Travel

All mommy's need a timeout! I know I need my timeout! What better way to do it than, travel!

Disney 101: Traveling with kiddos on a budget

Let’s face it, a trip to Walt Disney World can be an expensive undertaking; a good budget is needed for most families. When considering where you want to stay, make sure you consider how long you will actually be in the room. If you will spend the majority of your day in the parks, opt for the least expensive resort that is on your list. We stayed at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort that was only 10 minutes away from Disney!

If you choose not to stay in any Disney resort... You can visit any Disney resort on property. You can take a bus or a monorail or a boat and browse the resort (you can also drive, just let the guard know you want to browse the resort. You are usually allowed 2 hours.). You can dine in the resort’s restaurants, shop in their stores, walk on their beaches. You just can’t swim in their pool.

In order to visit 2 parks in one day, you will need to add the Park Hopper option on your ticket. If you aren’t 100% sure that you will want/need/use Park Hopper, you don’t have to buy it ahead of time. You will pay the same exact price if you buy it before you leave or if you buy it at the gate. We like this because it's easier and more convenient for the kiddos, especially on a short visit to Disney. If you plan on staying at a park all day, save money and pass on the Park Hopper.

When you enter a park, you must first go through security. To make it faster, go ahead and unzip all of your bag’s compartments. Also the security guard will first check the bag to the person on his left and then he will check the person on his right. Try to go thru the shortest line! Don’t just follow the crowds.

It’s important to know where the crowds are going to go as soon as the park opens and especially crucial when you have younger kiddos. Lines can be a headache with little one's. They don't understand the concept of patience (trust me, my son didn't know what the word meant). At Magic Kingdom, the crowds will head towards Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Fantasyland (mainly Dumbo and Peter Pan) and Space Mountain. At Epcot, they will head towards Soarin’ and Test Track. At Animal Kingdom, they head straight back to Kilamanjaro Safaris. At Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Mania is the main attraction with some people heading towards Tower of Terror and Rocking Roller Coaster. Get to the main ones before the rest of the crowd during the day gets there first.

Disney has a selection of special occasion buttons that you can wear. They have everything from Birthday to Family Reunion. You can pick up your button at the concierge desk or Town Hall in the parks. We took advantage of this the days we stayed. The first year we took our oldest to Disney for her 5th birthday she felt like a princess. All the princesses, cast members and characters wished her a happy birthday. Her favorite "tiana" (at the time), blew her a kiss all the way from the parade shouting "Happy Birthday Princess!" This year, our son felt the same experience except he was the Prince. He was always surprised that everyone knew his name and wished him a happy birthday...Shhhhh!

FASTPASS is a wonderful program that Disney offers all their guests. Fastpass reserves you a spot in a shorter line during a specific hour during that day. If you are staying on site, you can book your Fastpasses in advance. If you are staying offsite, you can book your Fastpasses when you arrive at the park that day. When the time comes for you to redeem your Fastpass ticket, return to the ride but use the Fastpass entrance. You will get to skip ahead of all the people in the regular line and you won't feel bad about it at all. Remember you get 3 fastpasses a day. We used all of ours the smart way. I'm so glad my son is old enough to ride the rides. He was having a blast on Space Mountain and Tower of Terror!

If you are going to Disney with little ones, you need to know about an unadvertised Disney amenity called Rider Swap. Rider Swap enables a parent to ride with the older children while the other parent waits with the younger child. After the older children ride, the parents swap places and they ride again. To use this feature, just approach the Cast Member at the entrance of the ride and let them know that you want to do Rider Swap.

Love to meet characters? Every single character meet and greet for the park is listed on the Times Guide that is available when you enter the park. You can also find the Times Guide by the register at many souvenir shops or you can even ask a Cast Member for one. You will also find the show times and parade times listed in the Times Guide.

Dining with the characters is a great way to collect autographs while feeding your family. Each park has at least one character meal. At Magic Kingdom, it’s Crystal Palace with the gang from Pooh and Cinderella’s Royal Table with Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Belle and Sleeping Beauty (we went here for my daughters 5th birthday). At Animal Kingdom, it’s Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House. At Hollywood Studios, it’s the Playhouse Disney Characters at Hollywood and Vine (We had lunch here for my son's5th bday.) At Epcot, it’s the Princesses at Akershus in Norway or Mickey and the gang at Garden Grill near Soarin. 

You can make your own autograph books at home and save money! Characters will sign anything really… shirts, hats, pillow cases, canvas, etc. They just won’t sign anything that you are currently wearing, trust me (I had to take off a shirt right before Elsa signed my daughters). We were prepared when we met Ariel!

Downtown Disney contains many different stores that sell most of the souvenirs you’ll find in the parks.   There is no admission to visit Downtown Disney. There are full size statues of Disney characters that you can pose next too for memorable pictures. There is an amazing Lego store there with plenty of Lego structures that you can check out. My son was amazed, he loved it! They also have a big play area where kids can build Legos for free. Also be sure to visit the Ghiradelli Chocolate store. They are always giving out free samples! And if you walk towards Pleasure Island, you can watch the hot air balloon take off. It is also a great place to trade pins. There are so many things to do here! 

Nickeolodeon Suites & Resorts: The 411

What is this Nickelodeon Suites Resort everyone is talking about? Well we arrived in Orlando at 8:30 am on Thursday April 10^th to this resort having no clue of what we were getting into.  I bought the total turtle package online a few weeks before. What is the total turtle package? Well, one weekend out of every month, the ninja turtles make an entrance that weekend and it is dedicated to only them; games, activities, dinner, eye masks, unlimited 4D movie passes, TMNT souvenir cups, TMNT messenger bags, TMNT movie night and more!

As I entered the hotel lobby I was given a good first impression; very clean, brightly painted with neon colors, and welcoming.  The first thing  I noticed once checking in was the TMNT mural on the entrance doors and the huge Nickelodeon sign that you could see miles away.  Check- in did take some time, but it wasn’t because of a long line, but because our front desk clerk took her time to go over all the resorts features. The big attractions that draw most families to the The Nickelodeon Suites Resort is that it has all your children's   favorite nick-toon characters as you can’t miss them painted all over the place, along with cartoon themed rooms, a daily meet and greet breakfast and a short shuttle ride to Disney World which is provided by the hotel for its guest.  Besides that another reason for staying at this resort is the nick pools which are perfect for kiddos. They have water slides, splash pads, a jacuzzi, free putt-putt golf, basket ball courts and my personal favorite pool side cabana. I noticed one of the biggest things for staying at The Nickelodeon Suites Resort is the daily poolside SLIMING …       

Yup, SLIM!  They have times in which the sliming will take place. The slimming itself only takes a few seconds but for the kids standing under the slim bucket chanting “we want slim… we want slim” its pure magic. This is truly a wonderful experience for kids.  It’s great to watch all the kiddos, young and old, line up under the big slim bucket waiting and wanting to get slimmed. I think the parents enjoy watching their children get slimmed just as much as the kids getting slimmed. This was such a family oriented resort. 

To the parents staying at Nickelodeon...  Whats in it for them?  I was surprised to learn that this resort not only caters to kids but to the parents as well.  Grant it this resort is to keep your kids entertained, but there were a few nice surprises that any parent or guardian could take advantage of at this resort. First of all for those of you who enjoy massages, there is a service that offers pool side massage for fewer than $100.00.  Also there is a poolside bar where you can have alcohol. The Bar is a full service with your standard well drinks and some top shelf alcohol, along with tropical rum drinks, and  beer.  Not that every parent wants to sit back and drink all day, but it’s still a nice service that if you want to have a cocktail poolside you can. Along with that there's a kids after dark program which I highly recommend for parents to take advantage of.  The after dark program is from 5-11 pm offered Wed-Sun.  This is a completely supervised program that consist of dinner, games, going to a 4-D movie, going to a Nick live show, slimming, crafts, and a take home souvenir.  There is a charge of $50.00 per child but it is well worth it. This gives parents a chance to take advantage of the shuttle to Downtown Disney after dark.    

I found the Nickelodeon to have pretty much everything a family needs going on vacation in Orlando FL.  The hotel was clean, the rooms where nice size with separate bedrooms for the parents and children. There is the Nickelodeon mall on property which was nice and offered a variety of food choices at a reasonable rate.  A long with a bar, arcade 4D theater and a gift shop.  The shuttle service to Disney World, Downtown Disney and Universal were always on time in which you are given a schedule that was pretty decent. I have to say our stay was nice. The enjoyed themselves and that's what matters the most! Now I need a vacation from my vacation...

Throwback Thursday to Disney:

My how time flies. It's been almost three years since our last trip to Disney and this week we'll be spending our time not only there but at Nickelodeon Suites Resort. We want to dedicate this time to my daddy. He loved traveling, especially on family vacations. 

We traveled to Disney the summer of 2011 and had a blast. The photos tell it all! This year we wanted to incorporate TMNT and what better way to do it than celebrate at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort. I wasn't too sure about this place but after amazing reviews and knowing special guest TMNT we're going to be there we decided to take E to enjoy the TOTAL TURTLE WEEKEND! My daddy would have been right here with us. 

When my youngest turned five we spent a week at Disney because her dream was to meet and have dinner with the princesses. We did just that! Call me crazy! Tell me I'm spoiling my children! But hey, I had the same treatment when I was their age from my parents and I want to make sure my kiddos are able to travel as frequently as I did and share memorable experiences. They remember to this day, the trip to Disney with Papu. The talked about it the entire plane ride here.

So now my sons five and we're here! At Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Florida! Today and tomorrow we head to Disney and Sat we have an action packed day filled with TMNT fun! 

Traveling kiddos: Why I travel with them.

I consider my kiddos, the lucky ones. Traveling is one thing they love just as much as I do. It means a lot to me when I take my children to new places where they can experience something new, fun and exciting, and traveling does just that.

I just want to show my kiddos the world. I want us to discover new amazing places, experience different cultures, see how other people live, have coffee overlooking the snowy mountains while holding their hands, and go on as many adventures as we can. I want to see my children in different places, see them in a different light.

I want to be able to let my kiddos experience travel, adventure, culture, see how other people live, think and breath. I think that’s very important. I think they are at a good age now, to start traveling somewhere new once or twice a year to a place they've never been before: Grand Canyon, San Diego Zoo, Mall of Anerica (Minneapolis), Washington DC (The White House to meet the President), Zion National Park, Alaska, Swiss Alps, Spain, Hawaii, Italy, Paris France, China… Oh and the list goes on.

I have been fortunate to have traveled as a child and I want them to be able to experience the same. My parents were in a business and we traveled constantly. It really kept me busy and I can say I had a pretty great life considering I was the only child. I'll talk about my great life and my parents who made it all happen in another blog posting I'll post soon!

Places I've traveled:

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota

2. Chicago, Illinois

3. Tennessee, Memphis and Nashville

4. Georgia, Atlanta

5. Florida, Orlando

6. Colorado, springs

7. Canada

8. New York, Buffalo, New York, New York

9. New Jersey

10. Mexico, Manzanilla and Guadalajara

11. California, Ontario, Los Angelo's, Victorville, Apple Valley, Barstow

12. Arizona, Phoenix and Tuscan

13. New Mexico, Albuquerque

14. Alabama, Mobile

15. Mississippi,

16. Oklahoma

17. Kentucky

18. Indiana

19. South Carolina

20. North Carolina

21. Louisiana, New Orleans

22. Cancun

23. Cozumel

24. Belize

25. Honduras

26. Roatan

I love the whole traveling experience – flying, roadtrips, hotels, put stops, new restaurants, new people, new way of life… I love it all!

My kiddos so far have traveled before the age of 5:

1.Louisiana, New Orleans

2.New York, New York

3.Florida, Orlando

4.Texas, Austin, Bastrop, San Antonio, New Braunfels, Canyon Lake

5.California

6. Mexico

This past Memorial Day Weekend we spent our vacation at Yogi Bear Jellystone Park in Canyon Lake near New Braunfels. Every year since my oldest turned 5, we (my parents and their father) take the kiddos to Sea World! That is their "absolute fav place of all time" as they quote themselves. Another blog to be posted for Sea World.

 The kiddos had a blast at the Yogi beat resort considering the weather decided to keep changing (rain). They were able to do what kids like to do best... Have fun away from home. I recommend Yogi Bear Park to all parents, grandparents etc. Look it up:

http://jellystonehillcountry.com/site/?redirect=false

They have them all around! Not just in Texas.

We went with another family as we shared a lodge. I don't think I'll recommend to share a lodge unless you completely have too however, in the end it was an a ok VACA.

Bye Bye Houston... See you next year!

It's our third time this year we have flown on an airplane yet it's the first time ever for my cousin to feel the little pleasures of take off. She's 30 years old and because she's afraid of heights, she has never attempted to fly or do anything remotely close to it. To my surprise, she has conquered her fears and decided that this family vacation, she would tag along and just go for it! Sometimes, you just have to. You just have to let go of your fears and all your inhibitions and just go for it! And that she did. We took off to San Diego Cali to get the experience of New Years in another city/state. My dad instilled the traveler in me... Since I was a kid, traveling is all I knew. I made it to every state before my teen years and want my kids to experience the same. Before my dad's passing, we had it planned that after I graduated from grad school, we would spend New Years somewhere we have never been. Well, although we've been to Cali, what better way to spend it in Disney with the kids. It's no longer about me anymore. I don't feel the need to travel alone. Especially when I have the opportunity to take my kids along with me. So here we went. My mom, my cousin, my aunt, my kids, Jason and I! We traveled to San Diego, Cali and planned to road trip to LA. But first, our next destination was San Diego Zoo and to adventure the history of it all. 

Bye Houston, Cali is our home for 8 days.

Old Town San Diego.
www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com

Riding that airport shuttle to the hotel!

My momma and I

Isn't it nice to sit back and relax with your kids at the only place in the world you can where a bra and underwear while holding a margarita with your toes in the water and watching the kids bury themselves in the sand? Yea, life's a beach.

Every year Jason and I want to get away from it all and call another place home for a weekend or more. We rent a beach house and bring along family and friends. Not only is it relaxing but it's super rejuvenating. This year time flew by faster than we thought and we were unable to rent a beach house. They sold out months before the 4th of July and we were stuck with traveling in traffic. Well, traffic was the least of our worries because we decided to hold back on July 4th. Last year was CRAZY in Galveston, TX! We did not want to make the same mistake we did that year so we waited until Saturday to have our time in our bra and underwear. ;-p (thats what the kiddos say) Bikini season is here I said to myself! I am always super excited.  The waves were hitting hard and the weather wasn't as hot as I expected. It was super windy and perfect to spend all day BBQing, playing in the sand and swimming in the waves with the kiddos. And yet again, my son was the only boy! :-/ we definitely need to think about having another kid and hope for another boy so Elijah won't be alone. There are too many girls in the family as it is. But you know, it doesn't seem to bother him. He enjoys every minute with his sister and friends that are girls. In re end, the beach this July 4th weekend was perfect.