The last one turns 3 Years Old = Cruise!!! 7 Day WC 7/22/17 Fantasy Sailing

I've also been looking at the Disney Vacation account and wondering about using that to save for our cruise since it's such a big expenditure. Thinking I might save up for the deposit. Even that should get me at least two free gift cards since you get one for each $1000 you spend.
 
Thank you for the tips! I have heard of Raise, but haven't looked in to it too much. I did have a Target credit card for a long time, but as part of our Dave Ramsey/Financial Peace things I paid it off and cancelled it. I might look in to the Debit Card.

Swagbucks is a site where you can earn points (swagbucks) that you can redeem for gift cards or PayPal payouts. I know people who are much more hard core than I am who make a lot. I average about $50 month unless I have a big shop and earn purchase or special offer I take advantage of. But you take surveys and watch videos. There are daily goals to meet point wise. They offer referral credits and such. So it can be a time suck and frustrating some times, but free money is free money! ETA: I take multiple trips a year for runDisney so I was at Disneyland in January and WDW in November and will be there next month and have paid about $200 just from Swagbucks since I got back from Disneyland towards my Dark Side trip next month. So I'll work on spending money for the rest of this month early April and then I will start plugging away at Wine and Dine in November.

Congrats on having the trip paid for! That is awesome!!!!

I did Dark Side and Wine & Dine last year!!! How cool!!!

I just looked into gratuities and YIKES, it's another $420 for the 5 of us based on the DCL recommendations--oh man. I really need to keep this all in mind when considering the price of cruising!

I specc'ed out the cost of flights for us--if we fly Wednesday to Wednesday it's basically free with our points. If we go Weds to Saturday, and get a later flight home on arrival day, we'd spend a tons of points/$$$. But staying till the next Wednesday, we'd need to book a bunch of days after the cruise too--and although we have annual passes and DVC, food at WDW isn't cheap. So I'm wrestling with our flight dates--I think I need a "true cost" spreadsheet! I was also tossing around spending the night before the cruise at Cape Canaveral or at the Hyatt airport hotel, especially because I saw something that indicated that you aren't bound by a port arrival time if you get their package. I'm interested in getting on that boat as soon as we can!!!
 
I've also been looking at the Disney Vacation account and wondering about using that to save for our cruise since it's such a big expenditure. Thinking I might save up for the deposit. Even that should get me at least two free gift cards since you get one for each $1000 you spend.

You have a bit of time, right? DEFINITELY do that. I think I'm going to open one for future trips.
 
I did Dark Side and Wine & Dine last year!!! How cool!!!

I just looked into gratuities and YIKES, it's another $420 for the 5 of us based on the DCL recommendations--oh man. I really need to keep this all in mind when considering the price of cruising!

I specc'ed out the cost of flights for us--if we fly Wednesday to Wednesday it's basically free with our points. If we go Weds to Saturday, and get a later flight home on arrival day, we'd spend a tons of points/$$$. But staying till the next Wednesday, we'd need to book a bunch of days after the cruise too--and although we have annual passes and DVC, food at WDW isn't cheap. So I'm wrestling with our flight dates--I think I need a "true cost" spreadsheet! I was also tossing around spending the night before the cruise at Cape Canaveral or at the Hyatt airport hotel, especially because I saw something that indicated that you aren't bound by a port arrival time if you get their package. I'm interested in getting on that boat as soon as we can!!!

This is my first year doing Dark Side & I'm so excited for my Kessel Run medal! This will be my third year doing W&D! Can't wait! I'm going to try to do the challenge each year now that it's out for W&D.

I'm a big fan of spreadsheets! I'd make one to compare the costs of flying out after the cruise and then the extra days. Because if it were me and the cost difference wasn't that great I'd probably add the days at Disney! LOL! But I get what you are saying. The reviews/reports I've read of staying at the Hyatt the night before sound so convenient. I think if we were flying in that would be ideal! I love that they will take your luggage from your room and it magically appears on ship for you!

You have a bit of time, right? DEFINITELY do that. I think I'm going to open one for future trips.

I think I will as we do have plenty of time. Figure I can do a monthly contribution and then I can add in any gift cards I want too so it's win win.
 


UPDATE: FLIGHTS ARE BOOKED! A direct morning flight departure day, and a direct midday flight home.

We wrestled so much with how to do this--we've been saving every kind of airline/credit card mile there is. Then right as we were about to book our SuperSaver flights with United miles and get 6 free checked bags, we discovered that our return flight would have been double the points. Normally a round-trip saver ticket is 25000 points, and suddenly it had jumped to 37500 each! To quote a pirate, ARGHHHH. That instantly put those tickets out of reach, but two of our other credit card point systems do a dollar travel purchase benefit and since the tickets were under $300 right now, that made the most sense. We tried about 5 configurations and settled on me booking several of the tickets, and my husband booking the others on a card that has a travel expense credit. That should mean we have $100 towards luggage. We weren't able to use the cards that would have yielded 6 free bags but when we did the math, we would have essentially been paying an $300 worth of points for the two-three checked bags. So we determined we'll try to pack lighter and save the points for more economic use on a future trip.

...And.... we made a choice, and added a POST-cruise stay at WDW too! I really can't believe my husband agreed to this. We did a little spreadsheet after looking at the flights and seeing how many airline points we'd need versus how many DVC points we'd need, and discovered we'd actually spend the exact same amount out of pocket if we stayed an additional couple of nights and did a midweek to midweek trip. So we'll just do the Magical Express and stay at the Poly in a Studio for the first few nights and the little guy will turn three in WDW, and then we'll be off that day on a cruise :) Then after the cruise we'll be whisked off to a 1 bedroom at Boardwalk. The tricky thing is food. At the Poly studio, we'll only have a fridge and a microwave so we'll be eating out most of the time pre-cruise. Then, there is that decadent cruise cuisine! Off the ship, we'll probably be stuffed AND we'll want to save on food using our full kitchen at the Boardwalk. I'll have to pre-order the groceries for delivery for the second half of the trip, or schedule a babysitter that night who is willing to pick up groceries for us! We normally order from WeGoShop, which is awesome, but I'll have to make sure they can deliver without a confirmation since we'll be on the ship. And that's one more thing to do... MENU PLAN!

I'm so sorry to all you readers. I just realized I have a superpower--make even Disney sound boring :)

In summary: flights booked, we're going to try to keep it to 2 or 3 checked bags for a newly extended 2 week vacation, or as our British friends would call it, a full fortnight!

OH! We finally got our passport applications in as well!!! I'll be so relieved when those arrive. I think that's when it will hit home--we're really going! Flights, Hotels/Cruise Fare, Documentation!

More nitty-gritty nonsense to follow tomorrow, I'm sure, but I wanted to share!
 
Oh man, I can't believe I haven't written in over a month! I promise you, I haven't been TOTALLY slacking. We've booked our onboard activity and fastpasses! Part of this was just deciding we're NOT going to book port excursions. Our kids are too little for most of the Disney ones except for the beach breaks and the prices on those seem kinda crazy.

On our pre-cruise adventure, I asked the kids for their FP+ requests-- so we're doing Enchanted Tales with Belle, Meeting Ariel, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Na'vi River Journey, Finding Nemo - the Musical, Expedition Everest (Ok, so that will be just my husband and I), Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Star Tours, and Fantasmic.

We've gone to WDW a LOT and we still haven't done the Nemo musical or Fantasmic, so I'm looking forward to those!

We haven't told the kids we're going back to Disney after the cruise, it's a little tricky--but oh man.

CRUISE PLANS BOOKED

Day 1 - Sail Away

Day 2 - Sea Day / Disney Jr. Breakfast / Palo Brunch / Princess Gathering

Day 3 - Cozumel

Day 4 - Grand Cayman / Remy Dinner

Day 5 - Jamaica / Pirate's League makeovers for the kids at 7pm

Day 6 - Sea Day / Frozen Meet and Greet / Shutters portrait session

Day 7 - Castaway Cay

Day 8 - Disembark


Now I need to figure out whether I should request a specific dining rotation!
 
I feel like I've done a gazillion things today but really all I did was complete online check-in. Oh, and book ground transfers and prepay gratuities. Ouch--a family of 5? $770 for tips & trips :) I am just trying to figure out how to get pretty much everything pre-paid so we don't come back to a giant credit card bill--so I'm tossing around calculating the price of Remy dinner, Palo brunch, the photo package, and the Pirate's League Makeovers and purchasing that amount of shipboard credits.
  • Remy dinner x 2-- $190ish
  • Palo brunch x 2 -- $60ish
  • Pirates League x 3 -- $135 (gulp)
=$385 planned onboard base expenses (i.e. tax/tips/etc not included.)
Also--$295 for the photo package. That means $680 in planned raw expenses still to go, and I forgot tastings and classes like Mixology, etc... but I think those prices are like $25-30 a person (and wishing for Petits Assiettes de Remy too...that'd be another $100). So I'm thinking I could safely purchase $400 in onboard credit, if I go that route.

When people want to know how much extra their cruise may cost above base fare, of course it depends on what they do but it looks like for us it will be at least $1500. When all is said and done, for us, probably $2000 to $2500 depending on what we drink. FREAKING OUT HERE, FOLKS!!!! I just cashed in some rewards points for $75 in Disney gift cards. So that's something. And every little bit of savings really does add up--but oh man. Comparing this to our normal WDW vacation--I could probably go on four WDW vacations for the cost of this cruise. That's not an exaggeration, and that's including our DVC dues.

But it's going to be awesome, right? AWESOME. And I feel like it will be even more awesome if it's all paid for ahead of time. So all this stress can be out of the way :)

Sigh... just remembered, I still have to set up Magical Express! So still to do--Purchase photo package and Magical Express. AND AHHHHHH I STILL HAVE TO SEW A FISH EXTENDER!!!! I'm cool, I'm cool....
 


Updated Possible additional costs=estimated at about $970 left
(deleted the items we already paid for)


Port porters
Room upgrades (usually at port, sometimes GS)
Cellular phone calls (will be billed later to your phone bill)
Alcohol and cigarettes for delivery at end of voyage
Alcoholic drinks at the bars and from roving servers (welcome aboard) =$50
Tastings and Mixology =$100
Wine by the glass or wine packages at meals =$200
Additional tip (over the automatic) for bar servers
Tips for room service =$20
Soft drinks and candy/snacks from room service or bar
Specialty coffee
Bottled water (sparkling or still)
Candy and snacks/popcorn outside theater
Premium Candy and ice cream
Upcharge food items at the adult clubs
Shore excursions/transportation =$300
Stamps from Post Office at Castaway Cay
Excursion tips
Spa treatments
Required gratuity added to spa services
Bingo
Sports simulator
Internet =$100
Art
Purchases from the stores: clothing, sundries, jewelry, souvenirs, etc. =$200
Laundry room and send-out laundry and dry cleaning
Onboard booking for future cruises
Kids’s club magic bands (if you want to keep them, you lose the deposit)
 
Status update: it's GETTING SO CLOSE! We're actually getting close to the one month mark. I'm not sure how to even cope with the excitement :) Tonight I am planning on pre-packing at least one of the bags. I've been stockpiling new clothes for the kids so we'll have

Just a note, I prepaid the cruise photo package today. Unlimited Photos. I've heard you can downgrade or cancel/return on board, and that prepaying saves a bit--so that's done!

I'm starting to look at my usual stuff for the land portion--room requests, etc. I've read for the Poly that Tokelau upper floor, especially the northwest corner, might allow us to see the fireworks or castle. I think I may just call in at the 30 day mark and ask for a possible firework or monorail view. We're staying in a standard room, so it's unlikely, but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take :) I also need to really focus on meals for the land portion and put in a grocery order!
 
I think I'm making packing too complicated. I'm going to focus on this really step by step, one at a time:

Carry ons to WDW. Our flight is about 2.5 hrs long, which sounds easy, but with lots of little ones and being 'early to the airport' types, we're going to bring them in their pajamas in strollers to the airport with changes of clothing. We often have them bring their favorite fleece blankets but depending on space, we may have to cut this element out and just tell them they can bring one stuffed animal. Alternatively, I can make them thinner flannel blankets.

I'm thinking the kiddos will wear pjs and flip flops (easy to remove going through security), and in their backpacks...
  • new (to them--all actually old, used) tablets! with fancy new headphones!
  • change of clothes
  • 2 prs pull ups per kid (in case luggage is lost overnight)
  • change of clothes
  • most sun protectant swim suits (minimize ruining a long vacation at the beginning with a burn!)
  • sunhats
  • tennis shoes/socks
  • coloring fun pack
  • baggies of snacks (some candy/gummies/jelly beans/goldfish crackers/cheerios)
  • eyeglasses/sunglasses
  • Possibly travel sized sunscreen
I'll wear breezy travel gear (probably yoga capris/running pants/skort and a swing tank with my oofos flip flops) and in a yet-to-be chosen carry-on...
  • change of clothes (shorts/tee or travel skirt/tee, spare undies
  • All our IDS & passports in my tiny Vera travel wallet/pack
  • Sunscreen for the whole fam.
  • Makeup (going to pack bare bones makeup overall and rely on my natural beauty this trip ;) I may even just buy all new and pack now).
  • Swimsuit/sunhat
  • chargers for all those devices, possibly a bluetooth keyboard so I can keep a little trip log on one o the tablets. I'm crazy about the pre-trip reports but I have yet to make a real trip report!
  • Cell Phone
  • Printed emergency numbers in case of phone theft/loss.
  • Printed itinerary with confirmations in case of phone theft/loss. I'll probably keep the cruise docs with those too just to have them on my person.
  • Debating packing tennis shoes & socks. I know everyone is against wearing flip flops to the parks but honestly, I've done it basically every trip.
  • A spare reusable bag that can be used as a tote to hold any odds and ends (like kids stuffed animals or shoes or whatever) when we leave the bulk of the bags at bell services, assuming our room won't be ready when we arrive.
We've decided to get our owners locker after all. We've got the kids "puddle jumper" flotation devices in there, and we think we want to take them on the ship. Also, that will let us check a bottle of alcohol to take to WDW for our pre- and post- stays (and leave it in the locker) while we're cruising. That will save us a lot of WDW drink costs. So now I have to make the tricky choice--- what should I bring to drink!!!! Vodka is versatile, but coconut rum feels like vacation.... I'm sure my husband will bring bourbon.

If anyone is still following along--what one bottle would you bring?

We're going to pack the carry-ons tonight :) I'll leave the fun coloring kits and snacks till the kids don't see them. Sure, we're still a month out, but it will keep me from having a total panic attack in three weeks :) I may also take a photo of the contents of each bag so once we pack them, we don't have to reopen them to check what's in there.

Could this be procrastinating fish extenders?
 
Made some seriously major strides in packing! Decided to get the giant ziploc bags in lieu of packing cubes, and started assembling sets of the kids outfits in sets of three. Have 5 days finished so far and the rest are coming along. SIGH. I also finished pirate tutus and the vests are pre-sewn :) I just need to get some black thread to finish them off. Major fish extender strides too!
 
My mom came over and babysat for the evenings this weekend and I was able to get some serious work done on FE gifts and most everything is in two giant duffels. Suddenly realize we have a storage dilemma on the ship though-- we bring strollers for the WDW portion and I'm not sure where we'll put them for the cruise! I can't believe I still have research to do!

I put our mail stop in place and ordered the groceries :)

Also snagged a new Vera Bradley hipster in pretty cruise blues for only $15 to hold passports & such. Also just bought a hanging toiletry bag to make organizing easier--got those heavy duty magnetic hooks as well.

And our little fish learned to swim! My 4 yr old twins made it across the pool surface last week and I felt like I won the lottery. And did I mention our birthday boy is fully potty trained now??? We're still doing pullups at night but it feels so odd not to be lugging lots of diapers.
 
Pirate vests finalized! I got that black thread and got to work last night. Pleather vests all ready to go!

I STILL have to finish the fish extender thingie. SIGH! I read somewhere that first-timers should skip the fish extender exchanges because it's too much combined with a first time cruise. I understand that logic. But I'm too far in now!!! A few last minute gifts are still in the works but I started bagging the gifts and they're almost ready to seal up.

DH got a pirate shirt and hat. So I am now officially the only one in the family without a pirate plan. I have a real corset--the $300 fancy kind, not the halloween superstore kind--made by a renaissance faire artisan--but I'm not sure it's really something I should be taking on vacation. It's not super comfy and it may look a little overdone ;) On the other hand, when else am I going to wear it!

I am eagerly awaiting the last Vera duffel and the toiletry bag to jam with my necessities. My boss just told me I can work from home the day before we leave, so that is HUGE. I'm really excited because I think I'd be super stressed in the office that day. I'm honestly hoping to be packed up and virtually ready, but that will allow me the opportunity to go through the house and make sure we don't have rotting stuff in a bag somewhere that will have grown legs by the time we return!

The kids are also changing preschools the day we get back. It just occurred to me that I'd better pre-pack their school stuff (changes of clothes, cot sheets, etc) before we go so when we return all we need to pack for the next day is lunch.

Still on my list:
  • Clear space on my phone for pictures!
  • While I'm at it, back up my phone to the cloud and to my computer.
  • Clean the fridge out
  • Pack up the dog's stuff
  • Finish up the last of the fish extenders
  • peek in my bag and reassure myself that I packed enough underwear...
  • Pack shoes--This is the area I've totally flaked on. I have dress shoes packed with a dress but since I plan on running/walking the Castaway Cay 5k, I'll need tennis shoes. I know I'll want a spare set of flip flops too just in case my ole' faithfuls give up. I have tons of other shoes that all seem totally vital but honestly are not worth the packing space.
  • Finish the 'last minute list' ... i.e. tennis shoes we've been wearing, daily toiletries that have been in use...
  • Empty all the garbage cans/diaper pails
  • Make sure all the bills are paid or scheduled (we got a head start on this earlier this week)
  • Unplug stuff like the television
  • possibly use this as an opportunity to defrost our mini fridge.
  • Make sure the washer/dryer is empty
  • Download games/apps/movies to the ancient tablets we'll be bringing for the kids that don't need internet access to work (i.e. airplane mode!)
  • Find & pack spare chargers & otc meds, nail clippers & fille
I just saw a great idea on a blog post--make sure you have a freezer meal for the day you return! I think I'll get a yummy lasagna :)

More tomorrow I'm sure. We're in single digits now : )
 
Just got a call from the DVC guide who will be on the Fantasy for our cruise. Apparently there will be a welcome booth at the terminal, and then a meet and greet/cocktail hour with character. Our FE group is also having a meet so I'm in the interesting position of having invitations to two meet & greets! They are both in the same time slot, so I'm thinking we'll go to the DVC one in D Lounge first because it has cocktails and characters, and then wander up to the other one. I think we'll stop in our stateroom first to drop off our bags first, as I think I heard the rooms are available around 1pm. They also mentioned a member mixer on Wednesday and I think they mentioned beverages.... Also a fun thing--the DVC guide told us to bring our member cards as there will be DVC member discounts on board. He said it's new but we'll have to have our cards with us.

Speaking of beverages, since we can now sign up for beverage tastings, I snagged a Bourbon tasting one night and a Cognac the other. I'm tempted to sign DH up for a tequila tasting during the princess meet but I just don't even know how we're going to be able to keep up!

I finally finished sewing our fish extender! I am going to add gold lettering with just our first initials. It's probably paranoid but I don't like to put their names out there, I read somewhere that personalized backpacks are a kidnapping hazard because a stranger can lure your kid away by name, so we use monograms, colors or initials to personalize. I felt weird sharing our info with our fish extender group, so you can imagine how nervous I'd be putting their full names on our door for 4000 people I don't know to see.

I am starting to pre-trip relax, somehow. I think I'm feeling like the hard part is finished and we've done what we can--everything else should fall into place. We've got our transportation booked, our mail stopped, our dog sitter in place... at this point it's just execution. My biggest problem is that we have soooo much produce in the fridge! I'm going to have to chop up veggies and freeze because there is no way we can eat them all. We'll stop at the airport frequent flyer club on our way down to have breakfast (and bloody marys) and in the past we've also had lunch their upon arrival. We usually let the kids wear their PJs on the flight because it's just fun :) It's also way easier to enjoy the flight when they are all wearing pullups.

I loaded up the ancient tablets yesterday with airport friendly kid games and shows. They are so ancient they barely hold charges, so that's my task tonight--get them to 100% each and make sure I have a few of those external battery packs loaded up.

I have a few tasks for tonight, actually, and we won't get back from swim lessons till 7pm...
  • Vinyl labels for the kids water bottles
  • Lettering for the fish extender
  • Charge up the tablets (and if I'm feeling super pro, create a three pocketed tablet envelope/sleeve to keep them from getting smashed.
  • Charge up battery packs
  • Chop & freeze veggies
  • Make Fish Extender gift labels
It looks like we're going to check 2 bags, one pretty much exclusively for shoes, fish extender gifts and sunscreen. Everything I've heard has said bring a tube/can of sunscreen for each day you'll be there. And since we'll be in the parks too, we'll need a lot. I'm starting to really look forward to seeing Pandora and hanging by the pool, reading, etc.

Tomorrow is work from home and final stages-- I think after the kids go to school I am going to move all the luggage downstairs. At that point, all we have to do is eat dinner, put on our pre-trip PJs, and DH and I will load the truck after the kids go to bed.

So.... now trying to figure out if parking or a shuttle is the best idea. It would be a no brainer except that it's 30 min in a taxi/shuttle without a seatbelt for our little people.
 
Well.......... I am excitedly following along. Did you get everything done?

We did!!!!!! And we made it to WDW for our pre-cruise trip, we enjoyed the cruise, and we're enjoying the last few days at Boardwalk! It has been an absolute blast!

Observations--your kids will not always want to stay in the kids club. The verandahs are really safe feeling, even with young kids. Obviously don't leave them out there alone but plexiglass is well used. The rainforest room was amazing. The most unexpected downside was my feeling of guilt--we heard from numerous staff members about how long they were away from their families, how they didn't get a day off for basically 6 months straight, didn't see the sun at all for 3 week blocks when they were in particular rotations, etc. We felt kinda awful for them by the end of the cruise. It was a relief to get back to the US where we were assured that the employees have some baseline protections.

Also Castaway Cay was awesome!
 
If you write up a trip report with half as many details as your pre-trip one, it will still be amazing! I'd love to hear how it all went for you! You have a very detail-oriented mind and those make the best trip reports.
 
If you write up a trip report with half as many details as your pre-trip one, it will still be amazing! I'd love to hear how it all went for you! You have a very detail-oriented mind and those make the best trip reports.
Well, that is inspiring :) I am terrible at writing the reports afterwards but I think I'll give it a try thanks to you!
 
THE TRIP REPORT.... a work in progress :)

Wednesday (aka Departure Day)

Cast-
Me. (Mom) The obsessive vacation planner, mid thirties.
My husband (Dad) The reluctant vacationer, early forties.
Daughter 1 (Twin A) Headstrong, brave, four yrs old = D1
Daugher 2 (Twin B) Funny, clingy, terrified. Also four yrs old. =D2
Son (Birthday Boy) Silly, Snuggly, brave. started as two and turned three =S


I feel like I have a terrible memory, and the trip has now been over for a full two weeks. So here goes nothing, I'll be relying heavily on my photos for reminders :)

We packed the car up almost completely the night before, including carryons etc. We have never been so organized or efficient, it was nuts. When we we woke up at 4:45 am and hopped in to the car to go to the airport, it was almost TOO easy :) The night before we left I realized I had omitted a crucial detail of our "distract them with tablets" plan--I had no tablet cases and three tablets. I could have stuck the tablets unprotected in their backpacks, but I wanted a bit more control over the situation than that, as the kids aren't tablet pros and don't know how to work them. That would just lead to tears. So I grabbed some Disney flannel I had in my fabric scrap box, and essentially sewed a three-pocket envelope with a ribbon tie to keep the tablets somewhat separated. Into my personal item (a giant tote stuffed so full that wouldn't even zip) it went, adding yet another weight.

Our flight didn't leave till after 8am, but I like to get to the airport early. My husband is a member of the United Club and they have these little family rooms where we can eat the complimentary breakfast, the kids can watch cartoons, and I drink complimentary bloody marys at 6:30 am. Cause I'm klassy. I also really like the free premiere airline magazine (I think it's Rhapsody?). My best friend loves Frontier, and I don't blame her--but once I add in all of our carry ons and the free stuff at the club, we book United every time.

Back to the airport. I now have three Vera Bradley duffel bags that we use as carry on luggage. Since each of the five of us got a carry on bag free, we only had to actually check two suitcases. The kids each brought their little backpacks, and I had my tote. My husband brought his wheeled carry on and a backpack. He dropped me off with the bulk of the luggage and two of the kids, and I splurged for curbside luggage check-in for our two checked bags. I had no reasonable way to get two kids in a double stroller, three duffels slung on my back, AND two large suitcases in the terminal. My husband took D1 to go park the car in the long term offsite parking lot. The two kids and I made our way through the security line and our trip to Niagara Falls to get my Global Entry card was fruitful--we had all been granted TSA precheck status. We weren't sure if the kids would get it, but they did. It was HUGE not to have to get everyone's shoes off, etc. I always wear flip flops to the airport to avoid drama, but the kids take forever even to put flip flops back on. In case you care, I wore a black travel skirt and black tank top, and the kids wore adorable new pjs :) it's part of our vacation tradition for them to put on brand new vacation pjs the night before to wear for early flights. This time they were awake and excited enough that they could have changed but they didn't want to. One had hula monkeys, one had tiki birds, and one had pirate treasure maps. All totally appropriate. We got through security fast and made our way to the United Club, but since my husband is the member, we had to wait until he arrived to go in. A friendly tram driver chatted with D2 & S and even gave them stickers while we waited.

Soon enough, Dad arrived with D1 who had been given an airport activity kit somewhere along the line. Cue the fight... but soon enough we were ushered into a cozy family room at the lounge, we tore out coloring sheets for each and divided up the crayons. I brought a tray full of muffins over to the kids, as well as bananas, fruit, and possibly yogurt. It was all devoured, while I got a gin & tonic. Go ahead, judge me :)... we enjoyed the calm before the flight! Somewhere along the line, D2 decided that she's afraid of flying. I have no idea how or why this occurred--she's been flying almost twice yearly since she turned one.

Soon enough, we got in line to get on the plane, and began the adventure in earnest. It was a bit turbulent and I realized that somehow, the movies and shows I had downloaded the night before weren't accessible because somehow the Amazon Video app had been deleted from the iPad, so I had to pass around just one of the tablets and we had to take turns, and S kept taking off his headphones and throwing them on the ground. I have no idea why I ever think I'll be able to read a magazine, let alone a book, on a flight. I'm delusional. Maybe when they're 19 & 20. We hit the ground happily, found our Magical Express bus, and we were off for the Polynesian!!! I'm always so delighted to see the Magical Express area at MCO. Every time, it's like I'm stepping into adventure!

More later :)
 

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