What I Want in A Family Vacation--And a chance to win a FREE CRUISE!!! I'm serious.

Note: This post was written just before our recent trip to Vegas.


We're heading out on a little family vacation soon. I'm excited. Very excited. We're driving to our destination and I cannot wait to get in the car and cruise! April has been less than stellar in Park City this year and I am not just craving a little fun in the sun, I NEED IT.

But that's the thing--family vacations. Are they really fun? Do you really get in the car, or the airplane, or to the resort or theme park and actually CRUISE? Or is it more of a lurching, fighting, exhausting, bickering, wallet-draining experience? I would love to set my family vacation at a comfortable, relaxed speed and sit back while it cruises along like a finely oiled machine. I could enjoy my kids, enjoy the scenery, and not stress about planning and budgeting and the million other things that go along with kids and traveling. So we'll see how our upcoming trip turns out. I'll let you know how much of it felt like cruising and how much of it felt like pulling a handcart full of poopy, whining children.

I have a feeling it is actually going to be great. We're meeting up with all of my siblings in a warm place with a pool and hot tub and plenty of activities. And my brother from Boston, who is a gourmet chef, will be cooking plenty of insanely great food so that usually tips the scales to the side of AWESOME. (And yes, he was just in the MIDDLE of everything going on with the marathon bombings. Crazy stories for another day.)

(if my brother cooks anything like he plays the drums/sings...you can guess how DELISH)

When planning this trip, there were several factors that went into it. We wanted to go someplace warm. That was #1. We wanted to be OUTSIDE with the kids. No more meeting up in Utah for Christmas in the dead of winter. It needed to be in a destination that was affordable for everyone to fly into. But more importantly than that, we needed a really great place to stay that would accommodate everyone. (4 kids in my family and we each have a spouse. That's 8 adults. And between the 4 couples we have 8 kids.) We found a really great house to rent with a pool and hot tub, badminton court, and BBQ grill. Let the good times roll! Food is a big factor in the Bice family.

But here's a thought: what if you could truly, entirely, and literally cruise with your family? I'm talking the open seas. Have you ever gone on a cruise? I haven't! I've always wanted to. (I've always wanted to be a performer on a cruise ship and have had SEVERAL friends do just that. Have I missed the boat? Am I too old now?) But I digress. I'm here to tell you that Norwegian Cruise Line has a youth program for kids and I'm kind of dying to let Peter experience it. A mother can dream, right? They have teamed with Nickelodeon and created some really cool stuff for kids and teens on the ship!

It really would be nice to take time away from the stress of everyday life, get on a beautiful cruise ship, not worry about meals or cooking, AND to have built-in, hands-on, creative, engaging activities for my kids. I mean...they have circus school! How cool is that? (Back to that dreaming thing...every mother has dreamed of their son being a clown...amiright?) Along with circus school, they have all sorts of sporting activities and events, pools, slides, Nickelodeon events, and even great counselors for the kids. I think when it is our turn to plan the Jackson Family reunion with Vic's siblings, we'll hit up Norwegian Cruise Line for their youth program alone. (We have like 12 more years until it is our turn since we do it every other year and it started with the youngest child of 7. Vic is the oldest, so....start saving up!)

For more information about Norwegian's family vacation experience, click here.

What is your dream vacation for your family?  Answer in the comments below for a chance to win a cruise voucher for a family of four!

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Entries from all participating blogs will be pooled for winner selection; only two entries per household. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 5/7/2013-6/2/2013. Be sure to visit Norwegian Cruise Line's brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!