Today's Kool Idea: Nickelodeon Family Suites, a.k.a. Nick Hotel

The Daily Kool family has just returned from our little Labor Day getaway in Orlando, Florida. Our son really really wanted to go in lieu of his eighth birthday party, but we always have trouble justifying a trip out there this time of year. As much as we love Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, it is much too hot to walk around the amusement parks. Yeah yeah...Mickey's okay too, but even the lure of Disney World is not enough to spend our mornings passing out from the stifling heat and the afternoons drowning in Florida's typical afternoon storms. We've even tried heading for Orlando just for the water park adventures...Wet & Wild might be the best one out there, but boy is does the ground burn our poor feet...we need a vat of ointment just for the blisters!

A friend of ours had recently enjoyed a week-long stay at the Nickelodeon Family Suites, otherwise known as the Nick Hotel in Orlando. After hearing her enthusiastic reviews and high recommendations, we just had to check it out for our son's family birthday celebration weekend. Seriously, folks...the Nick Hotel has to be one of the most amazing places you can take your kids. We were lucky enough to get a very reasonable rate, and once we saw how much there was to do, our vacation was set. Who needs those pesky theme parks, anyway? We were gonna get slimed!

Imagine our kids' faces when we drove up to the massive Nick Hotel, complete with their favorite Nickelodeon characters pictured right on the outer walls. There's Dora & Boots, Diego, the Wonder Pets, Backyardigans and the Rugrats...just to name a few. Oh, and let's not forget the quirky and colorful SpongeBob SquarePants...he's all over this place. That's okay, we're big fans...though some of us admittedly root for Plankton. We were given a room in the Jimmy Neutron building after refusing to cave in on the $25 per day up-charge for a Dora or SpongeBob themed room. The kids got over it quickly though, when they checked out the bunk beds in their own room...we appreciated the king-sized bed in ours. They were kinda bummed that the PlayStation wasn't hooked up (apparently the hotel is phasing them out), but once we told them about the two full-sized pools equipped with water slides, they were eager to head right outside.

The rest of our weekend was spent enjoying the included amenities, like the Nick Live shows at night and at the pool, the daily mass slimings and character meetings. Unfortunately, Ming Ming (from the Wonder Pets) got her schedule mixed up with Aang the Avatar, but other than that slight disappointment for our youngest son, our stay at the Nick Hotel went without a hitch. We even splurged on many of the extras...the kids tie-dyed their own Nickelodeon shirts by the pool, partied with Dora, Diego and Boots, did the limbo with SpongeBob and Patrick, and even had a 4-D movie marathon with all eight showings. Our days were so full, we never had to leave the resort...plus, there were plenty of activities we didn't participate in!

The Nick Hotel gave us a perfect family vacation, and one we hope to repeat sometime in the near future. What an amazing place to take the kids! When it was sunny and warm, we stayed "kool" by the pool (sorry, couldn't resist the rhyme), and when it rained, we still had plenty to do indoors. We did venture out one night to go NBA City at Universal's City Walk for dinner as a special birthday treat for our son...but that's a kool idea for another post. In the meantime, if you're ready for a break from the traditional Orlando vacation, just shout, "Aye aye, Captain" and head out to see SpongBob at the Nick Hotel. It's definitely worth the trip.

Subscribe to The Daily Kool by Email

Today's Kool Idea: Disney Pixar Movie 'Up'

Here in Florida, we have been experiencing consistent afternoon thunderstorms for the past couple of weeks, wreaking havoc on otherwise perfect temperatures for swimming...yep, it's summer all right. It's not easy keeping kids entertained in lousy weather, especially when you are trying to conserve costs in today's economy. After hours of playing family games, dancing to music and baking brownies, we decided to bite the bullet and splurge for a family outing at the movies. You guessed it...we took our children to see the new Disney Pixar movie Up.

The Daily Kool is a huge fan of Pixar, though no one in our family can ever agree on which is the absolute best of their movies...yes, they're all that good. Up is another brilliantly artistic film that certainly lives up to Pixar's reputation. Pixar has, without a doubt, found the secret formula for success, creating near masterpieces that encompass the perfect blend of heart and humor in a way that caters to children and adults alike.

The story of Up opens with the introduction of a young Carl Fredricksen who meets his soul mate (Ellie) and shares his love for exciting tales of adventure. Pixar sends us on Carl and Ellie's life journey in a wordless montage that is stunning and heartbreaking in its elegant reflection of love, joy and tragedy. Carl and Ellie dream of exploration to South America's Paradise Falls but, as often is the case, life gets in the way of their plans. After Ellie passes away and Carl finds himself a lonely widower, he pays tribute to her by tying hundreds of balloons to their little house to finally fulfill his lifelong dream of adventure. But, after discovering an eight-year old stowaway named Russell, the unlikely pair soon find themselves on a hilarious journey filled with danger and surprises.

As one critic aptly described, Up is "more about ideas and themes rather than action," and deals with adult ideas in a way that is acceptable to children, with an endearing depiction of how disappointment can sometimes reveal hidden opportunities for happiness. Admittedly, our kids could have done without the heaviness of the first third of the movie...however, as adults, we appreciated the insight provided by Pixar's carefully thought out character development. Plus, the Pixar team more than makes it up to the children with the always moving and optimistic Boy Scout wonder Russell, a whimsical and magical female bird named Kevin and the delightful talking dog Dug, who clearly stole the show for our little ones.

Up was absolutely worth the indulgence for our family. Though the rich color and lovely effects of the movie were no doubt enhanced in the 3-D version, a truly spectacular movie such as Up does not lose a thing on the regular screen. In fact, we suspect that the latest obsession Disney has with making their movies 3-D is more of a marketing ploy to justify a higher ticket price...3-D doesn't tell the story which is the backbone of any quality film. Up tells a wonderful tale, regardless of the number of dimensions used and is a definite "must see" for every family. Just remember that Up is rated PG for some peril and mild violence when taking very small children...our four year old found his way onto our laps for comfort toward the end). Dug, with his direct expression of doggie thoughts ("I just met you and I love you"), is worth the price of admission alone. Squirrel!

Subscribe to The Daily Kool by Email