How do you get the balloons home?

[catherines_mama]

If you are flying and you buy one of those HUGE balloons how do you get them home? Do you deflate before hand or carry them? I know this is dumb but it's going to come up because DD LOVES balloons!!!

Yes we would cut a slit and in it and fold them up. It takes up no room.

 

[BellsFam]

Yes we would cut a slit and in it and fold them up. It takes up no room.

Yeah I'm not too worried about how much room it will take... I'd probably buy one on the first day and tie it to the stroller or something...hoping it will lose some air before we depart...

P.S. I would NEVER purposefully release a balloon, but DD's little fingers have had times when her grandpa, stole our balloon and took it back up to heaven for him to enjoy, (quite accidentally)...

 

[disnut8]

I would deflate the balloon and pack away in a suitcase because you'll get to have more fun with it at home. My mother would always deflate our balloons with a small slit near the air entry point. Then, once home, she would stuff it with padding (you can use whatever you want, cotton balls, real cotton padding for pillows, etc.) and the balloon would grow again. And stay grown for however long I wanted them. No need to put a deflated balloon on a wall. Always stuffed balloons on a bed lasted me a very long time. Some went to college with me.

 

[kastoney]

What do you meant by releasing? Please tell me you aren't letting it float away? That's so bad for the wildlife... Rather, play balloon fairy and hand it off to another kid, or tie it to a park bench (where I'm sure a CM will end up disposing of it- but maybe it will make someone smile first.) Hopefully letting it go isn't what you meant by releasing. (Florida actually has a law against that.)

Yep, we let it go. Though I Would love to know how releasing a ballon is harmful to wildlife. We have school fundraiser that release balloons each and every year and the one that goes the furthest wins a prize (usually goes several states away).

 

[Nayan]

Yes, it is illegal to release balloons here in Florida. Yes, they do harm wildlife. Don't do it:

http://www.yelvertonbrook.com.au/page2613430.aspx?print=Y

 

[alicat8]

Yes, it is illegal to release balloons here in Florida. Yes, they do harm wildlife. Don't do it:

http://www.yelvertonbrook.com.au/page2613430.aspx?print=Y

Thank you. Was going to say it myself. Blows my mind that people can't see how this is littering...

 

[momto3boysillbe]

If you are flying and you buy one of those HUGE balloons how do you get them home? Do you deflate before hand or carry them? I know this is dumb but it's going to come up because DD LOVES balloons!!!

we take ours home when we can and we've had some that have lasted a long while! Once we were able to fit it in the trunk. The other times we just bring them where they fit in. We don't fly though so hopefully you can take them home deflated and then maybe re inflate them? I love them so I love to bring them home.

 

[pooh2001]

Deflate it - keep it in a memory drawer at home.
Our DS & DD have a drawer of memories - cards from their 1st birthday to their 18th birthday
Balloons from WDW and other places (not to name them here) - all balloons deflated. Even some other souvenirs which can be laid flat and fit in the drawer.
Such as passing the drivers test, Senior Prom pictures, .....

Hey even young adults have their memories

 

[ppony]

We're balloon fairies too. Before going on a cruise or before leaving for MCO, we give them away to a young child. Gotta say though, it was better when I did it. My husband tried to do it, but no one wants to take a balloon from a scruffy, 5-o'clock shadowed man in black t-shirts and shorts. Imagine that! Can't imagine why! "Come here kiddies, want a balloon???" I'd like to bring one home though so I needed to read the thread.

Yep, we let it go. Though I Would love to know how releasing a ballon is harmful to wildlife. We have school fundraiser that release balloons each and every year and the one that goes the furthest wins a prize (usually goes several states away).

Wow. I didn't know they did that ANYWHERE anymore. They haven't done it in MN for at least 30+ years. Bad stuff. Think about how you don't want your baby or toddler to get ahold of a deflated ballon, even a broken one. Why? Because they can easily CHOKE that's why. Same for animals. That's true reason you can't even have a balloon if you're staying at AKL. No balloons there for that precise reason.

 

[Iowajes]

Yep, we let it go. Though I Would love to know how releasing a ballon is harmful to wildlife. We have school fundraiser that release balloons each and every year and the one that goes the furthest wins a prize (usually goes several states away).

Generally animals (usually birds; but this can happen to any wild animal or cattle, or even domestic animal) eat them and suffocate or choke. If that doesn't happen, the balloon can block the digestive system, causing the animal to die a slow death of starvation. If you release them with ribbon, they can cause entanglement hazards to animals. Many animals have been found dead that way. Not to mention the just general "littering" aspect of it. Does your school then go collect all the plastic trash they've released? Would you toss a bottle on the side of a road? Why a balloon?

My school did a balloon release in 1988 (and probably years before too). In 1989 they stopped due to the environmental impact. I had no idea places still did this in 2014.

So while your state may allow it, reconsider it in Florida (and many other states) where it is illegal.

 

[luvmy2babies]

About 3 years ago we had considered doing a balloon release at the cemetery when we visited dh on his birthday, but remembered the dangers and just tied it down along with the weight that was on it. My SIL came and got it when it deflated.

We've learned what happens when animals eat them. At Animal Kingdom one of the Wilderness Explorer activities shows an x-ray they took of a turtle they treated. The children have to look at the x-ray and figure out what happened. He had an intestinal blockage from eating trash. They actually had it on display there and there were balloon pieces among what he ate.

 

[carlyle688]

It's only illegal to release 10 or more within a 24 hour period -- but still a better idea to just pass it on to another child who can enjoy it.

379.233 Release of balloons.—

(1) The Legislature finds that the release into the atmosphere of large numbers of balloons inflated with lighter-than-air gases poses a danger and nuisance to the environment, particularly to wildlife and marine animals.

(2) It is unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to intentionally release, organize the release, or intentionally cause to be released within a 24-hour period 10 or more balloons inflated with a gas that is lighter than air except for:
(a) Balloons released by a person on behalf of a governmental agency or pursuant to a governmental contract for scientific or meteorological purposes;

(b) Hot air balloons that are recovered after launching;

(c) Balloons released indoors; or

(d) Balloons that are either biodegradable or photodegradable, as determined by rule of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and which are closed by a hand-tied knot in the stem of the balloon without string, ribbon, or other attachments. In the event that any balloons are released pursuant to the exemption established in this paragraph, the party responsible for the release shall make available to any law enforcement officer evidence of the biodegradability or photodegradability of said balloons in the form of a certificate executed by the manufacturer. Failure to provide said evidence shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this act.

(3) Any person who violates subsection (2) is guilty of a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a fine of $250.

(4) Any person may petition the circuit court to enjoin the release of 10 or more balloons if that person is a citizen of the county in which the balloons are to be released.

 

[momto3gr8boys]

I've posted this story before, but here's our "balloon adventure" BTW, I just cut and pasted, so there are some emoticons missing that would add to it, but you can probably guess ;-)

So DS12, who was 7 at the time, spotted this balloon and wanted it. Mind you he's been going to Disney since he was a year old and never wanted a balloon before. In fact, none of my kids ever asked for one, so I thought it was an odd request. But he WANTED it. Ok, ok, I said I'd get him the balloon. Walked over the man selling it and it was exorbitantly expensive, IMO, for a piece of latex. But the kid wanted it, and the man assured me it could last for months (in earshot of DS - thanks, Mister, but we fly to WDW - and this was before I had ever read of people on DIS actually deflating these things). Ok, off we go, he's happy as a clam with his balloon, yadda yadda yadda.

Balloon is living happily at the Beach Club for the last few days of our trip, and the time comes to say goodbye. I thought we could just give it to another child and Evan would be over it in a minute. I mean, after all, he's SEVEN - not three. Nope. He wasn't having it. He told me he would bring it home. I said, if you can get it on the plane, you can bring it home - figuring for sure there was no way it was going home with us.

Now we had gotten a great deal on an early morning flight home, but I did not want to pay BC prices to just wake up and leave. So we checked out, left our bags at bell services and decided to do the parks until close and then stay at the MCO Hyatt. The CM at bell services said, I don't think you are going to be able to bring home that balloon. He looked like this: , but Evan was adamant he would. Off to MCO later in the evening, balloon enjoyed a night at the Hyatt, and early the next morning, after we had checked in, Evan proudly marched up to security with the balloon in his hand. The TSA guy looked like this: . But he finally decided he wasn't chancing it through the x-ray machine and carried it through himself. We waited for our plane with throngs of other kids fresh from WDW. Surprisingly, none of them had giant Mickey balloons. So it comes time to board. He proudly marches down the aisle of the plane, getting a few looks here and there, and finds his seat and proceeds to try to stuff balloon under the seat. It pops up and hits the ceiling. He tries again. Same result. By now two flight attendants are looking like this: So one pulls me aside and says it's not going to fit under the seat and we can't have a balloon floating around the plane. Reasonable enough to me - maybe she could mention that to Evan. He looks at her with his big brown eyes and flashes his dimples and next thing you know, she and I are making room in the overhead bin and literally SHOVING this balloon in there. I was positive it would pop. It squeaked and screeched and bam, we slammed the overhead bin. I was hoping no one would need to try to get in there! Then she looks at me and whispers in my ear, it's going to explode at 10,000 feet. Ugh. I turned to the guy sitting next to me and said, If you hear a loud boom, don't panic.

So we take off. No loud booms, but I was trying to prepare Evan that there was a pretty good chance it was not going to still be in one piece when we got home. He assured me it would be.

We landed at JFK, I carefully opened the overhead bin, and out floated Mickey!!

Evan proudly grabbed his balloon and marched back up the aisle. The pilot came out of the cockpit looking like this: and said, how did that make it through the flight??

And the answer to that, must be, the magic of Disney

The balloon went on to live in his room for two more happy months until Evan turned 8 and announced he was too old for balloons and popped it!

Here he is with his balloon:

 

[Iowajes]

Incredible it didn't pop on the flight! I didn't realize the cabins were pressurized so low that gas expansion in a balloon wouldn't be too high!

 

[ols386]

Op, I hope you meant that you are driving, not flying. You weren't thinking they would allow an inflated Mickey balloon in the aircraft, did you?

We've been on flights where folks had those balloons, but they popped because of the pressure.

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

We always play "balloon fairy" - DD6 knows when we buy it that we will be giving it away on our last day. She loves picking out another child to give it to. We always ask the parents first, though.

This is such an awesome idea!!! I was planning on ordering balloons for our stay in november through disney florist(extra magic for my mom's first time)

I think that is probably the only way I can convince my two younger boys to give theirs away....

 

[NYDisGuy]

It's only illegal to release 10 or more within a 24 hour period -- but still a better idea to just pass it on to another child who can enjoy it.

Yes, this is an important clarification. It's not illegal to release one balloon into the air. I also thought Disney switched to biodegradable balloons and no longer carry latex? Can someone confirm that?

 

[Iowajes]

Yes, this is an important clarification. It's not illegal to release one balloon into the air. I also thought Disney switched to biodegradable balloons and no longer carry latex? Can someone confirm that?

Good to know it isn't illegal to release one, but it still isn't a good idea.

Most studies on "biodegradable" balloons have shown once they are colored they are no longer biodegradable in any reasonable amount of time. In time years they might do better than latex, but they have the same hazard to animals in the short term. And make sure not to release the ribbon that goes with the balloon- I think even for large scale balloon release, no ribbon is now standard.

Does Disney no longer sell any sort of mylar balloon? That of course would be very hazardous to release.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Yep, we let it go. Though I Would love to know how releasing a ballon is harmful to wildlife. We have school fundraiser that release balloons each and every year and the one that goes the furthest wins a prize (usually goes several states away).

Well your fundraiser better get on board with the facts It's illegal in your state too for a large amount of balloons ( 50 plus which probably the fundraiser is doing ) Surprised if you advertise this that nothing has been done to stop it

http://balloonsblow.org/laws-concerning-balloons

 

[LilyWDW]

Yes, this is an important clarification. It's not illegal to release one balloon into the air. I also thought Disney switched to biodegradable balloons and no longer carry latex? Can someone confirm that?

Biodegradable vs latex means nothing when it comes to how dangerous it can be for wildlife. Biodegradable just means that it will degrade at some point in time. That time period is still longer then the time it takes for the balloon to become a possible hazard.

Plus, it is still littering. My cup may be biodegradable, but that doesn't mean I throw it out my car window.