We took the 2 grand kids on a vacation a few weeks ago. We stayed at the Compass Cove for a few days. We have stayed there before and knew the kids would enjoy. They are 6 & 9 yrs old. Addy(9) had been to the beach with us a few years ago but Daltyn(6) had never been. We like the Compass Cove because they have so many pools...the kids pool was a big hit with the grands...and there were always plenty of chairs and lounges for the adults...all the families that were there were great...the kids all played well...the grands made lots of new friends...so did the adults...we spent most of the day hours at the pools/lazy rivers...then went out on the beach later in the day...I think the kids love the huge sand box that the beaches are...we had to drag them in to eat...we used tons of sunscreen and no one got a sunburn...yay...Daltyn has Eczema and is allergic to many sunscreens...his dermatologist recommended Australian Blue Lizard Sensitive sunscreen 30...which we used...it is very thick but it worked great...of course, they love the banner planes...they liked reading the banners...well, I guess that made the trip educational...right?...they were reading...the favorite was "Linda, will you marry me?"
We ate breakfast 2 days at the hotel buffet...it is an average breakfast...biggest hit were the waffle makers...kids loved them...they have four waffle machines but they are always crowded the food was plentiful and hot...they had staff checking the temp of the food constantly and cleaning any messes...
Our favorite place to eat at the resort is the Crows Nest Restaurant...quick food...good prices...great staff...it is a bar...but families feel welcome...they do to go orders as well...food and drinks...seating inside or outside on a patio...they make great milkshakes...among other things
There is a small coffee bar with Starbucks, as well...good and quick...
The only extra thing we did was the Pirates Voyage show. This is a great show...Terry and I had seen it a few years ago...and we knew the kids would love it...We did the "Join the Pirates Crew" add on package...where the kids can choose to be made up as a pirate or a mermaid...it was great...the grands loved it ...the staff was super, young people who were friendly with the kids...and knew what they were doing and were so calm considering the number of kids they were working with...I was impressed...then we watched the pre show...and best of all after the pre show...with this package you go directly to the show hall and do not have to wait outside until the general admissions are let in...
Now, we knew the food was not exactly kids type food so we fed the kids before the show...lol...and after the show...good thing...they could not take their eyes off the performance...to say they were enthralled...is mild...I think the best part of the meal is the soup and biscuit that you get first...the rest of the meal is just so...so chicken, BBQ...potato...corn on the cob...apple turnover for dessert...and what ever drink you choose...it was a great time...
So you see we did not do a lot...it was all about the kids...we left on Thursday...headed for Pigeon Forge/ Dollywood...we had a great time there as well
For the long rides...we had bought dual screen DVD player for the car(headphones, too) they were entertained for most of the driving time...they had coloring supplies, books to read, and snacks...yes, I guess we are the grand parents who spoil their grand kids...but when we got home...it took Terry and I several days of laying around the house to recuperate
