First Vacation with Twins

So, we finally took our first vacation as a family of four. I looked forward to it with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Both feelings were justified. Here's a recap of the good, the bad and the ugly sides of our first family vacation with twins.

The Good (Smart mama moves)

• Opting for a 3 hour roadtrip. That way our luggage was not limited
• Making the hotel booking online and then calling the reservation manager of the hotel to request two cribs. I actually called to change our booking from one night to two. I had originally booked a suite but for two nights, we could only afford a double room so that's what we changed to. During the conversation, I mentioned to the manager that I needed two cribs as I had twins.
• Confirming from the hotel that their cribs were actually pack n plays
• Buying and packing my own pack n play sheets.
• Travelling after the girls bedtime. Nice quiet ride
• Choosing a hotel with restaurants and  attractions within walking distance (That way, after babies were in bed, mommy could stroll and enjoy the sights)
• Getting an upgrade from our hotel without asking. They kept us in the junior suite for the price of the double room. Awesome.
• Changing room and mother's room at Seaworld
• Plenty of people held doors open for us on sighting the double stroller
• In two days, came across 5 twin related people - The elderly hotel housekeeper who brought the cribs was an identical twin, met a set of twin brothers and their spouses in The Gap, mom of twin boys behind me in line at Seaworld, dad of twins runs across store to help open the door, another mom of twins does a similar thing. Really nice meeting all those people

The Bad

• After a phonecall and confirmation while checking in, still got to our hotel room and there were no cribs. Girls spent the night on a pallet I made by tucking blankets into our pack and play sheets. The cribs did show up in the morning though
• Going to Seaworld with our stroller. Everytime we stroller-parked, I had nightmares of not finding the stroller when we got back. Next time, a $20 umbrella stroller is the place to go.

The Ugly (I'd like to forget)

• Taking 7 month old babies to Seaworld. They were too young to appreciate the shows or rides, and mama did not appreciate the $60 admission fee, the lines or the food
• Driving back in the daytime. Babies have limited tolerance for car confinement.

I'm glad I packed: Ready to feed formula, pacifier with clip, quilted pack N play sheet , lotion with sunscreen

I wish I had packed: a travel seat, some sort of travel bath tub, stroller toys

************************************************************
Our adoring aunty was kind enough to nominate us for Best Parenting blog. Would you be kind enough to vote for us here. Thank you and muuuah!