Travel ideas and experiences on cruises or at all-inclusive resorts, including dude ranches
As many of us head off to warm climes and cruise ships on spring break, it’s especially important to be mindful of water safety, particularly if young kids are along for the trip.
In the Turks and Caicos, most hotels here are condo-style and kid-friendly. Most visiting families, however, opt for the gargantuan, all-inclusive Beaches resort, one of Sandals’ family resorts in the Caribbean.
I like that Turks and Caicos is not only safe and that beachfront hotels are just 15 minutes from the airport but that there are so many options—from the all inclusive huge Beaches with over 750 rooms to the Somerset with less than 60.
Families come to Turks and Caicos to relax, but also to enjoy the fishing and water sports, like kite-boarding on South Beach.
It’s not even a holiday week but the Beaches resort on Turks and Caicos is fully booked, including 841 kids running, jumping, splashing and sliding down the water slides at the water play area. “So worth the money,” said Greg Vogel, from Baltimore.
Turks and Caicos is made up of 40 islands and Cays just 575 miles from Miami. Providenciales, where we’re staying, is famous for its beaches, diving, snorkeling and fishing. There are a growing number of resorts catering to families here, including the giant Beaches resort.
An afternoon visit to laid-back Sayulita, a few minutes drive from the Iberostar Playa Mita on Mexico’s Pacific Cost. The crescent-shaped beach is fringed with tall palms. Fishermen sharing the beach with surfers and hippies.
If you think all-inclusive resorts are nothing but rowdy sun-seekers, conga lines, mediocre buffets and cheap liquor, meet the new Iberostar Playa Mita. A vacation here should do wonders to change any preconceived notions you may have about all-inclusive hotels.
Taking the Kids correspondent Allison Tibaldi and her teen-aged son Alec enjoy their last day on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas with a port of call in St. Thomas, USVI, and ride on the Kon Tiki Sightseeing and Beach Cruise.
Day three aboard Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas starts with the Dreamworks character breakfast for Taking the Kids contributor Alison Tibaldi, and ends with Italian food at Portofino.
Taking the Kids contributor Allison Tibaldi visits the gym on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas and first port call at CocoCay in the Bahamas.
Taking the Kids contributor Alec Tibaldi describes his first cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas and provides another excellent video.
Taking the Kids Contributor Allison Tibaldi finds Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas to be huge, but easy to navigate with interactive screens all round.
Taking the Kids contributor Alec Tibaldi, who joined his mother on a Royal Caribbean cruise and visit to Universal Orlando, describes his first visit to the theme park and provides an excellent video.
Taking the Kids contributor Allison Tibaldi reports on a two-for-one holiday with her son on a Royal Caribbean cruise along with a visit to Universal Orlando Resort.
Eileen tours the Bahamas with locals guiding the way. Three videos.
I’m literally walking in Vincent Van Gogh’s footsteps to the field where he painted the famous paintings like the Wheatfield of Crows and where he shot himself.
In this medieval city, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Today we see a cathedral that was begun in 1145—amazing it is still standing after being damaged in WWII. Nearly 9,000 half timbered houses burned during WWII.
We are at the famous Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial overlooking Omaha Beach, where the massive allied assault on the Normandy on June 6, 1944 aimed to liberate France and defeat Nazi Germany.
I’m on a different kind of cruise—a River Cruise on the Seine in France on Avalon Waterways Creativity—just 140 passengers on this 361-foot long barge and with just 70 staterooms and two suites.
I’m walking in Monet’s glorious gardens at Giverny on sunny day thinking about a little girl skipping over the famous green Japanese Bridges a big smile on her face.
I understand why the Native Tlingits called glaciers “white thunder.” We see harbor seals lounging on chunks of blue ice in the water. The glacier looks like blue cotton candy with chocolate sprinkles.
Breakfast at leisure at the Bayside buffet at the relaxing but active Beaches Resort in Ocho Rios. We were treated to freshly made smoothies and omelets, delicious morning glory muffins and everything else you could want at a breakfast buffet, and, of course, more interactivity with our friends from Sesame Street. Then we grabbed some towels from the pool and headed to the Dunn’s River Falls.
Thank goodness for a giant king bed and 8 hours of sleep here at Beaches Resort in Ocho Rios. Friday morning was the Character Breakfast and the Venetian Dining Room was completely decked out with Sesame Street decorations, banners, posters and table settings.
When we arrived at Beaches Ochos Rios, the welcome staff immediately swept Jude up to get ready for the carnival parade with the Sesame Street characters. She was given a glittery crown and had her face painted right off the van. She instantly forgot about the long day of travel and was immersed in the fun and activities.
This ship is such a big deal for The Big Apple that Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand for the christening earlier this month, noting that New York City welcomed nearly 600,000 cruise ship passengers in 2012. The ship celebrates its NYC connection with bright Peter Max art of the N.Y. skyline and Lady Liberty on the hull. And you can’t beat sailing right by the Statue of Liberty either!
What began with programs for school kids in the Bahamas in 2000, now attracts cruise ship passengers and other visitors for workshops in Junkanoo costume making. And what amazing costumes they are, put together with thousands and thousands of strips of brightly colored crepe paper adorned with feathers and gold and silver buttons.
If you’re on board the new Norwegian Breakaway, you—and baby—and grandma might all be joining in special “Guppies’ activities—maybe finger painting with special paints or using chalk or crayons made out of vegetables. “We want those younger families whose kids aren’t in school,” said CEO Kevin Sheehan –especially during times of year when there aren’t school breaks.
That this ship is home-ported in New York is such a big deal that Mayor Bloomberg was on hand for the christening. “New York is the number one cruise capitol in the Northeast,” he said welcoming 587,000 passengers in 2012—growing 32 per cent just in one year. “Breakaway will add to those numbers and it will be our pleasure to show them the greatest city in the world,” he said
Royal Caribbean wants you to know they’ve not only got your back but they’ll guarantee you an experience like none other on board a ship. That’s especially the case if you wait 18 months for the new Quantum of the Seas that will sail out of the New York area.
Today we’re back at Curtain Bluff and I’ve decided to take the 6:30 a.m. deep sea fishing charter. The best thing about Curtain Bluff, other than the beauty and just about every other thing, is that it is all-inclusive, so the fishing (along with Scuba, snorkeling, water-skiing and other activities) is part of the price.
Rod McCrea likes that Curtain Bluff is not only considerably less expensive in summer but that the all inclusive nature of the property means he not only knows exactly what he is spending but that all of his kids and grandkids can do what they like–tennis and sailing, deep sea fishing and snorkel trips, not to mention all the fruit smoothies the kids can drink—or that their parents will allow them to mix up with the bartenders.
Thirty years later, our room overlooks that same windswept beach. As I think about the three kids we did have—and the adventures we shared with them—I’m struck by how this 72-room all-inclusive resort is emblematic of how family travel has changed in the past three decades.
On a rainy day, grab an umbrella and go to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. “Nobody’s there,” reports 11-year-old Sean, who is from suburban Virginia and was one of the local and visiting kids we interviewed for my new “Kid’s Guide to Washington, D.C.” While you are there, pick up a mini Washington Monument, “The best souvenir from Washington, D.C.!” offers William, 12, who lives in suburban Maryland.
As we ate pink napoleons and cream puffs we discovered what a multinational group we were. Girls from all over the world had come for the Barbie Experience – New York, Utah, Toronto, Mexico City, São Paulo, London, Dublin and even Sydney! Barbie truly speaks the international language of fun for young girls of any culture.
When given the opportunity to cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas as part of their brand new Barbie Premium Experience, I felt like I had won the lottery. This cruise sounded amazing, especially since it coincided with our daughter’s 4th birthday. It was a bonafide vacation and I was sure there would be plenty of sun and at least one pool side cocktail involved.
None of us want to wait until summer for some fun in the sun. We all could use some rest and relaxation right about now, whether your family’s idea of vacation heaven is a bluebird sunny day on a ski slope, a blue-sky sunny day on a beach or a hiking trail.
Carnival really needs to work hard in the days ahead to restore trust. That should start with a public explanation of how this happened and how it intends to prevent a recurrence. But instead, Carnival has so far offered only to refund passengers the cost of their cruise, is busing them home and initially offered them $500 each. That seems to fall short.
I wish I were at the beach.I’m guessing so do a lot of people right about now when it is freezing across the country. At least I can think about the fun times on the beach in recent months:
Sue and Robin Ricketts started Anguilla’s flourishing villa business—ideal for multigenerational families and now manage some 80 villas on the island from the most luxurious ($1,000,000 a week) to totally affordable (a few thousand). Now they also run the boutique 27-room Anacona where rooms can be as low as $150 a night and all kinds of special programs—tennis, sailing, wellness, biking, yoga, art……
As I thought back about this past year’s trips, I realized that each one enabled us to challenge ourselves in different ways, whether in the outdoors, navigating in an unfamiliar culture, or learning a new skill. That’s not counting the challenge of getting along with each other along the way — not always easy, especially these days as families who don’t spend a lot of time together gather for vacation.
Did I mention this resort is owned by Sandals? Yet it couldn’t be more different than Sandals expect that your stay is all inclusive. That means your villa is stocked with every food and drink you want. We fix our own breakfast and hot freshly baked muffins and fruit are delivered every morning.
We creep up on them. Clifton casts in a line with a gob of hermit crab for bait. There’s a small tug, them a bigger one and then “Wham,” a bonefish takes the bait and runs. And I mean runs. The drag on the spincast reel screeches as the fish tries to get off the line. Clifton hands me the rod and says “hang on.” I’ve had a lot of fish on the line in my day and this one fights better than most, if not all.
This tiny resort and these outer islands are the antithesis of giant resorts like Atlantis in Nassau. It is also expensive—over $1500 a night for a villa that sleeps four. But you could easily be spending that much at many tony Caribbean resorts for two rooms and not have the comfort or exclusivity as here, not to mention your own boat for the length of your stay.
I love this place! Where else can you feed swimming pigs and snorkel amid schools of brightly colored fish. We can putter around our kitchen but don’t have to shop for groceries or clean up.. There are plenty of books and movies in the library as well as a pool table. Did I mention the outdoor shower with views of the water? Nice!
National Cruise Vacation week is Oct 21-27, the cruise industry’s largest sale with savings on more than 200 cruise ships—everything from significant on-ship credits to free airfare and two-for-one pricing.
Al Palazzo is a bit disappointed that the kids are more interested in shopping and gondola rides than Great Sites but he’s glad everyone is having a good time and more importantly, he’s not navigating the family and all their bags from city to city.
“We plan the itinerary so that we can stop like this,” says our captain, Dano Quinn, who has been piloting vessels in Alaska for the last 16 years. “The best of Alaska is the wilderness,” he adds. “Not in the towns and we provide the opportunities for that.”
I understand why the Native Tlingits called glaciers “white thunder.” We see harbor seals lounging on chunks of blue ice in the water. The glacier looks like blue cotton candy with chocolate sprinkles.
Mornings like this make you realize why you can’t compare this Alaska cruise with just 60-plus passengers to a giant cruise ship with thousands. Rather than docking in ports, we’ve anchored in a cove here in Southeast Alaska precisely so we can go off for a morning paddle