A few months back we took our daughter on her first vacation. Cruising offers a fantastic vacation experience for families, and we were excited to book a ten day Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Breakaway. This magnificent ship provides an array of amenities and activities designed to cater to guests of all ages, ensuring an unforgettable voyage for everyone. For our first trip I’m so glad we choose an option that made traveling with a toddler so easy.
We booked our trip through the Costco Vacation website, and while the prices booking direct were exactly the same, Costco provided a ton of perks that wouldn’t otherwise be available like a photo package and fun add-on’s like casino cash and bingo cards during the ships pay to play games. We also received both a Costco Shop card to use after the trip and as executive members at Costco the total is included towards our annual spending with them ensuring more cash back at the end of the year.
One of the great things about booking a cruise through Costco is the low price guarantee. A few months before our trip we discovered that rates had decreased a ton, so we reached out and Costco was able to coordinate upgrading us to a much larger suite for the same money as what we originally paid.
Norwegian Breakaway offers a variety of accommodation options that are ideal for families with toddlers. Spacious and comfortable cabins provide ample room for your little one to move around freely. Some staterooms even feature connecting doors, allowing easy access between cabins for added convenience. Upon checking in the steward brought us a pack and play that fit perfectly in-between the bed and couch inside the room.
We booked Balcony Stateroom with an extra large balcony which was AMAZING for giving us the opportunity to lounge outside while the baby napped. A normal balcony only fits a table and chairs but the extra large balcony (limited number per ship) had enough space for the table and chairs as well as two full size loungers.
This is the one downside of booking with Norwegian. Unlike more family focused cruise lines Norwegian did not have dedicated activities for children under the age of 3. Splash Academy, the ships complimentary youth program was only for children who had been fully potty trained and babies are not allowed in pools on any cruise lines (coast guard rules). That said we still had tons to do with our active toddler and the staff made the entire trip a true joy. Each meal staff members would ensure to bring food early for the baby and would often play games with her by making puppets at the table out of napkins.
Dining with a toddler can sometimes be challenging, but Norwegian Breakaway was perfect for making sure we were covered. Our baby was welcome in all the dining rooms, including the formal dinners and kids menus and high-chairs were easily available.
There was a dedicated area for toddlers called the guppies room, but after checking it out we never returned to that space. The room was stocked with a handful of community toys, and was very small. It was better to allow our daughter to practice walking on the walking path or play with toys we brought from home in lounges or bars
While the trip itself was amazing, I personally wouldn’t recommend a Norwegian Cruise for a family with a child under the age of 5. I loved giving her the experience of visiting so many new countries even though she will be too little to remember. There was a significant cost to include our 13 month old on the trip, but there was virtually no reason for the cost as she ate very little and drank only milk. Overall the lack of specific activities for her made it challenging for us to do much outside of eating and drinking (not that eating and drinking isn’t a core part of the cruise experience). Next time we cruise with our daughter we’ll definitely pick a cruise line more known for their kids activities.
Back in May we took road trip from Colorado to Park City, Utah to celebrate my birthday and enjoy getting away from home for just a couple of days. Park City is a resort town, similar to Aspen in Colorado. Walking shops, delicious food and mountain air made for the perfect getaway.
One of the things we didn’t consider when planning our trip was the overall elevation. While Denver is a mile high, Park City tops off at 7,000 feet. That means that even during late spring and summer Park City has snowstorms and chilly weather.
To escape the cold we decided to take a day trip into Salt Lake City to experience Antelope Island State Park. Antelope Island is just outside city and backs up to the Great Salt Lake. Home to over 550 bison Antelope Island offers the opportunity to experience wildlife from a safe distance while enjoying views of the mountains and surrounding canyon.
Entry to the park is $15 per car for the day, and includes access to the scenic highway abundant with bison. A leisurely drive through the park lasted about 4 hours and provided sights of both bison and antelope. The road itself is well paved so 4 wheel drive is not a requirement to visit the park, although some dirt roads can be bumpy in places.
With social distancing still in effect I know we are all equally bummed about the lack of travel adventures this summer. Since both Drew and I recently changed jobs we had been waiting for the summer to have enough vacation time built up to head somewhere fun. I’ve been craving a beach vacation but just because it’s not the cards right now, doesn’t mean that we can’t kick back and enjoy the summer anyways.
One of the best things about staycations is not having to worry about travel time. When we travel I always feel like I need an extra day to recover from jet lag or take care of laundry but with a staycation every day is a quality day not doing the 9-5 grind.
When its hot outside there is nothing better then a brisk drink. This summer I’ve been loving Cliffton Dry ciders. Light and fruit their wine style cider is perfect for enjoying on a hot day. With a low alcohol, low sugar, and low calorie you don’t end up feeling dehydrated after an afternoon in the sun.
It’s unusual for anyone in Colorado to have a traditional pool and not all communities have shared ones to enjoy. With the ongoing stay at home orders most HOAs who do have pools aren’t opening them this year. Luckily I was able to snag my Minnidip inflatable pool before ‘great pool shortage of 2020’ began.
Labor day weekend is the perfect time to kick back in your yard and enjoy some rays from your own personal pool. The ‘Stop and Smell the Rose’ pool is big enough for 2 adults and deep enough to be able to actually get under the water. I used a airbed pump to blow mine up and snagged a pool skimmer off amazon to keep it clean.
If you haven’t been able to find a pool this summer and still want to, take advantage of Target’s ‘notify me when we restock’ feature. I had set alerts on all the Minnidip designs and was able to get one within a couple of days!
I didn’t know how much I was going to love having a hammock until I added one to the yard last summer. Now it’s my favorite place to relax at the end of a long day. Perfect for reading a book or just listening to the crickets after dusk, a hammock made my staycation complete.
I wanted something that would comfortably fit on the patio but could be stored away during the winter so I picked up the Vivere Space Saving Hammock Stand. Complete with a carry bag it’s easy to put everything away for the winter and stable enough to hold a hammock with both Drew, two corgis, and myself.
For the actual hammock I needed something that would easily support us both, without getting discolored by the sun. The Cotton Rope Hammock from Yellow Leaf Hammocks was the perfect solution. Each Yellow Leaf Hammock is handwoven in Northern Thailand by artisans and even have a tag showing the name of the person who made your hammock.
When the world is dreary bright colors is the perfect way to add some excitement into your life. I recently created a whole set of colorful DIY projects to add color and comfort to my patio using supplies from Fairfield World.
See the entire patio transformation and check out tutorials for DIY throw pillows and more on the full post!
Disclaimer: I received a sample of Cliffton Dry Cider to inspire this post. All photography and opinions are my own. Links to amazon are affiliate links and Rocky Mountain Bliss may receive financial support through your purchases at no additional cost to you.
For a COVID summer adventure you can’t get any more socially distant than the desert and in located in the middle of Colorado’s high plains is herd of wild horses, just waiting for their photo opp. I’ve lived in Colorado my entire life and I had no idea that wild horses were in my [4 hour away] backyard.
Owned by the Bureau of Land Management Sand Wash Basin is a rustic camping destination 48 miles outside the town of Craig, Colorado. Without any amenities and limited cell service inside the herd management area, the nearby Maybell Campground [Maintained by the town of Maybell] offers access to restrooms, showers and established campsites if completely roughing it isn’t your style.
Make sure you have a full tank of gas and plenty of water because once inside the BLM land there are no stops and even fewer people. With an elevation of 8,120 feet Sand Wash Basin doesn’t look like the mountains but if you aren’t used to the altitude you’ll want to be prepared. Officially deemed a ‘high desert’ the basin is home to fossils from it’s prehistoric history as a large lake and surrounded by ridges and mesas.
We started the day early, heading out just after sunrise and caught antelope, coyotes, jackrabbits and prairie dogs enjoying the cool morning air. Once inside the Herd Management Area dirt roads require high level 4 wheel drive but the well traveled roads are easy to maneuver. The Wild Horse Loop provides easy access to areas frequented by the bands and offers a day long journey through the area.
Wild horses live in bands or harems led by individual stallions. A single male maintains a group of female horses, protecting them from other stallions and encouraging offspring to leave the herd as they grow older. Inside the Sand Wash Basin the herd is maintained by annual round ups where females are darted with contraception to manage the population. Most bands we came across included a single male with 4-5 females.
While driving through the preserve it was important to pay close attention to the road, as animals would approach closer than anticipated. The BLM requires the use of zoom lens for horses and a distance of 100 feet but it was still easy to the animals themselves to sneak up on you. We had a group of antelope jump directly in front of the car!
Sturdy shoes and long pants are recommended for taking footpaths leading away from the road. Rattle snakes are common in the area so paying close attention if departing from the car is important.
The surrounding sagebrush makes walking in the hot sun an even more amazing experience. Summer sun heats the sage filling the air with the sweet spicy aroma. Driving with the windows down means tons of sand so be prepared to give the entire car a good cleaning after the trip.
We spent approximately 6 hours inside the Herd Management Area and came across at least 100 horses, not including the other animal encounters throughout the day. For a weekend trip, this was the perfect way to enjoy the beauty Colorado has to offer, all while keeping a safe and healthy distance from others.
