Never again in late October. . . .

[Mme. Leota]

. . .ok, so not really. I'm just hoping people will see the title and decide not to go and mess up my new chosen week. This will be a mini-TR, with a few observations and hopefully some helpful information, especially to those traveling with small children.

The cast of characters includes my Mom and Dad, DH, DS 2 1/2, DD 8 months, and of course, yours truly. We were at WDW October 21-28, and stayed at Pop. We had the free dining package offered to Disney Visa card holders.

In all honesty, this was my best trip to WDW ever. Even taking care of two little ones in diapers, and still breastfeeding DD. It.was. amazing. So amazing that I cried leaving the Magic Kingdom on the last day and my sweet, sweet Daddy offered to buy another round of MNSSHP tickets so we could stay a little longer. (I declined, we had to pack.)


The crowds were more than managable during the week. MK on Saturday was a bit crazy, but otherwise it was simply perfect. The weather was a tad warm for that time of year, but for us southerners it was fine, just a bit unseasonable as it was around 90 every day. I had purchased two stroller fans on Amazon for >$10 apiece, and they were enough to keep the kiddos cool. (I also could have made a fortune if I had carried a bag of them into the parks everyday.) It seemed everybody we passed was pointing at our stroller and talking about the fans.

Stay tuned for posts covering:
Baby Care Centers/caring for little ones at Disney
Dining (and how it totally rocks to be nursing a baby so you don't feel guilty eating all that wonderful food)
Wishes Dessert Party
Family Friendly Attractions/Why it is necessary for Disney to have playgrounds

. . .and who knows what else.

 

[Mme. Leota]

First and foremost, we had two little ones to care for. The baby care centers are a wonderful feature of each park. A nice cool and supposedly quite place to escape the crowds and nurse, change, feed, etc. . .your babies. But even when the crowds were so light, the two nursing rooms at AK weren't enough. Don't get me wrong, I love that so many Moms are nursing their babies, but I can't imagine in peak season, when I couldn't get in one in late October. It was quiet, though, and I just sat in a chair in the corner and skipped the rocking chair.

The MK has a larger nursing room with I think 5 rocking chairs. Several times they were all full, I never had to wait, but there were a steady stream of moms in there. I did enjoy that though--I liked the sense of sisterhood in there I didn't like, however, that the baby care center was one of the loudest places in the park. Seriously. With a tiny baby that isn't a problem, but 8 month olds are easily distracted, and I was kinda not wanting to spend my entire vacation in there. People need to keep their older children quiet, and grown-ups need to find a better place to have a loud conversation that directly outside the door of the nursing room. Several times I heard the sweet cast members to ask people to move, stop blocking the halls, and they even had to remind grandmas etc. . .that the nursing room was reserved for moms and babies only. I know those rocking chairs are appealing, but really, they are there for a purpose.

At EPCOT, I didn't go to the center. Spaceship Earth is the perfect place to nurse your baby--you get to ride, it is dark and cool--she napped on my chest on the ride back down It was lovely. The garden at the England Pavilion was also a lovely spot to nurse, and I enjoyed seeing the older kids come to the Kim Possible stop. That looks really fun. I hope it is still around when my kids are big enough to get it.

DHS was so uncrowded that I just always found a quite spot to nurse without walking all the way back up to the entrance. It was just easier than going that far away from the group. The ABC Commissary is more central and was never crowded. And after eating the food there, I know why. Not nearly as scenic as all the great places in EPCOT, but we got the job done.

I never had any negative comments or even ugly looks while nursing in public, even when it was too hot to use the cover. Lots of nice reassuring smiles from other moms, but that is it.

For kids that are a little bit bigger, newer facilities like Animal Kingdom and Pop have very low sinks so you don't have to hoist them up to wash their hands. Those are a fantastic addition IMHO, and my two year old loved them.

I know people debate taking kids as young as mine, and many think we are crazy for taking them before they will remember it, but we had a great time. Even DD loved the rides, "talked" to all the dolls on IASW, was fascinated with the Princesses already (yes, I am in trouble), and was captivated by the fireworks.

Disney does their best to make it easy on parents, and we did have a great experience.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Can't wait to hear more!