Tag: travel

Japan With Kids: Why Tokyo Disney Sea Is The Best Theme Park In The World

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Japan will never be a one-and-done for us: we thought it would be, but we completely fell in love with everything about this beautiful country. And the thing my boys loved the most was the theme parks.

I’m not going to lie, I loved them too. Especially Tokyo Disney Sea.

You can tell that money was no object when this park was constructed. From the near-perfect replica of a Venetian Canal to the volcano that sits smack bang in the middle of the park, everything is so beautiful and so well thought out.

That also means that, even though the crowd levels can be absolutely insane, you don’t feel the crowds when you’re walking around the park.

So why is Tokyo Disney Sea the best theme park in the world? And what do you need to know if you’re planning a trip? Here’s a complete breakdown:

Booking Tickets

Booking tickets for both of the Tokyo Disney parks was one of the most confusing part of the process for us. You can technically book via the Tokyo Disney website, but it doesn’t always like non-Japanese cards, and we really struggled to get anywhere with the website.

In the end we booked our tickets with Klook (aff. link) for several reasons. Firstly the price was the same as booking direct, and second because we wanted the convenience and peace of mind of completing the booking in English. Our UK visa card was also accepted by the site – it wasn’t on so many of the Japanese website we were trying to book tickets with!

You can book your tickets up to 60 days in advance, both with Klook and when booking directly.

1 day tickets cost Adult · £ 57.20 ; Junior (12-17) · £ 47.25 ; Child(4-11) · £ 29.39.

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Fun For The Whole Family

Disney theme parks are best known as family parks and that means they’re packed-full of family friendly rides. This is true of Tokyo Disney Sea too BUT there are so many more interesting, adult focused rides here that will appeal to an older audience too.

I’ve never been so engaged by the rides in a theme park. Journey to the Center of the Earth is an excellent ride with a great backstory. And even rides that you will find in other Disney parks are better in Disney Sea. Tower of Terror is a great example of this: It’s like a whole new ride with a richer and more interesting theme.

If you’re travelling with kids (or even if you’re not!) then you have to go on the Sinbad ride and meet Chandu: The cutest tiger and unofficial park mascot. And the whole Little Mermaid themed mermaid lagoon is amazing: packed full of indoor attractions, rides, adventure playgrounds… we made a beeline for this place when we had a spot of rain, and the boys were in their element.

Thoughtful Details

The design of the park is truly incredible and so too are the attention to detail that you’ll find throughout the park. Most theme parks have photo shoot spots: Tokyo Disney Sea have photo shoot spots for teddy bears (Duffy Bear specifically)

This same attention to detail is even reflected in the merchandise throughout the park. Which is abundant, cleverly designed, and exceptionally affordable. A pair of Mickey Ears will set you back less than £10, which is insane when you think what you would pay for these anywhere else.

Even that all of the park visitors sit on the ground to watch shows and parades is incredible to me. Such a simple change, but one that means that everyone gets a great view and a sit down at the same time!

The Incredible Food

The themed food at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea is so exceptional that it deserves its own post! And so incredibly affordable too! We’re talking buckets full of flavoured popcorns and themed ice creams and lollies for around £3.

The very best snack though were the Toy Story Alien mochi. They come in 3 flavours: custard, chocolate, and strawberry. We couldn’t get enough of them, and what started off as getting one tub to share quickly turned into at least one tub each!

You don’t have to spend a fortune for delicious food in Tokyo Disney Sea in the same way that you do in the Paris and American parks. Even the quick service meals are well presented and exceptionally high quality.

Incredible Cast Members

Finally, language barrier or not, the cast members at Tokyo Disney Sea are the best I have ever known. They’re so friendly and welcoming, waving and helping whenever and wherever they can. They seem to genuinely love kids and want to see them having a good time.

When we were queuing to meet Duffy Bear (the boy’s very favourite disney characters) the cast members couldn’t have been more chatty and friendly. They offered the boys first visit badges and were as exciting as they were to share first tip trips!

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Review: EuroCamp, La Cote D’Argent, Hourtin Plage, France.

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If you’re looking for an affordable holiday with kids you really can’t go too far wrong with Eurocamp (and no! They haven’t paid me to say that!) But they are great holidays on a budget, especially if you book outside of peak season.

This is a review of our stay in the Cote D’Argent campsite in Hourtin Plage which is a 5 star camp site right on the beach. The nearest major city is Bordeaux, which is about an hour away, and which is great if you want a cultural day out.

We stayed in the last week of August/beginning of September which is what we like to call the Eurocamp sweet spot! Prices drop massively as schools start to go back so if you’re lucky enough to have a late start due to inset days, or don’t mind you’re kids missing a day or two, then you can get your break for a serious bargain. We stayed for 5 nights/6 days for around £250.

For 5 nights leaving on 31st August this year (based on a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children) you would pay just £176.80 right now. This is in a 2 bedroom comfort XL mobile home. If you go two weeks before on the 16th August, right bang in the middle of the summer holidays then 5 nights will cost just over £1,200. So mess around with the dates, there are bargains to be had!

Here’s my quick review:

What Are The Facilities Like?

First things first, this is a perfect site for water babies! There were 2 big pools, one of which was covered, and 2 slide areas in the pool complex.

The first had some racing slides and a swirling slide going into the pool of water. The second was a pirate themed water fun park with tonnes of slides, a huge tipping bucket, and other water play features.

The weather wasn’t quite on our side and it didn’t go over 26 degrees for our whole trip, but the pools were heated and it was still warm enough to swim everyday. One particularly cloudy day we did decamp to the covered pool, which was the warmest of them all.

Exit the camp and walk for less than 5 minutes and you will find yourself on a huge expanse of sandy beach. We spent so much time here! The area is famous for the quality of its surf and its surf schools. You do have to walk down (and therefore back up again) a hill/sandbank to get down to the sand, which is something to consider if mobility is an issue.

We booked the boys in for a couple of surf lessons and it definitely gave them the bug! The school we chose was Surf Medoc and I would definitely recommend them: everything we needed was provided, and the more lessons you booked the cheaper the price became.

Back on camp and you’ll find playgrounds, a well-supplied supermarket with a bakery (we got croissants and fresh bread every morning and noone wanted to eat anything else because it was so delicious!).

There’s also a restaurant, where we stopped for ice cream most afternoons, a kids club (which we didn’t try), as well as football pitches, tennis courts, and other sports equipment hire.

We didn’t try the pizza in the restaurant because we were never on site at the right time, but the menu looked good and the prices looked great.

There was a creperie that opened by the pool in the afternoons and as you can see from this very chocolatey face, they werre met with rave reviews!

We packed the boys scooters and they loved using these to get to the supermarket each morning. Cars are allowed on site but the roads are narrow and the speed limit is 10mph so we felt safe letting them whizz around.

The playgrounds will be a particular hit if you’re travelling with young(ish) kids as they’ve expansive, fairly newly built, and well done in a combination of surf and woodland themes.

What Was The Mobile Home Like?

We are very rarely in our hotel room/accommodation when we’re on holiday because we’re always on the go. So we opted for the cheapest accommodation option which was the comfort range.

This was clean, well presented and in a great spot right by the pool complex. There were 2 bedrooms (one with a double bed and one with twins for the boys), the toilet was separate from the bathroom which is always handy, and then the living room/kitchen area was an open plan space with enough kitchen supplies to cook simple meals.

The unit had air conditioning and a big deck outside where we could sit and play cards in the evening. Each pitch came with a gas BBQ too, but ours looked pretty old and rusty, so we decided against grilling, which was a shame.

NOTE: This unit doesn’t come with a TV which didn’t bother us but I know it would bother some people. And the boys were definitely pleased to turn the zombie box back on when we got home!

What Is There To Do Nearby?

At first glance the cote d’argent village seemed very remote. In fact as we drove through miles of nothing but woodland to get to it we were worried we’d made a bad choice! But there’s so much to see and do in the area.

We like to be out and about, and we managed to get out and explore every day. One day we went into Bordeaux where we explored the architecture, did a little shopping, and went to a Salvador Dali exhibition in a disused submarine base.

We spent plenty of time on the beach surfing, swimming, and building sandcastles. The surf school was available in French and English, the teachers were patient, and the lessons were affordable so I definitely recommend this if your kids are interested in giving it a try.

And if you want to explore but don’t want to travel too far afield then Hourtin lake is less than 10km away. This is a largest inland lake in France and is a great place to sit on the sand, or to try your hand at windsurfing.

You can walk along the pier, visit the children’s island which has a huge fort-themed play area on it, or even try your hand at the water based obstacle course. This was called the Hourtin aqua parc, and cost around 10 euros per person.

Everything was affordable (the play area was free) and we had a great day trying so many new things.

That’s what I think Eurocamp holidays are all about. Getting outdoors, exploring, and trying new things.

Getting There

We took a road trip! We crossed the channel via the Eurotunnel which is incredibly easy and convenient and then cranked up the tunes and drove through France! If you’re considering La Cote d’Argent then I will say it’s probably too long a drive to do in one day.

We broke up the journey with an overnight stay in the Medieval city of Tours. I will write a review of this place shortly because it is one of the prettiest, and most walkable cities I have ever visited. Great not only for a quick stop but for a trip in its own right!

The journey was easy and I would say 90% of it was on the motorways and toll roads. It was only on the final leg of the trip that were were driving on rural, country roads.

I wouldn’t recommend this site if you want to fly: it wasn’t quite close enough to anything else that you wouldn’t be forking out for taxis to explore. We were definitely glad of the car to get around!

Have you been on any Eurocamp holidays? Do you have any site recommendations? We have just booked another one for this summer, staying in Clary’s Plage (via The Sun’s £9.50 holidays!) which is another beach side site where the boys can take more surfing lessons. If you’ve been i’d love to know what you think!

Japan With Kids: How To Book The Pokemon Cafe In Tokyo, Japan

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The entrance to the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo

Of all the things we did in Japan by far the hardest to book was the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo! We had no idea how popular this cafe was when we promised the boys lunch there, and making sure we could book it was a huge source of stress.

The entrance to the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo

Was it worth it? So worth it, mostly for the kids (who are die-hard Pokemon fans), for the themed food, and for the chance to meet Pikachu.

We also loved exploring the Pokemon centre which the cafe is attached to, and there is so much unique merchandise you can’t get anywhere else.

Want to make that elusive booking? Here’s what you need to know:

How To Get That Elusive Booking

– There are 2 Pokemon Cafes in Japan- one in Tokyo and one in Osaka. Someone in front of us in the queue was at the wrong one, so worth being careful when you make your booking!

– You can make your reservation 31 days in advance of your trip. Booking can only be made via the official website. I’ve linked it here.

– Reservations open at 6pm Japanese time which is 9am UK time and they go in seconds, so be ready!

– Have your laptop, phone, and as many other devices as you can open and ready to go. The site is so popular it crashes, often midway through a reservation. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Mike and I worked together to get our reservation with 5 different screens on the go.

– If you’re not successful straight away then checking back. People will put a slot in their basket but not complete checkout which means that there may be no reservations left at 9am but a few will be available again at 915.

– Have a couple of dates in mind that you can go in case you aren’t successful first time. We went on our 3rd preferred date after 2 failed booking attempts!

– During your booking it will ask if you want to purchase some souvenirs. These are exclusive and can only be bought at the time of reservation- we didn’t add them as we assumed we could buy them when we got there but we couldn’t. Don’t make that mistake if you want to get as much exclusive merch as possible. Having said that, there was plenty of other things you could order on the day.

– Have the Gengar grape smoothie! I promise you won’t regret it!

Our Pokemon Cafe Experience

Our Pokemon cafe experience was a good one! We were greeted and seated quickly, and each place setting had a cute Pokemon place mat that you could either use or take home.

We ordered via a tablet, and this was available in both English and Japanese which made the ordering experience smooth and easy for us. We all ordered Pokemon plates for our main course: these were beautifully presented themed plates that included a poke-ball shaped pot of macaroni cheese, a burger, a tempura prawn, a little salad, and an omlette shaped like Pickachu’s tail.

For drinks and dessert we all ordered different things ranging from personalised coffees to make your own milkshakes or that delicious glowing Gengar grape smoothie. I ordered a chocolate sundae which was fantastic and Mike ordered strawberry mochi in a poke-ball.

Halfway through our meal Pikachu came out to dance and the children were encouraged to dance, count, and clap with him. This was all presented in simple Japanese but we understood enough to know what was happening and what to do.

The whole experience lasted around 90 minutes in total and we were one of the last tables in our time slot to leave because we were having so much fun and just taking it all in. It was such a great experience which we followed with time to explore the Pokemon centre. Definitely a great experience for Pokemon fans in the city!

Have you been to the Pokemon cafe? How was your experience? Or do you have any questions about our trip? I’d love to hear from you!

All The Characters We Met At Breakfast In Plaza Gardens, Disneyland Paris

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Whenever anyone talks about character dining in Disneyland Paris without fail the first question they ask is what characters they might meet.

After all, £40 per person (or £160 for a family of four!) is A LOT to spend on breakfast if your kids won’t even be meeting characters they know or like.

To answer this question I thought I would share a list of the characters we met when we had breakfast in Plaza Gardens restaurant in Disneyland Paris when we visited over Christmas (these were the characters from Christmas Eve 2023, so less than a month ago)

The Characters

First things first, you’ll meet 6 characters in total. The characters come around in two sets of 3 with each set covering half of the room before they take a comfort break, then they come and meet the guests in the other half of the room.

We met Donald Duck, swiftly followed by Daisy Duck and Goofy. Then after their break we were greeted by Tigger, Eeyore, and Pluto.

All of the characters were happy to sign autographs and pose for photos though the time allocated to each guest is pretty short, so it can feel a little rushed. I think you can probably tell that from the quality of the photos I managed to get! And these are all taken at your table too, so no lovely poses like the ones you might get at a dedicated meet and greet.

If any of the characters miss you then you can mention this to the character and they will guide them over to you at the end: everyone should meet 6 characters during this dining experience.

The Food

The quality of the food is very good and there’s definitely something for everyone.

Unfortunately because it’s served buffet style and everyone arrives at the restaurant at the same time (breakfast is served in just two sittings) the queue to get your food can be long to begin with, but as you go back for your second (or 3rd, or 4th, i’m not judging) plate this queue is much shorter.

You’ll find fresh bread and pastries, pancakes and Mickey waffles, cereals, fruit, and a selection of hot dishes too. This includes sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes and baked beans.

Drinks were also self serve and you could choose between apple or orange juice, tea, coffee and hot chocolate, and of course water is always available in all the restaurants.

To save queuing twice (and missing our time with that characters) we allocated 1 adult to get drinks for everyone while the other helped the kids to choose and serve their breakfast.

We all left feeling comfortably full. In fact we were so full we decided not to have lunch and stopped for a dessert break instead!

I’m not going to say character dining is good value if you’re only interested in the food. There are other restaurants where £40 per head will get you a more interesting meal. But for the opportunity to meet characters and get those all-important autographs without a queue, it can’t be beaten.

Breakfast is the most affordable character dining option at Disneyland Paris.

Move Fast: Booking For The Sun £9.50 Holidays Open Today (January 2024 Codes)

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Booking for The Sun’s famous £9.50 holidays opens today!

We have been on a lot of these trips, especially when the boys were little and if you can go during term time then there are tonnes of £9.50 holidays available both in the UK and in Europe.

In May half term many of the holidays seem to be £19.50 per person and in the August school holidays they are £49.50 per person, but this is still a massive bargain!

To book you need to visit the Club 950 website (link here) and enter the following 5 code words:

SAND
WAVE
CASE
GULL
S4L7

Enter these words and your email address and get searching for the perfect break for you! You can enter up to 4 dates and either search by specific park or by country/region.

If you want a real bargain then you can also click to search for only holidays that cost £9.50 per person.

The European breaks are usually through Eurocamp.

These are FANTASTIC holidays for families and often have pools, waterparks, playgrounds, sports arenas, and pretty much everything else kids might want to tire themselves out with.

We have booked to stay at Le Clarys Plage in France – i’ve popped the link here because it looks fabulous and is in a great location right by the sea. To book the same holiday for the same dates through the Eurocamp website would cost £752 so for £198 I think we’ve snagged a real bargain.

Oh, one final TIP – Use the Eurocamp website to find out more about each camp, with plenty of pictures and facilities lists before you book because The Club 950 website just gives you one or two photos and a blurb for each site.

This will be our 4th Sun Club 9.50 holiday, and I only have good things to say!

P.S – These pictures are from our last Eurocamp holiday which was at the end of August to Hourtin’s Plage in Central France. A full post about this fantastic campsite is also coming soon!

Japan With Kids: Universal Studios Japan in Osaka

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This is the first of a whole series of posts about traveling to Japan with kids.

Visiting Japan has always been a bucket list dream for us, but we just weren’t sure how easy it would be with the boys. What we found was a place where children are incredibly welcome and where there is near-constant entertainment and sensory stimulation for them.

Although we started our trip in Tokyo before moving on to Osaka and Kyoto by Shinkansen, I’m starting this series with Universal Studios Osaka because that’s what started the whole Japanese adventure for us. The boys watched Youtube videos of the Super Nintendo world being built and then opening there and decided with single-minded determination that they HAD to see it.

And so we did.

Which is why for us Universal Studios is where it all began for us.

What’s There?

There are currently 10 sections of Universal Studios Japan. They are Hollywood, New York, San Fransisco, Jurrasic Park, Waterworld, Amity Village, Universal Wonderland, Minion Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World.

If you’re travelling with smaller children then Universal Wonderland is the place for you. It’s home to Sesame Street and Hello Kitty-themed rides that offer gentle thrills. The carousel was beautiful, and there are plenty of play elements here so tiny legs can run off their energy.

If you want to visit Super Nintendo World then you’ll need to download the Universal Studios Japan app. You then have to request a time slot for entry: do this early, as soon as you arrive in the park if possible. These go quickly, but we managed to get in on both days by arriving at the park before the official opening time (they usually open the gates 30 minutes before the time listed on the website).

I’ve asked the boys what their ride highlights were and outside of Nintendo World they have suggested that Harry Potter land, Jurrassic World, and Jaws are all essential if you’re travelling with primary school aged kids.

Universal Studios Japan does have its own hotels but as we were visiting as part of a wider trip to Osaka and Kyoto we stayed off site. The park has its own metro stop and it was incredibly easy and convenient to get to.

How Much Does It Cost?

We booked our park entrance tickets through Klook which was a godsend for us because it meant we could book almost all of our attraction tickets/activities in English and using our UK bank cards (using these on Japanese-based websites can be tricky)

We paid £51 per adult and £35 per child per day. We visited for 2 days and were glad to have 2 days to fit everything in.

On our first day we also splurged on the Express Pass 7 which is effectively a fast pass that gives you direct queue-free access to the 7 biggest rides (and the ones with the biggest queues). This was definitely a huge additional expense, but as we were travelling during one of the busiest periods of the year we just wanted to make sure we got everything done.

This cost an extra £115 per person. Which explains why we only did this for one day!

How Does It Compare To Universal Studios In Florida?

The main difference between Universal Studios in Orlando and Universal Studios in Osaka is the size. The Osaka model is much smaller. But smaller doesn’t mean worse! The size was perfect for us, and we managed to see and do everything in two days: some of the best rides more than once!

Universal Studios Osaka also has rides that you can’t find elsewhere. The Jaws ride that shut down years ago in Orlando, for example, is a fan favourite in Osaka.

It also has its own themed restaurant where you can eat shark nuggets: that we managed to kill and then eat the murderous shark was a real highlight for the boys!

And of course the pinnacle of rides in Osaka that you won’t find elsewhere is Super Nintendoland! Although this has now been replicated in the U.S the Osaka area is much bigger and also features two rides (the other park only has one ride) as well as a brand new Donkey King Kingdom that is under construction.

I will write a whole separate post about Super Nintendoland in USJ because there’s so much to say, but if you’re a gaming or Mario fan then this area of the park is worth visiting for in its own right.

The same is true of the Harry Potter section of the park which was beautifully themed and packed full of entertainment.

What Did We Eat?

The true stand out highlight of our trip to Universal Studios Japan for me was the food. Everything is themed around the ride or attraction, the attention to detail is fantastic, and it just plain tastes good! This is unlike any theme park in the UK or Europe where the quality of the food is pretty abysmal.

Next to the Hello Kitty cupcake ride you’ll find Hello Kitty cupcakes and churros.

Every dish in Super Nintendo Land is shaped like an element from one of the Super Nintendo games. Even the popcorn here was (princess) peach flavoured.

Though the shark nuggets looked just like you would expect fish nuggets and chips to look, they went above and beyond with the packaging.

The food was worth the journey, and the prices were surprisingly affordable too.