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!
I don’t know what stroller you are planning on renting, but I would personally go the route of buying your own lightweight travel stroller. We rented a double stroller in February and thought we knew what we were getting into since we have the same single stroller at home. The first few days were fine since we were at the Polynesian and never had to fold it on the monorail, then were pixie dusted with a private ride to AK in a DVC van where we also didn’t have to fold it. Fast forward to the end of the day, about to get on the bus the switch to AoA. The quick fold mechanism on the stroller (city mini GT double) was not working and my husband had to stand there comically shaking around the stroller trying to fold it while I’m corralling 3 kids unsure of whether or not to get on the bus. We had this issue the entire trip, even after the company replaced the first stroller.
With 1 parent to wear baby and 1 to handle the stroller you should be ok, but don’t make it harder than you need to with a big bulky stroller! We wished we would have done 2 single umbrella strollers from home.
Not so much advice, more a question. Up until now your policy has been that if anyone sees you or Sarah in the parks we should feel free to say hi. Would that invitation still apply if you are out with Megatron, or would you prefer to have more privacy when the 3 of you are in the parks together? Just want to make sure we respect your wishes!
Absolutely! People still do at Disneyland–it’s been no issue.
If it’s at Walt Disney World, just please keep in mind that we’re dealing with a time change and sometimes tiring travel schedules. And that I’m introverted to begin with. I mention this for my own sake…I don’t want anyone to have unrealistic expectations about meeting me, only to discover that I’m a fairly reserved and often exhausted dork. Anyone reading this should know that, but I just like to put it out there to minimize disappointment. I very much enjoy meeting readers, but I’m not a bubbly influencer.
Sarah is always cheery and great, though!
no advice about going to WDW with a baby – we’re thinking about our toddler’s first trip in the next year or so. So I’m looking forward to reading your real life tips and what people post in the comments here. And I totally get your wanting to preserve Megatron’s privacy – we’re the same way, but I would add my vote for some type of trip report if you can. I remember reading all the trip reports you and others (I remember Holly Belle) posted on WDW Magic back then, and enjoyed them as an “escape” to the world.
3 things that I packed when my kids were littler, based on other parenting references I found –
1. Clothespins (to pin the drapes shut),
2. A nightlight (or 2), so that you can leave the bathroom light turned off at night, and
3. masking tape (if you need to cover outlets for babyproofing, or just because it’s handy to have) – may not need that just yet, but Megatron may be starting to roll or crawl… My oldest started rolling at 6 months while we were visiting family in India.
And now that my kids are older I still carry a small pack of babywipes for wiping hands when necessary.
I agree with Katie and Steve, umbrella stroller is the way to go, perfect if it has a little net basket at the bottom for Meg’s stuff. I wonder, these huge strollers people drag on the busses, do they actually turn into a bed, highchair, something? I am so glad things were simple when mine were little. Gosh, Meg is longer, nearly down to Sarahs knees. I am so excited about this trip. Will be waiting to see pictures and update.
I’m with you all, those strollers are brilliant for travelling with little ones. I got a cheap one at a mother and baby sale that had a little canopy as well as the net bag underneath, washed it down and then proceeded to take it everywhere we travelled until my kids were well over the weight limit. Much easier to steer and more comfortable for sleeping in than the plastic ones Disney rent. We used to be able to take the stroller right up to the door of the plane when the airline would take them from you (great for when they fell asleep just as you got to the gate). A muslin and some clothes pins (or hair clips) to create extra sunshades for the summer. We bought a clip on cup holder thingy that attached to the handle too.
One other tip, try either a feed or sucking a pacifier during take off and landing (especially landing for us) so baby/toddler swallows to help their ears adjust.
isn’t the whole point of the stroller so that it can carry the baby and all your stuff? I was so sad when my kids outgrew them and I had to actually carry the park bag again!
we got the bigger ones mainly so the kids could nap in them. when they did it gave us some much needed break time to have a meal or watch outdoor entertainment.
@Diane, FOR SURE!! I am one of the advocates for baby wearing, but I would NEVER recommend going to WDW without a stroller. Every parent and kid eventually needs a break from babywearing, and the only thing that makes baby wearing comfortable for long stretches is having the ability to dump everything else you need into that stroller basket. I am not a fan of light, umbrella strollers at WDW strictly for that reason. We always rented sturdy jogging strollers that could lay completely flat for long naps, could carry a couple of bags in the under basket, had two cup holders and accommodate a belay clip for any lighter weight bags. Given that every time I hear or see “YMMV,” I think of the Brickers, I’m sure they’ll sort through all this conflicting advice and go with what feels like the best fit for them.
For us, traveling when our son was 8 months old was VASTLY easier than when he was 2 years and 4 years! He was basically a backpack we had to feed on occasion. He napped in the stroller and was basically just along for the ride. At two he still napped in the stroller occasionally, but by four all bets were off and we had a very strict afternoon break in order to let him nap at the room. This past trip he was six and we still did an afternoon break at the resort just to give him some chill out time.
Since having him we have pretty much only rented DVC points for 1+ bedrooms at Grand. It’s just so much more convenient to 1. Get to and from MK, where we spend the majority of our time in this life stage, and 2. To have that separate room so he can go to bed and we don’t end up whispering in silence for two hours until we also want to go to bed.
I have followed you since my CP way back in 2011 and I love this journey! Disney was always magical but seeing it through my sons eyes is like nothing else in the world.
“ He was basically a backpack we had to feed on occasion.” LMAO!! I always say something similar to new parents. The easiest travelling I ever did as a mom was taking my 8-month old daughter to Dublin and London. I wore that kid all over the place, with brief pauses to address feeding and changing.
I don’t have any great advice in this case, because we didn’t take the kids until they were eight and five, so we skipped this stage.
I wanted to note two things though. One, I’m glad that your flight prices were good. Ours were terrible for this upcoming trip, like at least double what we’ve paid in previous years. Maybe you got lucky? I know the week we’re going is our Spring Break in NY, so maybe the airlines jumped on that.
Second, you didn’t mention your dates specifically (probably with good reason!) but we’ll be there 4/20-4/26 staying at Boardwalk. Hope to see you out there! Spotting a Bricker in the wild is still on my bucket list.
My advice……….do what you think will work best for you. You are the most organized, think ahead parents out there! On an extra note, you know so, so much about Disney, After reading through all these comments, it is easy to see what works for one isn’t always the best for another!
Always took my little ones to Disney, and now we go with the grandkids. Such wonderful memories. There is nothing like it in this entire world. So ……enjoy every single minute, and you will have a magical trip. She looks adorable, so happy for you and Sara.
I just think this is all so beautiful….. humbly asking for advice as well as sharing your feelings and experiences of Disnet life with a darling new daughter for all of us to enjoy and to contribute…. Thank You 😉 Tom and Sarah
So exciting! Can’t wait for the trip recap!
I’ve taken littles to both DL and WDW. Some notes on things that might be a bit different at World:
– limit ADRs (unless you must for work). Littles throw all schedules out the window on vacation so the timing is just never right with us. I’m either dragging tired kids across property to race to a reservation or ruining everyone’s good time by cutting pool or park time short to go sit at a boring table (torture for toddlers).
– Pack light in the parks. A stroller caddy with a zip off pouch can hold an outfit change, a couple of diapers, small pack of wipes, a couple of ziploc bags and sunscreen. You can replenish on breaks.
– Really do try for the mid day breaks. My littles (and us grown ups) have much improved attitudes and energy in the evenings with bed naps and swim time.
– Note for next time – I always choose a hotel with secondary transportation. Great you have The Contemporary half of the time as a bus only resort gets really old with a stroller and babies/toddlers
– And then I’ll throw back to you the best advice I’ve gotten from this blog. Pick 2 or 3 must dos each day and count the rest as icing. It really leaves time for the kids to make their own magic in unexpected ways.
Now I’m all sentimental about our trips. Maybe I can squeeze another one in this year. They’re only little so long…. ☺️
Have a great trip! Bet you probably already dipped her in a pool but that may be her favorite attraction.
It may not work while Megatron is still so little, but when she reaches toddler/preschool age consider stopping by a big box store like Walmart on the way to the parks to purchase a cheap umbrella stroller to use for the trip rather than renting a stroller. It’s much cheaper and easily foldable for transportation (being able to use it outside of the parks was a benefit compared to renting within the parks) and you can leave it behind (or donate it to another family) at the end of your vacation.
Agreed. We actually brought a cheap umbrella stroller when we only had one little one. Easily transportable.
Brought a twin stroller when we had 2 little ones and it was not pleasant folding it up for water taxis and buses. The umbrella stroller was a breeze.
we always rented from Kingdom Strollers so we have it the whole time.
I didn’t read through all the other comments so most of this has probably already been said but it’s always worth getting the extra seat when budget/price allows. Its only about a 2.5 hour flight to MCO for us, we did the lap child thing once and said never again!! Definitely recommend renting a stroller. We always did this, especially because at that time, we needed a nicer double stroller than we had at home. We’ve used a few of the different local outside companies for this and have had great experiences all around. My kids will never forget the time we came out of toy story mania to a monsoon and our things were literally floating in the bottom basket of the stroller (LOL) it dried nicely overnight so we could return it without any hassle, but so glad we didn’t have to lug the soggy thing back home! I think you’ll get use out of both the stroller and the baby wearing. Many trips when the kids were of that age, we would often park the stroller and wonder around that area without the stroller, and then go back and move to the next area as it made sense. It was nice to have the freedom of not having to push the stroller especially in crowded areas, but also nice to have a “home base” to store all the extra stuff! Have so much fun!! Looking forward to hearing about it in whatever capacity you chose 🙂
So much great advice, a few things I didn’t see covered:
1. Consider watching fireworks somewhere they are visible but not too loud (my noise sensitive kid loves watching them by Gasparilla Grill). I bet Megatron will enjoy them but could be spooked by the booms. Similarly, have you considered the electrical water pageant? I actually have never caught it but seems ideal for Megatron and some great photo ops.
2. Consider staying on West Coast time. If there’s nothing you NEED to do early, at least consider using a pants hanger to clip those drapes shut tight (depending on your comfort level and room layout, you can also put the PNP in a bathroom or closet with even less light), and it might allow you to explore the parks later when it’s less hot.
3. We always had a brick of Purell wipes with us when our kids were young— they have less of an oppressive scent than Lysol/Clorox and we liked to wipe down high tough surface areas our kids might grab at (seatbelt buckles, inflight screens, etc)
4. If your did isn’t too jazzed about rides AK is great for young kids — the Safari and the animal trek walks are both fun, outdoors, and great for photo ops.
Like yourself, we are packing cubes people but when our preteens were toddlers, I packed each day’s clothes in a ziplock bag with the day on them (Delilah- Monday) so it was easy to set out each night. Little socks can disappear in a suitcase. We always had another complete change of clothes for each kid in a ziplock. Surpringly, we only needed it because of a juice spill, but it was nice to be able to switch out outfits and have a place to contain wet clothes. I also had a night light and/or flashlight to get around the room at night and set up for the morning because the kids were usually sleeping. As a fellow family that wasn’t sure we’d be able to have kids, let alone enjoy Disney magic with them, I am thoroughly enjoying your posts and I am so happy for you and your family. Grab every minute!
JoAnna had great advice here— I’d add that at Megatron’s size, having a ziplock that fits in your park backpack/diaper bag is worth its weight in gold— whether it’s a spill, splash, or blowout, it’s great to have a clean dry set of clothes and also a completely sealed off compartment for whatever got destroyed.
Best of luck with the trip and have fun!
Acquaint yourselves with the baby centers in each park, they are a nice, cool and quiet place to nurse or to feed baby.
Like another reader said, baby needs to stay hydrated especially with the Florida weather. Plan on nursing more often than you normally do.
I loved baby wearing at WDW, particularly during naps because I could hop on a slow moving ride without disturbing her (ahem Living with the Land, Space Ship Earth, POC, Peoplemover).
Car seats need to be gate checked or checked in, they sometimes place them in the bulky luggage area at the airport baggage claim so if you’re waiting forever for your car seat, it might be with the golf clubs or surf boards in a different area.
Have a magical time! Dolphin squeals and all. (=
As a recent subscriber (with a little one), I’m excited to hear about your experience at WDW with your little one!
From our previous trips to WDW, I would say keep your Garden Grill reservation — it’s a great character dining option for young children! If not this trip… then definitely introduce it to her by toddler age. My daughter loves Garden Grill — not only because Chip is her favorite character — but because the characters tend to always visit more than once. It’s a great way to get pictures with Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale all in one seating… and the menu is always delicious with fresh fruit or vegetables. Refreshing for parents that often need to eat quick service meals with kids.
Only word of advice is arrive no later than 10:30 AM if you’re doing breakfast. We had a 10:30 reservation and they couldn’t seat us any more for breakfast when we arrived at 10:35 — the “15 minute” window that saves you when trying to make it to your dining reservation and manage the unexpected with kids…did not apply. They ended up seating us for lunch instead. This may be the case for all shifts in breakfast to lunch, but we learned that lesson particularly with this restaurant since breakfast ends earlier than most other restaurants.
How fun! You’ll have a great time. Be careful of hydration, megatron isn’t going to tell you she’s thirsty or hot. Also, it’s really easy to put a bunch of things loose in the stroller, they all have to be gathered up when you get on a bus! I didn’t see anyone mention it yet, but I think it’s illegal for her to ride in a car in Florida w/o the appropriate car seat. You can get Ubers with one, ymmv. If you’re bringing the car seat on the plane, because of the 3rd seat, you’ll want the luggage rack thing to attach it to so you can roll it through. Or bring your own stroller! Like others have said, that’s why you bought it. Get a rain cover for it. You can also get a gate check bag for the stroller. I agree that the split stay is risky. Make sure you personally move the things you must have so that way you have them. And bring more clothes than you think you need on the plane! Restaurants are no more risky than being at Disney. One of you can bail on most things and you can adjust. I imagine 95% of it is just bring there. <3
You might decide you need more dvc points. As it’s pointed out, the washer and dryer are nice. So is the 1-bedroom configuration… you can put her to bed and be adults in the other room. We tried the fort wilderness cabins and then gave up and bought dvc.
I’ll admit, it’s been a while since I took babies to WDW. But one thing we did (flying in from the West Coast) was purchase a cheap umbrella stroller when we arrived in Florida. You know, the ones that were about $20 at Target or Walmart (looks like they’re now more like $30-$50 on Amazon). They are small, light, and reasonably maneuverable. They won’t last forever, but you only need it to last for a week. This way, you have your stroller with you at all times, and don’t have to leave it at the parks. The umbrella strollers are small enough to just fold up and take with you on the Disney Railroad or a monorail. And if they get messed up or stolen or broken… who cares? It was a cheap throwaway anyhow.
We actually always finished with ours in a reasonable condition, enough that we dropped it off at a Salvation Army before heading to the airport to fly home. We even got a tax donation receipt that helped defray the purchase cost.
About babywearing – It sounds counterintuitive but wearing a baby in high heat is actually better than you think in keeping the baby calm. The trick is be skin to skin. So strip Megatron down to her diaper and be on as much of a bare chest as you can skin to skin. Tank tops are great. The two of you will self-regulate your core temps and all of a sudden the heat is not as bad for either of you. You already know all of the tricks of the chillers to wear for yourself as well. It sounds like you already are ambitious about sit-down meals at this point. You might want to up your planning for quick meals/snacks as that can be a lot easier with being flexible as needed instead of timed plans with little ones. The less stress of having to rush to another part of the park while your child is demanding your attention will make for a lot more fun for mom and dad. Good Luck!
@Nissa G, I wholeheartedly agree! I was a NYC-based baby mom, and wearing in crowded circumstances/severe weather was my preference. Especially in crowded surroundings, where strangers and noises abound, it seemed much more comforting for my babies to be able to tuck their faces close to mom. Sun exposure can be a factor, though, since most baby carriers don’t have pull down shades like strollers. I always carried Aidan and Anais muslin blankets everywhere we went – they’re lightweight, pack down so easily, and can multitask as a quick sun cover, nursing cover, light blanket, even as absorbent, quick drying towels. My kids are 13 and 15 and we still bring their baby muslins as blankets for long-haul flights and towels to warm weather vacations.