ive just booked our 1st family holiday !!! im so excited ....

[milkgoddess]

here

our first holiday, just cannot wait

Actually, my budget world trip over nine months cost a lot less then that!

belgo, 30 meteres!! is it dark when you get down that far?

what do you mean by, Snorkelling is also fantastic - (and of course you don't need to learn about any complicated equipment) - you get to see nearly as much as scuba diving but it's all two dimensional compared to scuba diving which is three dimensional. sorry i know im being dim but what do you mean by that ?
is it because your so much deeper when you scuba?

have you been to the great barrier reef? i wish id done a round the world trip before starting a family.

intro dive is a great suggestion though, i think ill try that. [scared]

2sugars, do you want me to try another link for you?

for2sugars

2sugars oh sorry 2sugars i ment to link this. its the acual website.

belgo, where did you go on your round the world trip?
i bet that was great? was it a working holiday? did you go with your dh or girlfriends?

So jealous!! We went to the Maldives 5 years ago pre children (Reethi Beach Resort...fab).

Diving is SOOOO much better than snorkelling, and Maldives is one of the best places I have ever dived. I could only go to 18 metres at the time, but that is easily enough to see everything, and you can get that qualification in a few days whilst out there.

I did my deep water 30m qualification whilst on honeymoon in Mauritius...whilst pregnant with dd. I got knocked up on my wedding night (honest...its true; dd arrives 9 months and one week after the wedding). You are not supposed to dive at all whilst pregnant, let along reasonably deep, but I had a coil fitted and didsn't have a clue. Just thought my period was late because of the rich food.....luckily she was unscathed from the copious all inclusive cocktails I swilled..

Anyway, sorry. Went off one one there. My point was:

a. You will have a fabulous time and I am jealous
b. Go diving if you can

notyummy, i do fancy diving although it scares me a bit !!!!

all these honymoon babies, id better be careful!!! or i might bring back a v special present!

how wonderful to have a honeymoon baby. do you some times look at your dd and think you where made in heaven? or am i totally odd? lol won't be offended if you think i am btw.

I guarentee, even if you just go snorkelling, you will have a great time, and you will see most of the stuff, but only from the surface. With scuba diving, you see everything from a different perspective - for example I dived through coral archways and short caves.(If you are good at holding your breathe, you can go underwater while snorkelling, but I found that difficult).

Mostly you don't need to dive deeper then 10 metres to see most of the interesting stuff. (although sometimes there are interesting ship wrecks at 20-30 metres), and I've only dived as deep as 30 metres once. Scuba diving can be dangerous and I found that I did get quite nervous if I went too deep.
On a two week family holiday, you will probably only have time for snorkelling and an introductory scuba dive, and that will be fantastic.

Belgo talks sense...try and introductory dive and if that scares you silly, then just snorkel. Theres no point in upsetting yourself in paradise. My SIL, who is a PE teacher, very gung-ho (off-piste/black run skier etc) tried diving and came up after 5 minutes with a HUGE panic attack. I also know people who are very dull/bland and appear to do ANYTHING exciting who do all sorts of mega deep diving on nitrox mixes etc. You just don't know unless you try!

I don't look at dd and think 'you were made in paradise', although that is a lovely way to look at it. I tend to think 'you were bloody determined to get here weren't you?', as I had a copper coil fitted (which has a very low failure rate) and she still sneaked in!! She also survived the removal of said coil when I was 9 weeks pregnant, which has a high chance of causing a miscarriage, and as I said, I did all sorts of things on honeymoon that I shouldn't have...diving; climbing; drinking. But she is here, and she is VERY healthy!

mrsdd, by lionking do you mean me? lionbeast?
never been called lionking before
but i'll accept it anyway!

anyway, personally i wouldn't go back to that hotel, even though it is really lovely, next time we are planing on, or should i say hopeing to! stay at the Al Qasr, i could do a link for you? just because i prefer the overall vibe there more. its a bit more laid back iywkim?

with the jbh, there are about 5 main hotels, including the burj [the famous one that looks like a sail] these are all owned by the same company and are all linked via golf buggies and lovely little boats and waterways, so you can go in all the different hotels inc the burj if you stay at jbh.
the waterpark was great fun, although its quite strange going up the slides rather than just down them, also they have staff floating about on the slides taking your picture [for sale] on the slides which is also strange. i think its a great places for older children loads for them to do, i think it was about 7 hours yes, can't really remember, the flight passed very quickly.
also going over the dessert on a 4x4 is great fun, dunebashing i think they call it, then you have a starlit arabic feast in the middle of the dessert when night falls with belly dancers and all that. actually thinking about it does make a really good family holiday mrsdd, they were building dubailand when we where there i don't know if its built yet but i bet it will be great too. a sort of disney park type thing

lionbeast waves at tilly

I've never heard of someone having a successful pregnancy while using the coil!

As it happens, I am more the second type of person you describe - bland and boring who just happened to be fairly good at diving

I do know one young man who is very good at all water sports, but he refuses to go scuba diving. Some people really hate it, I think it's to do with not liking the feeling of being underwater.

oh i almost had a honeymoon baby too, but i was a month too late, so i had a month after the honeymoon baby,can i still join the honeymoon baby gang? concieved in the highly glam place of milton keynes!!lol.
oh well if i had of concieved a honeymoon baby it wouldn't be lovely dd then would it.

My too girls were concieved on holiday, but not technically honeymoon, can I join too please

two not too!

I have also been to Dubai, and the waterpark, as we stayed at the Jumeriah Beac (the one shaped like a wave, rather than a sail )

I found the going up slides a bit disconcerting as well, and those water jets make your bikini bottom go up your backside....make sure you dig out the wedgie before you stand up!!

We went to dinner at the Burj...it was full of Russian mafia types with their girlfriends, who all looked 18 and had long blonde hair and a LOT of jewerllery. Worth a look though, if only to see all the over-the-top gold fittings. Think Vegas, but slightly classier!

not yummy, yes thats the same hotel we stayed at the wave one, iywym about the wedgies lol ! makes you feel a bit sick after a while doesn't it?

did you have a go on the surfing thing? i did and my dh was pissing himself laughing at me. we only had a drink at the burj but the gold lift going upto the sky was er ....very stylish!
pleas tell me you went in the submarine ?

personally i found vegas to be classier than dubai, but my mind could be addled after living here so long, lol.

notyummy does your dd have quite a determined personality too?

I didn't go on the surfing thing! I went on a surfing course when I was in the RAF and was RUBBISH even after 5 days instruction, so I didn't think it was worth trying! I also chickened out of the really high water slide dh (or dbf as he was at the time)went on it and seriously bruised his boy bits....

Didn't go in the submarine sadly...the restaurant had been booked for months. We ate in the one at the very top of the Burj, with a whole load of US oil executives who kept on shouting into their mobile phone whilst we were trying to enjoy our romantic (and ve expensive) meal. So rude!

Dd is very determined. She is only 20 months, so I foresee battles ahead. Dh and I are pretty stubborn, so it will be like Clash of the Titans

you was in the raf?what did you do in the raf if you don;t mind me being so nosey? wow sounds like youve had quite an interesting life!

have you got any holidays planned this year?

your poor old dh, i bt you where laughing at him wasn't you?
lol at oil ex's, they do have a habbit of being rude don't they ? lol

it must of been your destiny to have your dd.

lionbeast - have put the links up in chat for you

sorry for hijack

lionbeast, have you been to vegas as well? when did you go there? ive never heard anyone say vegas is classy !
where else have you been?
yes, i think the name lionking would suit you better..
belgo and notyummy, yes i will go for a trial dive, if i don't gib out

I was an admin officer, which sounds a bit boring, but was actually great. Did a stint in various hot places with lots of bombs managing the media (i.e trying to make sure they don't drive into mine fields and kill themselves, and briefing them on current 'activity'). Was also exec officer to v senior RAF officer, so basically write his speeches for him/represent him on committees/research things and accompany him to events.

We are off to France, here:

www.chateaurigaud.co.uk/index.html

We went last year and it is fab!

Yes, dd was definitly meant to be! We had planned to just be married for a while, and fit in one more slap up holiday after the honeymoon before we started trying...but I actuially wasn't getting any younger so maybe it someones way of just saying 'oi...get a move on'!!

Do you live in Dubai, or I have got completely the wrong end of the stick?

milkgoddess, I went to Vegas when 6 months pregnant...which is NOT to be recommended. It is a place best experienced under the influence of alchohol!!

That said, we had a nice time. We stayed in the Wynn, which is fab and very classy...however the slot machines and bingo screens EVERYWHERE in even the swankiest of hotels tends to ruin the classy facade

sorry i had to Disappear, had to take dd to her check up at the drs.
shes is still not sitting. she'll be 9 months on the 27th.
but she is crawling.
ill start a seperate thread about that,please drop in if you have time .

notyummy, i don't live in dubai, i live in milton keynes! although i can see a few similarities. the shops and the indoor ski slopes for one !
now that place in france looks lovely, much more my sort of taste,.
sounds like a really interesting job, do you work now? or are you at home with your dd? what sort of places where you based at? anywhere weird and wonderful?

milkgoddess, yes we went to vegas, we loved it! love to go back, only stayed there for 4 nights we stayed at the luxor. which notyummy i think it very close to the wynn, next tim i want to stay at mandalay bay though.

notyummy, did you find it odd how in vegas when you come out of the hotel room you can't tell if its night or day? i guess they do that on purpose!

lionbeast, hope all is well with dd. If she is crawling, I would have thought that is positive in terms of development?

Sorry about the Dubai thing...didn't reread the thread properly!!

I am working. 4 days as week as a Project Manager in local gov. Went back to work when was 6 months old to a this as a new job. Very family friendly, don't expect you to be at your desk at stupid times/childcare vouchers/understand if children are sick etc. Plus itays v well for part time work. I worked in management consultancy before I had her, but too much travelling involved. Dh is still in the miltary, so I can't really do a job where I am away 2/3 nights a week, if he is away for 6 months. Shame, tho, as I loved he job and it paid really well! I am lucky to have this one though, so won't complain.

How about you; working or decided to stay at home in a real job At least at work I can go to the looin peace!

Ref Vegas, yes they deliberatly design it like that. Thats why there are no clocks in the casinos and the carpets are all swirly to add to the sinse of dislocation. They also employ people to hang round the gambling tables in the middle of the night so it never really empties and people don't realise what time it is.

Scary eh?

Will look in on your other thread later.