Over the next week or two I will be posting pictures, reviews, and tips on the following areas:
- Stateroom
- Dining
- Shows/Entertainment
- Character Meet & Greets
- Castaway Cay
- It's a Small World Nursery
- Disney Navigator App
Sunkissed Adventures Family Travel Blog
A few days ago we returned home from a Disney Magic cruise. We spent five nights onboard the newly re-imagined ship going to Cozumel, Mexico and Disney's private island Castaway Cay. I had been on a Disney cruise in 2012 with my mom, but my husband and son had never been on Disney Cruise Line. This was to be a new experience for them both. Going in to the cruise I was a bit nervous about going on the "oldest ship in the fleet." I am happy to report that the Magic did not disappoint. If I had not already known that it was their oldest ship I would have never known it was more than a year old. Everything, in our experience, was in tip top shape.
Over the next week or two I will be posting pictures, reviews, and tips on the following areas:
Update!!! (Nov 21, 2015) Our 2.5 year old has now flown on six round trip flights. This original post is a few years old, but I am adding more info to the bottom that concerns flying with young children. So I thought I would provide a summary of our experiences with each of the following airlines: Southwest, United, American, and JetBlue. These are our own unique experiences and don't necessarily represent what you might encounter. We could have been very lucky and very unlucky in certain situations. Southwest Airlines Son's Age: 3 months Car Seat: Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 30/30 Family Pre-Boarding: Yes. Families can board after group A. Helpful Flight Attendants: Yes. Friendly, offered a seatbelt extender Flight Time: 6:30am and 1:30pm Flight Length: Fort Lauderdale to Houston, 2 hours; Houston to Dallas, 45 minutes. Important to Note: The Flight attendants were very friendly and responsive to our needs. They offered a lap belt extender right away. The infant carrier car seat fit without disrupting the person in front of us. There were extra seats on our flight to Dallas, but none on our flight home. So we strapped the carseat in on our way out and had a lap infant on the way home. Lap infant are not considered safe, however we were not fully aware of the dangers when we flew then. United Airlines Son's Age: 5.5 months. Car Seat: Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 30/30 Family Pre-Boarding: No. Families board with the rest of the passengers based on boarding zone. Window seats, center seats, then aisle seats. Helpful Flight Attendants/Gate Attendants: Yes and no. Flight Time: 6am, both directions. Flight Length: approx. 3 hours direct to and from Chicago. Important to Note: On the flight to Chicago the gate attendant very nicely moved our seats upon request because there was an open seat in the back row. This allowed us to bring the car seat on the plane and keep it next to us. We made the mistake of not purchasing a ticket for my son and had to make the switcheroo. The flight home there were no empty seats and I held a crying baby for 3 hours :( American Airlines Son's Age: 12 months/ 1 year Car Seat: Britax Marathon. Family Pre-Boarding: No. Board with the group you are assigned. Helpful Flight Attendants/ Gate Attendants: No and no! Flight Time: 6am and 2:30pm (flight home was delayed significantly) Flight Length: approx 3 hours direct to and from Dallas. Important to Note: Encountered flight attendants and gate attendants that did not want to help, i.e. give me the lap belt extender when pilot told flight attendants to buckle up, attitude when asking for water for my son's bottle, sarcastic remarks about families being allowed to board early, etc. I used the Travelmate Gogo Kidz to wheel him, in his carseat, around the airport. JetBlue Son's Age: 19 months. Car Seat: Eddie Bauer XRS 65 (same as Safety First Guide 65) Family Pre-Boarding: Yes, after the people who are part of the loyalty club and those who paid for extra services. Still boarded before majority of the people on the flight both times. Helpful Flight Attendants: Very helpful. Flight Time: 8am and 10:30am Flight Length: approx. 3 hours to and from Boston. Important to Note: We bought an inexpensive carseat to use for travel from now on. Very lightweight and easy to fit on planes. We purchased our son a seat for both legs of the flight. On the flight to Boston he was rear facing and he slept for a little bit. He did wake up and have some ornery moments before we landed, though. On the flight home we got to the airport early and were able to get on a standby flight three hours earlier than originally planned. We were placed in the last row. We decided to forward face him on this flight because it was not his nap time and we thought the TV would keep him occupied. He fell asleep anyway, but the TV was helpful during his waking moments. I used the Travelmate Gogo Kidz to wheel him, in his carseat, around the airport. JetBlue Son's Age: almost 2.5 years old. Car Seat: Eddie Bauer XRS 65 (same as Safety First Guide 65) Family Pre-Boarding: Yes, after the people who are part of the loyalty club and those who paid for Extra Space seats. Still boarded before majority of the people on the flight both times. Helpful Flight Attendants: Very nice on the way there and less than stellar on the way home. Flight Time: 8pm and 10pm (1 Red-Eye) Flight Length: approx. 5 hours to and from Las Vegas Important to Note: Our flight out there was at dinner hour, so we brought food on the plane. We allowed our on to forward face for this flight because we knew he wouldn't sleep. We bought special kid-safe headphones and I downloaded many Elmo & Curious George episodes to occupy some time. The flight there went smoothly. The flight home we encountered a poorly informed flight attendant who told me that my son could not rear face in his car seat. She threatened to have security take me off the plane if I did not turn the carseat forward. 1) FAA guidelines allow a parent to rearface the carseat as long as the child fits the parameters for rearfacing in the seat. 2) This was a red eye flight and I wanted my son to SLEEP! The moment I got home I wrote customer service and it was confirmed that I was in fact correct. JetBlue
Son's Age: A little more than 2.5 years old. Car Seat: Eddie Bauer XRS 65 (same as Safety First Guide 65) Family Pre-Boarding: Yes, after the people who are part of the loyalty club and those who paid for Extra Space seats. Still boarded before majority of the people on the flight both times. Helpful Flight Attendants: Very helpful. Flight Time: 11am and 11pm (flight delayed and left around 12:30am) Flight Length: approx. 5 hours to Los Angeles Important to Note: We purchased Extra Space seats for this trip. I highly recommend them, especially with a car seat that you want to rear face. There are no worries about the seat fitting and you get ample room to stretch out. Oh yeah and your child can't kick the seat in front of him/her!! Griffith Observatory & the Hollywood Sign We wanted to find a great spot to get pictures of the Hollywood sign. Everything online mentioned the Griffith Observatory as having one of the best views. So we set out for the top of the mountain. What all these websites failed to mention was the tremendous number of other people headed there. The parking lot, that was mentioned as convenient, was completely full. Cars were parked a mile down the mountain road! We finally found a spot on the side of the road and started to hike up. It was not enjoyable with a 2 year old. We gave up and went back to the car about 1/2 way up. It gets pretty steep, even on the sidewalk, at times. We drove to the top to turn around and by some miracle he very front spot was open when we got there! We grabbed it. The stars aligned for us in that moment! So we got back out and headed over to the area to see the Hollywood sign. Well is this is the best view in the city I will tell you not to waste your time. The sign was still very far away and hard to get in the pictures. The views from up there were really neat, you could see down on to the greater L.A. area. My son saw a knock-off Elmo character and kept pointing at him. So my husband brought him over. I warned him that he would want money but my husband ignored me. Yup, just after talking to him he asked for money! It was also very hot the day we were there, in the upper 90s.We're from Florida but this was too much for even us! Hollywood Blvd & the Walk of FameI am typing up these locations in a different order than we actually visited them. Getting to the Hollywood walk of fame was the second thing we did on our first day in L.A. Once we arrived, it took us some time to find parking. A few of the garages were cash / valet only so we skipped those. Finally we found one that was hourly and we could use credit cards. It was located on N Orange Drive and Hollywood Blvd. We didn't do much here other than walk up and down the strip. We did stop in to a few stores to browse, but that was it. It was too hot for us on this day and we didn't last long! There is a lot to do though. Plenty of stores, the Chinese Theater, a mall. I had a packed agenda so we decided to move on to the Griffith Observatory (see above) after this. Fast & Furious LocationsThis was the first thing we did after getting off the ship and picking up the rental car. I planned this one out as a surprise for my husband. We like the Fast and the Furious franchise of movies because we also have a love of cars. You should have seen us in high school,we didn't know each other, we both added things to our cars. So I looked up the address of a few of the more famous locations: Toretto's Market and their house! He had no idea where we were going, but I told him where to turn. When we turned on to the block something clicked and he realized where we were! Toretto's Market, AKA Bob's Market is walking distance form the house. The address is 1234 Bellvue Ave. It is on the corner of E Kensington & Bellvue. We bought a few drinks and snacks from the couple working there. I assume they were the owners. We were 50 cents shorts and the lady told us not to worry. We had money in the car so I walked back to the car and gave her a couple bucks simply because she was nice about us being short on the money when we were inside. We noticed that most of the people who stopped in were also taking pictures and therefore were fans of the movies as well! Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade & Pier After running around L.A. all day we headed over to Santa Monica. We were staying in the Doubletree a few blocks away from the pier. I was starving at this point and not in a good mood. We checked in, dropped our bags, and then we went to the 3rd Street Promenade and had a heck of a time finding something to eat between lunch and dinner. Blame it on a combo of my indecisiveness, places closed for remodeling, and heat. We settled on Pizza Antica. The food was fine but they served room temperature water and did not provide ice. It wasn't air conditioned. I am used to Florida where everything is in A/C. Not an ideal meal, but it was fine. I don't go on vacation to shop at stores we have at home, so from there we headed to the Santa Monica Pier! The pier is crowded. Why? Because it's a fun place to be. Restaurants, rides, the beach. I don't know what the local opinion is, but we enjoyed our evening there as tourists. I had previously bought Groupons for unlimited-ride bands at Pacific Park. We stuck to the little kid rides because our son was the real reason we came to the amusement park on the pier. There were plenty of rides for toddlers (my son rode the air balloons, planes, car, boats, and even went on the ferris wheel with my husband. I am not a fan of heights, so I stayed on the pier and played photographer ;) California Science CenterOn our second day in L.A. I wasn't sure what to do. So we sat in the hotel room that morning looking up fun things for families. I stumbled on the California Science Center and saw that they have a shuttle there. So we said "Why Not?" Well I am so glad we chose to visit. First of all it's completely FREE! Yes, that's right, FREE! The only thing that require money are the IMAX movies and Endeavor (the shuttle). We didn't see an IMAX movie because we have a 2 year old, but we did choose to see the shuttle I think it was $2 per person. Very very reasonable! There is an entire exhibit dedicated to explaining the shuttle program and space. Then in a separate building (not far at all) was the shuttle and it's full mission history.
The museum has two "family" rooms that fill to capacity quickly. It was a shame because we were unable to get in to either one. They looked fabulous and I would encourage anyone spending the day there with little ones, try to get in! There were habitat rooms with different animals, aquatic tanks, and more. A physics room where people could experiment with different forces. Even an opportunity to ride a bike across a high wire! An all around great museum for little to no cost. Our plan for the second day was to use the HOHO Bus to see all the popular things in San Fran. I bought the tickets directly through Big Bus, they were the same company that offered them through Royal Caribbean. It was a few dollars cheaper on our own. This was my first mistake. Let me explain... Last time I was in San Francisco was 2009, with a friend. We were there for a teaching conference. We bought HOHO tickets and used the bus to get around and see everything after the conference had ended. It worked out perfectly, so I assumed it would work the same way this time. I could not remember the company I bought them from last time, but it was NOT Big Bus. I would highly recommend choosing another company. Big Bus stops at some weird, random, useless locations in my opinion. It doesn't stop at Alamo Square, but a block away down a hill. It stops at the "wrong" side of the Golden gate Bridge. What do I mean? I mean it stops on the North side where the angle is so sharp that it's near impossible to get a good shot. Here is the BEST shot I could get on this recent trip. While beautiful, the bridge is barely visible. It was very difficult to get a good picture because this was was also overcrowded. A lot of people just hanging out on the viewing wall made it difficult to find a spot for a picture. One positive than I can mention is that when we got off the ship they allowed us to go on the buses that were parked inside the "terminal" rather than make us walk down the street to the official stop. They had Big Buses inside the terminal because that was the company assigned to the Royal excursions. I assumed that they might make us go outside because we bought our tickets on our own. We rode around for close to an hour before the first place that we wanted to get off. We got off here because I wanted another picture in front of the Painted Ladies. I grew up watching Full House as a kid, so these houses always looked so cool to me. The grass was in pretty bad shape, I am guess it is from the drought? Connor spotted the playground. We let him play for 20 minutes because most of the trip was focus on things we (Matt and myself) wanted to see, we made time to let him burn off some energy in between stops. This was the 1st of three playgrounds for the day!
After Chinatown we hopped on the bus again and headed back to our ship. We were tired. It was about 3:30pm at this point and we needed to get the little guy to nap. and he wouldn't... We ended up going to the Windjammer for dinner right around when we sailed back under the Golden Gate Bridge! I was tempted to go back upstairs for some evening shots, but I was too tired from the long day we had. We even saw some whales breaching the water throughout our journey away from the city by the bay! So my photos are from inside the buffet. Oh well.
Up next was San Francisco. Our ship was scheduled to arrive at the terminal 2pm. Sailing under the bridge was to be a little after 1pm (I think... Memory is getting hazy about certain specifics at this time). We had a quick lunch in the Windjammer and then headed to the front of the ship to get ourselves a good viewing spot! We were dead center on deck 13. After we passed under the Gold Gate Bridge, I had assumed it would be rather quick to clear local authorities and have the chance to get off the ship. I was wrong. It took another 30 minutes for us to reach the docks. We ended up hanging out on our balconies for a while until we heard the all-clear. Our plan was to explore Pier 39, check out the sea lions, have a Boudin's bowl on the pier, leave my son with my dad around 5pm and head over to the Alcatraz dock for the night tour. I think we finally got clearance to get off the ship around 3pm. The five of us headed over to Pier 39 to see the Sea Lions. It was a ten minute walk at the most. I was happy that we docked at the old pier. Crown Princess was over at the new cruise terminal, which is nice, but a bit father from the nice waterfront area. By the time we got there, Connor had fallen asleep in his stroller. Bummer, we wanted him to see and hear them! We had our photos snapped in front of them and then continued wandering. Everyone, except for me, ordered a clam chowder in a bread bowl. I don't "do" seafood, so I went with tomato soup with asiago croutons. Mine was delicious, everyone else in the group said theirs were yummy as well. Last time I was in San Fran I ate at the main location a littler further down on the waterfront. My dad said he always ate at the small one on the pier. We went for it out of convenience. After our soups we wandered in and out of the shops on the pier. Some of my photos from this time are missing because my dad took them on his phone and we haven't swapped pictures yet. At this point we parted ways. Matt and I headed off for Alcatraz boats. My dad, his wife, and my son stayed on the pier. My dad took Connor on the carousel and then back over to the Sea Lions. They taught him how to bark like them and for the rest of the cruise my son would imitate them. It was very cute!
The first stop on the cruise was to the city of Santa Barbara. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful Spanish-style architecture. I always love seeing other places and occasionally fall in love with the vibe there. Had I spent more time in SB I could have had the opportunity to get to know the town. When I looked in to day trip activities the only things that came up were winery tours. We aren't winery people! There is a bus that will bring you around townSo through some research I found out about a town named Solvang. It is a Danish town about 45 minutes from Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is a tender port. I always get nervous with tender ports because there is the potential for severe backlogs when trying to go ashore. For the first hour-ish they allowed people to go down to "beat the rush." By the time we finished breakfast and headed down it was tender ticket time. We managed to get tickets for number one. It was an easy trip to the wharf, no delays, no issues. I reserved a car from Avis in advance, it was about a 20 minute walk from where the tenders let us off. Avis opened at 9am and we arrived at 8:50. The guy working opened the doors early because there were quite a few people waiting to pick up for the day. He was quick and got everyone in to their cars faster than I expected. I had reserved a small SUV for the day. We were given a Chevy Equinox. It was spacious enough for the five of us for the day. We took the scenic route there along the coast rather than the mountain road. Someone on cruise critic told me about it, so we followed those directions. We spent the day walking around looking in the shops, eating pastries, pretzels, and stopping for some coffee and hot chocolate. Right when we went for the coffee it started to rain. We weren't happy, but the locals were because the state of California is in a drought. We enjoyed our time in Solvang. I wish we had eaten lunch in one of the restaurants but we filled up on treats throughout our day! I remember the Cruise Compass saying that the last tender was at 4:30pm. My husband, who likes to give me a heart attack, told me he saw 3pm. So now I was in a panic during the whole ride back to Santa Barbara. I kept running everything through my head: 1) Get gas 2) Return car 3) Walk to wharf. It was raining throughout our entire drive back. I was happy for the locals, but it made for an interesting afternoon. We arrived at Avis and took care of the car return, but then we had to walk back to the wharf. About 20 minutes. The problem was, we had my son's car seat. Car seat straps cannot get wet, if they do they are no longer effective. So I asked the guy at Avis for a garbage bag to cover the seat. He went in the back and bought out a car seat bag that they use when cleaning them. I put the seat in a bag and then placed the seat on top of the stroller. The little one insisted that his monkey doll/blanket be safely put under the bag so he didn't get wet. The next dilemma was my husband. He wasn't wearing a jacket and did not want to get drenched on the walk back to the ship. The guy at Avis gave him a car seat bag too. Matt proceeded to tear holes for his head and arms. Everyone was laughing at him, but in good fun of course... and then we had this! I was in flip flops, so by the time we got to the wharf my feet were wet and cold. Thankfully part of the tender waiting area was covered so we were able to stand under it.
On the way back to the ship our tender saw a life jacket floating in the water. They have a duty to check out the situation and make sure there isn't a person attached to it. So we went in circles for a few minutes as the crew members retrieved the lifejacket from the water. It was pretty choppy out there. I never get seasick, but I was feeling queezy during this experience!
FLL -> LASOur flight was at dinner hour, around 6:30pm. We chose this so my husband could work a half day before leaving town. We were, after all, headed to his convention. Why else would we bring a 2.5 year old to Vegas?!? This flight went without a hitch. We boarded with family boarding time, which gave me a few extra minutes to install the car seat before the plane got crowded. The flight was uneventful. We chose to forward face our son for this leg because it was not a nap/sleep time. We had tons of snacks to keep him busy because JetBlue will give you as a many snacks as you want, the iPad, and the JetBlue tvs. Although at this hour, all that was on the kid channels was Sponge Bob. We opted to turn his TV off and let him watch Elmo & Curious George on the iPad. He got a little restless, so I let him get out of the seat and play on the floor for a few minutes when the fasten seat belt sign was off. LAS -> FLLThis flight did not go as smoothly. We decided to take a red-eye home so we could get the most out of our last day in Vegas. That part worked perfectly. We tired our son out in the airport after eating a nice meal in one of the restaurants. He behaved fairly well. At one point I changed him in to his jammies so he would sleep on the ride home. Ha... ha... ha... We boarded the plane. I installed his car seat rearfacing. That way it would be reclined and he could sleep for the ride home. Once the seat was properly secured and my son was comfortably inside, I noticed one flight attendant look down at his seat and run to the head FA. They both came over and told me that his seat could not face the back of the plane. I calmly corrected them and explained that FAA regulations allow car seats to rear face on airplanes. They argued with me and then had the gate agent board the plane and tell me that his seat had to forward face. I was trying to pull up the FAA regulations on my cell phone but then they threatened to call airport security on me and have me escorted off of the airplane if I did not turn him around immediately. Rather than spend an entire evening in an airport and have to arrange a new flight home I turned his seat forward. He did not sleep more than 30 minutes. He cried. Disrupted people around us. Thankfully the lady in our row but across the aisle leaned forward and said "Mom, you're doing a good job. You're just looking out for your son's best interest. We've flown with our kids before, we know how it goes!" The guy in the row behind us, sitting with my mom offered to switch seats because the middle seat was empty. We appreciated the support of our "plane neighbors." Some people are not as understanding. As soon as we got home I shot off an email to jetBlue corporate explaining the situation. I have attached an image of their email response. I knew I was right. Don't mess with a momma bear! Next FlightWe are flying to California next month, again on Jet Blue. I plan to bring a pre printed copy of the FAA regulation as well as this email. JUST IN CASE I have another uninformed Flight Attendant.
When I told people that we were bringing our son to Vegas with us for my husband's convention, they thought we were nuts! We've brought him on most of our trips. The only time he has been left behind was for in-state long weekends. I researched kid-friendly activities around the town. Surprisingly, I found quite a bit out there! Here is a run down of what worked and what didn't! Remember, if you click on the photos, you can view them larger and cycle through each set. Fremont Street Experience About 20 minutes and $30 cab ride from center strip is Fremont Street. In the future I would recommend getting the 24-hour pass on the Deuce Bus. I will discuss the bus more in another post. Fremont is the iconic "old Vegas." By the 1990s most of the hotels had moved to Las Vegas Blvd, to the area we all now know as the strip. The classics are still here and thriving. This street was packed, all night long, There is fun for the whole family here. We saw lots of strollers, big kids, teens, and adults. Every night there are bands on three stages, street performers, and an overhead light show! The light show features a different band each hour. We saw Heart and Imagine Dragons. My husband and son enjoyed watching some street dancers show off their moves. If you are daring, there is the SlotZilla. It's zip line that spans most of the length of the Fremont Street Experience. I wanted to try it out, but we were tired and ready to head back to our hotel by the time there was availability. We spent an entire evening there from dinner, at Cous Cous Mediterranean Cafe, to wayyyy past our 2.5 year old's bed time! Bellagio Conservatory & Water Show Many people know of the water show in front of the Bellagio hotel. Fountains of Bellagio shows are every 1/2 hour during the day and every 15 minutes from 8pm to midnight. My 2 year old thought this was "wow!" This is completely free as well. Inside the hotel is a Conservatory & Gardens that are changed seasonally.The first four photos are from 2015 and the last ones are from 2011. Our son loved the sea creatures and kept asking for Nemo and his daddy! M&M StoreThe M&M store is fun for all ages as well. Located next to the MGM Grand hotel, this four story fun factory has plenty to entertain. Each level of the store brings more and more excitement for little ones. Even adults were enjoying themselves looking at everything. You can buy nearly anything you can think of with the M&M Logo. The third floor has a free 3-D movie that is about 10 minutes long. It shows every 20 minutes, so there is never a long wait. The fourth floor features race themed apparel, toys, candy, and a Nascar car. My son is fascinated with cars and trucks, so he kept trying to cut the line for a picture. Circus Circus Hotel Located a ways down on the north end of the strip is Circus Circus. This hotel is older and not as fancy as some of the more luxurious digs near center strip. Personally I would never stay at Circus Circus for a hotel. Just not my thing! BUT they have great entertainment for families and kids. It is a bit hectic and there aren't many food options in the entertainment area, just McDonalds and a Carnival style food stand on a rotating platform. In the Midway there are typical Carnival games. I was surprised that they were not very expensive. Everything in Vegas tends to be expensive. Games were $1-2. There is a FREE circus act show every 30 minutes in the center of the Midway. We saw Izzy, the American Single Trapeze Artist, Mei Ling Li Chinese Foot Juggler, and Flying Angels from South America. Las Vegas Town CenterOne of the days of our trip we had a rental car (my mom and I had driven out to the Grand Canyon). So we ventured out a bit. We went to the Las Vegas Town Center. Which is basically an outdoor shopping mall with restaurants, stores, and activities. The Deuce bus, which I mentioned above, also stops here. There is a Children's Park at the center of the mall. I was unable to take pictures because it was getting dark by the time we finished dinner. I pulled a photo off of their website to show you what their childrens' area looks like. Some of it's features are:
Over the next few weeks I will be posting more information about Vegas:
Many people question when the right age is to take their children to Disney. The honest answer is that it depends on your family wants and needs. Everyone has different priorities; people view the difficulty level of exploring the parks with a very young child from different perspectives. Some people are head over heels for Disney and visit frequently, others save up for years for that one trip and want to be sure their child remembers the experience! I can't throw out a set number to everyone due to the variety of factors that contribute to the decision. I know many people think of us as a cruise travel agency, but we are so much more! I'd be glad to consult with you and your individual situation and let you know if I think it's worth the trip. In the meanwhile, here are some tips for visiting Disney with an infant. Baby Centers I recently wrote up a review of Legoland, a short drive from Orlando. I was impressed with the idea of Baby Center's for parents to take care of all the needs baby's come along with. I've always known about Disney's Baby Care Stations. They are coupled with First Aid stations within each park. So I've chosen to write about how they make it a drip easier to let your littlest one tag along with the family for a day in the parks. You will find one center in each main park (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.) In there you will find everything needed to feed and change your baby. Well... almost everything! The Baby Centers are also the location where lost parents are reunited with their children. So if you ever lose your child in the crowd, send one person from your group to the Baby Center while the others form a search party ;) I'll be sure to snap some photos of the one in Epcot when I visit in June. I'll add them here at that time. Feeding Each baby care center has nursing rooms available. In Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, they are private rooms. Magic Kingdom and Epcot have group nursing rooms with four chairs. Lighting is kept to a minimum to help with privacy and comfort. Keep in mind that Disney will not stop you from nursing wherever you choose, these rooms are provided as a location for those who would prefer privacy and a little bit of cool air circulating. Nursing rooms also have numerous outlets to accommodate pumping mamas. The baby care center also has a microwave and a few high chairs. If you need to heat a bottle or small amount of baby food, it is there for you! Changing/ Toileting Each baby care station has multiple changing tables. There are disposable table liners as well, so no need to worry & add more to your bag by carrying your own pad or liner. Wipes and Huggies diapers are available for purchase. Typically they have sizes 2-4 in stock. There are a few kid-sized potties as well for those who are already toilet trained. Sundries The Baby Centers are housed in the same building as the First Aid stations. They sell various items such as diapers, wipes, formula, juice, pacifiers, feminine hygiene items, children's clothes for oopsies, over the counter meds, sippy cups, children's Tylenol (and similar items). Locations Magic Kingdom: Just off of Main Street, by Casey's Corner and Crystal Palace. Epcot: In Future World, the Odyssey Building. Hollywood Studios: At the front entrance to the park with Guest Relations. Animal Kingdom: To the left of the Tree of Life, just past Pizzafari. Baby Friendly Rides
Where to StayI always suggest staying on property if you can swing the cost. The hotels and their themes are so much fun, your kids will surely appreciate it (if you have older ones). As far the baby, well, they wont know the difference, but you will! Staying on property allows you easy access to the parks. Between,the monorail, boats, and buses, there is no shortage of transportation. You can even come back to your room mid-day to relax and nap if you choose one right near your park. Here is a list of hotels that are closest to each park. Magic Kingdom
Hollywood Studios
Animal Kingdom
Where to EatThe best part about Disney is that it is designed for children and families. Every restaurant and quick service location will have high chairs and kid friendly food! If your child is under the age of three they can eat off of an adult's plate for free.
General Tips
I want to extend a HUGE thank to my clients and friends who have allowed me to use their adorable babies for this blog post.
Lisa Perry, Nicki Poucher, Nicole Willi, Stacey Peleg, Christine Smalley, Jenny Roth, Jessica LaBossiere, Amanda Hicks, Katharina Terescenko, and Victoria DeFelice. As I am sure you have figured out by now, we did not take our son to Disney as an infant. At two, he is still scared of characters. We're aiming for next year when he's closer to three. ;) This past week I went away with my son, nieces, sisters in law, and mother in law. We drove up to Orlando and visited Sea World and Legoland. The highlight of the trip was Legoland. I had heard mixed feedback from some of my clients in the past, but I was really impressed with the park. Part of me wishes I had waited to visit in late May so we could try out the hotel that opens in mid-May. The park is truly geared toward kids aged 2-12 and adults with the heart of children! There are a lot of rides, spread throughout the park in different "Lands." You might need more than one day to explore the entire park, we missed a lot of rides simply because we wanted to do so much while there. The longest wait we had was 30 minutes, but that was on ONE ride, all of the other rides had a 5 minute or less wait. Speaking of wait times, each ride had a section for kids to play with Legos while mom or dad waits in line. I thought that was a genius idea. If you have ever tried to wait in a long line with kids, it can be a nightmare! Letting the kids build and play if the line is long certainly helps ease that anxiety! I can honestly say I can't wait to bring my son back in a few years when he can ride more of the attractions. If your little one is under 34" he or she won't be able to go on rides. My son is 33 and 3/4", so the Model Citizens (as the employees are called) were letting him go on the toddler rides because he was so close! Legoland RidesWe were able to ride and visit the following attractions:
Baby Care Center I think my favorite discovery was the baby care center. As someone who covers family friendly travel, this was a wonderful find. If you enter the Duplo Farm and head toward the back right you will find the baby care center. I asked the Legoland Model Citizen about it. She told me it was limited to moms with babies and toddlers. They only allow fathers in if the baby center is empty, this is to give nursing mothers privacy. The following perks are found within the Baby Care Center:
Legoland Food We had lunch at the Pizza and Pasta Buffet close to the front of the park. I would compare it to a Cici's Pizza buffet as far as experience and quality. Kids 3 and under eat free. 3-12 were $9.99 and Adults were $14.99. That included the buffet plus a drink. It was fine for our needs. I don't have a picture of the place because we were trying to get in from the hot sun and then out rather quickly to see the remainder of the park!
Later in the day I had a really yummy treat! If you like apple pie, you'll love Granny's Apple Fries! I tried some right before we left for the day. Delicious bites of cinnamon & sugar apples with a side of fresh whipped cream. Yum! We've sailed on the Liberty of the Seas a total of three times. For our one year anniversary in 2010, as a babymoon/3rd anniversary (I was pregnant) in 2012, and the most recent time was this past November for our 5th anniversary. We sailed with a large group: our family, my mom, my in-laws, brother-in-law, his wife, their two kids, and their friends plus THEIR daughter! Any day on vacation beats a day in the office, so I don't want it to sound like a huge downer, but it was the least enjoyable of our three experiences on the ship. Maybe it was the turnover on the ship- the day we boarded the ship had just returned from a transatlantic cruise. there is a lot of extra paperwork and processing for the crew on those days. I am sure they were burnt out! Here is a run-down of the experiences. Royal Babies and Tots Nursery The Liberty runs their nursery different than Enchantment and Brilliance. They have booking hours all day long. Which in a sense is good, parents did not have to conform to the set schedule for dropping the children off. On Brilliance they had evening hours only. The Liberty gives the ability to drop the little ones off in the day if you're going to lay by the pool for some adult time or even get off the ship child-free for a little bit. The nursery did not offer any "open play." The program set up some toys in a lounge on the very top deck on the final day of the cruise, but it just wasn't the same as having my son play in the actual room with all of the regular toys in the nursery. Plus it was only offered on the last day of the cruise. We never used the nursery on this trip because we had both sets of grandparents with us. My mom even took him overnight once so we could see a show and do our own thing. As you can see in the photos below, the Liberty nursery is significantly smaller than the Brilliance nursery, but still larger than the one on Enchantment. Click the photos to enlarge them. Onboard Fun This was the first time we were able to bring my little guy in the pool on a cruise ship. Liberty of the Seas has a small section in the H20 Zone for diapered kiddos. So we strapped on his swim diaper and swim diaper cover and let him play. He LOVED it. It was small, but what more does a 20 month old really need?! There were a few other little ones in there with him and they all had a blast. Being that this was my son's 3rd Royal Caribbean cruise he was given Crayola Twistables as a "Welcome Back Gift." While Royal Caribbean cut out welcome back gifts for most Crown & Anchors levels a few years back, they still give the kids a gift. Just a note, my 4 and 5 year old nieces also received the Twistable Crayons, so it is not age specific. My mom was staying in a Promenade view room. It overlooks the Royal Promenade. It's a great alternative to spending more money on oceanview or balcony rooms. My son loved to sit on the window seat and watch all the action below. See the photo of him with my mom below. I have no photos of this next event, because it took place in the dark! On the last sea day, Adventure Ocean offers a puppet show in the dark, with blacklights. It is called ImagineOcean. It was held in the lounge at the forward end of the Promenade. Kids and adults of all ages enjoyed it. The show was about 30 minutes long and included sea creatures singing and teaching manners. It was a bit "Nemo-esque." Very cute and be sure not t skip it if you have young kids! Belize This was our second visit to Belize. The first time we took a trolley tour around the main city area. This time we decided to walk around the shops at the port. We had a fresh cut coconut with some rum added to the coconut water once they cut it open for us. WOW! After our coconut drink we ventured in to the shops where the was free wifi. We used the free wifi in connection with an app I recently downloaded- WePhone. I bought $5 worth of minutes before leaving the US. The rates are a penny a minute for regular or 1.5 cents a minute for premium. This allowed my husband to call his employees and check on his business. It worked pretty well for what it was. There was about a 1-2 second delay in sound, but no big deal for a penny a minute! Cozumel
We have been to Cozumel 10 times. Yes, that's a lot. I think it makes me an expert what what there is to do there. This time we chose to head over to Playa Mia Beach Club. There are options in which you can pay just to use the facilities, food, drink, etc. We chose to just pay for entry fees. We didn't plan to stay very long because we were unsure of how long my son would tolerate it. It's a great place, I'd love to go back when my son is a bit older though. The kids pool was downright cold. very few kids played in it due to the temperature. My son actually started to turn blue in the lips and fingers. We had to warm him up in the sun. There are plenty of evens going on all day. They even let the little ones hit the pinata a few times! Check out the photos to see all it has to offer! We ate dinner and Lucian was great. He was nice enough to introduce my son to ice cream… Every mother’s dream! After dinner we went up to the nursery and dropped him off again. He did a little better tonight. He still cried when we handed him over. Instead of wandering the ship tonight we decided to watch the Captain’s Toast. It was formal night in the dining rooms by the way. We grabbed two chairs from the internet area on deck 7 and scooted them up to the glass of the Centrum. I had assumed there would be an aerial element because there was a white drape hanging from the top. It slowly lowered to the ground and then the show began. No aerial element! The dancers danced about to a Madonna’s Vogue. After their performance the captain came out and introduced the Hotel Director, Head Chef, etc. Champagne was only passed out on decks 4, 5, and 6. We sat on 7. We picked our son up from the nursery, headed back to the room, gave him a bath, and then we all went to bed. We were set to arrive in Halifax the next morning and I wanted an early jump on the day.
If you’re interested in how to bathe a baby or toddler on a cruise with just a shower, here’s how. We slept in a bit this day because it was a sea day. We did a whole bunch of nothing! Well, actually I brought our son to the nursery at 10am for Play Group. Play Group is when a Nursery staff member is in the room, but parents must still stay with their child. I think it’s more of a secretarial time where parents can meet the nursery staff, sign up for hours, ask questions, etc. Hubby went to the gym and met us there during the next session. At 11am is “Art.” The project they had planned… coloring. Older kids would probably think it is lame, but my son loves to color! So she brought out the crayons, coloring sheet, and a tray. This kept him busy for a long time, then he played with the toys in the room. We talked with Chelsea about the nursery. She explained that she had to fly to Miami for an intense week long training to be certified to work in the onboard nursery. In the US they can change diapers, but any cruises leaving from the UK they cannot change diapers. We had lunch in the Windjammer, shocker, and then headed back to the room for a family nap!
After family nap time we watched some TV, yes we are the weirdos who watch TV and even order a movie or two on a cruise. My son had fun playing on the balcony, point and yelling “WA-LA!” That would be water in his language ;) I stopped by the nursery to pick up a bag of toys. Despite the fact that Royal Caribbean no longer has a relationship with Fisher Price, they still have toy lending available. So Chelsea got a bag together for us and we brought it to the room so Junior would have a few things to play with. I read the card attached to the bag and was very worried about the cost of replacing the items if lost. I was basically a nut case every time my son played with the toys. I kept all pieces accounted for to ensure we didn’t have to pay $150! We headed back to our room to find that the pack n play had been set up for us. We made a bag for my son with diapers, wipes, his monkey blanket (attachment toy), a snack, and water in his sippy cup. We brought him up to the nursery. We were going to attempt to leave him in their care for an hour or two so we could spend some time together. Nikki (Nicolita from Croatia) and Chelsea (from Kansas) were there. We signed him in and they gave us a cell phone. I wish I had taken a picture of it as it’s not a smart phone, just a late 90s/ early 2000s cell phone called a Dect Phone. It uses the ship’s signal and can only call other locations on the ship. We handed our son’s bag over to the ladies and then they opened the gate for my son to go in. He ran toward the toys, but as soon as he saw the gate close behind him he began to cry. My son has had a regression of sorts. At 15 months old I started my life as a stay at home mom. Within a month my son became attached to me. It was difficult to leave him with anyone because he’d cry. In the middle of August I started sending him to a Parents Morning Out program for 2 hours once a week. We knew this would be a challenge on the cruise and we wanted to prepare him for it. About 20 minutes after dropping him off in the nursery the cell phone rang, my heart sank, I immediately started to worry what could have gone wrong. It was Nikki, she said that they gave him his monkey and a snack and he stopped crying. He was being a little wimper-y but doing just fine and that we should enjoy our evening. I appreciated that she called to let us know he did finally calm down. Hubby and I just wandered the ship and I took some more photos. So we get out of the taxi. Unload our bags. Immediately a police officer tells us we need to clear the area. He points me in the direction of a line of people and a lady who works for the port. We head over that way. They woman throws her arm in my face and yells “Stop! Where are you going?” I explained that the officer told us to take our bags (3 suitcases, a car seat, stroller, a diaper bag, and 2 backpacks) over in this direction. I also explained that I needed luggage tags. Her response was “Only people with luggage tags can pass this line.” So I ask where I can get luggage tags. She says “Not here.” Okay. Thanks for being specific lady… So I walk back in the direction I came from and asked a baggage handler. He tells me that there is a booth, behind the lady who had just yelled at me, where I can get tags. So I turn around again and walk toward the booth. The woman stops me again and berates me for trying to go past her. She muttered something about me not listening and being young and stupid, then asks me if this was my first cruise ever. I didn’t even respond to her. I walked right past her to the booth. Of course she is yelling at me the entire time that I walk away from her. I asked him where I need to go from there. He tells me to have a baggage handler take my bags. Okay, so I walk over to the curb area. Mean lady yells at me again. “What are you doing, where are you going? You can’t go there with bags!” Ahhhh! I finally turned to her and said “You tell me I can’t go here. You tell me I can’t go there. Where would you like me to go? You don’t seem to know what you are doing and you work here. So who is the stupid one?” I generally don’t lose my cool with people, but this woman was just plain irritating. A baggage handler took our bags. As I walked away from the chaos two other guests came up to me and said she did the same thing to them. Okay, so I wasn’t the only person, phew! As it turns out, I was supposed to wait in a line for the next available baggage handler to take our bags. The line was very long too. I felt really bad for essentially cutting the line. But between being yelled at and told I cant do this or that I wasn’t able to concentrate! |
AuthorHi! I am Nicole Perry, owner of Sunkissed Adventures. Categories
All
Archives
June 2022
|