I need a stroller at Disney World, how do I tote that thing?

So as soon as I booked. I felt like a load was lifted from my shoulders. But a new set of  worries quickly set in. Do I need a stroller? Can I rent one? Should I buy one? Can I load it on the plane, the bus, where does it go??? How will I travel between theme parks? How far are the parks from my resort? At this moment, I will address the stroller. As I was not able to rest easy til I had answers.

Ok, so having a 3 and a 6 year old, I no longer have a nice sturdy stroller.  But this is Disney, endless fun as far as the eye could see, would my kids be able to handle it? Should I buy 2 strollers? My kids are so big, will they be comfortable in an umbrella stroller? I quickly dismissed the idea of renting a stroller as it was sort of pricey and I knew I would need a stroller for non Disney Park ventures, like the airport, Downtown Disney,  walking around the resorts (they are pretty big). I also threw out the idea of a cheap umbrella stroller, because my kids are way too big for them. So I invested in a Chicco Echo Umbrella Stroller that would hold up to 40 lbs.  It was comfier,  and reclined and swiveled pretty easily. It made pushing my daughter a breeze.   She is such a slow walker, that I knew I would need one for her. On the other hand, my son is so hyper,  I felt that if he ever got tired, we could carry Macy, and Luke could rest in the stroller a bit. (On the trip, Luke did get tired, but Macy was a little territorial with her new stroller) Luke was able to just sit and rest here or there at the parks, and it worked out fine!

Now, for details about how we got along with the stroller.  Tip number 1: practice, setting up and closing the stroller with ease. Everyone in your party should learn how to operate the stroller as while you are traveling,  you will have to break it down and set it up as quickly as possible. 

First place and worry of mine was the airport. 

Q: What was I going to do with the stroller? Would I put it with luggage? Wait, I need it to tote Macy all over the airport? 

A: Not to worry my friend,  I quickly found that the airport deals with strollers all day everyday.  I flew with Soutwest Airlines where my stroller and bags flew free as well. (Some airlines charge for bags) I found that I could use my stroller all the way til I got on the plane, literally. I did have to stop at the gate desk (where you sit and wait to load your plane, for my non frequent flyers) and they "checked" my stroller (tagged it with my name and flight info). As I boarded the plane I just broke it down, and placed it right at the door. When we got off the plane, we waited maybe less than a minute and they placed our stroller right where we left it. We set it up, and off we went. Simple!

Q: What about when we get to Disney, where will I put the stroller on the bus?

A: We got picked up from the airport by Disney's Magical Express, it was super cool. The driver helped my husband break the stroller down and place it on the belly of this beautiful big charter bus. We were on our way!

Q: What about the Resort?

A: As we unloaded our stroller, Macy had already learned to wait and hop in and yes the resort is large enough that pushing her in the stroller was essential.

Q: What about riding the busses to and from the parks?

A: This is why everyone must practice opening and closing the stroller as fast as possible.  You will be required at times to RUN to a bus and break down the stroller in no time flat and hop on the bus. (The stroller came in handy at moments like this becaise we were able to use the stroller as if it were a jogging stroller.) At other times you can wait up to 20 minutes for a bus. Macy liked to chill in her stroller til the bus came.

Q: Where do I leave my stroller while I'm on rides and at shows?

A: There are so many designated areas for your stroller, the Disney workers are always around to show you where to place the stroller. I'd suggest a scarf or rag of some sort to tag your stroller with to prevent a mix up and make the stroller easier to find.

These were my worries. As you can see, I had plenty of concerns. I know its sort of a long post, but Im glad I shared. I'd love to put your mind at ease! ; )

He said yes...now where do I start?

I don't know about you, but my husband is the type to change his mind or second guess himself a lot,  so I knew I had to act fast.  But for once, I did know one thing now that I'd never known before, and that was a definite date. As fast as I could I went to the Disney website and booked a trip for 4 nights at the Art of Animation Value Resort, along with the Dining Plus Plan and tickets without park hopper or water park options. I'll share how or why I made those choices at a later time. 

Although, I found the Disney website very informative and user friendly the system did go down frequently.  And when it came down to making my payment for the trip,  guess what, it went down. Oh no! I needed to solidify this trip before Rudy changed his mind again, so I immediately picked up the phone and called Disney. Little did I know this would be a blessing in disguise! The rep had to rebook my trip and her total was @ $400 cheaper,  WOOHOO!!! But there was just one problem,  my debit credit card would not go through, it had a max daily limit on it.  Bummer...I was going to have to call my bank to get my limit raised to pay for my trip. 

Although,  I started to feel like maybe it was not meant for me to take the trip,  I realized that this was just a normal part of a big transaction,  especially if you have to pay in one lump sum.  So the next morning, I called my bank got my limit increased for a few days to pay for my trip and the airfare.  After calling Disney and there being a long wait time, I decided to book online.  I finally booked the trip in desperation for $400 more than the rep's quote.  I also booked my flight on Southwest Airlines website and was able to catch a special that was about to end.  (The airfare special was the motivating factor that helped my husband to decide to go to WDW in the first place). I later called and talked to the rep about the lower price I'd been quoted, and BAM, she lowered it $536 and offered me the Photo Pass Plus  for $169, which was a Godsend at Disney!

This was a major step forward for us, it was also a little intimidating as we had never taken a trip like this before and my family had never flown before. We are just some small town Texans happy to take a little road trip here or there. But ready or not, we were on our way!

Allow me to introduce myself first!

Ok...so I was so excited to hit the ground running with my blog, that I totally failed to introduce myself.  Im Loretta from Texas married to my high school crush, Rudy (he was way too handsome for me, I'm still not sure how I won him over) and we have 4 kids. My two teens, Tyra and Rudy and my two little ones, Luke and Macy make up my crazy but wonderful little world!  We are a middle class family counting every penny and making sure to stretch our dollars so that "once in a while" we can indulge on what we consider the finer things in life, whether it be a small weekend getaway to San Antonio, a small shopping spree or saving for our first ever trip to Disney for a party of six! 
I cant wait to share every aspect of my experience,  but for the sake of time and to prevent from writing a full blown novel;  I intend on sharing a little bit at a time. Like I always tell my daughter who stresses over big projects or tasks, How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

We Can Go? What???

So after 16 years of marriage its always been, "One day we'll go to Disney World." Imagine my surprise when my husband finally said book the trip.  Omgoodness, I couldn't get on the website fast enough.  Then it set in... my husband's vacation was set for three weeks from the day he decided to go.  Panic mode totally set in. 

I'd been on the website and fantasized about my dream vacay, this is how I semi had an idea of how much our trip would cost.  I'd explored websites with tips for Disney and seen the time frame needed to book a dining reservation.  I was saddened to know that a dinner at Cinderella's Castle was likley out of the question, but that was no reason to postpone my date with Mickey. So it was time to put my game face on...we were going to Disney!

So, I will be sharing all the ins, outs, anxieties, worries,  thoughts,  and all things in between about my first trip to Disney with my hubby and four kids in tow!