Do your girls bring their American Girl Dolls on Disney Trips?

[motor58]

My two girls have AG dolls and I am KOTS and will be doing all packing. My girls aren't SUPER into their dolls but they do love them. Should I pack them in their luggage or leave them behind? Curious if you have brought your dolls and regretted it or if they came on the trip and it was good. I am thinking having them in the hotel room might be a good thing? The dolls have a disney princess outfit and I may get another outfit for this trip (maybe). I'd love to hear your thoughts on this-total overthinking I know. I hate bringing stuff we don't need you know?

 

[Pesky]

For now, my DD doesn't know what AG is and I'm sure hoping to keep it that way! But there was another post re Pixie Dust either here or on the Theme Park strategies board where someone's DD brought her doll and the parents didn't want to take the doll to the park. They'd gotten to the WDW resort too early so they asked if someone could "babysit" the doll. A CM promised solemnly to watch over her. When they got back, their room was ready and bags were in there. Including the girl's doll in a new princess dress in a disney doll stroller with an autograph book of pictures of the doll all over the parks and autographs of the various characters. Not saying that would happen (probably wouldn't mention it to get your girls' hopes up) but if they are jonesing to bring them, you can and just leave them in the room.

 

[Hannathy]

My DD loved her Am Girl dolls but we never took them to Disney for a few reasons.

1. They are stiff and rather big to try and fit into her backpack and or take up a lot of room in a suitcase.

2. They are expensive to loose or to get damaged

3. She never slept with them they had their own beds so she didn't miss them at night

4. We were in the room so little, when would she have played with them?

She only took the soft dog she slept with and a couple small things for the plane. Have to have room to get something at Disney!

I wouldn't bring them unless it was something she slept with every night.

 

[Mrs.Malone]

No, they are just not very portable. To me it's not worth the hassle of carting them along or the worry of losing them. My kids bring along a small (beanie baby size) stuffed animal, and always one that's not an absolute favorite because it's just too easy for things to get lost on trips.

 

[canopynut66]

My neice has a 5 year old and she wanted to haul her AG all over---that meant to a 5 year olds mind to the bus and then my sister my neice and myself had the doll the rest of the day in the heat and crowds to mess with. we finally rented a stroller to lay the doll down. so IMO have the AG dolls take naps in the resort while you go to the parks. just sayin

 

[nannye]

I leave in a few weeks, and part of the Disney Surprise for V is that I have gotten her an American Girl Doll and I am surprising her with it. We are actually making the doll some princess costumes too. I have no doubt that she will want the doll to come with us to the park so I bought the doll carryingcase/backpack to protect the doll, hold her stuff and it will be V's responsibilit and she can wear it like a backpack. Otherwise when not out, the doll will be in it's case in the stroller. I hope I don't regret it, but we'll see if it becomes an issue the doll stays in the room.

I got the carrying case from Target for about $15 i think.

 

[Disneyana'sAunt]

My niece takes her AG doll on all disney trips. Our last trip was a B2B cruise from LA to Vancouver and to Alaska. Our server would have a booster seat waiting on the doll everynight(LOL)!!! She gets lots of interaction from the characters when she has her doll! She also has her own suitcase that she brings!! She's very responsible with it and never left it or forgot it! She's been doing this since she was 8 years old and she is 12 now! Her doll has been to Barcalona and thru the Panama Canal plus numerous Disney World trips. She will probably outgrow this soon and I will miss not having Sara with us!!!She's also a great conversation starter! People always want to know if it is an AG doll and where do we get the outfits!! And she looks just like my niece(just like me doll)! We have lots of great vacation memories with her!!

If they are old enough to carry them I would let them bring them! Oh, and by the way, Sara would never be put in a suitcase!!

Janice

 

[Aliceacc]

Nope.

There simply isn't time to play with dolls. We're either in the parks or the pool. My girls sleep until I get them up for rope drop, then they pretty much fall into bed at night.

 

[MyKidsMom1820]

we will take ours but leave in hotel for day.... mousekeeping always had all of our toys and dolls in fun poses when we returned!

 

[NorthernGrl]

My girls have knock off dolls (Our Generation) and we're taking them with us this time. They can play with them in the van during our 24 hour drive, then play with them in the room. No way will they go to the parks with us. I have enough stress keeping track of 4 real kids! lol

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Nope- ours will be staying home. While I like bringing plush, those are at least easy to squish into a bag. I initially debated about finding an ebay or etsy seller who makes Disney princess doll attire for AGDs, but I realized that I didn't want to encourage the girls to even consider having their dolls along with them on vacay.

 

[RMulieri]

Nope..Mine stays home.Too big to carry,too expensive to lose and not enough time to play with them.I sure wouldnt bring it to the parks since I am the poor fool who would end of carrying it

 

[sk!mom]

This may be the most surprising thing I've ever read on here. I cannot imagine carrying a large doll around an amusement park. I don't get what the point would be??

On DD16's first trip, we did bring her baby doll that she was very attached to. She turned 5 that week and her baby fit easily in the backpack that DD wore through the airport and then it kept her occupied on the plane. The doll stayed in the room at all times. We never considered taking her to a park. By our next trip, DD was 8 and we didn't bring anything. She probably had a book or magazines for the plane but nothing else.

 

[motor58]

Thanks everybody. I never thought of taking the dolls to the parks (well, maybe one day) but as something to keep in the hotel room to play with. It's nice to hear from you all-I may bring them! Or may not, I think I will leave it up to how packing goes. I think it would be neat to have them in the room, but if there isn't enough room that will be that. Thanks!

 

[scootch]

My 9 year old dd did bring ours the last trip and several days to the park. We got some cute pic with characters but after a couple days of bringing it to the park, i started making her leave it at the hotel. If she wouldn't have been so excited about taking it, I would have left it home. It was totally her idea. If they aren't asking to take it, I would leave it home. She was great about carrying it but it was just one more thing for me to keep track of. She would have been devestated had it got lost. They do have outfits of all the princesses and minnie that fit the AG dolls.

 

[Becc1]

My DD has brought some kind of AG doll on every trip. But my DD brings a doll with her most places she goes. She would bring o=more than 1 if we would let her. We just got back from the beach and she brought Elizabeth with us along with 2 small bags full of Elizabeth's stuff, lol. I do make her leave the dolls in the room though when we are at the parks, I cannot imagine carting them around all day.

 

[graceesmom]

My daughter took hers on our trip to WDW a couple of weeks ago. She only went to the park 1 day (our BBB and CRT day) dressed in a princess dress to match our daughter's.

She also went to dinner at Narcooses in her Minnie Mouse dress. Otherwise she stayed in the room to play with the other stuffed animals that came on the trip with us. When we returned to the room, the housekeeper always had placed the doll and stuffed animals around the room like they had been entertaining themselves (put on leis, watching t.v., coloring books in front of them, etc.) It was very cute to watch our daughter's reaction to what her "friends" did during the day while we were at the park.

We drive so space isn't that much of an issue for us. Our daughter's doll has her own carrying case that holds a few outfits. Our daughter's doll also went to Mexico with us last November and got her own snorkel gear for that trip.

 

[dragonfly08]

The only trips my kids are allowed to bring their AG dolls on are those to visit family. If we're staying in a hotel, especially if we're flying, the dolls stay home. They're too bulky, too expensive to risk having them lost/stolen/damaged/left behind, and really not necessary if we're on the go all day. My kids usually each have room for one "doll like" item in their personal bag and they prefer to pack a stuffed animal to sleep with.

 

[kt_mom]

DD always takes one of her two AG dolls on vacation with her. She's so funny debating on who to take based on who got to go on vacation last time and to where.

We leave for the beach in a couple weeks and I haven't heard her mention yet who she'll bring this time. But I did tell her that she needed to limit the outfits becuase she packed way too many last year and her and her cousin had stuff everywhere all week.

For Disney they wear a cute little Minnie mouse outfit I got for her on ebay and maybe one other outfit. DD carries her on the plane usually in her carryon bag. For the beach she brings a few outfits and a bathing suit. Although the doll never leaves the room either place.

DD would probably take one everywhere but DH isn't a fan of taking dolls to dinner and stuff so she tends to leave her at home. He doesn't get it and DD hasn't really argued with it or complained to much so I don't get involved.

 

[kldmom2000]

My older DD brought hers once a few years ago.... she'd gotten the now discontinued AG backpack w/ the doll carrier on the back for the plane. I did not let her bring the doll into the parks since it was too risky with the rides and having to store it. Each day though, we'd come back to the hotel room to find that mousekeeping had set her doll up in cute scenarios w/ towel animals After that year though, I had her arrange with a friend to "babysit" her dolls for her at home since she didn't want to leave them behind...