Ah yes, Day 3 of our Disney trip stands out but not for the best reasons. We were up early, all fed and ready to head out to Hollywood Studios to catch a few stand out rides and shows that each of us would love. Some of our favorites that I knew my little girl would be ecstatic about is their Disney Junior Show starring her favorite Disney faces, the Little Mermaid show, and the Toy Story Ride. We scoped out everything ahead time and picked out our top fastpass+ rides and attractions so we could catch all of the best ones for little one and Dan and myself. Unfortunately, our day didn’t go quite as planned and little one never got to see the Disney Junior show.
Little girl seemed a bit sleepy and cranky but seeing as she had what I thought was a cold or allergies for the past few days I wasn’t too taken aback, she had still eaten a majority of her breakfast which was a great sign that she was in good shape at least tummy wise. After a lengthy bus ride to get to Hollywood Studios, we arrived for the opening and headed straight back to hop on the Toy Story Ride. She loved looking at all of the massive, oversized toys throughout the line, but her favorite by far was the talking Mr. Potato Head. As we approached the front of the line we donned ourselves in 3D glasses, little one included, and geared up for a fantastic ride. Tossing her 3D glasses aside within about 10 seconds of the ride, I’m not sure if little girl was quite a fan of the concept of this ride yet but she did seem to enjoy the twists and turns of the carnival cars. Afterwards, Dan headed over to catch his two favorite rides, Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith Roller Coaster, while I took little one to meet Daisy and Sofia. While I held her and kissed her forehead I noticed that she definitely felt warm but in Disney World everyone feels warm so we stuck to the shade and guzzled quite a bit of water to cool down.
Exchanging kisses and hugs with Daisy and Sofia were definitely the highlights of the morning for my little girl. After meeting both of her friends, I felt her little forehead again and definitely was worried about a fever. We stopped in the First Aid Center at the front of the park and the nurse there took her temperature. To say I was shocked at the number that came out would be a serious understatement as the nurse revealed that she had a 103.7 degree fever. For my little girl, this was the highest temperature she’d ever had so naturally I was extremely worried. The nurse advised us to head over to their Urgent Care Center to get her looked at by a doctor. While all of this talk was going on, my little one, who was just waving and hugging her friends only a half hour ago, had just fallen asleep and limp in my arms, which is a rarity these days since she’s always wanting to be on the go, so I knew instantly at that point that something wasn’t right.
A quick phone call later and a walk around the outside of the park and we were soon enough in a van being rushed to Urgent Care outside of Disney. I was so overwhelmed with worry and fear mainly because I know my little girl in and out and for her she has never had that high of a fever or behaved like that before. It was especially scary having this happen while on vacation, without her pediatrician who we know and trust 5 minutes away or any of the other comforts of home nearby. While in route over to the Urgent Care Center, I phoned her doctor to get some advice and guidance on the situation and they calmed me down a bit by saying that it more than likely was an ear infection that was probably brewing before we left, hence the cold like symptoms, but had chosen to emerge while we were in Florida. By the time I had hung up, we were basically at Urgent Care and after waiting only 15 minutes or so we were in visiting the pediatrician. He checked her head to toe and told us she had a mild ear infection and not to worry. We were given the antibiotic right then and there and prescribed to enjoy the rest of our vacation, from rides in the parks to swimming in the pool, nothing was off limits!
Our van had arrived to take us back to our resort and we couldn’t have been more relieved. I must say I preferred the trip back to the hotel where my mine and my husband’s fears were eased and my little girl, with her first dose of antibiotic in her, was up and eating a go go squeeze. I have to say the entire system at Disney was truly a blessing. I’m so grateful that they have a system like that where you can easily take yourself or your child to a facility where they can be seen by a wonderful doctor like we had met. The Urgent Care Center staff were incredibly nice and helpful (and it was very clean too!). Also, the ability to receive her medicine right there was an amazing convenience too, seeing as we have used their pharmacy services before which are equally as convenient however aren’t quite as quick as receiving the medicine two seconds after diagnosis. One more thing I’d like to mention is about their transportation service to and from the center. They staff amazing drivers, one of which seeing my panic and fear quickly got us there and even phoned the return driver to see how our little girl was doing; their genuine concern and want to help was so touching and certainly made the experience a little less terrifying. All in all, I’d prefer for none of us to ever have to use this service again, however, I’m so glad to know that it exists and that it’s as convenient and painless as it is. Thanks to all that participate in this service that Disney offers, I’m so grateful for all of your help in helping my little girl!
After we had returned home to Wilderness Lode we took it easy, got some food in little one, and just relaxed in the air conditioned hotel. Dinner rolled around and we had made a last minute reservation at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian. Little one seemed to be feeling much better so we decided to head over to get something to eat, I for one was starving and in desperate need of a good meal after our ordeal that day. The easiest route to get there was boating over to the Contemporary or Magic Kingdom and then hopping on the monorail from there. Thankfully that’s the best medicine for my little girl to fall asleep which sure enough after her long day she certainly did. She slept well through the entire trip over and through a good portion of the meal too! While she slept, mommy and daddy were able to take a deep breath and just relax!
Kona Cafe was one of our favorite pre-gluten free days so it was nice to be back, not to mention we both love the scenery at the Polynesian so we always try to make it a point to pop in there for a meal or two each trip. After checking in and waiting only a few minutes we were quickly seated, pulling up our little girl in her stroller beside us. The chef quickly followed after our waitress’ greeting and went over the menu with me. One thing that caught my eye that I had heard could be done gluten free were the Pan-Asian Noodles. Sure enough the chef confirmed that these could absolutely be done gluten free with rice noodles and their gluten free teriyaki sauce! I couldn’t have been more happy to hear that, especially after our previous let down at 50s and the day that we had had. Needless to say, I, without hesitation, placed my order for the Pan-Asian Noodles with grilled chicken and some green veggies.
While waiting, we enjoyed a cocktail along with the fantastic bread service that Kona Cafe offers! I just loved the warmed gluten free rolls that I received and the Macadamia Nut Butter that I could add to them! We didn’t have to wait long as our main courses quickly followed and so did the awakening of our little girl! Thankfully when she began to stir I ordered a children’s dish for her so it would be coming out shortly, but in the meantime, she certainly didn’t mind nibbling on their wonderful Hawaiian bread service. It was so great to see her up and enjoying her meal, laughing, coloring, and playing with her napkin, just being the happy little girl that we know and love!
While little one enjoyed her bread, I couldn’t help but marvel at how wonderful and huge my dish was. The Gluten Free Pan-Asian Noodle dish was exquisite! The Asian style rice noodles were coated gently with the gluten free teriyaki sauce, without overdoing it. The grilled chicken was perfectly seasoned and was complemented amazingly by the noodles and sauce. And the green veggies inside were perfect, fresh and still a bit crunchy, which I love, and just all together delicious!
I felt incredibly wasteful having eaten only probably half of the dish but between the warmed rolls with sweet butter and the noodle dish, my gluten free tummy couldn’t have been happier! While my daughter finished up nibbling on her meal, I couldn’t help but to look around our table and feel so fortunate that the day could end that way, seeing as how it started. My little one was back in action and I couldn’t wait to share more Disney magic with her. But first, we had to share a little dessert before the magic continued. While my husband enjoyed his dessert, my gluten free Kilauea Torte of warm chocolate cake filled with chocolate liquid sat in front of me and my daughter.
Isn’t this beautiful! After slicing the cake in half, the warm chocolate inside oozed out just like a volcano. The addition of the whipped cream and raspberries was perfection, my only request would be for more of both!
My little girl, who definitely has a sweet tooth, drew a huge smile and big eyes while watching me cut up the cake. After just one taste, I heard her familiar “mmm” in appreciation and I knew that the rest of the vacation would certainly be enjoyed! Kona Cafe was the perfect dinner to wrap up our rough day. It was effortless and incredibly delicious to eat gluten free here, just how I had remembered it to be years ago. Add this one to your list of potential gluten free must-do Disney restaurants, it’s definitely a keeper!
Thankfully, after such a rough day we could end it on such a sweet note! In fact, our little girl was in such good spirits we decided to stop into Magic Kingdom to take her on a few of her favorite rides, like Dumbo, Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean! The events of the day were certainly rough but Disney worked its’ magic and took care of my little girl!
Stay tuned for the magic that Day 4 brought!
Have A Magical Day,
Lindsay