Planning the Family Vacation part 1

Our family decided to take a big trip to celebrate my  wife's 40th birthday and her graduating from grad school. We wanted to take a cruise, and we wanted to go to Walt Disney World too. We figured we couldn't do both. Lets face it these kinds of vacations are expensive, or at least I thought we would not be able to save enough to do both. I was wrong. We discovered that we could take a cruise to Nassau, Bahamas that would be four nights AND have some time at Disney World. It was a tricky and we compared several travel agent quotes, online deals, rental houses, and even looked at using Costco travel. I am going to try to blog our process so that you can skip all the hard stuff and do the trip that works for your family. By the way we are taking this trip as a surprise that my son will not know about until we get on the airplane. If you know my son please do not spoil the fun by telling him. Thanks.

First step, where to stay. Once we decided we wanted to visit Walt Disney World, we had to figure out where we wanted to stay (on property or off). We had very good luck using Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO) and thought about looking to rent a condo or vacation house in Orlando. We were surprised by the amount of homes that are accessible near the parks and some of the great amenities that were included with some of them. Things like a pool with a lift were very common in most of the places that we looked at, as well as roll in showers, and free cable and WiFi. the prices were amazing too. We were considering a 4 bedroom house that was 10 minutes away from WDW that was 132.00 a night (if you wanted the pool heated) which included the taxes. We came across many deals like that, which if you have a mobility impairment is very, VERY rare. This is a great option if you are on a tight budget because you can cook meals at home, have the flexibility to go to other parks if you rent a car, and did I mention private pool which is great if you have kids who are difficult to get out of the park. We saw many amazing properties but after crunching some numbers we decided that staying on property made the most sense for us since we changed our vacation to include a cruise. I believe when we eventually go back to Orlando (and we will once my son realizes that there are other parks besides Disney World there) we will definitely keep this in mind as an affordable and restful option. Stay Tuned.

The adventure of picking your trip.

Picking the destination for your current year's vacation is always fun but usually difficult in my household, and having added our son has made it more so. Now we not only have to make sure that it is somewhere we want to go, that it is wheelchair accessible, and has a climate that will accommodate warmth and not roasting my fair skinned wife. But now we have to make sure that it will have something to do for a rambunctious 2 and a half year old boy (Family friendly is key). I am not the person who wants to wreck everyone else's party time by bringing my son, and adversely he is on vacation too (doesn't he deserve to have a good time). This is a tricky age because he can get frightened easily, and can never bee more than an half an hour from a restroom (ah potty training). Kauai was nice because it marked off a ton from the above requirements, theme parks are also great if you listen to your little ones and heed what they are saying. "I'm tired" means my legs are shorter than yours and I need a snack and a nap. "I'm hot" means that they are getting overheated and over stimulated and if you want to avoid a scene you will take me to the pool.

I specifically like the idea of a cruise for my traveling family. We have booked a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas because both my wife and I very much enjoyed the Disney Cruise Line and we also had a great time in the Caribbean on our last cruise. We believe that our son will get a kick out of the kids programs (where they hide all the children from site) and going to the out of the country will expose him to other cultures and expand his view of the world. This will also be a graduation trip for my wife who will have graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Master's degree (no small feat, I assure you). I wanted to make it a special trip that the whole family can enjoy. Yes we will spend a week before the cruise at Disney World ( which we are all looking forward to) but then we will also spend time as grown ups and a young family seeing the sites and eating the islands cuisine. It took a very long time deciding on this itinerary (3 weeks or so), and I believe it will be a great experience for all of us.

Now for all of you, some homework. Order a pizza and sit at the table to discuss where you will be going on vacation. It is all part of bringing the family together.

Activities for everyone

I have talked before about the many great things that Kauai has to offer as activities. Hiking, Surfing, Shopping, Beachcombing, Snorkeling, fishing, the list goes on and on. If you have mobility issues they are striving to make things a little better. They are in process of creating a 10 mile long paved path along the eastern side of the island that is right along the coast for bikers, joggers, strollers, and us folks who spend our time on 4 wheels. In fact two miles are already up and running and I hope the next time I am there the rest will be too.

I also want to give props to this island state for creating a monster playground that has ramps, for kids or adults with mobility impairments to access multi levels of the structure. Built in the 90's Kamalani Playground is a giant wood play structure that has slides, caves, bridges, swings, and a place for mom and dad to sit and rest while the kids are playing. It is made of wood and has tons of things to look at and play with.

Now for the adventure lovers take one of the many downhill bike tours through Waimea Canyon. It starts at the top of the picturesque site and takes you all the way to the ocean. All down hill. Or you can take a charter to the Napali coast and walk on virgin sand beaches, on the way you will likely see turtles, dolphins, and maybe a whale or two. Sure you can hike to some of them but I prefer an ocean view on my way to secluded beaches.

All this just makes me want to go back. Maybe someday soon.

Travel distractions

I want to take a minute to talk about a very important subject. What do you do on your way to your vacation destination? I personally like to do a variety of things to keep myself from going crazy while being stuck in my airplane seat, let me share what I did on the way to Kauai.

I listened to an audio book by Tina Fey called Bossy Pants. This book is in a word, hilarious. Tina Fey can tell a story and infuse it with so much humor that it will leave you crying (in a good way).
Another book I had with me was Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell which was about the history of Hawaii after European explorers reached the island. It was very interesting and also had plenty of current information to keep it from being a textbook. My final read was a guilty pleasure graphic novel called Fables about storybook characters in modern day New York (city and upstate). It is a very creative take on characters we thought we knew. Definitely not for kids as it has some language and adult situations.

We took the requisite amount of DVD's for the plane ride, and for our stay home nights. My son s going through a Pixar, and Thomas the Tank Engine phase. Needless to say I have seen Cars and A Bugs Life more than I wished, and I feel like a very useful engine for doing it (ask your kids they will know what that means).
For myself and my wife we took Salt (angelina action movie), The Kings Speech (just really good), and the Hangover (you have to stop thinking and laugh sometime on vacation).

Yes it does seem ridiculous to be on a island paradise and bring things to do indoors. But it is better to be prepared, than to be stuck with a bored toddler. More latter :)

Amazing delights of Paradise

As you might have gathered from some of my past blogs, when I am on vacation I like to try the local restaurants. My trip to Kauai was no different. We went all over the island trying some old favorites, and some new places recommended by fellow travelers and locals. I find that if you want the really good places try what the locals like, and also look for the hole in the walls that have no parking spaces. This can mean that there are some good things to be found.....or that it has really bad service.

Bad food or mediocre service wasn't something that I had to worry about on this trip. Whether it was the delicious fish taco that I had at Tropical Taco in Hanalei, or the fancy meal I had at Keoki's Paradise. The food was always fresh and tasty, and the atmosphere was family friendly and ready to assist us in any way. We never got any trouble for being the couple with the wheelchair and the toddler. In fact we opted to get a sitter one night and go to Kieko's Paradise only to see that they welcomed guests with kids (although at the prices I am not sure I would ever take a toddler there).

Let me give a run down of my favorite places for dine in or take out from this and my last trip.

South Island:

Bubba's Burgers is a local institution that serves some very good burgers. The Kapaa one we ate at had a no frills seating area, and a counter that overlooked the street so we could watch the tourist and locals shop and go about the day. Lets just say a good burger and people watching made this a nice place to go, especially is you have a pick eater.

Poipu Tropical Burgers is a family style restaurant that serves breakfast lunch and dinner. This is the type of place that my wife, son, and I could find something we truly wanted to eat. We went there for brunch, and dinner. They have great pancakes, good eggs, and nice crispy bacon. I also had the fish and chips there and can say for a place that has a little of everything on their menu it they were pretty good. The service is what makes this place nice. They had a place ready for us by the window, and the crayons and graham crackers were at the ready for my hungry toddler. It can be difficult to find parking at the Poipu Shopping Center where it is located so make sure you add some extra time.

And since I am on the topic of the Poipu Shopping Center, we ate at two other places there (Pukadog, and Papalani Gelato)

Pukadog specializes in hot dogs with exotic toppings such as mango, pineapples, and other types of relish (traditional toppings are there as well). You basically get to customize your own Polish or Veggie dog. It wasn't my favorite place but my son liked the veggie dog with mango salsa (it is very sweet with just a hint of salty from the hot dog.

Panalini Gelato was a nice treat. If you have never had gelato Hawaii is a good place to try it. It is a creamy Italian ice cream with some unique flavors. They did a respectable job and the staff was very friendly. I guess I just preferred the shave ice at Pono Hale Family Restaurant.

Keoki's Paradise is a more upscale restaurant great for taking that special someone on a nice date. If you get there before 5 you can have an opportunity to take advantage of half portions and chef specials. I had a petite fillet Mignon and lobster with a nice salad and yummy ice cream pie to split with my wife. Cap that with a few good drinks and it made the splurge for the babysitter that much more worth it.

North Island:

Tropical Taco I will not lie to you. This is the reason we traveled to the north shore of Kauai. They have the best fish tacos I have ever had. Fresh caught, fresh cooked, simple ingredients make this something I crave even when I am off island. My son isn't a big fish eater so he had a fantastic bean burrito which was the size of his head and which he made short work of. It is also nice to walk around Hanalei afterwards because you just never know what you will find there. Cap off the experience with shave ice and you can hit the beach satisfied.

West side:

This is where we ate the most and is the mid point between Hanalei/Princeville in the north, and Poipu/Koloa/Port Allen in the south.

Brick Oven Pizza has two locations (Kapaa, and Kalehio). We ate at the one in Kapaa which was clean friendly, and didn't balk at the wheelchair and toddler as we came through the door. They greeted my son with a dough ball to play with and had no problems with our pizza choice (mushroom and Portuguese sausage). It was delicious, really some of the best I have had. If you are looking for a place were you can catch a game (several big screen TVs showing different sports), get a good drink, and be family friendly. You would be hard pressed to get a better place.

Mema Thai Chinese Cuisine, first I will say that this wasn't bad food. I think that they keep the spiciness down because this place does a ton of tourist business (take out mostly). I live in an area that has really great Asian food so when I say this is pretty good food it means something. Just make sure that you ask for a little extra spice, and try the pineapple fried rice YUM!!

Ono Family Restaurant. Big portions of good fresh food make this family style place a must if you are in the area. The topper is they have a shave ice booth just outside that has the BEST shave ice on the island (i mean it there was a vote).

Eggberts  This is a standard for us as a breakfast and lunch restaurant. It is located in the Coconut Market Place and is what I look for in a restaurant. Cheap and Cheerful. It is kid friendly has tons of choices on the menu and you do not have to be dress up. Just don't go in there and ask for a fruit plate. This is a classic breakfast joint and they want you to enjoy yourself with their excellent fair. Try the banana pancakes with coconut syrup. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

I will add more places on to this post so if you are going to Kauai check in every now and again for my reviews.

Will that be paper or plastic?

So I am now about thirty days out from my trip to Disneyland. We have received the itinerary it has been mailed to us by the wonderful Mary at AAA Travel (she puts stickers on it so it is very festive when we receive it) and now it is time to do some of the logistic work to make the trip smooth sailing.

With this in mind I have a couple of tips that we have found very useful. #1 is the Disney gift card. This was dropped into my brain by some very hardcore Disney-o-philes a few years ago. If you are on a budget (and who isn't) it will make you stick to it. Disney gift cards make carrying cash, credit cards, or travelers checks unnecessary as they can be used at most places in a the parks as well as around most of the Disney owned hotels. You can get these nifty little cards at any Disney Store, or at the parks or online. I have been told that if you lose them they can be reissued (although you need the directions from the back of the card so make a copy). If you have kids who want some independence in their spending you can get specific amounts and dole them out as the trip goes on (perhaps on a per day basis). This would allow you to make limits on the amounts they have without stifling them. And when its gone, its gone.

What we have done is figure out a per day amount of money for food multilpy it by the amount of days we are there and then split it between two cards. This allows one of us to find a place to set while the other goes and places the order. Also important to know is that most of the Downtown Disney places will not take it as they are all independent from the park itself (except the World of Disney Store they do take it).

I will be giving out a tip or thing of interest every day as part of National Blog Posting Month. Tomorrow maybe transportation :)