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Grand Canyon Walkway

September 9, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Grand Canyon West, an attraction owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe 120 miles east of Las Vegas, is also known as the grand canyon walkway, has a new visitors center and air terminal, which opened Saturday.

The site is best known for its 3-year-old Sky walk, a $30 million glass-and-steel platform that juts 65 feet off the canyon’s rim, enabling a bird’s-eye view of the canyon 4,000 feet below.

Exciting View of the Grand Canyon

The 22-year-old tribal tourist enterprise also sports reproduction Indian dwellings, an Old West town with Western entertainment (think cowboy shootouts — ironically, sans Indians) and Hummer tours alongside the grand canyon walkway..

But its remote location has limited visitation, at least compared to the Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim tourist hub, which lies about 250 road miles east of the attraction.

The tribe says it will open a wider runway by the end of 2010 year, making air tours from Southern California possible.

As you can see from the picture to the side here, the grand canyon walkway looks like it is just suspended in midair and from people I have talked to in the past it was pretty short of amenities so these additions are very welcome indeed.

Worst Family Vacation Problems

August 30, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

I found this great, funny, and informative article on Fox news that really puts a lot into perspective for when we travel with kids.

I know that I have been guilty of many of these, probably all of them at one point or another when travelling on family vacations with the kids. Family vacations give you a chance to make lifelong memories with your kids. Don’t let these top five family travel flubs spoil the fun.

Overpacking For Family Vacation

We’ve all been there: Your packing for the kids devolves into finding the largest bag on hand and stuffing it with anything they might possibly want or need — their 10 favorite board books, 14 pairs of socks, a ski jacket “just in case” (never mind that it’s mid September).

Instead of packing on the fly, get organized with a checklist. Many accommodations have laundry facilities on site. And don’t be afraid to leave behind supplies that are readily available where you’re headed. There are diapers almost everywhere.

Overscheduling the Family at Destination

You go on vacation psyched to take your destination by storm, only to realize by 3 PM that the whole family is ready to drop and you haven’t even done half of what you’d expected.

The natural tendency when visiting a new place for a short time is to try to see everything there is to see as quickly as possible. But if you cram your schedule too full, you’ll miss the whole point of your vacation: to take a break.

Besides, with kids in tow, you’ll want to allow extra time for bathroom, snack and nap breaks, not to mention jetlag and serendipitous detours. Make sure your schedule is flexible enough to allow all of you time to relax and recharge.

Not Getting Out Off The Beaten Path

Most people drift toward the usual tourist stops, and for good reason. If a lot of vacationers keep going to the same place, it’s probably worth the visit.

But your vacation is your own, and you shouldn’t worry about going to the same old haunts just because they’re there.

If your family is having more fun at the public playground than you would at the famous museum up the road, it’s perfectly acceptable to skip the Egypt exhibit for some quality jungle gym time.

Ignoring The Fine Print, and Getting Scammed

When you’re excited about a vacation, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in a hotel or attraction’s flashy photos that you forget to read the fine print.

But in this case, sweating the small stuff ensures you’re a lot less likely to find surprises on your bills, in your seat assignments, and in your rental upgrades.

Nothing dampens vacation fun like finding out that your child doesn’t quite make the height requirement to ride a mule at the Grand Canyon, or that your hotel’s kids-eat-free policy applies only to kids under 6.

Skimping on Supplies For The Trip

Like shorts maybe? I once went for a 10 day holiday with just 2 pairs of shorts, in Mexico in July! Don’t forget that your family vacation involves some actual travel time.

Make sure you’ve got enough snacks and entertainment to keep hunger and boredom at bay, lest you face the terrors of a nine-hour flight with a starved and restless travel companion.

Bring a few light snacks and a couple of small, special new toys specifically for the flight or car ride to keep your kid (and you) content till you can answer “Are we there yet?” with “Yes!”

Seaworld Orlando

August 29, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Seaworld Orlando was one of the highlights of our trip to Orlando and the reason really was because of not only the sea life and learning about the animals but also because there were some great roller coasters that my don just loved. If you have already been to Seaworld, then I recommend checking out these Family Amusement Parks for some new adventures.

Seaworld Orlando Shamu Show

The big show of course is the Shamu show in the Shamu Stadium amphitheater, we saw the show in San Diego last year but this one seemed to be on a much bigger scale even though the San Diego show was already a huge attraction.

We were lucky enough to sit right near the front in the Splash Zone.

Of course the adults never want to sit in the splash zone but every kid sure does. I can tell you that water is very very salty and sticky like the ocean after you dry off 🙂

Another thing we really liked at Seaworld Orlando was the dolphin show.

The show is as much about the dancing and acrobatics of the performers as much as it is about the dolphins. It really is a spectacle and in some ways we liked it a lot better than the Shamu show.

Manta Roller Coaster

This was the first time that my son really had the nerve to go on a roller coaster and every park brought him to a bigger an better one. The biggest coaster in Seaworld is the Kraken but it was a little too big for a 10 year old.

Instead we went on the Manta Roller coaster. It was awesome as instead of sitting in a car you actually hang in the ride (very well bolted in) and we spun around at high speeds. My son said that the Manta was the best Roller Coaster he ever went on.

Lots Of Fish To Learn About And See

Seaworld Orlando has lot of exhibits and lots of opportunities to learn bout fish and their habitats.

We all learned a lot and the kids are like little sponges, they now have a much better understanding of the ocean, the habitat of different fish, and what it takes to sustain the ecosystem that the fish live in.

I was surprised and really happy to see that instead of only having rides and shows that Seaworld will also teach us all about animals and sustaining sealife.

Antarctica: Empire of the Penguins

This is a new exhibit and there is quite the lineup for this. Really, how often do you get to see penguins up close. There is a ride that starts you off with a little story about a little penguin and then when you get off the ride you are inside the area with the penguins and get to see and hear them.

Fantastic for a few minutes and as much as we loved seeing it the lineup was a little too long for young kids that just want to see a penguin and move on.

Royal Solaris Cancun

August 23, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Known as the largest all-inclusive resort in Cancun, the Royal Solaris Cancun Resort features pyramid-shaped buildings, which house 500 guest rooms. Also featuring:

A theater
Seven restaurants
And four bars
There are even two-bedroom villas available on the grounds.

Royal Solaris Cancun Kids Club

Young guests at the Royal Solaris are treated to fully supervised beach and pool games, a children’s pool, a kid’s club, and swimming contests, and they keep the pool clean for this by using the best intex pool pump you can find online.

Children are also treated to drawing lessons, water painting, finger painting, face painting, and puppet making.

To fulfill your fitness needs, the Royal Solaris Cancun is equipped with a fitness center, tennis courts, four swimming pools, and a basketball course. Daily aerobics is held at the pool.

A miniature golf course and a marina for non-motorized water sports are also available on the grounds. Other activities include beach volleyball, Olympic day, daily scuba demonstrations, swimming contests, bicycle tours, and snorkeling lessons. You can also enjoy a game of polo or water polo as well as windsurfing and pedal boats. Also surfing is very popular in Cancun, you can literally pick any malibu surfboards and start showing of your skills with the locals.

The Resort also offers guests stretching and exercising classes, Spanish classes, card games, tournaments, Latin-style dance classes, cooking lessons, bingo, and tennis lessons. There isn’t only great entertainment to be had; there is also plenty to learn at the Royal Solaris Cancun Resort.

Royal Solaris Cancun for Adults

The Royal Solaris Cancun Resort is famous for it’s fashion shows where they exhibit the best fashion stores like Fifth Collection Chanel, as well as the Miss Solaris Bikini Contest which draws participants from all over the world. The hotel hosts many theme parties, and The Tehauacan Theater features live shows as well. The Royal Solaris Cancun Resort also features a full-service salon with spa treatments, so you can not only relax, but also look your best for the parties.

Special rates, packages, and privileges are given to Club Solaris Cancun Members, including airport shuttle transportation from royal-american-tours, express check-in, personal registration, a welcome party, and exclusive activities. Other all inclusive packages are also offered to non-Club Solaris Members.

Marietas Islands Day Cruise

May 7, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

The only paid excursion we took on our recent trip to Puerto Vallarta was a boat trip to go snorkeling. It was a lot of fun and actually a pretty full day of things to do and see.

The trip with Vallarta Adventures we paid $60 or $70 a person the day before and had to meet up at the Port which was about 10 minutes away from our resort at Conta Del Sol. The trip started at 9:00 but the fellow at the hotel told us to get there for 8:15, not sure why do early. For boating supplies to get ready for your next trip navigate here and get the best ones !

At the Port there were buns and coffee and there was an opportunity to get pics taken (for money of course) with a big parot (which we didn’t take), and a big sea lion (pics were just too cute not to pass on, visit vpnroad.com for see all the pics).

Finally just before 9 we got pictures taken by a statue and headed onto the boat. Big catamaran that held 100 people or so and this day there were probably around 40 of us.

On The Water to Marietas Islands

As we left the port our guides were great to introduce themselves and orient us with the boat. There were two separate washrooms each for men and women, only smoking in the back of the boat, and then a great breakfast with pancakes and eggs as well as juice, coffee, whatever we wanted. It was a lovely cruise, but if you want something more romantic then you should attend a dinner cruise for a wonderful night.

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And don’t forget the sunscreen. We had gotten special eco-sunscreen the night before and slathered it on. No one wants a sunburn. More on that later…

Once we got going the sea was a little choppy and we stopped in one area in Nuevo Vallarta to pick up a few people and then off again to the Marietas islands to do some snorkeling. This is what we came for!

The guides on the boat were great in showing us how to use their equipment. Really good info on what to look for and finally about sharks. He told us that if we see a shark… call him over because in all his time he had never seen a shark there. Great ice breaker for everyone that was a little nervous about jumping off a perfectly floating boat.

We still had some trouble getting the snorkel and mask on, finally got into a small boat and over by and island we snorkeled for probably 30 minutes or so. The time went really quick and we saw lots of tropical fish but also had a few problems, mostly with the fact that we were wearing lifejackets (safety first) and the water was really deep so it was hard to keep ourselves together.

After we finally got back in the boat after snorkelling there were some other things that we could do, including standing paddleboarding.

My 12 year old son and I went on the paddleboards and I warned him to watch his balance. He just stands up and asks why? I had a bit more trouble getting myself stood up but was able to paddle myself around a bit better. Finally when it seems that my son and I were definitely headed to south america one of the friendly guides came by in a little motor boat (that thing is sure handy) and gave us a ride back. To know more about Lucky Charter Mallorca visit us here.

While I was getting back in the little boat I apparently scratched my knee and the staff on the boat were all excited to help me out. The cut was really small but on my wet leg it dripped down. The head guide told me to let my family know that I barely got away from the shark on time and we all laughed.

Finding The Marietas Islands Hidden Beach

After we were finished with all these water sports we went over to the most famous island in the Marieta Archipelego and that is the island with the hidden beach. Again we had to take the little motor boat closer, don our life jackets and drop back into the ocean.

There is a cave that you have to swim through to get to the hidden beach and just because of the different currents this can be a bit tough to swim through.

I sure with we had a camera with us when we go to the beach. It is smaller than we expected but amazing looking with a hole in the island above you and actually to one side we were able to go through another cave and see ocean waves crashing into a big cave. The sand is like dust, so fine and we found a few shells that we were able to bring home as souvenirs.

After the swim back to the boat my wife had her accident, as she was getting into the boat she slipped off the ladder and went butt first into my daughter – we are still laughing about that weeks later and my Michelle has to admit she is not very graceful 🙂

Then lunch. The lunch were these great burgers with chips and lots of toppings and other food. And now that we were finished with jumping off the boat the bar was open! My wife does not drink and I decided ahead of time that I would be watching my booze intake on a boat. Last thing I would want is seasickness after drinking.

Finally Coming Back to Puerto Vallarta

The boat trip back to Puerto Vallarta was uneventful. We looked for dolphins, which are common in the area, but we didn’t see any which is too bad, my wife and kids have swam with dolphins before so we were not heartbroken over this.

The staff know that everyone is getting tired by this time in the afternoon so they keep the energy up with music and games. We laughed, enjoyed the afternoon and had a great time coming back. Lots of pictures as we got closer to shore.

We got into shore around 5:15 or so. The day was a little long but full of stuff done and time together.

Finally as we were getting off we noticed that maybe we had not reapplied the sunscreen enough times. We all burnt. Good thing we were going home the next day anyway as the sunburns were pretty bad and even my head was peeling for a week afterwards.

Even though we were nervous about spending so much money for an excursion we were really happy that we took this trip. We expected ahead of time that the highlight would definitely we the snorkeling but there were so many things that were fantastic, so many memories of things that we had never done before that we really enjoyed.

This was one of those days that we are glad we have lots of pictures of and memories to remember for years to come. Always a few problems on a long day our like this but in the end well worth it.