Latest news with #BumperCars
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business Insider
I always thought cruises were fun for adults. Taking my kids on one made me change my mind.
Sixteen years ago, for our honeymoon, my husband and I went on our first cruise through the southern Caribbean. From elegant meals and relaxation by the pool to visiting multiple destinations without having to pack and re-settle repeatedly, we were sold from that first sailing. After becoming parents, we embarked on three more cruises to Alaska, Bermuda, and the Bahamas over the next decade. Each time, escaping without the kids, we found the respite we needed to return to parenting and the monotony of everyday life. We took a cruising hiatus But then COVID hit, and the idea of cruising fell to the back burner. As someone who is immunosuppressed, our getaways morphed into mountain adventures with the security of social distancing. But a piece of me yearned for the gentle rocking of the sea, for the socialization of meeting others who love traveling via the ocean, for the attentive staff that simply want you to have the best getaway of your life. Cruising called to me from afar. This past January, when my husband secured our boys' spring break week off from work, I turned to Google to discover what last-minute bookings were still available. I compared all-inclusive resorts to cruises that stopped at various ports, and by far, cruising was more affordable for our family of four. Pictures of Coco Cay, the Royal Caribbean island just north of Nassau, were displayed across my screen. Matching our dates perfectly, a cruise to the Bahamas was leaving from Bayonne, New Jersey — within an hour and a half's drive from our home. It felt meant to be — so we booked, and our love of cruising reignited. Cruising is more than a parent-only getaway With our boys — ages 10 and 13 — on board with us for the first time, I realized cruising is not only ideal for a parent-only getaway. It also happens to be the perfect vacation for families with tweens/teens because it offers more for less. The endless activities kept my boys busy for the entirety of our trip. Visiting a tropical beach like Coco Cay was blissful, and my boys experienced the white sand and clear water that our Jersey shore getaways lack. On board, when they weren't swimming or lounging in the hot tub, they were playing soccer or basketball in a state-of-the-art sports arena or partaking in one of the unique adventures our ship had to offer — like iFLY, FlowRider (surf simulator), and Bumper Cars. Live music and entertainment energize the evenings, and activities like rock climbing and cooking, and exercise classes are around every corner. My sushi-loving teen and I took a sushi-making class, and it did not disappoint. The ongoing schedule of activities is organized in the cruise line app, so you'll never miss a thing. Aboard the ship, it was as if my boys had traveled back to the 1990s. Our world has become unsafe for children to wander without adult supervision, but on cruises, teens can explore independently in a safe, family-friendly environment — possibly the best aspect of cruising with older kids! The ship's boundaries become a haven for teens in search of independence, and even tweens can roam safely in smaller areas like the pool deck. Cruising also solves the travel dilemmas that families typically face. While you're dining in elegance, the ship is sailing toward a new port. How else can you expose your children to multiple destinations and cultures in one trip without packing and repacking, wasting time in the car or on a plane, and without spending the exorbitant cost for airline tickets? You can't. Forget the backseat arguments and boredom that comes with road travel because the fun doesn't stop while you're sailing. They made friends on the boat From poolside friendships to designated teen hangout spaces, kids are also bound to meet others around the same age — and unlike meeting a friend at a resort on land, these new buddies are there for the entirety of your vacation. On the first day, my 10-year-old made a new friend and now they stay in touch via iMessenger. My husband and I used to cruise for a break from parenting. But now that my kids are older, I'm convinced cruising is the perfect family getaway, and we don't intend to sail without our boys again.
Miami Herald
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Outer Banks town — notorious for lightning strikes — reports 5 in latest round
An Outer Banks village with a history of lightning strikes endured its latest round this week, with at least five hits reported between sunset and midnight, according to fire officials in North Carolina. It happened Tuesday, June 17, in Corolla and the targets included four homes and a bumper car tourist attraction that suffered heavy damage, Corolla Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Shortway told McClatchy News. 'There was so much lightning, but this isn't the first time,' he said. 'Ten years ago, we had 14 lightning strikes in six hours. We (fire crews) were going from house to house.' The latest round came during two storms, the first of which rolled in around 7 p.m., Shortway said. Video shared to social media shows the Corolla Adventure Golf and Bumper Cars with flames shooting from its roof. Multiple fire and rescue departments responded, including teams for Corolla, Currituck County, Duck, Southern Shores and Kitty Hawk. The damage was enough to shut the park down temporarily, according to a June 18 news release. At the other four strike sites, lightning dug into wooden frames or fried wiring, but the structures did not ignite, officials said. It's likely more homes were hit during the storms, but the damage won't be noticed for days because so many are unoccupied vacation rentals, Shortway said. Coastal areas like the Outer Banks 'may be at greater risk for lightning damage if storms develop over oceans and move on-shore,' reports. 'People who live and work along coasts and coastlines everywhere may be more likely to experience a super-charged lightning strike,' the site reports. 'Lightning can be much more powerful over the ocean than land.' Corolla is about a 230-mile drive northeast from Raleigh.
