Hiya Tiffany,
Welcome to planDisney! I’m so excited for your upcoming visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth. My two little toddler Mouseketeers have grown up at Walt Disney World Resort, I feel like. So many milestones have happened around the resort, including first character meetings, foods, steps, and so much more. I can tell you every place those core memories were made, and every place I either pumped or nursed my now 17-month-old and my three-year-old.
All of this to say, I’m glad that you are thinking ahead about breast milk storage before you arrive. I made the mistake of not thinking about it once and having a very cathartic cry in my resort hotel bathroom when I realized fresh breastmilk was not freezing as I had hoped. Since you mentioned that you all hadn’t decided on a resort hotel yet, I would like to recommend reserving a Deluxe Villa resort if the budget allows. These resort hotels come with a
full-sized refrigerator with a freezer for 1-3 bedroom rooms (and some deluxe studios), and are a game changer. You can also look into a
Family Suite at Disney’s All- Star Music Resort, which also has a full-sized refrigerator. Most other resort hotels and standard rooms come with a beverage cooler that, unfortunately, can only get as cold as 41 degrees Fahrenheit, even if it has the little freezer compartment, which just isn’t the best for breastmilk, and currently, you are unable to request a full-sized refrigerator with a freezer for your resort hotel room. One thing I do recommend is speaking to a Cast Member at
Bell Services at your resort hotel when you arrive. In my experience, if you bring your breastmilk in a sealed, labeled Ziploc bag, Cast Members should be able to store it for you in the resort hotel freezer. However, this is subject to change, so make sure to ask when you check in to verify whether they can do so. If they can store it for you, my bonus tip is to put your bagged, expressed milk in a larger plastic bag labeled, then place that within a smaller cooler bag labeled. This way, everything is easier to keep track of in the freezer.
I hope this was helpful, Tiffany. Before I let you go, since you are visiting during the summer and will be trying to take in all of the
Cool KID’S SUMMER offerings, I do want to remind you to stay hydrated and enjoy all the snacks. You will definitely expend a lot more energy than you normally do, in addition to the normal energy from pumping/nursing, and that sneaks up on you quicker than you think. You can always get complimentary water at most quick service locations, but I always say to pack a refillable water bottle with you, just in case. If you need anything else, please come back and see us. We really hope you have the best vacation ever, and Happy Belated Mother’s Day!
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.