Planning for our cruise is still under way

In just 61 days, my family – along with my parents and brother – will embark on a Caribbean cruise as a joint celebration for my dad’s 80th birthday and my husband and my 20th wedding anniversary.

Yes, we got our passports taken care of in February (or March for our son since they didn’t think the first birth certificate was official). We booked our shore excursions early too.

Occasionally over the past few months, we have briefly talked about things to take on the cruise and even bought a few things – water shoes, biodegradable suntan lotion and a new camera since ours stopped working on our last beach trip.

Now being a major planner, I need to start thinking about what we are going to pack and whether we need to buy anything else for the trip. One of my major concerns is over packing. It is easy to want to bring everything you think you might need, but the cruise cabin is not very big. We won’t have tons of room so packing smartly is needed.

Formal Nights

On our cruise, there will be two “formal” nights. Soon after we booked our cruise in December, we bought my daughter two nice dresses that were on an after-Christmas sale. Both my husband and I are already set for these nights, but my son has never really had the opportunity to dress up. I thought we might get by with dress slacks and a dress shirt. No so. Jase wants a suit, so he can be like daddy. (My husband is an attorney and often must wear a suit, though he hates it.) Now we bought Lexie’s dresses the next size up since we were buying them eight months before the cruise. I have been holding off with buying Jase’s suit. i am too afraid of a growth spurt causing it not to fit. I think we will buy it in July – a mere month before the trip.

Toys and kid technology

Typically when we travel, the kids pack a backpack with toys, stuffed animals, and their iPad/iPods. On our trip to Disney World last year, they were required to be able to carry this backpack through the airport. On this trip, I assume we will do the same, but I really want to limit at least them bringing any small toys that could get lost. Part of me doesn’t think they will use their toys very often but there will be some down time where they may need to get away from all the stimulus of the cruise and relax in the room.  Their iPads will go on the trip too but will be regulated to staying in the cabin.

And packing isn’t the only thing I need to think about. I am going to have to figure out how much cash we need to take for tipping of the people on our shore excursion and for buy souvenirs at vendors who don’t take credit cards. That reminds me…I need to add letting the credit card company know we will be out of the country, so they don’t think our cards were stolen to my list. See? So much to do and think about for a planner like me.

Planning our next vacation (already!)

While driving back from the beach last month, I began talking to my husband about next year’s vacation. This year we went to Disney World. The beach has always been an annual June trip since my husband has a conference at South Padre Island each year. (That is going to change as next year the conference is moving to a new location.)

As soon as I mentioned a trip for next year, my husband sighed. “We haven’t even gotten back from this one!”

Of course, he wasn’t too surprised. I began planning our Disney World trip last year as we drove back from the beach. With Disney World a lot of planning really is involved – especially at least six months out if you want to attend certain activities or eat at a few select restaurants.

The thing is I like planning. It is almost as fun for me as the actual trip. Since Disney World was an expensive trip, we will do something cheaper next year. That means staying in Texas. Two years ago, we did Disney and then followed it up with a short trip last year to Corpus Christi. For next year, we are planning to go to Houston and Galveston (for the beach).

So I will spend a few evenings this month looking at activities in Houston and their related costs. I will check out hotel rates and locations. I won’t plan out the whole trip this early, but I do want to figure out how long of a trip we need to plan for and how much it will cost so we can save up for it.

Now next year is also my husband’s and my 20^th wedding anniversary. We try to go on a trip every five years to mark our anniversary. It didn’t happen on our 10-year anniversary as Jase was born three weeks before the date. (We did celebrate 18 months afterwards with a trip to Disney World – but we took Jase with us so not really the same type of celebration.)

On our 15 year anniversary, we left the kids for three nights with my mom and went to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure in Orlando. (The original Harry Potter section had just opened three months before we went.) It was a nice short trip without the kids.

Now we are considering another trip without the kids. Where we will go, I am not sure. We talked about returning to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure as the new Harry Potter section opens this year. Or we could go back to Las Vegas which we haven’t been to in nine years. I suggested a short cruise, but my husband doesn’t love cruises like I do so that is probably out.

But with the Houston trip to plan and the desire to re-carpet the upstairs, our plan to go somewhere may just end up being an overnight trip to the Riverwalk. So that is why I am going to be spending a few days looking not only at our trip to Houston but possibly a longer trip for my husband and I to take. Knowing how much it will cost and how many days he will be away from work will allow us to have more options than if I waited until next year to plan these trips.

Planning a trip to Disney World – Part 3

Our Disney World vacation is getting so close – just a few weeks away in fact. In case you missed the two other parts of my series…

In October, I wrote a few tips for newbies to planning a Disney World vacation (buying a guide book, making advanced dining reservations six months before your trip, and visiting the Disboards for up-to-date information).

In January, I wrote about staying on Disney’s property (verses at an off-site location) as well as some extras we are doing like Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for my daughter and Pirates League for my son.

There are so many things I could cover, but I think today I will talk about an ever-changing development as well as one of their annual events. (To check out a full list of other special events, click here.)

Fastpass Plus

This is an ever-changing thing as Disney tests out their new fast pass program. As I write this (May 2nd) this is how the Fast Pass program works, but you can always check the Disboards for up-to-date information on what has change.

Fastpass is basically a way to skip the stand-by line for a ride. In the past, you pulled a paper pass but now everything is electronic. Every guest who has already purchased a ticket (no matter if they are staying on property or off) gets to book 3 fastpasses in advance. Those staying at a Disney resort can book their passes 60 days in advance. Those staying off-site, can book theirs 30 days in advance.

I know. You are wondering how you can even know what rides you will want to ride at what times – especially so far in advance. As I have said before, there is a lot of planning involved in going to Disney World. Yes, you can wing it but expect long lines. Fastpass is meant for you to skip some of those waits and to guarantee you get to ride your favorite rides or see a favorite attraction with a minimum wait.

At 60 days out, I booked my fast passes – even getting the coveted one so Lexie can meet Anna and Elsa. (The stand-by line for the Anna and Elsa character meet-n-greet is typically over three hours long.) Now I can change and rearrange them every day or even the day of our trip to the parks. Of course, some of the popular rides and attractions may not be available.

And just last week, they added where you can get a fourth (and fifth, sixth or seventh) fast pass after you have used the first three pre-booked passes. (Selecting one new fast pass from their kiosk and then another after you use that one.)  And those additional passes don’t have to be in the same park which is great for us who have park-hopper passes. (Park hopper means we can go to any park – Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot – throughout the day. The other option is to buy a one-park a day pass.)

If you are going to Disney World and need help deciding on which Fastpass to book, click here for a list of which fast passes are the most sought after and which save you the most time.

Star Wars Weekends

One of the reasons we are going to Disney World in June is to attend their Star Wars weekends, which run typically the last two weekends of May and the first two of June at Hollywood Studios. (This year they are offering Star Wars weekends for FIVE weekends. We will be there for weekend number four.)

Star Wars weekends offers meet & greets with Star Wars characters, autographs and Q&As with actors from the movies or animated series, special parades and fireworks and of course purchasing special Star Wars merchandise. And for the first time ever, they are even offering two special meals – one featuring Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie and Chip and Dale in Star Wars costumes and the other featuring Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Greedo and stormtroopers. We will be checking out these both. (They are a limited time offer – only running from May 4 to June 15.)

Every day when I check the Disboards’ Star Wars Weekend thread, there is some other tidbit of information – special passes, tricks for signing up for Jedi Training Academy, or that you can trade trinkets with the Jawas – on the board.

Oh and as luck with have it – we are attending the same week that Mark Hamill (Luke Skywaker) will be there. This is his first Star Wars Weekend. It should be fun. If you have a Star Wars fan in your family (I have two), then you should definitely consider going during this event!

 

The thing I hate most about party planning – the RSVP

Throwing a party for your child can be a lot of work. I don’t mind the actual party or even the planning of my kids’ parties. In fact, I love designing their invitations. What I hate is waiting for people to RSVP.

Nowadays, so many people don’t RSVP, or they wait until the last minute. I invited 14 girls to Lexie’s birthday party at the beginning of the month. Three days before the party, I was still missing more than two-thirds of the RSVPs.

By the time of the actual RSVP deadline, I had heard from 65% of the attendees. In the past, I have ended up sending out a reminder to parents I have not heard from.

“Hi – Lexie’s birthday party is this Saturday. I know she would love (insert child’s name) to come her party. We hope you can make it.”

This typically gets me some extra responses, which are most often a “No. We can’t make it” but does garner a few “Oh. I meant to RSVP.” For Lexie’s party, I didn’t resort to sending emails as I had eight girls coming and decided not to bother with garnering responses from the others. I just sometimes don’t know why people don’t RSVP to parties or wait to the last minute. Are they waiting for something better to come up?

I only received two “No. We can’t make it” messages. I think people really don’t think they need to send a “no” reply. I admit there have been times that I don’t send my regrets when we receive an invitation. Of course, with Lexie’s party, I was a little nervous. Days after we had passed out the invitation, I saw a few of the kids walking around with the invitations at school. I began to worry that the invitations weren’t going to make it to their parents.

As it turned out, I had eight girls scheduled to come but only five of them actually showed up. One girl was sick the two days preceding the party, and I had spoken with her mom about the possibility that she might not be there. The other two were just no shows. This, in my opinion, can be as bad as people not RSVPing and showing up to a party. We had planned for those girls to be there. We had goodie bags ready for them and depending on the party place, sometimes you have to pay for those you say are coming whether they show up or not. Luckily, Chuck E Cheese gives you up to 4 no shows, so I only paid for the kids who actually attended.

For me the worst part is just waiting for those RSVPs. Because so many people do it at the last minute, I end up worrying that we won’t have a good attendance at the party. I think this fear that no one will show up is what has kept my husband and I from throwing our own parties. Of course now that we have kids, parties for them are inevitable.

I know parties aren’t supposed to be a popularity contest, but it is almost impossible for it not to be. It is hard when you go to one party, and nearly every kid invited shows up and at your party, you get only five kids.  I don’t know why there is such a difference in attendance. Maybe it has nothing to do with popularity, and some parties are just at better, more convenient times. I do know that when Jase turned 5, he had very few kids from his class come to his party. He didn’t care. He had a blast.

As for me, I just want people to respond to those RSVPs!

This is the second in a three-part birthday series. Last week was birthdays that fall during a holiday or vacation. Next week – searching for that impossible to find gift. 

Planning a Trip to Disney World – part 2

As I mentioned back in October, we are planning a trip to Disney World in Florida. We will be there during the first week of June – as soon as the kids get out of school.

Since my last post, we have booked our airfare – non-stop flights on Southwest both ways – and we have booked our resort package. As I said before, we prefer to stay at a Disney hotel, so we are immersed in the “Disney bubble” during our stay.

When my husband and I went on our honeymoon to Disney World, my grandmother paid. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort. We loved it. In fact, we stay there each time we go. We have had no desire to try one of the other 20 on-site resorts.

For those of you traveling to Disney World and looking at staying on Disney’s property, they offer resorts at three price levels – value, moderate and deluxe. With each move up to a higher priced resort, your amenities get better. For the budget-conscious families, there are values with over-the-top Disney themes. The moderates and deluxes still have a Disney feel but without going overboard. Rooms get bigger, and you gain more dining and recreation options as you pay more for your resort. The location of the deluxes are always the closest to the parks. The Caribbean Beach is a moderate level resort closest to Epcot.

Now in December we went ahead and booked our package, which includes our resort stay and park tickets. You can of course find deals outside the Disney website for both tickets and hotel, which can save you some money (but not always). We, however, have always just bought from Disney so that everything is ready for us when we arrive. Now Disney is not running any promotions for June yet, but I will be watching for them this month and will call and have any room discounts they offer applied to our reservation. That is one good thing about Disney, they make it easy to adjust an already existing package.

The reason we went ahead and booked our package is that our 180 days before our trip was fast approaching. As I mentioned in the last post, at 180 days before your trip, you can make dining reservations. If you have a package booked, you can actually make your reservations for the first 10 days of your trip at your 180-day mark.

So on Dec. 6, I got up early and logged in online to make our reservation to eat dinner at Cinderella Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom and our Donald’s Dining Safari breakfast in the Animal Kingdom.

We also never miss eating at the Sci-Fi Dine In (pictured to the left) at Hollywood Studios, and since we are going during the last weekend of Star Wars weekends, I needed to get that reservation as soon as possible as Hollywood Studios will be busy.

Now this isn’t to say that you can’t book your dining reservation later. You don’t HAVE to plan six months in advance where you want to eat. But if you want an extremely popular place or a character dining experience, you need to book as soon as you know where and when you want to eat. If you wait until you are at the theme parks, you will most likely find yourself turned away from the restaurants. Restaurants at the resorts may have same-day reservations but again, any of the really popular place (especially during peak vacation days such as the summer, spring break, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas) will be booked in advanced.

Also at our 180-day mark, we booked the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the Magic Kingdom for Lexie. (There is also a location in Downtown Disney.) We have her princess makeover appointment in the afternoon before our dinner at Cinderella’s castle. I am sure she will love it. For Jase, we have him set up to become a pirate at Pirates League during the same time.

During Christmas week, we received a personalized package from Disney to get us excited about our upcoming trip. It certainly worked on Jase who excitedly read the whole brochure and kept coming to tell me all the things we could do with our magic bands. The package included the brochure and a Mickey flash drive.

The flash drive takes you to a website where they discuss magic bands (colorful bands that allow you to enter your room and the theme parks) and fastpass + (a system where you can book rides at popular attractions without having to stand in line). Of course both of these items are new to Disney with testing beginning this past summer. These two programs are still in the test phase and many changes have happened over the past months. This is one reason I stay on the Disboards to keep up on all the changes. You just have to ignore the Doom & Gloom group who are balking at changes to the Fastpass program. So far I am looking forward to the changes and we have already customized our magic bands though they will not ship to us until May.