Why Switzerland is our favorite vacation yet

St. Moritz, Switzerland, Photo by Alison Dixon

I love that my family is adventurous. With each trip, we explore different cultures, food, languages and scenery. Our most recent adventure took us to gorgeous St. Moritz, Switzerland.

After an eight hour flight, the 3.5 hour twisty, turny ground transfer from Zurich airport into the Swiss Alps was well worth it. Tucked in the valley region of Engadine, St. Moritz is a luxury resort town known for winter sports. It was most recently host to the Alpine World Ski championships in February of 2017.

Since we visited St. Moritz in the summer, we didn't experience the excellent skiing. However, St. Moritz has more to offer, which we were blessed to discover. We've been on many trips all over the world with our children, and Switzerland is on the top of our list of favorite vacations.

1. Natural beauty---St. Moritz is different from other places we've been to because the entire city is  picturesque...not just near the touristy areas and famous landmarks.  Our trip centered around taking in the beauty of the mountains,  blueish-green lakes, glaciers, hiking trails and quaint villages.  The "entertainment" was nature and so we weren't shelling out tons of money for tours. We didn't need to.

Glacier in Pontresina  Photo by Alison Dixon

Lake St. Moritz  Photo by Alison Dixon

On top of the world.  Photo by Alison Dixon

 We were blessed to stay at Badrutt's Palace, which sits in front of  Lake St. Moritz. It was such a gorgeous setting and a awesome backdrop to start and end our days. Even the view from the hotel's indoor pool was unforgettable.

Badrutt's Palace Hotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland
 Photo by Alison Dixon

2. Very family friendly!  It didn't take us long to figure out that children are appreciated here.  At the top of several mountains, like Muottas Murgal, there are playgrounds! Our kids visited three different playgrounds at the top of three different mountains.

Fun for kids of all ages at the top of Muottas Murgal
Photo by Alison Dixon

Another thing we noticed---just about every restaurant, from the most casual to the finest, welcomed and accommodated children. Even our posh hotel offered kid-friendly amenities and kid programs throughout the day.

3. Public transportation---the public transportation in St. Moritz made it incredibly easy to visit various areas of the St. Moritz area.  Our hotel included a pass for the public bus, train, funiculars, gondolas and ski lifts (all of which are fun for kids!).  Once we located where to pick up the transportation, it was very easy and almost like a tour within itself. There were days when we rode up to four different modes of transportation, which was a ton of fun and incredibly scenic! We were able to visit mountains, a glacier, dairy farm and neighboring villages via public transportation. It was so easy and so memorable!

4. Safe---As tourists in St. Moritz, my family and I felt very safe! It was a great feeling to be able to walk around night and day and not feel uncomfortable. It was also nice not being followed and hounded by vendors trying to push tours and souvenirs.  Those people do not exist in St. Moritz.

We hope one day to visit St. Moritz again...maybe next time in the winter. I highly recommend this beautiful Swiss town to anyone seeking family fun and adventure.

Disney at Easter: Port Orleans French Quarter

Port Orleans French Quarter
Photo by Alison Dixon 

Our past two Disney vacations were in the sweltering July heat among swarms of people. Summer is usually the most convenient time for our family to take a trip (no school and few activities), but it's not always the most ideal time (heat and crowds). So, for our most recent trip to Disney, we wanted to try a different time of year. We decided to work around our kids' Spring break in April. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter from Wednesday, April 12th through Tuesday, April 18th. We were there for Easter since it fell on Sunday, April 16th.

After we returned home, many people wanted to know...were the parks crowded? The answer? Yes! They filled up by early afternoon. However, the key was getting to the parks right when they opened. Mornings were great at most of the parks. We went to Magic Kingdom on a Thursday when it opened and rode five rides in a row with wait times of less than ten minutes! It was awesome! After lunch, the wait times for those same rides soared higher and higher throughout the day. Being early risers paid off.  Also, we reserved most of our Fast Passes for the afternoon, when we knew we'd be waiting 90 or more minutes for popular rides. At one point in the afternoon, The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had a wait time of 210 minutes!

 But unlike the summer months, our April trip greeted us with pleasant weather. We had temperatures in the low 80's with sunny skies. So while we did have the crowds, the comfortable weather made dealing with the rest of the Spring breakers and long lines, a lot more more bearable.

Easter Sunday was a day of relaxation for us. We decided instead of spending the day at a packed park, we'd spend it at the resort.. We are so glad we did, because like most of the Disney resorts, there were lots of kid friendly events planned. Here is the Easter activities flier from Port Orleans French Quarter. Its' sister resort, Riverside, had a similar lineup.

 The first Easter activity was the candy scramble.  This event was for kids up to 16 years old! Our 13-year old daughter was thrilled when she saw that. This was a lot of fun for the kids, and cast members had it orchestrated perfectly by sectioning off the age groups one at a time to ensure everyone got a fair share of candy. Disney even provided bags to put the candy in.

Easter candy laid out in the shape of eggs. Photo by Alison Dixon

Scrambling for candy! Photos by Alison Dixon

Next up, was the Easter egg hunt along the Sassagoula River at the resort. This didn't go as smoothly, however. When the cast member gave some enthusiastic instructions, some little ones interpreted that as "go!" Unfortunately, parents didn't stop those kids. The result was a lot of unhappy (and even crying) children who didn't get any eggs. Everyone did go home with an adorable, plush Peep, though! Cast members handed them out to all of the kids after the egg hunt.

Peeps!

The rest of the day, we enjoyed watching the kids play Easter themed pool games with cast members and other kids. They had such a great time and even won little prizes. There was also an egg decorating craft for a fee and a tie dye shirt activity, which also cost money (we didn't do either).

French Quarter had character greetings on Easter and a campfire, but we had already ventured out to Disney Springs for our Easter dinner at the Planet Hollywood Observatory. Our dinner there was tasty but the service wasn't awesome.

So...would we go to Disney again during Easter break? We would. The weather was great and it's possible to get a lot of rides in during the early morning hours. Plus, there are plenty of nice Easter activities going on all around Walt Disney World during this time. Also, Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival was happening, which made for some gorgeous scenery during our visit. Happy Spring!

Epcot: photo by Alison Dixon

NYC on a budget--how Broadway and Restaurant week saved us big bucks.

I will never get tired of New York City. Broadway shows, fantastic restaurants, shopping and sightseeing are always on my list of things to do. Lucky for me, the Big Apple is just a few hours away from where I live. It's a great little getaway for my husband and I, even just for a night. But boy, is it expensive.  For our upcoming trip, however, I scored some MAJOR deals! Here's how I saved a bundle on the hotel, Broadway shows, dinner and train tickets.

1.  Hotel: When planning our upcoming trip, I started by pricing out hotels. Since we wanted to go at the beginning of 2017, I specifically looked at January and February. We needed to visit on a Friday and return on a Saturday.  It turned out, there was one particular weekend that was cheaper than the rest. However, it was still a little pricey.
   So I went on Priceline and Hotwire to check things out. In the end, I decided to roll the dice with a "name your own price" deal on Priceline.  When you name your own price, you don't find out which hotel you get until after you've paid. I've had luck with this in the past, so I picked my neighborhood and number of stars (4), named my price and hoped for the best.
    I was happy to see Omni Berkshire Place accepted my offer. The total cost--$156.87.  Booked direct with the hotel, the best rate is $219.34 for a King, Deluxe room. So I got a great hotel at a great price. I booked the hotel three months in advance.

2.  Show tickets:  I have to admit, when I booked the hotel, I didn't realize we'd be there during Broadway Week. I didn't even know there was such a thing! I found out in a Travelzoo email just a few weeks ago!
    Broadway week in New York city this year is January 23rd-February 5th. There is usually another one during the year as well. Basically, you get 2-for-1 tickets! Since I found out so late in the game, some of the top shows were already sold out. We decided on Chicago and got two tickets in row B for $166 total. How great is that?!
    We were originally going to stand in the TKTS line in Times Square for discounted tickets but now we don't have to. Instead, we can be out doing other things!

3. Dinner:  My planning gets even better. In addition to it being Broadway Week during our stay, it is also Restaurant Week in NYC! It runs from January 23rd-February 10th. This is a great event in which more than 300 restaurants offer a three course prix-fixe meal for lunch and/or dinner every day but Saturday.  According to nycgo.com, the Restaurant Week prices are 30-50% off the regular menu. Three course dinner is $42 per person. Lunch runs $29.
    If you go to nycgo.com,  you'll find the participating restaurants and their menus. So you can see ahead of time, what each restaurant is offering and make your decision from there. We made reservations at Empire Steakhouse on 50th Street.  Unlike some of the other restaurants, this one offers eleven main courses to choose from instead of three,

4. Transportation:  My husband doesn't want to bother with the hassle of driving into the city so we take the train--relaxing and stress free! We snagged round trip super saver tickets on Amtrak for $88 a person.  I subscribe to their emails and that's how I found out about this promotion. The value tickets run $118 round trip per person, so we saved $60.

   This trip is right around the corner and my suitcase is excited! I'll be sure to report back and let you know if I ran into any other deals along the way. Happy travels!

The highlight of our Alaskan cruise

Mendenhall glacier, Alaska

   An Alaskan cruise is one of those "wow" vacations packed with adventure and beauty. The sights at each port on our round trip voyage from Seattle on Celebrity Solstice were like photographs waiting to be framed and hung on the wall.

   The highlight of our cruise came on day four. Day four took us to Juneau and the breathtaking Mendenhall Glacier. After laboring through the endless list of excursions months before, we finally made a decision on how we'd spend some of our time at this popular port. What made this excursion so exciting, was the way we would experience the mass of ice---by helicopter and by foot.

   Our two daughters, ages 9 and 12, looked forward to this excursion for so long.  Neither girl had ever been in a helicopter and none of us had ever seen a glacier, let alone walked on one!

    Our journey started with a short bus ride to the Temsco hanger where we watched a safety video.  We ditched our shoes for special boots made for walking on glaciers. Not knowing exactly how cold it would be, we bundled up in fleece and waterproof jackets, gloves and hats. (that later turned out to be a good move)

   Temsco employees put us into groups of six based on weight. Our family of four was riding with another couple. Coincidentally, we had met them on the ship a few nights before! As we stepped outside and waited to board the chopper, noise from the propellers silenced pre-flight conversations. We watched for the hand signal motioning us to the helicopter.  Single file, we walked to the aircraft in our assigned seating order. After meeting the pilot and buckling in, we were off!

   The Mendenhall glacier is 12 miles from Juneau so it didn't take long to get to the glacier.  The scenery was amazing as we soared to where the mountaintops meet the clouds.

Mendenhall Glacier

    The pilot showed us around the glacier by air before landing on it.  The textures and colors were gorgeous and I felt blessed to be able to see so much beauty from above.
    As we made our descent, I became even more excited. Now, we'd get to explore by foot! I stepped out of the helicopter onto the ice. I was a little nervous--would I wipe out? Would my kids? Thankfully, those special boots did their job--so did our jackets and gloves. The glacier air was cold and the wind whipped around us.
    We were free to walk around for a few minutes before gathering with the guides so I took that opportunity to capture some memories.

My husband and daughters taking in the sights.

   We spent the next 25 minutes or so listening to the guides and walking on the glacier. They were very knowledgeable and fun and even played photographer, taking family photos.  The guides recommended not taking photos while walking. That's because the glacier is filled with crevasses, some larger than others. Some of the crevasses are filled with crystal clear water.

Glacier water

   We were all invited to take a taste of the water. No cup required. I scooped the water with my bare hands.

   Our kids drank right from the source. (waterproof gloves come in handy here)

 
      As our time on the glacier came to and end, I paused to take it all in.
   

   We loaded back into the helicopter and rose once more above the glacier as the tour guides waved goodbye to us from below. None of us wanted this once in a lifetime excursion to end. This was worth every penny. Unforgettable.

My favorite packing tool ever!

My suitcase is excited! We've been on the go a lot this summer---an overnight  here, a few days away there and some longer trips too! Much of my summer has been spent packing and unpacking! (Not complaining though!) Thankfully, I use some cool tools to make packing less painful and my suitcase more organized for travel. Let me introduce you to the wonderful word of packing cubes!

My parents like to travel too and introduced me to packing cubes several years ago. Packing cubes are fabric containers with zippers. They are used to pack clothes and other items. They come in different sizes and colors and fit nicely into suitcases and backpacks.

I will not travel without them...even for an overnight trip because they keep everything organized. Every member of my family has their own set which comes with a small, medium and large cube. You can also buy just one size.

My packing cube set.

(3 of our sets are Ebags brand which I ordered online) Packing cubes also come in long, rectangular shapes for socks and similar items.

Depending on what you pack in your cubes, you may not even have to unpack them when you arrive at your destination! That's one of the many things I love about these. Just place the packed cube into the drawer at the hotel/cruise ship/resort. This works especially well with small cubes. We like to use the small cubes for underwear, socks, bras, etc.

Small cubes, one for each of us. 

Plus, with packing cubes, everything stays nice and contained in its own little space---no rummaging through our suitcases to find a pair of socks when we arrive. You can also use small cubes for toiletries, etc.

Medium cubes fit great in our backpacks. When we are flying, we use backpacks as carry ons and the medium cube fits perfectly inside with several outfits! Love it!

We like the large cubes for the rest of our clothing. You'd be surprised how much you can fit in these. You'll quickly figure out which cube sizes work best with your stuff and how clean everything stays in your worn, dirty suitcase.

A little more than a week's worth of outfits in my large packing cube.

I've tried large plastic zip lock bags....but I find it hard to fit in more than one outfit and I end up using way too many bags.  Also, large plastic bags don't have the depth that packing cubes have.

I can fit WAY more clothing into a packing cube than a plastic bag. When they're all filled, we can fit four large cubes into our large suitcase. In the picture below, I placed three large cubes and three small cubes into our large suitcase. So there are lots of ways to pack these cubes into your luggage.

Packing cubes fit nicely in our suitcase.

Next up this summer--- a 7-day Alaskan cruise, so these cubes will soon be packed again.  As I mentioned before, we each have our own set. So once we get into our cabins, each family member will gather their cubes from our luggage. There's no guessing where things are.

This cruise will certainly be a packing challenge with rain coats, fleece, gloves and hats (all big, bulky stuff). But I know the cubes will help so much with organizing everything for the four of us. I don't think I will ever travel without these!

Have you ever used packing cubes? If so, what did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

iFLY---indoor sky diving on land and at sea

Back in March during our cruise on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, I posted a video of my daughter on Facebook experiencing a super cool attraction called iFLY.  It's a sky diving simulator located at the back of the ship where guests can soar inside a tall, enclosed "tube" while looking out into the ocean.  Many of you wanted to know more about this unique activity and where else to find it.  Here's some good news--you don't have to take a cruise to do this!

iFLY is a land based company out of Austin, Texas with 37 locations across the globe. My central Pennsylvania friends will be happy to know there will be an iFLY opening in the King of Prussia area on April 19th!  According to the iFLY website, the indoor sky diving facility is located at 290 Goddard Blvd. We will definitely be checking it out in the future.

The cruise ship version is incredibly popular and slots fill up quickly. While I played "photographer," my husband and two daughters suited up for this fun experience, which was included in the cost of the cruise. My husband was the first to "fly" from his group. There was an instructor by his side and communication is done through hand signals,which you learn ahead of time during a brief training session.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

Our daughters had a blast too and it's so much fun to watch.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

The iFLY website tells you everything you'd want to know about the experience, from who can fly to what indoor skydiving is and how it works. So if you've ever wanted to fly, here's your chance! Enjoy your flight!

You took awesome vacation pictures---now what to do with them?

When I'm on vacation, I snap hundreds of pictures.  On the way home, I go through all of them, deleting the blurry, dark, crooked, grumpy and duplicate ones.  When I'm done, I usually end up with some quality pictures from our trips.

But instead of having these memories sit on my phone or laptop, I find myself wanting to do something more with them.

When we moved into our new home a few years ago, we had a lot of empty wall space to fill. As I shopped around for pictures and art work, I became frustrated. I couldn't find a whole lot that I liked. That's when I started making my own.  I simply (and cost effectively in  most cases) turned some of our vacation pictures into art! I realize this is not a new idea, but I am surprised at how few people do it and how easy it is.

Companies like Art.com and Shutterfly are great places to help you turn your photos into art. When they have sales or coupons for free enlargements or photo books, it's even better! Photos can be turned into art on canvas, metal, wood, glass, etc. The possibilities really are endless and the artwork you make from your own photos is special and unique.

After our trip to Morocco, I had tons of pictures of Moroccan spices and food. So I had three of my favorites enlarged and framed. Now, they decorate my kitchen and remind me daily of that vacation.

Here is another photo I turned into art from that trip. This was taken at a market in the High Atlas Mountains. The coloring of the baskets worked perfectly for our family room. I had this one done through Art.com with a custom frame.

When we had our bedroom painted a new color, I knew a picture of the beautiful Caribbean water would look awesome on the blue wall. Now, this is what I wake up to every morning! Gorgeous St. Lucia! I used a Shutterfly coupon for a free photo enlargement to make this. The frame came from a craft store.

I really like the look of canvas, too.  This picture was taken at Balboa Park in San Diego. It's an 8x10 canvas that brightens up our home office.

Another neat alternative to a photo print is a plaque. These can come in all different sizes. I picked 8x10's. (The photo on the left is the canvas.)

Last but not least, photo books are a great way to have all of your best pictures from a trip together in one place. I also display these on either the coffee table or standing up on our entertainment center. Both of these books were made with coupons for a free 8x8 photo book!

I hope to add more art to our walls in the coming year. The space above our living room couch remains empty for now but with a summer trip to Alaska and some other getaways planned, hopefully it won't stay empty for long.