Cruisin’ with the Kids

Family cruise vacations are great ways for a family to bond and have fun together while still being able to do the things they want to do. Parents love cruises because virtually the only thing you have to do is enjoy the ride. With kids, it becomes a teeny bit challenging. The secret is to finding a kid-friendly cruise that has activities for the little ones but still have stuff lined up for the adults of the ship as well.

Fortunately, cruise ship companies have seen the potential of keeping children in mind when forming their cruise packages. From there, the kid-friendly cruise was born. Looking for a cruise to spend your family vacation in? Check out these cruise packages from several well-known cruise companies:

Disney Cruises

Surely this must have crossed your mind somewhat when you thought of going on a family vacation cruise. If anything is synonymous with kids and their dreams, Disney is it. They offer two cruise ships with different itineraries:

o Disney Magic – 7-night cruise along the eastern and western Caribbean ($799 per person)

o Disney Wonder – 3 to 4 day cruise in the Bahamas ($349 per person)

While on the cruise ship you and your kids can enjoy musicals, parties, fireworks displays, restaurants, and so much more. Bonus points for the fact that your children are being entertained by Pluto (yes, Mickey’s dog). Both cruise ships stop on the privately owned Castaway Cay, which offers passengers plenty of recreational beach activities.

Carnival Cruises

Carnival certainly live up to their name when it comes to the fun that people of ages can have while staying with them. Everyone from the parents, to the kids, to the teens (we all know how difficult teens are, right?) can enjoy the facilities and activities available for them. The kids can spend their days doing arts and crafts and playing educational games supervised by adult hosts. Your teens will surely enjoy the mocktail lounge and dance club that is especially for them. At the end of each day, the entire family can lounge by the pool and sip drinks, telling each other what fun they had that day.

A 7-day cruise with Carnival Cruises starts at $449.

Princess Cruises

If there’s any cruise line that has perfected the family cruise vacation, they say that Princess Cruises has perfected it. 7- or 9-day cruises surely offer a lot of time for families to bond and catch up, while still allowing them to spend their days with activities. Children and teens will enjoy crafts, disco nights, talent shows, movie showings, and more. They also have a fun way to have the young passengers mix and mingle through their “kids only” dinners featuring pizza and mocktails.

A Princess Cruise holiday start at $1,119 per person (double occupancy; third and fourth passengers are $599 each) for the Caribbean Princess (9-day cruise). Prices for the Ruby Princess (7-day cruise) start at $599 per person (double occupancy; $249 each for third and fourth passengers).

A Family Vacation for ALL

“You’re going on a vacation with your little children? Are you insane?”

That’s probably one of the things you’re going to hear when you start asking about good family vacation spots and activities. You can’t blame them. Traveling with children can be quite a challenging feat. The good news, however, is that it’s not impossible and your options are many and varied.

My family traveled a lot when my siblings and I were little, so there were like three children to look after and keep entertained. I believe the secret to having a family vacation that both kids and adults can enjoy is to find places where activities appeal to both parties. My parents achieved that. Among places I can suggest (it’s a pretty unusual list) are:

Disneyland/Disneyworld – Even if you are a cynical adult, you have to admit that you have a soft spot for the Magic Kingdom. It’s because the memories you forged there as a child were so good it’s ingrained in you forever. Why not do it for your kids? You can ride the teacups, the cable cars, Magic Mountain, among others. The “It’s A Small World” ride still appeals to me even as an adult. Older children may like the thrill (or mini heart attack) that the Twilight Zone ride gives. You can watch the parade on Main Street and then the light and fireworks show later on. It’s reliving your childhood while sharing it with your children. Win-win.

Universal Studios – I’d go have a future family vacation in Universal if only to hear E.T. say my name once again (note: The E.T. ride is now only available in Universal Studios Florida). Any of the Universal Studios locations are good picks. You can interact with your children and explain to them what that talking car was about or why there is a giant shark with its mouth open. If you are a movie-watching family, this place will really keep kids entertained.

Las Vegas – Yes, you read that right. As a child, I loved Las Vegas. I loved seeing the lights. I loved eating as much mashed potatoes as I wanted. I loved winning tickets and exchanging them for prizes. My parents utilized the Midway to keep kids happy while they sat on slots. Of course it wasn’t all about fun and games. Las Vegas has a lot of shows and I’ve watched many great magic shows and circus acts as a child. Cirque du Soleil is breathtaking to watch no matter what age you are.

Historic Places – Personally I think these are great places for kids to visit because they’ll actually be in places most people would only read about in books. It also helps that you are interested in things like that because children will ask questions. My parents took us to the Statue of Liberty and I never saw it the same way again. My parents took us to see the pyramids up close, which would mean I was horseback riding in the Sahara. How many children can say they’ve been to Egypt. These kinds of places are a great way to teach your kids something else aside from the usual school stuff.

The Beach – Come on, you’re going on a vacation, might as well go to the beach right? The beach is all kinds of perfect, and resorts have all sorts of activities planned for both adults and kids, or even the family as a whole. The children can play on the sand while you relax and sip your drink. You can try something new and get surfing lessons and what-not.

See? A family vacation isn’t that hard to plan. You don’t need to stress about it. Just remember, enjoy yourself and take photos. Take lots of photos.

Weekend Getaways on the Cheap

Trust me there are days when the city can be too much. There’s too much noise, there’s too much smoke, there’s too much stress, there’s too much work, there’s too much of things that are too much. And of course, you deserve that break and it’s always a great idea to have weekend getaways twice a month or so to keep you from killing everyone in your path. And no, it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be in a relationship to enjoy these weekend getaways. Bring a friend along, particularly one that’s as stressed as you are or heartbroken. They will benefit the most from such a weekend. If you can muster it, you can even have a getaway alone. It doesn’t have to be in a faraway place, nor does it have to be expensive. Cheap weekend getaways are possibly the best ones you can have.

Check into a hotel. I have a friend who has these weekend getaways by herself every so often. We all know she’s taking one because she just couldn’t be reached, but at the same time we know where she is. This friend checks in to a hotel, runs a bubble bath, gets a massage and facial, basically pampering herself. Then she gets up in the morning has breakfast in the hotel. She comes back to work on Monday as though she’d been somewhere exotic because she’s glowing when in truth she was just at a hotel several blocks away from where we worked. Perhaps it’s how being in a hotel makes you feel you’re in an instant vacation.

Fly somewhere. The main thing about weekend getaways is getting away from it all right, so do go away then. Lucky for you there are cheap tickets for traveling to key destinations around the country. Perhaps this is also the best time to go somewhere you haven’t been before. You can book your hotel online, which usually offer discounts and freebies when you book through them.

Bed and breakfast. It’s like checking into a hotel, only more homey. These quaint places have a way of transporting you back to your childhood when mommy made breakfast and you can still stay in bed all day. Most bed and breakfasts are also located in towns as quaint as they are, so there could be some things worth exploring in a town not as big and busy as yours.

The beach. Of course. This last one could be a combination of the previous ones listed. You could check into a hotel or resort that has a beach, fly to somewhere that has a beach, or find a bed and breakfast that is near one. Whatever you choose, a weekend spent at the beach is always glorious.

Stay in. If cheap weekend getaways are what we are talking about, then what’s cheaper than staying in? It helps if you set up your home where you can be assured a peaceful and restful weekend. Clear out the clutter. Light some candles. Try to relax just for once.

Whatever of these weekend getaways you choose, I’m hoping you come out of it refreshed, happy, and ready to take on another killer week at work. And remember, Mondays mean that the weekend is only days away.