Our Army Family Adventures

Disney's Military Salute 2011

Only a few days left for this offer, but I might as well reprint this one to as I transfer over from my website. Watch soon for the details of a 2012 offer.

Here is the official Disney Press release for the 2011 Military Salute. The prices are not quite as good as past years, but it is still a great deal. The bonuses this year are that Disneyland is offering discounted tickets again this year (they did two years ago, but not last year) and the dates for eligibility are longer…starting now and going through September 2011. Don’t forget to also call and request special hotel discounts (not available when reserving online).

As guests of Disney Parks share Disney vacation memories through the “Let the Memories Begin” program in 2011, America’s military personnel will have opportunities to make memories through special offers on theme park tickets and accommodations.

At Walt Disney World Resort – now through Sept. 28, 2011, active and retired U.S. military personnel (including active and retired members of the United States Coast Guard, National Guard and Reservists) or their spouses (but not both) can purchase:

Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with Park Hopper Option for $138 each, plus tax

Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with Water Parks Fun and More Option for $138 each, plus tax AND

Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with Park Hopper and Water Parks Fun and More Options for $165 each, plus tax

At Disneyland Resort – now through Sept. 28, 2011, active and retired U.S. military personnel (including active and retired members of the United States Coast Guard, National Guard and Reservists) or their spouses (but not both) can purchase:

Disney Military Promotional 3-Day Park Hopper Tickets for $99 each

Disney Military Promotional Tickets can be purchased at participating U.S. military sales outlets only by active and retired U.S. military personnel for themselves and up to five additional family members or friends. No more than six Disney Military Promotional Tickets may be purchased and (if applicable) activated by any eligible member of the U.S. military (or spouse) pursuant to this offer. In addition, all six must be purchased at the same time and one of the six must be for use by the eligible member of the U.S. military (or spouse). Valid military identification is required.

All tickets and options are non-transferable and may not be used after Oct. 1, 2011. In addition, Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets (including any options) for the Walt Disney World Resort may not be used on the following blockout dates: Dec. 27, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2010, and April 17, 2011, through April 23, 2011, at all Walt Disney World Theme Parks and other gated attractions; and July 4, 2011, at Magic Kingdom Park; and Disney 3-Day Military Promotional Tickets for the Disneyland Resort may not be used on the following blockout dates: Dec. 24, 2010, through Jan. 1, 2011, Feb. 18, 2011, through Feb. 21, 2011, April 17, 2011, through April 23, 2011, and July 1, 2011, through July 4, 2011, at the Disneyland Theme Parks.

Don’t forget to ask about special room rates at select hotels at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.

For complete information regarding Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets for admission to the Walt Disney World Resort (including official eligibility requirements, restrictions and black-out dates), or to make room reservations at the Walt Disney World Resort, military personnel may call (407) 939-7830 or participating U.S. military base ticket offices. For information regarding Disney 3-Day Military Promotional Tickets for admission to the Disneyland Resort (including official eligibility requirements, restrictions and black-out dates), or to make room reservations at the Disneyland Resort, military personnel may call (714) 956-6424 or participating U.S. military base ticket offices.

National Cherry Blossom Festival

Reprint from my website as we switch over to blogs.

This year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. is in full bloom! Not is this coming weekend smack in the middle of the exciting activities offered, but the blossoms hit full bloom this week as well.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a two week festival celebrating the 1912 gift of friendship from Japan. If you have not been to the National Cherry Blossom Festival, then you may wonder why there is such big deal of commemorating a gift. Can I truly give you the reason on why it is a big deal? No. I can give you the history of it, but the reality is that if you want to read that it is already written up on sites like the National Park Service’s website for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The real life answer though is that it is fabulous to see over 3,500 cherry trees in full bloom around the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park–a photographer’s haven. Add to that two weeks full of concerts, parades, fireworks, and other special events, and you have a little something for everyone.

Timing a visit to the National Cherry Blossom Festival is a personal preference coinciding with why you are there. My reason for attending is to see all of the beautiful pink blooms. Nobody forewarned me last year that the blooms do not last as long as the festival. I decided to wait until the last weekend in hopes that there would be less crowds. I got my wish on the crowds not being very bad, but there were only a few trees left with blooms. This year, I have been tracking the peak bloom time period on the National Park’s Bloom Schedule hoping that there will still be blooms left when I visit. On the flipside, some people like to time their visit based upon the entertainment schedule (linked above under special events).

An extra special part of the Cherry Blossom Festival for our family was the Junior Ranger tent. My daughter’s enjoyed earning another Junior Ranger badge doing fun, hands-on activities that taught them the history behind the Cherry Blossom Festival as well as about the Japanese culture. The Cherry Blossom FestivalJunior Ranger Program is found exclusively on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

If the actual Cherry Blossom Festival activities, like concerts, are not the type of thing that you like to do, then there is always visiting the rest of the National Mall. My girls took advantage of the Cherry Blossom Festival being located at the National Mall and also earned their National Mall Junior Ranger badges while they were there. It allows you to stay away from the main festival crowds and still enjoy the beautiful blooming trees.

Another great aspect about the National Cherry Blossom Festival is that free parking is offered around East Potomac Park. If you look at a map, the parking is a little bit of a walk. The walk is do-able, but there is also a free shuttle that runs about every half hour if you are willing to wait.

Assateague Island National Seashore

It seemed that everyone on the East Coast had the same idea as me…escape for Labor Day Weekend. My first instinct was find a hotel where we could visit some sights…or maybe a beach. Unfortunately, most of the hotels in the areas that we looked into were either booked or capitalizing on this high travel weekend by spiking their prices (really- who could blame them). Even though my family is not overly outdoorsy, I decided to look into camping.

Originally, I faced the same issue…everything was booked. I found an abundance of state and national parks that offered camping with varying degrees of amenities. Apparently, all East Coasters knew to book months in advance…not being from the East Coast, I missed the memo. Disappointed, I accepted the fact that we would be spending our extended weekend at home. There was one spot that looked so interesting that I kept checking back hoping that by some small chance we could go…Assateague Island National Seashore. I thought I was crazy checking back. It wasn’t as if the system would all of a sudden show an opening when reservations could be booked 6 months in advance and it was within a week of the holiday weekend, but there it was…a cancellation.

So, what makes this seashore so interesting that I kept checking back? Wild ponies. Imagine camping at a sandy beach where ponies randomly roam through your campsite or you can watch the ponies swim in the surf. At the time, my oldest daughter was 9 years old and I knew that this was something she would love. I told her that at the end of our drive (several hours) there would be an island where ponies roamed free. She only half believed me, but as soon as we drove across the bridge onto Assateague Island our first pony was waiting to greet us.

The highlights of our weekend included being awaken in the morning by the sound of ponies outside the tent, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets as we played on the sandy beaches, and participating in the Junior Ranger Programs at both the national seashore and state park. The Junior Ranger programs allow children to complete a wide range of activities that help them to learn about the island. Some of activities include simple beach and dune exploration which is great for families with younger children. For families looking for more adventure, they also offer ranger guided kayaking. The Junior Ranger program at Assateague is intended for ages 4-14; however, they are pretty good about not leaving out the little ones too. My youngest was 6 months old, but still earned her mini ranger badge for playing at the beach with the family, sitting quietly as we listened to ranger talks, and for touching sea animals in the touch tank.

Things to remember:

(1) The animals, including the ponies, are wild. Please respect them as you would any other wild animal. They will bite and kick if provoked.

(2) It is a sandy location; so, bring long camping spikes if using a tent. If you aren’t into camping, many people had RVs. It is also good to bring some sort of covering for shade as there are not many trees.

(3) Check the extended weather forecast ahead of time. We had a storm come in “earlier than expected” and we were at a location where our weather alert radio did not get a signal. (Don’t worry- cell phones do get a signal there.)