Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Review, Part 1
This review is part of a two part series covering my family’s stay at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel from May 14-17, 2014.
- Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Review, Part 1 (Overview, Cost, Rooms, Dining)
- Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Review, Part 2 (Resort Amenities, Transportation, Critiques, Comparison to Hollywood Hotel, & Final Verdict)…coming next week!
On our recent trip to Hong Kong, my husband, daughter, and I had the chance to spend three nights in the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel while we visited Hong Kong Disneyland.
The Disneyland Hotel in Hong Kong will look familiar to those of you who vacation in Walt Disney World, as it is very similar in look and feel to the Grand Floridian. The hotel itself is quite a bit smaller in scale, like most of Hong Kong Disneyland, but it still manages to seem equally grand and stylish.
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Lobby, with the hedge maze visible outside.
A view of the gorgeous chandeliers at the side entrance.
The Cost
We paid about $330 USD per night during our visit, and we thought that was quite reasonable. This is more than what we are usually comfortable paying for hotels, but this was a special vacation that warranted special accommodations. Additionally, hotels in Hong Kong are already quite expensive, so this rate didn’t shock the conscience. A comparable hotel in the city would likely be $400-$500 a night. And for those of you who vacation in Walt Disney World, you already know that comparable WDW properties can be $600-800 a night, depending on the season. For this reason, we felt we had gotten a bit of a deal.
The Rooms
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Two Double Bed Room
We opted for the most basic of rooms in the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, as we knew we wouldn’t be spending much time there. Our room had two double beds. Our daughter was in one of the beds, so it was a bit tight for my husband and me (we have grown accustomed to a queen bed at home), but we did just fine. The only room options at the hotel are either two doubles or a king, so things could be a bit tight for an American family of four used to the two queen arrangement in most US hotels.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel room art was pretty cute.
The room itself was quite spacious. The room had a desk a full dresser with 6 drawers in the dresser, and a bedside table that included some additional clothes storage space. The room also had a mini-fridge under a bar area, and a very spacious closet with even more shelving for storage. What we especially loved was that the closet contained complimentary Mickey slippers for everyone in the family to take home as a souvenir – a nice Disney touch.
Bar area with coffee, bottled water, and mini-fridge underneath.
The bathroom in our room had a tub/shower combination, a spacious vanity (complete with Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs toiletries!), and a toilet. Nothing spectacular, but it got the job done for three people.
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Room Bathroom
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Toiletries at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
The Dining
We dined in two of the three hotel restaurants: Walt’s Cafe and Enchanted Garden Restaurant. The third restaurant, Crystal Lotus, served higher end Chinese cuisine. We simply didn’t have the time to fit in a visit during our short stay. But it looked beautiful!
Snack at Walt’s Cafe, Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
Walt’s Cafe is a casual sit-down restaurant. We ate there upon arrival for a mid-afternoon snack of macaroni and cheese and fruit and found it to be quick and reasonably priced.
Mickey-shaped kids lunch choice at Walt’s Cafe.
We also chose to eat at Walt’s Cafe for breakfast one morning. The breakfast offerings included several hot entree choices (I had an omelet and I spotted several traditional Chinese breakfast options as well). The entree was supplemented by an included continental breakfast buffet with pastries, fruit, cereal, and more. Plan about 30 minutes for breakfast here. This isn’t the place for grab-and-go if you are racing to the park to make rope drop.
Heart-shaped fruit made our daughter smile at Walt’s Cafe breakfast. The continental breakfast buffet is visible behind her.
Our second dining experience was at the Enchanted Garden restaurant. This beautiful restaurant is located on the lower level of the hotel and is filled with flowers and plants. It feels a bit like the garden scenes in Alice in Wonderland. It is also the location for character dining at the hotel, so expect it to be priced accordingly. I’ll be doing a separate and full review of our character breakfast experience there, but suffice it to say that I think this is a can’t-miss.
Entrance to the Enchanted Garden Restaurant
Dining area at Enchanted Garden.
Next up in my Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Review: Resort Amenities, Transportation, Critiques, and The Final Verdict…coming soon!
Why I Blog: The Goals & Purposes of Trips With Tykes
As I near the 2 year anniversary of Trips With Tykes later this month, I’ve been reflecting a bit on the reasons for this blog. A tad sentimental – I know. But since this isn’t a money-making endeavor at the moment, there has to be something else driving me to spend hours of my (very limited) free time writing it.
If I had to summarize the purpose of this blog in one word it would be the following: Logistics. That seems like a strange word to pick as one’s primary mission statement, but hear me out. A lot of family travel bloggers write about trips they take with their kids. But when I was starting to travel with my now 5 year old daughter, trip reports and lists of kid-friendly sights at various destinations didn’t help me. I needed to know how to get through a TSA line with a stroller and car seat. I needed to how to deal with a flight cancellation without triggering an epic toddler meltdown. Lots of families “survive” air travel. I wanted to thrive.
Very few family travel bloggers write about the true nitty gritty of air travel with little ones. I suppose many complain about it, but fewer offer helpful solutions! Air travel is harder than ever these days for everyone, but it is even harder with kids. There are about a dozen US domestic airlines and each one has a multitude of different rules and policies about traveling with kids. There are hundreds of US airports that families pass through every day. Each one is laid out differently and presents different challenges for those of us lugging car seats, strollers, and Pack N Plays.
Here’s where Trips with Tykes (hopefully) comes in. I’m a planner. I inherited a love of list-making and organization from my mother, and I think I’m pretty good at it. These skills certainly can help in parenting generally, but they help even so much more when it comes to travel with little kids. Traveling successfully with little ones requires preparation. And lots of research.
I know not everyone has the same interest or personal success when it comes to travel planning and research. My hope is that this blog shortcuts a lot of the planning steps for those of you without the time, interest, or proclivity to manage logistics. It is so gratifying to me when I hear from a reader with a specific concern or problem, and I can help the parent walk step-by-step through possible solutions to make the trip a success. So, keep those questions coming. I need something to blog about, after all.
Like many other family travel bloggers, I’ll still be sharing my trip reports and kid-friendly destination recommendations. But expect to see a steady stream — as you always have — of highly researched posts delving into the less glamorous aspects of the logistics of travel with kids.
I’ll do the work so you won’t have to.
If you are new to the site, here are some of my favorite “logistics-style” posts to get you started:
- Those Bags Are Going to Cost You: A Summary of Airline Checked Bag Fees
- Pre-Boarding Kids: Which Airlines Still Offer It?
- Before You Book, Check Those Airline Change Fees
- The Lap Child Debate: Should You Buy an Airline Seat for Your Infant or Toddler?
- The Complete Guide to Flying Southwest With Kids
- How Alternate Airports Can Help Traveling Families
- Non-Stop vs. Connecting Flights With Kids
- Flying Solo With Baby: A Step-By-Step Guide
- Unaccompanied Minors: Your Complete Guide to Each Airline’s Policies, Fees, & Rules
Family summer travel season is in high gear, so I have plenty to share from the family travel blogs again this week. Here are the posts I’ve found most helpful and relevant to traveling parents this past week.
Packing for a Roadtrip: A travel blogging friend of mine, Sarah over at Solo Mom Takes Flight, is about to set out on an epic 6 week roadtrip from Toronto to Texas with two kids in tow. Needless to say, she’s been doing some pretty substantial road trip research and preparation. She offers her best tips for packing. My favorite? The video featuring her packing strategy using Ziploc bags! Follow her adventures on #TO2Texas on Twitter.
Packing: What About that First Trip: New Saverocity blogger Are We There Yet continues his series about planning for baby’s first trip with a number of packing hints. This series is really good, so you’ve probably noticed I’ve been featuring him for the past several weeks. Keep the posts coming!
Bavarian Summer – Final Preparations for the Little One: Lots of Saverocity’s new bloggers are parents, and excited to see lots of posts in the past few weeks about travel with the toddler set. Blogger As the Joe Flies is in the final stages of taking his 18 month old to Germany, and his post exemplifies the many logistical questions and challenges traveling parents face. It’s exhausting to consider the possibilities some times! (I’ve written before about how parents face travel decision fatigue, and this is a good example).
5 Cruise Packing Tips: A college friend of mine, Debbie Bookstaber, (who is a super-blogger and social media guru in her own right) was featured on TravelingMom.com this week with some great cruise packing advice.
Bonus: For those of you who are into frequent flyer miles, you may already know that there are lots of great blogs out there that help you use miles and points to stretch your travel budget. Lately, a lot more miles and points enthusiasts with families have gotten in on the action, and that is good news! I’ve been using points to supplement our family’s travel budget for years and have managed to convince a few friends to do so too. If you are interesting in getting started just casually, check out these two excellent posts from miles and point bloggers with families this week:
Five Things To Do When Starting out With Airline Miles and Points: Mommy Points is one of the pioneers in the space of miles and points and family travel, and she offers some excellent tips this week for those of you ready to step things up a bit and devise a real miles and points strategy for your family. You don’t need to spend hours a day, but a little daily or weekly attention and goal-setting will take you much further on miles.
Planning & Funding Your Own Travel Savings Account: Saverocity blogger Miles4More breaks down the various strategies you might employ if you want to use miles to fund family travel. If you are financially stable with good credit, I think everyone should be following his “Low-Hanging Fruit” approach. But he offers (and reviews) quite a few options for taking it to the next level as well.
Two “New” Travel Credit Cards in Our Wallets
While the focus of my blog is usually on the planning, preparation, logistics, and mechanics of family (mostly air) travel, I have some other travel interests as well. Those of you who know me in real life know that I’m a bit of a frequent flyer geek. I have participated in the miles and points world for nearly 4 years, collecting airline miles and hotel points in an effort to afford to travel more and travel better.
A Little Miles & Points Editorializing
There are folks who blog about miles and points topics extensively and exclusively (see my blogroll on the right) who can tell you more than you will ever want to know, so I don’t write about these topics often. In fact, I think I’ve written only a grand total of three posts out of more than 150 on this blog about this topic. Heaven knows the internet doesn’t need another miles and points blog!
But I always share with friends the fact that I regularly use miles and points to be able to travel more with my family as well as to (very occasionally) fund some aspirational trips that we would never pay for in cash. Only fair that I share this fact with readers who might be interested, but otherwise uninitiated, in this world.
Contrary to what you might hear on the miles and points blogs, I don’t think the “game” is for everyone. A big part of it is signing up for credit cards, and if you don’t have the credit score or financial discipline to do this responsibly, it isn’t for you. Not only isn’t it for you, I’m telling you now NOT to do it. At all. Full stop.
Additionally, not everyone has the time for this hobby and not everyone wants to make the time. Busy parents of young kids don’t have hours to spend scouring secret forums on FlyerTalk to find a way to snag an extra 500 Hyatt points. But for parents who want to travel a bit more without having their family travel budget suffer, I try to share the basics because it isn’t that time consuming when compared to the benefits you can accrue.
So, what’s the biggest part of strategy? Simple. I sign up for a few credit cards each year with travel bonuses. (To be sure, I do a lot more, but I’m not going to make your eyes glaze over by explaining it all!)
The biggest question that I hear from those who are new to this world is “doesn’t it destroy your credit?” The short answer is no. But do your research before you believe me. Here are a few consenting opinions if you are wary: Points with a Crew’s Beginner’s Guide & Mommy Points FAQ.
My Husband’s Latest Applications
About once or twice a year, my husband and I sign up for one or two new travel-related credit cards. Our last “churn” was nearly a year ago in August 2013 (I blogged about our churn prior to that in December 2012). This kind of spacing is an eternity in the miles and points world. We were long overdue for some new signup bonuses. So my husband pulled the trigger on two new cards last week.
Here’s what he got and why:
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) American Express
I have had this card for nearly a year. The annual fee was waived for the first year, so I will have to pay $69 to keep this card at the one year mark in August. The signup bonus for this card is usually 25,000 SPG points, but once a year (for the past several years at least), the bonus goes up to 30K (with a $5000 minimum spend in 6 months) for a short period of time.
When we spotted the increased bonus in June (it has ended now), I knew the time was right for my husband to snag the card to position ourselves to cancel mine. This way, we get one more year of benefits from the card as a family, plus we get one more sign up bonus. (Note: I think one partner getting a card and the other partner getting the same card the next year after canceling the first is a great strategy for married couples. This is best when you have no immediate joint need for the particular miles/points offered. It extends your time to take advantage of other benefits.)
Even as flexible as SPG points are (they can be transferred to many other airlines), I don’t think the SPG Amex is something we are going to hold long-term based on our spend and travel patterns. But with my cancelling my card and my husband getting his for the next year, at least this delays the ultimate decision for us by another year.
I have also had this card myself for nearly a year and it has become our go-to card for travel and dining expenses, where it earns double points. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to several airline and hotel partners, including Southwest and United. Best of all, they transfer nearly instantly, which allowed us to top off our United accounts earlier this year when we saw a great use of United points for Air Canada first class seats (review coming soon).
Even though my annual fee is coming due and my husband now has the card, I’m actually planning to keep this card this year because it pays an annual 7% points bonus on earned points. And we’ve earned A LOT of points in the last year due to our heavy use of the card. So it’s worth the annual fee to get that bonus for us. We’ll probably cancel my husband’s card next year when the annual fee is due. The bonus right now is 40,000 points after spending $3000 in 3 months, with an extra 5000 points for adding an authorized user.
(Note: Links to credit card applications are direct links to the issuer’s standard application page. These are NOT affiliate links and I get no compensation if you click or apply.)
Next Up: Applications For Me!
Next up are two new cards for me. I’m still weighing my options, so chime in if you have any opinions. I’m considering a US Airways card (get ’em before they’re gone!), Barclaycard Arrival Plus card (all the cool kids have them!), or one of the Alaska Airline cards (because Alaska is a great airline with lots of partners!).
San Francisco is a very popular destination for family travel. With kid-friendly attractions, excellent food, and moderate weather, family travelers flock to the Bay Area year round. Casual tourists are sometimes unaware, however, that the Bay Area is served by three major airports: San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK), and San Jose (SJC). Many travelers, including locals traveling to other destinations, look primarily at SFO when booking a trip. Don’t make that mistake!
Oakland (OAK), located just across the Bay Bridge from downtown San Francisco, is often an equally good, if not better, airport to serve as a gateway to San Francisco. I think this is especially true for families with small children.
I live not far from Oakland airport, in the town of Alameda, so I’ll admit to being a bit biased. But my family regularly chose to fly OAK even when we lived in San Francisco and SFO and OAK were equally close to us. If you are considering coming to San Francisco with your little ones, you would be well-served to compare flight options into both airports. And if you happen to live in the East Bay, like I do, flying OAK is a no-brainer.
There are, of course, several caveats to my recommendation. Unfortunately, OAK doesn’t serve anywhere near the number of destinations that SFO does, particularly for cross-country travel or international destinations. And even though OAK is often cheaper or competitive price-wise with SFO, there are times where the destination you are eyeing is simply much more expensive out of OAK or requires extra flight connections. But for those of you who have a meaningful choice between the two airports, I think the choice is easy.
Here are all the reasons I go out of my way to fly OAK when I can:
1) Proximity
Even though SFO benefits from having San Francisco in its name, it isn’t actually in San Francisco. In fact, it is farther away from many parts of the city of San Francisco than much of the city of Oakland. If your destination in San Francisco is the Financial District or Union Square, OAK is likely only 3 or 4 miles further away from where you are going than SFO.
2) Ease & Price of Parking
For Bay Area locals, OAK is often a cheaper choice when it comes to getting to the airport by car. Parking in the economy lot at OAK is $16, compared to $18 at SFO. Not a huge difference, but the savings add up for longer trips. Where the difference really matters is when you are trying to take a quick weekend jaunt. On such quick trips, you probably want to park in the hourly/daily lot and walk to the airport rather than wait for an economy lot parking shuttle. SFO charges $36 per day for that privilege in the domestic hourly parking lots. At OAK, you have the options of (extremely close) hourly spaces at $32 per day or (almost equally close) daily spaces for $22 per day. We love the OAK daily lot for 2-3 day trips with our kids. (Also, be sure to check out parking coupons and specials too! OAK is running a promo through July 31 that gives you free parking for 5 days if you are flying non-stop to Hawaii or Europe. Amazing!)
3) Cheaper & Quicker Rental Cars
For tourists, ground transportation is probably cheaper for you at OAK too, particularly if you are renting a car. All the major car rental agencies are available at OAK. I often compare prices for visiting family and OAK almost always comes out much cheaper. Since Oakland is a smaller airport, lines for renting a car are usually much more reasonable as well. My parents have waited in line for car rentals for more than 2 hours at SFO on several occasions. If you are coming to San Francisco during heavy tourist season (spring break, summer) or during a big convention, the waits for rental cars at SFO are brutal. Not good if you have a cranky traveling toddler with you.
3) Family Friendly Airline Choices
OAK is dominated by Southwest Airlines, one of my the best airlines for travel with kids in my humble opinion. Other major carriers that go into OAK include Alaska Airlines and JetBlue, airlines that are also on the top of my list for family travel. Chances are, if you are flying into Oakland, you will simply have a more family-friendly in-flight experience. That can’t be underestimated.
4) Easy TSA Experiences
As a smaller airport, the security checkpoint lines at OAK just don’t get as long as a busy international gateway like SFO. I usually wait 15-30 minutes to clear security at SFO on a good day, but I almost never wait at OAK. Although both airports have TSA family lanes where families with small kids cut the worst of the lines, the OAK family lane is ALWAYS empty.
Have you flown into or out of OAK? How does it compare with SFO?
Happy Independence Day! I hope many of you are off on some exciting July 4 travels and adventures with your family. Here are a few highlights from the family travel blogosphere this week to serve as some light reading on your vacations.
10 Reasons Flying Is Better Than Road Trips via Mommy Points & 10 Reasons Road Trips are Better than Flying from InACents : Epic blogger battle! 😉 Two excellent family travel bloggers hash it out this week on the airline travel vs. road trip debate. Who wins? Well, it depends on your preferences and your family, I suppose. Personally, I have to side with Mommy Points in this battle. I much prefer air travel with kids when trips are longer than about 4 hours.
What About That First Trip: Flights and Seating: Blogger Are We There Yet over at Saverocity continues his excellent beginner series for parents looking to take their first flights with little ones. In this post, he shares his thoughts for picking the right flights, airports, and airline seats.
Flying with Infant Formula: The hits keep on coming this week from Are We There Yet, as he offers some great tips for dealing with the logistical and TSA hassles of traveling with formula for babies.
Family Travel 4 Real Life: I’ve written before about the new conference launched by The Deal Mommy for those of us seeking realistic strategies for family travel using miles & points. Excited to see that tickets are going fast (and bummed that my daughter’s school schedule prevents me from attending myself!). But I highly recommend this meetup to those of you on the East Coast who can go to DC on the weekend of August 23.
50+ Screen-Free Travel Toys & Activities for Kids of All Ages: In this post, Nothing if Not Intentional shares some tried and true product finds for keeping your kids entertained on flights… without the iPad. This is much-needed in our family at the moment!
4 Free Family Fun Activities in Montgomery, Alabama: I have to give my hometown in Sweet Home Alabama some love! Several of my favorite bloggers recently went on a press trip to Montgomery to visit the Hyundai factory and review the new Sonata, so my Instagram and Twitter feeds were going crazy this week with sights from where I grew up. Excited to see Judy Antell feature some Montgomery family travel choices in her article on TravelingMom.com this week.
Best & Worst Ages to Fly With Babies & Kids
When I launched this blog nearly two years ago in the summer of 2012, one of the first posts I wrote was the Best & Worst Ages to Fly With Your Child. And it is has proven to be one of my most popular ever, probably because there are a million traveling parents out there who worry about whether they will survive and whether they will bother others with a fussy infant or tantruming toddler. To complicate matters more, it is very hard to anticipate how your infant or toddler will behave on a flight when you need to book plane tickets months in advance. This is especially for a first time parent where every day presents new and unanticipated changes in routine and habits.
Now that my daughter is 5 and I’ve added another baby (who has a much more mellow temperament) to my traveling family, I have some more insights to offer about the best and worst ages and stages for air travel. Here’s my new and improved guide for each age and stage.
0-3 months: I don’t recommend flying at this age unless absolutely necessary, particularly for first time parents. Often, babies are colicky and sleep at the oddest times, which can be hard on everyone aboard a longer flight — especially parents. Plus, new parents are stressed and moms may still even be recovering from childbirth. Finally, infants may be susceptible to all sorts of basic germs that thrive in crowded places like airports and planes, and it is no fun finding yourself on a trip with a sick newborn.
3-9 months: A great age to fly. The biggest challenge at this stage is for first time parents who are still just figuring out how to be parents. The babies are actually quite easy, but the parents often don’t know it because everything about parenting is still so new! Babies will still sleep a lot and aren’t that mobile at this stage. Your baby will still be nursing or taking bottles regularly, so you can feed on takeoff and and landing and avoid ear pressurization issues.
9-12 months: At about the time your child starts to crawl, things get a bit more challenging. If your child is active, he or she may want to spend the flight squirming out of your arms and crawling in the aisles. It is at this age that I highly recommend that parents start buying a seat for their little ones (for longer flights especially), so that you can put them down in their car seats for a nap or just to rest your arms.
12-18 months: Once your child starts walking, all bets will probably be off unless you are blessed with the most mellow of children. One year olds are still too young to understand and follow instructions, so discipline is ineffective. Distract, and if needed, bribe. Walk the aisles with your toddler, hang out in the galley when you can, and bring a variety of snacks, books, and toys to deal with a short attention span.
18-24 months: Things continue to be challenging with a fully mobile but not yet rational toddler. It is at this age that you will be beginning some discipline with your child, so you may be able to register occasional successes. You may also be able to start using an iPad or DVD player for distraction, in short intervals. This age is often easier with girls than boys, as girls tend to develop verbal skills to express frustration a few months earlier than boys.
2-3 years: A true light at the end of the tunnel! At around 2 years old, our daughter finally started developing a more sustained attention span and we could begin to rely on electronic assistance like an iPad or DVD player to give us a bit of a break on long flights. Hopefully, your methods of discipline will also begin to be more effective at this age, so your toddler will begin following instructions like staying seated on command.
The hardest thing at this stage will be potty training — you won’t be able to take your child to the bathroom at all times and toddlers who are just learning can rarely wait as long as a taxi and takeoff when they have to go. I recommend avoiding starting training if you are going on a flight soon afterwards. We waited until our daughter was fully trained on land for about 4 weeks before braving a trip in the air (sans Pull-Up).
3-4 years: In comparison to the three years before, flying is a breeze! After her third birthday, my daughter would sit still and watch a whole movie, gab with the flight attendants, and show concern for (and often entertain) younger children in the cabin when they are fussy and tired. You should still be prepared with all sorts of distractions, but you may find that you don’t need all the supplies you’ve brought along.
4-5 years: Even better! Most kids will have a year or two of preschool under their belt at this age and will be accustomed to listening to authority figures and following rules. And most will love TV and movies enough to be entertained for hours with an iPad or in-flight entertainment system (limits on screen time don’t apply, in my opinion, on planes!). The only major issue we had at this age was (completely inadvertent) seat-kicking. Little kids of this age have legs that seem to be just the right length to bump up against the seat in front of them. Watch for this and encourage your child to sit cross-legged if this is an issue.
5 and up: If you’ve been traveling with your child regularly, most kids will be travel pros by age 5. Cranky moments will happen when kids are exhausted from travel, but they are much more manageable. Our daughter was almost perfectly behaved on a 13 hour flight to and from Hong Kong at this age.
Once you reach that promised land where you can watch an entire in-flight movie with a child seated quietly next to you, all is well. Until, of course, you have your next child and start the process all over again!
Happy baby & toddler travels…
I have fond childhood memories of flying as an unaccompanied minor: boarding a plane with my little sister by ourselves, being driven in the beeping carts through the tunnels of ATL as we were rushed off to a connecting flight, and ultimately spending uninterrupted time with our grandparents on the other end of the trip. In those days, our parents walked us to the gate and watched us board, and our grandparents were the first faces we saw as we deplaned. The service was, for many years, free.
Things certainly have changed in air travel, particularly for unaccompanied minors. In a world of strict TSA rules and increasing airline fees, it is harder (and more expensive) than ever to do the planning and preparation to allow your child to travel alone. To make things more difficult, airline policies for unaccompanied minors are simply all over the map. No two U.S. airlines have the same cutoff ages, rules, or fees, so you have to carefully research numerous options before even begin to look at flight schedules and prices. One airline might have more expensive tickets, but a much cheaper unaccompanied minor fee, making that airline a better choice for your child’s travel. Worse of all – there is no airline search booking engine that lets you do this kind of comparison.
Although it will probably be a few more years until we allow my daughter to fly as an unaccompanied minor, I’ve already done all the research so you don’t have to. I’ve created a chart (below) summarizing the rules and fees for the major U.S. airlines so you can easily compare your options instead of spending hours on airline websites.
Hard to believe that this 5 year old is old enough to fly unaccompanied on some airlines now!
But first, there are a few general tips about unaccompanied minor air travel to keep in mind:
1) The definition of an “unaccompanied minor” differs from airline to airline.
Airline policies differ as to who an “unaccompanied minor” is. For example, some airlines do not consider a child traveling with another passenger over the age of 12 as an unaccompanied minor. This would mean that two siblings, one of whom is 12 and one who is 10, could travel together without needing to pay an UM fee. On other airlines, an “unaccompanied minor” could be any child who is not traveling with someone who is at least age 18. Other airlines set the cutoff age for an “adult” at age 15 or 16. Confused yet? The bottom line is that you need to check the fine print, with a consideration of all the ages of your children who will be traveling together, before you book.
2) Many flights are “off-limits” to unaccompanied minors.
Many airlines have pretty strict limitations on the flights on which they will accept unaccompanied minors. Red eyes are often off limits, as is the last connecting flight of the day to your given destination. Some airlines won’t accept unaccompanied minors on international flights or flights on partner airlines (including code-shares). To make things harder, there are exceptions to these exceptions, such as when there is only one flight a day to a given destination.
3) Unaccompanied minor reservations are probably best made over the phone.
Many airlines won’t allow you to book a trip for an unaccompanied minor online, so you have to call anyway. My advice is to do your research, and then to call to book no matter what. Talking to a human being can serve as a double-check to make sure you understand the airline’s policies. If the phone representative tells you something that is inconsistent with your research, you can escalate the matter right away so there is no confusion on the day of travel.
4) Unaccompanied minors traveling internationally may need notarized letters of consent.
In order to prevent child abduction, many countries have strict rules governing children traveling alone (or, for that matter, children traveling with only one parent). If your child plans to fly as an unaccompanied minor internationally, it is a good idea to have a notarized letter of consent from both parents no matter what your destination. Also, check the airline rules and the destination country’s specific rules as well, as they may be more restrictive.
Now, on to the Unaccompanied Minor Airline Comparison Chart…
The following is a summary of the various unaccompanied minor policies of the US domestic airlines. Of course, each airline has additional fine print that you should read in full on the airline’s web page (linked below for your convenience).
| Airline | Age for nonstop flights | Age for connecting flights | UM Fee | Other information |
| Alaska | 5-12(13-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | 8-12(13-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | $25 each way for non-stop$50 each way for connecting | Travel not permitted on red eye flights (between 9 pm to 5 am). |
| Allegiant | No unaccompanied minor service. Must be 15 years old to fly alone. Children of any age may fly with another passenger who is at least 15 years old. | |||
| American | 5-11(12-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | 8-11(12-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | $150 each way | Travel not permitted on the last connecting flight of the day (some exceptions).Unaccompanied minors can only travel on flights operated by American, American Eagle, or American Connection (partner and code-share flights not permitted). |
| Delta | 5-14(15-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | 8-14(15-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | $100 each way | Travel not permitted on the last connecting flight of the day (some exceptions).Travel not permitted on red eye flights (between 9 pm to 5 am) (some exceptions).International flights are permitted, but unaccompanied minors can only connect to other Delta, Delta Connection (excluding American Eagle), Air France and KLM flights.
Only one fee is assessed for up to 4 children on same reservation.
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| Frontier | 5-14(15-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | NOT ALLOWED | $100 each way | International travel permitted.Only one fee is assessed for multiple children on same reservation. |
| Hawaiian | 5-11(12-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | 5-11(12-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | $35 for within state of Hawaii$100 between continental US and Hawaii | Travel not permitted on the last connecting flight of the day.Travel not permitted on red eye flights (between 9 pm to 5 am), unless travel is on flights operating out of Honolulu, which are the only flight of the day.Service available only on Hawaiian Airlines operated flights (not other carriers or on code-share flights). |
| JetBlue | 5-13 | NOT ALLOWED(Note: UMs are also NOT allowed on direct flights –flights with stops but no plane change) | $100 each way | Must complete Unaccompanied Minor form available on JetBlue website and print 3 copies to bring to airport.UMs will be seated near back of aircraft. |
| Southwest | 5-11 | NOT ALLOWED(Note: 5-11 year olds are NOT permitted on connecting flights, but ARE allowed on direct flights –flights with stops but no plane change) | $50 each way | No unaccompanied minor service on international flights. |
| Spirit | 5-14(15-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | NOT ALLOWED(Note: 5-14 year olds are NOT permitted on connecting flights, but ARE allowed on direct flights –flights with stops but no plane change) | $100 each way | No unaccompanied minor service on international flights. |
| United | 5-11(12-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | NOT ALLOWED | $150 each way | Unaccompanied minors can only travel on flights operated by United or United Express (partner and code-share flights not permitted). |
| US Airways | 5-11(12-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | NOT ALLOWED | $150 each way | |
| Virgin America | 5-14(15-17 year olds may use the service for a fee or choose to travel unaccompanied as adults) | NOT ALLOWED | $75 for short-haul flights (<2 hours)$100 for long & medium-haul flights (> 2 hours)$125 for International flights on Virgin America (arriving/departing Mexico). | |
Heading into a weekend of fun summer family travel? Here are the best-of-the-best news articles and blog posts from the family travel world this week.
May I Mash Your Peas and Adjust Your Bib, Sir?: The New York Times’ “In Transit” section features resorts that are catering to babies and toddlers with custom menus. No need to bring your Gerber jars along anymore.
Today’s Hint: 3 Reasons to Bring Your Big Stroller On Your Next Trip: Although I usually advocate for traveling with a light umbrella stroller, Hint Mama makes a great case for traveling with a larger stroller on some of your trips.
I’m Traveling and My Kid Won’t Shut Up!: A humorous take on travels with babies and the inevitable mishaps that ensue. We’ve all been there. Let’s laugh about it.
What About That First Trip?: The newest blogger over at Saverocity, Are We There Yet, reflects on planning that first trip with your baby and shares his tips for making the process successful.
Five Items to Pack in Hand Luggage: Jetlag & Mayhem, a British expat mom now based in Hong Kong, shares her 5 tips for carry-on luggage must-haves. I couldn’t agree more about having wipes on hand, no matter what the ages of your kids.
Proof that Kids Understand Airline Miles: Super-cute post from MommyPoints about how kids of those of us who love airline miles and hotel points may internalize the lessons we teach them.
11 Rules to Live By for Solo Road Trips With Kids: Sarah from Solo Mom Takes Flight travels a lot with her kids in the car too. Her tips on TravelingMom.com this week are essential in planning your next road trip with little ones. My favorite? “It’s okay to be bored… It’s an important skill to learn. Being bored happens.”
Bloggers who write about family travel and travel with kids: Have a story or blog post that I can feature on future Fridays? Please tweet me your new posts each week: @tripswithtykes.
Flying Solo With Baby: A Step-By-Step Guide
Flying with a baby or small child involves a lot of logistics. And when you are traveling solo as a single parent with one (or more than one) baby or young child, the logistics can seem that much more overwhelming. How are you going to get a baby, stroller, gear, and yourself through TSA lines without an extra set of adult hands? How are you going to get a bathroom break in-flight with no one to hold your child? These and a million other questions are probably racing through your mind.
To help in planning for your next solo trip with your little ones, here’s my checklist. This list walks you through all the logistical considerations of single parent pre-flight planning, navigating the airport by yourself, the in-flight solo parent experience, and more.
1) The Week Before Your Flight
- Make a comprehensive packing list for you and baby.
- Evaluate your luggage options before you pack. Can you carry, push, or pull everything you will be bringing by yourself? I often find that the following combination of items works well when traveling as a solo parent with a baby: umbrella stroller + good roller suitcase (to check) + backpack to serve as both carry-on and diaper bag. You might also be able to handle a backpack and a separate diaper bag if you can hang one or more items from your stroller.
- Consider shipping baby items ahead that you need at your destination – diapers, wipes, formula, etc. Alternatively, investigate whether there are stores convenient to your destination to buy what you need.
- Call the airline or check your reservation online to make sure you still have your original seat assignments and have not been separated from your child, if you’ve bought a seat for your baby.
- If you are traveling internationally and your baby is small enough to fly in the bassinet, call to confirm that your request for a bassinet and your corresponding bulkhead seat reservation is still on-file.
2) Getting to the Airport
- Consider having someone drop you off curbside with your bags. Driving yourself and carrying the baby and your luggage on parking lot shuttles is hard. Alternatively, you can take a taxi, but remember to book a car service that will have a car seat for your child.
- If you have to drive yourself, consider paying a bit more to park in a closer parking lot where you can easily walk to your terminal (often hourly/daily lots are only a few dollars more per day than the economy lot).
3) Checking In & Checking Bags
- Try to check-in online at home if possible. You can often skip the long lines at the airport by bypassing check-in entirely. If you have checked bags to drop, there is often a “bag drop” kiosk or separate line that is shorter than the full check-in line for your airline.
- If you are flying with a lap child, inquire at check-in about how full the flight looks. Often, the agent can block an empty seat next to you if there is extra space (note that the gate agent may have more power to do this than the check-in agent, but it never hurts to ask at this stage in the process too).
4) Getting Through Security
- Look for the TSA family lane, which is now available in most airports. Those lines are almost always shorter.
- Remember that all liquids and gels need to be in a separate zip-top bag and placed into a bin. If you are traveling with an infant or small child, the TSA liquid limits do not apply to you. You may, however, be required to go through special screening as a result.
- Keep the baby in a stroller or carrier until you get all of your personal items (including your shoes) into bins and onto the conveyor belt. As the last step, take your child out of his stroller (you may also be required to take the baby out of a carrier). Put the stroller through the x-ray machine last.
- Walk through the metal detectors. With a baby or small child, you will not be asked to go through the more advanced scanning machines.
- Once you are through the metal detectors, put the baby in your carrier or stroller before gathering up all of your other belongings. Don’t be afraid to take your time or pull to the side to get yourself organized.
5) Getting to Your Gate
- Depending on the size and layout of your airport, you will either walk or ride a shuttle or train to your gate. Be prepared to take a little extra time to wait for elevators if you have a stroller. Airports are rarely all on one level!
- Now is the time for bathroom and food stops, assuming you have enough time. If you are traveling with a formula-fed infant, buy bottled water to use to mix powdered formula. Also, consider taking a bathroom break to change your baby into a fresh diaper and to go yourself where the bathrooms are bigger and logistics are easier.
6) At the Gate & Airline Boarding
- If you plan to gate check a stroller and/or car seat, check in with the gate agent as soon as you get to your gate. The agent will give you a claim check and will “tag” your gear. If you plan to put the stroller or car seat in a protective bag, make sure to tag the bag itself.
- If you are traveling with a lap child, enlist the gate agent’s help to block off an extra seat next to you if there is empty space on the flight.
- Be aware that many airlines no longer offer preboarding with children, so you may not be able to board early. If you are traveling by yourself with a child (especially if you are using a car seat or stroller that require extra juggling), this can be stressful as you are thrown in with the masses hurrying to board. Relax and take your time.
- After walking down the jetway, you will fold up your stroller and leave it with the other bags to be gate checked. I like to put my stroller and car seat in protective bags to prevent them from getting wet or dirty, but this is an extra step that takes time and is hard to do with a baby or toddler in arms. You might need to put baby in a carrier to make this doable.
- Walk aboard and smile at the friendly flight attendant. You might need her help or sympathy later.
7) In Flight
- If you are using a car seat, strap your baby in right away so you can free up your hands.
- As soon as you get on board, get your luggage stowed so you can access what you need in-flight. I like to leave my full diaper bag under the seat in front of me so I can access all of the baby gear I might need without opening an overhead bin. If you are taller and need the legroom, stash the essentials in your seat back pocket and put your other items in the overhead bin.
- Do what you can to entertain and contain your little one until takeoff. Often watching other passengers board is ample entertainment.
- As the flight takes off, consider feeding the baby or letting him or her use a pacifier to help with ear pressure changes (do the same on landing, when the pressure equalization is more difficult to handle). Important rule of thumb – don’t ever wake a sleeping baby to do this! If they sleep through takeoff or landing, their ears will adjust.
- During the flight, do whatever you need to do to keep your baby happy – walk the aisles, feed & play with him, etc. Lap babies of a certain age can get squirmy being cooped up so long, so be prepared with lots of in-seat toys and entertainment. Get up as often as you can to mix things up. And try your best to get the little one to sleep, especially on red-eyes. A familiar blanket or stuffed animal may help.
- In-flight bathroom breaks involve the toughest logistics as a solo parent. Often it is easiest to keep the baby in the carrier or balance him on your knee. Sometimes on longer international flights, there might be a friendly flight attendant who will hold your little one for a moment. But don’t count on it, and don’t do it if your baby is going through a stranger anxiety stage.
8) At Your Destination
- Touchdown at your destination – congratulations! But the logistics aren’t quite over.
- Get your baby off of the plane and wait for your gate checked items on the jet bridge. Strap the little one into stroller and be on your way.
- Now do everything in reverse – navigate through the airport (and if you are traveling internationally, you will have to clear immigration and customs) and claim your luggage.
- If you are visiting family or friends, it is easiest to have someone pick you up at the airport with a car seat waiting. Your other choices are taxis (again, a car seat is needed), public transit (very hard to do with a baby and luggage, even in the easiest of cities), or a rental car (can be challenging getting on and off rental car shuttles, but the driver will help you).
- Enjoy your trip!
The inspiration for this post came from a friend who is planning to take a transatlantic flight with a toddler in her lap… by herself. Brave mom! If you have a trip coming up and have questions, I love to share my thoughts and experience. Email me at tripswithtykes@gmail.com with your specific situation and I’m happy to help. Sometimes the questions turn into great blog posts.
Trips with Tykes 