https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:43:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928205 Mon, 24 Apr 2023 17:57:34 +0000 SteelerGirl 2928205@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Check into a cruise! I think they are one of the most affordable ways to travel with a family because everything is included. We usually get adjoining interior rooms. It's the cheapest option and adults get privacy, and don't have to go to bed when the kids do. Our favorite cruise line is Royal Caribbean. Our latest cruise this past March actually stopped in St. Maarten! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928169 Sun, 16 Apr 2023 10:08:58 +0000 MoonMoon 2928169@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Lahela017: yes! Thank you for the advice to go at an earlier time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928168 Sat, 15 Apr 2023 21:14:47 +0000 Lahela017 2928168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MoonMoon: yay!! So glad you had a great experience! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928167 Sat, 15 Apr 2023 20:27:50 +0000 MoonMoon 2928167@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just a little update. We ended up eating more on the fly on the trip than I'd thought we would, lots of take out and snacking. But we did have one proper sit-down meal and LO did great! I took the advice in this thread and had some snacks ready for him, and a new magnet game that he could quietly play with at the table. He sat in the high chair well and the server really nicely brought him his own cup of water with a straw which was a hit. Toward the end I did let him play on my phone for a couple of minutes but overall it was a success! Also, going at a less crowded time was helpful: a late lunch/very early dinner. Both kids rocked. Thanks for all the advice and reassurance in this thread! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928145 Thu, 06 Apr 2023 20:58:20 +0000 Jess1483 2928145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I may be too late, but we had the absolute best vacation (and there are 5 of us) at Tulemar resort in Costa Rica. It was total perfection. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928140 Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:33:17 +0000 periwinklebee 2928140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: Thank you so much, super helpful!</p> <p>@Anagram: Amazing, thanks! I checked out jet blue vacations, and crazily booking the flight and hotel for a week jointly was cheaper than just booking the exact same flight alone, crazy. Still pretty pricy for the particular week we have off this summer, but I'm going to keep an eye on it. Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928134 Thu, 23 Mar 2023 18:38:53 +0000 MoonMoon 2928134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilary: I'm packing lots of snacks! The dollar tree is my best friend because of their large selection of freeze dried fruit, which my son loves. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928128 Thu, 23 Mar 2023 15:39:55 +0000 Anagram 2928128@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: we had a direct flight in the middle of the day so it was pretty ideal. We booked the whole thing through JetBlue vacations, so we adults also got a free alcoholic beverage on the flight and they booked our seats all together without an up charge as part of the package deal. </p> <p>I don’t know if we just randomly lucked out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928124 Thu, 23 Mar 2023 12:36:44 +0000 erinbaderin 2928124@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: Actually I think my kids would have loved it more if they'd been a bit younger. The Family Club area had a mini "waterpark" (more like a big splashpad) that I had hoped my kids would spend a lot of time at, but actually my 9 year old was a little bit for it and little brother wants to do what big brother wants to do. The Kids Club also seemed generally geared towards younger kids, mine mostly just used it for the mini soccer field and for the snacks. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928123 Thu, 23 Mar 2023 12:11:04 +0000 HappyBaker 2928123@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>These look like amazing places! I have 3 as well and we mostly take long road trips where we rent a house because flying is so expensive and if not AI eating 3 meals out a day would be crazy too. Our favorite road trip has been renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains, there was such a great mix of touristy stuff and gorgeous nature that we had the absolute best time and my kids don’t want to try new places because they lived that trip so much! Definitely following this thread though because a beach vacation sounds amazing, let us know where you end up! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928122 Thu, 23 Mar 2023 11:36:11 +0000 periwinklebee 2928122@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also have three. Have unfortunately never taken a vacation with all three of them (or even two, thanks covid), but this post intrigues me. </p> <p>@Anagram: I've been eyeing Oyster Bay but having trouble stomaching the cost of flights; for the last minute deals, was the flight a less desirable itinerary (i.e. long layovers) or were you able to get a good itinerary from your location? </p> <p>@erinbaderin: This looks awesome! Curious, do you think your kids would have loved it as much if they were a bit younger (toddler to preschool range), or were the activities mostly geared towards school-aged kids? </p> <p>@PinkElephant: Hope you find something awesome! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928119 Wed, 22 Mar 2023 13:41:31 +0000 hilary 2928119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One other thing I didn't see above is when my kids were younger, I always brought a light snack because my kids expected to be fed the moment they sat at a table because who makes their kids sit at a table at home for 30 minutes before food arrives. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928115 Sun, 19 Mar 2023 14:25:36 +0000 PinkElephant 2928115@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Thanks for this! It looks absolutely beautiful and I had no problem finding rooms for 5+ on the website. I'll have to check out flights and keep it in mind! As my kids get a little older, non AI makes me nervous (unless it's a condo w/ a kitchen setup) because they seriously eat a LOT now, and have been spoiled by lots of AI vacations where they can eat whatever all day. But we love doing day charters as opposed to big group excursions, and this looks like a great place for that! In our experience, it's awesome to go with a guy with a non-flashy boat...they'll take you to all the same place, but on a different schedule, so you have locations all to yourself and catered to your preferences.</p> <p>Did you get a good deal by doing super last minute? I ask because we went to TCI on &lt; 48 hrs notice last August and got a GREAT deal....I'm wondering if it was just amazing luck, or if it is the kind of thing we can rely on being able to do if we're just a little bit flexible on timing!</p> <p>@erinbaderin: Thanks so much! Those are the ages my younger two will be on this trip, so it's helpful info. The room setup sounds like it would work. We're honestly not that fussy space, it's just that when you're international and they check passports, it's not like you can just squeeze in the third kid!</p> <p>@cake2017: Thanks! I don't think I can do Orlando and get away with not doing Disney...but I will keep this in mind for a Disney trip (which I need to get around to before too long) for sure!!! A nicer, non Disney home base would definitely help to get hubby onboard. The resorts look great! I've had good experience with JW/Ritz properties in the past! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928113 Sat, 18 Mar 2023 15:47:37 +0000 Anagram 2928113@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: we booked a super last minute trip to St. Martin/St. Maartin last summer—like we booked 36 hours before we left, and we stayed at the Oyster Bay resort. It’s a small resort and it was super uncrowded when we went last august but they have a variety of rooms from 1 bedrooms to 2 and 3 bedrooms. We booked a pool front loft suite, which had a king bed down and 2 twin beds upstairs and it overlooked the pool but they have many different room types. </p> <p>It’s not an all inclusive and it’s not a huge resort—so it doesn’t have that busy/buzzy feeling but we had such a great time. We would literally have the pool to ourselves most days or at most 1 other family. They have 2 small restaurants on site and you can eat by the pool from the bar menu (which we did a fair amount because it was American type bar food so my kids would order small pizzas or burgers or chicken strips or whatever.) The infinity pool was really beautiful. </p> <p>It’s a small island so we rented a car and visited different beaches every day. There are a ton of great restaurants there, and oyster bay is kind of between the Dutch and French sides, so we spent time on both. There was an amazing French restaurant just around the corner from Oyster bay and we went there twice. </p> <p>We also spent a day on Anguilla—it’s only a 25 minute boat ride a day. You can also do a day trip to St. Barths, which is about a 1 hour boat trip but we didn’t attempt that. </p> <p>The water was so blue and clear and we had such a great time just fooling around and it was really cheap for a last minute vacation. Overall, we had a great time but it’s super different from the atmosphere of a big all inclusive where you never leave the resort. But there’s a lot to do—you can charter a boat for day trips, you can do water sports, they have an inflatables course on one of the beaches, etc. </p> <p>We just did pool, beach, and good restaurants though—we also found a couple of off-the-beaten-path things like the highest point on the island, a “hidden” cove with a cool rock formation, etc. But we didn’t book any big group excursions and still had a blast. </p> [attach=2976/23/rrqhre.600x337.24476156-EFCA-4E28-BCFC-C26E1E6F0510.jpeg] [attach=2976/23/rrqhrf.337x600.55A4397D-35F1-4008-9E41-9F13F41F1167.jpeg] [attach=2976/23/rrqhrg.600x337.1B5B3872-11E6-4736-AD85-0D4A2B31B3BF.jpeg] [attach=2976/23/rrqhrh.600x337.DC825455-06CE-42BF-B0AA-616842BEEF22.jpeg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928112 Sat, 18 Mar 2023 07:23:55 +0000 erinbaderin 2928112@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just got back from Punta Cana and stayed at the Grand Bavaro Princess family club. The rooms were fantastic - one king bed, a set of bunk beds, and a trundle. All one soace but in terms of beds it would definitely work for you.</p> <p>Overview of the resort - the food was average but otherwise we had a fantastic time. Great pools, gorgeous beach, tons of food options and the a la Carte restaurants were very easy to book with the app. My kids are 7 and 9 and they loved it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928111 Fri, 17 Mar 2023 19:34:29 +0000 cake2017 2928111@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: Orlando Grande Lakes(JW Marriott/Ritz Carlton). You have access to both properties, amenities, lots of restaurants, lakes, golf and a whole lot for your kids! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vacations-for-family-of-5#post-2928110 Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:57:22 +0000 PinkElephant 2928110@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m looking to plan a summer trip for our family of five (kids will be 11, 9, and 6) and as usual am struggling finding accommodations that will allow us to all stay in one unit (ideally a 2 bedroom unit with living area). I would love specific resort, suggestions, or even suggestions of destinations that tend to have a lot of these properties. We’ve been to Turks and Caicos’s multiple times, so was hoping for something different. Costa Rica was on my list, but I’m striking out on the five-person issue. Prefer something on EST or CST because hubby may need to work while we are there.</p> <p>Thanks for any leads! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928100 Wed, 15 Mar 2023 19:44:50 +0000 MoonMoon 2928100@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you everybody! This puts my mind at ease somewhat. After the years it does feel intimidating dipping my toes back into public life. I love the ideas for bringing plenty of things to do. I also promise my kids are not allowed to play loud media in restaurants! Time to start teaching the toddler how to dine out :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928099 Wed, 15 Mar 2023 15:40:38 +0000 Lahela017 2928099@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also want to second what PP said. We try to eat on the earlier side too, to avoid the people wanting a date atmosphere. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928098 Wed, 15 Mar 2023 15:28:18 +0000 Corduroy 2928098@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sounds like you already have a good plan. As a diner I'm very forgiving of almost all kid behavior except for when the parents leave the volume on their kids devices. I don't want to be subjected to the repetitive background music of your kid's app or whatever YouTube video they're watching at any restaurant. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928095 Wed, 15 Mar 2023 07:50:27 +0000 snarkybiochemist 2928095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agreed with above, we try to not bring our now 5 year old out to dinner after 7 (her crankiness increases and I figure at that point that other diners might be wanting a more date like atmosphere). I always have at least a pen in my purse but otherwise I try for magnatiles, small toys, and other quiet things. If it has a kids menu it has to be ok for kids and around us breweries/beer gardens specifically say if they allow kids on their website. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928094 Wed, 15 Mar 2023 06:57:11 +0000 LadyDi 2928094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree regarding restaurants with kid menus. I also keep a "busy box" in the car for restaurants. It's a small zippered box and I put in crayons, a note pad, stickets, a couple fidgets, a couple race cars, some dinosaurs, etc. They are toys that just stay in the car so they get excited to play with them at restaurants. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928093 Tue, 14 Mar 2023 21:28:57 +0000 Lahela017 2928093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just got back from our first post pandemic trip, and our first trip as a family of four- which included dinning out daily. My youngest is a chill baby, so I didn't worry too much about him, but I was worried about my almost 4 year old.</p> <p>We chose restaurants that had kids menus, so I knew they'd be family friendly. Other than that, I just made sure to pack some stuff for her to do- a new coloring book, magic marker activity pad, and wikki stix. It went so well! She was excited to the special restaurant activities and was so well behaved! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928092 Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:02:10 +0000 erinbaderin 2928092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Kids are humans who get to be out in the world just like anybody else! I think a beer garden with outdoor seating is a great idea! You probably don’t want to be there after about 7pm but that’s mostly because I imagine it will get crowded. Honestly, unless your kids are, like, fully screaming I imagine the only person who will be stressed by your kids is you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/update-me-on-restaurant-etiquette#post-2928091 Tue, 14 Mar 2023 18:33:57 +0000 MoonMoon 2928091@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't really dined in restaurants since pre-pandemic, so never with two kids. My older kid is fine wherever, but my 2 year-old is definitely rambunctious. That being said, what types of restaurants would taking two kids including a toddler be a bad idea? For example I'm searching for some restaurants with outdoor seating near our hotel for an upcoming trip. A few are beer gardens. Is that bad? Is it a matter of time of day? </p> <p>I know this all probably sounds really basic but I need to be reminded how to dine out and what to keep in mind for the two year-old! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amazon-fire-for-kids-on-plane-questionshelp#post-2928087 Mon, 13 Mar 2023 19:57:30 +0000 cake2017 2928087@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pachamama: We got it to work! Thank you all for the feedback!!! We flew Jetblue and wifi is free! However we didn’t need it! 😊 I had downloaded a bunch of stuff and followed all the advice here! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amazon-fire-for-kids-on-plane-questionshelp#post-2928084 Mon, 13 Mar 2023 10:51:51 +0000 pachamama 2928084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cake2017: They might offer wifi but at least on Southwest, you have to pay for it. Annoying. I always have the airline app downloaded anyway, I dont think that matters for wifi? not sure! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amazon-fire-for-kids-on-plane-questionshelp#post-2928081 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:06:49 +0000 cake2017 2928081@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@smuckers: I’ll be looking over the link… thank you so much! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amazon-fire-for-kids-on-plane-questionshelp#post-2928080 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:06:25 +0000 cake2017 2928080@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pachamama: Sounds good… do i need to download the airlines app? The airlines say it will have wifi while flying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amazon-fire-for-kids-on-plane-questionshelp#post-2928079 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:05:40 +0000 cake2017 2928079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: Yes they both have them!!!! I can’t believe people do that 🤔😡 </p>