I'm in the planning stages of our summer vacation next year. As you know we've taken a lot of Orlando vacations the last few years, and honestly, this year we'll probably head down once again. There's so much to do down there with multiple amusement parks, waterparks, and tourist friendly activities. Having a choice makes it enjoyable.
I haven't decided if we'll be doing our full trip there though, as we may do like we did last year, and do half our trip in Orlando, and then the other half somewhere else to mix it up.
My son enjoyed last years Orlando, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach jaunt. Either way, we know we'll be starting in Orlando. I have a vacation club, so that makes it easy; we're just not sure what the other piece of our trip will be. A long stay in Orlando, or split it up adding in something like the Keys, or Hilton Head again.
This vacation club is haunting me lately. I could get a hotel in las vegas, or get a condo down in Florida, but the timing just isn't working for me right now. I've got leftover points, and with PubCon going on in Vegas in November, it would seem like a neat thing. I can't justify the plane tickets. Heck, if I'm going to play for tickets, I'm flying to Florida instead.
I've done enough traveling this year. I need to hold off, and yet I have these leftover points. I keep thinking I'm going to cancel it, but it's a hard thing to do when I use it sometimes. I'll probably roll my leftover points until next year and just do one last big yahoo kind of trip with it. I'm just not sure if I want to go south, or if I want to go West or even South West. Luckily, there are a few places. I'm just undecided at this point. I can't wait too long to roll those points, but I keep hanging on for the chance that I'll be able to squeak it in before the year ends.
This is my beautiful friend Alli. We got to hang out in Orlando this past weekend. Izeafest was really a lot of fun. I learned a lot, but seeing some of my friends made it extra special. There was a group I was particularly looking forward to seeing, and my girls Colleen, Cass and Marisa, I'd have the pleasure of meeting before. This was my first time getting to hang out in person with Alli.
Looking forward to next year!
Ted Murphy is a piece of work. I really have enjoyed watching his company Izea progress over the last 2 years. This year I was able to participate in Izeafest, and as the line of speakers grew, I knew this was going to be something special. I signed up early, and before I knew it the time was here.
This past weekend, I traveled from New Jersey down to Orlando, Florida. What an experience this has been. I've learned a lot, and really feel refreshed and am looking at what I'm doing, what I've been doing, and what I want to do differently.
That's the power of a large group of diverse speakers. It helps trigger ideas, helps you grow, and makes you want to be better. Merlin Mann of 43Folders.com was keynote this morning, and I loved what he had to say. He got through to me, and I realized, I want to be better. I want to do better, which I know I can be. Let's face it, I've gotten lazy, because I thought I could. Bad answer...and this weekend came at a good time for me.
LeaLea.net's Lea talked about branding and really touched on a nerve. It was a good thing, because it was exactly what I needed to hear. She struck that right chord with me, because she was so open with information and drew a picture in my mind of what a next step could be.
John Chow, another big name blogger, I was pleased that our team beat his on the scavenger hunt! Ha! Okay, seriously, he was gracious enough to take a picture with us, and for that I thank him. He was on the Big Money Blogger Panel, and I really enjoyed that, along with Neil Patel and a few others.
Loren Feldman spoke to us about video blogging. I'm a fan of his style over at 1938media.com so it was a treat to get to hear him speak in person.
There were so many great speakers, it's hard to mention them all here. What I do know is that I got enough out of this, to know I want to be here next year too.
I met some nice people, I had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot of stuff. By the way, for a non-drinker, I did a few shots this weekend, and oh my gosh! I am so not a drinker! I did an Irish Carboner? Carbomber? Geez, I don't even know what it was, but it was for part of our scavenger hunt, so I jumped in and took one for the team. Eek...it didn't taste too good! Anyway, I wanted to spread the the word that Izeafest put on one hell of an event, and I was thoroughly pleased with the situation. I'll post more information when I get home. I'm sitting at the hotel and it's getting late!
Loved meeting everyone at Izeafest, but a special shout out for David on our scavenger hunt, a totally great guy, and to Ashley, one of the nicest people I met all weekend. Of course, it was great to finallly meet the ever charismatic Ted in person. It was my turn to make him laugh last night when we were talking, and I mentioned that I don't have much dignity left, since I have kids, but also because I have a Jack Russell who sits between my feet while I'm in the bathroom. My dogs stalk me, even in there!! I believe the exact quote would be...and oh my gosh, here I am blogging this..."I can't talk...I have a Jack Russell that sits between my feet when I take a crap!" I'd love to blame alcohol, but sadly I was only drinking Diet Coke... ;)
I'd also like to thank Alli from AlwaysAlli.com for all the great pictures she took at Izeafest, and is letting me share. She was my roomie for Izeafest, and it was a great time to get to hang out with her.
Please don't disturb me....or do that either! We got a kick out of this "Do Not Disturb" sign on our hotel door.
Here was my view from my balcony. I pulled the picture off my camera, so I could get it up here. I love looking out at the ocean! The guy who played music was almost under my balcony, so we just opened the sliding glass door and listened to music as we chilled after a day in the sun.
This is one place I'd happily return to. (Pier 6600 Motel, Wildwood Crest)
Going to Wildwood was a last minute plan. On a late Saturday night I started calling around for a room. The plan was I’d go down with my son Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but it was looking pretty grim when it came to finding a hotel with openings. I finally lucked out and found a 2 room efficiency at a place called Pier 6600 Motel. All I knew was it was at the end of the Crest. That worked for me, as Wildwood Crest is my favorite place in the Wildwoods.
Man, did I luck out! I got a great view of the ocean and pool, and right now I’m listening to live music. ( I typed this out on my laptop. Just loaded it when I got home tonight- we got home at 11pm) They have a guy who comes in and plays guitar from 4-7. After enjoying the boardwalk this afternoon, we’re taking a break from the sun, and will go swimming from around 6 to 8. Tomorrow (Wed), we’ll swim and sun during the day, and do the boardwalk at night. We like to mix it up.
I’m sure I’ll be pink later. I forgot the sunblock for the boardwalk. I’ll regret that later, but it was an honest mistake. We’re usually good about slathering it on, so I’m not too happy I forgot this time.
The only small thing is the lack of internet. Don’t get me wrong, they say they have it, but I get all of maybe 2 bars, and then after you connect, you can’t log into any webpages. It just doesn’t have a strong enough signal. It doesn’t make or break my trip, but don’t say you have internet if you have to stand on your left foot on the balcony, leaning over towards the pool to truly get the signal.
I’m happy we found this place, and they also offer a café, an outside bar and grill, along with an arcade and small gift shop. It’s a nice little family place, and sits right at the beach. This is one I’ll add to my list of hotels for future reference in Wildwood.
I've got a great shot from my balcony on my camera, and hopefully I'll get that uploaded tomorrow to share.
You can read more about the Drifting Sands motel in Long Beach Island here.
We stayed at the Drifting Sands Motel this past week in Long Beach Island. This was my first time staying at this particular hotel/motel. I generally stay in one or two others, but they were fully booked. We liked that the room was large and clean, but were a bit disappointed with what they called a "partial ocean view". I'll be honest, I had to get on my toes, and lean to the left, and I saw about 1-2 inches of ocean. Maybe some of the closer rooms had a better view. I had a great view of the sand dune. It's okay though, I enjoyed sitting on the balcony regardless and enjoying a light breeze. They supplied the deck area with two chairs.
What I liked a lot was the parking was assigned, which means you can actually find a spot, and it's not in the most inconvenient possible. I liked their outdoor shower so you could clean off extra sand before going up to your room. I also liked the location of sort. While it's on the busy circle, it is half way to both ends, which makes driving to either side of the island easy.
What we missed? We missed that there wasn't a pool. We love a pool at the beach. While we swim in the ocean, we also like to swim in the pool. If you have small children, and the waves are rough, the pool is a nice option to have. Usually every time we go down, we swim in both the ocean and the pool each day.
Would I stay at this motel again? Yes, I liked it well enough, but we're partial to another because we've been going to it for so long.
It's time to pack away the women's lingerie. I've got two small trips coming up that were sort of unexpected. I'll be heading to the shore both next week, and the week after that! I hadn't anticipated either trip, but they fell in my lap. I'm never one to turn down beach time!
Next week I'll be hitting up LBI for 2 nights with my son. The following week, I'll be visiting Sea Isle with my sister, niece and mom. I've only ever been to Sea Isle once on a day trip to visit someone. It will be interesting to wander around a bit and see what it's like. We'll be there for 3 nights.
I normally take extra time to visit LBI in September as well, but this year, I have a conference in Orlando during September, and I'll be back in school. I'm going to try to find a way to at least get a weekend down there during maybe late September or early October. September is a fabulous time to enjoy the shore. The crowds have thinned, and the weather is incredible! It's one of my favorite months for the shore.
This is probably one of my favorite pictures taken at Long Beach Island. I went down in April of last year with my sister, and from the balcony of the hotel we were at, I was able to catch this shot. It's splendid, isn't it? It doesn't matter where I roam (and roam I do), there's no other place that can capture me like LBI does.
You see, the thing that's special and hard to put into words is that it's a family place. It's a beautiful island with goregous beaches, and it isn't covered with franchise fast food places. It isn't an entire 20 mile strip of hotels. The hotels aren't famous chains. This is mom and pop, this is small business owners and people who adore the island.
Sure, Wildwood and Ocean City get tons of publicity due to their high volume amusement areas, but let me be honest...they are busy places, and they have a rushed feel to me. It's too much hype, and not enough beach feel.
Long Beach Island has gorgeous beaches, a nice mixture of homes, small business run hotels and motels, along with lots of great little restaurants and shopping places. They aren't the big box stores, they are the adorable little charming places you love to wander through on vacation.
Now that you know what I love about Long Beach Island, let me tell you about the Long Beach Island Business Alliance. They are about getting the word out, letting the world know what a wonderful place this is. Long Beach Island still has a small town feel, and is a FAMILY friendly destination. I should know, I've been going for over 40 years now!
Long Beach Island Business Alliance wants you to know how great LBI is, and is actively promoting it so that more people will hear and spread the news. It's a great place that is often overlooked for the other busier places. Who wants busier when you're on vacation? I don't know about you, but I want to feel like I'm at the beach and relax!
If you visit their website at NJLBI.com, you can check out all the great things you can see and do.
Their Mission Statement is as follows:
"The Mission of the Long Beach Island Business Alliance is to actively promote Long Beach Island, NJ. Our goal is to advance the long term interests of tourism and business of Long Beach Island, NJ in a consumer friendly small town atmosphere."
As you know, I'm passionate about the place, and created my own website so that LBI would be represented through my eyes also. You can visit my Long Beach Island website at LongBeachIslandSummers.com.
Myrtle Beach had a massive tourist t-shirt shop on every other corner, and 20 miles of crowded franchises. I have to be honest and say I probably wouldn't return there. While the actual resort I stayed at we enjoyed, the town itself felt too touristy to me, and I almost didn't feel like we were on a beach vacation.
I've grown used to these Jersey beaches that I love. Maybe another section of Myrtle Beach would have felt more beachy to me, but honestly, any time we left the resort, we felt like we were on Business Route 1! Wall to wall traffic inching here and there, and it just took the wind out of your mellow vacation mode.
I'm glad I took the time to go there, and see something new. I'm glad I got the chance to visit and shop at some of their unique locations like Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach, but it will probably be the last time for this girl.
Long Beach Island has my heart, and in all my years, it still wins me over after seeing other places...each and every time.
I've been to Baltimore Harbor's aquarium before, and I loved that one.
At Ripley's, while the tunnel was cool, the rest of the aquarium just didn't fill the bill. The frog and lizard section were two small tanks. One tiny one with 2 small frogs in in, and another with 3 iguanas in it. That's all! Two small tanks, and they list it on their map as a big section! You could say we were disappointed in that section as well as the living seas part. There were FOUR tanks, three about 3 feet wide, one maybe 5 feet. An octopus was in one, jelly fish in one, sea horses/sea dragons in one, and the last had a combination. The section was about the size of my living room.
I understand that the big tunnel is their main thing, but they put so much effort into that, the rest of the aquarium feels like it's missing something. One section walking down the ramp was one tank. It ran about 10 feet long, but they called that an individual section.
On the guide book/map they show lots of sections. In reality, some sections are TINY! You need to LINGER in there, because if you don't, you'll be out quite quickly.
If you've never been to an aquarium before, it's a nice start. If you've been to a well done aquarium, you'll want to skip this, because you may feel like it's lacking.
$40 for the two of us, and we were out in about 30 minutes. We kept looking at the map going, there HAS to be more...but there wasn't. We did laugh all day about the two small tanks in the frog/lizard section that "rated" it's own section. At least the laughter from that was entertaining, so it added to our dollar value. Oh, and by the way, the guide and map book, which you should get with your tickets will cost you an extra buck.
Over all, it's a neat place, but you need to G-O S-L-O-W to make it last.
Gorgeous place, and I'd happily stay here again. For reference, we've stayed at Cypress Pointe as well, but I'd choose this one over the other. Cypress Pointe feels a little roomier inside the way the kitchen and living area are set up, but Grand Beach feels like it's more upgraded. We had oodles of space for the two of us anyway.
If you follow along, you see that I travel a lot. I used to write to a travel blog, but decided to just write about my traveling on this blog. I guess I'm trying to condense my blogs, because I have quite a few! What can I say, I get excited at starting projects. I did keep it active for over a year, the travel blog, but I think this is the best place for it now.
My last trip was down to Florida in April. I'll also be traveling in June, July and September of this year. June will bring us to a local shoreline, where July will see us traveling farther including South Carolina and Florida. September is a shorter trip, but one I'm looking forward to just as much.
When it comes to traveling, I do have high standards. I don't need to be constantly active, but I want to stay somewhere nice. I'm in my 40's now, and I'm done with cheap motels on a budget. At this point in my life, if I'm going to travel, I'm going to do it right. Whether that means luxury vacations, or a nice hotel, or better accomodations while on the train.
There comes a point in life, where you go, now it's time to do things right. I did the bargain bin trips for years, scrimping and saving, but now that I'm able to, I'm going to do things the way I have wanted to. If not now, when?
I'm so thrilled to hear that the IzeaFest will be in Orlando this year. The coolest part of this, is I was all ready scheduled to be in that area of Florida when they're having it. I don't need to book reservations or anything. It falls perfectly into my plans I made a few months ago for a trip we're taking! How cool is that? That's awesome timing.
I can't wait to see my friends down there. It's going to be so nice to visit with so amny people all at once. I got the chance to see some of my friends last year, but it's been awhile, so I'm looking forward to this.
Gotta love good timing.
I had just mentioned I was working on a couple fo websites. One of them is about my beloved Long Beach Island! That's right, I decided to take on the town, and build a website. I'm truly passionate about the area, and wanted to share that with people.
Long Beach Island Summers is a resource guide for all things Long Beach Island. So if you love LBI, or are looking to check it out, be sure to drop by my site.
I've had such the itch for a spring fling. I'm so ready for spring to break through, and I keep checking vacation deals for a quick trip to Florida or somewhere tropical and warm. Let me be honest, quite frankly, it's not responsible of me, since I have 3 trips planned this year all ready. It's just that the cold weather has given me a cabin fever like I haven't experienced before. All I can think about it hopping on a plane and heading south for a few days.
With trips planned through the summer, I have plenty of schedule going on, and my budget is yelling at me that another trip isn't what I need. It's just that I keep finding great deals! I'll let you know if my sister and I sneak off for a little while.
We headed down to LBI yesterday for a ride, lunch and a leisurely afternoon. I took this yesterday, along with some others. While it was quiet, winter is not as dead as it used to be. Yesterday there seemed to be a lot of activity at the real estate offices. I guess people are looking for summer rentals, and buying homes. There were tons of open house signs all over.
We stopped and had lunch at Buckalews, then made the ride back. I love driving to the shore when it's not mobbed with people. Open roads, the sun shining and good music on the radio, made for a great day.
I'll be all over the east coast this summer and fall! We'll be down the shore in June here in Jersey, along with a couple trips south. I'll be hitting Florida, along with South Carolina in July, so I'll be driving up through Georgia as well. We're taking the auto train down. By the way if you're looking for Georgia land for sale, check out LandFlip.com.
In September we'll be driving to Florida, so we'll be passing through a bunch of states. I love to travel, so I'm excited by the road trips, along with exploring Myrtle Beach, which I haven't been to before. One of our stopovers is in Hilton Head, so that's another new area to explore!
I was looking at Las Vegas hotels recently, while I was checking out vacation plans for the year. It's just not going to happen this September, because our other plans overlap again, just like last year. Last year, I had hoped to go to the Blog World Expo, but becasue I was due in Florida the following week, I couldn't book back to back trips.
It would appear once again, I'll be in Florida in September, only this week prior to Blog World Expo. I decided to use our vacation club down there again. Don't get me wrong, I would be happy to use it out in Vegas as well, but we've decided to drive, so the East Coast works a little better for us, since it's half the distance as driving to Vegas.
This year, I'll be heading to the Jersey shore early in the season, heading to South Carolina with my son, and also heading to Orlando with my husband in September. I have a full season planned, and I'm looking forward to hitting the road again. I'd love to sneak away in the winter months, since I hate the cold so much, but I just can't swing it right now.
I have a couple of trips planned this year. One of the things I need to find out about is if I fly, and I have a laptop bag, does that become my one carry on. I guess it does, so I have to remember that. I know I'm not checking that bag if I fly, but what else can I fit in it? Also does your purse count as a carry on, or you can have a carry on and a purse?
My husband has a Swiss Army laptop bag I got him for a gift which is more traditional in shape, but I have a backpack laptop bag. I think I could fit more stuff in there. I haven't flown in awhile, and I guess figuring out stuff like this will be helpful.
I've been putting off flying, but told my husband I wanted to fly this year. I may do a long weekend down in Florida while it's still cold up here. I guess I could leave my laptop at home, which I do on some vacations, but I've been working on a writing project lately, and I'd probably want to bring it along with me.
When it comes to luggage, I've got a nice rolling bag that I can check in. I'd like to update my son's luggage this year also I think. I've been using a nylon duffle bag of sort, but I love the Dockers luggage, and the Swiss Army luggage, along wtih some of the other sturdy styles I've seen. We're doing South Carolina in the summer, so I have time to replace his still. I'd like one that rolls behind, like I have. I have a cheaper second one, but would like to upgrade his to a sturdier bag.
Colleen is going somewhere awesome! I can't tell you where, but I can give you a clue. In fact there are a bunch of clues floating around out there. If you guess correctly, you have a shot at winning a prize. Let me just say up front, Colleen's prizes are good ones, so you'll want to get involved! Here's some of the things you can win:
The prizes:
1st Prize - a $50 Travelocity Gift Card, and a souvenir from my trip!
2nd Prize - a $25 Travelocity Gift Card, and a souvenir from my trip!
3rd, 4th, and 5th Prize - a souvenir from my trip!
I happen to have clue #11 right here for you:
The people who inhabit the country Colleen is visiting invented gin and brandy.
If you need help finding the other clues, you can go here to find them all. Now, don't be putting your guesses in her comments, be sure to read the rules and do it the proper way. She has the full list of rules on that same post, so read them, enter properly, and you just may win something fabulous!
Side note: Let me also point out, if you followed that first link and saw the picture of the two of us together while I was in Florida...oh my gosh! I am losing weight! It's hard for me to "see it", since I see myself every day, but looking back at a picture taking around Thanksgiving two months ago, I can see it now! Woohoo
Also, this is the same Colleen I'll be walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. You can help us both out by donating to our team! If you'd like to help us reach our goals, keep on reading and check out the post below this one for all of the details.
"So anyway...."
It's a chatty Monday in my brain today. The funny thing is, I don't feel like picking up the phone and chatting on the phone, so I'll just let my fingers do the talking today.
About a week ago, I'd mentioned that we were looking at keeping our vacation club, or possibly letting it go. We decided to keep it, and when I realized the large network we were a part of, I was open to all sorts of new options.
My problem came in when I actually tried to book reservations! I have now tried to book 22 different reservations, which are all full. That's crazy! I tried booking a bunch of them 6 months ahead, and a few more 8-10 months ahead. It doesn't look like it's going to work well through the extended network. Through our own company, I can find answers, but they aren't the answers I want right now.
For example, I can't get into the Keys in Florida, but I can get into Hawaii. Great, fabulous, but hello, airfare to Hawaii is astronomical! I can get into Vegas, but only a 1 bedroom, as opposed to a 3 bedroom in Orlando, based on the points.
I've been fiddling around with this thing for the last few days, and I'm pretty frustrated right now. I ended up having to purchase a separate vacation for summer, and now I have this pending. I'm not sure if I'm going to do something in the fall iwth my husband, or what I'm doing at this point.
It's paid for in full, so it's just waiting for me to book something. The problem is, what I want, and what I can get are two different things! Don't get me wrong, I can book Orlando again, but I've been there 4 times in the last 2 years. Love it, but was hoping to go a few other places.
Maybe we'll toss Sedona back into the mix again, we'll see. We loved it out there, but we were really looking more towards the east coast so travel is a bit easier.
I guess time will tell. As for now, my son and I are booked to enjoy North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina this summer. Only I had to pay for that, because through the vacation club it was booked! Stupid thing....
I'm dangling on a thread.
I have to make a decision in the next 5 days on something that's costly. The problem is, I'm back and forth on what I want to do. Overall, it's a good value to keep something, but on the other hand, the maintenance is costly. The question becomes, do I put the extra money out and keep it up, when I may not use it all that much? Or do I lose a large investment that my parents put in?
We're sitting on this trying to decide and it's a huge decision to come to.
We're part of a vacation club that had a big investment initially, but the yearly upkeep has almost doubled! Decisions, decisions...oh yeah, and I have until December 31st to decide. :\
I spent part of yesterday looking at vacation homes and ideas. I'm almost ready to book a vacation for the summer. I can't wait until we're packing up the Samsonite and heading out for relaxation. My husband's schedule will be changing for the summer, so I'm looking forward to some extra time with him.
Speaking of packing up the luggage, you should see when we pack. He packs twice as much stuff as I do! It cracks me up, because I'll have one bag and an overnight bag, and he'll end up with three. I'm like what are you bringing? I think he doesn't pack them as full as I do is all!
If you need some new luggage, check out LuggageUniverse.com.
I was talking to my son about vacations yesterday. I asked him if he had some input for future vacations. Did he have an interest in horseback riding, whitewater rafting, amusement parks or something of that nature? His answers are always the same, Hawaii and Disney. We've done Disney multiple times now, and I'd like to do something else. I told him to save up for Hawaii, and when he was older he could go back!
It looks like we'll be doing Tennessee and the shore this year, but it's still not written in stone. My mom always loved cruises, though I've not taken one yet. There are cruises that go for a few days, and then you can stay at an island for a few days. If I was going to take a cruise, I'd want to hit a tropical island. My aunt did an Alaskan cruise, but that just doesn't appeal to me. I'm still up in the air on where we'll be heading next, but I'm always up for ideas, so feel free to leave me one in the comments! My son will be 14 next time we vacation, in case you have ideas.
Disney Quest is a 5 floor building full of arcade games, air hockey, pinball, virtual reality games and rides. We paid a little over $70 for two people, and had access from 11:30am to 11pm that day. It's on the Walt Disney World property in the Downtown Disney West area, on the other side of Pleasure Island.
I liked that you culd come and go, as long as you had your ticket. They also have food choices and dessert options so you can grab a snack, meal or soda through out the day.
We spent 4 hours there earlier in the day, then left, took a break and went back in the evening.
One of the coolest things there is their Cyber Space Mountain coaster. You design a rollercoaster with the help of a computer and Bill Nye the Science Guy guiding you, and then the best part is climbing in a simulator and riding the rollercoaster you just made. There's no additional cost do do this, as it's part of the admission price. It took us 5 minutes to make a coaster, and about 20 minutes in line to get to ride it. After you ride it, you have the option to buy a DVD of it, showing you riding it, and your coaster for $12.95.
We had a blast, and also played a virtual pinball game where you were on a machine and had to shift your body to move your ball. A Jungle Cruise virtual reality game had you paddling, and gave me a work-out! You can also fly virtual magic carpets, but we didn't like the helmets that came down over your face, so we opted out of other vitual things that required that face mask and helmet.
We had fun playing favorites like Artic Thunder, Daytona Racing and for me pinball, while my son enjoyed Donkey Kong and other classics.
It felt pricey paying for the tickets at first, but it was a full day of entertainment, no doubt.
I think the best part of the day was calling home from Florida in mid 70 temperature, and hearing it was snowing in New Jersey! ;)
Here's another shot of Caribbean Beach resort at Disney. This is as we were about to cross the footbridge back to our Jamaica section. Notice the lush greenery on the site? It's all over like this, and it really adds to the feel of the resort. The footbridge goes over a small lake, whicn you can't see in the picture. We're just leaving the little island (cay) which you cross after the bridge to get to the other side with the stores and food court.
Look what I brought with me on vacation! It's Febreeze To Go! I love that it's travel sized, because I'm a huge Febreeze fan. I used it in the train on the seats to freshen up the room, and on the bedspreads at the hotel we stayed at!
Yeah for travel sized products! I've been traveling quite a bit, and this was a great take-along this time. You know how hotel rooms are just, well, hotel rooms. With a spritz or two of Febreeze, it was fresher!
What's cool is now that I have it, I can just refill it as needed with my large refill bottle. We have Febreeze all over this house! With two dogs and a cat, it's a must.
I love this place. WinterSummerland Golf in Disney is such a fun miniature golf course. There are actually two, one side has a beachy and summer theme, while the other has snow and such. You'll see a giant sand castle on one side, while the other course has the same version of a snow castle. This is hole #2, just to show you how bright and fun it is! On #4 watch out for the fish that shoots water at you as you cross the little footbridge!
By the way, the blue part is the "green".
We played both on Saturday and Sunday. If you go back the next day, you get to play at 1/2 price. It was a nice bonus, since it's a little pricey to play. It runs about $10.75 or something for adults. They have music piped through as well.
On the 5th hole, we had something really cool happen. I looked down, and I swore I saw a tiny frog. He was no bigger than my thumb nail. Of course, I'm 40 and my eyes can play tricks on me, so I called my son over and asked if that was a frog? Sure enough it was! It was the tiniest frog I'd ever seen. He nudged it off to the side so he didn't get stepped on. He took a picture of it next to a golf ball, and it shows you how tiny it is! That's on his cell phone though, so I don't have it.
We love the landscaping, the silly snoring Santa, the fun, bright colors, and we are downright competitive at mini golf! I won the first day, my son won the second.
This is located on the Walt Disney World property, but you don't have to stay at a Disney resort to play the mini golf course.
I lost some of the clarity when I changed the size, so I apologize it's not a sharper image.
This is a picture of where we stayed in Disney. We chose the Caribbean Beach resort again this year. We stayed here last year as well, and enjoyed it so much, we went back. It offers 6 pools, one giant theme pool, and 5 pools for each "village" or section. I like to stay in Jamaica so that we can walk across the little footbridge and the small cay to get to the other side. I find it charming to walk through that area.
There's lots of lush landscaping as well which gives it a nice feel. At the top of the stairs one night, I was greeted by a tree frog! He jumped off the tree and was on the side of the building! Then another, and then a third frog! Three frogs were on the side of the building all together. I snapped a picture, but it's a little dark. I'll try to put it up later for you.
We also saw 2 rabbits, some squirrels, and lots of salamanders at the resort too! We love this place. At Port Royale there's a food court, a store, the themed pool area and an arcade.
If I return to Disney, I would love to go back here, but they have so many nice places, I'd also like to stay at others to try more of them out.
If you like a Caribbean flair, than you'd get a kick out of this resort. The steel drums and music playing at Port Royale tops it all off with a great feel. At the small lake in the resort you can also rent watercraft vehicles. This is considered a moderate resort at Disney World. They offer ranges of value hotels, moderate and deluxe.
They also offer transportation to all the resorts and Downtown Disney area if you don't have a car with you. It's a great value for families.
One of the neat things I got to do while in Florida was to have dinner with my friend Colleen. I missed the Vegas get together since I was doing Disney with my son the following week, so I was tickled that we could work out dinner plans. Other than that, the week was all about Disney and hanging out with my son.
I met Colleen (Simple Kind of Life) online a little over a year ago. I'll be walking with her in NYC for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer as well. The picture came out really dark, so with lots of editing, this was the result. I only had my cellphone handy...for the picture.
Colleen was there with her three children, and I had my son there as well. Children speak tons about their parents, and her children were so pleasant and polite, and that alone said so much to me. It's awkward to hang out wtih other kids you don't know, but they made do....so with that said, you can imagine how horrified I was when my son mentioned he was leanring the female reproductive system. We weren't exactly sure the rest of the conversation, but those words were enough! Yikes, I wanted to slide to the floor in embarrassment, but it turned out being okay, as he was just mentioning topics he was learning in the 8th grade. When kids are teens, all bets are off! LOL
Anyway, Colleen herself is really nice and just so much prettier in person. Her pictures show she's attractive, but what they don't show you is her warmth. She radiates warmth and comfort and joy. Online, I see her outgoing personality, at times bold, and other times sassy and fun, but I got to see her son climb into her lap, and seeing her mother her son, I just gained such a different respect. Computers take that away from us at times. We see pieces of a person, and she's so well rounded and her interaction with her children just really left me with a warm feeling inside.
She thought she might have to pull conversation out of me, and yet, I'm a chatter box. It doesn't come across online, and I can seem serious at times. I'm actually young at heart, silly and laugh a lot. Computers create those outlines of us, but our full personality is there in person.
Colleen is so genuine and sweet, I ended up liking her even more than I all ready did. She's an all around great girl, and her hubby got the "whole package"...looks, personality and charm.
I really enjoyed the experience, and hope she enjoyed it as well. I'm glad it worked out, because it's added another dimension of who Colleen is to me. She's warm, caring, sweet and fun.
I'm home! I came back to the shocking reality that it's only 40+ degrees in NJ today! We were in shorts and tank tops all week in 70's and 80's, swimming twice! Sigh...I'm just not a winter girl.
It always feels nice to be home, but I'm aching to stroll about or drive with the windows down and feel the fresh air again!
I'll fill you in along with adding some pictures a little later.
I also got the chance to meet my friend Colleen, so I'm looking forward to sharing that with you as well.
Will you miss me while I'm gone? I'm going to be leaving for Disney tomorrow. We're taking a leisurely route, but we'll get there in time for enough fun. I tossed around the idea of taking my laptop, but one of the things I get out of traveling is time away from my computer.
I'm at my desk all day long, and traveling, I read a lot, I unwind a lot, and I leave the techie stuff behind. It's good for me, I'm way too attached!
I'll be home a little after Thanksgiving, so I'll look forward to sharing the details when I get back.
Cheers!
Don't forget you can also donate to my Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (NYC next year) while I'm gone. On my sidebar you can see a link to my donor page. Walking to make a difference, need to raise $1,800. Any help you can offer would be appreciated.
See you on the flip side!
I'm sitting here at my desk. I should be packing.
I'm still sitting here at my desk. I should be packing. You get the general idea, huh?
I've got to pack my son's luggage, along with mine. I did the laundry yesterday, so at least that's all done. I should be packing, and I'll still be sitting here at my desk later. I just can't talk myself into it right now.
Obviously it will get done. The real question becomes when? And why must I do this to myself?