Spring Break - Last Minute Planning

Good Morning Everyone!!!

I have so many random thoughts floating in my head. I am gong to try and get them all out, so this, might be a bit all over the place....

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Possible Monorail Crawl
Start at the Poly
Poly:
Trader Sam's
Grand Floridian:
Maybe a treat from the Easter "Grand Cottage" and look at all of the chocolate eggs?
Contemporary: Steak House 71 Lounge for PBJ Wings

I looked up and someone on Disney blog said the easter stuff stays up just a couple days after Easter. So, there is a slight chance it will still be up.

But I do like @luvpoohandcompany idea about shopping. That way if we strike out getting into a place, at least we have that. And I don't think we have even explored the stores at Grand Floridian before.



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Animal Kingdom.... The good news is since we don't need park reservations, we can play it by ear. I think I am going to mentally slat AK for either park hopping on the first park day or rope dropping later in the trip, Wednesday. I am actually kind of leaning towards Wednesday now, I even made a 2nd reservation for Sanaa so if we go that day, we can do Sanaa lunch that day.



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Genie+
Last trip we didn't get Genie plus every day. We were able a few days go to the park at rope drop and get in a bunch of rides, grab lunch and when it got too hot and busy, we would head back to the hotel and relax. And then by the time we came back to a park, we could manage again without genie +....

BUT this is going to be Spring Break, so I am not sure if that will work as well.


Friday: EPCOT / Animal Kingdom
or EPCOT / Hollywood Studios
- I think we might not get Genie + this day. We will hopefully rope drop Remy and Frozen and then I think we would focus on Flower and Garden stuff and sprinkle in rides that aren't too bad of a wait aka 3 Cabs or Figment...

Sunday: EASTER: Magic Kingdom / Hollywood Studios - I think we will want Genie+ this day and mostly stack LL for HS in the evening? Also, can Disney put 7DMT into the regular bucket?!?! Please? I love that ride but it needs to be less of a wait and it's not worth the cost of ILLS!
Monday: Hollywood Studios / EPCOT EEH - I am torn for today, I feel like HS you kind of need it? Like we will never go on Slinky Dog if we don't get HS. Rock n Rollercoaster will be done while we are there, so LL are going to be even harder to get, so I am also wondering if it will be worth it EACH time we go... If we switch the next day to AK, I think this will be a Genie+ day.

Wednsday: Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom EEH
or Animal Kingdom / Magic Kingdom EEH

I am thinking maybe we don't need it if we switch to AK in the morning. Or maybe we do, since we will want to squeeze everything in one day? It might be nice to have a few rides stacked to use before EEH start....

Thursday: Magic Kingdom / ??? - Today will probabably be based on what we want to ride, or rather what we haven't gotten to yet and probalby what park we want to go to in the evening. I think we COULD get away with not doing it today, especially if we come back to NK for the night, which I am thinking we might.

So, I have 2 definte days to get Genie + and 2 Maybe days... If we can stay with 3 days, that would probably be best cost wise. Or maybe it will be crazy busy and we will just get it every day... We will just have to wait to see!


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Tinkerbell Gifts & Easter Baskets
Sooooo... If you have followed along with my trip reports, you know that I usually do Tinkerbell gifts... But I think we may have finally out grown them! There were mornings the girls never looked for them, and it has gotten ALOT harder to come up with things other than tshirts...
I am thinking maybe just certain days. Like the first day is always PJs, which they can always use... Maybe something for Easter morning and then maybe a morning at WL?

I wanted to do small easter baskets for the girls, Maybe I can find some sort of fabric "basket" on Etsy that I could pack and then fill it with rice krispee treats and stuff.... I will have to start looking!
The hardest part of scaling back is Gwen. She loves this stuff. She is the reason I still do the stupid Elf on the Shelf...



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Flower and Garden Food Booths
They lists came out!!! Woo hoo!!! I have started to check them out.

I am going to make a list of non-alcholic drinks for the girls and probably some sort of hit list of items I think we will want to try.

Maybe try and make some sort of topiary check list as well.

More to come on that!
 
Last trip we didn't get Genie plus every day. We were able a few days go to the park at rope drop and get in a bunch of rides, grab lunch and when it got too hot and busy, we would head back to the hotel and relax. And then by the time we came back to a park, we could manage again without genie +....

BUT this is going to be Spring Break, so I am not sure if that will work as well.
I am struggling with this too, especially because of Spring Break. We are leaning toward getting it at least 4, and likely 5 out of 6 days for that reason. Which is so expensive but we’re also paying a lot to be there, it would be a bummer not to get on certain rides especially at parks where we only have 1 day. And with not everyone in our party riding every ride, I feel less guilty sneaking away from kids or parents for a short line vs a line that is over an hour. It’s less time away from the full group.
Also, can Disney put 7DMT into the regular bucket?!?! Please? I love that ride but it needs to be less of a wait and it's not worth the cost of ILLS!
Yes!! We’re considering skipping it this trip because we don’t want to pay for the ILL or wait an hour or longer. I really like the ride but it’s not worth the cost of the ILL.
I am torn for today, I feel like HS you kind of need it? Like we will never go on Slinky Dog if we don't get HS.
I agree! We’re leaning toward only doing Genie+ one HS day and accepting that we will only ride SDD that day.
Wednsday: Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom EEH
or Animal Kingdom / Magic Kingdom EEH

I am thinking maybe we don't need it if we switch to AK in the morning. Or maybe we do, since we will want to squeeze everything in one day?
If you’re only doing a half day at AK I would lean toward Genie+ that day! Just so you hopefully get to do a few more rides than you would otherwise.
Sooooo... If you have followed along with my trip reports, you know that I usually do Tinkerbell gifts... But I think we may have finally out grown them! There were mornings the girls never looked for them, and it has gotten ALOT harder to come up with things other than tshirts...
I am thinking maybe just certain days. Like the first day is always PJs, which they can always use... Maybe something for Easter morning and then maybe a morning at WL?
Aww! I think gifts a couple days are still very special. I’m leaning toward only doing a gift our first day - pajamas and autograph books, things they will use throughout the trip. I was going to add pins for trading too but ended up giving them those already to explain pin trading (new to them) and get them excited.
 
We have been at Disney over Easter a couple of times. My kids were old enough that I didn’t have to do a basket, but I still made them a little “basket”. One year I used a small paper gift bag with some Easter grass as a basket and another year I filled one of those paper sacks that are the size/shape of a brown paper lunch sack, but decorated for Easter. Both options pack flat and don’t take up much space in luggage. I put a couple of their favorite Easter candies and a Disney gift card in the bags.
 
Also, can Disney put 7DMT into the regular bucket?!?! Please? I love that ride but it needs to be less of a wait and it's not worth the cost of ILLS!
Same! We have done 7DMT twice with extended evening hours. Both times it was about a 25-35 minute wait, which isn't bad. We did get in line right away so we were probably behind the people who jumped in line right before closing. Maybe if we had waited a bit and the wait might have been shorter?
 


What a fun pre-trip report! I love how you have included requests for your girls and DH in the plans. A trip custom planned for your family is the best! Our family doesn't enjoy park hopping, its fun to see how valuable that is to your family though.

I like the idea of rope dropping AK and then hopping over to MK. Have you ever used Touring Plans? Its really helpful for me to plug in the things we want to do and hen see how realistic it is. I bet you could do most of AK the first half of the day. One great show, a few great rides and delicious lunch at Saana. SDMT will probably have a much short wait later that night too. Use the G+ LL you've been stacking and then ride SDMT with a much shorter wait. Completely agree that its not worth the ILL $ and after multiple times rope dropping it, I also don't think its worth that either. We find we prefer riding multiple other rides in the time we normally line up in the ever growing line snake around the fence in fantasyland for that one ride. Still love the ride though.
 
Sooooo... If you have followed along with my trip reports, you know that I usually do Tinkerbell gifts... But I think we may have finally out grown them! There were mornings the girls never looked for them, and it has gotten ALOT harder to come up with things other than tshirts...
I am thinking maybe just certain days. Like the first day is always PJs, which they can always use... Maybe something for Easter morning and then maybe a morning at WL?

I wanted to do small easter baskets for the girls, Maybe I can find some sort of fabric "basket" on Etsy that I could pack and then fill it with rice krispee treats and stuff.... I will have to start looking!
The hardest part of scaling back is Gwen. She loves this stuff. She is the reason I still do the stupid Elf on the Shelf...
Ok I’m going to go out on a limb here and say do the tinkerbell gifts. Those girls will be grown and out of the house in the blink of an eye and even though Morgan might not really be into it now you and they will cherish the memories. Im still doing “pancake Sundays” with the 17 year old, the 26 year old loves his with bacon and the 34 year old calls with the grandkids 😂. Tinkerbell could bring a gift card so they can choose how to spend it or a “certificate” For treat of choice but I think as long as Gwen wants Elf on the shelf she will love tinkerbell gifts They grow up so fast I’d enjoy it while you can 🥰
 
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I am struggling with this too, especially because of Spring Break.
I guess the one good thing is that we can decide while we are on the trip. But I did like just having it and the cost included in the hotel $$ Felt "free" and less nickle and dimed...

Which is so expensive but we’re also paying a lot to be there, it would be a bummer not to get on certain rides especially at parks where we only have 1 day. And with not everyone in our party riding every ride, I feel less guilty sneaking away from kids or parents for a short line vs a line that is over an hour. It
Yup! And we have a long trip but having full on rest days, make each park day more important to maximize....

Yes!! We’re considering skipping it this trip because we don’t want to pay for the ILL or wait an hour or longer. I really like the ride but it’s not worth the cost of the ILL.
I am hoping we can get on it during EEH. It's been a few trips since we have actually ridden!

If you’re only doing a half day at AK I would lean toward Genie+ that day! Just so you hopefully get to do a few more rides than you would otherwise.
I am leaning that way as well. Plus I can get a few for MK before the evetn starts. Really maximize that night!

My kids were old enough that I didn’t have to do a basket, but I still made them a little “basket”.
Oh! You could argue that Morgan and Gwen are old enough to not to baskets... Gwen says Easter is her favorite holiday. They are def too old for Elf on the Shelf....

One year I used a small paper gift bag with some Easter grass as a basket and another year I filled one of those paper sacks that are the size/shape of a brown paper lunch sack, but decorated for Easter. Both options pack flat and don’t take up much space in luggage. I put a couple of their favorite Easter candies and a Disney gift card in the bags.
This is what I am thinking! Something like this. I started to look on etsy for options and there are a few people making fabic baskets that I could fold up.

Same! We have done 7DMT twice with extended evening hours. Both times it was about a 25-35 minute wait, which isn't bad. We did get in line right away so we were probably behind the people who jumped in line right before closing. Maybe if we had waited a bit and the wait might have been shorter?
I am hoping we can hop on during EEH.

What a fun pre-trip report! I love how you have included requests for your girls and DH in the plans. A trip custom planned for your family is the best! Our family doesn't enjoy park hopping, its fun to see how valuable that is to your family though
Most of our trip used to be suprises, so it is nice to get some feedback on the trip. But all of them only kind of like to plan the trip. Sigh... Gwen actually just mentioned wanting to go to Morimoto for ribs... Which I am all for... so now. I have to see if I can fit it in some how!

Have you ever used Touring Plans?
I have! That is my next step! And the new website looks great!!! I just wish they let you plan for park hoping. I am sure that is super complicate analytics to figure out, but I would love it.

Ok I’m going to go out on a limb here and say do the tinkerbell gifts.
I know! I am always torn!!!

I'm so glad! We really enjoyed the food there and would go back. I tried to fit it into our next trip but then we'd be going to Remy's, Frozen, and back to France - it would just be too much walking. We might grab a snack there later in the day, though!
I was also thinking maybe we go ride Frozen, then Remy and then breakfast.... Same amount of walking but would feel less like back tracking? !
 


Hiya just found your last report ( which I loved reading) yesterday and consequently the link to this one.
Glad you made it over here as well!

Have you checked out the resort activities calendars from previous Easters? They usually have some fun stuff going on. There’s a YC FAQ thread on here that has past and current calendars so you can check thos
I will have to go over at some point. It's still a little early.. Easter isn't a big event at Disney, so..

Just to add - we had no problems getting a GotG boarding group when they dropped for the afternoon at 1pm in July 22. Don’t know if that helps with your plans or n
Good to know!

We have enjoyed drinks at Territory Lounge a few times now and the staff in there are awesome! I love the Mushroom soup!
Did you order the soup from there?

I think they will extend hours! I saw early March hours have been extended to open at 8am and close at 8pm, which makes way more sense for spring break hours
It's crazy cause they aren't even opening early... Usually if they close early it's a pretty early open.

I also have a love hate relationship about this... If it stays 6, that means the crowds will be more manageable... if they extend it, that means there are more people coming that week.

. I’m just not sure why they didn’t make that change earlier, but guessing it will be the same for all of spring break (they only seem to be updating one day at a time, 3 weeks out, for now).
It is weird that they would wait. Restaurants could be open longer.... it effects more than just us...

I love that idea! I really want to try Trader Sam’s. We’ll be going to the Poly so if we get ourselves ready early enough maybe we’ll try a stop there, but I’m not sure how that will work with the wait list.
I am now kind of excitied about this!

I definitely think you should make AK part of your plans. The baby elephant is so cute and I think you’ll regret it if you don’t try to get to see her. I’ve never made it to Trader Sam’s but want to go someday so a monorail crawl sounds fun. I’m sure the girls would enjoy getting to see different resorts/gift shops and possibly getting a new to them snack/drink or small souvenir at each stop.
Shopping is def a good idea!

Remember the Labour Day specials? Such great prices back in the day on deluxe resorts! I could not afford deluxe resorts now if it wasn't for DVC.
The deals really helped for this trip!

I think you got your wish!
I did!!! Now I can't wait for it to open so I can see some YouTubers Reviews!

Monorail crawls are so much fun!
I was inspired by you!!! Of course ours might be less drinking if Morgan and Gwen come with us.
 
Contemporary: Steak House 71 Lounge for PBJ Wings
Those wings are incredible!!
I am going to make a list of non-alcholic drinks for the girls and probably some sort of hit list of items I think we will want to try.
Fun! I will do the same since I booked a last minute spring break trip! Only 22 days to go!
Ok I’m going to go out on a limb here and say do the tinkerbell gifts. Those girls will be grown and out of the house in the blink of an eye and even though Morgan might not really be into it now you and they will cherish the memories. Im still doing “pancake Sundays” with the 17 year old, the 26 year old loves his with bacon and the 34 year old calls with the grandkids 😂. Tinkerbell could bring a gift card so they can choose how to spend it or a “certificate” For treat of choice but I think as long as Gwen wants Elf on the shelf she will love tinkerbell gifts They grow up so fast I’d enjoy it while you can 🥰
Absolutely! ❤️
 
I am hoping we can get on it during EEH. It's been a few trips since we have actually ridden!
That’s a good plan! I figured if we decide we REALLY want to ride 7DMT, we can buy an ILL the last day.
I was also thinking maybe we go ride Frozen, then Remy and then breakfast.... Same amount of walking but would feel less like back tracking? !
That’s an idea! Since we’re entering right next to Remy’s, it’s probably less walking to not back track to and from that entrance (and then we’re moving to the front of the park after that), but if you enter from the front of the park I would definitely do Frozen first and then Remy’s. But also depends on what you want to do after France too.
It's crazy cause they aren't even opening early... Usually if they close early it's a pretty early open.

I also have a love hate relationship about this... If it stays 6, that means the crowds will be more manageable... if they extend it, that means there are more people coming that week.
I agree! I saw they extended hours on March 9th but not after that… curious if they will extend further, it feels last minute to make those changes. And same, I was hoping fewer hours meant they’re expecting lower crowds but I’m not sure.
 
I wanted to do small easter baskets for the girls, Maybe I can find some sort of fabric "basket" on Etsy that I could pack and then fill it with rice krispee treats and stuff.... I will have to start looking!
The hardest part of scaling back is Gwen. She loves this stuff. She is the reason I still do the stupid Elf on the Shelf...
Last year, I gave the kids their basket before we left. It wasn't as fun but they were 15 and turning 17 the day we left so they are not as into it anymore. Also, they went with the band and we went on our own so we weren't together.

Elizabeth still had us doing Elf on the Shelve as well until this year. I think he was only moved once or twice and that is because Jeff couldn't let it go yet.

As for Genie +, it is almost a must at HS. it helped us out a lot. We did 2 afternoons at HS and it made the afternoons great. We did not need it for EPCOT. If you can rope drop Frozen and Remi you should be fine. We really didn't need it for AK either. MK was nice to have it though. And I agree, they need to move Mine Train. We were not going to pay for it and the line was always too long so we never rode it on this last trip.
 
Fun! I will do the same since I booked a last minute spring break trip! Only 22 days to go!
So jealous!!! I want a full report of Flower and Garden!!

Last year, I gave the kids their basket before we left. It wasn't as fun but they were 15 and turning 17 the day we left so they are not as into it anymore. Also, they went with the band and we went on our own so we weren't together.
Last year we went to Disneyland for spring break, so we did a full easter the weekend before we left. We aren't super religious, so doing it early didn't relaly effect anything. So, we will probably do that again this year

Those wings are incredible!!
I think they would be fun for us to try for sure. Hopefully we can get inot the bar. I am worried at some point they won't let Morgan and Gwen in. And everything will depend on how long we have to wait for Trader Sams

I agree! I saw they extended hours on March 9th but not after that… curious if they will extend further, it feels last minute to make those changes. And same, I was hoping fewer hours meant they’re expecting lower crowds but I’m not sure.
I am sure we will both just be watching and watching!
 
Crowds

So, Did anyone see all the photos on the long LL for Peter Pan yesterday?

Sometimes I hate social media, I mean the line was long, but no one ever tells the whole story. Was Peter Pan down at one point and everyone rushed back over? Maybe it was that bad all day? We won't know because they just show that one line.

ANYWAY, it got me thinking about crowds for our trip. It will be busy, it will still be Spring Break season. So, I went to touring plans to check out the crowd calendar.
Screenshot 2024-02-21 at 7.15.09 AM

Hollywood Studios sounds like it will be busy busy busy the whole time, 8 or 9 everyday! I feel like htey never list HS as low crowds anymore, it's just a given busy-ness.

Which has me more and more convinced we should do AK that one morning. That day HS is listed as a 9 CL and AK 7 CL. Granted those are both busy! I also feel like Animal Kingdom just feels less crowded.

I mentioned it before but intrestingly Touring Plans has Magic Kingdom a 5 on Easter! We will see if it actually feels that way!

I feel like back in the day Wednesday would be lower crowds but touring plans doesn't seem to think that is the case anymore either.
 
Hi Ariella! I happened to be browsing and saw this thread pop up. We are traveling Easter week too. However, we are only doing MK one day since we are doing a non Disney trip. Trying Discovery cove so we will also try Seaworld and Aquatica. We needed a budget trip after a recent Aulani trip.

The crowd calendar is very interesting. I debated on where to put MK. Choices were Sat, Sun, or Wed. Guess I choose wrong bc I decided on Wed. Hmm. I would have thought Sat and Sun would have been crazy. Maybe I should change to Sat. Would love to see the parade and Easter bunny. I chose a resort day for Easter so we can hang out and do some resort activities. Have a character breakfast and dinner scheduled to do something special. I debate my decision everyday😂

To answer some other questions..
We stayed at Wl our last two trips and I feel like the hot tubs at the main pool are usually pretty full, but the one at the pool near Boulder ridge is usually empty. (The pool is usually pretty empty as well, which is nice.)

I usually lurk along with your trip reports since I am always so behind. I love your Tinkerbelle gifts. If Gwen still likes them, I would keep it up. Maybe don’t do everyday?

Since we will be there for Easter, I got my kids fabric baskets that can fold flat. I got mine on Temu but saw them at Five Below too. Five Below just didn’t have the colors I wanted.

I‘m jealous of your park hopping and monorail crawls. My kids are 6 and 9, plus my DH isn’t a big Disney person so we haven’t park hopped in years. Looking forward to restarting as they get older.

Love the comparison pic at FW. The girls were so little. We have a DD19, DS9 and DD6. If feels like just yesterday DD19 was meeting princesses. Now, she is skipping the trip bc she is in college, works, and wants to be with her boyfriend on Easter. That’s why I saw do Eve on the shelf, Easter baskets, etc. until the girls don’t care anymore.

-Diane
 
I'm here too.

DH doesn't like to talk about all the detail either and when he does ask for information he has forgotten what I told him 10 minutes later.

You have a lot of plans swirling around. I hope you make it to AK. I'm bound and determined to make it there since I haven't in the past two trips.

Love your split stay plan. We loved WL back in December. Don't forget to rub Humphrey's nose on the way to the bus for good us mojo. The one day we didn't rub it when waiting a lot longer for a bus. We had great bus mojo for the rest of the trip.

Easter Baskets are hard. Last year was the first time I didn't do a bag or basket for Danielle and she was not a happy camper. She was 23 last Easter. I have 4 grandkids who get baskets so something has to give. Your girls are still in Middle and High School so they aren't too old yet.

I had to top and make a Beaches and Cream reservation as I was reading. Getting some ice cream on our Girls Trip will be perfect.
 
Lurking in the background, enjoying every minute of your planning and sad we don't have an upcoming trip to plan for!!!

I came to say NOOOOOOO, I can't believe we've reached the end of Tinkerbell gifts!!!!!! Why do our kids have to keep getting older!? 😭
 
Hi Ariella! I'm excited to see you're planning another trip - I love your trip reports!

Your resort plan is excellent - the Yacht Club is perfect for you (and the location is awesome!) and I LOVED the Wilderness Lodge when I stayed a few years ago. I think you'll love both!

I'm glad to hear you picked an early morning flight this time given your debacle last time. I'm jealous of your early arrival time - we ALWAYS have a connection for Orlando so the earliest we can arrive is around noon.

  • When do they open up World Showcase fully, so you can walk from Remy to Frozen without having to go around clockwise?
  • Do we think we could do BOTH Frozen and Remy before the lines get long?

THANK YOU so much for asking these questions (and for those of you who answered them!). We're doing a split-stay in May including the Beach Club and I was hoping to do exactly this on one of our Epcot days. It seems it should work well as long as we're there early enough!

I booked a Crystal Palace Breakfast for 8:00 AM. But I am not sure I am going to keep it. We have never eaten here before but we are def take advantage of the low lines in the morning. Morgan and Gwen have never really been into Winnie the Pooh

I LOVE Crystal Palace breakfast - in fact, it may be the only in-park breakfast ADR we have during our next trip. The PPO meals have lost their major advantage with MK's new opening procedures and the early-entry start time, but with older kids that are so-so on the characters you can get there early, eat, and get the heck out of there in 30-ish minutes. We always paid our bill immediately after ordering so we could leave the minute we were done eating. I hope you keep the ADR!

I usually try to pack at least 1 bag that we don't open at the first hotel. And then at the at the 2nd hotel the one bag become dirty clothes that we again don't need to open.

This is a really good idea! I may need to borrow this plan for our May trip.

Also, I didn't quote it, but I like your updated park plans. It wouldn't be a complete trip for me without a visit to AK so I think you're right to work it in.
 
I've been kind of following along and haven't had time to comment!

Your trip sounds amazing! We love the BC/YC area too! Nice to see you'll take full advantage of it!

I think our trip abuts yours! We arrive on April 5th and staying at BC, but I think we are just missing you. I use TP to choose park days too but I don't worry too much about it anymore. The parks are always busy. We try to rope drop and do what we can. You know Mike isn't a big ride fan and we'll be with my mom and niece who are super pokey so we actually decided against PH this time to save my mom a little money, since Mike and I have APs.

We were there last Easter and honestly the crowds were not as bad as I had feared. We woke up and had a lazy morning, had Ava open her Easter Basket and then had a 10am reservation for Cape May. It was perfect! We had planned on then spending some time to do the resort activities but the grass was wet so they moved everything inside and it was a bit of chaos and not too interesting so we headed to MK. The Easter Parade was SOOOOO cute! You'll have to watch it! The line to meet the bunny was too long and my niece wasn't that interested, but if your girls want to meet him, get in line early.

Also, we got a custom made basket at the Marketplace at the BC (but I think is available at all resorts)...you kind of pick out what you want and they make it for you. It was a little pricey but very cute and it was nice not having to worry about bringing a bunch of extra stuff with us.

IMG_7654.jpegIMG_8046.jpeg

You're going to have so much fun!
 
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