This post is going to be pretty boring for you if you 1. Don't care about Disney, 2. Don't have kids, or 3. Wanted to see pictures. It's also not going to be very useful as it is 94% speculation, 2% what I've read on the internet and 4% advice received from friends and family. But, if you've been hanging around this blog for a while (since 2010...wow), you'll know that planning is half the fun and writing about planning is half of half of that fun.
Itinerary
Clearly this was the first thing we did when planning this trip (about a year ago). We chose a shorter trip (~5 days) because we hadn't met Abby yet and we didn't know what kind of baby she would be. Of course she is super easy going and we totally could have booked for 2 weeks but that's okay. More room for subsequent trips ;). We took a look at the crowd calendar for February and picked out which parks we'd like to visit. We picked only a couple restaurants to make reservations in as, again, we didn't know what kind of baby we'd have. Generally, our planning was really more outlining, as we know we will have to be SUPER flexible. We don't really plan on riding a ton of rides, staying out of the hotel for hours on end, or staying out very late at night. We're just going to be in our happy place. Even if it means sitting on a bench with a Mickey Bar and people watching while Abby naps.
Packing
We're planning on using a grocery delivery service to get us the formula, food, diapers, etc. so we don't need to pack them. I'm bringing copious outfits for Abby and I've actually already started throwing things in a suitcase in her room as I remember them. She is going to turn 6 months old during our trip (half birthday!!) and I have a really special outfit (and a back up) for her to wear that day :). I got her a sun hat and she has 2 pairs of sunglasses, in addition to sunblock to keep her skin protected from the Florida sun. I was also advised to get a baby-wearing device that is not a Bjorn. Since we have a Bjorn and Joey likes it, we are going to bring it. But I ordered a Baby K'Tan and so far both Abby and I are a big fan of it. It folds down really small so it will fit into our diaper bag. Also going into the diaper bag: extra clothes for all three of us, ponchos, and stroller rain cover.
Air Travel
I've been reading all sorts of articles about flying with an infant. Abby is going to sit on one of our laps, which is going to be interesting as she requires to be sitting straight up at all times. We are going to bring lots of distracting toys (old favorites and new ones) and if all else fails, she loves to play with the iPhone (stellar parenting). We are bringing the jogger (more on that in a minute) and we're planning to gate check it. We are also bringing a small bicycle air pump to re-inflate the tires at the suggestion of a friend and disney-with-baby veteran. In terms of identification, we'll need a copy of Abby's birth certificate (although I doubt we will use it as she is clearly an infant). While I'm aware I can bring pre-mixed formula and ice packs through the airport, why go through the trouble? I'm going to bring powdered formula pre-measured and buy a bottle of water once we get through security. The baby food she is currently eating comes packaged in less than 3 oz containers so we will not need to have that inspected separately. Have you flown with an infant? Are these ideas terrible? Feel free to contact me with suggestions!!!
Our Hotel
We are staying at the Boardwalk! We will be within walking distance of our favorite park, Epcot and our not-so-favorite park, Hollywood Studios. My favorite thing about being able to walk to Epcot is that our entrance dumps you out into the middle of the World Showcase. Convenient that Abby's stroller has two cup holders?? ;) We will also have lots of different transportation options (walk, boat, monorail, bus) which will be fun since I hate taking the bus at Disney! Our hotel room is a villa so that means it has a washing machine and dryer, full kitchen including a dishwasher, microwave, oven, etc. and it comes with a Pack n Play. Since it is two rooms, we will be able to close the door if Abby is sleeping. The Boardwalk also has a pretty nice pool. It's not going to be warm enough to swim (current weather extended extended forecast is ~70s) but that didn't stop me from buying her a bathing suit, cover up and swim diaper... JUST IN CASE.
Strolling
We're bringing our monster jogging stroller. It's actually not that big and Abby will be able to sit up in it like a big girl. My parents will be down there with their car via auto train, and we dropped off an extra car seat with them this weekend so we will be able to catch a ride here and there. Our plan to differentiate our stroller from everyone else's is to attach a small plastic pirate flag (I have several). This will come in handy as stroller parking stations get crowded and attendants are known to re-organize while you are on the ride. So the stroller may or may not be in the same place you left it. It's going to be very different taking on WDW with a stroller. Our pace is going to slow down astronomically. I apologize in advance to the ankles that are going to get nipped. I also need to practice opening and closing it so I don't break it (again).
Daily Schedule
So Abby's schedule hasn't changed much other than her naps being out of whack. She still eats every 3 hours and is having solid food twice per day (morning/night). I think during our Disney trip we will bump her up to 3x per day since she'll be with us all day anyway. She wakes up around 4-5 for a bottle and then we will most likely go back to sleep since nothing at WDW is open at 5am... I might even get a run in here or there. We'll have oatmeal (she likes this SO much more than rice cereal) and another bottle around 7-8 and then hit the designated park. I'm guessing we will get about ~2 hours out of her before she needs her first nap so we'll probably head to a Baby Care Center for some quiet time. Maybe ride 1 or 2 things afterwards and then head back to the hotel around lunchtime. Our plan is to head back to the hotel every afternoon for some rest. Then go out for dinner and more fun if we're having a good day. Again, the key to our trip is being flexible so that's really all we are planning to do. (This worked out well for my birth plan so I'm just going to go with it.)
Special Activities for Abby's First Trip
As I said, Abby won't exactly remember this trip but it is special. We will definitely pick up a "First Visit" button at Guest Services and pin it to her stroller. The main thing is to get her picture taken with Mickey as we plan to do this every year (or so) so we can look back and watch her grow up through the pictures. Luckily we are friends with someone who is friends with Mickey so we may be able to get some special interaction if scheduling works out. Abby's Aunt Laura also works in the Magic Kingdom on the Jungle Cruise (ask for her if you go!!) so we will get to ride VIP style ;). That's about it. We are skipping the "First Haircut" this trip because Abby hardly has any hair... And we don't need to wait in line for hourrrssss to meet characters. Pals with babes... anything I'm forgetting??
Welp... I think that's enough for today. We've put a lot of thought into it and for all the planning we've done, the main goal is to be flexible and watch Abby for cues about when it's time to go back to the hotel and rest. I think and hope that as long as we do that, then we can have a successful trip!
If you have tips, tricks, ideas, suggestions, etc. I'd love to read them. E-mail them or FB message them to me!!
~SG
Also, since it's not a real post without a picture...
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| "Carrots" |
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