Baby Bricker’s First Trip to Disney World: Planning & Pre-Report
It’s crazy how some things in life can come full circle. The last time I wrote a pre-trip report for Walt Disney World, this blog was not yet even a twinkle in our eyes. Such a ‘post’ would’ve come via Flickr and forums, to satiate our own excitement and solicit feedback on Advance Dining Reservations and our daily itineraries for the parks.
Fast-forward over 15 years, and we’re back at it. Like those, this pre-trip report is mostly a matter of having an outlet for our excitement and way to count down the days. I cannot express the emotions we’re feeling for Megatron’s first visit to Walt Disney World. It’s the most or second-most excited I’ve been for a Walt Disney World vacation, right up there with our honeymoon or November 2007 trip.
I had been anxiously-awaiting that Christmas 2007 trip for several months, as it’s when I planned on proposing to Sarah. I was a ball of nerves, knowing that–for better or worse–that trip was going to change the trajectory of my life. (Spoiler: it turned out to be for better!) While I don’t have the same nagging fear of rejection–even if there is a lot riding on Megatron’s first Figment meet & greet–it is a similar flurry of feelings. But mostly just unbridled enthusiasm and excitement, as we open the next chapter of our family vacations to Walt Disney World!
We haven’t really shared any family updates since Christmas, save for a few offhand mentions in other posts, but we’ve been having a fantastic time visiting Disneyland in the last couple of months. After an incredible first visit for Christmas, Megatron’s next half-dozen or so days at Disneyland were fairly uneventful. Before we got inside either park, she was always asleep. We have a lot of pictures with characters pretending to sleep or doing the “shhh” signal. The only two times she was awake, she’s making (for lack of better term) a WTF face at the characters.
Then came the visit that was like a revelation. Not only did Megatron meet a character while wide awake, but she had her mind blown (figuratively) by the experience. She also debuted a new feature that we’ve come to call “Dolphin Mode.” (Her best mode.) During Dolphin Mode, her eyes get really wide and filled with happiness as she flaps around her arms and legs. She makes a high-pitched chirping noise and tries to, I guess, echolocate the character. It is literally the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen, and watching the videos we have of her doing this can instantly fill me with joy no matter my mood. If they were VHS tapes, I would’ve worn them out by now.
It feels like we’re only just starting to scratch the surface of watching her grow and change with Disney, and we couldn’t possibly be more excited. We are very much looking forward to taking her “home” to Walt Disney World, and experiencing those parks for the first time through her eyes.
And while it wouldn’t sting quite as much as a rejected proposal, there’s a lot riding on that first Figment meet & greet. Some adorable echolocation action would probably break me, whereas a WTF face would not. (I guess we need her to meet Figment before she rides Journey into Imagination in its current state. So far she only knows the character and ride through the excellent Figment Little Golden Book, which is read to her at least once per day.)
Anyway, on with the pre-trip report and planning for Megatron’s first trip to Walt Disney World…
I’ll start with where we started, which was choosing dates. We deliberated long and hard over when to make Megatron’s first trip to Walt Disney World, and ended up changing our travel dates a couple of times. In a perfect world, we would’ve gone in January or February, during one of the ‘valleys’ between holiday long weekends and sporting events. But we’ve been trying to err on the side of caution and mitigating risk by avoiding prolonged indoor activities during the peak of respiratory illnesses season. So that was never really a serious contender. Next year, though!
Instead, our preliminary plan was to target the sweet spot before Spring Break kicked into high gear. The very first week of March would’ve been ideal, but that just seemed too early as we were still in the midst of midnight feedings and witching hour. Then came a brief window where we felt like we were on top of the world, Parenting Pros who could travel anywhere. At this point, mid-March looked like a good option.
Right as we began firming up plans, something called “sleep regression” started. I had heard tall tales of this in the ‘How to Be Parents’ books we read, and perhaps underestimated it. When you’re feeling like Ishmael after slaying Moby Dick (a weird way to word “getting a few weeks of near-normal sleep,” but that was our white whale), you maybe develop a bit of overconfidence? Suffice to say, sleep regression is a thing and it very much spooked us. No longer Parenting Pros, we instead felt like we needed to pick up Parenting for Dummies.
As the quality of the writing here over the last few months probably demonstrates, I’m sleep deprived and not completely coherent. (Or maybe it’s always been that way.) Whatever I am, double or triple that for Sarah. I honestly do not know how she gets through the day. The idea of having to navigate Walt Disney World as zombies, potentially talking to people and who knows what else–all while not having the home court advantage and fighting a 3-hour time change–was just a lot.
Not that we’re complaining. It’s been a wild ride so far, but an amazing one. We’ve never been so happy to be so tired. Each day, her personality starts to crystalize a little more. She reminds me of Sarah when giving me a “sympathy smile” in response to a hilarious joke I tell her. She furrows her brow when we introduce her to a new not-good food. Conversely, her face lit up when we gave her avocado for the first time last night. We got so excited when she rolled over for the first time that she got excited in response. She feeds off our energy, we feed off hers–tired or not.
All a long-winded way of saying that we delayed Megatron’s first trip to Walt Disney World by over a month. We’re now going in the second half of April, hopefully after Spring Break season fully finishes. Aside from sleep, these dates were also more desirable from the perspective of pricing on pretty much everything (airfare, hotels, etc). So that certainly made the decision easier.
We considered waiting until even later in shoulder season, pushing off until May 2024 in the (unlikely) hope of previews for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Dates we considered then also would’ve had even lower prices–not as much as going from mid-March to mid-to-late April, but still better. Another big point in favor of May was that when we started making reservations, sleep regression was still in high-gear, so going sooner felt like a major leap of faith. Nothing like a slight sense of dread before a trip!
The case against May was weather. We’ve developed divergent views on this, as I suspect Sarah has been away from Florida for so long that she’s begun to forget–or mentally block out–how hot and humid it gets. Meanwhile, I’m practically scarred from the triple-digit ‘feels like’ temperatures of last summer and early fall.
There’s also the fact that we’ve become avid babywearers. That works wonderfully where we live and at Disneyland; it’s been cold or at least comfortable since Megatron’s arrival. Walt Disney World seems like it’s going to be a whole different babywearing ballgame. Even April is playing with fire when it comes to WDW weather; May is juggling incendiary grenades.
Speaking of weather, it’s one reason we’ve opted to rent a stroller rather than bring our own or rely solely on babywearing. While we do it all the time at Disneyland and at home, opting only to babywear at Walt Disney World seems like walking a tightrope without a safety net. It’s presumably going to be hotter and is also a longer timeframe. It’s one thing to babywear for 4-5 hours once per week at Disneyland, another entirely to double that amount of time for a full week.
As for renting a stroller, this honestly wasn’t even on our radar until Sarah talked to some of her friends. Many of them rent strollers, as opposed to taking their own, due to the rain and other factors. Obviously, rain covers exist. So we could just use that. But I’ve funkified enough pairs of shoes in the Florida monsoons to know that doesn’t always work out as planned. Not to compare our stroller to one of my nasty shoes, but I’d prefer to keep our stroller nice for as long as possible–especially since we have other trips on the horizon.
Another thing we (over)thought long and hard about was flight scenarios. Specifically, 3 vs. 2 seats and whether to do nonstop flights. These deliberations alone could be a full post–and probably will at some point, since we have every “type” of flight combo booked for future trips.
After originally only booking 2 seats in bulkhead on nonstop routes, we spooked ourselves into buying a third. Neither of us love this, but it’s a long flight and we have a lot of fear of the unknown. Plus, the post-spring break airfare was a lot more manageable–to the point that 3 seats in late April cost less than 2 in mid-March. (As of right now, several rows around us are empty…it’s going to be a bit bittersweet if they stay that way and we could’ve gotten that extra seat for free.)
The next component was choosing hotels. We debated a lot of options here, with the most consideration given to the Crescent Lake and monorail resorts. We briefly thought about doing a serious ‘TREAT YO SELF’ vacation given all of the savings last year from cancelled trips and me traveling solo to Walt Disney World and almost always booking the cheapest options. (Accordingly, the two resorts I ruled out were All Star Sports and Coronado Springs. I’ve seen enough A.S.S. in the last year for a lifetime.)
We priced out the Garden Cottages at Boardwalk and Club Level at a few resorts…and very quickly ruled all of that out. After developing a taste for the cheaper stuff over the year, that was a bit much of a splurge. Definitely want to do both now that we have a baby, but we’ll wait until the rate charts are even more favorable during the off-season.
Still, we landed on a split stay between a Royal Room at Port Orleans Riverside and the Garden Wing at the Contemporary. Not exactly bargain basement resorts! We’re a bit weary about this after all of the recent reader comments about the challenges of changing resorts with babies, but on the plus side, it gives us a chance to field test our own advice under changed life circumstances.
We’re really looking forward to that, and both resorts. It’s been a while since we’ve stayed at Riverside, so we’re due for a return. Sarah also pointed out it was where we stayed when we got engaged, so it feels like a bit of a full circle experience. (Prices have gone up slightly since then!)
Contemporary was our pick for a number of reasons, the first and foremost being that we wanted breakfast at Chef Mickey’s to be Megatron’s first character dining experience. These firsts are very important to us, and a big part of that is watching her grow up at Walt Disney World. So we can have memories and photos of her as a baby, toddler, preschooler, etc., all in the same place.
Consequently, we want to choose firsts that are meaningful, iconic and (hopefully) enduring. While Chef Mickey’s is not our favorite character meal at Walt Disney World, we actually do enjoy breakfast there (it’s dinner that was on our “never again” list…but we will be doing it again, so scratch that, I guess).
Regardless, we figured Chef Mickey’s is more likely to be around in 20 years than the current incarnations of Cape May Cafe, Topolino’s Terrace Crystal Palace, or (hopefully) 1900 Park Fare. The experience at Chef Mickey’s is just so iconic and memorable that it’s hard to imagine it ever changing. Then again, I would’ve said the same thing about the name “FastPass” a few years ago, yet here we are. So who knows. Maybe the new “wishers” meal at 1900 Park Fare will outlast ’em all.
Speaking of which, 1900 Park Fare was the next character meal we booked. No interesting explanation for this one, it’s very much for the blog. Even as we’re taking Baby Bricker’s first family vacation, we will not forsake our solemn obligation as Disney bloggers. We’ve already sat Megatron down and explained to her that the camera always eats first. To prepare her to take over the family business, her first high chair is actually a trash can. (Not really, but that does feel like a missed opportunity.)
It’s the other ADRs where we’re struggling. We currently have Garden Grill booked for the day of our resort change, but we’d prefer to do breakfast at Crystal Palace. The issue is that we waited too long, later seatings weren’t available, and we’re doubtful about our ability to get out the door for an ADR before 10 am. We’ve also noticed a lot of Walk-Up Waitlist availability for Crystal Palace in the last couple of months; we’re going when it’s even less busy, so we think winging it might be the pragmatic course of action.
Story Book Dining at Artist Point is another option about which we’re on the fence. ADRs at this point are a no-go, and we’re not sure that we’d want them, anyway. But I think we can probably score day-before or even same-day reservations for Artist Point, should Megatron be game for it.
This lack of ADRs and ‘wait and see’ approach is purposeful. One of our goals has been to avoid overplanning, as we don’t want to set expectations at an unrealistic level. We’ve already seen (many times) that the best laid plans often go awry. That’s just true in general, but especially so with a baby. There’s also the reality that we’ve done a grand total of 4 sit-down meals in the Megatron era.
She’s done very well, but all of those meals have also been outdoors with pretty much no one around. (For whatever reason, she loves being outdoors.) How she’ll react to eating indoors in a crowded and chaotic dining room remains to be seen. Point being, we don’t want to make and get excited about a half-dozen ADRs, only to have the first meal be a nuclear meltdown that annihilates the plan.
Which leads to another point. We’d like to do an actual trip report for Baby Bricker’s first visit to Walt Disney World, but that may not happen or may occur in condensed ‘highlights’ form. As we’ve mentioned a few times before (and probably will again since not everyone reads every post and this is understandably an area of confusion), we want to be conscientious about her privacy and judicious about what we share. That’s why we’re calling her Megatron (not her real name, sadly) or posting full-on photos of her face.
That means not writing anything that Megatron would be mortified to read later in life. I remember being embarrassed when my mom told certain stories about when I was a baby…and that was just to close friends, not immortalized on the internet. We keep reading horror stories about ‘social media kids’ growing up and hating their parents. We obviously don’t want to do that, or anything even approaching it. We love her so, so much and are terrified of doing anything that could jeopardize our relationship with her later in life.
It’s also easy to see how it happens. You take an adorable video of your daughter in Dolphin Mode when meeting Goofy, and there’s a pull to share that with the world! But then I think back to those horror stories–and I also believe that there’s going to be a “correction” when it comes to privacy, and young people valuing it more in the future. Everyone has to determine what’s the right level of sharing their family’s lives (we aren’t judging anyone else), but the line we’ve drawn is privacy and embarrassment.
Then there’s also a tension if I write a trip report, but leave out major chunks of the day or play loose with things to stay on the right side of those lines. We pride ourselves in not pulling punches with the good, bad and ugly of Walt Disney World–so I don’t want to present a ‘carefully curated’ trip that omits the bad/ugly and pretends we’re perfect. We don’t want to misrepresent our lives that way, as it’s no one’s reality.
Given all of that, it might be better to take what we learn from this (and other) trips and, rather than writing about it in narrative form, to distill it into tips & tricks and recommendations of that nature. Just kind of thinking aloud, and giving a bit of context into our thought process.
Obviously, this doesn’t cover the entirety of Baby Bricker’s first trip to Walt Disney World. There actually is still a lot we haven’t determined, both so we can savor spontaneity–not everything should be scripted–and because we’re still unsure of some things.
Speaking of scripted, that brings us to the final point of this post, which is to flip the script and solicit reader feedback. Usually we share our planning advice with you, but this time, we want you to share your expertise and experience with us. Not necessarily for first ride or park or that type of thing. I don’t want to pretend this is up for a ‘vote’ when that really isn’t the case. (C’mon, does anyone really believe that EPCOT and Journey into Imagination aren’t going to win out for first park/attraction? Especially with Country Bear Jamboree currently closed?!?!)
Truthfully, I don’t know what type of advice we’re hoping to receive. What I do know is that there’s a lot that we don’t even know that we don’t know about visiting Walt Disney World with kids. The amount of random knowledge gaps we’ve already discovered at Disneyland have been surprising, and it’s usually the case that you can multiply by five for the complexities of Walt Disney World. The advice to rent a stroller due to weather, for example, was something that never crossed my mind. Another occurred when readers told us about the delay in receiving a pack ‘n’ play when doing split stays.
Suffice to say, we’re incredibly excited (and a tad bit anxious, if we’re being honest) about Megatron’s first trip to Walt Disney World. This feels like our first trip all over again, which is a ‘magic’ that I never thought we’d be able to recapture. We know it’s not all going to go according to plan, which is why we’re incorporating going off-script into the plan itself. No matter what happens or doesn’t, we’re overjoyed at the experience we’re about to have…and hope to share parts of it with you!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Any random recommendations for Baby Bricker’s first trip to Walt Disney World? Thoughts on choices for character meals or anything else? Anything else you’re interested in reading about with regard to Megatron, babies in the parks, etc? Anecdotes of your own about first visits to the Disney parks? Any other questions? Hearing your feedback is always appreciated, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
To help identify your stroller amongst the masses, consider pipe cleaners or something to make a visual that can go *up*. This will greatly help you identify your own stroller compared with all the other dark-handled rental strollers where there are name tags that go down.
Ditto Rob’s comment. Tie a balloon to it, or even Airtag it, or *something*.
Glad you know it takes so many hours to get a pnp at a Disney hotel.
Our dd’s first six flights were at 3 months. We brought a brand new toy – a stuffed octopus in which each limb did a different thing. Anew, versatile toy is very helpful. But babies have such short attention spans that you might find yourself bouncing her for the entire flight. That’s what we did. We took turns. Our aching arms! But she loved it. Also, baby carrier is lifesaver for walking through huge airports and walking the plane aisle.
Restaurants – we had three suction cup toys, each a different shape and bright color. I’d smoosh them all onto the table. As she got the last one free, I’d have the others one smooshed back down. That and little cars got us through so many restaurants!
She’s probably going to love something you think you could see anywhere, like a fountain or a flower or a statue. If you’re open to it though, you’ll appreciate that thing so much too!
Our dd at 2 loved Animal Kingdom more than all the other parks combined. We had hopper tickets and we went there for three or four days in a row. She loved it. And not even the fancy parts. She loved the Dinoland playground! She asked to spend a whole day there. Seriously. We got fabulous slide photos, though.
I’m totally LOL-img your post. I remember WDW with our first as a baby. How we’d love to go back to 1 baby. AND you have a baby who sleeps – lucky lucky. You’ll have fun and remember it with different fondness if you have more.
You may balk, but I really need a few posts about rope-drops with little kids/babies. Maybe some suggestions based on whether there are 2 adults vs 1. We tried twice in December and neither worked out very well. To take a stroller or not; where to park strollers; how early to arrive to offset kid/baby slowness; when you know you’ve lost and rope drop isn’t going to work out, potential plannimg around potty breaks, etc.
Good luck and have fun.
We use the following for our stroller for our trips to Disney World.
-Hot Pink flagging tape for stroller handles (we also have a sign with our family name)
-Gel car seat cooler pad for summer months
-clip on fan
-towel clips to clip on light muslin blanket over stroller for nap time
-parent organizer (most rental companies provide these, I think)
-Mickey side sling cargo net stroller organizer (we use this to put in diapers, wipes, changing pads, etc so we can easily grab 1 at a time for diaper changes)
-small collapsible cooler that fits under stroller seat
Have a great trip!
What kind of diaper bag packers are you: the “we might need the kitchen sink” variety or the “I can fashion a diaper out of my undershirt” kind? You’re probably somewhere in the middle, but I believe people tend to overburden themselves in the park. Part of your park ticket means you have access to a fully stocked baby center for all your unlikely needs. I have found them quick, easy, and extremely helpful; though it would be nice if Disney had more than just one in each park. Plus, taking a mid-day break back at your hotel will allow you to re-stock or add a necessity. There’s really no need to carry everything around day after day.
Very excited for your family! One thing we did for long flights was purchase two first class tickets instead of three in coach, it worked out to be not that different in price and the little one could sleep at our feet. Also was nice when a lady handed our son a sucker to have during the flight so he had something to help his ears during take off and landing. (We were better prepared ever since!) Agree with the balcony that someone mentioned! My husband and I still laugh about the evening we spent in the hotel hallway with a bottle of wine while the babies fell asleep in the room at 8:00pm. Those Slumber Pods look amazing! White noise machines still go everywhere with us.
Thanks for asking, it’s been fun to remember those early travels!
Our youngest is now 10 and I agree it’s fun to think about the practicalities and missteps of traveling during the early years of parenthood! We brought our baby monitor along so we could venture a little further than right outside the door. It was at Cabana Bay (poolside room) and worked beautifully to allow our oldest to swim during baby’s naptime.
First trips are so magical! Baby wearing all day at the FL parks is possible but our trip was in January 2018 which was the coldest marathon weekend on record so my experience is totally different. Definitely have your cooling towels/fans for when you’re wearing. Also I’ve seen battery powered fans clipped to the stroller which seems brilliant. My only other tip would be to make sure you are wearing Megatron when you are getting on the bus. Being able to have the stroller collapsed and get on quickly is really nice. Plus the sleeping baby transferred to the bed on top of the carrier pictures are some of my favorites from our trips when my kiddos were that size. Have a magical trip. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Our family stayed in a Port Orleans Riverside Royal Room during our first trip with the kids (who were 5 and just over 1 at the time). Random recommendations:
1) The digital “fireworks” display on the beds are great fun. Does a baby understand they aren’t real fireworks? No, no they do not. Does a baby mimic your ‘excitement’ at watching a bed light up? Yes, yes they will.
2) A downside were the bus rides back to the hotel after a long day at the parks. The kids fell asleep and made you into a standing human mattress while packed on a bus full of tired strangers. Good call on not having to grab and unfurl a stroller one-handed while cradling a sleeping child.
3) The boat to Disney Springs from Riverside is wonderfully relaxing. Will a baby be enthralled watching water lap against the sides of a boat? Yes, yes they will.
4) Take time to stare at each other and revel in the love of a newly expanded family. You are the only two people who will ever be able to share in this feeling for and with this child. The Disney ‘magic’ and atmosphere will enhance this feeling of love and mutual appreciation.
5) Aquariums fascinate and placates babies. Good food fascinates and placates adults. The Coral Reef restaurant has both of these things together.
This exercise in finding recommendations feels like Luke trying to train Yoda. It is uncomfortable and wrong and I expect to get hit by a stick at some point. What can I possibly say that you don’t already know? Don’t forget diapers!
I love the Yoda reference! And excellent recommendation for Coral Reef – I second that!
I’ve not been to Disney World with babies as young as Megatron, but I have a fair amount of experience with my grandkids starting from 12 months through 5 years (currently). Two things that haven’t been mentioned so far:
– some attractions at WDW are loud, especially for little ears. Of course fireworks, but even things you might not think about. My 12 mo old granddaughter was completely spooked by the air in her face and the noise in that blast Figment scene. You may want to consider bringing along ear protection.
– it’s a lot easier traveling with kids before they’re mobile. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Tom, congrats on this magical milestone! My big tips are about stroller life. Rent the CitiMini GT – folds easily and sturdy. (We called it “The Tank.”) Make sure they include the rain cover and cooler (for extra snacks on the go). You know those strap covers for car seat seatbelts? Bring a pair. You don’t want Megatron chewing on that rental – yuck. Also bring something bright to mark your stroller – ribbon for day, glow thing for night – and put on handle. Cast members WILL move your stroller around if you park it, so you need an easy visual. Or stick an AirTag in the console. We also liked to bring an extra hanging Velcro organizer for the handle. We had EVERTHING we needed and limited things to carry in hot weather. When our kids aged out of strollers and we had to carry the heavy backpacks again, we took it hard. You got this!!! Enjoy and can’t wait to hear more!
Bring your car seat on the plane. It serves as a safety item in case of turbulence but it also helps your child be a champion flyer- at least it did mine. She knew that car seats are for sitting /napping so we didn’t have to chase her all over the plane and annoy the rest of the passengers. It’s a bit of a hassle to carry on but for us it meant a relaxing flight.
This is the true! Only safe way to travel with a baby is to bring their seat on the plane (both for the safety of baby and the car seat). Plus way easier for mom and dad too! I much prefer Disneyland with babies just because everything is walkable, so staying at the contemporary is a good choice!
Best wishes the family has the Best Trip Ever for her first WDW visit!
Suggestions:
Only plan 1-2 ADRs. Less fuss, less stress, baby will not remember these at all. Focus on and enjoy the one that seems to have the most value to the family with breakfast at Contemporary.
Renting a pontoon and cruising Bay Lake has been known to put fussy, teething babies to sleep. Also tired husbands, but that’s another story!
Baby’s First Haircut at the barber shop is not to be missed. Bonus points for letting CM know it really is first haircut – they called a photographer in for us. Those are still extra special photos and memories!
During a slow, slow day many years ago, my toddler fell asleep on the PeopleMover. A kind CM let us keep going until she woke up. When we exited, that same kind CM had a certificate awarding baby girl a “Frequent Flyer” status. While the original is long gone, the photo lives on and always inspires smiles.
Custom autograph books get much more attention from characters than bland, off-the-shelf options. Also, when baby is old enough, consider getting one of those clear plastic teapot sets. Not only will the characters sign it, most of the princesses will consider it a blast to play “tea” with a young guest.
Tom, if you’ll email me, I’ll send you a copy of my book A Year of Disney. That covers 12 trips we did to WDW when our daughter was a toddler and everything we learned the hard way. Our baby girl is a teenager now, so it is dated. Still, some of the stories may make you laugh and some of the tips may still be relevant.
Is your book available anywhere? I would love to purchase a copy! Reading about Disney trips is one of my favorite things to do. Hence following DTB for years.
It helps to know the location of the baby care center in each park. They are air conditioned and can provide a quiet place to feed, change and take a break from the heat and overstimulating atmosphere. I hope you never need this, but they will also store medical equipment for the day and you can return to use it as needed.
Tie Megatron’s favorite toys to the stroller or leave them in the hotel so they don’t get dropped and left behind.
Don’t underestimate the number of diapers, wipes and extra clothing you’ll need. Same goes for food/snacks.
When you rent your stroller, see if they include a fan. If not, bring one or purchase one (at Walmart, not the parks!).
Since you like to wear Megatron (isn’t it wonderful to feel her against your chest?) for Florida you might consider a baby backpack instead of a stroller. It doesn’t hold her against your body so tightly and allows more air flow.Some of them have additional storage thus eliminating the need for a bag for “stuff”. Our sons loved the baby backpack and it allowed them to be forward facing and high enough to see their surroundings.
I have to say that your first family of 3 trip to WDW experience and report is something my wife and I have been anxiously awaiting. It’s been fun to read along about your journey as a larger family and we can’t wait to read about your experiences.
Like the other commenters have said, Let Megatron set the pace. When she’s tired take a break, when she’s ready to go, go full out. She is fortunate to have you two as parents and will be able to make many more trips, so there is no need to push through the inevitable “tired” moments. The best memories are made when happy, and I have never seen a “tired”child that was happy!
Take lots of pictures. One of our largest regrets is how few photos we have of our girls. It’s wonderful to be wrapped up in the moment and not have your camera or phone so you can fully enjoy it, but unfortunately memories fade faster than a photo and I’m sad to say I know that I have forgotten memories of our first family trip.
Be careful if you bring one of her favorite stuffies or toys. Nothing can derail a day/trip faster than a favorite comfort toy going AWOL. Coincidentally, that could be a good pitch to Pixar for Toy Story 6! We would let our girls bring something, but it never left the room.
If she is sensitive to loud environments, a small set of ear muffs may not be a bad idea to have in the bag.
As she grows and gets older, you and Sarah will have the opportunity to experience all of Disney through a new lens. It’s fun and exciting, but can also be a little sad as she outgrows some of her long time favorites. Enjoy the ride, it’ll be bumpy, but the best ones always are!
Our oldest daughter took her first flight at 3 months old, and our son took his at 6 months old. When they are really little, doing a non-stop flight works, but once they start walking/running, you need a layover so they can burn their energy. To mentally make flying enjoyable, we would say to our kids, “flying is fun”; there are a lot of scary noises, movements, and new people, so it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Flying is not always fun, but if the children are dreading or afraid of it, it makes it worse for everyone. We wanted them to like it and make it an enjoyable experience. It soon became a mantra in our house: “Flying is fun.”Now they have a core memory of “flying is fun”.
Megatron is not yet old enough for this, but preparing children for waiting is helpful. You have to wait at the airport for security, for the flight, on the plane to take off, when landing, waiting for luggage, etc. At Disney World and Disneyland you are waiting in line to get into the parks, for food, for rides, etc. We’d mentally prepare the children by saying, “We will be waiting in lots of lines. It will be boring. But then (super excited face/voice) we get to fly on the plane or ride..” I think it also helped us as adults to remember waiting is boring, so I always packed new interesting little games, toys, light-up things, or snacks to surprise the kids with when we were waiting in line.
Travel/Disney tips:
1) Always have snacks
2) Carabiners are the best thing in the world and can be used in so many situations: hook it to the snack cup with handles or water cup, attach the plastic linking toys, put another carabiner on to attach it all to the stroller (this is really helpful when they get to the age where they toss anything and everything off the side of the stroller); use it to attach ponchos to the stroller to create a rain cover; clip their favorite toy to the stroller; clip their snack cup to your bag; use large size ones to attach things to the stroller handlebar; the list goes on and on.
Good luck and have fun!
Definitely do Garden Grill! Family style food means you don’t have to get up and juggle the baby with the buffet plates. And the character interactions are the best.
Check out the baby care centers for sure!
I was so excited to read this post! Very excited for your family’s trip to WDW this spring! We took our son when he was 13 months old (May 2021- my in-laws live in Kissimmee and had only gotten to see their grandson once since he was born spring 2020 due to Covid, so once we were vaccinated we booked the trip). We brought a travel carseat to use on the plane with him and highly recommend this as opposed to holding a squirmy baby for multiple hours. He slept most of the three hour flight since he was familiar and comfortable in his carseat, which was a godsend. We used our own stroller so we could keep him contained while at the airport, which seems to be truly personal preference versus renting at the destination. I see the advantage of renting a stroller at your destination but for us, being able to throw all our stuff into the stroller, gate check it (in a padded travel bag) and having it when we disembarked to leave the airport, worked out perfectly. I put together a bag of things to keep him busy on the flight or while dining out based on a few blog posts I read, but mainly this one: https://studiodiy.com/how-to-make-a-busy-clutch-for-toddlers/ Plus all of the snacks! Can’t have too many snacks. In the end you’ll have a wonderful time!! Can’t wait to hear what you’re comfortable sharing.
I know your trio is going to be magical! If Megatron isn’t used to napping in a stroller, start trying that out now! For a month or so before my son’s first trip, I had him nap in his stroller. He’s a champion stroller napper these days, so we never need to bring him out of the park for a nap. We use that time to do rider switch rides or just enjoy a meal in peace. You’ve also probably already heard to use the baby care centers, but, seriously, use the baby care centers, even if it’s just for a diaper change. And the pack n play will never be in your room when you arrive- no matter how many requests you make. You’ll still have to call and get one, but most of the time, they’re fairly quick!
Also, not to burst your bubble about crowds, but NYC ( and I think much of Long Island) have spring break that last week and a half of April, so crowds might not quite be gone yet!
We first took our niece to WDW when she was 4 years old. I don’t know how this happened, but she was under the impression that you could only get on a ride once a day. What a lifesaver – we didn’t have to ride “It’s A Small World” over and over – once a day and then we had to wait till tomorrow. Obviously, Magatron is too young for this, but when Magatron gets to the stage of choosing rides, remember this “rule”.
Yay! So exciting! Took our son for his first WDW trip when he was 13 months and I cherish those memories and photos! (some of his first steps were on the Hub grass at MK!) I was crazy and we did 3 resorts! The hardest part about switching was moving all the groceries we ordered… We also stayed in the Garden Wing at Contemporary and the very helpful housekeeper let us know they also have portable cribs (vs the pack ‘n’ play). So we opted for that option. The rooms are so big, the crib fit well, and I feel like he slept better since it was more familiar.
With the stroller, my husband and I have learned to divide and conquer going through security. Since WDW now does the “stroller line” we kept the baby in the stroller with one parent, and then the other parent took all the bags to carry through the screening. (it seemed like they’d always want to search the bags more thoroughly if the bags are going through the stroller line and then juggling kid and bags and stroller was a nuisance)