Though we're fans of Disney family travel, we were cruising newbies before we departed for our three-night cruise on the brand new Disney Fantasy. As active family travelers, we worried a cruise would limit our adventurous travel style, feel overcrowded, and be all about the food. Now that we've experienced the Disney Fantasy, we're back with Disney cruise line tips you can put to use! Disney … [Read more...]
Disney Fantasy photos: Three days at sea and Castaway Cay
April 1, 2012 By
Preparing for your Disney cruise? Enjoy Disney Fantasy photos! Embarking upon the Disney Fantasy: Pools and deck spaces on the Disney Fantasy: Disney Fantasy Oceaneer's Club and Lab, and tween Edge Club: Castaway Cay: Disney Fantasy at night: : (A small sample of) Disney Fantasy character sightings: Disney Fantasy deluxe family stateroom: … [Read more...]
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
March 29, 2012 By
Are your children fans of The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Wait a minute, of course they are! Then come get up close and personal with storybook art—some new, and some familiar—at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. The museum is set up like a typical art museum, with three galleries displaying the work of Eric Carle and other artists. The main difference? The benches are … [Read more...]
Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College
March 27, 2012 By
If you’re traveling to western Massachusetts and have a dinosaur-lover in your family, then the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College is a must-stop! The Beneski Museum is a small, but well-stocked natural history museum featuring a wide variety of dinosaur artifacts, including the skulls of a Triceratops and a T-Rex! The museum also has full skeletons of animals from the … [Read more...]
Best Beach Towns: Puerto Vallarta with kids
March 22, 2012 By
Puerto Vallarta offers a bit of everything for families enjoying a Mexican vacation, from beaches to city life to mountains, all touched by the warmth of the sun. While accommodations are an important aspect of any family vacation, no matter how great the resort, I always advocate getting outside hotel grounds to explore your destination further. During our recent stay, we couldn't pass up the … [Read more...]
How to prepare for a Disney cruise
March 14, 2012 By
At Pit Stops for Kids, we cover all modes of family travel. However, there's one major category of family travel we've neglected (until now): family cruising. On March 26th, the Pit Stops kids and I will be embarking upon the brand new ship in the Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Fantasy. We'll be reporting on our experience here and for Expedia.com. There's only one problem: we don't know what the … [Read more...]
What you need to know about health insurance while traveling
March 11, 2012 By
Spring break family travel is just around the corner, but unfortunately, cold and flu season is not yet over! If you're planning a family vacation, will your health insurance cover you on the road? Should you add holiday health insurance to your vacation budget? What other steps are necessary to ensure emergency medical treatment for your family? As we'll be in Florida and the Bahamas in a few … [Read more...]
Disney Done Right: a spring break review of Lots to Do in Line
March 8, 2012 By
If your family is headed to the Disneyland Resort this spring break, you're not alone. That's the bad news! The good news is, there's a brand new way to help kids handle long wait times in the Happiest Place on Earth. When author and mom Meredith Lyn Pierce sent me Lots to Do in Line: Disneyland for review, I wasn't sure I could endorse anything geared toward coping with long lines at … [Read more...]
A stay in a KOA Kamping Kabin
February 24, 2012 By
Full disclosure: I dislike purposeful misspellings (like 'k's replacing 'c's), and I haven't stayed in a KOA Kampground (there we go again) in a very long time. That said, when we needed a no-frills overnight accommodation en route to the Mt. Hood wilderness, I'm really glad I gave their Kamping Kabins a try. We stayed in a two-bedroom cabin at the Culver-Redmond KOA in Central Oregon, … [Read more...]
Smuggler’s Notch with kids: guide to skiing for adults
February 21, 2012 By
I grew up skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, so I have a healthy skepticism of New England skiing. The mountains aren’t as big, there’s not as much snow (although there also aren’t as many giant Manzanita bushes to get stuck in…just saying), and there’s too much ice. Well, I still can’t ski on ice, but I’m coming around to New England ski resorts, and Smuggler’s Notch is one of the best spots … [Read more...]
