Travel

Travel: Disney Cruise Review-Is It Worth The Hype?

March 26, 2013 By ManagedMoms.com 4 Comments

Our very talented managedmoms.com writer, Lisa Walton took a Disney cruise with her family and lucky for us, she wrote a review, complete with great pictures! So if you are considering a Disney cruise for your family vacation plans, Lisa tells us if she thinks it is worth it and worth the hype…

Lisa says:

Disney Cruises….worth the hype??

Absolutely!!

We are HUGE Disney fans in our family. Living within driving distance to Disneyland we’ve made countless visits. We finally took our dream trip to Disney World a couple of years ago. So we knew it was only a matter of time until we did the Disney Cruise.

We took a trip a 7 day cruise from L.A. to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Disney Wonder last spring. As first time cruisers, we had some reservations. However, it was hands-down the best vacation we’ve had as a family! There is something for everyone to do, in fact there is so much to do it can be a bit overwhelming.

We spent $2400 (and received $200 on-board credit) for an inside stateroom. I was hesitant about not having a window, but for the little time we actually spent in the room we were very glad to have saved that money to use on Port Adventures. The cost included our cabin, taxes, port fees, food, and non-alcoholic beverages. The soda station was located on the top deck was available all day/night, however if you ordered soda in the bars/lounges you had to pay for it. We learned to walk up and get our sodas to avoid those charges very quickly.

Dining:

Disney has what they refer to as rotational dining. This means that you rotate between their restaurants each night. On the Disney Wonder they have 3 restaurants (Animator’s Palette was our favorite). One of the perks is that your dining staff follows you from restaurant to restaurant. Your servers get to know your likes/dislikes and go above and beyond to make your dining experience “magical”. Our servers were amazing, we were sad to say good-bye to them on our last morning. Our appetizers, dinners, and desserts were all delicious. We never had a bad meal onboard.

There is always food available. They have several buffets, and offer snack-type foods on deck near the pools (pizza, burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, etc) even late into the evenings. But never fear, room service is always available, and included in the price of the cruise! In addition, for those foodies, there is a high-end gourmet restaurant called Palo (reservation only) for adults that is not included in the price of the cruise.

Shows:

Disney Entertainment is top-notch all the way. They showed 4 different musicals and they were all spectacular! “The Golden Mickeys”, was an Oscar-type award show. This was our formal night, so we dressed up to walk the red carpet. The “Toy Story Musical” was phenomenal; the sets/costumes were exactly like you just stepped into Andy’s Room. The music was fabulous; our favorite was Sid’s song “The Master of Destruction”. Disney “Dreams” was our all-time favorite Disney Cruise (original) musical! We could have watched that several more times. They also had jugglers, comedians and an amazing ventriloquist that held family shows and adult shows in the late evening.

Activities:

The Activities crew onboard was the best! They are all very personable and entertaining and will quickly lure you into all of the action on the ship. They host dance parties, races, karaoke, scavenger hunts, sporting events, Bingo, and a variety of game shows. There are cooking presentations, variety of wine/beer tastings and educational classes as well. The staff hosts deck parties during the cruise Cast Away Party, and Pirate Night. These were so much fun! Disney is also the only cruise line that has onboard Fireworks while at sea.

There are 3 separate pools onboard: a children’s splash pad, children’s pool (and water slide), family pool, and adult-only pool. There is a movie theater, and daily movies shown poolside for all of your favorite Disney & Pixar movies plus new releases. There is a health club and an award-winning spa with a wide variety of offerings. There is so much to do, you’ll never even get through a fraction of the fun that they offer.

Kids’ Clubs:

As a teacher, I’m pretty particular about kids’ programs. I have to say, I’ve never seen such a well-run program as on the Disney ship. There is a nursery for young ones, Oceaneer’s Lab and Club for the K-5 age group, Vibe for the tweens, and the Edge for the teens. Each “club” offers its own activities from the early morning, to late into the evenings. They have character greetings, science experiments, cooking classes, and many wacky races, scavenger hunts, adventures, karaoke, dance parties, and many more activities. They even did a mini musical and performed on stage in the Walt Disney Theatre on the last day.

Several times I saw kids crying at these locations, but it was because their parents were checking them out and they had to LEAVE! Each area is age-specific and has a high level of security in place. Kids have to wear computerized bracelets that check them in/out of each center. Parents have a secret password to give the staff in order for children to be released only to them. However, older kids have the ability to sign themselves in/out of their programs. Each stateroom has 2 wave phones (onboard cell phones) so keeping in touch with your older kids is easy.

Traveling Tip:

The “Daily Navigator” is the most critical piece of information for a Disney Cruise. It is delivered to your stateroom every evening. It has a schedule of all the activities, movies, shows, and events for each day for kids, families and adults on this ship and in the kid programs. Our favorite thing to do before bedtime was to pore over the Navigator and highlight the activities we couldn’t miss for the next day! It has port information, time/weather information; store hours, restaurant information and dress code for each day as well.

Port Adventures:

These can be set up in advance on their website or on the ship itself. Depending on the type of cruise you are taking, they have events from leisurely family activities, to more daring adventures. These are not included in the price of your cruise, and so you can tailor your adventures to your taste, lifestyle, and budget. Even when in port, there are still activities on the ship, we found it was a great time to catch-up on our pool time when they weren’t so crowded.

Booking New Cruises:

Disney offers great discounts if you book your next cruise while on board. In fact, we loved this cruise so much we booked their 7 day Pacific Coast Cruise (San Diego, San Francisco and Ensenada) for October, and saved 10% plus earned additional money in onboard credit! Currently Disney has four ships, and sails from Los Angeles, Vancouver, Cape Canaveral, Galveston, and Miami. They have itineraries to Alaska, the California Coast, Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, and Europe. We are huge fans, had a fantastic vacation, and look forward to traveling on another Disney cruise ship in the future. It truly was a magical time! Still not sure? Condé Nast Traveler 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards voted Disney Cruises the number one cruise line again this year…check it out!

No compensation at all was provided for Lisa’s review. The trip was taken 100% on their dime and her opinions are 100% her own.

About our writer, Lisa:

Lisa Walton–Parenting tips & Family Matters
Valley Teacher and Mother

Lisa Walton has been a teacher in the Valley for over 18 years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Deaf Education from Illinois State University; and Master’s Degree in Special Education from Arizona State University. She currently works as an itinerant teacher, collaborating with regular education teachers in the public schools.

Read more about Lisa on our team bio page

Filed Under: Family Matters, Managed Moms, Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Disney Cruise Family Review, Rachel Recommends, Travel

Favorite Travel Articles

March 17, 2013 By ManagedMoms.com Leave a Comment

Today concludes our anniversary week celebration, so we end with our favorite travel pieces from our site’s first two years. This is perfect timing for your summer vacation planning, so read on to see several reviews of Arizona resorts, an Amtrak train vacation review, things to do in Vegas with kids, Washington DC attractions, Flagstaff fun, California spots and more!

Remember to always check managedmoms.com under the travel section to see if we have covered a place you are considering visiting, as our articles should give you some good money saving ideas and suggestions on what to see. We will start with Arizona resorts and then cover some hot spots around the nation. And as we dive into year #3, we will be adding additional resorts like Wild Horse Pass, Westin Kierland Commons Resort & Spa and more plus our travels around the nation will continue as well, so stay tuned and Happy Travels!

Arizona Resort Reviews & Flagstaff Fun

Arizona Grand Resort Review For Families

Arizona Biltmore Resort Family Review

The Phoenician Resort Review For Families

Want A Wonderful Weekend Trip? Visit Flagstaff!

Washington DC Worthy Attractions

Washington DC’s Newseum Is A Must See: My Family’s Review

Hotel Palomar Washington DC & Dupont Circle: Our Family’s Hip Picks in the DC Area

Money Saving Ideas That Worked Well On Our Washington DC Trip

Amtrak Train Vacation

An Amtrak Train Trip Reviewed By My Teenager

Vegas!

Family Friendly Activities In Vegas

Cool California

Cali Bound This Summer? Check Out This Cool Carmel Resort

Our Cali Road Trip Adventure: First Stop — Santa Monica

Our Road Trip Pics in San Francisco

(See this one to see my favorite pizza in the nation so far!)

Our Road Trip Adventure: Day 4 to Monterey

Filed Under: Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Amtrak Train Trip Review, Arizona Biltmore Resort Review, Arizona Grand Resort Review, Arizona Resort Reviews for Families, Carmel Valley Resort Review in California, Family Friendly Vegas Attractions, Flagstaff Fun, Hotel Palomar in DC review, Macy's Coffee in Flagstaff, Monterey, Phoenician Resort Review, Rachel Recommends, Springhill Suites in Flagstaff review, Travel, Washington DC family review, Washington DC Newseum

Warm Winter Fashions That Are Functional, Too!

January 21, 2013 By ManagedMoms.com Leave a Comment

Manic: Me, a wimpy Phoenician when the weather gets cold! But I don’t want to buy winter clothes I can’t wear again on days that are chilly, but not too cold.

Managed: Found some smart styles like gloves that let you text, a hat that won’t give you hat head when it rains or is windy and more. Check out what I found…

Filed Under: Beauty, Fab Fashions, KTVK Morning Show, Managed Moms, Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Beauty, Coiffie hat, Experia socks, Grace Carter Stylish Shoe Covers, KTVK Morning Show, Rachel Recommends, Target, Texting gloves

Washington DC’s Newseum is a Must-See…My Family’s Review!

June 26, 2012 By ManagedMoms.com 2 Comments

Manic: While vacationing in Washington DC two weeks ago, my son and I boarded the Metro train en route to see museums. We soon discovered that we picked the same day that thousands of Girl Scouts from around the nation chose to see DC, too!

Managed: Decided to skip the main attractions that the Girl Scouts would likely go to first, like the Lincoln Memorial and the White House, and instead we chose to to see a newer museum that not everyone knows about called the Newseum. It was awesome!

Like most museums, your photo is taken upon entrance with the option to purchase. I usually don't buy these, but it is a good picture of me and my boy and it shows the museum entrance. Lexi came along the first time we went. We liked it so much that my son and I went back a second time and that is when this was taken.

Visiting the Newseum is like seeing a USA history museum through the eyes of journalists. Plus the history of newspaper, television, radio and more are all covered. Brilliant photos, celebratory and heartbreaking audio of real live news reports, video of breaking news moments and more adorn the walls of this very interesting museum.

The original microphones that FDR used to broadcast his Fireside Chats, as he called them. FDR was the first president to communicate directly with the public and his recordings led the nation through the difficult Depression. The stopwatch was used to carefully time his chats.

The Newseum houses a large display of historic famous headlines.

Plus the Newseum houses a touching memorial to the events, victims and heroes of 9/11.

A large piece of the now mangled, but preserved, radio tower that stood prominently atop the World Trade Center is displayed, surrounded by front page newspaper headlines, from that dreadful and history-changing day.

On a lighter note, there is even a hilarious Saturday Night Live exhibit that highlights the talented actors who emulate famous politicians so well, like Tina Fey’s flawless impression of Sarah Palin.

And on a personal and sad note, my son found pictures and bios of my fallen KTVK colleagues, news photographer Jim Cox and helicopter pilot/reporter Scott Bowerbank, from the chopper mid-air collision that I so clearly remember on that hot summer day back in 2007. I was working at KTVK that day and I remember how my morning show team stood there watching the coverage in shock and consoling each other at the same time.

So to see our friends honored, with the many other journalists who have lost their lives doing what they love, covering the news, gave me pause.

My kids loved visiting the Newseum! My daughter even got to be a reporter through an interactive newsroom exhibit that enabled her to report a story on camera.

We then had the video downloaded so we have it to enjoy. It was a fun experience and the museum staff told her that she is a natural. She was proud!

While we were there, we also got to be part of a studio audience during an on-site taping of the program called Inside Media in the Knight TV Studios. It was a fascinating interview to watch because the guest was former ABC News President David Westin. He oversaw ABC news from 1997 to 2010, so he had intriguing stories about covering the death of Princess Diana, Clinton’s impeachment proceedings, 9/11 and more. He was there promoting his new book, “Exit Interview” and his adventures were fun and entertaining to hear about! My son, who plans to become a journalist, enjoyed it as much as I did.

Watching the David Westin interview on set.

Here are a few more of my favorite photos from our incredible Newseum visit….

The Berlin Wall is featured at the museum. Eight 12-foot-high concrete sections of the wall, each weighing about three tons are displayed. A three-story East German guard tower that loomed near Checkpoint Charlie — Berlin’s best-known East-West crossing — stands nearby.

A kid favorite area is the First Dogs Exhibit that shows a variety of US Presidents throughout history with their beloved canine companions. Shown above is Fido, Lincoln’s prized dog, Yuki, who was LBJ’s beloved pooch and the Kennedy’s clan of pups.

One of my favorite exhibits in the Newseum is the Pulitzer Prize Photographs section, which displays a comprehensive collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs. Interesting interviews with many of the photographers are shown next to each photograph, some of which took me back in time. Seeing these remarkable photos brought a huge smile to my face, while others brought tears to my eyes. This was a powerful part of the museum.

This famous photograph, taken by AP Photographer Sal Veder, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and is called "Burst of Joy". The exhibit includes the story behind the photo.

There are so many more photos of our visit that I want to show you! However, this post is getting too long and you need to travel to Washington DC for yourself to see the incredible Newseum and all of the other famous memorials, White House, art galleries, museums and more! A must-see city in our nation!

I will close with a cute picture of my girl on the Pennsylvania Avenue Terrace deck of the Newseum, which gives visitors the opportunity to take a picture with our nation’s US Capitol Building in the beautiful background. I highly recommend spending a day at this awesome place! Oh and have lunch there, too….because the Newseum’s cafe is run by Wolfgang Puck’s team and the food is delicious!

Filed Under: Family Matters, Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Newsuem in Washington DC family review, Rachel Recommends, Travel

Hotel Palomar Washington DC: Our Family’s Fun & Hip Trip Pick

June 17, 2012 By ManagedMoms.com 5 Comments

Manic: Traveling 2,000 miles and organizing our schedule so that we could sight-see and visit all of our awesome family members that live in that area!

Managed: Putting together a game plan that enabled us to do the tourist thing and to spend valuable time with our beloved family. So after spending several weeks mapping out our trip plan, our vacation was a success! We decided to spend the first couple of days in DC to sight-see. After researching a huge number of hotels, we chose the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle and we loved it! Read on to see our review of the property and a little bit about the historic Dupont Circle neighborhood that houses the hotel.

Our Hotel Pick: Hotel Palomar

These pretty Palomar photos come from the company’s website and the real thing looked just like this at the property. I love when hotels look as good as the promo pictures! Oh and don’t let me forget to mention the complementary cocktails the hotel offers in the lobby to guests in the evenings. The summer sangria was delightful for this manic managed mom!

Here are some of the pictures that I took myself of the Hotel Palomar…

The cool lobby is hip, trendy and warm and welcoming at the same time.

Our room had a relaxing sitting area and a nice-sized closet right behind it, too.

Before we left for our trip, I had researched a lot of different hotel options. I kept coming back to the Hotel Palomar because almost every review I read commented that the customer service at this DC hotel was exceptional. And I can’t stress how true that turned out to be!

Everyone from the nice gentlemen that stood ready to open the door for arriving guests to the front desk personnel to the room service staff….every person went above and beyond to ensure that our stay was a good one.

And I must brag about the warm and wonderful concierge, Philip Biggerstaff. Lucky for me, we met him on the first day of our stay and he was on duty the three days that we stayed there.

On our first morning, as my family slept in, I snuck out to have my hair styled, so Philip found me a great salon. He even loaned me his own sunglasses to wear on my walk through Dupont Circle to the location. That is actually kind of a funny story because when I asked him for a cab, he insisted that I walk the short and scenic distance to the beauty parlor. Coming from the Phoenix area, where we do a ton of driving due to hot temps and a very spread-out city, Philip knew immediately that I was not a downtown city gal used to walking everywhere….and I was a little embarrassed that I was so quick to ask for a car ride! But Philip made me feel right at home with a map and easy directions.

I was so glad that he suggested that I walk because the Hotel Palomar is in a great location, right in the heart of the historic and trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood.

A historic building in the Dupont Circle neighborhood that my daughter named the "Harry Potter House" since it looked like a building out of the movie!

My family enjoyed walking through the neighborhoods that house the Victorian-style rowhouses, which are so different from our neighborhoods back home in the Arizona desert.

Philip also provided me with a list of cool places and delicious restaurants for my family to visit, like the scrumptious Pizzeria Paradiso that was located right down the street from our hotel. We had friends tell us later that this pizza place in the best in DC, so thanks to Philip for the delicious recommendation! In fact, every single day he greeted us with unique ideas that suited my entire family. I will share those places in tomorrow’s post, so stay tuned for that.

I also have to tell you about the extraordinary service that Philip provided on our last day. When our rental car failed to be delivered as promised, he actually walked to the rental car offices to retrieve our vehicle for us! So nice!

This was helpful because we were on a schedule to leave DC to travel to our family in the Maryland suburbs. That completely demonstrates just how nice Philip is and how the Hotel Palomar staff truly does go above and beyond. I was really impressed! Plus Philip’s personality is a combination of DC downtown smarts and the southern hospitality he grew up with coming from Texas. I just had to brag about Philip Biggerstaff!

In addition to the cool Dupont Circle atmosphere, our hotel was also very close to a neighborhood Metro train station location that took us to all of the scenic must-sees like the White House, Lincoln Memorial and more.

The Washington DC Metro line is nice and safe...but do keep your family together at all times.

My kids really enjoyed navigating the Washington Metro maps and riding the trains. It was great to enlist them to help us plan our daily route. This kept the trip interesting and fun for them and they enjoyed taking a bit of ownership as our family did DC!

One last note about the Hotel Palomar. It is pet-friendly and sports a variety of room types and prices, so check with your travel agent, the hotel website or one of the travel sites to see prices. We found a variety of prices based on availability, room type and booking sites. The Palomar is less than the high-end properties like the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton and is mid-range in price. Since our kids are tween and teen-aged, we wanted to stay somewhere unique, fun and funky and the Hotel Palomar by Kimpton Hotels delivered.

I did find a good family friendly list of DC hotels in a Frommer’s article and another one of Kimpton’s hotels was listed called the Monaco Washington DC. For us, the other Kimpton property, the Hotel Palomar was just right. The hotel also sports a pool and kids receive a gift upon check-in. Definitely a hip, trendy and fun place to stay that my family of four really enjoyed.

***No compensation was provided by the Hotel Palomar. We took this vacation on our hard-earned dime and the opinions are 100% mine.***

Filed Under: Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Dupont Circle, Hotel Palomar in DC, Kimpton Hotels, Rachel Recommends, Travel

Money-Saving Ideas that Worked Well on our Washington DC Trip

June 13, 2012 By ManagedMoms.com Leave a Comment

Of course, The Washington National Monument is a must-see and tomorrow we will tell you about some other fantastic DC attractions that you may not have thought of before.

Manic: Preparing to take a big trip to Washington DC to see family and to sight-see. Planning a trip for a family of four is always a big job for the manic managed mom in the family!

Managed: Dedicating two days to research and price comparing to shop fares, hotels and more. Here are a few ways we saved some money on our initial planning….

*Airfare – I called the travel number on the back of my American Express card for free travel planning. We compared fares on all of the airlines that serve Phoenix to Washington DC and we narrowed it down to Southwest Airlines and US Air. The trick to reducing your fare is to be flexible on arrival airports and departure times. We saved $600 on two of our tickets by leaving in the early evening and by choosing to land at Baltimore’s BWI airport instead of the closer Reagan National or Washington Dulles. We chose to fly in to BWI and that added an extra hour drive to our final destination, but the savings was worth it.

Check with your credit card companies and airline frequent flyer programs to see about your eligible points. We were able to trade in a good amount of our American Express points for two of our airline tickets, so that was also a big savings.

*Hotels – I called American Express for hotel ideas, but before I booked, I spent a full afternoon narrowing down my hotel choices and looking each one up on a variety of travel websites. My favorite sites to check are Travelocity under the Family Vacations Packages page and tripadvisor for thorough customer reviews and property pictures taken by real hotel guests. For added discounts, check with your AAA membership program as many hotels offer 10% or more discounts when you show your AAA card at check-in.

After researching mutiple hotels in the DC area, we decided on the Hotel Palomar, located in the heart of the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post that will be all about the Hotel Palomar and some sight-seeing ideas that you have to see when you travel to DC!

A walk by the White House is a must-do, but to inquire about an inside tour, you have to call months in advance.

Filed Under: Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Rachel Recommends, Travel, Travel money saving ideas, Washington DC

Arizona Grand Resort Review for Families

May 28, 2012 By ManagedMoms.com Leave a Comment

Manic: The last frenzied days of school.

Managed: Ahhh….school ending! The calendar suddenly opens up and isn’t filled with commitments from top to bottom! Oh how I love summer! To celebrate, I took my girl and her buddy to check out the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa. We stayed one fun-filled night and day, and for the most part, we loved it. Read on for my review because if you are looking for an active resort that is super kid-friendly, you have to know about the Arizona Grand.

The resort’s website describes the property like this…

AAA Four Diamond Arizona Grand Resort is the leading Arizona family vacation getaway and Southwest meetings destination. The 740 suite hotel and conference center offers an 18-hole golf course, athletic club, spa, salon, a 7-acre water park, seven unique dining venues and 117,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

That is all right on and the 7-acre water park will have your kids entertained all day long, but do beware of our powerful sun rays here in the Valley of the Sun. I recommend not letting your kids play all day at the water park because even with sunscreen, they can finish the day sporting a bad sunburn. So come and play at the resort’s Oasis Water Park, but do proceed with caution and with a healthy dose of sunscreen that needs to be reapplied throughout the day.

Our personal experience with the resort was very good. I did have a few complaints that included outdated and small TVs in the room and an $8.50 room charge fee for a hot cocoa order that turned out to be a pot of hot water and several Swiss Miss packets. However, upon calling a very nice manager named Darrell, he let me know that updated flat screen TVs were on order and he refunded my hot chocolate charge. He told me that he appreciated my feedback and would share my request for real hot cocoa, complete with whipped cream on the side and minus the lumpy powdered packets, as a potential future menu change. I greatly appreciated his ear and quick response, so kudos to the resort’s management!

To share the rest of our experience, take a look at our pictures…

One thing I love about the resort grounds is the layout of the rooms. Most areas have ample parking right outside your room, so valet parking is not needed, which saves money.

Here the bellman takes the girls to our room. I followed in my car and found a nice spot close to our room entrance. We never needed my car again since the property is nicely laid out with attractions in walking distance.

Guests can also be shuttled over to the property’s restaurants, spa, golf course and more. So getting around, while not needing our car, was nice and easy. The resort offers so many activities and delicious dining that there is no need to leave the Arizona Grand which really means that you truly get away from it all. I like that!

The exterior of the rooms are shown behind the girls.

The Arizona Grand website describes the rooms like this…

At Arizona Grand Resort, luxurious over-sized, two-room suites provide intimate, residential-style comfort. Each of the 740 suites at our Phoenix hotel has been designed to reflect the natural comfort of the warm Arizona desert.

I found that to be true and I love how every room includes two rooms. Many resorts require an upgraded room rate for a spacious 2-room suite, but this is standard at the Grand, which is nice for families who need a little space.

Our room included nice french doors that lead right out to the Oasis Water Park. For families that want to partake in the pools and slides, this is a great option.

This is our view on the other side of the french doors. The building pictured is the entrance to the water park, so the close proximity was terrific! If you want a room close to the water park, ask for the Camelback building when booking your reservation.

Pretty view of the Oasis Water Park pool area with a healthy amount of tubes for all.

With a lazy river and exciting slides, of all of the local resorts, we vote the Arizona Grand's Oasis Water Park as the #1 resort pool area!

Fab fish tacos for me!

The Oasis Water Park offers a good menu with lots of kid-friendly choices.

I highly recommend the Prickly Pear Margarita for a refreshing Mom drink! Plus the gift shop has sunscreen, lip balm, hats and more if you forget any of your sun-protection items.

As far as good food and fun goes, the resort's popular western-themed restaurant called Rustler's Rooste is a great experience!

The super fun slide that runs down the middle of the restaurant and close to the country music stage is great fun for the kids!

With steaks, fabulous fried chicken, even fried rattle snake (not for me, though!) the food is plentiful and although not gourmet, it is satisfying.

Complimentary cotton candy was a nice surprise for dessert!

We also tried the appropriately-named "Cow Pie" dessert which houses coffee ice cream under a scrumptious hard-shelled layer of chocolate and on top of a yummy cookie crust. My girl enjoyed the classic hot fudge sundae.

We left with the girls adorned by the balloon figures that the restaurant's talented balloon artist made for them and we stopped by the eatery's gift shop to purchase two darling stuffed horses that sold for under $10 each.

We loved our fun and tasty experience at the Rustler’s Rooste!

On Day 2, I surprised the girls with a spa treatment because the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa offers a fun treatment for girls aged 6 to 11 called The Pretty Princess Package.

Surprise spa services for the girls!

For $80 your little girl gets a manicure, a pedicure and a beautiful hair style that includes curls and a princess tiara. I think $80 is a good value for three different services.

The girls loved it, but if I do this again, I will ask to skip some of the pedicure steps since the girls found that part to be long, tedious and a little uncomfortable on their tender feet. In the future, I would ask that they bathe and massage the feet, and paint the toenails, but skip the trimming, filing and buffing. Take a look at the pictures to see the spa fun they had and to see their after photos once the very talented hair stylist named Cheryl finished the styles…

Hair stylist pro working her magic on my girl. This is the before shot...

After and both the girls leave with stunning styles! Thanks Cheryl!

The girls leave the spa happy and so very pretty princess-like!

And if you come to spa for some mom alone time, without the princesses, there is a nice deck for total relaxation.

And a nice fire pit for the cooler winter nights we get in Phoenix. Come, relax and enjoy!

Overall we were very impressed with our stay at the Arizona Grand and the resort has some great summer rates right now like the Summer Splash family rate with rooms starting at $179 a night that include a $50 nightly credit. There are rules and restrictions, so be sure to visit the Arizona Grand website for all of the details. I also saw a rate for as low as $149 per night on the resort’s website, so check that out for rules and restrictions. Happy Summer everyone!

***No compensation was provided for this travel piece. The opinions are 100% mine and 100% of our resort room stay was paid for by my hubby Thanks hon!***

Filed Under: Family Matters, Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Arizona Grand Resort & Spa Family Review, Family summer rates at Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, Oasis Water Park at Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, Pretty Princess Package spa treatment for girls at Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, Rachel Recommends, Rustler's Rooste Restaurant in Phoenix, Travel

Time Tested Travel Tips for Families

May 24, 2012 By ManagedMoms.com Leave a Comment

Manic: Finding time to schedule some family visits this summer and making sure that our family has smooth and stress-free travels.

Managed: Got myself organized and decided to share my time tested travel tips in my Channel 3 segment this week. One idea that I didn’t cover in my segment is to consider flying a family member in to house and pet-sit for you. My husband’s awesome cousin is coming for us. She gets away for a bit and we get one of our favorite people in the whole world to stay here and give our kitties lots of TLC! Here are some of my other tips and some of my favorite family travel products…

Filed Under: Family Matters, KTVK Morning Show, Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Family Matters, KTVK Morning Show, Rachel Recommends, Travel

California Bound for Summer? Check Out this Cool Carmel Resort!

May 15, 2012 By ManagedMoms.com Leave a Comment

Manic: Hopefully life is not as manic lately as the school year is winding down, but for a lot of parents, we become a busy travel agent as we launch into planning a summer get-away (ahhh…how nice does that word sound?!).

Managed: Remembering that I did an entire California road trip series on this website last summer and since so many of my readers and subscribers are new this year, I have decided to run a few of those travel pieces from last year. So if you are considering traveling to California, you have got to know about this treasured resort tucked deep into beautiful Carmel, California!

Last summer my family took a scenic road trip that took us from Phoenix through Santa Monica, California up to Carmel, on to San Francisco and then back down again. It was a wonderful trip that our family will never forget, especially our favorite stop in Carmel.

After a scenic, but long drive from the second leg of our 1700 mile road trip, which was from LA to Carmel, we were ready to get there. And all we wanted to do was eat and sleep! So we called the resort two hours before our arrival to confirm that our room was ready and that food was available. We were surprised to learn that this property only has one restaurant and that it closes at 9 p.m. So we ordered over the phone and when we arrived at 9:30 p.m., our food was ready!

And when we did arrive, my family of four got our second wind because the resort was lovely, the grounds were scenic and Carmel was simply beautiful! And the resort that we stayed in….well this is my new favorite place to stay in California! It’s called Carmel Valley Ranch Resort and it quite simply, rocks! I’ll let my pictures tell the rest of the story….

: Arriving at Carmel Valley Ranch Resort

: A welcoming swing greets us in front of the lobby and my daughter is thrilled!

: My favorite road trip picture as we cross the bridge that leads us to our room.

: Our room, which turned out to be more like a spacious apartment! It was awesome!

: Our back porch view. Carmel is beautiful!

: The spacious and beautiful grounds. My camera didn’t capture the wild turkeys and deer we saw in the distance. Very cool!

And this property had a beautiful pool area, incredible food and even a friendly dog named Roxi! And we met some fun and kind folks from Dubai for after dinner drinks for us and marshmallow roasting for the kids! A terrific time was had by all!

: Roxy helping customers. My daughter fell in love with her!

Yep, we loved Carmel Valley Ranch Resort so much that this part of our road trip turned into to days 3, 4 and 5 because we extended our stay here before heading to busy San Francisco. It was relaxing, quiet and beautiful and yet, there were plenty of activities for our kids, too. I highly recommend this resort if you ever visit Carmel.

It is pricy, but we secured a good deal with our American Express card that included free breakfast, a $100 credit towards golf or the spa, a free room upgrade and a 4pm late check-out. Check with your American Express card services about that discount package the next time you plan to travel.

Stay tuned for my next road trip post. I will post another one in a few days from last summer’s road trip adventure to give you some ideas on where to go when you visit the beautiful state of California!

***No compensation was provided in any form whatsoever for this travel piece. The opinions are 100% mine.***

Filed Under: Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: California, California road trip, Carmel, Carmel Valley Ranch Resort, Rachel Recommends, Travel

An Amtrak Train Trip Vacation…Reviewed by my Teenager!

May 1, 2012 By ManagedMoms.com 7 Comments

Manic: My son’s schedule with honors classes, travel hockey, Student Council, National Jr. Honor Society, ushering at our church and more!

Managed: He got away from it all and took a very special trip with his Grandparents on an Amtrak train. And he offered to blog about it for us, so check out what he wrote and consider taking an Amtrak train vacation!

Jack says:

This past Spring Break, my grandparents and I took a train trip. For those of you who don’t know much about trains and are thinking “why would they do that” think again. It was one of the best weeks of my life and being with my easy-going grandparents only made it that much more special.

Our trip began back on the Friday before Spring break. Though the getaway had been in the books for months, I was anxious, excited, and not knowing what to expect. I had ridden the Amtrak trains before, but only for a couple hours.

During our trip, we planned to travel 2,685 miles across the western United States. My grandparents live in southern New Mexico, so I flew from Phoenix to El Paso, TX. After spending a night at their house, we headed back to El Paso to board our first train. Our plan was to travel from El Paso to Los Angeles, CA. From there we would transfer trains and head north from LA to Sacramento. After spending two nights there, we would head back west to Denver and spend a couple nights there. Finally, after almost exactly a week, I would fly home from Denver to Phoenix and resume my normal life.

So we were off and we boarded our first train, the Sunset Limited, at the El Paso Union station and embarked on our adventure! Once aboard, and over my initial excitement, I decided to explore our 8 car long train. The train had 2 locomotives at the front, followed by three sleeping cars, a dining car, a lounge/sightseeing car, and four coach cars. Since the first leg of our trip was overnight, we paid extra to be in a sleeper. The room was roomy enough for three people, and windows on either side gave everyone a chance to see the desert scenery.

Soon, we left our room and moseyed our way to the dining car for dinner.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the dining car. From the first meal to the last (and the countless number in between), not once was I disappointed with my meal.

After dinner we returned to our car for the night. With just a press of a button, the porter for our car came and turned our chairs into beds. My grandparents slept on the lower beds and I slept on the bunk. Never was I worried about falling, for harnesses banked the side of my bunk, and the slight rocking motion of the train instantly put me in a deep sleep.

The next morning, we detrained at the historic Los Angeles Union Station in downtown LA. The building was massive and very elegant. Added with the rush of a weekday morning, I found a seat and took in my surroundings. It wasn’t long before we had to catch our next train, the Coast Starlight.

Walking along the Coast Starlight, my favorite Amtrak train!

Ah, the Coast Starlight, Amtrak’s most elegant train. The seaside route provided breathtaking ocean views while you sit back in the lap of luxury. From the Pacific Parlor Car, to even the simplest coach seat, this train had it all.

Maybe the most memorable part of the trip though, wasn’t the lavish seats or the amazing views, but meeting a young Amtrak waiter.

After our first encounter, when I “took charge” and decided when our dinner reservations should be, our waiter, Dustin took right to me. By the end of dinner, we had chatted with him and a San Francisco mom we had met over the meal, for almost three hours!

Don’t think that this was the only pleasant employee we met. Almost everyone that assisted us was not only friendly, but open to talking or giving us anything we need. My only thought, “My mom would love chatting with them.”

Finally, it was time for the final leg of our journey. After arriving in Sacramento and exploring California’s capital, it was time to get back on the road. The California Zephyr would be the name of our last carrier.

After seeing desert and ocean, the only type of scenery yet to be found was the mountains. The Zephyr resolved that “conflict” by going through not one, but two mountain ranges (the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies). We saw snow, peaks, and followed along the banks of the Colorado River. The scenes I saw were unforgettable. After climbing, descending, and going through five mile long tunnels, we reached the heart of Colorado.

Denver was great, and a quick visit to Golden, Colorado (best known for being the home of Miller Coors corp.) made everything magnificent. Unfortunately, our getaway didn’t last forever, and before I knew it, I was boarding the blue Southwest plane that would take me home. I said my goodbyes to my Grandma and Pop Pop, and walked down the jet way to return home. A week I would never forget was over, but exceeded my wildest expectations!

Amtrak Review:

Hopefully this article has got you interested in train travel as a future vacation. Here is my review of the Amtrak experience.

On-time: You may have heard rumors that Amtrak is never on time. We rode three different trains, and never did we arrive at our destination more than an hour late. For train travel that’s great. And if you are in a hurry, the train ISN’T the way to go.
Service: I couldn’t believe all the friendly employees that I met during our trip. Dustin was only one prime example of the Amtrak spirit. Our porters, waitresses, and conductors treated us with respect and helpfulness.
Amenities: The amenities on the train were better than I expected, but not over exciting. For sleeping car passengers, showers are available. Though the showers aren’t as easy while moving, the results were the same as if I was at home. Bathrooms were numerous, outlets accessible to everyone, and lounge cars had snack bars with various Pepsi products, snacks and small meals.
Comfort: Ample leg room on coach cars, soft beds in sleepers. The comfort of the train is second to none. You can relax, have a drink of any sort, and take in your surroundings. If you are looking for a peaceful, beautiful getaway, the train is a great option.

If you are looking for a relaxing way to travel, or take in amazing sights, the train is the way to go! I highly recommend an Amtrak train trip!

***A big thank you to my son, Jack for writing this terrific review. I am a proud Mama! And a huge thank you to Grandma and Pop Pop for taking our son on such a special trip! This trip was taken on the Grandparents’ dime with no compensation from Amtrak. The opinions are 100% owned by my teenager!***

Filed Under: Rachel Recommends, Travel Tagged With: Amtrak, Amtrak Train Trip reviewed by a teenager, Coast Starlight on Amtrak, Rachel Recommends, Sunset Limited on Amtrak, Teen Talk, Travel