Disney World - Vacation for all!

My parents lived not far from Orlando for a number of years while our kids were growing up. Our summer vacations were always to Gram and Gramps, and of course Micky Mouse. Visits to Disney mean a lot of walking especially for the kids (we first went when they were 4 and 7), but it never seemed to bother them. When they got into their teens (13 and up) it was even better as they could go off together and we could enjoy some of the more adult areas knowing they would always be back in time for meals! A lot has been added since those days and our most recent trip (Aug 08) included not only our son but his wife and 2 kids (ages 4 and 7!) We couldn't have planned a worse time to visit as we spent 5 days there in the middle of Tropical Storm Fay which just settled in over Florida and didn't seem to want to move. But typical of Disney World we had a great time even if we did spend it with our plastic rain coats on and umbrellas always open! The kids swam in the rain, watched parades when they were running and even had one night when it cleared enough for fireworks. No waits at any of the exhibits and the kids and adults both had a great time. With having been there in the summer before, I guess the rain and 70 degrees felt better than the 90++ we had experienced in previous visits.

The parks have grown tremendously but still keep with the Disney tradition of friendly workers, immaculately clean facilities and something for everyone. We even got to use our all day passes that we had kept since the late 90's. If you visit, be sure to schedule time for a breakfast with the Disney characters as the kids still talk about it! Food can get a bit expensive butwe tool a meal plan which helped greatly. All in all Disney World is still a 10 whenit comes to vacation destinations. (With or without the kids!)

Hawaii - A True Paradise

I'll talk a bit about trips with the kids in a while, but the trip my wife and I took to Hawaii was absolutely one of our best. Flying from Boston, the 6000 mile trip was long so I don't recommend less than a 10 day to 2 week visit. A six hour time difference for us made for a couple tough days. I would recommend also that if flying from the east coast, that you spend a day in Las Vegas or Southern California to break up the trip a bit. We didn't and 14 hours on a plane was a long time.

We spent 5 days on Oahu and 5 on Maui. Truly a fantastic state and great vacation. A definite 10! The stay in Hawaii can be expensive as we found food and entertainment were a bit more costly than we expected. While Honolulu struck us as another big US city, our stay was enjoyable as there are so many things to do and see. Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center should not be missed! On Maui, if you can rent a car (convertible was great) it's well worth the investment. The things you can see and places you can go on your own are plentiful and 5 days goes by real quick! Don't miss the Road to Hana, a 50 or so mile ride along some very winding and hilly roads that will show you some of the best scenery we found. The trip does go through a rain forest so we found ourselves stopping and putting the top up on the car a couple times! I've included a couple pictures.

Surprise Holiday for the Kids

Well, I personally am not a snow lover, but the prediction of heavy snow here in New Hampshire resulted in the closing of hundreds of schools today giving the kids a unexpected holiday. For those who were able I'm sure many went skiing at our many wonderful ski resorts here in New England. Funny part of the whole day is the fact that the snow didn't start coming down until about three this afternoon! Kids would have already been on their way home had school been in session. Oh well, we are getting the predicted snow as it has accumulated about 6 inches in the last 4 hours.

This isn't exactly my idea of a top vacation, but I know for many it is!

More to come!

The view is half the vacation!

Just for starters - the sunset off the coast of Los Angeles, California taken from the Saphire Princess Cruise Ship

Welcome to my blog

This is my first entry into the new blog. I will be putting in information on various vacations that my wife and I and our family have taken that we have truly enjoyed. In the past, we have struggled hard at times to find just the right place to go. I hope that as time goes on I can help others out by giving some information and pictures of the great (and not so great) places we have been!

Enjoy the trip,

Drew