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Aquarium of the Bay

Review: Aquarium of the Bay

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Several weeks ago I was excited to learn that a fellow travel blogger took advantage of the discounted admission to the Aquarium of the Bay promotion that we mentioned back in January. So I asked Chester from Relentless Financial Improvement if he would be interested in writing us a guest post reviewing the Aquarium of the Bay. Please welcome him in sharing his experience.

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No visit to San Francisco is complete without a walk through San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. This popular tourist spot is home to restaurants, sea lions, cable cars, shopping, street performers and various attractions such as the Aquarium of the Bay.

The Aquarium of the Bay is at the edge of Pier 39, located at Embarcadero and Beach Street. From the outside, this aquarium looks very plain and unassuming. However, once you enter this 50,000 square foot aquarium, you enter an underwater world filled with over 20,000 amazing aquatic animals, focused on species from the San Francisco Bay and neighboring waters. This facility holds 700,000 gallons of bay sea water in 300 feet of crystal clear acrylic tunnels you can travel through.

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Outside Aquarium

The Aquarium of the Bay is divided into three main exhibits: Discover the Bay, Under the Bay, and Touch the Bay.

The first exhibit you are introduced to is Discover the Bay, which includes a collection of smaller tanks that display the marine creatures that live in the bay. Here you can see anchovies, Garibaldi (the California State Fish), moray eels, lobsters, fish in coral reefs, and more.

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Corals

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Sea Anemones

Next, you board an elevator that takes you down to the lower level of the aquarium, where you go to the second exhibit: Discover the Bay. This is the largest exhibit in the aquarium.

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Jellyfish 1

You are greeted by beautiful, pulsating groups of various jellyfish.

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Jellyfish 2

Then you step onto a moving walkway surrounded by acrylic glass, which allows you to explore what it looks like to be a scuba diver in the deeper waters of the San Francisco Bay. You will slowly travel through 300 feet of tunnels to see hundreds of sea animals swim around and above you. You will be surrounded by various species of sharks, stingrays, sturgeon, and fish.

Here you will see a unique type of shark called the Sevengill, which happens to be San Francisco Bay’s largest predator. This shark has a peculiar blunt snout that you don’t normally see with sharks. While most sharks have 5 gill slits per side, the Sevengill shark has a unique set of 7 gill slits.

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Sevengill Shark

Next you get to see a giant octopus up close. Be sure to watch all of the octopus videos, showing how intelligent and incredibly flexible these creatures are.

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Giant Octopus

Touch the Bay is the last exhibit in the aquarium. Here you get a chance to touch different types of rays, skates, sharks, starfish, and more in shallow pools of water. In this part of the aquarium, you can also see some local land animals like snakes, frogs, and even an opossum (so random!).

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Touch tank

140216 Aquarium of the Bays opossum

The newest part of the aquarium is the Otter exhibit, which features 3 river otters. We did not see much here on our visit since all 3 otters were sleeping.

At the Aquarium of the Bay, there are also daily visitor programs like live presentations on otters, live shark feedings, as well as 3D movies in the Bay Theater. (Note: movie tickets are not included with paid admission to the aquarium)

One thing we didn’t realize until later was that your Aquarium ticket provides return privileges throughout the day. After visiting the aquarium, you can walk around the shops, see the sea lions on Pier 39, grab something tasty to eat, then come back and see more of the aquarium.

140216 Aquarium of the Bays Schooling fish

The Aquarium of the Bay is open 364 days of the year, only closing on Christmas day. The next time you find yourself strolling through San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, don’t forget to stop by the Aquarium of the Bay!

Save Money, Travel More!

Source: Relentless Financial Improvement. All photos ©Relentless Financial Improvement and used with permission.

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A Valentine’s Day Travel Letter to My Husband

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Hello! Mrs. InACents here wishing you and your family happy travels for this Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays since I was a little kindergartener. I love the corny cards, the wondering what each conversation heart could mean from that special boy, and the colors red and pink everywhere! I have declared Valentine’s Day a household tradition from the first time I celebrated with Mr. InACents, and it has continued on through today when we celebrate with our three boys too. The tradition for our family includes a valentine’s breakfast and a small gift for each member of the family from me. I always break out valentine’s decorations, heart dishes, make heart shaped pancakes, and I even once made bacon formed into hearts!

I usually get the boys a small toy and a small candy item of some sort. For Mr. InACents, I generally get candy or pajama pants or cologne. Here is where we have a problem. Mr. InACents is not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. Sure he likes the family tradition that I do, but he likes it for the kids. Do not get upset with my dear old, darling, adorable, husband though. He is actually very romantic. Traditional romantic holidays are just not his thing. His thing is anniversaries and other surprises throughout the year.

He always showers me with attention, his own traditions, travel, and a gift or two, for our yearly anniversary and throughout the year. Valentine’s Day is just not his favorite day because of the gimmick it has become. First of all, Mr. InACents does not love corny cards someone else wrote and he has to pay 5 bucks for, and second of all he definitely does not eat chalky conversation hearts, nor does he love large doses of pink like me.

Valentine's Day Quote

So then comes my breakfast. He loves that! There is nothing he does not love about bacon, sausages, pancakes, and fried taters. So breakfast is good with him, but every year I want more! I want to convert him into a true lover of the day of cupid. Make him a true believer of a Hallmark holiday where you should do something a good couple is supposed to do all year long.

How do I convert Mr. InACents into a fan of Valentine’s Day you ask? I wracked my brain. I really did. I thought of the criteria: Mr. InACents likes homemade stuff, he likes creativity, he likes very heartfelt stuff, travel stuff, and most importantly he likes free stuff. Then it hit me, the perfect present, the thing to convert the Valentine’s Day Scrooge into a blubbering, smooching, XOXO, valentine convert. I would write him a Valentine’s Day travel article from me to him! The perfect gift and here it is:

14 Reasons Why I LOVE Traveling with Mr. InACents

1. Our Car Conversations

There is nothing better than hours of time spent in a car with captive children who cannot run wild and who often nap while riding, to finally get a chance to talk to my hubby without the daily grind getting in the way. We talk about frivolous things too. It is fun to talk about where we would live if we could live anywhere, where we dream of traveling, or what we think about certain new top 40 songs. I treasure those times with him, and I often look back on the driving part of long car trips with a certain wistfulness that it was one of the best parts of the trip…yes you can commit me to the looney bin now…I realize I sound like a kook.

2. The Way He Gifts Travel to Me

My husband loves surprises! In the 5 years of marriage and 8 or so years since we started dating he loves to surprise me with travel experiences. He gifted me a trip to Niagara Falls when we were dating. Our first trip to Disneyland included a surprise that my parents were at the hotel to join us. He has sent me on a midnight scavenger hunt ALL around my house on Christmas eve to gather clues that led me to my Christmas gift, a trip to Williamsburg. He has recently taken me all the way to Chicago to surprise me with a tour of the Disney Archives exhibit. It is these things we get to do together as gifts that I will remember the most of my life with him.

3. Seeing Him Experience Travel Though The Eyes of Our Sons

There is nothing more romantic than seeing your husband light up, engage with, and love your children! I think there is nowhere better to engage with kids then when you experience new things together. Even when our family does local travel, like enjoying the art museum, market, or a train ride, my hubby experiences it with my kids and guides them in a way that they can take it all in, learning and goofing off at the same time!

4. Travel Team Work

I love travel with Mr. InACents because we make a great team. People wonder how did we camp with a new born or travel to Hawaii for nearly three weeks with two young kids? It is because of team work. We team up to keep those three little munchkins in line, having fun, and if all else fails at least we were well fed on vacation.

5. Eating

We are foodies. We love travel and trying the local cuisine. It would be no fun if one of us were dieting. Good thing we never are!

6. Disney

What other man would I have found that would agree to a honeymoon in Disney plus many subsequent return trips? Most of all, I love him because he puts up with my propensity to plan Disney trips a year in advance in minute detail.

7. Big Dreams

Both of us have bigger travel dreams than we do for home improvements or career. We like to dream big. I would have never learned to be a dreamer when it comes to where we could go and what we could see in the world, especially with our kids, if it had not been for him opening up my eyes to it.

Travel with him has made me much more spontaneous as well. I have always had trouble being a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl until I learned to travel with Mr. InACents.

8. Small Finds

In contrast to big thinking, Mr. InACents also sees the fun in finding a small, local hideaway for a trip idea. There is always something planned in the InACents household.

9. Photos

Mr. InACents takes the most beautiful photos and sees the gorgeous in the everyday things, like light fixtures and signs. The pics he takes of our brood are amazing too! He and I also have very photogenic children together which helps.

10. His Positive Attitude

No trip or outing is ever a flop. We have spent a day in the freezing rain of a pumpkin festival, and we have missed ports-of-call on a cruise ship and never once did he complain. This trait is one of the things that I first noticed about him when we traveled together while still in the dating phase of our relationship. It was one thing that made me fall in love with him. He sure can complain about other people’s driving or how bad our dog’s breath smells. On many a day he can complain like the BEST of them…but he NEVER, EVER ruins a trip with complaining. More than anything he knows a bad day on vacation is better than a good day at work.

11. The Deals

Everywhere we go, you better believe it is cheap, free, or the best deal possible, making it possible to go more places and do more by stretching the average family travel budget.

12. The Rides

From Cedar Point to Dutch Wonderland to the weirdest little parks in the country, we love to see it, ride it, and take the boys to it.

13. The Trains

No one else would be as much fun to ride on 10-20 train rides a year with. With our train obsessed kids I need someone to commiserate with.

14. Mr. InACents Is My Best Friend

I would not want to travel with anyone else! Happy Valentine’s Day to my numero uno travel companion. I love you!

Mrs. InACents

Travel and Pregnancy Expectations

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TRAVEL AND PREGNANCY EXPECTATIONS – Last week Disney Cruise Line updated their policy of woman traveling on-board while pregnant. The current policy states:

Women who have entered their 24th week of pregnancy as of their embarkation date or who will enter their 24th week of pregnancy during the cruise will be refused passage due to safety concerns. Neither a physician’s medical statement nor a waiver of liability will be accepted. In addition, Disney Cruise Line cannot be held responsible or liable for any complications relating to pregnancy at any stage.

The change in Disney travel policy got me thinking, what should people expect when traveling with an expectant child? Disney, effectively states, if you are 6 months pregnant, they do not want to assume any risk of you going into labor or complications that may arise while under their supervision.

I am sure there will be people on both sides of this issue arguing for or against the traveling restriction. So, the first person I thought to contact was Angelina, who writes “Just Another Points Traveler” over at BoardingArea.com. With a baby due any day now, you will see why we value her opinion on travel policies. So please welcome Angelina to the discussion.

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Just Another Points Traveler 32weeks Pregnant

Hi, I’m Angelina! As the rest of the world gears up for the SuperBowl this weekend (which is ironically happening merely miles from me here in NJ), I am packing up the final items of my hospital bag, as I am days away from meeting “Baby Points Traveler.”

2013 was my most-traveled year to date (in the end, I calculated that I took a total of 90-flight segments by year’s end). Who can blame me though – traveling with points and miles, booking mistake fares, and going on mileage runs are all very exciting components of the wonderful world of points and travel. Although, I usually have a taste for traveling on a whim, without much planning, I found myself booking trips left and right ahead of time due to a deal or redemption opportunity I just could not refuse.

Then right smack in the middle of the year (June to be exact), Mr. Points Traveler and I found out we were expecting. At that point, I had already had a dozen or so trips planned in the months ahead. I’ve learned that many first time parents switch gears the instant they find out they are pregnant. I, on the other hand, was determined to keep on globe-trotting before the baby came, not because it was my “last chance of freedom,” but because I felt healthy enough to continue living my life as I normally did prior to finding out I was pregnant. Life doesn’t stop with a pregnancy.

I traveled extensively throughout the first 7 months of my pregnancy on both domestic and international itineraries, sometimes even as frequent as every weekend. I am so grateful that I had a “good pregnancy” all around, without any sickness or complications.

When I really started “showing” (around my 7th month), people close to me told me I should slow down on my traveling. I still felt pretty good, so I did not see the need to stop. I told my doctor ahead of time, and I was diligent about taking good care of myself. I knew what my cut off would be, and it was very much before the “standard” 36-week no-fly policy that the majority of airlines have in place.

Believe it or not, deciding when to stop traveling is not just a product of common sense – most airlines and cruises have a policy for pregnant-women travelers, and while I am sure it is enforced on a case-by-case basis (meaning, no one wears a sign saying “hey, look at me, I am 36 weeks pregnant), it is in place for the safety of the passenger and for liability reasons.

I personally think a no-fly past 36 weeks pregnant policy is very generous. I personally stopped traveling on airplanes at around 33 weeks. However, when I came across Disney Cruise Line’s new pregnancy policy, my jaw dropped.

In fairness, I have never traveled on a Disney Cruise before, and cruising is not exactly my “go-to” preference of travel, but 24 weeks?! WHAT? Granted, I understand that cruise ships are a breeding ground of food-bourne illnesses, and the company does not want to assume any liability if something should happen on board, but the second trimester is the safest and most comfortable time to travel for a woman. Doctors even recommend planning a “baby moon” as a “last hurrah” for the couple.

What really bothers me the most is this – how on earth would the cruise personnel “pick out” a 24-week pregnant woman from a crowd. I feel this policy is completely discriminatory towards pregnant passengers, and I am shocked that such a “family-friendly” company would have such policy in place. At 24 weeks pregnant, I was still wearing my pre-pregnancy clothing, taking fitness classes, and most importantly, traveling. I was healthy and no different than anyone else – life was a breeze, and I felt good.

As a visual reference, here’s what I looked like at 23 weeks pregnant:

Just Another Points Traveler 23weeks Pregnant

Angela at 23 weeks pregnant

Regardless of my hormonal pregnant-woman rant right now, at the end of the day, Disney has their rules, and rules are rules. It is important to know travel policies before booking any travel, and most importantly, it comes down to how you feel. I know some people who hang low during their entire pregnancy for various reasons, and that is okay too. Traveling or not traveling while pregnant is your preference, and only you know what is best for you.

What do you think about Disney Cruise Line’s new and updated travel policy for pregnant women? Do you agree or disagree with it?

Have you traveled at all while pregnant?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers,

angelinasignature

For associated travel policies of the major airlines, please reference your specific airline polices and consult with your doctor. The Baby Center website has a great list highlighting the carrier pregnancy travel policies.