Hi everyone! I’m a little late in starting this thread, but I wanted to chronicle my adventures! My husband works remotely, and I’m a teacher. We’ve been coming to WDW since my 30th birthday in 2018, and “making up for lost time” (my parents weren’t Disney people) turned into an obsession.
We’ve been at least once a year since, other than 2020 and 2022 - our son was born in July! Now that we have a baby, we decided it would be easier to stay offsite so we’d have a washer/dryer and dishwasher…and while we’re at it, let’s just get an airbnb for the month(!) and bring our dog, too.
I’m normally a min/max, optimize, pack everything into every day person at WDW but I’m hoping that being here for so long will allow me to relax and follow Henry’s pace…we’ll see how that goes! I also have a couple of disabilities and that have gotten more complex in the last couple years, especially since having a baby, so there’s no way I can keep up with my old way of doing things even with the help of DAS. I was too afraid to register in the past but I’m so glad I did this year - managing my needs AND my son’s needs put me over the edge and I wouldn’t be able to manage without it. I also have celiac disease and love coming to Disney for their allergy accommodations.
I spent July taking “field trips” with Henry around NJ - the zoo, three aquariums, Franklin Institute (they had a Disney exhibit!), Wild West City, Field Station Dinosaurs, the Natural History Museum in NYC, library story hours, Gymboree, and Music Together classes. We got lots of practice!
I also outfitted our CRV with a backseat fan (the AC isn’t strong enough back there for my liking), seat organizers that were stuffed to the brim with wipes, cheerios, portable chargers, and every one of Henry’s teethers and some new battery operated toys to keep his attention! I downloaded 28 hours of Ms Rachel and Cocomelon to the iPad. I brought my noise cancelling headphones and sat in the back! He actually did really well, only getting fussy occasionally. I suspect it may be tricky if we repeat the journey over the next couple of toddler years, but maybe once he’s in school it’ll be easier again since he’ll understand where we’re going and be able to entertain himself better.
On July 28th we set off on our grand adventure. My amazing husband did ALL the driving (seriously, I drove literally four miles in the three days we were on the road!!!) and deserves a ton of credit. We split the journey up across 3 days.
We stopped for a late lunch in Carytown, VA. It was extremely hot outside, so we ate quickly, but they brought water to our dog which was nice!
Our first overnight stop was Emporia, VA. We arrived at our airbnb which was a cute little mid century house - kind of in the middle of nowhere, but convenient to 95 - the primary bedroom had records on the walls and a pink bathroom with black fixtures. They leaned into the “vintage” theme but added Wi-Fi and AC, so we were happy.
I picked up a couple groceries - I was pleased with my cooler bag keeping our drinks cold all day! and we went straight to bed. I was amused by the local fast food offerings (Zaxby’s, Bojangles, Hardee’s, and Waffle House are all new to me!) but sadly none can accommodate my gluten free needs so we stuck with rations from the Food Lion.
On day two of our road trip, we left early in the morning en route to Savannah. We stopped at the famous Buc-ee’s in SC but I found it extremely overwhelming. I wasn’t prepared for the wall-to-wall crowds of people and lack of order! I didn’t think the wait and chaos were worth it, since again I didn’t know if I could eat the food, so we stopped at Wendy’s for lettuce wrapped burgers and fries - thankfully I wasn’t glutened - and headed on our way.
Our airbnb this night was a cute home on Price St (near Henry St! we got a picture). We had dinner at a place nearby but someone at a nearby table was choking*! Thankfully a different party called 911 and they sent help very quickly and all was fine.
*to be technical, she seemed to have some kind of esophageal obstruction, as she was able to breathe…my husband had a similar thing happen a couple years ago and had to be put under and “scoped” to push the steak out…yikes!
We didn’t have much of an appetite for dinner after that, but at no fault of the restaurant or the diner. We stopped for ice cream later at the famous Leopold’s! I wish we had time to see more of Savannah - the trolley tours, ghost tours, and prohibition museum in particular looked cool (and I didn’t research much since I knew we’d be leaving) and we’ll need to return.
Before heading out on Day 3, we had breakfast at The Collins Quarter in Forsyth Park. I wanted to see the famous trees and have some breakfast, too! The meal was tasty but they didn’t have as many GF options as their website indicated.
We drove straight through on this day, eager to arrive at our destination, only stopping for coffee in Jacksonville. We arrived at our airbnb in Kissimmee at 2:15, and the host graciously allowed us to check in 45 mins early. Yay!
This airbnb is GREAT so far. There is a jetted tub in the primary bedroom, a desk with a “Rollie chair” for my husband to work, washer/dryer, dishwasher, a pack n play, good air conditioning, and decent storage space. We haven’t been able to hook up the TV to the Wi-Fi yet, but that’s not a huge deal for us - it would be nice to stream YouTube occasionally, but our phones work just fine. We haven’t used the on-site pool yet but there are a few of those.
I will say that the tub is extremely deep - anyone shorter or less mobile than me (5’6”) is likely to have a hard time, and the easiest way to bathe a baby is to hop in with them. If I were here solo, I would need to bring a baby bath or use the shower, but thankfully my husband can handle bathtime while we’re here!
Once we got somewhat unpacked, we headed to Disney Springs to get our APs and have dinner at Raglan Road. I had the pear cider and GF fish & chips with onion rings - all DELICIOUS! My husband had some sort of beef sandwich that our server recommended; I was a bit too overstimulated to pay attention but he enjoyed his meal. Henry was “over it” from the long drive but we enjoyed a couple of songs and dances before heading out.
We got our AP cards, I added photo pass to mine, and we picked up a couple of the newfangled MagicBand+s. I’m a little salty that they used to be free (at least with a hotel stay), and that we have to charge them, but I might as well get to use the features while I’m here so long. I got one with Orange Bird and DH got the “Disney Dad” one. They didn’t have “Disney Mom”, oh well.
I am SO grateful that my husband’s job and my work schedule allow for us to travel for so long (albeit ONLY when Florida is hotter than the surface of the sun…), and that my DH is willing to indulge my passion for WDW!
Next up, Day 4: The Magic Kingdom!
We’ve been at least once a year since, other than 2020 and 2022 - our son was born in July! Now that we have a baby, we decided it would be easier to stay offsite so we’d have a washer/dryer and dishwasher…and while we’re at it, let’s just get an airbnb for the month(!) and bring our dog, too.
I’m normally a min/max, optimize, pack everything into every day person at WDW but I’m hoping that being here for so long will allow me to relax and follow Henry’s pace…we’ll see how that goes! I also have a couple of disabilities and that have gotten more complex in the last couple years, especially since having a baby, so there’s no way I can keep up with my old way of doing things even with the help of DAS. I was too afraid to register in the past but I’m so glad I did this year - managing my needs AND my son’s needs put me over the edge and I wouldn’t be able to manage without it. I also have celiac disease and love coming to Disney for their allergy accommodations.
I spent July taking “field trips” with Henry around NJ - the zoo, three aquariums, Franklin Institute (they had a Disney exhibit!), Wild West City, Field Station Dinosaurs, the Natural History Museum in NYC, library story hours, Gymboree, and Music Together classes. We got lots of practice!
I also outfitted our CRV with a backseat fan (the AC isn’t strong enough back there for my liking), seat organizers that were stuffed to the brim with wipes, cheerios, portable chargers, and every one of Henry’s teethers and some new battery operated toys to keep his attention! I downloaded 28 hours of Ms Rachel and Cocomelon to the iPad. I brought my noise cancelling headphones and sat in the back! He actually did really well, only getting fussy occasionally. I suspect it may be tricky if we repeat the journey over the next couple of toddler years, but maybe once he’s in school it’ll be easier again since he’ll understand where we’re going and be able to entertain himself better.
On July 28th we set off on our grand adventure. My amazing husband did ALL the driving (seriously, I drove literally four miles in the three days we were on the road!!!) and deserves a ton of credit. We split the journey up across 3 days.
We stopped for a late lunch in Carytown, VA. It was extremely hot outside, so we ate quickly, but they brought water to our dog which was nice!
Our first overnight stop was Emporia, VA. We arrived at our airbnb which was a cute little mid century house - kind of in the middle of nowhere, but convenient to 95 - the primary bedroom had records on the walls and a pink bathroom with black fixtures. They leaned into the “vintage” theme but added Wi-Fi and AC, so we were happy.
I picked up a couple groceries - I was pleased with my cooler bag keeping our drinks cold all day! and we went straight to bed. I was amused by the local fast food offerings (Zaxby’s, Bojangles, Hardee’s, and Waffle House are all new to me!) but sadly none can accommodate my gluten free needs so we stuck with rations from the Food Lion.
On day two of our road trip, we left early in the morning en route to Savannah. We stopped at the famous Buc-ee’s in SC but I found it extremely overwhelming. I wasn’t prepared for the wall-to-wall crowds of people and lack of order! I didn’t think the wait and chaos were worth it, since again I didn’t know if I could eat the food, so we stopped at Wendy’s for lettuce wrapped burgers and fries - thankfully I wasn’t glutened - and headed on our way.
Our airbnb this night was a cute home on Price St (near Henry St! we got a picture). We had dinner at a place nearby but someone at a nearby table was choking*! Thankfully a different party called 911 and they sent help very quickly and all was fine.
*to be technical, she seemed to have some kind of esophageal obstruction, as she was able to breathe…my husband had a similar thing happen a couple years ago and had to be put under and “scoped” to push the steak out…yikes!
We didn’t have much of an appetite for dinner after that, but at no fault of the restaurant or the diner. We stopped for ice cream later at the famous Leopold’s! I wish we had time to see more of Savannah - the trolley tours, ghost tours, and prohibition museum in particular looked cool (and I didn’t research much since I knew we’d be leaving) and we’ll need to return.
Before heading out on Day 3, we had breakfast at The Collins Quarter in Forsyth Park. I wanted to see the famous trees and have some breakfast, too! The meal was tasty but they didn’t have as many GF options as their website indicated.
We drove straight through on this day, eager to arrive at our destination, only stopping for coffee in Jacksonville. We arrived at our airbnb in Kissimmee at 2:15, and the host graciously allowed us to check in 45 mins early. Yay!
This airbnb is GREAT so far. There is a jetted tub in the primary bedroom, a desk with a “Rollie chair” for my husband to work, washer/dryer, dishwasher, a pack n play, good air conditioning, and decent storage space. We haven’t been able to hook up the TV to the Wi-Fi yet, but that’s not a huge deal for us - it would be nice to stream YouTube occasionally, but our phones work just fine. We haven’t used the on-site pool yet but there are a few of those.
I will say that the tub is extremely deep - anyone shorter or less mobile than me (5’6”) is likely to have a hard time, and the easiest way to bathe a baby is to hop in with them. If I were here solo, I would need to bring a baby bath or use the shower, but thankfully my husband can handle bathtime while we’re here!
Once we got somewhat unpacked, we headed to Disney Springs to get our APs and have dinner at Raglan Road. I had the pear cider and GF fish & chips with onion rings - all DELICIOUS! My husband had some sort of beef sandwich that our server recommended; I was a bit too overstimulated to pay attention but he enjoyed his meal. Henry was “over it” from the long drive but we enjoyed a couple of songs and dances before heading out.
We got our AP cards, I added photo pass to mine, and we picked up a couple of the newfangled MagicBand+s. I’m a little salty that they used to be free (at least with a hotel stay), and that we have to charge them, but I might as well get to use the features while I’m here so long. I got one with Orange Bird and DH got the “Disney Dad” one. They didn’t have “Disney Mom”, oh well.
I am SO grateful that my husband’s job and my work schedule allow for us to travel for so long (albeit ONLY when Florida is hotter than the surface of the sun…), and that my DH is willing to indulge my passion for WDW!
Next up, Day 4: The Magic Kingdom!
I definitely teared up a bit. We met Mickey on the way out, and Henry wasn’t scared at all like I’d expected…he was more interested in Mickey’s nose I think.
