My husband and I spent 6 days at the Pop Century in late October '08 and I was GLAD I had made the decision to pack everything for our then 8 month old daughter.
-Given the size of the Pop Century I was surprised at the lame selection of baby food in their store. If I recall correctly everything was Beechnut - a brand I've never used. They had a couple types of fruit, a veg and one meal - chicken and squash or something. That was it. And the diapers - I glanced just long enough to do the math - a 10 pack for 10 bucks.
-I was also disappointed the food court didn't have sides or snacks that were baby friendly. No cheerios, only super sugary or low-fat/no fat yogurt, no cheese sticks... I think grapes and bananas were the only options we found.
-To give them some credit, the Pop Century store did seem to have a good supply of infant first aid supplies (tylenol, benedryl..). I'd taken the precaution of packing all of it (and thankfully didn't need it) but it was nice to see it on the shelves.
Given all this, I was glad I'd opted to just pack everything. I considered shipping but we flew Southwest and they still allow each adult two checked bags so we knew we'd have the room to spare.
The Baby Centers in the parks were fantastic - an oasis of baby friendliness. They did have a large selection of jar baby food but again it was all Beechnut. They also sold diapers, diaper kits, swim diapers and other assorted supplies. There was no pressure to buy anything but the friendly staff just let you know it was there. We brought our own food, used their warmers, high chairs, and cushy changing tables. I seem to recall they had water bubblers for making bottles (but I could be mistaken). They also all seemed to have a TV area for older siblings to and a room for breast feeding. On a side rant, can't Disney (of all companies) spring for an upgrade for the changing "areas" in the park restrooms? They are essentially countertops with a rail on the outside. Hard, slippery, no straps. It made changing a diaper a real chore.
A few misc. baby tips-
- Pop Century did set-up a pack and play (pack-n-play, pack in play...) in our room. I would STRONGLY recommend you bring your own sheets (they ones they supplied were itchy and a little "threadbare"). Standard, Graco sheets fit. Also, double check it has been set-up correctly. Ours didn't have the straps securing the mattress to the frame velcroed down.
- I think the food court at Pop Century had a total of 3, pretty sticky, highchairs. We packed a pop-up booster seat we attached to a chair in the room and just fed our daughter there. (Fewer distractions.)
-We inquired about the "baby swap" on a few of the rides and the staff was less than helpful. At the rocking roller coaster my husband, as directed by the staff, used his fast pass and I waited outside. When he came out, I used the special pass he got and... I spent 15 minutes in the fast pass line while he waited outside with the baby. On Everest we each got routed to the single rider line but thankfully the wait was short.
-The last thing I'll throw out there is we brought our own cheapo umbrella stroller. It worked our really well for us. Southwest (and most airlines) didn't count it as a checked bag and you can take it right up to the gate. It was easy to get on and off the park transport buses. our daughter felt right at home, and we didn't worry about parking it and walking away because, at $30, it wasn't worth stealing. The strollers they rent at the parks really aren't intended for infants. And, renting them is expensive!
So we ended up buying a bit in the baby centres and he now ( at 9 months) has 8 teeth so we have started introducing soft chunks, so he will often eat what we have. DS loves to feed himself.
