Teamwork Required for a Great Family Escape

The quest for the VACCINE - Escape Experience Chattanooga

A Great Family Escape requires a survival vest

“What is this?”

“Tools.  You will need them.”

*searches survival vest.  finds flash light, string with magnet and other random items*

“Mom, I don’t want to go.”

“you’ll be fine”

“please, mom”

*grabs kid by the hand and drags her into a dark, post-apocalyptic kitchen….*

This was the beginning of the excitement at Escape Experience Chattanooga, our second escape experience as a family, and unknown to us Continue reading “Teamwork Required for a Great Family Escape”

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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.

Packing for our Disney Cruise

2016-08-23_0002To say that I’m a bit anal about packing is the understatement of the century – and packing for a Disney Cruise took it to a whole new level.

How do you pack for comfort and convenience, as well as formal night, semi formal night, pirate night and those just in case scenarios?  Ok, well the just in case scenario took a back seat, because with my family of 6 and our essentials, there was no room for a whole lot extra.

Rather than bore you with my entire packing list (Type A snooze-fest), I thought I’d share a few of the things that I was very thankful to have packed, and a few that we could have done without.

Disney Cruise Essentials

Note:  Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means if you click on a link or purchase an item from a link in this post, I may make a small commission.  Thank you for your support! 

Lanyard Holder/Pouch Combo

Disney Mickey Mouse Cross Body Shoulder Bag  It was “just” large enough to fit everything I needed just about anywhere.  Things I carried in it for most of the trip:  phone (iPhone 6+), pocket camera, camera battery, lip balm, disney pins and hair ponies.  There was also a clear window in back for my Key to the World Card (easy access was nice, considering we had to have a card inserted into a slot in the Stateroom entrance in order to use electricity – no card, no lights.)

Disney Cross Body Bag - Disney Cruise Essential

I had also brought this smaller lanyard/case that ended up being too small for me, but my family members with smaller phones loved it; and this lanyard pouch was perfect for my kids.

Sony DSC-TX30/D 18 MP Digital Camera – I used this waterproof point and shoot far more than my DSLR.  And while I’m not sure if I could ever leave my DSLR behind when I go on vacation, I seriously wonder what I needed it for this time around.   Light, convenient, easy to use, and because this camera is waterproof I was able to take it with me everywhere and not worry about ruining it. 

DIY Pirate Costumes

It is not mandatory to participate in Pirate Night, but so much fun that many of the passengers do it.  I wish I could remember on which blog or pinterest page I saw the DIY Pirate Costumes so I could give them credit!  If you search google (or look on pinterest) for DIY Pirate Costume, you will see this idea a lot – black pants (cut up sweat pants for the guys), white tshirts and red no-fray fabric cut into sashes.  We supplemented with some inexpensive accessories purchased on Amazon and/or at the dollar store and voila, instant pirate!  Robby had the coolest costume though – purchased second hand from a friend so he could be Captain Jack Sparrow.  Robby says he can’t smile or his mustache will fall off.  Disney will actually provide a bandana for each person in your stateroom, so you will have that as well.

DIY Pirate Costumes on Pirate Night - Disney Cruise

Collapsible Laundry Basket

The Staterooms are manageable, but SMALL, especially if you are squeezing in four people per stateroom.  They get messy quickly, and one thing I was thankful to have was a collapsible laundry basket for keeping the dirty clothes together off the floor and furniture.  It also made it much easier to make a trip to the ship laundry room half way through our vacation.  Because it folds completely flat, it was easy to pack into our checked luggage.

Disney Pins

My girls collect trading pins, and wanted a few Disney pins to be able to trade with the Officers and Crew Members on pin trading night.  The pins are extremely expensive to purchase on the ship, so I bought a pack of 25 on Amazon HERE.  Yes, I realize they are probably not “official”; no, my kids did not care (nor did anyone they traded with).  I split the 25 between my three kids and gave the odd numbers out to my niece and nephew.   It does take a couple of weeks for the pins to be delivered, so be sure to order early.

Other Helpful Items

Waterproof Mascara – I forgot mine, my daughter remembered hers.  I was jealous.

Clothes Pins – You only need a few, they come in handy for securing wet clothing to the clotheslines available in the bathroom shower.

Disney Navigator App (Apple | Android)- ok we didn’t technically “bring” this, but we did download it onto our phones at home before leaving.  It was indispensable when it came to planning our days/evenings, and knowing what time and where activities and events were being held.  In addition to events, there is also an onboard chat/message function within the app that effectively allows you to “text” anyone you add as a contact. Ship wifi is free for Navigator App only.

Athletic or other close toed shoes – assuming you are doing an excursion that requires them.  We signed up for the Zipline Tour on Tortola (so much fun!) which required them.

Door Magnets – not a necessity, but the kids had fun with these.  Again, Google and Pintrest are your friends.

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Leave Behind

If you’re googling “what to pack for Disney Cruise” then you will run across many articles that have long lists of items to bring that do seem clever or interesting.  A few that I wish I had left home:

Item to leave at Guest Services for Characters to Sign – all we brought was a photo mat (though you will see suggestions for pillow cases and other items), but when I attempted to leave it at Guest Services to be signed and picked up later I was informed that they no longer do that, and the only option for character signing was to go around to each character with your item and request signatures.  If my kids had been younger and interested in the autograph book option we may have done that, however I did not want to carry around the photo mat and ended up leaving it in the stateroom.

Power Strip – they are no longer allowed in the staterooms

Water bottles – we bought collapsible water bottles, but never used them.  We did see other people using theirs, but for us it just seemed easier to use the cups provided.  We did however purchase very expensive bottled water whenever we left the ship, which I suppose could have been avoided.  Oh well, it was vacation.

Other options like hanging organizers, etc seemed pointless.  Yes, the state rooms are small, but they are efficient and we found that there were plenty of options for storing/organizing our things  if we bothered to put them away (especially with the collapsible laundry basket that we brought)

Conclusion

None of these tips will make or break your vacation.  In the end we truly would have been fine without our “essential” items, and the things we packed but didn’t need were not a huge hinderance.  Disney really does a great job of ensuring that guests are taken care of – if you forget anything, you will most likely be able to get it from Guest Services or purchase it in one of the shops on the ship.

No matter what – it is Magical…

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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.

Look Back – Is the Best Shot Behind You?

On our Disney Cruise vacation, they announced that we would be arriving in Tortola (BVI) near sunrise, and the view of the ship pulling into port would be worth getting up for.  I was the only one in my family interested (no surprise there).

Walking around on the upper deck with a handful of other passengers at shortly after 6am, I looked over the front of the ship as we approached the islands.  The view was pretty, but not spectacular, mostly because the beautiful sunrise was behind the ship.  The “approaching” shot I had envisioned was not there.

Initial view approaching Tortola - www.tressiedavis.com

Growing bored, I turned and walked toward the back of the ship, and noticed immediately a better view was behind us.  Adjusting my camera settings for the more intense light and stunning color, my next shots evoke an entirely different feeling and memory of that morning – and my images do not do it justice.

Look back - the better view may be behind you - www.tressiedavis.com

Once the sun rose high enough in the sky, I again moved toward the front of the ship to catch our final approach to Tortola.  Was it worth getting up for?  Absolutely – a beautiful beginning to the day.

View Approaching Tortola - Disney Fantasy - www.tressiedavis.com

These three very different images were taken in the span of 30 minutes or so.  Lesson learned – sometimes it’s a good idea to look back…before facing forward once again.

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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.

She’s a Photographer

I released a relaxed exhale as we left the cruise ship and began our walk down the path to the beach, enjoying the happy laughter of our kids as they raced ahead, cool breeze flowing through my hair when…”excuse me, will you take our picture?”.  I awkwardly accepted the offered point and shoot and even more awkwardly try to figure out how it works as my dear husband says “you picked the right person, she’s a PHOTOGRAPHER“.

I wanted to slap him.

I don’t know why I am so uncomfortable with the title being blurted out like that. Is it because I perceive that other people will assume I should know how to work ALL cameras as I stupidly fumble with theirs?  Is it because I know in this moment, this light, this location they will get nothing more than a snapshot (some photographer, they will think when they review the photo) or is it in fear of the dreaded “me too!” As every Tom, Dick and Sally is now a “professional photographer”?  Or horror – if they really ARE a photographer, are they secretly judging me by the quality of their requested snapshot?

At that moment, it was a little of all of the above I think.

Am I a snob?  Maybe. Sometimes. But paradoxically I am also supremely insecure about my own abilities and wonder what my place is in the photography world.  Permanently ensnared between confidence and insecurity, flowing one way or the other with the wind – I’ve heard enough stories to know that I am not the only photographer/artist to feel this way.

So the next time I’m on vacation and I am the one that stops an unsuspecting passerby with “excuse me, will you take a picture of us?”, and she looks at me awkwardly as her husband pipes up “you asked the right person, she’s a PHOTOGRAPHER!’, I will smile warmly and say “me too”.

Riley and me in Grand Cayman (2011)
Riley and me in Grand Cayman (2011)
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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.

Things I learned in Washington DC

Better late than never – here are the things I learned in Washington DC when my family and I visited in July!

1. If you leave your Facebook locations on and post a photo of your kid making a face at Applebee’s, a friend in the area might message you and say “hey, I wanna come see you!!”  Excuse the crappy phone photos – I loved catching up with Sarah 🙂

2. If the White House is going to have an event that dictates tourists can’t get anywhere near it, it will be on the only day we are there to visit it.

3. Secret Service men are not allowed to pose.  They will however, pretend like they don’t see you while you take their picture.

4.  If a friend recommends a museum that you have never heard of, you should go – it may end up being the highlight of the trip! At the National Museum of Crime and Punishment you will see the history of crime, current crime, how to commit crime, famous criminals, how to investigate and solve crimes, and the history of punishing crime.  You can look for clues in a “crime scene”, sit in on the “autopsy”, and crack a safe…as well as sit in a driving simulation, and hold a gun in a shoot out simulation.  I probably shouldn’t tell you that I shot at one of the victims….oops.

Also, heat seeking cameras may expose you.  We’ll just make this picture real small.

5. Don’t ever visit landmarks without taking at least one forced perspective shot.  I found these gems on the camera that Riley was using.

6. The Lincoln Memorial is a great place for a photo of daddy and Robby.

7. The water is a lot dirtier than I expected it to be, but if you change the color in photoshop you can still get a pretty reflection.

8. The National Museum of Natural History is pretty awesome.

9. No matter how much history or how many monuments, your kids may just want to take pictures of ducks.  Or in the case of Alex, rocks.

Which one of these rocks captures your attention?  Just curious.

10. I like to take pictures.

11. Regardless of where you are, it’s a great place to make memories, and no matter how much time you think you have, it will go much, much too quickly!!!

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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.