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...
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
First, She is just precious!!!
I watched your stories on IG, and I was like "No!!" when I saw everyone was sick. I'm so sorry! That would be such a bummer, but you look like you still got a lot done all things considering! Harper was 15 months on her first trip, and it was definitely stressful! I can't imagine a baby, you guys did it!

Thank you! I think she'll be like 14 months the next time, so we'll see how that goes! What was most stressful to you about that time? I have no idea what to expect. I just assume it'll be a little better because she won't be needing to eat quite as often and she'll have fewer naps per day, meaning we can hopefully just go to the room for naps if needed instead of depending on stroller naps.

What a crazy trip!! Sorry it wasn't super magical, but you'll be going back a million times with LP and she'll be able to enjoy it much more and it will be more fun for all of you! Getting sick on vacation is the absolute worst! :hungover: Sorry you had to deal with that!

YAY! @Tuvalu and the grandma voice! Here's hoping the redone EPCOT security lines don't have LP fussing when she's ten because the lines are THAT Awful! (I'm 33 and I fuss in that line!) :bored:

Artisan de Glaces is always an important stop in Epcot! I've noticed when I'm not feeling well, ice cream really helps soothe the throat. The beer from Austria sounds delish! I went to Salzburg and stopped in that very brewery, STIEGL.

Everyone raves about Homecomin' and we aren't southern but do like Southern food so someday, we may try it. There are just so many other amazing dining options! However, the drink looks epic!



So sweet of K to watch LP a bit for Couples time and here's hoping your October trip is simply magical!!

True we will be going with her a lot!! We'll make lots of wonderful Disney memories together.

Yes those Epcot bag check lines are ALWAYS bad. I would hope the redesign of the entrance will help, especially if they finally route monorail traffic straight into the secure area.

You should definitely give Homecomin' a try if you like Southern food! I thought it was good, it's just kind of standard fare where we live. ha. I agree though, there are soooo many options to try, it's hard to fit them all in!
 

meggo819

Well-Known Member
Thank you! I think she'll be like 14 months the next time, so we'll see how that goes! What was most stressful to you about that time? I have no idea what to expect. I just assume it'll be a little better because she won't be needing to eat quite as often and she'll have fewer naps per day, meaning we can hopefully just go to the room for naps if needed instead of depending on stroller naps.

Every baby is different of course, but my daughter did great on her first trip in September. She was 15 months and it wasn't really stressful at all! I'd already weaned her, so the fact that she was eating mostly normal foods helped. We got groceries the first night for milk, uncrustables, applesauce pouches, etc - the sorts of things you don't wanna pay Disney prices for!

I had tentatively planned to take afternoon breaks at the resort, but when she got tired, she just fell asleep in her stroller, so we never ended up going back. Instead, we just didn't stay out terribly late. I was sad to miss some of the night shows, but there's always next time!

It also helped to have her grandma & aunt there -- they're not into the thrill rides, so they were happy to watch her while we rode them. But she was also old enough to be interested in and enjoy some of the rides herself. Her faves were the tea cups and Figment :)
 

Epcotfan21

Well-Known Member
I guess my wife and I got lucky. We took our 11 week old back in February and he did great. In fact, he slept thru the night all 3 nights we were there. Of course when we got home, he was right back to his 5-6 hour intervals during the night. We joked that’s the magic of Disney.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I guess my wife and I got lucky. We took our 11 week old back in February and he did great. In fact, he slept thru the night all 3 nights we were there. Of course when we got home, he was right back to his 5-6 hour intervals during the night. We joked that’s the magic of Disney.
We were the opposite 🤣 LP had been sleeping through the night for about a week and a half and started waking up while we were there. She went back to sleeping through about 3 days after we got home, now she's back to waking up once every night :cautious: MAKE UP YOUR MIND KID. 😆 Also, I think she may have been hot some on our trip too. I should have prepared better for the mid-day heat! February weather was probably great for your kiddo!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Every baby is different of course, but my daughter did great on her first trip in September. She was 15 months and it wasn't really stressful at all! I'd already weaned her, so the fact that she was eating mostly normal foods helped. We got groceries the first night for milk, uncrustables, applesauce pouches, etc - the sorts of things you don't wanna pay Disney prices for!

I had tentatively planned to take afternoon breaks at the resort, but when she got tired, she just fell asleep in her stroller, so we never ended up going back. Instead, we just didn't stay out terribly late. I was sad to miss some of the night shows, but there's always next time!

It also helped to have her grandma & aunt there -- they're not into the thrill rides, so they were happy to watch her while we rode them. But she was also old enough to be interested in and enjoy some of the rides herself. Her faves were the tea cups and Figment :)
That's good to hear! LP really has a sweet disposition most of the time now, so I have hope that she'll be a chill kid. If she'll snooze in her stroller, that will be THE BEST. I can't wait to take her on Dumbo...I have a picture of my mom and me on Dumbo when I was a baby.
 

Epcotfan21

Well-Known Member
We were the opposite 🤣 LP had been sleeping through the night for about a week and a half and started waking up while we were there. She went back to sleeping through about 3 days after we got home, now she's back to waking up once every night :cautious: MAKE UP YOUR MIND KID. 😆 Also, I think she may have been hot some on our trip too. I should have prepared better for the mid-day heat! February weather was probably great for your kiddo!
It actually was warm during the day. We’re from South Florida, so we came prepared with a portable fan and extra batteries during our trip. Also helped that we took some breaks at the nursing mothers stations. The one at Epcot is a god send.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It actually was warm during the day. We’re from South Florida, so we came prepared with a portable fan and extra batteries during our trip. Also helped that we took some breaks at the nursing mothers stations. The one at Epcot is a god send.
I brought a stroller fan and left it in the room like a dummy :rolleyes: There's a learning curve with this baby thing! haha Yeah the nursing stations were super helpful! We spent quite a bit of time in the MK and Epcot ones. I wish I'd gotten to see the AK one, I've heard it's the nicest.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
To be clear for others reading this thread as advice... there is a tremendous difference between taking a "regular" baby to WDW and a legitimate newborn. I think most of the challenges OP ran into are newborn-specific rather than infants more generally.
 

MySmallWorldof4

Well-Known Member
The title comes from the text I got from R while we were on Magical Express. It was something along those lines or "What have we done?" 🤣

LP wakes up at 7am each day, or at least that's our goal. Since we put her down so late the night before, I let her sleep until she woke naturally, which I think was around 8 (actually her wake time back home with the time difference!).

K was ready to go before us, so she headed out to MK to get her morning started. I think she almost made rope drop, but missed it by just a couple minutes. She did have good transportation luck though!



This was supposed to be a loose Daisy Duck disneybound outfit. I had aspirations of getting cute pictures of her in the parks in her bounds...ELL OH ELL. Glad I at least took this photo before we left.



We took the internal bus to Settlement Depot to catch the boat to MK.

Quick note: I tried to get a golf cart, but each time I called the phone number, it just had me on hold for over 10 minutes and no one ever picked up. I did that at least 5 times and never got through. When we arrived the night before, there were signs that all carts were booked. Busses it is!



Wish we could have done Hoop-Dee-Doo!



I personally like the atmosphere of the resort, but not for a Disney vacation. It would be a really cool vacation destination on it's own, but for a Disney trip, I much prefer a traditional resort. R hated it...he just said it was like staying at our local state park. Plus everything is so inconvenient. No running down to the store for a snack or coffee.



It was a beautiful morning!




The boats seem so slow to me, but the rides sure are pleasant. LP fussed this morning, but finally fell asleep while we waited for the boat.



We used our milksnob cover just this morning. It got way too hot later. Honestly I think a lot of her fussiness this day was because she was hot, then because she was over-tired. I had a stroller fan and just completely forgot to bring it to the park! New mom fail...



Wore my passholder slider even though we technically weren't at this point! Don't tell...



Hello, beautiful! Wish the train had been running.




Walked down Main Street and off to Frontierland to meet K.







This is where we met K. I got a few pictures in my shirt. I hadn't gotten any pictures of this color yet for my Etsy shop, so I'm glad we were able to get some.



K wearing one of my shirts.



I was sad not to get to ride Big Thunder 😢

Up next: More MK
Sorry about the trip. One day you will probably laugh about it and that makes for great memories anyway. The youngest age any of my kids went was 7 months. It helps when they can sit up on their own. Thanks for the reminder on golf cart rental. We go in just under 3 weeks and you reminded me to get one. I called and someone picked up right away. Sorry you had trouble with this. I will say without a golf cart, the Fort is very difficult to enjoy with everything spread out so much. The golf cart makes it fun. You can drive to The Mercantile or Settlement to pick up any snacks, necessities or food you may need. My family is hotel spoiled but my kids now prefer Fort Wilderness over a deluxe. We rented an RV for the first time last year from a local company and loved it. Going that route again for this trip.
 

MySmallWorldof4

Well-Known Member
Bummer about you getting ill on the trip. At least the cute little one got to sleep in. When they are that little, they really like a set schedule. A trip will throw them off.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sorry about the trip. One day you will probably laugh about it and that makes for great memories anyway. The youngest age any of my kids went was 7 months. It helps when they can sit up on their own. Thanks for the reminder on golf cart rental. We go in just under 3 weeks and you reminded me to get one. I called and someone picked up right away. Sorry you had trouble with this. I will say without a golf cart, the Fort is very difficult to enjoy with everything spread out so much. The golf cart makes it fun. You can drive to The Mercantile or Settlement to pick up any snacks, necessities or food you may need. My family is hotel spoiled but my kids now prefer Fort Wilderness over a deluxe. We rented an RV for the first time last year from a local company and loved it. Going that route again for this trip.
Oh I'm so glad you got through! I have no idea what was going on when I was trying to call, but maybe they got it fixed. A cart would have made things so much easier when we were sick especially. And yeah, I think sitting up and just having more "awake time" would help tremendously! She's getting close to 4 months now and already can stay awake so much longer without getting cranky.

Bummer about you getting ill on the trip. At least the cute little one got to sleep in. When they are that little, they really like a set schedule. A trip will throw them off.

Ain't that the truth! She likes her routine. It's not an exact schedule most days, but she at least is familiar with her environments around home.

Great honest trip report !!
Thank you! I am not one to sugar coat 🤣 I wish we'd been able to enjoy it more, but hey...we learned from it!
 

joshsprincess921

Well-Known Member
You should definitely give Homecomin' a try if you like Southern food! I thought it was good, it's just kind of standard fare where we live. ha. I agree though, there are soooo many options to try, it's hard to fit them all in!

I have to say, we visited Gatlinburg over Spring Break and the sweat tea was by far the best I ever had and I'm from South Louisiana!! It was literally so good at every restaurant we went to! Ate some delicious southern cuisine as well!
 

accord99cutie

Premium Member
Just finished reading your report as I lay here this morning with my 5 week old and I applaud your effort at taking LP so young! There is no way I could bring my baby who is still nursing! I swear my girl is hungry 24/7! I did want to tell you that I took my son at 1 yr (week after his birthday) and it was amazing!!! I plan on going for this little ones birthday next year because that age was really so good! So as hard as this trip was for you all, when LP is a year it will go much more smoothly I bet!! Thank you for sharing the experience as it helps to remind me that I definitely want to wait until a year and not try to sneak a trip in this summer :)
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just finished reading your report as I lay here this morning with my 5 week old and I applaud your effort at taking LP so young! There is no way I could bring my baby who is still nursing! I swear my girl is hungry 24/7! I did want to tell you that I took my son at 1 yr (week after his birthday) and it was amazing!!! I plan on going for this little ones birthday next year because that age was really so good! So as hard as this trip was for you all, when LP is a year it will go much more smoothly I bet!! Thank you for sharing the experience as it helps to remind me that I definitely want to wait until a year and not try to sneak a trip in this summer :)
Congrats on your little one!! I couldn't imagine taking her anytime before 8 weeks...she was DIFFICULT. She's like a whole new baby now, but she still doesn't like being out and about. She will nap in her stroller, but she likes to make a big deal about it first :hilarious: That's good to know that 1 year was good! She'll be a little over a year when we go in the spring, I think about 14 months. By then her naps will be consolidated and we can just take a resort break for her to get her rest 🙌
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
Just got caught up-

1. The baby is so insanely adorable! ❤️

2. It may have not went as smoothly as you hoped, but as a parent that left our 8 month old daughter with her grandma when we took our first Disney trip- (her brother was 3) she has never forgiven me. :-/ We went back many times through her life and took her when she was 2. Never, ever, lets me forget we left her. You have the pics and those are priceless.

3. So sorry you guys got sick. Nothing worse than a bug.

4. The guy playing the piano, at Casey’s, I have never seen. Usually Jim. He looks so much like Roy E. Disney it is scary. 😑

5. The Fried Green Tomatoes were heaven! I know my Fried Green Tomatoes too. These were perfection.

Excellent report, as always, even if a few bumps in the road. :)
 

GraysonsDad

Member
Back when my son was born, we were living in Florida and frequented Disney a couple times per month (Florida resident season's pass). He was in a stroller and we were able to go at our own pace for the most part. The best part...

He took his first steps at 9 months old at the Coronado Springs convention center! He was officially a Disney Kid! Trust me, it gets better. Traveling with kids, especially young ones, is never easy- but at least you're at Disney!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Oh my goodness I have been away for a long time!! Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!!!

Thank you so much!! <3

Just got caught up-

1. The baby is so insanely adorable! ❤

2. It may have not went as smoothly as you hoped, but as a parent that left our 8 month old daughter with her grandma when we took our first Disney trip- (her brother was 3) she has never forgiven me. :-/ We went back many times through her life and took her when she was 2. Never, ever, lets me forget we left her. You have the pics and those are priceless.

3. So sorry you guys got sick. Nothing worse than a bug.

4. The guy playing the piano, at Casey’s, I have never seen. Usually Jim. He looks so much like Roy E. Disney it is scary. 😑

5. The Fried Green Tomatoes were heaven! I know my Fried Green Tomatoes too. These were perfection.

Excellent report, as always, even if a few bumps in the road. :)

Thank you so much! I hope LP doesn't get mad when we leave her in October 🤣 She will just have to get over it! Mom and Dad gotta keep the romance alive, you know?

I could seriously go for those fried green tomatoes right now. SO GOOD! I hope they're back next year.

Back when my son was born, we were living in Florida and frequented Disney a couple times per month (Florida resident season's pass). He was in a stroller and we were able to go at our own pace for the most part. The best part...

He took his first steps at 9 months old at the Coronado Springs convention center! He was officially a Disney Kid! Trust me, it gets better. Traveling with kids, especially young ones, is never easy- but at least you're at Disney!
Oh that is SO SWEET!!! I would love for her to have a milestone at Disney World. She'll probably be walking by the time we take her back at 14 months, but hey you never know. Kids are all over the place with the walking!

I can already tell the next trip will be so much better. She rarely cries anymore. She'll fuss if she's having a bad day, but only really cries when she's REAL hungry or way overtired. She's also bottle-fed now, which is so much more convenient.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Here's a recent picture of her to show how much she's changed

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Basically a clone of R. Not even fair! I did all that work and she doesn't even look like me...
 

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