Put on your Disney Cruise Vacation Pants: Re-positioning Cruise Edition

| My Vacation Pants
Meeting Captain Mickey on our recent Disney Cruise -2016

The My Vacation Pants family just got back from a Disney Cruise around the Caribbean.  Read on to find out how you can book a Disney Cruise for about $600 a person and join in on the Disney themed vacation fun.





Trip Overview
A couple of months ago I woke up and checked my e-mail like I do every morning.  I subscribe to tons of internet travel websites.  Travelocity was having a 24 hour cruise sale.  I clicked on the link not thinking much about it, but lo and behold they had a killer deal listed on a Disney Cruise.  I have not been able to afford a Disney Cruise since I worked at Disneyland 10 years ago.  The cruise prices listed were as low as when I worked for the Disney Company and got a HUGE Cast Member discount, plus they were offering a $200 on board credit per state room if you booked through Travelocity.  I felt a flutter in my heart knowing that if I booked this cruise, I could finally take my kids on a Disney Cruise. The cruise was a re-positioning cruise.  Re-positioning cruises are great because the boat is moving to a new port for a season of sailings, but they want to make money while they are moving the ship, so they give some amazing deals to fill an otherwise empty boat.  Disney Cruise Line does many re-positioning cruises throughout the year, but never while I am off of work on a break from teaching, so I had to snatch that deal up.

Trip Itinerary

Overall this was a 10 day, 9 night trip.  We had to fly to get to our embarkation port in Galveston, TX.  We spent a couple of days in Texas, then we were on the cruise for 6 nights.  We disembarked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I would have loved to spend a couple more days in Puerto Rico, but I had to get back to work, so we only spent one night there.  

Day 1: Flew from Long Beach, CA to Austin, TX.  We stayed at a hotel by the airport since we got in late.  
Day 2:  Traveled to Galveston, TX by rental car
Day 3: Departed from Galveston, TX on our cruise
Day 4/5/6: At Sea aboard the Disney Wonder
Day 7: St. Thomas – U.S. Virgin Island
Day 8: Tortola – British Virgin Island
Day 9: Disembarked ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Day 10:  Traveled Home

MVP (My Vacations Pants) Trip Tip: Don’t always think you HAVE to fly out the day of the cruise and fly right back the day your cruise ends.  We extended our vacation by three days and saw some amazing things by extending our trip.  We also saved money on airfare because we didn’t fly in/out when everyone else did from the cruise ship.

Trip Budget

We booked at the right time.  Disney Cruises are known for being extremely expensive.  Because this one was a re-positioning cruise leaving right after New Years, it was a great deal.  This was definitely an expensive vacation for us, but still worth the extra expense.  

  • Airfare to Austin, Texas – $134 from Long Beach, CA on Jet Blue Airlines. We found it on Google Flights.  Check out my other blog post on that. 
  • Airfare from San Juan – $191 to Los Angeles, CA.  We booked directly with American Airlines, but again found the flight on Google Flights.
  • Rental Car – We rented a one way car rental from Austin, TX to Galveston, TX on rentalcars.com for $193.  It costs a lot of money to rent a one way rental sometimes, but it is much cheaper then shuttling your whole family to the cruise terminal, plus it gives you freedom to explore along the way.  Compare the differences and make the best choice for your family.
  • Gas for the rental car – You can estimate how much gas you are going to use on a trip by using https://www.fueleconomy.gov/.  Gas was pretty cheap in Texas.  We are talking $1.72 a gallon.  Amazing to a Californian like myself.  We paid about $20 for gas on our trip.  
  • Cruise – We paid $2592 for our stateroom of 4 people.  We stayed in an oceanview room.  We also booked through a cruise sale on Travelocity that gave us a $200 shipboard credit to spend on whatever we wanted on board, so that works out to $598 a person.  That’s right folks.  Unless you work for the Disney Company, that is unheard of for a 6 night Disney Cruise ocean view room.  
MVP Trip Tip: Shop around for your cruises.  We booked through Disney Cruise Line first, and then I found the cruise cheaper on Travelocity.  Disney let me cancel my reservation and book with Travelocity, but I got all the same perks as booking with Disney.  
  • Cruise Gratuities- On all cruises you pay gratuities at the end of your cruise stay instead of tipping each day.  Disney Cruise Lines automatically adds your gratuities to your credit card on file the last night of the cruise.  They work out to about $11 a night per person.  Not a bad deal in my opinion.  You are tipping your servers, your stateroom host/ess (they clean your stateroom twice a day), and your head server (he is like the manager at a restaurant).  I know I tip more than that for one meal sometimes.  For our whole family of four we paid $264 in gratuities for the entire length of the cruise.   
  • Taxis- We choose to do our own shore excursions rather than pay for an overpriced one through the cruise line, so we do research ahead of a time and take taxis from the cruise terminal to where we want to go.  We spent about $132 dollars to tote our family around the islands we visited.  Pretty good considering those shore excursions start at $80 a person.  We also took a taxi in San Juan to our hotel.  That was $20 for all four of us.  Then we took an early morning taxi from the hotel to the airport the next day.  That was $25 dollars for all four of us.  My hubby also had to drop off our rental car in Galveston, Texas and found out that Enterprise Rental Car did not shuttle to the terminal.  He ended up getting an Uber which he paid for on his phone, but a couple other Disney Cruise Dads who were dropping off their rental cars shared a car with him and he ended up getting a free ride.  The grand total on taxis for the trip was $177 for a family of four.
MVP Trip Tip: Sometimes renting a one way rental car is way cheaper than booking an airport shuttle or taking a taxi.  Make sure you do your research beforehand.  
  • Hotel – We stayed in a three different hotels on this trip before and after our cruise.  I will go in to detail in the section below.  The total was $371.
  • Activities – 
    • San Juan Castillos – Children 15 and under are FREEEEEE!  It was only $5 bucks for adults for both the historic castillo sites in Old San Juan.  So $10 for the fam bam (family, you’ll start to get my secret language the more you read) to get inside.  
    • Saint Thomas – We tipped a guy $5 to watch our stuff on the beach while we snorkeled (we always bring our own equipment to save money).  We didn’t really bring any valuables, but it didn’t hurt to help the locals out.  He also let us use their restaurants restrooms and showers, so that was cool too. 
    • Tortola – We went to a beach for FREE.  
    • Cruise Activities (movies, theater shows, swimming, shows, trivia contests, dancing, parties, dinners, comedians, magicians, jugglers, character breakfasts etc.  – INCLUDED IN CRUISE COST
Trip Grand Total – $4912  This total is based on a family of four.  Two adults and two children (age 7 and 5 at time of our travels).


MVP Trip Tip:  We have several ways of financing our vacations.  We tend to go without during our day-to-day lives.  No new furniture.  We don’t really care about remodeling our house as long as it is safe and comfortable to live in.  We love hand me downs, thrift stores, and yard sales.  That’s just how we choose to live our life.  We know it’s not for everyone, but it is definitely how we afford to travel as much as we do.  See what you can live without and plan the trip of a lifetime.  

Trip Lodging

  • Staybridge Suites Austin Airport – located in Austin, TX.  This was your typical airport hotel.  It was clean, close to the airport, and affordable.  I was bummed they didn’t run their hotel shuttle past 10 P.M.  This made us have to rent our rental car a day early and drove that trip cost up a bunch.  But once we were there it was quite nice.  We booked it on Hotwire. Check out my other blog post to get tips on how to book with them.  What makes it special: It is an all suite hotel.  It had a kitchenette, great water pressure, a seating area, and TEXAS SHAPED WAFFLES!  Hello?!!!  
Texas shaped waffles at the Staybridge Suites in Austin, TX -2016

  • Holiday Inn Resort – located in Galveston, TX  – This place was quite beautiful and right across the street from the ocean.  The room had a fridge and a microwave.  A beautiful pool area that we didn’t get to use because we got there late and left early.  They had a free shuttle to the cruise terminal.  Make sure you make a reservation the night before.   What makes it special:  The staff was very friendly.  The balcony in our ocean view room was quite spectacular.  It was very clean and comfortable.  
    The fantastic balcony at Holiday in Resort in Galveston, TX – 2016

  • Ocean View Disney Cruise Stateroom – Our home for 6 glorious nights. Disney Cruise Line knows how to make a stateroom.  Adorable decorations, large for a stateroom, the toilet room is separate from the shower room, bunk beds for the kids, fridge, a queen sized bed that seemed a little bigger then a queen to me, comfortable mattress, Mickey themed toiletries, towel animals, and the list goes on and on.  We just loved it.  What makes it special:  Well, for starters you’re on a Disney Cruise, so everything is special.  We have been on many cruise lines, but Disney just knows how to make it magical.  You get to know your stateroom host/ess and your kids can watch Disney shows all day and night if you want.  They even have Wave Phones (portable phones) you can use throughout the ship, so you don’t rack up hefty roaming charges on your cell phone.  
    Special gift because we have taken more than
    one Disney Cruise.
    This was our 4th one. -2016
    The shower room. – 2016



    The toilet room. – 2016


    Shot from the stateroom door. 
    One of our two portholes. -2016


     

    Privacy curtains.  The kids loved using this at night. Wink, wink. – 2016



    Elephant towel animal. – 2016

    Monkey Towel Animal. – 2016


    MVP Trip Tip:  Think about staying on the first level on your next cruise.  We did on this trip and absolutely loved it.  There was never a long wait for the elevator because the only thing on our floor was the infirmary.  We got see the water slap against our stateroom window.  It was less crowded.  When you stay in staterooms on floors with the kids clubs and movie theaters you get a lot more traffic down your hallway.  We had a pretty quiet stay down there.  An added bonus is that these staterooms are usually cheaper than higher levels.  You can view a map of your ship when you book your cruise online, so you can pick accordingly.  Also ,try to stay in a stateroom that is mid-ship.  You can get to everything quicker, and you feel the motion of the ocean less.  
  • Chateau Cervantes –  located in Old San Juan Puerto Rico.  This quaint little hotel was spectacular.  I haven’t been to Europe since I was a small child, but it had the look and feel of a quaint little European hotel.  We booked through booking.com.  What makes it special:  It is right in the middle of the Old San Juan area.  We walked to the Castillos and dinner with the kids and grandparents and it wasn’t bad at all.  It is an old building with lots of charm.  The rooms were huge.  The service was fantastic.  It was a great stay for sure.  

    This was a shot of hotel we got from the streets below. 

    The cute little balcony.

    A shot of the room.  They had a king
    sized bed for us
    and pull out sofa for the kids.  

    My son helped me get a shot of the other side of balcony view. 



Trip Activities

  • Cruise Activities – So Disney Cruise Line has no shortage of activities for families to enjoy together.  There is so much to do you have to plan what you want to do ahead of time and pick what you want to do the most.  I downloaded the Disney Cruise Line App ahead of time.  Once you are on board, you turn your phone on airplane mode and connect to the ship’s wi-fi and it will only let you connect to their app.  The app was great  because you can set up your schedule of events you want to do and it will send you reminders before they start.  You can also text other people that are on the ship with you through the app as well.  For people who like to plan the old fashioned way with paper and pencil, they have something called the Personal Navigator that you can carry around with you and go to all the different activities the ship has to offer.  Here is a list and photos of some of the stuff we chose to do:  


    • Movie Theater – I think a personal touch that the Disney Cruise Line has to offer is they have a separate movie theater from the show theater.  All day long it plays first run movies.  On our particular cruise we got to see: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Ant Man, and Bridge of Spies.  It was so fun getting to see these movies at sea.  

    • Trivia and Game Shows – The Disney Wonder (the name of our ship) had a wonderful cruise activity director who led several trivia and game show type activities.  We had a blast going around to the different pubs, bars, and taverns participating in the games.  I think I enjoyed the TV Show Tunes Trivia the best.  We always came in 2nd place though.  They should come up with a way to make sure people don’t cheat because I am pretty sure other teams cheated, but what are you gonna do?  We had fun anyway.  I am too honest to stretch the truth.  I know that we won in my heart.
    • Theater Shows – They have a spectacular Broadway style theater on board.  We got to see Disney style theater productions.  They perform a different show every night.  They also played Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the large theater in 3D.  That was a fun treat.  With the boat swaying it felt like we were actually on the Millennium Falcon.  They also had a ventriloquist act, a magician, and our personal favorite, a professional juggler.  


      Charles Peachock – World Class Juggling Super Star – 2016
    • Swimming – Our ship had a kid pool area, a family pool area, and an adult only area.  We found that if we went swimming in the evening before dinner we often got the pool to ourselves.  They have a waterslide and pool side treats.  All included in the cost of the cruise.  
      The Kid Pool on the Disney Wonder. – 2016


      The adults only section of the pool.  Downside.  It was always crowded.  – 2016


      They have a 24 hour beverage bar by the pool stocked with soda, hot chocolate, and teas. -2016
      Waterslide Time. -2016
      My kids called this the Kid Hot Tub. -2016


      See that! That’s my kids in the kid pool all by themselves. – 2016
    • Oceaneer’s Club and Oceaneer’s Lab Kid Programs – For ages 3-17 they have youth programming on the ship.  We have a five year old and a seven year old, so they were able to participate in both the Oceaneer’s Club and the Oceaneer’s Lab.  You register your child and they give them a bracelet to wear for the length of the cruise.  You can give them check in and check out privileges if they are older.  We told our seven year old daughter that they could have the staff message us on our wave phones when they wanted to be picked up.  The kids definitely had a great time in their programming.  They have several different events listed in the Personal Navigator or on the app to help you plan your kiddos’ days.  While they are off enjoying the program’s activities, you can enjoy some adult programming as well.  

      In the club they have a huge pirate
      themed play structure. -2016
      They have an open house for the parents, so we could check out the area. -2016

      The lab has video games, science experiments, and cooking classes.  -2016

      My daughter at the lab. -2016

    • And much, much more!!!  Check out the other activities you can do on the ship through pictures.  
      They have an arcade.  Not free, but fun. -2016


      Character Meet and Greets for much shorter waits than at the Disney Parks. -2016


      Opportunities to mimic you favorite Disney Characters.  -2016


      They have tons of board games around the bars and lounges.  We snuck in a heated game of Scrabble. -2016


      Pirates IN the Caribbean deck parties with stunt and fireworks shows. -2016  


      Character Breakfasts. -2016


      Playing shuffleboard is a must on any cruise you go on.-2016  
      Plenty of hidden Mickeys to find around the ship.-2016
  • Snorkeling- We are a huge fan of snorkeling.  It is such a cool way to see wildlife and it is so relaxing as well.  My husband and I would love to get our diving certificates too, but we aren’t quite there yet.  Meanwhile, snorkeling keeps us happy.  Here is where we snorkeled on this particular trip.  
    • St. Thomas, Coki Point Beach – We have actually been here before and had a fantastic experience, so we wanted to go back.  Especially since we were teaching our 5 year old and our 7 year old how to snorkel for the first time.  We love how protected the cove is.  There are very small waves.  The reefs are in shallow water and they are easy to get to.  It is busy when cruise ships are in port, but it wasn’t too bad.  It was about a 20 minute taxi drive to Coki Point and we got a spectacular view of the island while driving there.  One more thing to note:  The taxi is basically some benches welded to the back of a truck bed.  It was a little scary, but still a fun adventure.  We noticed that the expensive shore excursions from the boat were taking the same type of taxi, so it was still worth doing it on our own.  


We got a clear view snorkel boat for the kids on Amazon. -2016


Success, our kids loved snorkeling. -2016


We got kid sized snorkel kits at Target before we left. -2016


Checking out the fish. -2016




Cool coral formations. -2016


Parrot Fish. Up close and personal. -2016


Look at all the fish. Woohoo! -2016
    • Tortola, Brewer’s Bay – Again, we took about a 20 minute taxi to the secluded bay.  This time we were in an enclosed taxi van with seat belts, but it was filled to the brim with passengers and he said the kids had to sit on a lap to a get a discount.  The drive down to the bay was a single road and it was an amazing sight to see, but again a little scary.  We could see the blue, clear water from the bay below and it looked fantastic. When we got there, we noticed the waves were a little rougher than Coki Point.  Still small compared to non protected bays, but it definitely affected our ability to see as much while snorkeling.  This was more of a play in the sand, swim, and sun type beach.  We had a blast though.  
      Jungle Beach – 2016

      Had to make this one extra big, so you could see how secluded and beautiful Brewer’s Bay was. -2016

      Getting ready to snorkel.

      Adventure awaits. 

  • San Juan Castillos – We had one day to explore Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We dropped off our luggage to the hotel, got some info from the front desk person, and were on our way.  We had no idea how close the hotel was to San Juan Castillos.  The Castillos are old fortresses that were built in the 1600s to keep out armies from trying to attack the port of San Juan.  The fortress was even used in World War II to spy on enemy submarines.  It is pretty much the oldest architecture I have ever seen and it was so beautiful and cool.  It is a must see if you ever visit Puerto Rico.  We took a free shuttle to the other castillo and when we were done took the shuttle back to our hotel.  
    The tunnels of the Castillo San Cristobal. -2016
    The front of Castillo San Felipe del Morro -2016

    Pretty warm for a January day, but well worth the trip. – 2016

    The lighthouse was added later.  -2016

    A lookout with a view. -2016

    In the courtyard.  One of our kiddos was a little tuckered out. -2016



    Trip Eats

    • Waffle House- Austin, TX – I don’t know if you have ever been to a Waffle House, but this was quite a step up from a normal 24 hour diner.  The strawberry waffles with buttery hashbrowns satiated our late night cravings.  
    • Disney Cruise Dining – So we did most of our dining on the Disney Cruise.  You can basically eat all you want, all day long, all night long, and it is all included in the cost of your cruise fare.  Here are some of the highlights that the Disney Wonder has to offer.
      • Parrot’s Cay – When you enter your stateroom the first day, there are tickets telling you what dining rotation you are on for the evening dinners.  Don’t miss these dinners. These are five course meals with the creme de la creme of food.  You get to pick from a special themed menu each night.  Your servers are happy to give recommendations.  Vicki and Jimmy were our servers for the week and they treated us like royalty.  We couldn’t get enough of them.  Our first evening we ate in one of the three dining establishments called Parrot’s Cay.  It is a tropical themed dining experience.  Also, every night they have a special kid’s menu for the kids, so they enjoy the dinner as much as you do.  The first night was a Caribbean themed menu.  Yum. 
        The lobby of Parrot’s Cay on the Disney Wonder -2016
      • Triton’s – The next night we ate in Triton’s.  The restaurant has beautiful architecture and has a fancier feel then the other two restaurants.  The 2nd night was a French themed cuisine.  And yes our fantastic server Vicki brought out plenty of Escargot for the table to try.  The Creme Brulee was my favorite dish of the night. We also ate a couple of sit down lunches in this restaurant as well.  
        The holy grail of menus. With my inlaws happily ready to order. – 2016

        They do have one formal night on the cruise.  This is as formal as we get. -2016

        My favorite dessert ever.  Creme Brulee. -2016

        Our beloved servers for the week…Jimmy and Vicki.  Request them if you are ever on the Disney Wonder.  You won’t be disappointed.  -2016
        The ceiling at Triton’s had 2 giant hidden Mickeys. –  2016
      • Animator’s Palette – This restaurant is our favorite because it is a built-in show and restaurant.  At the beginning of the meal, everything is decorated in black and white, but by dessert the restaurant is full of color.  Even the servers change their clothes mid-dinner to add to the splendor. 
        Our kidlets at Animator’s Palette. – 2016

        The restaurant changing form black and white to color. – 2016

        The servers always do a fun little show every night.  As you can tell from this pic we were the loudest, most excited table.  – 2016
      • Other Eats Around the Ship – The Beach Blanket Buffet is always a good option.  They have a fantastic selection, and I’m not much of buffet person.  They had sandwich bars, taco bars, and soup bars.  It was fun.  Pinocchio’s Pizzeria is open until midnight.  They pretty much serve really great tasting pizza all day and all night long.  An added bonus here is they serve cheese stuffed pretzels and soft salted pretzels that taste just like the ones in the park.  We may have had MANY helpings of that.  Goofy’s Galley offers some healthier options like salads, wraps, and fruit.  They have a soft serve ice cream machine.  There is also a fast food place where you can get burgers, chicken fingers, fries, and more.  I am addicted to Disney chicken fingers.  How do they make it taste so good?  
        These are the best chicken fingers you will ever lay your taste buds on. -2016

        Ice Cream Party – 2016

        Cobb Salad for a sit down lunch at Triton’s.

        Cheese stuffed pretzels poolside. 
    • Cafe Puerto Rico – The hotel recommended we try this little gem when we were in Old San Juan.  It was a great choice.  They sat our party of 8 immediately and took really good care of us.  I had a skirt steak Mofongo, a Puerto Rican specialty with rice and salad.  It was right in the middle of the downtown area and exits out to the cobblestone streets.  

    Of course this was the vacation of a lifetime and isn’t something we can afford to do over and over again, BUT I highly recommend you scour the internet for deals on Disney Cruises like I did because it is pretty much the most glamorous, relaxing, and luxurious vacation this little family has ever taken.  Money well spent.  

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    Trip Links

    https://www.google.com/flights/
    http://www.nps.gov/saju/index.htm
    https://www.travelocity.com/
    https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/
    http://www.booking.com/

    Put on your Hotwire Hotel Deal Vacation Pants

    | My Vacation Pants
    Hotel Rosedale in Bakersfield, CA.  Found for only $45 bucks a night on Hotwire. 

    This time My Vacation Pants teaches you how to find super cheap “secret” hotels using Hotwire.com.  Read on to find out how easy it is to find a deal on a hotel anywhere you want to travel to. 


    It’s time to start teaching you all how to find some great hotel deals on the internet.  One website I have used many, many times is called Hotwire.  The premise of Hotwire is that you select your criteria, dates, location, star level, and they give you a list of several “secret” hotels.  You select the one that looks most appealing, and only after you enter your credit card information and pay for it do they reveal the name of the hotel.  Scary, I know.  I was a little hesitant to try this website at first as well.  I thought, surely, they are tricking me.  They say I am only paying $49 a night for a three star, but it will turn out to be a dump for sure.  Well after years of using Hotwire to book my hotels, I am happy to say that I have found countless deals at otherwise unaffordable hotels.  The site works.  However, you do have to know your way around the website, so I’ll walk you through how to book a killer hotel deal.  


    Step 1:  Go to www.hotwire.com and click on the hotel tab. 


    MVP (My Vacation Pants) Travel Tip:  The website offers hotels, rental cars, and flights, but I have always found the best deals using the hotel function.  I have also rented cars through hotwire a couple times too, but I seem to find better deals when I book my flights, hotels, and rental cars separately, and not together.  

    Go ahead and fill in your information.  Put in a destination, dates, number of rooms, and number of people.  When my kids were babies, I would just put two people in, but now that they are older I count them.  They guarantee a sleeping space for each person you list.  So if you want two beds, you are going to to need to put at least three people in to the search engine.  I have made the mistake of just putting in two people and we get to the hotel to find out they only have rooms with one queen bed.  You can sometimes find cheaper deals for only two people, but it is worth paying a little extra to make sure you have a spot for everyone.  Now ,click the big red button.  

    Step 2:  Now let me show you how to select the perfect hotel.  I stay in Anaheim, CA a lot because we got to Disneyland a lot, so that is the search criteria I put in for this example.  I also selected four people.  This is what came up.  


    The list on the left hand side will list Hotwire’s Top Picks first.  Sometimes it is a great deal, but you can do better.  Go ahead and make sure the tab on the top says you are on the hot rate hotels page, then right below it click “sort by” and then click “price: low to high”.  This will now list your hotels in order from absolute cheapest to most expensive.  

    Also, if you are not familiar with the area you are booking a hotel in, there is a map of regions on the right.  You can click the highlighted green area, and only the hotels in that area will show up on the left. You can select more then one region, so keep selecting until you have all the areas you would choose.  I usually leave it open because sometimes it is worth driving 30 minutes or so for a great deal.  Sometimes you have to be close because you don’t have a car, so choose accordingly.  


    So after changing my filter and making my list in order from cheapest to most expensive, I scrolled past all the one and two star hotels until I hit the first three star or higher hotel.  Wow!  I just found a three star hotel near Disneyland (Buena Park is the city next to Anaheim), for only 50 bucks a night.  But before you book it, there are some more things to look for before selecting a secret hotel.  First, make sure it is listed as the star level you prefer.  I find that the Hotwire hotels we have booked are well rated, and do seem to match the star level listing.  We have been burned picking star levels lower then three, but if we stay in the three stars above we are usually happy.  Now you can be dangerous and book a two and half star and get some amazing deals, but make sure you look at the percentage recommended.  If it is lower than 85 percent, don’t do it.  Or be daring and do it, sometimes you can find a hidden little gem by taking a risk.  It’s up to you.

    Okay back to my find, notice that this is an all-suites hotel (that is super exciting because that means every room will have a kitchenette, a couch, and bed, so that is fun).  Also notice, it has free internet, and free parking listed in its amenities section.  If it is not listed as free they may charge for parking and internet.  Now the only thing that could spice this deal up a little more is being closer to Disneyland and having free breakfast.  Let’s continue to scroll.  


    Here is one on the list that is $69 a night, but it is much closer to Disneyland.  It has free internet and free parking, but still lacks free breakfast.  It does have a high rating, but not enough to tempt me.


    I scrolled a little more and found two that have free internet, free parking, and free breakfast, but I wouldn’t book this because they are way more expensive than my $50 find, and it’s only 30 percent recommended.  I wouldn’t risk it with ratings that low.  


    This could be an option if I needed free breakfast and wanted to be closer.  I can feed my family breakfast for less than $32 dollars a night though, so I would probably pass. 


    This is the cheapest three and half star option.  I understand some people (A.K.A. my mother in-law) don’t like booking lower then a certain star level.  I get it.  Live it up, but please get a good deal.  


    Here are some affordable 4 star options.


    And for those of you that have to have a 5 star stay, you can book these for normally $500 – $800 night rooms for much cheaper.  Even rich people want a good deal, right? 

    So all in all, I would stick with my initial find of $50 a night for an all suite hotel, with free parking and free breakfast, and with good reviews.  





    Step 3:  Book your hotel.  Go ahead and click on the hotel in the list.  The above screen will pop up.  It gives you an idea of what possible hotel brands you might get.  If you are still comfortable with the names listed, go ahead and click book now.  Now look at the picture below,  it also gives you a list of hotel features, and a chance to upgrade to a room you would like.  It’s usually cheapest to let the hotel choose your room for you.  Remember, they will give you enough sleeping places for the number you listed in your room search, so if you put four people, you‘re not going to get a room with just a queen bed.  I know it seems stressful to choose the unknown, but I‘m telling you, it works.  


    One final thing you can check before you book your secret hotel is the Trip Advisor ratings that are listed on the site.  Trip Advisor is one of my favorite travel sites because it gathers reviews and gives pretty accurate ratings for a hotel (I’ll do a Trip Advisor post in the future).  Sometimes I cross check the site to see if I can figure out what hotel it might be. If I go to Trip Advisor and look up the three star Buena Park All Suite Hotels that have three and half circles, then compare the amenities available, I can often figure out the secret.  This is for those of you that just can’t stand the unknown.  As I said before, I know it is hard to book blind, but with this little trick you may not have to.  You are definitely lowering the risk factor with a little detective work.  If you’re still comfortable, go ahead and click “book now.”

      
    At this time, Hotwire will ask you to sign in to your account, or sign up for an account.  This is what the final page before booking looks like.  Make sure you check that the rate is correct.  Also, this is the first time they will show you how much your room will be with taxes and fees.  $10 dollars is not bad at all.  If the hotel charges a resort fee, it will tell you that you pay that directly to the hotel once you get there.  Another plus about this hotel is that even though it is in a resort area, it does not charge a resort fee.  Awesome!


    Click “book now”.  Your credit card will be charged and your hotel will be booked.

    Now, the name of your hotel will be revealed.  Voila, this is what I got.  Looks nice to me!  You can now check out the listing on Trip Advisor for the hotel you booked to make sure you got a deal.  Which, from the looks of it, I did!!! 

    Still not convinced? Take a look at the list of past hotel purchases we have made on Hotwire:

    • Holiday Inn Resort, Galveston, TX, three stars, $77 a night, January 2016
      Super nice pool right across from the ocean.


      The pier is nearby too.  Phil is pointing out his excitement.



      Look at the view from our balcony. #handsome



      We definitely got a pool view.


      Combined with an ocean view.  Nice. 


      This is the view from the corridor.  We were getting on that Disney Cruise Ship in the distance. 
    • Staybridge Suites – Austin Airport, Austin, TX, three stars, $84 a night, January 2016
      The kids eating breakfast from their couch bed.


      Gotta love a breakfast bar with Texas shaped malted waffles. 
    • Hotel Rosedale, Bakersfield, CA, three stars, $45 a night, December 2015
      Great Breakfast.  Malted waffles make me happy. 

      The hotel corridors were unique.

      Yep, that’s a teeter totter at a hotel.  


      The pool area.  Nice hot tub. 


      The patio area with a pool view.
    • Hyatt Place, Phoenix, AZ, three stars, $65 a night, December 2015
      Phil had a brothers night.  A perfect place for a bro getaway. 
    • ALO Hotel by Ayres, Garden Grove, CA, 3 and 1/2 stars, $80 a night, October 2015
    • Crowne Plaza, San Diego, CA, 3 and 1/2 stars, $89 a night, July 2015


      My daughter enjoying a book in the comfy bed. 
    • Best Western Plus – Flathead Lake, Kallispell, MT – 2 and a 1/2 stars, $99 a night, June 2015
      This place was great.  They had cheese blintzes at breakfast and a great view. 
    • Wyndham – Anaheim Garden Grove, CA, 3 and 1/2 stars, $79 a night, April 2015
      Once I found out that I had gotten this place on Hotwire, I called and asked if they would upgrade us to the bunk bed rooms, and lo and behold, they did!
    • Best Western Casa Grande, Arroyo Grande, CA, 2 stars, $85 a night, March 2015
      Cute little breakfast nook area.


      The lobby was super amazing looking.


      The grand stair case in the lobby. 
    • Desert Palms Hotel and Suites, Anaheim, CA, 3 stars, $66 a night, January 2015
    • Aquarius Casino Resort, Laughlin, NV, 3 and a 1/2 stars, $35 a night, November 2014
    • Holiday Inn Express, San Diego, CA, 3 stars, $65 a night, October 2014
      Any hotel that  has a  bed that can fit a family of 4 for a selfie is a friend of ours.
    • Ayres Suites, Corona, CA, 3 and a 1/2 stars, $55 a night, August 2014
    • Embassy Suites, Brea, CA, 3 and a half stars, $69 a night, July 2014
      We love Embassy Suites.  They all have an amazing jungle atrium lobbies with fantastic breakfasts and they are an all suite hotels.  Plus this time, they upgraded us for free.  Nice touch.  
    • Holiday Inn Express, Show Low, CA, 3 stars, $70 a night, March 2014
      We enjoyed the inside bridge between the buildings.


      Totem Pole
      It also had a small little playground.  Great for young kiddos. 



    • Prescott Hotel and Conference Center, Prescott, AZ, 3 and 1/2 stars, $69 a night, March 2014
      Hanging poolside.


      Sweet indoor pool that we got all to ourselves.


      Enjoying the hotel furniture.


      This was the view from the back terrace of the hotel.  Prescott is beautiful.  It sits on a hilltop, so you can see everything.


      Look a this kid.  He’s so cool, and so is the nice bed.
    • Luxor Resort, Las Vegas, NV, 4 stars, $34 a night, July 2013
      The lobby.

      In front of the hotel.


      Poolside.
      What a steal!  My mom got us an upgrade for $34 bucks a night.  Cheapest I’ve ever paid for a 4 star hotel.
    • Colton Inn, Monterey, CA, 2 and a 1/2 stars, $102 a night, June 2013
    • Holiday Inn, Santa Maria, CA, 3 stars, $64 a night, June 2013
      My bro in law made some killer breakfast burritos here. 


      Huge rooms. 
    • Ramada, Hagerstown, MD, 3 stars, $56 a night, March 2013
    • Doubletree Hotel, Wilmington, DE, 3 and a 1/2 stars, $66 a night, March 2013
    • Best Western Plus – Chincoteague Island, VA, 2 and a 1/2 stars, $54 a night, March 2013
      The kiddos insist on making little beds out of hotel furniture. 


      Chincoteague Island is known for their wild ponies that roam the island.  We found some Un-wild ponies across the street from the hotel. 
    • The Padre Hotel – Bakersfield, CA, 3 and a 1/2 stars, $56 a night, December 2012
      This was such a cool hotel.  It was an old hotel all glammed up for a new age.
    • Best Western Seven Seas, San Diego, CA, 3 stars, $45 a night, December 2012
      Sometimes, if you are real sweet, they will upgrade you to a suite with a hot tub.  That’s always fun.  
    • Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel, Buena Park, CA, 3 and a 1/2 stars, $55 a night, November 2012
    • Sheraton Hotel, Cerritos, CA, 3 and a 1/2 stars, $66 a night, April 2012

    Well, there you have it.  What are you waiting for?  Go book a hotel and then come back and tell me about the amazing deal(s) you found! 

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    Put on your Treehouse Hotel Vacation Pants

    | My Vacation Pants
    Out ‘n About Treesort located in Talkilma, Oregon. -2011

    The Vacation Pants family goes on a unique trip to Medford Oregon.  Included in this budget friendly trip are stays in a treehouse resort, beach hikes, Star Wars filming locations and, good food.


    Trip Overview
    This is probably the trip that I get asked about the most.  Interestingly enough we took this trip in March of 2011, right after I had our second child, Luke.  He was only five months old at the time.  It was our first BIG trip as a new family of four.  I was working part-time and we had very little money.  We got some money back from our tax refund (a great way to take a trip) and we wanted to use the money to go somewhere far, but cheap.  Using Google Flights, we found the cheapest possible place to fly during our time off. (This is how we plan a lot of our trips.  More on that later). In this case, a flight to the town of Medford, Oregon popped up for $138 round trip, including all taxes and fees.  We knew nothing about the area, but we were intrigued.  With airfare that cheap, we could take a week long trip for less than our tax refund. So we looked to see what there is to do in and around Medford, Oregon.  That is when we found the Out ‘n About Treesort in Talkilma.  The treesort is located about an hour outside of Medford.  We were amazed that we could stay in a real treehouse, so that sold the trip for us.  We ended up renting a car and doing a little road trip around Southern Oregon and Northern California that I will go in to great detail about.

    Trip Itinerary

    Overall this was a 6 day, 5 night trip.  The cheapest days to fly are usually Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  So often this determines the length of our trip.

    Day 1: Flew from Los Angeles, CA to Medford, OR.  We stayed at a local motel in Grants Pass.
    Day 2:  Traveled to Talikma, Oregon to stay at the Out ‘n About Treesort.
    Day 3: Traveled to Crescent City, CA to stay at the Curly Redwood Lodge
    Day 4/5: Crescent City, CA
    Day 6: Traveled back to Medford, OR to depart from the airport to return home.

    Google Map It – Click a link for a map to the round trip road trip we took from the Medford, OR airport.

    Trip Budget

    Remember we go places that are cheap at the time of our vacation.  Prices will vary, but this is what we paid at the time in March of 2011.

    • Airfare – $138 per person, round trip, from Los Angles, CA to Medford, OR.  We booked the airfare through Allegiant Airlines.
    • Rental Car – $203 dollars for whole trip.  It was an Avis Rental Car that we booked on priceline.com.  It was the lowest published price at the time.  We booked an economy car with unlimited mileage.  They did not have free additional drivers at Avis, so I joined their rewards program for free, and one of the perks is a free additional driver, so both my husband and I were able to drive the car.
    MVP (My Vacations Pants) Trip Tip: Find out what works best for you and your family BEFORE leaving on your trip. It is easy to get stressed when traveling, especially with small children.  My husband, Phil and I have roles on our vacation that we very much stick to.  For example, I do all the clothes packing for out trips, but Phil brings in all the luggage when we get to a hotel.  Phil does most of the driving on road trips, I navigate on google maps, and use my Trip Advisor app to find good places to eat. Also, if we are all cozy in a hotel room, I run out and get us some food in the rental car.  That’s why I sign up for additional driver.  This is what works for us, what works for you?
    • Gas – You can estimate how much gas you are going to use on a trip by using https://www.fueleconomy.gov/.  All you do is put in your itinerary in the map section.  Put what kind of car you will be driving and the website will give you a pretty amazing estimate of how much money you will be spending on the gas.  For the entire trip, driving an economy car, it will be about $14.70.  I am going to round up to $25.00 for the cost of side trips, and then you have to fill up the tank before you return it to the rental car place, so I calculate for this amazing road trip it will cost about $50 for the entire trip.  
    MVP Trip Tip: Don’t prepay for your gas at the rental car place.  It is usually way more expensive than gas you can get right outside of the airport.  
    • Hotel – $307 for a five night trip.  The most expensive lodging is obviously the Treesort.  Also note, that since we went in March (summer months are their more expensive months) the Treesort was way more affordable.  
    • Activities – 
      • Jedidiah Smith State Park – $8
      • Ocean World – $12.95 a person, but kids under 3 get in free, so our kids were free at the time.  Children ages 3-11 are $7.95 a person.  
      • Bowling – We spent about $25 for shoe rentals for three, and two games of bowling.  Go midday during a weekday for the best deals.  
    Trip Grand Total – $1041 – This total is based on 2 adults, one child, and one infant in your travel party.


    MVP Trip Tip:  I don’t include food in our trip budgets because you have to eat every day anyway.  Food should already be in your budget at home.  You may spend more on eating out on vacation, but you can also go to a local grocery store and brown bag it.  We do a combination of both on our trips and we wind up spending close to what we spend at home for a week.

    Trip Lodging

    • Buona Sera Inn, located in Grants Pass, Oregon.  This was cute little motel with uniquely decorated rooms.  We thought it was perfect for a one night stay.  What makes it special: It has beautiful murals painted around the hotel and cute rooms that are all decorated in their own unique theme.  I can’t remember what we paid for it, but you can book a room through their website for $52 a night right now.  Don’t forget about these independently run inns and motels.  Many of them are hidden, affordable gems. 
    • Out ‘n About Treesort, located in Talkima, Oregon.  We stayed in the Treezebo.  This was truly a unique and memorable experience.  You had to take a series of rope bridges and staircases to your room 45 feet above the ground.  You can then use a pulley system to lift your luggage to your room.  The room has a sink and a toilet, but showers are down on the ground in a shower house.  There are some treehouse rooms that do have a private shower, but they cost a lot more.  What makes it special:  You are staying in an actual treehouse for goodness sakes!  It is like a Swiss Family Tree House dream come true.  They also have several activities at the treesort like a swimming hole, ropes course, giant swings, fire pit, etc.  Fun for the whole family.  We only stayed one night because the place books up far in advance, so we got a last minute room there.  We paid $125 for the one night.
       
       
    • Curly Redwood Lodge located in Crescent City, California.  Their website links do not work, so you have to call to book a room.  At the time we called and they gave us a large room with two queen beds for $65 a night. Here is a tip: if you cannot book online because they don’t have those capabilities, you can often get some killer deals.  What makes it special:  It is right across the street from the harbor. All of the wood in the hotel was made from one huge curly redwood tree that produced over 57,000 feet of lumber.  It’s a marvel to be seen.  

       





    Trip Activities

    • The treehouse resort has built in activities that are included in your stay.  We explored the grounds and found a ropes course, a swimming hole (it is closed in the winter, or at least too cold to go in), trails to hike around, rope bridges and swings, a net play area, a campfire etc. 

       

       

    • Tsunami Lanes – We went bowling.  Bumper bowling is especially fun on a rainy evening.  
    • Beachfront Park – Amazing park with fort like structures and super amazing swings for young children.  THIS PARK WAS FREE!!!

       

    • Ocean World – It was very small aquarium in Crescent City, but fun for our young children.  They have a touch tank and a seal show.  

       

       

       

       

       

    • Crescent Beach – We walked on the beach and had a blast.  It was a beautiful walk.  

     

     

     

     
    • Jedidiah Smith Redwood State Park – We went here and it was like driving through the Ewok planet in Return of the Jedi.  Why?  Because this area is where those scenes in the movie were shot!  Gorgeous foliage and beautiful, huge, and ancient redwood trees.  It cost $8 for our whole vehicle to drive through the park.  



    Trip Eats

    • Chart Room Marina and Restaurant – This was our splurge for the trip.  The restaurant is situated right on the water and it was right across the street from the hotel.  The food was good, but pricey, but we know you’re paying for waterfront dining as well.  Kid Friendly:  YES. They brought Audrey a jar of crayons and some coloring pages.  
    • Wild River and Brewing Company – We knew this was a local hangout as soon as we walked in.  The pizza was good and I didn’t get any weird stares from breastfeeding my son in public.  They also had a fun little hike right in the parking lot, so that was cool too.  


    Overall this was a fantastic trip that you will not regret taking with your young family.  I mean, come on, don’t you want to be one of the few people that has stayed in a treehouse hotel?  People asked us all throughout the trip why we would fly to Medford, Oregon on vacation,  but you can see from these pictures that it was a world class trip in an unexpected location.  It is a testament to the fact that there is adventure everywhere, you just have to look for it.
    This was also an important trip for our little family because I wanted my kiddos to be trained at a young age on traveling and adventuring.  Now my kids are 7 and 5 years old and they have been to many cool places.  They love hotels and they love traveling.  I think it all comes back to this trip that I took my 2 year old and my 5 month old on.  It was a fantastic introduction.  

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    Trip Links
    http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/Vecchio7
    https://www.allegiantair.com/
    http://treehouses.com/joomla/index.php/treesort
    https://www.google.com/flights/

    Put on MY VACATION PANTS and take a trip to everywhere

    | My Vacation Pants

    Let me take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is Janelle Vecchio, and I am a wife, mom, and a teacher.  After those three things I’m an avid traveler, but not in the typical sense of the word.  My husband and I like to plan travel to new and exciting destinations with our daughter and son, but we do it for very cheap, and you would actually never know it.  



    We post our pictures on social media and we always get tons of, “Can you be my travel agent?”  or “How do you find these amazing places?”  A friend’s mom who follows our journeys on social media was talking to her son and asked him, “How do Phil and Janelle take such amazing vacations all the time?  Are they rich?”  The funny part is we are “rich” in many ways, but not really financially.  We are a single income family.  I’m a teacher.  Our family of 4 has lived off my income only since 2008 when our first child was born.  My husband is an amazing stay at home Dad.  We chose this life together because we didn’t want our children to go to Day Care.  We wanted our children to be raised by us.  Teachers technically only work 182 days a year, so I get a lot of time off to adventure.  One of my favorite things to do when I am off work is to leave home and go somewhere.  It doesn’t have to be far.  I guarantee there are adventures in your own backyard that you haven’t discovered yet.  Vacation is what you make of it.  It is adventure.  It is fun.  It is spending time with the people you love the most near or far.  

    If you came to my house, which we do own, you would notice that not much has changed since we purchased it in 2010.  We do not need a fancy remodeled house. We do not buy new furniture.  I do not buy jewelry.  I don’t wear make-up.  I don’t buy expensive clothes.  I don’t drink Starbucks unless someone buys me a gift card.  We choose to spend our extra income (the little we have) on traveling.  I am not saying that it is for everyone.  We take about three to four BIG trips a year, and countless mini-vacations.  We are extremists, but even if you chose to cut back in one area to travel, you can afford to take a trip as well.  

    In this day and age, it is hard to make a living as a travel agent.  I book most of my trips on the internet, along with my husband helping on his computer.  I thought this blog would be a better way to get my information out to the masses for FREE.  I can’t wait for you to put on your vacation pants and travel with me.  I plan on writing about many vacations we have taken in the past, and giving you a behind the scenes look of how I booked it, what we did, how we played, and where we ate.  Here are some pics of our trips we took in 2015, so you can get a quick idea of where this family goes.  Hope you guys are ready to join in on the fun! 

    Sea World, San Diego- 2015


    Coronado Island- 2015

    San Diego Botanical Garden- 2015

    Phil had a panel at Comic Con San Diego, 2015.

    We have a reciprocal pass to Botanical Gardens around the United States and Canada.

    Pirate Ship Cruise, Big Bear Lake- 2015

    Big Bear History Museum- 2015

    We have Disneyland Resort passes, so we go a lot. 

    A vacation in itself, eating chicken and waffles at the Roscoe’s in Anaheim, CA, 2015.

    Big Thunder Mountain, Disneyland- 2015

    Mickey’s Halloween Party- 2015

    Duffy Boat Rental, Newport Beach, CA- 2015

    Sometimes we like to dress in a nautical theme for our ocean trips. 

    Legoland California, Carlsbad- 2015

    Skipping Rocks, Parker, AZ- 2015.

    Hiking in Grapevine Canyon, NV- 2015

    We were craving churros one night so we went to Disneyland after work and school.

    Banyan Grove, South Coast Botanical Garden- 2015.

    We went to Disney World this year.  We are huge Disney fans and we know how to do Disney vacations as cheap as humanly possible.  

    All-Star Music Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida- 2015

    Late Night at the Magic Kingdom.  They let hotel guests stay late one night a week.  

    Cinderella’s Castle, Magic Kingdom 2015.

    Dolphin and whale watching cruise, Newport, CA- 2015

    Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA- 2015

    Pirate’s Dinner Adventure, Buena Park, CA- 2015

    Spring Break Road Trip- 2015

    Solvang, CA- 2015

    Giant Bird House in Arroyo Grande, CA- 2015

    Pismo Beach Boardwalk Hike- 2015

    Sunset at Pismo Beach, CA- 2015

    Believe it or not, this is an urban hike in the middle of downtown Arroyo Grande, CA.

    Pismo Beach, CA- 2015

    World Famous Splash Cafe clam chowder bowls, Pismo Beach, CA- 2015.

    Stayed at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA.

    The Sky Room, Madonna Inn- 2015

    Late night swimming at the infinity pool at the Madonna Inn- 2015 

    Bubble Gum Alley, San Luis Obispo- 2015

    Morro Bay, CA- 2015

    Tide Pools just outside of Morro Bay- 2015 

    Montana De Oro State Park, CA- 2015


    Elfin Forest Preserve- 2015 


    Whale Watching off the coast of Newport Beach- 2015.  We also saw a humpback whale.  

    Los Angeles Arboretum, Arcadia, CA- 2015


    Late night trip to Disneyland.  One of the cast members swept the leaves into a Mickey.  Disney magic at its finest.

    Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary, Phelan, CA- 2015 

    Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, San Pedro, CA- 2015

    Hidden waterfall hiking trail I found searching for hikes on google maps, Kalispell, MT- 2015

    Sanpoint, ID- 2015

    Cedar Walk at Glacier National Park, MT- 2015

    Continental Divide, Glacier National Park, MT- 2015

    Found a mountain goat hiking in Glacier National Park- 2015

    My son, Luke, on top of the world in Glacier National Park, MT- 2015

    We were a short drive to a Canadian province we had never been to before on a recent trip to Montana.  Here we are eating at a Dairy Queen, the only thing open at the border town when we got there, eating poutine.  

    Rafting on Flathead Lake, Montana- 2015

    Hiking at a campsite in Idywild, CA- 2015

    Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Anaheim, CA- 2015

    Overlooking Kalispell, MT on a short hike.  

    We like to clean up trash on our local trails in Yucaipa, CA.

    Spokane, WA- 2015 
    The wonderment of the Elfin Forest Preserve in Morro Bay, CA, 2015.


    These are just the major trips we took this year, not counting day trips and local adventures.  I hope now you to take me seriously when I say my family loves to travel.  This is just traveling that we have done this year.  We are passionate about it and we love it.  Over the course of this blog I will post in detail about these trips.  Please comment about what you want to see more of in upcoming posts.  Until the next adventure…