2015 Travel Year In Review

Well, it's the last day of 2015, and we've had another amazing year. Click here for the 2014 recap.

Since my father's an Asian math nerd, according to his excel spreadsheet, I have:

1. Flown approximately 33,825 miles this year (vs. 51,422 last year)
2. Taken 23 flight segments (vs. 26 last year) with only 2 longer than 8 hours
3. Flown out of 14 airports (vs. 16 last year)
4. On 2 different airlines (vs. 6 last year)
5. Traveled to 4 foreign countries (vs. 6 last year)
6. Earned United Silver status

The biggest takeaways were that we really decided to stay "local" this year oftentimes driving instead of flying. Further, unlike 2013 and 2014, we only left the country a few times in 2015. Once was a spring break to Cancun. Then we had our annual trip to visit extended family Israel (stopping in Belgium on the way home). The other was our early Christmas trip to Costa Rica a few weeks ago.

On the hotel side, we have:

1. Stayed 52 nights in hotels this year
2. Across 20 different cities
3. In 14 unique hotel brands

Our most frequent brand was Westin (18 nights across Orlando, suburban Chicago, Cancun, Kansas City and Scottsdale). We re-qualified for Starwood Platinum status, and matched to Hyatt Diamond and Hilton Diamond statuses for 2016. And we didn't realize until just now that this year we went to see baseball games at the stadiums for each of the World Series teams, the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets.

 So as we close out the year, here's a photo snapshot of our favorite lapchild adventures this year.

Flight #100

Flight #100 - United 1180
Newark (EWR) – Orlando (MCO)
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Depart: 11:42AM / Arrive: 2:37PM
Duration: 2hr 55min
Aircraft: Boeing 757
Miles Earned: 938 miles
Lifetime Miles: 190,211 miles

My very first flight was about 3 years ago when I was just over 3 months old. My mother was pretty nervous, but my father figured I might as well start getting used to flying if I was going to be a member of this family.

Fast forward 35 months, and I've completed my 100th flight segment. Now, to be clear, I don't mean that I have been to 100 destinations or have taken 100 round trips. Some trips were the usual 2 flights round-trip, others 3-4 flights for a single trip.

So when I finished my Newark-Orlando flight on United last week, I have been on a plane 100 times, flying approximately 190,211 miles in the air. To put that into perspective, a flight from New York to LA is just under 2,500 miles each way. So I've flown the equivalent of 76 of those flights.

I suppose some people might think I'm bragging. Maybe I am. But the intent of this LCD blog is to journal all my experiences for when I'm old(er) and can't remember my travels as a youth and to disprove the conventional belief that traveling with kids is impossible. Remember, kids are blessings, not an excuse!

And since it's #TBT, here's a photo from Flight #1 from February 2012.

New Uber Fan - Just not in NYC

DISCLAIMER - clicking on one of the links on this page may give you $20 in free Uber credit from my Five Star Painting. You've been warned...by a 3 year old.

We've been hearing about Uber for years now. After it launched in San Francisco, New York was the next logical target market. Of course, for us, we didn't really pay attention since we're not "black car" types and prefer MTA options.

Background
Then the company launched UberX where it took "regular" drivers and turned them into make-shift taxi operators at a price point that was supposedly competitive with the NYC standard, the Yellow Taxi.

However, the few times we tried using UberX, the price always came out higher than a typical cab, because it was always set at Surge Pricing (where prices are temporarily increased 1.2x to 5.0x regular pricing to match higher levels of demand).

So we pretty much kept our Uber apps unused for months, if not years - even when American Express had special promotions of $10 off Uber rides last year. However, my father found some niches where Uber was a better value proposition.

A. Rides to/from Newark Airport
Given we're still loyal to United (more so because they have a hub in Newark where we can catch direct flights), we find ourselves driving to/from Newark Airport quite often. The most cost effective way would be to take public transportation - a $15/person shuttle bus from Bryant Park. Including the taxi/subway ride from our apartment, that would run around $50 total for our family of three.

However, since I joined the family, the logistics got more challenging and the premium to have a private car/taxi became most justifiable. So for $70-75 all-in ($52 ride + tolls/tip), we had been using Dial-7 limo service which lets us schedule in advance and gets us door-to-door to the airport.

But there's an expression we use a lot in my family - "You get what you pay for." So when you choose the cheapest option ($52), we don't expect to get the shiny 2014 Lincoln Towncar. We'd often get the 2003 Toyota Camry or even a Dodge Minivan. Basically, they offer the fare to any driver who's willing to take the lower fare.

UberX, however, offers a very compelling value proposition for this route.

First, they have a "flat fare" of about $65 (though it does vary very slightly to account for tolls). For example, our most recent fares were $67.45 and $68.15.

Second, they have much higher standards for all their drivers. Every car is kept very clean and relatively new.

Third, the payment system is seamless. No paper slips to fill out. No Square readers to swipe. No awkward moments where the driver stands over you while you fill out the tip. You just step out and say, "thank you."

So for a lower price, you get a better experience.

B. Non-Manhattan Cities
Uber is currently in multiple cities across the world, but they face a lot of political headwinds in just about all of them. Because they're so disruptive (basically adding tons of unregulated driver capacity into a tightly regulated ecosystem), there's a lot of push back from incumbent services.

Take Orlando for example. My father was suggested Mears Transportation to get from the airport to our hotel (Disney Swan). That's a 22 mile drive each way. To take 6 passengers, we would have needed a van and Mears quoted us $103 total. UberXL quoted us $41-53 total!

The customer will always gravitate towards the option that makes the most compelling value proposition. And when UberXL is able to offer ~50% lower pricing than Mears Transportation in Orlando, it's hard for many passengers to pass up that kind of savings for the benefit of the driver having a regulatory license. Unfair? Definitely. Dangerous? Perhaps. But well received? Absolutely! After all, the masses will vote with their wallets.

Another Orlando example. Each day this weekend, my father and Paul had to go to the Convention at the Rosen Centre. It was about a 10.5 mile trip each way, mostly on Highway 4. How much do you think it cost with UberX?

Before you answer, here are some NYC UberX data points.

(A) the above UberX trip from our apartment in Manhattan to Newark Airport was 17.5 miles and cost $68 including tolls.
(B) a Manhattan UberX ride going 22 blocks north and 2.5 blocks west in Midtown was 1.6 miles and cost $13.62 (before surge pricing was applied).

The 10.5 mile trip in Orlando (from Disney Swan to Rosen Centre) cost just $11.90.

Walt Disney World Swan Resort

Hotel Details
Hotel: Walt Disney World Swan
Dates: January 15-18, 2015
Rate Paid: $75 + 5,000 SPG per night
Regular Cost: $236 per night 
Redemption: 3.2 cents/point

The Five Star Painting convention was actually being held at the Rosen Centre, but since my mother and I were coming (along with Jack & Connor and their mother), my father decided to switch to a hotel closer to the Disney Theme parks.

After all, it was a lot easier for the fathers to jump an taxi to their conference than it would have been 2 mothers and 3 kids to get over to Disney. Plus, having 2 more stays and 6 more nights at a Starwood hotel definitely helped with my father's quest to re-qualify for Starwood Platinum status for 2016.

As you readers may know know, the Walt Disney World Swan hotel is really a Westin hotel located on the Disney campus and offers many (but not all) the benefits of being a Walt Disney World hotel. For example, we were eligible for the Extra Hours at the theme parks and the free shuttle buses to the theme parks. However, since it was not actually owned by Disney, we did not get the Free Disney Airport Shuttle or access to the Disney Meal Plans. But those weren't big deals to us.

So for $75 cash + 5,000 SPG points per night, we were booked for 3 nights at the Starwood Category 4 hotel. Plus, since my father was a Platinum member, we'd get the $23/night resort fee waived and free continental breakfast each morning. That sure beat the discounted $115/night rate at the Rosen Centre (without free breakfast or complimentary wifi).

Arrival
We arrived Thursday 3PM in the afternoon (before the big MLK Weekend rush). The bellman grabbed our bags from the taxi and we went up to the empty front desk where a very friendly staff named Matt checked us in.

My father had booked 2 rooms so Matt found both in the system. However, since we were coming during a busy weekend, there were no suites or family alcove rooms available for a complimentary Platinum upgrade. Not a huge deal since we weren't planning on staying in the rooms much anyway. Matt was kind enough, however, go give each room Complimentary Breakfast vouchers for each morning, though the official policy is actually only for the 1 room with the Platinum guest staying in it.

Matt did give us our choice of rooms. Our best options to be close were on the 6th floor. Both were refurbished rooms and had balconies, but one faced Epcot Center where they had a fireworks show every night. The other faced the resort. Aside from the views, the rooms were identical.

While these were the "more modern" refurbished rooms, they still had a lot of standard wear and tear, though we didn't let that bother us. We read enough reviews in advance that we weren't expecting a perfectly new room. The beds were the great Westin Heavenly mattresses and the bathroom had a sink inside as well as a separate sink outside - huge for families.

The Property
After putting getting our luggage brought up, we quickly got settled and met downstairs to explore the property. Since the Swan was a sister hotel to the larger Dolphin across the water, we were able to access all the features of both properties, including the Social Hour (Happy Hour) at the Dolphin's lobby bar on Thursday evenings.

There was a lot of water around. The Swan and Dolphin were separated by a large man made lake with a walkway connecting the two properties.

On the eastern end of the property, there was another lake where the Disney Boardwalk area was.

But one of my favorite features of the Swan was the character breakfasts on the weekends at their Garden Grove Restaurant. Starting at 8AM, they have some Disney characters come out while you're eating breakfast to make your morning just a bit more special.

Finally Frozen

After my mother and I missed the chance to see Elsa and Anna at Magic Kingdom the day before, my father was 100% determined to make sure his only daughter saw the one thing she wanted. So he blew off his work conference on Saturday morning and took us all to Disney Hollywood Studios where they had a live Frozen show.

Since we were staying inside Disney at the Swan Resort, we were able to hop on a free ferry boat that would take us to the entrance of DHS.

While it was a nice leisurely ride, we were in a rush to book our FastPass appointments for the Frozen show. Knowing time was of the essence, he told me to stay with my mother while he ran ahead to find a FastPass kiosk. Unfortunately, by the time he found a kiosk to reserve time slots, all the Frozen slots were taken.

Undaunted, my father, then ran over to the theater where they were having the "The Frozen Sing A Long Celebration" show and inquired about how likely it would be for us to get into the next show from the standby line. Since it was still pretty early, it looked very promising and he got in line while calling my mother to race over to join him.

As the doors opened, the crowds started to enter the theater. Suddenly, the line my father was in began to advance quickly towards the front doors. But my mother and I were no where in sight! Then at the last second, my father saw my mother and pulled me into line while my mother ran to park our stroller somewhere. We just made it!

The show had live characters from the movie and would show clips on the big screen while everyone in the audience would sing a long. It was pretty funny and I got to sing "Let It Go" with hundreds of other fans. I'm not sure, but I thought I saw my father tear up when he saw me so excited to sing.

Later on that day, we tried to go to some of the other rides/shows, but nap time and eating got in the way of the rigid FastPass schedule that had us at Disney Junior 2PM while I was fast asleep in my stroller. Plus the next reservation was for Star Tours where I wouldn't meet the 40" height requirement. Thanks dad for your short genes!

So when I woke up from my nap, my parents came up with the idea to get my face painted. While the price ($18) is hardly justifiable, my father wasn't about to let a few dollars stand in the way of his daughter's sheer happiness on her first trip to Disney.

Too Young for Disney

So while my father and Paul were at their business meetings for Five Star Painting, the mothers and kids had free time to visit "The Happiest Place on Earth."

My parents originally wanted to wait until I was ~5 years old before taking me on my first trip to see Mickey Mouse, but given how this trip to Orlando fell conveniently during a frigid winter in NYC, my father decided to accelerate the timetable.

Plus, going with my best friends, Jack and Connor (who have been to Disney World before), I knew they'd show me the ropes.

We arrived to our hotel, the Walt Disney World Swan Resort, Thursday evening around 3PM, but we didn't try to make it to any theme parks that first night. Instead, we just had a nice big family dinner all together at Il Mulino in the Swan resort. My father was so happy to finally be able to enjoy a nice restaurant that was also kid friendly!

The next day, while the fathers were at their work conference, we had a nice breakfast and went to Magic Kingdom around noon. Boy, was it super crowded. Apparently, January is very slow for Disney, except for MLK Weekend when it gets very crowded. Nevertheless, my mom and I did our best to enjoy our first time.

We did the FastPass thing, but that day, they claimed we could only do 1 reservation at a time. That really made it difficult for us to skip some lines, but I did get to fly on Dumbo and ride the carousel.

Of course, my one singular wish this weekend was to see the Frozen characters, Elsa and Anna. But unfortunately, it was going to be a 200 minute wait in a line, and kids weren't really built for that kind of hold time. So I didn't end up seeing or getting my photo with them.

We ended up walking around a lot, trying to decide which rides were worth waiting 90+ minutes for. Unfortunately, I was under 40" tall, so it excluded me from riding on certain rides. And while FastPass is a much better system than what my father experienced when he was a child, it was still imperfect since all the good rides are booked first thing in the morning when the park opens. Nap time also gets all screwed up as well. And if you know anything about my family, we love sleeping whenever we can.

I know a lot of kids absolutely love Disney World in Orlando, and it's great for families who can finally let their kids just be kids. But I think it's going to be something I'll need a few years to truly appreciate. Being 3 years old, I thought Disney was just OK. To be honest, I was just as happy to spend time with my friends, Jack and Connor running around the hotel.

But of course, I think we're going to give Disney theme parks another try when I'm a bit older - though my parents already decided it definitely won't be in Orlando. They can't stand the massive crowds of tourists where groups of adults take up space that should be for kids. Interestingly enough, the non-Orlando Disney locations are significantly less popular.

My mother does love Paris...