A Pack of Lions is a Pride - Squishy’s First Trip to WDW! A February 2022 Trip Report

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

I just found this!!! I have to catch up!!! I read the intro, and I am so excited to learn more about you and your family! Your daughter is beautiful! I will catch up and comment later, promise!

Thank you! I'm so excited to be a Disney family, I've dreamt of having a daughter and taking her on Disney trips since I was just a little girl myself. Thanks for sharing your awesome trip reports, I love reading them!!

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

OMG that Tigger costume is so cute!!

I made a rule for myself that no traveling until we were all vaccinated. So as soon as the 5-11 was vaccinated, I got my 5 and 7-year old vaccinated. That's why we got to visit family in CA. In your shoes, I wouldn't go, but I know that doesn't work for everyone. Kids are less likely to be sick even if infected, and you can mitigate risks by masking up and keeping distance, eating outdoors, etc. It's really what YOU guys feel is safe and comfortable at this point.

Thanks for your input! I so wish she could be vaccinated already, that'd make this decision so much easier. I really want to take her and know we'd be good about keeping distance (I don't really care about going on rides, I just love being there around all the theming and magic). But I also know I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to her that could have been preventable by staying put... gah, this pandemic needs to end already!

 

[ZeeWP]

Thanks for your input! I so wish she could be vaccinated already, that'd make this decision so much easier. I really want to take her and know we'd be good about keeping distance (I don't really care about going on rides, I just love being there around all the theming and magic). But I also know I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to her that could have been preventable by staying put... gah, this pandemic needs to end already!

I so understand. I am with you. Lots of hugs as you come to this decision. And I agree, I am SOOOO done with anything related to COVID.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The trip reports of @chunkymonkey, @CruellaNY, @fallonkendra, @kastoney, @StarWarsMomofGirls!, @mFont23, and @TheLittleKatie in particular got me through my pandemic pregnancy and the looooong first trimester of morning sickness and fatigue. I don’t think I’ll be able to live up to their trip report greatness, but I’ll do my best!

Thanks! I am honored to be on that list of folks! I love sharing my trips! And I can't wait to hear about yours whenever it may be!

WHEN: February 14-18, 2022

If you keep this, we will just miss you!

I can’t share any photos or details because HBO NDAs are no joke, so here’s a selfie from before heading into hair and makeup!

That is exciting!

Back to Disney; looking at ADRs for our trip. We're thinking:
* a Jiko dinner for the adults only, likely on the second or third night, while the babies hang out back in the room with a Disney sitter
* a Boma breakfast for all of us
* a Sanaa lunch for all of us (

I like the sounds of all 3 of those!

I are spoiled by living in NYC and traveling a lot, so we've had some really stellar sushi and I don't know if Florida sushi, even at Disney, can live up...

Disney sushi will def NOT live up to what you have had. It's not bad but nothing amazing.

We'd wanted to do the luau at The Polynesian, but it's one of the covid closures. I hope it opens back up before then, but if not does anyone know of any similar vibes? Or just tell me what your favorite Disney dining option(s) are!

Hmmm... Hoop Dee Doo Review is similar in the fact that it is dinner and a show. I want to do Hoop Dee Doo Review again but it does take time to get there, it's a chunk of time. So, for a short trip it is hard to fit it in. But I def recommend it.

HOWEVER... omicron. We're in NYC so we've been really seeing how bad it can get (it seems like everyone either has it or has been exposed so we're fully bunkered down trying to stay safe).

Ugh!!! Omicron!!!

What are people's thoughts? And how short notice do you think we could book this trip? We're still planning on staying at AKL and in two rooms and doing one park a day.

So, we are battling this right now. I do think and hope we are keeping our trip. BUT we are now a fully vaccinated family. And for us being all vaccinated was a top priority for us. But it really up to you and what you are comfortable doing.

Do you have anything booked yet? Maybe take a peek at what your options are hotel wise. That might help you decide one way or another.

It really sucks that we are still in this position of having to make these decisions.

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

Thanks! I am honored to be on that list of folks! I love sharing my trips! And I can't wait to hear about yours whenever it may be!


If you keep this, we will just miss you!


That is exciting!


I like the sounds of all 3 of those!


Disney sushi will def NOT live up to what you have had. It's not bad but nothing amazing.


Hmmm... Hoop Dee Doo Review is similar in the fact that it is dinner and a show. I want to do Hoop Dee Doo Review again but it does take time to get there, it's a chunk of time. So, for a short trip it is hard to fit it in. But I def recommend it.


Ugh!!! Omicron!!!

So, we are battling this right now. I do think and hope we are keeping our trip. BUT we are now a fully vaccinated family. And for us being all vaccinated was a top priority for us. But it really up to you and what you are comfortable doing.

Do you have anything booked yet? Maybe take a peek at what your options are hotel wise. That might help you decide one way or another.

It really sucks that we are still in this position of having to make these decisions.

Thanks and thanks for the tips! We haven’t booked yet, I’m planning to do it in two weeks or so (my hope is that the case numbers will fall post-holiday).

All of the adults are vaxxed and boosted, but the babies aren’t yet! I think at this point we think we’ll be good to go, but we’ll update depending on Covid developments. Bummer that we’ll just miss you guys, but I’m so excited to read your trip report! You guys’ trip reports seriously got me through the morning sickness, I’d binge them for hours on the couch.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Thanks and thanks for the tips! We haven’t booked yet, I’m planning to do it in two weeks or so (my hope is that the case numbers will fall post-holiday).

I am hoping this is the case as well!!!!

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

Following along. Congrats on the new babies in the family. I have an almost 17 month old granddaughter and 7 week old grandson and I can't wait until we can take a big family disney trip with them.

Ahhhhh grandchildren! That's so exciting! I'm already so excited to become a grandma some day, even though I just barely became a mom.

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

Hi, if you're a seafood-loving crew, I've heard good things about Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian; or the Boathouse at Disney Springs. Side note: love your selfie! So naturally beautiful. You have a very cool career!!

Thank you! Sorry, just seeing this reply - Disney is definitely a huge part of why I wanted to become an entertainer. Being in a Disney production of some sort is, of course, my ultimate career goal. I haven't been to Narcoossee's yet, but we (especially me) love fish, so we'll have to check it out this trip!

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

UPDATE - it’s official! Last night we booked and we’re going February 12-17, staying in three rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge!

I’m so excited to take my daughter, my sister, my niece, my lovely family to the happiest place on earth!

(Above, the squishiest squish whoever squished)

Prince Charming doesn’t want to be away from work for that long, because he still has the world to conquer, so he’s just coming for February 12-14.

We’re also bringing Squishy’s part time nanny along (hence the third room) because she’s a Disney lover too and super sweet! So Prince Charming and I are planning to sneak away for a lovers late lunch or early dinner on Valentine’s Day before he flies back up to NYC.

Our tentative activity plan (remember we’re traveling with two infants and don’t want to overwhelm them!) is:

Saturday - travel day, hotel fun
Sunday - Animal Kingdom
Monday - Magic Kingdom
Tuesday - Disney Springs, hotel fun, chill day
Wednesday - Epcot
Thursday - hotel fun, travel day

Thoughts or advice on our tentative itinerary?

 

[ZeeWP]

SO EXCITING! Yes, I like your itinerary. Seems perfect for you little family

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Very exciting!

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

Friends who've been to Disney with babies/young toddlers: HELP!

STROLLERS - do we bring them? Or should we rent them? How easy is it to get one at the resorts/parks (we're staying at AKL and visiting Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney Springs)? Are theirs decent quality?

NAPS - I'm trying to get Squishy down to one nap a day, in which case we could theoretically head back to the resort around noon for naps. Is that what everyone recommends, or is there an alternate way to handle naps? Squishy is not a good sleeper, unfortunately - she's very much a princess by princess and the pea standards.

FREEZERS - how big are the in-room freezers? I'd ideally like to bring 12-18 bags of frozen milk (I weaned months ago but Squishy is still drinking 2 good sized bottles a day of frozen milk, because I had a huge oversupply). Or has anyone tried just giving cow's milk for a week and then switching back to breastmilk? I worry that if I don't give her my milk during the trip week she won't want it when we get back.

Thanks for your help!

(Above, we're baby-proofing! There are post-its all over for cupboards that need to be locked, and Squishy thinks it's great fun to try to tear them all down - 'not for babies' is her least favorite phrase.)

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We rented strollers from an outside place. And they are nice as they can lay down for resting and even using at the hotels. You will have to fold it up to get on the bus. But it’s not too bad. Just pick a place that is allowed to drop off the stroller when you aren’t there. Makes your life easier

The park ones are very hard. But you wouldn’t have to deal with it on the bus. Which can be nice.

Some folks like to bring there own to use in the airport. But if you don’t want to use it In the airport, I would rent either in the parks or a third party place.

The freezers aren’t very big… can it just be refrigerated? If you want to do milk, I would introduce it before you go. Make sure she can tolerate it. Maybe do half milk half breast milk? That way you don’t need to bring as much?

Another tip, I used to order diapers and wipes from garden grocer and bring what I needed to get down there. Left room in the suitcases for other stuff.

 

[amazingact21]

As far as strollers go, I think the two biggest questions you should ask yourself is a)will you want the stroller in the airport and b)how easy does your stroller fold?
I've done all three different ways. Brought my own, rented from offsite, and used a park one. I wouldn't recommend the park ones since Squish is still so young. They are plastic and hard as a rock.
If you can't fold your stroller with one hand, it might be beneficial to renting offsite, only because schlepping the items on and off buses with a bag and a baby can become cumbersome if said item is difficult to fold/unfold. However! The downside to the strollers that fold one-handed (I'm speaking specifically of City Minis) are the storage pockets aren't very big, so if you think you'll want space to store bags, waters, etc and your personal stroller is great with that, then that is something to consider, as well.

Naps back at the resort are always great, simply because you know the baby is getting solid and restful sleep. I would just say, though, that your little might get overstimulated in the parks and fall asleep sooner than you expect. The first day of my son's first Disney trip, he fell asleep at eleven when his usual naptime was after lunchtime. It's just a lot for their little eyes to take in! Or it could go the opposite direction, too, and you get Squish back to the room and she struggles to fall asleep.

Good luck with the baby-proofing! Some of those latches are difficult for adults to get through.

 

[ZeeWP]

STROLLERS - do we bring them? Or should we rent them?

Bring your own or rent from an outside vendor. But don't use the park ones. They are hard and uncomfortable. I had a city mini two-person one and it worked great!

NAPS - I'm trying to get Squishy down to one nap a day, in which case we could theoretically head back to the resort around noon for naps. Is that what everyone recommends, or is there an alternate way to handle naps?

If she has trouble going down, like needs darkness quiet or white noise or whatever, then yes, go back to the hotel room. My children could fall asleep wherever for naps as long as the stroller was moving so we didn't have to go back. (Our experience is based on Disneyland, also, and we were staying at a relative's house)

FREEZERS - how big are the in-room freezers? I'd ideally like to bring 12-18 bags of frozen milk (I weaned months ago but Squishy is still drinking 2 good sized bottles a day of frozen milk, because I had a huge oversupply). Or has anyone tried just giving cow's milk for a week and then switching back to breastmilk?

They are dorm-style fridges, not at all freezers, and basically a glorified cooler. I'd keep maybe a weeks worth of regular milk, but I doubt you can keep liquid gold well. Maybe the hotels have something special for medicine/breastmilk, but you may want to call and ask. Otherwise, the best-case scenario might be to slowly introduce cow's milk anyways.

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

We rented strollers from an outside place. And they are nice as they can lay down for resting and even using at the hotels. You will have to fold it up to get on the bus. But it’s not too bad. Just pick a place that is allowed to drop off the stroller when you aren’t there. Makes your life easier

The park ones are very hard. But you wouldn’t have to deal with it on the bus. Which can be nice.

Some folks like to bring there own to use in the airport. But if you don’t want to use it In the airport, I would rent either in the parks or a third party place.

The freezers aren’t very big… can it just be refrigerated? If you want to do milk, I would introduce it before you go. Make sure she can tolerate it. Maybe do half milk half breast milk? That way you don’t need to bring as much?

Another tip, I used to order diapers and wipes from garden grocer and bring what I needed to get down there. Left room in the suitcases for other stuff.

Garden Grocer is such a good idea and we definitely prefer renting to bringing a stroller (especially because Emma prefers to *not* be in a stroller when traveling). Thank you!

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

Bring your own or rent from an outside vendor. But don't use the park ones. They are hard and uncomfortable. I had a city mini two-person one and it worked great!



If she has trouble going down, like needs darkness quiet or white noise or whatever, then yes, go back to the hotel room. My children could fall asleep wherever for naps as long as the stroller was moving so we didn't have to go back. (Our experience is based on Disneyland, also, and we were staying at a relative's house)



They are dorm-style fridges, not at all freezers, and basically a glorified cooler. I'd keep maybe a weeks worth of regular milk, but I doubt you can keep liquid gold well. Maybe the hotels have something special for medicine/breastmilk, but you may want to call and ask. Otherwise, the best-case scenario might be to slowly introduce cow's milk anyways.

Thank you!

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

As far as strollers go, I think the two biggest questions you should ask yourself is a)will you want the stroller in the airport and b)how easy does your stroller fold?
I've done all three different ways. Brought my own, rented from offsite, and used a park one. I wouldn't recommend the park ones since Squish is still so young. They are plastic and hard as a rock.
If you can't fold your stroller with one hand, it might be beneficial to renting offsite, only because schlepping the items on and off buses with a bag and a baby can become cumbersome if said item is difficult to fold/unfold. However! The downside to the strollers that fold one-handed (I'm speaking specifically of City Minis) are the storage pockets aren't very big, so if you think you'll want space to store bags, waters, etc and your personal stroller is great with that, then that is something to consider, as well.

Naps back at the resort are always great, simply because you know the baby is getting solid and restful sleep. I would just say, though, that your little might get overstimulated in the parks and fall asleep sooner than you expect. The first day of my son's first Disney trip, he fell asleep at eleven when his usual naptime was after lunchtime. It's just a lot for their little eyes to take in! Or it could go the opposite direction, too, and you get Squish back to the room and she struggles to fall asleep.

Good luck with the baby-proofing! Some of those latches are difficult for adults to get through.

Oh my goodness, baby proofing really does feel like everyone proofing sometimes.

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

Update time - Squishy is one year old! I can't believe it, especially around 4/5 months I was so convinced this day would never come. I'm thrilled!



I've always been more of a toddler and little kid person than a baby person (even though our baby is the sweetest) and while Squishy is definitely still a baby, it's progress! I can't wait until she's a few years older and traveling as a trio (or even just mom + baby) gets easier and more fun.

Hopefully everything goes great at Disney next month!

Speaking of, we have the following dining reservations:

* Tiffins (lunch) at the Animal Kingdom
* Boma (brunch) at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (our resort)
* Tokyo Dining (late lunch) at Epcot

On our Magic Kingdom Day I'm thinking Columbia Harbor House and Jungle Navigationg Co. LTD. Skipper Canteen look good - though I'm bummed that CHH has changed their menu, I loved the old one!

If we're at the Animal Kingdom for a second meal I'm thinking Pizzafari looks good.

In between we'll probably grab food at the Mara a lot too and maybe still find a time to squeeze in Sanaa (possibly on our arrival day, since we've left that as a day to explore the resort).

I'm planning to introduce Squishy to swimming at the resort, so I ordered her an adorable shark wetsuit - it just came and it's so cute! There's a matching sunhat, too.

 

[ZeeWP]

Update time - Squishy is one year old! I can't believe it, especially around 4/5 months I was so convinced this day would never come. I'm thrilled!

View attachment 639373

I've always been more of a toddler and little kid person than a baby person (even though our baby is the sweetest) and while Squishy is definitely still a baby, it's progress! I can't wait until she's a few years older and traveling as a trio (or even just mom + baby) gets easier and more fun.

I flew for the first time with my kids (5 and 7) since they were babies (1 and a half and 3). IT WAS SO WEIRD not lugging around diapers and heavy car seats he he.