Hiya Penni,
Welcome back to planDisney! While we are nearing the end of our nursing journey, I still remember vividly a little less than a year ago trying to navigate pumping and storing breast milk while I was staying at Walt Disney World Resort. It definitely takes extra planning, so I’m happy to help you today!
While you can find
in-room refrigerators equipped with freezers at Disney Deluxe Villa Resort hotels, rooms at
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort generally only come equipped with beverage coolers. Each beverage cooler has a tiny freezer compartment, but the coolers typically only get as cold as 41 degrees Fahrenheit. I actually had a travel breastmilk storage container with a frozen compartment, and after 24 hours, it was cool but definitely no longer frozen after being in the beverage cooler. Luckily, I was traveling with my little one, so the milk didn’t go to waste. In my experience, beverage coolers are not suitable for freezing. Penni, I spoke to a Cast Member, and they confirmed that there is currently no way to request a freezer for your room, unfortunately, but I do have a couple of backup options for you. The first is
Bell Services. When you check in to Yacht Club Resort, speak to a Cast Member at Bell Services and let them know that you would like to store some breastmilk in the freezer. The milk must be sealed in a waterproof bag and clearly labeled for storage, but in my experience, Cast Members have been able to accommodate this for Guests. My tip for proper storage is to put breastmilk storage bags in a larger, sealed Ziploc bag, label them with your name and reservation or room number. Then label the bigger Ziploc bag and bring that to Bell Services for freezer storage! If you prefer to keep your milk in your room and not use Bell Services, I have also heard that some Guests have found success bringing a cooler into their room and filling it with ice from the resort’s ice machines for breastmilk storage. This is a great choice if you only need to keep the milk chilled for a short time, but I’m not confident it would keep your milk frozen for very long. My final suggestion is to look into a breast milk shipping company. Many of them offer coolers to keep your milk safely stored, and if you end up with excess milk, you can have it shipped home.
I know this isn’t the answer you were hoping for, Penni, but I hope it was helpful. Before I let you go, if you are planning to pump while in the theme parks, start thinking about how you will store that milk. While you can pump in the
Baby Care Centers, unfortunately, they aren’t able to store milk (or pump parts). I mentioned already that I tend to travel with a travel breastmilk storage container, but I’ve also heard of Guests
renting a locker at the theme parks, placing a soft-sided cooler (filled with ice) inside, and just dropping off freshly pumped milk (and cleaned pump parts) in the locker. It definitely takes a little extra coordination, but it is often a lot nicer than having to pour milk out that hasn’t been cooled properly. I hope you have the most magical vacation. If you need anything else, please come back and see us.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.