Vacation Mavens

Imagine taking a weekend getaway to another country without needing a car or getting on a plane! Kim recently took a trip to Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is on the tip of Vancouver Island and is actually closer to the U.S. than Vancouver. You can take a high-speed ferry on the Victoria Clipper directly from Seattle. Another option is to take a seaplane from Kenmore Air or Harbour Air from Vancouver. There is also a car ferry from the Port Angeles area.

You can listen to more about Kim's previous trip on Episode 139 about Victoria or read her tips for taking the Victoria Clipper. This trip was hosted by the Victoria Clipper.

The high-speed ferry takes about 2.5 hours from Seattle. The ferry drops off in the main Victoria Harbor and you can walk to the Inn at Laurel Point. Kim has also stayed at the Coast Hotel during a previous stay, but that is slightly further away from the city center. The Fairmont Empress is great for a luxury stay or even just to book a high tea experience.

Things to do on a weekend getaway:

• Butchart Gardens - which also offers high tea in the original family home. If you book a trip on the Victoria Clipper, they offer vacation packages that also include things like bus transfers to the Gardens.
• In the Harbour, Canada has done a place-making project to give more visibility to First Nations as it was historically a very important cultural site for many local First Nations people.
• There are three free daily shuttles to the Malahat Skywalk, which is owned by the Malahat Nation. You climb a ramp through an open, beehive-like structure and at the top, you can climb on a net and look out over the scenery and the water. There are also various sculptures made by locals. You can walk back down or take a slide for part of the descent.
• You can also go wine tasting in Victoria at Blue Grouse Estate Winery with a gorgeous tasting room, or the Venturi-Schultz Vineyard, where they also make estate balsamic vinegar and Enrico Winery. Local wines include Pinot Noir, sparkling wine, and white wines.
• Ritual Nordic Spa in downtown Victoria has a great Nordic spa experience with steam, a sauna, a cold plunge pool, salt room, showers, an infrared sauna, and a private patio for relaxation.
• Aura is the restaurant at the Inn at Laurel Point and is excellent (the coffee shop also has amazing croissants)
• Endive is a pescatarian restaurant with seasonal ingredients and many things are served family style.

Tamara recently took a press trip to San Antonio, Texas, hosted by Visit San Antonio, to see what there was to do in San Antonio for families. She found that San Antonio has a lot of history and culture, great food, fun theme parks, and plenty of free or affordable attractions.

San Antonio could make a great winter or spring break family vacation (when the weather is cooler). The city is also ideal for a girls' trip or couples getaway weekend. Top sites include:

• San Antonio is the theme park capital of Texas with four theme parks within a short drive. They have the largest SeaWorld of all the parks. There is also a Six Flags, Schlitterbahn water park, and Morgan's Wonderland.
• Morgan's Wonderland is an ultra-accessible amusement park but built so that everyone can play. Each ride and attraction has been designed from the ground up to be accessible and conscious of those with special needs.
• The San Antonio CityPASS can save you money if you want to visit quite a few museums and attractions (including the San Antonio Zoo).
• The Riverwalk extends for 15 miles and outside of the core downtown horseshoe section, it is a quiet and lush urban park. You can even kayak on the river.
• The Pearl is a dining and entertainment district with residences and the Hotel Emma.
• The food in San Antonio is great and it is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Some highlights: Eddie's Taco Shop, Best American Daughter, Burgerteca, Stix and Stone, The Jerk Shack, and La Panaderia
• In addition to the Alamo, there are four other Missions that are run by the National Park Service, which offer even more to see.
• The Witte Museum is great for kids with plenty of interactive exhibits and play areas.
• The Japanese Tea Garden in Brackenridge Park is beautiful and peaceful
• Hemisfair Park downtown also is great for family with young kids with splash pads and climbing structures.
• Tamara stayed at the Intercontinental San Antonio Riverwalk on the quieter section of the Riverwalk. There are also great resort hotels in Hill Country just outside of San Antonio.

See more about Tamara's trip and reasons to visit San Antonio with kids.

• Girlfriend getaway to El Paso, Texas
• Things to do in Austin, Texas with kids

Kim recently took her two girls to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando for a mother-daughter getaway. Hear more about her trip, learn some strategies for using Lightning Lane, new rides, new theme parks coming, and comparisons between the parks.

It was hot, humid, and rainy in the afternoons, but they still had a fun time exploring all the parks. Luckily, Universal Orlando has more indoor rides that help on rainy days.

• Tron in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom - it is like riding a motorcycle but on a roller coaster track. The ride is fabulous but really short.
• Splash Mountain is now Tiana's Bayou Adventure - this is a two-by-two flume-like ride that has been redesigned.
• Disney now has Lightning Lane Multi Experience and Lightning Lane Single Experience. With the Multi Experience, it works on multiple rides and as soon as you tap into one ride, you can request the next Lightning Lane. You want to purchase and prebook your first ride in advance. Single Experience is where you can buy a Lightning Lane time slot for individual rides like Tron or Rise of the Resistance.
• Disney's Lightning Lane experience is better than Universal's Express Pass because they load people from that lane faster.
• Disney has also changed their rules around their Disability Access service and made it much harder to obtain a pass. Keep this in mind if you have children with special needs and have used that service in the past.
• Tip: If you want to stay at one of the Deluxe hotels on property, you can stay by renting Disney Vacation Club points. (Riviera has Skyliner access) See Kim's article on renting and using DVC points.
• Disney is building a new ride in the Avengers Campus and they are getting rid of the Tom Sawyer Island and Riverboat in Magic Kingdom to create Cars Land.

Note: Universal Orlando hosted Kim's family for this part of the trip.

• Kim stayed at the Loews Sapphire Falls, which is a Moderate property and does not include the Express Passes. The Sapphire Falls is within walking distance to the parks and guests get one hour early entry.
• Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure still has very long lines.
• The nice thing about the Universal Express Passes don't require you to book any times online, so it is less stressful to manage. However, many people have these passes because they are staying at the premium hotels and the lanes load slowly so sometimes you don't save a lot of time (sometimes only about 10 minutes of time savings).
• There is a Universal Express Unlimited Pass that lets you ride a ride in the Express pass lane as much as you would like, without limits.
• Universal Orlando is building a whole new theme park in 2025 called Epic Universe. It is going to be further away from CityWalk and the other parks or hotels. It will also have another portion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic. There will also be two premium hotels and a How to Train Your Dragon land.

• Disney Vacation Club tips
• Choosing a Disney World hotel
• Walt Disney World tips
• Universal Orlando's Volcano Bay
• Universal Orlando insider tips

If you love Italy and Greece, you are going to love today's destination! Tamara shares her two-week trip with her husband to Croatia. They visited Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, Split, Zadar, and Istria for a mix of relaxation, food, wine, history, and cultural exploration.

Croatia is a lovely country to visit because it is very clean and one of the safest countries to visit in the world.

Unfortunately, it is also surprisingly expensive. It isn't the "cheaper" Italy. You can see a full Croatia budget breakdown. Istria was less expensive than other parts of the country.

Tamara's itinerary included:

• 3 nights in Dubrovnik at the Rixos Premium
• 1 night in Korcula at Aminess Hotel Korcula
• 3 nights in Hvar at the Beach Bay Hvar Hotel
• 1 night in Zadar at Hotel Bastion
• 4 nights in Istria at the Hotel Meneghetti

You can find her full Croatia itinerary for couples here.

It is best to fly into one city and fly out of another. For example, fly into Dubrovnik and out of Zagreb. To get around in the southern Dalmatian region and islands, you can ferry hop to different islands. To visit the northern part of the country, it is best to rent a car.

Another option is to take a small ship cruise or yacht charter to explore the coast and islands that way.

• Tamara's anniversary trip to Greece
• Couples trip to Piemonte, Italy

Tamara heads to Tucson, Arizona frequently since her daughter Hannah is now a junior at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Kim and Tamara first experienced Tucson together at a Family Travel Association Conference, but since Hannah started school Tamara has visited a number of times.

While many of her activities are centered around the University of Arizona, she has taken time to explore more of the area.

• Visit in the summer for lower prices but expect dry temps over 100 and it can also be monsoon season with short heavy rain storms and flooding
• Avoid May graduation, August move in, Parent weekend in September or October, the Mineral & Gem Show in February, and big football or basketball games to find better availability for hotels
• If you want a resort hotel with a pool, you are better looking at some of the hotels in the foothills versus downtown
• You need to rent a car if you want to stay at a resort and explore the area
• It is about 2-2.5 hours from Phoenix if you want to fly into there instead of Tucson or combine the two destinations

• Best for families: Westin Paloma
• See Tamara's picks for the best places to stay in Tucson
• Favorite for couples: Hacienda Del Sol
• Best near campus: Graduate Tucson
• Best downtown: Home2Suites by Hilton

• Saguaro National Park
• Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum
• Sunset at West Gate Pass
• Night sky star gazing at Mt Lemmon Windy Point or Kitt Peak
• Hiking in Sabino Canyon
• Pima Air and Space Museum
• Horseback riding at White Stallion Ranch / Cowboy Cookout at Tanque Verde Ranch
• Old Town Tucson
• Shopping along Fourth Avenue
• Enjoy Mexican food
• See more things to do in Tucson
• Great brunch spots in Tucson

• Scottsdale
• Tempe, Arizona

Kim just came back from her third cruise of the year and her first small-ship cruise on Windstar Cruises. TL;DR, she loved Windstar and small ship cruising! In this week's episode Kim dishes on everything you need to know about small ship cruising on Windstar.

Plus, hear about her pre-cruise excursions from Reykjavik including a small group Golden Circle tour with Hidden Iceland and hot springs experiences at the Sky Lagoon and Blue Lagoon.

Note: Kim was hosted by Windstar Cruises for purposes of her review. All opinions are her own.

Highlights of the Windstar Cruise experience:

• Small staff with personalized service
• Easier to make connections with fellow cruisers
• Very large cabins with a sitting area, walk in closet, and large bathroom
• Dining options
• Observatory lounge

• Princess Alaska Cruise
• Holland America Caribbean cruise
• Barge and river cruising through France
• Off-the-beaten path in West Iceland
• Iceland family travel tips

Are you ready to go leaf peeping in New England this fall? Tamara shares some great destinations and road trips on where to go to northern New England including Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

• New England covers Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island
• If you are visiting in the fall, you will want to keep an eye on the fall foliage trackers and know that the further north you go, the earlier it will peak
• The prime time is late September through mid-October for fall travel
• How to plan a New England road trip: fly into Boston and then head north to Portland, Maine and then into the White Mountains of New Hampshire and then into Vermont
• You will need at least a week to do a road trip if you are flying in
• Otherwise you can easily plan a long weekend
• 7 Fall New England road trip options
• Best things to do in New England with kids
• The White Mountains in New Hampshire makes a great long weekend or even weeklong trip
• Where to go glamping in New England
• Where to stop on the Kancamaugus Highway in New Hampshire
• Vermont is great for couples with quintessential charming towns
• Burlington, Vermont is a fun getaway and Brattleboro is perfect for artists. One of Tamara's favorite towns is Manchester, Vermont.
• Tamara has done a wonderful romantic getaway at the Weston luxury inn in Vermont
• Plan a Vermont road trip
• Highwood Retreat in Vermont is an off-the-grid glamping spot great for couples
• Lumen Nature Retreat in Lincoln/N.Woodstock, New Hampshire
• Alpine Garden Glamping in the White Mountains has a great location with cabins, Hobbit Houses, and a treehouse and it is located on a winery
• Best lobster rolls in Maine
• Best vacation spots in Maine
• Boston to Bar Harbor Maine coast road trip
• Things to do in Portland, Maine in the winter
• Things to do in the Berkshires in the winter and summer
• Best family vacations in New England (for every season)

• Fall travel destinations
• Off-the-beaten path in Maine
• Tamara's New England travels
• Planning a girls' trip to Maine

Kim is back from her 7th Alaska cruise! This one was on Princess Cruise visiting the Inside Passage that cruises from Seattle and visits Victoria, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagaway and sails through Glacier Bay. 

Note: Kim was hosted by Princess Cruises for her trip.

• This cruise visits Victoria very briefly at night so not a good choice if you really want to visit Victoria
• When evaluating cruises, you need to look closely at the time and length in port very carefully
• If you do want to pick a cruise that flies out of Vancouver, it may be cheaper to fly into Seattle and take either a train or bus to Vancouver
• The Discovery Princess ship carries up to 4300 guests so it is a large ship about the same size as the Norwegian Bliss (which we have talked about previously)
• It leaves from Pier 91 in Seattle, which is a bit north of the main Seattle waterfront and port area
• If you sail with Princess, do the onboard check in on the app at least a month or a few weeks in advance so that you can receive your Medallions in the mail
• The 16th floor on the Discovery Princess is the pool deck so you may need to walk outside to get the buffet and mid-ship elevators depending on where your room is. Kim's room also had an overhang covering the balcony
• The cabins on the Discovery Princess are a little small, with no additional seating beyond the bed (except on the balcony)
• The cabin had a very generous closet space but the bathroom was quite tight (look at the cabin layout in advance)
• Kim went in mid-June and had amazing weather but there are no guarantees
• The Princess Theater was quite large 
• The premier package level is $80 per person, per day includes WiFi for 4 devices per person, 2 specialty dining meals, and the highest level of drink package
• The 360 dining experience is something you need to book when you arrive and it is a seven-course meal with courses from around the world and it includes videos from makers around the world
• The food on board was good but fairly standard cruise fare outside of specialty dining
• Princess has a lot of lounges with something going on somewhere at all time
• You can buy a day pass to the Sanctuary pool and area
• Princess has a kids club and activities but there weren't a lot of families on board but it is great for multi-generational family trips
• In Juneau, Kim went whale watching and it was spectacular wildlife sighting
• In Skagway, Kim did the White Pass Scenic Railway and "Sip to Summit" excursion
• In Ketchikan, Kim did a fishing excursion and after you catch fish they cook it for you on a private island
• Not all cruise ships in Alaska goes to Glacier Bay National Park so be sure to look for this! There seem to be better views from the left side of the ship
• Bigger ships have to dock further away and some need to tender to port so this is something else to consider when taking an Alaskan cruise
• Smaller ship (like Holland) are better for walking on and off the ship

• Holland America Caribbean cruise
• Barge and river cruising through France
• NYC to Bahamas cruise on Norwegian
• Norwegian Bliss cruise to Alaska
• Disney Cruise for First-timers

Summer vacation is almost here and we are getting ready for the busiest summer travel season ever! Be sure to pack your patience, your travel insurance, and these travel apps. In this episode we talk about some of our favorite travel apps that we are using lately for road trips, plane travel, and international travel.

Travel Apps to Download this Summer:

• Flight Aware - helps you track to see where planes are and their status
• Airline apps - send you alerts for delays, help you rebook easily, download mobile boarding passes, can sometimes track luggage, inbound flights, or provide information on airport lounge locations and status
• Mobile Passport Control - for international travelers that don't have Global Entry
• Apple Find My Device with Apple AirTags or alternatively use Tile or similar trackers for checked bags
• Roadtrippers - helps you plan road trips and find things to stop at along the way
• GasBuddy - helps you find gas stations and the most affordable gas
• Welcome Pickups - arrange airport transfers or other transportation in 256 locations worldwide
• Daytrip - sightseeing city to city transfers with stops along the way
• Hotel apps - allow you to chat with the hotel, digital check in and check out, and sometimes select room, get a digital key, manage entertainment, and other services
• Card Pointers - helps you manage all your various credit card offers and helps you decide which card to use where and when and maximize your special offers
• Global Blue - helps you manage your VAT refund forms
• Stasher and Bounce - helps you find places to store your luggage, which is great if you are staying at an Airbnb or stopping somewhere along your way but need luggage storage
• Going - great for finding flight deals

• What to know about airline fees
• Best credit cards for travel
• Favorite places and travel products
• Best hotel loyalty programs for families
• Tips for finding hotel deals

Follow Kim at @stuffedsuitcase on Instagram

Follow Tamara at @yourtimetofly on Instagram

St. Maarten is a popular destination in the Caribbean, but many people only visit as a brief cruise port destination. However, getting there is pretty easy with direct flights from the USA and there is plenty to do and see on this Dutch and French Island.

Tamara recently visited St. Maarten to stay at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort as part of a press trip. This is the largest all-inclusive resort on the island and it has plenty of offer for families.

Read the full review of the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort on We3Travel. It is located in Maho Beach Village, very close to the airport and the famous Maho Beach.

Sonesta Maho Beach Resort fast facts:

• 420 rooms and suites in one tower
• There is an adults-only sister resort next door at the Ocean Point Resort
• The rooms either have a water (pool or ocean) view or island view
• It isn't directly on Maho Beach
• Large pool with water slides and swim up bar
• Small pool with kiddie slides near the kid's club
• Teen Zone offers a variety of games and entertainment
• There are many food options including: Mexican, Asian, Italian, pizza, cafe, tavern, and buffet restaurants

Tamara also did a johnnycake cooking class and the world's steepest zipline at Rainforest Adventures.

• Caribbean Cruise on Holland America
• Where to go in the Caribbean
• Planning a Barbados vacation
• Everything you need to know about Beaches Turks & Caicos
• Planning a family vacation to Grand Cayman

Follow Kim at @stuffedsuitcase on Instagram

Follow Tamara at @yourtimetofly on Instagram