Kid-Friendly Travel

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun my toddler son and I had while tagging along on my husband's business trip to Miami. I mean, I knew Miami is super fun for grown-ups, but I wasn't so sure about kids. Weighing the options: January in Miami, or January in Minnesota? Hmmm. Yeah we'll give it a shot!

If you're thinking of a family vacation in Miami, here are a few ideas:

We stayed at the Doubletree Grand Hotel. They have regular rooms, and condos by the week. It's in a quiet part of downtown, near the Venetian and MacArthur Causeways. They have a grocery store/deli, restaurants, pool, and is on a marina (pictured above). If you get a condo, make sure to get a pool key to get back in the building... they're separate from your room key. We didn't, and got locked out in the pool area.

Things to do:
Miami Children's Museum is off MacArthur Causeway, as is Parrot Jungle (now called Jungle Island). The Children's Museum is crazy fun for little ones. Our membership at our home state got us in free, so bring your membership card if you have one.
Miami Seaquarium is a bit like SeaWorld with a dolphin and orca show. The manatee tank and crocodile / alligator exhibit were a hit. Located on Biscayne Bay
Miami Metrozoo. The petting zoo offers elephant rides... cool! Animals are in spacious habitats, so, lots of walking. Or, take the monorail. The Wildlife Show is big cats doing cool tricks.
Spend the day in Key Biscayne. More neighborhood-y. Is that a word? Anyway, very relaxing. Stop to pick up shells, or head to Crandon Park for beach, palm trees and picnic.
We found a great Cuban restaurant/deli/stand called Oasis Cafe on Key Biscayne. (Address: 19 Harbor Drive). We discovered that toddler likes croquetas (chicken croquettes) and plantain chips. 2 bags!
South Beach is nice during the day. Play at Lummus Park and Public Beach. It gets very adult and very loud after 11 pm. So, probably wise to avoid getting a hotel there if you plan on sleeping at night.
Bayside Marketplace is a great indoor/outdoor mall. Eclectic shops and restaurants and often live entertainment.
Mary Brickell Village is a neighborhood with a high concentration of moderate to upscale restaurants. Publix grocery store is also nearby.

Anything else I missed?




Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

For many people, Orlando equals Walt Disney World. Yes, Disney is a destination on it's own, but Orlando has so much more to offer, and the offerings just keep coming! We spent 3 weeks there with our 2-1/2 year old, and there was no shortage of things for us to do!

An overview of our favorite offerings in Orlando...

Walt Disney World: The House of Mouse will never dissapoint. There is truly something for everyone here.

Downtown Disney: Free admission and free parking! Enjoy the shopping and dining delights, along with live performances that get the kids groovin'. There's even a few kiddie rides and 2 splash pads.

Universal Studios Orlando: This could also be a destination in itself. 2 theme parks, a City Walk and lots of overhead misting fans to beat the heat.

Sea World: An absolute must for the animal lovers in your group.

Wet 'N Wild: Huge water park with separate area for kids 48" and under.

Monkey Joes: When your wallet needs a vacation, this inflatable playground is where locals go to beat the heat on the cheap.

I-Ride Trolley: Great way to get around Orlando, or just ride it for fun.

Trainland International Trolley and Train Museum: If you have a rabid train fan, this is worth a visit.

We're always adding more, so check back often. Keep us updated, add your favorite to the comment sections!

Check Top Hotel Deals in Orlando .

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

Today we have a guest post by Diane, who travels often with her 3 kids. Thanks, Diane, for the great tips!!

TRIP

• Get dollar store trinkets and wrap them in wrapping paper to pull out when kids are very good and/or they need a diversion on the plane/in the car
• Bring your own band-aid box with neosporin and kids Advil or Tylenol in the box. Have this on you all the time, esp. at the parks

DISNEY: General

• MOST IMPORTANT: Teach your child how to find a Disney employee anywhere. Make it a game. "If you can't find us and need help, find a Disney employee. See? That man over there has the oval tag with his name on it. You can ask him for help. Now, you look around and find a Disney employee. You can say, I need help and my name is ____." I was doing this with Dutch (4yrs) on our November trip, and when I first pointed out an employee, the young man came over, squatted down, and said, "I am a Disney cast member. Anyone with this tag will help you find your parents. Can you see my tag? Good job!" Do this often throughout the day.
• Fanny packs for everyone with a bottle of water in them, identification (including photo of child) and any allergies/meds listed.
• I recommend giving kids a disposable camera on the first day. The pics they take will offer a totally different perspective than yours!
• Magic Kingdom is a must, then in order of my preference, Animal Kingdom, MGM and maybe Epcot.
• Take them to Mickey's Philharmagic movie in 3D at Magic Kingdom for sure.
• You can rent lockers at the entrance to each park if you want to have snacks or stash purchases
• Get a daily bulletin from the info booth at the entrance to the park to see where you can meet the characters and get pictures (this is great)
• A good family souvenir is a dated Christmas ornament from the parks (I got a 2007 on this trip)
• The BEST souvenir to get the kid (on the last day, so you can utilize this on the trip home) is only 9.95. They are these characters you hold and when you push the button there are 3 lighted soft lighted 'tentacles' that spin around. These will be the BEST money you spend, trust me. The kids love them. Get 2 or 3. They come in all different characters and are sold all over the parks, wherever you see souvenirs.

DISNEY: Parks

MAGIC KINGDOM

• Take the train that goes around the park
• Take the monorail somewhere (TIP: if you are the first one at the first car of the monorail, you can ask to sit in the front car with the operator!!!)
• See Mickey's Philharmagic 3D movie
• If you like, the Frontierland Swiss Family Robinson tree house is a hike but cool (not for the height-fearing)
• Tomorrowland is fun
• Make SURE to walk through the bottom of the Cinderella castle. The mosaics are beautiful.
• Rides: Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan

ANIMAL KINGDOM

• LOTS of walking
• GREAT parade (see daily bulletin for times)
• Tree of Life? WAY COOL carved tree
• Dinosaur dig area is great, and has the sand pit with the mammoth to dig up. FABULOUS
• There's a dinosaur ride inside, in land rovers…WAY too scary for little ones and way to wrenching for most adults. Hello, whiplash.
• There's a Nemo movie/show here Dutch LOVED (Joe took him)
• I loved the show Festival of the Lion King. It's a remarkable theater/acrobat show. Wonderful. I wanted to give them a standing ovation!!!

MGM

• Do NOT go to Fantasmic. It is loud, heavy on the villains, and frankly I didn't like it. It's well done, but very dark and loud and frightening.
• Honey I Shrunk the Kids is fun, b/c kids can walk through huge blades of grass, etc.
• Muppet 3D movie is wonderful.
• The Little Mermaid Show is a delight.
• If they like Bear in the Big Blue House, you can go to a live show of that and it's fun.

LODGING:

• Disney All-Star Resorts (Movie resort is the most fun for the family, I think) Great buy, parking isn't too far, nice food court, gift shop and pool area, and you can walk to all three resorts in that area. Low key, but still Disney-style, and when you have a 4 year old, who needs the high end resorts? (Tip: We had the kids in their suits and clothes over them, and we took the monorail to different resorts like the Grand Floridian, etc., and went swimming there, then left!)
• Ask to have a fridge in your room. It may cost extra. Buy cereal and milk to keep for breakfast and snacks (and whatever else)
• When you stay on site, you can take the bus to the park entrance 1 hour before it officially opens and enjoy everything with shorter or no lines.

OTHER:

• Get up early, get to the park and enjoy things. Then go back to the resort for lunch, napping, swimming, whatever. Go back to the park later for fireworks and the lights, etc.

Guest post by Diane: happily divorced mom of three, legislative staffer and bookaholic. (My custom home on 10.5 wooded acres in Wisconsin has been for sale for over 2 years and I'll buy dinner for anyone who helps me sell it!)

Read our other Disney articles:

Walt Disney World with Little Ones
More Walt Disney World Tips...
Disney's Animal Kingdom Parade

If you've never been to WDW, here are a few more tips that apply to all the parks.

--Really pay attention to where you parked. Jot it down somewhere if you have to. All the parking lots kind of look the same, and to ride the tram back to your car, you need to know which character lot you're in. (Row 39 Minnie, for example) I saw quite a few people kind of wandering because they forgot where they parked.

--We bought the Pal Mickey toy for $65. Very cool, but not really worth it. The cool thing is that it picks up signals from around the park and tells you some interesting little tidbits about the park. The downside is that it's hard to hear sometimes, and it doesn't store any of those little tidbits to hear once you're outside the park. So, if you're willing to pay that much for a Mickey doll, then go for it. If I hadn't lost my receipt, I would have returned mine.

--Speaking of souveniers, you can find some really great deals on Disney items throughout Orlando, at much lower prices than in the parks. There's a pretty good one across the street from the visitor center on International Drive. They have everything from pajamas and toys to suitcases and office supplies... all with Disney logos.

--Park Hopper option for tickets is TOTALLY worth it! If you plan to come back again, it could be cheaper to buy more days than you need and upgrade to the 'never expire' so you can use your extra days next trip.

--You should only have to pay for parking once per day. Save your parking ticket if you move your car. Speaking of parking, parking seemed easiest at Epcot.

--We were there on Memorial Day, and it was surprisingly not overcrowded.

--Downtown Disney has two free splash fountains to beat the heat.

--Will Call is any ticket booth, but it's faster to go to the customer service booth. At Epcot, it's to the far right of the ticket booths.

--Use Disney transportation. You can bring your stroller on the monorail, and the boat ride from Epcot to MGM. Riding the Friendships boats from Epcot to MGM (and back) gives a nice view of the Boardwalk, and some of the resorts.

--Prepare for heat! Sunscreen, battery-operated spray fan, stroller shade, frozen juice boxes, etc. Also, prepare for rain. It thankfully doesn't last long, and can be a welcome relief from the heat.

--Hopefully this goes without saying, but wear comfortable shoes... that goes for the kids, too. Our day at Epcot, I walked 10 hours.

--View our other Disney articles here:

--Disney Advice by Diane

--Walt Disney World with Little Ones

--Disney's Animal Kingdom Parade

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

Think Walt Disney World is too much for a toddler? Think again!! Our 2-1/2 year old loved every minute of the 5 days we spent there!! And we don't have a little princess, we have a prince. We saw characters from Winnie the Pooh, Little Einsteins, Cars, Playhouse Disney Live, all his favorite shows. He was in heaven! My little guy still talks about the Peter Pan ride.
The key is finding things just their size. Each of the parks has attractions appropriate for the under-5 set. We really utilized the Magical Beginnings website and maps. We didn't even try for the bigger rides, but if your kids are older and more adventurous, you can check height requirements online, too.

Some WDW tips I learned from other moms, online research, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids (Unofficial Guides), and being there I've condensed here for you.

• Get there as early in the morning as you are allowed.


• Take a nap during the hottest part of the day. And come back for the late afternoon and evening.


• If your child doesn't nap, this could be a good time to relax and take a breather back at the hotel pool.


• Bring a small cooler with frozen juice boxes and non-perishable snacks. (cafeteria lines are long)


• The cafeteria food is tasty, has some healthy options, and is reasonably priced. Just go before everyone else is eating. Go between 11 and 11:30 am for lunch, and 4:30 and 5pm for dinner.


• Bring your stroller. They have rentals, but bringing your own is free. Just make sure it collapses to no thicker than 6" to fit on the tram in the parking lot.


• Bring a shade for your stroller. We use a Radio Flyer umbrella. I saw some that were more collapsable. One by Rayshade I ended up buying when we got home.


• Try to bring only one bag in... we used a backpack or duffel. They check the contents of every bag upon entry which makes for long lines.


• When in lines, stay to the left. In some cases, the lines on the right were crazy long, and there were lines on the left that were empty. (In this case, it pays to be a bit 'left of center')


• We bought our tickets through Travelocity and they were $20 cheaper than buying online direct from Disney. So shop around. Picking them up at the will call booth was faster than waiting in line with those who were buying tickets at the door.


• Use FastPass.


• Pick up a park map as you enter each park. Also pick up a times and events card and check it frequently. This will list the showtimes for your little ones' favorite events, like the next Playhouse Disney Live show, Character signings, the parade, etc.

Speaking of parades... check out our little video of the Animal Kingdom Parade! It's getting some good reviews on YouTube!

Read our other Disney articles:

Disney Advice by Diane

More Walt Disney World tips...

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

If you have older kids, or just adults, the VIP pass is totally worth it! You go right to the front of the line for any ride. (only once per ride, though)
If you end up getting tickets at the gate, you can still get a deal if you use your MasterCard. By using your MC when buying the 2-Park/2-Day Pass, you get a 3rd day free! Of course, specials change, so call ahead to be sure. To reach Guest Services, call: (407) 224-4233.
A nice feature is the Child Swap program. This allows one member of a party to watch over the child while the rest of the party waits, rides, then swaps places so they may enjoy the ride as well. They won’t have to wait in the long line. See the ride attendant for more details.
No need to worry about the Florida heat here, misting fans are everywhere!
Budget note: After having bought our multi-day admission passes, all we needed to pay each day was parking. Even though the signs say no coolers or outside food, if you have small children the website recommends that you bring your own snacks and food. We kept it to an insulated lunch-bag filled with a couple of sandwiches, snacks and frozen juice boxes and had no issues. I didn’t see anyone with a stroller have their cooler turned away.

Universal Studios:
There are things for the little ones all over this park… VERY kid-friendly.
Parking is extremely organized. If you get there around 10am, you shouldn’t need to spring for preferred parking. There are elevators in the parking ramp if you have a stroller or wheelchair, otherwise escalators get you to the proper level. I highly recommend bringing your own or renting a stroller. My little one thought driving the stroller over the cobblestone streets of “New York” was a ‘ride’. So easy to please aren’t they?

As you walk in, you can easily meet favorite characters: (Check the maps as these locations could change.)
SpongeBob SquarePants (inside the NICKSTUFF store, in the back),
Dora the Explorer and Jimmy Neutron (outside the NICKSTUFF store),
Shrek and Donkey (the side street just past the Shrek 4-D attraction at Shrek’s Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe)
Curious George, Scooby-Doo & Shaggy, Woody and Winnie Woodpecker are all in the KidZone. As are characters from Madagascar (across from the Animal Actors on Location)
Crew members are happy to help you get in the picture at no charge.

Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone is AWESOME for little ones!!! Bring a swimsuit, or wear clothes that dry easily. We easily made a day of just this area.
Curious George Goes To Town is a splashing, squirting, downpour of fun! Wander through the ‘town’ and buckets could rain down on you from above. A gentleman admitted how close he came to dumping a huge bucket of water on my head. Lucky for me, he saw my camera. Next visit, I put the camera in a zip-top bag before entering the Zone.
Fievel’s Playland gives kids a “mouse-eye-view” of the world. Of course, my little fish stood under the teacup pouring water. There are tunnels to walk through, things to climb on, and of course, slides. Big slides, little slides, and wet slides, too.
Animal Actors on Location! is a live show with live animals. A few exotic animals make a cameo appearance, but most of the show is dogs, monkeys and birds. My toddler was THRILLED when the birds swooped over the audience. He turned around and shouted at the hole they flew into, “Can you do that again?!”

We’ll be back!

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

We filmed this parade at Animal Kingdom in May 2007. So many animals to see, lots of shade and quiet areas, and unlimited fun things to do, made this our hands-down favorite park for preschoolers.

This was my first attempt at filming video with my digital camera (not camcorder), so it may be a bit shakey... sorry.