Speaking of unwanted attention, there’s the air travel portion of our trip that is giving me pause. We’ve flown with six, but never with nine, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad apprehensive about it. I was able to pick seats on all but one leg of our flight, so we’ll be appealing to the sensibilities of strangers on that flight to allow us to sit together. I have a plan in case no one volunteers to move seats. It involves baby pinching. A crying kid ought to scare most people off, right?

In case you’re wondering, nine is the most tickets you can purchase through one of the major online travel sites, and you can only do this many through Orbitz. If you happen to need more than nine, you can get group rates directly through the airlines or a travel agent. The only reason we’re getting away with only nine is because our babies are just under two and can fly as lap children.

Our other mode of transportation promises to be equally tricky as there was nary a 15-passenger van to be had when I booked our rental cars. That’s right. Cars. Or more accurately, minivans. Plural. Cost-wise, it isn’t so bad, but one day of our vacation involves a nine-hour drive to Utah to see my husband’s family, and I can barely stay awake for the two hour drive to a neighboring city in our state. I’ll be singing to keep awake all the way there!

And as our vehicles come in twos, so must our hotel rooms, and even that many leaves us feeling a little cramped. We’ve learned that two arm chairs shoved together make a fabulous “princess bed” and that you can fit more children on a queen-sized bed if you lay them across it horizontally, rather than vertically. And yes, technically we’re breaking occupancy rules, but it’s not purely because we’re cheapskates, but also because we don’t have enough adults for a third room. (But make no mistake. We ARE cheapskates).

Our other travel plans include a trip to San Diego Zoo and a visit to an African American beauty salon so Lulu can get extensions and a pro braid job. I’m looking forward to this almost as much as Disney! Once we get to Utah, we’ll be spending time with my husband’s parents and siblings and hopefully visiting a few friends. We have lots of fun things planned, and if I can quit worrying about the five beloved pets we’ll be leaving behind (one of whom, our precious corgi, Poppy, will be being spayed while we’re gone), I think we will have a blast!

Wendy and I will attempt to post short updates and photos along the way, so stay tuned as our families take on the world! Er, Disneyland, anyway. ;)

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Photo credit: Disneyland Postcards