Carry-on question!

[shoppgirl]

Hello! One of the really cool souvenirs you see everywhere at Disney are those HUGE balloons they sell! MY DD desperately wanted one last year, but I couldn't bear the thought of paying a lot of money for one, and then leaving it behind because I didn't think you could bring it onto a plane?

If you have purchased a balloon for your kiddies, what do you do with it at the end of your trip? Have you ever brought it onto the plane? Do they allow helium filled balloons onto a plane? Through security?? How do you transport those things home?? Or is this just a thing to have while on vacation and then you leave it behind??

Just wondering...

 

[dudspizza]

Hello! One of the really cool souvenirs you see everywhere at Disney are those HUGE balloons they sell! MY DD desperately wanted one last year, but I couldn't bear the thought of paying a lot of money for one, and then leaving it behind because I didn't think you could bring it onto a plane?

If you have purchased a balloon for your kiddies, what do you do with it at the end of your trip? Have you ever brought it onto the plane? Do they allow helium filled balloons onto a plane? Through security?? How do you transport those things home?? Or is this just a thing to have while on vacation and then you leave it behind??

Just wondering...

If you buy one you will have to deflate it before taking it home. Imagine if it exploded on the plane..... not good.

duds

 

[peemagg]

If you look carefully at the neck of most helium balloons they can be very carefully deflated with a pen and then taken to places that fill balloons for a small price when you get home. Some will even do it for free.

Even if you don't have it refilled, how about leaving it deflated (as long as you did it carefully and didn't puncture or rip it) and hanging it on the childs wall? They make great wall hangings and it is a souvenier that the child can look at every day.

 

[Kevenswife2]

Two years ago we took DD to WDW to celebrate her birthday. As we were leaving the resort she was given a birthday balloon. We had no problem carrying it through MCO security.

Side note: After waiting two hours to board our plane, I forgot DD's balloon! Everyone was seated and the flight attendent was doing a last check of the passengers. DD's tears over her forgotten balloon made me jump up, say I'll be right back, and run off the plane and up the tunnel. Thank goodness her balloon was sitting right there where I had forgotten it. (I'm the mom...I'm in charge of those things ) Then I couldn't get back through the door to the tunnel as it was locked! Talk about panicked!! My boarding pass and ID were on the plane with DH. Luckly I found a worker who unlocked it for me and I ran back to my seat with the prized balloon. (Yes, I'm the crazy women you all give the evil eye ) No problem having the balloon on the plane. I don't even think we were told to keep it 'down', but I did tie it to the arm rest.

 

[dudspizza]

again, please be considerate of others and deflate the balloon. A balloon that explodes can be a very scary thing, especially on an airplane.

Have a nice day.

Duds

 

[bradisgoofy]

I'm surprised they let you back on to the flight. You left the aircraft and therefore violated the security area.

 

[mom2meiko]

has anyone ever actually experienced a mylar balloon explosion on an airplane? i have seen plenty of children come into the boston airport with mickey balloons. i wanted to bring one home for dd last year but dh refused to travel with it so we left it at the hotel. i'm hoping next year we can bring one back with us though.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have been at MCO, waiting to board a flight home to Boston. There was a largish family who thought it was a good idea for the kids to play with balloons while they waited. You should have seen the comotion when the balloons popped, as airline personel (FAs, pilots) were walking by. People almost hit the floor!!! Not a funny thing at all. The GA went over to them and asked them to put the balloons away....they did for about 15 mins and then brought them back out again.
I just wouldn't recommend bringing an inflated balloon home on a plane. I did get a huge Beauty balloon for my dd a few years ago. But, we deflated it, and put it in her checked bag. It now hangs on her wall.

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

A bit off topic but still pertinent. My sister worked for a florist before 9/11 and she delivered a balloon bouquet to someone at the local IRS office. It was a cold day and one of the latex balloon popped when she went from the cold of outdoors to the warmth of the building. Everyone in the room hit the floor. At the time we thought it seemed funny but since 9/11, I now work for a different branch of the govt etc, it does seem to be a kindness to deflate the balloons. That is what I loved about balloons. They were an inexpensive souvie that you could get not worry about. I still have my son's first Pooh balloon from DL. He was so cute at 4 tugging on balloon tied to his stroller and then at night he would cuddle into my lap as we rode the tram back to the DL Hotel. Who is this hairy 15-year-old stranger at my house who is eating me out of house and home now?! While I enjoy this man-boy I've got, I miss my cuddle bug. Get the balloon, deflate it and keep the memory.