Gone with the Family

Two Walks in the Cayman Islands

Our family recently went on a holiday cruise on the Disney Magic in the Caribbean. Apart from the fact that the ship left from Galveston, Texas instead of Port Canaveral, Florida, it was essentially a repeat of our very first cruise nearly 7 years earlier. 

Magical Disney Time Cruising the Caribbean

The theme for Disney Wordless Wednesday this week is Disney Time which the Disney website describes as follows:

 

 

On Disney Time, everything is magic and everyone is just about the same age. The memories that you create together live in your hearts forever. 

Guest Post on Discover Cruises Website

National Cruise Week is being celebrated in the UK from September 15 -23rd and I am delighted to have an article featured on the Discover Cruises website as part of the week-long celebration.  Discover Cruises provides information on styles of cruises, ships, onboard amenities, destinations, and what there is to do ashore in the many ports featured - a complete guide which is invaluable, particularly to new cruisers..

Castaway Cay, Bahamas

The theme for Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday this week is The Letter 'C' which immediately brings to my mind an image of Castaway Cay, Disney's private Bahamian island.  Castaway Cay is a tropical paradise reserved exclusively for the use of Disney Cruise Line's passengers and is one of the most popular ports on it's Bahamian and Caribbean cruises.  

Panning for Gold in Alaska

After our family cruise from Vancouver to Alaska we embarked on a 5 day land tour that finished in  Fairbanks where we went on a full-day excursion that included a cruise on the Riverboat Discovery (a stern-wheel river boat) as well as a visit to El Dorado Gold Mine.

Tivoli Gardens in the Rain

Our first trip to Europe as a family was a summer Baltic cruise that departed from the port of Copenhagen, Denmark.  We were able to spend three days prior to our cruise, and one day after, sightseeing in this family-friendly capital city.  Most of the tourist attractions are centrally located and the city is easily walked.  There is a great deal to interest children including the statue of the Little Mermaid, palaces, lovely parks, street performers and, perhaps above all else, Tivoli Gardens.    

Disney Hats, Caps, Bonnets and Bows

It`s time for another Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday post and the theme for this week is Disney Hats, Caps, Bonnets and Bows.  That sounded easy enough until I started perusing old photos and discovered that we have very few pictures of the kids wearing hats at Disney World.  We certainly have brought home mouse ears and headbands so clearly the family photographer (me) was asleep on the job!

Vigeland Park with Kids

Our family visited the beautiful city of Oslo, Norway while on a summer Baltic cruise, however, we had only a few hours in port and needed to make the most of a short stay.  We opted to use the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for transportation in an attempt to move around the city and between attractions as efficiently as possible.  I had read a great deal about the Vigeland Sculpture Park and we decided that seeing it as well as the Nobel Peace Center would be our priorities for the day so as soon as we had disembarked we caught the HOHO and headed to Vigeland. 

The Beauty of Oia

Crescent-shaped Santorini in the Cyclades chain of Greek islands is generally considered to be one of the most beautiful islands in the Aegean Sea.  The village of Oia which sits on an impressive cliff on the northern tip of the island affords visitors spectacular views of the Aegean and is renowned for its beautiful sunsets over the caldera. 

Trolls

If you are heading to Scandinavia with kids then you are likely to come across trolls in the course of your travels.  Trolls are the magical creatures of Scandinavian folklore that, along with elves and giants, co-existed with the Norse gods.  The trolls dwelt in dark caves in the mountains or in the dark forests and were reputedly terrified of the sunlight.