Saving You Money in the Nation's Capital
Gaylord National
This summer, our family had the amazing opportunity to enjoy a two-night Shrek & Friends Dreamworks package at Gaylord National. Picturesquely located on the National Harbor, Gaylord is the perfect getaway location, especially for DC families! I love that they treat you like royalty, from the moment you step foot in their breathtaking lobby. Click here to read more
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Behold the Shrek Decorated Candy Canes
A few weeks ago, our family was invited to the Christmas Media Preview at our beloved, Gaylord National Resort! Since Christmas is my favorite time of year, I enjoyed celebrating a few months early with Christmas carols, snow in July, and gingerbread decorating. But, they didn’t invite us just to drink hot chocolate (shocking, I know!). Gaylord was also unveiling the theme for its magnificent 2012 ICE! production. This Christmas, you’ll be greeted by Shrek and his entourage of funny friends, when you step into the ICE! wonderland.
It's Shrek!
Wondering what on earth an ICE! Celebration is? For the last five years, Gaylord National has dazzled the DC area with its two-million pounds of colorful ice, hand-carved into a superb walk-through attraction. They select 40 artisans from Harbin, China to craft the 5,000 ice blocks (each weighing nearly 400 pounds!) into a winter wonderland that spans a 15,000 square foot structure. My husband was most impressed, hearing about the five ICE! slides, the tallest of which is 2 stories high! And, this holiday season, families will “Shrek the Halls” with Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Gingy, and Puss in Boots, as Shrek learns the true meaning of Christmas!
Decorating Our Gingerbread House
ICE! isn’t the only holiday extravaganza that you’ll find at Gaylord National. In addition, you can choose from a myriad of great, family activities (some of them free!):
:: Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorations
This culinary experience will be hosted by Gingy, and you choose between decorating a gingerbread family, tree, train, or house. Afterwards, snap a picture with Gingy for your Christmas card! Prices start as low as $29.95, and include all the supplies. We had the opportunity to decorate a gingerbread house at the Media Preview, and my daughter loved every second! Since I’m usually trying to juggle gingerbread decorating with a messy preschooler, house cleaning for out of town guests, and baking our favorite Christmas recipes, I was thrilled for the chance to focus on the the gingerbread decorating experience with “A”! I had all the enjoyment with none of the clean-up – it was fabulous and would definitely be worth the price!
:: Potomac Express Train Rides
Kids can take a ride on a winter themed miniature train – ticket purchase is required. My daughter adores trains and declared that she needs to visit “Thomas” at Gaylord this Christmas!
:: Nightly Tree Lighting Show
Every evening, Gaylord’s impressive 60-foot tree will come to life. This free 15-minute show features music, the DreamWorks characters, a light show, and a dancing fountain that shoots 60-feet into the air. Plus, it will snow inside!
:: Photos with Santa Claus
Photo packages start as low as $20 – your children will get a keepsake photo, while they chat with Santa!
:: Brightest Star Fountain Show
This free show features a heartwarming narration of the classic Christmas story as choreographed water dances to traditional holiday music.
Gaylord National’s ICE! celebration kicks off on Friday, November 16th and runs through Sunday, January 6th. The event is open daily, but hours vary, so be sure to check this calendar. To save money, be sure to purchase your ICE! tickets before Monday, October 1, 2012. You can visit their website or call (301)965-400 to place your order. I highly suggest going on a “non-peak” day – lines will be shorter, prices are cheaper, and you’ll be able to soak in the Christmas spirit without battling the crowds!
| ICE! Ticket Prices | Early Bird Non-Peak Only (Purchased before October 1, 2012) | Non-Peak Mondays-Fridays (Excluding Nov. 23, Dec. 24, 26-28, 31, & Jan. 1) | Peak All Saturday & Sundays and Nov. 23; Dec. 24, 26-28, 31; and Jan. 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults (13+) | $18.99 | $22.99 | $29.99 |
| Seniors (65+) | $14.99 | $18.99 | $25.99 |
| Kids (4-12) | $11.99 | $15.99 | $22.99 |
| Kids (0-3) | FREE | FREE | FREE |
| Military Adults (13+)** | $14.99 | $18.99 | $23.99 |
| Military Kids (4-12)** | $10.99 | $13.99 | $18.99 |
As many of you know, it’s very expensive to park anywhere in the National Harbor. But, for the ICE! event, you can purchase a $10 parking voucher online. The ICE! Pavilion and entrance to self parking is located on the corner of Waterfront Street and St. George Boulevard. Gaylord National Parking Garage is the official parking lot for ICE! and is the only parking location where online parking purchases and the $10 parking voucher validation is accepted.
For those of you who would like to combine the ICE! experience with a hotel stay, you can choose from a Two-Night or Three-Night Christmassy “DreamWorks” Experience Hotel Package. A Two-Night package starts at $219 per night (based on two occupants per room) and a Three-Night Package starts at $199 per night (also based on two occupants per room). It includes tickets to ICE!, a souvenir family photo, front of the line access to ICE!, dining at a ShrekFeast, and much more!
Attending ICE! has been at the top of my bucket list; and this year, I’m determined to carve out time in our hectic holiday schedule to enjoy this superb production! How about you? I would love to hear your thoughts of ICE!
{Disclosure: Our family was invited to Gaylord’s Media Preview Event, but I was not compensated for this post.}
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The Newseum in Washington, DC
Congratulations to our winner, Tracy! Thanks to all who entered!
In 2008, Washington, DC became the home to an impressive 250,000 square foot museum of news, The Newseum! What most people don’t realize is that the Newseum has been in existence since April 18, 1997, when it first opened its doors in Rosslyn, VA. It wasn’t the glass-encased, awe-inspiring building it is now; but, I remember enjoying a visit to its former home when I was in high school. My parents still have the VHS tape of me reading the news before a live camera. And, when I proudly showed the tape to my grandma, she was convinced that I would be the next Walter Cronkite. Ah, grandparents! Click here to read more
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New York City from the Water
While I was at BlogHer’12, I was thrilled to enjoy a Midtown Cruise with City Sightseeing New York. It was a wonderful way to round-off a weekend full of meetings and general busyness!
Leaving behind the traffic jams and summer humidity, the 90-minute Midtown Cruise leaves from Pier 78 and sails up and down the Hudson River, taking in many of New York City’s historical sights, among them:
Empire State Building
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Battery Park
Governors Island
Brooklyn Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge
South Street Seaport
United Nations
Chrysler Building
The Brooklyn Bridge & NYC Fire Department
My favorite part of the cruise was our tour guide, Michael! He pointed out interesting historical facts about each building and even used his occasional break to walk throughout the boat answering questions. Whether it was reminding passengers for the five millionth time to be courteous to one another or explaining the color of the Statue of Liberty, he made the trip entertaining and memorable! And, he even made sure that passengers on both sides of the boat had a chance to capture their Statue of Liberty Kodak Moment. 
If you’re contemplating a Midtown Cruise with City Sightseeing Tours, here are some things to keep in mind:
:: The price tag is quite reasonable, especially for the expensive New York City area! Adults are $28/person and children are $17/each. You can purchase your tickets online or at the pier. One of the benefits to buying your tickets online is that you’ll skip the long lines!
:: If you would like a seat on the upper deck, be sure to get there at least 45 minutes early. Even though we arrived 30 minutes ahead of time, we got on the boat just as they were closing the upper deck! Thankfully, once the boat is in motion, they allow you to move to the very front of the boat, so we were still able to capture some wonderful pictures.
The Grand 'Ole Lady!
:: Have fun! It sounds so cliche, but most people were too busy jostling each other to snap the perfect picture, that they missed an enjoyable morning on the water. I enjoyed the cruise the most, when I sat down to listen to Michael’s New York City history lesson. And, see? I still got a great photo of the Statue of Liberty, right from my seat!
{Disclosure: A huge thank you to City Sightseeing New York for providing me with a free voucher and to Madame Deals Media and Mommy Needs Her Coffee for organizing PayItForwardExpress!}
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