Disney just unveiled the newest cruise ship in the Disney fleet—the Disney Dream. And I promptly added a trip onboard to my “to do” list (right after “make a lot of money”). The Disney Dream is scheduled for completion in early 2011, but you can book your cruise starting November 9th. This is a ship that really takes that old saying to heart: “It’s not about where you go; it’s about how you get there.”

I am seriously drooling over this ship. Disney is just so good at making things really, truly magical, you know? I suppose that is why they’re always ahead of the pack when it comes to innovation. The Disney Dream is no exception, boasting several cruise industry firsts, including virtual portholes and the first onboard water coaster, the AquaDuck.

The virtual porthole windows in the inside staterooms will show a real-time view outside the ship from HD cameras placed on top of the ship. The virtual window may be even better than the real thing, as occasionally animated characters like Peach, the starfish from Finding Nemo, and Mickey Mouse will come by to say hi. I could probably actually manage to get ready in the morning while Jack watches the window, waiting for the next character to pop up.

Wondering what the heck a water coaster is? From what I can tell, you ride on two-person rafts through a clear acrylic tube up, down and around the ship. The ride will be 765 feet long and will feature a four-deck drop and a brief point where you are off the side of the ship, looking at the ocean below. The AquaDuck is not for the little ones and has a 48″ height requirement. Maybe we will actually be able to afford to go when Jack is that tall! Except by then I’m sure they’ll have a ship even bigger and cooler that I just HAVE to go on. Dang it, Disney, stop making such cool stuff! You might stimulate the economy or something.

Everything else about the ship shows Disney’s tireless attention to detail. The rooms look gorgeous, the kid’s areas are nothing less than enchanting, the dining is topnotch, the adult areas are sophisticated and the exclusive clubs for teens and tweens might actually charm this notoriously difficult-to-please age group.

OK, I could go on and on about the Disney Dream, but I’m starting to sound like a salesperson, so you should just check it out for yourself on Disney’s website.

(Quick note: If you are reading this and you don’t have children yet, you still might see something helpful. But mostly, I want you to think about this next time you’re going through airport security and realize how easy you have it. Because I know I had NO idea.)

My son and I are usually by ourselves when we fly, so I have to be incredibly organized about getting through security with all our stuff. Because of that, I’ve developed a little system to get us through security faster than most people without kids. I have, in fact, cut in front of such people who were taking too long untying their shoes and putting all their stuff in the bins.

On our recent trip to Orlando, my “little” brother (who happens to be 6′ 7″) joined us for the flight home. I did my usual thing when going through security and he commented on how amazed he was, so I thought, what the heck, I should share the method to my madness with you all. Maybe you will glean a tip or two you hadn’t thought of before.

I try to keep Jack in the stroller while in line, using whatever means necessary: snacks, toys, etc. It’s just too much to manage a stroller, luggage AND a toddler who wants to run around instead of standing in line. When the line stops and Jack is occupied, I get out my boarding pass and I.D. so I’m ready when I get to the checkpoint.

When it’s time to get through the x-ray machine, I usually use the Family/Medical Liquids Lane (you can read more about that here). I leave Jack in the stroller while I get everything ready to go through. This part is a little like a juggling act. There are a lot of steps involved, but I can do it super fast. I HAVE to do it super fast because at this point, Jack wants out of the stroller BAD.

I grab three bins and put them on the counter, along with my carry-on suitcase. Then I get my laptop and ziplock bag of liquids out of the suitcase and put them in separate bins, using the third for my diaper bag. Then I throw my slip-on shoes and Jack’s shoes in with the ziplock bag. This process goes much faster since I plan for it when I pack, so you also might want to check out my packing tips.

At this point, I get Jack out of the stroller and have him hold on to the table leg (so he doesn’t run off) while I fold up his stroller and put it up on the table. Then I pick him up and have him put anything he’s holding into a bin, whether it’s a toy, his lovies or a snack. The TSA agents will not let him through with anything besides his clothes. If I ask him to drop it in, he thinks it’s fun. If I just take it away, not so much. Then I push everything through the x-ray machine and we walk through the metal detector.

Now I have a loose baby and all this stuff to gather up, so I get his stroller down first and put him in it. Then I can get the laptop and ziplock bag back in the suitcase, grab the diaper bag and slip my shoes back on. I usually wait until later to put Jack’s shoes back on so that we can just get moving out of the area and onto one of Jack’s favorite parts – the TRAIN!

Of course, you might have additional luggage or children or a helper, but I guess the main thing is to have a plan ahead of time, even while you’re packing. Getting through security can be quick and painless, even with kids, as long as you think ahead. You will be much more relaxed and probably less likely to forget about the metal on your baby’s pacifier clip, get pulled aside for screening and then, in a panicked state, imagine the TSA took your baby away, as one mom recently did.

I have actually found TSA agents to be very family-friendly, often doing little things like getting my stroller down for me or giving Jack a sticker. Of course, I’m sure other families have had bad experiences, but being organized and knowing the rules ahead of time helps make it easier for everyone.

Most of the time, a hotel is just where you go to sleep at night. But there are some hotels that are so much more than that. I love funky, unique hotels. I started collecting a list of unique hotels I would like to stay at someday and I thought I would share it with you all.

There are a lot of unique hotels out there, but not all of them are family-friendly. I’m not going to take my one-year-old to Sweden’s ICEHOTEL (umm, brrrrr) or the Jules Undersea Lodge (he has yet to get his scuba license) or the incredibly cramped capsule hotels in Japan. But not to worry, there are still plenty of incredibly unique options to choose from that the whole family will love.

Woodlyn Park, Otorohanga, New Zealand – OK, first of all, Woodlyn Park has this entertainer, Billy Black, who was a part of the world record-setting group that sheared the most sheep in one day (8,500, of which he sheared 675, if you were wondering). Billy Black puts on the “Kiwi Culture Show,” with sheep shearing, bush animals, the Kiwi bear and a dancing pig. Apparently, said dancing pig also holds a world record for being the first and only pig to rappel into the nearby Lost World Cave in Waitomo. He is also known for riding in a motorbike sidecar and being pig-napped just before appearing in a television ad. Can you say awesome?

Woodlyn Park also has an impressive assortment of unique hotel rooms. You can sleep in a train, a plane, a boat or even a Hobbit house. Each has its own unique style and history. The plane, for example, is a converted Bristol Freighter and was one of the last allied planes out of Vietnam. I’m not sure if I want to go once and change rooms every night or just go back again and again until I’ve tried them all.

Hang Nga Guest House and Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam – Speaking of Vietnam, this little gem of a unique hotel is also known as the Crazy House. Built by the ex-President’s daughter, who studied architecture in Moscow, the stunning architecture is so unique, it’s a bit hard to describe. A bit of Gaudi influence maybe, with some fairy tales thrown in. Beautiful gardens surround elaborately sculpted “tree houses” with themed rooms and unexpected touches everywhere. Definitely worth a visit even if you don’t stay the night.

Magic Mountain Hotel, Huilo Huilo Nature Reserve, Chile – This unique hotel is shaped like a volcano, has a waterfall cascading down the side and tree house-inspired room decor. It’s also located in a beautiful nature preserve and has one of the top restaurants in Chile. But what really sold me on this one are the hot tubs. Imagine soaking in a huge, hallowed-out tree trunk filled with hot water, perched on a deck overlooking the forest. Count me in.

Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, Idaho – At Dog Bark Park, you and your family can sleep in the world’s largest beagle. Or the world’s second-largest beagle. You can’t really get any more kid-friendly than that. Inside the dog, you will find books, games and toys instead of a television and a phone. Cottonwood seems like a nice place to get away from it all. It’s not a destination with world-class museums or famous attractions, but it would be great for some good quality family time away from it all. There are a few museums nearby, including The Monastery of St. Gertrude & Historical Museum and the Bicentennial Historical Museum, in addition to a drive-in movie theater and plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventures, including jet boat tours and whitewater rafting.

Kakslauttanen Hotel & Igloo Village, Saariselka, Finland – I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights, but being outside in sub-zero weather to watch them does not appeal to me. At all. Watching them from a heated glass igloo? Now we’re talking. There are no bathrooms in the glass igloos and it’s a bit of a trek to reach them from the main building, although they do provide you with a sled to transport your children and/or luggage. Still, it might be a bit too adventurous for families with young children. It would be great for older kids though. The hotel also has comfortable cabins, which most visitors choose to stay in for the majority of their trip with one night in an igloo.

McCarran Airport in Las Vegas boasts the most missed flights of any U.S. airport. I can’t imagine why . . . If you find yourself stranded at LAS after missing your flight or not getting on your standby flight, I have some ideas for you after spending eight hours there yesterday. I’m pretty sure I could even draw you an accurate map from memory if you want.

Last Thursday, I decided I would go to the Blog World Expo in Las Vegas on Saturday in hopes of finding out more about the whole blogging world, since I am so new to it. I had to leave my baby for the first time, which was extremely hard for me. He did great, but I was a mess. I cried at the airport when I said goodbye to him, while he waived and cheerfully exclaimed, “bye-bye mommy!”

The conference was great. I met a ton of people, including many other travel bloggers and Johnny Depp (seriously). I flew in Friday night and by Sunday morning I was very ready to get home to my baby. I had originally planned on leaving on an 8:00 p.m. flight, but decided to go to the airport earlier and get on the standby list for a 1:00 p.m. flight. Well, I didn’t get on that one. Or the next one. Or the next one.

I ended up on the 8:00 p.m. flight after all. I had been at the airport since noon. I now consider myself an expert on Terminal D at the McCarran Airport in Las Vegas. I have been at McCarran probably 10 other times, but this was definitely the longest I’ve spent there. So, should you find yourself stuck at McCarran for an hour or two or ten, check out my list of things to do in Terminal D.

Many of these things you couldn’t really do if you had your kids in tow, but I have included a few things I’ve done there with Jack before.

1. Go to Brookstone. Sit in the most amazing massage chair ever until they tell you your time is up. They give you a good 10-20 minutes and it seriously feels like a real person is giving you a deep massage, with tons of varying techniques. It even massages your legs. It’s almost better than the real thing since you can relax in a comfortable position on your back instead of laying face first with your head in an awkward padded circle thing. I seriously want to own that chair someday. I have tried other massage chairs. They don’t even compare. Just as soon as I can find an extra $3,000, it’s all mine.

2. Get a free makeover at The Body Shop. The employees there are really nice and they don’t mind doing it just for fun. There’s no minimum purchase or anything, unlike some other places.

3. You could also get a massage, manicure and other spa services at XpressSpa in Terminal D, but their prices were about double that of the average prices here in Denver (I think it was $120 for a 60-minute massage). I was happy with the free makeover and massage chair.

4. Take your young kids to the play area behind Aunt Annie’s pretzels. Jack had more fun at this play area than any other place in Las Vegas. There are stairs to climb up and down and little windows to play peek-a-boo through. Great fun for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

5. There are also large animal statues around the terminal your kids will love to hang out with. There’s a bunny and a turtle and some others.

6. If you are without children, there is, of course, gambling and drinking. You are still in Las Vegas after all. It’s the only airport I’ve been to where all the wait staff and bartenders will, after encouraging you to order the large 32-oz. beer for only $2 more, offer you a shot for only $4 more. Ah, Vegas. As far as the slots go, they are rumored to be fairly generous. I have probably about broken even in all my times there, which I suppose is pretty generous compared to the rest of Las Vegas.

7. McCarran Airport is a great place to meet people you wouldn’t normally hang out with. I guess any airport is for that matter. I ended up having drinks with a sommelier from Vail and his boyfriend, then later a priest and his firefighter friend en route to a hunting trip in Montana. Later I introduced the two groups and we all had a drink together. It sounds like the makings of a good joke: a vegetarian mommy blogger, a priest, a hunter and a gay couple walk into a bar . . . but the ending would just be . . . and they all watched football and drank beer.

8. There are plenty of places to get a bite to eat. The Burke in the Box has the best food of any of the alcohol-serving restaurants; otherwise I would recommend the California Pizza Kitchen.

9. Buy a book or magazine at one of the many Hudson bookshops around the terminal. I had planned on turning $10 into $30 so I could get the new Dan Brown, but I nearly lost it all, won a small jackpot, lost my nerve and cashed out at $14.

10. Try out the lotions at Crabtree & Evelyn. Yummy!

11. Visit Kid’s Works for LEGOs, licensed Disney toys, kid’s clothing and toy planes.

12. Browse the souvenirs at various little stores. I liked Wild Gecko the best. Yes, I was there long enough to decide which gift shop is my favorite.

Have you ever been stuck at McCarran Airport? What did you do to pass the time?

**UPDATE** Thanks Jessica for reminding me that McCarran is one of the few airports that offers free WiFi. I would have been all set had I brought my laptop, but, then again, I might not have made such interesting new friends.

Just a quick post to tell you, dear readers, that between Jack teething, getting braces for his feet, a road trip to Fort Collins and our wireless router being down, I just haven’t been posting as much as I’d like. I am in the middle of writing several posts though, which I hope to have for you soon.

For now, I will leave you with a quick tip and some Jack cuteness. This week is Spa Week, a bi-annual event where participating spas across North America provide full treatments for $50 each. I went to Za Zen in Denver today for a wonderful hot stone massage at $30 off their normal price. Every hardworking mama (& dad!) deserves a little spa time and this is the week to do it. Visit the Spa Week website for more information and to find participating spas.

OK, now for some Jack cuteness. Here’s Jack hugging his papa tight at the airport after we returned from our week in Orlando. He misses him a lot when we travel!

Here’s an awesome picture of Jack, taken by his Uncle Eric with the nicest camera on the planet. (What’s it called again Eric?)

Next time Uncle Eric comes over, I’ll have to make sure to change Jack into a clean shirt! I think he had been eating raspberries. Oh, and rolling around in dirt.

With the hefty price tag for a ticket to many of the major theme parks, a trip to Orlando can be mighty expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. There are actually plenty of cheap things to do in Orlando. There are even discounts to be had at the major parks, especially in fall and winter when the older kids are back in school.

My one-and-a-half-year-old son Jack and I spent the last week in Orlando on the cheap. We found a three-star hotel room on Hotwire for six nights for $200 and a rental car for $75 from Payless. The hotel was nice enough and even had two playgrounds and three swimming pools. The rental car was a Yaris, a car that should possibly be reclassified as a toy car, which we spent two hours waiting in line to get, but hey, it was only $75 for a week. Then we set out to see what cheap Orlando had to offer. Here are some of the highlights:

• Orlando Science Center – $17 adult/$12 ages 3-11/Free under 3 – Quite the deal compared to theme park admission, the cheap Orlando Science Center has a lot to offer. We had only planned on spending the morning here, but we ended up staying all day since it was so cool. There was so much for a toddler to do!

In Kid’s Town, Jack worked on a car at the little body shop, picked (fake) oranges in an orange grove, cooked up a meal in the little kitchen, raced boats at the water table and more. At the Science Park exhibit, there were tons of interactive science exhibits even a toddler could participate in. We watched a tornado form, raced wooden cars down a large track, sent marbles spinning down a hole, experimented with electricity and watched as different sound waves appeared in a clear tube with small Styrofoam balls as different notes were played. The All Aboard exhibit was another excellent place for toddlers, with trains, planes and cars for them to play on, including a life-sized Brio train.

The cheap Orlando Science Center ticket included a show at the giant-screened CineDome theatre, so we went to see Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk for some midday downtime. Jack had never seen a movie before, but I thought we’d give it a try. I did have to hold down his seat, as he was too light to hold down the fold-down theatre seat. It would just fold back up on him, which we both thought was hilarious. So cute. To my surprise, Jack LOVED the movie and sat still and quiet through the entire thing. He was riveted. I loved it too. Besides the gorgeous scenery and amazing cinematography, the film features Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a soundtrack by the Dave Matthews Band and Robert Redford narrating.

There was so much more to do here, I can’t even list it all. I highly recommend this museum for babies through school-aged kids.

Note: The Orlando Science Center is located in Loch Haven Park, home to many other cheap Orlando activities. At RedChairProject.com, you can buy a 14-day pass for the Orlando Museum of Art, the Orlando Science Center and The Mennello Museum of American Art for just $25 for adults and $15 for kids.

• Gatorland – Half price after 3 p.m., regularly $22.99 adult/$14.99 ages 3-12/ Free under 3 – We took advantage of the half-price deal and were a bit rushed to see everything by the time they closed at 5 p.m. You could definitely spend the day at this cheap Orlando attraction. We saw lots of alligators and crocodiles, of course, including some albino alligators, and watched the Gator Jumparoo Show. There’s also a Gator Wrestlin’ Show and an Up Close Encounters Show, which we didn’t get a chance to see.

There’s much more here than just alligators, including a nice playground right next to a spray ground, a train ride ($2 extra for unlimited rides), snakes, swamp walks, an aviary, talking parrots and a petting zoo. The food is very affordable and the park is laid out very nicely with plenty of shade. There’s even fans all around the park that spray you with water.

Unlike the many cheap Orlando tourist attractions that sprung up after Disney World opened in 1971, Gatorland is one of the reasons tourists started coming to central Florida in the first place. Gatorland opened in 1949 and is still owned and operated by the same family today. Definitely worth a look.

• Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens – Museum: $5 adult/$3 student (12-college)/Free under 12, Gardens: Free for everyone – This cheap Orlando attraction is the perfect place for a picnic, with a peaceful lakeside setting, beautiful trees and plants and interesting sculptures. It was a very welcome change of pace from the other attractions. We meant to go into the museum to look around, but had to cut our trip short do to a toddler meltdown after our picnic. The gardens alone were well worth the visit though.

Note: There’s a Whole Foods just down the road from the museum for your picnic supplies.

• Downtown Disney – Free – Downtown Disney is Disney World’s dining and shopping destination, with free parking and free boat rides across the lake. There’s also a (very) small Disney train and a carousel here, which are $2 each for children and free for an adult to ride along. Of course, this could turn into a more expensive outing if you buy a lot of souvenirs, but is great cheap fun if you are content to window shop. I would recommend giving older kids their spending money BEFORE entering the shopping area to avoid any begging later. Then they can make their own decisions how to spend their money.

The best part of Downtown Disney was the LEGO Imagination Center, with tons of free stuff for kids to do. There are small round LEGO tables kids can play at, a LEGO car racing track and giant LEGO statues, including one in the lake, and even a playground.

There are also a bunch of fun restaurants here, including House of Blues, Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Café and T-REX, none of which are cheap, but you are saving money on the entertainment for the day. The Earl of Sandwich is a more affordable option. We went to the Rainforest Café. The food was really good and I thought the atmosphere was fun, but unfortunately Jack was terrified by the animatronic elephants. They were nice about moving us away from them though.

We also saw the cutest little girls getting made up like princesses at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which I would HIGHLY recommend if you have a little girl. Packages start at around $50 for girls to get sparkly princess hair and makeup and a Bibbidy Bobbidi Boutique princess sash, which is a little pricey, but so worth it for a little girl to feel beautiful for a day. All the little princesses were positively beaming.

• WonderWorks & The Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show – Combo tickets: $38.95 adults/$28.95 ages 4-12/Free under 4 – Billed as central Florida’s only upside-down attraction, you can see the coolest part of WonderWorks for free, so even if you decide not to pay to go in, it’s worth a stop to take a quick picture in front of this cheap Orlando attration.

While not nearly as cool as the Orlando Science Center, we had fun at the WonderWorks “museum for the mind.” Jack loved the Bubble Lab and the giant piano on the floor. There was a lot more to do for older kids, including a bed of nails, an earthquake simulator and a virtual roller coaster. We spend a few hours wandering around here before the dinner show.

The Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show features all-you-can-eat pizza, salad, popcorn, beer, wine, soda and dessert, in addition to a very funny magic show with lots of audience participation. This is the dinner show the locals go to, and for good reason. Tony Brent had us all laughing pretty hard. Jack had a hard time sitting still for the show, but he laughed a few times and enjoyed some of the magic tricks.

• Disney World’s Magic Kingdom – Free on your birthday (See MouseSavers.com for other deals & pricing details) – The Magic Kingdom is not usually what you think of when you think of a cheap Orlando attraction, but it can be. Last Friday was my birthday, so we took advantage of Disney’s get in free on your birthday in 2009 promotion. Jack was free too, since kids under three get in free. This was our main motivation for traveling to Orlando and was definitely the best deal of the trip. If it’s too late for you to take advantage of this offer, you’ll be happy to know that Disney just released the details of their 2010 promotion, “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” Disney will be letting up to a million people into a Disney park for free for a day in exchange for a day of volunteer work.

We spent our day at the Magic Kingdom riding many of the classic rides like It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and many more. We also stayed for the Spectromagic Parade and the fireworks show. It was a fantastic way to spend my birthday and a very magical day for Jack. I wasn’t sure he was old enough to appreciate it, but as soon as we entered the park, his eyes lit up and he said, “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!”

Other Cheap Orlando Deals:

• Watch the “snow” fall for free in downtown Celebration, Florida at Christmastime.

• Check out the manatee preserve in Blue Spring State Park from November 15th through March 1st for $6 per vehicle.

• Wet ‘N Wild offers 1/2 price admission after 2 p.m. and currently has a deal where you pay for admission for one day ($44.95) and you get the rest of the year free.

• SeaWorld Orlando is offering an adult ticket at the child’s ticket price ($64.95), plus a second day free.

• SeaWorld’s water park, Aquatica, offers a similar deal, with an adult ticket for the child’s ticket price ($38.95).

• Busch Gardens is also offering an adult ticket at the child’s ticket price ($59.95).

• Universal Studios Orlando has a special deal for unlimited admission to both of their theme parks for seven consecutive days for $99.99 (that’s normally the price of a two-day/two-park ticket).

• Disney World recently unveiled a new deal for three nights (with tickets) free when you buy four nights with tickets at “moderate” and above resorts or two nights with tickets free when you buy five nights with tickets at a “value” resort.

• If you plan on visiting multiple attractions, research ticket bundles like the Orlando Flex Ticket, which includes admission to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Aquatica and SeaWorld for $234.95 for 14 days.

Please check the individual attraction’s website for full details of all the promotions, as some are only available online or only at the gate or require advance purchase, etc.

Usually our trips to the airport are pretty standard. I have my ziplock bag of liquids under 3 oz. and we just make our way through the security checkpoint without anything interesting happening. I usually bring an empty sippy cup and Tang to mix with water from a drinking fountain inside the terminal so that my toddler has something to drink while the plane takes off to prevent his ears from popping. I breastfed my son when he was a baby, so I never had to worry about bringing formula.

On our way home from San Diego, I happened to have some juice in a sippy cup when we went through the security checkpoint. I had totally forgotten about it in the crazy trip to the airport. So, when the security officer picked up the sippy cup and asked if I had any liquids he should know about, I told him I had forgotten about the juice and he could just dump it out if he wanted. Well, he looked at me like I was totally crazy for thinking they would just dump something I might be trying to make a bomb with.

So after we got our shoes back on and all that, we were whisked away to the side, where they performed all sorts of crazy tests on this little yellow sippy cup half full of apple juice. I couldn’t help finding it a bit humorous, although I don’t mind all the security procedures since they help keep us safe. The juice came back clean and off we went. It only took a few extra minutes, but make sure you don’t have any extra liquids if you’re running late!

If you do want to take some formula, milk or juice for your children, here’s what you need to know:

•  You can bring over 3 oz. of baby formula, breast milk or juice through the security checkpoint in reasonable quantities.

• Breastfeeding mothers can bring breast milk even if traveling without their child.

• Separate these exceptions from the liquids in your quart-size ziplock.

• Look for the family/medical liquids lane. We always use this lane anyway, since no one behind us gets all anxious while I’m folding up the stroller and all that. It actually seems to go just as fast as the other lanes anyway.

• Declare to the security officer at the checkpoint that you have the item(s).

• Your extra liquids will undergo special screening, which should only take a few minutes.

• You or your child will not have to taste the liquid to prove it’s safe.

For more information, visit the TSA webpage about traveling with kids.