3/10/2018 0 Comments Christmas at Disney World Taking your child to Disney World has become an American tradition. Sydney and I went to Disney World for the first time when she was 20 months. A lot of people told us, “She will not remember that,” “It makes no sense to take a baby to Disney World,” and “There is nothing for a baby to do at Disney World.” I love Disney World and I rarely travel only for Sydney. I knew that she would enjoy herself and I would always have the memories of her enjoying herself at Disney World. Also, Disney World is a place that we would travel to often. With that being said, let me get to the nitty gritty of preparing for a trip to Disney World at Christmas with a baby that has medical issues.
I read a lot of blogs about traveling with your child to Disney World at Christmas time so I knew that I had to prepare early. Christmas is the busiest time at Disney World. In February, I booked our room at the Port Orleans Riverside resort. I chose Port Orleans because we are from South Louisiana and I wanted something to remind us of home at Christmas. I also wanted to stay in the coveted Princess Tiana room. I made an itinerary because I have learned that when traveling with kids having a plan is easier than just winging it. We are able to get the most out of a lot of our travels because we do not sit around wondering what to do. I am a foodie so I chose the Deluxe Dining Plan. It was also the most economical choice for the experiences that I wanted to have. Points from the Deluxe Dining Plan can be maneuvered to cover character meals. We experienced a character breakfast every morning, lunch at Cinderella’s castle, and we still ate wonderful meals. I can write an entire post about the fine dining at Disney World. It is not all hot dogs and burgers. Back to my expert planning skills. 180 days before our check in date, I woke up at 5am and logged into Disney Dining Reservations to book our reservations. You may think that I am crazy to do this but I got the last reservation for three at Cinderella’s castle for that day. I knew it was the last one because I called into Disney Dining right after to change the time and was told there were no more spots. Cinderella’s castle and Be Our Guest are hard reservations to obtain but at Christmas time every reservation is hard to obtain. I relaxed after the dining reservations were made. The next step was Fast Passes. 3 months before we were scheduled to go I booked our Fast Passes for the parades, safari ride at Animal Kingdom, and the Lion King. Everything else was based on the type of experiences Sydney would enjoy. She is a Disney Junior fanatic so Hollywood Studios was a must for us. Another reservation that I made ahead of time was the Candlelight Processional. It is booked with a meal and is a must do at Disney World for Christmas. Our entire family enjoyed it. Sydney was not yet ready to fly because of her medical issues so I knew that we would have to rent a car and drive the 13 hours. My mother came along with us to help with the drive and because grandmothers are awesome. I rented a large SUV for Sydney’s medical equipment such as her walker, stroller, and just in case equipment like nebulizer, humidifiers, etc. Our trip was for 5 days and 4 nights at Disney World plus an additional night coming and going to break up the drive. I also packed entertainment for Sydney for downtime in the room and when we travel. On this trip, I learned that I packed too much. My new motto for traveling with Sydney is that if urgent care can supply it, we do not need to bring it. Also, one or two toys will do on car rides and extended iPad time is ok for long trips. So my advice on preparing for Disney World at Christmas time is to bring what you need and prepare far in advance.
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