My Grand Adventure

By: Becky MullinaxApril 17, 2018My grandson was eight months old when he went on his first trip to Walt Disney World with me. I had booked a 3-night, 4-day trip. The road trip was an adventure with many stops, diaper changes and his bottles. It has been 20+ years since I traveled that distance with a child.Our grand adventure began a week before we even started our trip. My daughter had the fun part of trying to pack everything that she would need for him. If you have ever traveled with a baby, you understand what that means. Once everything was ready we packed my SUV full and off we went on our travels.My family started our adventure a day early so we could stop for the night in Savannah before we arrived at Walt Disney World. It was an adventure trying to get a hotel because of several conventions, etc. that were going on that weekend. Once our room was secured the next fun part was trying to arrange for a crib and a microwave for our room. My daughter needed to sanitize his bottles using a microwave sanitizer and once we had everything in place we were set for the night.The next morning, bright and early, everyone was up and ready to go. We traveled another 4.5 hours and then we arrived at our beautiful resort. I had completed our online check in earlier and I received a text that our Arusha view room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge was ready early. This was such a blessing as my grandson could nap before we visited our first park. When I took him outside on our balcony to see the animals that were roaming on the savanna he was so excited to watch them. There is an animal viewing list in the room and when you see the animals you check them off. This became a keepsake for his memory book.I had already arranged for a stroller to use, which was another blessing. The weather was going to be hot that week so we were prepared with a baby cooling wrap and umbrella to place over his legs where the stroller canopy did not cover. We had a small cooler to keep his formula cold and his backpack was packed for a fun day. We did not want him to get overheated or dehydrated.Day one: We were about eight miles from Magic Kingdom so the bus ride was long for us with a baby and all that went along with him. I scheduled our first Fastpass in Magic Kingdom to meet Mickey at his theater. My grandson, even at eight months old, loved Mickey’s Clubhouse and he could recognize Mickey. I was overcome with emotion and cried when Mickey walked up to him and rubbed his foot in his Mickey shoes. The expression on my grandson’s face made the long travel worth every mile! I heard the parade going by outside the theater and rushed to get him to the door and his little feet were going when he saw the big floats go by. He could sleep comfortably in his stroller and see all the excitement around him. Our first day flew by with stops to change diapers and bottles. Disney has a wonderful baby care station for use and I highly recommend this.The bus trip back to our resort seemed longer after a tiring day in the park. It was such a blessing to be welcomed back home by the wonderful Cast Members at the resort. When we arrived, the crib and microwave we had requested were in our room. You can make these type requests through your Concierge Agent with Wishes to be noted on your reservation. They are not guaranteed but Disney will do their best to try and have these for you. He enjoyed being outside on the large observatory deck to see the giraffes after the day cooled down. The rocking chairs there are wonderful to rock a baby to sleep.Day 2: I had planned our visit to Epcot and this day was going to be hotter than yesterday. The heat was a very big concern so I took him to areas that were air conditioned and shady while the adults used their Fastpasses that morning. We did not take him to the World Showcase because of the heat so we left early. When we arrived back at the resort I took him on a stroller ride through the resort to see all the animals through the windows.Day 3: Our Animal Kingdom day I had scheduled an early Kilimanjaro Safari ride so he could see the animals. I learned something that day - you can’t judge how your early morning will start off with a baby so we missed our Fastpass. The day was going to be hot again so we checked him as with the days before. We had lunch at Tusker House and I anxiously waited for the characters to stop by our table. I wasn’t sure how he would receive that many at one visit but my anxiousness was for nothing because he received Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy with joy and smiles. His little feet were going as fast as he could move them. He loved seeing all the animals, meeting people, the music and the whole experience of this park. We left early again due to heat and humidity at the park.Day 4: We packed up to return home and I was sad to leave because this trip was so special for me to share my love of anything Disney with my new grandson. Our trip back home was long and hard on everyone but he did fine.When traveling with a baby you need to be prepared for many things such as the packing and preparations, weather conditions where you are going and generally being prepared for as much as possible. I recommend that you purchase the Memory Maker so that you can have professional photos of your trip.If you would like more information on my Grand Adventure please email me at becky@wishesfamilytravel.com.