Netflix’s Green Eggs & Ham Hambulance Tour! NYC!

by Leave a Comment

Netflix’s Green Eggs & Ham Hambulance Tour Coming to NYC!

Maybe it’s from being a teacher, maybe it’s from being a Mom, but somewhere along the way I became a huge Dr. Suess fan! So, I am completely excited to share that BIG NEWS! If you love Dr. Suess you are going to want to listen up! There is a Tour that features Green Eggs and Ham and it’s coming to New York City!!

Could you, would you? Try something new! The Hambulance Seussian food truck is coming to town next weekend and we are inviting local families to get their fix of green egg and ham sandwiches. The vehicle will be visiting NYC on 11/22 at Union Square Park and 11/23 at Children’s Museum of Manhattan to encourage families to try something new with fun GE&H recipes.

 

The Hambulance Is Coming Your Way!

This free event is an opportunity for you and your family to try something new! Try a new food item, try to catch the Chickeraffe, and find out what happens when you push the button for the Try Something New Generator!

Friday, November 22nd

Union Square Park @ 16th Street between Union Square W & 5th Avenue

Saturday, November 23rd

Children’s Museum of Manhattan (212 W 83rd St, New York, NY 10024)

WHAT’S ON THE MENU

Subway® Green Egg and Ham Sandwich

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan is the author of this post. All opinions are that of Diane and do not reflect the views of the parent company represented. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com or @3decades3kids across all social media networks. Netflix Partner.

A Disney Must Do! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!

by Leave a Comment

A Disney Must Do! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Walt Disney World is always a great travel destination no matter the time of year, but if you love Halloween you will not want to miss visiting during the festive Fall season! Our family is big into Halloween so going to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was always on our family’s Must Do List! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a ticketed event that takes place on special nights at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Although the party begins at 7pm, with your ticket you can enter Magic Kingdom at 4pm through specially marked entrances at the Magic Kingdom gates. If you are a Disney Vacation Club member you can enter at 2pm. If you are already in the park there is no need to leave and re-enter, you can check in an grab your party bracelet and goodie bag at various locations throughout the park. But, you may want to go back to the beginning of the park and walk the entrance trail themed with Photo Pass opps  and signage for the party! 

Once inside the Magic Kingdom you will want to get your map for the party and make a plan! What’s important to you? Do you want to get to some rides that are different during the party like Pirates of the Caribbean (where live pirates will greet you along the way and inside, too), or Space Mountain where you ride completely in the DARK and Monster’s INC where you can find a themed Halloween show (a don’t miss) and of course the Mad Tea Party where the music and lights are transformed into Halloween themes.

Another thing you may want to check out is all the special characters and characters in their Halloween costumes! Our family loves to check out Winnie the Pooh and friends of the Hundred Acre Wood in their festive clothing. If you head over by Dumbo you can ride with practically no line as well as meeting Mickey, Minnie and friends in their Halloween costumes and dancing at the Disney Junior Dance Party with Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, and Doc McStuffins! There is so many choices!

Of course when it comes to Must Do’s I would say number one would be the Boo To You Parade! The parade runs twice a night and if you are like us, you probably will carve out time to watch it both times! The fireworks show follows the parade and they are definitely a magical pair. In addition you can check out the bigger than life Hocus Pocus show right on the main stage in front of the castle.

Don’t forget that everyone can come in costume! (no masks of course and you can’t be mistaken for a Disney character) Trick-Or-Treating is available throughout the park and it is for both adults and children, so bring your candy hunger and remember that you may be leaving with a heavy bag of treats. It’s up to you how much time you want to spend collecting. We were on the monorail with a family that had full bags! Check out my last post on Tips For Attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party here.

Now, if you were to ask me honestly WHAT the best part of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was I could answer the parade, or the Trick-Or-Treating, or the special characters, or the fireworks, or Hocus Pocus, BUT honestly, it’s seeing the smile on my daughter’s face. It’s seeing the happiness of our family just enjoying the night. It’s just being surrounded with other people that are all enjoying themselves. This picture of Emm in the Magic Carpet Ride of Aladdin sums up the night, it sums up the magic that only Disney Parks can deliver. Thank you for the happy Disney! Thank you for letting our minds rest from reality for this special night and just enjoy and be happy and eat candy! To learn everything about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and to get some tickets of your own click here. 

Disclosure: This blog post is written by Diane Sullivan. All opinions are hers and do not reflect the views of the parent company represented. Media Family Night invite was provided in order to facilitate this post. Contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net or @3decades3kids across all social media networks. Thank you, Disney Parks.

Traveling With Teens To Hershey Park- My Family Story

by Leave a Comment

Traveling With Teens To Hershey Park- Hershey PA

 

If your family is like mine, we travel. Hubby and I have traveled since before the children were born so we never let it stop us once our family began to grow. As you know, my kids are tween, teen and adult now so the road of travel has been long and forever changing for this family. We have been through traveling with tons of things including bottles, diapers and strollers and everything you can imagine. As for now I am happy to report that we can enter a theme park in the “NO Bag Lane” for the most part! Pure Joy!

But, kids growing up and travel does come with its challenges. All of a sudden it’s not about the baby rides and the mid rides and your day is centered around the biggest thrill rides you can find. Teens in their own right are a little off, but when you take them traveling you really never know what to expect. I do feel kind of lucky in the respect that my three kids LOVE to travel with us as a family. The one thing I really would never condone along the whole let’s split up and meet at the end of the day. To me, there is no point traveling together if we are just going to split and not even see each other. The entire trip is about making family memories.

So, here is generally how it goes with my family. We always start the day off with breakfast before we enter the park. This way we can chat about everyone’s ride goals for the day. As with any theme park, Hershey Park is huge and there are only so many hours in the day. On our last trip we entered the park at 10 am and left at 9 pm, full day! Our family always kicks off Hershey Park with a ride on the carousel. Yes, teens and adults do ride the carousel, especially the one in Hershey Park. That one hundred year old gem can you really give you a spin! We also ride The Scrambler because it’s right next to the carousel. Well, okay we do ride one more together before anything else happens- Reese’s Cup Fusion. The joy of Hershey Park is that there are plenty of family rides!

Then we head up the hill. Sometimes this is where we split off for a little bit. When I say little bit, we usually met up in about three hours at a lunch area. During that time I generally hang around with Emm going on her favorites while the guys take on the biggest coasters in the area. Since Emm and Mom are not exactly Fahrenheit material we enjoy the Pirate Ship and monorail ride around the park. We ride anything she wants and that list changes every year!

Before you know it it’s time to meet up! By the way, if you are traveling with teens it is SO worth it to purchase the All Day Dining and the Refillable Drink cup!

Most of the rest of the time we travel as a family. Hershey Park is set up very family friendly. There are different types of ride levels in each section of the park so no one gets bored while waiting for the coaster riders. We also love to play carnival games although we never have any luck winning on those darn skee ball machines! If you are traveling with someone that wants to win (because teens love prizes, too) our favorite winner every time stand is the PLYNKO! They have Hershey themed prizes including a plush Hershey’s Kiss, Hershey’s Chocolate Bar and others, you can even win headphones!

Five Tips For Traveling With Teens

Tip One: Be patient and try to make a plan before entering the theme park. Get everyone’s favorite ride choices!

Tip Two: Separate for a designated block of time (2-3 hours). Don’t spend the entire time apart but it is okay to split for a little while.

Tip Three: Purchase the Drink all day cup and the dining plan. Meet up for lunch to chat about how the day is going and to be a part of all the fun that has been taking place. Lunch is a great time to catch up and share stories and laughs.

Tip Four: Be sure to ride at least three rides as a complete family. You are there to make memories together.

Tip Five: Be flexible. The best days are the ones that we all just go with the flow. Enjoy your time traveling with teens!

Well, there you have it. Kids are growing older every day and the time crunch to spend time with them may be on but you can rest assured that when it comes to Hershey Park the kids ( and teens) will always want to come along! Here’s to creating sweet memories that last a lifetime!

Disclosure: All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan and do not reflect the views of the parent company represented. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com or @3decades3kids aross all social media networks. Post is a result of invited media event by Hershey Park. Thank you Hershey Park.

 

 

 

Our Day Aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic- Now Sailing From #DCLNewYork

by 14 Comments

Our Day Aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic- Now Sailing From NYC!disneymagicmickeymouseThe New York City shoreline just got a little more magical with the view of Disney Cruise Line’s gorgeous Disney Magic adorning the dock of Pier 88! Recently I had the chance to spend the day on board the Disney Magic. What a amazing day! Our morning began with a guided tour of the enormous ship that holds over two thousand guests. Passing by the grand entrance was breathtaking, especially decked out for Halloween with an interactive Jack-0-lantern tree. The buzz of guests exiting the ship gave me goose bumps at the thought of the pixie dusted memories their families just had the chance to create together. Children passing by with Captain Mickey and Elsa stuffies, little girls in Cinderella gowns and moms, dads and grandparents wearing their finest Disney ears. The sight of it all just warmed my heart.

disneymagicdeck10disneymagictopOur first stop was the Oceaneer Youth Club, a club designed for children ages 3-12, where they can stay and play for as little or long as they would like while their parents take advantage of time alone or at one of the finer dining experiences on the ship. With saying that, if I were I a child I but you would never get me out of the place! It was truly amazing with a bigger than life version of Toy Story Andy’s room complete with his bed on the top and a slide down through Slink! There was also a dance and game floor, Pixie Hollow, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  My favorite part of the room was the The Marvel Avengers Academy where you can virtually suit up into the top-secret command post of S.H.I.E.L.D. and prepare to complete your battle. You will even get an official card upon completion!  You can also find the weaponry of some of your favorite Avengers including Thor’s hammer, Captain America’s shield and Iron Man’s armor. There are even computer games and arts and crafts. During our visit there was a surprise visit by Captain America himself! This completely put me in the mood for the upcoming Marvel Day at Sea coming in 2017! My kids were super jealous but I did make them proud by fighting like the superhero they trained me to be! Let’s not forget, I was a boymom for sixteen years before my little princess arrived!disneymagic1disneymagiccapAs we toured decks 9 and 11 I could just envision the families splashing in the pools, dancing to the music that played non stop and just cherishing the precious moments only a Disney cruise could deliver. We were shown many pool areas, some for families and also adult only. Disney cruise is not just for children, it’s also great for adults with many adult options in every venue. One example is the Mixology Class at Keys we were treated to, where we were able to test out our bar-tending skills. We learned tips and tricks to making a perfect cocktail, mojito, and even a layered triple shot! Wooza! Did I mention you can sample of fully enjoy each of the five drinks you create firsthand. This is something I highly recommend if you do cruise with Disney! disneymagicmixologydisneymagiccheersOur group was treated to an amazing treat! Playing now on the Disney Magic is one of my favorite stories, Tangled! With original music from the incredible Alen Menken. The audience was outfitted with overflowing buckets of hot popped popcorn and drinks of choice and it was not long before this musical feast began. The live show does not exactly follow the Disney movie, Tangled but does take its own life in this original version. We loved it and judging by the thunderous applause coming from the onlookers I would have to say that this show would definitely be on the top of my list if I were heading to the Disney Magic again. Tangled The Musical is a must do!

Of course before the show started we did have privi to some top secret information!! In 2017 for the first time ever Disney cruises will host Marvel Day at Sea! We were treated to a sneak peek mini show with superheroes Captain America, Spider-Man entering via webbing and Thor with hammer in hand! If that was a preview, I can’t even begin to imagine how amazing the real thing is going to be.    There will many Marvel themed activities for both children and adults during the event. There will even be Marvel themed food and drinks. A Marvel movie marathon will take place leading up to the latest blockbuster that premieres in November 2017. Marvel characters will be on hand for photo memories and an up close to the characters experience. There will also be a Marvel themed dance party and FX fireworks that will include heroes and villains. Count me in!disneymagictangledsigndisneymagicpopcornLunch was served at the Animator’s Palate, one of the many restaurants to choose from on board of the Disney Magic. There is something so amazing about this restaurant that captivated both adults and children during our time spent there. After being seated the waited directed each one of us at the table to our placemat. He gave us some directions to draw a character using the marker provided. No one really knew what to expect but we all spent the next few minutes creating a rendition of ourselves. My character had glasses and of course a Mickey Tee! We handed in the placemat and continued onto our delicious appetizer dish which consisted of a sampling of a few different mini appetizers. disneymagicapp

disneymagicshrimp

disneymagicdessert1

My entrée choice was penne with garlic shrimp, which was absolutely incredible. As we chatted and dined the many screened that surrounded the dining area kept us entertained with clips and songs from Beauty and the Beast, Lady and the Tramp and more. Suddenly everyone noticed that the characters we had created before the dining began were actually coming to life on the screens. Each of the  screens highlighted the guests seats in their immediate area. Everyone loved the experience watching themselves march across the screen, dance and interact with Mickey Mouse and his friends. It was such a treat. Speaking of treats, the dessert sampler was mouthwatering. Bravo, Animator’s Palate staff, you are top rate!You can check out our fun day aboard the Disney Magic sailing from NYC Pier 88.

disneymagicme disneymagicmeanimated

So if you family or your friends or just you (because going alone may be the best decision ever), are looking for a magical experience on the high seas look no farther than right in our own backyard on 12th Ave, Pier 88! The Disney Cruise- Disney Magic is waiting for you, it’s waiting for your family. Memories will be made that will last forever. As you sail away from the hustle of NYC you will be leaving your stress on the street and trading it for an unplugged (if you choose) experience where you can spend time with the kids, friends, family or alone. On that note, there are some SPA experiences that will drift you into paradise…..Why did I have to disembark?? My heart was filled with happiness as I exited the Disney Magic listening to the families being welcomed one by one onto the ship. I could not help but think of the magic that was about to take place for those lucky people……

There is nothing in the world that can compare to a magical Disney experience. Check out more about Disney Cruise Line Here. disneymagicdianeDisclosure: Diane Sullivan/ 3decades3kids is a Disney Partner Blog and Disney Social Media Mom. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan and do not reflect the opinion of the parent company represented. A media invitation was extended for a day visit on the Disney Cruise- Disney Magic while in port. No compensation was provided for this post. We love Disney and always enjoy sharing information with our readers that provide a first hand account of our experience.

#hosted Great Wolf Lodge Family Fun Getaway! #GWL @greatwolflodge

by Leave a Comment

Great Wolf Lodge Family Fun Getaway!GWLSUmmerRoadTripTeeAs you may have guessed by now, our family loves Great Wolf Lodge. We have only been to one of the lodges so far- the Poconos location- although I have heard wonderful things about each and every one of them. Recently our family took our traditional summer trip to Great Wolf. There are many room choices to decide between when you are booking your trip, our family went with the Majestic Bear Suite. This is one of Great Wolf’s largest suites. The suite has a huge balcony, a private lock off master bedroom with a king size bed and tv, a living room area with pull out couch, another bedroom with two queen size beds and a very large dining area complete with six high rise chairs, fridge and microwave. Every time our family gets this room we basically never want to leave it. But, of course we did leave the room and boy did we have fun!

Although our family loves the indoor waterpark, we also love taking advantage of the summer months and the outdoor activities and pool area. This year for the very first time we checked out one of the outdoor private cabanas. It was a dream come true. There are private cabanas that surround the outdoor and also the indoor pool. Let me sum it up in one word- amazing!

GWLSummerCabanaAdGWLSummerCabana4Each fully private cabana is great for about 8 people. It is stocked with waters in the fridge and also comes with an additional eight drinks and a pizza. There are towels ready for your family and even a basket of fresh fruit. In addition, our server shared her number so we could text her if anyone needed anything or was in the mood for something delish! Check out our Cabana Life Tour by clicking here!

 

We loved the cabana so much we ended up having it for a second day! Another plus about the outdoor area is that you are so close to Howler’s Peak Rope Course, oversized family games and S’mores station. GWLSummerDrinkGWLSummerPoolfromcabanaAs for indoor activities they are always fun and our family can never get enough of them. My daughter is obsessed with Magiquest and reactivates her wand every time. Magiquest is an interactive game that you can play throughout the lodge. It’s a magical experience and definitely worth it.GWLSummerMagiquest1GWLsummerfairySo, if your family is in the mood to have some quality time together and make memories that will last a lifetime- you know where to go. You can call GWL or book the rooms yourself on https://www.greatwolf.com/ As a quick tip, you may want to check out the 48 Hour Sale for great rates. A second tip on securing a good rate- book ahead, the farther ahead the better the rate! The rooms are ALL fantastic so it doesn’t much matter which one you choose. We have stayed in all the different types and they are all just a matter of choosing which one is right for your family. Thinking of booking a room for Howl-O-Ween? It’s one of our favorite times of year to visit. Click here to see our Howl-O-Ween visit. See you at Great Wolf Lodge!

GWLSUmmerVioletGWLSummerpoolDisclosure: Diane Sullivan/3decades3kids is a Great Wolf Lodge Partner Blog. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan and do not reflect those of the parent company . This post is part of our #Roadtrip2fun series. Contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net and @3decades3kids across all social media platforms. Snapchat us at: ThreeDecades