Just when we were sad that our last day at the beach got rained out… we noticed not everyone was stuck inside the hotel. A pod of at least 20 dolphins was having a grand old time frolicking in the waves outside the hotel.
travel
day in nyc
Tucked in by ELMO
My kids will never – EVER – forget the night that Elmo came to our room, read them a story and tucked them into bed. Colin, who is 4, was obviously super excited. He loves Sesame Street and he especially loves Elmo!! But even the older girls were beyond thrilled to have Elmo to themselves. When else do you get Elmo all to yourself??
We had a knock at our door and the kids – who rushed back to the room from the pool to wait for Elmo – were bouncing around in excitement. We opened the door and there he was!!! It was so so sweet! After huge hugs, the kids lead Elmo over to the bed where they were sleeping and he climbed right in.
(I love Gracie’s face in this picture – can you just see how delighted she is to have Elmo there?)
Each kid got a little Sesame Street stuffed animal to cuddle with during their tuck in!
Then we settled in to read a bedtime story together.
Oh, the sweet Elmo cuddles.
They all got good night kisses from Elmo and were tucked into bed.
These Sesame Character “Night Night” tuck in packages are totally worth the extra cost. It was one of the trip highlights for the kids and they have talked about it to everyone they know! It was so so sweet! Truly, we will never forget this night.
Other characters available for the Character Tuck in at Beaches Resorts include Abby Cadabby, Grover, Zoe, and Cookie Monster. After talking to everyone it sounds like Cookie super fun for a night time tuck in too. Character tuck-ins are $85 per child and $30 for each additional child. This also includes a free stuffed plush gift for each child. Now we love Elmo more than ever and will never forget this special time at Beaches Negril!!
Disclosure: We visited Beaches as part of a press trip, so a portion of our expenses were covered. Beaches Resorts provided a free Character Tuck In so we could experience their partnership with Sesame Street to facilitate this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own.
our favorites at beaches negril
Our kids had a total blast at Beaches Negril! There was so much to do. My husband’s favorite part was definitely the scuba diving – he became certified in scuba diving and went on 3 dives.
My favorite? Red Lane Spa. Heaven. On. Earth. Our couples massage was amazing and the entire spa is a relaxing tropical oasis. First class all the way! I swear they took a year of stress out of my shoulders in just one massage. Every vacation should include at least one massage to be truly relaxing and reviving!
Oh, and let’s not forget laying in the sun under a palm tree, listening to the waves, sipping a frozen fruity drink and reading. My favorite activity on earth!
As for the kids -they had LOTS of favorites!!
disclosure: we attended this trip as part of a press trip. a portion of our trip was paid for and we received some special experiences to make our trip special. all opinions are our own.
disney’s coronado springs resort
I was so excited to stay at the beautiful Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World Resort!
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a Southwest-themed Disney Moderate Resort hotel encircling Lago Dorado—a glimmering 22-acre lake—that evokes the spirit and romance of Spanish-colonial Mexico. Follow in the footsteps of explorer Don Francisco de Coronado as he searched for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold while you discover the beauty and fantasy of a unique Resort.
lobby
It was gorgeous! The brightly colored Spanish-style Guest rooms are separated into 3 distinctly themed areas. I stayed in the Casitas offer an urban terra-cotta paradise. There are also rustic Ranchos resemble charming Southwestern pueblos and Cabanas provide a quaint beachfront retreat complete with cozy hammocks. Next time, I’m requesting the cabanas – I thought they were so adorable!
bedroom in one-bedroom suite
The Coronado Springs Resort is perfect for big groups and large families. My one-bedroom suite was huge – two queen beds, a queen sleeper sofa, table and chairs, two tvs, two full bathrooms, a wet bar area with fridge and so much storage. My family of 5 would fit easily in this room! This resort has rooms of every size and price point – so it a great place for big groups to stay together where everyone can get what they need!
living room of one-bedroom suite
Our room was quite quiet, but friends who were staying on the first floor said their room was a little noisy, so you may want to bring earplugs if you are a light sleeper (or request a room that is more remote.) And, since its Disney, do I even need to tell you how wonderful the staff was? Probably not, but I will anyway. Everyone was positively delightful and made my stay even better! Our room was squeaky clean and in perfect repair. I very much appreciated that the room had tons of towels and even had 6 coffee cups by the full size coffee maker. I hate when huge hotel rooms meant for 6 people only have supplies for 2 people!
Coronado Springs Resort also has a variety of yummy dining options, including everything quick snacks and food court dining to the divine Maya Grill, and Panchitos (the shop) where you can pick up essentials. Want to relax? Get pampered in the full-service salon or relax in the 22-person hot tub – one of the largest at any Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Between dips you can stroll down the nature trail or grab a poolside margarita at Siestas Cantina or play a game of sand volleyball.
And for the kids? They’ll love the Mayan pyramid-themed Dig Site that features a sprawling pool with a jaguar-inspired 123-foot long water slide. Kids can have fun looking for hidden treasure at the Explorer’s Playground or testing their skill at the game-laden Iguana Arcade.
The resort is located between Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park, but not within walking distance, so you can take complimentary bus service to destinations throughout Walt Disney World Resort, including all Disney Theme Parks and Disney Water Parks.
Overall, I say Coronado Springs is a terrific property and I would definitely stay here again!
summer fun
Its the last week of school.
(Oh, noes! Now what?)
We kicked off the summer by heading to a minor league baseball game. What says summer more than baseball? We went to the Camden Riversharks game and the kids had a blast!
Then on Sunday, we headed to the Crayola Experience in Easton, PA. It was so fun – the kids had a blast! We were here for two hours, but still didn’t see everything. Make sure to plan for at least 3! And hit the gift shop – we got tons of great deals on Crayola products there!!
tips for packing light – even with kids
Traveling is awesome – and by ‘traveling’ I mean ‘being somewhere new,’ not ‘going somewhere new.’ Dragging three kids through a crowded airport with backpacks, suitcases, blankeys, American Girl dolls, laptop bags… we need a pack mule and a sherpa. Over the years, I have learned tricks to pack light and thin out what we travel with – even with three kids and a serious shoe obsession!
That’s why I’m loving the Thin to Win Challenge Sargento has going on right now. Sargento is helping us “thin out our lives” whether it’s meals, closets, packing or bad habits and giving away prizes in the process. And they’ve asked me to share the challenge for today!
Sargento’s challenge of the day is…
“Traveling ‘light’ helps ease the stress of busy airports and makes it much easier to get from place to place! Share a tip of how you pack efficiently.”
My top tips for traveling light (even with kids):
- When we travel as a family, I pack one carry on suitcase with one change of clothes, pajamas, toothbrush and (if we’re going somewhere warm) a bathing suit for each family member. That way, when we can play right away without worrying about luggage arriving or missing. It totally takes the stress of checking luggage off my shoulders!
- Pack an extra zippered bag to bring back all of the things you pick up on your trip! I always throw one in my luggage – I can use it as a beach bag or diaper bag on the trip, then I have something I can put all the extra stuff we got that won’t fit in our suitcases!
- We have a huge suitcase where we pack all of our kids clothes – one big suitcase is so much easier to manage than three small suitcases.
- I love shoes. I jsut went to Flordia for less than 2 days and bought 4 pairs. Not even joking. Always wear your biggest pair of shoes – while its comfy to wear your flip flops in through the airport, they take up no room in your luggage. Wear your chunky wedges or running shoes instead.We have our kids wear their sneakers as well – especially since kids can keep their shoes on in the security line now!
- Streamline. Bring one complete set of gold and one set of silver accessories. Wrap them in a jewelry holder to protect them during travel.
Mix and match. How many pairs of jeans do you need? Wear them more than once. Stick to neutral colors that you can layer together into different outfits and pack small accessories like a scarf to liven up your clothes without adding bulk. Take a black maxi dress – it can be everything from a casual coverup when paired with flip flops or dressed up for a night on the town with a statement necklace and heels.
Now it’s your turn to participate in Sargento’s Thin to Win Challenge!
Visit their Facebook page, upload your tips, and be entered to win a fantastic prize! This specific challenge ends June 4, so don’t delay!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post to let you know about the Thin to Win Challenge. As always, all opinions are my own.
swim with the dolphins at dolphin cove
One of the highlights of our trip to Beaches Negril had to be our visit to Dolphin Cove! As soon as we found out we were going, we decided to spring for the dolphin experience! Ellie is totally obsessed with dolphins and we knew it would be the highlight of the trip for her!
Dolphin Cove is the #1 attraction in Jamaica – for good reason. This award winning resort is located in Lucea, Hanover, about 30 minutes from our resort in Negril. This 20 acre property is the largest natural dolphin lagoon in the world. Visitors have the opportunity to interact with dolphins in their natural sea environment. We arrived and were immediately welcomed by a friendly staff. We found out we had to split up into two groups: three of us were going to do the Dolphin Touch and two were doing Dolphin Encounter.
Dolphin Touch is perfect for all ages. Colin is just 4 and he was very comfortable in the water. You stand on a platform in waist deep water (waist deep on an adult – Colin needed to be held, as the water was up to hos neck) and touch, interact and get kissed by a dolphin. The trainers share the entire time about dolphins, answer questions and share how they train and care for the dolphins in Dolphin Cove. Grace was in heaven – she was so so excited! Colin was happy to touch the dolphins, but got nervous about actually getting kissed. That’s why he looks a little grumpy here:
The Dolphin Encounter is what my husband and Ellie did – it was pretty amazing and definitely worth the extra cost, in my opinion. They swam with dolphins, got kissed, danced with the dolphin, rode for a bit on a dolphin and generally had an amazing time! I would recommend this for older kids (Ellie is 9), and kids need to be able to swim. You are in quite deep water with a huge dolphin, so younger children might be too intimidated to get your money’s worth. But for Ellie, it was worth every cent. This picture is worth a thousand words to me!!
A few notes:
- Make reservations beforehand – this attraction fills up fast.
- The cost does not include transportation to the resort. From our resort, it was $20/person.
- Do not wear jewelry – it can scratch the dolphins.
- Bring sunscreen, but apply either much before you arrive or after your swim, as sunscreen can irritate the dolphin’s eyes.
- Cameras of any kind are not allowed in the dolphin area. Digital pictures and video of your experience is available for purchase.
- Bring towels!
Follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates on the latest additions to the park.
disney’s art of animation resort
I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the newest value hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. The first phase of the hotel opens May 31, 2012.
This Disney Resort hotel invites you to become a part of your favorite animated films. At Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Guests are immersed in the artistry and enchantment of Walt Disney and Disney•Pixar classics through imaginative design and themed rooms, including:
I didn’t stay here – I just got to poke around and see what the hotel had to offer – but I was won over by the family suites – FINALLY rooms that accommodate more than 4 people! Each family suite features:
- 2 separate full bathrooms
- A master bedroom
- 3 separate sleeping areas within the living space, which includes a generously sized dining or work table that easily transforms into a comfortable bed.
This hotel is amazing. We just saw the Nemo section, but I got to peek over at the Cars section, which looks like the next best thing to staying in Radiator Springs itself. And we love us some Cars in our house!
So while we’ll be staying in the Cars section, the Nemo section was totally amazing. Coolest. Pool. EVER! Even the playground was incredible:
This place is incredible! Animation Hall is so cool – (you saw the lobby above) and has a food court, arcade for the kids and walk through it for the Finding Nemo courtyard. (There are 4 playful courtyards—one for each film— and three pools with a Finding Nemo, Cars and Little Mermaid themes.)
Be sure to check it out for your next visit to Walt Disney World Resort!
can you say ‘dream come true’?
Check out what we did yesterday…
It was so, so, SO COOL! I have video and so many more pictures to share when we get home, but I just HAD to share this with you now!!!!
disclosure: we paid to experience dolphin cove, but we were given a discounted media rate. coolness factor not exaggerated at all.