The new A321XLR will have doors but they can’t be used until certified by the FAA.
United Airlines
United Airlines will debut its highly anticipated Airbus A321XLR this summer.
The specially-designed long-haul plane is expected to replace Boeing 757 routes.
It has doors and beds in business class and a snack bar in economy.
United Airlines is set to roll out its newest long-haul plane — and it’s billing it as ultra-premium.
The highly anticipated Airbus A321XLR — a specially designed extra-long-haul plane that United says will deliver a “widebody experience on a narrow-body jet” — is expected to debut this summer, opening new international routes that don’t require a larger aircraft.
The premium-heavy jet will feature sliding doors and beds in a suite-style Polaris business class and a walk-up snack bar in economy. All 150 seats — a fifth of which are business or premium economy — will have Bluetooth connectivity for pairing with the in-flight entertainment system.
It’s part of United’s new line of “Elevated” cabins, which will also be installed on its Boeing 787s, A321neo “Coastliners,” and CRJ450 regional jets. The redesign reflects United’s continued bet on premium long-haul demand as more travelers show they’re willing to pay up for better comfort.
United said the A321XLR will replace flying that’s now handled by the Boeing 757 — a dated plane from the 1980s that the A321XLR can outperform with better range and fuel burn. Thanks to an extra gas tank in the belly, the jet can fly about 5,400 miles — or roughly 11 hours nonstop — across oceans and continents.
Its extended range and lower operating costs allow it to serve lower-demand routes that were previously out of reach for older narrowbodies or uneconomical for larger widebodies.
For United, the A321XLR is expected to enter service on select international 757 routes this summer before expanding into Europe, South America, and beyond. It’s unclear what the specific inaugural destination will be.
“You can’t really get much further than Spain with a 757,” Patrick Quayle, United’s SVP of global network planning and alliances, previously told Business Insider. He said to expect far-flung destinations in places like Northern Italy, France, Scandinavia, and West and North Africa.
United has 50 A321XLRs on order and plans to have more than half in service by 2028. Here’s a closer look at what the A321XLR will offer:
Business class will have doors, but flyers can’t use them quite yet.
The door creates a cocoon for flyers.
United Airlines
United gave Polaris business class a facelift by adding what is among the industry’s most popular perks: sliding doors. Airlines like American and Air India have recently adopted doors, too.
However, United’s have yet to earn regulatory approval and will remain open at launch. The FAA is expected to certify them as airworthy, but it’s uncertain when it will make that decision.
Polaris passengers will also get the usual plush linens, elevated meals, an amenity kit, and a 19-inch television screen with Bluetooth. connectivity for headphones. The bed will stretch up to 78 inches.
The Polaris seats face inward instead of forward.
The seats will angle in, making it more difficult for travelers to see out the window.
United Airlines
Because widebody Polaris seats can’t fit in a forward-facing configuration on narrowbodies, United has to angle them inward.
This means they will face the aisle rather than the window — something that could frustrate frequent flyers accustomed to a full bird’s-eye view.
The new Premium Plus has more privacy and no middle seat.
Premium Plus will be in a 2×2 layout between business and coach.
United Airlines
United has rolled out a new Premium Plus design — its most noteworthy upgrade being the privacy dividers. Unlike its widebody counterpart, the A321XLR version won’t have a middle seat.
Otherwise, the revamped A321XLR cabin sports 12 large reclining loungers, a 16-inch Bluetooth-enabled screen, and a foot and legrest. It also gets nicer meals and linens compared to regular coach.
Overall, the A321XLR’s 32 high-dollar seats between business and Premium Plus are 16 more than the 757 has.
There’s a self-serve snack bar in the back of economy.
The snack bar will have snacks and drinks.
United Airlines
A snack bar will be situated behind the economy cabin. United had to remove several rows of coach seats to make room.
The walk-up perk, which is already available on the airline’s CRJ550 and A321neo, is available to all passengers.
Coach will otherwise use the typical 3×3 layout with 118 seats, including 36 with extra legroom. The seats have 13-inch Bluetooth screens.
Large overhead bins mean fewer gate checks.
An example of Airbus’ Airspace XL bins on an A320neo.
Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
United said its A321XLR will feature larger overhead bins — designed by Airbus as part of its Airspace XL cabin — to accommodate more roller bags and reduce gate-checking during boarding.
The same bin design is already in service on United’s A321neo aircraft.
The A321XLR will complement United’s new “Coastliner.”
The “Coastliner” will have its own special livery.
United Airlines
The “Coastliner” is an A321neo exclusively flying transcontinental routes between United’s hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Newark, New Jersey.
The NEO has less range than the A321XLR but will sport the same coach snack bar and lie-flat Polaris cabin with doors.
American Airlines, Australia’s Qantas, Ireland’s Aer Lingus, Hungary’s Wizz Air, and Uzbekistan’s Qanot Sharq all also fly the plane. There have been more than 500 total orders for the A321XLR.
Beds on long-haul narrow-body planes aren’t new.
JetBlue’s Mint business class has lie-flat beds and doors that are certified to close.
LHR
United has long operated its lie-flat Polaris cabin on Boeing 757s flying across the Atlantic; so has Delta.
JetBlue Airways has similarly flown its bed-equipped Mint cabin to Europe on Airbus A321LR aircraft — the A321XLR’s predecessor.
“Being a heritage brand, brand awareness wasn’t an issue,” Coach’s VP of marketing for North America, Kimberly Landry Wallengren, said at YouTube’s IAB NewFronts presentation this month. “What we needed was to build brand relevance with the younger generation.”
Content creators became a crucial part of Coach’s marketing plan, Wallengren said. One partnership she highlighted was Coach’s collaboration with Gen Z YouTube creator and author Haley Pham (who has millions of subscribers and Instagram followers).
Vivian Tu interviewed Coach’s Kimberly Landry Wallengren, Unilever’s Ryu Yokoi, and YouTube’s Brian Gargan.
Sydney Bradley
Promoting one of the brand’s signature styles, the Tabby bag, Coach ran a commercial starring Pham. The brand also worked with Pham as an ambassador on other platforms, including TikTok and Instagram. Wallengren said that Coach has evolved its creator strategy to have longer-term partnerships rather than “one-off” or “transactional” collaborations.
The Pham partnership increased brand consideration among Gen Z female shoppers, Wallengren said, which is one of Coach’s core KPIs.
“We’re seeing an impact not only on brand, but also on those business metrics,” Wallengren said. “This is translating into incredible supercharged acquisition of Gen Z in like month over month, quarter over quarter business growth.”
Big Tech’s pitch to brands
YouTube’s big pitch to advertisers during its NewFronts presentation was heavily anchored in the trust between YouTube’s content creators and their loyal viewers.
During the NewFronts, YouTube unveiled its revamped BrandConnect platform, now called YouTube Creator Partnerships, which helps connect advertisers with creators by leveraging Google’s Gemini AI.
“Invest in the creators that can authentically represent your brand,” said Brian Gargan, YouTube’s director of premier ads, creators, and content. “When you do it right, the performance and the equity are there.”
Meanwhile, over at Meta’s NewFronts, the Big Tech company pitched advertisers on tools to help brands follow cultural moments, discover creators, and drive shopping on its platforms — including new affiliate tools on both Instagram and Facebook.
Americans are feeling the pain of the Iran war at the gas pump.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Oil and gas prices across the US have surged amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.
Gas prices have been spiking nationwide, with a gallon approaching or exceeding $4 in 30 states.
Utah has seen the largest rise in gas prices over the past month, up 52.4%.
Americans are feeling the effects of the ongoing war in Iran at the gas pump.
Since the conflict started at the end of February, gas prices have been rising across the US, with a gallon of gas surpassing $3 in all 50 states for the first time since 2023. A dozen states have surpassed $4, with 19 others closely approaching at $3.75 or above. In California, the most expensive state for gas right now, regular gas costs an average of $5.88 per gallon.
The war, which has been ongoing after the US and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28, has sent global oil markets soaring. It has significantly disrupted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping artery through which roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas travel regularly.
On average, gas prices across all US states have risen by 33.38% over the past month, according to AAA’s Fuel Price Tracker. In many states, gas prices are a full dollar higher than they were a month ago. (Gas prices typically vary between states due to factors such as local taxes, proximity to supply, and operating costs.)
We looked at the gas prices reported by AAA on March 30 and compared them with prices reported a month ago. We calculated the percentage increase for each state to determine where prices are rising the most.
In these 20 states, price increases are rapidly outpacing the national average.
20. Ohio
A gas station in Toledo, Ohio. On June 9, 2022, the state average price per gallon jumped above five dollars.
Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.82
Average price one month ago: $2.81
Increase: 35.9%
The Columbus metro area recorded the highest average price per gallon in Ohio at $3.88.
On June 9, 2022, the state average price per gallon jumped to $5.07, the highest in Ohio’s history.
19. Colorado
Hyoung Chang/Denver Post via Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.90
Average price one month ago: $2.87
Increase: 36.0%
The state’s Glenwood Springs reported the highest average prices, at $4.35 per gallon.
Colorado’s highest-ever average gas prices were recorded on June 21, 2022, when the price per gallon reached $4.92.
18. Maryland
Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Average gas price: $4.01
Average price one month ago: $2.94
Increase: 36.2%
The Washington, DC, metro area in Maryland reported the highest average price in the state at $4.06 per gallon.
Maryland recorded its highest-ever average gas prices on June 14, 2022, when the price per gallon reached $5.02.
17. Florida
A gas station in Miami, Florida. The average price of gas per gallon in the state has risen by 35% since February 18.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.95
Average price one month ago: $2.90
Increase: 36.4%
The West Palm Beach-Boca Raton metro area in the state recorded the highest average prices at $4.13 per gallon.
The state’s highest-ever average was $4.89 per gallon on June 13, 2022.
16. North Carolina
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.76
Average price one month ago: $2.75
Increase: 36.5%
The Wilmington metro area in the state recorded the highest average prices at $3.84 per gallon.
The state hit its highest-ever average on June 13, 2022, when gas cost $4.67 a gallon
15. South Carolina
Old gas station in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The state saw an average gas price increase of 32.6%.
Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.65
Average price one month ago: $2.67
Increase: 36.7%
In South Carolina, the city of Sumter has seen the highest gas prices, with a gallon reaching $3.74 in the metro area, AAA reported on March 30.
The state set its highest-ever gas price record on June 12, 2022, when a gallon reached $4.61.
14. Alabama
Buc-ee’s gas pumps in Robertsdale, Alabama. In the past month, the average price of gas per gallon in the state rose by 35%.
Carmen K. Sisson/Shutterstock
Average gas price: $3.65
Average price one month ago: $2.65
Increase: 37.7%
The Montgomery metro area in the state saw an average price of $3.68 per gallon, the highest in the state.
On June 14, 2022, Alabama recorded its highest-ever average price at $4.63 per gallon.
13. Illinois
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Average gas price: $4.21
Average price one month ago: $3.05
Increase: 37.8%
The city of Chicago saw an average price of $4.64 per gallon, the highest in the state.
On June 14, 2022, Illinois recorded its highest-ever average price at $5.56 per gallon.
12. Virginia
Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.89
Average price one month ago: $2.82
Increase: 38.0%
The Washington, DC metro area in Virginia saw an average price of $4.00 per gallon, the highest in the state.
On June 14, 2022, Virginia recorded its highest-ever average price at $4.87 per gallon.
11. Texas
RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP
Average gas price: $3.61
Average price one month ago: $2.60
Increase: 39.0%
In Texas, the highest prices were seen in El Paso, where the average gallon price hit $3.93.
The state’s highest recorded average price was on June 15, 2022, at $4.695 per gallon
10. Wyoming
HUM Images/HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.83
Average price one month ago: $2.74
Increase: 39.7%
The highest metro average price in Wyoming was seen in the Cheyenne area, where the average gallon price hit $3.72.
The state’s highest recorded average price was on July 1, 2022, at $4.91 per gallon
9. New Mexico
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.86
Average price one month ago: $2.76
Increase: 39.9%
The Farmington metro area is seeing the sharpest hikes in the state, with prices hitting $3.94 per gallon, AAA reported on March 30.
The state saw its highest-ever gas prices on June 15, 2022, when a gallon of gas hit $4.83.
7. (tie) Louisiana
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.61
Average price one month ago: $2.56
Increase: 40.8%
Located in the southeastern region of the state, Houma-Thibodaux recorded the highest average gas price in Louisiana at $3.65.
The state saw its record prices on June 15, 2022, when a gallon reached $4.56.
7. (tie) Kentucky
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.72
Average price one month ago: $2.64
Increase: 40.8%
At $3.77 per gallon, the Bowling Green metro area is seeing the highest prices in the state of Kentucky.
The state saw its record-high gas prices on June 11, 2022, when a gallon reached $4.80.
6. Mississippi
An old gas station on Highway 61 in Sibley, Mississippi. The state recorded its highest ever average price of gas per gallon on June 12, 2022, when it reached $4.53.
TLF Images/Shutterstock
Average gas price: $3.58
Average price one month ago: $2.54
Increase: 41.1%
Mississippi’s highest average price was $3.63 per gallon in the South Haven-Olive Branch metro area, AAA reported.
The state recorded its highest average on June 12, 2022, when the average statewide price reached $4.53 per gallon.
5. Arizona
ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP
Average gas price: $4.68
Average price one month ago: $3.31
Increase: 41.3%
Arizona’s highest average gas price was in Phoenix, where a gallon reached $4.99.
The state’s highest recorded average price was on June 17, 2022, when a gallon hit $5.39.
3. (tie) Tennessee
A gas pump in Nashville, Tennessee. In Lewis County, the average price of gas is $3.80 per gallon.
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.63
Average price one month ago: $2.56
Increase: 41.7%
The Memphis metro area in the state recorded the highest average price at $3.70 per gallon.
On June 12, 2022, the statewide average of $4.64 per gallon was Tennessee’s highest ever recorded.
3. (tie) Indiana
Gas station at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in Indianapolis, Indiana. The average price of gas per gallon in the state has risen by 38% in the past month.
Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Average gas price: $3.99
Average price one month ago: $2.82
Increase: 41.7%
The Michigan City-La Porte metro area recorded a price of $4.17 per gallon, the highest county average in the state, AAA reported on March 30.
On June 9, 2022, the statewide average reached $5.23 per gallon, the highest ever recorded in Indiana’s history.
2. Idaho
Francis Joseph Dean/DeanPictures
Average gas price: $4.26
Average price one month ago: $2.97
Increase: 43.4%
The Twin Falls metro area recorded a price of $4.34 per gallon, the highest county average in the state.
On July 1, 2022, the statewide average reached $5.25 per gallon, the state’s highest ever.
1. Utah
NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Average gas price: $4.20
Average price one month ago: $2.75
Increase: 52.4%
Gas prices are rising more in Utah than in any other US state.
The St. George metro area recorded an average price of $4.28 per gallon, the highest in the state.
On July 1, 2022, the statewide average reached $5.26 per gallon, the state’s highest ever.
Paul Sullivan took paternity leaves from his job as a New York Times columnist when his daughters were born.
Courtesy of Paul Sullivan.
Paul Sullivan is the founder of The Company of Dads and a former columnist at The New York Times.
He took 3 paternity leaves when his daughters were born, and is what he calls a ‘lead dad.’
Comments like Scott Galloway’s could discourage people from using parental leave, he says.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Paul Sullivan — a former New York Times columnist and founder of The Company of Dads — about his experience with paternity leave and his reaction to professor and podcaster Scott Galloway’s comments that he wasn’t sure there should be mandatory paternity leave and that dads are a “waste of time” in the first few months of a child’s life.
Galloway recently told Business Insider, “The comments on paternity leave were meant to be funny. They weren’t … Against paternity leave? No, that’s absolutely not the message I want to communicate.”
The following interview with Sullivan has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2013, after our second daughter was born, my wife, who’d been working for a large asset management company, decided to start her own firm. I told her, “You’ve got to go do it.”
When you start a business like that, you have to put 170% into getting that business going. I’d been working as a columnist with The New York Times since 2008, and we had two young kids. I decided I’d become a “lead dad.”
We used the term as kind of an inside joke, but it’s now become a mantra of my media company, The Company of Dads, a community platform and workplace educator for fathers.
I’ve come to define a “lead dad” as the go-to parent, whether he works full-time — as I was doing at the time — or part-time, or devotes all of his time to his family.
I took parental leave for each of my daughters
I got better at taking parental leave with each child. When my first daughter was born in 2009, I took about two or three weeks off, but I wrote a stockpile of columns ahead of time, so it was almost as if I weren’t gone.
When my second daughter was born in 2013, I was feeling a little more confident about my abilities, and I took two to three weeks off without bothering to write a whole bunch of things ahead of time.
By the time my third daughter was born in 2017, I had more confidence in my position; I’d been writing my column for nine years at that point, I’d written two books, and I’d run some of the special sections. I took a month off.
While on parental leave, I was doing a combination of bonding with my daughters, supporting my wife, and handling the logistics of our other children. When our second daughter was born, she was such a horrible sleeper. I’d take the night shift so my wife could work. I remember writing a chapter of my second book in my head while walking around the island in our kitchen at 2 a.m. because our daughter wouldn’t sleep.
I worried my column would be taken away — the horror that I think any parent, man or woman, fears when they take leave: What if I’m gone and I lose my job?
Fortunately, I had a lot of great support from a colleague, a single dad of three whose wife had died, who said, “Don’t worry about it. Enjoy your parental leave.”
I was able to come back and have another four great years writing my column before I left to start my company.
Those first few months formed the foundation of my relationship with my daughters now
Scott Galloway recently said that dads aren’t really needed for the first part of the baby’s life. But the reason I can sit on my 16-year-old’s bed at night, and the reason she can tell me something really difficult, is because I’ve been sitting on her bed since she was a baby. We built that bond year after year.
If you’re not there, you’re missing out. You can’t just swoop in 15 years later and think it’s going to work.
And that’s the key to what Galloway ultimately wants to do: raise responsible adults. In his crude, joking way, Galloway has talked about how he wants people to get off video games, get off the couch, and go be more involved human beings.
He wants people to be more engaged and present in the lives of their children, and I do agree with that.
It goes beyond taking parental leave — ongoing support builds trust between a company and its workers
Parental leave was just the foundation of what it would mean for my wife and me to both be working parents and how we’d have to make trade-offs.
Each generation of fathers has gotten more involved, but we still haven’t reached parity with moms. There’s still a long way for dads to go. Research also shows that giving paternity leave is a retention benefit for companies, because it retains those fathers much longer than if they didn’t offer them paternity leave.
Well-meaning companies create parental leave policies, institute them, and brag about them — but it only takes one manager saying something like what Scott Galloway said to discourage people from using parental leave. If somebody joined a company because they believed that the policies and the values of that company align, suddenly, that implicit contract, that bond, is broken.
At The Company of Dads, we also talk about care days and care shifts. They’re not PTO, vacation days, personal days, or bereavement days; they’re days that you’re using for care emergencies — whether it’s because your child has the flu, or she’s getting bullied in school and you need to be there for her.
It’s not just for parents. It could be for people caring for a spouse, a parent, or a sibling. They’re going to need time off.
Giving people the ability to take a care day and not be juggling their responsibilities is super important. Because, guess what? People are doing it anyway, but now you have somebody who’s wildly distracted and becoming resentful.
A manager or a company that understands that and allows people to take three days off when they need to do something with their 13-year-old is critical to maintaining that bond between the worker and the company.
Editor’s note: After learning of this story, Scott Galloway told Business Insider, “Nobody has spent more time and energy than me highlighting the importance of engaged fathers.” He said there’s no data to support the idea that workers could hear comments like his and become less likely to take leave, adding, “This discussion is sequestered to the 1 in 5 Americans (like Paul) who have access to paid parental leave. 90% of workers are legally entitled to unpaid leave, which means we should be more focused on how to put more money in the pockets on new parents (Child Tax Credit, Universal Pre-K, Single Payer Health coverage), versus manufactured tiffs amongst the privileged 20% that are eligible, such that more families have the economic ability to do what’s best for their family.”
The author and her husband got married in Disney World.
Courtesy of Disney PhotoPass
I was able to do a lot less planning and had more room for spontaneity on our kids-free Disney trip.
Our priority was food, and our plans revolved around delicious bites and sips.
GEO-82: Lounge and dinner at EPCOT’s Takumi-Tei were kid-free experiences we would happily repeat.
I love visiting Disney World with my kids — seeing that first Mickey hug, the hysterical photos from Tower of Terror, their amazement at the castle lit up by sparkling fireworks.
But, I also love visiting kid-free — trips for work, solo trips, with friends, and as a multi-day date with my best friend.
My husband and I bundled up for a late January visit and four days of experiences geared toward adults.
The Swan Reserve was the perfect resort for cocktails, late nights, and strolls to the parks
One of the newest hotels at Walt Disney World, the Swan Reserve is bright, airy, and very kid-friendly.
The one-bedroom signature suite at the Swan Reserve was quiet and spacious.
Courtesy of the author
Though run by Marriott, it has a lot of Disney perks, including bus and boat transportation, early entry, and an on-site Cast Member to help with all things Disney Parks. There’s even complimentary childcare when dining at specific restaurants.
It’s a beautiful walk to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. The rooms are huge, flooded with natural light, and pretty much Disney-theme free.
The best part is the lobby lounge, Stir. Anyone who has tried to find food or a relaxing cocktail after braving the post-fireworks crowd at Magic Kingdom knows how hard it can be to find late-night food at Disney.
Almost every night, we visited Stir for a snack and cocktails like the fruity and delicious Garden Party cocktail for me, and the whimsical Banana Hands for my husband.
Our top priority was the Disney magic we love, the food
In just four days, we ate at 10 different spots — artsy bites and sips at EPCOT International Festival of the Arts Food Studios, brunch at Art Smith Homecomin’, dinner with stunning firework views at California Grill, and cocktails with pirates at The Beak and Barrel.
We had prime seating in front of the fireplace at The Beak and Barrel.
Courtesy of the author
There is finally a lounge at Magic Kingdom. I felt like I needed an eyepatch, a parrot, and the lyrics to “Yo Ho” memorized when stepping into the immersive world of The Beak and Barrel.
We had prime seating in front of the fireplace with battling ships-in-a-bottle above us. The Beak and Barrel is not a spot for lounging — there are special effects, a two-drink limit, and a maximum of 45 minutes.
Dinner at EPCOT’s Takumi-Tei was elegant, and for guests ages 8 and up
The complete opposite of the noise and rushed feeling of The Beak and Barrel was the tranquil, soothing Takumi-Tei at EPCOT.
Takumi-Tei is tucked away in the Japan pavilion with subtle signs leading to the heavy wooden doors. Once inside, we were transported down a tranquil hallway, away from the hustle and bustle of EPCOT.
The tableside tea service at Takumi-Tei is a highlight of the meal.
Courtesy of the author
There are five different dining rooms, and we were in the washi paper room. Pink cherry blossoms, softly lit from behind, lined the walls.
Takumi-Tei is omakase — or “leave it up to the chef” — style. There’s no kids’ menu.
Every dish was beautifully plated, and each course was creatively and carefully prepared. Our elegant and knowledgeable server, Sakura, was soft-spoken, adding to the tranquil, exquisite ambiance.
A visit to the adults-only GEO-82 lounge was magical
Disney World is adding more experiences for grown-ups, like the adult-exclusive EPCOT lounge GEO-82.
There are no strollers, no kids’ menu, and no lack-of-a-nap meltdowns. What it does have is sophisticated homages to Spaceship Earth, stunning views, a stellar cocktail menu, and delicious bites.
My favorite dining experience was GEO-82, an adults-only lounge at EPCOT.
Courtesy of the author
There was no time limit at GEO-82. We relaxed and took in the details like the Spaceship Earth on the ice cube in the Brown Butter Old Fashioned. I took my time sipping my Peach Shrub Whisky Smash, savoring the accompanying cookie. The only cocktail that comes with a cookie!
We were out late every night
With just the two of us, there was no one dragging behind and sighing. No one was falling apart because they were over-tired.
The castle provides a stunning backdrop for the 10 p.m. Starlight parade.
Courtesy of the author
We did late-night dinners, raced onto rides right before the park closed, and saw the 10 p.m. Disney Starlight nighttime parade. Cast Members directed us to one of the best spots to watch the parade — in Liberty Square near Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe.
I had the time to find magical Disney details I usually miss
We walked right onto Star Tours and meandered slowly through the queue to warm up from the frigid mid-30s temps. Finding Disney easter eggs in the baggage screening area — like Genie’s lamp and a Buzz Lightyear toy — were a bonus of taking our time, finding details we’re usually rushing past.
We had time to find hidden details like easter eggs in the Star Tours queue.
Courtesy of the author
With no one to amuse while waiting in line, we made spontaneous attraction decisions. A pre-dinner journey on “It’s a Small World” was perfectly timed, and we were under the clock when it struck 7 p.m. — a new experience for us both.
It was finally a Disney vacation, so I didn’t make a ton of plans, book Lightning Lanes, or have a specific schedule for each day. We weren’t rushing from one reservation to another or stalking the My Disney Experience App wait times. We lingered over meals, had new experiences, and enjoyed the magic our way.
I built a strong support system while pregnant with my first child.
After my daughter was born with disabilities, that support disappeared.
I eventually found a new community with parents who understood my experience.
Before my daughter was born, I carefully laid the groundwork for the support system everyone told me I would need as a new Mom, especially one living far from family.
I took to heart the advice that I would need a village to make it through the early years of navigating motherhood, and I wanted my child to be surrounded by love.
Yet, when my daughter was born with disabilities and complex medical needs, my village vanished, and I had to create a new one entirely.
I worked hard to meet other first-time moms
As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I joined online groups for women who were due around the same time as me. I signed up for prenatal yoga classes because I enjoyed the gentle stretches that eased my aches and pains. However, I kept going back because I enjoyed the company of other women who, like me, were pregnant for the first time. In my natural birth class, I constantly arranged (decaf) coffee dates and offered rides to other moms-to-be who wanted to look at cribs and bouncers at suburban big-box stores.
I loved navigating pregnancy with my newly found group of expecting mothers. Together, we navigated prenatal woes like the dreaded glucose test and celebrated joys, like settling on the perfect baby name.
I grew close to several of these women. We vowed to support each other by cooking meals for one another after delivery. We vowed to get together at least a couple of times a week during maternity leave. Someone suggested creating a babysitting co-op once our newborns were a few months old, and I was all in.
My daughter was born with disabilities and complex medical needs
After a picture-perfect pregnancy, everything changed. My daughter was born disabled and with complex medical needs. She spent weeks in the NICU while I pumped milk for her round-the-clock and slept on uncomfortable hospital fold-out chairs made out of vinyl that stuck to my skin.
Most days, I forgot to eat. I didn’t know whether my daughter would live or die, or what kind of life she would live if she ever saw the world outside her hospital room. When it came time to give my daughter a Hebrew name, I chose “Chaya,” meaning “life” or “to be strong.” I was willing her to pull through, but I seemed to be alone.
My daughter survived, but my village disappeared
My daughter survived those fraught few weeks. Eventually, she went home, albeit with monitors and oxygen tanks instead of teddy bears and soft blankets.
I reached out to the moms I had thought would be my support system, knowing I would be there for any one of them if they needed me. I discovered that the moms in the group that formed when we were pregnant had indeed been getting together as planned. They didn’t want to bother me, they said, so they hadn’t reached out. They assumed I needed my space, they told me, when what I really needed was their friendship and support.
I often wondered if I was their worst nightmare, a Mom with a sick and disabled baby who made problems with sleep regression seem like child’s play. Their reaction made sense. Throughout our pregnancies, all we ever heard was that if our babies were born healthy, everything else would be OK. Now that one of us had a baby that had not been born healthy, there was no road map for how to react or for what came next.
Eventually, I found my group. Without meaning for it to happen, all of my close friends have a child with a disability or complex medical needs. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to create a village, even if it’s not the one I originally planned.