Sea World’s Just for Kids Festival

Sea World is hosting the Just For Kids! Festival on Saturdays through April 12, 2014; and, it’s included with your park admission! Don’t let the name fool you though, it’s definitely family friendly! While it is kid-centric, it brings families together for fun activities, rides, Animal Ambassadors, and more!

We were given a festival map as we came into the parking lot.  They are also available at the Ocean Adventure areas as well. The map is the perfect size for your little one to help navigate.  It has all the Fun Stations mapped out for you with just a few main park locations for reference points.

 
Just for Kids Festival map

The stars on the map are the Ocean Adventure areas.  That’s where your kids can go on an educational and fun trip around the park.  They have games and information at each of the four stops.  After you complete your activity, the bottom of your map will get a punch and you get a limited edition Explorer’s card! The stations are really easy to spot too- there is a “take an Ocean Adventure” sign along with Just for Kids! banners like the one pictured here:

 
Ocean Adventure activity

The Ocean Adventures are spread out around the park, but not too spread out!  One thing that I loved about this is that they never excluded Cole. He’s almost two, so he’s really into doing these fun things like the matching games, but he’s not quite old enough to answer questions about oil on penguin.  Some of them they let me help him with but some tailored their activity to be more his level.  It was tons of fun!

After you complete all four Ocean Adventure activities, you get a ticket that allows you to go to one of three stores and turn it in for a special surprise!
 
The four limited edition cards.

Another fun part of Just for Kids is the Rockin’ Rockhopper Party in Antarctica that starts at 11am. A DJ is there with some rockin’ hoppin’ music to get everyone moving.  There are even special penguin guests who come out and party with you! They have games, snacks, face painting and you can even see live penguins!  You don’t want to miss out!

 

As always, there are lots of great Animal Ambassadors to wow and amaze!  It’s neat to see all the different animals and to hear their stories. The SEA Garden is home to one of the Ocean Adventures, many of the Animal Ambassadors and special story tellers.

 
Animal Ambassadors

 

 
Story time!

A highlight for my little one was the Elmo Rocks! show. He couldn’t stop talking about Elmo all weekend! Be sure to get there early as the show is only performed in the earlier part of the day and there are only a few shows.

Be sure to stick around for the end of the day too.  The Shamu Dance Party, at the front of the park in Village Square, starts one hour before park close and lasts until 30 minutes after park close.  There is a stilt walking emcee, music for the whole family to enjoy and dance to, and Shamu and his crew are there! Unfortunately no pictures of the party because we’ve had plans that caused us to miss it the first two weekends, but we’ll be there for the third one!

Have you been to Sea World’s Just for Kids Festival yet?  What was your favorite part? We are excited to go again this weekend and hopefully next weekend as well!

Follow us for more updates: Facebooktwitteryoutubetumblrinstagram

Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops

Are you lucky enough to have a Bass Pro Shops nearby? We are, right in Festival Bay Mall in Orlando! Now through Christmas Eve, Santa has set up his Wonderland right in the middle of Bass Pro!!

                     Santa’s Wonderland
They have several game & activity stations set up in the store. Most of them are right in the immediate area of Santa, but the ornament decorating is in front of the big fish tank (at least it is in the Orlando location).
The first thing we saw walking into our Bass Pro was the AMAZING Christmas tree! I loved the rustic simplicity of it!!!
                         The big tree!
Then you smell popcorn, fudge, and cinnamon nuts! The first activity you come upon is Little Man’s favorite, the carousel! Lots of outdoorsy animals – bears, deer, polar bear, reindeer, moose!  We rode it twice, and he wanted to go again! (We went again for week two and he went crazy when he saw the carousel! Of course we had to ride it on this trip too!)
                      The carousel!
There was a slot car race track set up, along with RC trucks, a laser shooting arcade, a duck shooting gallery & a model train! There are even tables to color holiday pictures and write letters to Santa! These are all available store open to close.
                                          Activities
Other fun things include free weekly crafts (while supplies last)!! They do them by the big fish tank Monday-Friday 5-7 pm, Saturday-Sunday noon -5 pm, and Thanksgiving & Christmas Eve from 3-5 pm. We’ve done the first two, a wooden ornament & a felt penguin ornament. Other crafts are Popsicle stick reindeer ornament (November 25-December 1), stuffed Santa ornament (December 2-8), candy cane owl ornament (December 9-15), reindeer gift bag (December 16-22) & cookie decorating (December 23-24).
                                      Making ornaments
After you finish your craft, head over to Santa’s Wonderland, where you can get a free backpack clip (while supplies last) for the first 125 kids to visit each weekday, 5-7 pm. The first two were a Christmas tree & a candy cane, then comes a gingerbread man (November 25-29), Santa’s sleigh (December 2-6), a stocking (December 9-13), a snowman (December 16-20) & Santa in a chimney (December 23-24, 24th is 3-5 pm). They are MUCH bigger than I thought they’d be, I was pleasantly surprised! Little Man likes playing with them too!
                                    Backpack clips
The highlight of Santa’s Wonderland is, of course, the big man himself Santa! He’s got a nice set up with reindeer this year! Santa’s times are different than the crafts so be sure to check before you go. You get a free 4×6 picture, with the option of a photo package. Packages start at just $15. Both times we’ve gone, there hasn’t been a wait; but later in the season Santa should get very popular! If Santa’a line gets longer than a 30 min wait, the Bass Pass will allow you to go check out the rest of Santa’s Wonderland and Bass Pro and when your time is up, come back to see Santa!
Santa
                                   Santa and Little Man
Have you visited Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops? Let us know what you think!
Follow us for more updates: Facebooktwitteryoutubetumblrinstagram

Halloween Spooktacular Fun For Little Ones

I don’t know about you, but I love Halloween! It is such a fun time of year with all the parties going on everywhere!

Last year was little man’s first Halloween, but at 6 months, he was more cute than anything else. We didn’t do too much more than a “costume” and some pictures. This year he’s big enough to go and have fun!

I jumped on the opportunity to take him to SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular this year! Costumes, candy, dance parties and characters, what fun!!

 

Halloween Spooktacular at SeaWorld Orlando

 

We really had a great time at SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular! Overall it seemed to REALLY be geared towards the little ones, and that was perfect for us. My favorite things are that this special event is included in your regular park admission, it is during regular park hours (i.e. no late nights!) and there are lots of activities going on during Spooktacular!

Little man’s favorite things are the bubbles everywhere, the trick or treat trail (where he could hold his bag closed and try to give his candy/snacks back to people), the dance party and the characters!

 

One of the things available at a small addition fee was cookie decorating. He had so much fun playing with his cookie and eating it!

 

It wasn’t very crowded at all while we were there, it was quite nice! Unfortunately this event is only available a few days in the season – just weekends in October, so we were only able to go once. Next year it is definitely on our must do list! Have you been to SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular?  What was your favorite part?

Follow us for more updates: Facebooktwitteryoutubetumblrinstagram

Wordless Wednesday – Princess Fairytale Hall

Wordless Wednesday

September 18, 2013

Wordless Wednesday Princess Fairytale Hall

This week’s Wordless Wednesday takes us to Princess Fairytale Hall which opens today at Walt Disney World in love Magic Kingdom! We have posted even more pictures from our visit to Princess Fairytale Hall on our Facebook Page!

Follow us for more updates: Facebooktwitteryoutubetumblrinstagram

Baby Care Center – Epcot

This post is the second in a mini series about the Baby Care Centers at Walt Disney World, there will be four total; one for each theme park.

For the first post we went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and for this installment we will be traveling to Epcot.

 

Signs to the Baby Care Center.

 

Epcot’s Baby Care Center is located in the Odyssey building next to First Aid. It’s about as centrally located as you can get in a park with a lagoon in the middle. Strollers can’t come into this Baby Care, but there is parking right outside the doors.  

 

Stroller parking area, right outside.

 

When you first walk in, there is a little lobby area with a couch, usually occupied by dads or grandparents. There is a short hallway & then you are usually greeted by the Cast Member stationed there. 

Little lobby.

 

To the right is the little play room. There is a TV in there playing Disney Channel or a Disney movie, several chairs for sitting, & some toys for the kids to play with. A minor thing to consider, there is no food allowed in this room. 

Play room.

 

A little further down the hall on the right are full sized adult restrooms. A nice thing to have right there. The hallway ends with the changing room. There are four large, nicely padded changing tables in this room, along with a hand washing sink. 

Roomy changing tables.

 

Continuing back down the hall (as if you were headed to the exit), you have the feeding room/mini gift shop. This room has a few small merchandise displays of Baby Mickey & Minnie plush, rattles, bibs, & onsies. This area has a child sized table and chairs along with high chairs and regular sized chairs for adults. 

The feeding room, with merchandise.

 

The next room is the kitchen & supplies room, very important!! They have filtered water, a microwave, sterilizer, bottle warmer, & a sink. They also carry all those forgot to grab before you left the house/hotel items or things you just run out of. They have bottles, pacifiers, diaper kits, food, sippy cups, formula, juice, sunscreen, sundries & some childrens medicines!

Kitchen/merchandise shop.

 

Items available for sale.

 

Last but not least, is the nursing room. Not my favorite of the four parks, but at least it’s there! This nursing room, unlike the ones at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which I’ll cover later) is a public one. Only nursing mothers are allowed in the room, but it still holds 4 at a time. The room is quite large, it has 4 non-padded wooden rocking chairs, each side of the room has a small table between the 2 chairs, outlets all over the room for pumping or charging a cell phone, and there are dimmer lights over each chair. If the room is set up properly by the Cast, the four chairs all face the center of the room. A lot of mothers will turn their chair around to face the wall instead. Most of the time when we’ve gone in there, we’re either the only ones or there is only one other person in there. Only once have I ever gone in (and we go at least once a month) and there been a wait, all 4 chairs occupied and one lady nursing sitting on the floor. That is far from a normal day though!

Door to the nursing room.

 

Chairs in the nursing room.

 

Of all four Baby Care Centers, this is our second most visited and our third favorite! Stay tuned for our next installment!

Follow us for more updates: Facebooktwitteryoutubetumblrinstagram

Baby Care Center – Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This post is the first in a mini series visiting the Baby Care Centers at the Walt Disney World Resort. There will be four total; one for each theme park. This time we will be exploring Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

For those who don’t travel to Walt Disney World with young children the Baby Care Centers are completely ignored, or, in some cases, are unknown entirely. Being a Cast Member at the parks I have known exactly where each one is and what they offer. Did I know before I started in 2001 and got my park tour? Probably, but being in the 20 and under group, I would have to say I am sure it was ignored. Now being a mom to a newborn, the Baby Care Centers are my (and Cole’s) new favorite stop!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios would have to be my favorite park for getting in and out of with a little one by myself. I have to walk from the car because the stroller, diaper bag and baby in the car seat are just all too much for me to deal with if I don’t have an extra set of hands. Add that to an almost hour drive to the park, and it’s about time for Cole to want a diaper change and some food! Here Baby Care is located just inside the park on the left within Guest Relation, which, in my opinion, is the only downside. It’s the smallest of the Baby Care Centers, but even during Star Wars Weekends over Memorial Day weekend it wasn’t very crowded in the center. It was, however difficult to get in the doors to Guest Relations because *they* were busy.

 

When you first walk in, you are greeted with a lobby/seating area complete with a TV playing children’s programs (in my experience here it’s usually Little Einsteins), a padded bench, ottoman, two chairs and three high chairs for feeding the bigger little ones.

The lobby/seating area when you walk in.

 

There is also a mini kitchen, with a sink and microwave in here.

Kitchen

 

Then off to the left are two private rooms for nursing. It’s a cozy little room with a curtain door, dimmer light, outlets, a rocker with a padded seat, and small bench. They are small, but I can bring either of my strollers (I have a regular Chicco stroller and then a Baby Trend jogging stroller) in there with me and there is plenty of room for me and Cole. I doubt a double, inline or side by side, would fit and the Disney ones are too wide I think to fit in there though. While he was still small, (and not too wiggly) and I’m usually by myself, I would use the small bench to go ahead and change Cole’s diaper using my travel changing pad. I didn’t want to get him all settled back in the stroller just to take him out in the changing area and do it all over again.

One of the nursing rooms

 

Finally on the right side of the lobby is the changing area. It’s spacious and has two changing tables, a hand washing sink and even a restroom with a child sized toilet.

 

Changing area.

 

Of all of the Baby Care Centers, this is our most frequently used one.  It’s our second favorite!
Stay tuned for the second part of the series- Epcot!
Follow us for more updates: Facebooktwitteryoutubetumblrinstagram

Safari Of Fun Tea Party At Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Join Abby Cadabby and Zoe for a

Safari of Fun Tea Party at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Safari of Fun Tea Party - Abby

 

If Your little one is a fan of Sesame Street, you are going to want to head over to enjoy a special Safari of Fun Tea Party featuring Abby Cadabby and Zoe from Sesame Street® at Sesame Street® Safari of FunTM at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Sunday, January 13 from 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm.

During this Safari of Fun Tea Party with Abby Cadabby and Zoe at Sesame Street® Safari of Fun, everyone will snack on mini assorted sandwiches, veggies with cream cheese and soy butter, fresh fruit, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, mini cupcakes and cookies. And there are several beverages to choose from including fruit flavored teas as well as milk, juice and hot cocoa.
Safari of Fun Tea Party - Zoe
Lunch is $22 for adults and $15 for children. Pass members receive a 10 percent discount. Also, you will receive One 6×8 photo, which is included, per family. Admission to the park is not included, but is required.
The Sesame Street® Safari of FunTM area at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a really great place for younger members of your family to experience small thrills and big fun at just the right size!
Safari of Fun Tea Party - Show

Come join everyone’s favorite Sesame Street® friends on a family-friendly Safari adventure where the rhythms of Africa are sprinkled with giggles. It’s Busch Gardens’® newest land filled with kid-size rides, cool water fun, and plenty of memorable adventures.

 

Fly through the desert with Grover. Climb in Elmo’s Tree House. Splash in Bert and Ernie’s watering hole. You can even dine with your child’s furry friends.

 

It’s Sesame Street Safari of Fun, where imaginations run wild and there’s fun for everyone.

To make reservations for this Safari of Fun Tea Party, simply Visit SesameStreetSafariofFun.com or call 1-888-800-5447.
Follow us for more updates: Facebooktwitteryoutubetumblrinstagram