Top 10 Things We Can’t Wait To Do with Baby Bricker at Disney World
As we continue to make up for lost time after not traveling at all as a family last year, we arrive at the trip I’m most looking forward to: Baby Bricker’s first Christmas at Walt Disney World. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to do some amazing things in her first year-plus, but WDW is still the place we call “home” and the holiday season is our favorite time of the year in Florida.
We have so many memories together as a couple at Christmas from the last nearly two-decades and now we cannot wait to incorporate Baby Bricker (Megatron) into those, creating fresh traditions and forming new nostalgia that we’ll cherish for years to come. It’s also a bit of a homecoming for us, as Sarah and I have not been able to take our traditional Christmas trip to Walt Disney World together for the last two consecutive years–and we previously had not missed a year since 2007!
Suffice to say, I am beyond ready to be done with the solo holiday season trips and attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party as a family. To see Candlelight Processional together (probably from outside the amphitheater, but it still counts). To watch the Holiday Storytellers at EPCOT and Beacons of Magic. Even to attend Jollywood Nights–I’m really curious to hear Sarah’s opinion of the new party. Honestly, this list could be entirely Christmas entries because there are that many, but I’m going to mix it up to keep things interesting. Let’s dig in!
Wilderness Lodge at Christmas – We’re big on family traditions. We’re also big on Christmas. So it probably checks out that we’re biggest of all on Christmas family traditions. We’ve started a lot of these over the last couple years, fully realizing that not all of them will “stick” and that we’ll narrow our focus to the ones that actually become meaningful.
The Christmas tradition we would’ve liked to start was staying Old Faithful Club Level at Wilderness Lodge every year. Then we priced that out and, ahem, wow. Even for a split stay or one night, it was more than we could stomach. Suffice to say, we decided to downgrade…not just to a standard room at Wilderness Lodge, but to Port Orleans French Quarter. It’s been an expensive travel season for us and there’s “research” to be done on the new rooms at POFQ, so it just made sense.
As a result, the Christmas tradition we will actually be starting is a dinner at Wilderness Lodge followed by a family photoshoot (by me, not any professionals) all around our favorite spots at Wilderness Lodge. Fun shots, and also ones we can repeat on each Christmas-time trip to illustrate how much Megatron has grown. (There are actually a lot of locations around Wilderness Lodge that are perfect for charting height!)
Breakfast at Crystal Palace – Winnie the Pooh is in the running as one of Megatron’s favorite characters. Maybe one of her favorite people, period. She sees Pooh & Friends often at Disneyland because they’re low stakes characters, has a Pooh plush that she loves to boop on the nose, and reads their books.
Most of this is because I really like Winnie the Pooh, which is something I “discovered” relatively recently (pre-Megatron by a few years). Becoming a fan of Pooh, a hugely popular character who has been around a while, as an adult would be an odd thing to shout from the rooftops, so I’ve only mentioned it in passing a few times. But I really do love Pooh’s humor, attitude and charm–his whole “deal.” To the extent something that’s highly rated can still be underrated, I think Pooh is.
Anyway, Megatron agrees. Possibly for different reasons. But nevertheless, she loves seeing Winnie the Pooh and other characters from the Hundred Acre Wood. She even loves booping Pooh on the nose throughout the pages scattering the queue in Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. (A line she likes more than most rides!) Between her fondness for Winnie the Pooh and character meals, we can’t wait to see how she reacts to Crystal Palace.
Merry Menagerie (and Maybe Real Animals?!) – You’ve probably seen our effusive praise for Merry Menagerie at Animal Kingdom, which is arguably the highlight of the holiday season at Walt Disney World. In case not, Merry Menagerie is animal puppets that are majestic and awe-inspiring. Those are some strong words for what you could dismiss as visible humans moving around animals. It’s really not.
The Merry Menagerie puppeteers emote as they control the animals, and the line between performer and critter is blurs, as each takes on the personality and emotions of the other. It’s truly remarkable how effective this is, and how easy it is for guests to suspend disbelief. It’s one of those ‘little things’ at Walt Disney World we’ve been talking about recently that’s where the magic truly lives.
All of that is true with adults. Unsurprisingly, it’s even easier to get kids to suspend disbelief. Sometimes I can accomplish that with a Mickey Mouse or Winnie the Pooh plush and truly terrible voice over work. Point being, Megatron loves animals and loves puppets, so this should be an absolute slam dunk. I’m also hoping we get a proper do-over with DAK, and she takes an interest in animals other than just random squirrels and such.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree – This will be Megatron’s third version of Country Bear Jamboree, and first that’s exclusively in English. Not that the language part really matters…I think she’s in it just for the adorable cats. (In our house, these bears are cats.)
I also don’t really expect the more familiar Disney songbook at Country Bear Musical Jamboree to move the needle one way or another. Mostly because none of these songs are familiar to her. The only Disney songs she really knows and loves are “Grim Grinning Ghosts” (dad’s version) and “it’s a small world.”
Nevertheless, we love the Country Bears and will take every opportunity to indoctrinate her into the Bear Band’s ways that we get.
Ride the Rail, Sky & Water – One thing we’ve already learned is that many of Megatron’s favorite attractions are actually transportation rides. (Yep, she’s our daughter!) She loves to ride them and wave at people from them, or wave at them.
Nowhere has as many modes of transportation as Walt Disney World. The railroad, monorail, and various boats will certainly be fun–but I’m most looking forward to taking her on the Skyliner. It didn’t really register with her the last time we did it, but a lot has changed since then and her fondness for transportation has really blossomed in the last few months.
Snow on Main Street – There’s something magical about seeing snow fall. That’s true whether it’s the first time ever or first snow of the season. Even as a native Michigander who lived in the snow belt and regularly got dumped on by the lake effect snow machine, it still gets me.
Heck, even the fake stuff gets me in the parks. There’s something equally magical about experiencing a simulated snowfall on Main Street–it really is like being transported thousands of miles away to another time and place in the Midwest.
Megatron has yet to experience snow, real or fake, so we’re curious as to how she’ll react to it. Or if she will at all! Either way, it’ll be memorable for her parents to witness her watching her first-ever snoapfall!
4 Steps in 4 Parks in 1 Day – Megatron’s sleep schedule is now on Eastern Time, just like mine! This should make Baby’s First Early Entry and Rope Drop at Walt Disney World a distinct possibility. I love the idea of heading to EPCOT first thing, and having her walk through World Showcase (and beyond) as we get photos of her in our favorite place without other guests around.
Then the wheels started turning. Why stop there? If we’re out the door by 7:30 am, we could easily knock out EPCOT by 10:30 am, take the Skyliner over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, boat back to Beach Club to see the Mickey’s Christmas Carol Carousel, bus to Animal Kingdom to see Merry Menagerie, and bus to Magic Kingdom to close out the park! Kill like a half-dozen birds with one stone.
Even as I type this, I realize it’s overly ambitious and the wheels are bound to fall off by, like, step 3. Maybe well before that if we aren’t able to make it out the door of our hotel room on-time, as is often the case nowadays. (It seems like we’re perpetually in tardy mode.) So maybe the goal should just be “Baby’s First Rope Drop.” Even that might be overly optimistic once the practical realities come into play. Nah, let’s swing for the fences.
Say Goodbye to Rivers of America & Tom Sawyer Island – When I was originally coming up with this list, it was just Rivers of America. It didn’t seem like we’d have a chance or need to say goodbye to Tom Sawyer Island, at least as a family.
Wow how quickly things change with kids. Megatron went from barely being able to stand with assistance to capably running around and wanting to explore on her own, rejecting our hands, in the blink of an eye. (I guess she’s not really Baby Bricker anymore!) Now, we’re really excited to take her over to the island, let her explore, and see how she reacts to all of the little nooks and crannies of Tom Sawyer Island. And take lots and lots of photos, obviously.
Speaking of photos, Sarah and I have loved the peaceful promenade along the Rivers of America and have made a point of savoring this late at night for the last ~15 years. We have tons of photos of us as a couple over the years (…which might make you wonder why I chose the most awkward pose–it’s the oldest one I could find, from 2008!) and we’d love to add a new family photo Megatron. Hopefully one with a natural pose, but that’s not really our style.
Say Goodbye to the Boneyard – First we should probably say hello to it, I suppose. While we’ve paid cursory visits to the Boneyard over the years “for research,” we’ve never fully explored or appreciated it. Unlike Tom Sawyer Island, it feels less conducive to adults-only visits, and we haven’t wanted to be the awkward Childless Disney Millennials goofing around in a playground.
Part of me wonders if spending time in the Boneyard is a mistake. If this is one scenario where ignorance is bliss, and I’m better off with my current “good riddance” attitude towards Dino-Rama (technically this is part of Dinoland USA, and the whole of the area is better than just Dino-Rama).
Anyway, a few of our friends with kids love the Boneyard and rank it among Disney’s best play areas in all of the world. If this blog suddenly starts a grassroots campaign to save Dinoland USA in early 2025, I guess you’ll know where we stand on it. Even without spending extensive time there, I already think it’s odd Disney isn’t retheming this to Indiana Jones. It’s a workable theme and the parks need more spaces for kids to explore, not fewer.
Figment Meeting Figment – This is far and away #1. As mentioned in What Went Wrong During Baby Bricker’s First Trip to Walt Disney World, we failed to meet Figment. On our next, shorter family visit, we purposefully opted against meeting him, saving it for Christmas.
Now, the stars have aligned and Megatron fits into her Figment costume and will, fingers crossed, get to wear that while walking to meet Figment for the first time. I’ve had to remind myself not to get too excited or build anticipation too much, to avoid a situation where the expectations and reality don’t quite match. Because although Megatron loves meeting characters, there are certain ones she loves more than others.
The potential “problem” with Figment is that he’s more of an unknown. Whereas she’s well acquainted with Mickey Mouse & Friends or Winnie the Pooh’s Posse, her only familiarly with Figment is once on the ride (which she loved, but that was months ago) and the gigantic ‘statue’ of him next to her crib (which she also loves). Fingers crossed that the statue quadrupling in size is exciting instead of terrifying!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of our list of things we can’t wait to do with Megatron this Christmas at Walt Disney World? Any other future family traditions, photo ops, meaningful milestones, or things we should have her experience before they go away? What would your picks be for your family’s version of this list? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The Boneyard was always a favorite spot for my boys when they were growing up. They easily could have spent entire afternoons playing there. I’m grateful that we had it to enjoy, and I hope Disney creates something similar to replace it – imaginative play areas like that really are so special!
Tom you forget riding the Grand Prix Raceway…
My daughter is now 17, but we went to WDW at least once a year or more from the ages of 1-15. For most of those years, her favorite places in all of the parks were the play areas where she could just run around and explore. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was her favorite, followed closely by Tom Sawyer Island, The Boneyard, the Dumbo play area, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Mickey’s Toontown Fair, the Winnie the Pooh playground (replaced by 7 dwarves Mine Train), and all of the playgrounds at Epcot for Flower and Garden. She probably would have played at them all day in lieu of any rides. So many of these have closed or are closing and it is really sad.
At Universal her favorites were Fivel’s Playland, Curious George play area, Jurassic park play area, and Dr. Seuss play area. I think so many adults underestimate that kids would rather play than stand in long lines to ride a 1 minute ride.
My My, times have changed, I remember when you were all about getting rid of Dynoland etc, and we were like wait, no, but it’s the one of few places little ones enjoy. I think that is what Disney is missing in all of this, they’re trying to “adult” everything, reskin things that don’t need to be tinkered with. Disney isn’t Universal or Busch Gardens, it’s for families with little ones.
Aim for the green triceratops!
I definitely would add the Affection Section at Rafiki’s Planet Watch (AKA a pretty ordinary petting zoo.) Both our kids rated The Wildlife Express (which we thought was pretty boring) as their favorite train ride in Disney World when we visited between 1 -2 years old. Once they got to the animals we had a hard time getting them out of there. The photo of him brushing the baby goat was the vacation picture our two year old wanted to put on the Christmas cards. Babies are weird.
Pooh has been my son’s favorite since he was 2 (he’s now 10). One of my most favorite memories from when he was younger is of him marching around Crystal Palace with his piglet ears on, singing along and with the biggest smile. The Pooh characters are still our favorite!
We enjoyed the Boneyard for a fun, unstructured break when he was 4 as well. He enjoyed the opportunity to just run around free for a bit, which at that time didn’t happen often. Some of those unplanned moments are certainly the best!!
When our dd was 2 1/2, the Boneyard was BY FAR her favorite part of Disney. We practically had to drag her out of there. Spent hours there. I’m not exaggerating. We went back when she was about 8 and she STILL loved it and STILL spent hours there. I have not yet told her that she will never see it again…maybe she’ll forget about it? Anyway, good luck with not falling in love with it once your daughter gets in there.
Tom, you’ve created a safe space here and you are among your people. That’s why I will admit I packed a Winnie the Pooh comforter to take to college–ALL FOUR YEARS.
So excited for all 3 of you as a family to experience these things!!! Looking forward to your posts with pictures!
The first snow is a great thing to be ready for – and have that camera ready! Our Florida raised son didn’t see snow until he was 18, and I was taking pictures of a parade in Michigan – but I got the one of him holding up his hands and looking up at the sky in amazement. It was like watching our older children as toddlers seeing snow the first time – same sense of wonderment.
Just remember to always re try things with your kids as they grow . They may have zero interest one year , and absolutely be obsessed with it the next time you try it out !
Have fun testing out the Boneyard
My wife and I brought our daughter when she was 9 months old and it was a great trip. We have never been “all day park people” and generally like to enjoy time at the hotel. We roughly stayed on our daughter’s schedule with naps, and sometimes got lucky when she would just nap in the stroller, allowing us to walk around and enjoy everything. I think if you don’t push it, you’ll enjoy the trip. The baby centers at each park are great for diaper changes and feedings. A deluxe resort with a balcony is great for when the baby is napping in the room.
Our babies all have babies so we’re heading to WDW alone and yet we have 8 of your 10 items on our itinerary.
I was stunned reading today’s blog. It was like you stole our schedule. Funny, you’re looking at it from the view of building a family tradition while I came at it as a romantic Christmas vacation. Turns out the two are not exclusive.
The two we’re missing are figment and hitting four parks in one day.
We will be eating meals at our favorite resort, Wilderness Lodge both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I agree it’s too expensive to stay at but we’ll be spending both nights in front of different fireplaces around the resort before driving back to Pop. Our second fave because of the skyliner.
Love the idea of photos every year to mark her growth. There’s a great spot for that by the WL Mercantile.
Other traditions? Well I think it’d be crazy but a photo with every Santa/ story teller from around the World would quickly fill a photo album.
By the way Awkward suits you. It’s a lovely photo and your sharing it is a testament to how much you love your wife. That has always been a mark by which I judge a man.
One recommendation for you : everytime we go to Epcot we take photos of the kiddos at the totem faces where you stick your head in for a photo. Pretty awesome to see the changes over the years as they grow up.
Lovely article. Some comments:
1. Let her try the Boneyard – appropriate for a wide range of ages
2. Love that she’s still Megatron
3. Your first review of AK’s Menagerie is why we didn’t skip that not very Christmasy park years ago. It’s now by far my favorite WDW holiday tradition.
4. Megatron’s assessment of Pooh is spot on.
Enjoy your Christmas visit with Baby B!
Thanks!
As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve started using Baby Bricker more and Megatron less. That’s largely because we are *still* getting questions as to whether that’s her real name (it’s not!), and I assume there’s also confusion among non-regular readers about why a Transformer is accompanying us to Walt Disney World. (One isn’t–the nickname is based on Detroit Lions legend, Calvin Johnson!)
Real ones know it’ll always be Megatron, though. 😉
My one year old LOVES the boneyard specifically the dig site. I’m so sad to see it go. It’s such a great area to sit and relax in the shade with fans, families spend a long time there. That’s how Disney should have used this to calculate it if was worth keeping, they should have timed how long families spend there. That would have shown its worth. But also toddlers need to walk. They can only stay confined in a line to a ride and on a ride so long in a day. They need to move around and get their energy out. The boneyard is a great place for this.
100% agree with all of this.
Out of curiosity, you found the Boneyard age-appropriate for your one-year old? That’s my one concern, because my (hazy) recollection of the Boneyard is that it’s a bit “rougher” (for lack of a better term) than other play areas, and I’m wondering if it’s actually okay for Megatron.
Either way, I’m excited to take her in there…and to finally have an excuse to fully check it out for myself!
Our crew LOVES the Boneyard–not as much as TSI, which is their all time fave (and the 5 yo will still randomly talk about how terrible Disney execs are for getting rid of it), but we have a hard time getting them out of the Boneyard when we visit.
The biggest issue at the dig site is all of the tiny rocks–if Megatron is in the “everything goes into my mouth” stage, it’s best avoided unless you’re going to be eagle-eyed to make sure she’s not sticking mouthfuls of small rocks in her mouth! When mine were that small we tended to be closer to the slides and such–more room to run around, get in the Jeep, one parent send the kid down the slide to the other parent, etc etc. The biggest issue in that section is just kids running around, but my experience of playgrounds is that kids are often really good at keeping an eye out for one another, and for younger kiddos. Given that she’s a recent independent walker, she may be most excited about just running around for the pure joy of it.
Thanks! That’s what I thought–that the Boneyard was rocky and dusty. Her mouth is a magnet, but she doesn’t spend as much time on the ground these days, so maybe it won’t be an issue. We’ll give it a try!
Yeah the Dig Site is literally digging through tons of tiny rocks to excavate the dinosaur skeleton (there’s not really much else to do back in that section…picture a massive sandbox of rocks. Or like at corn mazes when they have the corn kernel pits? Yeah. That, but dusty tiny rocks with the fake dinosaur they’re digging out). Super fun, but not the best for the young toddler set. Thankfully it’s out of the way so it’s really easy to play and explore the without littles even knowing it even exists.
As long as you’re standing over her watching her (like any parent of a one year old should be) it’ll be fine.
Tom, I first took my son to the boneyard when he was crawling and he loved it. Bypass the area with slides you are right that area is too rough for them right now. Go over the bridge and there’s the pit area. It’s really unique, it’s not sand but it’s not quite gravel but they essentially play in it like sand. There’s buckets and shovels. My son loved sitting there, watching the other kids, putting his hands in the pit, other little boys came up to him and gave him a bucket and helped him fill it up, it was really special. We have taken him at age 11 months and age 13 months and plan to take him again here now that he’s 16 months old. It’s a must do for us.
Also I forgot to mention my son is an everything in his mouth type of baby and it wasn’t an issue. I sat next to him and he didn’t even try to eat it. It’s also much nicer than sand in that it’s easier to brush off.