It had been six years since our last vacation to Walt Disney World. Millie remembers our last Disney trip through pictures and videos (she was only 18 months old) and the boys have never been. Anytime a Disney Parks commercial played on the television, Wells would ask, “Mommy, can we go?” and my answer was always, “Someday, bud.” Once Crosby turned two, I figured it was time to start planning to go back to the most magical place on Earth. That “someday” had come.
After doing some research, I found that a less populated and less expensive month to go to WDW was January, which was perfect for the kids and my school schedule. We had never been to Disney during the holidays so I was thrilled to learn that the parks stayed decorated for the first two weeks of the month. The weather in Orlando at that time would be between 50-70 degrees (which is exponentially better than the 18-36 degrees in Ohio). We chose to leave after the new year. We extended the invitation to our families and decided to tell the children on Christmas morning. I bought Millie a new pair of Minnie Mouse ears and Wells a crossbody bag that I decorated with pins from his favorite Disney movies. I put these gifts and new Disney pajamas at the bottom of a big present sack with a helium, Mickey Mouse balloon inside so that when they opened the bag, the balloon would fly out.
The last gift they opened on Christmas morning was the big sack hiding behind the tree. Millie and Wells loosened the ribbon on top and the Mickey balloon floated out. Millie yelled, “We’re going to Walt Disney World!” Not a question but a matter of fact. We confirmed that yes, we were headed to Disney and not ten minutes later, Wells jumped on the balloon and popped it.
Sixty days before our vacation, I was able to reserve our dining reservations; I took advice from a coworker who’s an avid Disney goer, a friend who’d gone recently, online reviews, and even one of my students. Thirty days before our vacation, I was lucky enough to book a time for Millie to go the Bippity Boppity Boutique (the boutique has become an elusive activity ever since they closed two of their previous three locations). Millie is a princess everyday; she has earned many pageant crowns but I still felt like this was something really special she’d enjoy doing at Disney. I was really grateful there was a time available to reserve.
My Mom and Mawmaw were both joining us on this vacation. When I was just five years old, I went to Disney with my parents and grandmas from both sides. It was important for me to have my kids experience Disney with their grandparents. The kids didn’t know that my Mom and Mawmaw were coming with us until we went to my mom’s house to eat Christmas dinner. My Mom and Mawmaw walked out of the kitchen wearing mouse ears. I asked the kids, “Do you know what this means?” and Millie guessed right away. She asked, “Are they coming too?!” Everyone was so excited.
‘Twas the night before Disney when all through the house…I was frantically packing and making sure everyone had everything packed and ready to go. We were leaving behind a winter blizzard that wasn’t supposed to hit until after we landed in Florida. I checked us in at the Southwest Airlines kiosk while Chris and Mawmaw parked the cars in the extended stay garage. Once we were all together, we made our way through TSA. Mawmaw was stopped because of her hip replacement and the lady wanding her made her spread her legs super far. It was honestly so ridiculous and we griped about it all the way to boarding.
Boarding the plane was easy because my Mom and Mawmaw got on first (handicap privileges) and saved us seats together. *This was before SouthWest had assigned seating options. They chose the seats in the front of the plane so we had plenty of leg room. Millie sat next to the window, Crosby nursed on my lap in the middle seat, and mawmaw was next to me, in the aisle seat. Wells sat by the window next to Gam (my Mom), and Chris sat behind them. Wells did a great job on his first plane ride! I was so relieved when the plane landed in Orlando; everyone there and happy; I just kept thinking, “We made it.”
The gloomy Ohio weather was quickly forgotten when we landed in the sunshine state; the palm trees were glorious. We rode on an air rail to get to our uber and then the uber took us to the Disney All-Star Sports Resort. The kids were excited to walk on the “red carpet” entering the resort while Chris stacked all our luggage on a cart to be taken to our rooms. At check-in, Wells and Crosby received their, “First Time at Disney” pins and my mom got a “Happy Birthday” pin. Her birthday fell during the week of our trip and this pin gave her lots of attention at the park! Wells traded his first Disney pin with one from behind the counter; I knew he would love trading pins for his bag!
While I was dealing with logistics, Mawmaw took the kids to smash pennies. (I lucked out and found a Disney penny collection book at a thrift store before our trip that already had a couple of pennies in it.) Penny smashing became something fun they did together throughout the trip. We were given two rooms in the Mighty Ducks section of the resort (one for us and the kids and one for my mom and mawmaw) that were connected. The kids loved running back and forth from room to room. I’d say they spent more time in my mom’s room than ours!
Buying a Disney trip for 2025 gave us a special offer that allowed us to go to the water park the day of our arrival at no additional cost. We took our bathing suits and sandals out of our suitcases and left for Blizzard Beach. Before we swam, we grabbed lunch from the Lottawatta Lodge; I was very glad they had Impossible burgers! My mom and Millie ate the notorious Mickey pretzel – I officially felt like I was in Disney World watching them smile over eating Mickey’s ears.
The children’s area, Tikes Peak, was themed after Disney’s Frozen and had statues of Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Sven, and even the little snow babies from Frozen Fever. This was Crosby’s first time putting his toes in the sand (he stomped around but wasn’t particularly impressed). It was 72 degrees outside and the water was heated to 80 degrees. While we were in the water, it was comfortable but coming out of the water was chilly. The bigs enjoyed going down different water slides; Wells was nervous about going down the slides at first but after he watched Millie have fun, he tried it and loved it. Chris would help them get on the inner-tube at the top of the slide and I waited for them at the bottom. I cheered every time I saw them round the corner; they were so brave!
My mom joined us in the lazy river as we floated around the park. Millie didn’t want a tube because she wanted to swim so I walked with her and helped balance Crosby. I loved that there were tubes that didn’t have a hole through the middle because Crosby very much enjoyed riding along without getting wet. As we were floating, we were joking and laughing and reminiscing about other vacations we’ve shared. We all cracked up going under the unexpected waterfall (Chris jumped out of his tube and put it over his head). I reached out and grabbed a tropical flower for Mill’s hair that was the same vibrant pink as her bathing suit. As we were all getting out of the lazy river, Wells decided he wanted to go around again and just kept floating upstream! My mom fought the current to catch him and we all laughed.
After our time at the water park, we went back to the resort to change for dinner. While we waited for the Disney bus, Crosby ran all around and kicked and screamed when I had to pick him up to get on the bus. Once we arrived at Disney Springs, we were in awe of the magnificent Christmas tree and the beautiful lights and garland decorations. We had reservations at The Rainforest Cafe but before our assigned time, we walked around the World of Disney store. I couldn’t believe how many people were shopping; we could barely move without bumping into someone. Millie and her American Girl doll, Molly, were dressed like Minnie Mouse so we got some cute pictures with her and all the Minnie merchandise. When it was time for our dinner reservation, we waited in a long line to get our table. Crosby was restless so he ran around the gift shop, hugged a little girl who looked absolutely smitten with him, and sniped a monkey stuffy.
At 9pm, we sat down for dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. Millie thought the animatronic gorillas were creepy but Wells really liked the aquarium we were seated next to. The food was not memorable however, it was free. Mawmaw received her meal after all of us had already finished ours so they ended up comping our dinner, which was completely unexpected. The waiter surprised my mom by bringing out a cupcake for her birthday and we sang happy birthday to her while Wells was asleep in her lap.
It was nearly 11 p.m., when we headed to the parking lot to catch the Disney bus to our resort. I carried a sleeping Crosby and Chris held a sleeping Wells. As we entered the parking lot, we saw the bus we needed to ride was already parked and accepting passengers. Fearing a 45-minute wait for the next bus, I ran through the lot (carrying my almost-thirty-pound baby) to catch the ride back to our resort. We made it, thankfully, but were absolutely exhausted. Both Wells and Millie jumped in bed with my Mom and Maw. I reminded everyone that we had an 8:30am breakfast reservation, so up at 7am and Chris was snoring before I turned out the lights.
We woke up the next morning and left for The Grand Floridian to make our breakfast reservations at 1900 Park Fare. We left with plenty of time to get to the restaurant however, it was a total cluster trying to get there from our resort. First, we had to take the Disney bus to Magic Kingdom. Getting on the bus took more time than we expected because two older ladies on electric scooters were having a difficult time maneuvering their motorized vehicles onto the bus. Then, we all had to go through security at the park (which irritated me because the security guard didn’t check my camera bag, the only bag I had on me, and when I questioned them about it they said, “Do we need to?” And I answered, “Sure! And you need to check everyone else’s bags coming in here. This place is filled with children and you can’t be too careful!”) Our supposed seven minute walk to the resort was cut short because halfway to our destination, there was a sign that said, “walkway closed for maintenance”. We walked back the way we came and had to go through security again; even the security guards were confused why the walkway was closed. I was stressing but we were able to pivot and board the monorail to get to the resort (which was the very last stop). By the grace of God, we made it to the Floridian in time for our breakfast reservation.
1900 Park Fare had a buffet breakfast. While we enjoyed the Mickey waffles and fruit (and bowls of gummy bears), Disney characters were making their way around the dining room, stopping to talk and take pictures at each table. Mirabel from Encanto was the first to visit. Millie told her that she loved to dance and she and Mirabel did pliés together. Crosby was fussy and not in a great mood but after Mirabel played peekaboo with him, he cheered up. Aladdin was the next character to come to our table and he asked Wells what his dream was. Wells answered, “To be a shark”. I could tell that Wells’ answer caught him off guard and that made me laugh. Millie’s smile was the biggest with Aladdin. Millie also took pictures with Cinderella and Snow White. Mawmaw helped prepare the pages in the autograph book for each character to sign and we were so impressed with all their signatures. Before we left, Maw pulled a baggie out of her purse and filled it up with Wells’ left over gummy bears (this proved useful when the kids got snacky later in the day).
The Grand Floridian was gorgeously decorated for the holidays. The Christmas tree in the lobby was ginormous and themed after “The 12 Days of Christmas” (it inspired me to use pears in my Christmas decor this year). The floor tiles were crafted with different Disney characters. On the second floor, there was a bar dedicated to Beauty and the Beast and even though it was roped off, I just had to go in. I took a picture of the enchanted rose and found the 2017 live-action replica of Cogsworth. From the windows in the lounge, I could see the beautiful grounds of the Floridian, a pool, and the sun glistening off of the lake. I was admiring the roses on the upholstery when my family pulled me out from behind the ropes.
We did a little shopping at the Floridian; I bought of pair of yellow, Belle inspired ears, my mom bought Millie a green-eyed Belle stuffy, Wells a new pin for his collection, and Crosby a Toy Story car to play with. There were some beautiful Dooney and Burke bags but somehow we refrained. Before we left for the monorail, we passed a table where a man was selling Disney trips. We stopped so Wells could trade another one of his pins; the man was super nice and gave the kids Chip and Dale stickers. We all decided that the next time we come to Disney, we want to stay at the Grand Floridian.
We rode the monorail to the next stop, Magic Kingdom. Our family had our own car so we were acting silly on the way. I took a beautiful picture of Mawmaw after we had to beg her to sit down in the moving vehicle. We had a great view of Epcot and our first glimpse of the castle out of the windows. We took the double stroller with us because it fit all three kids; Crosby sat in the front buckled in, Wells on the stool seat behind Cros, and Mill could stand on the platform behind Wells. Chris pushed the stroller down the ramp to the park, “runaway wagon” style and the kids cracked up. We took some pictures at the entrance and then went into Magic Kingdom.
Entering Magic Kingdom was like walking into a Christmas movie. The grand Christmas tree was beautifully decorated with popcorn garland, candles, and gingerbread. Candy canes and nutcrackers decorated Main Street. The stores all had holiday-themed displays, like Minnie baking cookies in the sweets shop window. Christmas lights were strung from the light poles and wreaths with bells hung all around. It was amazing to see the castle amongst the Christmas decor. Blending the magic of Christmas with the wonder of Magic Kingdom made for a really special experience.
We immediately went to our right where I remembered we could meet Mickey Mouse. We were completely flabbergasted when we saw there was not a line. We walked through empty roped off lanes to meet Mickey. Not five minutes later we were meeting the mouse. Both big kids hugged Mickey and so did Mawmaw. He signed their autograph book and kissed my mom on the hand. The photographer took a picture of all of us with Mickey and tried to include a strange man – we had to say, “he’s not with us”. Crosby was asleep so Chris held him during this visit. Mickey was dressed as a magician and he used his cape to cover Crosby while he slept which made for a super cute memory.
The exit door took us through a gift shop and of course the children wanted everything (and so did my mom). Wells put on this huge Fantasia hat and Millie found a pair of sparkly, princess ears that she couldn’t part with. I desperately wanted a Diet Coke and I saw that Mawmaw was at the register about to buy some Aspirin so I ran up to the counter so that I could pay for it and heard the lady at the checkout telling Maw that she could get Aspirin for free at the First Aide building (this comes in handy later). As we left to go take some pictures by the castle, I noticed people waiting in line to meet with Belle in her provincial life blue dress and I got in line immediately! I called for my mom and Millie to leave the store but they didn’t come right away and I was nervous that they’d miss her! They joined me in line and Millie got to meet Belle. She told her all about the books she was reading; Amelia Bedelia and Itty Bitty Princess Kitty. Belle complimented my ears and signed the autograph book. We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time!
We walked down Main Street and found a Disney worker to take our picture. Crosby had just woken up so hindsight probably not the best time for a picture while his eyes were still adjusting. While we were smiling for the camera, my Mom and Maw found the First Aide building and got some Asprin. We finished before my parents were done so we stopped to listen to the Main Street Philharmonic band playing ragtime music. Once we were all back together again, we found the perfect spot to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade. We were right on the street so people got really close to us trying to get a better view. A lady behind Mill and me kept pushing into us and finally I turned around and said, “If you push me again, I’m going to push back.” She didn’t touch us anymore after that. The parade was amazing; Alice waved right to us, Elsa and Anna did too, Goofy said hi, and we saw Belle in her yellow dress with the Beast.
Once the parade was over, we walked past the castle and got silhouette portraits done of the children. It was incredible; the kids sat as an artist cut out their profiles by hand. Crosby had to sit on my lap to get his done successfully. They were incredibly affordable and great quality. While we waited for the silhouettes to be framed, the kids ate a funnel cake with Maw (her favorite). The most unfortunate part of this experience was while we were waiting in line, Chris and I got pooped on by seagulls! It got all over Chris’ back and in my hair. We were totally grossed out. Maw went into a nearby shop and told them what happened and the shop gave us two new shirts of our choosing, free of charge. It was incredibly kind and I was grateful to have the poop off of us.
I was so looking forward to letting Crosby run around Tom Sawyer’s Island. We remembered having so much fun with Millie there on our last trip. There was no wait to get on the raft and the kids liked looking over the edge at the water (I told them to look out for alligators). We went through a couple trails to find that the play gym Millie had played on in the past was roped off and closed. Crosby enjoyed being out of the stroller and running through the dark caves; Chris was scared that Crosby would fall on the uneven terrain so I stayed right with him and held his hand when he’d let me. Maybe 15 minutes into our adventure, Disney workers were telling us that we all had to get back to the raft because the island was closing. Crosby was devastated and cried the entire raft ride back; I felt so bad that everyone had to listen to him scream. Once we were back to Liberty Square, Maw and I joked about how cute Wells would look in a raccoon hat. Little did we know, Tom Sawyer Island would be demolished six months later.
Before dinner, we ran into Big Al from Country Bear Jamboree. The kids and I had no idea who he was but Millie braved the big, funny-looking bear for an autograph and a sticker (the boys had no interest in him and I didn’t blame them). Mawmaw and Wells found more pennies to smash; it was difficult for Wells to pull the lever around so when he couldn’t muscle it, Maw was there to help him out. I watched and thought about how one day soon, Wells will be older and stronger and we’ll be the ones asking him for help. We went to the restroom and found ourselves in Rapunzel’s neck of the woods. There were beautiful hanging lanterns like we we were in the set of Disney’s, Tangled. We saw Peter Pan and Wendy standing outside the flight ride and there was no wait to visit with them. Wells and Millie were so excited to tell them that we dressed up as Peter Pan characters for Halloween the year before last. Pan asked, “If you were a Lost Boy and you were Tinkerbell, then who dressed up as me?” they both started laughing and I yelled out, “I couldn’t convince their Dad to wear tights!”
We had dinner reservations at the Liberty Tree Tavern. The menu was Thanksgiving style, American cuisine with a three course, plant-based option! We ate salad and rolls, Impossible meatloaf, and a warm apple cake. I spent most of my time going up and down the stairs to the bathroom; first changing Crosby, then Millie had to go, then Wells, Maw, and I needed to use it and there were only two stalls so it was a lot of waiting. We picked the perfect time to eat because it poured down rain while we were in the restaurant and it cleared by the time we finished our meal. Unfortunately, we had to leave our stroller outside while we ate, and it was soaked. After the rain, the temperature dropped significantly, so my Mom and Maw bought the kids sweatshirts. We used the plastic bags from the purchase to cover the stroller seats so the kids would stay dry when they sat.
When it started getting dark, we found a great spot close to Cinderella’s castle to watch the Happily Ever After fireworks show. The crowd closed in tightly around us as everyone jostled for the best view of the show. I held Crosby, Wells sat on Chris’ shoulders, and Millie stood on the stroller seat and leaned against my mom. We watched in awe as castle became alive with animated projections from different Disney films. Chris couldn’t figure out how it all worked; was it projections or led lights? He was impressed with how precise everything looked. The music was timed perfectly with the display happening on the castle and the fireworks were beautiful.
The show lasted longer than we had expected, about twenty minutes, and the kids were waning fast. Wells kept trying to rest on Crosby’s head. We followed the crowd down a beautifully lit Main Street and rode the Disney bus back to the resort. There were no fights from the kids about getting in bed. I reminded every one of the schedule for the next day; our first planned event was brunch at 11am. While the kids slept with my Mom and Mawmaw, I laid in bed and downloaded the pictures from the Disney app onto my camera roll until I fell asleep.
We had a slow morning, everyone ate something small that we brought with us (poptarts, granola bars, oatmeal) the boys watched Bluey on the television and I curled Mills hair. Around 10am, we got back on the Disney bus to Magic Kingdom. The day before had been in the 70s, Crosby even managed to get a little sun, but we left our shorts in our suitcases and put on our pants and jackets because our third day turned out to be much cooler. We rode to the park, went through security, hopped on the monorail, and headed to the Polynesian Resort. We were navigating Disney like seasoned pros.
The Polynesian was starkly different than the bright, Floridian resort we explored the morning before; it was decorated like a 1970’s tiki bar. I was feeling a little underwhelmed but one of my students recommended the breakfast at ‘Ohana, and Stitch visits with every table so I kept an open mind. We were seated at a round table and the waitress brought cinnamon doughnuts that Crosby ate face first. Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch were all wearing leis and parading in a conga line through the restaurant. The plant-based breakfast that they brought out was delicious; vegan eggs, Mickey waffles, breakfast sausage, and potato wedges. Pluto came to our table and took a selfie with me and signed the autograph book. Crosby finally got to meet Mickey (he was asleep the day before) and played peek-a-boo with him; Mawmaw got a kick out of that and got it on camera. When Stitch came to the table, Crosby was a little uneasy about him! He waved at Stitch but in a bye-bye, stay away from me kind of way and he cried when I tried to get him to take a picture with him. When Lilo came to the table, Millie showed her the Lilo stuffy that she got on her first trip to Disney. Then, she told Lilo that her favorite line from the movie was, “stupid head” and she laughed and laughed because she knew it was a bad word (even Lilo covered her mouth like she was laughing).
We were stuffed from our meal and ready to head to the park but before we left the Polynesian for Magic Kingdom, we stopped at a gift shop just inside the resort. Maw wanted to find some Lilo and Stitch merch for their cousin Lily and while we were shopping, Chris found a magnetic Heihei, the chicken from Disney’s, Moana, that could clip to your shoulder or hat. Wells thought it was hysterical so he sported the chicken the rest of the day.
When we arrived at Magic Kingdom, the first thing we did was get in line for It’s a Small World, animatronic boat ride. It was only a 25 minute wait and we thought it would be a great ride for Crosby because it was gentle and indoors (even though it was chilly, it was bright and it was affecting his eyes and his mood). As we rode around, I sat back and listened as Maw explained to Millie what countries were being represented. I saw Wells playing with Crosby who was sitting on Chris’ lap. I laughed with my mom when the dolls kicked up their skirts in France. I was so overwhelmed with happiness in that moment that I actually had a tear run down my cheek. I wiped it away as we walked to the next ride.
While we were in line for the merry-go-round, Wells realized he had lost one of his new pins. We thought he might have lost it waiting in line for the last ride. Wells was upset so Maw went into a shop close by and told them what happened. They let Wells pick any pin he wanted from their tradable pin collection (we ended up finding the lost skateboard pin in the stroller later that day). Crosby had fallen asleep while we were waiting to get on the ride so Chris got out of line and held him while he slept. Because of their heights, I needed to stand between Mill and Wells on the merry-go-round. They were so excited to choose their horses; Millie wanted the one with roses. I had the kids quote Mary Poppins and say “view halloo”, pretending our horses would come to life and race off the ride. While we went around and around we saw the back of Cinderella’s castle, the sword in the stone, and their daddy waving at us.
The wait at the Princess Fairytale Hall was under 20 minutes so we hurried to get in line. While we waited, we admired the huge pictures of the princesses hanging on the walls. Millie decided that Aurora was her favorite princess because she was wearing a pink gown (she’s never seen sleeping beauty) but she said, “At the boutique, I will choose Belle, Mommy, because I know she’s your favorite.” ; such a sweet girl. The Princesses that were out to visit with were Tiana and Cinderella. We had already seen Cinderella at breakfast the day before so Millie was most excited about meeting Princess Tiana. She complimented her gown and had her sign the autograph book. Wells hugged Tiana tightly around her waist and Crosby ran to her and waved. She was really sweet and the kids could feel her warm spirit. After meeting with the princesses, we left through another gift shop where Millie was sprinkled with pixie dust and Wells picked out a knights cape and sword. There was another line to meet up with two different princesses however, they don’t tell you who the princesses will be. Since they could’ve been princesses we had already seen at 1900 Park Fare, we asked a man coming out of the Princess Hall which princesses he saw. He said, “I don’t know…Belle?” so we ran to get back in line. Unfortunately, even though the line was short, we presumed they were swapping princesses because the wait took twice as long as the wait before and when we finally entered, it was not Belle.
The visiting princesses were Elaina of Avalor and Rapunzel. As we approached the front of the line, Rapunzel saw Wells and said, “Hi, cutie!” And he was smitten. He was being shy and hid behind a pillar as she continued to play with him until it was our turn to meet with Elaina. I had déjà-vu seeing Millie with Elaina as I remembered the sweet moment with her from years before; baby Millie sat on the floor and Elaina sat down with her. This time, I had three children sitting on the rug. I felt grateful to be able to bring Mill back to Disney to experience the magic again.
Visiting with Rapunzel might have been my favorite part of the trip. She was so animated and playful with the kids as she taught them to mime. Wells was feeling a little starstruck, so Rapunzel used miming to lower the pressure of a verbal conversation. It turned their “meeting” into a game. They framed their faces and pretended to pull a rope. Hearing Wells crack up was the best. Even though we didn’t get to meet with Belle in her yellow dress, this turned out to be even better.
We finished with the princesses just in time to make it to our dinner reservation all the way down Main Street. My mom loves Winnie the Pooh, so when planning this trip, I knew we had to eat at the Crystal Palace. As we were being seated, we saw Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger marching around in their Friendship Day parade. We sat at another big, round table and Crosby was in rare form as he stood on his seat and tossed utensils across the table. The food was buffet style and there were not many vegan options so the chef created a dish of rice and vegetables that was really delicious. The mini carrots were so cute; they looked like they came straight from Rabbit’s garden. Wells wanted to use my camera so I allowed him to take pictures during the character visits. The pictures he took came out really cute and it was neat to see his perspective. When Crosby met Piglet, he hit him straight on the nose. I signed, “gentle” and Piglet copied. Honestly, I don’t know why Piglet got so close to Crosby’s face, he kind of had it coming.
When my mom met Pooh, she had the biggest smile on her face. She hugged him and told him that he was her favorite (like he couldn’t tell from all her Pooh gear). We were still standing from our visit with Pooh when Tigger came to visit. He was tall and I thought he would frighten Crosby but instead, Crosby started flapping his elbows at him like he was doing the chicken dance and Tigger chicken danced right along with him.
After dinner at the Crystal Palace, we had Millie’s Bippity Boppity Boutique reservation. Only two people were able to be with her for this experience so my mom and I accompanied Millie. To get there, we walked through Cinderella’s Castle and admired the mosaic tiles depicting Cinderella’s story. We ran into Cinderella’s evil Step-Sisters; we said hi but they were on the move so we couldn’t get their autographs. Signing into the boutique, I explained that Mill had her own crown (we brought one of her pageant crowns with roses on it). Millie began telling them about her pageant experiences and she recited her stage introduction for them. The girls at the counter were so impressed, they placed her with who they considered the best stylist (their friend Savannah who was super sweet) and gave her a roll of Belle stickers!
While we waited for Millie’s name to be called (she chose to be referred to as her majesty) we looked through a book of different dresses and their price ranges; each princess had a cheapest, middle, and highest price option based on how elaborate you wanted your costume to be. We went with the middle option for Mill which was a gorgeous, yellow gown with gold detailing. Speaking of details, even the wallpaper at this place had Cinderella’s mice completing sewing jobs. Once Mills name was called, “Here ye, hear ye. I’m looking for Her Majesty Millie.” She popped right up and got to grab her dress and accessories and head to the dressing room.
Mill’s stylist, Savannah, took us to a room, hung up her dress, and when she left, some Disney Magic happened. The room went dark and Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appeared inside of the mirror. She spoke to us, waved her magic wand, and then disappeared. The lights turned back on and the mirror was just a mirror again. The look on Millie’s face was priceless! She put on her new, Belle gown and she was a vision. Millie was between sizes; the 5/6 gown would’ve just fit her and the 7/8 was a little big but we chose the size up so she’d have more time to wear it playing dress up at home. I knotted the straps on her shoulders so it would lay higher on her chest. We returned to the shop to wait for her turn for hair and makeup and so many people were already complimenting Millie on how beautiful she looked. She was really feeling herself; twirling around in the big mirror for everyone to see.
Savannah walked us from the shop to Cinderella‘s Castle. The entrance was located in the castle itself, which none of us were expecting. The door was through the castle passageway with the mosaics and the boutique entrance was inside there. We entered into a large room with such hustle and bustle of ladies in maid costumes pampering so many little girls in salon chairs. Millie was seated in a corner chair, while my mom and I sat on a bench right behind her. We were placed next to a very boisterous male stylist who, every time my mom began to tear up, which was often, would toss tissues in her direction (an attempt at humor) that quickly became more annoying than charming. A few chairs down sat a little girl, maybe two years old, with dark hair and dark eyes who looked so much like my sister. The resemblance stirred up a wave of emotions for my mom.
Millie climbed into the chair, and we showed the stylist how her Belle stuffy’s hair was styled; high bun on top with soft curls down the back. It wasn’t one of the options on the boutique’s style board, but the stylist, who had long hair like Millie’s, smiled confidently and said she could recreate exactly what we had in mind. Most of the girls were getting the classic slicked-back top knot, which I’ve never found especially cute. We watched as stylists added extra hairpieces to build those buns, but not Millie. She had more than enough hair of her own. She chose a pink braid to wrap around her bun, not what I would have chosen but she was the princess.
When it came time for pixie dust, Mill declined because she was worried the glitter would end up everywhere. I gently convinced her it was part of the magic and not to stress about it (bless her heart, she’s always worried like her mama). Soon, a second stylist stepped in to paint her nails with sparkly polish, which made her feel even more regal. Mill made the sassiest, duck-lip face while they were applying her lip gloss; it was adorable. Next came a gem for her cheek and this was a whole thing. The stylist held up a sheet of sticker gems and asked Millie which one she’d like, but it quickly turned into a puzzling, back-and-forth. Mill would point to one, and the stylist would respond, “No, not that one,” without offering any explanation. After a few rounds of this, I walked over and asked, “Does this star work?” The answer was another flat “No.” Trying to stay patient, but admittedly a little more irritated, I pointed again and asked, “How about this flower?” Finally, that one was deemed acceptable. I’m still not sure why nearly every gem on the sheet was off-limits. Ironically, after the whole ordeal, Millie peeled the sticker off before we left the castle.
During the princess experience, I was capturing videos on my phone and taking photos with my camera, while Disney photographers were also snapping pictures. One of them handed me a QR code to access the images he was taking of Millie. Thankfully, I scanned it right away because when I checked the gallery, the photos uploaded weren’t of my daughter, they were of a blonde girl in a blue, Cinderella dress. When the photographer came back around, I explained the mix-up. He told me the only way to retrieve Millie’s photos was to visit the Disney PhotoPass customer service desk at Town Square Theater near the park entrance, provide the time we were at the boutique, and have them manually locate and link the images to my account. Annoying.
Millie was being dolled up facing away from the mirror, so she hadn’t seen herself. When Savannah finally spun her around, she was completely amazed by her reflection. She threw her hands up and exclaimed, “I’m gorgeous!” and of course, I reminded her that she’s always gorgeous. Savannah draped a sash over her shoulder and gently placed her crown on her head. I could hear a few little girls nearby whispering and asking how she got such a fancy crown (the one we brought from home). My mom helped her put on the accessories that were included with the package; a necklace, clip-on earrings, and a ring. She was then escorted to a full-length mirror to take in the entire makeover from head to toe. Before saying goodbye, Savannah gifted Millie a beautiful carriage necklace and gave her a big, warm hug. It was such a sweet ending to a truly magical experience.
While Millie, my mom, and I were enjoying the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience, Chris, Wells, Crosby, and Mawmaw were having their own adventure. They headed to Mickey’s PhilharMagic and were able to walk right in without having to wait. Crosby sat on Chris’s lap but refused to keep his 3D glasses on. Even so, both boys loved the show. Afterward, they braved the Haunted Mansion line, waiting over an hour. Crosby ended up falling asleep, and Chris held him while they waited. When we finished at the Boutique, I called Chris to meet up, but they were just nearing the front of the line. I told him to call me once they were done so we could all reconnect after our separate adventures.
In the meantime, Millie, my mom, and I stopped by a shop that photographs the girls all dressed up like princesses. The line was full of waiting royalty, so we decided to come back later and head to the Winnie the Pooh ride instead, which only had a 15-minute wait. While we were in line, Millie stayed entertained with the interactive “honey” screens, happily playing as we moved forward. Just then, the fireworks began at Cinderella’s Castle, and we had a perfect view of the bursts lighting up the sky.
The Pooh ride was adorable; it felt like we were drifting through the pages of a storybook. When we finished, we wandered into the gift shop next door, filled with all things Pooh, and planned to meet Chris there. Suddenly, everything was blocked off, and we were told to stay where we were. After the fireworks, high winds had picked up, and the park began spraying water as a precaution in case any sparks had landed. It was an unexpected pause in our evening and the boys were so cold waiting outside.
As soon as the Disney staff reopened the walkways, Millie, my mom, and I hurried back, carefully dodging puddles, to the shop offering princess portraits. We were determined to beat the crowd and be first in line and we were! Chris, Mawmaw, and the boys met us there, and we captured the most beautiful photos; Millie glowing as a princess, Wells the brave knight, Crosby smiling. Special family pictures.
Then Crosby fell.
He had been running around the store while my mom kept an eye on him, and I was up by the registers looking at pins Wells might want to trade. Then I heard him cry, and my mom calling my name, or maybe it was the other way around. It all blurred together. He had hit his head on a metal merchandise rack, and suddenly there was blood everywhere; on him, on me, on the floor. Mill saw it and she burst into tears. It was chaos.
I frantically looked for something to stop the bleeding, but everything nearby seemed dirty. I couldn’t bring myself to press something unclean against his wound. The girl behind the register called for help, but it didn’t feel like anyone was coming fast enough. People started crowding in, asking questions, getting too close. All I could think about was how exposed his tiny body felt in that moment.
The medical team was taking too long. So I ran.
I remembered where the First Aid building was because Mawmaw had gone there for aspirin. I ran through the crowd, singing to Crosby the whole way. If anyone spoke to me, I didn’t hear them. I was focused on getting Crosby help. No one was at the front desk, so I pounded on it and shouted, “I need help, now!” When no one came, I rushed toward the back until a nurse appeared and said, “Medical staff were on their way to you.” I replied, “Well, I’m here now! Can you help my son?”
She led us to a curtained room where I held Crosby close. In between his whimpering cries, I nursed him, trying to calm us both. I could hear Chris’s voice nearby, and then a stretcher with tiny straps was wheeled past the curtains. I cried seeing his tiny body strapped down on the gurney. Chris and I climbed into the back of the ambulance, and only then did it hit me to ask about the big kids. Chris told me that he spoke with a man who got our family a private transport back to the resort. I found out later that they had a tour-like experience as the transport took them back roads through the park.
It took our emergency transport more than fifteen minutes to get from Magic Kingdom to the hospital (Disney should really have one closer). The EMT told us to expect stitches. The AdventHealth Celebration hospital walls were painted with bright colored sea creatures. It seemed empty. We were immediately taken into a room and I could finally hold my baby again. The nurse checking us in also believed Crosby would need stitches. As we waited for the doctor, Chris kept my family updated because my phone had died after a full day of taking pictures and videos at the park.
Before the doctor came in to examine Crosby’s wound, a man from the billing department rolled in with his computer to collect our insurance information and our three-hundred dollar copay, even though we had already explained that Disney would be covering everything (and this ended up being a bill that went to collections and then a year later Disney wrote us a check to cover the expenses).
The doctor was confident that medical glue would be Crosby’s best option. When I mentioned that two people had told us he would need stitches, she quickly reassured me otherwise. She explained that the glue would leave less scarring and would simply peel off once the wound had healed. A nurse came in and applied a numbing gel, and Crosby didn’t wake up once.
When the doctor returned, she told us she didn’t believe that Crosby had a concussion since he never lost consciousness and had been crying appropriately; first from the pain of the fall, then from being frightened when they placed him on the gurney. She happened to be from Cleveland, and we chatted about books while she applied the glue. She instructed us to not put anything on the wound or to pick off the glue. We were to call our primary care physician when we got back home to set up an appointment to check on the healing progress.
When it was all over, Disney had a car waiting to take us back to the resort, and I was impressed to see that it had a car seat for Crosby. By the time we made it back to our hotel room, we were completely exhausted. We were so grateful to find the big kids bathed, in their pajamas, and ready for bed. My mom was apologetic, and we kept reassuring her that it wasn’t her fault; Crosby was still unsteady on his feet, and the ground had been wet from the water Disney used after the fireworks. I told everyone that next on the schedule was packing up and having breakfast at Chef Mickey’s, but if Crosby wasn’t feeling up to it, we could always cancel and have an easy morning before getting to the airport.
Thankfully, Crosby slept well through the night and in the morning he seemed to be acting completely normal. We needed to be out of our rooms by 10am so we all got ready for the day and packed up our bags that we left with the concierge on our way out to breakfast. As we were boarding the transport back to Magic Kingdom to hop on the monorail, I saw another boy who looked around Crosby’s age with the exact same gash on his forehead. His mom and I exchanged stories and she explained that her son fell onto an open drawer in their hotel room. I could tell by her accent that she wasn’t from the US (she sounded Irish) and she expressed how anxious she was about the medical bills. Her son had to get stitches and I felt blessed Crosby’s fall wasn’t worse.
Getting off the monorail to the Contemporary I was put off by the design of the resort. It reminded me of a motel because of how guests doors faced the open atrium. It seemed dated and exposed. The monorail goes through the atrium and you can see right into the Chef Mickeys, where we were eating breakfast.
The breakfast at Chef Mickeys is buffet style and there was plenty of delicious food we could eat. Wells ate a plate full of tater tots and later he said that was his new favorite food. Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy came to our table first. Mickey was sympathetic to Crosby and his head gash (incredible how they communicate without speaking). Goofy was so tall! Wells was excited to see Donald Duck. Donald hugged Wells and wrote “#1” next to his signature in his autograph book. When Minnie Mouse came to the table, Millie showed her Mollie, her American Girl doll, dressed up in her Minnie Ears and outfit. Crosby actually hugged Minnie. The kids had a great time dancing with the characters and other children in the middle of the restaurant. It was a great way to end our time at the park.
While we were eating, Chris took a phone call from Disney Customer Relations who explained that they would be covering the cost of our Bippity Bippity Boutique experience because it was cut short by the incident. They also asked for Crosby’s clothing size as they were going to replace his shirt and sweatshirt that was soiled with blood. The clothing items were shipped to our house and arrived a couple weeks after we got home. They asked Chris to meet with the hotel manager at our resort to confirm information for the coverage of the medical bills. Despite the unfortunate fall, Disney was really trying to make sure we had a pleasant experience.
We were absolutely stuffed full leaving Chef Mickeys. As we rode the monorail one last time, I took some beautiful photos of the kids in the Florida sun and Wells told me all about his favorite parts of the trip. While Chris spoke to the hotel manager back at our resort, I grabbed our bags from the concierge, and the children colored pictures in the lobby with a Disney Cast Member. Before loading the van, I took one last look at the children smiling with a huge, Christmas tree behind them decorated in Disney film.
I made sure that we all had coats packed in our carry-on bags as we were leaving 70 degree weather and entering the frigid, Ohio cold. Sitting on the plane I realized I would need a vacation after this vacation because as fun as our trip was, it was go, go, go the entire time. Yes I was tired and yes it was expensive but the memories we made during this trip were worth it. I made a photo album of our trip through Shutterfly and the children love to go through it and reminisce our vacation. They are already asking me, “When can we go back to Disney?”
Mothering Millie 