Jedi Training at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hey Guys, here’s a quick post to tell you about the awesome Star Wars experience that we had at the end of last year.

We made our annual trip to visit family in Hong Kong last December, and as is traditional for us, we stopped off at Hong Kong Disneyland for a day with the kids. Even though the park is pretty small (there’s a general lack of space in HK) there’s usually a few new attractions up and running each time we visit. With Disney buying up the Star Wars brand in 2012 (for $4 Billion!!!), it hasn’t taken them long to develop some cool new attractions to push on the back of The Force Awakens, to a whole new generation of tiny Rebels and Jedi.

Stormtroopers on Patrol

For a start they’ve up-cycled the classic Space Mountain ride in to Hyperspace Mountain; an intense, rib jarring coaster ride through the galaxy with a fleet of unfriendly Imperial Tie Fighters on your tail. As we stumbled out, we were confronted by a Stormtrooper Garrison led by the evil, chrome-plated Captain Phasma, who rounded up this family of rebel-scum for inspection, eventually choosing to release rather than imprisoning or exterminating us.

We slipped straight from the clutches of villains and in to the company of heroes as we joined the queue to meet the Little & Large of the Millennium Falcon crew; everybody’s favourite walking carpet Chewbacca and R2D2 – just as exciting for the parents as it was for the kids!

Meeting Chewie & R2D2

But the real highlight of our Star Wars experience was signing the Boys up to ‘Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple’.

Our younglings donned the customary brown robes, joined a group of eager padowans upon the open air stage, and under the watchful gaze of Jedi Masters, received their weapons ready for a lesson in lightsabre combat.

Young Jedi 

After running through various fight sequences and picking up some new combat skills, the embryonic Jedi were soon thrust into action when their secret location was uncovered by the scourge of the galaxy himself, Darth Vader, and the Seventh Sister Inquisitor (from the Star Wars Rebels cartoon on Disney XD) who burst in to the Temple.

Each eager young Jedi took his and her turn to battle the two Sith Masters in front of their cheering families, eventually forcing Vader to unleash his secret weapon upon the young rebels; the terrifying Kylo Ren!

Such was the ferocity of Ren’s combat skills that it eventually took the Jedi Masters and their army of young apprentices to combine their mastery of The Force to drive the evil Sith Lord from the Temple. Victory was theirs!

It’s hard to put in to words how cool it was to watch the Boys take part in this awesome activity and to cheer them on to victory as they defeated the wheezing galactic bogeyman who unnerved their parents when they were children themselves! We were both pretty envious.

The best news is that there’s no additional cost in enrolling your Kids in Jedi Training; it’s covered in the cost of your ticket to the park (prices here). However, places are limited so you need to enrol them as soon as you arrive (at The Space Trader Station in Tomorrowland) to try and guarantee them a place. Also, don’t be late for the performance, as we saw a number of inconsolable kids being told they were too late to join in. There’s also an age limit of 4-12, so it’s pretty much impossible for the shorter parents out there to sneak in on the action.

We’re looking forward to heading back to Hong Kong Disneyland next December for more Star Wars action (hopefully with some new Rouge One inspired rides), as well checking out the currently ‘under construction’ Iron Man Experience, which is due to launch this month!

Disneyland + Star Wars + Marvel = Best Day Out Ever!

Sunday, 15 May 2016

Restaurant Review: Pizza Pronto, Cardiff Bay

Training in Progress

Pizza Pronto Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Bay is such a great place to hangout with kids on a sunny day. The weather has finally turned here in the UK so this weekend we loaded the children’s bikes in to the car and headed toward the water. The Boys had a great time riding at the Skate Park and playing in the Sand Park on the Cardiff Bay Barrage, but it wasn’t long before they needed to refuel, so we headed over to Pizza Pronto on Mermaid Quay.

Marcus was working in the Bay on Friday and came home raving of the delicious smells emanating from Pizza Pronto. The grown-ups may have been sold on the aroma alone, but we knew the kids would enjoy this fun looking place once they caught site of it. The kitchen is situated in a shipping container next to a table and bench style outdoor eating area, which allowed us to catch the last of the afternoon rays whilst we chowed down.

Pizza Pronto specialise in delicious, handmade 8” pizzas, which are great to devour on the go or in the eating area, where you can indulge in some people watching, especially on a weekend as the party people pile in to the Bay.

Handmade Classic Pepperoni & Ham and Olive Pizza 

We opted for a plain Ham (not on the menu, but kindly made for the kids upon request), a Ham & Olive and a classic Pepperoni (£3.95 each), which we tore up and shared between us. The bases are thin, crispy and fresh out of the oven. The toppings are generous and our order was with us in around 5 minutes. Unfortunately we didn’t have time dessert, but the sight of a Lemon Meringue Pizza on the menu certainly caught our attention!

Great food, good value, fun and child friendly. What more do you need? We’ll be back, probably for the Lemon Meringue Pizza! Thanks Pizza Pronto.

Traveling with Young Children on Planes: 12 Essentials

It such a daunting experience to take young children on a flight for the first time. We wish we could tell you that it’s not as bad as you think it will be, but a lot of times it will turn in to a bit of a nightmare. They’ll scream, they’ll poo, they’ll vomit, they’ll want out of their seats or bassinet, they’ll throw temper tantrums, and they’ll throw food. Depending on their mobility level, you’ll likely have to chase after them in to First Class a few times.

But there are a few things you can do lessen the impact on your kids, yourself, fellow passengers and that flight attendant smiling with gritted teeth as she wipes the baby sick from her skirt. We’ve been flying long haul with our 2 kids for the last 5 years, since they were both babies. Kid X made his first flight to Sweden at just 3 months, and was taking on the 12 hour journey to Hong Kong just a few months later.

Try to schedule flights during their usual bed time, so that they will sleep most of the way and wake up bright and fresh at your destination. If your child is under 2 and no heavier than 13kg then call your airline to pre-book a bassinet located in the first row.

Believe us when we say we’ve had some tough journeys, but it gets better with experience. We’ve listed our 12 Essentials for traveling with young children below, based on 5 years of flight experience. Some of the items will be most suited to older children like ours (5 & 3 respectively) but they’re all centred on the same principles you would use to keep your children comfortable and content in any situation; keep them warm, dry, fed, watered, occupied and comfortable.

1. Travel Pillow | Stop sleepy head rolling on long journeys with the Trunki Yondi head and neck support.
2. Mini Raisin Box | On the go healthy snack that kids are always ready to eat.
3. Blankets | Home comforts whiles traveling. aden + anais blankets are lovely and soft to keep them toes warm. Get them to sleep with the blanket for a week before the flight so that they associate its feel and smell with bedtime.
4. Wet Wipes | We never leave home without these handy Water Wipes, with no added nasties.
5. Vest | Uniqlo ultra-lightweight and pocketable vests are ideal for keeping them snug whether sleeping or enjoying the inflight cartoons.
6. Multipurpose Ointment | Lucas Papaw Ointment has anti-bacterial properties that can be used for a various things from nappy rash to sunburn and chapped lips. Put a little underneath each ear to stop any baby drooling causing soreness.
7. Water Bottle | Keep your kids hydrated on long flights with 100% recyclable Sigg water bottles that are BPA and phthalate-free.
8. Colouring Pens | Very handy to occupy little minds. These Melissa & Doug triangular shaped crayons won’t roll off the seat tray.
9. Headphones | In-flight headphones don’t fit the kiddies very well, so these JVC kids headphones are perfect for their little heads.
10. Rucksack | Perfect for keeping all your essentials in one place. This stylish Swedish backpack has been everywhere with us. Keep it under the seat in front of you for easy access.
11. Plastic bags | Or pee pee bags as we like to call them. They are great for emergencies when there’s a queue for the toilet.
12. Play-Doh | This versatile classic will keep the kids entertained for a good 1/2 hour when they become bored during a long flight. Get the mini travel tubs here.

So there’s our tried and tested list of 12 Essentials for traveling with young children on planes. But here’s one more tip, just for the parents.

ALWAYS carry a spare change of clothes for yourself. Take it from someone who once had to sit in baby-vomit soaked trousers and underwear for 13 hours straight!

Trip Review: Legoland Billund, Denmark

Lego, are you kidding me? We’ve got two kids, of course we were going to end up in Legoland! The only question was London or Denmark.....?

Hello Billund, home of the Lego Group! But let’s back up for a second.

We knew the boys would lose it over a trip to a Lego theme park, but in all truth, we wanted to go too. A few months prior we had watched Channel 4’s excellent documentary on the Lego Group ‘The Secret World of Lego’ (it’s still viewable here - Check it out), which visited the charming company town of Billund in Denmark. We seriously love Scandinavia; in fact we got engaged in Denmark back in 2009, so we needed little more motivation to book the tickets.

Legoland Hotel

Like many of our trips, this one became an extended family affair. We’re talking Grandparents, an Auntie and a Cousin, as well as the four of us. That’s 8 people in total; we were rolling deep on this one.

We booked with Ryanair (£55 Adult return, £32 Child Return), flying out of London Stansted and landing at Billund International. That’s right, they’ve got their own super convenient airport in the town, which Lego built out of real bricks back in 1964.

What you need to know about Billund is that it’s a very small town. We’re talking just over 6,000 people, so there’s not too much to do there when brick fatigue eventually sets in. Recognising this problem, somebody went ahead and constructed the Lalandia Holiday Village and Water Park, right across the road from Legoland.

There’s also the official Legoland Hotel, but as there was eight of us, we chose to hire one of Lalandia’s beautiful Nordic holiday homes and self cater for 5 nights (£855 shared between 8 of us). This package came with passes to their awesome water park, which the Grandparents loved as much as the kids did. We also picked ourselves up a minibus from Europcar so we could explore the region (more on that later).

Lalandia Nordic House Plus 8

We highly recommend staying at Lalandia; it’s a welcome haven when you’ve heard ‘Everything is Awesome’ blasted out for the hundredth time. Which brings us on to the main attraction.

Legoland was great; not amazing like the behemoths of Disney or Universal Studios, but quietly confident in its own offering. It mixes its traditional attractions (intricately built model towns and cities) with its new lifeblood (licensing every kid friendly brand from Star Wars to DC Comics) in a balanced way, throwing in a selection of cool thrill rides for kids of all ages.

Their Haunted House was a particular favourite with the boys, as was the Atlantis by Sea Life aquarium, 4D Movie Experience and the various rollercoasters spread across different themed lands.

Adults and older kids should head over to Polar Land and strap in to the crazy Ice Pilots ride (see it here), although you may want to skip this if you suffer from any conditions that being thrown around violently by a gigantic robot claw might aggravate.

Lego Mount Rushmore

Giant Lego Spider

Lego Oil Rig in Miniture Land

One of the great things about Scandinavia is that everything seems to be designed well and works efficiently, and Legoland is no exception. It isn’t a huge theme park, and you could comfortably do everything in one day with time to spare, so bear this in mind when deciding the duration of your trip. However, the attractions are varied enough to keep you energized throughout your visit, and the food on offer is pretty good too. As you can imagine, the Giftshop was Bedlam at the end of the day, so it may be worth hitting that place as soon as you arrive to avoid the inevitable throng of sugar powered kiddies either having a meltdown or bullying the adults to splash their cash.

Entry to the park isn’t cheap, and although you can shave a few Danish Krone from the price by buying online and at least 7 days in advance (still around £30.00 each), we did a bit of research and found that you can buy Discount Vouchers on eBay for just a few Euros which can save you up to 50%. We were unsure if the vouchers were legit, especially as they were written in German, but we took the risk and it paid off!

So with Legoland all wrapped up, what else is there to do during your trip to Billund? Brick enthusiasts can take walk through the town centre and check out the Lego HQ, as well as the home of Lego inventor Ole Kirk, but that’s about it.

There are a few restaurants and cafes for you to chose from (there’s a list here), but as we were self catering, we mainly ate at the holiday home, having stocked up from the local supermarkets. We’re a pretty healthy bunch, but we do like to eat dirty every now and again (who doesn’t), so we called in to the Tulip Time Out burger joint for some awesome Danish burgers and hot dogs.

Venturing Outside of Billund

Remember we mentioned the minibus that we hired? It wasn’t cheap at £366 for a 4 day hire, but it came in handy when we exhausted both Legoland and Lalandia’s water park. We did some planning ahead and decided to take a day trip to the town of Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town, which is around an hour’s drive from Billund.

Ribe

Ribe Architecture

Ribe really is a charming and picturesque place, great for a lazy day strolling in the streets and holing up at the cafes (don’t walk by the Isvaflen Ice Cream Parlour without trying one of their awesome cones). Photographers will have a field day exploring the historic architecture of the town, headlined by the imposing Ribe Cathedral.

Isvaflen Ice Cream and The Night Watchman

There are many walking tours of the town available, but do yourself a favour and join The Night Watchman on his free evening tour. It takes around 45 minutes to complete and he delivers it in both Danish and English, regaling you with stories of Royalty, Witches, Pirates and collapsing Cathedrals. The kids were half in awe, half terrified. You can find more details here.

We also made the short journey from Billund to Givskud Zoo to take the kids on a safari, navigating our way around the park in our minibus and getting up close with the animals. Tickets cost around £20 per adult (ages 11 upwards), £10 for kids (3 – 11) and free for under 3’s. It’s also a little cheaper if you book online in advance.

Almost a third of the species at the zoo are on the endangered list, so we got to see some pretty cool creatures like Grey Wolves, Southern White Rhinos and Red Pandas. There was also an awkward scene when we came upon a pretty intense mating session between two gigantic Western Lowland Gorillas, which had the kids asking us all kinds of uncomfortable questions!

However, the highlight of the day was driving through the Lion Park, where you got very close to Northern Europe’s largest pride; close enough to smell the animal carcasses that they were feasting on! There was also a large model Dino Park on site, which the kids were totally into and gave us a chance to stretch our legs after our safari. Givskud Zoo is definitely worth a visit if you venture outside of Billund.

We Survived Legoland Billund!

So that was our 4 day, 5 night trip to Legoland Billund and Ribe. It wasn’t exactly a cheap trip, but it was lots of fun and a real treat for Lego mad kids. If you’re planning on heading there yourself, below are some useful links to help get your planning started. Hit us up in the comments or drop us an email if you need any further info, we’re always happy to help!

Legoland Billund Website
Lalandia Holiday Village & Water Park
Ryanair
Europcar Car Rental Billund
Visit Billund
Visit Ribe
Givskud Zoo