Cloth Diapering At Disney...Vacation Home Edition

Cute sundresses & matching diapers are the way to go!

Our last family visit to Disney World was a couple months ago and we had a blast staying in a vacation home with my friend and her family.  I did a quick review of the property and staying off-site in a vacation home as a guest author on DisneyGals.com.

Of course, we continued to cloth diaper our littlest family member, who was celebrating her first birthday.  Using cloth was tons easier at a rental home because we had a washer and dryer right there.  We brought our own detergent, EcoNuts, which was used for all of our laundry.  The biggest advantage here was not having to trek across a resort to laundry facilities and wait for the machines to finish.  The washer and dryer were available, whenever we were.  Late night/early morning washing was a breeze.

Zero Waste Trip: Part Two

Quick recap…a self imposed challenge on this last trip was zero waste, meaning, nothing I touched while on vacation would end up in a landfill.  The first day was an epic failure.  There was so much food that I wanted to try at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival and much of it was not served in compost friendly containers.  That day I gave up on the challenge, hoping that Disney truly composts 80% of their waste as reported.

In case you’re wondering, zero waste even included to personal care items.  Since we typically replace everyday items with homemade options, this wasn't difficult at all.  Baking soda in place of toothpaste, homemade soap, and coconut oil or shea butter in bulk for moisturizer, were all in reusable containers.  Nothing works better than Secret, so no natural alternatives for deodorant yet, and I still rely on Bausch & Lomb for contact lens solution.  The larger the bottle, the easier it is to reuse. Remember, recycle, refuse or reuse = zero waste!

Gen. Colin Powell at the BGCA National Conference

Day two was spent partly at the conference I was in town attending at the Orlando World Center Marriott.  They had lots of neat items to minimize waste including a QR code that when scanned downloaded the conference app to your phone.  Any room or schedule changes were automatically updated.  We also had bar codes on the back of our conference credentials.  When visiting vendor tables, the bar codes could be scanned and your information captured, rather than leaving business cards or filling out slips of paper.  Genius!

This day, I found myself saving items that would be typically thrown away.   Because I had no knowledge of the hotel’s recycling and composting procedures, I found myself clearing pockets of empty sugar packets, muffin wrappers, orange peels and apple cores when I got on Disney property, because I knew it would be composted.  Gross, huh?  I would do anything to not repeat the previous day’s defeat.

Meerkat on sentry duty! Check out this and other great
pics on my Facebook page.

After the conference activities, I headed over to Animal Kingdom.  The last few trips, we’d opted to spend extra time at the Magic Kingdom and skipped Animal Kingdom, so it was great to be back under the shade of The Tree of Life.  Due to the conservation efforts and policies in place to help protect the animals, zero waste was much easier here.   Drinks are served without lids and the straws are paper.  I was pretty disappointed that the Shrimp Po’ Boy was no longer on the menu at Restaurantosaurus, so I snacked most of the day instead of having an actual meal.  There would be a huge welcome dinner that evening back at the hotel, so I wasn’t worried about being as hungry as I was the previous day.

The best snack of the day was the Cotton Top Tamarind Cupcake from Kusafiri Coffee and Bake shop.  My favorite is the White Chocolate Elephant cupcake.  Since there was only a five minute wait for Kilimanjaro Safaris, I postponed my cupcake.  Afterwards, there were no more available.  Being forced to try something new isn't so bad, especially when it’s a cupcake.  I refused the plate it was served on, since it isn't compost friendly, which was probably a bad idea because I immediately dropped my cute little chocolate monkey.  No worries, though.  He's completely compost friendly.  Luckily someone was nice enough to let me photograph their treat.

No souvenirs purchased this day.  The items I wanted were unavailable.  All drink and snack purchases were in compost friendly containers.  Wait times were short, so Fast Passes were not needed, either.   

Danced off all my calories with Burudika

Reflections for the day? It could be a bit of a stretch to say day two was zero waste since all of my large meals were eaten at the off-property conference hotel.  Those could have easily been swapped for meals at Tusker House or Yak and Yeti, and the same would have been accomplished. There’s no waste involved in taking pictures, enjoying attractions, dancing with the band in the streets of Harambee and window shopping.  Though it rained most of the day, I still had a fabulous time!

Day three was the Magic Kingdom.  Zero waste nirvana achieved! Find out how next week.

Zero Waste Trip: Part One

If you've been following me on Twitter, @CrunchyDisneyMa, you know how much I've talked about a Zero Waste trip to Disney World.  Zero Waste means that nothing I touch would end up in a landfill.  I would refuse it, reuse it, or recycle it.  Did I achieve that? Sort of.  Zero Waste is very hard to pull off while on vacation, even harder when you aren't in one specific location.  This is the first part of a series that discussed the results of my Zero Waste solo trip.

I traveled to Orlando for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Conference.  About half of my day was spent at the conference, while the other half was spent closing down the parks; a tiring feat in itself, especially with a baby on the way.  My flight came in the morning before the conference, so I had an entire day to explore the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot.  Zero Waste during my first day was an epic failure.  The local airport did not support electronic boarding passes and while I brought my own snacks in reusable containers, they did nothing curb my cravings for orange juice and cookies, both of which weren't served in compost friendly containers.  All boarding passes, car rental information, hotel and restaurant receipts, and other papers were saved and recycled when I returned home.  What I didn't account for was waste from others.  My slightly OCD nature wouldn't allow me to sit in a seat on the plane where a previous passenger left trash; I had to throw it away, or it would haunt me the entire flight.

My favorite dish of the festival was
served in an eco-friendly container!

For me, the largest amount of waste usually comes from food.  My plan was to eat at Table Service restaurants while visiting Epcot, so there was no plastic or coated paper products to throw away, just dishes to wash.  With the addition of food kiosks at the 20^th anniversary of the Flower & Garden Festival, that wasn't happening.  There were just too many food items that I needed to try.  While my favorite, the Shrimp and Stone Grits with Andouille Sausage from the Florida Fresh kiosks was served in a cardboard container (I ate that twice), many of the others were not.  I even asked at most of the kiosks whether or not I could get items served on my own containers. 

Least favorite was the lobster & asparagus and it wasn't my
least favorite because it was served on styrofoam.

Several items were premade and pre-plated, like the frushi, and others indicated that it was against policy to serve items on in my personal containers due to risks of contamination.  (My dishes were clean, but they didn't know that!)  All of the drinks I purchased were served in plastic with plastic straws.  I've read that Disney composts 80% of all waste, so I had to trust that as much waste that could be composted was.  

Water bottles with filters and reusable ice cubes were still in the suitcase, so I relied on water fountains when available.  I did stop by Club Cool for a drink.  Club Cool is a must-do for me.  I love people watching here and stand right next to the Beverly.  I wonder how the thousands of tiny wax covered paper cups are disposed of?  Unless they’re coated in beeswax, they aren't compostable. 

Rose blush lemonade

Frushi

Just a few notes on some random items…I did make a couple of souvenir purchases.  Both were put in my backpack, rather than taking the bags usually given with merchandise.  I keep receipts to total purchases while on vacation, ensuring that I stay on budget.  Those were recycled after I returned home.  After washing my hands, they were air dried instead of dried with paper.  I didn't use Fast Passes at all this day, and opted to use a smartphone app to check wait times instead. 

Over at the Odyssey building, my paper annual passes were exchanged for plastic passes.  I’m excited about the next switch to the MagicBands.  Those will cut down on the number of paper and plastic passes being sent to landfills.  I even witnessed a cast member with a few magic bands doing some testing at Journey into Imagination.  We can’t wait to get our very own! 

The next day was spent at Animal Kingdom.  With so much attention given to conservation and protection of the animals that live there, zero waste was easily accomplished!  Check back next week for details on how I was able to pull that off. 

Do you have questions about something I may have missed?  

Cloth Diapering at Disney...we did it again!

Would I continue to cloth diaper my children while at Disney World? Absolutely!  My wash routine has changed some from the last visit.  You'll find that below, along with a few tips to make sure cloth diapering is just as easy at the parks as it is at home.

Packing
I packed enough diapers for two days (18 diapers).  My precious stash was stowed in our carry on luggage, just in case we ran into problems with Magical Express or on the plane.  Nothing worse than being stuck somewhere without clean diapers!  Also packed were two medium wet bags, Eco Nuts, and disposable wipes.

Washing
We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside.  I requested a room near the laundry facilities, and we ended up just one building over from where they were located.  Usually, laundry is located near the swimming pools.  Signage to the pools is more plentiful than signage pointing to laundry, so that's what I typically look for.  You must have a Key To the World Card to access laundry.

Eco Nuts

Once inside, I picked a washer, noted the posted wash and dry time and got to work.  While away from home, my laundry soap of choice is Eco Nuts.  They take up a lot less space in luggage than a bag or box of detergent would, and can be used multiple times.  Just place 4 - 5 nuts in the bag, and throw them in the washing machine.  These are not the same as regular nuts; those with nut allergies should not worry about these causing allergic reactions.

Agitation speed and wash temperatures are the only options available on the washers.  I selected "Normal" agitation speed and "Regular Heavy/Hot" wash temperature.  At home, we normally run a rinse cycle first, but a standard rinse cycle is not available on these washers.  You can get away without the rinse cycle if you are using disposable liners in your diapers.  The posted washing and drying time is 30 minutes.  That was just enough time for me to walk from Port Orleans Riverside to French Quarter and get an order of beignets.  It was a great walk, and I do recommend it if you are staying at either location.

Freshly Washed

Upon return, I pulled my laundry from the washer and moved it to a dryer that also had a 30 minute cycle.  This is where I really compromised my normal wash cycle.  I rarely, if ever, dry my precious stash on hot, but I was worried that the 30 minute cycle wouldn't be long enough to get the diapers dry before we headed to the park.  I was running pretty low.  My Bum Genius and Tiny Tushies pocket diapers would be OK, but my Goodmama's are always washed and dried using cooler temperatures, so I waited nervously outside the building, praying that the diapers inside the dryer would not spontaneously combust.

Dryers

Inside Dryer

In thirty minutes, everything was not completely dry, but I was not chancing a second dryer cycle.  Truth is, I was ready to head to the parks and did not want to walk all the way back to the General Store, to get change for a $20, to put dollar bills in the change machine in the laundry room and wait nervously outside again.

Clean Diapers!

Tips

• Keep count of how many diapers you have with you, so you don't leave any behind.
• Bring more than one wetbag.  We left one in the room and emptied the dirty diapers into it, taking the empty bag back with us to the park.
• Even if you don't normally use liners, bring them with you on vacation. No rinse cycle on the washers means an extra $2 for an entire cycle to get poop off.  You can just flush the poop with the liner after you change baby.
• Don't bring more than you need.  Diaper bags get real heavy, real quick.
• Laundry facilities are open 24 hours.  Use them on off hours.  This one was surprisingly busy during early morning hours.

If you are already cloth diapering at home, there is no reason why you shouldn't do it on vacation.  Would we cloth diaper at Disney again? Of course!  It gets easier and easier each time we do it.  My washing and drying time gave me some much needed "Mommy Time" with the nice stroll and snack.  Washing before 7:00 am, is definitely my preference.  I can't wait to go again next summer, and pair a cute, fluffy booty with some great Disney shirt, baby legs & mouse ears.  I'd love to see some of your diaper clad dearies at the parks, or read some of  your vacation washing tips and share other readers.

Stay crunchy, friends!

Instant Friends

 
 

“Look for the afro with the yellow bow, that’s me!”  Minutes later, I finally had the pleasure of meeting, Amy from Growing Up Disney, in front of Gaston’s Tavern, part of the New Fantasyland.  Amy is the owner of one of my favorite Disney related blogs.  We’ve tweeted back and forth over the past year about children and Disney and cameras.  Due to a short postponement of our vacation, we just happened to be at the Magic Kingdom at the same time.  While it was truly a pleasure meeting her, the real pleasure was watching our children. They were instant friends.

 

The world would be a much better place if we could set aside our preconceived notions and trepidations of people we have not met.  These two girls started hugging immediately, as if they were old friends.  I reveled in their childhood innocence and was quite happy that CJ would have someone her age to pal around with, at least for the next couple of hours.  After some introductory chit chat, the Crunchy Disney Ma and Growing Up Disney clans headed over for a ride on Under The Sea.  Amy and her family had already ridden and pointed out a few things in the interactive ride queue that weren’t working.  That just meant that we would have to ride again.  Honestly, I’m glad Scuttle could only be heard and not seen, because that gave me a chance to pick Amy’s brain about the business of blogging. 

Amy rode with the girls, my husband rode with her husband, and I rode alone with Ava, who was tucked safely away inside my Moby wrap, sleeping.  Alone time is a good thing, especially when experiencing Disney awesomeness for the first time.  The attention to detail on this attraction was amazing! (More on that later…)  I can only imagine the conversations going on inside the girls’ clam shell.  Both emerged from the ride as excited as they were when they boarded.  The guys seemed pretty chatty, too. I bet they had some good conversation about their Disney loving wives!

Next, we visited Gaston’s Tavern.  We tried in vain to get the girls to take a photo together in Gaston’s chair, but Amy’s Tink would have nothing to do with it.  CJ, dressed as Princess Belle, happily hopped into what she would later call her throne, just before she declared LeFou’s Brew “yucky.”  Under the amazing antler chandelier, our families snacked and chatted until it was time for us to catch up with another friend who moved to the area from Michigan, who we planned to meet for dinner at the Polynesian. 

CJ still asks about Tink, especially when she see pictures from our latest trip.  She certainly asked when we returned to the Magic Kingdom just before we boarded the plane back home.  I bet she'll be looking for her when we go back early next year.  Amy later tweeted that she spotted us leaving the park, but would have had to run like a crazy woman to catch us.  I'm kind of glad we didn't see them; that would have made leaving harder than it already was. 

After we parted, my husband decided that I should have t-shirts, advertising my blog, just as Amy had.  I’ve been thinking a long time about what my logo would look like, just then it hit me…an afro with a yellow bow.  Thanks, Amy! I’m crossing my fingers that we’ll see you again real soon.

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This is an original Cruncy Disney Ma post and should not be copied for use on any other blog without consent of the owner.

Quick Eats & Treats

Disney vacations have become more about the food than the attractions for me.  On our next trip, I decided not to upgrade the free dining plan to the deluxe dining plan (as I normally do) because  I've read a lot of blogs and listened to a lot of friends, and there are a few quick things that I must "yum" on, this vacation.  I have no idea how I’m going to squeeze all this into my tummy, but I am sure going to try. 

Dole Whip Float at Aloha Isle, Magic Kingdom – This is a must have on every trip.  I prefer the float to the standard Dole Whip.  My finicky husband likes neither.  I’m guessing he was dropped on his head as a baby.

Mac & Cheese Truffle Oil Hotdog at Fairfax Fare, Hollywood Studios – Truffle Oil, cheese, bacon and a hot dog?  I love a good hot dog, and this sounds like something that should come on an edible plate so I can make sure nothing is left.  My only concern is whether or not I’ll like the hot dog itself.  Just putting this on the list makes me feel like I’m cheating on our regional favorite, Koegel Viennas.

Cupcakes at Starring Rolls Café, Hollywood Studios – I had my heart set on a few of the famed cupcake concoctions contained in this café. Imagine my disgust upon learning they close early, as I banged my head on the locked doors during our previous trip. 

Lobster Roll at Columbia Harbor House, Magic Kingdom – It’s seafood. ‘Nuff said…

Lobster Roll at Hops & Barley booth, Epcot Food & Wine Festival – I need to compare this with the one at Columbia Harbor House, you know, for review purposes.  Do I really need an explanation for this one?  It’s seafood.  ‘Nuff said!

White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake, Kisafini Coffee Shop, Animal Kingdom – Another cupcake that I’ve heard a lot about, unfortunately from the sounds of it, I’ll have to buy two or share with my daughter.

Beignets, Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory, Port Orleans French Quarter – While I’m doing laundry, I think I’ll take the stroll from Port Orleans Riverside to French Quarter to have an order of beignets. 

Earl of Sandwich – I was on one of my favorite message boards and there was a question asked about a favorite non-park food stop.  An overwhelming majority of people said Earl of Sandwich.  Now, I have to go see what all of the hub bub is about.

LeFou’s Brew, Gaston’s Tavern, Magic Kingdom – Can’t wait to taste the signature drink in Gaston’s Tavern, part of the new Fantasyland.  I hear there are cinnamon rolls there, too. This might be a good breakfast stop, if they are allowing guests into the area while we are there next week, which will be before the scheduled opening date in December.

Now, I just have to burn calories before I go, so my clothes will fit the entire trip.  Hope you aren't as hungry as I am now!

15 Things I STILL Haven't Done at Disney World

Our family is exactly fifteen days away from our next Walt Disney World vacation.  Although we’ve gone at least once a year for the past twelve years, there are still a few things that I haven’t experienced that I’d like to try and squeeze in this year.  In no particular order…

Country Bear Jamboree
Honestly, I hated the movie, but something about knowing that Walt Disney himself was pleased with the original sketches has me thinking that I’d like to see this…at least once.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid
My husband swears we've seen this, but I don’t remember it.

Water Parks
Hubby doesn't like water parks, so we've never been to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon.  It is doubtful that we’ll get to them this trip, but it’s still nice to have on my list of things to do.

School Bread
At Epcot, over in Norway, I hear tales of a marvelous treat known as “school bread.”  There are very few delicacies that I have yet to try and somehow feel that I’m not a true park fan until I eat this and the next item….

Tonga Toast
Famed banana stuffed French toast breakfast served at Ohana’s at the Polynesian.  I don’t like French toast or bananas, so truthfully I've just avoided Tonga Toast. 

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
At nearly $70 per ticket, this had better be one awesome Halloween party.  CJ is super excited about this one.  She painstakingly mulled over the merits of each costume option at the store before choosing Belle.  Ava’s going as Tinkerbell.  We may have a problem with the wings sticking out of our Moby wrap.

Food & Wine Festival
I cannot believe I haven’t gone to Epcot during this festival.  Outside of Disney vacations, there’s almost nothing I speak more of than food and wine.  I am so ashamed.

Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure
We loved Kim Possible’s World Showcase Adventure and hear that Agent P’s is better.  I may be much too full from the Food & Wine Festival to get through all of this, but we are sure going to try.

Tom Sawyer Island
The last few trips we've tried to do this, but I swear, we can’t find it.  I can’t find my way out of a paper bag without GPS.  I’m hoping a couple of the new Android apps I’ve downloaded will help guide us there.

Liberty Square Riverboat
I’ve seen this, taken lots of photos, but have never actually climbed on board.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
Never even heard of this before today, but I forwarded a description to my husband and he’s excited about it. 

Myuki’s Candy Art
I have seen many pictures and heard tales told of Myuki, located in Japan at Epcot. I don’t even think I’d be able to eat it if I was lucky enough to behold her magical creations.

Karamell-Kuche
While eating my way around Epcot, I've made myself a note to stop in Germany to taste the Karamell-Kuche.  At $4 for one piece of candy, I've got high hopes.  I also hope that I don’t end up craving this weeks after I've gone home.

Resort Pools
Swimsuits are always packed, but for some reason, probably for the same reason we haven’t done water parks, we never make it to our resort’s pool.  I hear the one at Port Orleans Riverside is not to be missed, since that’s where we’ll be, I’m getting in…even if that means I do it alone.

Afternoon naps
We just can’t do it. No matter how hard we try, we are always too excited to be at Disney World to even dream of taking naps during the day.  We end up watching the programs on television, chronicling all the stuff at the parks we are missing while we relax in our resort room, then we pack up and leave again.

How many of these are you missing?  Have you done any and have tips for me?  I'd love to hear from you!

Disney with a newborn? Are you nuts?

So, my Disney writings have been a bit more sparse than I prefer, but only because the child I’m carrying decided it was a good idea to shift and move into areas that cause me a great deal of pain.  Are you wondering how I’ll reward this baby for taking away my ability to walk and breathe normally?  I’m taking her to Disney World, just as soon as I possibly can!  If Crunchy Baby #2 arrives on or near the expected delivery date, she will be just over three months old on her first trip; a trip planned AFTER we found out I was pregnant.  

This will not be our first trip with a very young child.  Crunchy Baby #1 went twice before her second birthday, but she wasn’t quite as young as #2 will be when she meets Mickey Mouse for the first time.  How and why would you plan a trip with a child so young?  In my opinion, that’s the best time to take them for several reasons:

CJ checking in at the Contemporary

1. They are free.  No added expense for food, plane or park tickets.
2. While they require a lot of extra stuff, they don’t take up as much space in your resort room as an older child would.  No need to upgrade to that family suite just yet.
3. Nothing worse than hearing, “Mommy! I have to go potty” while halfway through Pirates of the Caribbean.  The only potty breaks you have to worry about are yours.  You can’t exit an attraction in motion because your child has to go to the bathroom.  Travelling with a child in diapers is awesome.  (If you cloth diaper, check out my post on cloth diapering at Disney)
4. You can keep the souvenir budget low because babies don’t ask for anything.  The only reason personalized mouse ears come home will because I want them, not because she asks.
5. You are forced to stop, take breaks and observe all of the fabulous details Disney World offers its guests.  Babies want to nap and eat often, so going commando is out.  Enjoy the parks at snail’s pace.  You will be surprised what hidden treasures you will find.  Besides, all the stopping to rest mean your feet won’t ache as much at the end of the day.
6. It’s easy to guilt trip the grandparents into going.  Grandparents are great back up when on a Disney vacation with children of any age.  You may even get to pawn the kids off on them for a night and enjoy dinner alone, at a restaurant that isn’t kid friendly. (Victoria & Albert's, anyone?)
7. A hot, tired, hungry adult can’t go to one of the Baby Care Centers and take a break.  A hot, tired, hungry adult with an equally exasperated baby can.  Those places are awesome!  Find them on the map as soon as you get to the parks.



Us & The Grandparents

8. They will not remember the trip.  Hey! Isn’t that a reason NOT to take a newborn? Nope! No kid wants to remember the time they had a diaper blowout just before lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table or that they spit up all over the waiter at Hollywood Brown Derby.  Anything can happen with kids on vacation. Take note of the little moments they’ll never remember.  Use these memories to embarrass and blackmail them when they are teenagers.

If you are planning to take very young children on a Disney vacation, take things slow, remember to plan ahead, take lots of pictures, and most of all, have fun!

Stay crunchy, friends!

Cloth Diapering at Disney...It can be done!

I've been on the hunt for a blog that talks about successful cloth diapering at Disney and I haven’t found much other than negativity.  It can be done! Cloth diapering, just like at home, only takes a few extra steps that don’t intrude on your magical vacation, especially if you are accustomed to a regular wash routine at home.  I'll post our vacation wash routine later, but until then, here are ten tips to help you out!  

#10: When you make your reservations, no matter where you decide to stay, request a room near laundry facilities, usually a preferred room.  We often reserve standard and add the note to our reservation, or ask for a complimentary upgrade upon check in.  This will make sure you aren't carrying that load of wet diapers clear across the resort.  An added bonus is that those laundry facilities are usually near the pool.  Better yet, stay in many of the villas and there will be a washer and dryer right in your room.  Don’t forget to bring a large wet bag with a handle so it’s easier to carry.

#9: While there are a lot of items available for purchase, I have yet to find diaper safe laundry detergent at any of the resorts or in the Baby Care Centers.  If you plan to ship all of your non-perishable consumables to your resort ahead of time (which is a great tip to save space in your luggage), be sure to include your diaper safe laundry detergent and a box of baking soda.  Sprinkle the baking soda inside the wet bag daily to keep odors at bay, especially in the heat.  Don’t ship the entire package of laundry soap, just send what you need.  A small wet bag works great for this.  If you have a HE (high efficiency) washer, like we do, remember that the laundry facilities at Disney are not HE.  You’ll need standard, diaper safe soap. I love Eco Nuts for cloth diaper laundry while on vacation.  We use them at home, too.

#8: Bring lots of change.  All of the washing machines and dryers are coin operated for a whopping $2.00 per load.  ($4.00 per load of laundry) Hey, that’s still cheaper than buying disposables for your entire trip.  You’ll pay extra if you do a cold rinse cycle first, before your hot wash.  The dryers aren’t very efficient, so plan on an extra $2.00 for a second dryer run if you don’t want to air dry your diapers.  Disney Vacation Club members don’t have to pay to use their laundry facilities.  We aren't members yet, so we save a couple bucks and skip the cold rinse on vacation because we…

#7: Use flushable liners and toss the really dirty diaper contents in the toilet.  Normally, I wouldn’t use these at all, but with the absence of a diaper sprayer, and having to spend an extra $2.00 for a cold rinse before the standard wash cycle, they are a good idea to have.  Using these would also fall under the category of “love thy neighbor,” since someone has to use the washing machine after you.  Be considerate!  (Note: Some people switch hybrids while on vacation, but we don’t have any and I’m not willing to invest in another system right now.)

#6: When we are at the parks, we attach a medium sized wet bag on the side of the stroller that also has a luggage tag with our names & phone numbers on it.  This keeps your diaper bag from being super full, and also helps you to easily identify your stroller when you’ve got to park it.  We've never had a problem with people stealing our wet bag; if they did take it, I’m sure it would get returned pretty quickly.

#5: You know what the magic number is for your family, so take as many diapers as you need for a day and a half, plus a couple extra.  As much as we fluff heads enjoy admiring our stash, you don’t need the entire stash while on vacation, unless you like paying baggage fees.  When you head back to your room for mid day naps (highly recommended, especially travelling with little ones), do your laundry then, every other day.  I've never run into anyone using the laundry rooms mid-day.  Empty your medium wet bag into the large one before you head back to the parks, if you don't plan to wash during the children(s) afternoon nap.  

#4: Make sure the diapers and supplies you pack are in tip top shape before you leave home.  There’s nothing worse than looking for another Snappi because you’ve broken yours, or finding you have that one cover with the busted snap in the bag, or your favorite Fuzzibunz Elite needed the leg elastic replaced before you left.  Mishaps mean you are one diaper short and forced to do laundry that much sooner.

#3: Consider packing a few extra prefolds or hemp inserts to use as doublers inside your pocket or AIO diapers.  (FYI: AIOs or pockets are my favorite on vacation, no need to bring covers) Time gets away from you while on vacation and you may not get to change baby until you realize it too late.  DH ended up with a wet arm right before Kilimanjaro Safaris, but the Cast Members were kind enough to send us through the Fast Pass line when we returned after a quick diaper change.  I’m not saying you should leave your child in a diaper for an extended period of time, but things happen…be prepared.

#2: Take advantage of the Baby Care Centers.  They are awesome! As soon as you get to the parks, make a note of where there are.  They are great places to change your little one, get some rest from the sun, feed your baby in the private nursing rooms (I nurse anywhere, check  my list of favorite places to nurse), or give them a snack in the high chairs.  While they do have many baby supplies for sale, it is very expensive and none of it falls into the crunchy category.  I’ve even heard a rumor that the centers at Disneyland have a toilet specifically for swishing cloth diapers. (We haven’t checked the ones at Disney World…we don’t swish in public.)

#1: Along with everything else you have, make an inventory list of the diapers you bring with you.  They are not cheap and it would be awful to lose one while on vacation.  Check your list as you stuff or fold your freshly washed diapers.  If you’ve lost one, you’ll know right away.

We’re headed back to Disney World this fall, with another addition to our family.  I’ll add pictures to this post and revise it when we return.  I’m sure there will be more things for us to learn about cloth diapering at Disney; especially with a newborn!  If you've got extra tips, post 'em below. Stay crunchy, friends!