Baby Friendly Cruises

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

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

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

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

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

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!