Soak City

We took the kids (ages 4 1/2 and 1 1/2) to Soak City on Friday.

This is what I came away with:

1. Get to the park when it opens. Check online for dates and times. We were able to get 3 beach chairs in the children's area and in the shade. Had we waited to arrive later -- say 11 or 11:30 a.m., well, we wouldn't have been so lucky.

2. Take your own beach towels. The park does not provide towels. You can buy them...but really, who wants to spend upwards of $10 on a towel?

3. Pack your lunch. Keep it in the car in a cooler [no coolers are allowed inside Soak City]. While there is a "snack bar" in the park, the food choices are a bit limited and the prices aren't cheap. [Examples: $4.49 for a hot dog w/ fries, close to $8.50 for a chicken sandwich and fries]. We made the mistake of not packing a lunch. Ooops.

4. We saw many families getting their arms/hands stamped as they left the park and then they set up their picnics in the grassy area outside the front gates of Soak City. We are definitely doing that next year!

5. The hand stamps - while I'm not sure if the same rule applies for Soak City...when we were at Cedar Point last month they told us to make sure we didn't get any lotion or sunscreen on the "blacklight stamps" or they would disappear. Good to know.

6. The areas for the kids are great. There is Adventure Cove, Choo-Choo Lagoon, Toddler River and Tadpole Town. So those of you with little wee ones....there is enough to do.

7. Take a waterproof camera. You know, one of those disposable types. While we took our "regular" digital...I didn't want to risk getting splashed while holding it (or worse, dropping it in the lazy river). The waterproof camera was great and it took great shots.

8. For those of you looking for the traditional "Cedar Point Boardwalk Fries"...have no fear! There was a cart selling boardwalk fries near the ChooChoo Lagoon. And the prices there were reasonable.

OK...that's all for now on Soak City. I'll have another post on Cedar Point coming up. And many posts on Disney World.

Pack your bags! Let's go!

Well here we are.

Now what?

I had the idea for this blog the other night as I was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep.

I tend to give out a lot of travel advice - my sister told me "you missed your calling, you should have been a travel agent."

I'm the "family travel agent" -- right now I'm in charge (sort of) of planning our family's vacation to Walt Disney World next spring.

I must be organized. For our Disney trip I currently have a folder full of notes and other planning things.

I think in order to travel successfully with kids you MUST be organized. Even for a short trip. You can't just leave home and hope to have a good time without just a little bit of planning.

And so, with this blog I am going to share my tips, secrets, and adventures with anyone out there willing to read about it.

Let's go!