Family Life

Are you and your family traveling and need to take a plane? That’s okay! At first, I was petrified to fly with my baby but after actually doing it, it was so much easier than I expected. The first flight with my daughter was when she was 11 months and then we took another trip when she was 17 months. Don’t get too overwhelmed with everything that can go wrong but instead focus on preparing for the trip the best that you can!

Hopefully, with the tips that I learned, I can help you plan and organize everything that you need while sharing awesome tips with you to make your trip stress free.

 

Flying with a baby is not easy but it does NOT have to be stressful! Having the right items with you, planning ahead, and being organized is key to making sure that your trip is not only successful but smooth- which are all in my ultimate tips for flying with a baby list!

 

I don’t want to just share my tips for flying with a baby, but I also want to share my awesome Traveling with a Baby: Airplane Checklist and Exclusive Tips Worksheet! This checklist will help you make sure you have everything you need to fly with your baby. I used this checklist twice and it helped me be sure that I didn’t forget anything. It also added to making those flights with my baby stress-free! Be sure to download my Traveling with a Baby: Airplane Checklist!

 

So now, let’s get down to the amazing tips!

 

Ultimate Tips for Flying with a Baby

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own based on my own experiences. Please consult your doctor and/or pediatrician before flying with your baby.

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Before Booking Your Flight

 

Decide whether you are lap sitting or buying a seat for your baby to use a car seat

In most airline policies, babies 2 and under are free if you are lap sitting. This means that you do not have to purchase a “seat” or separate ticket for your baby because it is free for your baby to sit on your lap. Most parents chose this option because let’s face it, free is an awesome thing! But if you think your baby is just going to uncomfortable or you think your baby will do better being in their own seat, then you can purchase a seat/separate ticket for them and use a car seat.

(If you do choose to lap seat, know that most airlines have a policy that you can check your baby’s stroller and car seat at the gate for free and you are permitted an item a personal item for the baby, such as their diaper bag.)

 

Try to choose a flight that works best with your baby’s schedule

Babies thrive off of schedules but just because your baby had a daily schedule doesn’t mean that you can’t take your baby out and go places. You want to be able to have your baby be flexible with their environment without sacrificing their schedule (feeding times, nap times, etc.). I always find it better to find a flight that works best for my baby’s schedule For example, I’ll book a flight around a time that I know that she will be napping, so she can nap on the flight. Or I book a flight where she will already be well rested and she will be awake and playing on my lap for the flight.

Be mindful of how much time it will actually take you to travel. If you have a really long flight, maybe it’s best to book it time that your baby will at least be sleeping for some of the trip. If you have a short trip, maybe you don’t mind if your baby is up the whole time. Do what works best for your baby and your family!

 

 

Get Organized!

 

Make a packing list

It’s so important to have a packing list so you don’t get overwhelmed when you arrive at your destination and realize that you forgot everything that was important! Especially if you are packing for your family, you want to make sure you have a packing list so you can easily pack for each person. A couple of weeks before your trip start making a list of everything that you think you are going to need. Even if it’s just jotting down items on your dry erase board or a notepad.

(Access my free resource library to download a free family vacation packing list here!)

 

Start packing a couple of days before your trip (pack little by little to reduce overwhelm)

Use your packing list to start packing days before your actual trip. There’s no use of making a packing list and then not having enough time to actually use it. Packing a couple of days before will help you get a handle on everything you need to do and help reduce stress and overwhelm.

Preparing for Your Flight

 

Use a diaper book bag

I love using a diaper book bag because it frees up my hands! When you’re in the airport the last thing you need is to have another bag to hold. Having your diaper bag in the form of a bookbag will help you just sling the bag over your shoulder and quickly free up your arms to hold your baby or hold other bags.

I used this one: Mancro Diaper Bag Backpack: Organizer Backpack with stroller straps, changing pad, insulated pockets, and water resistant.

 

Use a stroller that you are comfortable with (preferably lightweight/ easy to travel with)

The worst thing you can do is use a stroller that you are not comfortable with, familiar with and is heavy and bulky. When you’re in the airport you’re going to need to fold up your stroller quickly, easily, and on command. Taking a stroller that you know how to use, how it folds, and that folds easily will save you a headache! I also love to use lightweight strollers because it’s easier for me to carry.

 

If you are taking a car seat to check at the gate, (most airlines don’t charge), use a car seat cover/bag

If you are taking a car seat to check at the gate (most airlines allow you to check a car seat for free), it’s best to buy a car seat cover/travel bag. I purchased mine from Amazon and it was low cost, easy to use, and did the job!

I purchased this one: JL Childress Gate Check Bag for Car Seats

 

If you are lap sitting: start to put your baby to sit on your lap a couple of weeks before as a “test run”

If this is the first time that you are lap sitting, I would recommend having your baby sit on your lap before the trip so they can get used to lap sitting. Especially if your baby does not lap sit or stay still a lot. Depending on how long your flight is, you might want to come up with ideas to keep your baby occupied and still. See how your baby responds. Each baby is different!

 

Pack toys/books to keep baby occupied. Maybe even download their favorite show or movie on a tablet?

When your baby is on the plane you’ll definitely want to keep them occupied for as long as possible. Either your baby will fall asleep, or be up. If your baby will be up for the flight, then make sure to bring your baby’s favorite books and toys. You might want to even consider downloading your little one’s favorite movie or show (if they have one) on a tablet or phone. I’m not quick to offer my baby “screen time” or “movie time” but I had a movie on my phone downloaded just in case if Baby L went full-on tantrum in the middle of our flight.

Offer a bottle or a pacifier (something to suck) while the plane takes off and lands

Planes have a funny way of affecting your ears! The pressure from ascending and descending can be painful even for adults! To prevent your baby’s ears from pressure or “popping”, you can offer your baby something to suck during take-off and landing. This will help prevent pressure in their ears. I always give my daughter milk as we take-off (because she doesn’t use a pacifier anymore). But you can offer your baby a pacifier or a teething/soothing toy that they suck.

 

Be prepared for unexpected delays

The worst thing about flying is the possibility of flight delays or cancellations. I absolutely HATE running into delays or cancellations- especially with a baby (or children)! I’ve run into both a delay and a cancellation with my baby. The one thing that I learned the most from those 2 experiences is- be absolutely prepared for the unexpected. This means, pack extra snacks, have extra milk/formula with you, make sure to have the things on hand that can calm your baby (such as a pacifier, toy, or book).

Having your flight delayed or canceled is not fun. But when you are traveling with a baby the flight crew and airline attendants should be really good at accommodating your needs and baby’s wants. Make sure to speak up and ask questions!

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Pack enough snacks/milk

As I mentioned in the last tip, it’s so important to have enough snacks, food, and milk for your baby when you are flying. Be mindful of how long it may take you to get through security, arrive at your gate, board the plane, and then actually take off. Even if you feel like you packed enough, always keep an eye out for the stores in the terminal too that can have something that your baby may need.

 

Bring plenty of disinfectant wipes

There are A LOT of germs in airports. Actually, there are a lot of germs anywhere you go and in any public transportation you use but I feel like airports and airplanes tend to be really germy. I always travel with a lot of disinfectant wipes. I wipe down the seats we sit on, the area in the bathroom before I put the changing pad down, the armrests, and try to clean anything that my baby comes into contact with for a long period of time.

And you know what, it WORKS. Baby L had not been seriously sick since she’s been born except for a few 24-hour colds. Keeping your hands clean is important too! You don’t want to be neurotic but also want to be preventative.

I purchase these: Lysol Disinfectant Wipes On The Go Travel Size

 

If you can, travel with someone (or multiple people) for help

I’ve never traveled by airplane with a baby by myself but I do know people that have and were very successful. However, an extra set of hands goes a long way with helping!  If you can, try to travel with your spouse or a family member to make things easier. Maybe you’ll need a break or have to use the bathroom and need someone to stay with your baby.

 

Pack your diaper bag in an easy to use way where most things are accessible

You want to make sure your diaper bag is organized in a way that is easy to use and that everything is easy to find. Have wipes and diapers easily accessible in case you need to change your baby or you need to wipe something or clean something quickly.

Also, try to set up the area around your seat on the plane in a way that things are in reach an easily accessible. The worst thing is when your baby falls asleep and you can’t reach a tissue or something you need. I usually wipe down the seat and seat pockets and put everything in the seat pocket that I know I need easily.

 

Take care of yourself too!

It’s really easy to focus so much on taking care of the baby that you forget to take care of you! When you feel overwhelmed, take a break. Be sure to bring headphone and your favorite playlist or download your favorite movie to watch on the plane after baby falls asleep.

 

Don’t worry about being too loud or feel embarrassed

Trust me, I know you don’t want to be “that” mom on the plane that has a screaming baby. But sometimes things are completely out of our control. If something happens that makes you embarrassed, it’s ok. It’s perfectly normal! Just don’t worry yourself with being too loud or feeling embarrassed and it inhibits you from making the best decision as a parent.

 

Ask the airline staff/team for help and ask questions when needed

The airline staff are there to help and will answer your questions to the best of their ability. I’ve had some really awesome flight attendants who have helped me and given me items when I needed anything. If you have any questions or need something, make sure to ask the crew!

 

Ask about early/priority boarding

Most airlines have early/priority boarding for passengers traveling with babies, car seats, or strollers. This gives you an opportunity to board earlier and set up your seat and “station” with everything that you and your baby needs. The extra time to get yourself situated is wonderful!

 

Have a plan but be flexible!

Having a plan about what time you’re going to arrive at the airport, how long it will take you to get through security when your baby will sleep or eat, etc. is really great but it’s just as important to be flexible! Don’t be too hard on yourself if something doesn’t go as planned.

 

Free Traveling with a Baby: Checklist and Exclusive Tips Worksheet!

For 20 more awesome tips, be sure to download the Traveling with a Baby: Airplane Checklist and Exclusive Tips! The worksheet is filled with exclusive tips that have helped me seamlessly travel with my baby. Focus on enjoying your trip and get ready for your flight stress-free by using my Airplane Checklist and Exclusive Tips!

Download the free checklist and cheatsheet now!

There you have it! I hope I was able to give you useful tips for flying with a baby! Have any other tips that have been really helpful?? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

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Our stay at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort in Orlando, Florida was absolutely amazing! My brother was visiting Universal Studios with his friends on a college graduation trip and he invited my husband so I decided to tag along with our daughter! It was our first time staying at Cabana Bay and we didn’t know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised!

Planning where to stay is hard, especially when you are on a budget and traveling with your baby or children. I always like to look at the reviews of each hotel I am interested in staying. This helps me see which hotel will give us “more bang for our buck”.

Along with our review of Cabana Bay, I also wanted to share with you the Ultimate Family Vacation Packing List that I used to pack for our trip! With this packing list, I was able to pack everything my family needed and we didn’t forget one single thing, which means that we didn’t have to purchase anything because we forgot something. Victory! In the Ultimate Family Vacation Packing List, I also include a bonus packing list of everything you need for your baby on your vacation too! That way, everyone in your family is all set! Don’t forget to download your copy of the Ultimate Family Vacation Packing List!

 

If you are thinking of staying at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, I highly recommend it but take a look at our review of the hotel and see if it will work for your family!

 

Our Review of Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort!

 

Rooms

Since we were coming with my daughter, who was only 16 months at the time, we decided to stay in a Family Suite. We were also traveling with some friends who had a standard room and those rooms were beautiful as well! The rooms are decorated really well within the theme of Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which is very circa 1950-60’s. The rooms were very clean too!

Features of the Suite

• Kitchenette: The kitchenette is when you enter the room and is a part of the living room space. The kitchenette had a sink, refrigerator (a little larger than a mini fridge but it did not have a freezer section), shelf storage above the sink, a microwave, a coffee maker, an island connected to the counter which included 2 bar stools.
• Living room: The living room has a couch and 2 chairs, along with a tv and dresser of drawers. The couch is a pull-out couch too!
• Partition: What I loved most about the suite was the partition between the kitchen/living room area and bedroom area. It was so ideal because we were traveling with my one year old daughter who sleeps in a dark room and is easily woken by me and my husband. Having the partition was like having 2 bedrooms because she was able to sleep in her crib in the living room area.
• Split bathroom: Another amazing feature of the suite is the split bathrooms. There are 3 different sections of the bathroom: 1) a toilet, 2) a vanity and sink 3) a sink and tub. The main vanity and sink area are exposed and is in the bedroom area. The toilet has a separate door and the second sink/tub has another door.
• 2 Tv’s: Because there is a separate living room area, there is a tv in the living room and one in the bedroom area.
• Large closet: There is a large closet (can be considered a walk-in closet) in the bedroom area that has hangers, a safe, extra pillows and blankets, and a luggage holder.

 

How we arrange the room for our baby to sleep:

The biggest reason we chose to stay at Cabana Bay was because of the kid-friendly atmosphere and the price for the family suite. We knew we wanted a bigger room than a standard room because I needed to put my daughter down to sleep earlier than we were going to sleep. The Family Suite at Cabana Bay was absolutely amazing and was so spacious. They offer complimentary cribs so we were able to put the crib in the living room area, which was separated from the bedroom by a partition. This helped the room stay darker and quieter as my baby slept but gave my husband and I the freedom to stay up.

We arranged Baby L’s crib in the living room by placing her crib in between the TV dresser and couch. There was a huge empty space there where the crib fit perfectly. You can see the picture of the set up below. It also was great to have her in the living room area because we were able to use the bathroom and take showers without disturbing her because the bathroom is in the bedroom area.

 

Pools:

The super awesome thing we loved about Cabana Bay was that there were 2 different pool areas. The first pool was located outside of the lobby in the Cabana Courtyard and had a cool water slide, a big pool, a splash pad, and a bar/grill. It also had a bunch of private cabanas that you could rent for the day with a tv, mini fridge and comfortable seating. The second pool was located outside of the Bayliner Diner in the Lazy River Courtyard and had an awesome lazy river, a regular pool, a splash pad, and another bar/grill. By the lazy river, you were able to purchase floats and tubes at The Tube Shack for $7. There are also towel bins where you can pick up towels by the pool and drop off the dirty ones when you are done.

 

Food:

Cabana Bay Beach Resort has SO many eateries! I wasn’t able to try the food from every place but the food that I did have was fantastic. The main “food court” was called the Bayliner Diner. It is set up cafeteria style where you order your food from different counters (based on different food varieties) and then you pay at the cashier when you are done. I was able to try breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Bayliner Diner and every meal was great. They also have great kids meals, where each kids meal comes with a main entrée, side, grapes/carrots, and a drink applesauce, milk, or chocolate milk). They had a wide variety of kids breakfast, including French toast, eggs, waffle, and biscuits.

 

The Bayliner Diner has a huge seating area that engulfs you in the retro era with TV’s playing old commercials and cartoons as well as drinks and condiments stations at each corner.

They also offered a refillable cup where you pay one price for your stay and are able to refill your cup unlimited times a day. We paid 17.99 for 7 days and it was worth it for us because I had coffee, tea, soda, water, seltzer water almost every hour while I was at the pool and in the resort. I would even fill it up to bring it back to my room so I didn’t have to buy another drink. It paid for itself in a little under a day because each drink was 2.99-4.99 and if I were to buy 10 2.99 drinks in the day it would already be double of what I paid for the refillable mug!

There was also another eaterie by each pool and a Starbucks in the main lobby!

Mini Market:

Apart of the Bayliner Diner was a mini market with snacks, pastries, drinks, gluten-free options, chips, cookies, create your own yogurt bar, salad bar, and so much more. This is where we were able to buy a half gallon of milk for my daughter and all of her snacks for the room.

 

Size of Resort 

The size of the resort itself is massive. There are 8 different buildings with different rooms (ranging from standard rooms, one bedroom suites, 2 bedroom suites, courtyard suites, tower suits, and poolside suites). As mentioned before, the resort has 2 different pool areas, which is great because since the resort is so large there was a pool closer to each side of the resort so you didn’t have to walk too far.

Proximity to Parks/Citywalk

Cabana Bay is one of the farthest resorts from the Universal Parks/Citywalk but they do offer a free bus shuttle to transport you to Citywalk (from there you walk to the park entrances). There is also a garden path to walk to Citywalk from the resort, which is about a mile. In the heat, it can be a daunting walk but if the weather is nice it will take you around 20-30 minutes to walk. It also depends on how fast you walk. The neighboring hotels, Sapphire Falls and Aventura Hotel are right across the street and Sapphire Falls has a boat that takes you to Citywalk as well.  Overall, even though the parks were not as close to the resort as other hotels on property, I thought it was great to have the option to walk. The shuttle bus to Citywalk is outside of the main lobby and is about a 5-minute trip and each bus comes about 10-15 in between in each other.

The resort is also connected to Universal’s newest water park, Volcano Bay. You can see the huge volcano from the hotel (pictured below!).

Universal Shop:

There is an awesome Universal Gift Shop inside of Cabana Bay (located in the main lobby). There you can find character apparel, pins, cups, magnets, bathing suits, Cabana Bay merchandise and even little things that you might have forgotten to pack such as Tylenol or Chapstick. There is a great Wizarding World of Harry Potter section with wands, robes, and apparel. I loved this store because there were things that I forgot to pick up at the park that I wanted to buy and they had it right at my resort. It was also awesome to have a place to do some last-minute souvenir shopping without having to go back into the parks or Citywalk.

Cons:

I enjoyed Cabana Bay SO much and there was only one thing that I considered a “con” during our stay.

No Fan in Bathroom– One thing that we did not like was that there was no fan/ventilation in the bathroom. In the family suite, there was a little room with just a toilet (because the toilet and sink were separated so more people can get ready at the same time). But that little toilet room was so stuffy and honestly, got really stinky at times. My family was not able to use the toilet right after each other because there were times that the bathroom was smelly. (Thank goodness I brought some spray with me!). My brother room had a family suite filled with 6 guys (ages 21-28) and he said that the toilet room was very unpleasant because there was no ventilation. I recommend definitely bringing some air freshener!

Ultimate Family & Baby Vacation Packing List

 

Don’t forget to download the Ultimate Family Vacation Packing List with bonus Ultimate Vacation Baby Packing List! Take the stress out of packing and remembering to pack everything and just focus on the awesome time you are going to spend with your family. You can use this list for any vacation that you have, no matter where you go!

So that was our stay at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort! We had an amazing time! Cabana Bay is clean, family friendly, baby friendly, value priced, and have a great staff. We enjoyed our stay very much and will be returning in the future!

 

Want to read more reviews of Universal’s property?? Check out my post “Our Stay at Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel Orlando”!

Want to remember this? Save “Our Stay at Universal’s Cabana Bay” to your favorite Pinterest Board!

We decided to take our daughter to Disney World for her first birthday! We wanted to stay on site so we could take advantage of Disney’s transportation and save money on renting a car. I also wanted Baby L’s first Disney trip to be full of Disney Magic so we chose to stay on site. We originally were going to wait to take Baby L to Disney World but we received this amazing special offer code to stay at All Star Movies Resort for only $73 a night! We couldn’t pass it up! So here it is…our stay at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort (with a one year old!)

This was our first time staying at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort as a family and we enjoyed our stay very much! If you are considering staying at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort with your family I hope this review will be of help to you!

Here’s our review of Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort:

 

Perks of Staying at a Disney Resort:

 

Disney’s Magical Express– Disney’s Magical Express is an awesome perk that you get when you stay at a Disney Resort on site where they transport you for FREE to and from Orlando International Airport from your resort. Disney’s Magical Express comes with another amazing luggage service where they pick up your checked bag for you and deliver it straight to your room! No waiting at baggage claim- just jump on the Disney bus waiting for you and head straight to your magical vacation!

 

Merchandise to Resort Service– When you stay at a Disney Resort you have the option to send the merchandise you purchase in the parks straight to your resort so you don’t have to carry bags with you all day. We utilized this service everywhere we went! This was awesome for us because we weren’t afraid to purchase souvenirs. We knew we didn’t have to carry bags with us for the rest of the day!

 

60-day Booking Fast Pass Plus– Fast Passes are absolutely amazing! In short, it is reservation of a timed slot for each ride that allows you to get on a ride at that time without waiting in line. You simply book the ride or attraction you want to get on, chose a time, and arrive at the ride at that time (all can be done on the My Disney Experience website/app). Each guest is allowed to book 3 fast passes at a time per day. Regular guests are able to book their Fast Passes 30 days in advance of their arrival. Disney Resort guests get to book their Fast Passes 60 days in advance of their arrival! Trying to ride a new ride or trying to avoid a 2 hour wait for a popular attraction?? This is the way to go! You can even Fast Pass shows, parades, and firework shows!

 

Magic Bands– Magic Bands are these awesome devices that you wear on your wrist (they even clips that you can hang on a keychain) that links to your “My Disney Experience” account and resort stay. Magic Bands are the key to your room, the holder of your Fast Passes, and you can charge food and merchandise for the duration of your stay. It basically holds all of the information you have chosen for your vacation on your “My Disney Experience”. You simply tap the band and voila- magic! You receive personalized Magic Bands for FREE whenever you stay at a Disney resort. You get to pick a color too!

 

Extra Magic Hours– Extra Magic Hours are just for Disney resort guests. It’s a perk where resort guests get to visit a particular theme park one hour more than regular park guests. The hour is outside of the scheduled theme park operating hours so that’s why it’s “extra”. There is Morning Extra Magic Hours where you can arrive at the park one hour before scheduled opening or Evening Extra Magic Hours where you can stay in the park for 1-2 hours past closing time.

 

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort- Value Resort:

Disney resorts are categorized by Value, Moderate, or Deluxe. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is a Value Resort, so the prices are cheaper than Moderate and Deluxe Resorts and the rooms are smaller as well. No matter what resort you stay in, you get all the same perks mentioned above. I appreciate the Value resorts because not only are the prices great but the resorts tend to be more themed than Moderate and Deluxe resorts. But you obviously can’t expect the same amenities from a Value resort that you would get at a Deluxe resort. Value resorts are also “motel style” meaning when you walk outside your door you are outside. The Value resorts also have standard room options and preferred room options. The standard rooms are rooms anywhere in the resort and the preferred rooms are guaranteed to be closer to the lobby and food court. The lobby is where the food, gift shop, front desk, and buses are. The resorts can be quite large and can be a long walk to your room from the lobby so some people pay a little extra for a preferred room. I absolutely love extravagant theming at resorts so it works out great for me that these just so happen to be the resorts with the low prices!

 

Price:

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is a Value resort, so the average cost per night is about $100-125. We were able to get an amazing deal for $73 a night! This included the preferred room too, which is where you are guaranteed a room next to the main lobby, Cinema Hall, and your room isn’t too far from transportation and food. For the price, the resort was great. You can notice that the resort is older than most and, in some areas, a little outdated. The room was in no doubt clean and the towels and linens were not of poor quality. I must admit it was a little more outdated than the other Value resorts I’ve stayed at. Some furniture was chipped at the edges and the bathroom door was jammed sometimes (maintenance was able to fix this for us in under 5 minutes). In my opinion, a Disney Value resort is a million times better than a regular old motel you would get for a hundred bucks a night anywhere else. They were undergoing renovations so I think all of the rooms are going to completely updated and renovated in the next year so that’s a great plus!

 

Size of Room:

The size of the room in Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort was standard for a double bed hotel room. (The room size is 260 square feet.) The vanity area with the mirror and sink is outside of the bathroom that has the toilet and shower/tub. There is a curtain that divides the vanity/sink area form the rest of the room so you can get dressed or have some privacy. We didn’t have a problem at all fitting out family of 3 (2 adults and a baby).

 

Amenities in Room:

Flat screen TV

Mini-refrigerator

Safe with a key

Exposed closet

Hair dryer

Alarm radio clock

Big 3 drawer dresser

Night stand with a drawer and compartment underneath for storage

Table with 2 chairs

Towels and linens

2 lights above both full beds

Phone with speed dial resort departments

 

Crib and Sleeping Arrangements:

Disney offers a complimentary crib but the “crib” is a pack and play, not a standard crib. This did not bother us because when my daughter was a couple months old we were able to train her to sleep in both a pack and play and crib so that when we slept over at my mom’s house Baby L could sleep in a pack and play. That being said, we have a crib mattress in our pack and play so it feels comfortable like a crib. The Disney pack and play did not offer any mattress. The bottom of the pack and play has a padded board that they offer to be used for your baby to sleep on. This was a little disappointing to me because I didn’t want my tired baby who has been out in the parks all day to be sleeping on a board for the 5 nights that we were there.

They informed me that most moderate and deluxe resorts have travel cribs that are actual rolling cribs but Value resorts do not. I did not have resources to rent or drive to buy a crib so we had to figure out a way for Baby L to be comfortable. We ended up wrapping the bottom padded board with extra, soft blankets and folded them tight underneath so none of the blankets would move. With the extra blankets wrapped tight at the bottom of the crib, it was much softer and seemed more like a mattress.

At home, Baby L has her own room and sleeps best when she is by herself. She often wakes up if she hears me or my husband. She also loves her schedule and is like clockwork when it is time to go to sleep. Because the hotel room is just one room I was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to sleep because she would hear my husband and I. Especially because she goes to bed at 8 pm and my husband and I would still be up trying to enjoy our vacation nights. So, what we did was we put her pack and play where the vanity was and closed the curtain to make it seem like she had her own area and was alone. The vanity area had a perfect sized space that the pack and play fit perfectly. Then we turned the lights off and put her sound machine on like we do in her room at home. She slept fine all through the night for all the nights! During the day we would move the pack and play to the window and let her look outside at the characters so we could have the space in the vanity area to get ready.

 

Theme:

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort has 4 themes or “sections” of the resort: Fantasia, Toy Story, 101 Dalmatians, Mighty Ducks, and Herbie. The main pool is in the Fantasia section right when you walk out of the lobby/food area. The main pool is Sorcerer Mickey on his red-curtained stage and water fountains out of his hands. (It reminds me a lot of the Fantasia show in Hollywood Studios.) The 3 preferred room sections are Toy Story, Fantasia, and 101 Dalmatians. We requested to be in the Toy Story section but that area was under renovations so the rooms were closed to guests. The cast members at the front desk were wonderful in accommodating us even though we didn’t get our preferred section and they put us in the main Fantasia section with a great pool view on the first floor.

I love the theming of this resort because there is larger than life characters! I love taking pictures with the figures and statues because it feels like you’re right in the movie. My favorite section was Toy Story! There is a huge Woody and Buzz Lightyear and in the middle of the section, there are huge walls that makes you feel like you are a toy in Andy’s room. There are also statues of Rex, Bo Peep, and RC Racer. It was so much fun to take pictures!

Transportation to Parks:

A great perk of staying at a Disney resort is the free transportation to and from all of the Disney Parks! The buses come right after each other and you are in the parks within 15 minutes! At Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, the bus was located right outside the lobby, Cinema Hall. We didn’t run into any issues with the buses at all. One morning the Magic Kingdom bus line was wrapped around all of the other bus lines and I thought it was going to take an hour for us to finally get on a bus. But the buses came back to back and we were on a bus within 20 minutes. The buses can get packed because you want to fit as many people on the bus so there isn’t any wasted space. People are usually really friendly and respectful when it comes to space on the bus. We had our travel stroller that folded really tiny so my husband slung it on his shoulder and I sat with Baby L on my lap. Disney buses do not allow car seats and all strollers must be folded to be able to get on the bus.

 

Food:

The food court at Disney’s All-Star Movies is called World Premier Food Court. It is located inside of the main Cinema Hall lobby. It’s a cafeteria style food court and there are 3 different counters with different food options and menus. I really enjoyed this style of food because my husband and I were able to eat something different each time. The cashiers are located in the middle of the 3 food counters so you can go to each different section if you want and pay at the end. There is also a delicious dessert section where they offer ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes, and have 2 cases of dessert including cupcakes, cheesecake, layered cakes, specialty items. You can also find a Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar right at the resort. (These are one of my FAVORITE Disney snacks!) You can also purchase a refillable mug that costs $17.99 and you can use it for the duration of your stay for unlimited refills. There is a refill station in the food court that has any Coke product, iced tea, coffee, tea, water, and milk. You can refill your mug with any beverage. If you buy beverages separately it can cost you around $4 a cup.

 

Staff:

The staff at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort was great. Every cast member we encountered was polite, kind, friendly, and respectful. They always offered us a smile and since we were wearing buttons that said we were celebrating our daughters first birthday we got loads of free stickers and little gifts all the time! It was awesome and my daughter LOVED the attention!

 

Gift Shop:

The gift shop at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort had everything you can think of. Not only did it have super cool merchandise but it also had a section that resembled a convenience store where you can buy a gallon of milk or water or beverage and had bags of potato chips, boxes of cookies, and snacks (even Entenmann’s products). It also had a section of things that you can buy in case you forgot to pack something. It had all the necessities you can think of from aloe, Band-Aids, tweezers, diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer and so much more. I noticed that it even had things that you couldn’t find in the parks! If you bought something in the park and had it sent to your resort this is where you came to pick up your package as well.

 

All-Star Resorts Proximity to each other:

My parents came with us to celebrate Baby L’s first birthday and they stayed at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. There are 3 All-Star resorts: All Star Sports, All Star Music, and All-Star Movies. The resorts are right next to each other and only a parking lot away from each other. We were able to walk to see my parents in their resort and they were able to meet us at ours. It was great! So if you ever have family and you want to stay at different resorts but close enough to be next to each other the All-Star resorts are a great option.

 

Soooooo as you can see my family very much enjoyed staying at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort! Not only was the price unbeatable but our stay was so much fun! Baby L loved it and I don’t regret for a second taking her to Disney for her first birthday. She may not remember it, but she’ll have pictures to look back at for the rest of her life.

We do travel to Disney quite a lot, even though we live in New York we always find great flight deals. So far, we’ve at Art of Animation, Pop Century, Port Orleans, and now All-Star Movies Resort. I look forward to coming back to Disney World and staying at another resort!

Have any questions or want to share your experience at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort? Feel free to drop me a comment!!

Packing your little one to Disney?? Check out my posts “What to Pack for a One Year Old for a Disney Vacation” and “Tips to Taking Your One Year Old to Disney“! Find out my tips and tricks to taking our toddler to Disney and making our vacation fun an stress-free!

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