Justin and I have agreed that each year we want to take a vacation as a family. With the busy lives that we lead, its important to both of us that for at least a week of the year we unplug and spend time together as a family. Justin and I both need time to unplug for our hectic work lives and I think the kids and I know we enjoy the family bonding time. We did the Disney cruise last year and had such an amazing time that we were so ready for another family adventure! Finding our vacation spots are tough, because our kids are so young and we have very strong criteria. This year I went through a travel agent and requested an all inclusive resort, kid friendly, direct flight from Houston and preferably a short flight, adjoining rooms, and the resort had to be a short drive from the airport. We had a great travel agent and she found us a 4.5 star resort in Cancun called the Moon Palace. It met all of our criteria and we got a pretty good deal so we booked it! This was the first time we were going to put either kid on a plane so I was a little nervous about that but hey, I knew I would have to cross that bridge sometime!
The day of departure finally arrived. We were all packed and ready to go! The kids were beyond excited and despite my nervousness about the kids and how they would do on the flight, I was excited as well. You can tell we are amateurs because we park at the airport, load both kids into their respective strollers and look at each other with complete confusion as to how we are each going to push a stroller and pull three luggages, and carry a duffle bag and a book bag. It was a sight to see Justin and I trying to maneuver until we found the luggage cart. Life was better after that! We had no problems getting through security and getting to our gate. To the kids delight our gate was located right behind one of the people movers. They thought they were in Disneyland! The kids loved that thing and rode it the entire hour we waited for our flight to board. Justin and I took turns chaperoning. The kids did well on the flight. Since they do not chew gum yet I packed lollypops and fruit snacks for them to chew and such to help with the ears. They were not perfect on the flight but I was pleased with there behavior. It was a 2 hour flight so I was able to entertain them with food and the Ipad. We arrived in Mexico and had no problems getting to the resort and getting settled in. We had two beautiful rooms with balcony's and great views. We were able to get a crib for Carter and because the beds were so high off the ground, I just took the mattress off one bed and put it on the floor for Riley. It worked perfect. We had a fully stocked mini bar with Juice/snacks/ and liquor so we were happy. During the course of the week we were able to do plenty of fun activities.... we swam with the dolphins, enjoyed the splash pad, swam in the resort pool, played in the kids place (called the playhouse) and enjoyed nice family dinners. The resort had a nice selection of restaurants but the kids loved the Japanese restaurant that they cook in front of you the best. One night we had dinner that was in the ballroom and they had live entertainment. A Magician preformed and at one point was standing on a ladder that was balancing on a ball. Riley was beside herself and kept yelling "mom he is making REALLY bad choices... this is not safe, he is going to break his neck!" The people around us laughed hysterically! Hey, at least she listens when we speak sometimes!
Overall the trip was good but I think Justin and I learned a few very valuable lessons:
1. You will never find a vacation spot as kid friendly as Disney. We were royally spoiled by the Disney Cruise last year and we cannot expect anyone else to meet those expectations.
2. Vacations with kids are very different. The resort had a lot to offer that we could not take advantage of given our kids ages. We had to work to keep the kids occupied/entertained. Their attention spans are short and again, Disney had them entertained 24/7... at this resort this required more work on our part.
3. Flying with kids is no fun! - the pilot gave both my kids wings... so I guess they were good relative to others. The flight gave me anxiety... I was so worried that one of them would meltdown at any second and my fellow passengers would be mad at me. Keeping an active 18 month old in his seat or on my lap for 2 hours is not an easy task! For the most part, they were good but on the way home Carter was exhausted and got fussy before passing out...luckily it was short lived.
4. Separate rooms are a must! It was great to allow the kids to nap during the day to keep them on their schedules. By having separate rooms, justin and I were able to enjoy movies and the balcony without disturbing the kids.
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