Family Traveling

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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Become part of the Mastering Mom Life Insider tribe and get instant, FREE, private access to my resource library filled with printables + worksheets to make mom life easier!

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!

Want to Remember this post? Save “Our Stay at Disney’s All-Star Movies resort With a Baby” to your favorite Pinterest Board!

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!

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!

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:

1. Make a list of all the things your baby uses every day (including food).
2. Make a list of things that you are going to need for your Disney vacation.
3. 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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