Nothing excites me more than seeing new places, especially when I get the chance to see them through my children’s eyes, so of course, I can hardly stand myself now that we’ve booked an amazing family vacation!
In exactly 149 days (yes, I’m counting already), we set sail on our first Disney Cruise on a ship named “Dream”! Our sailing vessel is so aptly named, as a Disney Cruise has been a long time dream of mine! And now that it’s becoming a reality…….well, just assume you’ve never seen an adult more excited ;)
I have become completely consumed with planning every single detail of how this will (hopefully) all play out and have decided that in case there is some other crazy lady out there like me, I’d save her some planning time, because so far I’ve just not found a plan that’s up to par! And because my level of dorkdom runs as deep as it does, I’ll share my “grand scheme” with you!
First for an overview-then details later :o)
We booked directly through Disney, though I’m waiting to hear back from a travel agent to ensure that there are no special deals available, a 4 night Bahamian cruise in early January, leaving from Port Canaveral, Florida.
Just FYI, if you book through Disney-which I would suggest you do as early as possible to ensure the room category you want, as not only do ships fill quickly, the price also rises the closer you get to sail date (what we booked went up $100 from ONE day to the next because the ship was almost full)-you have until 75 days prior to sail to pay the balance in full. And, as long as you have an outstanding balance, your trip may be transferred to a travel agent who can sometimes give special offers, discounts, and on-board credits-so it’s definitely worth at least checking into! (Psssstttt…….travel agents are free!)
After looking into what dates would work best for us and comparing the different room types, I was ready to make this happen! We decided on a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, but when I called the booking specialist offered to upgrade us to a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah for less than $100 total, so I took her up on it. The “Family” option is slightly bigger and since DH and I have cruised once before and know firsthand how cramped living quarters are, I thought it sounded like a good deal. (I’ll let you know afterward if it was money well spent or not!)
We’ll stop in Nassau, Bahamas-where DH and I were married (we’ll be celebrating our 8th anniversary during the trip)-Castaway Cay, Disney’s privately owned island, and spend one “fun day” at sea. I’m STOKED!
But, we’ve agreed to keep this trip a secret until Christmas and let “Santa” bring the tickets! *wink wink* Keeping this a secret is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done! I’m dying to tell them, but at the same time, planning for this amazing surprise sure is fun!
We’re being secretive mainly because at 3 years old, our twin girls still don’t have a good grasp of time and if they knew about it, they’d be asking about it-and disappointed daily. So, we figure that the 11 days between Christmas morning and the day we leave is the perfect amount of time to spring the news and build the anticipation!
I’m FREAKING OUT and have been constantly planning and researching, so stay tuned for more on our upcoming amazing family vacation!
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