Family Life

Our Experience at the Orlando Informer Meet Up

On June 2, 2018, my husband and I attended the Orlando Informer Meet Up at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We enjoyed every minute of the event and would encourage others to attend at least one event in the future!

First things first…. Why My Husband and I Went Away

One of my secrets to keeping your marriage alive as a new parent is to make sure you and your husband spend quality time together and even try to get away for a day or two. My daughter had just turned 14 months and we wanted to celebrate our 4 year anniversary to spend some much needed time together. I found out about the Orlando Informer Meet Up and it was a perfect mini get away for my husband and I to pamper ourselves! We only went away for 2 nights, but because of the Orlando Informer Meet Up, our mini vacation felt like a whole week long!

I’m sharing our awesome experience with you because if you ever need to get away for a mini vacation but still feel like you accomplished so much on a small budget, the Orlando Informer Meet Up’s are a great option!

Who is the Orlando Informer?

If you are unfamiliar with the Orlando Informer, they have a super helpful website with a ton of information about the attractions, hotels, and restaurants in Orlando. In their own words from their website Orlando Informer “is the world’s leading Universal Orlando vacation planning resource.” They have an amazing community including a blog and Facebook group that is encouraging and resourceful when planning a vacation. You can visit the official Orlando Informer site here!

What is a Meet Up?

A Meet Up is an exclusive event organized by the Orlando Informer that varies in activities. Some Orlando Informer Meet Ups are exclusively for the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter (Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley) and some include the whole park or both parks. Each Orlando Informer Meet Up is unique. The Orlando Informer has had multiple Meets Ups in the past and is planning on creating more!

Last year I attended an Orlando Informer Meet Up event in September 2017 that included exclusive access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in both Universal Studios Hogsmeade and Island of Adventure Diagon Alley that included unlimited Butterbeer, desserts, ice cream, and little to no waits on rides. This year, the event was massive and included exclusive access to both full parks- Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure- and all of the rides in them including unlimited food and beverage service throughout both parks and unlimited butterbeer, desserts and drinks.

No further a do- here is our…

Experience at the June Orlando Informer Meet Up

(Please know that my opinions are my own.)

What was Included for this Meet Up:

All night exclusive access to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure including over 25 attractions including Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem™, Race Through Jimmy Fallon™, Incredible Hulk Coaster™, Amazing Adventures of Spiderman™, and more. With unlimited access to over 50 food and beverage options throughout both theme parks and unlimited nonalcoholic beverages. Included unlimited Butterbeer and Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour too!

Price:

The price for the Orlando Informer Meet Up is always, in my opinion, super affordable- especially considering the worth that you are getting for your money! This June 2018 Meet Up was $156 per person. My husband and I found that very reasonable considering that you are in the parks for 8 hours, with 6 hours of that time being exclusive to only Meet Up participants- and included unlimited food, snacks, ice cream, AND Butterbeer!

Registration/Check-in:

Upon paying for your ticket to the event you will receive a confirmation email at the time payment. About 2-3 weeks before the event you will receive a detailed email explaining the registration process and the details of the event. In our email, we received information about where to sign in to the event. The registration sign-in process was very easy and fast. We simply had to arrive at the check-in area, get on the line that had the first letter of our last name and show ID at the table. Then we received an information brochure about the evening and a special wristband that lit up. We were instructed to active the band to light up for the duration of the whole event so park security would know we were part of the event and any day guests without a band past a certain would be kindly asked to exit the park.

Hotel Group Rates:

Along with all the other amazing perks of the Orlando Informer Meet Up, they have amazing hotel discount rates for the Meet Up group. We never dreamed of being able to stay in the Hard Rock Hotel but because the hotel discount rate was so incredible we were able to stay for 2 nights at the Hard Rock Ho
hat offers complimentary Express Passes! There was also a discount rate at the Portofino Bay Hotel (which we plan to stay at hopefully at the next meet up!), and Cabana Bay. (You can read about our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel here!)

Food:

Food service began at 8:30pm in Islands of Adventure and 10:30pm in Universal Studios and ended at 1:00am.

The availability of food and the number of places offering food was tremendous! In every “land” of both parks there was at least 1 restaurant open serving a delicious variety of food. Some lands had 3 or 4 eateries open! Throughout the night we must have eaten over 7 times, including a number of desserts.

When the food service began in Islands of Adventure we were walking through the park just browsing and looking for rides to get on. We first had soft serve ice cream with toppings at Cathy’s Ice cream spot in Toon Lagoon. We then made our way to Marvel Super Hero Island and ate at the Cafe Four restaurant there having pepperoni pizza and Caesar salad. We then walked through Seuss Landing and had the famous green eggs and ham sandwich! We continued through the park and ended up in Mythos restaurant having a buffet of veggie pasta, burger sliders, and desserts. We ended in Hogsmeade getting Gilly Water and Pumpkin Juice!

After taking the Hogwarts Express we went to Diagon Alley and Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour. We wanted to get on other rides and then come back to shop at the end of the night so we went to Krustyland/Springfield and got in line for some tacos but the wait was super long. We stopped by Mel’s diner to take some pictures and ended up in Richter’s Burger place to get a burger and chocolate shake. Before the meal service ended we were able to slip in a trip to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream just before they closed the door and ordered some Butterbeer as well! The line for Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour was veerryyy long most of the time but there were ice cream parlour employees walking around Diagon Alley with single scoop Florean Fortescue’s ice cream, which was super helpful and allowed us to have unlimited ice cream without waiting on that long line all the time.

The food service was delicious! Everything we ate was the perfect temperature, the perfect size, and tasted amazing. We were able to try so many different things and went into so many different places that we didn’t even know were in the parks! There were some foods that I always wanted to try when I visit Universal Studios but never got around to actually trying it but at the Meet Up I was able to try it- for free!

Mind you, not ALL restaurants were open and not all restaurants open were serving a FULL menu. Each restaurant had about 3-4 things they were offering.

Rides:

The number of rides open was unbelievable! It was like having full access to the park all alone! On some rides, we were completely alone and on others we walked through the line and straight on to the ride. The only mistake we made was being in the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter for too long. Everyone had the same idea to go there first and ride Gringotts or the Forbidden Journey. We waited 25 minutes for the Forbidden Journey and 35 minutes for Gringotts. These were the longest times we waited for the night. But of course, the wait times are substantially less than a regular park day where the wait can be up to 80-100 minutes long. My goal was to do everything but as 11:30 approached I realized that was an impossible task!

Meet and Greets / Activities

Not only are there rides and unlimited food/desserts but there was these amazing little meet and greet opportunities! In Marvel Super Hero Island I met Dr. Doom and the amazing, neighborhood Spiderman! There were also street dance parties in different areas throughout both parks with live DJ’s. I was able to dance with Frankenstein and then jump on the Mummy ride- how cool is that?? During registration and check in they gave us an Orlando Informer Meet Up handout that included a map of all the available food, rides, and activity areas.

Amount of People:

When I attended the September 2017 Meet Up I thought that it was a good amount of people. This Meet Up, I felt the amount of people was decent, except for in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. A lot of people crowded those areas and it was very packed most of the time (which I’m sure was to be expected). But I understand that the capacity for this event was larger due to the fact that both entire parks were open. If people were spaced out evenly throughout the night I’m sure we wouldn’t have run into any issues with crowds. While Diagon Alley was packed and the line for ice cream was all the way down to Knockturn Alley, once you stepped outside into London or Krustyland the park was empty! So, considering the Harry Potter areas aside, the park was empty. Next time I would strategize better and go to the Harry Potter areas at different times than when we did. We didn’t get to do as much as we wanted in the rest of the parks because we had spent so much time in the Harry Potter worlds due to crowds and waiting in lines.

Time in Parks:

The amount of time we had in the parks included with the event was remarkable. We were able to go into the park starting at 5:00pm! Islands of Adventure closed to the public at 7:00 and Universal Studios closed to the public at 10:00. The event ended at 1:30 giving us 8.5 hours in the parks! We had 6.5 hours of exclusive time in Islands of Adventure and 3.5 hours of exclusive time at Universal Studios. I wish we had more time at Universal Studios because that was the park I wanted to do more in but didn’t get a chance to. But it was still totally worth it!

A Recap of our Night:

We started our evening at 5pm when the parks opened for us. We entered though Islands of Adventure and since we were staying at the Hard Rock Hotel we utilized the free Express Pass we got! The parks were still open to daytime guests and we didn’t have any special privileges until the parks closed to the public so we used our Express Passes to get on as much as we could before the parks closed to daytime guests. We got to ride the Hulk and the Forbidden Journey and then took the Hogwarts Express to Universal Studios to ride Fast & Furious for the first time. Then we headed back to Islands of Adventure because that park had closed to daytime guests and we took the opportunity to ride rides with no wait time. We were able to get on the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Amazing Spiderman, Cat in the Hat, and went back on the Hogwarts Express to Universal Studios. There we rode Jimmy Fallon Race Through New York, Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy, and Escape from Gringotts.

We then returned back to Diagon Alley where we waited for some more of Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream (pistachio soft serve is my favorite) and sat in the ambiance of the Diagon Alley to enjoy our ice cream and Butterbeer. We visited every shop and used that time to purchase souvenirs and take loads of pictures. By this time the area was almost empty and most of our pictures only had about 5 people in the background.

Community:

The Orlando Informer Universal Facebook group is by far my favorite group! They are encouraging, helpful and really funny. People post their countdowns to their next vacation and people who are at Universal post pictures for us at home to enjoy. If you’re ever feeling like you need a smile because you wish you were on vacation but you’re stuck at home or working- the Orlando Informer Facebook group is the place to go! Even before the Meet Up I was able to connect with others who were attending the Meet Up and when I saw them in person it was like friends reconnecting. It was a lot of fun!

Our Rating:

We give the Orlando Informer Meet Up FIVE STARS! We ran into time issues because we didn’t plan our time properly and wasted too much time in areas that were crowded when we should have kept moving. But that is in no way Orlando Informers fault. We took each minute to enjoy our surroundings and even though we didn’t get to do everything (I know my expectations were crazy high!) the things we got done were so much fun. It gave me and my husband much needed time to laugh, rest, eat together, take “coupley” pictures and enjoy our time together!

The staff is tremendous and the effort they put into this event is huge. The Orlando Informer Meet Up is very well planned and executed.

We would absolutely, positively attend the next Orlando Informer Meet Up!

If you ever get a chance to go- I highly recommend it!

Want to remember this? Post this “Our experience at the Orlando informer meet up” article on your favorite Pinterest board!

Our Stay at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando

Family Life, Family Travel

We had the opportunity to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando for our last trip to Universal Studios and we had an amazing experience! If you are looking into staying at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando then hopefully this review of our stay will be of help to you!

I know this post is about my stay at the Hard Rock Hotel but I just wanted to give a little background information on why we decided to choose Hard Rock Hotel…

One of my secrets for keeping your marriage alive as new parents is to spend quality time together, and even try to get away for a day or two. My husband and I were celebrating our 4-year anniversary and we wanted to take a mini vacation for some much needed time together. It just so happens that the Orlando Informer was having one of their amazing Meet Ups around the time that my husband and I were planning to go to Florida. (The Orlando Informer is an amazing group that hosts these exclusive ticketed events in the Universal Studios Florida parks.) This year in June they were having an event that both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure were going to be closed to daytime guests and only open to the event attendees from 5:00pm-1:30 am. So, my husband booked our tickets for the event to celebrate our anniversary. (You can read more on my experience at the Orlando Informer Meet Up here!)

Now, to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel is not cheap, but because we were attending the Orlando Informer Meet Up we were able to take advantage of their discounted group rate for rooms at Universals onsite hotels. We chose to splurge on the Hard Rock Hotel!

Now let’s get down to our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel!

In 4 words- we absolutely loved it! And here’s why:

Location:

Hard Rock Hotel has a fantastic location in the Universal Studios Resort Property! It is the closest hotel to the parks and is literally a 4 or 5-minute walk from the pool to Universal Studio’s main gate. There is a boat that also takes you to City Walk and is a lovely little ride. I’m used to staying at Disney onsite resort where the hotels are usually far from the parks and you need to take a bus to get there so this was a super treat for us!

Service:

The service at the Hard Rock Hotel, in my opinion, is fantastic. They have great luggage services where you can store your bags while you wait for your room and then have your bags sent up to your room when you are ready. The housekeeping service is great as well! We had the option to change our towels and sheets daily or conserve water and reuse them. We received changed towels daily but I opted out of changing the sheets. I assumed the housekeeping was only going to switch the towels out but they also deep cleaned the room every single day. The shower, sinks, trashes and floor was cleaned to sparkling! Even though they didn’t change the sheets they still remade the bed, fluffed the pillows and arranged the throw pillows. Room service was phenomenal and the variety of foods were awesome (and also reasonable).

Staff:

The staff at the Hard Rock Hotel were phenomenal! Every single staff member we encountered were nice, kind, helpful, and always offered a smile. When we arrived the staff at the entrance of the lobby were quick to take our luggage and help us to the check-in desk. The host at the check-in desk was sweet, energetic and very informative. We arrived at 10 am, which is wayyy before check in but the staff was very accommodating and gave us a list of options we could do while we waited for our room. She gave us our room keys and told us she would text me the room number as soon as the room is ready and we can use the keys to enter (bypassing visiting the check-in desk again to get our room keys.) The staff at the pool were super helpful too. They would anticipate when we needed something and would come to us with fresh towels and water periodically. They always held gates open for us as we walked through the pool area and offered us food and beverages. There are waiters and waitresses that go around the pool deck asking if you want to order food or drinks and they bring you what you ordered to your seat- so you don’t have to get up to order food or wait on a line! We also ordered room service and the staff member that can to the room was amazing! She set up the food on the table and arranged our drinks and food for us. I do not have any complaints whatsoever about any of the staff!

Food:

We did not eat at any of the sit-down restaurants in Hard Rock Hotel because we took advantage of being so close to City Walk and ate most of our meals there. We did purchase ice cream at their little market, called Emack & Bolio’s, and it was wonderful. We also ordered room service on the morning of our departure and the breakfast was OUTSTANDING! My husband is not a breakfast person at all and he even said it was the best breakfast meal he’s ever had! He got steak and eggs and it was absolutely fantastic! I had the American breakfast that came with eggs, bacon, hash brown cakes, fruit, and a waffle. The presentation was lovely and the food was delicious!

Pool:

As mentioned in the staff area, the pool staff were amazing. The pool itself is quite marvelous as well! It has a zero-entry side where you can sit and just wade in the water. The pool has an amazing slide too that is so much fun! Every day that we went to the pool there was some sort of entertainment that was fun. The first day there was a live band, the second day there was an entertaining DJ and on the third day there was a team of staff doing games and trivia. There is also a beach area by the pool that has lounge chairs in a sand area with umbrellas. There was a lot of seats but during the pool busy hours, it was kind of hard to find 2 chairs next to each other so I would advise finding a seat early. The Beach Club is a poolside restaurant that has waiters/waitresses who will take your food or drink orders at your chair and bring you the food to where you are. I’ve even seen some people ordering drinks from the pool and the server would bring their drinks to them while sitting in the pool! We loved the pool so much and went every single day of our stay. We would head to breakfast and then go to the pool for a few hours before hitting the parks or we would go to the park early and head to the pool in the evening. We tried to work into our day some pool time every day!

Express Passes:

The Hard Rock Hotel is one of the 3 hotels on the Universal Studios property that gives you FREE Express Passes for Universal Studios and Island of Adventure. If you are unaware of what express passes are- it is essentially a pass that allows you to skip the regular line and leads you straight to the front of the line! The express pass goes for about $180 per person per day if you were to buy it separately. But the beauty of staying at the Hard Rock Hotel is that you get these amazing passes for FREE with your stay. And for every day of your stay! You use your room key as the express pass. When you go to a ride that has the express pass option you simply show your room key and that’s it! My husband and I took advantage of this awesome perk! We are used to going to Disney World and booking Fast Passes and we know that Universal Studios doesn’t have a free version of express passes like Disney does. Every time we visit Universal parks we try to do so in a low season so we don’t have to wait long times because the express passes were too expensive for us to buy. But having these passes for free during this stay was a MAJOR plus! I’m tempted to stay at one of the 3 onsite hotels that offer this perk every time we go just so I can get the express pass!

Room:

We stayed in a Double Queen Pool View Room and it was beautiful! The room came equipped with a Keurig and complimentary hard rock coffee k-cups, a mini fridge inside of a cabinet, a desk and flat screen TV, a wireless phone, 2 armchairs in front of the window, and a bathroom vanity separate from the toilet, sink, and bathtub. There was a large closet next to the door what was able to fit our suitcase and enough hangers for me to hang most of our clothes. The room smelled fresh and clean. We were on the 4^th floor and a little way away from the elevator but the hallway was quiet for most of the time and we hardly ever heard the family next door. We enjoyed the sophisticated music look of the room but also felt it had a very “homey” feel to the room. The beds were so comfortable and the pillows were a soft, fluffy memory foam. Even after being out all night and waking up early for our departure flight we felt rested.

View:

As mentioned, we stayed in a pool view room and it was beautiful! The view was amazing- overlooking the pool with a view of Universal Studios right behind it. At night you can see the park lights and a few of the rides running. We enjoyed waking up and opening the curtains to see the crisp pool below us and the sun rising behind the park rides. We also loved to hear the music from the pool. The first day of our stay there was a live band from 4:30-9:00 pm and it was so nice to hear the band in the distance while in the room. The pool noise is not loud at all- it did not keep us up at night or wake us in the morning. There was no noise that was a nuisance or extremely loud.

Only Con:

Transportation from Airport:

We are used to staying at a Disney resort where there is complimentary transportation from Orlando International airport (MCO) to the Disney resort. Universal does not have a complimentary transportation service. They do offer transportation for a fee- I believe we were quoted $45 per person round trip. We decided to opt out of the transportation that they offered us and just take an Uber to and from the hotel. We did not need to rent a car because we knew we were only going to stay on property for the vacation. Also, we wanted to save money on parking because if you have a car there is a nightly parking fee. We chose to save that money and just put it toward eating on property. But if you have a family and it makes financial sense to rent a car and pay the daily parking fee to be able to get to the nearest store to go shopping or be able to visit other attractions in the Orlando area then do what works best for you!

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel! It was comfortable, clean, and we felt like royalty while staying there. If you ever get a chance to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando I highly recommend it!

Have any questions? Feel free to drop me a comment below!

Want to remember this? Save “Our Stay at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando” to your favorite Pinterest board!

3 Steps to Easily Pack for a Flight with an Infant to Disney World

Family Life

We booked the trip, received the confirmation code, jumped for joy — and then my husband and I stared at each other.

Wait…how in the world are we going to fly to Disney with our one year old for the first time?? My mind was immediately flooded with a million things to do.

Packing for a Disney vacation can be stressful. Packing for any vacation that involves a flight can be even more stressful.

Throw in flying with an infant and you got yourself one overloaded stressful situation…

But don’t worry because it doesn’t have to be!

We’re going to go over all the nitty-gritty packing details and find out the 3 steps we can take to help us EASILY pack for a flight to Disney World (with an infant too!).

The ultimate secret to packing easily can be broken down into 3 steps. Each step is actually a question to ask yourself before you start to pack for the flight:

Step 1: What luggage/bags am I using? Are they in good condition? Am I checking any luggage?

Step 2: What am I packing? Can I fit what I’m packing in the bags I’m taking?

Step 3: Can I maneuver my bags at the airport and on the transportation I am using to get to and from my destination?

After asking myself these questions I was able to make a plan and easily pack for our flight! I was successfully able to pack all my husband’s belongings, my belongings, and Baby L’s belongings in 3 bags. Yes, this included everything we needed for the whole week!

Now I’m not telling you this to brag in any way but to encourage you and let you know how we did it so you can do it too!

How to Easily Pack for Your Flight

Want to easily pack? How did we do it?? Let’s begin!

Step 1: What luggage/bags am I bringing?

Before you start packing, it’s super important to figure out what bags you’re using. This may seem like a remedial question that you can skip right over but I found out the secret to packing easily is to make sure you have a good bag that all of your stuff will fit into.

This is a perfect time to double-check the condition of the luggage.

Is it broken?
Are the stitches still intact?
Do the zippers still work?

If yes, then you’re good to go! If not, then maybe its time to take a trip to the store (don’t forget to check the clearance section first to score a good deal!)

Now is also the time to decide if you want to check luggage or not. Maybe you don’t want to pay extra to check your luggage and you just want to try to fit all your belongings in a carry on size bag.

It’s always best to choose which luggage and which size luggage you want to bring with you before you do anything else.

Don’t forget to double-check your airline’s exact policy on bag dimensions and prices for checked bags or carry-ons.

This is what we brought with us on our trip:

(Remember, we had 2 adults and a one-year-old traveling to Florida from NYC for a vacation of 6 days)

2 Carry On’s- One carryon per adult (me and husband)
3 Book Bags- One book bag per adult and Baby L’s diaper bookbag
1 Checked luggage- we paid the $25 to have the bag checked

Step 2: What are you packing?

The main key to help you easily pack is to actually know what you are planning to pack. This is where a list comes in handy!

Write down everything you need and be sure to pack everything that you need for your trip. I know this is easier said than done but a list will definitely make packing less stressful.

To help you pack I made an awesome Ultimate Disney Packing Checklist for you to use so you don’t forget anything!

If you’re anything like my family, if we don’t use a list then most of our vacation is stopping at places to buy what we forgot to pack. Don’t let that be the case for you!

Be sure to download my Disney Packing List so you can pack stress-free!

What did we pack:

I packed everything on my Disney Packing Checklist! Plus, I also made this super helpful infant master packing list. To get the infant packing checklist you can check out my post– “What to Pack for Disney with an Infant”.

We packed EVERYTHING on these lists in 2 carry-ons and a checked bag! Be sure to check out that post and download the master list for yourself!

It’s also important to keep in mind the luggage that you chose in Step 1 so you can make sure everything will fit. I know some people who get everything out they want to pack first and then choose their bag based on how much they are bringing. Do what works best for you!

What did we put in each bag:

My Carry On: I had all of my clothes and the toiletries for me and my husband. I put all of the liquids in a gallon ziplock bag so I can remove it from my bag upon request at the security table.

My Husband’s Carry On: He had all of his clothes and all of Baby L’s clothes (including diapers)

Checked Bag: We put all of Baby L’s extra stuff that was on our list and all of the things that would not meet TSA carry on requirements. We efficiently packed extra diapers, extra bottles, crib sheet, Disney gear, Lysol spray, extra shoes, sunscreen and everything else on the list.

PRO TIP: We managed to leave a quarter of the checked luggage empty so we had room to bring home souvenirs too!)

My Book Bag: My book bag was my purse so I had my wallet, electronics, and book for the plane.

Husbands Book Bag: His bookbag had all of his gear (chargers, laptop, book). He also downloaded some children’s movies off of our streaming sites so Baby L can watch if she was super fussy at any point on the plane.

Diaper Book Bag: This bag was Baby L’s necessity bag. We packed everything that Baby L would need for the airport, the flight, and the rest of the day.
- bottles for the day,
- the bottle parts,
- premade formula cups,
- sippy cup with water,
- thermos with milk for the day,
- 3 small toys for the plane,
- light muslin blanket for the plane/stroller,
- wipes,
- diapers,
- diaper cream,
- Clorox wipes,
- Happy Baby pouch for a snack,
- extra change of clothes, and
- diaper pad.

I had all of the liquids in one ziplock bag and all of the food in another so when we went through security they can inspect the bag as fast as possible.

TSA prohibits any liquids greater than 4oz in your carry on bag but that does not apply to liquids required for babies. Be sure to double-check the TSA guidelines for yourself before flying with your infant.

To help you pack all of the essentials and prevent forgetting anything, be sure to download your copy of my Disney Packing Checklist! You can access it below!

Step 3: Who carried what in the airport (How we maneuvered our bags)

I know this may be a silly thing to add, but it’s all fine and dandy to pack everything and realize that you have no arms to carry it!

It’s important to be able to not only pack efficiently but know that you can easily handle and maneuver your bags at the airport. After all, you want to make sure that you can get in and out of security, to your gate, and boarded on to the plan as smoothly as possible.

We made sure both of our carry on’s were in good condition to be rolled the whole time. We purchased those luggage’s that have a hard exterior like a box and that could be rolled without tilting it.

So, my husband rolled his carry on and my carry on with his book bag on his back and I had my bookbag on my back while I pushed the stroller. The diaper book bag fits perfectly under the travel stroller and when we needed to fold the stroller up we slung the diaper bag on our backs and held Baby L.

We prepaid for the checked luggage online so when we arrived at the airport we immediately dropped it off and didn’t have to worry about it.

We utilized Disney’s Magical Express:

We were taking advantage of Disney Magical Express so we didn’t have to worry about picking up our checked bags at the carousel.

Disney’s Magical Express is an awesome perk that you get when you stay at a Disney Resort onsite where they transport you for FREE to and from Orlando International Airport and 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!

This means you don’t have to wait for your checked bags at baggage claim- they will pick your bag up for you at the airport and the next time you see it it’s in your resort room!

To partake of this amazing service, Disney will mail you a special luggage tag and all you have to do is put the special luggage tag on your bag. It’s that easy! Each member of your party will receive a luggage tag for a checked bag. Awesome service! (You can find out more about Disney’s Magical Express here on the official Disney World website!)

Disney’s Magical Express Tip:

A super important tip to remember when utilizing Disney’s Magical Express– your checked luggage can arrive at the resort any time of the day after you check-in.

For example, if you arrive at 2 pm and check-in at 3 pm, your checked luggage on the Disney Magical Express can arrive anywhere from 3pm-10pm.

So, this means if you have something important in your checked bag that you’re going to need for the day– be sure to pack it in a bag that is not being checked. Disney advises you to have a “day bag” which has all of your personal items, important items, a change of clothes, electronics, and medications.

I even pack a bathing suit just in case I want to hit the pool. This way there is nothing in the checked luggage that you need for that day. We made sure to have all of Baby L’s important items with us at all times. This is also another reason we chose to put her clothes and bottles in carry-on bags- with the worst-case scenario in mind that we get our bags super late.

Everything worked out perfectly!

We had no issues at all with anything that we packed. We didn’t forget anything and our checked luggage arrived in our room 2 hours after we checked in!

Since I packed Baby L’s clothes in the carry-on, I was able to change her into a bathing suit and enjoy the pool when we arrived too. Make sure not to waste your arrival day and do something fun!

We packed everything in the same exact way when we left and were so grateful we left space in the checked luggage because we bought so many souvenirs! We even had more space because Baby L had used most of her diapers so that left us more room to pack our keepsakes.

Get Your Free Disney Packing Checklist Now!

Don’t forget to download your copy of my free Disney Packing Checklist!

You won’t want to arrive at your vacation and realize you forgot to pack important items so be sure to get the checklist below!

Using this checklist I was able to pack everything that I needed to for my whole family and we didn’t have to buy ONE thing because we didn’t forget to pack anything!

Instead of wasting money on buying things that we forgot, we were able to save that money and spend it on delicious treats and beautiful souvenirs.

And instead of stressing about making sure you have the right items, just download the packing checklist and you’ll be good to go!

So that’s it! Don’t forget– here are the essential questions to ask yourself these questions before you start to pack for the flight that will make packing SO MUCH EASIER!

What luggage/bags am I using? Are they in good condition?
Am I checking any luggage?
What am I packing? (Make a list of things you need.) Can I fit what I’m packing in the bags I’m taking?
Can I maneuver my bags at the airport and on the transportation I am using to get to and from my destination?

I hope these tips help you to easily pack in your endeavor! I know packing can be tedious and a pain but these tips will help you pack in the EASIEST way without wanting to pull your hair out!

We just planned our next Disney Vacation and after I received the confirmation email, I was able to celebrate without the worry of being stressed because NOW I know I have a system of packing that WORKS!

Have a greaaatttttt vacation!! Are there any tips you have that help you and your family easily pack? Share your easy tips below in the comments or feel free to share how these tips have helped you!

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What to Pack for a One Year Old for a Trip to Disney World

Family Life, Family Travel

Taking your one year old to Disney? Congratulations! It’s going to be a blast! One thing you’re going to need is an amazing packing list for taking your baby to Disney. Look no further! Here is everything you will need to pack for a one year old for Disney!

People thought I was crazy that I was bringing my daughter to Disney World for her first birthday! Of course, if you know me personally you would think that it is only natural for me to do this since I am a Disney F-A-N-A-T-I-C!

Now, I’m a packing planner- meaning I plan for weeekkkssss before I start to pack. But this was my first trip packing for a week-long vacation with a baby. And I also had to take into consideration things she would need for flying for the first time too! So, I made a crazy detailed list that was super helpful for me and I wanted to share all of my packing tips and my packing list with you!

Packing for an infant requires some effort but packing an infant for Disney World needs special planning. Needless to say, packing for a one year old for Disney was not easy- but it was successful!

Packing an infant for a Disney trip should be well thought out but also fun! Here’s how to do this in 3 easy steps without wanting to pull your hair out but also making sure you’re packing everything you need to:

Make a list of all the things your baby uses every day (including food).
Make a list of things that you are going to need for your Disney vacation.
Combine all the lists and pack efficiently (weed out what you don’t need for your destination.)

Do not worry because I include ALL 3 of these steps right here in this very post! Following these steps and lists, I was able to bring everything I needed for Baby L and I didn’t forget anything so I didn’t have to spend money at the park or resort buying something that I could have effectively packed.

Not only do I just lay out the steps for easy packing but I also include a printable Disney Infant Packing Checklist for you to have so you can make sure you don’t forget anything! I’m all about making things easier for you so I created an ultimate Disney infant packing list so you can have an amazing vacation without forgetting anything. I used this list twice already and I didn’t have to buy anything when we arrived at Disney because I had everything! Be sure to access the free checklist below!

What to Pack for a One Year Old for Disney

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Let’s begin the packing!

1. Making a List of all the things your baby uses everyday

The first thing you need to do before you start to pack for a one year for Disney is to make a list of things you are going to need. This list is going to change based on your baby’s needs. Include what you need to and make sure to make a list of things your baby uses that isn’t on this list. Make a list of everything, even though you may not bring some things, it’s easier to cross something out than to forget to bring it altogether.

Diapers: Baby L uses about 4 diapers a day. I will plan to bring 6 diapers a day just in case of emergencies.

Diaper cream: Bring what your baby is used to using. Orlando can be hot and humid so you don’t want your sweet one to get a rash. We use Cera Ve Healing Baby Ointment for Treating and Preventing Diaper Rash. You can apply it after every diaper change and your baby won’t get any diaper or heat rash!

Wipes: I order a big box of Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes for convenience. The wipes come in a big box in 3 refill re-sealable big bags. I usually go through one bag every 20-25 days. I’m going to bring a bag just to be on the safe side. Wipes can be used to wipe hands and face too so I don’t want to under pack them. Also, remember that you are going to need wipes for your diaper bag and wipes for the hotel room. I refilled my diaper bag wipes every day and used the bag of wipes for the hotel room.

Clothes: We’ll go over which clothes are best to bring in the next section because it’s based on when you are traveling to Orlando Florida.

Shoes/socks: Same as the clothes, we’ll go over this more below.

Bottles: Bottles are very important. Think of which bottles will be best for your baby to take on your trip. Baby L uses Doctor Brown’s Wide Neck bottles so I always make sure to pack all of the parts. Try not to switch things up on them. They are already going to be out of their element and in a new place so try to keep things as consistent as possible regarding things that they eat with. Meaning, now is probably not the best time to try a new bottle because what if she doesn’t like it and won’t drink out of it? Chances are, you’re better off with playing it safe. If you want to transition your baby into a new bottle, try doing it at least a month before so she has time to get used to it.

Food/Snacks: What kind of foods does your baby eat on a regular basis? Will it be accessible on vacation? (You can check the menus at Disney world online including kids meals). Maybe you want to try to introduce new foods to your baby a month before so they will be able to eat a variety of different things when they are away on vacation. Is there a special yogurt or fruit that they like? Can you bring it with you?

If you can, great! Pack it! I love the Happy Baby organic food pouches. They taste great and do not have to be refrigerated so I thought they were great for the parks. The Disney kids meals come with 2 sides and the options are applesauce pouch, grapes, carrots, and yogurt.

I ended up buying her a kid’s meal for breakfast (only $6.97 and it came with a drink, Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes and 2 snacks) and saving the snacks for the park day.

(Planning what your one year old will eat at Disney world)

Toys/Books: Bring 2 toys they love and 2 books they love. Especially if it calms or comforts them. You want your baby to feel as comfortable as possible. Trust me, sad baby = sad vacation.

Water: Do you need water for formula? Does your baby drink water? Little inside tip- Florida water does not taste very good. Disney will give you free courtesy cups of water but sometimes it does not taste the best. I don’t recommend bringing gallons of water on your trip.

Especially if you’re flying! But I do recommend bringing a filtering water bottle. That way you pour the water in and it filters when you pour it back out! The water bottles in the parks are $3.00 each for a regular Dasani bottle so my filtering water bottle saved me a bunch of money!

Milk/Formula: If your baby is still on formula then bring enough for the number of days that you are there and then some extra. Keep in mind bringing enough for your travel days as well. If your baby is on regular milk and you are staying on the Disney Property there is also a little convenience “grocery” area in your lobby gift shop where you can buy a gallon of milk.

We bought one for our room and it lasted us the week we were there. I used it for her morning and night bottles and then brought milk with me a thermos bottle for her day bottles. You can also purchase milk with your kid’s meals and just use it for baby instead of drinking a soft drink.

Sippy Cups: Don’t forget your baby’s sippy cups. Baby L uses the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Transition ones with the handles and she loves them! She uses them to drink her water throughout the day.

Specific Utensils: Does baby use special fork or spoons that they like to eat with?

Any Medication/Vitamins: Make sure to bring your baby’s medication or anything that they take every day. Also, bring some extra medication for emergencies. Maybe Benadryl or Tylenol or Zarbees (natural cough suppressant)? Always ask your doctor before administering anything to your baby for the first time!

Check out this money saving post too!

Special Blankets/Stuffed Animals: Bring anything for comfort that you know your baby loves. We brought her fluffy blanket that she sleeps with and her Rapunzel dolly that she plays with. We packed it in the luggage that we checked so it didn’t take up too much room in our carry on’s.

Bath Time Items/Lotion: You’ll definitely want to give your baby a bath at least once a day. When you think about all the places your little one will be in one day and how many things he’ll come in contact with you’ll want to bathe your baby! Your little one will also sweat and just like we want to take a shower and get nice and fresh your baby will too!

Bring baby’s bath soap, lotion or anything else that can be easily packed. We love the Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion. You can find travel-sized baby soap and lotion at your nearest Walmart or Target.

I’m flying to Orlando so I cannot bring the whole kitchen sink with me but like I said, I write everything down and then crossed off things as I saw fit. I made sure everything I was bringing fit into one under the plane suitcase for Baby L. I brought anything that was essential and left things that I knew she could survive without.

To help you pack all of the essentials and prevent forgetting anything, be sure to download your copy of my Disney Infant Packing Checklist! You can access it below!

2. Make a list of things your baby needs for a Disney vacation

Now, this may seem redundant but a list of everyday necessities is different from a list of things you need for Disney. You’ll see why after we get into the list! Do your research and add things that you think you’ll need if it’s not on this list. Also, research the weather for Orlando, Florida during the time that you are going.

Usually, winters are hot but cooler at night, spring is hotter than winter but not scolding like summer, Summer is super-hot and humid and usually rains for 15 minutes a day but the sun comes right back out. Fall is hot but cooler than spring and hotter than winter.

Mist Fan: It’s pretty humid in Florida (understatement of the year!). I didn’t want Baby L to be dying of sweat and heat in her little stroller so every so often I would have her sit with the mist fan and cool off.

Ponchos/Mini Umbrella: Again, Florida is notorious for rain during the day for a short amount of time. Maybe it will or maybe it won’t but I’ve been there for all 4 seasons and I’ve always experienced some sort of rain. Ponchos were great! I got mine from the dollar store and would buy enough for every day so I can throw it out after I’m done using it and didn’t have to carry a wet bag of plastic around.

I also use them to sit on the floor when I’m waiting for a parade. You can also bring a mini, compact umbrella to keep in your bag. We went once and it literally rained ALL week and each rain was about an hour! Ponchos do the trick when its sporadic, short rains, but an umbrella may help when it’s actually a rainy day.

Travel Stroller: Now I love my stroller but I couldn’t have possibly carried that gigantic, heavy stroller with me all day. If you are staying onsite at a Disney resort then you will be taking the Disney buses to and from the parks. You do not need a car seat but you need to have a stroller that closes easily because you have to close all strollers on the bus.

Be courteous and make sure your stroller closes somewhat small because you don’t want to have a gigantic stroller taking up the whole bus or sitting on someone’s foot.

Diaper Bag Book Bag: I usually have a regular diaper bag that looks like a purse but when we travel we switch over to our diaper book bag so we can swing it on our backs and keep it moving. This comes in handy when you have to close your stroller fast and your hands will be free.

Sunscreen: Don’t forget sunscreen! Florida heat is no joke and you don’t want your sweet little baby’s skin burning. Use the sunscreen that you feel most comfortable with. I love the Babyganics mineral based baby sunscreen. It comes in travel sizes too so it doesn’t take up my whole pocket in the diaper bag but I can reapply it on her whenever she needs it.

Bathing Suit: Don’t forget the bathing suit! I brought 3 for Baby L because I wanted to bring 2 for our pool days and then I kept an extra one in the diaper bag for the parks because every park has some sort of sprinklers and this is great for a hot day!

Towel: Disney provides you with pool towels but I like the pool towels that are bigger and have designs on them so we can leave them on our pool chairs and know it’s ours. I always buy them when the Disney store has a sale for free personalization.

Light Clothes: Based on the weather for the time you are visiting, you want to pack the right clothes. Even when it is chilly, it’s not cold, cold. I always tend to pack lighter clothes that can be layered. That way I can remove or put on clothes based on the temperature that day.

This year we are traveling in Mid-May so I’m packing a lot of short sleeve and tank top onesies with shorts/skirts so I can remove as I need to. Always pack a change of clothes in the diaper bag too, it’ll come in handy!

Ribbon for the Stroller: Disney world is full of strollers! Sometimes it just looks like a sea of heads and strollers! For any ride that you go on with your baby, you will need to leave your stroller in the stroller parking. Sometimes cast members will move the strollers so I always put a colored/patterned ribbon on my stroller so I can know it’s mine.

Also, be sure not to leave any valuables in the stroller when you leave it. This is also when the book bag diaper bag comes in handy so you can just strap it on your back and head on a ride.

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Comfortable Shoes: If your baby stands or walks then you want to make sure to have comfortable shoes or sandals with you. Make sure it’s nothing where their feet can get too hot but also make sure it has enough of a sole to walk and not fall apart.

Light Blanket: Baby L loves her blanket! I always bring a muslin lightweight stroller blanket for her so she can nap while we are out.

Sunhat: Don’t underestimate a good baby sunhat. I use them all the time when she is not in the stroller and when she is in the pool. It prevents her head from burning too. You can find nice lightweight ones that are water friendly and dry fast.

Disney Gear: After all, you’re going to Disney! Try to bring as much Disney themed things you can find that way you don’t have to buy things when you get there. I found great Disney onesies and tank tops/dresses at Walmart and Marshalls before my trip.

When I got to Disney I saw their baby apparel was over $20 for some items! Baby L fit right in with all of her Disney gear and mommy got to save a fortune!

Autograph Book/Sharpie: If you are taking your baby to meet characters at a character reservation or at the parks then you’ll definitely want to bring something for them to sign!

Crib sheet: if you are staying onsite then you will most likely be requesting a pack and play for your baby to sleep in. Baby L is accustomed to sleeping in pack n plays because when we stay at my mom’s house she uses one. If your baby never slept in a pack and play I recommend getting your little one used to it before the trip that way they can enjoy a full night’s restful sleep.

Disney provides pack n plays with mattresses and sheets. I always bring my own sheet and blanket for Baby L to feel comfortable and it makes her feel at home.

Lysol Travel Wipes: I’m not a compulsive person (though my husband would say otherwise) but I am a bit obsessed with everything being clean. So, add the fact that the thousands of other people have touched the same tables and chairs that my daughter is going to be eating at- can drive me a little insane. I always have in the diaper bag a pack of travel Lysol Disinfecting Wipes so I can clean down the high chair and table that we sit at.

I also use it to clean down any surfaces that Baby L will be sitting at for a while. Disney Cast Members do an AMAZING job at keeping things clean so there are sometimes when I don’t worry too much about it. Only if I see the table is dirty or something do I really do a huge clean down.

Lysol Spray (Travel Size): Like my Lysol wipes, I also carry a Travel-Sized Lysol Disinfecting Spray with me. I use it to spray down her travel changing pad every time she uses it. I also use it to sanitize the remote, door knobs, phone, faucet knobs whenever we check into a hotel.

Disney Mouse Keeping does a great job at making sure the rooms are clean so I don’t go crazy cleaning everything like I would if I were somewhere else.

Swimming Diapers: Of course if you want your baby to go into the pool you’re going to need to have swimming diapers. They are a bit expensive at the resort so I packed 6 swimming diapers with me and it was the perfect amount. I planned to use 2 per day for the 3 days that we were going to be in the resort hanging out.

Travel Size Dish Soap/Sponge: If you are staying at a Disney Resort in a regular guest room (not a suite or studio room) then you will definitely need to bring some sort of soap to clean and disinfect your baby’s bottles. I have only stayed in regular rooms that only have one sink (the sink in the vanity area of the bathroom) and having soap was a lifesaver! You want to make sure you have something to clean your bottles and dishes with. You may even want to bring a sponge or bottle brush.

Pop Up Hamper: This is not a necessity but definitely will come in handy. When you have a couple of adults and a baby in a room- you will have A LOT of laundry. You don’t want to just stuff all the dirty clothes back in your suitcase or in a plastic bag. So I always bring a popup hamper that folds flat but then pops up into a tall hamper.

This keeps all of our dirty laundry in one area. If you choose to do laundry in the hotel then it can also be an easy way to carry your laundry to and from the machines. I purchased this Mesh Popup Laundry Hamper that is portable, has handles, and collapses easily for storage and packing in your luggage.

Remember you don’t want to over pack but you also don’t want to forget necessities!

3. Combine your lists and start packing

Step 3 to helping you pack for a one year old to Disney is to combine those lists! Take the 2 lists you make and combine them into one master list. Then figure out your luggage. Are you bringing just carry on’s? Are you bringing suitcases to go under the plane that you are going to check in? How much you bring depends on how you are going to transport it.

How We Packed It All

You can read all about how we packed our things on this list in 2 carry on size bags and a 1 checked luggage here (3 Steps to Easily Pack for a Flight to Disney With an Infant)!

I recommend packing little by little about a week in advance. If you have to clean things then do laundry throughout the week. If things are clean then start placing it in piles throughout the days. You can’t imagine how much time this saves and how much of a headache you’ll prevent on packing day!

Recheck everything on your list and ask yourself do you really need it? Will your baby use it throughout the vacation or just once or twice? Don’t compromise on the things your baby loves! Pack those things and weed out other things that will just take up space.

Don’t forget to download your copy of my Disney Infant Packing Checklist! You won’t want to arrive at your vacation and realize that you forgot to pack important items so be sure to get the checklist below! Instead of stressing about making sure you have the right items, just download the packing checklist and you’ll be good to go!

Get Your Free Disney Infant Packing Checklist Now!

Well, there you have it! Here’s an easy way to pack your infant for a Disney Trip! I hope this list is able to help you easily and effectively pack for your awesome trip to Disney! Have a greaaatttttt vacation!!

Do you have any other tips for helping pack your kids for vacation? Share them in the comments below!

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