Kemper and Hudson waiting for the gates to open. We managed to make it to every single park before it opened throughout our entire trip.
We started our trip with a visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios for a couple of reasons. Mainly, because this was the park that I thought Kemper was going to enjoy the most. It's where Buzz and Woody meet together, Mr. Incredible is available to meet and many of the characters he likes from Disney Junior are at this park. Also, we had dining reservations to eat lunch with Jake (Jake & The Neverland Pirates), Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, and June (Little Einsteins).
While we were waiting for the gates to open, MeMe noticed that Donald and Daisy were walking out to meet and take pictures. We had purchased Kemper an autograph book and he was eager to start collecting autographs. He wasn't shy or timid at all (I think we've outgrown that at this point, but I was still worried about Hudson).
Waiting in line for Toy Story Mania
First on the agenda was to head straight to the Toy Story ride to get fast passes and ride. I tend to over-research things but that seemed to come in handy for this trip! I knew that this ride was very popular and would run out of fast passes quickly AND the lines would be super long pretty early in the day. We went straight there, grabbed fast passes to ride again later and waited in line less than 5 minutes! Kemper LOVED it! He rode with Pops and they had a blast. Hudson rode with Mommy and MeMe and I think he was pretty stunned at first but by the second time, he was grabbing for the "gun" to give it a whirl himself!
Kemper waiting to ride Star Tours
Next up, Kemper said he wanted to try the Star Wars ride. This was one that I wasn't sure whether he would enjoy but he ended up loving it! Pops rode this one with us while MeMe sat with Hudson and tried to get him to nap.
After his nap, we headed over to the area where Mr. Incredible is in hopes of meeting him however, we found out that he doesn't start making appearances until 11:30. So, we had some time to kill before our lunch reservations when I noticed that Jake and Handy Manny were getting ready to start meeting guests in just a few minutes. We hopped in line and were the 3rd in line to meet Jake!
Kemper had his autograph book signed and was tickled to see that Jake had drawn a sword under his name!
This was Hudson's first experience with a character and I wasn't sure how it would go. He's a pretty happy, easy going kid but you just never know. Well, he wasn't bashful or scared at all! He immediately grabbed Jake's nose and studied his face very carefully! I call that a success - no tears!
We also met Handy Manny before it was time for us to head over to Hollywood & Vine for our lunch reservations. Of all of the Character Meal offerings, I knew this would be the one that would most interest Kemper.
We were quickly seated and told how the characters would circulate the room. We were one of the first groups seated on our side and from the explanation, it sounded like it would be awhile before any character made their way to us but almost right away, Special Agent Oso wandered over. He signed Kemper's book and Kemper gave him a big hug and high fives!
Next up, Handy Manny! Manny took the sunglasses off of Pops' hat and put them on his eyes. He was very playful.
Hudson seemed to really like Handy Manny - he couldn't take his eyes off of him (well, except to grab fistfuls of food to shovel in).
June from Little Einsteins was the next to stop by. I was a little worried that Kemper wouldn't give her the time of day but he was eager for a hug and her signature! About this point is where, as Handy Manny had just walked away, he exclaimed that these characters weren't real because he saw that Manny had a zipper up his back. It took some convincing and explaining that some of Mommy's dresses also have zippers up the back but he seemed to give that idea up after awhile.
When Jake stopped by, he played Peek-A-Boo with Hudson! I was incredibly impressed with their ability to interact even without being able to talk! They were so friendly and playful, too!
Kemper noticed that Jake didn't have a sword and said, "Hey Jake, where's your sword!?" Jake reached down, felt around his pants and then threw his hands up in the air before he started running around and looking under tables/chairs and all around! Kemper was dying laughing!
When they invited kids up to dance and sing along, at first, Kemper sat back at the table and watched but after a few minutes, he jumped up and joined in! That boy has some moves! ;) He was having a great time dancing all around...he definitely got his Daddy's personality because I would have never left our table as a child!
Next up was one of the best moments of the trip. I texted Casey (I think) after this and said that the trip had been made on day 1 after seeing Kemper meet Mr. Incredible. He could hardly contain himself while we waited in line he was so excited. He walked up and gave him the biggest hug - forget Fro-Zone. After he hugged Mr. Incredible, he seemed a bit starstruck. Fro-Zone pointed to Kemper's shirt and gestured to Mr. Incredible with his arms like he was running fast. They were trying to get Kemper to pose like Dash but Kemper just stood there, totally in awe.
We FINALLY got him to pose like Dash! As we were walking away, he said, "Mom, did you see, I think they thought I was Dash!" <3 My heart melted. He had just met one of his heroes and he was in heaven!
We waited to meet Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope after meeting Mr. Incredible. The line was SO long but he wanted their autograph. After this, we went over and watched a Disney Junior show that was modeled after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and included scenes from Doc McStuffins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Sofia the First. It was a really cute puppet show and both boys seemed to enjoy it! Hudson is a big fan of the Hot Dog dance on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!
We tried to go visit Buzz & Woody after the show but they were getting ready for the parade. On our way, we ran into a Green Army Man from Toy Story!
Hudson took a good nap in the stroller while we staked out a spot for the parade. Our travel agent had given us some tips on where the best places to sit for parades at different parks were so we grabbed a spot near the end of the parade route right as they make their last turn to go backstage. This spot proved to be a wonderful place to watch this parade from!
Kemper enjoying a Mickey Bar while we waited.
The Incredibles lead the parade and Kemper was pleased to see ElastiGirl (aka Mrs. Incredible)!
As they moved closer to us, Mrs. Incredible was walking along giving high fives. When she got to us, she noticed Kemper's shirt and pointed to it. She gave him a BIG hug! As she walked on by, Kemper said, "Mom, I bet she thought I was Dash, too!"
Mr. Incredible was up on the float and even he noticed Kemper's shirt as he rode by. He pointed to Kemper, pointed to his own chest and then gave Kemper a thumbs up! Kemper's day was made!
This parade was the Pixar Pals parade so it was all characters from Pixar movies. I had only recently seen Monsters, Inc. but Boo is one of my favorites after seeing that movie!
Sulley from Monsters, Inc.
Carl from Up!
Bullseye from Toy Story (I was disappointed that Jessie wasn't in the parade but she was in it later in the week).
The Toy Story float.
Buzz Lightyear
Woody!
Next, we went to meet Buzz & Woody. This was probably the longest we waited in line all week. It's funny that I caught this picture of Kemper hugging Woody because he basically blew right by Woody and went straight to Buzz!
Waiting in line to see Buzz & Woody.
Kemper with Buzz & Woody
Phineas & Ferb who also noticed Kemper's shirt and wanted to see his muscles.
Lightening McQueen
Mater
We ended our night with dinner at Pizza Planet and headed back to the resort. It was such a great first day in the parks. The crowds were not bad at all and Kemper had an amazing time!
Up next: Epcot
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