My husband and I have seen several of the Cirque de Soleil shows, so when it was suggested by family members as an activity for our family reunion vacation, we were excited to share the Disney version with our kids. The acrobats wear colorful costumes and perform amazing, gravity-defying feats. There was plenty of on-stage activity to hold the attention of our 7 and 9 year olds, but our 5 year old got antsy and started looking for other things to do after 15 or 20 minutes. Overall, we had a great time, but I would hesitate to bring kids younger than 7.

In the past, we had always stayed at Disney Resort Hotels. This visit to Orlando was a family reunion of sorts, and we needed to be budget conscious. At the Vistana, we were able to find reasonably priced 2 bedroom units which each had a living room, kitchen, and two bathrooms. One bedroom was a master suite, and the other had two double beds. We were in one of the newer sections of the hotel, and our unit was very well kept and comfortable. The Vistana provides grocery shopping service, so we were able to order groceries in advance from a pre-printed list. The groceries were then delivered to our room upon our arrival. The Vistana is a sprawling, neighborhood-like property, with a pool located in each section. The pool was clean and we spent a lot of our 'down time' there. Other than that, we really didn't find much else for our kids to do at the hotel, but that was okay because we spent most of our time at the various theme parks in Orlando. We rented a car and were pleased that the theme parks are all located within a short drive from the hotel.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the museum at Jamestown Settlement was engaging to all three of our kids, ages 7, 11, and 13. The museum is a nice size, with various rooms housing fresh-looking dioramas and hands-on displays. After watching a movie about Jamestown, we enjoyed the museum before moving outside to the Powhatan village and old fort replicas. My youngest especially liked this section because of the many hands-on activities available. In the old fort the kids were able to step up on the pulpit in the old style church and visit the various buildings set around the property. They loved climbing aboard the docked boat and were surprised by the tiny living spaces on board. Jamestown Settlement turned out to be one of our most memorable experiences in Williamsburg.

We went to Busch Gardens during Spring Break. The park was crowded, but the lines for rides weren't exceptionally long. My older kids loved that there was a large variety of rollercoasters at the park. My youngest, who was 7 at the time, had fun but wasn't able to go on as many rides as his older sisters. We waited on line for about 30 minutes for lunch (barbecue pit). The food was good but the experience of one parent trying to watch the kids and find/save a table (some distance away) while the other waited on line and brought back all the food was somewhat stressful. The staff at the park was exceptionally friendly, courteous, and honest. At the beginning of the day, I stopped at a store within the park and made a small purchase. Apparently, I dropped a $100 bill without noticing. Later in the day, a man approached me, saying that he had been looking for me all day. It turned out that he was the cashier that rang up my purchase that morning, and had seen that I dropped money and was happy to return it to me!

I chaperoned a school trip for 12 and 13 year olds to Madame Tussaud's. It seemed that the only thing better than taking photos with the wax versions of their pop and sports idols would have been to actually have met them in person! Although the kids spent less time on looking at and reading about the replicas of historic figures, they did spend some time in those sections of the museum as well. Overall this was a big hit, and my daughter has asked to visit again in the near future.

Our family always enjoys a walk through the beautiful Public Garden on our visits to Boston. Invariably, we gravitate toward the Swan Boats, and indulge in a peaceful ride on the lake. The kids enjoy the close-up view of the various duck species and the white swans that float among the weeping willows.

We knew that walking the entire Freedom Trail was not going to be well-received by our kids, but wanted to give them a sense of the history of Boston. The Duck Tour was the perfect solution! Our tour guide was entertaining and informative, doling out stories about the city's history in an engaging manner while driving around the city. When the time came to pull up our wheels and launch our Duck into the Charles River, he even let each of the kids on board take a supervised turn at the wheel. The Duck Tour is not to be missed on your visit to Boston!

After staying in the Copley Square area on several previous visits to Boston, we decided to try the Marriott Long Wharf because of it's convenience to the New England Aquarium and Faneuil Hall. The hotel was clean, had a very nice fitness center, and our kids really enjoyed the small but well-kept indoor pool, which has access to an outdoor patio overlooking the harbor. The views from the pool patio were nice, but the hotel lacked family-friendly amenities. For example, we were surprised to find that the only on-premise store is a very tiny closet-like space with just a few travel-sized packaged items. One evening, I had to walk out of the hotel and over two blocks to a convenience store in order to purchase a box of bandaids. The short walk to the Aquarium and Faneuil Hall was convenient, but overall we missed staying in a more centrally-located hotel for the 'Boston' vibe.

The Marriott Hotel Copley Place boasts a great location, just across from a Duck Tour dispatch area, within very close proximity to Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, Newbury Street (the shopping district), and the subway, and attached to a mall by way of a sky walk. Like many Boston hotels, there are a lot of business travelers staying at the Marriott at any given time, so there aren't a lot of 'family amenities' on site. That didn't matter to us though, since we were just using the hotel as 'home base' and spent most of our days and evenings out and about in the city. An on-site Starbucks was a plus for a quick coffee and light breakfast in the morning. There is also a casual restaurant which has a decent buffet breakfast and lunch/dinner menu. We like this hotel for it's friendly staff and convenient location.

It's not often that all three of our kids (ages 9, 13 and 15) are entertained at an attrraction, but when we took them to the New England Aquarium, we were pleasantly surprised. All three loved the touch tank, which is a fairly large structure set into it's own room at the aquarium. Two experts are on hand to answer questions and ensure the safety of the creatures in the tank. After we enjoyed the touch tank for a while, we went downstairs to the jellyfish displays, and listened to an engaging presentation on snapping turtles. The main building is arranged around a large spiral ramp which wraps around a large cylindrical tank housing the largest species. This arrangement makes it easy to maneuver through the aquarium and enjoy the sights without getting lost. At the top of the ramp, we were able to look down into the main tank for a birds-eye view. Outside there is a seal pool and presentations are scheduled throughout the day. A separate building houses a well-kept IMAX theater, and several different aquarium-related movies are scheduled each day. IMAX theater admission is in addition to aquarium admission. We found the New England Aquarium to be just the right size for a 1 1/2 - 2 hour visit. Allow extra time for an IMAX movie.