"I'm NOT a Princess, I'm Izzy!" - May '15 Land/Sea ~ Updated 6/4: Link to Disneyland TR!!!

[soniam]

Yes, we would much prefer a 7 night to a 4 night. Just that darn twice-the-price things holds us back. Another DIS family on our cruise actually did a 4-night and 3-night back-to-back, since it was cheaper than doing a 7 night.

Interestingly, the other cruise Dug and I took together was a 7-night Royal Caribbean out of Galveston. I think that was in about 2008? We LOVED it. Obviously, that was in the pre-Izzy days, but we had a fantastic time and not a single complaint. We'd do Royal Caribbean again in a heartbeat. BUT, as you said, bringing a kid puts DCL at a distinct advantage. Izzy would LOVE to spend time in the kids club and there are so many fun things for families to do together. We'd love to be return visitors on DCL. And, heck, we have that 10% on-board booking discount to use too.


Looks like he was there March 6th, according to the date stamp on the pictures. Glad you enjoyed Disney Springs - Dug thought the atmosphere was a lot better too.

We just booked a 7 night Western Caribbean on DCL for summer 2017. I thought about the back-to-back, but I wasn't keen on the ports. There are some really cool things that we or DS hasn't done on WC, so I want to do at least one more of those. Our only other family vacation next year is shorter car trip to Big Bend National Park, which will be pretty cheap, so the DCL cruise is in the budget. I think the next cruise will be Alaska, but DCL prices are insane and I didn't like the itineraries. So, we would probably do RCCL for that.

Sorry to hear about your FIL. I hope his health improves. Luckily, both of our parents are doing ok right now, but I do worry about them, especially my FIL. He's in his 80s. My parents are younger than DH's, but my mom's health has never been good. By the time I was the age of DS, I only had one grandparent left. Their deaths were hard, but not as bad since I was younger. DS is really close to my parents, especially my mom, so it's going to be very hard when they pass.

We just missed him at Disney Springs by about a week.

Good luck with whatever travels you plan next.

 

[Dugette]

Those are some great options! We're going to Europe in July and I've purchased our DL Paris tickets! I can't wait! We also visited WDW in May and it was going to be our only trip but I loved it SO MUCH and I got a nasty cold at the time so I feel like I have unfinished business. I'm going back for the Disney Princess Half...it's motivation to get me fit and running and a great excuse to get my unfinished business out of the way.

Yay, Europe and DLP! Sounds great! Totally understand the unfinished business at WDW - being sick can really make you want a re-do. Best of luck running the Princess Half!

Ah. I suppose that's one way of seeing it!

And quite possibly the best option.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm sure she'll enjoy it. It's why we don't keep them locked up until they're older but instead take them on outings, etc.

Almost sacrilegious!

It really was SO strange. I mean, MCO is just meant for Disney trips, right?

I want to see the movie... not some server's head.

Yep!

It does! I don't know if it is... but it definitely feels faster.

It feels kind-of wild and reckless vs. Splash. Like the log could just go flying or something. But it's fun!

Huh. I've always seen lines for it.
But then again, I'm sure you're there more often than us.

Eh, we're not there too often (I think that is true of most locals, really, we just go if we need something there). The other couple times we've ridden have been pretty much no wait, though. Guess we lucked out.

We just booked a 7 night Western Caribbean on DCL for summer 2017. I thought about the back-to-back, but I wasn't keen on the ports. There are some really cool things that we or DS hasn't done on WC, so I want to do at least one more of those. Our only other family vacation next year is shorter car trip to Big Bend National Park, which will be pretty cheap, so the DCL cruise is in the budget. I think the next cruise will be Alaska, but DCL prices are insane and I didn't like the itineraries. So, we would probably do RCCL for that.

I agree - I'd like to do the Western Caribbean vs. back-to-back. Sounds like fun! National Parks are always good and I approve of all trips that can be done on the cheap. Alaska is very much on our bucket list too. I've heard some other cruise lines are good options for Alaska, but can't remember what I read about which ones. But, yes, I priced out a DCL one once and it was frightening.

Sorry to hear about your FIL. I hope his health improves. Luckily, both of our parents are doing ok right now, but I do worry about them, especially my FIL. He's in his 80s. My parents are younger than DH's, but my mom's health has never been good. By the time I was the age of DS, I only had one grandparent left. Their deaths were hard, but not as bad since I was younger. DS is really close to my parents, especially my mom, so it's going to be very hard when they pass.

Thanks. Totally agree and really praying this is not something we'll have to deal with for a long time. Izzy is super close to all of her grandparents (all local), so that would be devastating. And FIL is only 64 - he just has had a rough ride the last several years. But he's a trooper and back at home and recovering.

We just missed him at Disney Springs by about a week.

Wow, so close!

Good luck with whatever travels you plan next.

Thank you!

 

[Dugette]

Mini-TR: Wisconsin - Part 1

Apologies to those of you who have TRs I’m reading – I know I’m way behind on many, but I will try to catch up as I can. However, I really want to write up a mini-TR for the long weekend we spent in Wisconsin while I still remember it. And then, eventually, I'll get back to writing your regularly scheduled TR-from-a-year-ago. So, here we go!

We try to get out to Madison, WI a couple of times a year to visit my Grandma. I don’t usually write about it, but I felt this one had some interesting stuff and was worth a write-up. The only other WI trip I wrote up was back when Izzy was 1 and it was also the only other time we stopped at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells for a night on the way back. (You can find that report here: We're Doing Disney Again Someday...Plus One! ~ Come Read my Trip Report!!! and here: We're Doing Disney Again Someday...Plus One! ~ Come Read my Trip Report!!! – I wrote these 2 updates as we were planning Izzy’s first WDW trip, hence the travel-learning do/don’t items).

Anyway, let’s get started! Normally, we try to do these trips over a weekend. However, our daycare provider took off a Monday-Wednesday recently and we decided that was the perfect time to go, since we didn’t have daycare anyway. We left on Sunday morning and brought my mom along:



That was while we were waiting for Dug to run an errand before we left town. By the way, we just had to turn Izzy forward-facing a few weeks ago, as she passed the rear-facing maximum weight limit for her carseat. I would have liked to keep her rear-facing a bit longer, but I’m pretty happy with 3.5 years. So, now we can take parked car selfies together, ha!

We soon got on the freeway with me driving and the other adults dozing on and off. Izzy stayed awake, mostly watching Frozen on the iPad. Fairly uneventful. We stopped for a late lunch at our favorite place, The Mocha Mouse. It’s the best little roadside stop: cheese, coffee, dining, books, chocolates, etc. It’s so random, but we love it. We had a very nice lunch, but I guess the only picture taken was Izzy munching on croutons and crackers while waiting for our food:



I know we picked up some chocolates and candy to munch on and/or bring home. Izzy also wanted to go upstairs to the used book area, so I took her there and she picked out 4 Disney books (for like a dollar each). And we got some cheese curds. Can’t leave that place empty-handed.

Later in our journey, we stopped at a rest area and discovered a nice little playground for Izzy to stretch her legs on:



So nice to find these at rest areas!

We arrived at Grandma’s place a bit before dinnertime and just visited with each other. Here’s Grandma (and, if you're very observant, you might recognize all the pictures next to her from my other TRs):



She’s still pretty healthy and living on her own at 88!

Izzy was excited to play with all the teddy bears Grandma has, so she did that and was generally a little busybody:



She even put on a singing/dancing show for us. Quite the little performer!

Grandma made us some sandwiches and chili for dinner and we soon called it a night, after a long day of travel. My mom stayed in my Grandma’s guest room and Dug, Izzy, and I headed to our hotel. In an effort to keep the costs low for this trip, I booked us at a different place each night in order to use rewards points for different hotel chains. We don’t have a ton of points, but enough to get some discounts on 1-night stays. So, we headed to our $55 Hampton Inn room just down the street from Grandma’s place.

This is a place we’ve stayed many times and it’s always a good experience. We had a nice room and there were free warm cookies at the desk. They also had a pack ‘n’ play available for Izzy (yes, she still likes them and fits in them, so why not?) I believe that Dug went down to hang out in the lobby and I sat on the couch in the room with my laptop while Izzy fell asleep. Oh, I actually remember now! She was WIRED that evening and kept up at a million miles an hour (even in the PnP) until she just suddenly got quiet and fell asleep. Silly girl!

We eventually got some sleep too (I think I caught up on some TRs first?).

The next morning, we went down to the free breakfast and had a decent meal. And I stocked up on milk – filled Izzy’s thermoses to last the day. We were sitting next to the manager (or something) of the hotel, I guess – Dug said he could hear the meeting and talk of hotel marketing strategies.

Our checkout wasn’t until noon, so there was a bit of swim time. I decided to use most of that time to pack up our stuff while Dug took Izzy down to the pool. They had a great time and Izzy did really well, swimming around on her own (with the Puddle Jumper lifevest on). Dug had the water camera and got some photos:







And, when I popped down, I got a little video too:

(click to watch)

Then back up to the room for Izzy to enjoy a snack and some more Frozen:



She also wanted all of her bows and a ponytail in her hair (she seldom wants anything in her hair, but when she does, she goes all in ). Here’s a video:

(click to watch)

And she totally looks like a small tween here:



Then it was back to Grandma’s house. We hung out and chatted more. Izzy played with Great Grandma and Grandma (while Dug napped):





We headed over to Perkins for lunch. My Grandma is a regular there and they know her well (she usually goes weekly with her sister and sister-in-law). Izzy had macaroni (of course) and got a bit messy, as she apparently decided to eat it like a dog, with her face in the bowl :



My Grandma pulled out some envelopes from her purse and impressed us with her doodles:



This started all of us drawing. I am the one with no artistic ability (well, other than writing and making videos), so my contribution is the stick figures, as Izzy wanted me to draw all of us :



My mom drew the ink lady above that and Dug drew the crayon one next to that. And, no, Izzy didn’t write her name – I did it to show her how. She’s not writing yet. Oh, and I made that smiley face too.

After that, we went over to check in to our hotel for the night. This was a new one to us: the Best Western. We had points because we stayed at one at Disneyland. Gave us $25 off, so I think the room was about $80 for the night. It was great because it was a 1-bedroom suite, so we were able to hang out in the living room after Izzy went to bed. They didn’t have any Pack ‘n’ Plays, though, so we used Izzy’s tent (Kidco Peapod), which she loves. Glad I brought it! After checking out the room, we headed out to the mall across the street because we’d heard there was a little toddler playground in it. Izzy had a blast:



And, because you can never get enough playgrounds, I took her to the one at my Grandma’s apartment complex when we got back there:



Dinner was something we NEVER have at home: Pizza Hut. There was some deal on this insanely huge family box of pizza, breadsticks, and wings. We had SOOO much leftover, but ate it over the next day or so:



After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to try out the swimming pool there. I sat it out again while Dug and Izzy had a very short swim:





We got Izzy to bed and then hung out in the living room for a bit. And now I realize that I forgot to mention an ongoing component of our trip! So, early on the trip, Izzy very randomly declared that I was Elsa and she was Anna and Dug was Kristoff. In fact, we actually had to act out the “sky’s awake so I’m awake” scene multiple times, including her yanking my eye open (well, just once on that part!) And Izzy was SO in character. All weekend, if I called her Izzy, she’d snap, “No, I’m Anna!” And she’d correct me if I said I was Mommy or Dug was Daddy. The kid does NOT break character! I was amazed that this continued. However, she did say that she would turn back into Izzy when we got home and she did. Wild. Anyway, all this going on caused me to absentmindedly Elsa braid my hair while sitting on the couch (so I had to take a photo when I realized it):



Guess I was more in character than I thought!

We all had a good night’s sleep. In the morning, we passed this conference room on the way to breakfast and Dug and I both had a good (rather immature) laugh at the “Lamers”’ expense:



We’d heard that the breakfast here was good and we enjoyed it. Nothing phenomenal, but a lot of variety and a cook behind an open window refreshing the hot offerings. Izzy’s highlight was the small straw I gave her to play with. She found so many different ways to utilize that thing:







Then we headed back to my Grandma’s once more to say goodbye. As we were about to leave, we remembered to take this fairly adequate 4-generation photo :



And then we were off. Destination: Wisconsin Dells. ETA: 45 minutes.

I’d love to keep going, but I’ve got to get some sleep, so I’ll finish this soon! It gets more interesting, really, haha!

Up next: I try my luck for a room upgrade!

 

[schmass]

It looks like you had a nice visit with your grandmother!

I can't believe how long Izzy's hair has gotten - so cute! Too funny about Izzy "being Anna" the whole time.

Oh, and we never did make it to the Mall of America over Easter. We went to the Como Park Zoo instead since we had never been and it was a pretty nice day. I couldn't believe it was a donation-only entry - what a great deal!

 

[pkondz]

I really want to write up a mini-TR for the long weekend we spent in Wisconsin while I still remember it.

Otherwise the entire TR becomes: "We drove to the Dells, stopping at my grandmother's on the way. Stuff happened that I don't remember. The end."

Normally, we try to do these trips over a weekend. However, our daycare provider took off a Monday-Wednesday recently and we decided that was the perfect time to go, since we didn’t have daycare anyway.

Probably less busy and cheaper than the weekend, too.

Holy cow! That's Izzy!!
I see this grown up little girl in the back seat and... no... it can't be...
Wow! She's grown so much!

So, now we can take parked car selfies together, ha!

We soon got on the freeway with me driving and the other adults dozing on and off.

At first I read that as in all the adult drivers around you were driving so poorly it was like they were asleep at the wheel.

We stopped for a late lunch at our favorite place, The Mocha Mouse.

Found it on Google Maps! Added it to my list since I'm fairly likely to drive right by it.

Izzy also wanted to go upstairs to the used book area,

Is it just kids books? Or adult fare as well?

Later in our journey, we stopped at a rest area and discovered a nice little playground for Izzy to stretch her legs on:

Those things are life savers.

She’s still pretty healthy and living on her own at 88!

Good for her!

Izzy was excited to play with all the teddy bears Grandma has, so she did that and was generally a little busybody:

Dug took Izzy down to the pool.

Kids and pools.
Crack for the young.

Well, hi there Dug.

She also wanted all of her bows and a ponytail in her hair (she seldom wants anything in her hair, but when she does, she goes all in ).

I remember that stage!

And she totally looks like a small tween here:

OMG. She really does.
Foreshadowing of things to come?

Izzy had macaroni (of course) and got a bit messy, as she apparently decided to eat it like a dog, with her face in the bowl :

My mom drew the ink lady above that

That's pretty good!

Oh, and I made that smiley face too.

You could make a fortune in the art world.

It was great because it was a 1-bedroom suite, so we were able to hang out in the living room after Izzy went to bed.

We always did that with the kids. It was nice to have our own little space.

Love her expression! "You're going to catch me, right Mom?"

That sucker's huge!

Cute!

Izzy very randomly declared that I was Elsa and she was Anna and Dug was Kristoff.

Sure. I see it. Makes total sense.

including her yanking my eye open (well, just once on that part!)

Ow! Yeah, once would be enough, thanks.

The kid does NOT break character!

Maybe an Oscar in her future?

Anyway, all this going on caused me to absentmindedly Elsa braid my hair while sitting on the couch

How the heck does one "absentmindedly" braid your own hair????

In the morning, we passed this conference room on the way to breakfast and Dug and I both had a good (rather immature) laugh at the “Lamers”’ expense:

I would've laughed too!
"Yeah, but the room's empty. They're all too lame to find it."

Izzy’s highlight was the small straw I gave her to play with. She found so many different ways to utilize that thing:

Amazing what kids can do with a little imagination.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

I love how Izzy is wearing Minnie ears for your non Disney trip! Too cute!

We got Izzy to bed and then hung out in the living room for a bit. And now I realize that I forgot to mention an ongoing component of our trip! So, early on the trip, Izzy very randomly declared that I was Elsa and she was Anna and Dug was Kristoff. In fact, we actually had to act out the “sky’s awake so I’m awake” scene multiple times, including her yanking my eye open (well, just once on that part!) And Izzy was SO in character. All weekend, if I called her Izzy, she’d snap, “No, I’m Anna!” And she’d correct me if I said I was Mommy or Dug was Daddy. The kid does NOT break character! I was amazed that this continued. However, she did say that she would turn back into Izzy when we got home and she did. Wild. Anyway, all this going on caused me to absentmindedly Elsa braid my hair while sitting on the couch (so I had to take a photo when I realized it):

This is adorable! Maybe you have a future actress in your hands!

Sounds like a fun weekend with your Grandma. And I love the 4 generation photo you took. Such a special occurrence that most people don't get to experience!

 

[wiscbugs]

Madison is awesome (and that's not just because I went to college there) I will be ready for the Dells update as well!

 

[AlohaKeke]

Izzy has gotten so big and her hair has gotten so long! I love following along on your many adventures. I especially love seeing all the disney themed outfits Izzy has!

 

[cindianne320]

I loved the road trips to Madison that I took while in college. Sounds like a great long weekend so far!

 

[hokieinpa]

It sounds like a really nice visit with your grandma! And that's a great idea to use point to stay single nights at a few hotels!

Excited to read about the rest of your trip!

 

[alohamom]

Oh My Goodness!!!! Izzy is certainly growing up fast. I am usually reading your Hawaii report where she is so little , it is astonishing to see how quickly she has grown. She is still such a cutie though and what a nice pic of the 4 generations.

 

[afwdwfan]

She’s still pretty healthy and living on her own at 88!

That's great!

We headed over to Perkins for lunch. My Grandma is a regular there and they know her well (she usually goes weekly with her sister and sister-in-law). Izzy had macaroni (of course) and got a bit messy, as she apparently decided to eat it like a dog, with her face in the bowl

Well, you know... kids and mac & cheese.

We got Izzy to bed and then hung out in the living room for a bit. And now I realize that I forgot to mention an ongoing component of our trip! So, early on the trip, Izzy very randomly declared that I was Elsa and she was Anna and Dug was Kristoff. In fact, we actually had to act out the “sky’s awake so I’m awake” scene multiple times, including her yanking my eye open (well, just once on that part!) And Izzy was SO in character. All weekend, if I called her Izzy, she’d snap, “No, I’m Anna!” And she’d correct me if I said I was Mommy or Dug was Daddy. The kid does NOT break character! I was amazed that this continued. However, she did say that she would turn back into Izzy when we got home and she did. Wild.

We all had a good night’s sleep. In the morning, we passed this conference room on the way to breakfast and Dug and I both had a good (rather immature) laugh at the “Lamers”’ expense:

And I'm laughing with you.

Then we headed back to my Grandma’s once more to say goodbye. As we were about to leave, we remembered to take this fairly adequate 4-generation photo :

Well, you're all there, so I guess that counts!

 

[Imagineer5]

Looks like a really nice visit, and bonus that you got to spend some nice time in the pools/parks/etc too. On our visit in 1.5 weeks to Texas we'll be staying with my Grandmom. She just has 1 bedroom so usually my mom gets that and we get a hotel, which I really don't mind, but it's just us going so kind of awkward to stay in a hotel . I prefer it though for a bigger more comfortable bed lol! She's 91 and also living by herself on a farm with like 20 acres. Pretty crazy!

Anywayyyyyy awesome hotel deals! Looking forward to hearing about Wisconsin Dells. Izzy looks SO MUCH OLDER I Can't get over it!

 

[kroseycorn]

I really hope that wherever you're going in the Dell's, you are hitting the Disney Store Outlet. I didn't know they had one there.... just discovered it a week and a half ago. And we were planning to make a crazy weekend trip to a waterpark and the outlet last weekend, but Maple was sick all week and MAMA needed to recover.

Sounds like a fun Wisco trip! And I'm extremely happy that this is the only post I've missed!

 

[Dugette]

It looks like you had a nice visit with your grandmother!

We did - always enjoy spending time with her.

I can't believe how long Izzy's hair has gotten - so cute! Too funny about Izzy "being Anna" the whole time.

Thanks! I can't believe she kept up the Frozen character act for multiple days! That is a long time for a person with a short attention span.

Oh, and we never did make it to the Mall of America over Easter. We went to the Como Park Zoo instead since we had never been and it was a pretty nice day. I couldn't believe it was a donation-only entry - what a great deal!

Oh, cool. I haven't been to Como in forever, but everyone I know loves it. Since we have a MN Zoo membership, we tend to go there to get our money's worth out of it. Someday we'll get Izzy to Como, though.

Otherwise the entire TR becomes: "We drove to the Dells, stopping at my grandmother's on the way. Stuff happened that I don't remember. The end."

Or, more accurately, "We drove to my grandmother's house and stopped at the Dells on the way back. Waterslides. The end."

Probably less busy and cheaper than the weekend, too.

For the Dells, yes. The only two times we've stopped off there on the way back were mid-week and off-season like this. That's the only way I'd do it, I think. Otherwise, for the prices you end up paying in the Dells, you might as well just go to Disney instead. However, the Madison hotels are actually cheaper on the weekends, it seems - I'm guessing they cater to business travelers and such. Good thing we had points to use.

Holy cow! That's Izzy!!
I see this grown up little girl in the back seat and... no... it can't be...
Wow! She's grown so much!

I know, it freaks me out sometimes to see how big she is. I mean, she was just a little baby not too long ago... (but she's still not quite big enough for those 40" rides, so she's gotta keep getting bigger, I guess...)

First thing we did the day I turned her around.

At first I read that as in all the adult drivers around you were driving so poorly it was like they were asleep at the wheel.

Well, sometimes that's true too.

Found it on Google Maps! Added it to my list since I'm fairly likely to drive right by it.

It's in Black River Falls, same exit as the big orange moose. It's just a little place, but it has pretty much everything one could want while driving through Wisconsin.

Is it just kids books? Or adult fare as well?

No, I'd say mostly non-kid - just a mix of all sorts of things. It's like going to somebody's old attic full of books. Very, very random.

Those things are life savers.

They were great! And I like that they are small enough that you have some variety, but can get everything done quickly and get back on the road.

Good for her!

Kids and pools.
Crack for the young.

Well, hi there Dug.

Fun to try to do a selfie with a regular camera that is strapped around your neck.

I remember that stage!

Someday, hopefully we'll move on to the stage where she will allow her hair to be brushed each day.

OMG. She really does.
Foreshadowing of things to come?

That's pretty good!

It is - much better than I could ever dream of doing.

You could make a fortune in the art world.

We always did that with the kids. It was nice to have our own little space.

We love it when we can get a room like that.

Love her expression! "You're going to catch me, right Mom?"

She was probably more concerned that she was going to bowl me over, since I was ducking up the bottom of a tube slide she was coming down. (I got out in time).

That sucker's huge!

It was insane! And only like $20 for everything.

Cute!

Thanks!

Sure. I see it. Makes total sense.

When you've watched so much Frozen in the car, I guess it's inevitable.

Ow! Yeah, once would be enough, thanks.

Oh, it was! Totally caught me off guard too. Taught her very quickly that we'd have to pretend on that part from now on.

Maybe an Oscar in her future?

Maybe?

How the heck does one "absentmindedly" braid your own hair????

Have you ever had long hair? Kind-of like twirling it or something, but slightly more intricate. I don't know - I've braided a LOT of Barbie's hair over the years, could do it in my sleep, I'm sure.

I would've laughed too!
"Yeah, but the room's empty. They're all too lame to find it."

Glad we are not the only ones. The funny part was that we were not even together (I went ahead with Izzy) and we BOTH were laughing at it (he mentioned it after and I was like, "Yeah, I even have a picture of it!" )

Amazing what kids can do with a little imagination.

Sure is.

I love how Izzy is wearing Minnie ears for your non Disney trip! Too cute!

It's actually the hood of her Minnie jacket - she wanted it up. Love it! Sad that she will probably outgrow it soon.

This is adorable! Maybe you have a future actress in your hands!

Entirely possible. Dug did a lot of childhood acting, so it wouldn't be a total shock.

Sounds like a fun weekend with your Grandma. And I love the 4 generation photo you took. Such a special occurrence that most people don't get to experience!

Thanks, I love being able to get those photos (even if half the time we forget and end up with something silly like this). Always great to see Grandma.

Madison is awesome (and that's not just because I went to college there) I will be ready for the Dells update as well!

Hey, me too! UW - Madison. Great school. Dells updates coming up!

 

[Dugette]

Izzy has gotten so big and her hair has gotten so long! I love following along on your many adventures. I especially love seeing all the disney themed outfits Izzy has!

Thank you so much, glad you are enjoying!

I loved the road trips to Madison that I took while in college. Sounds like a great long weekend so far!

I have driven that stretch of 94 SO many times in my life, having spent 4 years of college there and also visiting Grandma from here. But things have changed over the years. Used to be me by myself in my little sports car, singing (badly) as loud as I could along with my 80's rock. Now it's me listening to snoring and an endless loop of Frozen from the backseat.

It sounds like a really nice visit with your grandma! And that's a great idea to use point to stay single nights at a few hotels!

Excited to read about the rest of your trip!

Yes, the points usage was the only way I could find to keep this trip on (or close to) budget and still get a night in at the Dells. We budget $300 for these visits and the Madison hotels alone for 2 nights would have taken up most of that if we hadn't done it this way. Wasn't our favorite thing to have to hotel-hop, but worthwhile.

Oh My Goodness!!!! Izzy is certainly growing up fast. I am usually reading your Hawaii report where she is so little , it is astonishing to see how quickly she has grown. She is still such a cutie though and what a nice pic of the 4 generations.

Yes, it's such a big difference. I really want to get that Hawaii trip done so I can start writing about the more recent one before she starts looking too tiny in that one too. And thank you!

 

[Dugette]

That's great!

I think so too!

Well, you know... kids and mac & cheese.

I do know, indeed.

And I'm laughing with you.

Yay, someone else who giggles at Lamers too.

Well, you're all there, so I guess that counts!

My thought exactly. No need to unbuckle those seatbelts.

Looks like a really nice visit, and bonus that you got to spend some nice time in the pools/parks/etc too.

It was - and plenty of playgrounds and pools to keep Izzy happy.

On our visit in 1.5 weeks to Texas we'll be staying with my Grandmom. She just has 1 bedroom so usually my mom gets that and we get a hotel, which I really don't mind, but it's just us going so kind of awkward to stay in a hotel . I prefer it though for a bigger more comfortable bed lol! She's 91 and also living by herself on a farm with like 20 acres. Pretty crazy!

Oh, wow, that sounds very similar. My grandma just has a 2 bedroom apartment and that second bedroom is a sleeper couch that is more comfortable as a couch than a bed (so, my mom just sleeps on the couch there). Back pre-kid, I did stay in that room when I visited on my own, but hotels are so much nicer now. And she literally lives up the street from a ton of hotels. Hope you have a great visit with her (after a great Disney trip)!

Anywayyyyyy awesome hotel deals! Looking forward to hearing about Wisconsin Dells. Izzy looks SO MUCH OLDER I Can't get over it!

I know what you mean - I still think the same thing when I see newer pictures of Aria. Why do they keep getting so big?!

I really hope that wherever you're going in the Dell's, you are hitting the Disney Store Outlet. I didn't know they had one there.... just discovered it a week and a half ago. And we were planning to make a crazy weekend trip to a waterpark and the outlet last weekend, but Maple was sick all week and MAMA needed to recover.

I honestly didn't realize there was a Disney Outlet there. But that's probably for the best. It's not like Izzy needs even MORE Disney outfits. Sorry she was sick and hope you are both doing better now.

Sounds like a fun Wisco trip! And I'm extremely happy that this is the only post I've missed!

I make it easy for people to catch up, that's for sure! However, I must warn you, there is a slew of Dells updates coming up next. I had too many pictures to fit the rest into 1 post.

 

[Dugette]

Mini-TR: Wisconsin - Part 2

We had a pretty quick and uneventful drive to Wisconsin Dells. The Kalahari is right next to interstate 94, so we exited and were right there, driving through the massive expanse of parking lot. We parked outside of the lobby to check in:



Izzy and my mom waited in the car while Dug and I went in. We knew we’d have to drive to our room, as we booked the same type of room as our previous visit…which is WAY on the other side of the resort, connected by skyways to the main area. No wait to check in and we approached the lady at the desk. I left my wallet in the car, as Dug was right there with a credit card and all. However, because I had made the online reservation, she insisted that she needed MY drivers license and the same credit card I’d used (already paid in full) – could not use Dug’s license or credit card. So, I was a tad bit grumpy as I had to go back out to the car, get Izzy all riled up with my presence (my poor mom, stuck in the backseat with a toddler who wants out ), retrieve my wallet, and return. As I walked back in, I remembered that I’d been planning to ask for a room upgrade and I was upset that I let myself get a little snippy with the front desk lady before doing that. Luckily, Dug had been in there happily chatting with her and all was well. I produced my license and the appropriate credit card and we were good.

So, just as some background, last time we stayed here we got a Lodge Suite, as it was the cheapest option for a room with some separation of the master bedroom. Izzy was about 1 at the time and we wanted to make sure she had a quiet place to sleep where we wouldn’t disturb her by staying up. It was a very nice room – had doors on the master bedroom, then had a living room and full kitchen as well. One bathroom, which was in the master, I believe. It was far away, hence why it was much cheaper than all of the other suites. So, these are the reasons I booked it again. We knew that my mom was planning to come, but we also knew she has a history of backing out of these WI trips at the last minute, so I didn’t want to get a bigger room just for her when we may not need it. And this would work for all of us – the sofa converted to a bed, so she could have the living room and we’d take Izzy in the bedroom with us (in a pack ‘n’ play, since they have them). Plus, the room price was the same for 3 or 4 people, so that was great. In fact, with the deal we got (used a promo code), we got the suite, 4 full-stay waterpark passes, and 4 full-stay amusement park passes all for $200 total (includes taxes/fees). Still a fair amount of money for one night, but includes a room and amusement for all 4 of us, so not bad. WAY cheaper going mid-week in a shoulder season like this – I don’t want to know what it is in the middle of the summer. So, at any rate, we knew this room would work for all 4 of us, but I thought it sure would be nice if we had a second bathroom. I mean, the idea of having my mom come into the bedroom in the middle of the night to use the bathroom felt weird. And could wake Izzy up.

So, with these thoughts in mind, I asked the front desk lady (I keep wanting to say CM!) what the cost would be to upgrade to a room with a second bathroom, as my mom decided to join us. I expected it to be a large amount, if they even had any available, as I’d scoured the options on the website and knew that the bigger suites tended to be at least another $50-100/night or so. But can’t hurt to ask, right? So, she immediately responded that it would be $20 and we had a choice of two different floor plans. Um, $20?!? I don’t care what it is, sign me up! I don’t remember the other choice, but she told us that her favorite one was the Royal African Queen Suite. My apologies for this picture, as 1.) it’s blurry and 2.) Photobucket absolutely refuses to rotate it for me, but at least it’s a diagram and that works upside down (feel free to read the description upside down, if you’d like):



So, with this, we lost the full kitchen, but still had a kitchenette. Not a problem, as we only needed a kitchenette with all the leftovers we brought along. And that was the ONLY downside, if you could even call it that. We still got all the waterpark and amusement park passes that came with our package. Plus, now my mom had a giant room of her own. And her own bathroom. And we had a ton of space. Oh, and best little bonus? Not far away! Very close to the pool and amusement park! YES, PLEASE! I still cannot believe it was only $20. (I just looked up standard prices and this room is normally $70 more than the one we’d reserved. So, if you are ever staying here during a slow time, rent the cheap room – so long as you’re okay with it – and ask for available upgrade prices at check in!)

Dug and I were a *little* excited as we completed the check-in process. It took a while to do all that, though, so I felt bad for my mom and Izzy in the car. They were fine, though. They were rocking out to the African music that was playing outside the lobby, since they could hear it in the car (reminded me of Disney with themed audio ambiance). Our room was just a bit down the hall and she recommended we pull down to one of the next couple doors. We did just that and got a front row spot. Izzy and I went inside to find a luggage cart (I guess none of us travels light!). But, first, she had to get this shot:



We procured a couple small luggage carts and brought all our stuff inside. Our keys worked and we all held our breath as we waited to see the suite. And it was GREAT! Izzy decided to check the King bed for bounciness:



She had a good time with that big, rolling pillow too.

Dug settled into the living room, apparently checking out the room service menu or something? You can also see our loaded up luggage carts here:



(And, yes, we realized afterwards that we are not good readers, as the carts say not to bring them in the rooms – oops! )

Dining area, fireplace, TV, balcony:



My mom’s selection of beds:



She loved having this room and couldn’t get over it. Honestly, this room was probably bigger than her tiny studio apartment. It had its own TV as well.

Our balcony overlooked the parking lot, but beggars can’t be choosers:



And it was chilly out anyway.

Kitchenette, where we prepared our plethora of leftovers:



My mom’s bathroom, with insanely long counter:



Izzy modeling in the coat closet by the front door:



Settling in:



After a short bit of relaxing and taking in the room, we headed out to explore and find some lunch (not quite ready for more pizza leftovers just yet). We returned our luggage carts and set off. Izzy wanted a picture on this baby elephant (best we could do, I guess):



We ogled the goods in the bakery case at the coffee shop. My pictures aren’t the best, but I couldn’t get over the idea of this “Loaded Cookie”:



Like, apparently you need to be thinking, “I’d like a cookie, but that’s just not sweet enough. I think it needs to be covered in a giant pile of candy bars and M&Ms, then drizzled with chocolate before I’d eat it.” Those things were HUGE!

They also featured some of the tallest cupcakes I’ve ever seen:



I was actually surprised that Izzy didn’t beg for one. I mean, pink and cupcake – right up her alley!

And these made me laugh:



But, no, we didn’t actually get anything there. Just admired it. Instead, we ended up running across a free indoor toddler playground. I didn’t even know it was tucked into the arcade there, but Izzy enjoyed it (once she learned how to climb up the rather large steps):







Yes, she is that blur. At some point in the middle of this playing, she desperately needed to find a potty, so she and I ran off to the one nearby and took care of that. Yay for being potty trained! (much improved from the Land/Sea trip almost a year ago).

She also enjoyed sitting in nearly everything in the arcade. Which worked out fine, as the place was pretty deserted (love the slow season!):



After the brief look around/playtime, we headed to the quick-service type place for lunch. Same place we got food last visit, actually. Their big buffet was closed that day (maybe not enough guests?), so we didn’t get to try that. At any rate, we had a nice lunch. We apparently completely failed on getting any photos of it, but I know that my mom had a yogurt and granola parfait, Dug and I had sandwiches, and Izzy had corn dog nuggets (which mostly got added to our stash of leftovers!)

After that, we headed back up to the room. On the way, we stopped to admire the fountain in the lobby below (our room was on floor 2, I think):





We noticed that Izzy’s favorite “ghee” from last time had been re-located into the fountain. This guy:

(awww, baby Izzy!)

I thought it was cool that they had a themed rooftop:



Reminded me of Animal Kingdom.

Up in the room, Dug, Izzy, and I got our stuff together to hit the pool/waterslide area. My mom was tired and just wanted to rest in the room until dinner.

We got down to the check-in, showed our wristbands, and had to separate so that Dug could walk through the men’s locker room while Izzy and I walked through the women’s. We had seen on the map that there was a family locker room on the other side of the pool, so figured we’d use that instead. We walked through and checked out all the waterslides and play areas on the way there. I could tell that Izzy would be able to do a LOT more this time than last time. Plus, we had a waterproof camera now, so I could actually take pictures, unlike last visit.

We got changed and showered, then found a place to toss our stuff (in my big Aulani souvenir bag!) First stop was the toddler play area, since that’s the only thing Izzy did last time and I figured it would be a good place to start, with all of the small waterslides:









She had a good time there, making sure to do each and every thing before we moved on.

There were only a couple of “big” waterslides that Izzy was tall enough to go on, so she and I headed to one of those next. I think Dug headed to the indoor/outdoor hot tub at that time. Unfortunately, nearly everything else had strict weight limits, which really limited his options. He still had fun, though. (And we did know that in advance, so he was prepared). Dug mentioned that this reminded him of why he likes Disney - generally much more inclusive of larger folks, so he can do most everything.

Izzy and I climbed the many flights of stairs, up to the slide entrance. It was pretty awesome that the place was extremely low crowds during our visit. We didn’t wait in lines at all – just the time it took to climb stairs and get a lifeguard’s attention. Oh, also wanted to mention that it was nice that all of the tube slides had conveyor belts that brought the tubes up, so you don’t have to lug them up with you like at Aulani (which was still pretty fresh on my mind, since Izzy wanted to go down that tube slide about a million times).

I only snapped one quick picture before making sure to hang onto Izzy:



We rode in a large family-style tube and each hung onto the handles and each-other's hand. We ended up going down almost entirely backwards. The slide actually goes outside briefly too. It was pretty wild and we had a great time. Izzy loved it – she is my little ride buddy!

I believe this is looking up at part of the slide:



I think we may have done it a second time after that, can’t remember. I know we did that slide 3 times total that afternoon/evening.

After that, we got in a pool and shot some hoops:





Izzy showed off her back float:



Dug tried to teach Izzy how to make a basket:



As you can see by the ball falling, she didn’t do so great.

At this point, Dug told me to take off for the one slide I wanted to do that Izzy wasn’t allowed on. In general, I was fine just skipping the non-family slides, but there was a “roller coaster” type slide that I wanted to try. So, I climbed up that same platform again, since it started from the same area. On the way, I could see Dug and Izzy down below:



Continued in next post…

 

[Dugette]

Mini-TR: Wisconsin - Part 3

I got to the slide and took a quick picture before launching:



It was a fun slide, with water pushing you up hill, etc. However, I didn’t like that there was a spot towards the beginning that completely drenches you in water without warning. Not fun when you wear contacts. Luckily, they were fine, but it scared me and made my eyes sting for a few moments.

After the slide, I met them back in the pool. Dug learned from a lifeguard that the lazy river was currently closed, due to lack of lifeguards to staff all the stations. Apparently, they do this during the slower times. Dug was rather upset, as the lazy river was one of the few things he could do and now he couldn’t. Again, it increased his appreciation of Disney, where things like that are unlikely to happen. They don’t shut major attractions down just to save money on CMs during slow seasons.

At that point, we went to get out of that pool and a large group of people were taking a photo, which blocked our access to the stairs. See background:



Looks like Izzy and I headed over the other tube slide she could ride next:



This is where that slide lets out:



I enjoyed that slide quite a bit, especially since we stayed facing forward in that type of tube. We also did this slide 3 times throughout the day. One of those times, we got to the platform and the two lifeguards were both completely oblivious to us standing at the rope, waiting to be let in. One was laying back napping and the other was just staring absently down her empty slide. It was almost comical. I eventually had to yell, “HELLO!!!!” and the napping guy slowly got up and casually came over and got us on the slide. It was really, really slow there.

After that, Izzy and I checked out another little toddler/kids play area we found:





And, yes, I see that sign below her, but only noticed it in this picture, not while there. We didn’t have any issues and she’s only 38”, so I don’t know that they care. Or maybe it was for some very specific thing? No idea.

That playground was next to the wave pool. As I was looking at that, I noticed people floating past it in tubes. The lazy river was at least partially open! I went and got Dug and we took a spin on the heavily-shortened-but-still-operating-in-some-capacity lazy river:







After that, Izzy and I headed over to yet another kids’ area. It was actually a very large one with pretty substantial slides. I was quite surprised that I didn’t find any height requirements on this one. Izzy started on the smallest slide :



Then they got much bigger :





You can see her walking over a bridge here:



I didn’t realize at first that this play area allowed kids to wander to another side and go down slides there too. Made it VERY hard to keep track of her. One time, she told me which slide she was going to, but never showed up. I had to wander around and search for her and eventually found her going down a slide on the other side. Luckily, I never lost her. Again, low crowds helped.

More sliding fun, since she insisted on trying them all:









We found a little basketball hoop in the back too:



Almost looks like she’ll make a basket (she didn’t).

Another swing:



These swings had a maximum weight limit of 35 pounds and she was exactly that, so she just barely qualified. They are meant more for the babies/younger ones. She still enjoyed a few minutes on them, though.

Looks like we eventually made it back to that first family raft ride again:



Dug tried out the outdoor part of the indoor/outdoor whirlpool:



Oh, I forgot to mention that he tried out the swim-up bar earlier too. Pretty cool.

The other thing I wanted to try (sans Izzy) was that indoor/outdoor whirlpool. And I wanted another run on the roller-coaster slide, more prepared for the water soaking this time, though. So, Dug took Izzy back to the pool while I headed out for a few minutes in the hot tub in the chilly air. The warm water actually made it very pleasant :



I had the place completely to myself part of the time. Looked up and saw the slide that Izzy and I had just done:



Pretty blue skies.

They were playing 80’s music out there, which was awesome. I realized afterwards that they probably do that to drown out the traffic noise from I-94 running right by it. Enjoyable, nonetheless. A video clip, if you’d like to relax to ‘80’s music:

(click to watch)

After enjoying a song, I headed back in to ride the slide once more. I snuck some pics of Dug and Izzy while I climbed the stairs:







Izzy did a great job swimming independently with her lifevest on.

The slide was much better the second time, since I knew to close my eyes until I got dumped on. No stinging eyes, yay!

After that, we decided we were done (and didn’t feel the need to come back in the morning). Back to the family locker room to get changed. Dug tried to be helpful and grab our bag, but he only grabbed it by one of the two handles, which caused it to rip. Bummer. It was a cheap bag, but still. Boo hoo, guess I need to go back to Aulani and get another one now.

We got back to the room. My mom was feeling good after a relaxing afternoon. We got showered and cleaned up, then headed down to the resort’s WI Brew Pub for dinner. Again, very empty, only a few tables filled. But, of course, they were all right next to each other. I hate when restaurants do that. I mean, at least give us an empty table between us, for elbow room. But it was fine. Izzy colored:



Looks like Dug had a beer.

There was a Trivial Pursuit set at the table, so Dug tossed some questions out to us. He did a bit of picking and choosing the right ones for each of us, so even Izzy got one right (can’t remember what, but I think the answer was "triangle"?).

Izzy got a grilled cheese with carrots:



Once again, we added much of it to our leftover stash. She was just not a big eater on this trip.

I had some very tasty ravioli:



Hit the spot after all those stairs!

I don’t remember what Dug and my mom had. My mom’s was a sandwich of some sort. Everyone enjoyed their food.

Continued in next post…

 

[Dugette]

Mini-TR: Wisconsin - Part 4

After dinner, we decided to venture over to the amusement park for a bit. I knew that I wanted to take Izzy on the ferris wheel, as she hadn’t been on one before (spoiler alert for pending Disneyland TR!) I figured we’d all go on this, but my mom decided to sit it out. She said that she used to ride everything (roller coasters, etc.) until she was about 47. Then they all started bothering her, especially after eating. Even something fairly mild like the ferris wheel. That’s a bummer. I hope that doesn’t happen to me. But she enjoyed just watching us and looking around.

Here’s the ferris wheel:



The guy at the ticket booth who got us our bands was doing double-duty as the ferris wheel operator. I think everyone there was in charge of at least 2-3 attractions. They were really keeping staffing down.

We were the only ones on the ride. So, no annoying stop-and-start to load/unload everyone:



It was a fun ride. My mom was probably smart to skip it, though, as it was rather fast and could possibly make you dizzy.

Afterwards, looks like we ventured across the arcade area:



Izzy made Dug proud by wanting to sit in this one:



And then we made it to our other objective for the evening - the Carousel:



It took a while to get on that, as there were no employees around. We finally asked someone and it turns out that the girl was running like three things at once and was busy with another one. They said she’d be over in a bit. In the meantime, Dug checked out this minor attraction:



This one makes me laugh:



It’s one of those tunnels where the walls around you spin, so makes you dizzy/off-balance. Izzy wanted to do it too, so she and I went through and she was pretty unfazed by it. I just told her to close her eyes if she got dizzy and she did just fine.

And then it was time to ride the carousel. A few other families with young kids joined us, as they also must have been waiting for their chance to ride. Izzy picked a zebra:



So, I got on the giraffe next to her:



I apparently should have looked up, as this giraffe was the only animal on the carousel that didn’t go up and down. Weird. Oh, well. I was really just there to watch Izzy anyway. Dug got a tiger behind us:



Family selfie:



It was a nice little ride. After that, we made our way back to the room with Izzy hopping in all the things she could:



And this game makes me laugh (we never saw anyone play it, but just looks funny):



Oh, forgot to mention that Dug stuck around the amusement park longer, as there were some interactive gaming things he was able to do. Couldn't tell you much, but he had fun.

We had a quiet evening in. Got Izzy to bed in the pack ‘n’ play in our room. Maybe snacked on some leftovers. Hung out in the living room for a bit. Nothing too exciting. Got a good night’s sleep.

Took it easy in the morning. We considered going to breakfast or ordering room service, but ended up just finishing off our very random collection of leftovers and calling it breakfast. I think Izzy watched some Disney Junior while we got packed up.

Once we were ready to head out, we got some luggage carts and packed up our stuff to bring out to the car. We got down the hall to the elevator and I think we all did a double-take when we saw a young boy (probably about Izzy’s age) running around completely naked. At first, I expected to see a parent or sibling running after him. But, no, it was just him. And I realized that he was terrified and lost. (And I think we can all agree this situation is one of everyone’s worst nightmares ). He wasn’t great with words, but it sounded like he got on the elevator and got off on this floor and couldn’t find his dad. And he said he needed a diaper (clearly). I took a look around, verified nobody was coming for him, then grabbed the phone by the elevator and hit “0”. Told them what was going on and they said security would come right away. I told the boy that someone was coming to help him find his family.

I don’t know what I expected – probably a Disney-like moment where security comes out of nowhere and saves the day – but I felt like we were waiting forever. It was really awkward, standing there with a naked little boy that was not mine. Then I remembered that Izzy had some extra pull-ups that she didn’t use during our trip. I’d just packed and we had all our bags on the luggage carts, so I went to go find one when he reacted positively to the word “pull-up.” The one I grabbed was even a boys’ style (blue with Mickey), since the store was out of the girls ones when I bought them – and who doesn’t love Mickey anyway? I brought it over and held it up so he could put his feet in, then helped him pull it up, being VERY careful not to touch him, only the pull-up. Success! (I had in mind that the Kids Club CMs at Aulani were not allowed to touch kids at all if they needed help in the bathroom and felt that I should be extra cautious too).

After that, I decided to push the elevator button, just in case his dad was on it or something. It arrived...empty.

After a few minutes, we saw someone coming down the hall. I asked if she was security, but she was actually the manager-on-duty and was carrying a towel for the boy to wrap up in. I told her I’d given him a pull-up and that he probably came up the elevator and was looking for his dad. She took his hand and assured him that she would take care of him and find his family. They headed off towards the front desk. We headed out to load up my car. I never did find out anything more, but I have to assume they located his family and all was well. But how scary. I hope he doesn’t have traumatic memories from this whole incident. At least it was us that came along to help him, prepared with a pull-up, so he has good memories of people coming to his aid.

We used the experience to teach Izzy about what to do if she ever gets lost. I think it helped that she had just seen The Good Dinosaur, so it made sense to her that the boy got lost and needed to find his family. She wasn’t scared by it, but was very receptive to learning and also to being careful not to run off and get lost in the first place.

At any rate, we weren’t done with the Kalahari just yet. We wanted to get in a few more things at the amusement park before heading out:



Izzy found yet another game to sit in:



And then we made it to our first destination: the toddler bumper boats. Again, we had to find an employee to start them for us. She had to put on her boots and go out and retrieve a boat for Izzy. Then, since Izzy was the only one there, she walked around in the water and guided the other boats for some bumps:



Izzy had a blast. I have a video clip too:

(click to watch)

I think we walked through that spinning Vortex thing again after this. Izzy didn't even let me hold onto her and did great.

Next up was my one request. There was a ropes course where you wear a harness and walk across all the crazy rope bridges and such. I haven’t done something like that for a very long time, but it sounded fun. Up I went:





I kept trying to wave to Izzy, since she was down there with Dug and my mom, just bawling her eyes out. I don’t know if she was scared for me or wanted to be with me or what?

So, I kind-of buzzed through most of this. It went up pretty high, but I always chose the option with solid footing (each section had two choices and one was usually more of a bridge vs. a tightrope). The very last section (at the top, near the ceiling) only had two bad choices I didn’t like. One was a beam that swung back and forth with nothing to hang onto and the other was a rope with nothing to hang onto. I went back-and-forth, setting one foot on each, then pulling back. Eventually, I decided to do the beam and hold my support rope for balance:



That worked and I made it, but I really didn’t like that part. Walking over bridges is fun, but swaying without much to stand on, not so much.

Izzy recovered quickly when I returned. Then she got to do the kids version:







She did a great job.

Once again, she made Dug proud by sitting here:



We had noticed a sign that indicated you could get a 2-hour unlimited arcade game pass for $10. Seemed like a good deal, since Dug could play his Star Wars game and Izzy could actually operate some of these games she kept sitting on. So, he got that and started playing (with Izzy pretending to play too):



He was doing well:



Since he was winning level after level, it took a while, so I borrowed the pass to let Izzy try some things. She wanted to start with Batman:



Somehow, she managed to get a ton of points with her random button-pushing:



Way to go, kid!

She also did this motorcycle thing (and, later, a very similar snowmobile thing):



And posed for a blurry shot at the photo op spot:



Continued in next post…