Flying - What to Pack in a Carry On

What I pack in my carry-on has changed over the six years I've been flying with children. In the early days I wheeled one maximum sized carry-on filled with diapers, tiny clothes, snacks and liquids (pre-liquid-ban-days) and of course my computer. I pushed my twin daughters through airports in a dual stroller that also fit more goodies underneath.

Now that my girls are six years old, they pull their own carry-on luggage. Actually they've been pulling a mini-suitcase ever since I gave up the stroller. Barbie suitcases replaced Dora ones and leopard print and floral print suitcases have replaced the Barbie wheelies. Of course, what's in their carry-ons has remained relatively unchanged. They bring a few Barbies, some sort of electronic game, a coloring book and a stuffed toy.

In addition, I also make room for a change of clothes. If we are heading somewhere warm they pack a tank top, skirt and flip flops into their carry-on so they can change just before the airplane lands. A few extra pairs of underwear and socks are also packed for the flight just in case.

Even though the girls have their own carry-on packed full of stuff, my carry-on is still full...my computer, a couple of cameras, the DVD player...and tons of snacks (airplanes don't give much in the way of food any more).

UK Hotel for Kids near Legoland

The options seemed endless, but in the end I think I made a great choice.  Normally I prefer to stay in a Westin, Hilton, or Marriott, so choosing a Holiday Inn is definitely straying from the luxury brands. 

We'll be spending two nights at the Holiday Inn near Windsor (UK) before our flight departs to Tenerife and I wanted my six-year old girls to enjoy some age-appropriate attractions.  Ok, so Legoland isn't really an attraction but it looks like fun.  I know I would hear lots of complaining if I tried to take them to the "real" London sites. 

The Holiday Inn is located 7.5 miles from Legoland and promotes their kids eat free program.  The hotel also features an indoor pool. Legoland aside, we will also visit Windsor Castle.  The girls are looking forward to seeing Queen Elizabeth's dollhouse from when she was a little girl - apparently it's the largest dollhouse in the world. Hopefully my kids don't get any ideas about expanding their own Barbie "village".

Booking Flights for a Cruise

It's that time again. We're going on another cruise. As much as I love to be on acruise, it's the organizing of flights that I don't enjoy - not to mention the new additions to my credit card.

I scour different airline websites for the best prices but that's not my only interest. When flying with kids there are a few other considerations.

Are your kids early risers? Since mine are not we prefer to fly later rather than earlier. What about time between flights. Remember that little legs don't run as fast as an adult's when it comes to making a tight connection.

I even take a look at the airplane seat configuration (www.seatguru.com) to determine which flight is best for my family. Since I normally travel alone with my two kids, I prefer airplanes that have a three seat configuration by the window rather than only two seats. I also prefer newer planes that have power ports in the seats - great for computers or DVD players.

So now that I've booked the flights.....It's time to book hotels.

Laundry on Cruise Ships

Cabin location can make a good cruise a great cruise. When travelling with kids, it's funny what our priorities are - laundry facilties being one of them. I love when my hotel room or cruise cabin is closely located to the laundry facilities.

Having six-year olds means lots of laundry, and I refuse to bring five suitcases to house a couple of weeks of clothes. Not. I would rather throw a load of laundry in every couple of days.

Most cruise lines have either coin laundry machines or machines that don't require coins at all (even better). I usually bring a rubbermaid container full of dry detergent (usually the cruise lines DO charge for soap).

I also find that the best time to do laundry is in the morning. Rather than rushing to get off the ship right away, I like to put a load of laundry in when I first wake up. We'll all go for breakfast, then I'll put the laundry into the dryer. By the time we're ready to go ashore, the laundry is dry.

New Cruise Blog

Ok, so it's been a while (over one year, to be exact) since my last post. I want to change the direction of the way I post. Apart from increasing the frequency, I want to get more personal.

I apologize that I'm still a beginner when it comes to blogging...and I've been trying to figure out the best way to utilize this blog.

Do I want to give cruise industry info? Do I want to share the intricate details of the 40 some odd cruises that our kids and I have been on? Or, do I want to share about what it's like to be the family of a senior officer of a major cruise line?

The answer is all of the above...I hope you enjoy the journey.

Who Will Cruise in 2009?

Despite a looming recession, vacationers continue to book cruises and cruise lines continue to build new ships. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world’s largest cruising association, 13.5 million people will cruise in 2009 (an increase of 2.3 percent over last year). Also in 2009, more than 14 new cruise ships will be launched with innovative facilities such as full-scale water parks, supersized luxurious spas, and spacious children’s facilities.

In addition, a market study conducted by CLIA in 2008, indicated that the industry is positioned well for continued growth. The study discussed that only 20% of Americans have ever cruised. That means a whopping 80% of the American population has never cruised before! The study also discovered that nearly 51 million Americans expressed interest in cruising within the next three years. Add in potential cruisers from Canada and Europe, and there are plenty of cruisers to fill up those new ships.

One of the largest emerging markets of the cruise industry is family travel, with an estimated 1.6 million kids that cruised in 2008. CLIA attributes the high children numbers due to the growth in multi-generational cruise travel.

Check out my articles on trends in the cruising industry:

Best New Cruise Ship Launches For 2009

Newest Trends in Cruise Ship Suites and Cabins

Best Cruise Ships for Families with Children

Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale

We recently spent our kids’ Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It’s been years since Fort Lauderdale shed its’ college party image since a crack down on public drinking and increased police presence. Unfortunately, with the latest Mexico violence scares, many college kids didn’t go to Cancun this year, and returned to Fort Lauderdale instead. Luckily for us, the increase in college kids didn’t equate to return of the rowdy days that Fort Lauderdale experienced in the past, but one nights stay proved otherwise.

Bad Hotel Experience on Spring Break

I have to admit that the first day of the trip was less than ideal. We had booked into a hotel where we had stayed before. (I won’t mention the name of the hotel yet because I intend to write a letter to the hotel’s manager to express my complaints, first). The hotel didn’t check us in until 6 pm, there was only one elevator working, and the hotel was overrun with kids and no security. I’ve stayed in this hotel in the past for around $225 per night (but not at Spring Break), so I figured that $159 per night was a great promotion price. In addition, the hotel had advertised an internet connection in the rooms, but at the hotel we we’re told we would need to use the lobby. There’s more...but I’ll get into it in a later post. Anyways we ended up leaving the next day – therefore paying for two nights yet only staying for one.

Perfect Hotel for Families on Spring Break

We moved to the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, for our second night and the remainder of our trip (luckily they had an available room at $239 per night). This stay was like night and day to the previous hotel. Luxurious linens, clean carpet, Jacuzzi tub, separate marble shower, and there was even a mini-kitchen. We were able to go to the Publix grocery store, and stock up on juice, milk, soft drinks, fruit, cereal, etc. We even made Kraft Dinner for the girls one afternoon. The hotel had four elevators, so no waiting. There was a beautiful infinity pool and the beach was just across the street. Add in valet parking which was perfect for the two days of rain that we experienced.

To make matters worse at the first hotel, the guest service was ZERO. The front desk manager did not even take ownership in the fact that the broken elevator was an issue (what would have happened if the only other elevator broke, too? We were on the 10th floor with two five year olds.) Anyways, I will be sending a letter to the hotel manager, and if I don’t like what I hear, I will be sure to use this blog to let everyone know which hotel I am talking about!