Trip Report The "We've Made a Huge Mistake" Trip - Disney with a newborn (don't do it)

I figured I'd just get it out there in the trip report title - this trip sucked. Still going to report on it, but be prepared...it sucked :hilarious: We had a few bright spots (Like seeing @Tuvalu and @TrolleyFollower91 and Woody (can't remember his forum name...)) but overall, we were just really glad to come home yesterday. I figured I'd go ahead and get this report done as I'm going back to work on Monday!

Who: Me and R and our 11 week old, LP + My friend K.
When: March 30-April 4 (travel + 4 park days + travel)
Where: Cabins at Fort Wilderness
Why: End of my maternity leave, so wanted to take a trip without having to use vacation days

Originally it was just our family of 3 going and we were at Wilderness Lodge, but my friend K was tossing around the idea of taking a solo trip around the same time and helping out with LP, and we ended up moving to a Cabin so she could just stay with us! She went with her family (including her 8 week old and her husband's whole fam) around Thanksgiving and had really been wanting to go back and experience stuff she wasn't able to on that trip. She ended up getting the same flights as us and everything.

We left town on Saturday around 1pm and LP slept part of the drive...so did R.



They are twins.

Our flight was at 4:25pm. Our whole airport experience was a blur to me. I ended up checking the carseat and stroller at the desk instead of the gate which was a MISTAKE! The flight was empty so the carseat could have come on the plane with us and would have made for a much better experience.

So here I am carrying a 2-month old around the airport...I nursed her on some random couch outside the nursing lounge (which was occupied the whole time I was waiting). She was so cranky and tired and when she's like that even me holding her isn't helpful. I got her to nap for short stretches a couple of times, but the whole process was terrible. There was a toddler a few rows up that screamed a lot and every scream jarred LP awake 🤦 She was sleeping really light!



On the descent...napping whew

I nursed her on the plane too. We'd never nursed in public before this trip, so I was figuring out the cover and holding her differently, and it was tricky.



Made it to the fonorail! That's K holding her, and she's in her Love to Dream swaddle that makes her look like a flying squirrel 🤣

We got our bags and no sign of the stroller or car seat. Finally after standing in line at the Southwest desk forever (during which time a complete stranger thought it was ok to touch my daughter...no ma'am!), we heard an announcement about oversized items being in a different spot, and sure enough there they were! Would have been nice to know that when we checked them originally. They had also zip-tied the car seat bag closed and none of the airport employees would help us get it off. Some nice man saw our plight and used a key to cut it off.

We got her in there and headed to the Magical Express line. We waited probably 15 minutes before we were on our way. LP was still so cranky, though I got her to nap a little on the bus. I also nursed her without the cover...turned toward the window where no one could see, but R was so embarrassed 🤣 I just wanted to keep her quiet! Fort Wilderness was the last stop, and when we got there we realized everything was closing in like 30 minutes and we had no way of getting anywhere anyway.

It makes NO sense to me why there wouldn't be some kind of store or quick service at the Outpost where you get dropped off. I was starving. Luckily our cabin was in the closest loop, so we took off walking. It was only about a 5 minute walk and we got in there to find NO PACK AND PLAY. Apparently you have to tell them when you get there and they bring it over, so we did that. Once that was set up, I fed her and put her down for the night...whew

With that done, we had to get something to eat. I tasked R with figuring out UberEats and he placed a Q'doba order then walked to the Outpost to get it. I hadn't eaten since 10:30am and it was now 10:45pm...not good for a nursing mother! Once I finally got a burrito in me, I felt better and we all went to bed.



I didn't ever get pictures of the room, but you guys can see pictures on the internet 🤣

Up next: Will our travel day be an indication of how this trip will go? I think you already know...
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
“We waited forever for this boat from the 1900s to show up.”

362055


I did LOL at this!
And you are right, it is from the 1900s....but barely....was used in AK when it opened in 1998.
I’m surprised we didn’t run into each other at DHS. We were there until mid-afternoon.
 

Back!Elbow!Shoulders!

Omnia mutantur, nihil interit
Premium Member
Sorry to hear your trip didn’t exactly go as planned. In LP’s defense the stomach bug was partially to blame too.

I really appreciated your honesty. It seems there are some people that make it seem so easy to do various things with a baby. Maybe it really is for them or maybe they are just acting but then it seems to give regular parents unrealistic goals that they then feel bad about not meeting.

You tried something. Maybe it wasn’t ideal but you got through it and hopefully over time can look back and laugh a bit more at this trip.

Also LP is adorable! 😍 Even when she was not amused.
 

NessNewt

Well-Known Member
I wanted grape juice because my mom swears drinking grape juice can help you not get sick.

OK, so I am a strong supporter of science and research and the scientific process.... But whenever there's a whiff of the stomach bug I go out and get some 100% grape juice. It's not logical, but I don't care, I'll let it's placebo effects lull me into a false sense of security.

The security guy was like "why's she crying?" And I said she was hungry and he said "well feed her"

🤦‍♀️ People are so weirdly forward with babies (and moms and pregnant moms). I just don't get it.

Thanks for sharing your trip report!

@krisri18 You ready for August???
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
OK, so I am a strong supporter of science and research and the scientific process.... But whenever there's a whiff of the stomach bug I go out and get some 100% grape juice. It's not logical, but I don't care, I'll let it's placebo effects lull me into a false sense of security.



🤦‍♀️ People are so weirdly forward with babies (and moms and pregnant moms). I just don't get it.

Thanks for sharing your trip report!

@krisri18 You ready for August???
362234
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Your baby is adorable!! She might not be the best traveler just yet; but in time to come, she'll be skipping around the parks with you two. :happy:

I think you did very well, despite a few hiccups along the way. Glad that you're all over whatever stomach bug you caught while on vacation -- that's just the worst!! :banghead:
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
Thank you so much for sharing your trip! LP is sooo cute! Definitely not a failure, you just had a few setbacks and learned a few things!! Every age and stage has its own difficulties and trials, but you do seem to mostly forget about them once they are in the past and they don't seem like such a big deal when you are looking back at them. There are still many days I ask myself why we wanted three kids, then they go and do something that makes me so proud, and I (momentarily) forget all of the bad things! Can't wait to hear about your October trip and your next trip with LP!
 

Captain Barbossa

Well-Known Member
Enjoyed your TR! Sorry y’all got sick. I know things didn’t go the way you wanted them to, but it sounds like you did the best that you could. I don’t blame you at all for wanting to get a trip in before your maternity leave is up.

I followed along on instagram and it looked like y’all did have some good moments! I’m glad LP got to experience her first trolley show! Btw, she is so cute! I do think she looks just like R. Anyways, I’m sure things will be 100 times better on her next trip to WDW. I know that you and R will be looking forward to y’all’s trip in the fall. It’ll be here before y’all know it!
 

MeeskaMooska0714

Well-Known Member
LP is such a sweetie!! No matter how fussy they are, it does make it a little bit easier when they are cute. :)

I'm so sorry your trip didn't go so well. Coming from a mom of a baby who was literally horrible, things can only get better! And honestly, you do eventually forget about all the bad times and really only keep the good memories. I'm glad that the trip home was much easier to give you a break. Thanks for sharing and being so honest. Being a mom is not easy, but so worth it!
 

Sillysidewalker

Well-Known Member
So sorry your trip didn’t go as planned! LP is adorable. When handsome was 9 months we made our 1st trip to WDW. Nursing in the Florida heat was just too much for me and my little guy! We would both be hot, sweaty and cranky. At one point I sat with a bag of ice on my head while nursing him in Morocco. My mother-in-law cracks up laughing over me swearing like a sailor at my 9 month old. I look back and laugh too. Hopefully you will too.
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
So sorry your trip didn’t go as planned! LP is adorable. When handsome was 9 months we made our 1st trip to WDW. Nursing in the Florida heat was just too much for me and my little guy! We would both be hot, sweaty and cranky. At one point I sat with a bag of ice on my head while nursing him in Morocco. My mother-in-law cracks up laughing over me swearing like a sailor at my 9 month old. I look back and laugh too. Hopefully you will too.
That's the part I'm dreading, nursing a 7 month old in August! And we can't bring ice in the parks anymore so....
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
I figured I'd just get it out there in the trip report title - this trip sucked. Still going to report on it, but be prepared...it sucked :hilarious: We had a few bright spots (Like seeing @Tuvalu and @TrolleyFollower91 and Woody (can't remember his forum name...)) but overall, we were just really glad to come home yesterday. I figured I'd go ahead and get this report done as I'm going back to work on Monday!

Who: Me and R and our 11 week old, LP + My friend K.
When: March 30-April 4 (travel + 4 park days + travel)
Where: Cabins at Fort Wilderness
Why: End of my maternity leave, so wanted to take a trip without having to use vacation days

Originally it was just our family of 3 going and we were at Wilderness Lodge, but my friend K was tossing around the idea of taking a solo trip around the same time and helping out with LP, and we ended up moving to a Cabin so she could just stay with us! She went with her family (including her 8 week old and her husband's whole fam) around Thanksgiving and had really been wanting to go back and experience stuff she wasn't able to on that trip. She ended up getting the same flights as us and everything.

We left town on Saturday around 1pm and LP slept part of the drive...so did R.



They are twins.

Our flight was at 4:25pm. Our whole airport experience was a blur to me. I ended up checking the carseat and stroller at the desk instead of the gate which was a MISTAKE! The flight was empty so the carseat could have come on the plane with us and would have made for a much better experience.

So here I am carrying a 2-month old around the airport...I nursed her on some random couch outside the nursing lounge (which was occupied the whole time I was waiting). She was so cranky and tired and when she's like that even me holding her isn't helpful. I got her to nap for short stretches a couple of times, but the whole process was terrible. There was a toddler a few rows up that screamed a lot and every scream jarred LP awake 🤦 She was sleeping really light!



On the descent...napping whew

I nursed her on the plane too. We'd never nursed in public before this trip, so I was figuring out the cover and holding her differently, and it was tricky.



Made it to the fonorail! That's K holding her, and she's in her Love to Dream swaddle that makes her look like a flying squirrel 🤣

We got our bags and no sign of the stroller or car seat. Finally after standing in line at the Southwest desk forever (during which time a complete stranger thought it was ok to touch my daughter...no ma'am!), we heard an announcement about oversized items being in a different spot, and sure enough there they were! Would have been nice to know that when we checked them originally. They had also zip-tied the car seat bag closed and none of the airport employees would help us get it off. Some nice man saw our plight and used a key to cut it off.

We got her in there and headed to the Magical Express line. We waited probably 15 minutes before we were on our way. LP was still so cranky, though I got her to nap a little on the bus. I also nursed her without the cover...turned toward the window where no one could see, but R was so embarrassed 🤣 I just wanted to keep her quiet! Fort Wilderness was the last stop, and when we got there we realized everything was closing in like 30 minutes and we had no way of getting anywhere anyway.

It makes NO sense to me why there wouldn't be some kind of store or quick service at the Outpost where you get dropped off. I was starving. Luckily our cabin was in the closest loop, so we took off walking. It was only about a 5 minute walk and we got in there to find NO PACK AND PLAY. Apparently you have to tell them when you get there and they bring it over, so we did that. Once that was set up, I fed her and put her down for the night...whew

With that done, we had to get something to eat. I tasked R with figuring out UberEats and he placed a Q'doba order then walked to the Outpost to get it. I hadn't eaten since 10:30am and it was now 10:45pm...not good for a nursing mother! Once I finally got a burrito in me, I felt better and we all went to bed.



I didn't ever get pictures of the room, but you guys can see pictures on the internet 🤣

Up next: Will our travel day be an indication of how this trip will go? I think you already know...


I'm here and catching up, but I wanted to say that I learned early on that it's always worth it to gate check your stroller. Even if you're babywearing the baby, the stroller comes in handy to push your personal bag and carry one. I often travel alone with A and this is what saves me. The car seat on the plane is super cumbersome, so I stopped doing that at two years old because she could wear a regular belt plus the travel harness thing. But I always gate check my stroller.
 

Balki228

Active Member
Thanks for the trip report.

I definitely know how R feels when you get overly cautious when the baby is sleeping (I was always like that of just keeping doing the same thing because it is working and I do not want to poke the bear and have the baby wake up!! :))

We had it a little different when we took our daughter E when she was 6 months, she was a very tough napper at home to begin with so not much changed on the trip, but it was definitely tough. We went back when she was 13 months old and it was much better, plus have to capitalize on them being free to fly until age 2 and free for the parks until age 3!
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
LP ended up waking up around 5am, so a little earlier than I planned, but ok. I fed her and laid her back down. I got up and we all got ready to go. I waited until the last minute to get LP up and fed her a little more. The bell services cast member arrived right on time and helped us load up. We got to the Outpost and only waited like 5 minuted for Magical Express. I had to take LP out of the carseat for the ride, but she did ok. She fell asleep in my arms.

We got to the airport SO EARLY. The flight was at 10:10 and ME picked us up at 6:35...and we were the last stop. So we got to the airport at like 7.



Getting her boarding pass. She is READY to be home!

Security was a breeze since we had pre-check. They had us send the car seat and stroller through the scanner, which I thought was crazy, but I guess people could smuggle stuff in them somehow? Who knows. This random TSA agent who was sending us through the metal detector commented on how LP looked just like R. Yep...it's that obvious.

We made our way to the gate and I never saw a nursing room. We found a relatively empty gate with seats facing the window and I nursed her with my cover. It was actually pretty comfortable. We're getting good at this! After she was done, she sat in the car seat. So glad we had it. I went to the desk to get the tags for the stroller and car seat, and the lady said I could bring the car seat on if I wanted because the flight wasn't full. Score!

We hung out at the gate and LP drifted off to sleep in the car seat. PRAISE THE LORD!

She woke up shortly before time to board, and we headed that way. We boarded and got settled with her in the seat. She had been so good so far. She fussed just a tad on the plane...




blank stare = sleepy



YASSSSSSS!

She slept right through her lunch! She started waking up about 30 minutes after when I would have fed her so I went ahead and got her out. I wanted to get her fed before descent in case it was bumpy. I knew the weather was bad in Memphis. After she ate, she fussed just a teensy bit, but overall she did great on the flight back.

When we got to baggage claim, our bags were right there and we were on our way! The drive back was slow because of rain, but we made it safe and sound...ending just how we began.



I pretty much put it all out there, so I don't guess I need to do final thoughts. The main thing I learned was that my baby was NOT ready for Disney World. I think I set us up for failure by establishing a routine for us at home. We are on a fairly predictable schedule at home, which is about to get obliterated with daycare anyway. She sleeps in her crib in the dark with white noise for almost every nap, so being out and about just didn't work for her. But hey...live and learn!

R and I have decided we'll do our October trip without LP and then try to bring her back next spring when she's a year old. October will be a good break for us, plus the grandparents will be thrilled to keep her!

I hope this has at least been mildly entertaining. I doubt we'll ever look back on this trip fondly :hilarious: I do hope that K had a good time other than her sickness. She was able to do a lot of the things she wanted to! If you want to follow her on Instagram she's @souvenear.wdw.

I think this is a record for finishing a report...we've barely been back for a day! Hopefully the next one is more positive!

Another unsolicited tip..... In case you have to travel with her again..... When A was a baby she also slept with white noise and she was a white noise snob. Only one track would do, nothing else. We used an old phone and it was jut A's phone. I could put it in the car seat or stroller with her wherever we were. It doesn't have to play loud either since it's near her, so we were even able to use it on the plane without bothering other people. It was a really cheap portable white noise machine. Bonus, it charged with the phone chargers we already brought for ourselves.

This was ESPECIALLY handy when I took her to the mall to try to find post baby bras, LOL. Longest mall trip ever.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I really admire your attitude during the trip and after all was said and done! I’m thinking back a few months to how much smaller/fragile they are and how much constant nursing they require/how much it would take out of you and I just feel exhausted LOL. (I am still exhausted but here I am on binging your TR when I could’ve gone to sleep a few hours ago). But you just further prove the fact that moms are truly something else. :) Thanks so much for sharing!

So true. I never imagined how tough it would be!! The frequent nursing was definitely tricky. I've gotten us on a good 2.5/3 hour schedule, but with transportation taking a while, sometimes in the morning we'd have like 30 minutes in the park before it was time to nurse again. And I wanted to use the baby care stations so we had to trek to those. I think if she was a little older, I'd have nursed in the park in a little tucked away area, but she really does better with less distractions.

Thank you for reading!

Very honest and forthcoming TR
Thanks for sharing

I like your plan for the year and hope the next trip with all three of you turns out better

Max

Thanks for reading, Max!

Hi!
I read lots of trip reports picking up tips from all you experts but rarely comment!

I also saw some of your Instagram updates from the trip.

Glad you still decided to do a report and good for you honestly sharing some of the tricky aspects of the trip! I think people often feel the need to pretend it’s ok, even when it’s not, because it’s Disney x

Thank you for reading! Yeah I'm not one to pretend, haha. Hopefully if anyone else is in my shoes, they'll take my experience to heart when they're deciding whether or not to take an infant. I think some babies would probably do just fine, but mine just didn't. People did warn me! haha

I don’t think you should look upon this trip as a failure - you seem to overlook the fact that all the adults got sick and that is NO FUN - particularly when you aren’t in the comfort of your own home. To me, it sounds like you handled the trip like a pro - giving LP the schedule she needed. When my DD was a baby she really needed her own bed at night. She napped well in her stroller (a “first generation” Bugaboo) and I could go out just about anywhere during the day but at night she wanted her own surroundings.

I remember once heading home on a bus when it was feeding time - depending on traffic and red lights it’s between a 8-15 minute ride. DD was fine when the bus was in motion but each time it stopped, she started crying. An old biddy started making comments in the bus about how women should be at home with babies and not out and about and definitely not during the time people are coming home from work and other comments about the crying etc. I smiled very sweetly and said in a loud voice “Your mother must have been so proud when you were a baby Ma’am, as it sounds like you were the only baby in the entire world who never cried!” Everyone around us laughed and the sour look on her face was priceless. So enjoy it all - even the cranky crying moments - most of us understand and empathize 😃

True, the sickness was a major factor in the trip feeling like a bust! I particularly felt bad for K because she was there without her husband or mom, and it's hard being sick without someone to baby you. I tried to be as caring and helpful as I could!

LP does that too with the motion! If she's sleepy and we're driving, she'll cry whenever we stop at a red light. It's funny, you can see her start to cry in the mirror, that cute little face they make when they're about to. That's hilarious about the comeback you made. You got her good! I was lucky, no one made any rude comments. I think people understood, and she didn't cry too bad on the busses and monorail.

Oh my gosh, my sleep deprived self read your daughter as being 11 months old (even though I should realize what an 11 month old would look like) :banghead: We’ll definitely go when he’s free haha - that was actually the driving factor for when we first went with our daughter. I look forward to your next TR to see about experiences with a 1 year old!

I will say that while a second is harder in some ways because we have to balance the needs of 2 kids, the actual 2nd kid is easier than I remembered. Part of that might be though because I knew what I was in for! Or that I’m only 2 weeks in. Dang kids and their cute defenses. Sorry I’m rambling - middle of the night thoughts!

hahahah, nope not quite that old yet! She'll be 3 months next week though. :eek: Yeah I am already forgetting the really hard stuff, so I guess that's why people have more. You forget how awful it is when you're in it! Same thing with the birth. During the birth I remember thinking there's no way in hell I will do this again, but looking back I'm like "hmm I survived...it wasn't so bad" :hilarious:

Been there with the middle of the night thoughts. I spent the first several weeks reading trip reports in the middle of the night too! haha

First trip with our first born was like that too and she was about 9 months! We didn't fly but had a 6 hour drive and it just seemed to upset her routine. It does get much better though so don't let it out you off. Your daughter is beautiful.

I thought about driving but it is 12 hours, which I'm sure with a baby would be like 15! I guess some babies are just much better with routine. My friend K who brought her baby at 8 weeks didn't have as much trouble, but she said at that point they didn't really have a schedule with her yet, so she wasn't being thrown off. I wouldn't change that though, having a routine is nice!

Thanks so much and thanks for reading :)
 

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