It feels a tad silly to start this pre-trip report considering how little I know about:
1) Babies
2) Disney with Babies
3) Disney next fall
Yet here I am. A little nervous, pretty clueless, but very, very excited. Our little Ohana is going to Disney World!
Who: Mommy Me, Daddy J, and our BABY BOY!
Our little mouseketeer is 6 months old. He will be 15 months at time of travel. He just started solids, can sit up by himself, and is rapidly outgrowing all the cute outfits I bought him from the Disney Store. Do those sizes run small or is my child just a giant?
When: August-September 2019 – 8 days & 7 nights.
Our standard vision for this trip would be 2 Magic Kingdom days, 2 Epcot days, 1 Hollywood Studios day, 1 Animal Kingdom day, and 2 non park days for arrival and rest. However, this trip might have to fall under the 'go with the flow' school of thought. J and I have never missed a day of rope drop in our Disney lives, so naturally, I’ve needed some reality checks as I've been envisioning things in my head, which I do quite often.
It's very different... as life in general has been for the past six months. Oh, but it's so wonderful! I can’t believe that the last time we were at Disney, we were wishing for much for our little family to come true. It was all meant to be!
Where: Pop Century Resort
We did the unthinkable. No, I’m not talking about making the leap to a Moderate/Deluxe resort. I mean that we did one of those blind-hotel-booking experiences and ended up scoring just the “Value” we wanted for ~$60/night. Yippee!!! But also, PHEW. J and I clenched each other’s hands for dear life when we hit that Book button. I am most definitely NOT the person who takes risks to save a few bucks… but these savings were just unprecedented in our books. We were previously thinking we’d save like $100 max off All Star Movies with whatever room discount Disney eventually came out with. But now, Pop Century! The resort J and I stayed at on our first trip together. And our Disneymoon. And now Baby’s 1st Resort.
We're over the moon. Hourglass Lake, Art of Animation, and Everything Pop here we come!
Also suddenly very invested in the Skyliner progress.
What??? Pretty much everything else.
Dining: Who googles ‘What do 15 months old eat at Walt Disney World?’ …Oh yeah, me neither. (And yes, I am aware that my child is ‘1 year old’ and not ‘15 months’ or ‘65 weeks old’).
Dining is the center of our Disney planning universe, but it’s hard for us to wrap our head around that one this time around. Who knows what our eating situation will be like in a year? Not me! All I know is there is one reservation I-MUST-HAVE and that is Crystal Palace. We're a Winnie the Pooh household and I am just melting at the thought of him meeting that silly ol’ bear! And having the ability to pick and choose things from the buffet for Baby to eat off our plates is a bonus, too. Otherwise, we think that while Baby is still too young to really know what’s going on (i.e. have opinions), we should visit some restaurants for food/experiences we want too, regardless of whether or not the atmosphere is tailor-made for a kid. I'm also thinking Quick Service will be our friend so we're not tied to so many reservations, but also, I have this really strong desire to go to Pinocchio's Village Haus for atmosphere now...
FPs: This is tricky because it puts us on a schedule and I’m thinking that once we enter the park, that schedule goes POOF! but we’ll follow as we please. The few other attractions that I’ve been having literal dreams about: Small World, Peter Pan, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Kilimanjaro Safari Ride. Really, I just can’t wait for him to sit in between us in a flying pirate ship or clammobile. I’m getting those first-time butterflies all over again.
Otherwise, what in the world is going on in the World? I’m positive we will miss the opening of Star Wars Land, which is fine by me. Toy Story Land will be new to us, but truth be told, I’m more interested in wandering the land itself moreso than riding Slinky Dog or Swirling Saucers. Maybe J and I will take turns, but I’m not really itching to ride either by myself. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, will thou be open? With the exception of Flight of Passage, we really only want to choose FPs for attractions that all three of us could do together. Speaking of which, would you take a 1 year old on Toy Story Mania? Wondering if it’s too intense motion-wise or if I’m being crazy-protective Mom.
Lastly, will I ever see Illuminations again? If I do, will we even make it to 9pm?
Packing: Things I think about: should Baby be wearing onesies or shirts/shorts? Onesies may be best because we'll still be in diapers, but then I have so many requirements like 'must have a Disney character on it' and 'must be a jumper/creeper-styled onesie' so his tender little bum doesn't make skin-to-seat contact. Oh, and lots of wipes and hand sanitizer. J tells me I need to let the germaphobia go...
Honestly, I probably shouldn’t think so hard into it. His clothes will probably get destroyed within a matter of minutes. But I’ve already started a healthy collection of 18 month sized Disney tshirts I hope to put to good use!
What else? Diapers, wipes, change of clothes, bottles or sippy cups, and probably a million other crucial things I am missing or don't even know exist. Like, I just discovered that there is such thing as water diapers for pool time exist today. Something tells me we will need a bigger park bag this time around, guys.
We will be flying (a whole ‘nother beast right there) and we definitely plan to bring a stroller instead of renting in the parks. J thinks we should protect ours from the elements of a Disney vacation and rent from a company for the entirety of our trip. Not sure I feel strongly either way… I just want my baby to be comfortable. But I’ll let him take the reins on that one. Since, you know, he’ll be the one carrying it all the time.
I know no amount of advice or research can possibly prepare us for what’s to come, but I figured I can collect a few gems here and there that will pay off in one way or another. Maybe someone out there has experiences they’d like to share with me as I figure this whole ‘parenting thing’ out over the next year. That should help pass the time since I got a ton of that on my hands as well, right?
Well, this pre-trip report kind of turned into a brain dump for me… but I’m sure I will look back at this thread with fondness at how uneducated and unrealistic I was, yet nevertheless, so happy.
And finally...
Why? Because Disney is and has always been, for me, the happiest place made complete with the people I love. Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do with my life other than have a family and take my children to Walt Disney World. And now, our Party of 2 has become a Party of 3, and this new chapter of our story is just getting started!
Thanks for reading!
1) Babies
2) Disney with Babies
3) Disney next fall
Yet here I am. A little nervous, pretty clueless, but very, very excited. Our little Ohana is going to Disney World!
Who: Mommy Me, Daddy J, and our BABY BOY!
Our little mouseketeer is 6 months old. He will be 15 months at time of travel. He just started solids, can sit up by himself, and is rapidly outgrowing all the cute outfits I bought him from the Disney Store. Do those sizes run small or is my child just a giant?
When: August-September 2019 – 8 days & 7 nights.
Our standard vision for this trip would be 2 Magic Kingdom days, 2 Epcot days, 1 Hollywood Studios day, 1 Animal Kingdom day, and 2 non park days for arrival and rest. However, this trip might have to fall under the 'go with the flow' school of thought. J and I have never missed a day of rope drop in our Disney lives, so naturally, I’ve needed some reality checks as I've been envisioning things in my head, which I do quite often.
It's very different... as life in general has been for the past six months. Oh, but it's so wonderful! I can’t believe that the last time we were at Disney, we were wishing for much for our little family to come true. It was all meant to be!
Where: Pop Century Resort
We did the unthinkable. No, I’m not talking about making the leap to a Moderate/Deluxe resort. I mean that we did one of those blind-hotel-booking experiences and ended up scoring just the “Value” we wanted for ~$60/night. Yippee!!! But also, PHEW. J and I clenched each other’s hands for dear life when we hit that Book button. I am most definitely NOT the person who takes risks to save a few bucks… but these savings were just unprecedented in our books. We were previously thinking we’d save like $100 max off All Star Movies with whatever room discount Disney eventually came out with. But now, Pop Century! The resort J and I stayed at on our first trip together. And our Disneymoon. And now Baby’s 1st Resort.
We're over the moon. Hourglass Lake, Art of Animation, and Everything Pop here we come!
Also suddenly very invested in the Skyliner progress.
What??? Pretty much everything else.
Dining: Who googles ‘What do 15 months old eat at Walt Disney World?’ …Oh yeah, me neither. (And yes, I am aware that my child is ‘1 year old’ and not ‘15 months’ or ‘65 weeks old’).
Dining is the center of our Disney planning universe, but it’s hard for us to wrap our head around that one this time around. Who knows what our eating situation will be like in a year? Not me! All I know is there is one reservation I-MUST-HAVE and that is Crystal Palace. We're a Winnie the Pooh household and I am just melting at the thought of him meeting that silly ol’ bear! And having the ability to pick and choose things from the buffet for Baby to eat off our plates is a bonus, too. Otherwise, we think that while Baby is still too young to really know what’s going on (i.e. have opinions), we should visit some restaurants for food/experiences we want too, regardless of whether or not the atmosphere is tailor-made for a kid. I'm also thinking Quick Service will be our friend so we're not tied to so many reservations, but also, I have this really strong desire to go to Pinocchio's Village Haus for atmosphere now...
FPs: This is tricky because it puts us on a schedule and I’m thinking that once we enter the park, that schedule goes POOF! but we’ll follow as we please. The few other attractions that I’ve been having literal dreams about: Small World, Peter Pan, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Kilimanjaro Safari Ride. Really, I just can’t wait for him to sit in between us in a flying pirate ship or clammobile. I’m getting those first-time butterflies all over again.
Otherwise, what in the world is going on in the World? I’m positive we will miss the opening of Star Wars Land, which is fine by me. Toy Story Land will be new to us, but truth be told, I’m more interested in wandering the land itself moreso than riding Slinky Dog or Swirling Saucers. Maybe J and I will take turns, but I’m not really itching to ride either by myself. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, will thou be open? With the exception of Flight of Passage, we really only want to choose FPs for attractions that all three of us could do together. Speaking of which, would you take a 1 year old on Toy Story Mania? Wondering if it’s too intense motion-wise or if I’m being crazy-protective Mom.
Lastly, will I ever see Illuminations again? If I do, will we even make it to 9pm?
Packing: Things I think about: should Baby be wearing onesies or shirts/shorts? Onesies may be best because we'll still be in diapers, but then I have so many requirements like 'must have a Disney character on it' and 'must be a jumper/creeper-styled onesie' so his tender little bum doesn't make skin-to-seat contact. Oh, and lots of wipes and hand sanitizer. J tells me I need to let the germaphobia go...
Honestly, I probably shouldn’t think so hard into it. His clothes will probably get destroyed within a matter of minutes. But I’ve already started a healthy collection of 18 month sized Disney tshirts I hope to put to good use!
What else? Diapers, wipes, change of clothes, bottles or sippy cups, and probably a million other crucial things I am missing or don't even know exist. Like, I just discovered that there is such thing as water diapers for pool time exist today. Something tells me we will need a bigger park bag this time around, guys.
We will be flying (a whole ‘nother beast right there) and we definitely plan to bring a stroller instead of renting in the parks. J thinks we should protect ours from the elements of a Disney vacation and rent from a company for the entirety of our trip. Not sure I feel strongly either way… I just want my baby to be comfortable. But I’ll let him take the reins on that one. Since, you know, he’ll be the one carrying it all the time.
I know no amount of advice or research can possibly prepare us for what’s to come, but I figured I can collect a few gems here and there that will pay off in one way or another. Maybe someone out there has experiences they’d like to share with me as I figure this whole ‘parenting thing’ out over the next year. That should help pass the time since I got a ton of that on my hands as well, right?
Well, this pre-trip report kind of turned into a brain dump for me… but I’m sure I will look back at this thread with fondness at how uneducated and unrealistic I was, yet nevertheless, so happy.
And finally...
Why? Because Disney is and has always been, for me, the happiest place made complete with the people I love. Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do with my life other than have a family and take my children to Walt Disney World. And now, our Party of 2 has become a Party of 3, and this new chapter of our story is just getting started!
Thanks for reading!
. Thank you! I am so looking forward to watching him take everything in. He's definitely shy... (cont' below)