Adventure With Family

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

2011-03-02T04:51:00.001-08:00

For Christmas this year, we decided to give the kids a trip to Universal Studios! They are both HUGE Harry Potter fans and we were all anxious to see what the "buzz" was about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We were not disapointed! I guess I should first give a disclaimer that if you are going to Universal expecting Disney, you won't find it there. Universal, while not as big or extravagant, is very fun and offers something different from Disney. We stayed at the Lowes Royal Pacific resort. This is an on-site property at Universal. We loved the resort. The staff was very friendly and helpful. My kids loved that everywhere they went people said, "Aloha". The pool was fantastic and heated(major pluss when going in the winter). There were several restaurants onsite and we are big fans of Emril's. The biggest selling point is that by staying onsite you have early access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We had an entire hour before regular park guests were allowed. Also, there is an Express Lane to every ride, but two, where we were able to walk right on and not wait. This is different from Disney where you have to get a Fast Pass. This is a seperate line. We LOVED this benefit and would not do it any other way!

There are 2 parks at Universal; Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Islands of Adventure hosts the Wizarding World of Happry Potter. You walk in to find yourseld standing in Hogsmeade, complete with snowcapped houses. We loved Olivander's wand shop and the presentation from Olivander himself to match a child fromt he audience with the perfect wand. We drank butterbear every day and ate at Three Broomsticks. The main attraction, The Forbidden Journey is an exciting ride that is not for anyone prone to motion sickness! The best part was the line to wait for the ride wound through Hogwarts Castle, with stops at Dumbledore's office and the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. Other higlights at Universal included the Jurrasic park area, Men In Black and the 8th Voyage of Sinbad Stunt Show. I think Universal is definately worth a visit. For those going to Disney, it would be a great one day visit to see Harry Potter. It was a perfect long weekend get-a-way in the winter to be somewhere the kids could run around, swim and be outside!

Bar Harbor, Maine

2010-10-18T08:14:00.001-07:00

I am embarrassed at the time lapse between posts. I often get so caught up in life and traveling that I forget to write! This summer, I took a second trip to Bar Harbor Maine in the past two years. While this trip was specifically for a wedding, my husband and I were able to take advantage of several adventures with friends. This was an adults only trip, but Bar Harbo has SO much to offer the whole family. We stayed at the Harborside, which is right in the middle of Bar Harbor. We had gorgeous views of the water and it truly is a lvoely resort. Since Maine was unseasonably warm while we were there, we were able to take advantage of cockatils poolside several days as well! Our first day, we did a 3 hours bike tour in Acadia National Park. It was a great way to see the park's carriage roads and take advantage of that fabulous Maine air! While I wouldn't suggest this tour for small children, those of you with older children would have a blast together! See www.acadiabike.com
Day 2 provided a wonder ful hike for my husband and friends. Just touch base with the welcome center to get a map. You will be rewarded with some amazing views! That evening we took a sunset cruise of the Harbor on the Margaret Todd. This is a beautiful schooner and your can even test your muscles by helping lift the sails! We had a lovely cruise, very romantic and peaceful. A couple of restaurants to note- breakfast at Cafe this Way or Jeannies are great and lunch or dinner at The Parkside or Stewmans for lobster!
Lastly, while we didn't get to go this time, a trip to Bar Harbor is not complete without going to see Diver Ed! This is the higlight of any trip. www.divered.com
Bar Harbor can bit a bit difficult to get to, but worth every minute.

Baby Friendly Cruises

2009-10-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

I was just reading an article today about the top 5 "baby friendly" cruise lines. You can find the article at:
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/top-five-baby-friendly-cruise-lines.html?id=3740134

The top five listed were:
Carnival
Disney ( No surprise)
Cunard
NCL
Royal Caribbean

There are a lot of things to consider when taking little ones on a cruise!

Southern California

2009-10-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

I just returned last night from a long weekend in Southern California with my kids, my sister-in-law and my neice. We had a fabulous time. October is a wonderful time to vacation in CA, the weather was fabulous; blue skies, sun, not too hot. We flew out for Fall Break, leaving Wed. night. We had two full days at Disneyland and one day at Legoland. After being in DisneyWorld last year for Fall break, I wondered how the CA counterpart would compare. I was pleasantly surprised. While Disneyland is smaller in size, for a long weekend vacation, it was perfect. We were able to do some of our "favorites" from DisneyWorld, like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Peter Pan's Flight. Additionally, we were able to experience some great new attractions like the Indiana Jones ride and California Screamin' roller coaster. We also loved seeing all of the Halloween decorations and costumes. The drive down to Carlsbad for Legoland was definately worth it and was my 7 year old son's favorite part of the trip. The Miniland USA is truly remarkable and I can't say that I have ever seen a full size SUV made out of Legos! We were able to have a quick morning at the beach before we left and I wish we would have had a full day. It was so fun to see the kids relaxing, splashing in the waves watching the surfers. The Orange County airport was SO easy to get in and out of a refreshing change from LAX. All in all, a fabulous get-a-way and something to put on your list!

El Salvador

2009-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time, but have not had a moment to sit and quietly reflect on my first trip to El Salvador. More to come....

Traveling with my daughter

2009-07-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

I recently took my first "girls trip" with my 8 year old daughter. What a great idea! We went to Seattle to visit two friends of mine from college that my daughter has met, but does not know well. One of my favorite parts of the trip was watching these old friends of mine develop a wonderful relationship with my daughter. What a gift for her to get to know such amazing women. She now has two new role models in her life! That was the icing on the cake of the trip. As if Seattle itself was not enough!

Seattle is a fabulous place to take the family. It is a beautiful city; safe, clean, with a TON to do for everyone. To satisfy my love for the great outdoors, we went boating on Lake Washington, took a hike at Snowqualmie Falls, went whale watching around the San Juan Islands and walked various other lakes in the area. My daughter also loves the hustle and bustle of the city. We had lunch at Pike Place Market, explored the Seattle Center including the Science Ficton Museum. Hands down, the Experience Music Project was my daughter's favorite. This museum is very "hands on". You can access your inner rock star by playing guitar, keyboard, drums, even recording your own CD or music video. There are also very cool exhibits on guitars and rock legend Jimi Hendrix. I have been to Seattle before and every time I experience something new. I can't wait to go back and see the Rain Forests and hike Mt. Ranier. Put this on your list of top 5 cities in the US to visit!

The time between my daughter and I was priceless. This is when a "trip" becomes SO much more than just a vacation.

Turks & Caicos

2009-04-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a site inspection at the Beaches Resort in Turks & Caicos. It was a fabulous resort! Turks & Caicos is a beautiful island; crystal blue waters and gorgeous beaches. The people were so giving and accomodating. They have a new Italian Village with some of the best accomodations for families, especially those families of 5 or more. They also have a to-die-for water park that would entertain kids all day! I would absolutely go back any time!

Girls Trip

2009-04-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

While I absolutely love traveling with my family, there is something special about a trip with your best friend! I recently went on a short 3 day cruise on Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas. My best friend and I had a fabulous time! There was lots of relaxing time, yummy drinks and wonderful food. But best of all was the uninterupted conversation where we could catch up and discuss the serious issues of the world and get caught up on the latest entertainment news!

Our day in the Bahamas was spent at the Atlantis Resort. If you are looking for a large resort with something for everyone, this is your dream. The nice part about traveling with a close friend is that you know eachother well enough that you can do your own thing and no one cares. While my friend spent her day on the beach sipping Pina Coladas, I participated in a deep water swim with the dolphins encounter at Atlantis' Dolphin Cay. I have seen a lot of swim with the dolphin excursions, but this one was fabulous! I was actually able to get in the water with the dolphin and have her push me around by my foot. Then we were given personal motorized devices that allowed us to swim alongside the dolphin and dive with them into the deeper waters. They are such amazing creatures, full of personality and very sweet. The staff did a wonderful job and I would highly suggest this excursion to anyone visiting the Bahamas. They also take pictures that are for sale at the end of your program.

Next stop was onto Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's private island, Cocoa Cay. We had gorgeous weather and had a wonderful day at the beach.

This was such a nice trip and quite a reminder to make time for good friends in our busy lives!

Riviera Maya, Mexico

2008-12-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a FABULOUS trip to the Riviera Maya. This is the area, just south of Cancun on the Yucatan Pennisula. My husband and I went for a quick 4 night trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. It was wonderful; beautiful weather, great beaches, yummy drinks and food....ahhh, totally relaxing. We stayed at the Iberostar Lindo Paraiso Beach. This is a 4.5 star resort and is a part of the Iberostar Paraiso Beach complex. There are 5 Iberostar Resorts on this property ranging from the 4 star Iberostar Paraiso Beach to the 5 star, adults-only Iberostar Grand. This is a fantastic property, well managed with wonderful service. The Lindo shares restaurants with the Maya, but nothing was ever crowded. The pools and gardens are gorgeous and there is TONS to do for families; playground, kids program, lazy river(see picture above), wave pool, etc.

We also took one day to explore the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza. As part of our excursion, we were taken to a natural sink hole, where we were able to swim. REFRSHING! Then off to the ruins. Our guide, Serg, was amazing. His family was part Mayan and you could tell how much he LOVED sharing the stories of the ancient Mayan. It was facinating. This also made for a great combination of beach/sun and a little adventure.

This was a great vacation!

Family Lanes for Airport Security

2008-11-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Do you often find yourself getting the "eye roll" from other travelers at the airport, as they see you walk up with your children? They are now going to have Family Lanes for Airport Security. Check out this article:
http://travelwithkids.about.com/b/2008/11/12/family-lanes-for-airport-check-ins.htm?nl=1

Great Disney Deal!

2008-11-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

Walt Disney World just announced a WONDERFUL deal for travel Jan- June. Stay 4 nights in a Disney resort with park tickets, get 3 free. I just priced it out for Spring Break and the cost for 7 days was incredible. If you want to go to Disney, this is a GREAT time to go! Email me for more information: tracy@creativetraveladventures.com

Walt Disney World

2008-10-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Walt Disney World in Orlando. It was a GREAT vacation! My kids loved it and everything was MAGICAL.....the Disney way! The above photo is from Breakfast with Chef Mickey, an absolute must! We were able to hit all of the parks as well as Downtown Disney. I learned so much from talking to people while I was there....a lot of hidden secrets to share with clients!

A Great Birthday Present!

2008-09-25T16:07:00.001-07:00

Walt Disney World just announced that it will give FREE tickets to guests on their birthdays in 2009! What a double bonus for those people with twins!

New Airplane Harness for kids

2008-09-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

I recently read about a new safety harness for kids to mirror those of carseats. I have heard so many complaints from clients about lugging huge carseats through the airport so their kids can be safely "strapped in" on a flight. This is SO much easier. Check out the website at: http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

Dominican Republic

2008-09-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Dominican Republic is truly an up and coming destination for lovers of the Caribbean! This past May, I stayed at the Dreams Resort, Punta Cana. The Dominican Republic offers a variety of resorts on various parts of the island. Dreams was a fantastic place to stay. The only downfall being it is far from the airport. If you are traveling with kids, that last hour on a bus on bumpy roads can be a killer after a long plane ride! However, once you walk into their beautiful open-air lobby, grab a drink from the bar and look out at the beautiful grounds; you will forget the bus ride! Dreams has a fantastic kids program full of activities and complete with a pirate ship and water slide in their Kids Area! Their staff bends over backwards to entertain and your kids will not be bored!

The island has several excursions; ranging from adventure to cultural. You can visit the historic city of Santo Domingo, where Christopher Columbus first landed. I would highly suggest the Zip Line tours. My friend, Suzanne, and I went and had a ball! There was even a very young girl, age 3, that went and LOVED it! I asked her father why she wasn't scared. He said, "We teach our kids fear. I try to introduce her to things, so she won't be afraid. You should see her surf!" Such wise words. I came home determined to take my kids at the first opportunity!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2008-09-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

This past July, I joined a group of travel agents on a FAM trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with Funjet Vacations. A FAM trip is a "familiarization" trip for travel agents to learn about different destinations in order to be more informed for you, the customer. I was there 4 days and saw 14 resorts. We were also allowed to play tourist one day by taking an excursion to Las Caletes, pictured above. I have to say, there are not many trips that I do not like. I am so easily enthralled with new destinations and the people I meet and the places I visit. I loved Puerto Vallarta. Being by the beach with mountains is such a beautiful combination. The people were very friendly and service was great. There are varied resorts to meet all budgets and interests. Additionally, the 100 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, the Riviera Nayarit is booming with new resorts, marina and golf courses. This is definitely a destination worth visiting.

I have entereded the blogging world!

2008-09-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

I suppose I never imagined that people would truly care what I had to say enough to read my blog. However, I find myself as an expert in traveling with kids and people actually ask me for advice. What a novel idea! Traveling is one of my greatest passions and loves in life. Being able to combine travel with THE greatest love of my life; my husband and kids brings immense pleasure! I hope you learn a little from this blog and feel inspired to see something you've never seen before, experience someplace new and watch the look on your child's face when they first ride a horse, raft a river, see an ocean, a mountain, a wild animal, or anything new and different. These simple pleasures are what makes lifelong memories. Thank you for letting me share my memories with you!