INDEX- Please scroll down to view (this area is under construction) Carnival Cruise- Western Caribbean Orange Lake Resort- Orlando, FL Iberostar Paraiso Lindo, Mayan Riviera, Mexico Riu Ochos Rios, Jamaica Sunset Vistas Condo- Treasure Island, FL ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CARNIVAL CRUISE -WESTERN CARIBBEAN Bottom Line: LOVED IT! HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT Time of Year Visited: August Pros: Tons of activities for children aged 2-16. Parents can sign up their kids for "Camp Carnival" according to age groups which is supervised by a great team of staff. Fantastic entertainment, food and service are second to none, staff is wonderful and friendly. Cons: Because my son was in a stroller, we were always waiting to use the elevator to get to other floors on the ship (although my daughter didn't mind the ride) a) Location: This cruise ship was docked out of Alabama USA and went to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and Cozumel Mexico b) Check In: Went fairly and we were on the ship in no time. Our luggage is brought right to our cabins so we don't have to lug it around and it's in our rooms when we get there. c) Accommodation and Facilities: Our cruise ship was called the Holiday and it was fantastic! The cabin were bigger then expected, we had a king bed and 2 pull down upper-bunk beds for the kids AND a portable crib that I had requested for my 18 month old and there was still room. It was always kept clean and the kids loved the smiley face cookies the steward left at night along with a thermos of hot water for me to warm up milk for the baby. So many activities on the boat, .... mini golf, sports and fitness centre, shops, casino, kids club, disco, movie theatre, bars and lounges,., something for everyone, not to mention all the activities you can book with one of the excursions in Mexico d) Pools: There are 3 pools on the boat, one has a twister water-slide (with a height restriction) one on the upper deck (great for sun tanning) and a large Nemo shaped kiddie pool on the children's deck (which also had a small climbing/sliding jungle gym and ping pong tables) We mostly stayed on the children's deck and only my husband went down the twister slide! e) Food: Food was amazing, You had several rooms to choose from, whether it be the buffet on the upper deck or the dining room on the main deck, the food was always good. Our dining room staff was fantastic! They really went the extra mile to make it more accommodating for us and our 18 month old (high chair and finger foods were already at the table before we would get there) f) Beach: The beaches in Mexico were beautiful. One full day in Cozemel and a full day in Playa Del Carmen...Loved it! h) Staff: Staff was fantastic, always friendly and very accommodating. i) Other Comments: We loved it and it was amazing for the kids, planning to go again soon. IBEROSTAR PARAISO LINDO – Mayan Riviera, Mexico Bottom Line: LOVED IT! Time of Year Visited: Mid-January Pros: Huge resort complex, consists of 6 resorts (one couples only) with a big beach and lots of loungers. Good sized rooms. Nice sized pools. Great weather. Amazing resort for kids – lazy river, shopping mall, kids disco. Since we stayed at the Lindo, we had access to all 5 of the family resorts. Cons: The food was very average. I couldn’t wait to get home to eat some real food. a) Location: The ride to the resort wasn’t too bad, about 30 min drive. There was always a lot to look at as you drive to all of the different resorts. b) Check In: Went fairly smoothly and I had a drink in my hand while we waited! c) Accommodation and Facilities: This resort is huge! We actually booked the Paraiso resort and were upgraded to the Lindo – that was a nice surprise. It was an amazing resort with a lot of walking. We took the tram to the other 4 resorts, each one was uniquely different with a different atmosphere. Some of the resorts had the most beautiful birds I have ever seen. Our room was beautiful, no complaints. There was always something to do at this resort. There was a Kids Club but we never used it. There were always at least 5 kids in the kids club, and they kept the kids very busy all day. It looked like the kids were having a great time. d) Pools: There are two large pools, a lazy river, and several small pools (that were for our resort only). We were mostly at the wave pool, as the water got gradually deeper, it was great for the kids. The smaller pools in our resort were a lot cooler, too cold for me. e) Food: We went to all of the restaurants. They were all just okay. The main complaint about the food is that it was bland. The dinner buffets had lots of choices but there wasn't really anything exciting. You must go and try the coconut ice cream at the shopping mall…. My favorite! f) Beach: Nice beach, but we spent most of our time by the pools. g) Activities: Any sport you want… the Activity team was great. So friendly and a lot of fun. h) Staff: Staff was great, always friendly. i) Other Comments: Loved the resort, amazing for kids, can’t wait to go back! ORANGE LAKE RESORT- Orlando, Florida (RATING 4.5/5) Bottom Line: LIKED IT A LOT! Time of Year Visited: Canadian March Break Pros: Lots to do, lots of pools, lots of activities, nice accommodations, close to Disney. Good for families with children of all ages. Cons: On the more expensive side. Huge, you really do have to drive to get around the resort for the most part. If you leave something behind, don't expect to get it back. You feel guilty leaving the resort to do other things because you feel like you are are missing out on Orange Lake time. a) Location: Orange Lake Resort is very close to Disney, we were very pleased to find that it only took us a few minutes to get to the Disney collector lanes. There was also a Publix grocery store located right before the entrance that came in very handy. b) Check In: Went very smoothly, I was impressed! The lobby was huge, there were balloon animals and popcorn for kids and staff members ensuring that everyone was in the correct line. Tons of Canadian plates in the parking lot! c) Accommodation: The East Village building that we stayed was very nice and quiet. It backed onto one of the golf courses and had a nice view. We were shocked at how large our 2 bedroom unit was. There were only 4 of us, but you easily could have had 8-10 people staying in the same unit. The bedrooms had enough space for you to leave out your suitcases and still walk by. Dressers were a good size too, not those silly little ones that some resorts give you. The master bath was huge and had a large jacuzzi tub, our girls loved it! We rented privately but linens and soap were still provided by housekeeping, as well as little starter kit for the kitchen that included garbage bags, dishwasher soaps, paper towels etc, a nice touch. The family room area had plenty of space for the kids' to play in and there was a huge L-shaped couch that was also a pull out. The outdoor porch was screened in, a nice feature to use at night, but it did make the rooms a bit darker. Air con worked well too. Another nice feature was the washer and dryers in each room- when you've got kids it's a must! The other thing that was neat was a bifold door that separated the kid's bedroom area from the living area, adding a bit more sound proofing for when the adults are up chatting and the kids are in bed. d) Pools: You could easily stay at Orange Lake for your entire trip if the weather is warm. We spent most of our non-Disney days at the newest part of the resort, River Island. River Island has a great lazy river that you can float along in, we never bothered renting the inner tubes because it was so much fun to let the current push you along. We put some wings on our 3.5 year old and put the baby in a floatie and off we went! It takes longer to go around the river than you think, so make sure you wear sunscreen! The pools at either end of the river have beach entrances, which is great for the really little ones. The best part about River Island is that the water is heated, so even when it's cool out you can still enjoy your swim. The hammock area with sand was fun for our 3.5 year old. There were also some games for the kids to play with staff members and contests, but they were more suited to children who were 5 and up. The West Village pool was under construction, but we did go to the East Village pool, which was quite small, but nice and much quieter than River Island. The East Village pool also had a jacuzzi tub and a small exercise room overlooking it. If we didn't have kids with us all the time it would have been nice to use some of those things! We visited Splash Lagoon, which had a great water play area for kids, with mushrooms and jets, but River Island was the best. There were some waterslides, but we didn't get to use them because they were all for kids who were a bit taller, 48 inches comes to mind... We never did see the Southern Magnolia Pool, hubby started to cramp up while we were doing our running tour (which by the way took us a couple of hours, so if you are not in great shape, take a driving tour!). e) Food: We only ate at one of the resort's restaurants, "Anchors", where we got a burger and fries. The food was okay, nothing to write home about. f) Activities: Unfortunately we did not do any night-time activities as we were always recovering from our marathon Disney Days. We did attend the Gatorland program, which was a bit preachy and boring until the very end where you get to touch a small gator on your way out. The presentation was really geared towards adults even though the audience was clearly there for their kids. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIU OCHOS RIOS - Ochos Rios, Jamaica (4/5) Bottom Line: LIKED IT! Time of Year Visited: Mid-December Pros: Huge resort with a big beach and lots of loungers. Good sized rooms. Nice sized pools. Great weather. Cons: The bus ride from the airport is about 45 min., which isn't especially fun with toddlers. The food was just okay, nothing special. I was dying for a decadent dessert... a) Location: The ride from the airport certainly wasn't the highlight of our trip (especially after being delayed for 9 hours) and the ride back at 6 a.m. wasn't any better. The actual resort is situated on a great sized beach that is private. You get the odd local trying to sell you starfish or get you to go out on a SeaDoo, but in general you aren't bothered much since there is security on the beach as well. It is located right beside the Sandals resort (which I could see from my room) and dwarfs it in size. If you want to go to Dunn's River Falls or into town to shop at the markets, it is only a short drive and you can arrange for a taxi at the front desk or talk to someone who works there, they all seem to have connections. Very close to the famous Dunn's River Falls. b) Check In: Went fairly smoothly considering that we arrived sometime after midnight. One of the smaller restaurants was still open for us to eat at. c) Accommodation and Facilities: This resort is huge! You will have to visit the website to see where all the buildings are situated, but some are quite a bit further than others from the beach. The rooms we had (located above the main building) were a good size and the beds were comfortable. The A/C worked well and the bathrooms were a good size and had a bathtub. The fridge was stocked with beer, water and pop daily. There was also a bar with rum and something else- can't recall off hand what it was, maybe white rum? A metal crib was provided, but it took a day to get it. You can get Internet access at the Sports Bar- they have computers there. I think it was $7 for 20 min. The lobby area was pretty big and everything was basically attached to it. It was nice that you could eat in the dining room or go outside and eat on the deck area, although none of the restaurants was right on the water. The exersize room was adequate, a bit of a battle to get a piece of cardio equipment, and a bit to humid for my liking- ah well, it is Jamaica after all! The Kids Club didn't really appear to be busy. It was very small and had a somewhat pathetic wading pool. We just stopped by to check it out since our little ones were too small to participate. But, I have to say, it didn't look very promising. You can get a massage in a tent right on the beach- looked great, too bad I couldn't afford it! d) Pools: There are two large pools. The largest one is where all the activities take place, so it's noisier that the other one. The lunch buffet is located by this pool. Again, there are umbrellas and trees for shade, lots of loungers, but they do get taken up quickly. The water was warm and there are swim up bars in both pool. The other pool is smaller, but has a neat infinity edge pool and you can play some table tennis on the deck. It is close to another smaller lunch buffet. We went to the small pool when it was nap time for the babies. e) Food: We went to all of the restaurants that we were allowed to go to (the superior rooms get to go to a few others). They were all just okay. The main complaint about the food is that it was bland. The dinner buffets had lots of choices but there wasn't really anything that really got our tastebuds excited. There were the typical omlette stations and pasta stations and a smoothie station that always seemed to be out of the good flavours. Even the fruit was bland- mostly because it wasn't allowed to ripen. There weren't any mouthwatering pastries or deserts, which deeply disappointed me. There were some ethnic foods like ackee and saltfish, patties at lunch. But the best food in the place was from the Jerk Hut on the beach. We ate Jerk Chicken and Jerk Pork with rice and beans everyday! Tip the dude who works in that hut, it's darn hot in there and he works hard! The sports bar which is open all night has some sketchy sandwiches for late night snackers. We ate at Mammee Bay Steakhouse one night, it was decent. The Mandalay Asian restaurant was okay, a nice change, we were able to get some sushi, potstickers, noodles, skewers and seafood. I think we all visited the buffet later on though. We also at at Sir John- the house wine was disgusting. The food was once again, mediocre. f) Beach: Great beach! Warm water, sandy, and my favourite part, trees for shade. It's nice to be in the sun, but with little ones it's great to have some shade. It is a private beach so there aren't too many people selling things, just the odd few who slip by security. There are some vendors in the water, a young guy selling bamboo cups and souvenirs an man who calls himself "Starfish Man" (he puts a starfish on his head) and a few guys floating around on Seadoos. g) Activities: Everything for those who like to join in- volleyball, soccer, watersports. The guys down at the watersport centre are a bit hungry for tips, which was a bit of a turn off. h) Staff: In general, I would say that the staff were pretty good. The service was decent and you never really felt like they were being pushy for tips. Some of the servers were very friendly regardless of whether or not you left a tip. i) Other Comments: As long as you aren't expecting culinary excellence, then this is a great resort. I would definitely consider going back. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUNSET VISTAS - Treasure Island, Florida (RATING 3.5/5) Bottom Line: LIKED IT, BUT NOT AS GOOD AS WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE Time of Year Visited: Canadian March Break Pros: Pretty much all of the rooms have some view of the beach, good sized pool, tiki bar, WiFi hotspot and business centre, decent fitness centre, new condo, right on the beach. Good for families with children of all ages. Cons: On the more expensive side, but it is on the beach and is a two bedroom condo. The rooms were pretty small. The whirlpool jacuzzi was in and out of order the entire week and the kiddie pool was FREEZING (obviously not heated). There weren't any propane BBQ's available for use. There were 2 charcoal grills in the parking lot beside the condo though. No WiFi in the actual rooms. The kiddie pool was FREEZING! The entertainment at the Tiki Bar was too loud and repetitive. a) Location: Great location, really close to John's Pass (Treasure Island's most touristy area), definitely walking distance, you just have to cross the bridge. Right on Gulf Blvd., which is the main strip. There's a shake shop next door, supposed to be pretty good, we never found out since there was always a line. There is a convenience store right across the street. b) Check In: We rented privately but requested a play pen from the front desk. The lobby was tiny and packed, but once we finally got to talk to someone they were very accommodating. c) Accommodation: The condo was decent, my biggest complaint is that the furniture that they furnished it with was too big! The bedrooms and beds were small. There was just enough room to walk by the bed in the second bedroom and just a tiny bit more space in the master bedroom. The bathrooms were fine, the main one was much bigger and had a large shower. The master ensuite had a tub, good for bathing the little ones. Washer and dryers are in the rooms, a great bonus. A/C worked great. The living space was adequate, but tight, so we moved the coffee table to the side. The kitchen was great. We were just able to squeeze a play pen beside our bed for the little one. I wouldn't put more than 4 adults in that condo, we had 3 adults and 3 kids and it was tight! The hotel was quiet at night. d) Pools: There is one large pool, which, when the heat was working was nice and fairly large. There are 2 jacuzzi whirlpools, which were also nice, but also not always functioning properly. The second jacuzzi is on the other side of the building were the kiddie splash area is. We booked this place so that our then crawling daughter and niece could have some fun too, but, the water was way too cold for them, it was the only thing that wasn't heated, still can't figure that one out! e) Food: They have a snack bar and tiki bar. We didn't eat anything there. The ice cream truck comes by every afternoon, so bring some change down to the pool with you! The drinks were okay. f) Activities: None as this is a not really a resort. g) Other Comments: Sunset Vistas is a nice condo, a bit tight for my liking and it would have been nice if the pools were all heated properly during the entire week. I would visit again, but I think that I may look for something cheaper as this condo wasn't as nice as I had expected given the price. |
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