, but I could have used a memo from the kid saying "Hey Daddy...just thought you should know...I'm afraid of the dark". Kinda made Fantasyland an adventure. I'll post a report and some of my takes on the State of WDW. Now I sould like TDLFAN!!! Nikki: She's 4
Originally Posted By TDLFAN You don't sound like me at all. I would have told you to leave the brat at home and enjoy yourself alone.
Originally Posted By Crazy4WDW There's nothing like experiencing your child's first visit to WDW. Mine are all now teenagers and luckily for me, all love WDW as much as I do!!
Originally Posted By pipanale brta? brat? She's so cute. Really...she is Watching her enjoy the MK was worth every penny. Even though I need to see a chiropractor after passing the right of passage known as "Kid on shoulders during parade". Made me think of my father. He'll get a kick out of hearing me tell the story
Originally Posted By TDLFAN At TDL, kids are not allowed to be placed on parents' shoulders during shows and parades. CMs will make sure of that. That is concidered rude to guests *behind* you since it blocks the view. I wish americans and euros were that respectful in that regard. Bringing a child into a park should not give parents a sense of entitlement and license to do things that may inconvenience others... such as blocking the view of others by having kids on shoulders or running guests over with giant strollers.
Originally Posted By pipanale Oh...why did I know you'd say that? That's why I positioned us where I did. We arrived to the scene after the parade had started and were in the back of the crowd and up against a building. From where we were standing, I could barely see the happenings and I'm 6 feet tall and I felt it inappropriate to try to wriggle our way to the frint of the pack because we'd arrived late. That would not have been very polite. I let several people push me around (with her up in the air) to wrestle in ahead of us. If anyone had asked me to move, I would happily have done so. But, there was nowhere to move...I was against a building. If I blocked the view of the faux-bricks, then I am an ugly American and should be slapped and made to watch a film on how to behave in public. We were also very aware of our stroller and stopped short many times as other people were wandering across our "path". Not that I'm claiming entitlement to the walkway, but if you're babbling on your cell phone and walk into us, I can't really be blamed for having a stroller, can I? On that topic, can we ban cell phones from the parks. You NEVER need to be on line for Space Mountain and be on the phone with work. It shows an utter lack of respect for the person you're talking to. Imagine how that must have sounded. Plus, I didn't want to hear about your TPS reports! In the past, I would have plowed through people (no stroller), but took time to allow a wider "bubble" around us as we amde our way through the park. A stroller is not a weapon...it's a means of conveyance for the little ones. She's 4. She needed a stroller. Now...the seemingly capable teenagers who run around and then ride a wheelchair to the rides are another story all together. I really need to write up the whole trip so I can truely rile up the masses.
