Our exciting world adventure intinerary!

So we are definitely going to Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and now PANAMA in March/April! We have sat down and created a 1st draft travel itinerary. We are going to spend anywhere from 4-7 nights at each stop along the way.

March 14th - Fly from Toronto directly to Hong Kong. This is a 15 hour flight + a day in time change. We will spend 4 nights in an apartment in Hong Kong, generously offered to us from friends that have a place there.
March 17th - Fly from Hong Kong to Melbourne, Australia. This is only a 5-6 hour flight which will be a nice easy flight compared to our flight to Hong Kong! Again, we have been offered an in-law suite at our friends Beth & Gregg's lovely home, which again we so very much appreciate! We will spend 4-5 nights in Melbourne before continuing on our journey!
March 21st - Fly from Melbourne to New Zealand. We chose to go to New Zealand before Sydney, because it is not possible to do it the other way around as there is not a flight out of New Zealand that will take us to Panama which is our final destination, so we would have to go back to Sydney to fly anyways. We plan on spending at least 6 nights in New Zealand so we can really take in the beautiful sights and really experience this small but incredible country. We will be staying in Auchland at a hotel.
March 27th- Fly from New Zealand back to Sydney, Australia. We will spend 6-7 nights here as there is so much to see and do, including an outback adventure we hope to take for a couple of nights! We will be staying at a hotel here as well, any suggestions on places to stay are welcomed!
April 2nd - Fly from Sydney to Panama. This flight will have to be via Miami as that is the only way to fly into Panama from the other side of the world! We will be spending 1 week with the in-laws on Bocas Del Torro, a small beautiful island where they have built a few amazing houses right on the ocean. A little piece of paradise! We have been to visit them a couple times in the past, and always enjoy our time in the jungle with family.
April 10th - Fly home just in time for my birthday on the 11th!

So there we have it, there is tons of room for flexibility since we could always choose to stay an extra night if we want or leave a day sooner, which is very nice to be able to do. Again, we are so very grateful for the wonderful friends and family that will be hosting us at some of our stops to 4 different amazing continents in this big huge world just waiting to be explored by the 3 travelbugs!

Prepping For Overseas Travel

So for our upcoming international travels to China, Australia and New Zealand, there is paper work that goes along with it. 1st off, since Olivia got her 1st passport at 6 months old, it expired last week so we need a new one. A baby's passport will last 3 years but you can renew within the 1st 364 days of life for FREE. Canada allows this due to the rapid changes in appearance of the littlest babes. We never bothered renewing her passport and never had any troubles, since technically it didn't expire until now and there is nowhere written that this is mandatory. In her passport picture used 2 weeks ago for our cruise, she is bald and toothless! They judge by head shape & colouring I guess since that is all that has remained somewhat the same! If we had gone anywhere in the past year that was overseas, we would have updated just to avoid any risky hassles, but since we only traveled to the US or Caribbean, we didn't bother. We also brought her original long form birth certificate on all trips, just in case. This is a great document to have as a back-up, because if you lose a child's passport while on holidays, it is very hard to deal with this crisis without any identification at all. The long form birth certificate has all the parents information on it as well.

OH the joys of the passport! I hope to avoid the office line-up by doing all by mail/online. You can get passport photos practically anywhere these days. Then there is the the Visa's. Both Australia and New Zealand require Visa's to enter, even if we only intend on visiting a short time. Sam and I needed one last year for Africa as well. Each country is very different regarding Visas and requirements, so it's important to talk to a travel agent ahead of time to be sure you have everything you need.


Once the paperwork is sorted, then there is the different vaccines and other medications that may be needed in different countries. This can be extensive and tricky, so we pay the extra $50 to see the travel doctor here at home, who can tell you everything you need to know regarding medications/vaccines for your exact destination, if there are any recent outbreaks of viruses or communicable diseases etc. in that area. He can also prescribe and administer any medications & needles during our visit, as there is a pharmacy attached to his office. We then submit those costs to our benefits carrier for a refund. A family doctor just doesn't have the knowledge that a travel doctor has regarding worldly diseases and outbreaks, since that is ALL a travel doc does! Thus, we fell that paying that little extra bit is worth it.


Make sure you give yourself plenty of time ahead of your travels as some vaccines require 2 needles months apart ie. Hep A/B (Twinrix). Since we are known travelers, Olivia got her Hep A/B already, and many doctors recommend all children to have it, even if not planning travels just to keep them safe here in Canada. I will have to wait and see what other medications might be needed for Olivia, as I am hesitant to give her strange and unusual medications (obviously) but also want to be sure to keep her safe and healthy. Lots of research may be needed! Here is the gov't. of Canada site for travel vaccines: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/travelvaccines-eng.php

So along with renewing Olivia's passport, contacting our travel agent for help with flights & planning, and booking our travel doctor appointment, we have our list of things to do! Hopefully everything goes nice and smoothly, but we have 6-8 weeks until we leave so we should be fine :) That is a big SHOULD, but ya never know what could go wrong at the last moment, so we

ALWAYS BUY TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE!

Happy travels everyone!

We're off to OZ this spring!

Could it be? Yes it could! Something's coming, something good! So there is a very good chance that we are going to be taking a trip of a life time this March! It's something I've been working on for years, and I still can't believe we're actually going! 1st, I'll tell you how it all began.

Sam has a work partner in Australia and he was chatting with Sam the other night as per usual. I got on the phone with the GGG (his nickname) and said jokingly, "Okay Gregg, we'll be see ya in a couple months down under!" He replied, "well actually, I have this important meeting in Hong Kong on March 16th I would love Sam to be at. Then you guys could fly back to Melbourne with me and spend a few nights at our humble home, then fly on to Sydney from there". I was speechless, he wasn't kidding! I said, "oh my goodness, PLEASE tell Sam all of this, he will never go for it if it's me asking, but YOU on the other hand..."

SAMMY AGREED!

SO, here is our potential plan! Mind you, I haven't checked on flight pricing which is really going to play a big role in our decisions as it's quite pricy to fly that distance. It's very preliminary right now, but a good start!

March 14th - Fly from Toronto to Hong Kong, China
March 15th - Arrive in Hong Kong. Spend 3-4 nights.
March 19th - Fly from Hong Kong to Melbourne, Australia. Spend nights in Melbourne.
March 21st - Fly or train from Melbourne to Sydney for 10 nights.
March 26th - Fly from Sydney to New Zealand for 5 nights.
April 2nd/3rd - Arrive Home!

I am SO beyond excited, ecstatic is more likely the correct word. Now to get cracking on the planning! We would love to do a 3 day outback jeep adventure from Sydney, but other than that, no big ideas yet what else to see and do - although I'm sure there is plenty! Olivia needs a new passport and we all require visas for this trip. Lots of paperwork, booking, reserving etc. but so much fun! If anyone reading this blog who has visited any of the above countries, please do post a comment with any suggestions or ideas for us! That would be greatly appreciated :) I was hoping to get 1 last incredible trip in before Olivia grows out of her stroller! Keep you posted on all the fun planning!

Dreams really can come true!

Friends along the way...

With each trip we take, we come home with wonderful memories and new friends! When you have a spirited little girl like our Olivia, it takes her all of 2 minutes to meet and make new friends. Along with each new friend she finds, often comes a Mommy & a Daddy that we soon call friends too! Sometimes these friends are just "holiday friends" but many stay in touch with us over the years and miles.


In 2010 at Beaches in Negril Jamaica, we met 2 wonderful families with of course: small children. The kids hunted each other down daily and enjoyed many fun times playing together on the beach or at the kids club. In the evening, they would boogie all night while the grown-ups sipped tasty drinks. The Moms of both these families are on my Facebook and we keep in touch and hope to meet again on holidays with our children. Sadly, these friends are very far away (down in the states) but we imagine that some day we will meet again! Thanks travel friends for making our trip extra fun!

We recently met a very special family again, this time on our Disney Cruise! Sam had returned to our room after fetching some grub at the snack bar and said, "I just met this really fantastic family! Guess what! They are here on their "Make a Wish" trip as their little girl is in remission from cancer". Of course, having been a child that had cancer and the wish trip to Disney, I was so excited to meet them. The girls were ages 5 and 7, and fast FAST friends with Olivia on the high seas. We spent every day for the rest of our holiday with our new wonderful friends, and are making plans to have them up for a visit in 1 month! When looking back at all the the highlights of our trip, their faces come shining through with each wonderful memory.
We look forward to all the future travels and future "new friends" we will meet along the way. From our special friends in the UK, to our many American friends, the Swedish little boy playing with Olivia during our flight to Paris and the sweet Chinese baby girl in the airport Olivia called her, "baby sister" after teaching her a thing or two...there are special people we will always remember all over the world that make our travels even more memorable. Some friends are in our lives for only a moment, others, for a lifetime. The world really is filled with beautiful people.

For the love of our stroller...

Who knew one could love an umbrella stroller so much?? We have this Rock Star Baby stroller that is now 2 years old, covered in airline tags & stickers, has a wonky wheel and is filthy, but we couldn't travel without it! This stroller has seen the heart of the jungle, the Eiffel tour and many stops in between. Because it's an umbrella stroller, we can check it plane side, and is less than 7 lbs to haul here, there and literally everywhere! Why do we love this stroller you ask? Well, at the time is was purchased it was the only umbrella stroller on the market that could lie absolutely flat, so it is perfect for sleeping. The back lies all the way down and there is a little leg lift thingy so more of her body fits in the stroller. The awning closes over her and has a back flat so she's well hidden under there ;) Did I mention it doesn't tip and fall down when she stands up if there are bags hanging on the handle bars? Somehow our magic stroller is tip-resistant, so it can handle and hold quite a bit of weight on the handles without tipping! Perfect for those carry-on bags!

Now she is 3 1/2 and we are STILL using this stroller for all our trips and travels. Recently on our Disney Cruise she slept several evenings/nights in her stroller until the grown-ups were ready for bed. We walk the halls with her until she falls asleep, then lie her flat, throw on a blanket and she doesn't move an inch. On New Years Eve, Olivia tried hard to stay awake but just couldn't, so we checked her into kids club on the ship sleeping in her stroller so we could go ring in 2011! It worked out perfectly for everyone.
In all fairness, she is one of a very few children that can sleep so solidly, and never wake up. I guess it makes sense when you have a SPIRITED child all day who does not have a stop or slow down button. In her stroller, she doesn't even wake when we move her in and out for bed, etc. Since she has been traveling all her life, she learned to adapt to sleeping in the stroller surrounded by lots of noise and chaos, and remains asleep, dreaming beautiful little kid dreams. Those of you with new babes and wanting to travel, start them at a very young age - sleeping in the stroller!

We now have 1 GIANT worry...what do we do when she no longer fits???? She is very tall for her age and now her legs dangle out over the edge when she's in there. We use it often even at home, when Sam & I want to go for a nice dinner together. We drive until she falls asleep, then pop her in and off to the restaurant we go! People come up to us often and say, "awwweee, a sweet little baby, how old is she?" We giggle and reply, "she's 3 1/2 years old and not even close to a baby anymore!"

I have no idea how one would take on international airports without a stroller!! All those line-ups, and distant walks - my eyes tear up with the mere thought of her on FOOT! How would we be able to go out at night when traveling? Does anyone out there have a solution to this huge dilemma just waiting around the corner for us? Travel life as we know it will be over, AHHHhh!!! I'm thinking in 1 year she won't FIT!
Perhaps we will have to take advantage of her still fitting in there and do some FABULOUS trip this spring! Here's hoping!! Oh, and WHO KNEW Bon Jovi could design strollers? Way to go Johnny boy, we love our Rock Star Baby!

Taking on the Big Apple with our Little Princess

So we don't have any particular dates set to hit up the Big Apple with Olivia anytime soon, but it always seems to be one of those trips that happens last minute, since it is business for Sam 90% of the time, and we girls tag along for the fun! Usually it's spring and/or fall. Olivia has been to New York City 3 times since she was born, and loves it so much there. Sam and I are both very familiar with Manhattan, which helps when taking our little girl along. As long as you have a trusty map in your bag, it's easy to get around the city as it's a straight grid. Here's some tidbits and info. about how we take on NYC with a 3 year old - in style ;) I hope you enjoy some of our "Before & After Pics" - pictures of Olivia on her 1st trip in 2008 and her most recent trip in fall 2010.

Luggage - CARRY ON!
Since NYC is always a 3 night excursion at the most, we CARRY ON! Yes, this is all very tricky for me since I always take along 10 pairs of shoes on every trip, but with NYC we seem to pull it off! I was in shock a few months ago when we arrived in T.O. airport at 8 am, and were on the streets of New York enjoying the sun by 12 noon! Carrying on allows us to check in at the machine kiosk (or even better - online and print tickets at home) then walk right off the plane in JFK airport since we do customs on the Canadian side before leaving! How and what do we pack you ask? We each take a full regulation size carry-on, plus another large hand-bag each - one being a back pack so we can handle all bags at once. The stroller often ends up looking like a luggage cart.

Clothing for day 1 is almost the same as what we wear home - jeans, shirt, sweater/coat and VERY practical shoes/boots. Then we pack a full 2nd & 3rd outfits that can be changed up from day to night, i.e. nice top that can switch from jeans to skirt with shoes/boots & accessories to change the look. If we run into a dressing dilemma (which does happen) we SHOP! If there is no room to take new things home, we donate old things!

Transportation - the trickiest part!

The question most Moms ask me is: how do you travel without a car seat? Well, I will create a page called "Automobiles" which will be all about getting around in cars, but for NYC it is definitely SAFETY 1st (if you've been to New York, you will understand that every driver on the road is completely insane, especially those yellow cabbies) so we always strap her into a car seat (not her own) in NYC. How? We have a list of airport limo companies that we worked from that provide car service from JFK airport to our hotel WITH an installed car seat included in the fare. Yes this is expensive (approx. $115.00 minimum each way) and a 30 minute ride without traffic, but it is the 1 most important thing for us in New York to splurge on to, keep her safe.The same car will drive us back to the airport after the trip is complete. Since the flights are so cheap, the money we save there goes towards transportation. Another way to get back and forth would be a bus transfer that arrives in Grand Central Station, but then we'd have to find ways to get from Grand Central to the hotel, & subways are our least favourite method when carrying all the bags.

Once in the city, we ensure our hotel is within walking distance to almost anything we want or need. We stay on 60th street, right on the park. More about that under accommodations. If we want to scoot down to Time Square, we walk or take a Rickshaw (those dudes on bikes pulling people) for fun. TO get through Central Park we take a horse & carriage ride. It's all part of the adventure! Taxi's are definitely not an option without a car seat, so we find other ways!

2008 - Olivia riding the carousel

2010 - Olivia riding the carousel all by herself!

Accommodations

As most of your know, NYC is crazy pricey, especially at the times when we travel it seems, but since flights can be purchased VERY cheap ($100 + taxes usually) we can spend more on the hotel too. Close to the Central Park (on 60th/Central Park Ave) is critical for our busy little monkey, so anywhere from 50th street and up would work (hotels get a little cheaper outside of the Broadway zone if you're up for the walk) as long as it's central and not on the east/west sides, up or down town. There are countless hotels that accommodate families and small children. We always stay at the same hotel - The Essex House. They know us well there and discount our stay because we are there so often. We have a view of the park from there and we are a 2 minute walk to amazing playgrounds and all kinds of cool stuff in Central Park, where we spend at least 50% of our time. There are plenty of hotels in walking distance with more reasonable pricing as well. Again, with little kids, for us - CENTRAL PARK area is the way to go! I will explain why :)

2008 - Olivia playing in Central Park

2008 - Olivia swinging in Central Park!

What to do with small children in the Big Apple
THE PARK - Obviously, Central Park is our #1 destination for many great reasons. There are huge and beautiful playgrounds in the park (close to Central Park Ave) that we play in for many hours. Just beyond the playground is the beloved carousel. We ride that thing many times while on our stay. Central Park also has the Central Park Zoo, skating and activities, venders and rentals, horse-drawn carriage rides, all kinds of entertaining people and the beautiful walks.

2008 - Olivia meets the NYPD in Time Square

SHOPPING - Since Daddy is often gone to work and I'm alone in the big apple with Liv (which I don't mind at all since I know the town) I have shopping down to a science, I "bribe" her! I tell her if she stays in her stroller - which is a MUST on the bustling streets of NYC or she would be lost in a "New York Minute" - while Mommy checks out this shop and (usually on 5th Ave that we walk to from hotel) that we will then go to the American Girl store! She has 1 doll from a previous trip, and that store in itself is something to see! I won't ruin the surprise, but it's unlike any other store in NYC for little kids, even boys. We end up spending at least 1 hour in there and it's little girl heaven (and big girls too). OH and there's still F.A.O. Schwartz, it's not what it used to be before bankruptcy but still fun! If it's raining we head to Macy's or the mall in Columbus circle.2008 - Olivia enjoying the bright lights of Time Square

2010 - Olivia & I in Time Square

THE SIGHTS - Time Square of course is always fun to see, so we meander down that way passing Rockefeller, NBC and Radio City Music Hall after our walk down 5th. The lights are incredible there, a must see on every trip. While there we pass hours in the Disney and Toys R Us stores in Time Square, they has a HUGE Ferris Wheel that we ride at least twice. Lots of toys on demo to play with too!
2010 - Olivia & Daddy on the Ferris Wheel at TRU

THE ARTS - There are plenty of live shows for little ones, especially good ones at Radio City Music Hall. Other small "off broadway" kid shows are appropriate for 5 and under, but I don't recommend spending hundreds of dollars on the Lion King unless the child is over 5, will stay awake and sitting for hours and not be frightened! There is also the Children' Museum of Manhattan that we can't wait to check out on our next trip, it looks amazing and I hear it's fabulous for ALL children. here's the link: http://www.cmom.org/

THE FOOD - We love to dine with Olivia at our very favourite place on Broadway called, "Ellen's Stardust Diner" at Broadway and 50th. There are singing waiters/waitresses (that have incredible voices) all 50's style diner booths with incredible grub and we have yet to wait for a table. Last time there a waitress invited Olivia to sing Hannah Montana's "Best of Both Worlds" on the mike with her, she was in heaven! There are plenty of little grocers on side streets, where we love to load up salads, hot dishes, and other yummies to picnic in the park. At night, we often wait until Olivia falls asleep, then put her in her stroller all covered up, and go out for a nice, romantic, quiet dinner at 1 of our various favourite restaurants. She has yet to wake up in any country while in her stroller at night. She's miracle sleeper that kid!

So there you have it, a wee run down of all our NYC favourites with the little princess! As soon as she hears we are going to New York City, she runs for her carry-on bag & gets so excited as she love the Big Apple just as much as I do!

2008 - There is nothing like enjoying a nice warm bottle while taking a horse and carriage ride through Central Park listening to the sound of the rain gently falling.

Disey Cruise Line: The Few Low - Lights

As promised and to be fair, even though I ADORED our experience on the cruise and rambled on and on about how fabulous it was in the "Highlights" there were of course a few things that weren't perfect, or things I wished I had known prior to cruising. So here they are!

The Motion of the Ocean
The 1st 2 days of our trip, we hit very high and rough seas. So bad, that I couldn't wear heels out of fear of spraining my ankle, so I went and bought flip flops. I had to often hold the railing in the hallways for stability. Our closet doors and curtains would continually open and close themselves with the swaying. Very luckily, no one in our family was sick (which was shocking really) as many other families and children were sick and needing to take medication. I had purchased before leaving every shape and size of nausea medication, just in case, but all packages remained unopened! The Disney Wonder in not considered a large ship, in fact Disney's 2 newest ships - Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy - taking their maiden voyages this month, are 50% bigger than the Wonder & Magic. When in port we could visually see the dramatic different of our wee boat compared to other ships, but the strangest part was, being "newbies" to cruising, we thought our ship was HUGE! There were sections and places we never even got to see in a weeks time! We were glad we had our 1st experience on the Wonder, because now we have something to step up to with the newer Disney ships.

The Excursions
Hind sight, 2020 we would not have booked either of the excursion on St. Maarten or St. Thomas to the beach. All the excursions are very pricy x 3, and we could have done the exact same outing on our own, by grabbing a cab to the beach, and saving hundreds of dollars. We wouldn't have had the included lunch in St. Maarten, but I'm pretty sure we could have had some incredible local delicacies for a whole lot cheaper, if you do the math. It also forced us to be on the beach a very limited amount of time in order to get the bus back to the ship, and we didn't get to see much of the island as we hoped, because the bus drops us right back at the ship, and the walk into town in St. Thomas was too far and we were too tired by then. Next time we will get off the ship, take a taxi, go to a cool little local place for lunch, lazy and lounge and sight see, then head back to the bus and save hundreds.

The Pool Side
The spacing by the Mickey pool was very limited, so if Olivia was in the pool (which is very shallow) you can't get a seat close by so have to stand/sit on the deck to watch her. Since the water slide is where it is, it only leaves 1 side of the pool available for seating, which people "claim" very early by leaving towels on chairs (which makes me nutty)so we never could get a spot when it was decent weather. It was also really busy on deck as the spacing at the Mickey pool didn't work for the number of families. The 1st 3 days the pools were warm, but then they did a fresh refill and it was too cold for our spoiled monkey to go in for very long.

The "Key to the World" access cards/No cash on board accepted
When checking in, each family member gets one of these cards. It is your room key, credit card and ID to get on and off the ship. They have these cards down to a science on the ship, and cash is not accepted by anyone, including the gift shops. You get your big bill at the end of the week for all the charges on the cards and it ain't pretty. We would much prefer to be able to use cash and keep better track of our spending, as it was far too easy to use these cards (which is precisely why they chose this system) as it feels like you aren't using "real" money when of course, you are. I also lost my card once, as did Sam. The coding machine was down when I lost mine so I was without a card for a good part of the day and because mine was lost they blocked access to our room. I had to get staff to let us in and out throughout the day. I think this isn't a common issue (the coding machine) but it really did stink. Sam lost his right before we were to disembark and fly home, PANIC! We can't get off the ship without it!!! Thank goodness all was fine with coding and he got one just in the nick of time. The cards are stressful and play mind tricks! I'm not a fan of the cards, but I understand their purpose.

Pricing
Pricing for everything was astronomical, but I guess that's the norm for any ship. Alcohol not being included on any cruise, Sam didn't even want to tell me our "bar bill" at the end of the week. SECRET ALERT: On both days off the ship we had NO trouble getting bottles of rum back on the ship even though it's not allowed. We thought that was strange since they scanned the bags? I guess they turned a blind eye - YAY for us & Captain Morgan! It's worth a try, the worst outcome is that they take the bottle and return it to you at the end of your trip.
NOTE: They add the 15% gratuity ALREADY before getting you to sign a bill after a purchase, so no extra tipping is really needed unless they had gone way out of their way to serve us. The cost of excursions was way too high, as were the photos taken by professionals on board.

So that's about it for the few minor disappointments, but we will use the knowledge gained on this trip for our next Disney Cruise in 2012!

The burning question - Why all the travel?

I think I am prepared to answer the burning question, "why do you guys travel so much?" Some friends and family think it is strange or weird that we are always jetting off to here and there. Others support our passion and are happy for us to be able to get out and see the world! Some reasons are more personal than others, but I will try to sum up some reasons why we have caught this travel bug!

Some travel is definitely business related for Sam, and I have a "gift" for making a business trip to Bangkok a family holiday in Paris! Since Paris is half way to Bangkok, why not drop Olivia and I off half-way? Then come and join us and see the sites when you are finished your work in Asia! Often the North American trips are business and Olivia and I just tag along, such as NYC. Sam's business being online can travel with him wherever he goes, so some holidays are iPhone friendly while others are not. I was amazed when he picked up signal on his iPhone while on safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, Africa! We also have family that live abroad(Panama) or friends(UK) that we visit, which we always look forward to.

Another reason I truly believe that drives us to want to see the world, is that I have a serious back disease/condition that is unpredictable. I worry that as the different conditions/diseases in my spine evolve, I may not always be able to travel due to pain, or I may not be able to walk independently. We have been able to manage the past 7 years with many pain medications and treatments. If I am unable to travel in 10 years, I will feel satisfied that I saw my fair share of the world and really experienced many different places and cultures with my family. If this does happen, I will encourage Sam to take Olivia to all kinds of wonderful places. As a child we didn't travel very far, and I want Olivia to learn all about this beautiful world we live in.

We are blessed for our good fortune, and that Sam can work while we are away, so scheduling works well since I am a stay at home mom. Soon Olivia will be in school full-time and we won't be able to take her out of class all the time, so we are doing it while we can! We will still take her to amazing places when she is in school full-time, as we both feel strongly that the very best learning happens from experience.

So there you have it - this is the story behind the 3 travelbugs!

Choosing the right flight for kids :)

Okay, SO you have finally decided where you are going to travel to, you are so completely psyched about going on vacation with your family, but there is this dark and scary thought in the back of your mind - the FLIGHT! ALL parents get anxious and worried about their little ones in the air. Babies are so small and helpless, little kids so wiggly and noisy, how EVER are we going to do this without getting kicked off the aircraft before take-off? What about that horribly cranky old lady sitting in front of Olivia while she slams her tray table open and closed every 2 minutes? Here's some ideas on how to we get through this stress that might just help. We'll start with choosing the right flight! In another posting I'll talk about the ear-popping, toy distractions, and airport experiences :)

Keep in mind, human beings were never intended to be 30,000 feet in the air! Thanks to the Wright brothers, this is now possible (and thank GOD for those guys!) I try and be reasonable about my expectations before leaving. You have to expect there to be stressful moments, and potentially some bad behaviour or tears, but we were all babies/children at one time and that's all part of the package! If we book a flight well over 10 hours, we try to get a red-eye if it's possible. This way she can sleep for a good portion of the trip. Her sleep is sometimes interrupted by announcements, turbulence, pinging and binging. We find the red-eye intimidating but by far the easiest for long-haul flights. Olivia slept the WHOLE way to Paris, she literally fell asleep on take-off and woke when we needed to de-plane! SO terrific.

For sunny destinations, we choose the earlier flight, the one that actually gets us out of bed at 3 am. That way, she is likely to be exhausted by 7 am take-off (from a not so good night's rest) and catches up on some Zzzz's in the air. Sometimes you have to decide what's more important and each child is different. When she was a tiny baby, the sleep schedule was more important so when we flew, we tried to cater to her schedule but now that's she's older, it's easier to get her back on track. It's funny how even the worst sleepers fall asleep in airplanes, it's something to do with the pressure changes and the hum/vibration of the engines.

When checking in at the desk, ask the agent if a seat close to the front of the plane is available, and obviously a window seat is exciting for little ones. Getting seats near the front allow you to be one of the 1st off the airplane, as well as the advantage of being close to the bathroom and flight attendants if you need them, as well you are one of the 1st to get meals, drinks and snacks too! The one disadvantage is that the flight crew sometimes use the overhead compartments at the front of the plane to store their items and bags which leaves limited room to put your bags, but if you take advantage of the early boarding for small children and anyone needing assistance, it shouldn't be a problem. We always do the early boarding call for small children, it's a great way to avoid yet another line-up and you won't have to stumble around other passengers while carrying your child down the aisle.

Get yourselves organized and ready BEFORE it is your turn at security. Take off jewelry, belts, and other metals and stash in your purse, fold the stroller and do all those annoying but essential tasks of getting through the scanners. Let your child know that his or her favourite stuff toy or much loved blankie will pop out on the other side of the machine, as Olivia has had a fit and cried in the past, out of fear that they were taking her toy/blankie away. They do expect your walking child to go through the scanner alone, so prepare your little one for this, and let them go ahead of you so there is a staff person there to watch your child while you go through.

There are such things as infant cots/bassinets for babies on with some airlines for long haul flights (wee beds for babies in specific areas of the plane) which we would recommend, but they are becoming more and more scarce. We were never lucky enough to use the cot/bassinet, but I've seen them and they look cozy. I have flown alone with Olivia as a baby, and holding her for so long can be exhausting. If both parents are on board, it is quite a lot easier. There is always the option of booking your baby (under 2) a seat of their own, but then you pay for the extra seat and have to deal with the car seat too as that is regulation. All babies under 2 years have to be in an regulation age-appropriate car seat while on board the aircraft. We never bought her a separate seat, but again, the longest flight we flew with her as a baby was 5-6 hours to Vancouver.

We ALWAYS take an umbrella stroller, if not to hold Olivia then to hold the carry on bags! I don't know WHAT we are going to do when she gets too big for it in a year or so!! Often airlines do cater to small children, allowing you to take the umbrella stroller and check it plane side. They only allow this for umbrella strollers, not bigger strollers. Sometimes the stroller is given to you upon your arrival - plane side (this can sometimes take an annoyingly long time putting you at the back of the customs line-up) other times it has gone to large items check in, depending on the luggage situation when you land. This can be a huge pain in the tush since then you don't have the stroller for the long walk to customs/baggage claim. Ah well, we have survived that walk to tell the tale :)

Some airlines even have goodie bags for small kids, with little toys and games and colouring stuff inside. We love these little extras. The movies played on the "communal TV's" may or may not be child appropriate, so we always bring our portable DVD player. On long haul bigger aircrafts there is often a personal TV with all kinds of kid movie choices and TV stations too, but Olivia loves her own little TV and vast movie collection. we also pack a variety of novel toys and books, as well as some paper to draw on.

Allowances of liquids and foods are different for each airline, so check with your specific carrier to see what is allowed for your baby/child. All airlines do allow a certain amount of fluid/food for babies, but after age 2 - that is entirely cut off. We buy Olivia a squirtie bottle of water and snacks once through security. This saves us from having to wait for the flight attendants to bring her a drink and a snack, which of course she always seems to want immediately after take off. It's a good idea to pack an empty sippie if she does want drinks from the flight attendant, since kids struggle on a regular day to keep their cups from spilling, never mind in a moving airplane with bumps along the way. Also the snacks served are not necessarily kid friendly, or you have to pay additional $ for them, so we fly prepared.

BE PREPARED is the motto for any travels with little ones. Bring everything you think you may need, you will be surprised when that little ziploc bag of lego will come in handy! Soon I will add to this post about the fun toys, tricks, games, and some fun ideas that we use to help make our travels with Little Olivia that much easier :) Happy flying everyone, and remember during those horrifying moments like when your little traveler throws a temper tantrum in the plane, that this too shall pass and the one person who is most likely upset by this display, is you! Don't let flying with small kids deter you from traveling, it never turns out as awful as you 1st imagined!

Disney Cruise Line - The Highlights

Once you have experienced Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) you will have some HUGE shoes to fill when trying another cruise line. After speaking to several seasoned cruisers, they all agreed, Disney is head & shoulders above the rest for families. Here's our list of "The best of the best of DCL"

#1 CUSTOMER SERVICE - the staff on board the ship would literally do ANYTHING to please you. From the bus transfer to check-in desk, kids club, entertainers, servers, housekeeping...they ALL treat you like royalty and pay special attention to Olivia. In the dining room our servers would do magic tricks for her, make origami our of her paper menu, customize her meal, and even pour her ketchup in the shape of Mickey Mouse! INSANE!!

#2 ENTERTAINMENT - You simply cannot imagine the schedule that is made up daily for entertainment until you see it. Hundreds of staff are working at every minute to keep you and your children entertained. On the schedule there is a section for each age group, families and adults. This literally covers every waking minute of the day, even if we are in port. Olivia was given a GPS tracking device bracelet that also scanned her into kid's club which ran all day until midnight. Brilliant! Too bad she wouldn't stay without crying :( It looked SO fun! The live performances in the huge & glorious Walt Disney Theatre are easily Broadway quality (and those who know me know how I love my theatre!) with incredible talent, costuming and special effects. Drinks & food are allowed in the theatre too which makes the grown ups happy! The stage shows are at 8:30 PM so Olivia was up to see most of them. New Years Eve on the ship was voted our best New Year's Eve ever, thanks to the entertainment on our cruise. They did it ALL in style with a live concert & dance floor, they even had fireworks off the ship at 12 am!! INCREDIBLE!!

#3 DISNEY CHARACTERS - These guys are everywhere at all times, and there is a spot on the schedule where it tells you which location who will be at (i.e. Belle in the Atrium at 2 pm). Then there are big events like the "Meet the Princesses" when all 5 of the Disney Princesses are together for meet & greet, professional photos and a wee chat with their fans. The line up was HUGE so go 30 minutes early! The professional pics are terrific but costly. They allow you to take your own too at all times. Then there is a Character Breakfast with the Mickey and gang characters, each one comes to your table for a personal photo op. They are on the dock in port, on the beach and in the live stage shows & special events.

#4 THE FOOD - The quality and variety was insane for a floating resort. Surf & Turf flows like water & for kids, there are tons of choices and perfect kid "fun" foods. Even waffles in the shape of Mickey! This is the 1st trip Olivia actually ATE on! YAY!! She ate like a crazy person, we were so so happy. The servers at dinner would literally get meals from other restaurants or room service to please us, or make-up something special just the way we like it. I ate soup at every meal! SO SO good! Only the highest quality of meats and cooked to your liking. You choose your dinner time (6pm or 8 pm) and have 3 restaurants you rotate through, dining at each one at least twice. They are gorgeous restaurants with linens and beautiful Disney art, very entertaining too! I can't say enough about the food after eating at countless far inferior resorts.

#5 THE SHIP - Although the Disney Wonder is considered a small ship, it was stunning with SO many nooks & crannies for dining and entertainment. The 9th deck has the pools and restaurants, plus other food stands and self-serve ice cream! The only difficulty was getting a spot by the pool, mostly because other guests would put their things down and then never actually use the chair. If we couldn't get a spot pool side, there was always somewhere on 9 or 10 we could bask in the sun and hear the fun. Our stateroom 7072 was adorable! We did pay a bit more for the 7th deck for the higher deck & slightly bigger room. It was a Classic Sailor Mickey themed with original animee art on the walls. Of course the rooms are teeny tiny (ours was 268 sq/ft) you are on a boat! But with our 3 huge suitcases full, there was easily a spot for everything. A curtain divided Olivia and us (She had a bed made from the couch that was comfy) for privacy and the bathroom was split with a door so Sam had his own sink and I had mine. YAY!! Toilet and sink in 1 half, and tub and sink in other half. It was so so clean, honestly the housekeeping was the very best I've ever seen in regards to timing and attention. Turn down service nightly with awesome towel art and Sleepy dwarf chocolates on your pillow! Our bed was a queen and incredibly comfortable, the TV played many Disney movies at any given time, our verandah was beautiful with clear plexiglass and incredible views & sunsets. Each room comes with "Wave phones" which are 2 cordless phones for the parents to stay in touch while on the ship! GENIUS!


PHEW! That's one long review! I will do another with the very few things we had difficulty with, just to point out certain things for others that may be planning of cruising with Disney, which obviously I HIGHLY recommend! We are talking about a 10 day Mediterranean Disney Cruise for 2012!

Back to life, back to reality.

So it's the infamous "day after the trip" where things get tricky. Olivia had to go back to school for the 1st time since before Christmas holidays, and for our spirited little sweetie, this was no simple feat. We had to start a countdown 2 nights BEFORE we left the ship, to prepare her for our return home, as she really struggles with big transitions. She needs to know what to anticipate before it happens, so we told her she would be returning to school the day after we arrive home, which was very hard for her. She had many tears about going back to school. We made a "deal" (which we have been doing often these days) that if she doesn't kick up too much of a fuss, I will pick her up after lunch instead of her usual 4 pm pick-up time. This allows her to slowly get back into the routine without being overwhelmed. She is also new to JK, so that means new friends, new teachers, new routines and new expectations. This "deal" worked out very well so far today.

For Sammy it's back to work at the office and for me, back to all the chores that need to be done! Laundry up to the ceiling, unpacking, groceries, cleaning and tidy up, etc. We have a "detox" period when we get home from trips which includes no more junk food (healthy home cooked meals), our usual sleep schedule, sticking close to home & getting us back "on track".

I'm excited about making a scrapbook of this trip! I collected all the "memories" from our holiday and have a shiny new scrapbook to start on, once all the clean up is done. Plus a new Disney cartridge for my Cricut machine - so exciting!

Alrighty, off I go to get'er done! Wish me luck, I have to keep my body from creeping back into bed to relieve my Facebook adiction & catch up on the PVR! Sad how much we miss technology!

The only word to describe our trip - magical.

So we are safe & sound, home from another incredible adventure. Sorry for the lack of posts on our trip, the internet was clearly not incuded while sailing the high Caribbean seas, to the tune of $1.00 a minute!

This cruising experience on the Disney Wonder was totally and completely - MAGICAL. From the moment we stepped off the airplane and were in the hands of the brilliant Disney customer service staff, everything really was "a dream come true." The 1st time we laid eyes on our ship, there were hoots and hollers of excitement from all on board the Disney Magic transfer bus from the airport. She was such a beautiful boat!! We never even had to see our luggage from the time we boarded in Toronto, until we arrived in stateroom 7072 on the Wonder, along with welcome gifts and notes from the captain. We were greeted and cared for every step of the way for the past amazing 7 nights & 8 days.

So much to blog about from the trip, which I will for sure accomplish over the next bit, there are lots of things we did learn, this being our 1st cruise and all. To sum up the emotions quickly, Olivia truly felt that she had died and gone straight to Disney heaven once we arrived at port in Cape Canaveral and there was Minnie Mouse in her sailor dress, greeting her with open arms. Sam & I too, were completely stunned and amazed with this entire experience. It was one of the 1st times we really felt quite upset leaving it all behind!

Well, I will post a pic or 2, and I'm off to bed. Exhausted! I didn't realize about the time-zone changes we would experience while cruising, but it makes sense since we traveled into and out of other time zones! Lots of things we have learned along the way...can't wait to share!

Lisa