Our Travels Archives - Page 23 of 24

History and Charm in a Small Package-Galveston Island

November 23, 2011 by Melissa

My first thoughts of a vacation are laid back, no hassle, exotic trips to the beach. My mind has been changed. Last week’s visit to Galveston Island, Texas has made me a convert to sticking to what is right here in the states. Yes Galveston Island has beaches but there is so much more. A city rich in culture, history and pride, Galveston Island offers a little bit of everything for whatever vacation you’re planning; a romantic getaway, a family retreat or a lesson on times past on a small footprint.

Moody Gardens Hotel and Spa Resort- It all started with a decadent suite just for me and Rob. Way too much room for the two of us but it was so nice to have space to spread out and relax in-between activities. Moody Gardens is more than a hotel too; it’s a non-profit foundation for the conservation and education of nature and wildlife. A member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Moody Gardens works with captive and injured animals and their rehabilitation.

Aquarium Pyramid-More than 10,000 marine animals and 1 million gallons of water is the showcase at Aquarium Pyramid. Coming over the the Galveston Causeway this 10-story blue-glass aquarium stands out against the palm trees and blue skies. The Aquarium Pyramid is separated into 4 regions of the world; Carribean, South Atlantic, North Pacific and South Pacific. Each exhibit is centered around the species from that region and gives an educational overview of their natural habitat, predators and lifespan.

lionfish

Rainforest Pyramid-Glass and steel make up this see through pyramid filled with free roaming exotic animals and birds. A recent $25 million upgrade has revolutionized the way we learn about the rainforest by bringing guests up to the canopy, up close and personal to what lives within. Carnivorous plants, lizards, butterflies, macaws and even a white faced saki monkey can all be seen right before your eyes. Once on the floor you’ll visit the replica home of a giant green anaconda, piranhas and vampire bats.

Schlitterbahn Waterpark was a family owned and operated hidden gem located right next to Moody Gardens. From the hotel room you could see the rides and slides and it instantly drew us in. Even though the outside park is open seasonally the indoor park is enough for a family to enjoy a relaxing and exciting day together. We are looking into heading back to enjoy the full park next summer.

Schlitterbahn Cliffhanger ride

learn to body surf at BoogieBahn

Historic Galveston is full of stories, memories and reminders of surviving. Walking and driving past buildings you’ll see markers stating the flood lines from 1900 Hurricane, Hurricane Ike 2008, and others in between. Sea water damaged trees are transformed into pieces of art. Buildings are being brought back to their original state reminiscent of from Being one of the oldest seaports in the States and considered the “Ellis Island of the South” Galveston Island has a deep rooted foundation in maritime operations and immigration. Lots of it’s architecture has stood the test of time and is now protected by the Historical Foundation. Bishops Palace was a place that had to be seen. Built in 1892, this now museum stands as a regal Victorian presence in the midst of smaller less conspicuous homes. It survived the 1900 hurricane virtually unharmed and now attracts visitors who admire works from Nicholas Clayton and home rich in character, charm and eccentric design.

Birds of Galveston Tree Carving

Bishops Palace Architecture

bishops palace galveston tx historic mansion

Bishops Palace Details

The Galveston Seawall was built shortly after the 1900 hurricane to protect the island from disastrous storms and surges. The seawall is exactly that, a wall built into the island at the waterline about 17 feet above sea level. Spanning 10 miles long of the 32 mile long island it’s the perfect spot to watch surfers, sunbathers and the tranquil water crashing on the shore. Memorial Day 2012 expect to see a newly constructed Pleasure Pier; an amusement park built right out on the water.

The Hotel Galvez and Spa might be one of the most beautiful architecturally designed hotels I’ve ever seen. It’s multi-leveled roofs, tall windows and grand entrance make it a sight from its historic beachfront. They are celebrating 100 years with a history rich in the military, community and rebuilding of the city. Our next visit to Galveston will hopefully be on one of their rooms overlooking the water; where state of the art meets old world charm.

Hotel Galvez

I was surprised with the beauty and culture found all over Galveston Island. The people were friendly, the sites were plentiful and the heritage was rich. Since it was just Rob and I that got to enjoy the tours and fun we really want to head back so the kids can experience the fun too.

A special thanks to the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau and the participants of the Galveston Island Familiarization tour for hosting us during our Carnival Magic experience. We hope to see you all again soon.

Weekend Whirlwind Partying with Carnival and Texas

November 15, 2011 by Melissa

This weekend was a whirlwind. Thanks to the gracious community and tourism board of Galveston Island and Carnival Cruise Lines, Rob and I spent a busy but fun-filled weekend together traveling and touring a beautiful and historic city AND aboard the newest funship; Magic.

The Carnival Magic made it’s 1st appearance in Galveston, TX this weekend for it’s inaugural US sailing on November 14th. The Magic is not only Carnival’s newest ship but also the largest and most entertaining. The newest additions include the Red Frog Pub, expanded Waterworks and SportsSquare with favorites like miniature golf, resort style pools, Cloud 9 Spa, Serenity lounge and array kid’s clubs.

Last year’s cruise on the Dream was just that, a Dream. It was the best family vacation we’ve ever been on; the kids still talk about it today. Our visit on the Magic though topped that. We were greeted by enthusiastic and friendly crew members from the start and the fun started immediately. Country Line Dancers in the Lobby, special drinks being made at the bars and Red Frog brew being poured at the Pub. Oh, and the sushi!

After dropping off our bags and checking out our room we headed for seat and grabbed some drinks and chatted with our new bloggin’ buddies @SthrnFairyTale and her husband (Rachel and Nathan) before heading off to the Maroon 5 concert. The concert was great, the weather was gorgeous, the music was awesome, and the crowd was surprisingly tame and polite; well except for the teen that puked near us.

A night full of decedent food, free flowing drinks and really hard laughter was exactly what Rob and I needed. We met bloggers and had so much fun it was hard to say goodbye. Monday morning came way too fast and it was time to come home. We are already scheming I mean planning a way to get on the Magic for a full week’s cruise.

The 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic set sail on its inaugural six-day cruise from Galveston Nov. 14-20, calling at Costa Maya and Cozumel. On November 20, the ship will launch year-round seven-day cruises from Galveston. Two different itineraries will be offered, including seven-day western Caribbean voyages to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and week-long eastern Caribbean cruises to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West.

I Can’t Wait!

October 21, 2011 by Melissa

On November 13th, my favorite band, Maroon 5 will be playing in Galveston, TX. Carnival is offering this free-ticketed concert on Pier 21 to welcome Magic, their newest ship to set sail in states. Galveston is going to be homeport to the Carnival Magic and what better way to celebrate its inaugural sailing than with a party with a thousand fans.

“We wanted to do something big and memorable to mark Carnival Magic’s U.S. debut and what better way to celebrate than to bring together fans of music and fans of Carnival, along with our partners in Galveston, for an exceptional afternoon of fun and entertainment,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines’ president and CEO.

Rob and I are going to be there, front and center, rocking with the rest of Galveston and other invited Carnival guests. We’re getting a sneak peak of the Magic before it heads out on its maiden US voyage. We’ve been on a Carnival cruise before, last year’s awesome family vacation was aboard the Dream; and a dream it was. The amenities, food, entertainment and activities rival those of resorts and hotels. We talk constantly about booking again and just can’t figure out where to go, when to go and which ship to sail. It doesn’t help that Carnival is pumping out ships bigger and better than the one before.

Do you want to come to Galveston with us? Carnival is giving away tickets, airfare, accommodations and spending money. Make a video of Your Best Dance Moves and upload it to Carnival’s Facebook Page. Check out all the details and good luck!

We are just a couple weeks away and I’m beyond excited. Did I tell you Maroon 5 is my favorite band, no lie.

Family Getaway at Great Wolf Lodge

August 2, 2011 by Melissa

Last week was our official summer vacation of 2011. Our original week long getaway plans got changed at the last minute and we ended up doing shorter trips to multiple places. Our first stop was Great Wolf Lodge in Pocono Mountains, PA. We had visited Great Wolf Lodge before when we attended Reviewers Retreat but this time was completely uninterrupted and focused on the kids.

Welcome to Great Wolf Lodge

We arrived earlier than our check-in time so we could enjoy a full day from the start. We all got suited up and headed into the large indoor waterpark. The kids knew exactly where they wanted to go; the slides. Shae is not scared of rides so she headed right up to the couple waterslides she already knew she was tall enough for. She must’ve dragged Sabreena up those couple flights of steps a dozen times. Shauns favorite place is the wave pool. He loves bobbing up and down and “swimming for his life” against the waves.

Rob and I got to enjoy the outdoor pool this time. We planted ourselves under a table with snacks and drinks while the kids came to visit every few minutes and play. For the most part Rob and I spent our time alone, without the kids. Great Wolf Lodge is a resort for kids, parents are just the transportation. From the Northern Lights Arcade to MagiQuest Adventure to Scoops Spa there is something for every child besides the obvious waterpark.

Eating at Great Wolf Lodge is an expensive event but the variety is perfect when you are trying to feed adults and children at the same time. I love love love the pasta bar. I’m able to add every single veggie I love to the pasta shape of choice and just ask for a light olive oil and garlic sauce. It was perfect and if I had the room in my belly I would’ve gotten seconds. Dessert for kids is a must when “eating out”. The selection is pretty good. Ice Cream is always available and each day there are different cupcakes, cookies and pies available. Seafood, burgers, soup and pasta, the choice is yours.

I would like to recommend to management of the Poconos Mountain location to add some air conditioning to the Swim Shop. I went in to purchase a new swimsuit and it was so ridiculously hot and humid that trying anything on was near impossible.

The kids are already asking when we can go back.

Why I’m Looking Forward To Our Next Carnival Cruise

September 4, 2010 by Melissa

So it has been about a week since we have come home from our week aboard the Fun Ship Carnival Dream. This was the entire families’ first cruise and I loved it so much that is all I have been talking about. So much that Melinda told me she is sick of hearing it and not because she didn’t have a great time but because I am excessive and that is ALL I have talked about.

Here is a list of the things that make me want to go on another cruise:

24/7 Food – The Carnival Dream had burgers until 1:30am, deli sandwiches until 11pm, pizza 24/7, room service 24/7, ice cream 24/7 and the daily 6pm dining in the Crimson Dining Room was to die for(the food was soooo good)

Non-stop entertainment – Shows in the Comedy Club, Encore Theater, Casino (which I was a few dollars at), and not to mention the piano bar and dance club. The picture below is the Fun Force (Break Dancers), they were awesome.

Serenity Lounge – Adults only lounge. We did get to use this once for about an hour while Sabreena stayed with Shaun and Shae but the next cruise will be just Melinda and I and this will be utilized a lot more.

Pools – They were salt water which I thought was pretty cool.

Port – What better way to get to see four different places in 7 days. We went to Cozumel, Belize, Isla Roatan and Costa Maya.

Relaxation – We got to do some of this but again with three kids this was hard to do. Next time we will be sure to relax to the fullest.

This past cruise we flew to Florida and left out of Port Canaveral which was very nice but next time we are going to leave from the Port of Baltimore which is about an hour drive for us. Leaving closer to home will cut down the travel time by about 80% plus we can bring more cloths without having to pay bag fees, LOL.

Even though the kids will not be cruising with us next time the highlight of this cruise for Shaun was probably Camp Carnival. Shaun enjoyed camp so much he missed dinner with us one night and went to dinner with his camp friends which I was shocked about because he loved dessert so much at the 6pm dinning. For Sabreena was probably Club O2 where she made a few friends and got to hang out a little bit and for Shae was Water Works where she spent a ton of time on the slide.

For some reason I was always scared to cruise thinking the boat would sink or get hit by a rouge wave but I must admit it was the best vacation we have ever been on. Everyone including the staff was SUPER friendly and we were never bored because there was always something to do.

I can’t wait until our next cruise on the Fun Ship Carnival Pride out of Baltimore!

Thank you to Carnival for providing the complimentary 7-day cruise as part of their Mom-bassador Program. All opinions and descriptions presented belong solely to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! and were not influenced in anyway by anyone.

Stopping off Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, Honduras @CarnivalCruise

September 1, 2010 by Melissa

This was the Port of Call during our Dream Cruise in Isla Roaton, Honduras, Mahogany Bay. The white sand beach and clear turquoise water were the best we’ve ever seen. I could see our feet while standing neck high in the water. Our rented cabana was a nice retreat from the sun to sip on drinks and snack on food from the on site restaurant.

With silky-sand beaches and diamond-clear seas, Roatán, Honduras, is one of the Caribbean’s hidden gems. The largest of Honduras’s Bay Islands is a real beauty, built on a backbone of volcanic rock and ringed by the world’s second largest coral reef. Carnival® cruises to Roatán, Honduras promise superb diving and fishing and swoon-worthy beaches. The lush landscape of the wildlife reserves and pristine marine parkland of Roatán awaits you on your cruise to Honduras.

Stopping off Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, Honduras, @CarnivalCruise

Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, Honduras @CarnivalCruise

mountains of honduras

mahogany bay, isla roatan

Back To Reality!

August 29, 2010 by Melissa

Fist I want to start by saying Thank You so much to Carnival Cruise Lines for the BEST seven day family vacation we have ever taken!

We finally made it home last night around 7pm after 12 hours of travel. The Carnival Dream docked in Port Canaveral at 6am and started to let passengers off. We got up at 7am and headed to our last breakfast on The Dream and then waited for our zone to be called so we could disembark the ship. Believe it or not this was a super easy process. Carnival has a system down and it works perfect. We got off the ship with no problems then went through customs with no problems either. The only problem was getting our luggage from the baggage claim area. We waited probably 40 minutes before we found 2 of our 3 bags. After waiting for 40 minutes Melinda decided to check the belt next to ours for our last bag and thankfully she did because our zone tag must of fell off our bag between our stateroom and baggage claim and somehow ended up on a different belt. Other than that little wait NO problems what so ever getting off of a ship with 3,600 passengers .

After we caught our bus from the port to the airport terminal we grabbed some lunch since we were 2.5 hours early for our flight. Funny thing here was having to pay for our first meal after eating seven straight days for FREE and I’m taking about meals like lobster, shrimp, prime rib, fish and the list goes on and on.( I’ll get back to the food on The Dream later or in another post as this might deserve its own post)

The lady who took this picture cut Shae out. LOL.

After eating lunch we headed to our gate and waited for our 2:56 flight which we found was full to capacity. It was so full they were asking people to give up their seats for a $400 travel voucher on a future US Air flight and a seat on the 5pm flight to Philly. I wanted to give up our seats so we could fly to our next cruise at a later date but Melinda wasn’t having any of that, LOL, not sure why! The flight from Orlando to Philly was rough as hell as we had a ton of turbulence. So much that is felt like the back of the plane dipped down. We were the second row from the back so it felt pretty bad to me and Melinda but the kids were 100% fine. So fine they actually passed out cold which was a good thing because at this point we have been traveling for 8-9 hours already.

Dharma is on the left with Shae and Jose is on the right

After we landed in Philly we went to baggage claim and our bags were already on the belt (thank goodness for that) and we called the shuttle van to pick us up and take us to our car in long term parking. It felt good to be home but a little sad that the cruise was over. Seven days FLEW by in a blink of an eye. After we finally go to the house we needed to order dinner because there was no way we were going to cook anything so we ordered pizza. Shae heard me and Melinda say we were ordering pizza and she said “No, I want to go to the restaurant.” She is referring to the Crimson Dining Room on the Carnival Dream where every night she ate a hot dog and fries for dinner and vanilla and strawberry ice cream and hot chocolate for dessert. The kids were in heaven and this was because of our awesome servers Jose and Dharma!

We had the best seven days of our lives but it is back to reality and the kids are starting to realize they can’t eat whenever they want like they did while on vacation!! Oh well all good things must come to an end but Melinda and I are already looking to book our next cruise for next year but this time we are going alone with no kids. Sorry guys!!!

On Our Way Back

August 27, 2010 by Melissa

It’s been a ridiculously fun time on the Dream. We are on our last day at sea on our way back to Florida. It’s been a bumpy/windy day since leaving port yesterday but I think we are all used to the movement.The kids have are having a blast. Sabreena and Shae have spent the entire morning in the salt-water pool or in the water park and Shaun has been at Camp with his friends playing games and hanging out.

Instead of a normal lunch of burgers, pizza or pasta today we are indulging in the Chocolate and Fruit Buffet; CAN’T WAIT!! Maybe in the back of my mind I knew they would have a special treat because I haven’t had any french fries or ice cream this week and those are all you can eat 24 hours a day!

a beach day on Isla Roatan, Honduras

August 26, 2010 by Melissa

Yesterday by far was the best day we’ve had on the Dream so far.. Our port was Isla Roatan, Honduras. We made our way easily to Mahogany Beach, a quick 10 minute walk. The water was beautiful blue, the sands were silky white and the beach chairs were plentiful!

We rented a clamshell hut but ended up not really using ut as we spend hours in the water. We took a break to have a snack and some drinks at Fat Tuesday but immediately headed back into the water. The kids loved the calm waters and exploring in the sand for shells and rocks. We noticed people pulling Conch shells out of the deeper end but had no luck in getting one ourselves. This beach is my absolute favorite; if it ever expands to a resort area I’m coming back.

We also got a little VIP treatment on the boat. We were give a private tour of the bridge and got to meet some of the captains crew. This was so incredible to see, the size of the bridge alone took our breath away. I was expecting something much smaller but this was set up to comfort all the way.

We learned a lot of interesting facts about the ship and the function of it. To even become a captain takes about 7 years of education and training.

I can’t believe we only have 2 more nights left. Looks like we might be booking a cruise next year for our 10 year anniversary!

2nd Day at Port – Belize

August 25, 2010 by Melissa

Today was another AWESOME day aboard the Carnival Dream (how could it not be?). Today’s Port of Call was Belize. What I thought was really cool was The Dream didn’t pull into port to let us off but instead anchored 5 miles off shore and we were tendered into Belize. I am not 100% why but I think it is because the water is to shallow for The Dream to pull into Port. Also, if you don‘t know what tendering is it is when a smaller boat pulls along side The Dream and you transfer from one boat to the other and are then taken into Belize. It is really cool to look back off of the boat and see The Dream just anchored in the middle of the water with nothing around it (Kind of weird actually).

Belize was nice but we didn’t do much but walk around the shopping area. We didn’t book an excursion so we didn’t go to the beach or anything like that but it was still cool to see Belize. This was actually a late decision because Melinda and I decided at first just to skip this Port and stay on the ship but we decided we might regret not getting off so we did. We were in Belize for about an hour or so and then made our way back to The Dream. After we got back Shaun wanted to go to Camp Carnival (he loves going there) and Melinda and I went to grab lunch.

Since it was a day at Port the ship was kind of empty so we took advantage of the pools and the waterslides. Sabreena and I went on the twister and drain plug which are super fast water slides but a TON of fun. There is so much to talk about I can’t do it in one post so I will end it here for tonight but stay tuned because we have so much more to tell you and probably will be talking about it for a week or so after the cruise ends.

Tomorrows Port of Call is Isla Rotan, We are looking forward to this and we are also getting a tour of the Bridge (where the Captain drive the ship from) which we are SUPER excited about!!!

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