Not a very active blogger

Hello all, It has been awhile, hasn't it?
Our summer has been great.

It started with a trip to Berlin, visit with my mom and Carolyn in NYC, and then a family trip to Florida.

We of course went to Disney while we were down in Florida.


I also have a few new things to share that we discovered at the Disney resorts.

First at the request of my four year old we went fishing. We were going to take a boat out and fish, but with the Disney prices we thought is she really serious about fishing? With a little searching I found pole fishing at Port Orleans Riverside. The best part? It is very inexpensive especially if you have a large family who wants to give it a try.

Riverside at Port Orleans
Fishing Hole at Ol' Man Island

Catch-and-release cane pole fishing is also availabe without advance reservations at the following locations:

--Port Orleans Riverside Ol' Man Island at the Fishin' Hole
--Fort Wilderness Resort & Campgrounds

Hours are 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. and vary seasonally. The fishing areas are stocked with catfish, bass, and blue gill, and a catch is almost certain.

Cost -- Cane Pole & Worms - $4/hour OR Family Fishing - $12.50/hour (up to 6 people)

From allears.net (http://allears.net/btp/fish.htm)

Our next discovery was the Pirate Adventure, which is available at a few resorts but we chose the Grand Floridian. It was a little more expensive compared to fishing but not overly so. For both kids it was under $75 and that included 2 hours of fun, souvenirs and an arcade card to spend at any Disney arcade.


Pirate Adventure -- Little landlubbers (ages 4 to 12) can go on a two-hour hunt for treasure and adventure on the high seas of Disney's Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. Snack and beverage included. Requires advanced reservations. Cost is $36.21 tax included per child.

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Available to all guests. Reservations 180 days in advance at 407-WDW-DINE or WDW-PLAY
Of course thanks again to allears.net
(http://allears.net/pl/grandadven.htm


Aside from Disney we took a trip to Tallahassee, St. Marks, Gainesville pitstop, Riverview, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor, and Orlando so I would say it was a successful trip to Florida.

Fort Wilderness- Disney's Campground

Fort Wilderness was the first place I stayed on my first trip to Disney when I was about 6.

 I don't remember much about that trip, but one thing I do remember is the outdoor movie/campfire at the campground!

So this resort is pretty straight forward, tents, pop-up campers and RVs are welcome.

Ok so camping isn't your thing? It's not mine really either, unless it has A/C and a bathroom.

Well at Fort Wilderness they have cabins, so you can "rough" it a little easier.

 

So since I haven't stayed at this resort since I was six, what could I possibly know about it? 

Well in fact I make sure we come here every time we are in the Orlando area.

Why? 

Well they have the following:

Pony Rides

Horse Trail Rides/Tri-Circle-D Ranch & Farm / Stables

Campfire Sing-a-long/Movie with guest visits from Chip and Dale

Playgrounds

Boat Rentals

Wagon Rides

Carriage Rides

Bicycle Rentals

Beautiful Walking Trails

Sand Volleyball Court 

Horseshoes and shuffleboard 

Basketball and tetherball courts

Arcades

Boat launch that goes to other resorts and Disney World

Two amazing dinner events- How could I hold out on you...

The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is the most popular and longest-running dinner shows offered at WDW

 Mickey's Backyard BBQ, an all-you-can-eat buffet with a live country band, line-dance instructor, and appearances by Disney Characters, is held on certain evenings at the Fort Wilderness Pavilion.

Did I mention the pony rides are $5? And it's not just a circle they go around!

 

 This is always Madeline's choice of special Disney activity.

 

At the stables, visiting some horses

Quick stop at the "beach"

 Maddie played in the sand, while Mason and Mom Mom played tether ball.

 

Much of the information is courtesy of allears.net

Check out All Ears Fact Sheet  on Fort Wilderness for more insider tips!

Busy Busy Busy

I've been slacking in the blogging world. Our trip to Florida through me off track, plus when we got back I got buried under a pile of laundry that basically reached the ceiling.

I was going to post about a few "inexpensive things" to do while you are visiting the mouse in Orlando. After living there for 16 months, I think I discovered a few fun things to do.

I think I will touch on one place at a time, so get ready for a few blogs after being away for so long!

Resort hopping is one of my all time favorite things to do.

We typically plan to visit a couple resorts each time we head to Orlando. Each resort usually has a few restaurants, an arcade, other activities, and of course shops! 

On the list of one of our families favorite resorts to visit is the Animal Kingdom Lodge, it has animals (for the kids), shops (for me) and delicious food (for my hubby!)

I would say one our most frequented restaurants at Disney is Sanaa which is actually at Kidani Village, the Disney's Vacation Club Resort part of Animal Kingdom Lodge. 

On their menu, we love their Indian-style bread service which you can choose to have several accompaniments, aka yummy dips. We then follow with Lamb Kefta and Tandoori Chicken, but I am sure most of the things on the menu are delicious!

Did I mention while you eat, you have a great view of giraffes, zebras, ostriches and many other cool animals?

Of course after we finish our meal, we always go out to visit the savannahs to get an even closer view of such cool animals.

They typically have a cast member out by the savannahs to explain all the different  types of animals. One time we caught a scavenger hunt for the kids, and the kids got a bead for each animal on the list they spotted.

So whether your family needs a break from the parks, or you just want to swing over for some "less expensive" Disney fun I highly recommend checking out the resorts.

My next posts will have information on-

Fort Wilderness Fun

Wilderness Lodge

Pop Century

AND MANY OTHER RESORTS and what they have to offer!

I haven't even started on the transportation fun... boats, monorails, OH My!

Atlantic City

This weekend we decided to head down to Atlantic City.
Who doesn't go to the beach when it is snowing? Ok ok so the snow wasn't really sticking on the ground.

We had lunch at White House Sub Shop
Then headed over to Caesars for the Pier Shops.
The kids seemed to enjoy the two candy stores at the Pier Shops.
We also watched the water show while eating ice cream, yes ice cream during the winter.

One of our favorite places, the beach... although it was a bit cold.

Enjoying the odd flavors and over sized candy at It's Sugar

Yes that lollipop is taller than Madeline

We also enjoyed a short but nice walk on the boardwalk.

Afterwards a coffee/snack break was needed before hitting up the outlets at The Walk.

It was a nice getaway for a quick day trip and we definitely hope to go back again perhaps when the weather is warmer.

Chinese New Year Lunar Parade NYC

Wow what an experience.

We staked out a place on Canal street, with hundreds of other people only to see the parade turn down Mott street. OOPS! Well we went down, walking quickly with those said hundreds of other people to a side street and cut over to see the parade. Well technically threw the kids on our shoulders so they could see the parade. We saw a few dragons, Snoopy, and Minnie then decided to get some confetti fireworks and fried dumplings.


The kids loved the confetti fireworks, we had fun shooting some off then playing in the confetti.


Ok so the place we got fried dumplings is worth mentioning, appropriately named Fried Dumpling is off of Mosco Street ( which is the said street we cut over to see the parade) and while it had a line it was worth the 5-10 minute wait. It not the healthiest version of dumplings (steamed with veggies) the fried dumplings were delicious and satisfying. OH did I mention the price? 5 for $1, so four orders aka $4 and we had 20 dumplings to split between us. The best part of it, Mason LOVES friend dumplings so this added to his perfect day.

http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2007/04/24/nyc-dining-fried-dumpling/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/fried-dumpling-new-york

First Snow of Winter

Woo Hoo we finally got some snow.

We had a freak snow/sleet storm back at the end of October but this time it was much awaited and much fluffier snow.

First sight of the snow out our back window


We went over to the playground, typically you can see NYC in the background but it was so foggy/snowy you can't see NYC at all.




After the playground, we cleaned off the car, grabbed a bite to eat then headed over to Liberty State park for some hills

Is it obvious Madeline loves her shovel?

ZooMania

One of our Christmas gifts is a gift that will keep giving for a whole year.We got a family premium membership to the zoo.

Not just one zoo but to the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoo! So far we have tested 3 out of the 5 and loved each one!

Seriously if you are planning to take the family to more than one of these parks in a years time this membership might be for you.

At the Aquarium

Bronx Zoo

Central Park Zoo




For $164 you get-

• FREE admission for two adults and the children in their household up to age 18 to the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos
• FREE admission for one additional guest or child caregiver
• FREE unlimited access to Bronx Zoo attractions including Congo Gorilla Forest, Wild Asia Monorail, Children’s Zoo, JungleWorld, Butterfly Garden, Hess Express Zoo Shuttle, Bug Carousel PLUS the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium 4-D Theaters
• FREE unlimited parking at the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium (subject to availability; one car per Membership per visit)
• FREE limited-edition wildlife T-shirt
• Invitations to Members' Evenings at the Bronx Zoo
• FREE updates on zoo activities and events in Members' News and Members' E-News
• 10% discount at select gift shops at the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, and Central Park Zoo
• 10% discount at select restaurants at the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, and Central Park Zoo
• Discounts on Education programs and courses
• Priority zoo entry for Members—no long lines at the gate!

Check out their website for more details!