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