Their high kicks are famous. The show is a bona fide holiday classic. For over 75 years, the Rockettes have been entertaining families with their annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular. For decades, only families who were in New York City had the privilege of attending the show, but these days, even those of us on the West Coast have an opportunity to see the show.
The Rockettes are currently in the midst of a national tour, bringing the Christmas Spectacular to 25 cities along the way. In between shows, the Rockettes are kept busy with promotional appearances and charity events. Last Friday, I met up with the Rockettes at Fire Station #11 in Anaheim, CA, where they were “kicking off’ the annual Spark of Love Holiday Toy Drive. For 18 years, Southern California firefighters have collected toys to help the less fortunate. The drive has been been incredibly successful, and 500,000 toys were collected last year!
After the kick off, I had the opportunity to talk to Rockette Vanessa Mc Mahan, and ask her a few questions about the Christmas Spectacular:
Trekaroo: What do families who attend the show have to look forward to?
Vanessa: The arena tour is the exact same tour that is in New York, but on a much larger scale. You have the lights, the costumes, everything is larger than life. We have an LED screen this year and its the third year we are touring with this company so we’re really excited to be bring this show to families across America.
Trekaroo: Do you have a favorite part of the show?
Vanessa: One of my favorite parts of the show is when Santa takes the kids on a journey to Santa’s workshop where all the ragdolls come to life. The Rockettes are dressed as ragdolls and Santa puts a spell on us and its nice to see the kids’ smiles when we come to life. Oh- and there is a special message that we spell out at the end of the show which is really fun.
Trekaroo: What is the minimum age you would recommend for children to view the show?
Vanessa: There is really no minimum or maximum age. Its good for all ages and all families. People might think their child isn’t going to sit through it but my little cousin went and he was only a year old. He was just fascinated the entire time he was watching the show.
Trekaroo: As a Rockette you have had the opportunity to travel around the country on tour. Do you have a favorite travel destination that you would like to recommend to families?
Vanessa: I really like California but I also like Portland, OR. Its beautiful, it has a wonderful atmosphere, there’s lots to do, plus there is fresh air and I really love that. I am from the Midwest so its pretty flat there. I like seeing the mountains and smelling the fresh air.
Trekaroo: Any advice for little girls with big dreams of becoming a Rockette one day?
Vanessa: Oh of course! I would say just to follow your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything. It actually took me four times of auditioning for the Rockettes to finally get it. So as long as you really want your dreams to come true and you have the tools, you just have to follow your heart.
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular will be at the Honda Center in Orange County December 6-7. Toys will be collected at Honda Center during each Rockettes performance so if your family gets a chance to attend, don’t forget to bring a toy!
The Steal: Get 20% off tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Purchase tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular tour online at ticketmaster and use the promo code: train to receive 20% off the price of tickets to the show!
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
This post was sponsored by FamilyGetaway.com, the first advertiser on the Family Travel Ad Network, a partnership amongst Ciao Bambino, Delicious Baby, Travel Savvy Mom, The Vacation Gals, Trekaroo, See Jane Fly, and Traveling Mom.
I am forever in search of a great deal. I get a thrill out of digging through the clearance racks at department stores, squeal when produce is in season and a fraction of the normal cost, and I LOVE to travel well for less. Getting a great deal on lodging means I can dedicate more of our vacation budget to sampling local cuisine or visiting regional attractions. So when I found out that FamilyGetaway.com offers discounted family vacation packages for up to 65% off, I just had to test it out for myself.
The first thing I loved about FamilyGetaway.com was that all the hotel packages listed on their site are family-friendly. It is nice to search for a bargain vacation package that’s already got your kids in mind.
The next thing that interested me were the different search functions, families can use to find the perfect vacation spot. Parents can search by destination, interests (aka awesome kid pools), or property type. Whether you want to spend a week in San Diego, take advantage of some fabulous kids’ clubs or be pampered at an all-inclusive resort, FamilyGetaway’s search tool will easily find a package to fit your needs.
Finally, the most interesting feature on FamilyGetaway is its Ebay-style auctions. Families have the opportunity to get spectacular hotel deals by either bidding on packages or choosing the “buy it now” option. How well does it work? I decided to put the entire experience to the test.
I love taking my family down to San Diego. Between Sea World, the zoo, and Legoland, my pre-school twins are always eager to vacation there. I bid the minimum, $767, on a hotel package at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa near San Diego which included:
- 3 nights in an estate room with 2 queen beds and a private balcony or patio
- A welcome gift basket upon arrival, including children’s snacks and juices
- Breakfast for up to four each morning at the resort’s restaurant
- $100 resort credit, good for food and beverages and activities
- Movie rental on one evening of your choice, including turndown service with milk and cookies
- Taxes & resort fees
According to the website, the package I was bidding on had a $1322 retail value. I also saw that there was a date range for availability (Oct 3, 2010- March 31, 2011) and that there were a few black out dates to avoid. Upon bidding, I discovered there a $40 handling fee, which brought my total to $807. However, shortly before bidding, a screen popped up informing me that if I signed up for the FamilyGetaway newsletter, I would get $100 off my first booking so my total was now, in fact, $707. Then I searched popular hotel booking websites such as hotels.com and found the price of the exact room without all the listed perks plus taxes and fees was $297 a night ($891 all-in). Add in all the perks and the Earnshaw family is in for a great deal.
After I bid, I received email confirmation of my bid letting me know that I was the current high bidder and that I would receive an email if anyone outbid me. Lucky for me, nobody did and I won my $1322 package for only $707!!! Woohoo! Once I won the auction, FamilyGetaway processed the payment and asked me to submit my top three travel date ranges ranked in order of preference. FamilyGetaway’s concierge department then works with the property to confirm your travel dates and then sends you the reservation number plus any other pertinent information.
One concern I did have was just how often families got their first preference on travel dates. I was reassured that the majority of customers get their first choice. However if a customer is not flexible with their dates, two things they can do are:
1. Call the hotel and check availability for those dates.
2. Use the Buy Now option. For that option, a customer does not have to pay for the package if FamilyGetaway.com’s concierge cannot get their dates confirmed.
The deals were real and the experience really was that easy!
The Steal: Get 10% off any FamilyGetaway Package!
Details, Details: Now through November 15, 2010, families will receive an additional 10% off their hotel package by entering the promo code: FGFall10* at checkout. That’s 10% off an already heavily discounted package. What a bargain! Visit FamilyGetaway.com for details.
You can also get another $100 off your next FamilyGetaway package by signing up for their newsletter.
- For great suggestions on vacation destinations with tots, check out this post full of great ideas from FamilyGetaway partner, See Jane Fly.
- Tomorrow, be sure to head over to The Vacation Gals to read all about the Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa.
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Trekaroo is a big fan of Joie de Vivre boutique hotels because they offer beautiful, modern, and clean rooms at prices that families can afford easily for a weekend stay. Joie De Vivre is a chain of boutique hotels in California that is known for catering to business travelers during the week, but what you may not know, is they also offer great deals for families on the weekends. They even have some beach front properties in towns like Santa Cruz that families will love.
When I visited the Joie de Vivre’s Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, CA, I was amazed at it’s dream location on the beach and within walking distance to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. It was wonderful for our family to fall asleep to the sounds of gentle waves, and our kids loved the welcome gift of goodies in a sand bucket they got when they arrived in their room. Read Full reviews of the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, CA
- Reviews of Wild Palms, Sunnyvale, CA
- Reviews of Moorpark, San Jose, CA
- Reviews of Domain Hotel, Sunnyvale, CA
- Reviews of Hotel Del Sol (Joie de Vivre), San Francisco, CA
- Reviews of Hotel Los Gatos and Spa (Joie de Vivre), Los Gatos, CA
See the all Joie de Vivre Hotels in Northern and Southern California
Find Fun Activities for Kids in California
The Exclusive Deal: 20% Discount on any room at any Joie de Vivre Hotel (no blackout dates)
Get 20% off on any room at any of Joie de Vivre’s 35 boutique hotels in California. This offer is exclusive to Trekaroo families and their friends and family! Share this coupon with your friends and family!
Promo Code: TREKAROO
* Valid any day in 2010 when booked on www.jdvhotels.com with the promo code above. Rates are based on availability and cannot be combined with other offers or packages. Not valid for previously booked reservations.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
For a vacation idea that’s made to order, consider a timeshare rental when you travel with kids. Vacationing this way can really be a custom family vacation to fit your needs because of these three reasons:
1. The variety in size and style of the resorts.
2. An abundance of destination choices.
3. They are budget friendly!
Do you want to take your family on a vacation to the Bahamas? To Hawaii? To a
National Park? To a Theme Park? All of these destinations, and more, are family-
affordable by renting budget timeshares. On a per person basis, a timeshare rental can be
as much as 50% less than hotels. And there’s no comparison in the space you get for your
money. On the one hand you can have a cramped hotel room; on the other you get real
bedrooms, a living room, a dining area, and best of all a fully-equipped kitchen. You’ll
almost always have a balcony or patio, often a whirlpool tub, and maybe even a working
fireplace.
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Many resorts offer an area where you can barbecue. Speaking of which, having your
own kitchen is a wonderful convenience and a great money-saver. It’s an easy way
to feed those constantly hungry kids, while saving on the cost of meals. Often resorts
will pre-stock your kitchen with groceries to your specifications, and most are close to
supermarkets and sometimes even a farmer’s market.
Separate bedrooms means you can put the little ones to bed in a quiet room while the
rest of the family enjoys television, games, movies, etc., in the living room, knowing that
your late night activities won’t disturb the youngsters. Try doing that in a hotel room.
And one of the main advantages of a timeshare rental is that it’s attached to a resort.
Many of the resort’s amenities will be included in your one low timeshare rental price.
That means that everything from swimming pools (often with water park features) and
hot tubs to tennis, golf, volleyball, arcade rooms, bocci ball tournaments, arts and crafts,
dance lessons, Kids Clubs, or just about anything else you can think of, might just be part
of your resort experience.
So go the non-traditional route and plan to stay in a kid friendly timeshare rental for
your next vacation. It just might become your family’s traditional vacation from now on!
RedWeek.com is the largest online marketplace for timeshares. Owners sell, rent, or exchange their timeshares. Travelers find luxury accommodations for pricing less than typical hotel rooms. Try a timeshare rental for your next vacation.
My family loves to bowl. My son’s only 3 and he’s already been working on his game. If you love to bowl, you’ll have to check out this great program called KidsBowlFree.com. Just like it sounds, this amazing program means that your kids can bowl up to 2 games a day for FREE all summer long! Nothing. Zippo. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nothing!
This is our second year in the program and it’s great especially if you get your friends in on the fun too. You can register any child that you’re a parent/guardian of under the age of 18. The bowling centers win because they get traffic in the door during the day when the bowling league members are busy working their day jobs. This year, they even have a family pass that starts at $24.95 and allows 1, 2, 3, or 4 adults to play 2 free games daily this summer. What a steal.
So, go to KidsBowlFree.com and check out the 850+ participating bowling centers (keep in mind this list is constantly growing) and sign up. Let us know what you think too.
For more free fun in your neighborhood, check on Trekaroo for your city/region and set our cost filter on “free.” The Trekaroo system will magically pull out all the activities in your area that are easy on the pocketbook. Here are a few list of FREE activities in some major metro area. But you can do this for any destination or city on Trekaroo.
- Free Activities for Kids Around New York City
- Free Activities for Kids Around Washington DC
- Free Activities for Kids Around Boston, Massachusetts
- Free Activities for Kids Around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Free Activities for Kids Around Orlando, Florida
- Free Activities for Kids Around Charlotte, North Carolina
- Free Activities for Kids Around Chicago, Illinois
- Free Activities for Kids Around Los Angeles, CA
- Free Activities for Kids Around San Francisco Bay Area
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
Photo licensed under Creative Commons from Jess2284.
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Esther Lee is co-founder and CEO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
