Charlies First trip home - Trip Report!

[Laurafoster]

Love love love the City Mini. Never used a double but we have a single for DS and its so smooth to push and while he would NEVER nap in the iCandy travel system we had originally he has no problem napping in the City Mini. He used to HATE going in the buggy now he climbs into the City Mini every chance he gets. Makes outings so much easier! Andthats a great price too!! Another tick off the list

That's great to know. We have just bought a city mini single for at home

 

[Wills Mom]

That's great to know. We have just bought a city mini single for at home

Nice one Wish I had known about it when I was buying the travel system! Would have saved a fortune and been much happier!

 

[Laurafoster]

Originally we were going to eat at several TS locations this trip. But after a lot of thinking and looking at menus/budgets we have decided to "keep it cheap" i know Disney and cheap don't go right! But we were discussing next year and realised that if we want to go we have to go in May (as Megan starts school in Sept 2014) and saving for it will be tight. I'd rather go again than eat lots of TS meals.

So we are going to stick to CS and some off site places. Hope to try some new off site places this year as we haven't tried many.

 

[bex7583]

Today I made another booking - a stroller rental.

It's something I'd been going back and forth on. Basically at home we have a single for Charlie and generally Megan walks everywhere. When she gets tired we also have a buggy board for her. However Florida is totally different. I know she'll tire easily with the hot weather and long distances and I really don't want to be that parent with the over tired screaming toddler ruining things for others.

So 2 single strollers or one double? I eventually decided on one double as it will be so much easier at times when there will be 2 of us. (Can't even imagine trying to get on/off a bus with 2 kids, 2 strollers and bags/cameras etc. we generally pack light but that's still a lot of stuff!) so rental of a double it is.

So the "stroller" rentals in the parks are expensive! A double is $31 per day! Ouch! For 16 days that would be $496. They offer a discount for a multi day rental but this would still be $432. It would actually be cheaper to go and buy one on my first day. Which was an option for a while.

Since then a DIS/Dibb friend has told me about her great experience with Orlando stroller rentals.

So we are now renting a city mini double stroller ( like this one - https://www.orlandostrollerrentals.com/RentaStroller?stroller=3)

$144 for 2 weeks - significantly cheaper and massively more comfortable for Megan and Charlie.

We don't have one for the first 2 nights or for the cruise but we will have our maclaren one for Charlie so it won't be a problem

i hadnt planned on taking any pram but now i have spent a while thinking about it , i do think it will be much easier!! regret selling my duowalker now that would have been great for the long disney days !

i love a excuse for a new pram though so im thinking a bugaboo donkey will be handy with it having the extra basket

 

[Laurafoster]

i hadnt planned on taking any pram but now i have spent a while thinking about it , i do think it will be much easier!! regret selling my duowalker now that would have been great for the long disney days !

i love a excuse for a new pram though so im thinking a bugaboo donkey will be handy with it having the extra basket

How old is your child/children? I know Megan would get exhausted if she was walking all day so its a must have for us

Love bugaboos though lol!

 

[Laurafoster]

Booked our Car Hire this week. As we are going on a cruise the Disney transport to and from the cruise for 5 and a baby was $350!

So we opted to hire a car for 1 week instead. Collecting it the day after we arrive, using it to drive to the port and then a trip to Walmart before returning it.

Managed to get a great price considering its so far out - £134 for a 7seater for the week.

That way we can leave car seats in the car and not have to take them on the boat with us.

I've also discovered that I can leave some of my luggage with bell services at SSR whilst we are on the cruise.

 

[Wills Mom]

Thats a fantastic deal! Go you! Something else ticked off the list, its coming together! You won't feel it coming around now!!

 

[Laurafoster]

So I've been thinking about the bits I have left to do for the holiday, only little bits and bobs really but I figured if I write them down here then I'll remember to get them done - hopefully sooner rather than later.

So left on my list is -

Getting Charlie a passport - pretty important one, I'm waiting until he can sit up unaided for long enough to have this done, he is almost there so will get this done soon

ESTA's/API - will get both of these done once I have the passport.

Requesting seats on the flight. Not sure where to request this time. We are flying PE so I'm thinking downstairs will suit us better as upstairs its rows of 2. I haven't requested a sky cot for DS at the moment. Not sure if I want too as we didn't get in with it so well with DD and he will be a lot bigger (and he is long which won't help).

Cruise Excursions - We want to book a trip over to see around Atlantis resort when we go to Nassau

I think that's it really, and then I can start some holiday shopping

 

[cornish pixie]

Sounds like you have an amazing trip booked I remember our two girls first visits Magical enjoy every moment were off again in July but there now 16 & 17 !! have you been on the Birthday/celebration boats that they take you out to watch the fireworks? Might have enough of being on the water by then but might be something you could all do . Also have you checked out the Translantic cruises next Year Laura ( really good prices ). Whatever you do your going to make special memories so enjoy
Cornish Pixie

 

[PJB71]

So I've been thinking about the bits I have left to do for the holiday, only little bits and bobs really but I figured if I write them down here then I'll remember to get them done - hopefully sooner rather than later.

So left on my list is -

Getting Charlie a passport - pretty important one, I'm waiting until he can sit up unaided for long enough to have this done, he is almost there so will get this done soon

ESTA's/API - will get both of these done once I have the passport.

Requesting seats on the flight. Not sure where to request this time. We are flying PE so I'm thinking downstairs will suit us better as upstairs its rows of 2. I haven't requested a sky cot for DS at the moment. Not sure if I want too as we didn't get in with it so well with DD and he will be a lot bigger (and he is long which won't help).

Cruise Excursions - We want to book a trip over to see around Atlantis resort when we go to Nassau

I think that's it really, and then I can start some holiday shopping

I'd book one if I was you Laura, depending on what aircraft your on the newer cots are fab they are more like a carseat and baby can even stay in them if there's turbulence as there's strapped into a harness just like a carseat which is great if there sleeping.

You would also get bulkhead seats which is ano big plus

 

[Laurafoster]

Sounds like you have an amazing trip booked I remember our two girls first visits Magical enjoy every moment were off again in July but there now 16 & 17 !! have you been on the Birthday/celebration boats that they take you out to watch the fireworks? Might have enough of being on the water by then but might be something you could all do . Also have you checked out the Translantic cruises next Year Laura ( really good prices ). Whatever you do your going to make special memories so enjoy
Cornish Pixie

Oh i would love a transatlantic cruise! Will have to work on DH though as he isnt as keen (for now anyway hehe)

 

[Laurafoster]

I'd book one if I was you Laura, depending on what aircraft your on the newer cots are fab they are more like a carseat and baby can even stay in them if there's turbulence as there's strapped into a harness just like a carseat which is great if there sleeping.

You would also get bulkhead seats which is ano big plus

They sound much better! The last ones we used had a max weight of 9kg and DS is that already at 7months.

My biggest concern was that id read there was only 2 skycots in downstairs PE - one on either side on the rows of 2. Which would mean DH sat across the aisle or behind and me with both kids. Will have to research a bit better!

Or sit DH with both kids hehehe!

 

[Laurafoster]

Wooo Hooo! Double Digits today

So the other day was 105 days until we board our cruise, as a gold castaway member this is when I can make reservations for shore excursions, Palo, Spa treatments etc etc. I can also do our online check in. Way before this date I made sure my TA at Dreams Unlimited had linked mine and my parents reservation so I could do them all together.

So I logged in, went straight to the excursions page, selected what I wanted - and then noticed I couldn't book my parents ones. There names were appearing but they were greyed out. I soon figured out the problem - they weren't Gold members yet (they will be after this cruise) and so can't reserve things until 90 days out. After a quick jokey telling off for my mum for not having cruised enough I added the 90days date to my calendar and will try again.

I've also completed Charlie's passport application - what a nightmare. They aren't allowed to smile for the photo and Charlie kept smiling. I also had to include my parents and Gary's parents details on the application form as we were both born after 1982 bit of a pain! Application has been sent off so just need to wait for it to arrive now.

 

[tinks_1989]

Children's passports are ridiculous arent they? Elsie is about 3 months old in hers and they kept complaining her mouth was opening and laughing.

It's funny how all of a sudden it feels so much closer when you get to 99 days lol.

 

[Chilly]

I'll be thinking about baby passports in the future, i'm 1980 and DH 1981 so will we not need to include the extra info you did?

 

[Laurafoster]

I'll be thinking about baby passports in the future, i'm 1980 and DH 1981 so will we not need to include the extra info you did?

No you'll be fine i believe its if one or both of you are born after 31st Dec 1982. Just need to make sure you get the full birth certificate when you register the birth - a friend just had the short version and had to send of for a full one first.

 

[Chilly]

No you'll be fine i believe its if one or both of you are born after 31st Dec 1982. Just need to make sure you get the full birth certificate when you register the birth - a friend just had the short version and had to send of for a full one first.

Thanks x

 

[Laurafoster]

Children's passports are ridiculous arent they? Elsie is about 3 months old in hers and they kept complaining her mouth was opening and laughing.

It's funny how all of a sudden it feels so much closer when you get to 99 days lol.

I know! Megan was about 3months too and was a bit wobbly so we deliberately waited a bit longer for Charlies. He just wouldnt stop smiling at the lady taking the photo - such a flirt already lol!

 

[Laurafoster]

Charlies passport has arrived. Yay!

So now his passport is done i had no more excuses not to do my estas and api. I dont know why i dislike doing them so much as they really are simple. I just always have a worry that i'll make a mistake and they wont let me in LOL!

So that was my exciting evening last night getting those all done. All approved and completed

 

[Laurafoster]

Because we have a lap infant on our booking I was not able to book seats online so I called Virgin and requested our seats.

I requested seats downstairs as opposed to the 'bubble'. My main reason for this is because the PE seats upstairs are in rows of 2 so that would mean DH sat with DD and me sat on my own with DS on my lap - that would be a loooong flight!!

We had automatically had a request for Bulkheads put on our booking but we were advised all this would guarantee is that one of us would be sat next to the skycot and the others could be say anywhere (although they try and seat us as close together as possible). If it was just me DH and kids this wouldn't have mattered so much but my mum is scared of flying so she would hate it if she wasn't sat next to my Dad.

So we therefore opted to book specific seats and enquire if a bulkhead is available when we do Twilight check in. I'm not bothered if there isn't as we'll have enough space anyway.

Currently for our outbound flight we are sat 3 in the middle (row 18 I think) and then my parents are in the row behind us.