The beginning of 2011 was full of a couple of exciting times for my family and I. Of course, my baby boy was born a few weeks prior to the end of 2010, which made for a hectic, but lovely way to start the year. But, also, my daughter and I got to experience the awesomeness of a Disney cruise. Needless to say, 2011 has been a busy year so far, with much of it revolving around chasing baby boy and adapting to being a mother of two. This, primarily, is the reason that I am just now sharing with you about our Disney Dream cruise adventure.

In January, just a month after baby boy was born, my daughter and I embarked on what was the first cruise ever for both of us. And what a way to experience our first cruise ever than with a Disney cruise, right? If you’re going to go big, then you might as well go real big, no?

Sadly, baby boy was too young to come aboard, so my husband stayed behind with him in order to let my baby girl and I experience the cruise. We just couldn’t pass up on such an invitation, courtesy of our friends at Disney and Disney Cruise Line. My parents were going to come along with us, but unfortunately, my father fell ill the week before the cruise and doctors advised him not to travel. So, it ended up being a girls-only event!

We had a lot of much-needed mommy-daughter fun on the cruise. We enjoyed fun dining in what baby girl called “very fancy” restaurants, swimming in the pools (don’t forget about the AquaDuck slide!), a stop at Disney’s private island Castaway Cay, and late-night dancing (in the rain…with pirates!). Our cruise experience was the best and allowed my baby girl and I to escape for a little bit – something I know she appreciated since we were only one month into the big change in our family dynamic. She still talks about our cruise and will ask if we can go on a cruise again one day.

As are all things Disney, they pay lots of attention to details and really make your experience a great one. Since I have no other cruise experience to compare to, it’s a little hard for me to know what is standard for a cruise trip and what is exclusive to a Disney cruise. But, I can tell you that there are some major highlights to a Disney cruise, such as character greetings for the kids and themed evening parties. Here are some of the things my girl and I liked the most about our cruise trip on the Disney Dream.

Youth Clubs: Disney’s Oceaneer Club & Oceaneer Lab

When we checked out the youth club areas on the Disney Dream, my girl immediately wanted to stay and play. The Oceaneer Club & Oceaneer Lab had a dress-up area with plenty of costumes and accessories, a coloring area, computers, and themed play rooms, such as Andy’s Room from the Toy Story movie. Most importantly, these youth clubs are supervised with plenty of Disney employees on hand that are there not just to supervise the children, but also play along with them and engage them in organized games and activities. My girl absolutely loved her times in these play areas and it was very hard to get her to leave to enjoy some of the other activities of our trip.

Additionally, when we stopped at Castaway Cay for a day, they had a supervised play area there as well. We did take advantage of this, upon my girl’s request, which allowed me to have a little time to myself to enjoy the beach and relive my days from Puerto Rico on an hamaca (hammock).

Broadway-style Live Shows

There are a couple of live shows you can catch while aboard the Disney Dream, but my daughter and I particularly enjoyed Disney’s Believe. The story is a very cute one about a girl trying to get her very busy father to believe. I actually cried, along with several other women in the audience, including the one sitting next to me. There’s just something about a girl and her daddy that brings tears to my eyes, and this was no exception. If you ever go on the Disney Dream, you definitely don’t want to miss this show.

Pirate Party: Pirates IN the Caribbean Deck Party

Probably the most-talked about aspect of our cruise for both baby girl and I was the awesome pirate party we enjoyed one evening. Pirates come out to play games with the kids before a live show featuring Captain Jack Sparrow ensues on the deck. Then, after some fireworks, the pirates stick around to dance with the crowd! We even received pirate bandanas to dress up for the party. The night of our pirate party it rained. But, that didn’t stop baby girl and I from dancing with the pirates! I’m so glad I let her keep partying despite the rain and it being past her bedtime because it made for a great memory!

These are just some of the fun things my girl and I enjoyed while on our Disney Dream cruise. There’s so much to do on the ship that I truly wanted to stay a few more days and I know I didn’t get to explore all there is. If you want to experience a fun family vacation, then booking a Disney cruise might just be what you need since there’s something for everyone. I plan on taking our family on a Disney cruise in the future, hopefully once baby boy is older and can enjoy it more because it’s definitely something everyone should try at least once.

If you’ve ever been on a cruise, what do you enjoy the most about them? And, if you’ve ever been on a Disney cruise, share your experience with us!

Disclosure: My daughter and I were part of the inaugural Disney Dream voyage. All expenses were paid for me and a discounted rate was provided in order for my daughter to join me. Our experience, memories, and opinions are, as always, our own.

***Be sure to scroll down for the awesome giveaway!***

Living in Orlando, people often think that we frequently visit the many theme parks we have in the area. This is not necessarily true, though. As I’m sure is the case for many of you, life often gets in the way of having fun on a regular basis. There is work to be done, household and family responsibilities, and everyday errands to attend to. Sometimes, you need an escape from it all, even if it’s in the same city you live in.

That’s why it was a treat for our family to be a part of the Universal Orlando Resort blogger tour held a couple of weeks ago. During this trip, we were able to take a mini-vacation right here in our own city, though honestly, we nearly forgot we were still in Orlando. It was nice to visit the Universal theme parks again; it had been nearly five years since we had visited Universal Orlando. We also had an opportunity to play tourists and stay at one of the on-site hotels, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, instead of driving back and forth from our home. This definitely helped us feel like we were on vacation and provided us with the chance to experience the theme parks at another level.

During our visit, we visited both Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, both of which have changed quite a bit since the last time we had been there. Both parks have fun rides for the younger kids, such as my baby girl. She’s a tall five year old, but even still, isn’t quite to the 48 inch height requirement that many of the bigger rides require. However, there is plenty at both parks that will please your preschooler. Here’s some of what our family enjoyed.

7 Ways Preschoolers Will Have Fun at Universal Orlando Resort

1. Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone

This area is located at Universal Studios and is made for the little ones. Within this space, you can find a variety of fun for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-aged kids.

• Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster: If you have a thrill seeker like my girl, your child will be disappointed to find out she can’t ride Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Luckily, there are mini roller coasters, such as this one, for the kids to enjoy.
• Curious George Goes to Town: Perfect for the very-hot summer days we have here in Orlando, this play area allows the kids to run, get wet, and splash around in a Curious George themed water playground. On our last day at Universal Orlando, we dressed baby girl in her bathing suit and let her have fun for a couple of hours with Curious George before coming home.
• A Day in the Park with Barney: My girl is a bit past her Barney days, but this show and Barney-themed plaza is perfect for toddlers and babies.
• Fievel’s Playland: A huge playground where all kids can have fun, your child will enjoy crawling, climbing, and running through Fievel’s world. There’s also a fun water tube slide that my daughter says, “zips you down with twists and turns!”

2. Meeting Super Heroes at Marvel Super Hero Island

Though your kids may not be familiar with all of the super heroes that reside at Marvel Super Hero Island, they will definitely have fun seeing them parade down the street and getting to know them as they pose for pictures and get their autographs. At Universal’s Islands of Adventure, baby girl was able to meet comic book characters Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Storm, and Rogue. I think the only one we missed was Cyclops, one other X-Men available to meet and greet. We also met some villains, Dr. Doom and Green Goblin, who weren’t actually so evil, but provided some comic relief. The Green Goblin wasn’t too fond of baby boy’s Spider-Man hat and called it “the ugliest hat I’ve ever seen!”

*Bonus: Be sure to also check out The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride while at Marvel Super Hero Island! It was by far one of my girl’s favorites.

3. Seuss Landing

Located at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Seuss Landing brings the fun of Dr. Seuss to life. It is really one of the most fun areas of the park with lots of rides for the kids that you’ll also love.

• The Cat in the Hat: Based on the famous book by Dr. Seuss, this ride spins around and guides you through the story.
• Caro-Seuss-el: As baby girl describes it, “there’s lots of wacky animals to ride” on this Dr. Seuss themed carousel! We enjoyed the fact that baby boy could ride along with us as there are stationary bench-like seating available for those that can’t or don’t want to ride on an animal.
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Our tour guide told us to pay attention to the song played on this ride, otherwise we may get soaked by the fish. Little did we know, that it doesn’t matter if you do or don’t follow the instructions, you’ll still get wet!
• The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!: A view from the top as a train takes you over Seuss Landing.
• If I Ran The Zoo: Perfect for toddlers, this is a small play area that also has a splash section for the kids to have fun with water.

*Bonus: Combine lunch with a fun show and character meet and greets by dining at Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous at Seuss Landing. This was a treat for my girl as we were able to experience character dining without the need for reservations.

4. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Baby girl did not yet know who Harry Potter was, but once we found out we were taking a trip to Universal Orlando, we introduced her to the character by watching the first two movies in the series. This definitely helped her understand some of what she saw in this section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure. But, even if your kids aren’t familiar with the books or movies, they will enjoy the fun window displays as you walk through the streets of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Flight of the Hippogriff ride, and Butterbeer (we all preferred the frozen version). Check out some of our photos of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to get a glimpse of the beautiful buildings and fun.

5. Learning About New Characters and Films (Well, new to them, old to us.)

There are plenty of iconic characters at both parks of Universal Orlando Resort. But, the younger crowd may have a hard time relating to some of the ones that provide you and I with flashbacks from our childhood. Luckily, as you walk through the parks, you’ll have the perfect chance to introduce new movies and characters to your children, such as:

• E.T.: Though she’s never seen this movie, baby girl truly enjoyed the E.T. Adventure ride at Universal Studios and thought it was cool this was a part of my husband and I’s childhood. Of course, she now wants to see the movie to learn more about the “cute little alien” called E.T.
• Woody and Winnie Woodpecker: My girl enjoys getting autographs from and taking pictures with various characters. So, even though she’d never heard of Woody Woodpecker before, she thought it was awesome to meet him and his girlfriend, Winnie. The good thing is that this creates an interest and opens up a conversation, allowing her father and I to tell her all about who the character is and even showing her video clips we find online. You can find Woody and Winnie at Universal Studios, particularly in Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone.
• Toon Lagoon characters: There is an entire area at Universal’s Islands of Adventure dedicated to cartoon characters from the past, including Popeye, Bluto, and Olive. In Toon Lagoon, your kids will enjoy playing at Me Ship, The Olive and those that are tall enough can have fun on Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges or Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls.

6. Meeting Characters They Already Know

Of course, there are plenty of characters to meet at Universal Orlando Resort that your preschooler probably already knows and loves. Some of the characters baby girl got to meet included:

• Dora and Diego
• Spongebob
• Scooby and Shaggy
• Curious George
• Madagascar crew

7. Blue Man Group Show

The Blue Man Group show has been at Universal Orlando Resort for a few years, but this was our first time seeing it. I’m so glad we got a chance to do so too! It was definitely a highlight of our trip. All of us enjoyed the show and though we (and some of the other parents) weren’t sure if our little ones would like it or could handle sitting in on the show, our girl laughed the entire time! I checked in with some of the other bloggers that took their kids, and they also had a good time – from the three-year-olds to the older kids.

Special thanks to the Universal Orlando Resort team, Loews Hotels, and organizers of the trip. My family and I had a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting and hanging out with the other bloggers and their families.

Now, it’s your turn to have some fun at Universal Orlando Resort! Two (2) of you will win a package of four (4) two-day, two-park tickets. See more information and enter to win below.

Universal Orlando Resort Giveaway

*****Giveaway has ended and is closed*****

Enter for your chance to win four (4) two-day, two-park tickets to Universal Orlando Resort. Each package of 4 tickets is valued at $539.96. Tickets are to be used by June 11, 2012, or winner will forfeit prize. Giveaway is for park tickets only and does not include travel, lodging, or other expenses. See full official rules here. [pdf]

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment below telling us which Marvel Super Hero your child (or you!) would love to meet.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on twitter.
2. Tweet the following: Enter to win (4) 2-day 2-park passes to Universal #Orlando Resort from @modernmami! http://bit.ly/uorgiveaway #UORfamily #giveaway #contest
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
5. Like ModernMami™.com on Facebook.
6. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this contest. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Friday, June 10, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and have a valid U.S. address to enter. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 24 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. See full official rules here. [pdf]

Disclosure: My family and I were invited to Universal Orlando Resort as part of a blogger/media press tour. All expenses paid. No compensation received.

Photo credits: ModernMami.com, Kristen Doyle, Universal Orlando Resort

How do you like your butterbeer?

Disclosure: My family and I were invited to Universal Orlando Resort as part of a blogger/media press tour. All expenses paid. No compensation received.

All photos property of ModernMami.com

Disclosure: My family and I were invited to Universal Orlando Resort as part of a blogger/media press tour. All expenses paid. No compensation received.

My family and I are visiting Universal Studios this week as part of a blogger tour. We live about 30 minutes away from Universal, but haven’t been in 5 years, so this is definitely a treat for us. Baby girl is super excited, as am I, to be honest.

We’re staying at the Loews Portofino Bay hotel and after one night here, I can say it’s a beautiful hotel from what I’ve seen so far. Today we’re headed to Islands of Adventure, which is home to Dr. Seuss land, Marvel Comics, and many other fun themes.

Follow along on our adventure this week and join us on Twitter via the #UORfamily hash tag or on Facebook, where I’ll post photos as well.

What are some must-sees that we can’t miss?

Disclosure: Our family was invited on an all-inclusive blogger tour of Universal Orlando Resorts.

More and more my 4 year old is taking an interest in art and enjoys coloring, drawing, and painting more than she used to when she was younger. Something she often asks to do, but that I hesitate to let her, is finger painting. It is about the messiest activity you can give a preschooler and though I know I shouldn’t let that get to me, I’d much rather she use another medium for creating art.

Another common issue with art supplies is using them on the road. Crayons and colored pencils might work out fine, but markers are not allowed in our cars. I can’t supervise while she’s using them in the backseat and it’s almost guaranteed that marker will end up all over her hands and clothes.

With us taking a trip later this week to New York City, as well as frequent lengthy car rides, I was excited when I had the opportunity to try out the Crayola Color Wonder “Summer Travel Imagination” pack. The pack is full of items you can take on the road and not have to worry about any messes. All of the items are part of the Color Wonder product family, which means the markers, paints, and stamps only work on the special Color Wonder paper.

Here are the items included in the Crayola Color Wonder “Summer Travel Imagination” pack with descriptions from the manufacturer:

• Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk provides a large, hard-top surface for kids to create on the go. The sturdy desk has a built-in handle and a soft detachable pillow that can be used as a storage unit for Color Wonder markers and paper. The Lap Desk is equipped with 12 re-stickable pieces of Color Wonder paper to keep kids’ drawings in place and 5 Color Wonder mess-free mini markers in red, orange, yellow, green and blue.
• Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints & Paper make the once impossible possible – fingerpainting in the car! The set includes clear, fast-drying gels that feel just like traditional fingerpaint. The set comes with 5 mess-free colors (red, yellow, green, blue and orange) in a hand-shaped storage container, a built-in finger cleaning sponge and 12 extra-wide sheets of Color Wonder paper. When kids are finished painting, they simply snap the fingerprint lids closed and paint stays fresh and ready to use again!
• Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper – The set includes 5 Color Wonder markers and a 24-page Color Wonder drawing pad where your kids can create anything they want while you’re on the road!
• Crayola Color Wonder Stow & Go Studio provides a solid, compact drawing surface with stay-put clips that can secure a single piece of paper or an entire Color Wonder activity book. Kids will enjoy creating with mess-free Color Wonder markers that make colors magically appear on special paper and reveal special hidden surprises.
• Crayola Color Wonder Story Stampers includes 5 Color Wonder markers in red, blue, green, purple and orange, a Color Wonder stamp pad, 6 sea creature stamps, and an 18-page coloring pad with undersea background settings. Each setting is unique, so every page will inspire a different fish tale just waiting to be told! Kids’ imaginations will take them beneath the sea as they stamp color sea creatures using the colorless Color Wonder stamp pad to create innovative stories and scenarios then can then color in. It’s like high tide for your imagination!

Crayola is also offering some fun travel-themed activities on their Facebook page. If you share a photo of your children’s Color Wonder artwork on their page, your photo and any links to a blog post may be featured on the “Crayola Color Wonder Wonders Across America” splash page on Crayola.com.

If you wish to try out the Color Wonder products, you can enter to win the “Summer Travel Imagination” pack below or you can print out a coupon for $1.00 off a Crayola Color Wonder product.

The Giveaway

One of you will win a “Summer Travel Imagination” pack like the one pictured and with the items described above.

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment below and tell us either a) what you like best about Color Wonder products or b) a favorite story about traveling with your children.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on twitter.
2. Tweet the following: Enter to win a Crayola Color Wonder pack from @modernmami. Ends 8/9. http://bit.ly/crayolamodernmami #giveaway #contest #mbsspark
3. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
4. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
5. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing this contest with your readers; make sure to link back to this contest page in your post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Monday, August 9 at 11:59 pm EST. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Disclosure: Crayola Color Wonder products received, information, and giveaway were all provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark.

Guest post: Sandy Salle is a native of Zimbabwe and was born and raised in Southern Africa. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Hills of Africa travel and is passionate about using her first-hand knowledge of Africa to create the trip of a lifetime for her clients. Currently based state-side in North Carolina, she resides with her husband and two small children. Sandy travels home to Africa several times a year and believes that the next best thing to living in Africa is sharing it with others.

Like most work-at-home mothers, I wage a daily battle against the clock to get the kids dressed, emails sent, homework completed, proposals drafted, calls returned, and dinner cooked all within an impossible twenty-four hours.

Struggling to do it all, I began multitasking, but I found that, when I did everything at once, nothing was done well. This, in turn, led to guilt: I got to the soccer game late, I didn’t have time to distribute the invoices, and I was on conference calls the entire time my daughter and I were making cookies for her class. Wasn’t the whole reason I left the office to work at home so that I could spend more time with my kids? Yet, here we were together, and I was so distracted with everything that still had to be done, that I wasn’t present.

As the CEO of Hills of Africa travel, a premier provider of personalized, luxury safari vacations, I have big responsibilities at work. Clients depend on me to plan once-in-a-lifetime safari trips for them, and it’s hard to do that when I am scrambling to clean up the house during the few quiet hours my kids are at school. On the other hand, I don’t want to sacrifice time with my kids. They are only young once, and this time with them is precious. I want them to be experiencing their childhood with me instead of a nanny.

Exhausted, guilt ridden, and overwhelmed, I had to make a change. Here’s what I did . . .

Stopped Multitasking

My first step was to create a structured work schedule around the time my kids are at school, 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. During this time, 100% of my energies are focused on Hills of Africa—no more scheduling play dates or baking during conference calls. No matter where I am in my work at 3:30, I close up shop and refocus all my attention on my kids.

Eliminated Distractions

The old me would sit in front of the computer first thing in the morning and look through a few emails before jumping up to brew a pot of coffee or download a few songs to listen to while I worked. Each of these small tasks took time and broke my concentration. Now, before I even sit down at my desk, I have cup of coffee in hand, my favorite classical play-list on, and my personal phone line set to go straight to voice-mail, so that I can sit down for several hours of uninterrupted work. It’s amazing how much more I began to accomplish when I wasn’t jumping up to switch the laundry every couple of hours!

Became Present

Just being physically there with my kids was not enough. I had to be mentally and emotionally present for our time together to be meaningful. Now, when I’m with my family, I’m not just there, I’m present, listening, and interacting. I mentally free myself from distracting work obligations when I’m with the kids. At the end of the day, my kids crave my attention more than my home-cooked meal, and there’s no shame in occasionally ordering a pizza if it means that we get to eat and engage in conversation together as a family.

Let It Go

If that client call has yet to be made and those pots and pans still need to be washed when the kids arrive home, I forget about it. It can get done the next day. I’ve learned that supermom is an impossible notion, and I can’t do everything by myself. I now have my groceries delivered by Peapod and outside assistance with housekeeping. Anything that allows me to focus my work time completely on my job and my family time completely on my kids is a worthwhile expense.

I recently participated in the Trekaroo KidsMobile blog carnival, where a few Orlando bloggers created lists of their favorite kid-friendly activities in the Orlando and Central Florida area. Many of the lists created have suggestions for traveling to Disney. I offered up a list of Free and Low-Cost Activities in Orlando for Preschoolers.

Since Orlando is a popular vacation destination for those with families, and you may one day find yourself coming to visit the various theme parks housed here, you might find these links handy.

The Orlando KidsMobile blog carnival has many recommendations from Trekaroo families and local bloggers. Check out the following lists for more information on activities for kids in Orlando:

• Top Activities for Kids in Orlando, Florida – voted by Trekaroo parents
• Top Kid-friendly Hotels in Orlando, Florida – voted by Trekaroo parents
• 5 Tot-friendly Restaurants Favorites in at Disney by Two Kids and A Map
• Disney Hotels for Tweens and Teens by Travel with Teens
• Top 5 “Must Do” Walt Disney World Attractions with Teens by Disney Everyday
• Water Parks in Florida – Cheerio Family
• More Disney, Less Waiting – A review of RideMax – Li Er Hanson
• 71 Activities for Kids in and around Orlando, Florida
• Kid-friendly hotels in and around Orlando, Florida

The Trekaroo KidsMobile’s next stop is Memphis, Tennessee. The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while 1) expressing their unique point of view, and 2) getting a web of link exchanges. Join them for one of their next stops.

This will be the last post about our Puerto Rico vacation. With it, I share a few more photos from our trip.

Enjoy.

***All pictures taken by Justin Edwards.***

Our week in Puerto Rico consisted of sightseeing, some family time, and a lot of driving back and forth from one spot to another. But, we had a great time and the kids were wonderful. Considering we were dragging them around with no regard for their normal routines and schedules, they behaved really well.

And my daughter? She’s the awesomest explorer ever. She was a real trooper and was up for all our “adventures,” as she called them. She was like our own little Dora and even made up her own song as we hiked in El Yunque.

So, what did we see and visit? It was a mix of must-see tourist spots, some nostalgic visits to towns dear to my family, and a couple of new places we’d never visited.

Places to Visit in Puerto Rico

West Coast of Puerto Rico

We took a little ride up the west coast from the southwest corner where we stayed in Cabo Rojo, up to the northwest corner and into Isabela. Along the way, we made a few stops.

Cabo Rojo Lighthouse & Cliffs

Rincon Lighthouse

Aguadilla

This is the birthplace of my parents and where they grew up. We had to visit with them and hear the stories of “I used to play there” and “If you look up that mountain, our house used to be up there.” Highlights in Aguadilla include:

• Crash Boat Beach – Where it was way too busy both times we passed by for us to find parking and actually stop. I did get a shot of the sign before we left though.
  
• Parque de Colón
  
• El Parterre
• La Plaza

Isabela

We only made one stop in Isabela as we passed through. And that was to take a picture of the Taíno face sculpture on the side of the road.

La Parguera Bioluminescent Bay

This was a first for us and we took the boat ride at night to see the bio bay. Somewhere in this water there are sparkles.

Visits On the Western Half of the Island

Moving more inland, we made sure to make our way to these landmarks.

Cavernas de Camuy

Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana in Utuado

Lago Dos Bocas

Mountain Scenic Route

East Side of Puerto Rico

Of course, we made our way back towards the east side of the island.

El Yunque – Caribbean National Rain Forest

La Coca Falls

La Mina Falls

Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan)

Amazingly, we did not get many pictures as we walked through San Juan. Probably because we had lots of us to keep track of, including small children, and the streets are narrow and were crowded. It was pretty hard to do anything but just walk. We did get this shot of what I think is a house (can’t remember).

Parque de las Palomas (Pigeon Park)

That's me fearing for my life trying to feed the pigeons.

El Morro

Levittown

After visiting the birthplace of my parents, I made everyone take a drive through the neighborhood where I lived for the first 8 years of my life. I was able to show my husband the house where we lived, though it and the neighborhood looked very different. And with all the excitement over seeing my old house, friends’ houses, and even my old school, I did not take any pictures.

***All pictures taken by Justin Edwards or Melanie Edwards.***

Want to visit Puerto Rico? Check out the guide on UpTake, with information on lodging, things to do, and more.