Vacation Central

Starstruck at the Disney Fantasy Christening

I have to say, when I received an invitation to attend the christening of the Disney Fantasy, a brand new cruise ship that will sail out of New York Harbor beginning this spring, I jumped at the chance. You see, I am a serial cruiser. I've been on every cruise line known to mankind, except for Disney. While I've heard great things about their ships, we just haven't gotten around yet to hopping aboard and partying with the likes of Goofy, Mickey and Donald Duck.

But something tells me that my family is definitely going to want to cruise to Castaway Cay with Disney. From their "water coaster" to Broadway quality entertainment, to delectable food, top notch service and a tween/teen lounge, it looks like the Disney Fantasy thought of everything.

As for the Christening of the ship, I had a feeling Disney was going to pull out all the stops and that's exactly what they did. From Neal Patrick Harris hosting the entertainment portion of the evening, we were treated to a series of hilarious parodies, a sampling of the cruise line's shows, comedy with Jerry Seinfeld and then a very special christening ceremony with Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon.

The star-studded event also included sightings of Tim Gunn, Ty Pennington, Alan Cummings, Mayor Bloomberg and Disney head honcho, Bob Iger. The excitement on the ship was purely electric and what made the experience even better was the fact that I had the chance to see some of my favorite blogging moms. Take a look at the photo above courtesy of Colleen Padilla's awesome husband, Mike.

For more information on how you can get in on the fun by taking a Disney Cruise out of New York, visit their website and book your trip right away!

Posted in: Role Mommy Recommends, Vacation Central on 03/04/2012

The Ultimate Family Vacation - Part III

Our evening took us into the mountains of Jamaica where Jason, the owner of Jake's introduced us to the farmers of Treasure Beach. As we traversed one of several winding roads, Jason made a turn into Flagaman, a stretch of land inhabited by hard working farmers and their families. From there, we began to see beautiful homes that had been built from the fruits of their labor.

During our evening journey, we met Ms. Maisy, one of the most prosperous farmers in Treasure Beach who has been a staple in the community for over 40 years. Ms. Maisy supplies fruits and vegetables to local businesses throughout the region and her generosity has helped support a number of community based initiatives being spearheaded by the Treasure Beach Breds Foundation.

We then drove a bit further and met Doul, one of the few organic farmers in Jamaica who not only gave us a tour of his farm, but shared some of his most prized possessions, mouth watering mangoes, sweet sop - which tastes like custard and genips - my son's personal favorite fruit that looks like a grape but tastes like lychee. Doul walked us through his field and what I noticed first was the striking red color of the soil. We then saw banana trees, sour sop (another delicious fruit treat), more genips, scallions, melons, avocados and mangoes. As we approached a clearing, the view was absolutely spectacular. At that moment, Jason explained that each month during the full moon, guests of Jake's are invited to the Pedro Plains "Farm to Table" dinner at the bottom of Doul's farm where they can enjoy an incredible caribbean meal under the stars. Jake's plans to arrange farm tours for guests and families throughout the year so that you can meet the hard working farmers of Jamaica while helping them tend their fields. Jake's also plans to expand the "Farm to Table" experience so that the farm dinner takes place on a regular basis with the ultimate goal of hosting a Jamaican food festival featuring the culinary talents of some of the best known and well-loved chefs throughout the region.

As sunset approached, we arrived at Jason's home and it literally took our breath away. Jason and his wife Laura's home is nestled into a hill and offers sweeping views of southern Jamaica from two 40 foot long verandas that adorn the property. As four dogs raced up to greet us, Jason brought us inside to meet Laura and the Henzell's two gorgeous children - Seya (named for one of their favorite artists) and Max. We also were introduced to their incredibly talented cook Sheila, who works for Jake's and prepared a delectable dinner for all of us.

We spent the next few hours learning more about the Henzell's and their incredible ties to Jamaica - Laura's family created the wildly popular Red Stripe beer and Jason's father, Perry, who passed away in 2006, produced the legendary film "The Harder They Come." According to the Guardian, "The Harder They Come" is "one of the most the most outstanding films to emerge from Jamaica that has continually served as a reference point for film-makers in the Caribbean and Latin America." Today, Jason's sister, who is also a filmmaker, manages the film property and also spearheads the Calabash Literary Festival - one of the most popular events in the region which takes place each fall at Jake's.

From the arts, to education, to the sea to the farms, Jason and Laura Henzell are committed to making their community a better place to live and visit for generations to come. So take my advice and spend a family vacation at Jake's Resort, where you'll get the chance to experience the magical allure of Treasure Beach. Once you visit, you'll want to go back every year!

Posted in: Role Mommy Recommends, Role Mommy Road Trips, Vacation Central on 09/05/2011

Packing for Vacation with the Organized Mom

Organization expert Lorraine Brock gives our readers great tips on packing for your next vacation...

My family is about to go on a long overdue and much needed vacation. Nothing extraordinary but something fun for our family... a cruise. This cruise is one of the best vacation values I have ever found. With five in our family and four eating like the men they are, the endless food supply on cruises is worth its weight in gold.

Our trip is still a month away and I am already beginning to get things organized. I have contacted a neighbor to take care of our dog and pick up our mail, asked a family member to water plants, and have arranged for someone to take our responsibilities at church while we are away.

I have begun buying and collecting items that we will need on our cruise that many families forget and thus pay extra for once on board. Some of these items are swim shoes, a waterproof container to hold ID's, room cards, and even cash. Floatation devices are another thing we have spent top dollar for and then could not bring them home. We buy the cheap ones here at home, and then air them up when on the beach. When our day is over we leave them on the beach or at the pool for someone else to use since they would be a hassle to deflate and repack.

Travelling with five people and a lot of luggage, I get creative in making sure we can locate our bags quickly in a sea of mostly black cases. Instead of reading all the luggage tags, I use bold colored duct tape to wrap around the handle or make an "X" on the front or back. This allows our bags to stand out. See the photo showing the colors available when I was shopping at Michaels craft store.

Do you hate filling out those paper identification tags at the airport? If you have a business card you might want to consider placing your business card in the luggage tag holder. This is a simple and effortless way to include your contact information on your luggage.

My final suggestion is about spending money. We give each person in our family their own spending money for the trip a few minutes before we leave. The amount depends on the kind of year it has been....lean or mean. The money is placed in envelopes for each child and they can choose to spend the money on the trip or save it for something else. This prevents me from having to approve or monitor every purchase. On a prior trip one of my sons spent all his money on video game machines while another brought back money to spend on something at home. This is a way to teach our children to manage and budget their money for the things they want. They have to make wise decisions to make the money last the entire week of vacation.

One of my boys, our fashion king, has already decided how to spend his money: island jewelry, maybe a watch, a beach towel, and t-shirts. I am sure he will come back with nada in his pockets, but instead be filled with happy memories stored up until our next family vacation.

Lorraine Brock is a professional organizer, family coach, speaker, and president and founder of "Get Organized!" "Get Organized!" is a professional organizing company in the Dallas, Texas area. "Get Organized!" specializes in organizing and de-cluttering homes for moms as well as implementing systems in the home for better family management.

A popular media guest, Lorraine has appeared on Dallas' two top morning television shows: Good Morning Texas and Good Day Fox , and has been featured on various radio outlets. She has been hallmarked in many local, regional, and national print and online magazines, such as the Dallas Morning News, Mercator.net, SheKnows.com, and Daily Candy Kids. Additionally, Lorraine has shared the stage with stars from HGTV and DYI Network at the Great Big Texas Home Show at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. To obtain more information about Lorraine, visit www.GetOrganized.ws.

Posted in: Blog, The Go Mom, Vacation Central on 07/12/2011

Maine Vacation & Summer Camp Memories

Posted in: Role Mommy Road Trips, Vacation Central on 05/07/2011

Rolemommy