Land and Sea with my crazy three!!

[TinkerKeeks]

Hi all and welcome to my PTR, Im hoping to follow up with a trip report since this trip is shaping up to be really incredible, but we'll see I haven't had the best track record finishing them

Anyways where are we going?? We are doing 4 nights at WDW, and 7 nights on the disney fantasy western caribbean star wars cruise!!!
Before I get started on the trip details, let me first introduce you to my family and give you some background.

First up, theres me Tinkerkeeks aka Kristie. I am stay at home mom of three and disney enthusiast. I also work from home as a travel agent. My love for disney started when I was just a wee little one and we went to disney every year since my grandmother lives in Kissimmee.

here i am at typhoon lagoon with my dad in the late 80s
Also another little tidbit about me. On our last disney trip I was very overweight and it was a hard trip for me. I hadn't lost any of my baby weight and I had piled on extra lbs. Shortly after coming home I decided to make some positive changes in my life and started eating healthy and working out. I am now proud to say that on this upcoming trip I will be 50 lbs lighter

And here is a more current photo of me and DH on thanksgiving last year


Dh is definitely not as disney obsessed as me but every now and then he surprises me. We have previously visited as a family in January 2013, November 2014, and September 2014.

Our oldest DS is 5 and is every bit the disney enthusiast as his mama. He has an OBSESSION with cars since he was two years old. Its not just the movie in the characters, he is pretty much obsessed with any kind of vehicle/transportation. The monorail is his favorite thing in the whole world, seriously we could probably just go to disney and ride the monorail loop and he'd be ecstatic. After many years of begging and begging, Santa finally caved and brought him the play monorail set this past christmas lol
Heres my little love Gabriel on our Sept 2015 trip

And finally my soon to be 3 year old twins.
Just a little background, they were born at 32 weeks and had kind of a rough start entering this world. They spent some time in the Nicu before they could come home. My son, Matteo, almost didn't make it, he developed Sepsis at 4 weeks old and it was a very scary 2 weeks where he was on a ventilator and antibiotics etc. But if theres one thing to know about Matteo, its that he is a serious little fighter. He came back swinging and has been a tough little guy his whole life.
Because my twins were born prematurely, they have always been developmentally delayed. Now at almost three years old(birthday is sunday)!, they have made a great amount of progress that I am beyond happy about, but like any special needs kids they still have more to overcome.
They are both on autism spectrum and receive ABA,OT,PT,and speech therapies. They also both have hypotonia which is low muscle tone and makes enduring a lot of physical activities hard for them sometimes. My daughter Savannah did not start walking until this past September. She also has Apraxia, which means she is non-verbal and it can be frustrating at times communication wise.
They went on their first trip to the world at 9 months old and minus a few diaper explosions it was an amazing trip!


Unfortunately the same cannot be said for our September 2015 trip that we took when they were around 20 months old.
There was a lot of this...

Temper tantrums were at an all time high and it was honestly one of the most stressful and hard vacations we'd ever had. This coupled with the fact that as I stated earlier, I was very overweight, made for a less than magical vacation. We decided to take the next year off from Disney World(I know blastphemy!) and save up for a disney cruise. And thus current trip is born
Here is a current pic of the twinnies just cause I feel bad leaving off with the tantrum pic lol



Up next...the good stuff..all the exciting trip details!!

 

[TinkerKeeks]

Okay so now for the fun stuff, how did this trip come about?? We had always talked about wanting to do a disney cruise and with us not going to Walt disney world in 2016 I was feeling pretty down like I had nothing to look forward to.(I know my fellow disney addicts can relate) I started subtly leaving the disney cruise catalogues around the house lol
Finally in January 2016, with much convincing on my part I was able to get my husband to book the 03/04/2017 7 night western Caribbean sailing on the Fantasy
Now I'm not going to lie, this trip was expensive compared to what we are used to spending on vacations. This is the first trip we booked as a family of 5 and there was definitely some sticker shock and grimacing involved during booking lol We booked this trip knowing that disney has a decent cancellation policy and that we would be able to cancel if we felt our twins were not ready for this trip.
It was right before their second birthday when we booked, so we knew we had a year to prepare

Just to break up this word lengthy post, heres a second birthday pic. If you couldn't tell by the pic, I am big lover of the custom outfits for little girls and I have bought quite the arsenal of outfits hehe

So after booking, we didn't do much planning except for starting a Disney Savings Account. We had a goal and a certain amount deducted from our checking account weekly it was really nice. I also would be disney gift cards from Sams club here and there and add those to the account as well.
I also joined my cruises Facebook page and joined a fish extender group.
So from January-August 2016, that was the extent of our planning lol.

Around August, the disney nut in me started to panicthat I would be so close to World and not going to parks lol We had always planned to arrive the night before and stay at one of the disney hotels and take their transportation to the port. SOOOO I started to toy with arriving maybe 2 or 3 days earlier and doing 1 or 2 park days. My hubby was really having none of it, he did not want to spend anymore money (why does he always have to be so practical? lol) and was having flashbacks of our horrible 2015 trip.
Well though my power of persuasion and also telling him how horrible the flights were on Friday, I convinced him to let me book the Pop Century for 03/1-03/4. So basically 3 nights at Pop and 2 park days before the cruise, I also added a dining plan so we wouldn't have to worry about food.
We had stayed at Pop back in 2013 on my DS5's first trip, so its a bit of a nostalgic place for me and when doing value always my first choice


Memories of my DS5's First Trip!!

Anyways back to the planning, After I booked pop I decided to load up on the character meals for my kids. So i booked Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace, and Askherus. While the food is nothing to write home about, I know my kids love these characters so it was a no-brainer for us to eat there.
While I was booking my dining reservations my sister got the disney bug and decided she wanted to join us for the disney portion of our trip. My sisters MIL owns DVC and was kind enough to offer our points up to my sister, as well as my family!!! Sooo...I cancelled the Pop Century Reservation and booked us at one of my bucket list resorts...


Needless to say I am super duper excited to be staying at this resort. My parents actually stayed here on their honeymoon in 1973!!
We are booked in a dvc studio villa for 03/1-03/4. I also had to add an Ohana breakfast ressie when I realized we would be staying their since my kids love stitch.

So all of this got booked back in August. Keep in mind we had still not booked flights yet. I have jetblue credit card and I was trying to accumulate enough points to cover at least one way of our trip
So early December, when I was trying to book our flight going down there I was annoyed that all the flights in the morning for 03/1 were for a lot more points. I decided to check for 2/28 evening flights and low and behold they were the smallest amount of points. After discussing with DH, who right away got grumbly(Your trying to add more disney time!!?? When will we stop adding to this trip lol) After showing him the flight scenarios, he reluctantly agreed and allowed me to book us in Pop Century for one night on 2/28.
For the trip home, we found flights on delta, and using their credit card got $100 statement credit as well as free checked bags

So there ya have it, thats how our current trip came to be. And here is a break down of our current itinerary...

Tue. Feb 28- 3:45 pm flight from Newark to MCO. Take Magical Express to Pop. Eat in food court for dinner.
Wed. March 1- Pop Food Court for Breakfast. Hollywood Studios. Check in Poly. and dinner at Chef Mickeys.
Thurs. March 2- Magic Kingdom. BOG Lunch. Crystal Palace Dinner.
Fri. March 3- Epcot. Flower and Garden snacks. Dinner Askerhus.
Sat. March 4-Check out Poly. Breakfast at Ohana. Embark on the Disney Fantasy!!
March 4-March 11 On the disney fantasy

Thats it for this update. Up next I will post more about our cruise planning

 

[TinkerKeeks]

Now for some cruise planning!
We are booked in a category 4c deluxe family oceanview stateroom w/verandah .
This is one of the only stateroom categories that sleeps a family a 5, it features the queen bed, 2 bunk beds, and a pull down bed.
My 5 year old really wants to sleep on the top bunk but I'm not sure I feel comfortable with him sleeping up there. Im thinking my twins are small enough they can probably sleep foot to foot on the lower bunk, and my 5 year old can sleep on the pull down. Or worst case scenario, I'll throw my dh on the top bunk and have one of the kids sleep in the big bed with me lol
Here is the layout of the room..


So around thanksgiving I paid the cruise in full using our disney vacation account. DVA also gives a bonus $20 gift card for every $1000 spent toward a disney vacation so that was another perk of using that.
Then since we are first time cruisers I had to wait for December 19 to complete our online check in and be able to book onboard activities and port adventures.
So once that day came I did our online check in, which basically consists of plugging in all our info, setting up our onboard account, the cruise contract and selecting a port arrival time.
I selected the earliest port arrival time available at the time which was 11:15-11:30. I am not too concerned about this though since we are doing disney transfers to the port and they are known to arrive a little later. Honestly for our family the later the bette. I know some people like to arrive to the port super early but Ive read a lot of trip reports and it seems like when people do this there is a lot of standing around the terminal and waiting in lines. With 2 kids on the autism spectrum this is definitely something I am trying to avoid so I am hopeful that by the time the disney bus gets us there many people will have boarded already and we can minimize our time spent waiting in the terminal

I also booked our free included onboard activities which were the princess meet and greet, frozen meet and greet, and disney junior breakfast.
I also booked a Palo dinner reservation for my husband and I. I am not sure how my kids will handle the kids club so I am fully prepared to cancel this reservation if things don't work out.
I booked a massage for myself on one of the sea days, which is something I love to indulge in on vacation.

As far as port adventures, our options are pretty limited with 3 kids 5 and under. What I wanted to do at each of the ports is have a beach day. So for Cozumel I booked the Cozumel Break.

The description as per the disney cruise line website...
On this adventure you will...

• Take an approximately 25-minute ride aboard an air-conditioned motorcoach to Playa Mia Grand Beach and Water Park.
• Get ready to do as much - or as little - as you'd like at this beautiful beach park. Choose to lounge in a beach chair under an umbrella on the sand by the ocean or by the pool. Kids of all ages can splash at the Buccaneers Bay Swimming Pool, Oasis Island Pool and the Twin Twister Waterslide. Note: see restrictions in the section below.
• Savor a delicious international buffet and domestic open bar, all included in your tour.
• Enjoy the park's many activities such as an aquatic floating sports center, kayaks, water trampolines, aquatic iceberg, paddle boats, floating mats, water bicycles, ping pong tables, volleyball and soccer courts and an entertainment team featuring a kid's club.
• Conclude your approximately 4 hours on the beach before heading back to the pier.

For Grand Cayman we booked the Family Beach Day At Tiki Beach.

The description as per disney cruise line website...
On this adventure you will...

• Meet your guide and board your air-conditioned transportation for the approximate 10-minute drive through Georgetown and along famous Seven Mile Beach.
• Arrive at Tiki Beach (a section of Seven Mile Beach), and enjoy a welcome fruit punch or rum punch drink (alcoholic beverages will only be served to Guests 21 and older).
• For those who prefer a more active day, a variety of water sports equipment is available for rent at an additional charge.
• While at Tiki Beach, you will have access to the facilities, including restrooms, changing area, fresh-water showers and a restaurant and bar.
• After approximately 2.5 hours of fun in the sun, you’ll reboard your transportation, with the option of returning to the ship or being let off downtown to explore Grand Cayman. If you choose to get off, you’ll be responsible for making your way back to the port.

For Jamaica I really wanted to book the Deluxe Jewel Beach Break, but at $150 per adult and $102 per child, I just couldn't rationalize spending over $600 for a day at the beach. So i booked the much cheaper Melia Beach Break. Unfortunately I was dismayed by many negative online reviews after booking this so I cancelled. Then I someone in my cruise's Facebook page posted about booking the excursion through Resort for a day much cheaper than disney. So i looked into it and decided to book it!! The same exact excursion is only $99 per adult, $65 per child, and the best part is they do not charge for kids under 4, so my twins ended up being free!! I read a lot of reviews for resort for a day online before booking and they were all great, so I am very much looking forward to this excursion and glad I was able to book it.

Here is the description as per disney cruise line website...
On this adventure you will...

• Board an air-conditioned bus and travel approximately 50 minutes along the scenic coastline to the Jewel Runaway Bay Beach and Golf Resort.
• Upon your arrival, a resort representative will provide you with an overview of the property, which includes a beautiful lobby with lush gardens, 4 freshwater pools, lazy river, slides and a spectacular beach area.
• Have about 4 hours to lounge on the beach, take a dip in the ocean or float around the lazy river. Participate in a variety of beach games and organized activities such as trivia games, dance contests, relay races or scavenger hunts. Beach chairs and umbrella are included.
• Enjoy an unlimited buffet-style lunch at one of the 4 international gourmet restaurants. The snack bar and pizzeria offer burgers, chili dogs, chicken wings, pizza, nachos, sandwiches, salad wraps and more. Alcoholic (for Guests 21 and up) and non-alcoholic beverages are included.

I did not book any excursions for Castaway Cay and we just intend to enjoy a fun day at the beach there!
I am really excited about all these excursions, I know a lot of people who just do beach days like to just wing it and take taxis to local beaches. I know thats what me and Dh did before kids. But I feel because my kids have the issues they do, it gives me piece of mind to just have everything set up and booked with transportation etc.
Up next I will post our tentative cruise schedule.

 

[TinkerKeeks]

Okay so here is the tentative cruise schedule...
(Just wanted to add that I called disney cruise line to request a dining rotation, so for this tentative schedule purpose I'm going to assume that my requests were granted )
We have main dining, and the dining rotation I requested is ERAERRA
Saturday March 4- Arrive at cruise terminal, board the ship, have lunch, kids club orientation, muster drill, sail away party. Dinner at Enchanted Garden followed by show if we are up to it.
Sunday March 5- Day at Sea and Formal night.9:30 am Disney Jr Breakfast. Pool time/kids club/activities/lunch at cabanas. Frozen meet and greet at 2:30pm. I would like to possibly get my hair done for formal night. Dinner in Royal Court followed by show.
Monday March 6- Cozumel and Pirate Night.Will probably order breakfast to our room the night before. Cozumel Beach Break 8:45-2:00pm Dinner at Animators Palate, pirate show and fireworks.
Tuesday March 7-Grand Cayman. Princess Gathering at 9:45. Family Beach day at Tiki Beach 11:45-3:15pm. Dinner at Enchanted Garden followed by show.
Wednesday March 8-Jamaica. Jewel Beach Break 8:30am. Tonight is the night I have Palo booked 6:30-8:30. Will probably get the kids dinner beforehand, either room service or one of the onboard quick service. If palo doesn't work out we will be dining at the Royal Court.
Thursday March 9- Star Wars Day at Sea. Im not that big of a star wars fan but hubby and DS5 are, so its really up to them what activities they would like to do on this day. The only thing I have scheduled is a massage at 3:15 Dinner at Royal Court followed by Star Wars fireworks.
Friday March 10- Castaway Cay!!! I can't tell you how excited I am to finally experience this place. Dinner will be at Animators Palate.

So thats our tentative schedule. I am very used to cancelling our plans and winging things when the kids are acting up or things just don't work out. So even though a lot is planned out, it is more of a guideline and not written in stone. Everything is really going to depend on how well my kids are doing, and really what they are most comfortable doing.
One of the reasons this trip is so important to me is because throughout the year I feel like our family does not have enough quality fun time together. The twins have a rigorous therapy schedule(basically monday-friday 10-6 therapists are in my home), which while needed can be draining on me, dh, and ds5. A lot of the time I have to say no to DS5 and he has to miss out on things simply because his brother and sister have therapy and I just can't take him. So this trip for me makes up for all the times I have to say no to going to the park or a play date.
Im trying not to have any expectations for this trip, if we wind up watching all the shows from our tv in the room then so be it. I just want my kids to have a good time and enjoy our time together
Next update Ill post more about packing, fish extenders and all that fun stuff.

 

[R_B]

We just returned from our Western Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy. We were on the Cozumel Beach Break port adventure and it was fine. Except that heavy winds created red flag conditions at the beach, so you could not go in the water. Our kids still played in the sand, which they love, but had to jump over seaweed which was all over the water's edge (I am assuming from the heavy surf conditions) The inflatable aquatic sports centre and other water toys were not available either due to the strong waves. We were given the option at our meeting point on the ship before the adventure for a full refund after being advised of the red flag conditions, but we chose to go anyway since there was also a pool and splash pad for the kids to use and plenty of beach to enjoy and lounge chairs as well. Overall not a bad adventure, a little pricey for the resort...it looks a little run down, and the food offered was basically hot dogs, chicken nuggets and similar fare not the "delicious international buffet" as advertised! LOL. Probably the only negative was the awful food, but it was fine for our kids. And they really enjoyed the splash pad and the adjacent pool.
As for the other port adventures, we were not able to get to Grand Cayman, as the heavy ocean swells (probably from the same system that created the rough surf in Cozumel) created havoc in the port there. They use smaller tender boats to get to Grand Cayman, so you have to transfer from the cruise ship while it is anchored. The conditions were not safe for those transfers, and the waves even caused flooding in the main street on the shore. This was the one port we were looking most forward to visiting so really disappointed in the fact that we could not get ashore. We had a boat day, which was fine because there is a lot to do..and our kids could eat all the soft serve ice cream they wanted from the machine on the ship!
Good call on not taking the Melia Beach Break in Falmouth. We did and regretted it.
If your kids love movies then they will love the big screen on the pool deck. Funnel Vision. They show kid movies and shows all day while kids and adults are in the pool. Only word of advice is get there early in the AM to secure a lounge chair(s). They go early and people "reserve" them by just throwing a towel on them. Its busy out there..so hopefully your little ones aren't too upset with all of the activity. If they are, its quieter inside the ship and the Buena Vista theatre shows movies every day. Plus the ON Demand movies in your stateroom have everything Disney.
Hope you enjoy your trip. You know from your research that there is a lot to do..so boredom should never be an option. Disney does great job on the ship, and the food is fabulous.
If your kids do okay in the Oceaneer Club and/or Lab...there is an awesome adults only spot called Satellite Falls and Sun Deck. It is behind the Currents bar at the front of the ship. We went and loved it..but our wave phone buzzed and kids called us back after a short while.

 

[cindianne320]

Following! We are booked for June 2018!