First of all I have to get excited about Mellow Mushroom! I'm a brit on a huge trip to the US, in SC right now, and I was at the one in Charleston just about a week ago. Probably one of my favorite places we have eaten since I got here. If I could ship their funky q chicken pizza to England I would!
Your TR is really making me want to try a cruise! Sadly, our funds do not reflect my ambition, lol! Maybe one day....
Also, I really love how honest your TR is. You don't sugarcoat the parts that weren't so awesome, and it really makes it so much more human. I'm currently in the process of writing my TR, and there are certain parts I was unsure about including, because there was certainly a clash of vacation styles between my fiancé and I! But reading this, I have decided to include them. No-one's vacation is truly perfect, right?
Isn't Mellow Mushroom the best?! I love it. I do. I've not had anything bad there yet.
Don't rule out the cruises forever! Disney sails to Europe! And, depending when you travel to the US, some sailings can be pretty affordable. If you have to travel during the pricier busy times of year your best bet is to learn the usual patterns when DCL releases the new itineraries and jump to book as soon as they do. Prices on the cruises typically start low then increase as bookings increase and availability decreases. Never hurts to contact a Disney-specific travel agent, let them know what your budget would be, then see what they can find for you. Worst thing they could say is, "Sorry, there's nothing for that price." Plus, if you book a few years in advance it gives you longer to pay the balance down, right?
No trip is perfect. If it is, you prob'ly weren't there. LOL! I used to read trip reports that were so amazing then think there's something wrong with us if we had fusses or melt downs. It happens. It's real. It's not that bad stuff that happens that defines the trip, it's what you do in spite of them that does!
Ugh I am so sorry to hear you guys were all sick how horrible. I always fear that we will right before vacation. I am just sad to hear you guys were.
On another note, I think I got way to excited to see that Gonnies T-shirt!!!! And I may or may not have yelled out 'Hey you guys!' Just a little too loudly.
OK enough Gonnie love because yes I could go on and on about this.
I love the sun set photos! Gorgeous but your pictures are always gorgeous so.
I give Jerry and the girls credit for sticking it out and snorkel on through. I am pretty sure we would have given up and stayed on ship. But kudos to them for being tough.
Eh, sick happens. It's okay.
The Goonies freakin' rock! I could go on and on all day. I LOVE that movie!!!!
Oh I don't do gorgeous pics. I suck at pictures. I'm just trying to capture the moments. But thank you. It's hard to mess up the sunset. It's awesome no matter how un-talented the photographer is. LOL!
Jerry talked a little about their snorkel on Castaway Cay the other day on the phone. He said getting back in was brutal. He said the wind had picked up and he was really worried they wouldn't make it. He said when they got back in they were truly spent. Jerry is one tough guy. He always has been. When he was a kid he was mostly smaller than all the guys his age. That made him really crazy tough. He had to be. I still have to remind myself he was as sick as me if not sicker thru the whole trip. He was. He's just tougher at muscling thru it than me. Even on the trip, I'd forget. I'd remember when I'd look at him and catch him close his eyes or rub his hand over his head. I picked up the expressions when he'd let it show but most of the time he didn't.
Your choice of excursions are exactly the type of activity we would choose, too. No surprise in that our boys are about the same age ... we just have one extra. We would love the stingray outing, the xrails, and the wild animals (particularly the birds). The snake looked like a large ball python; they're really tame. Rough ride, mud, and all, I'm sure my boys and I would thoroughly enjoy the xrails.
The last time we went as a family to WDW, we had one free day at the end that I had purposely left open. We hadn't gotten rained out of anything the days before, so by the end of the week it was still open. I asked everyone what they wanted to redo of the parks and waterparks, and all five of us had Typhoon Lagoon as #1 or #2, which is where we went.
Yep. We had a few chances to be in the same place at the same time and make a chance to discuss the types of things we wanted to do together over the past year. I had a general idea what to plan. There was lots of reading and studying by both Jerry and me. We compared a lot of notes, spent a lot of time on the phone together. Each thing planned was a group decision. Everything ended up being great. But then there's still a ton of stuff that we could fill more trips with and have equally grand times. I think also when you travel as a big family you have to have everyone on the same page that even if a particular experience isn't YOUR cup of tea, seeing the others who are enthralled have their cup of tea makes the moment for you. After reading your Eastern report, I can toooootally see you and your boys rocking those xrails! They were a lot of fun!
Typhoon Lagoon is incredible. I STILL have yet to see that whole park! It's not that big either! I get caught up in the relaxation and it throws me into this state of mind where the bunch of stuff I wanted to see goes right out the window. LOL!
This TR came at just the right time! As you know from Instagram, I've been in bed all weekend with the stomach bug and your TR was the perfect distraction! I agree with everyone else--you are an excellent storyteller and a fantastic mom! Love following along with your family adventures. I too love me some starbucks--worked there as a barista in college!! (two other coffee shops as well) So excited for the girls cruise and to get to meet you!
Oh I know! Poor you! I hate being sick!
Thanks for the kind words! I know it seems repetitive but it really does mean a lot. Thank you.
I've always said I wanted to try my hand at being a barista. I dunno, I prob'ly would hate it but then I think it'd be so interesting to learn so much about coffee. I fully love coffee. Truly. My mom's family are all big-time coffee-drinkers. Many of them drink it all day every day. I love to play with my coffee. Gosh, I remember being a toddler with a baby bottle with "coffee". Of course it was very little coffee, mostly sweetened milk. LOL!
Another great trip report Kelly, my gosh, I just love your honesty 
I was dying laughing watching the video from when you were at the parking garage.....that would have been me, lol !! So sorry that you got sick, I always worry about that before trips so I tend to load up on vitamins however even that can't help you when something nasty is brewing in your system. On the plus side though you get to do a re-do cruise which is awesome !!
Okay, I love that picture of Chandler sitting on the boat in Grand Cayman - he was having no part in those stingrays......aaaaand that would be my husband. On our 2nd cruise we booked a snorkel/stingray excursion in Grand Turk (Turks & Caicos) and in true Trevor form he agreed to do the excursion (as I really wanted to do it) and then when we get on the boat after snorkeling he was like "yeah, I am soooo not swimming with any stingrays.....hello, look at what happened to Steve Irwin". Yep 6"2" - 220 pounds and he was friggin' scared of a little ol' stingray. I think I have similar pictures of Trevor sitting on our boat as well.
If you looking for a different excursion to do while in Grand Cayman there is a really great one where you do a little water tour on jet skis and then you go snorkeling as well. We had it booked a few years ago but the weather was terrible so they cancelled it. We have wanted to try it out again because we have had others who did it and raved about it. But our last 2 visits we were accompanied by a tiny person so we had to pass. I can send you the info, they are super nice, and the wife of the owner is Canadian which makes them even more awesome
We have done the Western Caribbean a few times and we have done lots of great excursions so if you want something different to try give me a shout and I will send you some info.
Can't wait to read more.....
Angie! I'm so glad you enjoyed my report. It's so fun to write it all out and see it all put to words. That video will go down in family history as a big-one that's for sure. I'm always nervous about being sick on a trip, too. I take my vitamins religiously. I try to boost everyone the best I can before we go. Everything you try to do to keep it from happening and then it does. I guess it has to happen sometime. No regrets. The lows make the highs that much better-defined.
Chandler wanted none of the stingrays. We've even asked him if we went back would he give it a shot. Nope. I think I might could talk him down on his fear enough to at least come stand amounst them but when the kissing, holding, and feeding goes down I don't think he'd ever do that. Chandler is very reserved when it comes to things new to him. Given the chance to think about it, he'll think too much and justify not doing it. He needs someone to help urge him beyond. Maybe a 2nd trip he'd be less intimidated because he's seen it already. We all lived! I didn't think I'd get him into the water this trip, though. I was surprised Brian was so receptive to the stingrays! I thought he'd be the one I had to talk into the water. When he was little was a huuuuuuge Steve Irwin fan. Seriously. HUGE. On the way home from his last day of Kindergarten I made the mistake of asking the kids if they could go anywhere for a summer vacation where would they go thinking they'd want to go to Nana's house. Brian didn't hestitate: "Australia!" Whaaaaaa????
He wanted to go see Steve. He had Croc Hunter trucks and figures. He wore clothes to look like Steve. He'd wrestle his pillows and plush toys just like Steve wrestled critters on tv. We still have some of the toys, too! We even had to sit thru the movie in the theater! When Steve passed I know I spent days holding my boy as he cried and cried about it. He was crushed. Somewhere around here I still have the letter he wrote to Teri Irwin when Steve passed. It's so sweet. Brian looooves animals, though, so very much. The week before the cruise I finally asked him if he had any issues with being in the water with rays that still had their barbs. He said he thought about it and was a little unsure but didn't want to not go because of how he felt about Steve. We talked about how what happened to Steve was an accident and the stingray wasn't some mean animal out to get someone. We talked about what Steve would think or what he'd say or want if he was still alive. He wouldn't have blamed the animal. He would've wanted it to be a learning experience. And if Steve was here today he'd encourage people to interact with animals if you can do so without harming them and learn. So that's what we did. Brian was brave. I was proud of him. He still loves Steve a lot. That was his hero.
I've actually been considering the waverunner tour! Definitely shoot me that info about who you previously booked with! We're still somewhat undecided on what to do with our GC day.
I think Cozumel I've got solid ideas about. Should be cool!
We're up in the air about getting off at Costa Maya. If the weather is bad and I'm not bringing anything to Carolyn then I prob'ly won't. If we get pretty weather and/or if Carolyn needs anything brought over to her from the states I'll get off to go meet up with her.
If only we had a full day in port. I'd prob'ly find my way to Laguna Bacalar!
