Recently, we got invited to our best friends house to stay with them in Orlando. We have been extremely dilligent during this pandemic and we are a 100% vaccinated (as well as them) and beginning to go a little stir crazy so we are going to test out the waters before the Commodore's birthday and see how it goes. We did have a conversation where we are in agreement in regards to how we are going to navigate the parks and had the conversation with my best friend as well so he is aware of where our comfort level is. Since we are all Disney afficiando's we have no problem splitting up if need be to make sure that the kids safety is our number one priority. We feel good about the first two days being Epcot and Animal Kingdom, but we are a little sketch about Magic Kingdom on Mother's Day. So the promise is to go into the park super early, get a bunch of pictures before the crowds and if we begin to feel uncomfortable we are just going to leave and head home...no harm no foul.
Because we are staying with friends and not staying in a hotel, plus going into the parks we did have to modify some of our "needs" and "travel essentials". The first is obviously going to be the thing that is more of a "want" than a "need" to some, but it is a 100% a necessity to us. There are a couple of places that I absolutely adore to get a beer and it is a MUST for anytime we are in the parks. The first is Kungaloosh from Animal Kingdom. Typically, I love getting this at the Nomad Lounge and resting in a nice cool place with the kids munching on tapas. There is just something about this beer. The second beer stop off for me is Baseline Tap in Hollywood Studios (::cough cough:: always MGM)...there is wine on tap, big pretzels with cheese and a bevvy of amazing beers...nuf' said! So why am I talking about this...because both my husband and I enjoy a nice cold cocktail while walking around with the kiddos and you know what the tandem stroller has?! ONE BLEEPING CUP HOLDER!!! EV and/or Commodore have two in the front and the back has one...AND...its in the middle for grabby hands...who in the blazes thinks up these things?!
Excuse the dust...we just finished updating our garage...something I never knew was so much of a necessity and has completed all my storage loving dreams.
This picture is just to you how thick (giggle) the console piece is on the stroller and you can't just slip through straps that are traditionally on storage organizers that you'd order.
Which brings me to THIS purchase. Because the "cup holder"on the stroller is large and thick, it is almost impossible to attach a separate organizer too it and it is too thick for clip-on's (I am giggling way too much over my over usage of the word 'thick'). None of our organizers fit. We liked this one from Amazon because it came with alternate ways that you could attach the organizer. The reviews were excellent, and as you can see, we had to utilize the other straps they sent us to assure that the organizer could fit on the stroller and it does! And comfortably too. We practiced walking around the neighborhood to see if it moved around a lot and it worked wonderfully. I was just happy that the organizer fit since we had a couple others from our other strollers that we tried and it was to no avail.
There are just enough pockets to not make it bulky and the cup holders are awesome. Whatever the fabric is on the inside of them grips to the cup so that it won't move the cup and slosh around its contents too much. Yes, it covers up the other cup holder a smidge, but you can still get a cup in there.
Obviously with a cup filled to the brim of beer means that its contents may still spill around and I do not want to destroy the organizer on one or two trips, so we purchased THESE insulated cups. It holds 20ozs of liquid, keeps beverages hot or cold, and the lip is designed so that when drinking, it will not spill down your face onto your clothing (score). I love getting a nice prosecco either at France or Italy and have no shame pouring it into one of these cups for it to stay chilled.
My assistant has a new hairdo
I know I talk about THESE stroller clip-on fans all the time, but recently I have been seeing a lot of people carrying around THESE. First off-there is not strap for your neck, but they are really small so you can just throw them back into the stroller or into one of the pockets on the organizer. A girlfriend of mine recently cameb back from Universal and she said the biggest drawback of going into the parks was the heat while wearing a mask. We actually bought three of these (one of which our friends could use) and instead of getting the battery operated ones, we got the rechargeable USB because of all the charging pods that we carry with us. There are several different modes of the fan (low, medium, high), they work excellent and the handle bends so that you can put it on a table and it sits upright. I thought this would be great when we are all eating and snacking outdoors in Epcot. I have no idea why we never purchased one of these before as I definitely think it is a staple and even so more now with masks.
He just loves showing you all all the new purchases...my own personal Vanna
I talked about THESE briefly in my What's in My Diaper Bag post. Since my best frend and his partner do not have kids yet, we do not want to constantly ask about where to dispose the diapers, so having travel diaper bags with us will keep the both of us from feeling we are imposing and smelling up their house with diapers that they normally would not be have in their home. I also bought a package of refills on Amazon as well as a package of 6 were about $8 and each "roll" comes with 72 bags.
I actually had to get a new waterproof pouch for my phone since I just ridiculously noticed that my Galaxy Note is considerably larger than my Galaxy S9 and my old pouch no longer fits this phone. I actually got two. They both fit the phone, but THIS one fit better. The second (it is not even worth tagging) fits and actually locks better (its easier not that the other is faulty or anything), but it creates an air bubble and you are unable to access your screen easy if you have a case and a pop socket, both of which I do. The one pictured below although you have to really press down on the picture button it will eventually take the picture....kind of important in the grand scheme of things. I am open to other options if you all have one and it will fit my gargantuan phone.
The biggest purchase, but you couldn't beat the reviews were THESE inflatable toddler beds. Our travel bassinet no longer fits Commodore comfortably and our friends bed is either a Queen or a Full, so sleeping with EV is going to be tight quarters so we just ordered two. We were considering a Queen inflatable, but one, one that was going to last was just as much money and two, we were not positive that a queen would fit in their spare bedroom. These two beds would always us to maneuver them comfortably and plus they are not used to sleeping together, so we were not even sure if the queen mattress would work out at all even if it did fit. I cannot give too much insight as they are getting delivered Monday, but I am pretty excited and crib sheets fit it so we do not even have to worry about buying new sheets.
I will be doing a blog post (as per usual) of what we are packing since we are actually planning on the parks this time and obviously outfits since I do like good theme. We often go straight into the park when we drive in, so I tend to have car outfits and park outfits so that they are comfy in their seats. The biggest different will be the snacks. SInce obvisouly my best friend does not have a sundries in his house lol, I will want to make sure that the kids have plenty of snacks and nightime munchies, expecially if they end up not eating a lot in the park. I will be picking up things that do not need to be refrigerated and just keeping it in a cooler bag in the back of the car so that the elements do not get at it.
I am both beyond excited to be back in the parks again as I miss the Disney magic a great deal, but of course I am concerned because although EV wears a mask and is never overly bothered by it, the Commodore does not so the kids best interest is always at the forefront of our minds. With that being said I will of course also have an extensive blog post of the best way to safely navigate the parks when you are still concerned about the pandemic. For those not aware, the CDC just opened up somecrazy guideline that if you are out in the open in public spaces, you do not have to wear a mask. Although I feel a certain way about this in certain spaces, I am concerned that this just got released before our Disney trip. Without a doubt, there are going to be some people that are going to consider Disney outside and regardless of it being a "private" setting they are going to want to walk around without masks. Goal: stay clear of these people.
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