Reviews Archives – Page 4 of 6 – Parents with Passports

Iguana Crossing Review

June 19th, 2021admin0 Comments

From early on in our planning process, I knew that we wanted to spend the majority of our time in the Galapagos on Isabela Island, and after just a little bit of research I knew that Iguana Crossing Boutique Hotel was the only hotel on the island that I wanted to stay in. The hotel itself looked absolutely gorgeous and its oceanfront views were stunning. As my research progressed and I started prioritizing the activities we wanted to do on the island, I discovered that Iguana Crossing offered packages that included all of my top tours. Wanting to maximize our …

Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise Review

September 20th, 2019admin0 Comments

There are lots of choices of cruise lines sailing in Alaska, and a few of them have what are widely considered to be better Alaska itineraries than Disney Cruise Line. Glacier Bay is a must-visit for many Alaska cruisers, and DCL does not have a permit to visit there. We took our Alaska cruise with extended family to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Cruising is not the primary vacation mode for any of our family. My sister and I had been on one short Disney cruise each. My brother and his wife had taken another cruise line once pre-kids. …

Wild Wolf Tours Review

September 18th, 2019admin0 Comments

I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in Ketchikan. Right off the bat, I knew I wanted to do the Yukon and train in Skagway and do the whale watch and glacier in Juneau. But Ketchikan stumped me. What I really wanted to do was a floatplane to a bear watching spot like Neets Bay. But at almost $400 per person, I just couldn’t justify the cost for a family of 4. (I also knew nobody else in my extended family would want to spend that much or ride in a floatplane.) So I was left researching and …

Alaska Galore Tours Review

September 13th, 2019admin0 Comments

We knew from the beginning that whale watching was our top priority in Juneau. We also knew that we wanted a small boat, which eliminated booking through Disney as their excursions averaged around 50 people per boat. We had 10 people, which was actually too many for some small private boats so I had to search around for just the right size tour. We also wanted to visit Mendenhall Glacier. With 10 hours of port time and whale watching tours typically lasting only 4-5 hours, we had plenty of time to add that on to our day. Figuring out how …

Chilkoot Charters and Tours Review

September 9th, 2019admin0 Comments

For our Skagway port day, we booked the Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion with Dogcart Experience with Chilkoot Charters & Tours. The excursion cost $235 for adults (13+) and $175 for kids (0-12). It included lunch, train tickets, dogcart ride, and pickup and drop-off at the dock. The tour was a full day, lasting 7.5 hours. The tour was offered at two different times – the “train first” excursion left at 7:30 am and the “bus first” excursion left at 9:15 am. We chose the “bus first”, both because we liked the later start time and because we figured that the …

Fairmont Vancouver Airport Review

September 1st, 2019admin0 Comments

Our cruise returned to port too late to catch a morning or early afternoon flight back to Charlotte. The remaining options were a red-eye departing late that night or a very early flight the next morning. We opted for the 6:00 am flight the next morning, which meant we had to figure out one more night in a Vancouver hotel. In deciding on a hotel location, we had to choose between convenience when disembarking the cruise or convenience when flying out the next morning. While the airport is relatively easy to get to from the city, it is probably not …

Pan Pacific Vancouver Review

August 31st, 2019admin0 Comments

I did a lot of research prior to our Alaskan cruise leaving from Vancouver, and there seemed to be an obsession among cruisers with staying at the Pan Pacific. And obsession is not an exaggeration. Every forum, board, and FaceBook group was filled with people touting the wonders of the Pan Pacific Vancouver. I tried not to play into the hype and kept an open mind while I thoroughly researched all hotels in the area. But after all my research and price comparisons, we ultimately we ended up at the Pan Pacific. When push came to shove, the convenience factor …

Zootastic Park

March 3rd, 2019admin0 Comments

While Charlotte lacks a major, accredited zoo, there is no shortage of privately owned and operated zoos / wildlife parks in the Charlotte area. We’ve been to Lazy 5 (multiple times), Zootastic Park, and Tiger World and enjoyed them all. When JB turned 9, we decided to celebrate with a unique experience instead of with a party. I know a few people who have done one of the Animal Encounters at Zootastic and raved about it. It sounded perfect for our animal lover. I will admit to having mixed feelings about private wildlife attractions. In most cases, the owners started …

Lakota Wolf Preserve

September 29th, 2018admin0 Comments

Located in Columbia, NJ, the Lakota Wolf Preserve is home to some two dozens animals, including wolves, bobcats, and foxes. Part wildlife sanctuary, part education center, the preserve offers tours twice a day at 10:30 and 4:00. Reservations are required for weekday tours but not weekend tours. The reservation process seemed a bit antiquated and overly complicated, but after a few back and forth phone calls we were able to reserve a morning tour on a Friday. Located on the property of the Camp Taylor Campground, the preserve sits on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Centuries ago, wolves …

SeaStreak Ferry

September 17th, 2018admin0 Comments

On all of our previous visits to NYC from Central NJ, we have taken the train. NJ Transit is easy and affordable. It is also incredible boring. It functions primarily as a commuter train system and therefore caters to commuters more than families or vacationers. Even when my kids were train-loving pre-schoolers, they didn’t enjoy the long and boring ride. The trip from Red Bank to New York Penn Station (not to be confused with Newark Penn Station, which is the stop right before and sounds pretty much the same on garbled train announcements), takes almost an hour and a …