Disney: Know Your Audience/ Hollywood Studios

Ah, Day four of Disney World and we are still in the thick of it. I should recap with what happened last night. We went to dinner in the Magic Kingdom, the Castle, to find out the sex of the baby (#2, or heretofore Deuce). We did the same exact thing we did last time (finding out Joel Andrew was a boy) - dinner at the Castle, photo with Cinderella, even the same waiter, Fernando - the best. The kiddo loved all the princesses, and was very shy/flirty with them. It was a lovely evening. Everyone chowed their food fast so that the cake would come out. I had a co-worker of mine call the Disney hotline in advance, open the envelope the sonogram tech had given me with the big news, and tell them what to write on the cake. So, after dinner Fernando brought out the cake, and it was a boy. Totally unsurprising to me, but very surprising to most I think. The kiddo seemed relatively happy about it until minutes later he got sick, all over the cake. We are thinking he does not like the idea of a little brother. Hmm. That took $40 and a quick stop to the nearest gift shop (don't worry, they have plenty in Disney), and a new outfit! He seemed fine after this event, so we chalked it up to juice gone down the wrong pipe, and carried on with our evening. We got onto Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Cruise, and saw the Country Bear Jamboree. He seemed to like the bears the best, but does not love the rides. He just sits there for the rides (which I guess is better than squiriming!).

Seemed like he was doing much better and Joel Husband thought he needed something to eat, so we got him popcorn. BIG mistake. Three minutes later, the entire stroller was a mess. So, we booked it home. This is where the conveinence of the Contemporary Bay Lake Towers come in. I cannot say enough about how this is the best hotel for toddler-aged kids. We were within walking distance to the hotel, so no need to wait on massive lines for a bus or monorail. Plus, we had a laundry machine. All was cleaned, little guy got a few more things out of his system, and was to bed a bit late. But he woke up this morning back to new.
So, we went to our character breakfast of the day, Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios. This is where we met some of the Playhouse Disney characters including Handy Manny, Agent Oso and two people from Little Einsteins. As predicted, the little man did not love the experience. It is making me wonder whether we should cancel all our remaining character breakfasts. This is where know your audience comes in. I typically always sign up for character breakfasts because A) - they get you in the park early. If you time it right you can sign up for a 7:30am breakfast at some places, and then you get out just as the park is opening to the general public. Then, you are first in line at any attractions you want. B) - It is a great way to see so many characters without having to wait on long lines. They come to all the tables, and they typically sit and interact with you for a while. C) - they are usually buffet, which means I can eat what I want. And, fill up for the day. We are on the Disney dining plan here, the Deluxe plan, which means these Character breakfasts are included in our meal plan. Some dinners and special dining events take up to two points (you get three points a day on the Deluxe), so if you use one point at breakfast for a character buffet, and fill up - then you can typically skip lunch, and just use your snack credits - and then have a nice two-point dinner, or go to something like the Hoop De Doo Review or Polynesian Luau (which I think is now politically called the Spirit of Aloha). So, I think character breakfasts are great, and they probably will return to being great when kiddos are over the age of 3. But, until then, maybe one for the whole trip instead of one a day would have sufficed...
The other know your audience problem is when you are with a big group. Lots of people wanting to do lots of different things but all saying that "we will do what Joel Andrew wants." I will not get into group dynamics here, you can probably imagine. The truth is, what Joel Andrew wants is to go down the slide in the theme park five times. Lots of people pointed out to me that he can go down the slide at home, I agree. But this is what he wants here too. He is a little man and can wrap his brain around this, not so much the Toy Story ride. Some of his most favorite times have been at the mini-parks here. Within Hollywood Studios the best place for the little guy was the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. I squeezed into a slide with him a few times, and he just climbed around otherwise, Loved it! Again, he also likes to stare at the birds. We do bring him on rides, but as I mentioned above, and as seen in the photo below, he is not a fan. He is good, he sits there, but it is not his thing. He wants to be active, walking, climbing, and doing things that he can understand and that do not overwhelm him. So, my best advice to you if you are planning a Disney trip, is to not try to lug the kid where you want to go, but rather do everything with them. This is their trip after all, and it will make it easier in the long run for all of you.
We split up from the rest of the group, and Grumpy, Joel Andrew and I went to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. This was a BIG HIT. There were two tantrums during the show, but only because I would not let him run to the stage. When the bubbles came down from the ceiling I thought he was going to loose it. He danced in circles, bopped around and clapped a ton. He paid attention the whole show and I have never had him sit in my lap for more than 30 seconds otherwise... It was a real plus. I think this show is perfect for parents to get a break, and kids to get out some energy, up to age 4 or 5? The pluses of these two things, the Honey I Shrunk and Clubhouse show - I didn't even know they existed before this visit and I pride myself on knowing all things Disney. So, again, another advantage of knowing your age - is you get to see new things.
Sadly we had to move our lunch at Primetime 50's cafe, so Grumpy and I decided to take the little guy back to the Contemporary for lunch and his nap. Knowing my audience here, after getting sick all night last night, he needed a good lunch and nap. I think out of all these restaurants that I have been dragging everyone - most sadly the little guy - too, he loves the quick service at the Contemporary the best. French fries, chicken fingers, birds (that come in through the monorail entrance), and most of all, his most favorite, the Monorail! What could be better? Hmmm. That could have saved us a lot of money, time and aggravation, (plus some fancy linens that they had to throw out at the Castle), if I just put us all on the Quick Service dining plan, and maybe only had one character breakfast and one nice dinner. Maybe for next time? But man, some of the restaurants are so good...