Teresa's Family Vacations Blog

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Caribbean vacations at all-inclusive resorts are a popular choice for families: parents love the beaches, lavish pools, kids' programs, watersports, land activities, convenient buffets and drinks on tap (not to mention the fine dining restaurants, and the extras like golf and spas.)

With so much all-included, it's no surprise that these getaways can be pricey. Still there are some tricks to make Caribbean vacations affordable.

Each of these seven newsletters sends a tip for saving money, plus a tip to help families have a great time on their trip, and a Resort Review.

• Head to Caribbean Vacations 101, for families

Here's your chance to bring out your inner Obi Wan or Princess Leia: dress up and come to one of the four Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios (which you many know by its former name, Disney-MGM Studios.)

Actually, costumes aren't required: Star Wars Weekends simply mean all the regular fun of Disney's Hollywood Studios plus special extras-- mainly at the Star Tours attraction, natch-- and parades down Hollywood Boulevard, motorcades, character meet'n'greets, actor and movie-maker celebrities, and special edition merchandise. Dates are June 6 and running through June 29 2008, place is Hollywood Studios theme park (which you may know by its former name, Disney-MGM Studios.)

 | Star Wars Weekends 2008  | Where to Stay at Disney World

^{* photo courtesy of Walt Disney World}

Father's Day is -- soon! June 15 2008. Check out Father's Day Getaway Ideas, such as: golf at an all-inclusive resort in Florida, or Huck Finn Jubilee in southern CA with old-fashioned fun and contests, and great music too.

There's also that little matter of Father's Day Gifts...

Ideally, laptops (cell-phones, PDA's etc.) should be chucked out the window during a family vacation. But when you just gotta get online: a handly little WiFi signal locator may be just the thing. Or for the guys who really don't like to ask for directions: how about a GPS, integrated into a PDA. Or maybe a new wallet, to hold the moolah, or the classiest travel hat in the world (and it's indestructible.)

• See Gift Ideas for Travelin' Dads

Single parents can get some hard knocks with pricing on their family vacations, starting with the dreaded "single supplement" (which nearly doubles the "per person" price for a room.) Another type of concern is social: will a single parent feel comfortable at, say, a Caribbean resort?

Single Parent Tours solves both those issues, with getaways made for single-parent families. Coming up in '08 are an Alaskan cruise, Harry Potter Journey, trips to Beaches all-inclusive resorts, a guest ranch in October, and possibly a holiday season cruise out of Florida.

 | more about single parent travel - pricing, promotions, etc.  |

Check out bargains at: Eurocamp "Holiday Parcs", giant Sandestin Resort in northwest Florida, Viva Wyndham value-priced all-inclusives in the Caribbean and Mexico, Hawaii resort with kids program, Atlantis Bahamas... Read more...

"Family Adventures" are a nice niche, in the travel world: small-group escorted tours explore the Great Outdoors, or perhaps castles in France; the itinerary is best-of-the-best, and all details are handled. "Adventures by Disney" entered this biz a few years ago, with itineraries in Europe, the US, Costa Rica, Peru, Australia... Families love the confidence they feel in Disney quality; guests get some little Disney touches, too, such as special pins.

Book by May 31 2008 and you can save up to $650 per adult and $600 per child, on vacations in Spain, Tuscany, Costa Rica, Spirit of America (Philadelphia, Williamsburg VA, Washington DC), and more. Call (877) 728-7282 or contact a travel agent.

more about Family Adventures  | Adventures by Disney  | review of Viva Italia trip  |

^{What's Wordless Wednesday?}

Coming soon to a town near you: a resort with giant indoor water park. At least that's how it seems, these days.

It started in Wisconsin Dells, where a bunch of resorts build water parks; now two brands are colonizing other towns.

Great Wolf Lodge has 10 locations and counting. Signature features -- besides indoor and outdoor water parks -- include Grand Lobby with giant stone fireplace and storytelling, and Howl-o-Ween and Snowland seasons.

The Kalahari Wisconsin Dells has progeny too: its Kalahari Sandusky property claims to have "America's largest indoor water park" at a resort. And now a Kalahari Virginia is being built, in the "Celebrate Virginia" tourism district of Fredericksburg. Expected opening is December 2009.

^{*FlowRider photo courtesy of Kalahari Sandusky.}

| Kalahari Sandusky  | Kalahari Wisconsin Dells  | more resorts with indoor water parks

Another door opens in the Almond Resorts group of all-inclusive resorts in Barbados and St. Lucia: Almond Bay Casuarina Beach Resort is on Dover Beach on the south coast of Barbados. As at other Almond Resorts, families will find a nursery as well as a kids' club. Barbados is known as the "most British" Caribbean isle.

 | Almond Bay Casuarina Beach Resort  | Barbados Family Vacations  | Almond Smugglers Cove St. Lucia

Mother's Day is coming soon, on Sunday May 11 2008. Getaways are always a welcome gift: many family-friendly places have special packages for Mother's Day, with maybe a brunch or spa treatment thrown in. Orlando-philes can have Mother's Day Brunch at Epcot during Flower Festival (right).

Or try a travel gift for mom: a sun hat guaranteed for life, a feather-light silk undershirt... Or the eminently practical Compression Travel Bags: put clothes in a clear plastic bag, seal it, roll it, and voila-- your stuff is flattened about half-size.

By the way, there's much more to Mother's Day history than greeting-card fluff...

 | Mother's Day Getaways  | travel gifts  | Mother's Day's interesting history.